COMPLETE Beginner's Questions (I don't even have the game!) - Guild Wars Forums

Gkt · Dec 21, 2006, 07:31 PM // 19:31

Alright, well I originally planned to get Guild Wars when it first came out, but I somehow forgot about it & this boring winter break has brought the idea back.

I have a few questions before I decide whether I want to get this game or not: 1. Does basically everyone play the expansion? (Like, for Diablo II, nearly everyone plays the expansion)
2. Why are there two expansions & what's different about them?
3. How many people activitly play GW (an estimate)?

Thanks!

shevaa · Dec 21, 2006, 07:38 PM // 19:38

1) I believe most original guildwars players have the expansions
2) they are not really expansions they are stand alone games but you can treat them as expansions. there will be many more in the future anet has said they plan to release a new game every 6 months.
3) too many for me to figure out.

Zeek Aran · Dec 21, 2006, 07:41 PM // 19:41

1: Anyone higher than a casual player has atleast two if not all three games.
2: No matter what, game will get boring eventually. The expansions add new professions, items, missions, titles, armors, weapons, pets, mini pets, ways to rip off people in the first month and make over 100k *cough*, et cetera to the expansion. In many ways, they also improve the previous game with updates related to the expansion or not.
3: Not sure about activity, but advertisements say this INTERNATIONAL game has more than two million players.

Gkt · Dec 21, 2006, 07:44 PM // 19:44

I see, so can the two 'expansions' be linked to the original game? & can people who ONLY have the original game also interact w/ people who have expansions?

Also, do most people play PvE or PvP?

Shaden · Dec 21, 2006, 07:50 PM // 19:50

All the "games" not "expansions" are linked through a travel feature you will learn about in-game. Everyone can interact and visit the other continents after completing a mission to allow you to do so. Having just 1 means you can still intereact with other players, but you cannot visit their worlds. Having all 3 meaning you can go anywhere in the game you want to. (after quests and such)

I'd say mostly PvE, although there are many PvP dedicated players out there.

Nestaron · Dec 21, 2006, 07:55 PM // 19:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gkt

I see, so can the two 'expansions' be linked to the original game? & can people who ONLY have the original game also interact w/ people who have expansions?

Also, do most people play PvE or PvP?

Yes you can still interact with people who are in chapters you don't have. You can meet up with them in Guild halls or in the battle isles. This is one way of getting weapon skins and items from other chapters you don't own. Get them to get it for you then meet up and trade... You can also whisper them regardless of where you are located.

Both PVE and PVP are really populer... Most players do abit of both so its very balanced.

c_ras · Dec 21, 2006, 08:12 PM // 20:12

First off....they aren't exactly considered "expansions". Each chapter can be a stand alone game OR.......if you have any of other two chapters, you can link together and have your character travel between the different continents (if you merge your account together). With that said, most people are currently playing Nightfall right now. Guild Wars has a pretty good fan base and many players have been around since the days of Prophecies.

The difference between all three chapters is too long to list. Prophecies is great for those unfamiliar with how Guild Wars goes. Prophecies probably has the longest content (story-wise). Its more of a laid back, take your time if you want setting. A lot of people think of this or Nightfall as being their favorite. Factions is more of faster-paced game and has a lot less content than Prophecies or Nightfall. It has a more Asian influence and the game has that "you are going to be rushed" feeling. If you want to be able to "stop and smell the roses", I''d wait for Factions. Factions introduces Alliance Battles which is one of the strong parts of the game as well as some of the armor. Nightfall, which was released at the end of October sort of goes back to the basics, has the not-so-rushed feel. The storyline is good, has an African-style setting, and a lot new concepts were introduced in Nightfall, especially Heroes (which are customized/controllable henchmen that can aid you on quests/missions/etc.). Because of NF being just released not too long ago, I'm sure you'll see plenty of additional content added to the game (one of which, the Domain of Anguish, was just recently added). Those are just some of the differences. I'm sure there are plenty of threads or reviews out there that go into a lot more detail. Any way you go, you'll always see plenty of people in either game to interract with, do things with, etc.

