How Much of This Game Can I Solo? - Page 2 - Guild Wars Forums

strcpy · Oct 30, 2007, 08:28 AM // 08:28

I'll re-iterate some of what has been said just to make sure you remember this when the time comes: an assassin isn't a good new player class. There are exceptions to that - if you are a member of a guild that plays across many games, GW being one of them, and they are willing to endure your learning then go with it. However, short of that I would highly suggest otherwise.

I do not care how long you have played video games (I've been playing since the very early 80's) you will find some games that are just mostly different - GW is one of them. You may be lucky in that you have played similar games (there is nothing new under the sun) and have little trouble, however the Assassin is still probably the most difficult class in the game to play well.

I do not want to steer you away from them, while not my favorite class there is absolutely nothing wrong with them and they can be *highly* effective in a skilled players hands. But I would suggest you try an easier to play class first as you are most likely in for a world of frustration until you learn other game mechanics.

At least give another character a go until level 20 and a little play time, something that happens fairly early in each campaign. For one thing, as an Assassin, you really need to have some level of understanding of what targets to hit and which ones to ignore - it is hard to get that your first time through. With warrior (or a few other classes) this isn't as vital to winning a quest/mission and you have time to learn what to do. Not to mention that even veteran players find an Assassin hard to play in an AI group. A melee AI leader needs to be in the thick of things selecting and calling targets, an assassin needs to stay back and let everyone do their thing and strike when the opportunity arises - it take a WHOLE lot more skill for an Assassin AI player than it does any other class.

As for soloing - the H/H are only as good as you. I've cleared almost all of the game that one is physically allowed to use them and I'm not, by far, the best player. Before Factions was released some players took it upon themselves to do the mission/bonus of Prophecies mission using *only* the henchman (that is - no skills, no weapons, and no attributes spent on the human controlled character). They successfully did every mission with screens to prove it. I do not know if the archives here are old enough to find them, but they were there at one time. Personally I dread most of the last 10 or so missions (spread across the three campaigns) I need for a protector title even with Hench, Heroes, and not gimping myself.

So, your mileage may vary on how easy you find them. I lack those few missions bonus/masters, a few dungeons in GWEN, and a few masters level quests, though I mostly haven't given them a go yet due to not really enjoying trying builds/strategies to clear those few areas. That is a VERY small part of the game. There are others who could not even complete the game without a human group, let alone clear most of the elite post-game areas.

And, lastly, given the data from /age (hours played and months the account is active) I average around a little less than 2 hours a day. So yes, you can get by with 4 hours a day, especially if you hench/hero as they are always there and do not take any spamming of local to form a group

Yang Whirlwind · Oct 30, 2007, 08:42 AM // 08:42

I agree with strcpy that assassin isn't a good class if you're just starting - neither is mesmer for that matter! Go with something a little less complicated (that would be just about any other class).

Personally I play around 3 hours a day on average - and consider myself a casual player. Guess the definition of "casual" is open for interpretation

SotiCoto · Oct 30, 2007, 10:24 AM // 10:24

Just a little perspective here:

My first char was an Assassin. He still is an Assassin. He is the guy in my avatar at the front (Chae Soon)....

Starting with an Assassin is jumping into Guild Wars at the Deep End. Not only is Factions EXTREMELY fast-paced as opposed to Nightfall and especially Prophecies (slow as buggery)... but the Assassin class is difficult to play well and VERY awkward to learn. That is to say that while a good Assassin is as good as (if not better than) a good Warrior .... a bad Assassin can be FAR worse than a bad Warrior (excepting when a nub Warrior survives in situations where a nub Assassin would die JUST long enough to aggro YET more enemies... which then makes the Warrior worse). You'd be quite shocked if you saw my Assassin's death-count (ironically the only char I have with a higher death-count is my Warrior... in Pre-Searing... who death-levels Charr).

As such... where you should start and what as depends on your particular playing style.

If you want a VERY gradual introduction to the game and a slow but steady progression then I'd recommend starting in Prophecies.
If you want to jump head-first into the game and progress very quickly then I'd recommend starting in Factions (and if you want to challenge your learning ability, start Assassin).
If you want a medium progression but focusing more on supporting characters than your own individual player-char then I'd recommend starting in Nightfall.

And for the record.... you can solo (with herohench) ALL story-related content almost. There are a few parts of the game that are kinda awkward to herohench effectively (The Eternal Grove and Dzagonur Bastion come to mind)... but those aside... the AI is all the help you need. Certainly no 40-man raids.

