Old and slow. Is there hope for me?

[sorudo.9054]

i am not old but slow as hell yet do easy as a reaper, just make sure you have the flesh golem with you and you're fine.

[Kitty La Boom Boom.4065]

@Yargesh.4965 said:I have next to zero twitch and I suggest you keep using double tap. The reason is that you know exactly where you will end up, double back you go back, side etc. I have had too many times using a blink or movement on a weapon where I ended up off a cliff, now with gliding and mounts it is not so terminal but it taught me to always try to know where I am going.

You know, you can direct your dodge, at least backwards and forwards. Stand still and hit the dodge key and you will always dodge backwards, but hit your dodge key while you are moving and you should dodge in the direction you are moving in.

[MachineManXX.9746]

@Victros.8154 said:OK, thanks guys. With a necro minion build, is it necessary to swap weapons?

With a condition based minion necro, you would run with scepter / torch. No need to swap weapons. I would have a staff equipped also though, for those bigger events where tagging is more important than dps.

[Yargesh.4965]

@Kitty La Boom Boom.4065 said:

@Yargesh.4965 said:I have next to zero twitch and I suggest you keep using double tap. The reason is that you know exactly where you will end up, double back you go back, side etc. I have had too many times using a blink or movement on a weapon where I ended up off a cliff, now with gliding and mounts it is not so terminal but it taught me to always try to know where I am going.

You know, you can direct your dodge, at least backwards and forwards. Stand still and hit the dodge key and you will always dodge backwards, but hit your dodge key while you are moving and you should dodge in the direction you are moving in.

Yes.Not what I consider control of where you are going when you dodge though.

[dusanyu.4057]

I am over 40 and have brain damage from a injury sustained while in the army. i went the route of warrior spell breaker with a lot of defensive options everything from blocking with full counter, interrupting skills and utilities that temporally increase health pool reduce damage taken and all utility three utility skills are stun breaks.http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vJAQRAnX4Ynk6CNegdhAmhAciglfA7IDMCue4J5pcW24BEAOaA-jhRBABPcSAMTJIAPBAKV/BP9DXt/o8DA-e

using this build i have been able to get threw most of the game solo i will admit the double daggers are not that hard hitting but the ability to stop big attacks has been a life saver. the same goes for full counter.

[Kaliwenda.3428]

I'm old and slow too, nerve damage in both hands. I've been playing Rangers and using longbow/greatsword mostly. I got used to using a staff once I got the Druid unlocked on my main.

I just started using an axe/dagger setup yesterday and switching that with the staff and I really love it, I can mow through tough things a lot quicker with it.

I think I might change one of my many low-level rangers to one of the necro builds as described above and try it out.

Now if only there was a build that could help me with jumping puzzles....

[moonboi.1764]

@Kaliwenda.3428 said:

Now if only there was a build that could help me with jumping puzzles....

If you find this mysterious build, would love it. I suck so bad at them, I don’t even try most of the time.

[voltaicbore.8012]

Minion reaper is a lot of fun, has decent output, and can withstand a ton of punishment if built right. I personally prefer the blood magic scourge (I'll throw in a link when I have time to edit this), as that makes you essentially invincible in PvE. If I have to (or just want to) solo a dungeon, I do it on my soulbeast if I want to clear quickly, but on my scourge if I want to clear safely. The nice thing about the blood magic scourge is that a ton of the self heal/cleanse/might stacking comes from just one move, the spammable sand shade.

[Goettel.4389]

What helped me a lot is binding everything around WASD , to minimize hand travel, making dodging a lot faster (I do use double-tap on WASD).F1F2F3F412345qwerasdzxcBecause I don't use keys 6-0, there's no need for horizontal hand movement.Even if this one doesn't work for you, think about a lay-out that will.Another tip is to check out different types of keyboards. I've tried several mechanical ones but finally settled on a 30+ year old IBM Model M. The heavy keys and click actually help me for twitch gaming because of the very clear positive feedback.Lastly, add a bind for Toggle Action Camera ( I use alt+x) and try using it in combat. It works great for builds with no or few targeted skills.

[Lord Trejgon.2809]

@Vrath.1754 said:Well I dont have any class advice, but I'd suggest you keybind dodge to a button on your mouse and disable double tap to dodge.

very much this - double tap to dodge can screw you over very hard when trying to do precise maneuvers - for example walking very narrow walkway in a jumping puzzle

[Justine.6351]

I am getting slow and old myself so I am beginning to feel what you mean.I do not recommend minion masters as they are garbage at dps and stick out like a sore thumb. What I recommend is exactly the opposite. High damage to kill stuff quick so you can bypass the facetanking.

