Guild Wars - Beginner's Guide
Beginners Guide to Guild Wars
Promote quality, discourage crap.
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Table of Contents
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I. Introduction
II. Version History
III. The Basics of Guild Wars
N1. Hero (H)
N2. Skills
N3. Combat
N4. Partying and Quests
N5. Gear & Items
N6. Saving GP
N7. Observer Mode (B) & FAQ About Observer Mode
IV. Choosing the Class that is Best For You
C1. Ranger
C2. Monk
C3. Warrior
C4. Mesmer
C5. Necromancer
C6. Elementalist
C7. Assassin (Not currently playable)
C8. Ritualist (Not currently playable)
V. Introduction to PvP
P1. Zaishen Challenges
Z1. Isle of the Nameless
Z2. Zaishen Challenge
Z3. Zaishen Elite
P2. Learning Your Role
L1. Warrior
L2. Mesmer
L3. Elementalist
L4. Monk
L5. Necromancer
L6. Ranger
P3. The Premades
S0. Build Format and Disclaimer (Yes that is a Zero)
S1. Spell Slasher
S2. Warriors Bane
S3. Minion Master
S4. Pyromancer
S5. Ice Blighter
S6. Protection Healer
S7. DW Healer
S8. Abominable Snowman
S9. Paladin
S10. IVEX Trapper
S11. Fi Boon Healer
P4. Better Builds: CA/Single Player Builds
A1. Melandrus Warrior
A2. True Warriors Bane
A3. Boon Prot (Mo/Me)
A4. Shattered Necromancer
A5. Battle Rager
A6. KD Warrior
A7. Toucher
A8. Illusionary Weapon Master
A9. Misty Eyes
A10. Monks Nightmare
A11. Enduring Warrior
VI. Terminology
VII. Emote List
VIII. Guild Creation & Conscription
IX. FAQ
Q1. General Game Related Questions
Q2. Guild Related Questions
Q3. Miscellaneous Questions
Q4. Chapter II Questions
X. Contact Information
XI. Credits
XII. Copyright Information
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I. Introduction
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Hello! Chances are you are reading this because you have just gotten into
Guild Wars and want to know the basics of it before you dive right into it. If
that is the case then welcome to the wonderful world of Guild Wars! If you are
a seasoned veteran, then remember to bear with all the Newbies you will see in-
game. You were one at one point as well! When I first started this guide, I
did it out of a love for Guild Wars and the community. To the casual player
this may sound a little weird, but having followed Guild Wars since July 2004
and having played every single beta yet, I felt like it was time to start
giving something back to the community.
I used to think that anyone who did a guide for Gamefaqs was a loser with too
much free time on their hands, but this is not the case. Some people are just
compelled to write this kind of thing. This guide combined 3 things that I
really like; Writing, Helping out, and playing Guild Wars.
Having said that, I hope you enjoy and find my guide to be useful.
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II. Version History
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Version 0.5- Finished up the majority of the guide
Version 1.0- Finished the original guide for GWU
Version 2.0- Added several new parts to the guide and fixed it up for posting
at Gamefaqs
Version 2.3- Redid some parts due to changes in retail, added an FAQ section as
well as a few new explanations on the guide itself. So stop e-mailing me about
the Dye Traders :)
Version 2.6- Added more to FAQ section, added a Terminology section, explained
Bork! Bork! Bork!
Version 2.8- Added emote list, added to FAQ section, added Guild Creation
section. Also added a section or two here and there and revised spelling.
Version 3.0- A few minor tweaks and content additions here and there, guide is
probably done unless a new feature is added in the future to GW(Update, okay so
I lied :P).
Version 3.1- Updated contact information, added a few new questions to FAQ
section.
Version 3.4- Gave the entire guide a facelift and categorized the information
section.
Version 3.6- Observer mode, detailed class choosing information, and a few
other tweaks here and there.
Version 4.0- Probably last update before Factions hits, added info on
Ritualist, Assassin, added to FAQ section, and an entire section devoted to
PvP. Possibly my biggest update yet. :)
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III. The Basics of Guild Wars
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Before you can run head-first into Guild Wars, there are some basic subjects
that you need to understand first.
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N1. Hero (H)
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Hero (H) refers to the Hero menu, opened by pressing the H key by default.
This is where you will be doing all your attribute tweaking and stat tracking
from.
+Attributes- To open your attribute table, press H (Assigned by default). Here
you will notice a listing of the available attributes. These attributes will
vary based on what character class you chose for a primary. For example, a
Ranger will have listed Wilderness Survival, Expertise, Marksmanship, and Beast
Mastery. It will also tell you how many points are needed to raise the skill
to the next level. Each attributes max is level 12 unless you obtain skill
runes to raise it further. Each class also has an attribute that is available
to only the Primary class. To gain attribute points to raise these skills you
must gain experience points and levels.
+Experience Points- Experience Points (Or XP for short) are gained through
killing monsters and the completion of quests. The higher the level of the
monster is, the bigger the XP reward is for killing it. You will notice a bar
in this screen as well as a bar on the interface itself that says your level
and has a bar below it. As you gain XP this bar will slowly fill up. You can
check the bar in your Attribute Table to see exactly how much more XP you have
to go before you level up. Currently the maximum level you can obtain is level
20.
+Fame & Ranks-This is related strictly to PvP. By winning matches in the
Heroes Ascent you gain points of Fame. After getting a certain number of
Fame points your Rank will increase by one and you will be given an emote that
you can use to show off your accomplishment.
+Faction Points- Faction is gained from kills/victories in PvP/GvG. With
faction you are able to unlock upgrades/skills/runes for use in PvP only
characters. You do NOT get these items directly; you only unlock them for the
account itself. Different amounts are gained based on the PvP areas you fight
in.
Arena Victory: 25 in Team/Competition Arenas, 10 in Shiverpeak Arena, 2
in Ascalon Arena
Arena Bonus for 5 Consecutive Victories: 25 in Team/Competition Arenas,
10 in Shiverpeak Arena, 5 in Ascalon Arena
Arena Bonus for Flawless Victory: 25 in Team/Competition Arenas, 10 in
Shiverpeak Arena, 5 in Ascalon Arena
Tournament/Tombs Victory: 100 in the first map, 200 in later missions,
400 in the Hall of Heroes
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N2. Skills
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+Skill Points-Skill Points are another essential part of Guild Wars. Through
gaining levels you also gain Skill Points. You can also obtain them by
completing some quests and you will get one per mission you complete in
addition to getting more by gaining Ranks from having Fame. Every time you
purchase a skill from a Skill Trainer one point is deducted from your total.
Even after you achieve level 20 you can still get more skill points by filling
up your XP bar. Granted, you will not get extra attribute points for this but
you will get one skill point for it. The amount of GP a skill costs is
increased per skill you purchase, in increments of 10gp.
+Skills-Skills are a defining part of your character. Some skills enhance your
attack; Judges Insight gives your attacks a 20% armor penetration. Other
skills like the Elementalists Flare attack deals fire damage to a target.
Every time you obtain a new skill, the skill is "Unlocked" for your account.
Meaning that any PvP character you make will have immediate access to this
skill. Most skills cost a portion of your mana to cast, but some use
adrenaline instead. Lets take a look at a skill called Smite.
The 10 with the blue circle next to it represents the mana consumed by casting
Smite. The 1 with the clock next to it represents the cast time for the spell,
for this one it takes 1 second to cast it. Lastly, the 10 with the curled
arrow represents the recharge time for the spell, for Smite it takes 10 seconds
before the spell is usable again. Adrenaline skills are a bit different
however. Adrenaline is how a Warrior charges up many of their skills for use.
Each time they hit someone they gain a hit of adrenaline in their adrenaline
charger. When this charger reaches the amount necessary to use an Adrenaline
Skill, the skill is then usable. Skills are obtained by purchasing them from
Skill Trainers, obtaining them by completing a quest, and by using Signets of
Capture on bosses. There are also skills that are called Elite because they
are extremely potent skills. You may carry only one Elite skill into any given
battle and they are obtained exclusively through Signet of Captures.
+Skill Trainers-Skill trainers are the people who will teach you some of your
skills. The majority of your skills, however, will come from Quests you obtain
from NPCs. For one skill point and some GP (GP amount based on the number of
skills you have purchased) you may purchase a skill from the Trainer. Many of
the Official Guild Wars fan sites have lists of where the Skill Trainers are
and what skills each one offers.
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N3. Combat
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+Basic Combat-To begin combat, you must first go to either an explorable area,
a mission, or a PvP area. Before you can stand a chance at winning, you must
first have a weapon equipped. To begin attacking, simply click on the desired
target and your character will run to them to attack. If you are using a
ranged weapon, then your character will get within the minimum distance
required to attack and will then do so. Use skills to inflict greater damage
on your enemy and to heal yourself if it becomes necessary. Many of these
require mana, so keep an eye on your mana bar as you attack. If you find
yourself losing the battle, then you can attempt to run away. Most enemies
will chase you for quite a long distance before disengaging. Your HP will
slowly regenerate so long as you do not get hit but so will your targets, your
mana will regenerate regardless of your total HP. Some skills will hinder your
ability to regenerate mana for a short time such as Panic and Ether Lord should
they be casted on you. If your party dies in a mission then it is game over,
if you die in an explorable area then you will be taken to the nearest
Resurrection Shrine and resurrected with a Death Penalty. For each time you
die, you will suffer a temporary loss of -15% health and mana. You can slowly
work this penalty off by killing monsters or gaining morale boosts which will
give you a +2% or by leaving the area entirely and warping back to a town or
outpost. Gaining morale boosts when you do not have a DP to work off will give
you a bonus to your life and mana up to +10%. If you get down to a -60% DP
then you will not auto revive and must be revived directly by a teammate. Note
that this applies to PvP only.
+Target Calling/Following the Target-Sometimes when you are playing you may
notice a message pop up from another player that says, Im attacking X target!
Press T to attack my target! This is referred to as a Target Call. To target
call, hold control and double click the target of your choice. People Target
Call in order to focus attacks on one central target and thus kill them
extremely quickly, usually they designate a person to carry out this job; they
are most often referred to as a Target Caller. In PvE, it is always a good
idea to first target the monk type healer, whether it is a Charr Shaman or a
White Mantle Abbot, a mob without a healer is as good as dead. Following the
Target Call greatly increases your chance of survival by quickly eliminating
key targets.
