Returning player after 5+ years... advice on getting back into the game?

[ado.9160]

Hey all!

I decided to pick up Path of Fire and get back into the game after 5 probably even more years after quitting. Honestly I'm lost AF haha the game has changed so much. My initial thought was to relevel another ranger to get reacquainted to the game, but I already have one at level 80 on my account. My thought process is to just play my level 80 ranger again and feel lost but slowly get back into the groove of the game.

I'm still only on chapter 8 of my personal story, so it's not like I forgot/missed much of the Living World or any of the expansions. Is there a youtube video or blog out there where I can read the sylvari personal story and get caught up again?

My plan of attack is finish the story and start the Living World content. But I also wanted a good open world PvE build for ranger so that I can be semi decent while playing. Anyone have any good build guides for ranger?

What else should I be doing? I guess there's fractals and stuff but to be honest I'm just so lost right now and I was never really even a good player years ago so I'm just not sure whether I should level a new character or just play my 80 ranger again. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Edited August 4, 2021 by ado.9160

[decease.3215]

I just returned.. After 8 years.. My advice is get raptor asap.. Then start working on mastery..

 

 

Fractal i also start.. They qre short and not too hard.  But i would start from catching up the story

[Azure Prower.8701]

Do some dailies. That's a good way to take small steps to get used to your class, whilst getting some thing out of it in the process.

[PhantomGoddess.5174]

Don't be afraid to take your time as there is a lot of stuff to go through as well.  Try not to force yourself to rush or you may get burnt out.  All of the mounts are nice and all, all of the masteries are good to have, but if you don't go at a pace that's good for you, you won't enjoy the game so much.

[mungozen.2379]

Some suggestions:

 

1 - Start a new character and level it up.  Your lvl 80 will still be there when you want it, but the experience gained by leveling in this game provides a lot of education on game and profession mechanics with minimal pain unlike lvl 80 content can.

2 - You don't need to skip ahead.  Some players will advise that the game is 'easier' if you start PoF and get the Raptor or Springer mounts.  However, struggling through early PoF when you are newly returned to the game just to get a convenience item you don't need yet might be too much to deal with.

3 - This game is massive, and the more comfortable you feel with it, the more able you can and should to follow the things that interest you.  Be it Story, PvP, World Completion whatever, dig into the stuff that catches your attention rather than grind on something just because it's there.

4 - Participate in World Events like Festivals, Rush Weeks or whatever as they usually have the highest population density, and if you like experience the game well populated, these are a good opportunity.

[Harfang.1507]

What is most important to you? Story (and its continuity)? Exploration? Resource (loot) acquisition? Fashion wars? Group vs. solo content? PvE vs. WvW vs. PvP? The answer will vary depending on that.

From what I gather, you quite before PoF, but after HoT, right? That may make a difference too, as the HoT content is the toughest in the game.

[NorthernRedStar.3054]

I'd suggest getting into a guild that does stuff together. You can still have your personal story time on the (other) side (of the coin), but that'll get you acquainted with the beef you'll be eating later on: group instances, teamwork, communication and time management.

You'll also usually always get an answer to any questions you pose in the guild chat. They'll help point you in the right direction with gear, builds and general improvement.

[Wizzywig.9143]

do as Mungo Zen says 🙂  your 80 will always be there if/when you decide, you can take it from where you ended.

i love my Ranger/SB/Druid 🙂 superb for solo'ing and world events

[thehipone.6812]

As others have said, get the raptor ASAP.  It's only one mission in Path of Fire beginning, then you can go back to whatever you want.  Everyone else, be it guildmates or randoms in open world will be zipping around to events on mounts and it will suck to have to run on foot.

 

My tip: Find a friend/guildmate with a full or nearly full home instance and try to gather it every day.    It is the best way to give yourself a "drip, drip,drip" income of many currencies and crafting materials in the game.  Then later on, when you find that you need a stack of each living world season 4 currency to get the skyscale, or some charged quartz crystals, or whatever, you'll at least have some built up.

[Lucio.4190]

I see lots of suggestions and I would agree with "Only you decide what will make you love this game".

 

There's a jungle of choices and trying to catch up everything will burn you out and make you lose interest. Let it take time and you'll see that everything will always be available as it is.

The content is still there and if you need help during the game, there will always be players that answers your call. Sometimes we may be invisible, but we are with you.

 

I was supposed to play this with my friends and we created a guild together. When I was level 9, they all abandoned the game and I lost interest too.. for almost 7 years. Then I started to play this again and continued with the same character. Caught up with my personal story and created like some bond with this character.

 

No matter if you create a new or decide to keep your character, the skills and gear will be the same eventually. But don't delete it, it may be useful in other ways than just Birthday rewards.

 

Core content doesn't require mount. It's very convenient for distant travels, but you also have Waypoints.

Heart of Thorns is still good with the glider, with the Advanced gliding Mastery. That will save you lots of frustration. But not much has changed here... other than it's much easier now than it used to be (so I've heard).

Path of Fire on the other hand... it requires the Raptor and the Springer, both levelled up to make long/high jumps. The Skimmer is nice to have at the branded parts of the maps, makes things easier.

It took me a very long time until I decided to get the Jackal, but now it's my favourite mount. 😁

 

Mukluk and MightyTeapot have some great videos on Youtube that will keep you updated and help you decide.

AyinMaiden has great guides for the achievements and she's helped me along when I got stuck.