Q: Being unexperienced for any T1 Fractal (or dungeon maybe?), will I be a burden to a group?

[Blocki.4931]

Of course you will be a burden

 

And that's perfectly fine.

 

You can't know what to expect or what to do beforehand. Go in, learn and adapt. Tier 1 Fractals are generally extremely easy. You only have to worry about special mechanics for the fractals, which are usually obvious or self-explanatory, sometimes you will have to read tooltips or descriptions to understand, but there are no additional mechanics just yet. As long as all your gear is for level 80 there shouldn't be anything stopping you from just going in.

 

Be sure to tell people that you are new, most people will be very understanding or are newbies themselves since it's the beginner level. I also recommend looking up a build on metabattle in case you don't have one already, just to get a feeling for what your job is and what you want to do.

 

Have fun getting all that stuff you need and good luck.

[Grampybone.3716]

Hello, I thought I'd never do a fractal or dungeon, but while I'm cleaning up my inventory I found items that I collectied in PoF/HoT open world. Some of these items are used to create Mawdry II (it can eat Bloodstone dust). Unfortunately Mawdry II needs something from a fractal to create it, so I have a few items that I cannot use because of the fractal item.

 

Does that mean T1 fractals are something I really should give a try? I love GW2 (and it's expansions), and been playing it since shortly after release (2012?). But the lack of a clear role (Tank/healer/3dps) refrained me from trying. I used to love healing in (heroic) dungeons in WoW.

 

But if ArenaNet gives me these items in the open world, is it an invitation to at least **try** a fractal? I'd hate to throw away these items for good and I'm worried more of these items will come with next LW chapter/expansions. I have a feeling that I'm missing alot of extra fun (I'm already having fun though) and items I could create if I'd get the final parts needed to create the item.

 

I talked about it in in-game chat and people say things like 'Just try T1, what bad could possibly happen'? 'Fights in HoT open world are sometimes tougher than T1 fractal'. I don't know...

 

The point is that I could focus on my role in WoW, I've never been kicked or criticized for being a terrible healer. I took my healing role very serious.

Then pugs happened and unmotivated people joined, some misbehaved and pug got a bad reputation (in WoW at least).

 

In GW2 I feel empty handed when it's about dungeons or T1 fractal. I have my gear, my profession skills, but no role, and I'm very worried that because of my inexperience people will think 'Sheesh there's another lazy/troll player who doesn't care about being usefull in the group'.

 

But I'm motivated, I simply feel empty handed by lack of a role. I can do the same as the rest in the group, follow them to where they stand (in case of a boss AoE attacks) and attack the same target as the rest does while I learn the fractal zone/fights. Would that be enough for a newbie in a T1 fractal (or maybe early dungeons)?

 

- Grampybone

[Nephalem.8921]

There are roles in fractals. It's just not the tank, healer dd meta. In low level fractals like tier 1-2 everyone usually plays dps or tries to. Doesn't really matter because they are quite easy. In higher level fractals distinct roles are common. Buffing Support, dps and healer usually.

Very experienced groups run just with support and dps, without heal.

Support != heal in gw2.

Decent team would look like Chrono, Warrior, Druid, 2dps. This setup provides most boons, heal and decent damage.

Optimal would switch the druid to power Soulbeast as dps with spirits. Don't try higher tiers without a healer if you are not used to them or it will be painful.

[Grampybone.3716]

> @"Nephalem.8921" said:

> Don't try higher tiers without a healer if you are not used to them or it will be painful.

 

Tier 1 would be my training zone for a long time. I have autism and that makes me want to know a zone thoroughly and be prepared as good as possible. It is easier in WoW: I gear up in full healing gear, tune my skillset to healing and I'm ready to discover a new dungeon. When pugs system came, impatient dps often pulled additional mob groups instead of the tank, creating chaos and suddenly healing focus was spread amongst 4 players instead of focus on tank and support dps. I loved being a Discipline priest, Restoration Druid and Shaman. I played Paladin as tank after I studied the dungeon as a healer, didn't like the Pally's healing spec.

