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Noob questions from a new Guild Wars player ... (Old EQ/WoW player)
dmxkrew
Member Posts: 56
I quit WoW after I met my girlfriend, and have since been buying games that are two-player so we can experience them together... She has a strong aversion to the MMO lifestyle/raiding, so we have been playing NWN2, Hellgate London, and coop-Halo 3...
I picked us up two copies of Guild Wars & EotN, and our hope is that we can play through the entire campaign alone at night together. Without the need of other party members or a guild. She only really likes playing with me and doesnt like "the group dynamic"...
Im trying to figure out a way to keep her happy and get my game fix at the same time. So far -I LOVE guild wars and cant believe I never played it before... the graphics DESTROY WoW's in all ways... Cant wait for GW2... I also like how this game is about skills and combos and whats on your bar -- not what gear you raided for.
Any and all help would be appreciated... we are VERY new to the GW experience but again, we are looking for more solo PVE... (well two of us)...
Thanks!
DMXKREW
*EDIT* - I'm a warrior/monk, shes a ranger/mesmer
Comments
I did not see any questions in your post, but...
Glad you are enjoying...I think your play style will be enhanced A LOT once you get all the Hero's from EoTN. For me it would be a serious toss up between playing out the entire story or skipping of to EoTN once I hit Lion's Arch just to get the Heros.
As it stands in my mind now, I would suggest if you have not done so already, get to Lions Arch and then get into EoTN and grab the first few Heros you can and level them up with you and deck them out as you go back to the Prophecies part of the game. I would not suggest trying to take on the dungeons up north until you both feel more comfortable with the skills both you and your heros are using.
Once you feel up to it and want to add on to your Guild Wars collection, you next step I would think would be getting the 3rd chapter Nightfall, again because it has even more Heros and the two of you together could accomplish most anything in the game. Learning how to control the heros would be your biggest challenge in the highend missions and areas.
Again have fun...where are you at in the game? Let us know and I am sure we could throw out hints and tips if you are interested.
*edit* If you don't know why I was harping on about Heros, in a group each player can take upto 3 of them. And since heros are cutomisable (weapons/armor/skills) they are often prefered to the Henchmen (the lone exception often being monks as some people have difficulty setting them up). With both you and your wife travelling together, you both take 3 heros and for later 8 man missions, you are all set.
One other note: You can make a guild and have a hall just for the two of you. You can buy one yourself, allowing you to name it and make a cape or you could buy one from another player, often muuuch cheaper and then you can design the cape for it. Then you will have your own little Guild Wars house for the two of you.
...it's good to be the king.
"It is easier to be cruel than wise. The road to wisdom is long and difficult... so most people just turn out to be assholes" Feng (Christopher Walken)
FINALLY!!! they see the light
Ok, seriously, glad your enjoying the game, if you guys need a hand, give me a shout in game (Tyr Dominator)
Amazing ! Thanks for the replies!
I guess my question was - is it possible to finish the game/campaigns with just my lady? By your response I would assume "Yes!" which is fantastic.
A few other questions --
I noticed no armor really drops... so is armor ONLY crafted? Is there a huge difference between all of the armor sets or is it just cosmetic? I saw some elite armor sets that look really cool! Are these "upgrades" to existing sets? Do you collect them a piece at a time or do you get them all at once?
...and weapons - are there crazy legendary/rare weapons? Or is it again, mostly about cosmetics and your playstyle/skill?
Excited!
I guess my question was - is it possible to finish the game/campaigns with just my lady? By your response I would assume "Yes!" which is fantastic.
That is indeed the case. In fact, having the two of you would make it easier. The game is designed that if you can't find a group you can solo it with NPC support. That is much more challenging though since the NPCs are idiots. Spend an hour with Alesia, you'll know what I mean.
I noticed no armor really drops... so is armor ONLY crafted? Is there a huge difference between all of the armor sets or is it just cosmetic? I saw some elite armor sets that look really cool! Are these "upgrades" to existing sets? Do you collect them a piece at a time or do you get them all at once?