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N4. Partying and Quests
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+Forming a Party-When you are forming a party to head out on a mission or
quest, you should form a balanced party. You want to have a balanced party to
ensure that you survive the mission to completion. In Old Ascalon it isnt
really anything you need to consider since you form parties of 2 people and the
monsters are pretty easy. Later on though, you should put some thought into
the process. Ideally a four person party consists of a tank, a nuker, and at
least one healer. The fourth slot you may do with as you please. A six person
team should be constructed similarly but you may want to have 2 healers as
opposed to just one and an extra tank with you. An 8 person team is ideally 2
Healing Monks, a Protection Monk, 1-2 Tanks, A Nuker, an Anti-Caster, and
whatever else you want. Making an unbalanced party is a recipe for disaster in
most cases.
+Missions & Quests-Missions are the meat of the game; they are what advances
the main story and introduces you to new areas and towns. Missions only occur
in areas that have missions, such as The Wilds or Fort Ranik. Before heading
out on a mission you should gather yourself a party. This party should have AT
LEAST one primary healer, a tank, a caster (Preferably an Elementalist nuker),
and then whatever you want for the rest of the slots. Quests work much
differently then missions do. To get a quest, simply look for a NPC with an
exclamation mark over their head. Talk to them and they will explain their
dilemma to you and should you choose to, you can accept the quest that they
want you to go on. Keep track of this quest by going to your quest log (L) and
select it as your active quest. An arrow will appear on the compass that will
tell you what direction you need to go in to complete the quest and will also
appear on the main map (M).
+Talk to People!-Before you head out of town, take a moment to talk to the
NPCs. Some of them offer tidbits of information on the storyline; others will
offer you a quest to play through. Either way, it never hurts to talk to
people and you can only gain from doing so.
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N5. Gear & Items
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+Inventory- To fight you need weapons of course. To equip one press I, that
will get you to the inventory. There you can see your backpack space, your
character view and your equipped items. You can drag equip-able items to/from
the backpack space, and later on, you will be able to buy bags and a belt pouch
witch will grant you more inventory space, and theyll work like the backpack.
There are also runes for purchase later on that will double the space of a bag
when used on it. You also have 4 quick item setups configurable. By default the
first is selected, but you can change with F1-F4 keys by default, and you can
set all of them up. You can also use them to configure two weapon sets (like
sword and shield for warriors) or 4 two handed weapons (like bows).
+Item selling / trading / modifying NPCs-There are some NPCs in the Guild
Wars world who you can talk with in order to get some items you will need in
your adventures.
* Collector
- You can find collectors throughout the World. They will offer you a
selection of items if you bring them what they ask for. You will know an item
is for a collector if it is not a weapon and does not mention craft material in
the description.
* Crafter
- The crafter is one of the most visited NPCs of Guild Wars. They can
craft you important items if you get the needed raw materials and their payment
for them. This way you can get hold of new armor and rare raw materials. You
can mostly sell items to a crafter, or perhaps you can customize your weapon.
Customizing a weapon will add +20% damage for it which is very significant, but
it also makes the weapon only equipable by you, thus making you unable to sell
it to anyone at a decent price.
* Dye Trader
- Traders currently are in Ascalon City, Lions Arch, Denravi, The
Amnoon Oasis, and Droknars Forge.
*Outfitter
- He is also a very important NPC. He sells you starter weapons, dye
removers, salvage and identify kits (read about them later), Runes of Holding,
and Bags. You can mostly sell your loot to him too.
* Weapon smith
- These guys can create new weaponry and foci (Plural of focus). In
addition to this they can customize your weapons for 20% bonus damage, but keep
in made that customized weapons can be used only by the character they are
customized to.
+Salvage Kits- With salvage kits, you can get raw materials from an item. Raw
materials you get depend on what the item was made of. For example you can get
steel from swords, or wood from bows. There are two types of Salvage Kits. ,
the normal and the expert ones. With expert salvage kits, you can get rare
crafting materials and runes out of salvaged items. Salvaging is a good idea if
you get salvage items (You can only salvage and sell them) or if you want to
get rid of an older customized item of yours, as the trader usually doesnt
give you much of anything.
+Identify Kits- With these you can identify unique and rare items and runes.
That way you unlock the item in your PvP character generator, so you will be
able to use with any PvP character you create. You will also get more money for
it if you sell it to an NPC (not recommended).
+Dyes- With dyes you can color your Armor. This is purely graphical and is only
for fun and individuality. You can also mix dyes to get new colors from them.
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N6. Saving GP
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If you are just starting out, Gold will be something that is most likely going
to be difficult to come by. So listed below are some quick tips to conserving
your hard earned gold pieces
1. Do not buy from players. Do not buy green items. Until you get further
into the game and get a decent GP flow, you are only going to get ripped off
buying from other people.
2. Do not sell your Black Dye in Pre Searing. Black Dye is the most sought
after dye, and is generally worth 7-8k from the Dye Trader.
3. Exchange items with the collectors whenever possible. For more information
on collectors and what they posses, please see hahnsoos excellent guide to
Collector Items, located just below mine in the FAQ Index.
4. Be wise about selling. If you find something you think might be worth
something, ask around and find out.
5. Use the right salvage kit. For example, Bows will ALWAYS yield wood when
you salvage them with a Normal or Expert Salvage Kit. If it is magic it may
have a bow grip or a string, in which case you have about a 75% chance of
getting the upgrade if you salvage it out.
6. Dont buy what you dont need.
7. Sometimes being unable to kill monsters does not mean you need to go out and
buy a new weapon, often it is that you have a messy skill bar or Attribute
layout. Also remember that you can customize a weapon for a 20% damage boost.
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N7. Observer Mode (B) & FAQ About Observer Mode
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Added December 21st, Observer Mode allows anyone inside of a town, outpost, or
Guild Hall (Basically anywhere but a combat zone) to view matches going on in
Tombs or a RATED GvG. The catch? The only matches that show up are the ones
involving a guild ranked 100 or better. Even if in a tombs match you dont see
a guild that is 100, it is often not on the cover (What you see when you press
B and is listed as Others. An example would be Unnatural Signets team vs.
Others). Each shown match is delayed 15 minutes to prevent cheating. You can
chat with others watching the matches, but sadly a lot of it is just random
chatter, people recruiting for guilds, and people trying to sell items
There
are also the people who talk like they know what is going on but really havent
even the most remote clue as to what is up. And of course trash talk a top
ranked guild for getting beaten by a lower ranked one, even though the trash
talkers guild has probably never GvGd or is sadly ranked.
*Ahem*, but enough of my ramblings. There are a lot of questions that are
asked in Observer Mode, and its the same old questions over and over again.
So I will attempt to answer these questions as best as I can.
Q: Is Observer Mode live?
A: Observer Mode works on a 15 minute delay, so what you see happened
approximately 15 minutes ago.
Q: How long do the matches last?
A: Depends on who is playing really. Some last but five minutes, others can go
on for an hour or more. We once got owned by iQ in 4 minutes flat
Q: Why are there so many of X?
A: Either the guild doesnt know what it is doing, or it is part of a build as
to why they have so many of a certain class.
Q: How do I exit?
A: Press B again.
Q: Is the Hall of Heroes match really called the Hall of Heroes?
A: Yes.
Q: Can I record this somehow?
A: Unless you have a third party program such as Fraps or Gamecam, no you
cannot.
Q: Will other things be shown using Observer Mode?
A: The update said, and I quote: Other special event games will also be
available for viewing.. So I bet that it will be used to possibly broadcast
the World Championships in Taipei or other similarly important events.
Q: Can they see what Im typing?
A: No, unless of course the match is over by the time it becomes observable and
the combatants are in the channel also watching. :P
Q: LIKE ZOMGBBQ THAT TEAM GOT OWNEDD!!!1111ONE
A: Cool.
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IV. Choosing the Class that is Best for You
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The descriptions of the classes are that of the Guild Wars team, and are posted
because they do a much more eloquent job of describing them than I could.
Everything besides the introductory paragraph of each class is my work,
however.
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C1. Ranger
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Rangers are unique in their ability to succeed with the help of, or even in
spite of, their environment. Nature rituals allow them to manipulate the
environment to hinder their enemies, or borrow the very power of creation to
heal and aid their allies. They favor long-range combat, the bow being their
weapon of choice, and can be especially effective from elevated locations such
as bridges and cliffs. They are the only profession with the ability to charm
animals, which then accompany them on their travels and assist them in battle,
gaining experience and levels over time. Rangers are also blessed with survival
skills that help keep them alive.
Expertise: Points in Expertise decrease the energy cost of all skills.
Wilderness Survival: Improves damage of the linked attribute skills.
Marksmanship: Improves the damage of linked attribute skills and makes your
bows deal more damage.
Beast Mastery: Improves damage of the linked attribute skill and strengthens
your animal companion.
Commonly asked question: How much energy does X cost at X Expertise?
Made this in my free time back in beta, should still be the same.
Expertise Amount 5EC 10EC 15EC 25EC
0 5 10 15 25
1 5 10 14 24
2 5 9 14 23
3 4 9 13 22
4 4 8 13 21
5 4 8 12 20
6 4 8 11 19
7 4 7 11 18
8 3 7 10 17
9 3 6 9 16
10 3 6 9 15
11 3 6 8 14
12 3 6 8 13
13 2 5 7 12
14 2 5 7 11
15 2 4 6 10
16 2 4 6 9
Find an error? E-mail me.
Secondary Options
R/Mo: You can pack a hard Res (A Hard Res is something like Restore Life or
Resurrect, not a Resurrection Signet) and if you really wanted to some self
healing like Healing Breeze. A good later combo here is to cast Judges
Insight on yourself, and then to just mow through your targets with your new
found power.
R/N: You can make use of some Blood spells for added damage, and you can
utilize them for added Damage Over Time. Only thing I would honestly use is
Plague Touch, to keep yourself condition free and to hurt the enemy.
R/E: Conjure , + Barrage or other attacks = Good damage.
R/W: Not the best choice for PvE in my opinion, unless you plan on actually
using the /W to attack with (Axe, Hammer, Sword) I wouldnt go /W. However, if
you are confident in yourself and plan to only use your primary, this is also a
VERY good choice. Because you are in the back with your Bow, Frenzy makes for
an excellent attack speed booster, and it is very safe if you make proper use
of it.
R/Me: Stacking DoT is very easy to do here, so you can get some decent damage
going fairly easily. Pretty decent choice.
