Finished Personal Story...But Problems in Secrets of the Obscure.

[GuruChaz.9314]

Here's what I'm finding out:     I'm a long time away and returning player that has completed the personal story part of the game.   To be able to be in a populated environment, I've started my first expansion as Secrets of the Obscure.   I have my temporary flying mount and the portal key.    The next quest on my list says that I need to level up the portal Mastery.   I'm sort of stuck at that until I can accomplish the goal.   As I explore the areas up high using my new flying mount, I'm running into a lot of hidden chests and glowing green gadgets that require you to backtrack to previous expansions in order to get the Masteries. 

So, imagine you find a secret glowing chest and you try to open it. It says you have to have a Mastery in order to do so.   How can I get that without stopping my progression in new expansion and backtracking to a previous expansion that I haven't even played yet?     I feel stuck.     This doesn't seem very New or Return Player friendly.  

I really don't mind going back to where I left off and follow the progression but I don't want to be in a bunch of dead zones with minimal activity.   I started playing again because I was excited about the new expansion.       How is this expansion new player friendly if you have to have Masteries that take forever to unlock just to open a chest up?    I'll do the work but put it in this expansion.

Edited August 25, 2023 by GuruChaz.9314

[Linken.6345]

19 minutes ago, GuruChaz.9314 said:

Here's what I'm finding out:     I'm a long time away and returning player that has completed the personal story part of the game.   To be able to be in a populated environment, I've started my first expansion as Secrets of the Obscure.   I have my temporary flying mount and the portal key.    The next quest on my list says that I need to level up the portal Mastery.   I'm sort of stuck at that until I can accomplish the goal.   As I explore the areas up high using my new flying mount, I'm running into a lot of hidden chests and glowing green gadgets that require you to backtrack to previous expansions in order to get the Masteries. 

So, imagine you find a secret glowing chest and you try to open it. It says you have to have a Mastery in order to do so.   How can I get that without stopping my progression in new expansion and backtracking to a previous expansion that I haven't even played yet?     I feel stuck.     This doesn't seem very New or Return Player friendly.  

I really don't mind going back to where I left off and follow the progression but I don't want to be in a bunch of dead zones with minimal activity.   I started playing again because I was excited about the new expansion.       How is this expansion new player friendly if you have to have Masteries that take forever to unlock just to open a chest up?    I'll do the work but put it in this expansion.

You sure those things dont just need stuff deeper in the mastery lines your working on?

Since I dont remember any glowing chests in the content before and I have not bought SotO yet.

Edited August 25, 2023 by Linken.6345

[GuruChaz.9314]

So, basically, the Masteries required to do things in the expansion is found in the same expansion?   Is that correct?

[Randulf.7614]

6 minutes ago, GuruChaz.9314 said:

So, basically, the Masteries required to do things in the expansion is found in the same expansion?   Is that correct?

Correct

[Randulf.7614]

The chests in SoTo require masteries in the Heart of the Obscure mastery lines. You will see which ones from your mastery panel.

[ShadowCatz.8437]

1 hour ago, Randulf.7614 said:

The chests in SoTo require masteries in the Heart of the Obscure mastery lines. You will see which ones from your mastery panel.

@GuruChaz.9314

Just to add into this there are two Mastery in SoTO that you need to open all chest in SoTO maps. One for smaller (Lesser Arcane Treasures) and one for larger - Grand or Greater (Greater Arcane Treasures) which you find in Mastery called Heart of the Obscure Research.

Take a look at link below for how to unlock that Mastery:

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Secrets_of_the_Obscure_mastery_tracks#Heart_of_the_Obscure_Research

To open these chests you need to follow #1-#5 (your weapon key binding) and press it in correct order when this symbol highlight. It is not hard when you use a normal keyboard with no.1 to no. 5 in a row. Just don't wait too long to copy which key that you need to press.

For all SoTO mastery:

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Secrets_of_the_Obscure_mastery_tracks

Related Mastery from other expansion and maps:

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Secrets_of_the_Obscure_mastery_tracks

Gliding (not sure if new player will auto unlock this) and Fishing is possible to do in SoTO, but you need to unlock those on other maps (see first paragraph in link for all Mastery).

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Mastery

 

[GuruChaz.9314]

I'm just using that situation as an example but there's also the Jade Bot and other things that feels like you have to backtrack.    Thank you.

