Wow where to begin?! I just come back from 5 year..

[Sanskirtus.3760]

Hiatus and bought all 3 expansions and to say I’m lost would be an understatement 🤣  when I left back some years ago I had 2 level 80’s  Ranger/Mesmer  any suggestions on how to catch up or even where to start? I have been looking a good bit at returning players videos on YT and the terminology is foreign to me.  Also I’m wanting to use one of the level 80 up scrolls to get a Engineer 

[kharmin.7683]

Welcome back!  There are several other threads from other players who have returned much the same as you. You might check them out for some suggestions.  You can find them here https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/forum/25-players-helping-players/

[Danikat.8537]

Welcome back!

My advice is to start slow: make a new character and just play them from level 1. You don't have to commit to making them your new main or even get them to level 80, but that will be a good way to re-learn the basics, find some of the ways the game has changed since you left and give yourself a starting point to understand the rest of the game.

Then when you feel ready for it you can switch to one of your level 80's (or make a new one) and start on whatever you want to do. The good news is the level cap hasn't changed and there's no new tiers of equipment so you won't have to spend a lot of time grinding stuff to catch up. You might want to change some of your builds, possibly including the stat combinations you're using, but don't worry about that until you're more familiar with the game.

You might remember this from before but the game gives you a lot of freedom to choose where you go and what to do so you also don't have to play through all the new releases in order unless you want to. If there's specific parts of the game which made you want to come back and you're looking forward to playing you can start on those as soon as you're ready.

[Buran.3796]

On 10/26/2022 at 1:14 PM, Sanskirtus.3760 said:

Hiatus and bought all 3 expansions and to say I’m lost would be an understatement 🤣  when I left back some years ago I had 2 level 80’s  Ranger/Mesmer  any suggestions on how to catch up or even where to start? I have been looking a good bit at returning players videos on YT and the terminology is foreign to me.  Also I’m wanting to use one of the level 80 up scrolls to get a Engineer 

1)  Don't delete you oldest character, since there's juicy birthday gifts to take advangate iff.

2)  You can delete characters older than 8 years (but not the oldest) since from 8th year and later ANet rewards are only 1 x year/account.

3) For Mesmer, as soon as you get access to HoT unlock the Mirage spec; works wonders in both celestial or trailblazer gear.

4) Alternatively you can also unlock the Hero Points from ANY expansion you have just playing WvW.

5) Both PvP and WvW provide knownledge tomes which lets you to level characters very fast.

6) Everything provides experience in the game; a dungeon run is 70% of a level, an leveling a character in ANY crafting ability from 0 to 400 delivers you exactly 80 levels, so don't worry about leveling alts, is very fast and easy.

7) Don't hesitate on using the 80 level booster: leveling slowly helps to understand a class and its mechanics, but the basics of some of them are fast to catch. If you want to boost a Engineer, do it and unlock Mechanist spec completing Hero Points in any map (Tyria, expansions, PvP) and use it: is the easiest Engie spec to play and rifle Mech can farm legendary bounties in exotic gear, so is really powerful.

8 ) If you will make different characters, try to use a different profession, race and sex in each one: there's only 10 character voices in the game,. and  hearing the same voice in half of your roster due that was yor favourite ends being really annoying (I talk about experience; ended deleting some due this).

9) For getting ascended trinkets, back piece and underwater respirator at almost 0 cost the best sources are farming mats from Bitterfrost Frontier, Bloodstone Fen (Living season 3 maps) and Sandswept Isles and Dragonfall maps (Ls4 maps) along Bjora Marches (Icebrood Saga Maps).

10) Long term goal should probably be to get a legendary armor set for your main and legendary trinkets for all: currently (since Summer 2021) legendary items are shared across all characters in the Legendary Wardrobe and they allow infinite quality of life in terms of changing stats, skins, runes, etc. at no cost.

Edited October 27, 2022 by Buran.3796
typos

[Sanskirtus.3760]

Ty very much very helpful information!

[Harfang.1507]

Do what you enjoy. It is a game. I came back 4½  years ago and it took me a year to catch up on all the stories from mid-season 1 to the end of season 4 by then. I still have not run out of new content to explore.

Whether you want to do primarily PvE, WvW, sPvP or a mix of these modes can probably influence the response you will get. I cannot speak of sPvP and barely at all of WvW. What comes to my mind:

1. Unlock your glider (one mastery point in the HoT maps) as well as your raptor mount asap. (I think raptor mount is  unlocked by dedault now. If I am wrong, do the first mission in the PoF campaign.)
2. If story continuity matters to you, pick it up wherever you left and complete it chronological order, not skipping Living World seasons if you happen to have its episodes unlocked. Alternatively, do it all from scratch with a brand new character.
3. Unlock the four basic mounts, then go for the more advanced ones. The griffon will require 250 gold and completing the PoF campaign. The skyscale requires the whole season 4. The roller beetle (mid-season 4) and siege turtle (EoD) are optional imho.
4. If legendaries are at all on your radar, Gifts of Battle can only be obtained through WvW, but you can do so just with easy dailies with minimal PvP action. Starting early is a good idea.

Give yourself some breathing room. Catching up will be a marathon, not a sprint. And smell the roses.