Ringlin.1863

I had the same problem today, promptly resolved by Customer Service after I posted a ticket. As I understand it, Gem Purchases are the lifeblood of GW2: they pay to keep the game going. While CS resolved my issue, it's worth fixing the problem for any player. Maybe consider Huzbub's suggestion?

Great! And welcome! I hope you enjoy GW2 as much as I do.

Slippy, thanks for trying to help here. Does the router matter? Why not allow players to restart from a checkpoint? I really urge ANet to consider allowing people to restart from a checkpoint whatever router they have. People disconnect for all kinds of reasons, and while some players (like me) seem to have the problem in story instances more frequently than others, it seems a poor game design to have sections of the game where all progress can be lost. People lose power. ISPs go dark. Cords get yanked, computers crash. Frequent or infrequent, isn't a checkpoint a good idea, and wouldn't it solve the problem here, whatever the cause?

I'll again raise the question of "Why not save story progress and allow players to continue if disconnected?" Or rather, since ANet already saves progress within a story instance (if you die, you can continue from a checkpoint), why not allow players to return to that checkpoint if they disconnect? You have the checkpoint and the save mechanic already in place. Personally, I would allow players to do so without time limitation, but if devs didn't want players to break instances into chunks, they could allow re-connecting within a limited time, as apparently they did in GW1. While I appreciate that devs are trying to make the problem reproducible, that hasn't been a productive path so far. Why not apply this fix, which builds on an existing mechanic, and an existing feature of GW1?

This just happened to me (again, happens often in story instances, rarely otherwise). I have two new pieces of information: First, I had GoGGalaxy running in the background. Some posters have suggested that a lapse in communication causes the trouble, and having a background program like GoG running can prevent it. Not for me. Second, mine almost always happen during transitions, but not necessarily during cutscenes (in this case, it was Trahearne calling "Commander! To me!" and by the time I reached him to continue dialog, I couldn't click on him - I had already disconnected).

Slippy, your offer here is as welcome as in the other thread, but here, especially, it may help to stick to the original topic: why not Save Progress? Yes, ANet is aware of the problem and searching for the cause. But as the issue has persisted for years - whether it's for a "small number of players" is debatable - whatever the cause, the solution of a Save seems sensible. How about it, ANet? You already save progress to restore a (defeated) player to a checkpoint within an instance. Allowing players to return to that checkpoint if dumped outside the instance offers a lot value for frustrated players.

There are several ways to solve the problem, even if they don't know the cause. The simplest one is to save progress at certain points in long story episodes. I keep getting disconnected during Hearts & Minds, and it has obvious save points. Many episodes have easy progress places. That's not rocket science. While in the instance, you already have the ability to Restart at a Checkpoint. So ANet just needs to save that info and allow you to return there when you return to the instance.. If ANet doesn't want people to break episodes into chunks completed over multiple days, just give a window for rejoining a story in progress, as apparently they did in GW1. This is one of the most frustrating bugs in the game. It's predictable (at least for me - in any long episode, chances of a disconnect are disturbingly high), punishing (your time gets completely wasted, with nothing gained) ... and completely avoidable if ANet simply allows you to return to checkpoint when re-entering an instance, just as you can from within it.

I, too, keep getting disconnected during Hearts & Minds. It's not at all fun. Please, ANet, follow the suggestion of either the OP - save partway through long episodes (Hearts & Minds has obvious save points available) - or at least of the second post, to allow you to continue progress if you rejoin an episode in a certain window of time, as apparently you did in GW1.

The problem appeared right after the recent Windows update, and it's clearly a compatibility issue with GW2 in Fullscreen. That's something that can be fixed only at your end. Look: I'm not mad, Anet. Problems come up, but you won't solve this by looking the wrong way. That's exactly right. I understand if Technical Support generally wants your specs and often sees issues with other programs in the background, but can we please move past that here? This is as clear a case as you'll get: the trouble happened immediately after the Windows update, it's 100% consistent, I'm not running Discord or add-ons. Please recognize this as an issue between Windows and GW2's Fullscreen, because then you can focus on a fix.

