Angel Killuminati · Sep 16, 2010, 10:42 AM // 10:42

Also dps on a ranger will change with ranger depending on what bow you're using - longbow, recurve bow, flatbow, shortbow etc. Shortbow having a short refire rate. Thought I'd throw that out there for something to think about.

Read the Wind or Favorable Winds also help dps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cambios

I am really intrigued by the paragon. The imbagon build seems kinda nice honestly. It has a few damage skills and tons of survivability.

I don't know what Imbagon build you're looking at but it doesn't have tons of survivability for the actual Paragon itself - only "There's Nothing to Fear!" as defence.

Your job is to keep the rest of the party alive by using "Save Yourselves!" It's as simple as that.

Desert Rose · Sep 16, 2010, 10:42 AM // 10:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cambios

I am really intrigued by the paragon. The imbagon build seems kinda nice honestly. It has a few damage skills and tons of survivability. Is there a good more dps build?

P/D Scythe Spammer
P/A Dagger Spammer
A DPS spear Paragon is similar; it uses "Go For the Eyes!" for Energy Managment (and "The Power Is Yours!" if "GftE!" is not sufficient) to fuel Asuran Scan and spear attacks.

Quote:

Also, what abilities should I be making a priority as I level up a paragon?

Mainly Spear Mastery; for every point below 12 the base damage (the value listed in the weapon description) is lowered by about ~8%, so you want to get it to 12 as soon as possible (additional points won't increase the damage by much, so you should put more than 12 points in a weapon attribute while below level 20). Next thing is Leadership because you need it for E-Managment, bring it to 8 if you're playing in 4-man areas, and to 10 if you're playing in bigger partys. Next thing is Command for "GftE!", that skill will be your main source for energy for most builds.

Quote:

Finally, what is a good secondary for fun, effective, fast advancement through the PvE storyline?

Usually you cannot really use your secondary while you level up because you're lacking the attribute points to make it worthwhile; "For great justice!" (Warrior) is good though because you don't need to spend attribute points to make it effective.

*Darcy* · Sep 16, 2010, 11:36 AM // 11:36

Secondary doesn't matter much until later in the game. By then you will be able to swap it freely. For information on the different professions visit our Campfire section sub forums. There is one for each profession. Also there is one for Heroes http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/b...t10293264.html which covers all you need to know about them.

Neith · Sep 16, 2010, 12:00 PM // 12:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marty Silverblade

Paragons are by far the last thing you want to play if you want to farm a lot. Their skills are based on buffing their team. They aren't designed with any solo survivability.

Also, Elementalists can AoE nuke, which they do perfectly well in Normal Mode, but as they get further into the game the damage they deal gets lower (foes have more levels and more armor) so they're better off running support type builds. There is no reason you can't nuke if you want to, you just won't be as efficient as you could be.

if you think a paragon is an interesting class then by all means give it a shot. My co-leader's main character is a Paragon and that is what he uses to farm with and well as run us guildies around. They are all fun classes regardless, I prefer caster but do have fun playing my paragon, warrior and all others that I have from time to time. Give a break from doing the same thing.

Mintha Syl · Sep 16, 2010, 12:28 PM // 12:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cambios

I can tell you that making new characters over and over is getting old. Trying to settle on something that "fits" is tough.

I think your problem here is that you're basing yourself on other people's words too much. Everyone has different opinions on classes, so if you're just tired of making new chars (not that it should be a problem as you have enough slots to keep them and maybe return there after - I think everyone has a favourite profession but that one is not necessarily the one you like most in the beginning) follow your "feelings" indipendently from avalaible builds ecc., that will come later in the game.
If you're interested in paragon go for it.

Oh, and rangers-side...true, everyone complains about their strenght but it's still a profession that can get the work done. I complain myself but it's always my favourite class.
As everybody tells paragon is in desperate need of a buff, but still there's people that likes playing it.
So, again, just try what you think you like. It's not like you can't change your mind after or your world goes kaboom anyway.

Nechrond · Sep 16, 2010, 01:19 PM // 13:19

When you H/H, a good secondary is one that helps you get rid of your conditions, because heroes and henchies aren't very smart with their condition removal skills. /R for Antidote Signet, /Mo for Mending Touch and /N for Plague Touch are good choices.

