[GW] Well, I got Factions...

[SpiritWarrior]

Just picked it up last night and I have to say I am pleasantly surprised! I haven't gotten or done much of anything yet however just wanted to say that the first thing that hit me were the visuals in this expansion. Was the pixel count upped in Factions or something? The starting area is just stunning from a graphical point of view. That deep red on the gates is vibrant-looking and then the oriental buildings in the distance when you go out into the plains, amazing (they look almost foreboding). Guild Wars never looked as good as this so they must have upped the technology or perhaps it is just a triumph of outstanding art.

I am playing assasin and I like it. I really wanted a rogue-like char for this game and now they finally added one. What's the deal with dual-wielding in this game btw? Should I stick to it with my class? Are there dw penlties and such? Bah, anyways im gonna play a bit more later and even read the manual a bit. This may just be what I need to finally get into GW... This one is nice .

[T-D-C]

No DW penalties. You just can't use a + enery off hand so its the same as using a bow.

The new graphics are probably due to using DX9 instead of DX 8 which happened close to the expansion release.

Hope to see you online soon! make sure you post your character names in the character name thread!

[TheCrimsomBlade]

Try the Elementalist / Assassin he just keeps cutting with all the extra energy, but you do loose Critical Strikes. Include Dagger Mastery and Shadow Arts as well as Elementalists Energy Storage, Earth Magic or Fire Magic with the new fire Skills like star Burst and Lava arrows and it gives you a whole new outlook on GW.

[SpiritWarrior]

Yeah, it prolly is the Dx9 implementation then. It just looks crisper and alot more detailed. I was uneasy about the oriental feel but I actually really like how it was done so far. I kinda feel like I rolled horde in WoW and am on the other side. I look out over the cliff and see all these isles (beautiful view with the mist and all) and know that somewhere in the distance is Ascalon. Kinda cool.

Alot seems to have been tweaked. Even the tutorial is streamlined and has alot less reading with the conversation between NPC's as they let you know how things work. I knew all this but needed a good reminder. Still, they haven't fixed that 'warping' problem yet. Sometimes my character will teleport to a foe then suddenly realize he can't do that and warp back to his original location and resume running toward the enemy. It happens infrequently though.

I was thinking CB, of Assasin/Necro. Kind of a Dark/Dark thing going on from an RP point of view. I want a good build but also something I enjoy and can run through the campaign with. What do you think?

As always I have more questions [img]smile.gif[/img] .

What if I went full assasin or do you have to multiclass (I forget)?

Is dual wielding then alot more powerful than single-wielding a one-hander? I understand that I lose an offhand item if I dw but amn't I hitting for twice as much dmg since you say there is no penalty at all, making both weapons do full damage? Years of games having dw penalties make this almost hard to understand.

What should my ranged weapon be...a bow? What is stopping me using a wand if I wanted to? Do I get inherent bonuses with certain weapons?

[Luvian]

Assasins can only dual wield. If you wanted to use a single weapon you'd have to go warrior and raise sword or such, and then use warrior skills.

[T-D-C]

You could go A/W and have a sword and a shield and still manage to put points into sword and tactics for your sheild if you wanted to go that way.

Nothing is stopping you from using a bow or a wand except you won't do much damage if you don't have the required attributes for that weapon.

Personally im using a A/Mo to give him a bit more of a self heal since the assassins tend to be a bit.....squishy if they sta in the front lines to long.. a E/A is a good idea if you shadowstep into battle... drop a few Point blank AOE spells then teleport out.

Try a few builds out as the Shing Jea Island is a great place to try the basics out.

[SpiritWarrior]

Man I die alot. I have only played for two sessions to date (I'm very busy atm) but yeah, Assasins are squishy! I am doing the first chain of quests and I have to seek out some bloke in "xxxx country" but there are sometimes level 7 and even lvl 13 foes along the way. I am only level 3 :-/. I took some henchies and did better but still the countryside is crawling with named elite bosses (I love them btw, didn't see this in the starting zones in Ascalon) who slay me in 2 hits usually and murder my party something fierce.

Am I too low to be doing this quest or something? There doesn't seem to be many available yet around the starting city. In GW chapter 1 it seemed everyone had an exclamation over their head when I was level 2 but not so much here. There's tons of NPC's but I amn't being offered many quests right now so I assumed I need to get through this one first.

I want to dual wield btw I was just wondering about the pros and cons of it.

Do you have to multiclass in GW? IIRC you do have to. What other class would grant me more energy besides the elementalist. It is a problem (energy) and I would love some more. I am now also considering monk too for defense, like TDC had said.

[Luvian]

You'll get a couple more quests, but this Continent is a lot harder than the regular one. You're not supposed to be able to beat everything. I've had my fair share of humiliating defeats against the computer.

One in particular on the starting island is the first named monk boss. He'd slaughter my party in seconds with his smithing spells. Another quest farther off has you "rescuing" a guy. Even at level 20 it's still a challenge. Missions are also harder, but more fun.

[T-D-C]

I find the best way to get some levels and skills before questing is to do all of you primary profession skills quests (meeting 2 trainers) then going and doing all secondary class quests before choosing your secondary class.

If you need some help add me to your friends list and I can give you a hand.

Monk & warrior would be good as a secondary for defense. Mesmer is good for getting back energy. Get yourself some zealous daggers and shrouded armour and you won't have energy problems.

I prefer the nightstalkers armour.

Edit: Once you hit Wajun Bazar and Kainang Center you will see LOTS of quests.

[ 06-03-2006, 11:06 PM: Message edited by: T-D-C ]

[Bahamut]

The quests.... *sigh*

And assassins are still frowned upon in the game... for good enough reason. Hopefully that will change real soon.