Couple questions from a new player

[Tony Nova.1832]

So I bought the double expansion pack recently and used the insta lv 80 boost. It also came with a nice array of items to help me start on my adventures. I would like to know how do instances and does the new elite specialization automatically unlock or do I have to acquire hero points first?
Thanks ;)

[onevstheworld.2419]

Which instance are you referring to?

Elite specs don't unlock automatically. By getting to level 80, you get just enough hero points to unlock all your core specs. You need to earn 250 more to unlock your HoT elite spec (and presumably the same amount for PoF elites). And you must unlock all the core specs before the elite, so you can't only unlock a couple of core and use the rest for the elite.

[Danikat.8537]

I think you're missing part of your first question, "how do instances"....Work? Load? Dance?

But to answer the second question you need to acquire hero points to unlock the elite specialisation. You needed them to unlock the others too, but getting to level 80 gets you enough for all the core specs and skills and you need them all unlocked to start on the elite, so when you use the boost they're spent automatically.

You can get more points from Hero Challenges in the world - ones in core maps give 1 point and ones in Heart of Thorns (and presumably Path of Fire) maps give 10. Alternatively if you're planning to play World vs World you can use the Proof of Heroics (a currency you'll be awarded periodically in WvW) to get Hero Points.

[Tony Nova.1832]

Ah yes, I typed it fast so there were a few grammatical errors. What I meant to say is there a queue system that teleports your group to the start or something like that? Thanks for clearing up the hero point/elite spec issue.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

I would strongly suggest, if new, to level a character naturally from L1 to L80 so you can take advantage of all the Level-up tutorial tips. It's probably the best way to familiarize yourself with the game, and avoid frustration.

Welcome to Tyria (if applicable), and good luck.

[Coulter.2315]

I would seriously suggest starting with a fresh non-boosted character.

Dungeons (probably the first instance type you'll want to try) are found on maps around the world, Fractals (similar to Dungeons but they ramp up difficulty as you progress through levels) are found in Lion's Arch, Raids (you'll want to be experienced in your class before going here) are also accessed in Lion's Arch.

There is a group finder tool to help form groups for your chosen content (the icon which looks like 3 heads in the top left).

Elite spec needs unlocked from Hero Points, base game Tyria gives 1 point and HoT gives 10 points per node.

I would repeat my suggestion to play through on a fresh character first before jumping in at 80, you're missing out a lot of the game this way and the journey is part of the fun.

[Tony Nova.1832]

Thanks guys. This past week I have been slowly opening up the map while doing my personal story. So although I may be lvl 80, at least I'm scaled down to the area that I'm in. How current is wiki? Looks like I have a lot of researching to do....

[LadySilverHand.6841]

The wiki is as current as you can get. :)I've got a lot of helpful information collected here> https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/784/helpful-starter-tips-for-new-players/p1that I recommend you take the time to look at as soon as you can. Could save you a lot of time and frustrations.

As several others have recommended, I also suggest you create a second character and level it naturally. There are a lot of tips and advice and so on that will show up for you during this process (that won't doing your personal story as an 80), and it will provide an orderly feel to the world that is otherwise lacking from straight to 80 to end game content.

Settle in with us, make a home in Tyria. ;) Only the monsters bite.

[Danikat.8537]

Ok, few things, some directly answering your questions, some related to them.

There is a Looking For Group tool - It's the same menu icon as the contacts list and importantly it's used for much more than just group instances like dungeons and Fractals. You can use it for anything, and it's very common for players to use it to find active open-world maps for big events.

For dungeons and Fractals (and I assume raids) it will give you the option to teleport in once someone else enters, but only from the map where the entrance is. So for example if you want to do Ascalonian Catacombs you need to go to the Plains of Ashford map before you'll be given the option to join the group.

Also it's not automated - it will show you all the groups currently looking for more people and then it's up to you to choose one to join, or to start your own. When you start a group you're given the option to write a message to tell people what you're doing and who you're looking for (although a lot of the messages are heavily abbreviated so you need some knowledge of the content to interpret them). If you don't see a good group I strongly recommend you make your own advert as a lot of people are unwilling to do that (especially if they're also new) so there's likely to be a lot of people looking who aren't listed.

Open-world map instances. This is one of the ways GW2 is a bit different to a lot of MMOs. Technically there are no persistent maps in the game, all the open-world maps are shared public instances. They're shared between all servers in a region (so if you're on an North American server you'll be playing with everyone else in NA). The game will automatically create and delete copies of the map as needed, based on the number of players in that map. This leads to some unusual behaviour in maps where large groups are needed, like Silverwastes which you'll have visited when you used the level 80 boost. That map has a map-wide meta event chain (lots of events which are interconnected), which requires a lot of people to complete it. So obviously players want to be in busy maps with lots of other people around, but the game tends to spread them out between copies of the map.

This is where the LFG tool comes in. You can use it to look for squads or parties who are advertising that they're doing the meta event chain. Once you join the group you can right-click any of the other people in the group to get the option to join their copy of the map. (Again you can only do this from within the right map - you can't be in Lion's Arch and use this to teleport to Silverwastes.) This allows players who want to complete the event chain (or other goals like fighting a world boss) to gather on one copy of the map so they can work together.

Final point: the Wiki is very up to date, everything on there should be current. Although that will change tomorrow when the new expansion is released bringing a lot of new content and balance changes. But the Wiki will catch up fast. In general you can trust that what you'll read there is accurate.

[DebraKadabra.5278]

Not to pile on here, but I agree that you shouldn't have level boosted your very first character. The game is pretty straightforward for new players if you leave the content locator alone. I've been helping a friend level and play on his free account and he's really enjoying how the locator guides him through maps. He's not sure about getting a paid account yet, but I've assured him that there's no rush to make that decision.

Anyway, I agree with the suggestion to roll another character and just level naturally. Yes, it will take time. Yes, there's two expansions for you to get through. There are new and veteran players alike who need the same achievements and goals that you do, so don't look at it like you're behind or missing anything. The journey of 1,000 miles always begins with a single step.

Welcome to Guild Wars 2, and most of all - ENJOY yourself!