PvP question from a new player

I just bought guildwars yesterday and have some questions regarding pvp. I'm currently an avid pvper in City of Villains/Heroes and was very active in Star Wars galaxies before the change over to the first person shooter. Currently in CoV's there are builds that do terrible in pvp but great for pve. Then there are builds that flat out are better than anything else for pvp. If I was building a character specifically for competative guildwar pvp, what would you suggest and why?

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/f...splay.php?f=30

I'd try this section, regarding PvP builds and discussions. There are 6-8-10 (10 when nightfall hits retail) characters to choose from, I suggest you give them all a whirl, see what suits you.

Depends on what profession you are. All the professions are potentially viable for PvP, and indeed, many top ranked guilds run all sorts of professions on their builds. The three main professions for GvG you see on most builds are Monks, Warriors, Elementalists and Mesmers. Most teams include all of them. The next would probably be Ranger, then Necromancers. Assassins and Ritualist probably tie for the last place, especially Ritualists (due to their immobile nature), but can still be used effectively. This is from a strictly GvG perspective, however.

Wow, so this game actually has some pvp balance? What a breath of fresh air.

I'd suggest looking at all the premades, reading them, then going into random arenas or Isle of the Nameless and just get a feel for the builds.

For a necromancer, take Life Transfer + life siphon, that always good.
And you can look up PvP builds on this site.

Disagree. Life Transfer is one of the worst elites available
I suggest making a 'shock axe'. It's a premade, but it works very well. It's easy to play, but very effective.
DO NOT MAKE A WARRIOR/MONK. It may seem tempting, but in the end you'll just figure out it's not that good and everyone just thinks you're retarded. You can't help that, it's just the image wammo's have. another really good premade is the 'cripshot ranger'. A ranger with disortion is close to invincible, and you can spread out conditions very easily. The 'boon prot' used to be one of the greatest builds ever created, but with a slight nerf to the skill divine boon it's really lacking efficiency agains enchant removals. a 'Blessed Light' monk is very good, just be careful with your energy.

If you have no clue what I just said, don't worry. You will once you start playing. I suggest one of these 3 premades (shock axe, cripshot ranger, blessed light) to find out what suits you. You might wanna try an e-surger as well, and I don't really know the other builds lol.

And yes, GW has PvP balance. In fact its balance is so good that it's the only game with a truly professional upper-community.

This is still true in GW, but not at the level of class (Warrior, Monk, etc.). As mentioned, every class has been used in GvG with success. However, not all skills were created equal.

For instance, a warrior could take damage-increasing stances, or he could take damage-avoiding stances. The latter actually has a place in pve (notably solo farming), but almost none in organized pvp. Nobody is going to sit and beat on a warrior with a stance up.

What class are you interested in first of all?

The biggest key to playing an RP character in pvp is to get your max armor and a Vigor rune (superior vigor is the best of course, although expensive/rare)

My suggestion would be to simply make a few pvp characters and play each of the classes until you find something that you like. Warriors are definately the easiest to not F-Upl; and Mesmers & Ritualists are probably the hardest to play "effectively" due to the nature of their skills.

For necro its easy- pve = MM pvp = bloodspiker or Spiteful Spirit-based build.

It took me days before I was actually able to do anything in PvP when i first started playing, dont let it (trash talking, quitters, etc) bring you down- its a well rewarding learning curve.

Thanks so much guys for all the great feedback. I'm thinking about going Monk/. Would that be a good starting class and if so, what secondary would be the best combo for pvp?

monk/mesmer for inspiration line where you will need to use to get energy.

Monk is usually the primary target since he heals the team so it may be difficult/discouraging at first since the other team will be out to kill you first.
Try a ranger or warrior if you want to get a feel for how the game works pvp-wise as they are harder to kill in general and expand from there.

Monk is the hardest class in general, I'd start with something easier. Necro or Ranger would be my suggestion.

BTW I played SWG back in the day, and also quit with that stupid ass NGE. This game is totally different than an MMO like SWG or WoW. And yes, it is quite balanced.

Thing about GW is that if you feel your class or skillset is weak, you can switch to another quickly and easily. A class is a temporary decision, not a way of life in GW.