Neith · Sep 16, 2010, 01:38 PM // 13:38

I agree 100% with Mintha Syl...ranger is my main..yes I'd like to see more damage from my arrows, but I get a bigger kick out of interrupting and spreading conditions to the foes for the most part. Use all your slots save one for a pvp character though.

hattara · Sep 16, 2010, 02:03 PM // 14:03

One thing I noticed is that you said you're using Turai's Sword and Serrated Shield, while you're still lower level. Do you have a Swordsmanship +1 helm, or a Minor Swordsmanship rune, to bring that stat up to at LEAST 9? If you don't, then you're not doing full damage with your weapon. The shield is also a Tactics one, and since you don't meet the requirement, you only get a +8 armor bonus. Look into finding a Strength shield instead, one you can take full advantage of.

Do you have any runes on your armor, or your heroes' armor? If so, could you list them? If not - get on that.

Also check your heroes' weapons, especially Koss', against their stats to make sure they're doing more than starter damage.

Neith · Sep 16, 2010, 02:14 PM // 14:14

If the game required you to do max damage and have max armor they would've started you off with that. And if your heroes were required to have runes right from the start the gold would drop in more abundance. I have only runed a few of my heroes and that is only on my main. None of "new characters" have max armor until the docks and I don't get a run there. I put max weapons on but I don't worry about attributes and I do just fine unless its my derv they just suck.

hattara · Sep 16, 2010, 03:08 PM // 15:08

It's not about doing MAX damage; it's about doing damage appropriate to your level. What wielding a high-req max-damage weapon while not meeting the requirement does is push your damage to starter weapon level. So, instead of 15-22 damage, a sword will deal 2-3 damage. That's a significant difference.

As for runes, I didn't say they are required. But they help. Furthermore, you'll notice I asked WHAT runes are on their armor, if any - using runes badly can make the game significantly harder, especially for a newbie who can't compensate with skill.

And uh... if you keep failing on your derv, Neith, no, it really isn't because "they suck".

Neith · Sep 16, 2010, 03:46 PM // 15:46

If you expect me to be mad at your jab about me sucking as a derv you're wrong. YOU may be good at each character YOU play, forgive me if I'm not as godly as you in that regard. I know what profession(s) I do well in so whatever on your comment. As far as damage my understanding is that if you don't have the required attribute level it will do half damage not take it to 2-3 damage.

Desert Rose · Sep 16, 2010, 03:53 PM // 15:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by hattara

It's not about doing MAX damage; it's about doing damage appropriate to your level. What wielding a high-req max-damage weapon while not meeting the requirement does is push your damage to starter weapon level. So, instead of 15-22 damage, a sword will deal 2-3 damage. That's a significant difference.

A weapon doesn't deal the listed damage when you don't meet the req., but it doesn't deal as much damage as a beginner weapon nor half as much damage as listed; at least not for every sword.
I.e. I have a req13 sword that deals 5-7 damage when I don't meet the req.

Cambios · Sep 16, 2010, 07:37 PM // 19:37

@Desert: When can you pick up EotN skills? I didn't buy that expansion yet but its coming in the mail. This Asuran Scan ability looks awesome and everyone seems to use it.

Also, when do more skills unlock? On my war/par, the available skills stays the same. I check skill and hero skill trainers, but they seem to lack all the 'interesting' stuff I read about in builds.

==============================
@Hattara: I have zero runes on myself or my heroes. I did make sure to get enough sword skill to have the min. req. Should I really start working on runes? I just figured as a noob I'd be too poor. Do I buy them from players or from an NPC?

I also figured I have such crap armor right now that it is a waste. Should I be doing something to make sure I have better armor? I'm using half stuff I got from a vendor, and half istani armor from collectors.

==============================

Should I be micromanaging my heroes or is it enough to just try to make sure they have decent abilities on their hot bar and let them do their thing?

Are heroes always better to have than henchmen?

==============================

So paragon spear DPS? How good/bad is it? I think I'm getting really annoyed with running around in melee, and honestly, my warrior feels like his survivability is all about how fast the monk is healing me rather than anything I am doing.