 

In GW2 I'd love to learn these healing roles as well, GW2 has some unusual profession healing specs that look so interesting, but from what I've read healers are mostly needed on high difficulty. And I really need to learn it from easy mode. WoW had an easier healer learning curve, healing gear was obvious made for healing. GW2 has alot of variety in it's gear sets. I don't think I'll be a decent healer in GW2. But I'd already be more than happy with joining a T1 fractal as dps without being hated for being a clumsy newbie :)

[mazut.4296]

Just start doing fractals step by step, level by level and you will get there. When you hit lvl 100 you will be fine doing t4s.

[ButcherofMalakir.4067]

Fractals and dungeons also have roles like in wow but they are diferent then there. But those roles are only played by t4 parties that want clean and fast kills. For t1 yiu can play anything and easily do it. And most of the t1 players are like you. They just started fractals so you will not be burden to them.

 

 

[VanWilder.6923]

> @"Grampybone.3716" said:

Hi Grampybone,

 

As long as You stated that you are new to a specific fractal and asking for mechanics, tips, etc... You will never be a burden.

Gw2 Players are mostly really nice and helpful. When You dont know things, want to learn new things, dont afraid to ask.

I am so glad to be part of the great Gw2 community and I hope you will too someday.

Good Luck and have fun gaming.

 

 

 

[steki.1478]

You wont because 90% of population is just as clueless and inexperienced with actual content (or they are just bad so it ends up being the same thing). Dont be afraid to ask questions and remember than in gw2 there will always be someone bad in the group, even though they have lots of experience. T1 is entry level, people are expected to be inexperienced, the important thing is to actually learn something as you progress through content..not many players manage that.

[thrag.9740]

> @"Grampybone.3716" said:

> The point is that I could focus on my role in WoW, I've never been kicked or criticized for being a terrible healer. I took my healing role very serious.

> Then pugs happened and unmotivated people joined, some misbehaved and pug got a bad reputation (in WoW at least).

>

 

You can be a healer in gw2! Druid usually runs healing gear, the majority of pug groups benefit from a healer druid. Even elite experienced groups have a druid, because by using your healing skills you provide might for the group. So pug groups run a druid with healing stats, while elite groups run a druid with damage stats. Personally, I prefer to have a full healer druid for fractals anyways, a healer makes it so you can skip a lot of mechanics. You can stand in aoes and keep doing damage rather than dodging out, etc. Having a healer is great for casual reliable daily clears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Grampybone.3716]

Thank you for all the replies! :) I'll start working on a healer set for a Druid build this week so I can switch to DPS/Heal, whatever the group prefers. First I'll join open world bosses to feel a bit more familiar with Druid en hopefully in a week or 2 I'll try a fractal.

[ButcherofMalakir.4067]

> @"Grampybone.3716" said:

> Thank you for all the replies! :) I'll start working on a healer set for a Druid build this week so I can switch to DPS/Heal, whatever the group prefers. First I'll join open world bosses to feel a bit more familiar with Druid en hopefully in a week or 2 I'll try a fractal.

 

Healing druid isnt hard to pick up for begginer but that doesnt mean that tgere are not ways to improve your performance. An experianced druid will switch pets, skills, weapons, statsets and even elite spec (to soulbeast) to get maximum out of the character. Try to stay at healing for tve start but once you feel it is easy for you, be sure there are ways to improve.

[Altion.9576]

naaa man its super cool, you do it until you learn it, is not really a big deal.

[Grampybone.3716]

My ultimate wish is to learn 'healer' builds on every profession that is capable of heal, boon (or barriers, that's what the necro does right?). Tier 1 fractal is already fine to me, I just want to learn about the heal/boon/support role.

 

I had great times playing my (discipline/resto) Priest, Shammy and Druid in WoW (heroic) dungeons but GW2 feels like home. Dynamic events, world boss fights, no matter where you are in Vanilla/HoT/PoF, the group activities will come to you. There's no place to hide :)

It's great and it's what makes this MMO unique imo. But soon it's about time I explore all these fractal zones as well, making my GW2 experience bigger, and do my best to do a good job for the group.

[kazaa.9140]

anyone willing to do fractal runs, t 1, get in touch with me, we use discord for comms - Azurite #3733

[Hesacon.8735]

Maybe once a month I'll do a dungeon and whatever group I'm in usually ends up carrying 1-2 people. I don't really care as dungeons are the lowest challenge of the end-game content (dungeons, fractals, raids) and I'm only doing it as a change of pace. I'm doing it for fun, not to clear it and break some time record or farm them.

