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Coming back to GW2, dreading glut of story content!


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A year and a half ago, I was growing disenchanted with GW2 and returned to WoW after not playing that since 2010. But now, I am wanting to boot GW2 up again (still playing WoW, particularly WoW Classic which is a godsend!), maybe even create a new character from scratch. Unfortunately...I am all too aware of how much content exists in this game today. I am a player who focuses on PvE and story content, but the thought of having to go through Heart of Thorns again fills me with dread. Only one toon of mine has completed that story, but that toon is not one i want to keep as my "main" anymore. I just remember HoT being an extremely painful expac, from the labyrinthine maps, the sharp spike in enemy difficulty, and the demonization of Caithe that I still will never forgive Anet for. But if I recall, the only way you can move on to the LW story and Path of Fire is by completing HoT -- is this still true? It's the main piece of story content I wish I could skip over.

And this isn't even counting the dozens of hours or more of LW story content that now exists, assuming I haven't missed unlocking chapters. The whole thought of trudging through all this makes me wary, and I'd like to hear advice from anyone who has had to go through this.

Note: I believe most of my existing toons are either low-level (30 and below), or got to HoT but no further. As I mentioned, only one toon of mine has completed HoT, the LW after that, and is currently in PoF, but I don't want to "main" a Necromancer at this time. She just happened to be the toon that I got through the most content, especially considering that I have an alt issue and constantly delete toons to make a fresh one.

Advice and encouragement would be greatly appreciated! I'm overwhelmed just thinking about it.

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The story is continuous. But, you can play them in any order you like. If you have no wish to re-do HoT, then start wherever you want (where you left off would seem best) and go back to the older stuff later

I always dread replaying older stuff as I like my toons to do things in order, but nothing stops me from jumping straight to PoF or Icebrood Saga

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@Randulf.7614 said:The story is continuous. But, you can play them in any order you like. If you have no wish to re-do HoT, then start wherever you want and go back to it later

I wish I could jump straight into PoF and skip HoT entirely, but each expac is level-locked, right? Meaning I'd have to have a toon do other content to get to the right level to start PoF? As you can tell, the almost two years of not playing has made me forget a lot.

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@Moyayuki.3619 said:

@Randulf.7614 said:The story is continuous. But, you can play them in any order you like. If you have no wish to re-do HoT, then start wherever you want and go back to it later

I wish I could jump straight into PoF and skip HoT entirely, but each expac is level-locked, right? Meaning I'd have to have a toon do other content to get to the right level to start PoF? As you can tell, the almost two years of not playing has made me forget a lot.

Once you hit level 80 and you have unlocked it on your account, you can do what you like

A level 80 for example can go straight to PoF if you have it. Or straight to Icebrood Saga if you have unlocked it. No other prerequisite is needed. It'll just be like jumping into a story without some back context

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@Shadowmoon.7986 said:Reaper is a solo content monster, i would recommend sticking with that class. You left right before the soul eater change, so going power reaper you will have a much more enjoyable experience. If you are having a hard time still, switch to death magic and add rise.

It's not a matter of having trouble with Necromancers. I just am not always in the mood to play that type of class, thematically/aesthetically.

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I have one char that I use to go through the story on. It’s one that for me is the strongest and easiest to play. But after that I play on any of my alts that I feel like playing on. I don’t stick to one profession or have a main. Keeps the gameplay fresh that way imo. You might try having a char that you use for the story and switch around to others as you’re in the mood to do non story playing. Once you get through the story the non story achievements are account wide and can be done on any char.

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About the only limitation to doing anything past core Tyria is being level 80.

That said unless you have been logging in occasionally there will be chapters locked. Still quite possible to unlock via gold to gems but you can also just skip straight to the newest release.

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I never played the story in HoT. I barely played any of the area. There is really nothing needed after you unlock the glider. To me it is a wasted map. But luckily you do not have to play any area you do not like. There is some story that is required that may unlock an area, gliders, mounts etc. Mostly you can skip around all you want. The living world seasons can be done in any order. If you are a stickler for the story, you may want to do them in order, but you certainly do not have to.