As for Casual play.... Pfah to that. If you play several hours a day then you're working your way out of the Casual Gaming rut and becoming a proper gamer... which is a good thing. I personally play about 5 or 6 hours a day, which constitutes the entirety of my free time on weekdays. On weekends it tends to extend to around 12 hours or more.
I remember the time before I had a job when I could game in my every waking hour.... except when I had lectures... University time was good time, even if I was poor (and spent all my spare cash on games). These days I have money enough to have a MASSIVE game collection and very little time to play them. v_v;

LightningHell · Oct 30, 2007, 11:51 AM // 11:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by SotiCoto

Starting with an Assassin is jumping into Guild Wars at the Deep End. Not only is Factions EXTREMELY fast-paced as opposed to Nightfall and especially Prophecies (slow as buggery)... but the Assassin class is difficult to play well and VERY awkward to learn. That is to say that while a good Assassin is as good as (if not better than) a good Warrior .... a bad Assassin can be FAR worse than a bad Warrior (excepting when a nub Warrior survives in situations where a nub Assassin would die JUST long enough to aggro YET more enemies... which then makes the Warrior worse). You'd be quite shocked if you saw my Assassin's death-count (ironically the only char I have with a higher death-count is my Warrior... in Pre-Searing... who death-levels Charr).

As long as the player grasps basic game concepts quickly, the Assassin should be the easiest class to play, actually.

There was a whole thread about this.

Another Felldspar · Oct 30, 2007, 02:29 PM // 14:29

Several people have talked about what campaign is the most fun as far as PvE is concerned, but the second part of your question dealt with being competitive in PvP. If you are going to be a 'sin in PvP (a strong choice btw) you're going to need both the Factions and Nightfall campaigns, or one of the campaigns and the PvP unlock pack for the other. Having a limited skill selection in PvP is not a good thing.

Aye

Quaker · Oct 30, 2007, 02:48 PM // 14:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Velnos

.. I know the Guild Wars box says "solo content", but so did the WoW box. I am not talking about just running around killing boars in the woods. I am really asking about the core game content.

As has been pointed out, it depends upon what you mean by solo, but I would assume that you mean "not requiring you to form a [human] group". Since most of my Guild went off to play other games (such as WoW), I have spent most of the time using only heroes & henchmen (H&H).
A large percentage of the game can be done just using henchmen. Almost all of the normal mode game can be done using H&H (depending upon your class, experience, etc.). Hard mode and some master/elite areas can be more challenging. In order to use Heroes, you'll have to get Eye of the North or Nightfall.
One note about heroes - to get the most benefit from them, you need to outfit them properly. Don't just slap a few insignias on them and give them any old crap weapon you have lying around. Spend the gold and outfit them almost as you would outfit yourself (leaning toward extra health rather than other things)

Eddy_mc · Oct 30, 2007, 03:21 PM // 15:21

Welcome, I was and still am to some extent a WOW player, I gave it up but have jumped back in when my love for pvp kicked in, I can jusp into wow and pvp for a bit and get points to get gear.

Anyway, guildwars is so far removed from wow its a bit of a shock at first, the skill system seems stupid, and lacks flexibility to change from one attack style to another, but once you have played for a bit you realise that it s very good system, it does not take hours getting ready for encounters, once you have a basic build for your char and learn the basics of combat you will realise the genius in its simplicity.

I have found the community a lot better in parts and sometimes worse, what I have found very strange is that some of the adults seem to behave like younger little brats we would get in wow, and the younger people seem to be a lot more mature, you will always find someone to help in 10 or so min, whereas in wow you could be waiting hours or days, cant find someone in your district, move to another one, if you arein europe, move to america etc, there is no problem of your friends rolling on another server and you not being ale to play with them, just move district and you are together, guilds also span over servers which is awsome.

If you have factions it is very easy to hit lvl 20 in around 8-9 hours, my ele is 13 ad only 5 hours played, this takes away the days played to hit max lvl in wow which removes alot of the drive and addictions that wow have, so does being able to get max armor and weapons with not a lot of probems, this leaves a game down to skill and not time which is what I think all MMOs should be!!.

Long live Guild Wars!

P.S of there are any typos sorry Im in a rush and had a lot to say Grin
P.P.S f you need any help just add me to your friends list.

Eddy
Lore of Might W/mo and Davd Copperfield E/Mo

Melei Hawke · Oct 30, 2007, 03:26 PM // 15:26

You have been given a lot of good advice and as you can see the opinions vary from one person to the next. If you are set on starting out as an assassin go ahead and give it a try. If you find yourself more frustrated and dead than playing just go back to these posts and realize that most suggested it was not a good first choice. Start a different character and go from there. If you are wanting an easy sample of the core professions you can start in any of the games and try out the different combinations of primary and secondary profession before you invest too much time.