What I recommend: R/Mo or R/N or R/E.
What I went with in PvE: R/N.
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C2. Monk
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Monks employ a direct conduit to the gods, and the answers to their prayers
come in the form of healing and protection for their allies and damage to their
enemies. Combined with any other profession, Monks can alternate between
supporting their party and dealing damage to opponents. Monks enjoy Divine
Favor, which provides extra healing power, while their healing and Protection
Prayers help to keep their allies strong and healthy. Smiting Prayers, on the
other hand, call down divine anger on enemies, exacting holy damage that
ignores armor, though damage-dealing is not the Monks specialty. What Monks
lack in firepower they make up for with their unparalleled gift for keeping
their allies alive.
Divine Favor: Improves spells in attribute line, any MONK spell you cast on an
ally gets a bonus in healing based on amount of DF. The amount is 3 per point
in Divine Favor.
Healing Prayers: Improves spells in attribute line healing wise.
Protection Prayers: Improves spells in attribute line.
Smiting Prayers: Improves damage of the spells and duration on some.
Because Monks are almost always not doing damage, I will focus on keeping
yourself alive and your party here with the secondary options.
Secondary Options
Mo/Me- Very good energy management options here. Channeling is a great skill
for energy management once you get it. Only thing is that it forces you to get
a little close to the enemy, which can kill you.
Mo/N- Offering of Blood is your best option here, but you wont get it for a
very long time.
Mo/R- Melandrus Resilience is the only energy gainer here, but is risky due to
needing Hexes/Conditions to operate.
Mo/W- Bonnetis Defense is too situational and your only option.
Mo/E- Unless you are using a lot of Heal Party or Aegis, the glyphs wont do
much good for you.
What I recommend: Mo/N or Mo/Me.
What I went with: PvE wise, I do Mo/N for healing, Mo/Me for protection
monking.
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C3. Warrior
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Warriors rely on stout hearts, brute strength, and melee weapons to subdue
their enemies and protect their allies. They generally disdain long-range
warfare, preferring instead to charge directly into the fray swinging their
weapon of choice. They can take a beating unlike anyone else. Warriors are
equally comfortable wielding axe, hammer, or sword, though many choose to
master one weapon over all others. Many Warrior skills require adrenaline,
which builds up during combat to enable those skills, and usually results in
major damage. Defensive tactics help the Warrior to avoid damage and protect
allies, but Strength is the Warriors biggest asset, allowing this hero to do
more damage with every attack.
Strength- Improves the skills in the attribute line, adds 1% bonus armor
penetration to attacks.
Swordsmanship- Improves damage of the skills in the attribute line.
Hammer Mastery- Improves damage of the skills in the attribute line.
Axe Master- Improves damage of the skills in the attribute line.
Tactics- Improves the skills in the attribute line.
Secondary Options
W/Mo- The Paladin. You WILL get hated on at some point in your trek through
the game. W/Mo is generally associated with Newbies. W/Mo is the standard
solo character besides invinci monks. You can do good damage, keep yourself
alive, and solo parts of the game no problem here.
W/Me- Not a viable PvE option.
W/N- Okay PvE option, though all I see worthwhile is again Plague Touch.
W/E- Good option if you use hammers. Earth line is what your interest will be
in if you swing a hammer. You could also choose an Element and use a Conjure
out of one of them, just make sure you have a matching weapon hilt (Icy, Fiery,
and Shocking).
W/R- IWAY
I mean, this option is fairly decent. You can Apply Poison to your
weapons and attack for a bonus Damage Over Time effective, or you can get
Tigers Fury out of the Beast Mastery line and use that for an attack speed
boost.
What I recommend: W/Mo or W/R or W/E
What I went with: W/Mo up until I could change my secondary, then I unlocked
all the secondaries and I just switch between them as I feel like. I have a
weapon/skills for each type of weapon.
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C4. Mesmer
---------------------------------
Mesmers are masters of illusion and control, subverting the enemys Energy for
their own use, and that of their allies. Combined with any other profession,
their skills provide excellent support, turning enemies powers against them
and changing the very fabric of reality to hinder foes and help allies. Mesmers
have the ability to cast spells quickly, which can make all the difference in
the heat of battle. Their powers of domination allow them to take control of
enemy skills and Energy. Their unique illusionary talents can slow or even halt
enemy movement and skill casting, or cause imaginary illnesses that drain
Health and Energy from foes while healing and energizing allies. While Mesmers
are not known for brute strength, their ability to confuse, distract, and drain
the enemys resources more than compensates.
Fast Casting- Improves casting speed of all SPELLS. I really dont know the
exact numbers here, but I generally have 8 Fast Casting+1 from a minor rune or
so.
Domination Magic- Improves damage of the skills in the attribute line and
duration of some skills.
Illusion Magic- Improves damage of the skills in the attribute line and
duration of some skills.
Inspiration Magic- Improves damage of the skills in the attribute line and
duration of some skills.
Secondary Options
Me/Mo- Unless you plan on using some smiting from the /Mo (Only thing Id
really use would be Scourge Healing) or want to heal for some reason, I
wouldnt go /Mo.
Me/W- Not a good choice for PvE in most cases.
Me/N- You can get some good hex synergy going later in the game, and can backup
your party with some Blood Skills. An okay choice.
Me/E- Not a good choice for PvE, you just dont have a good enough energy pool
like the Elementalist primary.
Me/R- Worst choice.
What I recommend: Really when I had a PvE Mesmer, I never used my secondary.
So Id say just go Me/N, or if you want to unlock skills for PvP, choose the
secondary that you will never have as a Primary.
What I went with: Me/N, just because I needed unlocks.
---------------------------------
C5. Necromancer
---------------------------------
Necromancers are masters of the dark arts, calling on the spirits of the dead,
and even death itself, to overpower enemies and assist allies. In sacrificing
Health and taking curses and diseases upon themselves, they can deal large
amounts of damage to those foolish enough to oppose them. Dead and dying
enemies become unwilling allies in their hands. Necromancers have the singular
ability to absorb Energy from an enemys death, and can raise a fighting force
from the corpses of their foes. Curses, which often cost the Necromancer
dearly, exact an even greater toll from enemies, who find that their
Enchantments and healing skills are rendered useless. Due to the sacrificial
nature of their methods, Necromancers must practice patience and self-
discipline to survive.
Soul Reaping- For each person who dies in the area, you will receive 1 energy.
Blood Magic- Improves damage of the skills in the attribute line and duration
of some skills.
Death Magic- Improves damage of the skills in the attribute line and duration
of some skills and improves minions.
Curses- Improves damage of the skills in the attribute line and duration of
some skills.
Secondary Options
N/Mo- If you want to be a Minion Master, this is probably the best way to go.
If you dont want to be a Minion Master, I would pass up this choice.
N/E- Like the Me/E, you lack a strong enough energy pool to make effective use
of this secondary.
N/Me- Very good choice here. The hexes from both sides synergize together
very, very, very well.
N/W- Bad choice, Necromancer lacks strong armor to keep him alive when he is in
the thick of it all.
N/R- If you wanted a pet for support of your Minions, go with this option.
Otherwise, the skills are mostly useless for what you will be doing.
What I Recommend: N/Me, if you want to be a Minion Master go N/Mo.
What I went with: Ive never had a PvE Necromancer, though I would go with N/Me
if I did.
---------------------------------
C6. Elementalist
---------------------------------
Elementalists summon the powers of earth, air, fire, and water and command them
at will. They can inflict more damage in a single strike than any other
profession. Earth Magic summons quakes and eruptions, encases enemies in stone,
or protects allies. Air Magic harnesses the power of tempests to strike foes
down with lightning or enable allies to run like the wind. Fire Magic manifests
flames, fireballs, molten lava, and even meteors to burn enemies to a crisp.
Water Magic conjures mist and ice to slow enemy movement and attacks, blur
vision, protect allies against magic, and inflict cold damage on enemies.
Elementalists have access to Energy regenerating skills, and when chosen as a
primary character, they can increase their maximum Energy over time. The wise
Elementalist avoids becoming surrounded, but keeps a local area-of-effect spell
on hand just in case.
Energy Storage- For each point in energy storage, you get 3 bonus energy.
Fire Magic- Improves damage of the skills in the attribute line and duration of
some skills.
Water Magic- Improves damage of the skills in the attribute line and duration
of some skills.
Earth Magic- Improves damage of the skills in the attribute line and duration
of some skills.
Air Magic- Improves damage of the skills in the attribute line and duration of
some skills.
Secondary Options
E/Mo- Unless you want to Heal (E/Mos make okay healers), dont go with this
option.
E/Me- Very good choice here. What you want are the skills you get further into
the game, such as Arcane Echo.
E/N- Okay choice, you can keep conditions off with Plague Touch or heal
yourself a little.
E/W- Bad choice, not quite as bad if you use Earth Magic with armor skills from
that side.
E/R- No reason to go this way except for unlocks.
What I recommend: E/Mo or E/Me or E/N.
What I went with: E/R, purely for unlocks. At the time I had no desire for a
PvE Ranger.
---------------------------------
C7. Assassin (Confirmed for Chapter II, not currently in-game)
---------------------------------
Assassins are an interesting class. For one, they have the ability to dual
wield. While the damage on the two weapons is a bit lower then anything else,
they still can put out amazing damage. Assassin skills work differently then
most others, working in combo chains. You must first use a Lead Attack,
followed by a Dual Attack, and finally a Off-hand Attack. If you try to use
one before the other, they will miss. Assassins also gain energy per critical
hit, allowing them to keep up their chains painlessly. If one attack from your
combo is blocked or misses, then the entire chain is ruined.
Critical Strikes- For each level of Critical Strikes you have, you gain
an additional 1% chance to critical hit. You will receive 2 energy per
critical hit.
Dagger Mastery- Dagger Mastery increases the damage you do with daggers
and your chance to inflict a critical hit when using a dagger. Skills
linked to Dagger Mastery also become stronger..
Deadly Arts- Improves damage of related skills.
Shadow Arts- Improves damage of related skills.
Secondary Options (To be filled out)
A/Me-
A/R-
A/W-
A/Ri-
A/N-
A/E-
A/Mo-
What I recommend:
What I went with:
---------------------------------
C8. Ritualist (Confirmed for Chapter II, not currently in-game)
---------------------------------
Relying mostly on Spirits, the Ritualist is going to be a ground-breaking
class. They can also double as Monks, casting spells that benefit allies in
the area or make them harder to kill. They even have buffs that can be casted
on allies to increase their damage potential.