I have a little more info now. The "flash away" happens for me when it loads my personal data for the map. If I change maps to say, Verdant Brink, first I get a generic Verdant Brink screen as usual. Then GW2 alt-tabs to my desktop while it brings up that same load screen + my personal progress (x/7 waypoints, y/9 Vistas, etc). Something about loading character map progress causing the trouble?

To understand this thread, know two things: And second, Anet apparently doesn't see the alt-tabbing trouble as common, despite the posts here and the shared issue by several of my guildmates since the recent Windows update. So: I've done that. I hope the CS Team can make enough sense of this tangled thread to see that there's a compatibility issue with their loading screens and the recent Windows update.

Yes, immediately and consistently since the Windows update this weekend. Now it happens on every loading screen, as it does for some other guildmates. None of the workarounds above eliminate the problem, though turning off Focus Assist makes it persist for about 3 seconds instead of 10.

I have turned off Focus Assist and still have the trouble, as do other guildmates. Mine started with this update. I've tried switching between Windowed and Fullscreen mode and that doesn't fix it, either. I haven't rolled back video drivers.

Brand-New 80's and The Living World 1For new players like me who have just finished the core game personal story, here's a short reference on where the story goes next. The lore advances along this line: Living World 1LW2HoTLW3PoFLW4That's easy enough to find, but you'll immediately face two questions. Start HoT/ PoF to unlock gliding, riding, and Masteries, or stick with the lore route, above?and How to Catch up on Living World 1?The first choice is up to you. There's practical value in gliding, riding, and removing the annoying pop-up box announcing your Mastery track xp bar is filled. There's value in seeing the story unfold, as well. The second question arises because LW1 played out through events, and it can't be purchased for replay like LW2 or LW3. Most threads direct players to the It's excellent, but it's also 3 hours long. The Wiki summary is also dense, with a lot of background material. There has to be middle ground between those and the There is. There's , twenty minutes each, and my favorite, (followed by summaries of LW2, HoT, and LW3).But those are summaries, and if you want to see LW1 unfold, the Complete Movie is the way to go. So for those who want a peek, without a 3-hr commitment, here are the key parts, so you can see them in under 30 minutes, or even under 10. 00:00:50 Origin of Pale Tree and Sylvari (1 min)00:02:00 Origin of Ceara/ Scarlet Briar, the focal point of LW1. Do watch this. (5 min)00:10:00 Introduction to Evon Gnashblade, followed by Braham Eirsson (4 mins)00:17:20 Introduction to Rox (2 min). See also 33:00, for 30 seconds.00:36:00 Origin of Ellen Kiel (4 min)00:48:00 Friendship of Braham and Rox (1 min)00:49:30 Watchknights (1 min)00:53:00 Scarlet revealed (1 min)00:59:30 Scarlet unleashed (2 min), do watch this. Can go to 01:05:30 for conclusion of this arc (4 min)01:11:00 Origin of Marjory Delaqua (1 min) Watch this, as it has elements that carry over.02:02:00 Origin of Kasmeer Meade (3 long minutes)02:08:30 Taimi and Brham (2 min)02:19:00 KEY PLOT SUMMARY (5 min). If you watch only one part, make it this.02:39:00 Group fight vs Scarlet (1 min) - easy to miss, not given much attention despite its importance.02:40:00 Conclusion w Scarlet (4 min, can watch last min at 2:44 if you want to skip ahead)03:16:30 Foreshadowing (30 secs) About the Consortium and Job-o-Tron: this is a parallel story, and while some fans will see it as significant, you can understand the rest of the story arc without it. Personally, I didn't find it interesting enough for the time spent on it, but you may want to watch.00:33:30 The Consortium (3 min)00:45:00 Job-o-Tron wanderer (1 min)00:57:00 Busker-o-Tron (2 long minutes)01:10:00 Ho-Ho-Tron (1 min)02:30:00 Heal-O-Tron (6 min, interesting. Honestly, you could just watch this, sparing yourself all the rest and the pain of Busker-o-Tron)02:48:00 Vindicated-O-Tron (1 min) Enjoy!

Great idea. Added. Thanks. I also added to links this recent Forum thread on taking awesome screenshots in GW2. It's quite good - check it out.