Playing some of the core professions even just a few levels will unlock basic skills so that when you do get heroes you have some options for them. It also gives you some insight on what the different professions are and do so that you know how to play against each class. Any skills you unlock on any character will be available to your heroes account wide.

You always have the option to make a pvp character that is max level but without skills, runes and insignias unlocked this may be an exercise in frustration.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Guild Wars! Have fun and don't be afraid to come back with questions or ask for help. You found a great site with a lot of experienced players, most of which are very willing to offer suggestions and help. If you get stuck come back and post, you will be surprised how much help you are offered

*Darcy* · Oct 30, 2007, 08:31 PM // 20:31

Here's a link to the sticky in the Campfire section Assassin forum http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...php?t=10210467

There is no "bad" profession, just a few that require more thought to play. Personally, I don't have the patience to play an assassin, but my mesmer rocks.

Also, check the wikis (we have two) for information on the different professions and secondaries.
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Main_Page
http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Main_Page

The first one is available in-game by typing /wiki in your chat bar.

Dante the Warlord · Oct 30, 2007, 09:03 PM // 21:03

Yes id suggest Nightfall first, it has inscribable weapons and treasure chests are VERY fun. I would also start with a monk sin ce a 55er is a perfect soloer and if you want to group, you can always get another set of armor and heal them. Perfect for you id say. PLus monks are in need and very useful, you will get snatched up in minutes and have everyone at your feet.

Shandril · Oct 30, 2007, 11:46 PM // 23:46

Glad some one is comming over to our side. I have been playing since it's first release, and I have three out of the four GW tales. If it was me I would start off with Nightfall. My reasoning is you can get proph. later and travel to it. You can go to GW:EN (sorry Eye Of The North) later as well. In nightfall I just finnished a Paragon Monk in 5 days. Started off as Level 1, and am now almost 20. Already have 5 Heroes, and can already get to Lions Arch in Proph. Don't get the wrong idea here. I'm almost 20, but haven't even touched the surface of Nightfall. The great thing about GW is you can go back and re-do missions and collect Elite Skills and Weapons etc. Also If you ever get tired of the game just switch it to hard mode, or farm, or create a new character. I have 6 plus 15-20 heroes. It can be equally as fun getting items for them and armor etc. The one thing is if you get purple and gold items make sure you know what the upgrades are. Sometimes an Upgrade is worth 7 to 10P when u extract it, but if you sell it in an item it might be worth less. Be ware of selling gold items to merchants. they will give u 380 for a near perfect gold staff of fortitude, but on the market its 5 to 10 times that. Just Wiki it. The game is a blast all in all.

Oct 30, 2007, 10:24 AM // 10:24	#23
SotiCoto Banned Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Drazach Thicket Guild: Temple of Zhen Xianren [Sifu]	Just a little perspective here: My first char was an Assassin. He still is an Assassin. He is the guy in my avatar at the front (Chae Soon).... Starting with an Assassin is jumping into Guild Wars at the Deep End. Not only is Factions EXTREMELY fast-paced as opposed to Nightfall and especially Prophecies (slow as buggery)... but the Assassin class is difficult to play well and VERY awkward to learn. That is to say that while a good Assassin is as good as (if not better than) a good Warrior .... a bad Assassin can be FAR worse than a bad Warrior (excepting when a nub Warrior survives in situations where a nub Assassin would die JUST long enough to aggro YET more enemies... which then makes the Warrior worse). You'd be quite shocked if you saw my Assassin's death-count (ironically the only char I have with a higher death-count is my Warrior... in Pre-Searing... who death-levels Charr). As such... where you should start and what as depends on your particular playing style. If you want a VERY gradual introduction to the game and a slow but steady progression then I'd recommend starting in Prophecies. If you want to jump head-first into the game and progress very quickly then I'd recommend starting in Factions (and if you want to challenge your learning ability, start Assassin). If you want a medium progression but focusing more on supporting characters than your own individual player-char then I'd recommend starting in Nightfall. And for the record.... you can solo (with herohench) ALL story-related content almost. There are a few parts of the game that are kinda awkward to herohench effectively (The Eternal Grove and Dzagonur Bastion come to mind)... but those aside... the AI is all the help you need. Certainly no 40-man raids. As for Casual play.... Pfah to that. If you play several hours a day then you're working your way out of the Casual Gaming rut and becoming a proper gamer... which is a good thing. I personally play about 5 or 6 hours a day, which constitutes the entirety of my free time on weekdays. On weekends it tends to extend to around 12 hours or more. I remember the time before I had a job when I could game in my every waking hour.... except when I had lectures... University time was good time, even if I was poor (and spent all my spare cash on games). These days I have money enough to have a MASSIVE game collection and very little time to play them. v_v; Last edited by SotiCoto; Oct 30, 2007 at 10:32 AM // 10:32..

