To boost or not to boost

[Kibbles Maihem.2065]

So, I managed to wander around enough to get my mesmer to 23. I am enjoying it so far. Both with combat and all the exploring. Even done some crafting :)

I have 2 boosts. Do I boost my lil mesmer? If I did, what should I avoid in a build? What would be the good skill/weapon combos? Cos I have worked out different weapons give different skills.

I have read chronomancer is good. Is that the only viable one or are there others?

What would you do?

[costepj.5120]

My suggestion would be carry on levelling normally. It can be a lot of fun and gives you an opportunity to try out all those different weapon skills and tactics. Save your boosts for your third or fourth alt :)

[Jwake.7013]

As for boosting or not, I assume when you say you have two, do you mean tomes of knowledge? or full level 80 boosts? I"d sat for your first play through on a class (especially if it's your first character) don't instant boost to 80, but no harm in using tomes (a single lvl bump) as you get them to speed it up a bit. It's good to just experiment with the different traits and weapons as you go along so you know the different skills when you get to 80 and decide to really go after making a full build (imo). Also even if your not big into pvp, feel free to go in there and just go into a custom arena or unranked to try out what a fully leveled out class will feel like. You can switch and try different set ups in there before putting in the time to make/buy the armor you decide on to deck your mes out in.

 

As for mesmer the class, I think there are plenty viable builds for both core and elite spec's right now. Not sure what your into or trying to get into but pve wise, just have fun with it, don't need 'meta' stuff for anything but high end fractals and raids. If you looking for a starting off point, places like metabattle.com are good. Don't take them as law though, tweak to your play style as you see fit and they still work great.

[RoseofGilead.8907]

I agree with costepj. If you've never actually leveled a character in GW2, then I would definitely not use the boost on your mesmer. I'd suggest getting to know the game and getting to know the mesmer by leveling "normally". I'd save the boosts for a future character.

[Dayra.7405]

Use a boost on a 2nd char you may want to play later and go to the first story of Path of Fire and get a Raptor mount there :) and then continue with your Mesmer (which than can use the mount as well, as they are account-wide).

Using a boost just let you skip the learning phase of a char, such that you end up in front of to hard monsters you have skipped learning to kill.

[DearlyMe.5320]

If you're just doing PvE, just play around with a build that you like. It's your character, play it how you want. Builds in PvE don't matter that much. Raids and fractals is another story.

Same with the boosts. Do you want the entire game open to your exploration? Boost. Don't let others tell you if you should or not. Just don't get so overwhelmed by the sudden difficulty spike on the 80 maps and let it judge the entire game for you. I boosted my mesmer when she was 13. Had trouble in Hot, so went back to mapping core Tyria for a month with a casual pop into Verdant every now and than until I got better at using her. But it should be common sense not to expect to do amazing just because you're in the level range of a map. Just having the level isn't enough, it's also skill. I didn't touch the story until I had a bit more practice, as well.

[Ayrilana.1396]

For your first character, I would level up the normal way so that you gain the fundamentals about the game that can be applied towards every new character after that.

 

For classes, feel free to level up however you want. You generally don’t learn much about your class from just leveling it. This is based on my experience as I tend to stick with what works throughout the entire process.

 

If you intend to follow the meta then you’re essentially going to have to learn how to play that specific way as well as the rotations which will most likely be different from what you learned while leveling. Many players strictly follow the meta without any knowledge about their class and why the build is what it is so you wouldn’t really be alone.

[Ardid.7203]

IMO:

First of a class, level normal.

Second of class, use the booster.

[Sarge shot Grif.6450]

If it's a new class don't boost, it's kind of a learning experience to level it manually.

[Faaris.8013]

Boost if you get bored levelling. You'll learn nothing of value the way up to level 80.

[Sarpan.9074]

I'll chime in with the consensus here. Go ahead and level at least one character before boosting one.

 

Also, as you have probably noticed since you're at 23, leveling in GW2 doesn't really take all that long, nor is it difficult. Just wander around, do hearts, participate in events, survive. You'll be at 80 before you know it.

[Faaris.8013]

> @"Sarpan.9074" said:

> I'll chime in with the consensus here. Go ahead and level at least one character before boosting one.

>

> Also, as you have probably noticed since you're at 23, leveling in GW2 doesn't really take all that long, nor is it difficult. Just wander around, do hearts, participate in events, survive. You'll be at 80 before you know it.

 

He is playing mesmer, have you tried to level one up? I did, and not as first "hand-levelled" character. It's a PITA, and to really learn that class, you want the elite trait lines. Most things you use as core traits mesmer you'll never use again when you hit 80. Also, nobody keeps people from boosting to 80, enjoy the gear, the inventory bags, the other extras like shared inventory slot, and then go to the low level maps, do the story, do completions, events, hearts. You spend as much time there as if you levelled manually, with the difference that you really have an opportunity to learn your class because you have all skills and traits.

