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[hythloday]

Hello, i would like is there any way to get a free trial in this game? I would like to try it before buying, but i can't find any information about free trials on their site so most likely there is none...

Not really.

They had a content patch this month and gave everyone 3 trial codes to send to friends, but they were only good for that one weekend while they rolled out events leading up to a new zone. There's nothing like that going on currently.

Maybe they'll do something like that again in the future. Keep an eye out?

 

[Serra]

EU GAF kind of fell apart; there weren't enough active players to keep the already small break-away guild active. However, a lot of people have rerolled on Stormbluff Isle and report a very lag-free experience. You might want to give that a try (don't worry if you can't get onto SBI immediately, it tends to fill up quickly).

Feel free to ask any questions you want, lots of people here to answer them.

Thank you. I might roll on SBI.

How powerful are the racial skills (as in, should I take them into consideration at all when making a character)? What are some good sites to look at for information? I know nothing about the GW2 metagame.

 

[Hawkian]

Is the EU GAF guild still alive and on Gandara?

Just bought this from GMG for 34 euros, complete impulse buy. Played a ton of GW1 but never touched this until now and looking for a good place to ask some questions

Recently, everything's been merged into the main guild on the NA server Stormbluff Isle. Latency doesn't seem to be an issue so hop on if you can!

Feel free to ask any question you might have either way. We've got quite a few experts on most areas of the game at this point.

 

[Retro]

Thank you. I might roll on SBI.

How powerful are the racial skills (as in, should I take them into consideration at all when making a character)? What are some good sites to look at for information? I know nothing about the GW2 metagame.

The difference between racial skills is negligible, and ArenaNet has stated that they will never be more powerful than profession-based skills anyways. It's mostly for flavor or extra utility. I'd suggest picking the race you want to play based on story/aesthetic reasons.

One thing I will point out is that the two largest races (Norn and Charr) feel like the move slower. Movement speed is the same for all races, but because they're bigger their animations are slower and they feel like they lumber everywhere rather than run. On the flipside, Asura (the smallest race) feel like they're very nimble.

It has no bearing on gameplay (all of the hitboxes are the same), but it might be something that turns you off to them. I personally couldn't get past my Norn's seemingly-plodding gait, even though it was still the same speed as my other characters.

 

[Serra]

The difference between racial skills is negligible, and ArenaNet has stated that they will never be more powerful than profession-based skills anyways. It's mostly for flavor or extra utility. I'd suggest picking the race you want to play based on story/aesthetic reasons.

Thanks, good to know. If im going to be staring at the back of my character for hours upon hours, he (or she) needs to look as cool as possible

 

[Noisy Ninj4]

It has no bearing on gameplay (all of the hitboxes are the same), but it might be something that turns you off to them. I personally couldn't get past my Norn's seemingly-plodding gait, even though it was still the same speed as my other characters.

If you have swiftness on a lot, it's not so bad. If you go warrior or thief, you're good.

Thanks, good to know. If im going to be staring at the back of my character for hours upon hours, he (or she) needs to look as cool as possible

Hint: Charr are at least 20% cooler than the other races.

 

[nicoga3000]

What's in the box of fun that's on sale today??

 

[Serra]

Hint: Charr are at least 20% cooler than the other races.

I slaughtered hundreds, if not thousands of them in the original, so it would feel really weird to play as one. A good weird or a bad weird, can't tell yet as my client isn't ready yet. We will see.

 

[Retro]

Thanks, good to know. If im going to be staring at the back of my character for hours upon hours, he (or she) needs to look as cool as possible

Absolutely understandable. A few little tips, to that end;

- If you find a character configuration you like, but aren't 100% sure you'll keep, you can use the PrtScn button to take a screenshot of where all your sliders and settings are. That way, if you blow up that character to tweak a detail, you can open up the screenshot and see how things were set up.

- Sylvari have a form of bio-luminescence; click the lightbulb icon on the left to see what they look like in the dark. The effect appears on their skin and hair. Edit: Their eyes also glow, forgot about that.

- Asura ears appear floppy during creation, but during combat they perk up considerably. They also have really good, fluid jump and dodge animations. Very acrobatic, Asura thieves look like tiny ninjas flipping around everywhere.

