Returning player: Game is REALLY overwhelming

[Cragga the Eighty Third.60]

Here's a couple of tips that might help with your inventory management.You can right-click on your salvage kit to tell it to salvage all fines/master/rare items at once.In the upper right corner of your inventory screen is a gear. You can click that for a menu including the incredibly useful 'Deposit all materials'Those two small steps make clearing out a stuffed backpack pretty quick.Also, if you have a stack of luck from salvaging, you can right-click that and select Consume all.

Of course, you may have discovered these shortcuts by yourself already, but it's surprising how many people haven't.

[Zedek.8932]

I totally agree with the five thousand currencies. It is a total mess...

Excelsior.

[Martimus.6027]

You guys are legit the best, most kind and helpful community I have experienced in any game, ever. THank you so much.

[TamX.1870]

@Martimus.6027: I'm relatively new player and I have been totally overwhelmed with all the content the game has now. I have not yet accomplished anything "big", just because I have been scratching the game here and there, and I have had lots of problems to decide where to concentrate :D

There are excellent advices here in this thread! I first emphasize two of those:

1. Inventory management: Just keep salvage kits in inventory, right click and choose "salvage all masterwork or lower", then choose "Deposit all crafting materials" from cog icon. Choose "Sell junk" from vendor always first :) You can later buy / craft "oiled" bag, it gathers all junk items first, which may help looking what you really got as reward :)
2. Most of those millions of currencies are map-specific. That is: when you do events in one map, you get "tokens" which you can spend in that map for rewards. It is very common way in many games to control what content gives what rewards, while giving players some freedom to choose what they want. Luckily, most of currencies go automatically in to your wallet and you don't have to worry about them.

So far, it seems that it is not that easy to accidentally destroy important items, just because you don't usually get anything that important if you are not specifically looking for those (e.g. legendary precursors, grandmaster marks, ...) I am personally struggling with some collection items. I have understood that after they are added to collection, they are not needed anymore (and they go to collection automatically when you get one). But there are still items that you can not vendor, and when you attempt to destroy them, they give you warning dialog - and I don't know if I should go ahead, or if those items still would have some use outside the collection...

[cgriffin.6408]

This is such a good thread that I wanted to keep all this "returning player" stuff together, so my question is:If I jump ahead to HoT or PoF, what happens with progression on the previous line? Does it hang out there in my "questlog" to pick up again later? Do I need to go see someone to pick it back up? Or is it just lost to the Mists?

[RoseofGilead.8907]

@"cgriffin.6408" said:This is such a good thread that I wanted to keep all this "returning player" stuff together, so my question is:If I jump ahead to HoT or PoF, what happens with progression on the previous line? Does it hang out there in my "questlog" to pick up again later? Do I need to go see someone to pick it back up? Or is it just lost to the Mists?

Yes, your Personal Story (the non-expansion story) will always be there for you to pick back up at a later time. So, feel free to go ahead and do HoT and/or PoF if you like, and then just use the Story tab of the Hero Panel to switch back to the main Personal Story when you want to go back to it.

[joneirikb.7506]

@"cgriffin.6408" said:This is such a good thread that I wanted to keep all this "returning player" stuff together, so my question is:If I jump ahead to HoT or PoF, what happens with progression on the previous line? Does it hang out there in my "questlog" to pick up again later? Do I need to go see someone to pick it back up? Or is it just lost to the Mists?

Basically yes.

You can bounce back and forth between different stories as you like.

Each time you complete an instance you will usually "finish" that part in the Hero Panel > Story panel, and can swap to something else, and return to it later.

A practical example:

• You're halfway through your personal story (About to go to Claw Island for ex)
• You bought POF and wants the mount!
• Open Hero Panel -> Story, activate the POF story.
• Follow the story to LA where it starts, and after a cut-scene jumps on the zeppelin and heads off to the Desert.
• Starts a longer combat instance, where you do some battles, befriend a Raptor mount, and use its jumping to reach a city.
• When done with that, your story completes this part.
• You can now click on Hero Panel Story, and continue on personal story.
• The PoF story will remain as is until you decide to continue again.

