New to game. Please help

[ereboz.8463]

I'm taking a break from ESO and trying out GW2. I've always enjoyed a lot about this game but find it so difficult. I usually play mage characters but the ele in this game is ridiculously hard. What class should I play to learn the game without having to switch between several bars and remember 30 different skills to be effective

[Omar Aschi Popp.7496]

Warrior master Race.

[Veprovina.4876]

If you want easy leveling, go with warrior or guardian i'd say.

And if you want a "mage" character, then go with mesmer, they're pretty easy to level but harder later. Opposite of eles who are harder to level but easier later. :tongue:

[TexZero.7910]

Necromancer. 2nd lowest skill floor in the game behind only the mythical Bear Bow.

[Claudia De Anar.6304]

Assuming your playing Free2Play core world. I think Warrior with Berserker Gear is still best for open world learning the PvE. End Game you might get some grief as I believe the current meta is CondiSerker which that requires HoT and the Berserker trait line, not to be confused with Berserker Gear.

 

As a rather Casual player myself. I have a good bit of fun chasing Dragons on my War. Longbow/Axe or Longbow/GSword and Full Serker, or full Soldier Armor Sets. Soldier is not nearly so Squishy, but the game seems to favor a glass cannon approach. Anyhow it may not be Optimal, but I should get your legs underneath you. Have fun BB.

[Dashiva.6149]

I assume you are talking about general PvE.

 

Elementalist is in my opinion THE hardest class to learn, just precisely because of their unique mechanic. They have basically 4x more weaponskills than any other class (I'm still enjoying it tho).

 

If you want to get more experienced with the combat of GW2 I would recommend Warrior, Guardian, Ranger or Necromancer depending on what armorclass you are into.

They also have their own mechanics and quirks, but I find them quite friendly for newer players to begin with.

 

I assume you are aware, but learning to read the moves and attacks of certain enemies and learning to Dodge and move effectivly makes most encounters manageable, no matter what class you go with.

And there are usually people in the game ready to help if you are struggling with some content, all you have to do is ask.

 

Good luck!

[Goettel.4389]

Necromancer for an alternative clothie who's easier to play.

Or...stick with Elementalist, it's not as hard as it seems,. Try it with staff if you haven't.

[Danikat.8537]

If you want to stick with a mage type character I recommend Necromancer. They're a lot easier to learn than an Elementalist. Their class mechanic does give them a different skill bar, but it's the same no matter what else you're using, unlike the ele where the skills change for each element and each weapon. (And if you're concerned about the lore don't worry, in GW2 necromancers aren't evil, they're treated just like any other profession.)

[Teofa Tsavo.9863]

Ranger is never a bad choice for general exploration and PvE. I find it to be a very survivable, versatile and capable class.

Just be prepared to be one of "those people" who decrease property values, aren't allowed in nice places, and are the ones never spoken of at family reunions. It's stylish to dis Rangers even though it is one of the most played professions in the game.

 

Just don't spam longbow 4. It makes the melee people wish harm upon you.

[Westenev.5289]

I'd say stick with Elementalist - it's a lot simpler than it origionally seems. Heck, *most* of those skills will likely never see use.

[Rauderi.8706]

> @TexZero.7910 said:

> Necromancer. 2nd lowest skill floor in the game behind only the mythical Bear Bow.

 

I didn't find that to be true, though. When I started, I couldn't find anything *coherent* to do with Necro, and the benefit of a second HP bar is only good if you use it. (I somehow resented F1 for necro for a long while. :P)

To me, Elementalist is the most straightforward of the three "mage" classes.

 

Granted, it sounds like OP might want something that can play reliably at range and still survive well, so I'd probably recommend Guardian. A bit squishy early game, but armor and passive healing make it a more forgiving class.

Or possibly stick with Elementalist, with some extra tips:

Fire is primarily for damage. Damage and burning. Staff is okay for long range, or go dagger+??? for a more visceral experience.

Water is for healing. Below half health, might be a good idea to swap to water to recover, especially if you're in the level range where you can get Soothing Mist on the Water trait line.

Air is . . meeeh. It has some control skills, and staff can do some moderate damage against groups.

Earth deals in damage mitigation and bleeding. A good alternate to flip to when your Fire stuff is on cooldown.

 

And it pays to figure out how to kite an enemy. For me, backwalking and strafing in little circles a decent way to keep most enemies chasing your shadow. If you're good at mouse-turns, quick-turn, run a distance (especially if your enemy is crippled), then quick-turn back for damage. But also be willing to use skills that help you evade and reposition, it's a *huge* part of GW2.

[Chickenooble.5014]

> @ereboz.8463 said:

> What class should I play to learn the game without having to switch between several bars and remember 30 different skills to be effective

Anything other than Elementalist.