- Charr run on all fours when their weapons are sheathed, and it looks very cool.

- There are lots of jumping puzzles in GW2, many with rather narrow spaces and tiny platforms and ledges. As a result, Norn / Charr can feel like Hard mode, and you may have to hear other players complain that you are obstructing their view. Ignore 'em though, and play what you want.

- Some of the human faces, for some reason, have eye sizes that increase with the size of their irises. As a result, some of the faces can have creepy-looking 'anime eyes'.

- Feel free to delete your characters early and often if you find yourself unhappy. No one will be able to steal your name unless you leave it untaken for 24 hours. I blow up tons of alts if their hair color doesn't quite look right or I'm not happy with some tiny aspect. If you happen to get quite far into the game and decide you want to change, they don't have character / hair re-creators in the game just yet, but the items have been data-mined so it's something they will eventually be adding.

If you have swiftness on a lot, it's not so bad. If you go warrior or thief, you're good.

Hint: Charr are at least 20% cooler than the other races.

It's something that revolves entirely upon personal perception. I had the same problem with Tauren in WoW; they just feel like they move too slow. Which is a shame, because I happen to like the look of a huge character in heavy armor. They look like walking tanks, but that's the problem; they look like they're just strolling.

Individual results may vary, of course. It's just one of my little hangups.

I slaughtered hundreds, if not thousands of them in the original, so it would feel really weird to play as one. A good weird or a bad weird, can't tell yet as my client isn't ready yet. We will see.

If it's any consolation, the Charr you spent time slaughtering in GW1 were mostly Flame Legion. In the 200-some years between GW1 and 2, the Flame Legion has been driven out of Charr society by the other legions; Iron, Ash and Blood. They've also allowed female Charr to fight, something the Blood Legion had previously suppressed.

 

[Hawkian]

- Charr run on all fours when their weapons are sheathed, and it looks very cool.

I essentially regret not making any of my characters a Charr for this reason. The Battleground Fractal is my consolation prize

 

[hythloday]

- Asura ears appear floppy during creation, but during combat they perk up considerably.

I can confirm (after a survey conducted by a team of independent scientists) that the ear-perking effect on the Asura is 100% adorable.

 

[Retro]

I essentially regret not making any of my characters a Charr for this reason. The Battleground Fractal is my consolation prize

Around the halloween event, I seriously flirted with the idea of blowing up my warrior to re-roll him as a Charr. If I had gotten the Greatsaw weapon, I absolutely would have done so, as it's perfect for a charr.

My Rytlock statue stares down at me sometimes and tells me to reroll.

Still, my human (who looks as close to me as GW2 allows) looks pretty good, if I may toot my own warhorn. And the armor is a bit more visible on him, which is good.

I also regret blowing up my Sylvari Thief last week, though she was only level 26. Re-rolled her as a human, but I feel like I should have one of each race. Sadly, at this point, I don't have any norns or sylvari.

I can confirm (after a survey conducted by a team of independent scientists) that the ear-perking effect on the Asura is 100% adorable.

And their /cry is adorably sad.

 

[Hawkian]

He's a stylish man.

edit: Charr's all I don't have. If I get a new character slot, it'll be for a heavy armor charr.

 

[Sir Garbageman]

I'm sure it's been posted a bunch but this a great site if you want to view all the different armor sets in one spot:

http://www.gw2armor.com/

 

[Ashodin]

Greatsaw is great on any non Asura! Because you know they're small.

Oh and Retro I don't wear your shoulders any more, I'll have to post a picture of my completed look Sunday.

 

[Arcteryx]

Well screw it if the xp isn't any better. bleh. I REAAALLY wish there would be stronger incentives to roll alts. Heirlooms are basically the best things ever, stupid tedious grinding :/ Makes me think a lot of Star WArs - I want to do then personal story stuff a LOT, it's the other 90% of the levelling process that blows.

If you've got the gold to spare, then go the route of leveling through crafting. I'd wait until prices (hopefully) drop down again on mats, but it is definitely the quickest way to go. I did my guardian 1-10, 40-60 and the rest were crafting, in about 28-30hrs. This was a couple weeks back when prices were cheaper, but the grandtotal was ~15g(with most mats bought).

