What advice would you give a WvW newcomer?

[Gibson.4036]

Hey, everyone.

I tried a very little of WvW back in the early years of GW2, but haven't since I came back after a break from the game between HoT launch and PoF. I did enough to get a very basic idea, and now I'm planning on getting back into it.

I've got a little under 2k badges, and I see that I can buy a wvw ability point reset to refund whatever  few I earned and tucked randomly into abilities.

What advice do all you veterans have for me?

I looked through all the recommended professions/builds on Metabattle, but I could use advice on which ones would be a simple re-entry into WvW for a pretty clueless player. What profession would be good for finding a commander and following along to contribute as much as possible and learn?

A lot of the builds use defensive gear, which makes sense. My characters tend to be geared in defensive (marauder/trailblazer) exotic armor and offensive (zerker/viper) ascended weapons and trinkets. Would it be important to replace those weapons and trinkets before really getting involved, or will I be able to muddle through and still contribute?

Which zones should I be queuing for as a newcomer?

Any other advice?

Edited September 3, 2021 by Gibson.4036

[Telgum.6071]

Professions to contribute on zergs? Firebrand support, Scrapper support, Herald dps and Scourge dps are the most common requests. Then it's Spellbreaker for the elite and either damage or healing/cleansing, and I guess Mesmer and maybe Elementalist. Apart from that anything with heavy AoE dps would fit any squad, so pick your favorite. Here you have some meta builds if you want to follow.

https://gw2mists.com/

The defensive gear, unless you are support is more oriented to roaming play, though Marauder stats are good for a newcomer and arguably better than Berserker on certain scenarios. Trailblazer is simply OP, and I've never heard from Viper gear on WvW apart from PvE players who occasionally step in. As for the exotic/ascended issue, the difference is not really big, also no open squad will ask you for maxed stats, so you are good to go.

The Alpine Borderlands are the most friendly maps IMO, you'll notice it in time, buy you should stick to the open tags no matter where they go.

Edited September 2, 2021 by Telgum.6071

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

Take boon corrupts. Take Corrosive Poison Cloud. Lich Form for pew pew if you need it.

 

Lots of rangers will not notice CPC on the ground depending on which area you are fighting in and that buys you some time to either close the gap, or fear them. I regularly eat rangers on my reaper when I take CPC, and necro is supposed to be weak to rangers.

 

Boon corrupts are amazing versus any boon reliant build, and you can fear chain anything that has a pulsing stability.

 

Lich Form AA is super strong. Summon Madness is also hilarious to use.

[SoftFootpaws.9134]

1. Lower your settings in WvW, if you get a lag spike due to loading something etc. it'll get you killed.

2. Player a class that you know, skill defensively but not too defensively; about half and half into defensive and offensive stats,  espectively should get you started. Armor+weapons is half your stats, Trinkets the other half. A good beginner mix is Valkyrie with Captain's trinkets from Laurel merchant (Prec main, Pow, Tough). Its a Power and Precision heavy build that still has plenty of Toughness and Vitality and a good amount of Ferocity.

3. You can carry two full sets of gear and three builds per character. These can be swapped using the arrow above weaponswap button, by using hotkeys or by physically opening the Hero panel. Initially I recommend taking both a damage (roaming) and support (zerging) build. This way, you can always contribute regardless of whats going on.

4. One point into Wargliding mastery, spend the rest into Warclaw until you have double-dodge, then Supply capacity.  After this you'll generally want Build/Repair master, Defense against guards, Guard Killer, Mercenary's Bane all to help you take camps on your own. Camps and sentries are the best way to keep Participation up. After that probably Siege bunker and Siege might, and eventually individual siege weapon upgrades.

5. Carry siege in your bag, even if its just basic (blue) siege. There won't always be someone to throw siege down when its just you and a few other players trying to retake your own objectives.

6. Stack up on WXP upgrades. You'll want to take the Guild Enhancement (Tavern buff), an WXP enrichment in your amulet, try to pick up Experience Banners or Heroes Banners whenever you see them, and if you have Birthday and Celebration boosters try to keep the buff on you 24/7 (they're the same buff, so don't stack them). If you have plenty of Laurels, buy XP boosters from the Laurel merchant and keep those on you too.

7. If your server is doing well, EBG is the most friendly map. But when your server isn't doing well then HBL (Home Borderlands), tends to be the better choice, as EBG gets quickly overrun during bad matchups, sometimes to the point of spawncamping.