Oct 30, 2007, 08:31 PM // 20:31	#29
Darcy Never Too Old Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Rhode Island where there are no GW contests Guild: Order of First Profession: W/R	Here's a link to the sticky in the Campfire section Assassin forum http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...php?t=10210467 There is no "bad" profession, just a few that require more thought to play. Personally, I don't have the patience to play an assassin, but my mesmer rocks. Also, check the wikis (we have two) for information on the different professions and secondaries. http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Main_Page http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Main_Page The first one is available in-game by typing /wiki in your chat bar. __________________ That's me, the old stick-in-the-mud non-fun moderator. (and non-understanding, also)

Oct 30, 2007, 08:28 AM // 08:28	#21
strcpy Desert Nomad Join Date: Jul 2005 Guild: One of Many [ONE]	I'll re-iterate some of what has been said just to make sure you remember this when the time comes: an assassin isn't a good new player class. There are exceptions to that - if you are a member of a guild that plays across many games, GW being one of them, and they are willing to endure your learning then go with it. However, short of that I would highly suggest otherwise. I do not care how long you have played video games (I've been playing since the very early 80's) you will find some games that are just mostly different - GW is one of them. You may be lucky in that you have played similar games (there is nothing new under the sun) and have little trouble, however the Assassin is still probably the most difficult class in the game to play well. I do not want to steer you away from them, while not my favorite class there is absolutely nothing wrong with them and they can be highly effective in a skilled players hands. But I would suggest you try an easier to play class first as you are most likely in for a world of frustration until you learn other game mechanics. At least give another character a go until level 20 and a little play time, something that happens fairly early in each campaign. For one thing, as an Assassin, you really need to have some level of understanding of what targets to hit and which ones to ignore - it is hard to get that your first time through. With warrior (or a few other classes) this isn't as vital to winning a quest/mission and you have time to learn what to do. Not to mention that even veteran players find an Assassin hard to play in an AI group. A melee AI leader needs to be in the thick of things selecting and calling targets, an assassin needs to stay back and let everyone do their thing and strike when the opportunity arises - it take a WHOLE lot more skill for an Assassin AI player than it does any other class. As for soloing - the H/H are only as good as you. I've cleared almost all of the game that one is physically allowed to use them and I'm not, by far, the best player. Before Factions was released some players took it upon themselves to do the mission/bonus of Prophecies mission using only the henchman (that is - no skills, no weapons, and no attributes spent on the human controlled character). They successfully did every mission with screens to prove it. I do not know if the archives here are old enough to find them, but they were there at one time. Personally I dread most of the last 10 or so missions (spread across the three campaigns) I need for a protector title even with Hench, Heroes, and not gimping myself. So, your mileage may vary on how easy you find them. I lack those few missions bonus/masters, a few dungeons in GWEN, and a few masters level quests, though I mostly haven't given them a go yet due to not really enjoying trying builds/strategies to clear those few areas. That is a VERY small part of the game. There are others who could not even complete the game without a human group, let alone clear most of the elite post-game areas. And, lastly, given the data from /age (hours played and months the account is active) I average around a little less than 2 hours a day. So yes, you can get by with 4 hours a day, especially if you hench/hero as they are always there and do not take any spamming of local to form a group

Oct 30, 2007, 08:42 AM // 08:42	#22
Yang Whirlwind ~ Retired ~ Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Copenhagen, Denmark (GMT +1) Profession: E/	I agree with strcpy that assassin isn't a good class if you're just starting - neither is mesmer for that matter! Go with something a little less complicated (that would be just about any other class). Personally I play around 3 hours a day on average - and consider myself a casual player. Guess the definition of "casual" is open for interpretation

Oct 30, 2007, 02:29 PM // 14:29	#25
Another Felldspar Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Sep 2006 Guild: Alchemy Incorporated Profession: Mo/E	Several people have talked about what campaign is the most fun as far as PvE is concerned, but the second part of your question dealt with being competitive in PvP. If you are going to be a 'sin in PvP (a strong choice btw) you're going to need both the Factions and Nightfall campaigns, or one of the campaigns and the PvP unlock pack for the other. Having a limited skill selection in PvP is not a good thing. Aye