Channeling Magic: Improves damage/duration of related skills.
Communing: Improves damage/duration of related skills.
Restoration Magic: Improves damage/duration of related skills.
Spawning Power: For each point in Spawning Power, your conjured Spirits
get a 4% bonus to their HP. Also improves damage/duration of related
skills.
Secondary Options (To be filled out)
Ri/N-
Ri/W-
Ri/R-
Ri/Me- Mantra of Resolve for-the-win.
Ri/E-
R/Mo-
What I recommend: Though the class isnt even out, and I barely played it
during the first preview event, I can already tell that Ri/Me will probably be
the best choice. With the extremely long cast times of all the sprits, Mantra
of Resolve would be VERY useful in keeping your Rituals from being interrupted.
What I went with: If I decide to make a Ritualist, I will definitely go Ri/Me
------------------------------------------------------
V. Introduction to PvP
------------------------------------------------------
Ah yes, PvP. Player vs. Player combat is quite possibly the highlight of Guild
Wars. By not going into PvP you will miss out on a good portion of the game
and a good amount of fun and glory. PvP is not an easy thing to get in to, and
finding a decent group for Heroes Ascent when you are just starting out is
very difficult. I can remember when I first got into Tomb of the Primeval
Kings (The old HA), finding a group was insanely difficult and I was a pretty
bad player for the most part. :) But perserverance paid off and I eventually
found a good Dual E/Mo smite group that I played with fairly often and
eventually managed to get enough fame for Rank 3 out of it. One thing lead to
another, and now Im up to having 2,301 fame (Rank 7) and have won and held
Hall of Heroes many a time. But doing this is no easy feat, and learning how
to respond to various situations is difficult as well. But do not fear, I will
do my best to facilitate your transition into PvP and make you a better player.
------------------------------------------------------
P1. Great Temple of Balthazar
------------------------------------------------------
The Great Temple of Balthazar are a sort of PvP Training area, they exist to
get the total newbie to PvP more prepared for what real PvP is. Know that no
matter how many of the Zaishen Challenges you do, there is no way to prepare
for PvP but to actually play real 4v4 or 8v8 PvP. The Isle of the Nameless is
your PvP Bootcamp, all the basics of PvP are covered including AoE splash
damage, Conditions, Enchantments, Bodyblocking, Catapults, and Flag Stands.
--------------------------
Z1. Isle of the Nameless
--------------------------
Player vs. Player (PvP) is any form of combat done versus other human players.
Random Arenas, Team Arenas, Heroes Ascent, and Guild vs. Guild (GvG) are all
forms of PvP combat. The Isle of the Nameless covers many of the basics of
Guild Wars PvP Combat. I would recommend that you defiantly check out all the
different parts of the island and familiarize yourself with the concepts
presented to you. If you ever wanted to know how much damage a certain spell
or weapon did to a target with a certain armor level, try bashing the dummies
around. They all have different levels of armor and will give you an idea of
how much damage you would do to an appropriately armored target.
When you are ready to move on, speak to the Master of Paths (Near the entrance
to the temple). You will be taken into some practice PvP scenarios. Upon
successfully completing them, you will find yourself in the
--------------------------
Z2. Zaishen Challenge
--------------------------
The Zaishen Challenges present you against some basic things that players will
find themselves against in real combat. Each represents something that is or
has been very popular or is a common build to encounter in PvP. While the
number of Illusionary Weaponry Mesmers in 8v8 are very few, the number in 4v4
Combat are somewhat common. Play through the various levels and learn how to
fight various opponents. In ZC you choose all your opponents and the level you
face them on. Each map has its own advantages/disadvantages to it.
--------------------------
Z3. Zaishen Elite
--------------------------
Zaishen Elite is almost the exact same as Zaishen Challenge, except that your
opponents/stages are chosen at total random and slowly become more difficult.
More enemies are also added as you progress.
------------------------------------------------------
P2. Learning Your Role
------------------------------------------------------
The following sections will cover some of the basics of each class, and will
offer tips on how to play them more effectively. While reading about how to do
something helps you become better, the only true way to learn is to practice
your class and learn how to handle yourself in various situations.
--------------------------
L1. Warrior
--------------------------
You are the one that gets up close and in the enemys faces. You bring the
battle to them, attacking like a shark with ADD. You are most likely the
target caller, though whether or not your small party listens to you is a
different story entirely. While attacking is important, watching your
positioning and where everyone is at key. Dont get led away from the group,
and watch for Trappers and where they lay their traps. You need to be smart
about your attacking, it is almost always best to get all your skills fully
charged and then unload on a single target as opposed to just using them as
they come up ready to go. Bodyblocking is also key, learn to bodyblock
opponents and keep them from escaping your weapon of death.
--------------------------
L2. Mesmer
--------------------------
If you are a good Mesmer, you will be hated. A Mesmer must be
extremely aware of his surroundings, and depending on what Magics you
are using you need to have good twitch reflexes. Knowing what the
enemy is using is key. Is that a Protection Monk? A Healer? What
about that Elementalist? Fire Elementalist? Water Elementalist?
Proper skill chaining is also key. If a Monk has Shame on him, and he
is not casting, he is shut down. If he has a Backfire on himself, he
has a deterrent to casting (150 damage anyone?). If you can interrupt
everything the guy is casting, he is losing energy, the skill (Till it
recharges), and is most likely getting frustrated. Being a good Mesmer
is as much about timing as it is having the proper set of skills to
make sure the job gets done quickly, effectively, and efficiently.
--------------------------
L3. Elementalist
--------------------------
BOOM HEADSHOT! You bring the big guns to the battle, whether you be
Air, Fire, Earth, or a Water Elementalist. You bring pain and death
wherever you go to. Remember to bring your proper Attunement, and if
you are casting a good number of energy intensive skills, you may
consider bringing Elemental Attunement for more energy back per cast.
There is also Glyph of Energy, which makes the next spell cost less and
ignores Exhaustion. But when is it best to use Glyph of Energy and
when is it best to use Elemental Attunement you ask?
Glyph of Energy is best saved for high cost spells, especially ones
that cause Exhaustion such as Meteor Shower, Earthquake, and Deep
Freeze. Elemental Attunement is best used if you need to do rapid
casts, such as a combo of Lightning OrbLightning StrikeEnervating
Charge, where you are casting many spells over a short amount of time.
You have in you the ability to kill, but most likely you will assist in
the kill. Just be smart about your skill order. For example, how
about an Incendiary BondsMeteorFireball combo? Bonds will go off as
they are on the ground, Fireball will hit them as they rise and try to
run. This also gives your Warrior or Ranger the opportunity to swoop
in and deal some damage. Is a Warrior harassing your Monks and using
Frenzy? Throw a Lightning Orb his way and hit him for 240 damage.
--------------------------
L4. Monk
--------------------------
Supporting your party is your focus unless you are smiting, in which
case you can ignore a lot of what Im about to say. Keep your eyes on
the Health Bars, and make sure they dont turn gray. Keeping yourself
alive is also a priority; if you die there will most likely be a mass
domino effect on your party. If it comes down to saving yourself or
someone else, save yourself. If a party member runs off half way
across the map, dont abandon your party to go heal him. If Warriors
bear down on your, kite them. Kiting is executed simply by running
from them. No not half way across the map! Simply run from them.
Essentially keep making loops. A Warrior is only effective if he can
hit his target. If he can only hit you a few times every 10 seconds,
he is ineffective. As a Healer you are at your core just a watcher of
health. A Protection Monk, however, is a different story. Protection
Monks (Prot Monk, Protty) generally do not heal damage; rather, they
focus on minimizing or negating damage. Eviscerate is a strong skill
indeed, but not if it only hits for 10 damage due to Reversal of
Fortune. Punishing Shot hurts bad and is annoying, but if it gets
blocked its harmless. Air Magic hurting bad? Getting tired of
getting hit for 150 per Orb? Let Protective Spirit bring that damage
down to about 40. Remember
+Be aware of enemy offense
+Be aware of the hexes present
+Be aware of interrupts present
+Be aware of number of Warriors present
+Be aware of your energy
+Be aware of your party members and their positioning
--------------------------
L5. Necromancer
--------------------------
So much versatility and chances for pain. Whether your specialty be
Blood, Death, or Curses Magic the Necromancer is loaded with potential
Hexes. Blood has excellent offensive power, and a lot of it can even
restore a portion of your health. Curses are available to assist in
making kills and providing pressure on the enemy players. Death has
pretty good damage and you can raise Minions in this line. As a
Necromancer, you should be aware of what the enemy team has
offensve/defense wise and be able to hinder the appropriate targets.
Spiteful Spirit is a great skill, but on a Mesmer it loses much of its
possible effectiveness. Try throwing it on a Warrior, where his
constant attacking will trigger it numerous times. Learn to prioritize
targets, be smart about your hexes by always covering your important
ones with another hex (Usually Parasitic Bond), and you will be one
step closer to becoming a better Necromancer.
--------------------------
L6. Ranger
--------------------------
Jack of all trades, master of none. That is the way of the Ranger. With your
arrows you can inflict great damage upon your targets, and with Degeneration
skills you can increase the damage potential upon your foes. Interrupts are
also very potent, knocking out a Healing Monks Orison for 24 seconds with your
Distracting Shot cripples their skillbar partially and makes them less
effective for the duration. Trapping is also effective, luring a dumb Warrior
into a patch of traps hurts them greatly. Monks can also utilize the traps
defensively, trap around or near a Monk and if he needs to get an enemy off
himself he can simply run through them. This was the first class I ever played
in Guild Wars, and to this day it remains my all time favorite.
------------------------------------------------------
P3. The Premades
------------------------------------------------------
The premades are available at the PvP creation screen to anyone to make, mod,
and play. Most of them are unfortunately garbage, however.
--------------------------
S0. Build Format and Disclaimer (Yes that is a Zero)
--------------------------
The following is the format I will be using for the builds, because the
Premades do not include runes in the Premades Selection window. They
also do not include upgrade components as well.
Noob Slasher W/R
Difficulty: x/5
General Effectiveness: PWN.
For Great Noobdom!