Armour does drop, but you can not wear it, only salvage it for crafting and upgrades. The only armour you can wear is crafted specifically for you. Because once you reach a max level armour crafter you can make most sets with the same amount of armour class, the only differencd is cosmetics and price. Elite sets are not an upgrade onto a pre-existing piece, they are a separately crafted set that you have to track down the crafter for. The only reason I "collected" my own Necromancer Elite Sunspear a piece at a time was budget restrictions due to the fact that the price you pay for style is 15 thousand per article of clothing when it comes to Elite sets.
...and weapons - are there crazy legendary/rare weapons? Or is it again, mostly about cosmetics and your playstyle/skill?
There are "unique" weapons and offhand items that are typically more powerful but not always. They are only dropped from enemies with "boss" status, and only drop on ocassion. You know them for what they are due to having a Green name. They are not typically that obnoxious to obtain in most cases, just obtaining a version that has "max" stats. Not to mention actually getting to the area in which the boss is located. Luckily thougn, because of the instance system guild wars is built on, you can always head to town, go back out, and try again. Or just ask another player if luck isn't being kind. As you said you are playing the original, just go to Lion's Arch: it tends to be the central hub of real live traders. If you are having a hard time finding maxed stats on Unique items, it sometimes pays to just invest the time into finding max upgrade components and making it yourself.
Sorry that's so long winded, but I hope it helps. Just PM me if you wish my in game name. I can be Whispered fairly frequently with questions as I play rather actively. If it takes me a bit of time to reply, I'm either dying a horrible death and at - 60% morale, or eating for the first time since forgetting there was a body actually working that little jumble of pixels on screen.
~A Girl Disappearing
~~~~~
"Big surprise... there was no protection by this urban light..."
She said everything that needs to be said but just as a couple of examples -
Green Items (boss items will 95% have maximum mods, with only a couple newbie greens in start areas being the exception) are very much sought after because of their looks if not their stats. Sometimes you can find a green item that was "over-farmed" and the price is rediculously low despite having all the stats you could want. For instance and Ssakai Sword is only about 3-5K, when if you tried to put the sword together yourself by buying mods it would cost you 20K+. But since so many are on the market the price is down. Unless you plan on selling stuff for profit later in game, don't worry about maxing out you mods as long as you are okay with it. 19% instead of 20% is not going to make much difference to your game play, but that diffence on some mods means a 10-15K price price drop.
Armor is one of the craziest things in this game. For me, I think it is absolutely one of the most rediculous things people spend their money on. My main character, my elementalist beat all three campaigns with the same set of armor that cost me 1.5K each piece to make (5 x 1.5 = 7.5K total + materials so pretty much 10K). I had lots of money at the end from not , what I consider, wasting it. My armor had the same protection as the armor that cost 15K each piece to make (75K total + materials so usually 95K+). When I finally beat Nightfall, I bought her "end-game" armor as a present for making it through. Now I have done most things I have wanted to in-game so armor is all I really purchase anymore.
Unless you are just an avid armor person or you become independantly wealthy in-game, dont stress on armor. As NoUrban said it is all cosmetic and the the max armor can be found in Droknars Forge. The game will take you there through natural progression or you can look for runs from Beacons Perch. Just remember you have to have the money and materials to craft this stuff.
"It is easier to be cruel than wise. The road to wisdom is long and difficult... so most people just turn out to be assholes" Feng (Christopher Walken)
To the original poster:
First off, welcome to the game for both of you!
Second off, you couldn't pick a better game for couples to just run around with. Especially once you get into Eye of the North, and you both unlock Hero NPC's that you get to customize their weapons and skillbars to assist you. You'll be able to have a full "Party" without having to bother with dealing with other people.
That said, if you do get interested in meeting some other people online *shameless plug*
I have an active PvE Guild that is part of an awesome PvE alliance. We're all mature, and there's a lot of couples that play especially in our guild. And since our Alliance is international, there's always someone on. Give a hollar if you're interested
To the OP: welcome to Guild Wars.
I am a refugee from WoW, which is fun in its own right, but not soloable, when it comes to the rich (instance/dungeon) content. I found that very frustrating.