8. Do all of the unrepeatable reward tracks first, then move onto the Gift of Battle reward track until you've obtained enough GoBs for any future Legendaries; after that you can repeat them by highest value instead.

9. Research what you want to get from your Skirmish Chests. For example, if you don't have the Elite Specs skilled out on your characters yet, you'll want to start with the Heroics currencies so you can buy HPs from the vendor. You can also get siege blueprints and tactics packs which you can use to upgrade objectives, etc.

10. When part of a squad follow the tag to know when to push (called rushing in most games) the enemy. There's a certain dance that has to be done where you first examine your opponent, avoid their initial attacks then attack them when they're weakened with all their skills on cooldown.  Don't "squirrel" after randoms, or you'll die.

11. And this is the most important part. Show no fear, especially when you're alone. If you lose you lose, but if you hesitate to fight you've already lost because confidence gives your opponent a significant advantage. Players who would normally stand no chance against you can beat you by hesitation, confusion, and other psychological warfare. Try not to judge a player by rank either, many newbies are either skilled already from other PvP games or are alt-accounts of veterans, and many high-ranked players got there through EoTM karma/WXP farming trains.

 

There's alot more, but this should get you started.

Edited September 2, 2021 by Hannelore.8153

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

+1 on show no fear. We are each other's content in this mode.

 

So what if you died and have to go to the waypoint. Doesn't matter, had content.

[Infusion.7149]

If you're playing in large-scale you probably want to play power herald (you can essentially use PVE gear), power scrapper , or support firebrand. You don't want to play heal scrapper because it doesn't do much tagging at all so your WXP will suffer. Support spellbreaker requires more coordination to play as well as scourge (which requires paying attention to not be a troll to your team , see Purity of Purpose cleansing your boon corrupts) , boon rip chrono, or weaver (a terrible choice in this meta , go with aurashare tempest in almost all cases with the removal of retal).

Don't play thief or soulbeast in my opinion, but if you do play staff daredevil and power immob soulbeast and never druid or core ranger. Some commanders outright say "delete your ranger and thief".

As far as gear goes, exotic armor is fine but you'll want ascended trinkets and weapon.

Edited September 2, 2021 by Infusion.7149

[kash.9213]

There's some really good breakdowns in this thread already. I don't have much that wouldn't be redundant as far as basics go. 

 

- While you're out there though giving all of this threads feedback a go, vibe with the maps and feel everything out, and you can sort of read the maps your not on also if you're trying to float around to get ahead of some action.

 

- If you're aware and alert you'll feel the lag from deliberate large scale movement and might even feel roughly where it's coming from. It's just a heads up, I hop twice if I know it's close because I wont have time to type in /say. 

 

- I keep pan camera at max speed so I can look around and check out horizons and everything else. I want to catch as many people plotting stuff as I can before a stealth rush or a portal opens under everyone or something. 

 

- Craft a good keybind layout that's really in tune with your muscle memory and reach so you can respond to stuff as you think it for the most part.

 -- Action camera is great if you can toggle it easily and know when to view top down or level or bottom up. Some skills act weird in action cam like Death's Retreat jumping over small walls until you get used to it, but can be what keeps you out deliberate fields and circles or keep up with your own sides stuff due to how fluid moving in Action cam can be. 

Edited September 2, 2021 by kash.9213

[Daredevil.2745]

leave before you became a toxic, corspe jumping, laughing while ganking a solo player with a zerg bandwagonner

[Gibson.4036]

Thank you all very much!

Quote

 

I see a couple mentions of support firebrand. Hanging a little back and supporting with healing and condition clears seems like a good way to learn.

Is this the kind of role, though, that the squad will be looking to with expectations of competence?

I have a vague memory of trying to learn WvW way back when on a Mesmer (because I was playing it in PvE), and there being signficant pressure to be able to supply some of Mesmer's tricks for the group. It was very overwhelming for me in the midst of all the chaos as a newcomer.

 

EDIT: Nevermind, I see that support firebrand really asks for Minstrel's stats, which would mean starting from scratch to gear up. Looks fascinating to play, but I probably better to go Power Herald until I'm ready to commit to a specifically WvW set of gear.

Thanks again, everyone, for taking the time to give your advice!