Desperation Spam*
Signet of WTB/Conjure Chuck Norris
Animate Ecto/Rage Quit
Forget Spirits
Bad Attitude/Coreaann Hax
Execute Pet
Resurrection Signet
Swordsmanship: 10+1(H)
Tactics: 5,+3(R)
Beast Mastery: 9
Suggested Gear Setup
15^50% Sword
Tactics shield with -2 Reduction to physical while in a stance
H=Head Piece
R=Rune Choice
*=Elite Skill
Comments: This build is the best build ever; you will win Halls A LOT
if you run this! Add in two Necros for even more fun and 5 other Noob
Slashers for more total pwnage!
I will not always include the Suggested Gear Setup, only if the build
is one in which it would be beneficial to use a certain setup.
DISCLAIMER: You are in no way guaranteed great success with any of
these builds. Legions of enemy teams will not always fall below your
mighty wrath as you cut a path through each and every last one of them.
Being a competent player, and being given a competent build, are two
completely separate things. The opinions that follow are mine and do
not represent the feeling or thoughts of Arena Net, NCSoft, or any of
its subsidiaries. The opinions are that of a long time player of the
game, and of someone who probably plays more then he should. :P
--------------------------
S1. Spell Slasher
--------------------------
Spell Slasher Me/W
Difficulty: Dont Bother/5
General Effectiveness: GARBAGE
Resurrection Signet
Shatter Enchantment
Final Thrust
Skullcrack*
Ether Feast
Backfire
Power Drain
Chaos Storm
12 Domination
7 Inspiration
10 Swordsmanship
4 Fast Casting
Comments: This build is, in one word, garbage. This builds purpose is
about as clear as dirty water. On one hand, it tries to be Anti-cast
by including Backfire, on another hand it wants to be a Warrior by
having in a grossly high cost adrenaline skill, without even having
maxed out Swordsmanship mind you. It also has Chaos Storm, possibly
one of the worst AoE spells in the game. To top it all off, it has
Skullcrack. This skill requires some excellent timing to be able to
really make good use of (IE, interrupt Orison or something like it),
and most new players lack the coordination for a 1 second or .50 second
interrupt. Did I mention it also has an interrupt? Yep, it does.
Never use this template.
--------------------------
S2. Warriors Bane
--------------------------
Warriors Bane N/Me
Difficulty: 2/5
General Effectiveness: Makes the Warriors cry, but thats about all it
will work well against. Itll slow down Rangers some.
Conjure Phantasm
Energy Tap
Soothing Images
Ineptitude*
Ethereal Burden
Faintheartedness
Ether Feast
Resurrection Signet
12 Illusion
8 Inspiration
9 Curses
5 Soul Reaping
Comments: Well it certainly doesnt make the Warriors very happy, just
as the name suggests. This template isnt really bad, and is a massive
improvement over other Premades such as the Spell Slasher and Minion
Master. Warriors will not like you one bit, but you will need your
party to help versus monks. Dont use Soothing Images/Faintheartedness
on the same target unless there is only one Warrior, and use
Faintheartedness on a Ranger for best results. But dont stack them
unless you just want to waste your energy, as it somewhat defeats the
purpose of the other skill.
--------------------------
S3. Minion Master
--------------------------
Minion Master N/Me
Difficulty: 1/5
General Effectiveness: Unless you join a MF group (Which can rarely win
anything past Underworld/Burial Mounds, you wont see this working very
well anywhere, especially CA/TA.
Deathly Swarm
Energy Drain*
Resurrection Signet
Veratas Sacrifice
Death Nova
Taste of Death
Animate Bone Fiend
Animate Bone Horror
12 Death Magic
10 Inspiration Magic
8 Soul Reaping
Comments: In 4v4, Minion Masters are absolutely useless. In 8v8
combat, they are much better if executed right. MMs are best used in
PvE, where an abundance of corpses equals an abundance of minions.
Spam Deathly Swarm on your enemy, and if you absolutely want to bother
pop up minions whenever you can and just use them for Death Nova bombs,
as they do miniscule damage in such small groups.
--------------------------
S4. Pyromancer
--------------------------
Pyromancer E/R
Difficulty: 1/5
General Effectiveness: Fire hurts, but AoE only hurts if your enemy is
careless.
Fireball
Searing Heat
Fire Storm
Fire Attunement
Mind Burn*
Energizing Wind
Rodgorts Invocation
Resurrection Signet
12 Fire Magic
10 Energy Storage
8 Beast Mastery
Comments: This isnt really bad if you are just getting into PvP, but
time has hurt this build pretty badly. Fire Storm isnt very good,
most you will do is about 20-25 or so damage per strike of fire.
Energizing Winds is an interesting addition, it will keep your high
energy skills down a bit.
--------------------------
S5. Ice Blighter
--------------------------
Ice Blighter E/N
Difficulty: 1/5
General Effectiveness: Its an okay CA build, as the Rend will make any
Invinci Monk cry. Pray that you get a monk on your side though, as you have
no way of healing yourself.
Ice Spikes
Deep Freeze
Maelstrom
Water Trident*
Water Attunement
Rend Enchantments
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Resurrection Signet
12 Water Magic
10 Energy Storage
8 Curses
Comments: As I previously stated, you will die very quickly if you have no
Healer on your team. I would recommend using your Glyph on your Deep Freeze
attack, Maelstrom is nice but any caster with any sense at all will immediately
move out of it. Water Trident is pretty spammable, so pick a target and have
at it. If someone is being harassed by melee snare the harasser or knock him
down with Water Trident.
--------------------------
S6. Protection Healer
--------------------------
Protection Healer Mo/W
Difficulty: 2/5
General Effectiveness: At least it doesnt have Rebirth.
Reversal of Fortune
Guardian
Convert Hexes
Mend Ailment
Bonnets Defense
Shielding Hands
Shield of Regeneration*
Protective Spirit
12 Protection Prayers
11 Divine Favor
6 Tactics
Comments: Ah Bonnetis Defense
I knew you well at one time. Okay
heres the deal, the PH is essentially an early version of the Boon
Prot, except without the Boon and lacking a strong energy management
skill. Bonnetis is completely reliant on getting some melee attackers
on you. I much prefer an always available Energy Management skill, not
a situational/conditional one.
--------------------------
S7. DW Healer
--------------------------
DW Healer Mo/E
Difficulty: 2/5
General Effectiveness: Lacks energy management, any even remotely
lengthy battle will drain you badly.
Orison of Healing
Word of Healing*
Healing Touch
Healing Seed
Mend Ailment
Smite Hex
Vengeance
Restore Life
12 Divine Favor
12 Healing Prayers
3 Protection Prayers
Comments: Hard Res on a Monk=Bad Idea. This entire build is broken, it
has absolutely no Energy Management, so in a prolonged battle you will
not be able to keep up and slowly lose your party due to lacking energy
to keep going. While Vengeance is in theory a good idea, and is fine
for CA, anywhere else this wont work. If you are using Restore Life,
guess what you arent doing? Thats right, you arent watching your
party, thus they arent being healed, and thus they are dying. Unless
you get lucky and get the fast resurrection going, your party will be
in very bad shape when you get the target up.
--------------------------
S8. Abominable Snowman
--------------------------
Abominable Snowman W/E
Difficulty: 2/5
General Effectiveness: It really isnt that bad, at least in comparison
to the others.
Devastating Hammer*
Mighty Blow
Heavy Blow
Healing Signet
Armor of Mist
Frozen Burst
Sprint
Resurrection Signet
11 Hammer Mastery
10 Water Magic
8 Strength
6 Tactics
Comments: Much like ¾ of the other Premades, I never touched this one
till I started writing this guide. Its got pretty good all around
damage, and the Frozen Burst snare is a good call, but Healing may
become an issue since the Healing Signet heals for so little without
runes.
--------------------------
S9. Paladin
--------------------------
Paladin W/Mo
Difficulty: 0/5
General Effectiveness: Yay for Mending!
Sever Artery
Gash
Galrath Slash
Final Thrust
Sprint
Healing Hands*
Mending
Restore Life
12 Swordsmanship
10 Strength
8 Healing Prayers
Comments: This guy is durable and the damage he can deal out is so so,
but thats where the praise really ends. In case you never knew,
Newbies are essentially associated with W/Mos (Especially PvE W/Mos
with Fiery Dragon Swords) and W/Rs. W/Mo because of this template,
and W/Rs because of IWAY. I would also like to go on record for
saying Mending is not a good skill, it has absolutely no practical
application(s) and thus should never be used. Why? A +3 Mending=6 HP
Regen a second. But take this into consideration: An Air Elementalist
Spikes you with a Lightning Orb, and follows with an Enervating Charge.
Lets estimate 100 with Orb and Enervating does a respectable 70.
Thats 170 damage. Regenerating 6 HP against that does next to
nothing. Healing Hands is okay, but only delays the inevitable.
--------------------------
S10. IVEX Trapper
--------------------------
IVEX Trapper R/Me
Difficulty: 1/5, 5/5 if you dont know why your traps get interrupted.
General Effectiveness: Where is the Resurrection Signet
Distracting Shot
Poison Arrow*
Pin Down
Throw Dirt
Flame Trap
Barbed Trap
Storm Chaser
Troll Unguent
11 Wilderness Survival
10 Marksmanship
10 Expertise
Comments: Okay
Traps are easy to interrupt, any wand/melee/arrow
attack will interrupt them. So as a caster, I could partially shut
this guy down simply by wanding him. Outside of being annoying and
causing some DoT on the party with Poison Arrow, this guy really wont
be doing a whole lot. I would recommend Trapping defensively because
of this, and just cycling Poison Arrow through targets. Save Throw
Dirt if someone is being harassed by a Warrior or Ranger, and Pin Down
for the same use.
--------------------------
S11. Fi Boon Healer
--------------------------
Fi Boon Healer
Difficulty: 3/5, 5/5 if you dont understand the use of Infuse Health.
General Effectiveness: This is probably the best Premade, in that it is
still fairly good today.
Divine Boon
Remove Hex
Infuse Health
Orison of Healing
Healing Touch
Dwaynas Kiss
Heal Other
Offering of Blood*
12 Divine Favor
10 Healing Prayers
8 Blood Magic
Comments: Offering of Blood is a very good energy management skill, and
the choices in healing spells are fine as well. My only big complaint
is that Remove Hex takes way too long to use, it would be better if it
used Holy Veil. At the time of its creation, however, Holy Veil was a
useless skill so that is why it is not in the build.