 

T4 fractals I will kick incompetent players (since I'm in that for loot), but T1 I probably wouldn't unless they don't listen to instructions on a mechanic.

[TamX.1870]

> @"Grampybone.3716" said:

> Does that mean T1 fractals are something I really should give a try?

 

Yes :) T1 fractals are for absolute noobies, you don't really need to know much, not about the fractal itself, and neither much of your class. They are for practising. Even a single more experienced person can carry groups through fractals, but usually groups are such that you have two experienced ones carrying their guildie, and they can easily take two more newcomers to be carried through. You are free to ask questions, and most will answer you, and in general your job in T1's is just to get used to fractals and their mechanics. Absolutely no worries.

 

> I love GW2 (and it's expansions), and been playing it since shortly after release (2012?). But the lack of a clear role (Tank/healer/3dps) refrained me from trying. I used to love healing in (heroic) dungeons in WoW.

 

I come from WoW-like game, and have played GW2 now about a year. In that WoW-like game, I liked tanking most, but sadly it was my healer that was most wanted to high challenge runs :/ Just because DPS was easy to find, and most of those experienced players liked to tank like me, and I mostly gave up and logged a healer :)

 

> But if ArenaNet gives me these items in the open world, is it an invitation to at least **try** a fractal?

 

I think it is :) There are many small things that try to lure you to try something outside your comfort zone.

 

> I talked about it in in-game chat and people say things like 'Just try T1, what bad could possibly happen'? 'Fights in HoT open world are sometimes tougher than T1 fractal'. I don't know...

 

They are right. T1 fractals are easy, and if you join a group, most times they have few experienced players carrying the group through, so you dont need to know anything. You will learn, and before you even realize, you are carrying first-timers through T1 :)

 

> In GW2 I feel empty handed when it's about dungeons or T1 fractal. I have my gear, my profession skills, but no role, and I'm very worried that because of my inexperience people will think 'Sheesh there's another lazy/troll player who doesn't care about being usefull in the group'.

 

That comes at higher levels, but usually not in T1s. If you want to be absolutely sure about the success, try groups running daily T1 recommended one - those groups are usually filled with players from all tiers, T1 to T4. But I'd say you can easily start doing T1 dailies right away. Time to time you might get a group where all are newcomers, but that's just fun. Except that many times in such groups people start giving up very easily.

 

> Thank you for all the replies! :) I'll start working on a healer set for a Druid build this week so I can switch to DPS/Heal, whatever the group prefers. First I'll join open world bosses to feel a bit more familiar with Druid en hopefully in a week or 2 I'll try a fractal.

 

You don't need geared druid for T1 support. Any gears will be sufficient. If your group can't make it when you are Druid in Berserker gears, it will not make it if your Druid has all ascended Harrier gears. You can of course practise Druid playing in fractals, but for lower level fractals I suggest you to take your scourge-necro, if you happen to have one. If people are dying like flies, full-healer druid really can't make a difference in lower level fractals, but hybrid-support scourge can.

 

Hope this gives you needed courage boost to go and start with fractals! :)

[TamX.1870]

I write another post about fractals, so that these things are not lost inside previous ones. As you start with fractals, certain ones are mechanically easier than some others. Sadly, you can't learn the mechanics by reading or watching videos, you first need to go in and try, and when you read & watch videos after that, many things are much more clear.

 

One very important thing: when people say in chat 'gg', it does not mean 'great, gals/guys!' in sarcastic way and even if it means 'kill yourself', it is not meant an offensive. It means that they want you to type '/gg' command, which kills you, and when all are killed, you can respawn at checkpoint - mostly used to bypass certain puzzles, or reset boss fight if it didnt go well.

 

Here is my short descriptions about fractals and how easy they are when you go there at first time at T1:

 

Volcanic: This is mostly just spanking mobs, very friendly to newcomers. You mainly start to need to know anything about the mechanics at T3 or so.

Molten Boss: Straight-forward and mostly newcomer friendly.

