Tips for people who are about to be in their first BWE

[Xlugon Pyro]

Your point was that you didn't see scaling, right? I answered that.

And it may be dismissive and rude, but it's easier than patiently explaining exactly why, referencing the game mechanics and community building. After seeing so many, it just gets tiring, so it's shortened to "It's not for you." Mostly, it's just thrown out at players who come here expecting it to be WoW with better graphics.

I'm not one of them.

It was a different point, and it wasn't about the game but about me. I just don't think the response was appropriate, all things considered.

[Mif]

I can give you this maxim dozens of times from different ArenaNet developers in different interviews, as it's been a commonly stated design goal.

If you and I attack a creature, we both get loot and experience, which completely eliminates that feeling in a traditional MMO when you’re playing and someone steals your kills. We don’t think that’s what MMOs are about. You should be playing with other players, not alongside them. We reward players for playing together.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngaud...d-wars-2-beta/

[Deleted]

I never said you were.

And if we're really going along that route, I don't think that you asking Mif who pissed in his cheerios was appropriate, either. Swings both ways, y'know.

[Xlugon Pyro]

I never said you were.

And if we're really going along that route, I don't think that you asking Mif who pissed in his cheerios was appropriate, either. Swings both ways, y'know.

I know, I'm just clarifying.

Maybe not, but to address someone's simple opinion with such a response is not conducive to a productive discussion or debate, and is sure to incite negative responses.

[Deleted]

No, but as I've stated previously, people get tired of having to repeat a long thing over and over again. Mif's posted above why he thinks this might not be the game for you. Should he have to do that every single time someone comes into the forums?

EDIT: What Mif said doesn't even seem particularly offensive. You say that people on the internet have frail sensibilities, yet you're the one getting most offended here. He made a simple statement in response to you saying that you basically didn't want the kind of game ANet is trying to make.

[Rakoth]

So, when you folks are done derailing the thread, can we get back to the topic at hand? I am really looking forward to this BWE and, while I did have a previous BWE, the experience was a bit jarring.

I am an MMO player, I have played most of the big MMOs to be released (some for a week only, but you get my drift) and Guild Wars was a departure from the "normal" for me. Any advice you guys have would be awesome.

Heck, I own GW1 and I was a little lost and confused when it came to the last BWE.

[Deleted]

So, when you folks are done derailing the thread, can we get back to the topic at hand? I am really looking forward to this BWE and, while I did have a previous BWE, the experience was a bit jarring.

I am an MMO player, I have played most of the big MMOs to be released (some for a week only, but you get my drift) and Guild Wars was a departure from the "normal" for me. Any advice you guys have would be awesome.

Heck, I own GW1 and I was a little lost and confused when it came to the last BWE.

Don't rush. Take your time, look around, spend time at places after "finishing" DEs, there's often follow-up content.

Go to all the places of interest on your map, but look for other interesting places too. There's a lot of hidden stuff out there. Explore!

100% completing a map (in terms of Hearts, PoIs and Skill points) gets you two green items.

DODGE.

[Deleted]

Be nice to other people, have as much fun as you can and don't forget to make the creepiest Asura and stalk other people (at least that's what I'm doing).

[Kelesti]

NO!!! >=(

I hate it when people help me unless I genuinely need help. I want to be able to overcome a tough obstacle by myself and I hate it when people randomly tackle my mob.

It wasn't the single mob that I did, but when I was in a cave full of ettins in the middle of nowhere (away from hearts) that I was having a lot of fun with "oh gods I'm going to die, oh gods oh gods oh gods".

And I kind of share that feeling when I took on the triple-veteran-centaur event in some caves as well, kiting the heck out of them as a melee oriented Mesmer felt really good. Doing what I can to stay alive for 2-3 minutes and "Aw yeah I got this" when all of a sudden people come in to kill them off. My "Like a boss" feelings were pretty gone from that.


But like I said, if you want to take on stuff like this, stick off the beaten path, stay pretty far away from hearts. There's plenty challenge, even a champ or two that'll surprise you, if you stay away from the hearts and just go exploring. Enjoy it.

[Deleted]

If you can't connect at first don't spam the login servers or it will only take longer.

I found that if you wait 30-60 sec between login attempts I was much more likely to get in than when spamming login constantly - it seems that after a login attempt you get a short timeout before you can try again, spamming the login server means you're always within the timeout period and can never log in. This may be completely wrong ofc but that just seemed to be the case.

[briktal]

I can give you this maxim dozens of times from different ArenaNet developers in different interviews, as it's been a commonly stated design goal.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngaud...d-wars-2-beta/

I think it would be more accurate to say you play alongside players, not with players in GW2. It's just that in GW2, you can do the same thing as other people and not get in their way. In a game like WoW, if two random people are doing a quest at the same time, they are either competing with each other or grouped up and working together. In GW2, if two random people are doing an event at the same time, they are both just doing the event. It's a weird thing in GW2 really. Since you aren't hurting the other player or yourself by doing the same things, and since there are very few ways to directly help someone (due to the lack of healing other players, fast regen, and no long buffs) you don't really have much of a reason to interact with the other people, at least when doing normal content out in the world.

[Trobgoblin]

Its my first beta test for GW2 I am really excited to try it, I am going to be really busy between WoW and GW2.

[WorldofWorkcraft]

Despite others having the same advice, I'll just re-word or re-list stuff off the top of my head:

1. Explore, Explore, Explore: From quests that will start to you talking to a random child in a city, to jumping puzzles, to hidden caves, to hidden mini dungeons, to Renowned Hearts for experience/world interaction/Karma gear, to beautiful scenery, to map completion...EXPLORE!

2. Experiment with every kind of weapon combination in many situations. There will be a weapon set you like for certain dungeons or situations, so get familiar with how everything works. 1H Sword will always have the same first 3 skills - swap out your Torch for a Focus, and you get 2 new skills. I'd suggest to always have a ranged weapon around for kiting in dire situations, but if you're alone and kiting a champion, you'll most likely die .

3. Experiment with all of your skills. Some people may want to jump into PvP to see them and find out what they like, but it will be much different for PvP and PvE. Both have their place and are really fun, so try to see them all (especially if you think you'll be playing it for Live).

4. Experiment with crafting a little. Crafting supplies can be right clicked and deposited at ANY TIME, so free up that bag space.

5. Along with exploration...TAKE YOUR TIME. There is no rush to 80. No one will know or care (at least, I won't) if you're server first 80. This game is meant to be enjoyed from the beginning, and doesn't just start being interesting at max level like other games.

6. Play with other people. Talk to them. Use chat. You can do without it, and you can solo, but it's nowhere near as fun. Resurrect players AND NPC's, from death OR the downed state at every opportunity. It helps everyone...a lot. Using chat will help you make friends and bring you back to that moment where playing and 'questing' with people was fun instead of a solo journey.

7. Give the game some time. It may seem overwhelming at first, but if you're confused on what you're doing...ASK. People are usually very willing and ready to help you, at least...I will. There's a lot to do and learn in a new game, so don't get discouraged.

8. Character creation and DYE! Have fun with the characters and the choices. When it comes to armor and dyeing, there are ~500 (450?) colors to find and to use to dye your armor, with around 8 or so pieces to separately dye. It really is fun and makes you feel like a special snowflake. So do it!

There will be things you might not like. Some people don't like underwater combat, though I find it rather exhilarating and a nice change to be able to fight in a 3-Dimensional space and not have to worry if I'll run out of breath. Some people won't like the zerging of the starting zones. But don't worry if the Dynamic Events seem trivial, as the starter zone ones are more of an introduction.