Thanks all!

Hollygen · Sep 16, 2010, 07:47 PM // 19:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neith

If you expect me to be mad at your jab about me sucking as a derv you're wrong. YOU may be good at each character YOU play, forgive me if I'm not as godly as you in that regard. I know what profession(s) I do well in so whatever on your comment. As far as damage my understanding is that if you don't have the required attribute level it will do half damage not take it to 2-3 damage.

Taken from http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Damag...n_Requirements

Quote:

Many of the weapons that you'll find require you to have a certain level in a linked attribute to be effective - Swords that require 9 Swordsmanship, Bows that require 7 Marksmanship, and the like. If you do not meet the requirements on a given weapon, your effectiveness with it will be greatly reduced.

In simplest terms, if you do not meet the requirements on a given weapon it will deal damage like a starter weapon of the same type.

Although, to be fair, in thre same article it does also say

Quote:

NOTE: It has been noted elsewhere in this wiki (in the Weapons article), that dropped weapons have different rules if you don't meet the requirements than collector or reward weapons. According to the Weapons article, dropped items do 1/2 damage, rather than the damage of a starter weapon, so a sword that does 11-22, which was a dropped item, should do 5-11 if you don't meet the requirement.

*Darcy* · Sep 16, 2010, 07:57 PM // 19:57

You gather skills as you go along. Many people are giving you builds that you cannot use until you are level 20 and completed all campaigns on at least one character. For example, Asuran Scan is a nice skill but it's power is dependent on you EotN Asuran reputation rank. You are a long way from getting that maxed.

Your warrior's DPS will increase as you gain attribute points and put them into Strength and a single weapon attribute. This affects both your base DPS and the max damage for your weapon.

hattara · Sep 16, 2010, 07:59 PM // 19:59

About the max damage if you don't meet the requirement of a weapon: yes, it IS starter weapon damage. That is, the BASE damage is equal to starter weapon. You DO still get the benefits of mods, so armor penetration from Sundering and Strength take it up a notch, customization takes it up a notch, critical hits take it up a notch, and so on. That's why you see bigger numbers than the starter damage, but that really is the base damage. As for the "deals half damage", I think you have it mixed up with shields, which provide half the listed armor if you don't meet the req. EDIT: lovely guildmate Hollygen pointed out up there that dropped weapons may have different damage output. News to me, but if that's how it is then that's how it is.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neith

If you expect me to be mad at your jab about me sucking as a derv you're wrong. YOU may be good at each character YOU play, forgive me if I'm not as godly as you in that regard. I know what profession(s) I do well in so whatever on your comment.

If that's you not being upset, well... okay. But please don't put words in my mouth. I was merely pointing out that an entire class does NOT suck because one individual is not able to play it effectively. I made no claims of my own abilities - I was pretty bad with dervs until recently, and I'm not the most effective person on a nec, leading to pretty lulzy deaths and having to try try try again. I will freely admit this. There is nothing wrong with saying "I can't play [class] well". It's a very juvenile reaction to go "I'm not good at X, therefore X must suck".

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cambios

@Hattara: I have zero runes on myself or my heroes. I did make sure to get enough sword skill to have the min. req. Should I really start working on runes? I just figured as a noob I'd be too poor. Do I buy them from players or from an NPC?

Zero runes is better than bad runes.

TBH, I was more concerned you might have put on superior runes - the hit to HP is not worth it, esp. before level 20 - or several runes that don't stack - which is a waste.

I don't think it's absolutely necessary to start on runes, no, when you're still not level 20 and don't have max armor. Making sure you have the highest level armor available to you is more important. I'd say if a good rune drops for you, you can make use of it, and just remember to salvage it off your armor when you get better armor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cambios

Should I be micromanaging my heroes or is it enough to just try to make sure they have decent abilities on their hot bar and let them do their thing?

Some skills should always be micromanaged as heroes don't use them effectively, or at all. Otherwise... eh. I have several guildies who always micromanage their heroes. I only micromanage in specific circumstances where it's called for. I don't find that it's good for me personally to try and multitask so much - I let the AI be as intelligent as it can, and that's usually just fine.