As far as numbers go....a press release was just announced that sales numbers for Guild Wars title had topped 3 million. to put it into perspective..World of Warcraft currently has about 7 million people since it was released in 2004. The 3 million in sales for Guild Wars has been since the original release in April 2005. You can do the math.

Hope this helps

Gkt · Dec 21, 2006, 08:30 PM // 20:30

Thanks for the responses.

I'm still wondering, is this game really addicting? WoW & Diablo II were really addicting - at least for me.

Is there a big trading scene? Also, are people into PERFECT builds & gear? Or is it mostly about gameplay?

derrtyboy69 · Dec 21, 2006, 08:38 PM // 20:38

Well you can get perfect everything pretty easily, from collectors and crafters. And you can create already perfect pvp characters

c_ras · Dec 21, 2006, 08:44 PM // 20:44

is this game addicting? Most people think so. I can't even count how many times I have seen "you have been playing for xx hours. Please take a break" pop up on the screen.

As for the trading scene. The trading scene needs some improvement but there are various towns in the various chapters that are moneyshots. If you go to Lions Arch (in Prophecies), Kaineng Center (in Factions), or Kamadan (in Nightfall)...you'll definitely get a huge dose of the trading scene. With the new Search option they added yesterday, it is a big improvement to help you find something you are looking for (whether it be an item to buy, something you want to sell, or trying to find help on a mission or quest).

When it comes to gameplay...the game is based more on a player's skill than grinding to "achieve the best stuff". Its not about that at all. That is why there is a Lvl. 20 cap. The game will make you think and adjust things according to different situations. A build that may work one time may not work another (especially in PvP). In PvE, you are constantly changing things around to adjust to different enemies, areas, environment, etc. There are plenty of high-end items (weapons and armor) however that plenty of people like to go after. You are more than welcome to go along that route too. Most of the higher end priced stuff is purely aestetics that way people can say "wow..I got something that looks cool and is rare". Most of the time, it won't make you a better gamer. There are plenty of options and routes. Because the game is always changing, something good today may not be good tomorrow. Anyways, Guild Wars overall is a great game, and I am sure anybody would have a great addicting time playing it.

Gkt · Dec 21, 2006, 08:47 PM // 20:47

Ah, I see. That helps a lot.

Could you link me to some guides that would give builds that are good but simple to use?

Kid Divinity · Dec 21, 2006, 08:51 PM // 20:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gkt

I'm still wondering, is this game really addicting?

Without debate.... YES!

c_ras · Dec 21, 2006, 08:54 PM // 20:54

If you want builds, you might want to head over to the PvE Forum area or the PvP forum area and look at the builds there for the different professions.

Other good sites are:

Guru Build Directory. Only has a few, but note worthy to at least take a look at.

Guild Wiki This website along with Guru is pretty much the only thing you will ever need (except for the Guild Wars official site) to get information on anything Guild Wars related. It has a lot of useful information. I would definitely spend some time here and look at some of the various things it has to offer (including builds). Anybody who plays Guild Wars has this bookmarked.

birdfoot · Dec 21, 2006, 10:00 PM // 22:00

Gkt, GW isn't like Diablo II, which tends to be item-biased. Depending on what you find addictive about D2, they may not be present in the game.

Some main differences between D2 (I may compare WoW too) and GW:

