Returning Player Who is Completely Lost

[Khai.6435]

So I left a few years back to game with some IRL friends who chose another game to main.  Returning now that I have more free time (being an older gamer is great!) I find myself completely lost remembering nothing other than vague recollections of how to play my classes and bags full of stuff I have not idea what to do with; they used to have a purpose.. crafting, etc..

I know I hadn't gotten my griffon and had a few different mounts; but ugh.. what the hell...  do I just start doing map completion again until it comes back to me... any advice?  Website recommendations?

I loved this game in the past; and really want to dive back in.. yet part of me wonders if I'm going to be so far behind trying to do older content that it will be very solo; and very lonely since I play for social outlet.

Thoughts?  

[Rumpus.1234]

Based on the experience of some guild mates who dropped out after the first expansion, even a couple shortly after release: for now, just play the game. Play a single character, get refreshed on map locations, drop by events, etc. Crafting can wait. Dump it in the bank. Or you can use the wiki to figure out what stuff does ("/wiki <itemname>" in chat).

Part of GW2's awesomeness is that you can always catch up on activities, gear up for strikes, fractals, whatever. I have been working on some older stuff and it seems like there's always someone else in the same events to help get it done. If you need help with something, shout out in map chat.

Guilds are pretty great for social chat, though most are structured around end game content where voice chat (usually over discord) is helpful. Join one.

[Danikat.8537]

Welcome back!

I often go between games, including going back to ones I've not played for months or years and it usually is confusing at first, especially going back to existing characters or save files.

If you've got a spare character slot I recommend starting a new character and just playing them for a bit. Keep all your existing characters and don't worry about what profession, race etc you make (pick whatever seems interesting), but the idea is to play from the start for a bit to re-familiarise yourself with how the game works and learn about some of the changes since you left. Then when you're feeling more up to speed you can swap to your existing characters and hopefully have an easier time picking up where you left off.
 

38 minutes ago, Khai.6435 said:

I loved this game in the past; and really want to dive back in.. yet part of me wonders if I'm going to be so far behind trying to do older content that it will be very solo; and very lonely since I play for social outlet.

I don't think you need to worry about that. Firstly the way this game is designed older content stays active, you're not going to be alone in empty maps if you start a new character. Secondly the only catching up you'll need to do is remembering how to play. If you've got a level 80 character you could jump straight into the newest releases, the level cap and equipment tiers haven't changed. So as soon as you feel ready you can start playing whichever areas of the game you want, without having to go through a bunch of prep work first.

You could also join a guild for more people to chat to and play with. There are guilds which specialise in helping new and returning players, or you could join one focused on areas of the game you know you want to play, so they can help you learn or re-learn them. (Or both, you can be in 5 guilds at once.)

The Wiki is a great resource for everything you need to know, especially items you're not sure what to do with - just search for their name and it will tell you what you can do with them.

But also if there's anything you're not sure about you can ask on this forum and someone will be able to help.

[Fueki.4753]

I think you should just drop in and play the game on whatever professions you feel like at any moment to re-learn the game mechanics.

[Farohna.6247]

Welcome back!!!  Here's a link for a new player guide that may be useful 

 

[Khai.6435]

Thanks all!  I think I will try to bank as much as possible and then just look into getting my mount while clearing those zones.  :)

 

[Danikat.8537]

Before you put anything in the bank hit the button at the top of your inventory to deposit materials. Those will go into dedicated material storage so you don't need to use up bank space for them.

[Buran.3796]

5 hours ago, Khai.6435 said:

I know I hadn't gotten my griffon and had a few different mounts; but ugh.. what the hell...  do I just start doing map completion again until it comes back to me... any advice?  Website recommendations?

I loved this game in the past; and really want to dive back in.. yet part of me wonders if I'm going to be so far behind trying to do older content that it will be very solo; and very lonely since I play for social outlet.

Thoughts?  

  Which class you main? Most of them can solo legendary bounties in just celestial exotic gear. If I were you my goals would be to finish the unlock of the mounts and to start the crafting of a legendary armor (PvP, WvW, PvE or a mix of them), which is fairly easy and convenient. Since the WvW guild in which I was faded 6 years ago I only solo the game, with plenty of success.

Edited February 14, 2023 by Buran.3796

[Serp.3264]

I have left the game for multiple years at a time twice. In both instances, I basically forgot everything. My advice is to just play the game for a bit on whatever character you enjoy in the open world. This could be an existing fully geared level 80 or a brand new character to get reacquainted with the game's systems. Either way, just have fun for a bit and get a feel for things in the open world. I'd personally recommend focusing on the story, as it will guide you through loads of maps. As you experience these new maps, you can do different metas and get a feel for that system as well. The main thing though is to take it slow and have fun.

[Rumpus.1234]

15 hours ago, Serp.3264 said:

I basically forgot everything.

 

This is me every time I rotate to another main, every couple of weeks.

[Keovar.8042]

I hope you at least still have characters to come back to.  It's been longer since I played and when I log in, I'm prompted to create a new character.  I logged in with te same email and used the correct username but it apparently assumed I wanted a new account without botherin to check if I already had one.  So now I'm stuck with #1086 instead of the #8042 it should be, and if I log out, it only lets me log back into the wrong one.

[Linken.6345]

13 minutes ago, Keovar.8042 said:

I hope you at least still have characters to come back to.  It's been longer since I played and when I log in, I'm prompted to create a new character.  I logged in with te same email and used the correct username but it apparently assumed I wanted a new account without botherin to check if I already had one.  So now I'm stuck with #1086 instead of the #8042 it should be, and if I log out, it only lets me log back into the wrong one.

Then you created a new account mate.

Since you cant have i tired to the same email your old account was either permanently deleted or you had a different email back then.

Work with support to find your old account Id say.

[robintan.4068]

On 2/14/2023 at 10:52 PM, Khai.6435 said:

So I left a few years back to game with some IRL friends who chose another game to main.  Returning now that I have more free time (being an older gamer is great!) I find myself completely lost remembering nothing other than vague recollections of how to play my classes and bags full of stuff I have not idea what to do with; they used to have a purpose.. crafting, etc..

I know I hadn't gotten my griffon and had a few different mounts; but ugh.. what the hell...  do I just start doing map completion again until it comes back to me... any advice?  Website recommendations?

I loved this game in the past; and really want to dive back in.. yet part of me wonders if I'm going to be so far behind trying to do older content that it will be very solo; and very lonely since I play for social outlet.

Thoughts?  

Hello, fellow returnee. Much like with everything, it is never too late to start again or go back to where you left off. If you feel like it would be difficult to do so solo, there are always new players coming through and others willing to do content you'd love to do. The community is still as lively and fun as ever too. 🙂