------------------------------------------------------
P4. Better Builds: CA/Single Player Builds
------------------------------------------------------
Builds best used in CA and somewhat TA, while some can be applied to 8v8
combat, they would not be nearly as effective as other builds.
--------------------------
A1. Melandrus Warrior
--------------------------
Melandrus Warrior R/N
Difficulty: 2/5
General Effectiveness:
Penetrating Shot
Dual Shot
Distracting Shot
Melandrus Arrows*
Troll Unguent
Throw Dirt
Plague Touch
Resurrection Signet
10+1 (R) Expertise
10+2 (R+H) Wilderness Survival
11+3 (R) Marksmanship
Comments: My personal favorite CA Ranger build. Melandrus Arrows is
an all purpose preparation. Good against Elementalists, good against
Paladins (The other white meat) which are extremely common in CA, and
can take down a helpless Monk. Because CA monks like to use Healing
Breeze, Melandrus Arrows only adds fuel on the damage due to the
enchant. Its not uncommon to hit for 110+ damage on an enchanted soft
target. Distracting Shot to disable Resurrection Signets/Skills, Troll
Unguent for self healing, Throw Dirt to buy time versus Melee/Arrow
attackers, and Plague Touch to keep yourself Blind Free and Condition
Free.
--------------------------
A2. True Warriors Bane
--------------------------
True Warriors Bane Me/X
Difficulty: 3/5
General Effectiveness: Good against Warriors, which you find a lot of
in CA/TA.
Crippling Anguish*
Conjure Phantasm
Clumsiness
Distortion
Ether Feast/Spirit Shackles
Spirit of Failure
Drain Enchantment/Inspired Hex
Resurrection Signet
12+4 (R+H) Illusion Magic
10+1 (R) Inspiration Magic
8+1 (R) Fast Casting
Comments: Pick your target. Put Crippling Anguish on a Warrior and
cover it with Conjure Phantasm. From here just keep up with Conjure
Phantasms & Clumsiness. If you chose to bring Spirit Shackles, its
best used on a Ranger due to the fact that they need their energy to
use their attack skills. This build is purely anti pressure from
Warriors, this build does not kill the party, but rather it relieves
pressure from melee offenders. If there is only a single Warrior, just
throw on a CA/CP combo and laugh and walk circles around them.
--------------------------
A3. Boon Prot
--------------------------
Boon Prot Mo/Me
Difficulty: 5/5
General Effectiveness: Very good
Reversal of Fortune
Guardian
Mend Ailment
Contemplation of Purity
Divine Boon
Holy Veil
Spirit of Failure
Mantra of Recall*
10 Inspiration Magic
10+2 (R) Protection Prayers
11+4 (R+H) Divine Favor
Comments: While I prefer straight healing to the Boon Prot, this build
is undeniably very fun. Spirit of Failure on the proper target, and
Mantra of Recall going in. It relies on the Boon/CoP combo to keep hex
free. Keep up Boon and Mantra of Recall, and spam RoF as your main
healing skill of sorts. Guardian for Warrior survival ability, and
Mend Condtion to heal yourself of your conditions and your parties.
Very rarely do I end up dead due to this build, its usually due to bad
skill usage.
THIS BUILD IS NOT EASY TO RUN. If you dont like the idea of a
Superior and Major Rune, drop down your Major Protection to a Minor.
--------------------------
A4. Shattered Necromancer
--------------------------
Shattered Necromancer N/Me
Difficulty: 3/5
General Effectiveness: The amount of chaos this Necromancer brings is
beyond hilarity.
Spiteful Spirit*
Parasitic Bond
Suffering/Insidious Parasite
Desecrate Enchantments/Rend Enchantments/Insidious Parasite
Weaken Armor/Price of Failure/Insidious Parasite
Distortion
Illusion of Weakness
Resurrection Signet
12+4 (H+R) Curses
9+1 (R) Soul Reaping
10 Illusion Magic
Comments: So. Much. Fun. This build is adaptable to most situations.
At the start cast Illusion of Weakness. From here move in and start
cursing up. Remember to cover your hexes with Parasitic Bond to make
them more difficult to remove. Spiteful Spirit works best on Warriors,
and stacked with Price of Failure it is just mean. Rangers hate the
Price of Failure since it has the chance to make their attack miss, and
when interrupts miss it is extremely frustrating.
My original build for this was
SS/Para/Suffering/Desecrate/Insidious/Distortion/Illusion of
Weakness/Resurrection Signet.
--------------------------
A5. Battle Rager
--------------------------
Battle Rager W/Mo
Difficulty: 2/5
General Effectiveness: Very good DPS, party support with Watch
Yourself!, and fairly good self healing.
Battle Rage*
Sever Artery
Gash
Galrath Slash/Savage Slash/Pure Strike
Final Thrust/Savage Slash/Pure Strike
Healing Signet
Watch Yourself!
Resurrection Signet
12+4 (H+R) Swordsmanship
10+2 (R) Strength
8+1 (R) Tactics
Comments: This guy is so fun to play. Okay, start out by picking your
target and building up on him. The second you can, use Battle Rage.
Sever Artery should also be charged by now, so go on and fire it off.
Now keep attacking till you have your attack skills charged, and fire
them off on your target, Sever-Gash-Galrath (If you have it)-Final
Thrust. You may want to not use Final Thrust if your enemy is not
below half health, if he is defiantly use it. If not, then I recommend
renewing Battle Rage. Use Watch Yourself! as needed, and heal up
when necessary.
--------------------------
A6. KD Warrior
--------------------------
KD Warrior
Difficulty: 2/5
General Effectiveness: If done right and assisted in the kill, you can
make kills very quickly.
Backbreaker/Devastating Hammer*
Mighty Blow
Irresistible Blow/Bulls Strike
Crushing Blow/Heavy Blow (Only Use Heavy if you use Devastating)
Berserker Stance
Healing Signet
Sprint
Resurrection Signet
12+4 (H+R) Hammer Mastery
8+1 (R) Strength
9+1 (R) Tactics
Comments: Very fun build to play, though certainly not one of my
favorite Warriors to use (I much prefer Axe). Get into the battle and
hit Berserker Stance, build up on your target, then choose who you want
to kill and go
BackbreakerCrushing BlowMighty Blow. You should JUST
have enough time to do these. If you are using Devastating Hammer, do
Devastating HammerCrushing BlowHeavy Blow (If you brought it, if you
did, lead off the chain with Mighty Blow).
Note: If you decide to forgo Tactics, make sure and put the points into
Strength.
--------------------------
A7. Toucher
--------------------------
Toucher R/N
Difficulty: 4/5
General Effectiveness: Pretty decent damage
Vampiric Touch
Blood Renewal
Vile Touch
Aura of the Lich*/Escape*
Dark Aura
Touch of Agony
Strip Enchantment/Dark Pact/Plague Touch
Resurrection Signet
12 Blood Magic
10 Death Magic
8+4 R+H) Expertise
Comments: Fun, fun, fun. If you have trouble with this one, switch off
to Necromancer Primary and try it that way. Superior Blood, Minor
Death, Minor Soul Reaping. I decided to go R/N with this one as
opposed to Necromancer primary because of Expertise. It should allow
you to spam the heck out of your touches. Use Vile/Agony to get within
melee range of your target, then use a Dark Pact so you get both the
Pact damage and Dark Aura damage to hit. When you get to around half
health, Id recommend using Blood Renewal. You could also just use
Blood Renewal whenever it recharges, though this shouldnt be
necessary. The only thing that rolls this one is massive DoT stacking
and heavy concentrated fire.
--------------------------
A8. Illusionary Weapon Master
--------------------------
Illusionary Weapon Master Me/W
Difficulty: 3/5
General Effectiveness: If you get Illusionary Weaponry removed, you are
useless. But nonetheless, it can be pretty potent in CA.
Illusionary Weaponry*
Illusion of Weakness
Clumsiness/Arcane Conundrum/Distortion
Spirit of Failure
Flurry
Healing Signet
Shields Up!
Resurrection Signet
12+4 (R+H) Illusion Magic
5+1 (R) Inspiration
4+1 (R) Fast Casting
11 Tactics
Comments: At the start of the battle, use Illusion of Weakness. You
now have 200 or so HP in the back of your pocket that will fire off the
instant you drop below 25% Health. Once you get to the battle, cast
Illusionary Weaponry. Now attack your target, using Flurry when you
get into Range to swing. Spirit of Failure should go on a melee/bow
user if there is one so that it provides practically a battery for you.
Shields Up! is your anti-ranger skill; if there is an interrupter
then I would recommend using it before you renew IW, as a Distracting
Shot will hurt you badly. Clumsiness for Warrior damage if you brought
it, otherwise put Arcane Conundrum on either a Monk or an Elementalist
for the best results. If neither exists, use your best judgment.
--------------------------
A9. Misty Eyes
--------------------------
Misty Eyes E/Mo
Difficulty: 2/5
General Effectiveness: Damage is pretty good, Blurred Vision makes for
a great assist, and Mist Form helps to keep you alive.
Mist Form*
Blurred Vision
Shard Storm
Ice Spikes
Ice Spear
Water Attunement
Healing Breeze (Optional)/ Heal Area (OPTIONAL)/Frozen Burst
Resurrection Signet
12+4 (H+R) Water Magic
10+1 (R) Energy Storage
8 Healing Prayers
Comments: This build is very fun and has pretty good damage. Put your
Attunement before you go into battle, and use Mist Form when you come
under attack. Concentrate on your target with your Water Skills, and
use Blurred Vision to make the Rangers/Warriors less effective. If you
decided to bring Healing, use your spell as you need to.
--------------------------
A10. Monks Nightmare
--------------------------
Monks Nightmare Me/N
Difficulty: 2/5
General Effectiveness: If I want a Monk dead, it will die fairly
quickly with a little party support. Also carries a little Warrior
hate since there are so many warriors running around the Arenas.
Signet of Midnight*
Plague Touch
Blackout
Energy Burn
Shatter Enchantment
Shame
Inspired Hex/Drain Enchantment
Resurrection Signet
12+4 (H+R) Domination Magic
9+1 (R) Fast Casting
9+1 (R) Inspiration Magic
Comments: Monks will most certainly die with a little support from the party,
and Rangers and Warriors will lose some effectiveness with constant blinds
(Remember, Signet of Midnight blinds you too, so you can Plague Touch the blind
to someone else). Start off with an Energy Burn, if your team is even semi-
smart the rest of the party is also on your target. Follow up with a Shame,
and then get in melee range. IF they cast through it, quickly follow with
Blackout, followed by Shatter Enchantment as soon as it is ready and if they
have an enchantment on them. You can also try Blackout then following with a
Shame, as they will be needing to heal themselves if they took any damage
during the Blackout time. Its a very simple build but very effective.