MisterB · Sep 16, 2010, 08:09 PM // 20:09

In EotN, you may find the profession skills from the skill trainer once you reach the Eye of the North, which is less than thirty minutes (probably 15).

Each of the PvE skills requires completion of a quest to obtain them. Here is a list of the PvE skills. Click on each skill to view the quest required to obtain it.

http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/List_...e_of_the_North

http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Skill...28Nightfall%29
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/List_...skill_trainers
Skill trainers in Nightfall.

Try to upgrade your armor as it becomes available, if you can afford it. You get a vigor rune for free from a quest. Make sure you use an expert salvage kit to retrieve any runes you apply on your armor before you upgrade them. You can buy runes and insignia from Rune Traders, which are service NPCs in various towns. There's a rune trader in Kamadan. Don't worry about insignia until you have max armor (80 for warrior).

Cambios · Sep 16, 2010, 09:09 PM // 21:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by MisterB

In EotN, you may find the profession skills from the skill trainer once you reach the Eye of the North, which is less than thirty minutes (probably 15).

So should I go ahead and get EotN asap? And once I add it to my account, how do I get there? Is it another starting campaign?

Quote:

Originally Posted by MisterB

Each of the PvE skills requires completion of a quest to obtain them. Here is a list of the PvE skills.

Thanks for those links. Will I happen upon these quests naturally as I move through the level up storyline, or do I really need to hunt them down?

Also, do I have to unlock them on every character?

Quote:

Originally Posted by MisterB

Try to upgrade your armor as it becomes available, if you can afford it.

Weird question... How do I do that? Do I just check the armor vendors as I find new towns?

Also, the hero armor seems to indicate that it levels up with them. Can I just leave their armor alone?

Lastly, any more tips or insight on my class selection problems?

Thanks again all,

Desert Rose · Sep 16, 2010, 09:20 PM // 21:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hollygen

Taken from http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Damag...n_Requirements

Although, to be fair, in thre same article it does also say

Quote:

Originally Posted by hattara

About the max damage if you don't meet the requirement of a weapon: yes, it IS starter weapon damage. That is, the BASE damage is equal to starter weapon.

That's wrong, but if we want to further discuss this matter we should do it here: http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/w...tml?t=10443938

Quote:

Originally Posted by hattara

As for the "deals half damage", I think you have it mixed up with shields, which provide half the listed armor if you don't meet the req.

That's also wrong, shields give +8 armor if you don't meet the req, yes even when it would give +8 armor when you meet the req.
There's a very detailed post about this here on the forum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cambios

When can you pick up EotN skills? I didn't buy that expansion yet but its coming in the mail. This Asuran Scan ability looks awesome and everyone seems to use it.

Also, when do more skills unlock? On my war/par, the available skills stays the same. I check skill and hero skill trainers, but they seem to lack all the 'interesting' stuff I read about in builds.

The further to advance through the story the more skills will the skill trainer have to sell.
You can also Balthazar Faction to unlock a skill and then buy it from every skill trainer in the coresponding campaign; for more information read post #2.
The EotN skills are sometimes not easy to obtain, you shouldn't bother with them unless you have a little more experience (read: finished one or two other campaign(s)) because EotN is noticeable harder than the other campaigns; if you go there first there's you'll properly get slaughtered constantly.

Quote:

I have zero runes on myself or my heroes.

You can buy runes/insignias from NPCs or salvage them from items you found, but I wouldn't bother with that unless I'm level 20 though.

Quote:

I also figured I have such crap armor right now that it is a waste. Should I be doing something to make sure I have better armor? I'm using half stuff I got from a vendor, and half istani armor from collectors.

If you don't mind farming you can get armor from collectors very cheaply; armor from collectors can't be upgraded with insignias though, so you should buy a max armor (80 +20 against physical for warriors) when you can.

Are heroes always better to have than henchmen?[/quote]
Only if you have enough skills unlocked to equip your heroes with them and you have already a vague knowledge about the profession. With the right builds heroes can easily look after themselves.

Quote:

So paragon spear DPS? How good/bad is it? I think I'm getting really annoyed with running around in melee, and honestly, my warrior feels like his survivability is all about how fast the monk is healing me rather than anything I am doing.