In GW, it's quite impossible to make a wrong build; basically, stats and secondary profession can be readjusted when you desire (albeit only in towns/outposts).
Fights in GW are faster paced than WoW and quite similar except that there's no facing wrong direction thing. Not much of spamming like in D2.
Uber builds don't really exist in this game so you're most of the time travelling with a party (NPC mercenaries available) unless you're solo farming in specific areas.
In D2, you transmute different items using the cube while in GW, 'making' items are usually done through speaking to an NPC and then picking an option through a interface.
Armor is specific to professions, you may use any type of weapon just like in D2, but you can only wear Armors that is meant for your profession and these will never drop as loot but require you to 'craft' at an NPC.
Unique items in GW do not possess unique qualities as in D2, uber items don't exists. Basically, unique items in GW are items with perfect stats and usually a unique look. Hence, not much MFing to do. Weapons are basically made up of different mods and skins, the important thing here is that they are just a combination of those (for e.g. a magic item of a specific item class can have the same mods as any unique of the same class).
In later chapters of GW (namely, Factions and Nightfall), you have to follow primary quests/missions to progress the storyline. There's no shortcut like in D2. However, Prophecies (the 1st GW chapter) is 'open' and you can run anywhere you like except a couple of regions which you need to do at least the required mission to reach. This is more of a concern if you like to make different characters which most of us do in D2 (where we usually rush through).
Instead of stats, GW's version of stats are called "attributes" which directly affect the effectiveness of your skills/spells. Basically, all characters will have the same default health and depending on professions, they will have the same default energy. Attack/defense rating don't exist in GW either, blocking and evading are all handled via skills. Item procs (effects on striking, attacking, etc) like D2 don't exist either.
PvP in GW are held in arenas so you can't PvP with anyone you see in the game like you can do in WoW or D2.
Health/energy potions don't exist in GW; your character will always regenerate health when out of battle so it's not really needed. Hence, no worries about potting when PvP.

Albeit a rather old game, D2 has more 'explosive' spellcasting effects than GW. Personally, I find D2 more addictive (still play sometimes even after 3 years+ while GW got kinda repetitive after 5 months) and there are all sorts of items in the game to try out. PvE in GW is rather weak (compared to most other popular RPG games) as the gameplay was built on PvP as a foundation. I suggest that you get a trial-key (from a friend) before buying as GW is different compared to the games that you have found addictive. Depending on how often you play and the gameplay that you prefer, GW may last long or short for you.

Just want to point this out to you as you mentioned that you've found D2 addictive; GW character development don't possess as much depth as D2 which can be a good or bad thing for you.

Gkt · Dec 21, 2006, 11:03 PM // 23:03

Wow... that helped so much; thank you. I've gotten so much info today - I appreciate it.

Dec 21, 2006, 07:31 PM // 19:31	#1
Gkt Pre-Searing Cadet Join Date: Dec 2006	COMPLETE Beginner's Questions (I don't even have the game!) Alright, well I originally planned to get Guild Wars when it first came out, but I somehow forgot about it & this boring winter break has brought the idea back. I have a few questions before I decide whether I want to get this game or not: 1. Does basically everyone play the expansion? (Like, for Diablo II, nearly everyone plays the expansion) 2. Why are there two expansions & what's different about them? 3. How many people activitly play GW (an estimate)? Thanks!

Dec 21, 2006, 08:12 PM // 20:12	#7
c_ras Krytan Explorer Join Date: Jul 2006 Guild: Eternal Deliverance Profession: R/	First off....they aren't exactly considered "expansions". Each chapter can be a stand alone game OR.......if you have any of other two chapters, you can link together and have your character travel between the different continents (if you merge your account together). With that said, most people are currently playing Nightfall right now. Guild Wars has a pretty good fan base and many players have been around since the days of Prophecies. The difference between all three chapters is too long to list. Prophecies is great for those unfamiliar with how Guild Wars goes. Prophecies probably has the longest content (story-wise). Its more of a laid back, take your time if you want setting. A lot of people think of this or Nightfall as being their favorite. Factions is more of faster-paced game and has a lot less content than Prophecies or Nightfall. It has a more Asian influence and the game has that "you are going to be rushed" feeling. If you want to be able to "stop and smell the roses", I''d wait for Factions. Factions introduces Alliance Battles which is one of the strong parts of the game as well as some of the armor. Nightfall, which was released at the end of October sort of goes back to the basics, has the not-so-rushed feel. The storyline is good, has an African-style setting, and a lot new concepts were introduced in Nightfall, especially Heroes (which are customized/controllable henchmen that can aid you on quests/missions/etc.). Because of NF being just released not too long ago, I'm sure you'll see plenty of additional content added to the game (one of which, the Domain of Anguish, was just recently added). Those are just some of the differences. I'm sure there are plenty of threads or reviews out there that go into a lot more detail. Any way you go, you'll always see plenty of people in either game to interract with, do things with, etc. As far as numbers go....a press release was just announced that sales numbers for Guild Wars title had topped 3 million. to put it into perspective..World of Warcraft currently has about 7 million people since it was released in 2004. The 3 million in sales for Guild Wars has been since the original release in April 2005. You can do the math. Hope this helps Last edited by c_ras; Dec 21, 2006 at 08:15 PM // 20:15..