Urban Battleground: This is pretty straight-forward fractal, quite friendly to newcomers. Very inexperienced groups kill themselves in the first gate, thought.

Snowblind: Snowblind is one of those newcomer friendly fractals. It has its own special mechanics, but yu don't need to worry about them until T3 or so.

Molten Furnace: Molten furnace is straight-forward at the beginning, but the last fight can be confusing when you are first time there. Still, you need like one or two bit more experienced players to beat it.

Underground Facility: First parts of this fractal are straight-forward, but the boss fight can be frustrating, if you lack DPS and don't know what to do.

Uncategorized: Uncategorized is quite straight-forward. It has some nasty jump puzzles and some mechanics, but nothing that overwhelming.

Swampland: One of the hardest parts in Swampland is the beginning. The boss fight is not that demanding.

Aquatic Ruins: Basically easy, but you want some experienced players to take the group to the boss.

Chaos Isles: Chaos has some jump puzzles, and bit nasty bonfire puzzle at the middle, but otherwise suitable to newbie groups.

Deepstone: Deepstone is easier than it feels at the beginning. The thing is to use that special skill (light) to prevent platform disappearing. Some puzzles, mostly just mob spanking.

Solid Ocean: Solid Ocean is all about its mechanics. You want to have experienced players with you in your first runs, but later when you know it, it will be one of your favorite fractals.

Cliffside: Cliffside has puzzle, and that hammer mechanics. It can be overwhelming without two experienced players working with hammer. If you have those, they can carry you through pretty easily.

Captain Mai Trin Boss: This is basically straight-forward. Basically: you'd need some experienced players with you for first runs, otherwise you are doomed.

Aetherblade: This fractal has some nasty mechanics, you probably want some experienced player with you. Otherwise, not that bad.

Nightmare: Nightmare is long and versatile fractal. It may be overwhelming if you don't know what is happening next.

Twilight Oasis: Make one mistake when jumping, and you are lost :D Also, boss fight has several phases that can be overwhelming at first.

Shattered Observatory: This is... Fancy. You want to have few experienced players to take you through mechanics.

Thaumanova Reactor: This one is, well, all about mechanics.

 

If you start with the fractals listed first, you probably get some smoothened learning curve to them. All fractals have their own mechanics, but some of those are more demanding than others. Also, note that your subjective feeling of the fractal difficulty changes tier to tier. For example, Solid Ocean which is close all about mechanics, feels difficult at first, but later it feels easier. Volcanic, which feels easy at the beginning, may start feel harder at higher tiers, when its "DPS gating" mechanics starts kicking in.

 

EDIT: You will anyways need to run certain fractal several times before you start to remember what happens next, and before you are ready to learn more about the mechanics in the encounters. Dont worry about that. Give yourself some time, and go running T1 even if they don't always end to success, and even if sometimes your group may be filled with a##holes - that is very rare in T1 runs, but sometimes that happens.

[Grampybone.3716]

Thanks so much for your detailed info TamX.1870 ! :)

I bought the remaining harrier recipes to complete a warbeast Harrier armorset (byebye gold hehe). Superior sigil of the Monk was recommended but I never played dungeons so I don't have access to those. I improvised by inserting 6 superior druid, it looked the most druidish to me.

I'm looking forward to join open world boss events tomorrow to get used to the build and it's skill casting cycles. Now I'm going to tame the recommended beasts before going to bed. Wednesday is a day off from work, so I have plenty of time to practice. Looking forward to it :)

[Strages.2950]

T1 Fractals are actually very much meant for learning. They are very easy and the mechanics are slow and less frequent, therefore you should be able to do them no problem even without optimal gear. Don't be apprehensive about giving it a go AT ALL. Extremely forgivable at T1. Just do your daily Fractals ASAP, by the time you've leveled up your fractal level to hit T4 you'll know all the mechanics for all the bosses.

 

Good luck!

[Astralporing.1957]

> @"Blocki.4931" said:

> Of course you will be a burden

In T1? It's equally likely that the group will be a burden to _OP_.

It's the starting point of fractals, after all. It's expected everyone will be new. Even if/when occasional veteran players show up, they generally are well aware of who they will be grouping with, and, as such, should have no problems with it either.

