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What mindset do i need to have?
Raiyu_Defied
Member UncommonPosts: 23
in Guild Wars 2
Ok, with the up coming beta, this will be the first time i actually try out GW2.
Now after initially getting burnt in TSW because i had the wrong mindset with quests (I was still in the WoW style grab all quests possible and go out and do them when i first enetered it).
What is the mindset i need to bring into GW2 regarding their hearts / DE / personal stories etc?
'I have long since closed my eyes... My only goal is in the Darkness.'
Comments
The biggest mindset should be: Take your time! Look around. Explore a little. Talk to NPCs.
The next one is: Do whatever you want to do. Don't want to do that DE? You don't have to. You can level by just exploring or crafting if you want. Or WvWvW.
Doing those two things, at least to me added up to one very important thing....having fun! That's why I personally like this game so much. I just think it's about the most fun I've had playing a game.
Hope that helps.
You want me to pay to play a game I already paid for???
Be afraid.....The dragons are HERE!
Yeah exploring sounds about right. Though it's quite hard to resist a DE once you find one. Just too tempting to give the bandits a beating when they appear in front of you.
Play it as if you have never played a MMO before.
Listen to NPC's, they have important things to tell you. Follow them when they say they are going to do something.
Everything you do in game rewards experience. Don't focus on how fast it's going, focus on what is happening in game and follow the actions. If there's nothing going on then go for a walk somewhere and see what you find.
This game is not about picking up quests and grinding them out, or repeating content. You actually need to play it like it's an RPG.
If nothing else then please at least watch this guys videos on youtube, they are amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/user/CaraEmm/videos
Don't play it like an MMO. If you do, you'll miss out on most of the content. Learning to play Guild Wars 2 is like learning to play a whole new kind of game. Don't rely on your MMO experience; take your time to "unlearn what you have learned" and truly appreciate the game.
Go in with an open mind. Don't think that the hearts are the only content, they are only there to take you in the right direction towards events. When an event seems finished don't walk away, hang around or follow the NPC, remember events chain, they don't tell you they do so be prepared to find out for yourself. Explore, don't follow the zerg of players, if you do you'll miss out on challenge, don't stand around spamming skills keep moving, you cant out heal damage, don't try, avoid it whenever you can. Don't think about rushing to end game, what you see is what you get from the get go except the challenge increases as you level. Crafting is useful. Try all the game has to offer, if you don't like PvP I still strongly recommend you jump in to some WvW, it's fun. Don't expect to be told where to go, the game is waiting for you to find it. If you're not having fun try a different class.
The majority of content isn't quests, events either wander in to you or you wander in to them. There is no quest log.
Edit: Above all else have fun!
Honestly? Right after I finished the tutorial I sat there in queensdale for a bit and had a think. Based on everything I had heard up to that point, the easiest thing for me to do was pick a random direction and start walking. Eventually I came across a few bird things which I killed. I did this for a bit and unlocked some skills. After a few more kills I wondered past this farm and I see a bunch of bandits running towards a field. The leader shouted "Burn everything" and I was like : Time to go to work.
I did that until dawn or so. I gathered and crafted too. I saw a lake so I dived in and found I could swim which was cool. I also seemed to be equipped with what I can only describe as a guided torpedo gun. I then went on to depopulate the lake but found a cave instead.
If you're looking for a mindset I would suggest that you simply emply your mind of all your expectations and simply enjoy it for what it is.
There is NO miracle patch.
95% of what you see in beta won't change by launch.
Hope is not a stategy.
______________________________
"This kind of topic is like one of those little cartoon boxes held up by a stick on a string, with a piece of meat under it. In other words, bait."
Everyone gave you the best advice to questing. Just one thing I HAVE to say about combat.
Do not stand to to toe with the enemies. Think like it's a tough console game, and you'll die if you're hit once. Sometimes that's even queite true. Look at it that way and the sky is your limit. Don't be afraid to wade in and smack things, but don't stand there and be hit either.
I don't like PvP, but I love WvW! Definitely try it, even for 15 minutes. That's what I did....and I didn't leave WvW for 3 hours the first time I played it.
You want me to pay to play a game I already paid for???
Be afraid.....The dragons are HERE!
Thanks for the info guys, much appreciated.