However, if you wanted to run a Minion type build in pve casually that has some decent damage try a phantasm chrono spam build,

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vhAQNAR8ensICFqh1fCmpBEgilUjquZj2rt8DOhCgcAKhAA-jRCBQBM4gAEgLAAAeAAnUJoCV/Rf6G0oyPGeEAKy+DBAOAGe4EuwBDP8wDP8w99wDP8wDP8wDP8wlCQPJbA-e

[Chichimec.9364]

@"Victros.8154" said:I'm old and slow and have bad reaction time. I am horrible at timing double-tap dodges in games. Is there a class and build that might work for me, where I wouldn't have to dodge very often? Maybe a tank warrior of some kind? ... What do you think?...

Having just turned 69 this fall, I'm all too familiar with old and slow, along with lousy reaction times and poor hand/eye coordination. So I also need a very forgiving build. In leveling up to 80, on the core Tyria maps, I had fun with ranger, engineer, mesmer, and necromancer builds. They were all doable for old, slow me. After that though, on the Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire maps, I had a heck of a time keeping them alive. They just got clobbered over and over again. What I finally found was a real tank, a revenant throwing a hammer while using the Legendary Dwarf stance and its Vengeful Hammers skill. Vengeful Hammers surrounds me with a continuous ring of hammers that keep hitting everything near me even if I'm stunned or knocked down. There's no fancy rotation here, no intricate button pushing or flashy dodging. I just trigger Vengeful Hammers and then auto-attack with my own hammer as I wade into the heaviest boss battles on any map in the game. Even as other people die around me, I usually keep right on fighting. I'll add a link to my revenant's build at the end of this post but it's basically just using all Soldier's gear with Scrapper armor runes. This alt has both the Renegade and Herald specializations completed but I don't really use those skills. My gameplay is basically auto-swinging my own hammer while running Vengeful Hammers as much as possible.

There are a couple of other things that can also help. One is to learn when your server is active, with a lot of players on. I just finished maxing a thief in the Daredevil and Deadeye specializations. Again, it was easy running a thief on the core Tyria maps but getting the hero points on the more advanced maps was a lot trickier. I logged in with my thief at a busy time of day then just camped on the Path of Fire hero points until other people came along who were also going after the same challenge. That made things much easier.

If you are sociable, a guild that is friendly to old, slow players can also be very helpful. In my early days when I was still bumbling and fumbling in every direction, a welcoming guild helped me with everything from my personal story to gaining difficult mastery points.

Here's the details of my revenant's build. There are some nice touches in it, like the Scrapper runes lowering damage from nearby foes, as well as skills that get me healed when struck or when I hit foes from behind or from the side. gw2skills.net/editor/?vlEQNAS5snnNWNSyJrJRNl/ksoygS4U5QJIscrklNlSNGyhfoNAOgH4fHDyjE-jxRBQBGc/BA8QAOjSw8oboCXBgKp+TWU+BA-e

[Tanner Blackfeather.6509]

@moonboi.1764 said:

@"Kaliwenda.3428" said:

Now if only there was a build that could help me with jumping puzzles....

If you find this mysterious build, would love it. I suck so bad at them, I don’t even try most of the time.

There is actually options for making it more manageable!1) Mesmer. Portals can be used as a life line: drop a Portal Entre before a jump you're unsure of. If you miss it - Portal Exeunt and back you go ready for a second try!2) Fall damage traits. Every class (iirc) has one. For Mesmer it's Descent into Madness in the Chaos line.And most of all 3) Prototype Position Rewinder - gizmo from a heart-vendor in Sandswept Isles. Get it. Love it.https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Prototype_Position_Rewinder

[FogLeg.9354]

@Victros.8154 said:OK, thanks guys. With a necro minion build, is it necessary to swap weapons?

Not really. You can swap between staff (keeping a bit range) and greatsword (melee) whenever skills are on cooldown but you don't have to. You do want to pop into death Shroud once it is ready as it has great damage skills.

I am 50+ too myself and not specially fast at dodging or swapping stuff. That said, all the base Tyria content is very much doable with every class, I have all of them at level 80 with 100% map exlored and stories done. Story instances before HoT are soloable but of course even 1 friend helps alot. Just take your time and don't rush.