 

So, basically, as you said

> And that's perfectly fine.

 

[Urud.4925]

Are you sure that Mawdrey requires fractals? You collect those seeds/chaotic stuff during LW2, and as far as I remember, you only need to complete some jumping puzzle in open PvE. I completed the backpack and I don't remember any fractal involved.

 

EDIT: [guide](http://dulfy.net/2014/08/13/gw2-mawdrey-ascended-backpiece-and-pet-crafting-guide/ "guide")

Ah, maybe you have 0 Pristine. Hmm, ok. Few fractals T1 should be enough for your purpose. I'm very noob and still need some achievements in lower tier fractals. Feel free to whisper me if you want to run the easiest ones and play on EU (we did some of them in 3, with my friends, they are easy and we go very slow :smile: )

[Fallesafe.5932]

> @"Grampybone.3716" said:

> Hello, I thought I'd never do a fractal or dungeon, but while I'm cleaning up my inventory I found items that I collectied in PoF/HoT open world. Some of these items are used to create Mawdry II (it can eat Bloodstone dust). Unfortunately Mawdry II needs something from a fractal to create it, so I have a few items that I cannot use because of the fractal item.

>

> Does that mean T1 fractals are something I really should give a try? I love GW2 (and it's expansions), and been playing it since shortly after release (2012?). But the lack of a clear role (Tank/healer/3dps) refrained me from trying. I used to love healing in (heroic) dungeons in WoW.

>

> But if ArenaNet gives me these items in the open world, is it an invitation to at least **try** a fractal? I'd hate to throw away these items for good and I'm worried more of these items will come with next LW chapter/expansions. I have a feeling that I'm missing alot of extra fun (I'm already having fun though) and items I could create if I'd get the final parts needed to create the item.

>

> I talked about it in in-game chat and people say things like 'Just try T1, what bad could possibly happen'? 'Fights in HoT open world are sometimes tougher than T1 fractal'. I don't know...

>

> The point is that I could focus on my role in WoW, I've never been kicked or criticized for being a terrible healer. I took my healing role very serious.

> Then pugs happened and unmotivated people joined, some misbehaved and pug got a bad reputation (in WoW at least).

>

> In GW2 I feel empty handed when it's about dungeons or T1 fractal. I have my gear, my profession skills, but no role, and I'm very worried that because of my inexperience people will think 'Sheesh there's another lazy/troll player who doesn't care about being usefull in the group'.

>

> But I'm motivated, I simply feel empty handed by lack of a role. I can do the same as the rest in the group, follow them to where they stand (in case of a boss AoE attacks) and attack the same target as the rest does while I learn the fractal zone/fights. Would that be enough for a newbie in a T1 fractal (or maybe early dungeons)?

>

> - Grampybone

 

No, don't worry about it. All the T1 fractals are soloable by players of mediocre skill. So there's no way you'll be the reason for causing your team to wipe or fail. Also, T1 is the place where people learn. If you're not exactly sure what to do, there will probably be at least two or three people in your group who are in the same boat.

 

My advice is to go to Deroir's channel on YouTube, and watch his tutorials. He has one for almost every feactal.

[foozlesprite.8051]

> @"Grampybone.3716" said:

> Thanks so much for your detailed info TamX.1870 ! :)

> I bought the remaining harrier recipes to complete a warbeast Harrier armorset (byebye gold hehe). Superior sigil of the Monk was recommended but I never played dungeons so I don't have access to those. I improvised by inserting 6 superior druid, it looked the most druidish to me.

> I'm looking forward to join open world boss events tomorrow to get used to the build and it's skill casting cycles. Now I'm going to tame the recommended beasts before going to bed. Wednesday is a day off from work, so I have plenty of time to practice. Looking forward to it :)

 

I'm in the same situation as you for the most part - I have major social anxiety and fear of being a burden/failing people, but need to get into fractals for various items. I did a few waaaay back when they first came out but the system was different then and I took a long hiatus - when I came back, the general mood around them had vastly changed. I also didn't have the close family/friends guild I had then, that was completely comfortable bumbling around as admitted noobs and wiping until we figured it out. I've completely geared out a druid in ascended, practiced with her on open-world bounty groups, but I have a terrible memory and reading or watching strats/mechanics won't stick in my head, I'll need practice.