See that you are a Warrior/Paragon you can also just switch to a spear.

MisterB · Sep 16, 2010, 09:33 PM // 21:33

These are the profession skills available if you own EotN. The PVE skills are also listed. Each PvE character on your account must each learn every skill, yes.
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/List_...e_North_skills

Eye of the North is also the name of an outpost in the expansion, and it's the first place you reach with a skill trainer. You must own one of the campaigns to play the expansion, but you already meet that requirement. There is a separate quest from each campaign to reach the EotN expansion; see here. There's little reason to get EotN before you are level 20; everything in the expansion is designed as level 20 content. You can get there as early as level 10 if you want, but I'd recommend that only if you want a particular profession skill or one of the heroes that join in the beginning(Vekk, Ogden, and Gwen).

Hero armor automatically increases with their level, so no upgrade is necessary.

Sep 16, 2010, 11:36 AM // 11:36	#23
Darcy Never Too Old Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Rhode Island where there are no GW contests Guild: Order of First Profession: W/R	Secondary doesn't matter much until later in the game. By then you will be able to swap it freely. For information on the different professions visit our Campfire section sub forums. There is one for each profession. Also there is one for Heroes http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/b...t10293264.html which covers all you need to know about them. __________________ That's me, the old stick-in-the-mud non-fun moderator. (and non-understanding, also)

Sep 16, 2010, 07:57 PM // 19:57	#35
Darcy Never Too Old Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Rhode Island where there are no GW contests Guild: Order of First Profession: W/R	You gather skills as you go along. Many people are giving you builds that you cannot use until you are level 20 and completed all campaigns on at least one character. For example, Asuran Scan is a nice skill but it's power is dependent on you EotN Asuran reputation rank. You are a long way from getting that maxed. Your warrior's DPS will increase as you gain attribute points and put them into Strength and a single weapon attribute. This affects both your base DPS and the max damage for your weapon. __________________ That's me, the old stick-in-the-mud non-fun moderator. (and non-understanding, also)

Sep 16, 2010, 01:19 PM // 13:19	#26
Nechrond Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Netherlands Guild: Utrecht Usurpators Profession: D/	When you H/H, a good secondary is one that helps you get rid of your conditions, because heroes and henchies aren't very smart with their condition removal skills. /R for Antidote Signet, /Mo for Mending Touch and /N for Plague Touch are good choices.

Sep 16, 2010, 01:38 PM // 13:38	#27
Neith Krytan Explorer Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Texas Guild: One in Guild Wars Profession: R/	I agree 100% with Mintha Syl...ranger is my main..yes I'd like to see more damage from my arrows, but I get a bigger kick out of interrupting and spreading conditions to the foes for the most part. Use all your slots save one for a pvp character though.

Sep 16, 2010, 02:03 PM // 14:03	#28
hattara Academy Page Join Date: May 2009 Location: Finland Guild: Blinkie Ponie Armie [BPA] Profession: R/	One thing I noticed is that you said you're using Turai's Sword and Serrated Shield, while you're still lower level. Do you have a Swordsmanship +1 helm, or a Minor Swordsmanship rune, to bring that stat up to at LEAST 9? If you don't, then you're not doing full damage with your weapon. The shield is also a Tactics one, and since you don't meet the requirement, you only get a +8 armor bonus. Look into finding a Strength shield instead, one you can take full advantage of. Do you have any runes on your armor, or your heroes' armor? If so, could you list them? If not - get on that. Also check your heroes' weapons, especially Koss', against their stats to make sure they're doing more than starter damage.

Sep 16, 2010, 02:14 PM // 14:14	#29
Neith Krytan Explorer Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Texas Guild: One in Guild Wars Profession: R/	If the game required you to do max damage and have max armor they would've started you off with that. And if your heroes were required to have runes right from the start the gold would drop in more abundance. I have only runed a few of my heroes and that is only on my main. None of "new characters" have max armor until the docks and I don't get a run there. I put max weapons on but I don't worry about attributes and I do just fine unless its my derv they just suck.