Updated with Profession tips, third post. Happy to add further suggestions.

Yeah, it is long. But every one of those is something I wish I'd known, and most are hard to find in other explanations. Guides now tend to focus on post-80 play. If you have any suggestions on things to trim or highlight, please let me know. Good idea. Added. Thanks.

CLASS TIPSHere are tips by class ('Profession' in GW2) that may be helpful to newcomers, as pre-80 PvE leveling builds.Note that builds pre-80 are very flexible, so play what you enjoy most. That advice applies post-80, too, but the range of effective builds is narrower. See the links above for Snowcrows and MetaBattle for builds at 80. I'm focusing on Mesmer, Necromancer, and Elementalist, since I found these the least intuitive to play. They're also the ones I've played the most, so if veterans have further tips for the other professions especially, please do post. General Any profession can be played (pre-80) as ranged or melee, but they tend to focus on one or the other.Once players unlock weapon-swapping, many choose either a mix of melee and range or of single-target and AoE.For some builds, the first few Hero points can open a different playstyle, so read through your Utility skill options.When I was learning Elementalist, having a Lesser Elemental to tank for me made a big difference, for instance. MesmerPrimarily melee (though again, any profession can be played ranged or melee), with a focus on using your illusions - Clones and Phantasms. Here's what isn't obvious: Your Clones do little damage but make great distractions for enemy targets.Your Phantasms now do a round of high damage, then turn into Clones.Consider Signet of the Ether as an early healing Utility skill, since it refreshes your Phantasms.You can Shatter your Clones four ways. In solo, leveling PvE, perhaps the most common is F1, Mind Wrack (for damage).F2 Frustration causes Confusion for your enemies.Confusion is confusingly named. It's close to GW2's version of Damage-Over-Time. It does further damage when your enemy uses a skill.F3 Daze is an Interrupt, and F4 Distortion gives you 1 second of Invulnerability. They're niche skills.Mesmer gameplay varies a lot with your weapon choice. Try them all, but especially these three : Scepter/ Pistol and Greatsword for ranged, and Sword/ Sword for melee. Many use Staff for AoE in group events, and /Focus for a (minor) speed boost when exploring.I started with Illusion Training as a Utility and liked it. For Specializations, unlocked at 21, Duelist works well with both Pistol and Sword. Domination and Illusions also offer strong skills at the end of their trees. Chaos offers strong traits early if you want more regen or survival. Inspiration is a support tree. ElementalistPrimarily ranged, though can be played melee with Dagger/ Dagger. Scepter/ Dagger works, too. There's even a popular Dagger/ Warhorn option once you have all three Specializations, but here, I'll focus on Staff, the most common.Note that though Elementalist playstyle does change with weapon, like any other profession, in-combat switching centers on "Attunement" choices. With any given Weapon, you can use skills in Fire, Air, Water, or Earth. For Staff, you have Fire: 2/3 to open, and whenever off CD. 4 to back away. 5 when the long, static cast time is ok. 2 is your main source of damage.Water: two heals - a 20s and a 40s CD. 2 is the only real source of dmg. Swap to and from.Air: the AA (1) has AoE, so be aware when attacking groups. Popular second Specialization for the speed bonus.Earth: survivability, with three forms of CC.Underwater, your Trident is most straightforward with Fire, though Air offers a nice mix of damage and CC. For Specialization, consider Fire and Air for DPS, Arcane or Earth for survivability. NecromancerOf all the professions, I found Necromancer the hardest to 'get.'. I learned to like it, but here's what I wish I knew at the start:First, your pet choices are limited and you don't control them directly, save for a single burst skill. This is not Diablo. Second, unlike most professions, I found build choices are not widely flexible for a Necromancer. You essentially have two options, either a single-target Power build or an AoE Conditions build. A Power (single target, direct damage) build is easier to learn.Power can be done with Axe/ Focus or Dagger/ Dagger. Axe gives a bit of range, Dagger has a higher attack speed.With Axe/ Focus, 2 is your source of Life Force (see 'Death Shroud' below). With Dagger, it's your AA (skill 1).For Power, don't choose Utility (or Specialization) skills that give you Conditions.Like all rules, this can be broken, but for newcomers, it's a good one.'Conditions' in GW2 mean bad, enduring effects (until they run out, usually a few seconds later): bleeding, burning, poison, etc.Some Necromancer builds purposely inflict Conditions on yourself, and you can then pass those Conditions to your foes. It shines with AoE damage: you'll typically herd three or more enemies at once. Epidemic is an important Utility skill for Conditions play.Consume Conditions works well with Epidemic.Blood is Power is popular, too, as is Signet of the Locust (for speed).Scepter/ Dagger is the common weapon choice, using 2 and 5 for AoE, then Epidemic. 3 for burst on anyone standing.3 is also your source of Life Force for Death Shroud. /Dagger is great here, since 4 Deathly Swarm transfers your Conditions to your foes.Staff is another viable option for Conditions build, as 4 transfers conditions.For gear, Conditions play favors Condition Damage, Precision, and Toughness.More info on the playstyle from this Reddit Guide to Conditions Necromancy. With any build, a Necromancer can enter Death Shroud. In the Shroud, your health bar is replaced by Life Force. Life Force is not health. It is a separate pool, one that replaces your health while in the Shroud.In the Shroud, direct damage against you is reduced by 50%.You can't heal in the Shroud.You lose 3% of Life Force every second, in addition to losing it from damaging attacks.You can gain more Life Force with 4 Life Transfer, but not perpetually. It has a 40 sec CD.Learn to use Death Shroud. It isn't perfect - with two direct damage skills and two that apply Conditions, it offers limited options for either a Power or a Conditions build - but it does expand your play options.For Specializations, choose Spite for direct damage, Curses for Conditions, Death Magic for minion/ Shroud defense, Blood Magic for sustain, Soul Repaing for Shroud-focused play. Brief notes on the other professions below. Please do add suggestions for tips. RangerBows are most common. Longbow is straightforward, Short Bow gives bonuses for flanking your target and so rewards positioning.Axe also works for ranged. Sword and Greatsword are viable for melee.Wiki list of easily tameable pets by location. EngineerI highly recommend putting early Hero points into Utility skills for Kit and Turret, so you get a full feel for the class. Gadget offers a nice heal early, and Elixirs gives Boon and Condition options, but Kit and Turret open up different playstyle options. Try 'em out and see what you think. Guardian vs Warrior: There Can Be Only OneActually, you can have each, with different strengths. I've enjoyed them both.Warriors have a high health pool, while Guardians gain survivability through damage mitigation.This is a useful Forum thread on the differences. ThiefOften chosen for PvP, I'm focusing on PvE leveling options. Pros Great mobility.High DPS.Good Crowd Control.Cons Squishy.Doesn't bring much group utility.Limited ranged options.Shortbow is the most common, for access to 5 Shadowstep, but many players run with Dagger (or Sword)/ Pistol, or even Pistol/ Pistol.I've sure enjoyed playing Thief, but my experience is too limited to be a good benchmark. A common complaint is that thief playstyles are too repetitive, but I also hear from veterans who love them.

