How to start a new player

[Legend of Rogue.5394]

Friend starting the game for the first time. I have been playing since Day 1 but have 0 idea where to start with a new person. They bought both expansions. Just start from lvl 1 and go from there? They want to get their professions and mounts as well but few people even remain on these maps anymore. At what point do you start crafting armor, ascended etc...

Also HOT starter story line in verdant brink is non existent, seems very difficult for new players.

Thanks

[mungozen.2379]

Have them start at the beginning, and go at their own pace. Do as much Core as they want (to 80 or beyond) and then see if they want the challenge of HoT or PoF. Too many new players get turned off the game by being overloaded by rushing through the content.

Let them enjoy the stories and content and push the pace at their speed. Unless they wanna PvP, then get them in the lobby and forget about the rest of the game.

[Astyrah.4015]

@"Legend of Rogue.5394" said:Friend starting the game for the first time. I have been playing since Day 1 but have 0 idea where to start with a new person.just create a character and use the waypoint on the starting zone your friend spawns in after the tutorial. (you have all 5 starter zone waypoints unlocked for a new character)

They bought both expansions. Just start from lvl 1 and go from there? They want to get their professions and mounts as well but few people even remain on these maps anymore. At what point do you start crafting armor, ascended etc...

i've found all starter zones to be decently populated as long as you play on the peak/primetime hours of your server's region (US/EU). i suggest your friend and you to level together to 80 from level 1. there are many posts and threads here on the forums about using a level 80 boost do a search on them, you can find all the reasons why people suggest not using it on a first character.

Also HOT starter story line in verdant brink is non existent, seems very difficult for new players.

it's not "very difficult" per se in my opinion just that it's a step up in difficulty from what you were used to in core tyria. HoT is very much doable even without mounts

[Farohna.6247]

Start from level one in core Tyria. Why not make a little freshling as well and play in the same areas, or simply farm, do events, etc on your preferred characters. Let them have fun, explore, and discover!!

[Cuks.8241]

They should just explore their own way through core Tyria. Personally, the first playthrough exploring everything is one of the best parts. And you can help them find world bosses and do dungeons with them.

[Strider Pj.2193]

I’ve also rediscovered my initial game experience by working on it with a friend with my own new toon, but it isn’t necessary. (A level 1 new toon that is).

Soo many things I forgot about..,

[Svarty.8019]

Press B ...

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

After reaching L80 in Core Tyria, don't forget to spend time in Maguuma Wastes, which will better prepare for Heart of Thorns or Path of Fire.

Good luck.

[Danikat.8537]

I agree with letting them take the lead. The right pace really depends on them, how they like to approach games, what they want to do, how much experience they have with different kinds of RPGs and so on. If you try to push them into playing the way you think they should it would be very easy to either make them feel rushed and overwhelmed (and then totally lost when you're not around to give directions) or bored and frustrated with how slow you make it.

I had a few friends who started playing back in 2020 and they were very different. One guy, before he even bought the game had worked out that he'd want to use the level 80 boost and get the raptor, but then make a new character to play properly and by the end of his first day had builds worked out for both characters and was researching where to get more hero points. Someone else took over a week to get beyond Caledon Forest, didn't put points into specialisations when she first unlocked them because she was still getting used to her skills and didn't want to complicate things and insisted on keeping several useless items from events because she liked them. The others fell somewhere in between those two, but with their own preferences - one wanted to hunt down every world boss as soon as possible, the other was focused on the story and so on.

Personally I'd encourage them to start out without the level boost and see how it goes, knowing they can always use it later on if they want to. But other than that I'd let them take the lead and just be on hand to offer advice or help them if they're struggling. Maybe make a new character to play with them if you want to.

Also I think you might be surprised by the number of people on the starter maps (and the intermediate ones). You usually won't see massive crowds unless there's a world boss or it's the daily event map or something, but it's hardly deserted.

[Hesione.9412]

@"Legend of Rogue.5394" said:Friend starting the game for the first time. I have been playing since Day 1 but have 0 idea where to start with a new person. They bought both expansions. Just start from lvl 1 and go from there? They want to get their professions and mounts as well but few people even remain on these maps anymore. At what point do you start crafting armor, ascended etc...

Also HOT starter story line in verdant brink is non existent, seems very difficult for new players.

Thanks

Few people on the new maps can be an advantage for a new player who is playing with friends. When events pop up, you'll be able to do them without every man and his dog descending in on mounts. Core Tyria hero points should also be easily obtainable with two or more people - except the ones in Orr. There is one that sits behind a map meta achievement.