 

[Retro]

He's a stylish man.

edit: Charr's all I don't have. If I get a new character slot, it'll be for a heavy armor charr.

There's a big, gaping hole in the professions; there's three Medium armor and three Light armor, but only two heavy armor. I wanted my main to look a bit like me, so it has to be a Human and a Warrior. And I really like the look of women in heavy armor (especially in GW2 where it's not chainmail beachwear), so that's my Guardian. She WAS Norn, but I blew her up a few weeks back too. Now I have a human female... I think my eventual Norn will have to be male.

Thus, no heavy armor classes left for my Charr. He was originally going to be an Engineer, but the name I ended up with for my Asura was too perfect so that's the direction I went there.

I'm hoping they'll add another Heavy armor profession somewhere down the road. If so, that's going to be a Charr... or if they allow Race change, maybe I'll switch my Human over.

I'm OCD about my characters, and tend to make rash decisions at late hours that I regret later (see deleting my 68 Norn Warrior / Sylvari Thief / etc.).

http://www.gw2armor.com/

Hot damn, bookmarked. Thanks.

Oh and Retro I don't wear your shoulders any more, I'll have to post a picture of my completed look Sunday.

Heh, I've been seeing more and more people wearing them lately, I think I started a trend.

 

[Serra]

I'm sure it's been posted a bunch but this a great site if you want to view all the different armor sets in one spot:

http://www.gw2armor.com/

Nice, thank you for this. Bookmarked!

 

[Noisy Ninj4]

I slaughtered hundreds, if not thousands of them in the original, so it would feel really weird to play as one. A good weird or a bad weird, can't tell yet as my client isn't ready yet. We will see.

So have I, but my first (and primary) character is a Charr warrior. I even gave him the name of my GW1 primary character (also a warrior).

 

[Retro]

Played a ton of GW1 but never touched this until now and looking for a good place to ask some questions

Already responded to this, but I thought I'd copy over some basic tips from earlier in the thread to help people get their bearings in GW2:

Basic Tips:
1. Roll the class you think looks interesting and fun, not which you think will be most useful. If one doesn't click with you, try another. Every class can contribute, even breaking MMO-tropes; Guardians (the "Paladin"-like class) have ranged weapons (yes, Chriswok, they really do count), Rangers are good in melee, etc.

2. Race has no statistical advantage; it will only give you a few race-specific utility and elite skills (none of which stand out over the others). Otherwise it is entirely cosmetic. Be aware that the "Tauren Effect" is in play here; the two large races, Norn and Charr, feel like they move slower than the others even though run speed is normalized. Likewise, Asura feel like they're flying. Some people (myself included) find it detracts from the game, YMMV.

3. Buy a copper Mining Pick, Harvesting Sickle and Logging axe as soon as you have the money; there's no gathering professions, everyone can gather everything so long as they have the tools. Resource nodes show up on your mini-map (Grey rock, green leaves, brown log pile) and are instanced for everyone; don't rush to mine a Copper node just because someone is running towards it, you will have your own copy waiting just for you.

4. Likewise, buy a basic Salvage Kit. This is similar to Disenchanting in WoW, but you actually get resources like cloth, leather and metal rather than dusts/essences. This is the primary method for getting cloth and leather, actually.

5. You don't need to be at a waypoint to travel; you can open your map and travel to any waypoint at any time.

6. If you want bags, take up any of the armor crafting professions (Armorsmith, Leatherworker, Tailor) as all three can produce bags right away.

7. You get weapon swapping at level 7 (unless you're an Elementalist or Engineer), and unlock utility slots at 5, 10 and 20.

8. For a quick level or two, explore your race's starting city. When you open your map there will be a checklist of the waypoints (Diamonds), Points of Interest (Small squares), and Vistas (Two Red Triangles). It also nets you some money and goodies.

9. Learn to dodge early, it will save you forever. Most enemies have a 'wind up' animation just before they deliver a large attack.

10. Whisper any of the officers for an invite to GAF guild where your questions will be answered. Ferny, Ashodin Venteal, Hawkian The Blade, Gojira, Nephenee Reginleif, Professor Retro or Wallach.