[Ashantara.8731]

@EdgarMTanaka.7291 said:This game is very easy to get a grip on, as long as you don't rush through everything and don't read.

Are you kidding me? You have to read up 95% of the stuff in order to grasp some of the game's mechanics or get important answers in general. This game is zero self-explanatory, and it took me half a year to master all the important things there are to know about GW2 (as a GW1 veteran, I bought it on release but didn't get into it, then gave it another shot in late 2015, with HoT being already released - I felt completely overwhelmed just like the OP).

@"Martimus.6027" said:I'm trying to get back involved in it, but I am struggling to find a "Step 1: Do this" plan.

I remember the feeling. Don't give up. :) Take your time and stop feeling pressured by what is going on around you or by your peers. Ignore anything that stresses you and focus on your one current task. Also, do your research whenever a question pops up in your head (since there are no in-game tutorials for any of the important mechanics).

I posted a few helpful links earlier in this other thread.

[Tasida.4085]

Season 1 was very overwhelming for me, mainly because we stayed so busy every 2 weeks for a year or so and constant achieves (so I understand the overwhelm). But as someone suggested just gradually ease your way back in thru your story ;) and welcome back!

[Walker.7204]

This thread has been great, and since I also just stepped back in the game, I'm just about as lost as TC.
The worse part is I've only been away about a year, and I"m still completely overwhelmed.

Thankfully, I had unlocked all mounts and gotten enough masteries for all of the elites and other stuff. I'm pretty sure I spent so much time trying to unlock all the stuff that I basically got a bit burnt out on the game before really getting to try out everything and enjoy it.

[AliamRationem.5172]

There's a lot to GW2 (or any MMO!). There's a tendency to worry over what you're missing, how you could be more efficient, how to achieve various objectives, etc. But if you just play the game and don't worry so much about all of that, you'll probably enjoy it more. All of that other stuff comes with time spent playing. Those currencies aren't going anywhere. Those events you'll be able to run again if you like. Items in your inventory and you don't know what they are? So what? If it can be sold on TP and it isn't worth a lot, then it's no less to sell it. Or not. Either way, you aren't going to be sweating it later on.

Just relax and play the game. You'll look back on this at some point and wonder what the big deal was.

[perilisk.1874]

I hadn't seen anyone mention it - you might be a little short on gold, starting out. If you do 3 of the daily achievements, you will get 2g. A lot of time, there are 2 or 3 that will be super easy. It's also much more likely you'll find other players to help with events, or mesmers to help with jps, if you do those when they are dailies.

[Edgy McEdgelord.4790]

@Ashantara.8731 said:Are you kidding me? You have to read up 95% of the stuff in order to grasp some of the game's mechanics or get important answers in general. This game is zero self-explanatory, and it took me half a year to master all the important things there are to know about GW2 (as a GW1 veteran, I bought it on release but didn't get into it, then gave it another shot in late 2015, with HoT being already released - I felt completely overwhelmed just like the OP).

Not to imply anything, but when I started earlier this year I had no prior contact to GW1 nor GW2 and I grasped everything within a couple weeks max. Its really not rocket science once you get behind the currency system for example (90% being map and/or gameplay mode exclusive anyways). And within maybe 2 months I'd say I've done everything (from WvW to sPvP to a legendary weapon to regular raid clears and legendary armor and T4+CM fractals). Heck, I even had enough time left to grind my account up to 8k+ AP (which confusingly seems a lot to many people when all I did was check different tabs and do the thing they required me for the AP?).

And even if you are lost, this game honestly has the best wiki/databases (including gw2efficiency, gw2crafts, snowcrow,s metabatlle etc.) I've ever seen in my 14 years of playing different MMOs. No kidding, please use them more often they are amazing and clear up most of the questions withing a few lines of text.