I would go to PoF first and unlock a few mounts. I think the 1st part of the story unlocks the raptor, then you can just go to the right area to unlock the other early mounts. For general gameplay just the raptor, bunny, and glider are enough. The others are nice but not essential for most game areas.

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@Kylden Ar.3724 said:There's a story to this game?

Ok, speaking of I could not care less about the story...My PC died on christmas eve. I just got back online (new PC got stuck in Manila for the domestic travel ban). I have continued the living world, but am still in chapter 1. I just finished a silly maze with a easy critter at the end. Then the talking started... and I had time to go to the restroom, came back and mixed a drink. They are still talking. Is there anything in the new area worth going for? I looked at the map on the wiki and it looks like a bunch of nothing. Is there a new zone? A new city? I loved the intro area to this season, but not getting into the story area at all. Is it worth slogging through it?

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HoT was more difficult but honestly I never found it all that difficult originally.. probably because I rejected the meta's and played how I enjoyed playing which just worked out well for me there.HoT has been nerfed down over time, it's still harder than a lot of the games content but nowhere near as painful an experience as it was for most when it first came out.

As others said you can skip over this content if you want but if your interested in the story then I strongly advise just replaying all of it including HoT so you'll get that full experience.There's been so much since HoT.. many questions answered and attitudes changed so it's worth it to replay it all imo.

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Returning player, dreaded and didnt like the core story alot previously. Used my lvl 80 boost on a class i dont have(u shld have if u get the expansions), immediately started PoF for mounts, found it nice and played abit more.

Didnt complete it cos I want gear and skyscale, so i went to LS3 3 and LS4. Was then very surprised at the production values of the LS and the experience has been really great, alot better than core Tyria.

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Well op if u dread the story for reason like why I doShallowBoringUninterestingBad writingEtcDo as I did and just pvp in conquest and wvw and play other vids/mmo's for ur story needs :)If it's simply cuz there's a lot for u to go thru than just take ur time if u enjoy the story, there's no reason to rush and as long as ur having fun it wont feel like a burden for u :)

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Most veterans of the game will suggest you start a new character so that you can learn the game proper. Take time an learn the UI.Here is a list of the current stories taken from the wiki4.1 My Story4.1.1 Levels 10-304.1.2 Levels 40-604.1.3 Levels 70-804.2 Scarlet's War4.3 Living World Season 24.4 Heart of Thorns4.5 Living World Season 34.6 Path of Fire4.7 Living World Season 44.8 The Icebrood Saga

You should be able to jump into any one of these areas provided you are level 80. So if you would like to skip content you can but I wouldn't suggest it. Because there are things to be learned in every story line mechanically that will help you as a player in the long run. Like watching for motion ques and when to evade. Most people had trouble with HoT because they just charged in without respecting and learning what they were up against. That will most always reward you with a trip to the nearest waypoint.

Plus parts of the story will unlock new maps. That you may have to purchase from the gem store if you didn't log in to get the free version when it was available. Each season has a Portal Tome assigned to it. This is a place where you can put your portal scrolls from that particular season in. Portal scrolls allow you to teleport to the map you purchased it from for free. If you have a shared inventory spot you can place the tome in there and it can be used by every character on your account.

Lets not forget Masteries. There are 4 sets of mastery points Core, HoT, PoF, and IBS. In order to progress in a specific Mastery line you have to be on Maps that are for that area of the game. For example to max out your gliding you will need to earn mastery points and experience on HoT maps/story. So if that matters to you at all you will need to spend some time in each of the areas to become proficient.

But the game is mostly play your way so you can pick and choose what you want from the game. Jump in and out of story lines if you would like. But be warned you may lose your progress on what ever it was that you currently were working on. Just keep in mind if you jump further ahead in the story it could spoil some things that happened earlier in the story or leave you with more questions than answers.

Take Care and Welcome Back!

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