Returning Players - Questions regarding Leveling Up at 80

[Pixii.6347]

Hello there,I left the game before HoT officially came out. I remember when it was being released (but not officially out yet) if we were at Level 80, and we "leveled up" - I think we would just get like a Spirit Shard or something?

Has this changed since then?I just came back to the game a couple of days ago and purchased HoT + PoF. So will something different happen if I fill my experience bar (at level 80)?

I'm at 0 Mastery Points, and the game keeps yelling at me like "look at this pretty Mastery thing down here in the bottom left corner that you can't do anything about because you just bought the expac and I'm not going to tell you when you actually unlock this stuff, but I'm going to keep yelling at you that it's here until you finally get to use it in like 100 hours"

[Ayakaru.6583]

Yes,There is now something called horizontal levelling after lv 80.These are essentially your masteries and special abilities.Every expansion comes with a few trees, each containing several masteries.Living World seasons also have 1 tree with 1 mastery per episode.

After lv 80 your level is essentially set back to 0 and is increased by every spend mastery point. You need to level up once, per mastery, and then spend its value of points.Then your level becomes equal to the sum of spend points.

When there are no masteries to be unlocked, you can not gain mastery experience, and will instead have a spirit shard level bar.

TLDR; earn mastery points by playing the game, earn experience to unlock masteries, and then spend them.The spirit shards will return when you cannot earn mastery experience anymore.

[Ayakaru.6583]

For more information:https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Mastery

And yes it may be a little confusing at first, because it w as thoroughly explained in media when HoT came out, and relied on player to player tutoring hereafter.

Just focus on the masteries that seem most useful, like mounts and gliding.But mostly, just play the game in order and they'll unlock as you go along

[Pixii.6347]

@Ayakaru.6583 said:Yes,There is now something called horizontal levelling after lv 80.These are essentially your masteries and special abilities.Every expansion comes with a few trees, each containing several masteries.Living World seasons also have 1 tree with 1 mastery per episode.

After lv 80 your level is essentially set back to 0 and is increased by every spend mastery point. You need to level up once, per mastery, and then spend its value of points.Then your level becomes equal to the sum of spend points.

When there are no masteries to be unlocked, you can not gain mastery experience, and will instead have a spirit shard level bar.

TLDR; earn mastery points by playing the game, earn experience to unlock masteries, and then spend them.The spirit shards will return when you cannot earn mastery experience anymore.

Awesome! thanks for the info!

[Ayakaru.6583]

No problem.

The logic behind it is simply, many games increase the level cap. Rendering abilities, gear, and character development often useless.With this system your character is always a valid lv80 character wherever and whenever you play.Masteries unlock special abilities, environmental interactions and mobility abilities as a replacement to standard levelling experience.

While useful, they are designed as necessary within the story. At least, some are.None of them, however, are ever necessary in external content.With the exclusion of raids, which may at times require mushroom jumping, gliding, or otherwise lesser abilities.

[Ayrilana.1396]

@Ayakaru.6583 said:While useful, they are designed as necessary within the story. At least, some are.None of them, however, are ever necessary in external content.

There are many things in ‘external content’ which require them. Now those things as a percentage of overall ‘external content’ Is fairly low.

[phs.6089]

That thing is pretty annoying, I remember when I got back. It will go away when you get couple of mastries.Start from those

[Ayakaru.6583]

@Ayrilana.1396 said:

@Ayakaru.6583 said:While useful, they are designed as necessary within the story. At least, some are.None of them, however, are ever necessary in external content.

There are many things in ‘external content’ which require them. Now those things as a percentage of overall ‘external content’ Is fairly low.

True, there is some use for masteries outside the story.Some achievements, or collections, require masteries to access them.Some mastery points are hidden behind others. But in some cases you can also be teleported by mesmers. With the exclusion of poison clouded areas.

Other examples are adventures like Floor is Lava or Bugs in the Branches.Two out of four sides of the Auric Basin meta also require a mastery for (proper) participation.

Youre right, none was the wrong word.Requirement may be considered low, and you can get through the story with very minimal unlocking. And exploration requires very little more. Occasionally a poison resistance or the ability to eat mushrooms.

You'll run into the exceptions at some point

[Kaltyn of Torbins Deep.294]

IIRC, don't you have to do the first mission in HoT or PoF to actually unlock the masteries? I remember earning a bunch, but not actually being able to do anything with them until I did the first story in HoT where I unlocked gliding. Granted, that was 3+ years ago, so I may be misremembering details.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

@"Kaltyn of Torbins Deep.2946" said:IIRC, don't you have to do the first mission in HoT or PoF to actually unlock the masteries? I remember earning a bunch, but not actually being able to do anything with them until I did the first story in HoT where I unlocked gliding. Granted, that was 3+ years ago, so I may be misremembering details.

Yes, you must either earn the Raptor in 'Sparking the Flame' (PoF), or complete 'Torn from the Sky' (HoT). One of those must be done to unlock Core Masteries.https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Mastery#Mastery_track

[Etria.3642]

I think almost everything in POF past the first map or two requires a springer 3, some at least require you have the skimmer and many many many many ls4 maps require various masteries from POF, same with HOT, and the gliding/jumping/poison stuff. Some of them aren't, it's true, and of course none in core Tyria. I can't recall anything i NEEDED the Jackal for other than getting the griffon? Maybe some map completion or mastery point? But POF masteries are lightyears easier to get and fill than HOT.