11. We also use Mumble; talking is optional but being able to listen helps, especially in dungeons. We also tend to hang out and get overly excited about new features:
Server Address: atl.eoreality.net
Port: 64742
Use your GAF Name as your username to avoid confusion.

 

[Hawkian]

Arg, crashed on loading the second fractal in a lvl 1 group. This is such a non-issue in regular dungeons, it really stands out that you can't rejoin an active group.

 

[Morokh]

I'm sure it's been posted a bunch but this a great site if you want to view all the different armor sets in one spot:

http://www.gw2armor.com/

This is handy too, all the armor item codes, and the majority of dye codes one click away !
http://carsen.dreamhosters.com/game/gw2/

 

[hythloday]

Arg, crashed on loading the second fractal in a lvl 1 group. This is such a non-issue in regular dungeons, it really stands out that you can't rejoin an active group.

Yeah, if you can't rejoin your party where they are, they could at least implement a "do over" option for the current Fractal your group is doing.

 

[Hawkian]

This is handy too, all the armor item codes, and the majority of dye codes one click away !
http://carsen.dreamhosters.com/game/gw2/

Awesome!

edit: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArqZ3AWECmvVdGFjSDR6dGRjUTFTcUoxMXBxaFhRMUE#gid=0 <- to search through

 

[TheYanger]

If you've got the gold to spare, then go the route of leveling through crafting. I'd wait until prices (hopefully) drop down again on mats, but it is definitely the quickest way to go. I did my guardian 1-10, 40-60 and the rest were crafting, in about 28-30hrs. This was a couple weeks back when prices were cheaper, but the grandtotal was ~15g(with most mats bought).

If I had anywhere approaching that I probably would :/ Last time I played 15g was a lot of gold (full set of good gear cost about that). Oh well, might just level an alt casually. Didn't get gkicked for inactivity yet, thankfully!

 

[jersoc]

someone logon and activate our upgrades and give us magic find please!

 

[KageZero]

Rather than have a free trial that's always on, ArenaNet has instead had Trial Weekends. Unfortunately, you just missed one which ran during the big Lost Shores event last weekend.

If you want to wait, just watch the Gaming side as we usually start new threads for the major content pushes and events. If you'd still like to give it a try, all I can suggest is that the Digital Deluxe edition (which is only deluxe in that it has useless but still kinda neat items) is on sale for the same price as the standard edition.

Most of the people who have picked it up really enjoy it, and even those who dislike it tend to find enough to say they got their $60 worth.



EU GAF kind of fell apart; there weren't enough active players to keep the already small break-away guild active. However, a lot of people have rerolled on Stormbluff Isle and report a very lag-free experience. You might want to give that a try (don't worry if you can't get onto SBI immediately, it tends to fill up quickly).

Feel free to ask any questions you want, lots of people here to answer them.

Ah a shame... 60$ is too risky to give just like that, i hoped there would be some trial at least... How is online going? I mean is the player database big now that the game is out for some time.

 

[Retro]

Ah a shame... 60$ is too risky to give just like that, i hoped there would be some trial at least... How is online going? I mean is the player database big now that the game is out for some time.

Most of the servers have remained full. GAFguild averages around 50-60 people at any given time (obviously lower early weekdays and higher on the weekends or during events). Game still seems fairly crowded to me, but Stormbluff Isle is one of the more popular servers.

 

[Hawkian]

Ah a shame... 60$ is too risky to give just like that, i hoped there would be some trial at least... How is online going? I mean is the player database big now that the game is out for some time.

Certainly in the millions.

Stay tuned for any threads that pop up in the gaming side proper, we'll definitely make one each time there's a trial weekend!

Pity you just missed this one. There was an event that landed some people on trials some of the rarest items in the game

 

[KageZero]

I think i will get the game before new trial, want something to play but it seems i cant relax in lol anymore with those trolls so gw2 will do the job. I'm from europe if anyone is playing there, what server to chose if there is a eu gaf guild. Is there any way to see how many people are on each server?

