Guildwars 2 Beta Thread

[drebo]

Norn starting area is really bland. Heck, even the 20+ norn zone wasn't very interesting.

 

[Ashenor]

Norn starting area is really bland. Heck, even the 20+ norn zone wasn't very interesting.

The few times i played it and got to the City portion of running around it seemed kind of meh.

Around what lvl does the game open up and everyone is in the same area's?

How are the other starting races, any others you would suggest for rogue?

Thanks

 

[GaiaHunter]

You can play in any of the starter areas from level 2.

Just go to the main city and take the portal to Lion's Arch - from there you can take a portal to any of the other starter areas.

Alternatively you can go to WvW and take the portal to lion's arch from there.

 

[Worthington]

I played a human thief during the little bit of BWEs I had time for and it seemed to mesh pretty well.

 

[zinfamous]

The few times i played it and got to the City portion of running around it seemed kind of meh.

Around what lvl does the game open up and everyone is in the same area's?

How are the other starting races, any others you would suggest for rogue?

Thanks

what is rogue? thief, ranger?

Races aren't really important for class, but you can try and choose based on class-specific skills (most of which don't really matter in late levels) for better synergy

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Racial_skill

there are some skills, like radiation field for Asura, that synergize quite well AoE condition classes--like Mes and Engineer. It's also a good race in general for Engineer (it follows suit with Asuran lore). also consider the potential size advantage of an Asuran Mes in PvP.

As for racial starting areas....I think I like Asura and Human the best. They provide the best balance and are fun and interesting to explore. Same with Charr, but it tosses you into some unexpectedly punishing areas right off the bat if you aren't paying attention (listen to the NPCs that scoff at your level as you try to run past them. seriously--listen to them! 😀) But--it is a great zone. Very difficult, however.

I found Norn and Sylvari area to be the most boring, least interesting--particularly Norn, which has a very "spammy" event right out the gate--mainly because people seem to camp it and force respawns, never allowing it to cycle to some other failed path. It can be annoying.

 

[zinfamous]

You can play in any of the starter areas from level 2.

Just go to the main city and take the portal to Lion's Arch - from there you can take a portal to any of the other starter areas.

Alternatively you can go to WvW and take the portal to lion's arch from there.

Um, LA should not be instantly open in the general release. It is unlocked through story.

Remember how the betas announced repeatedly that LA will be open for the event? I'm not sure how long it takes to get to LA--I generally ignored story and ran around zones during the beta.

 

[Ashenor]

what is rogue? thief, ranger?

Races aren't really important for class, but you can try and choose based on class-specific skills (most of which don't really matter in late levels) for better synergy

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Racial_skill

there are some skills, like radiation field for Asura, that synergize quite well AoE condition classes--like Mes and Engineer. It's also a good race in general for Engineer (it follows suit with Asuran lore). also consider the potential size advantage of an Asuran Mes in PvP.

As for racial starting areas....I think I like Asura and Human the best. They provide the best balance and are fun and interesting to explore. Same with Charr, but it tosses you into some unexpectedly punishing areas right off the bat if you aren't paying attention (listen to the NPCs that scoff at your level as you try to run past them. seriously--listen to them! 😀) But--it is a great zone. Very difficult, however.

I found Norn and Sylvari area to be the most boring, least interesting--particularly Norn, which has a very "spammy" event right out the gate--mainly because people seem to camp it and force respawns, never allowing it to cycle to some other failed path. It can be annoying.

Sorry meant Thief. I do like Ranger, Elem and Necro though also. I prefer a melee type toon though.

I think i am probably leaning towards Human Thief right now.

So what sort of gem/store purchases are going to be helpful at the start?

 

[GaiaHunter]

Um, LA should not be instantly open in the general release. It is unlocked through story.

Remember how the betas announced repeatedly that LA will be open for the event? I'm not sure how long it takes to get to LA--I generally ignored story and ran around zones during the beta.

Really doubt that since Lion's Arch is linked with WvW.

What they meant with LA being open is that was accessible to players.

 

[SS Trooper]

I'll be bringing 2 Necros to the guild. Possibly another 2 guys as well, depending if I can get them away from wow(lol). I won't be getting the game until 8/31 though. I am a sucker for the necro arch type, anyone who played it care to discuss the playstyle? I've heard they are kind of tanky... That's interesting.

