The War of the Dragon VII

I got back into Guild Wars 2 a couple of weeks ago. I had originally planned to play The Old Republic for a couple more months before FFXIV: A Realm Reborn dropped but I grew a little tired of leveling alts and so moved on to Guild Wars 2. 

Because it had been more than six months since last I played, I quickly deleted an old character and started a new Necromancer. My goal this time around was to get to level 80 before ARR launched. I decided to make my Necromancer more of a tank class this time around, I figured that the Necromancer has the most health out of any class so why not?

The War of the Dragon VI

I finally took a character past level thirty today. I’ve had a bad case of alt-itice and I’ve managed to level three or four different classes to level thirty or thereabout. As such I’ve managed to make sure I’ve delved quite a bit into each different crafting profession and about half the classes. Here then are my tips for playing Guild Wars 2:

The War of the Dragon V

‘I am a leaf in the wind’. Guild Wars 2 paying homage to Serenity certainly brought a smile to my lips. Those words are the end of a conversation by two Sylvari speaking about the different paths they took after birth; one is a healer and the other a warrior. The Sylvari, are a plant race in Guild Wars 2, who are born fully formed with all the racial memories of their kind. It’s a powerful tool that has been slowly corrupted by a faction of Sylvari who wish to turn their dreams into Nightmares. Your guide to Guild Wars 2 is a firstborn, one of the heroes of the defunct guild Destiny’s Edge, Caithe who out of all the members of the group I’ve met is the most interesting. Long ago she was the best of friends with the leader of the Nightmare Court, Duchess Faolain.

The War of the Dragon IV

So I lied. Well maybe not lied as much as I spoke too soon. I still haven’t picked my main character yet. Guild Wars 2 gives you five character slots for free with each new slot costing you ten dollars. Since the game is free after initial sale and the slots are more than enough for most people, its fair. I like making new characters though. I probably deleted a hundred hours of playtime in three or four months of playing The Old Republic simply because I would delete characters. There’s something that’s so bright and shiny about making new characters, as if all the mistakes that you’ve made can be learned from and made better. It likely says something about me but at the end of the day, all that matters is that it takes me a while to find my rhythm with a new game.

The War of the Dragon III

I hate dying. I take dying as an affront to my skill as a gamer. Death is not to be used as a lesson, it means I was sloppy or foolish or just plain stupid. I die in Guild Wars 2, a lot. It’s quite irritating how many times I’ve bite the big one. Guild Wars 2 has mechanisms in place to make dying less aggravating, at least that’s the idea behind it. I don’t know if it was intended or not but in reality death in Guild Wars 2 is an art form, let me explain.

The War of the Dragon II

There is something completely cathartic about my memories of Final Fantasy XI. It’s not that I have rose colored glasses about that wonderful, frustrating game. I remember the highs and the lows. I remember reading James Mielke's blog post about the game. It filled me with such wonder and awe that somebody could love and invest themselves into an MMO like that. Final Fantasy XI was a great game and an experience I am not likely to ever see again. The industry has largely moved away from the grinding, party heavy MMOs of yesteryears and that’s a good thing, still it leaves me with some melancholy. Those days of sitting in an XP spot grinding out levels with a good party, shooting the breeze about nothing in particular are over. Guild Wars 2 has been a fresh breeze of delight in recent days. I’ve often been helped by and helped a passerby kill a boss or revive themselves; good deeds are not only customary, they are rewarded in Guild Wars 2.

The War of the Dragon I

First thing you need to understand about Guild Wars 2, is that is tries its utmost to be a living breathing world. Secret World wanted to fill you with wonder, and TOR wanted to tell you a story; Guild Wars 2 wants to be living and breathing whether you’re there to see it or not. Quests are tied to areas, and while there is a little handholding, there is also a time when questing is all about finding logical outcomes. If someone is shouting ‘I need help’ then run up to them and talk to them and you’ll likely find a quest. If you’re going from point A to point B you’re likely to find someone who is doing the same thing and hey they have a quest too. Like Secret World before it, Guild Wars 2 is trying to do away with the quest hubs and trying to make it feel more organic. They still have spots where you will always find quests, ala their heart system on the maps, but they are only there as guides for the immediate area. If a heart has a number 11 next to it then it is likely an area best for level 11 characters. It allows an open feeling without having to say explicitly level 11’s come here. Because the players level scales down, anyone over 11 can go there and find some decent experience. In that spirit of ease, don’t forget to type back slash wiki, that will bring you to Guild Wars 2 wiki site right from the game.