Returning GW2 Original Player - Before Expansion purchase what to do to prepare at 80

[happycat.5746]

Hi all, I bought GW2 when it first came out and have returned to the game. I now have four of my five slots at 80 and am not sure when I'll be able to get the expansions. I know now is a good time because the price is good, however my finances are worse, heh. Anyway, I dinged 80 and am wondering if collecting Hero Points is a waste of time, how about Karma from questing? I have the feeling that I should hold off on the questing cause XP can be used on the Gliding Track when I finally do get the Xpacs. I know there are countless ways of getting XP, I rather like completing zones but again, would rather complete them when I get the XPacs if that is the smarter thing to do (if that is the way I like to spend my time in game, that is).

 

I know this seems like a common question but I've been searching for days for the answer and can't really get a clear one. I have read a ton of information but it's still not clear if I like to complete zones is it better to do it after I get the Xpacs or is there any benefit (other than karma gain) to do them before that. Is there anything that would directly benefit my 80s with the XPacs (other than crafting) such as Hero Point gathering?

 

Thanks and apologies if this seems dense!

 

Edit: Gathering crafting mats, I get that would be useful of course. I know zone completion will be faster after XPacs but I'm not really interested in speed. I do try to do dailies but sometimes get frustrated at events being completed before I can get there (not complaining, it's the nature of the game), and of course I am so keen to see the new areas, can't wait really. My love for guild wars is over the top right now.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Experience gained only counts for the Mastery Track associated with that area. For instance, to gain XP for Gliding, you would need to play in Heart of Thorns maps, and for Mounts Masteries, play in Path of Fire maps. There are Core Tyria Mastery Tracks, but there really is no need to 'save XP'. Gathering Hero Points on each character is a good idea, as you can use them for Elite Specializations once you have the expansions.

 

As for events for Dailies, try to not follow the pack; you will find it much more rewarding. Events often happen around Renown Hearts (that's what the Renown Hearts are for).

 

Welcome return to Tyria, and good luck.

[happycat.5746]

Thanks so much. I came to vaguely understand the experience track thing last night. Masteries don't come into play until you have the XPacs, correct? So while playing in Core Tyria now without the expansions I'm not putting anything toward any track. Or perhaps I've missed something big and I need to go read some more!

 

Edit: Okay, that was easy. Right, so mastery tracks are not unlocked until you get at least one of the expansions (well, now both since one is free with the other). Hero points, good deal. And yeah, I don't try to follow the pack, just last night though as soon as an event popped up on my screen it went away when I got to it. Probably due to the nature of the events in the area were the 'kill' rather than 'escort' and the like :)

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

The Wiki (link above) is a great resource for all things Guild Wars 2.

 

Again, good luck and happy adventuring!

[Rasimir.6239]

If you are interested in instanced content, then check out fractals. While you do need materies to get to the top (fractal level 100 is the highest you can go), you can easily play up to level 50 or even beyond without masteries. If you find you like that kind of content then you'll already have a good bit of experience and equipment (fractal is the only content that actually needs a certain level of equipment at the high end mechanic-wise) towards advancing to the top difficulties by the time you get the expansion(s).

 

If you really want to "prepare" for masteries, grabbing achievements that award central tyria mastery points is another track you can go for. All points from finished achievements will be awarded as soon as you unlock masteries. Check the wiki for [mastery point unlocks](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Mastery_point_unlocks#Central_Tyria_mastery_points "mastery point unlocks") in central tyria. You can also see them in your achievement log in game, but I'm not sure if they will be displayed if you don't have masteries unlocked yet.

 

As for the rest there is really not much of a difference between playing with or without masteries. The beauty of GW2 is that pretty much everything is relevant at any stage in the game. Map exploration, resource gathering, stockpiling currencies (gold, karma, map currencys, although you'll only encounter the later in Dry Top and the Silverwastes for now), wvw (which has its own mastery system that is not tied to expansions so you can start out right away), pvp ... just check it all out to see what you enjoy most, and don't worry too much about preparation, as everything you get is useful in one way or another.

[happycat.5746]

Yeah, thank you. That describes pretty well what I love about GW2 over other MMORPGs (and by that I mean WoW). I love that everything is relevant and I can play the game the way I want. I'm a little reticent to get into fractals without a steady group that can handle (my) learning curve. I'm used to playing healing and tanking classes in WoW and will get familiar with how I can assist a group as best as possible in GW but I think that will take some learning.

 

Thank you again.

 

Edit: Bad habit, I know, this editing thing....anyway, unlocking Mastery Points sounds like fun.

[Luthan.5236]

Hey good to see you back. I played from release until end of 2013. Then looooog break until June 2019. Had 8 char slots and 4 chars at 80 the other 4 (I made 1 for each profession) on the way to 80 and I just finished them.

 

Too bad you seem to have missed the sale on the char slots few days ago. I haven't any expansions yet. Had similar questions as you when I returned. It isn't that hard to get back into the game. Especially since it is so beginner friendly and doesn't require you to grind gear. (Exotics fine for most stuff I think.) Personally I did my personal story and map completion on the maps where the main core game personal story went - for all the chars. Left me with about 50 percent world completion and about 100-110 hero points left after reaching level 80. My main got every hero point from core game (including WvW and krait shard from home instance) and has 214 - not yet enough to fully unlock elite specs.

 

But it makes it easier/faster later. I guess with expansions - as long as you aren't pressured to get map completion/world completion on core game (I want that ... but doing it only every now and then) I guess the hero challenges from expansions are better. (Afaik 10 hero points not only 1 - per challenge.)

[Dayra.7405]

Useful:

- Join a guild (to play Guild Missions, get Help)

- Hero points as you will get 2 new elite specs with the expansions

- Gold

- Material in your bank

- Ascended equipment (Jewelery for Laurels, guild missions, Armor+Weapons craft or drop)

- Tyria Mastery Points via achievements (such that you can unlock auto-loot with just Exp after you got the expansions)

- WvW ranks (hard without mount), but you can even buy difficult Hero points from the content of Rankup chests

- Play Fractals & Fractal Agony resistance (useful for ascended drops)

- Tyria Map Completion is always useful (esp. if you decide to build Legendaries at some time)

- Buy LS2 (you can play without Expansion) for Gems (gold traded to gems), 2nd LS2 map (Silverwastes) is still good for gold/Material farming.

 

Doesn't matter

- Exp there will always pleanty

- Karma only if you are short (less than 1mio)

[happycat.5746]

Thanks all for the advice. Back to work on a class I'm building and the breaks into GW2 for some relief from the work. Cheers.