Sep 16, 2010, 03:08 PM // 15:08	#30
hattara Academy Page Join Date: May 2009 Location: Finland Guild: Blinkie Ponie Armie [BPA] Profession: R/	It's not about doing MAX damage; it's about doing damage appropriate to your level. What wielding a high-req max-damage weapon while not meeting the requirement does is push your damage to starter weapon level. So, instead of 15-22 damage, a sword will deal 2-3 damage. That's a significant difference. As for runes, I didn't say they are required. But they help. Furthermore, you'll notice I asked WHAT runes are on their armor, if any - using runes badly can make the game significantly harder, especially for a newbie who can't compensate with skill. And uh... if you keep failing on your derv, Neith, no, it really isn't because "they suck".

Sep 16, 2010, 03:46 PM // 15:46	#31
Neith Krytan Explorer Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Texas Guild: One in Guild Wars Profession: R/	If you expect me to be mad at your jab about me sucking as a derv you're wrong. YOU may be good at each character YOU play, forgive me if I'm not as godly as you in that regard. I know what profession(s) I do well in so whatever on your comment. As far as damage my understanding is that if you don't have the required attribute level it will do half damage not take it to 2-3 damage.

Sep 16, 2010, 07:37 PM // 19:37	#33
Cambios Ascalonian Squire Join Date: May 2005	@Desert: When can you pick up EotN skills? I didn't buy that expansion yet but its coming in the mail. This Asuran Scan ability looks awesome and everyone seems to use it. Also, when do more skills unlock? On my war/par, the available skills stays the same. I check skill and hero skill trainers, but they seem to lack all the 'interesting' stuff I read about in builds. ============================== @Hattara: I have zero runes on myself or my heroes. I did make sure to get enough sword skill to have the min. req. Should I really start working on runes? I just figured as a noob I'd be too poor. Do I buy them from players or from an NPC? I also figured I have such crap armor right now that it is a waste. Should I be doing something to make sure I have better armor? I'm using half stuff I got from a vendor, and half istani armor from collectors. ============================== Should I be micromanaging my heroes or is it enough to just try to make sure they have decent abilities on their hot bar and let them do their thing? Are heroes always better to have than henchmen? ============================== So paragon spear DPS? How good/bad is it? I think I'm getting really annoyed with running around in melee, and honestly, my warrior feels like his survivability is all about how fast the monk is healing me rather than anything I am doing. Thanks all!

Sep 16, 2010, 08:09 PM // 20:09	#37
MisterB Furnace Stoker Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Planet Earth, Sol system, Milky Way galaxy Guild: [ban] Profession: W/	In EotN, you may find the profession skills from the skill trainer once you reach the Eye of the North, which is less than thirty minutes (probably 15). Each of the PvE skills requires completion of a quest to obtain them. Here is a list of the PvE skills. Click on each skill to view the quest required to obtain it. http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/List_...e_of_the_North http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Skill...28Nightfall%29 http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/List_...skill_trainers Skill trainers in Nightfall. Try to upgrade your armor as it becomes available, if you can afford it. You get a vigor rune for free from a quest. Make sure you use an expert salvage kit to retrieve any runes you apply on your armor before you upgrade them. You can buy runes and insignia from Rune Traders, which are service NPCs in various towns. There's a rune trader in Kamadan. Don't worry about insignia until you have max armor (80 for warrior).

Sep 16, 2010, 09:33 PM // 21:33	#40
MisterB Furnace Stoker Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Planet Earth, Sol system, Milky Way galaxy Guild: [ban] Profession: W/	These are the profession skills available if you own EotN. The PVE skills are also listed. Each PvE character on your account must each learn every skill, yes. http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/List_...e_North_skills Eye of the North is also the name of an outpost in the expansion, and it's the first place you reach with a skill trainer. You must own one of the campaigns to play the expansion, but you already meet that requirement. There is a separate quest from each campaign to reach the EotN expansion; see here. There's little reason to get EotN before you are level 20; everything in the expansion is designed as level 20 content. You can get there as early as level 10 if you want, but I'd recommend that only if you want a particular profession skill or one of the heroes that join in the beginning(Vekk, Ogden, and Gwen). Hero armor automatically increases with their level, so no upgrade is necessary.