 

Many people will never use the booster later on, because it loses value the longer you play. I recommend using the booster as soon as possible and get basic gliding/mount and the preferred elite (chrono or mirage) so you can practice the weapon you'll use. When I levelled up my thief, I used daggers. She has never wielded daggers after she learned to use a staff. I learned nothing about how to use my main weapon by levelling up with daggers.

 

This game is different than others, the real gameplay starts when you hit level 80, that's why it was an excellent move to add boosters to the packages.

[Sarpan.9074]

> @"Faaris.8013" said:

> > @"Sarpan.9074" said:

> > I'll chime in with the consensus here. Go ahead and level at least one character before boosting one.

> >

> > Also, as you have probably noticed since you're at 23, leveling in GW2 doesn't really take all that long, nor is it difficult. Just wander around, do hearts, participate in events, survive. You'll be at 80 before you know it.

>

> He is playing mesmer, have you tried to level one up? I did, and not as first "hand-levelled" character. It's a PITA, and to really learn that class, you want the elite trait lines. Most things you use as core traits mesmer you'll never use again when you hit 80. Also, nobody keeps people from boosting to 80, enjoy the gear, the inventory bags, the other extras like shared inventory slot, and then go to the low level maps, do the story, do completions, events, hearts. You spend as much time there as if you levelled manually, with the difference that you really have an opportunity to learn your class because you have all skills and traits.

>

> Many people will never use the booster later on, because it loses value the longer you play. I recommend using the booster as soon as possible and get basic gliding/mount and the preferred elite (chrono or mirage) so you can practice the weapon you'll use. When I levelled up my thief, I used daggers. She has never wielded daggers after she learned to use a staff. I learned nothing about how to use my main weapon by levelling up with daggers.

>

> This game is different than others, the real gameplay starts when you hit level 80, that's why it was an excellent move to add boosters to the packages.

 

Yep, my main is a Mirage.

 

I disagree with you, but we're both entitled to our opinions.

 

OP, do whatever makes you enjoy the game the most.

 

Cheers.

 

 

[Laila Lightness.8742]

Dont ever use boost

[Khisanth.2948]

It doesn't matter either as long as you are willing to put some efforts into learning things. It's not like double clicking the booster is going to perform a lobotomy on you.

[Oriens.5630]

I started at launch and Mesmer was my first character. It continues to be my main character even though I have several other characters.

 

When I have boosted I have gone on to explore the content in the starter and mid level zones before progressing on to higher level content like Heart of Thorns. You can do this since the game will automatically adjust your level/power to suit the zone you are in. Also, since you probably won't be raiding the PvE zones will give you the chance to do what you want. It tends to be fairly forgiving as far as your build goes in the open world PvE.

 

Whether you decide to keep leveling or to boost, I would highly recommend that you continue going through the original zones and regions from low level all the way to the 80 zones. The content is well worth your time. You will be able to harvest mats for your crafting as you level it up. And even being level 80 playing in the lower level zones will still give you plenty of opportunity to experiment with Mesmer and find a play style that suits you.

[Kibbles Maihem.2065]

I have since boosted a thief, died a whole bunch, got a raptor to run around on, and gone back to levelling mesmer :)

[EpicName.4523]

I used booster on my first ever character which also happened to be a mesmer...

I was lost, overwhelmed by everything the game had to offer and wondering what should I do.

Take it from someone who's been there and not too long ago - Use the booster to unlock the raptor mount with the first PoF story mission and start another character of a less complicated profession you may like. The worst of part of leveling is the slow traveling speed and mounts can fix that. And as you level you can slowly get used to the game without feeling pressured to play in a certain way.

 

Getting to PoF areas as a newly boosted hero is painful and doing it in HoT zones is pure masochism. I know from experience.

 

 

 

[ReaverKane.7598]

Engineer, Mesmer and Ele are probably the last classes you want to boost to 80. Since they're the most complicated classes in the game, you'll really benefit from the learning curve you get from normal leveling.

Also if it's your first character, don't use the level boost. Save it for a warrior, a guard, or a ranger, those classes are simple to pickup, so you can use the boost without too much worry.

[Goettel.4389]

Just to add a 'no'.

Don't boost, you'll regret skipping.

[Kibbles Maihem.2065]

I have mesmer up to 27, and a lvl 3 engineer. Seems I pick the hard ones :) but I guess if I can play those I can pretty much play any class.

Besides, I also play Lotro now and again, as warden, which is probably their hardest class to play, and I'm really good at it.

[costepj.5120]

I never really fancied playing an engineer. It was the ninth character I rolled (to complete the set) and I used my HoT boost so I didn't have to level her. Now I actually enjoy it and went back to do her personal story and world completion. True story :)