[Randulf.7614]

38 minutes ago, GuruChaz.9314 said:

I'm just using that situation as an example but there's also the Jade Bot and other things that feels like you have to backtrack.    Thank you.

Jade bots aren’t needed outside of EoD. There’s some useful convenience like the personal waypoint, but there’s no requirement or use for it in SoTo or other areas.

Each expansion gives you what you need for the expansion

[jason.1083]

On 8/28/2023 at 12:12 AM, GuruChaz.9314 said:

I'm just using that situation as an example but there's also the Jade Bot and other things that feels like you have to backtrack.    Thank you.

To put it simply, you don't necessarily need any of the previous masteries to progress in SotO, but having them gives you advantages there, this is effectively always a thing and can't be avoided since every expansion realistically has to give you things that can be used globally.

And btw the previous expansion zones are not dead, stuff still happens there, maybe they're less populated atm since a lot of people are still doing SotO, but they'll eventually spread out again. 

Edited August 29, 2023 by jason.1083

[Huoyan.6538]

31 minutes ago, jason.1083 said:

Since every expansion realistically has to give you things that can be used globally.

Memory Flash that everything except the United Legions Waystation Synchronization of the IBS Masteries are fairly useless outside the season. (Fair not an expansion but still a whole Mastery Branch that serves very little purpose). Also that line was the first instance of the wall that is currently stopping the OP here.

[jason.1083]

1 hour ago, LoboRaptorLo.2603 said:

Memory Flash that everything except the United Legions Waystation Synchronization of the IBS Masteries are fairly useless outside the season. (Fair not an expansion but still a whole Mastery Branch that serves very little purpose). Also that line was the first instance of the wall that is currently stopping the OP here.

Jade bot waypoints, revive protocol, zip lines, offensive/defensive protocols (they exist in Skywatch Archipelago), United Legions Waystations, Gliders, updraft/ley line use (with glider), all the mounts outside skyscale, all these are advantages for both combat and travel that people who exclusively have SotO don't have access to. 

And the Waystation, particularly the EMP is quite useful against bosses with defiance bars, and the remote charge is good anywhere where there's structures to destroy, even though Turtle is a thing remote charge on top of that is obviously better. 

Edited August 29, 2023 by jason.1083

[Huoyan.6538]

7 minutes ago, jason.1083 said:

Jade bot waypoints, revive protocol, zip lines, offensive/defensive protocols (they exist in Skywatch Archipelago), United Legions Waystations, Gliders, updraft/ley line use (with glider), all the mounts outside skyscale, all these are advantages for both combat and travel that people who exclusively have SotO don't have access to. 

And the Waystation, particularly the EMP is quite useful against bosses with defiance bars, and the remote charge is good anywhere where there's structures to destroy, even though Turtle is a thing remote charge on top of that is obviously better. 

Indeed. Hence why I have mentionned IBS specifically as I think we never seen any of those Chests, Raven Gates, used the Resillience/Valor/Vigilence or used any of the Dragon Slayer Lines usefully or anywhever ever since.

Edited August 29, 2023 by LoboRaptorLo.2603

[jason.1083]

Most likely any chest related masteries won't be applicable outside of their respective expansions. I don't think it's a bad thing necessary, it's better to not overcrowd everything with many different types of chests, we already have many dozens of different ones. 

[Danikat.8537]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet: those chests give very little XP so they won't make much difference to levelling SotO masteries, and the jade bot things are just bonus effects, even in EoD you don't have to use them.

If you're struggling with levelling up masteries the best thing to do is focus on events. You need to be in a SotO map to level masteriesa from that expansion (and the same for all the others) but other than that there's no restriction, so anything which gives XP will help and events are still the best source.

[jason.1083]

1 hour ago, Danikat.8537 said:

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet: those chests give very little XP so they won't make much difference to levelling SotO masteries, and the jade bot things are just bonus effects, even in EoD you don't have to use them.

If you're struggling with levelling up masteries the best thing to do is focus on events. You need to be in a SotO map to level masteriesa from that expansion (and the same for all the others) but other than that there's no restriction, so anything which gives XP will help and events are still the best source.

Events and collecting static charges (orbs similar to volatile magic from PoF). 

Events give you something more than 25k xp for gold participation (x2 for rifts because they count as 2 events in a row) and the static charge orbs give you 2,5k xp per orb, not like they're that many but you can definitely get a decent amount of xp gathering those. 