[Aeolus.3615]

I didnt notice any difference :\ besides some npc and currency on wvw.

People do pve outside wvw????

[phs.6089]

You are in a new world, you know nothing of. What do you expect?Start from small things, like quests, gathering etc

[maddoctor.2738]

@"Martimus.6027" said:

• There are way too many currencies in this game and I have no idea what to do with it all.Most currencies are specific to their maps and/or game modes, the exceptions are gold and karma which are universal

• There are so many items (boosts and boxes and so many different salvaging tools and sooooo many crafting items, tokens to use for gear, etc)If you level up a character from 1 to 80 you will get an explanation (like a tutorial) for most of them. As you are a returning player, try leveling a new character to see all the extra notes/advice the game gives you while leveling

• There are so many things happening around you that you don't know what's best to partake in.Participate in what you find fun. Check the daily tasks and go to the zones that are included in those to find more people.

• I have so much crap in my inventory and I don't know what's useful, what isn't, what I should keep, what I should just toss, what I should use, what I should give to an alt or what I should sell. Inventory management is an absolute nightmare, but I guess that's by design to facilitate people buying extra bag slots. It didn't used to be that way. Bank space is really, really limited. I guess that's to facilitate people buying bank slots. But for it to be this limited? Jeez...Start salvaging old gear and deposit materials to the storage. You can level up crafting so you can turn raw materials into their next tier to save space.

I'm trying to get back involved in it, but I am struggling to find a "Step 1: Do this" plan. I need any suggestions and help I can get. Plus the new elite specializations are totally alien to me and I have no idea how to use them. I wish there was a central site like Icy-veins for WoW, but for GW2 where you can legit find EVERYTHING explained to you and told what build is the best, etc, to pursue.https://wiki.guildwars2.com has most of the information you'd needhttp://gw2timer.com has information on when big events will start, so you don't miss themhttps://metabattle.com and https://snowcrows.com offer builds with detailed explanations on their usagehttps://dulfy.net has all the information you'd need on how to finish story steps, get achievements, unlock items and so on

[Aerronix.9752]

@"Martimus.6027" said:I played vanilla back for a good year after the game was released. Really enjoyed it. Easy to get into, could log in, do some stuff, log out and still felt like you accomplished some advancement. I'm sure that's still the case, but now some things are happening that have me overwhelmed (badly, and all this stuff is of course my opinion and should be taken as such):

• There are way too many currencies in this game and I have no idea what to do with it all.
• There are so many items (boosts and boxes and so many different salvaging tools and sooooo many crafting items, tokens to use for gear, etc)
• There are so many things happening around you that you don't know what's best to partake in.
• I have so much crap in my inventory and I don't know what's useful, what isn't, what I should keep, what I should just toss, what I should use, what I should give to an alt or what I should sell. Inventory management is an absolute nightmare, but I guess that's by design to facilitate people buying extra bag slots. It didn't used to be that way. Bank space is really, really limited. I guess that's to facilitate people buying bank slots. But for it to be this limited? Jeez...
• I skipped Heart of Thorns and just bought both expansions and dived in. We have to gain tons of exp, AND gain mastery points to be able to spend both. Took me a moment to figure that out.

I'm trying to get back involved in it, but I am struggling to find a "Step 1: Do this" plan. I need any suggestions and help I can get. Plus the new elite specializations are totally alien to me and I have no idea how to use them. I wish there was a central site like Icy-veins for WoW, but for GW2 where you can legit find EVERYTHING explained to you and told what build is the best, etc, to pursue.

I am not trying to be negative or bash the game, but for returning players, such as myself and my 2 friends, this is just extremely overwhelming to sort.

Thanks for any guidance or advice.

I also came back after being away, I found that typing in game /wiki and then using the wiki that opens has been very valuable in getting me re-adjusted.Been loving the game!