Edited September 2, 2021 by Gibson.4036

[Gibson.4036]

4 minutes ago, Daredevil.2745 said:

leave before you became a toxic, corspe jumping, laughing while ganking a solo player with a zerg bandwagonner

Ha! Before I made this thread asking for advice I did, in fact, do my research. I read up on the first few pages of the WvW forum and I'm wise to your ways, Daredevil. 😄

I was mowed over by a zerg as a solo player plenty of times back in the early days of this game. It's a pretty silly thing to be bitter about. If the zerg encounters a solo player, should they stop and part to let them pass?

Massive battles was the original point of this game mode, yes?

[Daredevil.2745]

2 minutes ago, Gibson.4036 said:

If the zerg encounters a solo player, should they stop and part to let them pass?

i was talking not about this. i was talking about many situations when 5-6 player run across map to kill you after you killed smb of them 1vs1, after they ganked you they corspse jump and laugh at your corpse alltogether. you will become such player unless you leave

[Gibson.4036]

4 minutes ago, Daredevil.2745 said:

i was talking not about this. i was talking about many situations when 5-6 player run across map to kill you after you killed smb of them 1vs1, after they ganked you they corspse jump and laugh at your corpse alltogether. you will become such player unless you leave

Ah, well, I'll try and watch out for shifts in my personality. Thanks for the warning. 😄

[SoftFootpaws.9134]

42 minutes ago, Daredevil.2745 said:

i was talking not about this. i was talking about many situations when 5-6 player run across map to kill you after you killed smb of them 1vs1, after they ganked you they corspse jump and laugh at your corpse alltogether. you will become such player unless you leave

The point of the game is literally to kill other players. it doesn't matter in what way you do it, at the end of the day we're all just bags. But you don't want to be a bag; you wanted to kill them, but for them not to kill you.

 

You have to give as much as you take in life, always. The harder you try to avoid fate's razor, the worse the outcome is. And in this case it literally catches up to you eventually. 😛

Edited September 2, 2021 by Hannelore.8153

[bigo.9037]

1 hour ago, Hannelore.8153 said:

The point of the game is literally to kill other players. it doesn't matter in what way you do it, at the end of the day we're all just bags. But you don't want to be a bag; you wanted to kill them, but for them not to kill you.

 

You have to give as much as you take in life, always. The harder you try to avoid fate's razor, the worse the outcome is. And in this case it literally catches up to you eventually. 😛

Well, I certainly don’t think it’s healthy for the game to be toxic to this extent. But saying anybody will become this toxic just by playing wvw for a while also isn’t true. Only some , very sad people end up with this level of toxicity/ stupidity. And they will get to that point regardless of how long they play for. 

[Gibson.4036]

1 hour ago, Hannelore.8153 said:

The point of the game is literally to kill other players. it doesn't matter in what way you do it, at the end of the day we're all just bags.

Now I want to make a WvW exclusive character named Loot Bag.

Probably wouldn't engender much confidence from my own team, though.

Edited September 2, 2021 by Gibson.4036

[Gibson.4036]

2 hours ago, Daredevil.2745 said:

i was talking not about this. i was talking about many situations when 5-6 player run across map to kill you after you killed smb of them 1vs1, after they ganked you they corspse jump and laugh at your corpse alltogether. you will become such player unless you leave

I thought this was all to be expected in gut-wrenching, mind blowing war. Daredevil, are you a dustbunny?

[Orimidu.9604]

Do you have an end-goal in mind for WvW? "Just have fun and explore" is an answer, so if it's that then don't fret. If you own a commander tag, don't be afraid to use it to rally your fellow teammates. I'm a kitten squishy Trailblazer PvE tempest, but when I see there are players scattered around and I think we can get some stuff done if we come together, I'll tag up and start leading.

 

Do I die a lot? Yes. Is it okay for the commander to die? Most of the time, yes. If you're at your objective and it's clear what your blob is supposed to be doing, then read the area and either waypoint to run back or wait for a rez. Most folks don't care what class the commander is as long as they're making good strategic decisions and getting people to rally. Rallied players = content, nobody really wants to stand around WvW and wait for a zerg to appear.

[Shroud.2307]

A support Scrapper is probably the most helpful and easiest thing you can play in a group.
I do want to note though, don't take MetaBattle as gospel. It's made by players just like you and I, and there are plenty of builds there with high scores that aren't as great as they appear. Use it more as a guideline and adjust the builds to suit your preference.

If you'd prefer to play a damage role, Reaper would be another easy one, albeit punishing while you're still learning how to position yourself and read the flow of fights.