Oct 30, 2007, 03:21 PM // 15:21	#27
Eddy_mc Pre-Searing Cadet Join Date: Sep 2007 Profession: W/Mo	Welcome, I was and still am to some extent a WOW player, I gave it up but have jumped back in when my love for pvp kicked in, I can jusp into wow and pvp for a bit and get points to get gear. Anyway, guildwars is so far removed from wow its a bit of a shock at first, the skill system seems stupid, and lacks flexibility to change from one attack style to another, but once you have played for a bit you realise that it s very good system, it does not take hours getting ready for encounters, once you have a basic build for your char and learn the basics of combat you will realise the genius in its simplicity. I have found the community a lot better in parts and sometimes worse, what I have found very strange is that some of the adults seem to behave like younger little brats we would get in wow, and the younger people seem to be a lot more mature, you will always find someone to help in 10 or so min, whereas in wow you could be waiting hours or days, cant find someone in your district, move to another one, if you arein europe, move to america etc, there is no problem of your friends rolling on another server and you not being ale to play with them, just move district and you are together, guilds also span over servers which is awsome. If you have factions it is very easy to hit lvl 20 in around 8-9 hours, my ele is 13 ad only 5 hours played, this takes away the days played to hit max lvl in wow which removes alot of the drive and addictions that wow have, so does being able to get max armor and weapons with not a lot of probems, this leaves a game down to skill and not time which is what I think all MMOs should be!!. Long live Guild Wars! P.S of there are any typos sorry Im in a rush and had a lot to say Grin P.P.S f you need any help just add me to your friends list. Eddy Lore of Might W/mo and Davd Copperfield E/Mo

Oct 30, 2007, 03:26 PM // 15:26	#28
Melei Hawke Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Apr 2007 Guild: SoF Profession: R/Mo	You have been given a lot of good advice and as you can see the opinions vary from one person to the next. If you are set on starting out as an assassin go ahead and give it a try. If you find yourself more frustrated and dead than playing just go back to these posts and realize that most suggested it was not a good first choice. Start a different character and go from there. If you are wanting an easy sample of the core professions you can start in any of the games and try out the different combinations of primary and secondary profession before you invest too much time. Playing some of the core professions even just a few levels will unlock basic skills so that when you do get heroes you have some options for them. It also gives you some insight on what the different professions are and do so that you know how to play against each class. Any skills you unlock on any character will be available to your heroes account wide. You always have the option to make a pvp character that is max level but without skills, runes and insignias unlocked this may be an exercise in frustration. Welcome to the wonderful world of Guild Wars! Have fun and don't be afraid to come back with questions or ask for help. You found a great site with a lot of experienced players, most of which are very willing to offer suggestions and help. If you get stuck come back and post, you will be surprised how much help you are offered

Oct 30, 2007, 09:03 PM // 21:03	#30
Dante the Warlord Desert Nomad Join Date: Jul 2006 Profession: W/R	Yes id suggest Nightfall first, it has inscribable weapons and treasure chests are VERY fun. I would also start with a monk sin ce a 55er is a perfect soloer and if you want to group, you can always get another set of armor and heal them. Perfect for you id say. PLus monks are in need and very useful, you will get snatched up in minutes and have everyone at your feet.

Oct 30, 2007, 11:46 PM // 23:46	#31
Shandril Ascalonian Squire Join Date: Oct 2007 Guild: Order Of The Phoenix Profession: W/Me	Glad some one is comming over to our side. I have been playing since it's first release, and I have three out of the four GW tales. If it was me I would start off with Nightfall. My reasoning is you can get proph. later and travel to it. You can go to GW:EN (sorry Eye Of The North) later as well. In nightfall I just finnished a Paragon Monk in 5 days. Started off as Level 1, and am now almost 20. Already have 5 Heroes, and can already get to Lions Arch in Proph. Don't get the wrong idea here. I'm almost 20, but haven't even touched the surface of Nightfall. The great thing about GW is you can go back and re-do missions and collect Elite Skills and Weapons etc. Also If you ever get tired of the game just switch it to hard mode, or farm, or create a new character. I have 6 plus 15-20 heroes. It can be equally as fun getting items for them and armor etc. The one thing is if you get purple and gold items make sure you know what the upgrades are. Sometimes an Upgrade is worth 7 to 10P when u extract it, but if you sell it in an item it might be worth less. Be ware of selling gold items to merchants. they will give u 380 for a near perfect gold staff of fortitude, but on the market its 5 to 10 times that. Just Wiki it. The game is a blast all in all.