'I have long since closed my eyes... My only goal is in the Darkness.'
The "Take your time" advice is the best I have to agree. I've found some DE's just from stopping and listening to the NPC dialog.
My theme song.
This right here!
I can't stress enough how enjoyable it was just to pick a direction and go do stuff. I don't mind linearity but having some breathing room initially is always nice and I think GW2 gives just the right amount of free roaming with out being overwhelmingly open.
So I suggest just do stuff in GW2 and the fun should just fall in place
I know I will just log in and do random stuff lol.
Best advice I can give would be this:
Try and remove all expectations and ideas about what the game is, or should be. Try and go into it like you're trying a brand new game. Take your time stop, smell the roses, explore.
As this last BWE#3 will be your first, and will also be the largest BWE thus far... you will probably be compelled to rush. There is soo much to do that it is easy to be overwhelmed and feel the need to do everything before the weekend ends. Don't. Not only will you fail to do anywhere close to the full content of the game in one weekend, but you will not fully experience most of the content you just rushed. So don't even try it.
Also..Lion's Arch is your best friend, as are the Asura Gates. This isn't very clearly explained in the game (afaik), but you can use these portals to freely travel to other cities, WvW, and sPvP. Unlock them as soon as you can, and if you can't find them, ask. Furthermore, if you find you don't like the first zone you're in, remember: Each race has their own starting area, which each has a completely different vibe to it. Just because you like a race, does not mean you will like their starting zone, and you are not forced to stay there. Explore!
Winning. It's my only mindset.
Go in with realistic expectations and try not to play the game like it's WOW. So play attention, when an event ends wait for a little while and see if there is a another DE after it. But just play the game with an open mind and you will enjoy it. Play it like it's your first MMORPG if its not.
Like everyone said just pick a direction and explore= crazy fun. On another note try to get a feel for the different classes and races to find which ones appeal to you. The classes have different playstyles and the races have different chracter to them.
Everone will be different. I felt like the focus on questing was not as strict as other MMO's. You really feel free to do whatever you want!
I personally got really caught up in discovering EVERY skill possible for every weapon set available. I loved it.
I hope you enjoy it. I will say that for me character class was a huge factor on how enjoyable i found the game.
I typically play high survivability, melee classes however I just could NOT play Guardian. I wasn't feeling it. Tried out Mesmer, still nothing. Rolled Elementalist, LOVE.
Pretty much just explore. Find yourself needing a change in scenery? Go to the areas of the other races.
"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed:
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill,
And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!"
~Lord George Gordon Byron
Ok, a couple of things...
1) nothing in the world is just for show. IF you see NPCs having a conversation, listen in. Almost invariably it is either the start of a DE, tells you where an event is going to happen, hints at hidden locations/puzzles/etc...
2) exploring is rewarding. IF you can see it, chances are you can get to it. Ever say "hey, that ledge looks like it might go somewhere?" In GW2, it probably does... find your way up there and look.
3) Do not try and restrict yourself based on what class you have "traditionally liked" in other MMOs. I had that problem at first, and found that classes that were 2nd or 3rd bench are now among my favorites. Each class plays differently, and even within a class the different weapons feel completely different.
4) Do not be afraid of other players. No one can kill-steal from you. No one is going to rush through to grab a quest mob before you. No one is going to ninja a mining node before you. You will be amazed at how it feels to actually play WITH other players, instead of AGAINST other players. And it really is amazing watching total strangers go out of their way to res you.
5) If you don't like something, move on. If you get tired of something, do something different. Everything in the game rewards you. Crafting rewards you experience as well as crafting points. Exploring gives you experience. Completing all explorations for an area gives you massive XP and items. Achievements give you experience and points, I believe... Etc. Etc. Etc.
6) If all else fails, go to lion's arch and dive off the diving board for a while... see what the best dive you can do is.
One thing to remember is that if you just finished an event you might want to stick around. Follow up events aren't often obvious a lot of times. Lots of players will leave right after the initial part, that can be a mistake if you want to experience the game fully. This is especially true the farther you get into the game.