 

[ShintaiDK]

http://gaiscioch.com/tavern/guildwars_crafting/post_35198.html

 

[zinfamous]

Sorry meant Thief. I do like Ranger, Elem and Necro though also. I prefer a melee type toon though.

I think i am probably leaning towards Human Thief right now.

So what sort of gem/store purchases are going to be helpful at the start?

probably storage for gem purchases, or the timed XP bonuses.

i gravitated towards dual pistol for thief, b/c it was less squishy....but I also wanted to play dual dagger for thief--which is why i was disappointed.

I have more experience, now (that was BW1 build, second character, in the evil chaar zone), so maybe it isn't so bad. basically--i was sad that my Mes was harder to kill at that point than my thief.

 

[zinfamous]

I'll be bringing 2 Necros to the guild. Possibly another 2 guys as well, depending if I can get them away from wow(lol). I won't be getting the game until 8/31 though. I am a sucker for the necro arch type, anyone who played it care to discuss the playstyle? I've heard they are kind of tanky... That's interesting.

yeah, it's fun. only played to level 8. You don't get the same kind of MM meat-shield spawning that you get with GW1 nec builds, but shadow step (or whatever it's called) is kind of an Oh Shit! button for the class.

They have tons of life style, which makes them tanky. Guardian has become the "tank" class, unless that has changed. Other than that, probably Nec.

dual dagger Ne was pretty fun.

 

[zinfamous]

Really doubt that since Lion's Arch is linked with WvW.

What they meant with LA being open is that was accessible to players.

it would be odd--seeing as how LA is the connection for all the races, and it wouldn't follow the story line at all to simply be able to zone in to LA from the start and go wherever you want.

And it would follow GW1 in that LA is sort of the start of the game....many many hours and levels in.

the way I interpreted "LA is open to everyone" as a special announcement, for Beta--hey, you get to see this now, b/c you wouldn't otherwise have the time to see it in a weekend, and it allows more open exploration."

Otherwise, why make it a point to announce it?

 

[diesbudt]

Well anywho.

If I remember my #### after my account name (same as this forum name), Ill give it out.

If no one else jumps the gun I will just make the guild. Wont be just AT specific. And I have spoken to ZIn on game before... he may have saved my name tag or not. Who knows. But if so, We could all force Zin to be the link between us to get us together.

 

[aigomorla]

they need to link collectables to inventory, so you dont need to move stuff from collectables to inventory to craft.

However i think it maybe because the collectable tabs is shared account wise.

 

[zerocool84]

I'm definitely going to have to read about all my options of what character to choose before Saturday since I didn't get into the beta.

 

[zinfamous]

that sounds fine diesbut--it seems no one is too keen on leading this thing 😀

I do have several ATers saved as friends, I just don't specifically remember which in-game name is tied to which ATer. I know I've played with you and worthington, and zerocool? or, at least, the ATer I always mistake with zerocool. And Kidniki and others.

There are at least 5 or 6 people that I know through ToR (guild or otherwise) that will be looking for a guild.

I'm perfectly happy to contribute an above-ave. amount of silvers or gold or whatever it takes to get the guild rolling--but I wonder if it makes sense for everyone to hold off for several days to use their deluxe edition bonuses? I would hate for anyone to waste them if we eventually start reshuffling, and once we learn how this multi-guild, multi-server thing works in practice.


For those that are new, here is what I found to work best in getting started:

1. as mentioned and mposted earlier, if you are unsure of class, create a dummy character and head to WvW to test it out. Your name will be saved for 24 hours if that is your main concern

PvE, leveling:

1. acquire all your classes weapon sets as soon as you can--there are weapon vendors, usually, for each race just outside your starting zone (you usually begin the game outside your capital, in a small outpost). You can simply purchase from them, when you can afford it, or just wait for drops. I believe HoM bonuses from GW1 are just "skins" which you can apply to anything...so you will still need to acquire weapons?


2. money: once you hit level 11, you will gain access to class traits. You need to purchase a book, which costs 10 silver (1k copper). The game can be quite expensive starting out, as you will be dying constantly, and needing repairs, as you learn the mechanics. Don't be shy about selling just about everything that drops from mobs. You will often get decent leveled gear from completing class quests and completing achievements in each zone.