Helpful Links The WikiWikis are great for some games, not so great for others. The GW2 Wiki is excellent, with tons of accurate, well-organized info.In your in-game chat box, you can type/wiki(or /wiki 'keyword')to open the Wiki or to search for a specific term. More Useful TipsHow to split stacksHow to link a Waypoint in Chat Shift + left clicking an item will link them in the chat. You can also shift + left click a waypoint or skill to link them in chat.Hold Alt while moving a stack in your inventory to split it into multiple stacks.and more in this Reddit tip thread. LoreExcellent video from Wooden Potatoes on Video Guides for Jumping Puzzles and QuestsNeed a guide through a jumping puzzle or quest? AyinMaiden has it. Dulfy's videos are also good. CraftingA useful Forum thread on crafting for newcomers.Crafting guide to help with efficient level ups, at GW2Crafts..The GW2 Wiki on Crafting. EmotesEmotes in GW2 require an '@' if you wish to indicate a target - for instance, '/thank @' the person you've targeted.The GW2 Wiki list of emotes. BuildsThis Build Editor allows you to save your planned builds. Builds are flexible pre-80. Afterwards, there's a narrower meta, and you can see the leading builds atMetaBattleand SnowCrows. MiscEvent timing displayed at GW2Timer. There's also an app version. A very thorough guide on GW2 movement and distance.A Reddit guide to GW2 Roleplaying. Almar's guides of WvW for newcomers. A beginner's video guide to Fractals. How to take great screenshots and videos of your GW2 play.

These are the things I wished I knew when I started last month. Any further thoughts from veterans appreciated. There are lots of good, recent guides on post-80 content, so the focus here is on leveling through PvE. GW2 Tips for New PlayersSETUPWorld Selection Don't worry about it, as all world servers now overlap into a giant world.The only exception is for a particular kind of PvP, and even that may be integrated soon. See PvP, below, for more info. Character Creation Here's what you can change later (for a fee): your appearance, your name, your sex.You can't change your class, your race, or your background. The background chosen at character creation affects the first three stages of your Personal Story, a series of quests every 10 levels. SettingsFor convenience and smooth targeting, I recommend Autoloot: Auto-pickupAoE Loot on InteractDouble-Click and R-Click to Attack/InteractStop Autoattacking on Target ChangeTurn Off Melee Attack AssistSee Stitch's note below on Melee Attack Assist.Keybinding: replace Turning (which you don't need) with Strafe Left and Strafe Right. PLAYSkill ChoicesSkills in GW2 come from both your weapon and, later, your build. By level 8, you'll have available all your weapon skills. Try the various weapons available to your class.They can play quite differently, and you may like certain ones a lot more than others.You have different weapon abilities when underwater..Your character can breathe underwater (through an Aqua Breather, issued at character creation).At levels 11-19, you get access to Utility Skills, purchased with Hero Points. Earn Hero Points at marked locations as you explore, and also at certain levels as you level up. While you can't reassign Hero Points, you can earn enough to cover all your skills, so don't worry about perfect choices.At the end of this post, I've put tips on each class that may help when getting a feel for how they play. FightingYou can see your buffs (usually "Boons") and debuffs ("Conditions") above your action bar, at the bottom of the screen.Some, like boosts from food, persist for several minutes or more, but most in-combat effects are brief by PvE standards, lasting only a few seconds. Learn to Dodge, and get comfortable with it.You'll need it for later fights, so practice it even early on, when it isn't strictly necessary. I like Dodging by pressing a key (I use "A" since I use ESDF for movement) instead of double-tap (so I don't accidentally Dodge while scooting along a jumping puzzle), but use whatever works for you.Strafe instead of backing up. You move much faster.When you "die," you first go into the Downed state, granting you access to some abilities. Kill an enemy with them and you pop back up. When dead ("Defeated"), other players can Revive you. Clear enemies before you Revive other players - most of the time.Don't die while trying to Revive. I see it all the time.If an enemy's attention is focused on elsewhere, then you can Revive without clearing. It's much faster to Revive a player who is Downed than one who is Defeated."Aggro" or "threat" isn't held the same way as in other MMOs. It builds according to players' Toughness score, their proximity, their damage, and their level (lower levels drawing more aggro). QuestingGW2's quest system is elegant: go where you want, and help the local populace where you want. No fetch quests, no narrow path.. You won't get a mount until completing the first Path of Fire chapter.If that bugs you, you could run one character through the start of PoF, but it isn't required. GW2 is far more walk-friendly than other MMO's, and most classes have access to a speed boost Utility skill.To get bonus experience, complete the "heart" quests that appear as you explore. You also get experience for discovering Points of Interest and Vistas in a given area. Some Vista spots offer mini-puzzles for access. Fill a Heart or level up and you'll get a reward, accessible on the lower right, above your minimap. You get exp (and loot) by harvesting. See 'Your Capital City,' below, for info on getting gathering tools early on.Once you fill a Heart, that NPC will buy your junk.You can Deposit Materials into your bank from the gear icon on your bag.You can sell items through the Trading Post from anywhere. More on that in the Buying & Selling section below.The above three tips will keep your bags clear on the go, especially when also Salvaging (see below).You can quest in a lower-level zone. Your level will scale down (to the max zone of the level +1). You can see this on other players when their level displays with a green arrow pointing down, next to their name and portrait. Events will pop up as you roam. They grant a lot of