I started Guild Wars very hesitantly because I had read it is solo-unfriendly, but, on the contrary, it is VERY solo friendly. One can complete all of the missions alone (with henches), but with a partner it is even better. We have two accounts for all of the campaigns, and I play with my kids that way. There is virtually nothing two of us can't do together, and it is very fun (and I also don't have to worry about some player jerk mouthing off at one of my kids for some reason).
Guild Wars is an awesome game. I am only sorry I didn't discover it sooner. It is an ideal blend of multiplayer and solo/casual player fun. Enjoy!
:-)
Thanks so much! Coming from WoW I'm sort of conditioned into expecting an uber attitude (complete with l33t-speak) and so far the GW community has been so helpful it's actually been astonishing. We are very excited about playing and thanks for the guild invites via post and PM!
I think right now we are just getting our feet wet and have a lot of thinking and growing to do in-game before we take on a guild invitation but we appreciate all of the help and kindness!
After raiding 4-5 nights a week for 4-5 hours a night for nearly 3 years this has been a refreshing change... The pleasure I get out of blasting through baddies with my GF is a lot better than loot-greed, waiting for a raid spot, or wiping on a boss all night...
See you in game!
Another question.... where are the official GW forums? Are there any? Maybe I'm blind but I couldnt find ANY on Guildwars.com.
Oh - one more question, how important is it to get the upgraded armor set from collector's pre-searing? Do you get better armor immediately following the searing?
The collector's armor is pretty decent and holds well, but on the same token I've plowed through a good chunk of Guild Wars with starter armor and only upgrading when I'm getting my butt handed to me.
You can do what the previous poster said: go for the collector armour and replace it as soon as you start to die a lot
But to answer the question: yes, after presearing, you will find a crafter that has armour with better stats. Be careful though, and check BOTH armourers in Ascalon, and compare the stats.
Another thing: every region has its share of armour collectors. If you find it fun hunting for armour instead of crafting: you can get up to max stat armour, which means you don't ever have to craft at all. However, the choice in looks will be non-existant. I actually did this with one of my chars: I went for 'collector-only' armour, and finished Prophecies campaign in it.
------------------------------------------------
Playing: Final Fantasy Online: ARR, Destiny
Most memorable games for me: UO, GW1, LoTRO
Welcome to the OP.
I frequently play GW with just one other person I know, filling in the blanks with henchmen or heroes.
Now, if you could just explain how I can get my wife to play the game with me....
................................
My current Guild Wars character:
Dauthix The Avenger (Paragon/Ranger)
Convincing the wife to play?
Simple:
1) No subscription helps
2) I'm almost convinced GW has more of a balanced female player-to-male player ratio than other MMO's. Not characters, I mean actual girls. Our alliance is almost even split between guys and gals, and the women generally kick more butt than the guys at times.
3) The toons are fun to play dress up with
4) There's even a lot of girls who play male characters (my significant other for instance, she plays mostly dudes.) So if she doesn't want to be the "girly fantasy character" it's common practice and accepted.
5) It mean more quality time between the both of you, and there's plenty of other couples to game with.
if you get a chance,
you should poke around GW Wiki
wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Main_Page
EQ2 fan sites
lol.. so true. XP Most of my female friends love to dress up their chars.. GW has one of the most beautiful character models and armour designes I have seen in mmo (especially the factions skinns are *__*).. =]
My wife won't bother me about gaming and sitting in front of the computer.
I won't bother her about beading (making jewelry) and sitting in front of the TV.
Since we can both be next to eachother in the living room, this works out quite nicely.
Although....she does threaten to take it away from me when I start yelling and cussing at the pixels on the screen (usually the pixels take the form of a sin who I did not see and laid me to waste in about 5 seconds). Damn I am so competitive.
"It is easier to be cruel than wise. The road to wisdom is long and difficult... so most people just turn out to be assholes" Feng (Christopher Walken)
My wife won't bother me about gaming and sitting in front of the computer.
I won't bother her about beading (making jewelry) and sitting in front of the TV.
Since we can both be next to eachother in the living room, this works out quite nicely.
Although....she does threaten to take it away from me when I start yelling and cussing at the pixels on the screen (usually the pixels take the form of a sin who I did not see and laid me to waste in about 5 seconds). Damn I am so competitive.