As for World Abilities - the things you spend your rank points on - you're probably going to want Warclaw and Gliding first and foremost. After that; Supply Capacity, Build Master, and Defense Against Guards.
Then just spend points on what ever once you've maxed those ones out, as I feel they're the most helpful to both yourself and your group. Defense Against Guards doesn't really offer anything to your group, but it'll make life a lot easier when trying to capture Camps and such.  

Personal recommendations

* Experiment with classes and builds (when you have the gold and resources, of course)

* Remember that you can do your own thing and still contribute to the server - you don't always need to be with a zerg

* Be concise with information when scouting (number of players, server, location, primary guild if applicable, siege being used if applicable). It isn't helpful to anyone when you ping an objective and say nothing else.

* Practice awareness. The sooner you develop an eye for the flow of zergs, the less you'll die. Learn to rely on your own judgement before trusting others with theirs (Commanders).

* And most importantly don't take it too seriously. WvW is practically a sandbox. Do your thing, take your time, and enjoy yourself. 

Edited September 2, 2021 by Shroud.2307

[bLind.6278]

Avoid t1/t2 matchups and servers like the kittening plague. They're full of garbage human beings that are extremely toxic and will go out of their way at every opportunity to make your experience worse.

[Josh Davis.7865]

When I started getting into WvW again, the first thing I did was ask in EBG map chat if any guilds were recruiting. I was picked up almost immediately (they didn't know I was a dev) and the guild I joined really helped me get up to speed - finding the right build, learning the meta, etc. Highly recommend finding a group of players to play with. 🙂

 

Also, many worlds have a "server discord" where pug groups are run out of. I'd recommend asking around to see if your server has one and joining it.

[God.2708]

Take in the people.

There will be friends to make, enemies to fight, people to learn from, people to learn with, rivals to conquer and allies to save. WvW is very much about the interaction between people in what is ultimately a social game. Learn your builds, join a guild, vanquish SMC. But, make sure you find people that keep you coming back, and don't settle if the people you are with aren't that.

I know that's why everyone else still on these forums is still here.

[Strider Pj.2193]

49 minutes ago, Josh Davis.7865 said:

When I started getting into WvW again, the first thing I did was ask in EBG map chat if any guilds were recruiting. I was picked up almost immediately (they didn't know I was a dev) and the guild I joined really helped me get up to speed - finding the right build, learning the meta, etc. Highly recommend finding a group of players to play with. 🙂

 

Also, many worlds have a "server discord" where pug groups are run out of. I'd recommend asking around to see if your server has one and joining it.

Good Call here from Josh.  
 

as you get comfortable with your server, players will work with you.  
 

They’ll get to know strengths and weaknesses and if you don’t have too much of an ego, they’ll help you get better.  
 

@Gibson.4036good luck!  And glad you are playing.

[ArchonWing.9480]

The easiest professions to get into WvW are guardian and engineer since they have some builds that work well in and out of zerg. Dragonhunter works well in both but to get the premium spots in squads, you'll want to build for Firebrand.  Scrapper can be built tankier and can have a lot of access to stealth which will keep you alive much more easily.

Eternal Battlegrounds is fine if your server is active and organized, otherwise your home borderland should have people doing stuff. If neither applies usually Desert Borderland is easier to play on due to it being easier to avoid enemies and also people just not liking it in general.

Trinkets and weapons are the biggest contributors to stats, armor is not that big of a deal. You can also get stat-selectable exotic armor  if you do bronze chests for the skirmish tracks.

We generally prefer Marauder gear for damage class in big fights because condition damage is nearly irrelevant with the massive amount of cleanses so condi stats are effectively a waste. Of course it doesn't mean you can't wear Celestial or Soldier pieces to pad out your defense if you find yourself dying. Durability runes are often a solid choice for most builds for all the defensive ability it brings and are also pretty easy to get.

Also food helps quite a bit (utilities much less), A good one is https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Bowl_of_Meat_and_Winter_Vegetable_Stew

It can also be bought from the provisioner for 5 badges

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Permanent_Portable_Provisioner

 

Edited September 3, 2021 by ArchonWing.9480

[bigo.9037]

While most people consider blobbing / large guild fights to be the main combat style, Roaming is very fun too. I know a fair amount of people who do both styles. Roaming offers some more build variety and its great for learning your class.  Its especially fun with 1-3 friends 🙂 

[Telgum.6071]

14 hours ago, Gibson.4036 said:

I'll try and watch out for shifts in my personality.

Lmao poor Daredevil