Any general advice on helping new players?

[sevendash.7430]

Hi all!

As we all know, new players are already on their way and we will see even more tomorrow!

I will definitely be wrangling together a group of newer players and going through early zones again, allowing new players to join and ask questions in a safe and comfortable way.

 

What general tips have you come up with to help with new players? Some of the small ideas I've thought of:

Having empty bags crafted to send to new players.

Wave to new players or players playing in low level areas alone. Interact more if they do!

Helping show people jumps slowly at tricky vistas or jumping puzzles instead of offering portals to skip the experience.

 

Looking forward to hearing more!

[sylmatyr.1485]

Don't use your high-level characters to mow down everything.  Step in only is they need it or ask.  Even if you use a starter toon yourself, you need to be careful not to dominate.

 

Don't jump into talking about builds and gear and skills and rotations, etc.  Again, unless they ask.

 

Don't lead them around to where you think they should go.  Let them explore.  Again, unless they ask.

 

Don't immediately tell them the solution or what's coming (i.e., no spoilers)

[Kaltyn of Torbins Deep.294]

Tell them about the /wiki chat code. 

[Danikat.8537]

I think the most important thing is to let them discover stuff for themselves. Answer questions when they ask and maybe give them tips on things they need to know but don't push them into doing specific activities or areas of the game, push them to level faster (or slower), tell them they need to use a certain build etc.

Yes they'll make mistakes but I think most people will learn more and have a better experience if they're allowed to go at their own pace than if they're constantly being told where to go and what to do.

[kharmin.7683]

Maybe https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/topic/120050-new-player-welcome-packet/?do=getNewComment

 

[Farohna.6247]

Sit in starter zones as a mentor, explain what the apple means, and be open to new player questions.  

Invite them to guilds, be willing to answer questions there. 

Lol tell them about /wiki and let them run free.  

Above all, I hope they have fun and stick around!!

[HnRkLnXqZ.1870]

I intend to use my exp-banners (not guild hero), communal bonfires. In addition I have gathered several Mango Pie Trays and Thesis' on Basic Speed, which plan to drop in convenient locations in the core-tyria maps. Around the first days obviously in the starter zones, then a little further.

Mostly trying to use easy buffs which are self-explanatory. Sure I could go full ascended feasts, but the tooltip is definitely an overkill. The idea is to ease their gameplay, not making it more complicated. I do not want to raise more confusion.

In addition, I want to spend a little more of my freetime in lowlevel zones. There are a couple of events which should be started frequently, like the escort in Caledon Forest that unlocks Morgan's Spiral. That is also a good place to hang out. Reviving players without gliders. Jumping Puzzles in general. Not portal-bombing, but reviving.

Sweet Campfire Treat from IBS is also a cool thing to place. Due to their visuals, they are also great to indicate secret passages/entrances or paths in Jumping Puzzles. The Rata Sum prison cell is also a nice location for that. Dead ends in general.

Most importantly, I do not want to stack stuff. If I arrive at a location and there already is a banner, a mentor, food or something else, I will not place my stuff there as well. There are tons of convenient locations outside of towns, away from waypoints.

A funny and often considered useless thing to place are the Guild Banquets. 

[DebraKadabra.5278]

Be patient and remember that we started at the beginning too.

[DarcShriek.5829]

Let the new players die and be there to res them when they do.

 

[Blood Red Arachnid.2493]

My most important bit of advice for new players:  This is an action game.  Winning isn't about having the right stats and gear.  It is about dodging attacks, moving out of deadly red rings, using cripple and chill to kite enemies, and using stuff like blinds, CC, and projectile reflects/destruction to disable enemies.  

Second best bit of advice: offense is the best defense.  Our characters were designed to be fully sufficient with baseline defense, so it is possible to go for nearly full offense with little problem.  When buying gear, go for as much offensive stats as possible, because you can always change utilities, traits, and tactics for free if you have trouble surviving.  The faster an enemy dies, the faster it stops doing damage, the faster it gives loot, and the faster you can move on to something else.

[Jukhy.2431]

Tell them about the wiki (as others here said). Tell them the combat is movement and avoidance based so using dodge is important but even strafing around your enemy makes them often miss hitting you. Tell them about material storage, loot item stacking, gathering and salvaging, and selling materials to get some starting gold. And last but not least, tell them to have fun exploring and not to be afraid to die doing it, because there's no downside from it.

Edited August 26, 2022 by Jukhy.2431

[Barabbas.8715]

Yall might want to remind new players that if their FPS is trash, they should look up YouTube videos on how to adjust the in-game settings. It can make a massive difference.

 

I'm a returning vet who's come back after 8 years and I was a amazed at how poorly the game ran on my new computer and almost quit until I found a video that showed me how to change the settings to get a good FPS.

[Strixxe.2019]

On 8/26/2022 at 5:00 AM, DarcShriek.5829 said:

Let the new players die and be there to res them when they do.

 

Free xp hehehe 😄