3. crafting: start crafting asap! (find trainers inside your capital area. You can start with 2 crafting disciplines, I believe, and can potentially max all crafting on each character if you want). You can gain some serious levels while crafting, so if you are feeling out-matched in certain areas, take some time to craft for quick levels. (exploring is also a great way to passively level). I recommend your classes armor discipline, and perhaps whatever weapon discipline is best for your class. the armor classes (tailor, leatherworking, armoring) offer a great number of recipes to start and as mentioned--use discovery as often as you can. It is quite simple once you figure out the mechanics and components involved in each piece. components sell pretty well on the market, too.

the armoring classes allow you to make bags with more slots than standard. Obviously, this is quite useful, and something that should sell well on the market

3. money balance--just about anything can be salvaged in GW2. It doens't depend on your discipline--you can salvage anything. For this reason, I tend to save all my karma points from Heart missions for salvage kits. the gems and relics you get with karma in the starter zones are something of a waste. I find it best to wait until you open up the second zone (level 15+), as those karma vendors will offer dual-traited gear. I'm honestly not sure how that works--and how to craft them, yet, but it is the first time that I found gear that was better than what I could craft for myself.

so, to this end--try to balance between the items you salvage for crafting, and those you just merch for cash.

4. Events Vs Heart events: Hearts are not events. You will see the Heart missions as one of the achievements for each zone, and you can find them on your map. In my experience, directly doing them is a slow way to complete them. Oftentimes, random world events will spawn in the area, and completing those events will often complete the hearts for you, and much sooner. Once you complete one, the NPC that offers the Heart event then becomes a Karma merchant (the merchants that I suggested to spend most of your karma for salvage kits, or even some decent weapons--perhaps you can craft better). Also, upon completion, these NPCs will send you a mail, with copper or silver attached to it. DO NOT IGNORE THESE! you need all the money you can get.

I find that actually completing the specific heart tasks is the most grindy traditional MMOish experience that you find in GW2--which is why I learned to avoid them. 😛

 

[ShintaiDK]

http://gw2census.com/charts.php?pie=total&divide=charrace

 

[zinfamous]

they need to link collectables to inventory, so you dont need to move stuff from collectables to inventory to craft.

However i think it maybe because the collectable tabs is shared account wise.

at the very least, make any mats available in storage or collectibles "available" in your crafting menu, so you don't have to keep transferring them.

that being said, I love that they not only added the separate collectibles tab (much like that additional storage tab in GW1 for mats), but that they added the entire bank/collectibles tab to your crafting menu. This saves a ton of time.

While I prefer what ToR does, now, with being able to craft wherever you are (just send your comps out to do it), this does allow for more access--now the outposts with crafting trainers become an external bank for you.

 

[Worthington]

HOM update:

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/claiming-your-hall-of-monuments-rewards/

 

[aigomorla]

also guys u can use bank tabs @ crafting station.

Dont fell like u need to goto the main town banker to use a vault.
Remember to keep depositing your crafting items as collectables.
There is a right click option which says "deposit collectables" that way you can free up your inventory spot.

Money is a PITFA until you hit about lvl20, especially if ur salvaging all your loot, and not selling it.
(the most i think i had was like 5 gold pieces and i thought i was rich!!) 😛

Hopefully those of u guys who join our guild will have front runners who can loan the members who are short some money to buy skill tombs.

 

[dougp]

I still can't decide what I want to play:

Guardian, Engineer, Mesmer or Thief.

Decisions! Argh!

 

[GaiaHunter]

it would be odd--seeing as how LA is the connection for all the races, and it wouldn't follow the story line at all to simply be able to zone in to LA from the start and go wherever you want.

And it would follow GW1 in that LA is sort of the start of the game....many many hours and levels in.

the way I interpreted "LA is open to everyone" as a special announcement, for Beta--hey, you get to see this now, b/c you wouldn't otherwise have the time to see it in a weekend, and it allows more open exploration."

Otherwise, why make it a point to announce it?

Lion's Arch wasn't in the game for the Press beta test in february and in the closed march beta test.

That is why they announced it, like they announced that explorable mode catacombs would be open and like they announced the gandarrean fields, the asura ans the sylvari.

Still, how would that work with WvW?

Additionally Anet stated that you could go play with your friends from the beginning no matter the race

 

[zinfamous]

http://gw2census.com/charts.php?pie=total&divide=charrace

ooo, COOL!

professions are quite evenly spread! very nice to see.

 

[zinfamous]

I still can't decide what I want to play:

Guardian, Engineer, Mesmer or Thief.

Decisions! Argh!

Well, you have 5 character slots to start with.

:thumbsup: