5061

It’s global, yep.

5062

thats pretty funny - Thanks :-)

5063

Guild Wars 2 for 30$ today only.

Think I might jump on this to get me through the slow release schedule of late winter.

5064

I changed the link you posted. It’s kind of a dick move to use Qt3 to post links to other sites’ advertising.

-Tom

5065

You know, if I hadn’t already bought some extra character slots on my account, I’d jump all over this deal. I’m still tempted regardless.

5066

Creating new things through crafting experiments is also a huge xp boost.

5067

Yes, but you will still get “only” 10 levels, you just need less materials to reach 400.

5068

I just got this as a Christmas present! What’s a good solo-capable character to start with?

5069

Everything :-)

The spell casters can have a tiny bit trouble in the storylines, but just remember that the game actually rewards moving around, and you’ll do excellent!

In other words - When the big bad guy is winding up the big hammer slammer, get out of the way - that actually works in this game.

5070

Any. There really aren’t any totally gimped classes. Everyone has the ability to heal themselves, and class selection really comes down to how you enjoy playing the game (melee vs. ranged vs. caster).

5071

Awesome news! I’m pretty excited to try this sucker out. I played Guild Wars way back when, but it’s been so long I don’t even remember my GW account details.

5072

Looking forward to hearing your impressions!

5073

Really great start to the game. I created a human warrior to start out. (I usually always try out a human fighter type in any RPG just to see the baseline.) I like the personal story. It makes me feel less of a schlub for playing an MMO as a solo game.

I don’t know if I was too keen on the first dynamic event that greeted me after I woke up in town. Gather the rabbits for the farmer? Really!? Kind of a letdown after defeating an earth elemental at the gates. The second dynamic event was better. I had to help defend the windmill from bandit raiders.

I’m a little confused on skills and such. Do they just unlock depending on what I’m wielding? I have a sword and shield.

5074

Your 1-5 skills depend on what you have equipped in your main and off-hands (two-handed weapons take slots 1-5, one-handers 1-3, off-hand items 4 and 5). Those skills will become enabled as you kill mobs using your weapons. Each new weapon you equip has to be unlocked in the same way (it’s pretty fast though). These skills are fixed depending on which type of weapon you use, and they do not change as you level up (aside from getting more powerful).

Slots 6 through 0 are fixed in function: 6 is a heal, 7 through 9 are utility skills and 0 is an elite skill. You unlock the utilities at 5, 10, and 20, and the elite at 30. These skills you purchase with skill points - which you earn as you level up (1 per level), and through Skill Challenges around the world (the blue chevrons mark Skill Challenge locations). To find your skills hit H then it’s the second icon from the top… then select the item called Slot Skills maybe? I forget the name. Your 6 through 0 skills can be changed anytime you’re out of combat, though 6 always has to have a healing skill, and 0 always has to have an elite skill. Each race has different utility skills to add a bit of spice.

Once you hit level 11, you begin getting Trait points - one per level - which you spend on your character screen (H, second icon from the top… traits(?)). To actually spend trait points, though, you first need to purchase a book from your trainer. He’s marked with a book icon over his head, and is found on all major cities and around the world (including Queensdale, right where you start out, near the Tavern you went into in your personal story).

So it’s your combination of which weapon you use + utility skills + traits that defines your character.

5075

Wow. Thanks! That’s a great explanation.

I was thinking it would be like the first Guild Wars, but I saw pretty quickly that it wasn’t. I think they could maybe use a better tutorial on that point.

5076

I’m not sure which the “gather the rabbits” thing was, but be aware of the distinction between Dynamic Events and Reknown Hearts, as many new players were confused by the two. Reknown Hearts are those empty heart symbols you see around the map and as you complete objectives for them you see an influence bar start filling, at which point the heart is filled and you get a chunk of EXP, karma, and money (check your mail!). They’re analogous to quests in other MMOs.

Dynamic Events are indicated by an orange circle on the map and typically involve a chain, although sometimes you have to stick around and pay attention to the NPCs to see the chain unfold.

5077

Yup. It was an orange circle thing. Some farmer started screaming about rabbits in his fields and we had to go beat up watermelons to flush rabbits out. Dumb as hell.

5078

Dumb, but intended to be the first dynamic event that you’re likely to hit in the human area so really treat it as just an intro/tutorial. Like any MMO, not every quest is going to be epic.

5079

I get that. It was just especially jarring when I helped defeat a swirling, debris-filled, giant elemental a minute before. I woke up after the elemental exploded and the first mission that greets me is “Get them rabbits outta ma melons!” LAME!

5080

Perhaps they were elemental rabbits!