[Ashantara.8731]

@Edgy McEdgelord.4790 said:

@Ashantara.8731 said:Are you kidding me? You have to read up 95% of the stuff in order to grasp some of the game's mechanics or get important answers in general. This game is zero self-explanatory, and it took me half a year to master all the important things there are to know about GW2 (as a GW1 veteran, I bought it on release but didn't get into it, then gave it another shot in late 2015, with HoT being already released - I felt completely overwhelmed just like the OP).

Not to imply anything, but when I started earlier this year I had no prior contact to GW1 nor GW2 and I grasped everything within a couple weeks max. Its really not rocket science once you get behind the currency system for example (90% being map and/or gameplay mode exclusive anyways). And within maybe 2 months I'd say I've done everything (from WvW to sPvP to a legendary weapon to regular raid clears and legendary armor and T4+CM fractals). Heck, I even had enough time left to grind my account up to 8k+ AP (which confusingly seems a lot to many people when all I did was check different tabs and do the thing they required me for the AP?).

Sure, you want me to believe that you grasped all that without consulting a single source of online help regarding the mechanics (like what you need to discover a certain recipe or how to level crafting efficiently, to name just one of many hurdles that come with no in-game tutorial)? I don't believe you.

And even if you are lost, this game honestly has the best wiki/databases (including gw2efficiency, gw2crafts, snowcrow,s metabatlle etc.)

Exactly. This is not a self-explanatory game with in-game tutorials, and all you can grasp by yourself after a couple of weeks are the basics, not more complex contexts and mechanics.

I've ever seen in my 14 years of playing different MMOs. No kidding, please use them more often they are amazing and clear up most of the questions withing a few lines of text.

I have no comparison, as I never got this deep into any other MMO, but GW1 was much simpler than GW2 (and not a MMO, btw) and had actual in-game tutorials. I never had to consult outside sources for it.

[Edgy McEdgelord.4790]

Excuse me, please quote the line where I say "not used a website once", thanks in advance. /s

The new question would then be - why not use the wiki to educate yourself?

[Dante.1763]

@"Edgy McEdgelord.4790" said:Excuse me, please quote the line where I say "not used a website once", thanks in advance. /s

The new question would then be - why not use the wiki to educate yourself?

To be honest: i think this game could do ALOT better at explaining its mechanics in game. The tutorial the game has now(well since launch) is awful, and the "NPE" which was supposed to help out new players is heavily lacking in explaining mechanics to said new players. For the first year after launch i didnt understand how blast fields worked as an ele player due to them not being explained in game, i knew that they happened, just not what triggered them.

Most of the games ive played from childhood to now, explain almost all their mechanics in game, including the MMOS ive played.

[moonstarmac.4603]

@"Martimus.6027" said:I played vanilla back for a good year after the game was released. Really enjoyed it. Easy to get into, could log in, do some stuff, log out and still felt like you accomplished some advancement. I'm sure that's still the case, but now some things are happening that have me overwhelmed (badly, and all this stuff is of course my opinion and should be taken as such):

• There are way too many currencies in this game and I have no idea what to do with it all.
• There are so many items (boosts and boxes and so many different salvaging tools and sooooo many crafting items, tokens to use for gear, etc)
• There are so many things happening around you that you don't know what's best to partake in.
• I have so much crap in my inventory and I don't know what's useful, what isn't, what I should keep, what I should just toss, what I should use, what I should give to an alt or what I should sell. Inventory management is an absolute nightmare, but I guess that's by design to facilitate people buying extra bag slots. It didn't used to be that way. Bank space is really, really limited. I guess that's to facilitate people buying bank slots. But for it to be this limited? Jeez...
• I skipped Heart of Thorns and just bought both expansions and dived in. We have to gain tons of exp, AND gain mastery points to be able to spend both. Took me a moment to figure that out.

I'm trying to get back involved in it, but I am struggling to find a "Step 1: Do this" plan. I need any suggestions and help I can get. Plus the new elite specializations are totally alien to me and I have no idea how to use them. I wish there was a central site like Icy-veins for WoW, but for GW2 where you can legit find EVERYTHING explained to you and told what build is the best, etc, to pursue.