 

Just about every skill is cool-down based so you don't have to worry about mana in this game. (Some skills have 'charges' which are number of uses before cooldown)

Just about every class has some ranged weapons to pick from. Likewise, nearly every class has some melee weapons.

Just about every class has multiple, distinct styles of play based on weapon and utility skills.

 

It's about trial and error, really. Just pick something other than Elementalists and expand your horizons past the typical Mage archetype.

 

Good luck!

 

 

[Einlanzer.1627]

Ranger and Necro are great for solo open world play. Warrior and Guardian are decent options also.

[Rauderi.8706]

> @Chickenooble.5014 said:

> It's about trial and error, really. Just pick something other than Elementalists and expand your horizons past the typical Mage archetype.

 

To be fair, yes.

I normally mained pet classes or ranged damage dealers in other games, so I was really surprised that Warrior felt so good to me. It's a solid class to explore the game with, and when you get experience, you can move to more complicated classes.

[TexZero.7910]

> @Rauderi.8706 said:

> > @TexZero.7910 said:

> > Necromancer. 2nd lowest skill floor in the game behind only the mythical Bear Bow.

>

> I didn't find that to be true, though. When I started, I couldn't find anything *coherent* to do with Necro, and the benefit of a second HP bar is only good if you use it. (I somehow resented F1 for necro for a long while. :P)

 

I mean, you could find it not to be true for you, but it doesn't actually change the fact that Necro has the 2nd lowest skill floor. It's really one of those classes that literally anyone can pick up and use to decent effect especially in PvE where simply having minions is enough to do the job for you in 95% of the game.

 

 

[Shirlias.8104]

Revenant renegade.

[Teofa Tsavo.9863]

> @TexZero.7910 said:

> > @Rauderi.8706 said:

> > > @TexZero.7910 said:

> > > Necromancer. 2nd lowest skill floor in the game behind only the mythical Bear Bow.

> >

> > I didn't find that to be true, though. When I started, I couldn't find anything *coherent* to do with Necro, and the benefit of a second HP bar is only good if you use it. (I somehow resented F1 for necro for a long while. :P)

>

> I mean, you could find it not to be true for you, but it doesn't actually change the fact that Necro has the 2nd lowest skill floor. It's really one of those classes that literally anyone can pick up and use to decent effect especially in PvE where simply having minions is enough to do the job for you in 95% of the game.

>

>

 

In nearly every game. TBH, I think GW1 is one of the few games that got minions right. A mob of minions was a lot of work to maintain for a player. Hero's did it far better since their AI tracked them all so well. Although.. I was always "HAVE A LITTLE FAITH PLEASE" when Livia cast Death Nova on me.

[Phil.7369]

> @Dashiva.6149 said:

> I assume you are talking about general PvE.

>

> Elementalist is in my opinion THE hardest class to learn, just precisely because of their unique mechanic. They have basically 4x more weaponskills than any other class (I'm still enjoying it tho).

>

> If you want to get more experienced with the combat of GW2 I would recommend Warrior, Guardian, Ranger or Necromancer depending on what armorclass you are into.

> They also have their own mechanics and quirks, but I find them quite friendly for newer players to begin with.

>

> I assume you are aware, but learning to read the moves and attacks of certain enemies and learning to Dodge and move effectivly makes most encounters manageable, no matter what class you go with.

> And there are usually people in the game ready to help if you are struggling with some content, all you have to do is ask.

>

> Good luck!

 

Yes, mostly what Dashiva said except from the part that Ele is (in his opinion) the hardest class to learn. It is definitely one of the hardest classes to learn yes, but I can't really say for sure if that would be Ele or Mesmer depending on game mode aswell. A well played Mesmer who times his Distortions and clones properly is a monster.

 

Generally easy classes for pve story mode are Necro using conditions and minions (Blood Magic + Death Magic + Curses with Parasitic Contagion and life steal and Rabid Gear), Firebrand Condition build and then Pet Ranger or Warrior. Dragonhunter Power build is also easy.

These classes have a lot of innate durability and don't require much dodging/evading. They also don't have that many additional buttons (apart from Firebrand).

 

Classes like Thief, Mesmer and Ele are much more squishier and rely on their dodges and invulnerability skills. There you have to play fast and save your "PANIC" skills for emergencies. Button mashing will not help.

 

Revenant and Engineer are not so squishy, but they are a bit more complex and have more abilities to control. Engineers especially have a lot of "situational" abilities like Reflects from your turrets or the Defiant Bar-breaking goo.

If you want to try these 2 classes then the Holosmith is much easier to play then the previous Engineer builds and the Renegade using Lifestealing too.