 

[Mr. Luchador]

Already responded to this, but I thought I'd copy over some basic tips from earlier in the thread to help people get their bearings in GW2:

Basic Tips:
1. Roll the class you think looks interesting and fun, not which you think will be most useful. If one doesn't click with you, try another. Every class can contribute, even breaking MMO-tropes; Guardians (the "Paladin"-like class) have ranged weapons (yes, Chriswok, they really do count), Rangers are good in melee, etc.

Hey, you can keep telling the people the sky is green, but the people who know... they know the truth. I am interested to know how often you've played Guardian, to base this opinion on, or if you're simply saying it because you've read it/heard it from somewhere else.

 

[TheYanger]

Are you kidding? Guardian ranged is a joke. It takes 5 minutes of trying to play with a scepter and then 5 minutes of playing as...Any other class with a real ranged weapon, to know this.

 

[Mr. Luchador]

Pretty sure Retro hasn't played Guardian (for any reasonable time), or he wouldn't be banging his hollow drum.

 

[TheYanger]

It's basically the entire reason playing my guardian killed the game for me, because I only really play for wvw, and while the support can be fun, the VAST majority of the time you're sitting in backlines or on walls or down below a wall, and unless you can legitimately do ranged dps you're bored to tears. I can't even count the number of sieges we pushed back where I spammed healing and buffing shit, cast smite down on people, and used staff 2, to represent my entire contribution. I could build an arrow cart but if we don't need it it's just a waste of resources.

 

[Noisy Ninj4]

Should've run warrior. They've got good support if built for it and solid ranged options. Longbows are especially effective in sieges, though I generally prefer rifles.

This makes guardian a lot like paragon (fro GW1) for me. Both are mid-line support characters that don't do much at range.

 

[Mr. Luchador]

That was exactly my point too, but Retro knows best.

OK, so we have weapons that can do 'damage' at range, but those weapons have like 2 attacks, with the rest being your typical 'Paladin' support spells (buffs, healing, CC). The damage they do is poor, and for the most part pointless once AOE heals/Regen is taken into account.

I like Staff, for what it's worth, but not as a damage dealer, more of a Crowd Control and Support weapon.

To suggest that Guild Wars 2 is redefining class rolls, like he constantly does, is why I called him PRetro. I have no idea where he's getting this impression from that Guardians are viable at range. If it's personal experience, I would like him to share the build, but I get the impression it's something he's read/heard/made up (which if true is sad as it undermines the sometimes decent stuff he does post).

 

[Boogdud]

Saying guardians have ranged is like saying a skateboard is a Ferrari 458 because it has 4 wheels and moves.

 

[Retro]

I think i will get the game before new trial, want something to play but it seems i cant relax in lol anymore with those trolls so gw2 will do the job. I'm from europe if anyone is playing there, what server to chose if there is a eu gaf guild. Is there any way to see how many people are on each server?

EU GAFGuild kind of died out; not enough people and the officers all kind of disappeared. However, plenty of former EU players have moved to Stormbluff Isle (NA server) without noticing any lag or other issues.

There's no way to tell exactly how many people are on each server, they usually tell you "Full", "High" and so on. However, they've been keeping a tight rein on server population, so most of them always show High or Full at peak hours.

Should've run warrior. They've got good support if built for it and solid ranged options. Longbows are especially effective in sieges, though I generally prefer rifles.

This makes guardian a lot like paragon (fro GW1) for me. Both are mid-line support characters that don't do much at range.

Heh, Chris is harping on the "Guardians have no range" thing again, huh? No sense of humor, that one.

I actually do run a warrior as a main, Guardian as a secondary (if I would stop blowing them up). Love both ranged options on my warrior.

As for Guardian, the statement has never been "Guardians are a ranged class", merely that, compared to WoW paladins (who had no baseline ranged abilities from launch all the way to Wrath, when Exorcism could be used on any target) Guardians have better options. But you can't make a positive statement in this thread without people flipping their shit, I suppose.

Saying guardians have ranged is like saying a skateboard is a Ferrari 458 because it has 4 wheels and moves.

At least they can pull without using Linken's Boomerang for two whole expansion cycles.

(Edit: Before the inevitable bitching winds up on this comment, yes, you could also spec Holy and use Holy Shock too, but Holy was hardly a viable questing build back then so it really shouldn't count).

