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Starting Areas
OldManFunk
Member Posts: 894
I really thought I wouldn't like the Sylvari so I decided to roll one. The Sylvari aren't nearly as... unlikeable as I thought they'd be and their starting area is simply amazing. It's my favorite starting area because it is completely packed with content from start to finish and everything is fun to do. I never felt lost or unsure of where to go or what to do and I never felt under level despite skipping crafting, personal story and PvP to have time to explore the zone.
I wasn't as impressed with the Asura starting area. It was a little bit too busy for my tastes. All of the extra flavor NPCs seemed to get in the way and add confusion when trying to progress away from the starting area. I also found it very easy to underlevel as you go (skipping personal story, crafting and things that I wouldn't if it were live... so take this with a grain of salt). It gets better as you level and move out away from the starting area but my initial impression wasn't great.
So, my ranking of starting areas so far is:
- Sylvari - packed with content
- Norn - tons of content, fun events, clear flow to the zone
- Charr - lots of content, wide open spaces
- Human - good amount of content, wide open spaces
- Asura - content seemed to ramp up faster, or I missed events
On a more positive note, not only can you play in ANY starting area no matter what race you are but it's a good idea to complete them all! I'll just do Asura last. ;-P
Again, this is just my opinion... and I've only been through the Asura area once, late at night, while drinking... so take it as you will. What is your favorite starting area and why?
Comments
I have to say that GW2 starting areas (all of them) are not designed very well.
I almost gave up after few levels, they are intended as tutorials but they actually confuse people more.
They are generally too busy and packed of content which generally is not a bad thing but in this case sometimes you get so overwhelmed by things to do so soon, that you get stressed trying to find the right thing to do next.
The game gets better when you move away from the starting areas, where content become more manageable and entertaining.
I experienced the Sylvari 1-15 zone and thought it was great. The amount of stuff I did that wasn't marked on the map surprised me. There was this jumping puzzle that led to this whole other area that was difficult for us to get to. The zone felt long and interesting.
Just the overall vibe on the beach and the various keeps within the jungle atmosphere just felt really well done. I think one of my favorite things about this game is the aesthetics of the world design. The attention to detail and their eye for aesthetics is top notch in my opinion.
Actually, I thought the Sylvari starter area was quite dull in the sense that there isn't really much variety between the different heart quests and DEs going on there. I found the asure starter area to be a lot more enjoyable, because of the variety in activities and also because there are things like golem fights going on. My two favourite starter areas therefore are Norn and Asura.