Although I got no idea if we need the PoF mastery to get them as we did with the Volatile magic ones, I don't have the means to test it out. 

Edited August 29, 2023 by jason.1083

[phaserBanks.7386]

If you're referring to the Minor and Greater chests, don't worry. They just contain typical loot. I haven't gotten anything of any importance yet or anything that is related to a quest. Maybe others here have but so far none for me. As others here have mentioned, participate in events and definitely complete the maps. Those will certainly aid in your progression and completion of the masteries.

[Farohna.6247]

On 8/29/2023 at 8:19 AM, phaserBanks.7386 said:

If you're referring to the Minor and Greater chests, don't worry. They just contain typical loot. I haven't gotten anything of any importance yet or anything that is related to a quest. Maybe others here have but so far none for me. As others here have mentioned, participate in events and definitely complete the maps. Those will certainly aid in your progression and completion of the masteries.

But they do have the unusual coins, which is helpful.

[GuruChaz.9314]

So...I ended up watching a story summary video on Living Seasons 1 and 2 and I'm caught up on what's going on there.    I started HoT and I guess I'll just work my way up through there.   It's not really what I wanted to do because I wanted to participate with the majority of the in-game SOTO crowd.    But I have things I need to unlock to keep up with public rifts and stuff like that...plus whatever other gadgets I run across that I can't activate due to not having any mastery.     

Someone needs to write a good catch-up guide for lingering players that only have personal story and level 80.    I don't even have my Epic Spec yet.   No points to buy it.

Edited September 6, 2023 by GuruChaz.9314

[Vayne.8563]

19 hours ago, GuruChaz.9314 said:

So...I ended up watching a story summary video on Living Seasons 1 and 2 and I'm caught up on what's going on there.    I started HoT and I guess I'll just work my way up through there.   It's not really what I wanted to do because I wanted to participate with the majority of the in-game SOTO crowd.    But I have things I need to unlock to keep up with public rifts and stuff like that...plus whatever other gadgets I run across that I can't activate due to not having any mastery.     

Someone needs to write a good catch-up guide for lingering players that only have personal story and level 80.    I don't even have my Epic Spec yet.   No points to buy it.

HoT is as populated as the new zones, to be honest.

[Remus Darkblight.1673]

On 9/6/2023 at 4:35 AM, GuruChaz.9314 said:

So...I ended up watching a story summary video on Living Seasons 1 and 2 and I'm caught up on what's going on there.    I started HoT and I guess I'll just work my way up through there.   It's not really what I wanted to do because I wanted to participate with the majority of the in-game SOTO crowd.    But I have things I need to unlock to keep up with public rifts and stuff like that...plus whatever other gadgets I run across that I can't activate due to not having any mastery.     

Someone needs to write a good catch-up guide for lingering players that only have personal story and level 80.    I don't even have my Epic Spec yet.   No points to buy it.

Everything you need to do activities in SotO can be obtained in SotO. So if you want to go to that content while it is still fresh there should be nothing stopping you from doing so. Yes having all of the gliding and mount masteries already unlocked will make things more convenient but it can still be done without. This includes unlocking a skyscale.

As for catching up, I would just do the HoT story, then PoF, then EoD, just take your time with it, none of it is going anywhere and there are still players in all the maps. Though you may have to LFG to join some of the group content.

[Kaltyn of Torbins Deep.294]

On 9/5/2023 at 10:35 PM, GuruChaz.9314 said:

So...I ended up watching a story summary video on Living Seasons 1 and 2 and I'm caught up on what's going on there.    I started HoT and I guess I'll just work my way up through there.   It's not really what I wanted to do because I wanted to participate with the majority of the in-game SOTO crowd.    But I have things I need to unlock to keep up with public rifts and stuff like that...plus whatever other gadgets I run across that I can't activate due to not having any mastery.     

Someone needs to write a good catch-up guide for lingering players that only have personal story and level 80.    I don't even have my Epic Spec yet.   No points to buy it.

Catch an HP train in Verdant Brink.  They'll drag you through all the HP's you'll need to unlock your elite spec (or two, depending).  HoT was designed around groups doing the content, so, it is a big step  up in difficulty from the personal story.  You will die a lot.  Don't feel alone, we all did and largely still do solo.  Don't be afraid to call out in map chat for help with some event or question about something - someone will normally be willing to help.  Good luck!