Now HoT and PoF content is not that much fun anymore. Too much trouble to stay alive, too much content for groups and timed events that require to be on specific map on specific time. I have done these too, maps and stories, but it just feels like working. Since these maps are not designed for solo players it depends a lot when you play, if you tend to play at morning or during the day maps are pretty empty and none of the group content is doable, then again if you log in only at prime time there are usually champion runs or other groups that you can follow.

I have also done WvW with WvW guild and daily raids for few years. Not going to be top damage dealer or best surviver in the team obviously but it is still fun and quite different from PvE content. Just pick a role that does not require reflexes or sight of 16 year old, and talk to leaders honestly. If they want only the best young people, then it is not right guild for you anyway. I am sure there are friendly guilds in every server who do not take WvW overly seriously. Just be ready to grind endlessly for the best equipment (since WvW is really only part of the game where having ascended items instead of rare ones matters), and whenever you have finished the equipment for your WvW build there will be new balance patch that requires you to start all over again.

As about easy to play PvE classes, minion master greatsword necro is probably top one. There is also Greatsword Guardian, easy to play and hard to kill. I also found Ranger with Axe + Shortbow + traps simple enough since enemies usually attack your pet and you can mostly just attack them without moving around. Or if you have druid unlocked, having Druid with healing gear and Staff you can heal more then any PvE enemy is able to damage. There was great and totally easy-mode Turret build for Engineer too but I think they nerfed Turrets too much in current version.

[moonboi.1764]

@Tanner Blackfeather.6509 said:

@moonboi.1764 said:

@"Kaliwenda.3428" said:

Now if only there was a build that could help me with jumping puzzles....

If you find this mysterious build, would love it. I suck so bad at them, I don’t even try most of the time.

There

is

actually options for making it more manageable!1) Mesmer. Portals can be used as a life line: drop a Portal Entre before a jump you're unsure of. If you miss it - Portal Exeunt and back you go ready for a second try!2) Fall damage traits. Every class (iirc) has one. For Mesmer it's Descent into Madness in the Chaos line.And most of all 3) Prototype Position Rewinder - gizmo from a heart-vendor in Sandswept Isles. Get it. Love it.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Prototype_Position_Rewinder

I had no idea about position rewinder. I’m getting that tonight after work. Thank you for that.

[Tanner Blackfeather.6509]

@moonboi.1764 said:

@Tanner Blackfeather.6509 said:

@moonboi.1764 said:

@"Kaliwenda.3428" said:

Now if only there was a build that could help me with jumping puzzles....

If you find this mysterious build, would love it. I suck so bad at them, I don’t even try most of the time.

There

is

actually options for making it more manageable!1) Mesmer. Portals can be used as a life line: drop a Portal Entre before a jump you're unsure of. If you miss it - Portal Exeunt and back you go ready for a second try!2) Fall damage traits. Every class (iirc) has one. For Mesmer it's Descent into Madness in the Chaos line.And most of all 3) Prototype Position Rewinder - gizmo from a heart-vendor in Sandswept Isles. Get it. Love it.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Prototype_Position_Rewinder

I had no idea about position rewinder. I’m getting that tonight after work. Thank you for that.

It's a gift from the gods for us mediocre jumpers! It can really remove a lot of stress from jps!

[moonboi.1764]

It's a gift from the gods for us mediocre jumpers! It can really remove a lot of stress from jps!

I honestly don’t know how this slipped by me. I have the stuff to buy it and I am feeling renewed at attempting a few jps tonight. :)

[Heriticus Spiritus.2489]

Old and slow isn't the right way to think. Old is also a state of mind and attitude. Just think you're "challenged"! I'm getting older, and will be 73 before to much longer. I have 11 level 80 chars and all are fully trained elite spec wise. I'm a disabled vietnam vet and have been playing Guild Wars 1 & 2 since 2010.
It looks like you've found new ways to play, and that's great! Keep it up and don't be afraid to experiment with other ways to play. GW2 isn't aging all that well these days, but it's still one of the best games available for us oldfarts!

[nosleepdemon.1368]

I don't double tap as it's too error prone, especially when you are making lots of tiny positioning corrections. It's way better to bind dodge to a key, that way you aren't relying on the same digit to strike twice to activate it.

[nosleepdemon.1368]

@"Heriticus Spiritus.2489" said:Old and slow isn't the right way to think. Old is also a state of mind and attitude. Just think you're "challenged"! I'm getting older, and will be 73 before to much longer. I have 11 level 80 chars and all are fully trained elite spec wise. I'm a disabled vietnam vet and have been playing Guild Wars 1 & 2 since 2010.