I would recommend doing the Season 2 story before going into HoT. This part is a good introduction to the mobs that are encountered in VB: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Echoes_of_the_Past

[Little Leota.5849]

@"Hesione.9412" said:

I would recommend doing the Season 2 story before going into HoT. This part is a good introduction to the mobs that are encountered in VB: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Echoes_of_the_PastSeason 2 is also a good way to become familiar with the characters that were introduced in Season 1. You can do the history lesson in Lion's Arch after completing the core story, but Season 2 really helps to get to know them.

[Legend of Rogue.5394]

Thanks for the tips guys. Seems the general consensus is let her go her own pace, maybe create a character and start with her. I have my main necro at lvl 300 or so and I am going back through map completion at the moment. Just been letting her go her own pace and let her hit the mobs first. Doing all the starter zones together and branching out from there.

Thanks for the tips. I really want her to get in to HOT and POF, get everything before the next xpac but we got a year I think we can get it all done by then

[Sobx.1758]

@Svarty.8019 said:Press B ...

Sending a new player to wvw while they don't understand the game yet is just an awfully bad idea.

[Luthan.5236]

I have played the game from release until end of 2013. Then from 2019 until now. (So I had a huuuuue break.)Played everything in order of release. But I can understand that new players quickly want to get the mounts. (Once you have the mounts you probably never want to play without them. Even in core maps ha ha. Still was a nice experience to play as it had been intended back then at the individual releases when certain maps did not have mounts/glider.)

For learning the class/profession and getting used to the game ... the core personal story and some of the core maps ... are a good idea. This will get the player to level 80 leading him from his starting area to Lion's Arch and from there to orr. (With some minor detours depending on the story choices.)

Later: PoF is unlocking the mounts + it is considered easier than HoT. (As experienced player I could solo all of the hero points there. While in HoT a lot need groups to do them. New players though might still find it hard in PoF to to solo some hero points. I sometimes saw requests for help. Might be because of less experience and less good gear when rushing directly to these maps. Or it depends on the class/profession.)

So I'd say: A bit core to get used to the game. Then PoF for the mounts. And then it depends. (I guess some players just go for the gameplay. While others want to experience the story in order ... which leads them to also visit the maps in release order.)

Edit: It should be possible to do that until the next expansion gets released. As long as you don't plan on doing all (or most) of the achievements on all the older maps + getting minis and skins. For me it took a looot of playing (still didn't play as much as a classic "no-lifer") to get from s2 to end of s4. (When I started playing 1.5 years ago doing stuff from s2 onwards in release order.) But I tried for most of the achievements + minis and stuff from map vendors (season 3 for example where it needs currencty). With some months of kind of a "break" where I played a bit more WvW and only did the dailies on s3 maps. I ignored the grindy collections (full weapon set for achievement) but got most story stuff and most of the map stuff from s3 onwards. (HoT maps a bit missing more. Going back there later.)

So for playing leisurely without the pressure to do all achievements it should not be hard to get map completions + finishing the story steps.

[Game of Bones.8975]

I opened a new account a month or so ago just for the fun of "playing the game from the start" again. I didn't realize how much I miss gliding and the mounts until I stepped off a cliff and went splat.And all the skins/dyes I didn't have .... no mats to craft anything (I could have mailed them from account to account),There really is a world of difference between starting a new character on an existing account and a brand new vanilla account.

[Eloc Freidon.5692]

Let them explore their first map and let them know how leveling progression/traits work (tell them to fill up 1 full Skill and 1 full Specialization line first). Then help them get the raptor for a quicker pace at core game.

If you want to helicopter your friends, just make notes for the parts of the game that they may need tips or help in story.

[brgmns.9235]

@"Astyrah.4015" said:

it's not "very difficult" per se in my opinion just that it's a step up in difficulty from what you were used to in core tyria. HoT is very much doable even without mounts

I disagree with this. HoT would be a nightmare without mounts. Honestly it’s a nightmare without flying. Veteran mobs at every turn, quest markers don’t say up or down do you are left guessing are they under ground or in the trees? If you attempted to do world quests you’d be left behind the first time the group moved. Is it possible? Yes.

As a new player I can say it would be miserable though. Fighting through mobs you can’t beat (seems every quest marker I have to go to has an event mob at it or a champion) is tough enough without also having to fight every ten steps to get there. This isn’t hard, it’s tedious and boring. I wouldn’t suggest anyone subject a new player to that without mounts.

[Yggranya.5201]

@brgmns.9235 said:

@"Astyrah.4015" said:

it's not "very difficult" per se in my opinion just that it's a step up in difficulty from what you were used to in core tyria. HoT is very much doable even without mounts

I disagree with this. HoT would be a nightmare without mounts. Honestly it’s a nightmare without flying. Veteran mobs at every turn, quest markers don’t say up or down do you are left guessing are they under ground or in the trees? If you attempted to do world quests you’d be left behind the first time the group moved. Is it possible? Yes.