exp. Activate Waypoints by getting close to them the first time you're nearby. Before going into a tough fight, like at certain Events, activate a nearby WP (if you don't already have one).That way, you can respawn there if needed. Chat General Chat for any given area is /Map. Click on the chat location (/Map, /Say, etc) - in bold on the lower left - to see your options. Your Capital CityConsider going to your capital city (Divinity's Reach, Black Citadel, Rata Sum, Hoelbrak, The Grove) once you hit level 5. The portal to your capital is behind where you began in your starting area.At level 5, you may consume food and potions to get bonus exp (just choose the cheapest one, usually 4c), and more important, cheap bags. Get them at the Black Lion Trading Post, marked on your map.That's also a good time to buy a Salvage Kit (Crude or Basic will do), plus a copper Axe, Sickle, and Pick for gathering. Get them from a crafter of any kind, or from most merchants. 5 slot bags sell on the TP for a fraction of what you pay for a 4-slot from a vendor. Even 8-slot bags are affordable early on.I get one Invisible Bag, where I keep all my available weapons. If you do that, you need to move an item out of that bag before selling it. Until you do, the Trading Post won't even show as an option for gear, junk there won't be sol,d and materials won't be deposited (unless selected individually).Each capital has several levels, which can make using the map confusing at first; select a different level on the lower right. The Bank and Trading Post are both up a ramp in Divinity's Reach, for instance, and easy to access once you know where they are.You can also access your bank through any crafting stationYou'll find more of those than banks as you roam in the world.Bank storage is shared across all characters in your account. So is currency.From anywhere, you can select the PvP icon at the top left to go to Heart of the Mists, where there are Banks, Trading Posts, and a portal to Lion's Arch. Visit Lion's Arch. Every city has a portal there, so you can use as a travel hub. It's an easy way to do access another part of the world, if, for instance, you wanted to play an Asura but do your questing in the high mountains of the Norn homeland. GuildsWhen you join, all your characters are in the guild. Guild membership is account-wide.You can join up to five guilds (I'd find it hard to keep up with that many, but do as you like). Open the Guild panel and choose which one to Represent at any momentThat shows you as active in the roster. You can change your Represent choice as often as you want.Chat in each guild channel (/g1, g2, etc) regardless of which guild you Represent at the time. Dailies and RewardsEach day you log in, you get a reward. Yay! Reset at 4pm Pacific.You also have the option to do daily activities for another reward, or three of them for yet another bonus. Check them out under Hero ->Achievements. YOUR STUFFBuying and Selling GearDon't worry about gear at starting levels. The easiest attributes to grasp are Power (for direct damage) and Vitality, but if your build favors another, fine. Attributes explained on the GW2 Wiki.Buy and sell gear at the Black Lion Trading Post. You can do this from anywhere (through the lion icon on the upper left), but you can pick up only from a TP marked on your map, as in capital cities. Use the Match My Level feature under the gear icon and narrow the level range as desired. Click on the chat location (/Map, /Say, etc) - in bold on the lower left - to see your options. Every item has buy and sell offers posted. If you want to buy or sell an item immediately, you can do so at the best price offered. Or you can set your own offer. Offers are a great way to earn more for your goods and to buy for less, when you have time to wait.To make offers without needing to type, click on the top offer (highest buy offer, on the top left, or lowest sell offer, top right), then adjust your bid to be 1c better..You can move an item from one bag to another by dragging it to the bag icon.You can also click a bag icon to jump to its contents. I do so to get to my Invisible Bag for weapons. That's often easier than scrolling. Salvage and JunkSome items you find are Junk - trophies you can sell to merchants but not to other players. Other trophies can be Salvaged, and those will not sell when you select Sell Junk Items at a merchant. You cannot sell or salvage items you get from leveling up. Destroy them when you don't need them.You can't combine Salvage kits into a single stack.Even the Asura aren't sure why.Buy a Crude or Basic Salvage kit - you don't need better until dealing with higher level gear - and you can turn