It looks like you've found new ways to play, and that's great! Keep it up and don't be afraid to experiment with other ways to play. GW2 isn't aging all that well these days, but it's still one of the best games available for us oldfarts!

I think their monetization model and economy are actually quite fantastic, to say nothing of the downed feature which adds an extra element to combat not found in a lot of other MMOs. The event based questing is also still rather fresh. I'd say that GW2 is still well ahead of its time in many aspects, you might be a little older but your taste in games is clearly superb.

[Caedmon.6798]

Proper key placement can do a whole lot,like someone else said to minimize hand travel.Also you might want to look into a mouse with 12 side buttons which works wonders if you get used to it.

Disable double tap to dodge,its terrible and can lead to accidental dodges.

[Tails.9372]

@Victros.8154 said:I'm old and slow and have bad reaction time. I am horrible at timing double-tap dodges in games. Is there a class and build that might work for me, where I wouldn't have to dodge very often?Dual pistol thief or minion master nomad reaper.

[alchemist.6851]

@Victros.8154 said:I'm old and slow and have bad reaction time. I am horrible at timing double-tap dodges in games. Is there a class and build that might work for me, where I wouldn't have to dodge very often? Maybe a tank warrior of some kind? I wouldn't do any PvP or likely any difficult PvE, just open world stuff and maybe some dungeons, if possible. What do you think?

Thanks!

My ranger was level 50 and boosted temporarily to 80 to fight the Mad King alone — my pet did most of the damage.. in fact the pet can heal you and guard you... do a ranger with bow and it’s an fairly easy life

[Silmar Alech.4305]

If you fail at some task, and your excuse is you're old and slow, then the problem is not that you're old and slow. The problem is that you don't want to adapt, which is a much more common state of mind for old people than it is for young people.A quick reaction is not the most important challenge of the game. The real challenge and the path to success is to choose the proper reaction. You don't win, if you react most quicky but did the wrong move. You win, if you do the right move just in time.

The game is not about just attacking with skill #1 until the enemy dies. It is a puzzle instead, a skill game.

While playing the game, observe others and determine what the right move would be. In some critical situation, don't fight blindly and desperately while you already know that you will fail in a few seconds anyway. Instead, use the remaining time and analyze the situation and try to find out how to crack the situation. What did you wrong, and what is the crucial thing you should have done to master the fight.

The game offers a lot for combat. Everything has its role. Everything. Don't neglect one aspect as irrelevant - all is important. Without proper gear, you are at a disadvantage. Without proper build, you are at a disadvantage. Without knowledge of the special effects of each skill, you are at a disadvantage. Without a plan when to use which skill, you are at a disadvantage. Without proper control of your keyboard and mouse, you are at a disadvantage. Without proper graphical visualization, you are at a disadvantage.

All together taken seriously and as a whole is the way to success.

If you neglect the graphical visualization (means: computer hardware, fps, resolution, graphics settings), you don't see everything there is to see in combat. And fighting while being half blind is a disadvantage. If you're older, you probably have more money to spend. Spend it to get a good computer. A high end computer. A high end computer helps, because it has fewer lags, thus giving you more leeway for reaction time. This is one way to compensate for ("cheat") slower reaction time due to your age.

If you neglect the proper control of your keyboard and mouse, you waste time while activating skills. By adjusting your keyboard and mouse settings to your individual preferences, you can compensate for slower natural reaction time due to your age. Inadequate keyboard settings is like you're playing with thick and tight leather gloves that don't let your fingers move freely.

If you neglect gear and build, you're not dealing the damage required to defeat your enemy. And damage is the only thing that defeats your enemy. Healing doesn't defeat your enemy, damage is. The game is balanced around a certain minimum amount of damage. If you deal less, your playing gets increasingly difficult and is not the experience the developers intended it to be.

If you neglect the special effects of each skill, you ignore the strengths of your build. The game is balanced around these strengths. They are not optional and nice to have. Instead, they are a requirement, because they are included in the balancing. If you don't use them, your playing gets increasingly difficult and is not the experience the developers intended it to be.

[Yumenei.7943]

Standard core warrior open world build with mace and shield will make you almost unkillable if you pick soldier stats for it and remain in that weapon set for as long as possible. You won’t even have to dodge - only some powerful boss abilities etc. Add doylak signet and pick mending for healing slot and you can’t really get more tanky than that. For more damage you can always swap during combat to GS or Axe/Axe if you need it.