As a new player I can say it would be miserable though. Fighting through mobs you can’t beat (seems every quest marker I have to go to has an event mob at it or a champion) is tough enough without also having to fight every ten steps to get there. This isn’t hard, it’s tedious and boring. I wouldn’t suggest anyone subject a new player to that without mounts.

As a new player, i did it fine without mounts since they didn't exist at the time. Kinda like everyone who played before PoF. Whether it was more or less fun is just personal opinion. I think it was mostly fine, ruined slightly by some pretty questionable choices made by the devs.

[brgmns.9235]

@Yggranya.5201 said:

As a new player, i did it fine without mounts since they didn't exist at the time. Kinda like everyone who played before PoF. Whether it was more or less fun is just personal opinion. I think it was mostly fine, ruined slightly by some pretty questionable choices made by the devs.

I’m fairly certain that you also said to yourself or friends “running through layers of Vets and Quest mobs/champions solo to do the story sucks” you just forgot that part.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Probably not, as everyone was doing the story at that time.

[Yggranya.5201]

@brgmns.9235 said:

@"Yggranya.5201" said:

As a new player, i did it fine without mounts since they didn't exist at the time. Kinda like everyone who played before PoF. Whether it was more or less fun is just personal opinion. I think it was mostly fine, ruined slightly by some pretty questionable choices made by the devs.

I’m fairly certain that you also said to yourself or friends “running through layers of Vets and Quest mobs/champions solo to do the story sucks” you just forgot that part.

Running through vets isn't difficult. Champions? I don't know what you did, but i just waited till the events passed to avoid that. Suicide is not a good idea, but that's your business. Remember those "pretty questionable choices made by the devs"? This is one of those.

[Malitias.8453]

@"Mungo Zen.9364" said:Have them start at the beginning, and go at their own pace. Do as much Core as they want (to 80 or beyond) and then see if they want the challenge of HoT or PoF. Too many new players get turned off the game by being overloaded by rushing through the content.

Let them enjoy the stories and content and push the pace at their speed. Unless they wanna PvP, then get them in the lobby and forget about the rest of the game.

As a new or somewhat returning player (stopped playing right after release) I agree with the "at their own pace". If he enjoys core tyria, let him have his fun there.If it's too easy for him or he doesn't like the story let him know that it gets more difficult and story does get better.There's the probability he's used to "usual" mmos, if so try to make it clear, that it's not the games main strength and/or goal to grind for gear.There seems to be a ridiculous amount of different content. Introduce him to some of them and see what he likes.Maybe he wants to focus on one, maybe he wants to do the story for 2 hours and then do some PvP then some fractals, story again, complete a map he's almost finished and so on.I think the games main strength lies in the multitude of things you can do without pressuring you into doing one specific thing very much.

[Shadowmoon.7986]

Choose a class you dislike, use you boost to get to 80 on it then go to Lions Arch. Do the first mission of pof to get the raptor mount then log off the character and start playing the class you want.Play the core game normally, crafting is completely optional at this point unless you are going after legendaries. Once you get to lvl 80, purchase the named exotics with the right stats off the tp. Odds are you will want berserkers, so the sets you want are zhed (like), nika (medium), or devona (heavy). These will be cheaper than the crafted versions. You might think you are wasting the boost, but it is a trap, it gives you trash gear and builds. The game will be more enjoyable leveling to 80 naturally.

[Puck.3697]

I as a new player (week and a half into the game)

I didn't have a friend to start with though, but I did look into information

The first steps I took was:

I bought the expansion while downloading the game. Once I could play I rolled one of each class that interested me most.

I took it into the mists and tried all the traits and weapons out I tried the elite speccs out til I settled one j enjoyed most. Which for me was the elementalist.

I then boosted said elementalist with the level 80 boost you get from the boost and used the gems from the ultimate edition to make my character look awesome.

I left my other level 1s stationary as I'm told that the birthday gifts are pretty cool to collect.

I went into PoF directly. And played the story to PoF, I got the first 3 mounts (The raptor, the bunny rabbit and the skimmer) and now doing the entire core game.

For record, I have played WoW at a competitive level since launch, I also played everquest 1 and 2 and several games such as rift, tera and aion on the way through so I'm a experienced mmorpg player.

This may not work for your friend. But I can say I've heard playing the core game can feel very bland and outdated and having those mounts helps alot speed some things up.

Overall it feels more "modern" to have those mounts and I think for me personally it was the best route. But maybe something to consider

[Khaeon.1623]

I had a friend star the game last month. I rolled a new character with them and I have to say it was an awesome experience just running around without using mounts or a glider trying to complete maps. I would suggest doing this because you gain a new appreciation for the old content.