 

Re: Runes of the Monk, if you're okay running around capturing ruins or killing sentries (doable solo without much risk of death), or taking camps or running in a zerg (more risk of death, but faster rewards), you can get some WvW dailies done on the Ascalon track when it's up. It took me a while because I only do the fast dailies and get nervous in WvW for too long, but I was able to get enough tokens to buy Runes of the Monk for my druid without too much anxiety or pain. You can permanently unlock that Ascalon track by doing the story mode dungeon once - the one time I did a dungeon since I've come back was Twilight Arbor, to permanently unlock the track, and nobody talked, just burned through it since DPS has increased so much since the base game that you can ignore a lot of the mechanics.

[Atamazon.7062]

T1 fractal IS the place for fractal newcomer. The "elitist" have no place there, it's like a high schooler go to a kindergarden and saying he is the strongest ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ , just ignore the like of them.

 

Usually for the already good players, they only use the t4 or t3 lfg tab, so the t1 tab should only contain newcomer like you, just join them without worry. But avoid the group that say "cm" or "achievement" or "exp only" or the like.

[mindcircus.1506]

> @"Grampybone.3716" said:

> Hello, I thought I'd never do a fractal or dungeon, but while I'm cleaning up my inventory I found items that I collectied in PoF/HoT open world. Some of these items are used to create Mawdry II (it can eat Bloodstone dust). Unfortunately Mawdry II needs something from a fractal to create it, so I have a few items that I cannot use because of the fractal item.

>

> Does that mean T1 fractals are something I really should give a try? I love GW2 (and it's expansions), and been playing it since shortly after release (2012?). But the lack of a clear role (Tank/healer/3dps) refrained me from trying. I used to love healing in (heroic) dungeons in WoW.

>

> But if ArenaNet gives me these items in the open world, is it an invitation to at least **try** a fractal? I'd hate to throw away these items for good and I'm worried more of these items will come with next LW chapter/expansions. I have a feeling that I'm missing alot of extra fun (I'm already having fun though) and items I could create if I'd get the final parts needed to create the item.

>

> I talked about it in in-game chat and people say things like 'Just try T1, what bad could possibly happen'? 'Fights in HoT open world are sometimes tougher than T1 fractal'. I don't know...

>

> The point is that I could focus on my role in WoW, I've never been kicked or criticized for being a terrible healer. I took my healing role very serious.

> Then pugs happened and unmotivated people joined, some misbehaved and pug got a bad reputation (in WoW at least).

>

> In GW2 I feel empty handed when it's about dungeons or T1 fractal. I have my gear, my profession skills, but no role, and I'm very worried that because of my inexperience people will think 'Sheesh there's another lazy/troll player who doesn't care about being usefull in the group'.

>

> But I'm motivated, I simply feel empty handed by lack of a role. I can do the same as the rest in the group, follow them to where they stand (in case of a boss AoE attacks) and attack the same target as the rest does while I learn the fractal zone/fights. Would that be enough for a newbie in a T1 fractal (or maybe early dungeons)?

>

> - Grampybone

 

T1 fractals are excellent for just putzing around and enjoying. You meet tons of other people there running wacky off-meta builds and really people are generally relaxed. Here are my tips:

1. Start your own LFG and state that Newbies are welcome or just "All welcome". This in itself cuts out a majority of the people who are worried about getting things done fast. It will also ensure that your team fills nice and fast.

2. Be upfront if you have never done the fractal before and tell the rest of the team. A simple "I've not done this before, is that ok or would you prefer someone with experience ?" If they say they want experience, leave quickly without another word. If they say it's cool, then just ask them to speak up if there is a mechanic you should know.

3. CommonTate on Youtube has a series of videos walking through each of the fractals at their simplest level. Watch them first to know the mechanics if you are really concerned.

 

Mainly don't stress about them. T1 fractals (and dungeons) are fun. While this community tends to spread memes and falsehoods about the expectations of roles, it is best to just ignore them in T1 and enjoy the adventure.

We are all a liability on the first run or two.

 

Finally, add me as a friend if you like ingame and if we are on at the same time I would be happy to walk you through getting started. It's super easy.