LMAO! That's more or less how it is in my house, too. I'm sitting on the floor with my laptop on the coffee table while she's either reading or watching the TV. I also get the occasional threat from her when I get...ummm....upset at the game.
................................
My current Guild Wars character:
Dauthix The Avenger (Paragon/Ranger)
I'm lucky I guess.
I found a gamer girl, and never let go
And no, we're not living in my parents basement.
We moved out of that 6 weeks ago after selling my buffy collection ( I AM SO JUST KIDDING!)
Nice save
And Hammer, you should try facing off against 3 korean assassins in AB. Times like that you cant even wish for a /suicide command. The only chance to beat em to it is a big red delf destruct button
But to the OP, welcome welcome, you will need to be max level (20) before you can venture into EotN
That GW Wiki will give you practically any piece of information you will need. Just be sure to steer clear of too many spoilers
And, whats great for you is that in Pre-Searing Ascalon, you can party with only up to one more person.
I'm not on all that much now with finding work etc, but if you go into "Friends" and add Xavier Bowstorm, hollar if you want any info. Also, in-game, you can type /help or /wiki to take you to wiki faster than alt+tabbing, bringing up your homepage etc.
So anyhoo, have fun playing Guild Wars, and might speak to you soon
Welcome to GW! Hope you two enjoy!
Everyone pretty much covered the bases: yes, you can play the whole thing as a duo adding the henchmen NPC's to fill your group. As everyone also said, the henchmen AI isn't all that great, especially Alesia the monk who'd much rather tank than cast a heal on anyone. If you guys end up enjoying the GW game-play I'd highly recommend the Nightfall campaign. Not only is it a great campaign, beautiful scenery and music with two awesome new classes, but it adds Heroes which are AI characters that you collect. You get to level them up, get gear and you set which skills they have and how they use them. Heroes alone are worth the price of admission to Nightfall, in my opinion.
Also, while you can create your own guild for just the two of you, there are also plenty of casual guilds with alliances out there that you might fit in well with. It's great to have people to chat with, and have something in common and a chance to make new friends in-game, whether or not you guys choose to actually go adventuring with them or not. I'm in GLU myself (the Guildcast listener's guild) and our alliance chat is going nearly 24/7.
GW doesn't have "raids" though I think EON might have one "elite dungeon" that is longer than the others (correct me if I'm wrong guys, I'm barely into EON yet). Factions and Nightfall do have a couple of "elite missions" which can take 2-5 hours, very raid-like, but every other mission in the game can be completed in 15-60 minutes depending on the mission, so that's not bad.
Why didn't anyone warn me before wasting money on this godforsaken borefest
It felt so souless and "unnecesary". Awgh! The PvP wasnt as fun as I had hoped and people seem to be mute. The questing was not entertaining and sometimes it was more unclear than usual etc etc.
Why is this game "so good"? A friend of mine loves this game but he cant explain why, someone else that actually can explain why its good?
You tried this game and didn;t like it.. so why should we waste our time to change your mind? oO;
IGN: Tyr Dominator
People seem Mute? Try the whisper feature. It's not that they're ignoring you, they might just not see. I VERY frequently turn public off to avoid the spam as I try to focus on guild chatter. I find I don't usually miss much I find important in public. One thing I hated about the last MMO I played was that it was too hard to ignore people if they started to harass you. No such problem in Guild Wars. I find the community to be pleasant since it's harder for animosity to even start brewing here. The quality of a game pulls me in at first, but the players can make or break it very quickly.
And I disagree about the questing and PvP... but everyone is entitled to their opinion in the end. If you found it boring, nothing I say is going to convince you otherwise as my own thoughts on the matter are the exact opposite. I could start a whole new thread on GW PvP.
And 8hammer8? Thank you. Both for the kind words and for calling me by the proper gender. I find it ironic that I just logged off as someone in public said, "Dude grls don play GW." Much amusement from me and the girl in my party.
~A Girl Disappearing
~~~~~
"Big surprise... there was no protection by this urban light..."
I'm sure Lady Sinaea, Jenna and the other girls from Guildcast and the GLU guild and our alliance would disagree too. We have a LOT of women in the group as a whole.