Also remember that using Blackout on a Warrior wipes his adrenaline, meaning he
will start back at zero adrenaline.
--------------------------
A11. Enduring Warrior
--------------------------
Enduring Warrior W/X
Difficulty: 2/5
General Effectiveness: Good damage and easy to play.
Seeking Blade
Pure Strike
Savage Slash
Final Thrust/Sprint
Wild Blow/Sprint
Endure Pain
Warriors Endurance*
Resurrection Signet
12+4 (R+H) Swordsmanship
12+1 (R) Strength
Comments: Keep up Warriors Endurance and just spam your skills on your foe.
With the build only needing a little (Or No) adrenaline to be functional,
skills like Soothing Images wont touch you.
------------------------------------------------------
VI. Terminology
------------------------------------------------------
The following list is a list of much of the Guild Wars slang that you will find
in-game, abbreviations, words, etc.
Aggro- The range at which an enemy monster will move to attack you. If you
look at the map located in the top right corner of the interface, you will see
a dot in the middle and a circular field that emanates from it. Any enemy that
comes within that range will attack you.
Captain Suicide- One of the many nick-names of Prince Rurik.
Lyssa- The dominating goddess of the Mesmer class.
Balthazar- The dominating god of the Warrior class.
Melandru- The dominating goddess of the Ranger class.
Grenth- The dominating god of the Necromancer class.
Dwayna- The dominating goddess of the Monk class.
UW- Abbreviation of the Underworld, a World at War area.
FoW- Abbreviation of the Fissure of Woe, a World at War area.
Bork! Bork! Bork!-Swedish Chef talk, for more information press F11 and go
into languages. Look for Bork! Bork! Bork!
Old Ascalon-A reference to Ascalon before The Searing occurred.
New Ascalon-A reference to Ascalon after The Searing
Whammo-Just another way of saying Warrior/Monk
AL - Armor Level.
ToA- Temple of Ages, the location of the Fissure of Woe and the Underworld.
WaW- World at War. During your adventure you will see a message that says X
person has taken the Hall of Heroes. So long as your realm holds the hall
(America, Europe, Korea) then the ToA areas will be open for you to adventure
into.
AOE - Area of Effect or Area Effect.
EA- Short for Explorable Area.
WTB-Want to buy
WTS-Want to sell
WTT-Want to trade
DS-Dragon Sword
PUG- Pick up group, usually used in reference to PvP areas. PUGs are
essentially just random people thrown together that plunge into tombs, not
guilds.
HoH- Hall of Heroes, the final stage in the Tomb of the Primeval Kings.
Farming-This is the process of doing something repetitively in hopes that a
rare item or armor will drop that may hold a potential value at market.
Body Blocking - Blocking someone by walking in front of them, thus slowing
their path.
Beta - The portion of development after the alpha portion of the game.
CC - Crowd control.
CQC- Close-quarters-combat
DOT - Damage over time.
DPS - Damage per second.
Nerf An action taken by the developers, usually a nerf is applied to a skill
or an area due to high loot drops. Most people do not like these.
IWAY- A FoTM build, currently dominating American Home Districts.
Think of another popular acronym that should be added? E-mail me. :)
------------------------------------------------------
VII. Emote List
------------------------------------------------------
The following is a list of the various emotes in Guild Wars.
/age *
/agree
/attention
/beckon
/beg
/boo
/bored
/bow
/bowhead
/cheer
/catchbreath
/clap
/congrats
/cough
/dance
/deaths **
/doh
/doubletake
/drums
/excited
/fame ***
/fistshake
/flex
/flute
/friend
/goteam
/guitar
/help
/highfive
/ignore
/jump
/kneel
/laugh
/moan
/no
/petname (name)
/pickme
/point
/ponder
/pout
/ready
/roar
/rock, paper, scissors ****
/roll <#> *****
/salute
/scratch
/shoo
/sigh
/sit
/sorry
/stand
/taunt
/violin
/wave
/yawn
/yes
*This will tell you how many hours and days you have played on this character,
and how many you have logged total into your account.
**This will tell you how many times you have died.
***Available to players with Rank 3+ only.
****You must specify which you want to do here. For example, if you want to do
rock, then just type /rock.
*****No longer works in Towns/Outposts.
R3-5 Emote- http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y90/xSentience4/gw794.jpg
R6-8 Emote- http://img8.imageshack.us/my.php?image=balto8yl.jpg
------------------------------------------------------
VIII. Guild Creation & Conscription
------------------------------------------------------
Guilds themselves are a major part of Guild Wars. Those who are not in one
miss out on one of the greatest parts of the game, Guild versus Guild.
Currently to form a guild you must see a person known as the Guild Register.
There are Guild Registers in Old Ascalon City, New Ascalon City, and Lions
Arch. The City Registers will only register your guild name and cape, to
acquire a guild hall you must venture to Lions Arch. A name costs 100 GP
currently and a cape costs 2 platinum; a hall requires a Celestial Sigil that
you win by holding the Hall of Heroes or by purchasing one. When you go to
create your guild, you will be taken to a screen to first type your desired
guild name, and then you will be able to create a guild cape. Try to pick
something that compliments your guilds name. To join a guild, a leader or an
officer only has to invite you to join it. You then must go to the guild
screen (G by default) and accept the invite to join the guild. However there
is much more to guilds then this. A successful guild needs competent leaders
and officers.
First off, shouting for members in every district of every last mission and
town is not generally a smooth move. For one, people will tire of the constant
spam. The main thing here is that you have no idea what kind of people you are
bringing in. True this method may be a quick fix to get some members, but it
is not the ultimate solution. If you cant tolerate the person, then chances
are your guild members wont be able to as well. People who type in all caps
tend to be somewhat intolerable, just think of it if it was in real life.
Would you like someone YELLING AT YOU TO GET INTO YOUR CLUB LIKE THIS? Didnt
think so.
The best way is to get to know someone before you issue an invite, know your
members on personal basis if you want them to stay. You need members more then
members need you. Getting to know each member forms a close connection to the
guild they have joined, and they feel more apart of it. You will also be more
assured as to the quality of the people you have. If you cannot trust your
members then something is seriously wrong. Officers should be people that you
know you can trust, people you know that if you ask them to do something they
will happily do it. Giving someone the position of Officer is like giving your
car keys to someone, you wouldnt trust just anyone with your car and you must
be able to trust them enough to know that they wont go wrecking it(IE, destroy
your guild). I have heard of many guilds that had their rating totally RUINED
because the leader made someone an officer who they really shouldnt have, more
specifically, SOMEONE WHO JUST JOINED THE GUILD! This certain guild ended up
receiving 10 GvG losses, and in the end the evil doer kicked everyone out of
the guild and then left. This particular individual did this 3 times, and
actually scammed over 100k GP from guilds, promising to take the GP they had
and along with his buy them a Sigil. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS!
If you are in need of a guild, e-mail me and I will do my best to find you a
guild. Include pertinent information, such as
In-game Name(s) & Professions: Self explanatory.
What you want in a guild: Such as you want only PVE, someday PvP, etc.
Activity: How often can you play and for how long?
Others: Do you want the guild to have forums? How about TS?
------------------------------------------------------
IX. FAQ
------------------------------------------------------
What follows is a collection of questions that people have e-mailed to me and
that I have seen asked constantly in-game.
--------------------------
Q1. General Game Related Questions
--------------------------
Q: Is any class combination not really useful? I'm a XX/XX, but do decent
guilds only accept certain groups/classes?
A: This really varies depending on what guild you are trying to get in to. It
depends on what the guild is looking for as to whether or not they let you in.
For example, lets say that Bobs Friendly Guild has just been created.
Obviously Bob needs members to fill his guild with, so he will probably accept
anyone and everyone into it. Usually the hardcore PvP guilds are the most
stringent on this kind of thing, since they desire to have power and glory they
want only the best people they can find.
Q: I cant seem to find any new skills in Old Ascalon, where can I obtain new
skills?
A: In Old Ascalon there arent a whole lot of skills you can obtain. 99% of
all your skills will be found outside of Old Ascalon. I am planning on adding
a section to the guide about the locations of each trainer, but at this time I
do not have the time to compile a list of them and where they are.
Q: What is the best class in the game?
A: The best class in the game is
Well actually there is none! Your success in
the game is based on how you play. There is no X character template that
guarantees that you will be the greatest there is, any character can be
countered with the right skill set.
Q: Where can I craft better armor?
A: This really depends on where you are. Armor Crafters are scattered all over
the world. Some are in smaller outpost areas like Beetletun and the Bergen Hot
Springs; others reside within towns like Lions Arch and Droknars Forge. The
best armor is available in Droknars Forge, unless you want the 15k armor. The
only difference here is that the 15k gear looks better, graphics wise, then its
non 15k counterpart.
Q: What is Ascension?
A: Ascension is a process that occurs in the Crystal Desert. The actual
Ascension process is a series of missions, 3 to be exact, that are really
nothing more then Tombs practice. Each mission has some sort of resemblance to
a map in the Tombs. Upon completion of this process you must fight your
mirror self, your mirror uses all the skills you bring with you into battle.
Q: I am interested in trying to be a Healer Monk, but I am not sure if I will
make a good Monk, are there any certain things I should know before trying it?
A: A good Healer Monk does just that, he heals, and he focuses himself on it.
You cannot heal AND attack, the two just consume too much energy and you will
find yourself inadequate in both. As a Healing Monk, your job is to watch
little red bars all battle long. Here are a few tips to keep yourself alive
and those red bars red, not black.
*Stay as far back from the combat zone as possible, concentrate on keeping up
the healing.
*Do not heal people the second they take damage! This is the mistake that the
Healer Hench Alesia makes, the henchman is good in healing for a few moments in
battle, and then she is useless. She exhausts her mana way too fast for her to
be useful. I usually wait until the person gets a little above half health to
start pouring on the heals. Use Heal Other for massive healing, Healing Breeze
to counter massive DoT, Orison of Healing for self-healing and some party
healing, and obtain Word of Healing as your elite skill. Healing Touch is your
ultimate self heal, use this to heal yourself especially. Word of Healing is
simply a skill that a healer must have, unless you are running some sort of
Essence Bond/Divine Boon combo (Tricky to pull off effectively). Also learn to
prioritize your healing targets, watch to see who is getting focused and who is
just getting scratches in comparison.
