New Player

[Pudge.7523]

Hello all,

 

I saw the summer sale and finally decided to try the game.  Well met!!  downloading game now.  Are all server etc active?  do i need to worry about factions?  I hope to see ya'll soon

Pudge

[Pudge.7523]

Ohh...i boght the bundle that includes all expansions - deluxe i think it was....I really enjoy crafting in other games.  Good here?

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Well, if you are interested in Story, you might want to return the bundle you bought and purchase the Elder Dragon Saga - Complete Collection that includes all the Living World Seasons.  (Unless that is what you bought.)

All servers(Worlds) are active and PvE uses a mega-server system. 

There are no 'factions' to worry about.  There are some choices in the Story, but they don't really affect much in the game.

There will be some new crafting for the upcoming player-housing (Homesteads) in the next expansion releasing on August 20th.

Your best reference for all things Guild Wars 2 is the Wiki (link above).  Another reference:  https://www.guildwars2.com/en/new-player-guide

Welcome to Tyria and good luck.

Edited July 3 by Inculpatus cedo.9234
typo

[Linken.6345]

48 minutes ago, Inculpatus cedo.9234 said:

Well, if you are interested in Story, you might want to return the bundle you bought and purchase the Elder Dragon Sage - Complete Collection that includes all the Living World Seasons.  (Unless that is what you bought.)

All servers(Worlds) are active and PvE uses a mega-server system. 

There are no 'factions' to worry about.  There are some choices in the Story, but they don't really affect much in the game.

There will be some new crafting for the upcoming player-housing (Homesteads) in the next expansion releasing on August 20th.

Your best reference for all things Guild Wars 2 is the Wiki (link above).  Another reference:  https://www.guildwars2.com/en/new-player-guide

Welcome to Tyria and good luck.

All wvw dont use servers anymore since it is all guild based now.

So yea servers only matter if you wanna play on Eu or Na side.

[AliamRationem.5172]

55 minutes ago, Pudge.7523 said:

Ohh...i boght the bundle that includes all expansions - deluxe i think it was....I really enjoy crafting in other games.  Good here?

Inculpatus cedo.9234 covered it pretty well, but to elaborate on that I'll list the full story progression:

Core (free)

Living World Season 1 (free)

Living World Season 2 (cash/gems)

Heart of Thorns Expansion (cash only)

Living World Season 3 (cash/gems)

Path of Fire Expansion (cash only)

Living World Season 4 (cash/gems)

Icebrood Saga (cash/gems)

End of Dragons Expansion + "What Lies Within" and "Delve into the Haze" (cash only)

Secrets of the Obscure Expansion (cash only)

Janthir Wilds Expansion (cash only - available for preorder, releasing in August)

So you're missing quite a bit of content including large portions of the story and associated maps if you only purchase the first 3 expansion bundle.

[Tinker.6924]

1 hour ago, Pudge.7523 said:

Are all server etc active?  do i need to worry about factions?

Servers don’t matter. Used to for wvw (very large scale pvp) but don’t anymore.  Anyone from any server can join any guild and participate in any activity with anyone from any other server.  You can be in up to 6 guilds and  choose one guild to be your wvw guild. 

There are no factions like in wow. There are some “bad guy factions” that are in the core story and are race-specific but you cannot join them 😞 . The bad guys are Inquest (Asura), Sons of Svanir (Norn), Nightmare Court (Sylvari), Flame Legion (Charr) and White Mantle (Human). 
 

It doesn’t matter which race you pick**, the initial stories are different for each race but converge eventually. 

** but everyone knows that Asura are the master race

Edited June 29 by Tinker.6924

[Pudge.7523]

TY all, very much!!  I didnt know what living seasons was...ty...so its pve content?  I bought the one that included more "stuff" 29 bucks i think...the one with seasons was more expensive with less stuff...lol...hmmmm  I figured id support the game and if i enjoy it, get the new expansion in August.  so i just started an engineer...seems ok.  So do i have it correct, no real trinity?  Other games i played melee.  the engineer discription said melee range and support.  I really enjoy support too.  Any other class better for noobs?

and TY so much all for the comments and support.  ...OHH, i tried askin on map chat.  Is there a general chat to ask noob questions??  also, is there a main quest line, or do i explore and do...i think heart quests?  TY

Pudge

[Tinker.6924]

The “main quest line” is called “My Story” or personal story.  There’s a tab in your Hero screen for your story: personal story and the story for each xpac.  The personal story is worth doing so least once. 
 

There’s no requirement to do any of the story stuff. 

[Pudge.7523]

I know i've asked a bunch of questions.  I love crafting.  Is it good?  Satisfying?

[Pudge.7523]

Sweet tyvm

[Tinker.6924]

20 minutes ago, Pudge.7523 said:

 

I know i've asked a bunch of questions.  I love crafting.  Is it good?  Satisfying?