Dec 21, 2006, 08:44 PM // 20:44	#10
c_ras Krytan Explorer Join Date: Jul 2006 Guild: Eternal Deliverance Profession: R/	is this game addicting? Most people think so. I can't even count how many times I have seen "you have been playing for xx hours. Please take a break" pop up on the screen. As for the trading scene. The trading scene needs some improvement but there are various towns in the various chapters that are moneyshots. If you go to Lions Arch (in Prophecies), Kaineng Center (in Factions), or Kamadan (in Nightfall)...you'll definitely get a huge dose of the trading scene. With the new Search option they added yesterday, it is a big improvement to help you find something you are looking for (whether it be an item to buy, something you want to sell, or trying to find help on a mission or quest). When it comes to gameplay...the game is based more on a player's skill than grinding to "achieve the best stuff". Its not about that at all. That is why there is a Lvl. 20 cap. The game will make you think and adjust things according to different situations. A build that may work one time may not work another (especially in PvP). In PvE, you are constantly changing things around to adjust to different enemies, areas, environment, etc. There are plenty of high-end items (weapons and armor) however that plenty of people like to go after. You are more than welcome to go along that route too. Most of the higher end priced stuff is purely aestetics that way people can say "wow..I got something that looks cool and is rare". Most of the time, it won't make you a better gamer. There are plenty of options and routes. Because the game is always changing, something good today may not be good tomorrow. Anyways, Guild Wars overall is a great game, and I am sure anybody would have a great addicting time playing it. Last edited by c_ras; Dec 21, 2006 at 08:49 PM // 20:49..

Dec 21, 2006, 08:54 PM // 20:54	#13
c_ras Krytan Explorer Join Date: Jul 2006 Guild: Eternal Deliverance Profession: R/	If you want builds, you might want to head over to the PvE Forum area or the PvP forum area and look at the builds there for the different professions. Other good sites are: Guru Build Directory. Only has a few, but note worthy to at least take a look at. Guild Wiki This website along with Guru is pretty much the only thing you will ever need (except for the Guild Wars official site) to get information on anything Guild Wars related. It has a lot of useful information. I would definitely spend some time here and look at some of the various things it has to offer (including builds). Anybody who plays Guild Wars has this bookmarked. Last edited by c_ras; Dec 21, 2006 at 08:58 PM // 20:58..

Dec 21, 2006, 10:00 PM // 22:00	#14
birdfoot Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Singapore Guild: Ordo Chaotika Profession: W/Mo	Gkt, GW isn't like Diablo II, which tends to be item-biased. Depending on what you find addictive about D2, they may not be present in the game. Some main differences between D2 (I may compare WoW too) and GW: In GW, it's quite impossible to make a wrong build; basically, stats and secondary profession can be readjusted when you desire (albeit only in towns/outposts). Fights in GW are faster paced than WoW and quite similar except that there's no facing wrong direction thing. Not much of spamming like in D2. Uber builds don't really exist in this game so you're most of the time travelling with a party (NPC mercenaries available) unless you're solo farming in specific areas. In D2, you transmute different items using the cube while in GW, 'making' items are usually done through speaking to an NPC and then picking an option through a interface. Armor is specific to professions, you may use any type of weapon just like in D2, but you can only wear Armors that is meant for your profession and these will never drop as loot but require you to 'craft' at an NPC. Unique items in GW do not possess unique qualities as in D2, uber items don't exists. Basically, unique items in GW are items with perfect stats and usually a unique look. Hence, not much MFing to do. Weapons are basically made up of different mods and skins, the important thing here is that they are just a combination of those (for e.g. a magic item of a specific item class can have the same mods as any unique of the same class). In later chapters of GW (namely, Factions and Nightfall), you have to follow primary quests/missions to progress the storyline. There's no shortcut like in D2. However, Prophecies (the 1st GW chapter) is 'open' and you can run anywhere you like except a couple of regions which you need to do at least the required mission to reach. This is more of a concern if you like to make different characters which most of us do in D2 (where we usually rush through). Instead of stats, GW's version of stats are called "attributes" which directly affect the effectiveness of your skills/spells. Basically, all characters will have the same default health and depending on professions, they will have the same default energy. Attack/defense rating don't exist in GW either, blocking and evading are all handled via skills. Item procs (effects on striking, attacking, etc) like D2 don't exist either. PvP in GW are held in arenas so you can't PvP with anyone you see in the game like you can do in WoW or D2. Health/energy potions don't exist in GW; your character will always regenerate health when out of battle so it's not really needed. Hence, no worries about potting when PvP. Albeit a rather old game, D2 has more 'explosive' spellcasting effects than GW. Personally, I find D2 more addictive (still play sometimes even after 3 years+ while GW got kinda repetitive after 5 months) and there are all sorts of items in the game to try out. PvE in GW is rather weak (compared to most other popular RPG games) as the gameplay was built on PvP as a foundation. I suggest that you get a trial-key (from a friend) before buying as GW is different compared to the games that you have found addictive. Depending on how often you play and the gameplay that you prefer, GW may last long or short for you. Just want to point this out to you as you mentioned that you've found D2 addictive; GW character development don't possess as much depth as D2 which can be a good or bad thing for you.