*Use Restore Life instead of Resurrect whenever possible. Resurrect brings back
the target with almost no HP and Mana, whereas a fairly strong Restore Life
will bring a person back with 45% hp and 70% or so mana(Based on level of
heals). Rebirth is useful late in the game, but as a Healer Monk you should
not bring this with you if you can avoid doing so, have a Tank or Ranger with
Monk secondary equip this. Rebirth will completely drain your energy away,
something that is not good for a Healer obviously.
*Bring a Hex Removal skill, such as Remove Hex.
Q: I seem to be missing 30 attribute points and I am level 20... Where do I get
them?
A: There is a quest in the Crystal Desert that will send you to meet a
Forgotten in Skyward Reach. The person who you receive the quest from
apparently varies, so check Augury Rock and the other Outposts if you do not
find it at Augury first. Upon talking to the Forgotten, the quest will
complete. Talk to him after completing the quest and he will offer another
quest. This one will send you to the Arid Sea. On a plateau in the middle of
the map, you will find the forgotten you need to talk to. Finish the quest and
you will receive the first 15 attribute points. Now you must complete a class
switch QUEST. Play till you reach Droknars Forge. Near the storage is a
woman who will tell you to seek out her sister Sanjyi. She will first tell you
to go to 3 places in the desert, do so. Complete a secondary switch while
here, and return to her. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SWITCH YOUR SECONDARY CLASS!! Do
not make this mistake! The quests for a secondary class switch are found in
Seekers Passage, Destinys Gorge, and Heroes Audience, the 3 places that you
are required to visit. They range in difficulty, with the Ranger switch being
one of the harder ones and the Elementalist one being painfully easy. After
completing this quest, return to her. She will give a second quest to seek out
her sister. Head to the Copperhammer Mines. Now simply follow her and do as
she says. Upon doing this return to Droknars and claim your last 15 attribute
points! Please note that it is possible to do the one in Droknars Forge
before completing the first, I unexpectedly did that with my Ranger.
Q: I was reading something in another FAQ about switching secondary classes and
I wanted to know if this is possible and where I could do this.
A: It is very possible to switch your secondary. The option to do so
opens up after you ascend in the Crystal Desert. You can switch your
secondary in Hero's Audience, Destiny's Gorge, and Seeker's Passage.
Q: Is it true the Assassin is going to be a Chapter II profession?
A: Yes. Start dreaming of the possibilities now.
--------------------------
Q2. Guild Related Questions
--------------------------
Q: Is there a limit to how many people you can have in a guild?
A: The current number is 100 people, but most guilds dont usually go over 40
people. There is nothing close knit in a guild made of 70 people, remember
that.
Q: Is there a certain mix of professions that guilds generally like to run in a
battle?
A: Because of the diversity of characters and the sheer possibilities for team
builds, there is no particular mix that people bring. Some team builds consist
of numerous Warriors that build up adrenaline skills and then spam these filled
up attacks on a single target. Other builds are tuned to be more defensive,
rather then charge and take the flag some guilds simply choose to spend some
time in their hall and wait for the enemy to come to them. The best way to
find a good team build for your guild is to experiment with what you have and
what each member knows.
Q: What is a Celestial Sigil?
A: A Celestial Sigil is used to purchase a guild hall. To obtain one you must
go to the Hall of Heroes and take control of it. There you may obtain the
Sigil. If you cannot do this, you can go to Lions Arch and look for someone
selling one. You can also buy from the Sigil Seller in the Tombs or go looking
at a guild hall, and you can find the trader there as well.
Q: Im having a lot of members become inactive, what should I do?
A: Kick them. Seriously, if people stop logging on, then they are doing
nothing but taking up a roster spot. We have a rule that anyone who doesnt
log on for 2 weeks gets kicked, unless they have a valid reason to be absent.
Q: I cant find a good guild!
A: E-mail me what you are looking for in one and Ill do my best to find one
for you. No joke, I will.
Q: How can my guild get Guild of the Week?
A: You have to be able to prove to A-net that your guild is special, and is
unique. Unlike the thousands of other guilds, you need to be able to show them
that yours is one that truly stands a cut above those other guilds, better,
stronger, and superior to the competition. Having an active website/forum is a
key part, having a good ladder rank is always good, and being active in the
community is another good qualifier. You have to work long and hard if you
want to someday get GoTW, I know I had to as the leader of TSH (Guild of the
Week #36). We all had to at the end of the day.
Here is the link to our GoTW interview.
http://guildwars.com/community/guildweek/gotw-2006-02-14-shatteredhand.php
Valentines Day GoTW FTW!
--------------------------
Q3. Miscellaneous Questions
--------------------------
Q: My system specs are XXXXXXXX and I have XXXXXXXX, will this run on my
computer?
A: I have no idea! I am not a computer expert by any means, but I can run GW
on max settings (No anti-aliasing) with a GeForce 4 MX420 and 512mb SD RAM.
Q: Is there a ranking of guilds somewhere?
A: Yes, the official ladder standings can be found at
http://ladder.guildwars.com/ , the ladder is updated constantly and always
displays the current rankings of each and every guild who has participated in
Guild versus Guild combat.
Q: Do you plan on doing other guides in the future?
A: Maybe
Only time will tell. ;)
Q: Whats with the sudden PvP information?
A: I was originally making a Beginners Guide to PvP, but I scrapped it and
merged much of the resources with my current one. All of the PvP section was
pulled from it.
Q: Do you work for ArenaNet?
A: No, I am a player (A fanatical one at that) of the game Guild Wars and
nothing more. I am also a devout fan of ANET and everything it stands for,
which led me to write this guide and, time permitting, others as well.
Q: May I join your guild?
A: No. Maybe if you give me some godly PvE gear we can work something out. :P
Q: Do I need my CD to play the game, or can I just DL the client and play from
anywhere?
A: You can play the game from any PC that will run it, you need only DL the
client and login to your account. But remember, you will have to DL
EVERYTHING.
Q: When are the Summer Update areas coming out?
A: It was released September 7th, 2005.
Q: This or WoW?
A: I really despise this question; this is like trying to compare a first
person shooter to a real time strategy game. Both are good, but play very
differently from each other.
World of Warcraft
Pros
+Good graphics if you like that style
+Made by Blizzard (If you like them)
+Massive World
+Lots to do
+Tons of items/gear to collect
+Tons of quests
+A MASSIVE Amount of people playing
Cons
-Horrible PVP (Want to argue this? E-mail me)
-Pay to play
-Made by Blizzard
-Gross Grind
-You can play for several hours and really have done nothing
-Very difficult to start into
-Extremely Laggy at times
-If Mining/Fishing appeals to you, then THIS is the game for you
Guild Wars
Pros
+Superb & Fluid PvP
+Beautiful Graphics
+Can play only a little at a time and still get something done
+Good amount of players online
+Good support for guilds
+Easy to get into
+Little to No lag
Cons
-Not much left after you finish the game (PvE wise)
-PvE is repetitive and monotonous and there is nothing in PvE after you finish
the game
-Farming required in order to get the cooler gear, which can be difficult
-LOTS of annoying/bratty children playing
-PvP can be difficult to break into
Q: Congrats on getting Guild of the Week!
A: Thanks a lot! :D
Q: What makes you a good person to do this guide?
A: Im leet.
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Q4. Chapter II Questions
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Q: What is the name of the expansion pack?
A: Guild Wars: Factions
Q: Will I have to buy Guild Wars: Factions and if so, how much will it be?
A: You do not have to buy it, but you will not be able to access the new areas
and classes if you dont buy it. You can still, however, trade for and use
Chapter 2 weaponry. As far as price, it will be priced competitively.
Q: Are Assassins and Ritualists the only two new classes?
A: Yes.
Q: When is it being released?
A: April 24th.
Q: What else is new?
A: The game will take place in Cantha. Besides many new areas to explore, PvP
is getting a massive face lift. There will be 2 New Guild Halls, multiple new
modes of PvP, and Alliances. Alliances will be a maximum of 10 Guilds, of
which Alliances and take control of towns and areas. Control of these areas
grants Alliance members better prices on wares from that area in addition to
other goodies. For the PvErs, many new missions and quests await them.
According to some readings, Cantha is approximately the size of Tyria. For the
most up to date information on Chapter II, keep an eye on www.guildwars.com
Q: Will there be a preview event?
A: There was already one for soley PvP, but there will be another event in
March which will allow players to play through several of the Canthan Missions
and play the two new classes. The FPE will begin at 12:01 a.m. PST on Friday
morning, March 24, and will end at 11:59 p.m. PST on Sunday night, March 26.
For more information on the Preview, check out this link.
http://guildwars.com/events/faq-factionspreviewevent.php
Q: Which one should I make first?
A: Both?
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X. Contact Information
------------------------------------------------------
If you have a question about the guide or a correction, or would just like to
thank me you can reach me at Providence53-at-gmail.com Do NOT e-mail me about
spelling mistakes or anything of that nature either
If you want my IM names
then you must ask. You can also reach me in game under the name of Kaiser
Dune, Raiker Slerius, or Lucia Hylallu. My PVP name is always Unnatural
Signet. I will answer any questions should you have them when you PM me, Im
so-so on trade values and I can usually give you a hand with a mission/quest,
though I do only a modest amount of PvE.
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XI. Credits
------------------------------------------------------
ArenaNet- For creating such an incredible game and being so dedicated since the
start. I would also like to thank them for giving us the honor of being Guild
of the Week.
CjayC- For keeping Gamefaqs up and running.
My GF Allie- For being so understanding during the BWE's
haha...
My guild- The Shattered Hand
Gaile Gray- <3
Kate- Turkey Mageeeee
John Stumme aka Spooky Electric- For coordinating our GoTW article.
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XII. Copyright Information
------------------------------------------------------
This FAQ is my property and no one elses. So dont go ripping it off. This
document may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal
or private use. It may not be placed on any web site without my permission.
The sites that I have given permission to to use it on their site may grab the
newest version at anytime I update the guide.
(C) 2005, Providence53 aka Sentience
Amazing Games. Many Cheats. Such Wow.