 

Depends on who you ask. I like gw2’s system better than ff14 and way way more than wow. Others would disagree with me.  It is 100% end game relevant as it’s one of the ways to obtain Ascended gear (the gear with highest stat amounts), but far from the only way.  IMO  crafting isn’t something you need to do until after you hit level 80. Leveling any crafting profession will require tons of materials and probably gold. You are also limited to how many crafting professions you can have active on one character (2 initially but you can buy 2 more with gems). Pick 1 armor (tailoring, leatherworking, armorsmith) crafting prof and 1 weapon (weaponsmith, artificer, huntsman). You can technically deactivate a prof and learn a different one. Recipes you get through discovery are character-specific. Recipes you get as drops or purchases are account wide.  Jewelry is useful but you’ll get more mileage out of other things
 

Stay away from cooking unless you have a ton of gold to burn through. Stay away from scribe unless you have 10 tons of gold to burn and a guild that’s friendly with its permissions. 

Edited June 29 by Tinker.6924

[Pudge.7523]

ohhh great advice....ty

[AliamRationem.5172]

1 hour ago, Pudge.7523 said:

TY all, very much!!  I didnt know what living seasons was...ty...so its pve content?  I bought the one that included more "stuff" 29 bucks i think...the one with seasons was more expensive with less stuff...lol...hmmmm  I figured id support the game and if i enjoy it, get the new expansion in August.  so i just started an engineer...seems ok.  So do i have it correct, no real trinity?  Other games i played melee.  the engineer discription said melee range and support.  I really enjoy support too.  Any other class better for noobs?

and TY so much all for the comments and support.  ...OHH, i tried askin on map chat.  Is there a general chat to ask noob questions??  also, is there a main quest line, or do i explore and do...i think heart quests?  TY

Pudge

The way traits, elite specializations, and weapons work in GW2, every class is capable of being whatever you want it to be.  Melee, ranged, DPS, boon support, healer, glass cannon, tanky bruiser.  So don't pay too much attention to the core class descriptions or any preconceived notions you may have about what a class will be.  That elementalist that looks like a wizard from other games?  Yeah, it can be the old man with a staff hurling fireballs from range.  But it can also be an in-your-face melee bruiser wielding a sword and taking hits to make a warrior proud.

If you haven't noticed yet, try playing around with different weapons.  See how each weapon gives you a completely different set of skills?  It's like that for every class.  A warrior picks up a greatsword and it's pretty much what you expect out of a sword.  But give the same greatsword to a mesmer and they use it as a long-range magic-based weapon that fires pink laser beams!  A thief will use the same staff an elementalist uses to lob fireballs as a bo staff to whack enemies over the head with.  This is one way classes in this game are not locked into a particular style of play.

[Pudge.7523]

TYVM  so far I'm trying engineer and guardian,  Norns look like the Mountain form GOT..lol  I may try a hotti Norn ranger, to see a different kind of range...any way ty all...see u in game i hope....Im close to getting swap wep on my eng and guardian...thats when i may decide on a main..lol

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

There's a beta going on right now.  A preview of what's to come in August for a new weapon.  Just remember that there's no permanent progress/drops with a Beta Character.  Still, a way to easily preview what a L80 can do.

[RavensSorrow.6128]

Mukluklabs is a good website with guides for new and returning players. Check out the "stronger start" guide to maybe answer some of your questions. 

To answer some of what you wrote: 

Weapon swap: Engineer and Elementalist actually can't swap weapons in combat. However, they get different tools. Engineers can equip "kits" like grenades, mortars, elixar guns to heal ect. Elementalists get to swap elements (like stances in other games) to change up what their weapon can do.

Crafting: You end up out pacing what you can craft fairly easily in leveling. End game, you can get power upgrades easier than crafting. That said you can still use crafting to make money by selling skins that are crafted or making yourself (or selling) Legendary items. Legendaries, while not a power upgrade, are actually useable by every character on your account. So very convenient.

Some general tips: 1) You can't mess up! Spend your hero points, you'll get more than enough. Spend your Karama (heart vendors) as you'll get plenty. Nothing you can do is gonna lock you or hurt your account. So just play and enjoy.

2) Salvaging items will get you materials and also unlock that skin. Even if you can't equip the item, you'll get the skin added to your wardrobe. You always want to be Salvaging items or selling them on the Trading Post. This will make you better money than selling to a vendor. Junk items (grey names) are the exception. "Trophy" items are often linked to a heart or event and can be safely destroyed as they can't be sold. Save you some bag space! 

3) Achievement points matter! As you progress you can get skins, account perks, gold and even gems! You also have a special set of Achievements called "Adventure Guide" that reward nothing but experience. These are a good boost to leveling if you ever feel stuck knock a few of these out.

4) Exploring the maps. Most have a jumping puzzle, mini dungeon or some other secrets lying around. Almost all the starter maps have a world boss too! Feel free to join in if you see a crowd, with level scaling you'll still do meaningful damage.