salvagable trophies into useful materials. When should you Salvage, instead of listing? Veterans say 'Salvage everything until you hit 80,' and that's perfectly viable. It's easier, it's faster, and it often makes more money than selling the individual items. But when you are just starting out, dirt poor, you can often make more money by selling the item instead. Here's an easy rule-of-thumb: Salvage when the item sells for less than 3s. It's a surprisingly accurate gauge, from level 1 to 60, according to my testing. There are exceptions, and prices do vary, but that rule is right so often that it's worth keeping in mind. Looking Good Under your Hero tab, upper left, you can select Equipment -> Dyes to change the colors of your outfit. That's free, and it goes a LONG way to making you look sharp. Changes of clothing style cost Transmutation Charges earned from certain activities, or purchased. Upgrading GearReally, don't fret about stats and gear before you hit 80. That said, here's how upgrades work.Sigils go in weapons and Runes go in armor, one per piece, Soulbinding the item. To get bonuses from set items (like "...of Divinity," which gives +4 to stats with one such rune and +8 with four), put the appropriate rune into, say, your gloves, and the next rune into your boots, for example. Rare (yellow) gear doesn't have more rune slots (still just one), but it offers more bonuses for more runes spread throughout your outfit. Crafting...is entirely optional as you level up. If it's fun for you, go for it: you'll earn exp as you make stuff. If you'd prefer to be smacking Sons of Svanir, feel free to bonk skulls instead of crafting.See below for suggested Crafting links. Black Lion Chest KeysYou'll get many kinds of reward chests in your adventures -open or sell them (if not Account Bound) as you please.Black Lion Chests, though, require a key, bought with gems, or earned once a week by completing the first series of a Personal Story (available at level 10). The server resets for this just after Sunday midnight, Pacific Time. More info from the GW2 Wiki. Powergamey Magic FindOne of your attributes is called "Magic Find," and it increases your chances of getting rare goods. It's an account-wide bonus for all your characters, and you can see it under Hero->Equipment (bottom right).It will rise as you adventure, but if you are especially power-gamey, you could consider boosting it by buying Ectoplasms from the TP, then salvaging. You'll get Luck, which you use, and Crystalline Dust, which you sell back for a bit less than you paid. You'll need, say, 5 to 10 gold to start, and you can quickly get to 50% that way. After that, it becomes more of a grind: the 4000 luck that brought you from 0% to 27% MF, would raise you only 1% once you were at 100%. In any case, don't worry about it. You can get good MF boosts once you hit 80 through food and other items. Those temporary bonuses are big by comparison, and you can use them when you need them. BEYOND SOLO PVEDungeons...are a forgotten thing in GW2, more or less, and veterans run them mostly for speed runs to collect materials. That means they often expect ideal teammates and quickly kick newcomers.It's a shame, and it doesn't reflect well on the community. But remember that the community is, overall, extremely welcoming and helpful - just less so in dungeons (and pvp).If you like running dungeons in other games (as I do), don't despair: Fractals currently scratch that itch for GW2, and they're widely enjoyed. They unlock once you have a character at 80.If you'd still like to run an official Dungeon, use the LFG tool at the upper left. You're more likely to find people at a peak time (weekend or evening), and it's helpful to already have the nearby waypoint. You can start dungeons at level 30, with the easier Story more. More info at theGW2 Wiki page for Dungeon. PvP and WvWPvP arenas and World-vs-World contests both see a lot of activity. For some GW2 players, it's their main interest. Others do it rarely if at all.While I really like text guides (they're easier to skim than video, among other things), it's hard to find a good one for newcomers to either PvP or WvW. Many assume a fair amount of knowledge already. So here's a fine And I highly recommend checking the video, as WvW is overwhelming at first. The maps are far bigger than for PvP, the objectives aren't as clear when you first start, and your role can be harder to determine. Start with the video or join with a friend who can help you out (and remember that you both need to be from the same world server, at least for now). FURTHER LINKS...in the next post, and class tips after that. Hope you enjoy GW2 as much as I do!