Dec 21, 2006, 07:38 PM // 19:38	#2
shevaa Academy Page Join Date: Dec 2005 Profession: N/Mo	1) I believe most original guildwars players have the expansions 2) they are not really expansions they are stand alone games but you can treat them as expansions. there will be many more in the future anet has said they plan to release a new game every 6 months. 3) too many for me to figure out.

Dec 21, 2006, 07:41 PM // 19:41	#3
Zeek Aran Forge Runner Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Earth, sadly Guild: BORK Profession: A/	1: Anyone higher than a casual player has atleast two if not all three games. 2: No matter what, game will get boring eventually. The expansions add new professions, items, missions, titles, armors, weapons, pets, mini pets, ways to rip off people in the first month and make over 100k cough, et cetera to the expansion. In many ways, they also improve the previous game with updates related to the expansion or not. 3: Not sure about activity, but advertisements say this INTERNATIONAL game has more than two million players.

Dec 21, 2006, 07:44 PM // 19:44	#4
Gkt Pre-Searing Cadet Join Date: Dec 2006	I see, so can the two 'expansions' be linked to the original game? & can people who ONLY have the original game also interact w/ people who have expansions? Also, do most people play PvE or PvP?

Dec 21, 2006, 07:50 PM // 19:50	#5
Shaden Ascalonian Squire Join Date: Jul 2006 Guild: Lost Keys to Perception {lost} Profession: R/	All the "games" not "expansions" are linked through a travel feature you will learn about in-game. Everyone can interact and visit the other continents after completing a mission to allow you to do so. Having just 1 means you can still intereact with other players, but you cannot visit their worlds. Having all 3 meaning you can go anywhere in the game you want to. (after quests and such) I'd say mostly PvE, although there are many PvP dedicated players out there.

Dec 21, 2006, 08:30 PM // 20:30	#8
Gkt Pre-Searing Cadet Join Date: Dec 2006	Thanks for the responses. I'm still wondering, is this game really addicting? WoW & Diablo II were really addicting - at least for me. Is there a big trading scene? Also, are people into PERFECT builds & gear? Or is it mostly about gameplay?

Dec 21, 2006, 08:38 PM // 20:38	#9
derrtyboy69 Grotto Attendant Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: The Clouds Guild: Scars Meadows [SMS] Profession: Mo/Me	Well you can get perfect everything pretty easily, from collectors and crafters. And you can create already perfect pvp characters

Dec 21, 2006, 08:47 PM // 20:47	#11
Gkt Pre-Searing Cadet Join Date: Dec 2006	Ah, I see. That helps a lot. Could you link me to some guides that would give builds that are good but simple to use?

Dec 21, 2006, 11:03 PM // 23:03	#15
Gkt Pre-Searing Cadet Join Date: Dec 2006	Wow... that helped so much; thank you. I've gotten so much info today - I appreciate it.