 

[Mr. Luchador]

Basic Tips:
1. Roll the class you think looks interesting and fun, not which you think will be most useful. If one doesn't click with you, try another. Every class can contribute, even breaking MMO-tropes; Guardians (the "Paladin"-like class) have ranged weapons (yes, Chriswok, they really do count), Rangers are good in melee, etc.

v

As for Guardian, the statement has never been "Guardians are a ranged class", merely that, compared to WoW paladins (who had no default ranged abilities from launch all the way to Wrathm when Exorcism could be used on any target) Guardians have better options. But you can't make a positive statement in this thread without people flipping their shit, I supposed.

Good old PRetro! Why didn't you just say that in the first place, instead of the ambiguous crap you constantly keep saying?

 

[Retro]

Good old PRetro! Why didn't you just say that in the first place, instead of the ambiguous crap you constantly keep saying?

Because for the average person who's interesting in some quick info about the game, including the kind of air-tight, triple-checked commentary demanded by those with an axe to grind and/or an unrequited man-crush is just extraneous.

Not everybody reads over my posts with a fine-toothed comb looking for something to bitch about.

 

[Won]

The World of Warcraft Paladin was a range support class since day 1.

 

[Mr. Luchador]

Now imagine that same average Joe reading your ambiguous post believing he can buy GW2, role Guardian and use them as a viable class at range... It's just an outright lie. No one reads over your posts looking for tiny errors, but when you constantly preach about GW2 breaking the conventions of MMOs and use Guardian 'Ranged Weapons' as an example, you can't expect those who play Guardians and know what you're saying isn't 100% right to sit there and go 'Ah yes'.

So yes, I will call you out on that each and every time, as it's just an out right lie with the way you word it. The fact that several other Guardian players have called you out on it too should be enough for you to realise that you're either too vague with your spiel, or you're not telling the truth.

 

[Mr. Luchador]

The World of Warcraft Paladin was a range support class since day 1.

I thought Hammer of Wrath the Seal of Judgements had been around longer.

(Edit: Before the inevitable bitching winds up on this comment, yes, you could also spec Holy and use Holy Shock too, but Holy was hardly a viable questing build back then so it really shouldn't count).

Wait. So we can't count a WoW build as 'Ranged Weapons' as it's not 'viable', but we can totally count the equally pathetic Ranged Attacks Guardians have in GW2 as something that's viable... Retro... come on. Your weak attempts at winning favour by claiming we're 'bitching' and 'Nit picking' your posts, doesn't help the matter. Certainly doesn't help you add those comments to a post long after the original post was made.

Look I don't dislike you personally, in case you think I do. I just don't agree with 1 thing you constantly say about Guild Wars 2.

 

[etiolate]

Your average Joe is a histrionic idiot though. Guardian has range abilities and more than most paladin-type classes. If someone says "you can do ranged as a Guardian", and people take that as "you can be a holy mage" then that's their own self-inflicted exaggeration.

People have gotten so fucktarded that it's often impossible to communicate the way the game is to them. They better understand loud binary opposing viewpoints than any detailed, informative explanation. If you go into the detail of anything they mentally check out. If you try a summary of that explanation they go one extreme or the other with it and then blame the game or other person for their experience not living up to their own manchild fantasies. If you communicate in loud binary opposites, they'll happily accept the explanation and yet not have a clue.

ARGH VIDYA GAEM FANS

 

[Hawkian]

I nominate "do guardians really have range or not" as worst gw2 argument thus far

 

[Mr. Luchador]

GAFGuild closing ranks

 

[Proven]

Isn't the primary range option for Guardian the scepter, not the staff?

 

[Hawkian]

Isn't the primary range option for Guardian the scepter, not the staff?

Staff is good for crowd control. Scepter has two ranged attacks and an immobilize, but it's considered to be quite weak.

edit: Two traits tied to it
Scepter Power - Scepter damage is increased by 5%.
Right-Hand Strength - Critical-hit chance with one-handed weapons is increased by 15%.

 

[etiolate]

GAFGuild closing ranks

I'm just ranting about people. MMO people.

 

[Shanlei91]

Isn't the primary range option for Guardian the scepter, not the staff?

Staff is for tagging mobs for loot/xp!

Spoiler

And running faster...