5) Don't stand still! Almost all your skills can be cast while on the move. You can avoid a lot of damage by just strafing around your target Keep on the move and save your dodges for the big attacks to keep your health up!

Welcome to Tyria, take your time, explore and have fun!

[Pudge.7523]

TYVM Raven!!!

[Pudge.7523]

TY all....

[Donari.5237]

One small addendum to what RavensSorrow wrote:  When you sell on the trading post, take a moment to consider your pricing.  Nothing too complicated is needed though there are TP Barons out there.  Basically, you will have 15% of your asking price cut off of what you actually receive.  Some things just won't be worth dealing with because the listing/selling fees will take it down to vendor value and can just be vendored or salvaged.  The big thing about the tp, though, is that it's huge.  It's global.  It moves very fast.  If you see 20K mithril up for sale at the lowest price, you can still list your mithril higher and see it sell within the day, if not the hour or a few minutes.  You will lose so much gold over time if you blindly sell to the highest bidder.  In correlation, you can often buy much cheaper than the cheapest sell offer if you just put up a bid and wait a little because no matter how often this advice is given, many sellers would rather have a little gold immediately rather than nearly twice as much an hour later and they instantly sell to the highest bidder.

You won't know which things work that way at first, but it's not mysterious.  You can get a feel for listing very quickly.  If you list too high you will end up losing the listing fee, but that's the cost of learning 🙂  If you put in bids that are never fulfilled, you can get the gold back with the click of a button; the fees are all on the seller's side.  Some people even use this to "bank" gold they want to prevent themselves from spending.  Bid 50 gold on a 2000 gold item, your purchase will never happen and you'll have 50 gold waiting for when you need it.  Or miraculously the bid will be successful and you'll turn it around and make thousands.  But that's *not* going to happen.  (I don't personally do this, as I'm perfectly able to resist spending gold below my minimum comfortable balance).

[RavensSorrow.6128]

33 minutes ago, Donari.5237 said:

One small addendum to what RavensSorrow wrote:

I didn't want to go to deep but just in general I know people coming from other games money usually comes from quests or vending items. So I like to mention the TP is king here so they don't end up like I did for years with 2g trying to figure out how to buy a new sword 😛

[Randulf.7614]

To answer an earlier question, seasons are DLC. Some are bigger than expansions so worth getting.

Best advice to be given is to ignore all other advice for now - with the exception of Do Not Boost STraight To Level 80. Most of what people will give you isn't bad, but it is out of context and meaningless for new players. Buy the game, install it and just start playing.

That's it. Level, explore, learn and have fun

[Pudge.7523]

TY all, Randulf..I got two free lvl 80s with the 4 expansion pack.  I plan on, at minimum level one toon to 80 to learn the game and class.  

Another question - i couldn't find an option to upgrade that has the seasons...i  saw someone mentioned in game currency for Seasons,,,true??  I also saw something about gems.  When i was looking at the new expansion i saw the gems that come with that.  Can we earn gems from quests, etc...in game that is.  Anyway ty all.  My biggest issue now is deciding on what class...lol

[Randulf.7614]

2 hours ago, Pudge.7523 said:

TY all, Randulf..I got two free lvl 80s with the 4 expansion pack.  I plan on, at minimum level one toon to 80 to learn the game and class.  

Another question - i couldn't find an option to upgrade that has the seasons...i  saw someone mentioned in game currency for Seasons,,,true??  I also saw something about gems.  When i was looking at the new expansion i saw the gems that come with that.  Can we earn gems from quests, etc...in game that is.  Anyway ty all.  My biggest issue now is deciding on what class...lol

You can buy seasons with a currency called gems

Gems are a currency that you buy with real money or exchange with gold that you earn by playing the game. You cannot earn as a direct reward from quests. There is an achievement track which gives out gems, but's a small amount and not worth considering at this stage.

For some reason no one can fathom, buying seasons is complicated in this game. We've warned Anet many times to simplify it, but have so far not chosen to listen. It's not a concern for a while for you if you are playing in order. Season 2 is first you need to purchase (it's also the smallest being just story). It's season 3 and season 4 which have a ton of maps and extra stuff. But again, getting ahead of things. I'd be playing the core game and see how you find it. You can then decide to buy the seasons in game with your credit card or in game gold/gems later

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

4 hours ago, Pudge.7523 said:

i couldn't find an option to upgrade that has the seasons

You could return your purchase of 'Elder Dragon Saga - Collection' and purchase 'Elder Dragon Saga - Complete Collection' for all expansions plus the Living World Seasons.

https://buy.guildwars2.com/en-us/collections?tab=3

On sale now for $49.99.

[Pudge.7523]

Again, ty all 4 the advice.  Sooo, i think i'm liking engineer..lol flame thrower is FUN!!!  Anyway, so im in the second area and the map says im way over toon level  vs location area.  I'm a bit of a completionist so id like to do it all on a map then move on.  Am i gimping myself..as far as time and xp?  im not really in a hurry....Thank you all.

 

Pudge