7) Do not expect huge overarching and permanently world-changing DEs in the tutorial or noob zones. Those zones are designed to roll over very quickly so that all the starting players get to experience what a DE chain is and get a certain experience. There are things that affect the world(i.e. the poisoned irrigation in the human starting area), but they are limited. As you progress through the game the scope increases exponentially. Keep in mind where you are before you decide "its nice and all, but how come these DEs aren't remaking the whole world every time I complete/fail one?" Also remember that by launch day, the population will already be starting to spread out, and within a week or two it will probably be sufficiently dispersed that you don't need to worry about people zerging the DEs. Just to remind you how it was, when vanilla wow released, I spent 2 hours at the troll starting spot waiting to kill that stupid boar, because we had 300+ people who all needed the quest and were all trying to tag him first.
Every game does that when you make a new char the first day.
if we're just giving general advice, I'd suggest you buy salvage kits and salvage all equipment you don't need.
Buy a mining pick, an axe and gathering tool, and collect as many things as possible. Don't worry, you can't take a resource node from anybody, they're all shared.
Use the right mouse button and 'deposit collectible' or 'deposit all collectibles' to send crafting materials to your bank, that'll let you play a lot longer without having to run to town.
At your bank, there's the normal slots, and a collectible tab where all your various crafting materials are kept.
If you pick any of the armor making professions (Tailor, leatherworker, armorer), you can make 8 slot bags pretty early, that'll really help expand your inventory.
Having a bigger inventory and cleaning your junk out regularly (By depositing collectibles and using the sell junk button at merchants) will make the exploring work out a lot better for you.
look for things TO WASTE TIME ON.
...I'm not kidding here. After putting 80 hours into just the last 2 BWE's (not even including stress tests) on one single Character, I'm totally serious here. Whatever you do is going to feel dumb later if you let yourself get into the ---> Gotta Progress!! <--- mindset. I got in that trap and I'm a seasoned G.W. vet. and then this week I found out all that stuff's already deleted and I'll have to start over on Friday.
The only stuff that gets to stick with me now is the time-wasting crap like hoppin' around on jump maps or other moments I can still picture and easily remember. Grinding drops & silver to do crafting was pointless just like unlocking a bunch of skills or whatever else. Don't do that crap... go explore instead and see how many pretty sceneries you can find or little tucked away nooks & dialog you can discover. Yeah It's a hard habit to stop but, DON'T.... TRY.... to PROGRESS.
simple enough?
The trick with any new game is not to approach it like one you have played before it. Picking a direction and exploring is good if you're that way inclined but the best general advice I can give is to not treat GW2 like a typical WoW clone.. if you treat it like one it will start to play like one, or rather 'you' will play it like one.
Specific advice I'd give is to be willing. Be willing to ignore that next heart for a bit. Be willing to try classes you usually don't like in other MMOs, you will probably be surprised at how different GW2 makes them in comparison. Be willing to join in with that event that just started nearby, even if noone else is there they soon will be. Be willing to have a goal at all times but not be fully focused on it; if you spot a cave nearby explore it, if you see some NPCs out in the wild on your way to a skill point or whatever have a talk with them because it might start an event, point you towards an event or at the very least explain what they are doing there. Be willing to jump into some WvWvW if at any point you start getting a little fed up with events. Be willing to explore all areas below your actual level because the downleveling system means it's the exact opposite of wasting your time.
It might feel weird at first and you might hate it for a bit but just go into the game saying you will... the rest will just fall into place on its own.
This issue has come up before about DEs but it is the single most important thing that I can think of for a new player:
when a DE appears to "finish", stay in the area and listen to what the NPCs do in response.
DEs often chain, with NPCs reacting to the success or fail condition. The centaurs win? Fine, the NPCs may retreat then start preparing a counterattack. You defend the village? Fine, the NPCs may decide to go to the centaur camp and attack it.
There are not always "cues" for events. Sometimes you need to listen for what they are saying, or follow them, or do things really unlike what people are used to with "!" and "?" style questing. There is a TON of content embedded in small areas, but people miss it because they just run from orange circle (event indicator) to orange circle. Do not be guided by the map, but take the time to look around and see what looks interesting and go see.
Also, if you find yourself moving with a small group of players, consider joining up in a group, especially if you want to do a bunch of events together.
And yes, pick a crafting profession and make bags asap, and always deposit your collectables to keep room in your inventory.
"Loading screens" are not "instances".
Your personal efforts to troll any game will not, in fact, impact the success or failure of said game.