I am not trying to be negative or bash the game, but for returning players, such as myself and my 2 friends, this is just extremely overwhelming to sort.

Thanks for any guidance or advice.

1) Currencies - Most of the Currencies are either 1) tied to dungeons, 2) tied to a specific Living World Season, 3) tied to a specific map or set of maps, etc Fortunately we have the Wallet System which ties all currencies to your account. This means every currency item you get on one character is accessible to all of your characters. Before the Wallet, we had to store these in our Banks or on our Characters. But yes, they are a bit much. But, as I said, the Wallet alleviates most of the craziness involved.

2) Crafting items, salvage gear, etc: Loot bags are great and consist of blue/green armor, sometimes rares or exotics and materials for Crafting. Thankfully, there is a banking option for those Crafting mats, allowing you to store up to 500 by default. This can be expanded 250 slots at a time up to 2000. Unfortunately, crafting has become less important in some places as you can get viable gear through various means - those currencies. When it comes to salvage kits, you have choices of which ones to keep. But if you take a blue, green and rare salvage kit plus 3 mystic stones you can make a 250 use kit. However, a copper or silver fed salvage kit placed in a shared bag slot is a life saver in the long run.

3) Pretty much white, blue and green items are salvage fodder. From these you can get mats and luck. Luck increases your Magic Find which increases your change to get rare items. Rare items are good at lower levels, Exotics and Ascended items for 80. If you do not plan on Raiding or doing Fractals, Exotic is plenty. This ties to #2 with the salvage kits. Blue or green kits are good enough for the most part.

4) One thing the Devs did a great job at was making sure that every player will have plenty of Mastery Points and Hero Points to max all Trait Lines and Mastery Lines. There is no way you can go wrong here.

5) The GW2 Wiki is a great resource, but as far as "builds" the best advice I can give is to play around with your class to find what you like. If you want a build calculator where you can look at different weapon/skill/trait combos - gw2skills .net. The team that builds that site do their best to keep the data up-to-date. As far as the world and exploring, there really is no 'wrong' way. Going through Core Tyria maps doing Hearts and Dynamic Events, working on your Personal Story, etc...all of it is mutually beneficial. Granted, in some cases in HoT and PoF, doing the Personal Story will actually allow you to explore parts of the world maps.

I hope this helps out a bit. There's no reason to feel overwhelmed, although there is a lot to take in. The best thing is just to enjoy the game.

[Michram.6853]

Its not if you dont push yourself into doing something.

Overwhelming would be returning to WoW for BfA, while you were last playing The Burning Crusade.

That would be overwhelming, in GW2 the game gives you all tools to catch up with the new content- its very returning/new player friendly.

[Lucius.2140]

Yes to the standarization of most currencies!

[Wigglybuff.2138]

Figured I would ask this question here as it's relevant to the thread. Want to come back and haven't played since year one. What versions of HOT and POF should I buy? Some say to buy Ultimate POF with the $20 HOT addon and others say to just get the $50 combo.

Also since I forgot about most of the stuff in the game I will start with a fresh lv1 character. What's the current class king of PVE? I like classes that have lots of utility/survive-ability and can AOE mobs easily. Think Monk and Paladin in wow.

[Moonyeti.3296]

A tip to get a handle on all of the currencies: Each map from season 3 and season 4 (so far anyway, no reason to think it won't continue) has it's own currency that is only used on that map. They also have a primary currency common to that season. That is season 3 uses unbound magic, season 4 uses volatile magic. Most thing cost a combination of the map specific currency and the season currency. If you are on season 3 map Bitterfrost frontier for example, you would buy things with unbound magic and winterberries, the map specific currency.

Other than that, each mode tends to have it's own currency types. Dungeon, PvP and WvW tokens you may be familiar with as a returning player - these are used to buy armour and weapons themed to the dungeon (or game mode) related to the currency. There are fractal currencies that work similarly, but are spent in the mistlock sanctuary for fractal related items.