Post by melodycross on Jan 2, 2013 18:10:48 GMT -5
Put this on GW2 Guru but can't believe its not here. Rectifying
Seen this question alot online but few actual answers and most of them are bits and pieces. I don't consider myself a superfast leveler in terms of days, but I have a job, life and other things to do. Still, some are surprised at how quickly I level compared to how much I play so I thought I'd post what I've found to be most effective.
This is not a guide, nor an endorsement of my playstyles. Its just how I did it...2 out of 5 times now. okay, maybe I do play this a lot...anyway. There are many reasons you may want to level more quickly than the stop and smell flowers approach. Your guild may be more focused on higher end content. You may be on an alternate character and you've already played through the lower levels and want to get to endgame and try out that awesome build you saw...here? Or you may just want to see how fast you can do it.
Whatever your reasons, I hope this helps. Lets hop in, shall we?
A note on builds: have your build pre-planned so you can just plop your skills in as you progress. I recommend looking for support builds for specific reasons explained at the end of this topic.
Dependent on your class, this is not always possible (say mesmer or thief). For those classes, the rule of thumb is to build to an 'extreme' in PvE. If you're going for a power build, do the most damage you can as fast as you can. Say you're speccing for closes? Go whole hog and gear your build, weapons and rune choices to reflect that.
Here is a list of builds I've used to hit the 80 mark thus far. Some modifications have been made from the originals, but the general themes of any build labeled Leveler remain the same.
1-15 low zone exploration. Do your Dailies. You should be 10 in a few hours. Things slow down from there. Even after dailies are done CONTINUE TO HIT YOUR GATHERING NODES. That's free exp, I'll hit a node and flat out ignore the mobs attacking me. Mob kills just aren't worth the exp and you're going to get your daily kills complete though events most of the time anyhoo.
15-25 head to LA, start crafting (good guides on cooking as a leveling tool are already out there. If you want to level fast choose chef and either jeweler or an armor craft; they've proven less expensive for me at the lower levels. Don't be afraid to swap disciplines; you want level now. Money comes at 80). There's a hump @ 25-30. Best spend those levels in craft and city explores until you get your elite. Chef also gives you another important feature: Consumables. Never underestimate the value of +10% exp from kills. Cook what will be most useful for you.
Here is a comprehensive cooking guide that I often fall back on, but I spend a lot of time just using the mats I've accumulated to craft whatever I can. Watch the level for what you discovery is set to (it will tell you in the creation widgit). There's not much point to creating a level 0 recipe when you're craft level is 2-300 unless you're like me and want to hand out free yum yums to the guild bank or strangers. Yes, I give candy to strangers...
Maintenance oils, Potions, Sharpening Stones, and Tuning Crystals also give a boost to experience and some useful buffs as you progress. If you don't want to make them, check the guild bank and trading post. These cheap buffs can improve your character considerably. Just make sure you buy level appropriate, like anything in this game. Anyone notice in the descriptions how the armor crafts give offensive buffs based on your level of health and defense? I think Anet is trying to tell us something...
Several people on guru and other media have mentioned that they craft their alts to 80. Well, if you have the mats and money to do that...then you probably aren't looking at this guide! Yes; it is possible to use crafting to level your character all the way to 80.
Someone has already done the math for an efficient way to craft level your character to 80. For approximately 30 gold (at time of creation of the OP; I would guess that price has increased--just a little
--if you're buying chocolate and vanilla beans to max your chef), you can park in town and have your character built and ready to play in Orr in a few hours...once you've bought your mats.
Anyway, back to the "not-a-guide":
Map/Explore 25-30 zones at this point and revisit any lower zones for map completion as its a nice exp boost and easy to do. Easy is important for any type of grind; you don't want to wear yourself out on a hard fight; this should be autopilot play.
The exp you get from map completion is nice, and the loots/mats are a good source of income for crafting. I recommend stopping to craft every 3-5 levels as your attention span wanes. That's an important note: DO OTHER THINGS. Keeps you from feeling the grind as much but it also lets you build up your armor/weapons, etc so you can craft your own instead of hitting the TP. Why pay someone else for level 60 armor when you already can make it and have the mats (you were farming nodes weren't you)? And need the exp...
Mid 30s, hit your guild up for AC story and explores. Its the easiest dungeon to hit and the quickest to complete all three paths. Do all three paths daily from here on out+your dailies. If you want to PuG, PuG. But if you want it done right and done fast, get a guild that does this often.
35-40, I start personal story. Burn through them till your out of LA and head south to Fields of Ruin. I personally try to make my way toward Frostgorge asap, to make it easier if I wish to farm the claw of jormag there (thats later of course but blaze that trail northward for good exp). If you're lucky you'll hit The Shatner on the way.
Pause to do personal story and keep your level either even with or a minimum of 2 levels higher than recommended dependent on your comfort level at soloing.
Anyone notice that I have you heading in two different directions from around 50 onward? South to Orr for Trahearne's Personal Story and north toward Jormag? Thats not a typo. You're doubletiming POis, Hearts and Waypoints for experience by taking on both paths at the same time.
Points of Interest for Events (in order of level played)
1-15 either Metrica Province or Queensdale. Preferably both. The events in both areas are easy and seem to pop most often.
Kessex: 15-25 has a nice trifecta between Earthworks Bluff and Triskellion; then move west into Centaur held territory for the bridge and the two back to back events.
Field of Ruin: 30-40 hit up Blackwing Hautclaire up to Hunters and if you can Grimm Hills.
Harathi Hinterlands: 45-50 lower levels stay in Wynchona then move towards Modniir Gorge and ask if Kol is up.
Bloodtide/Sparkfly: 50-60 if there's Hylek or Sylvari around there's probably an event you can hit.
Malestrom: 60-70 some easy ones between Broken Arrow and Gauntlet Gulch (specifically the one where you can turn into a bunny), then hit the chest event in Maelstrom's Bile every chance you get. More difficult but its worth it. If you have to zone to LA and hollar for help, do it. Its worth it.
Straits: level 70+ Thunderberry Battery through Din al Jindi has a good repeatable series. Run between those areas unless you see someone calling that one of the gods is up. Do Vizier's Jumping Puzzle
Cursed Shore: Penitent Waypoint, Shelters Gate and Jofast is the "Karma Farm" and I've never seen it without at least 10 people running it. From 75 on, let the zerg do the work.
One note on Events: I don't always stay in them through completion. If there are already enough people playing that event, then stick around until you are fairly confident you are going to get a gold award. Then leave. Find another event, maybe one that actually needs your help or is only just starting. That trick is not limited only to the Orr Karma Farm. It works everywhere. Most important is that if you see an event, get to it. Fast! You want that exp, even if its just a Bronze. Drop what you're doing and put on your running shoes.
Story Path Spoiler Alert (just suggestions mind you): I often run supportish builds during my leveling process. I don't go glass canon as I don't like the style in PvE and because PvE often has a few handy NPCs that will sometimes take a few swipes at your enemies near Hearts and Events. This is helping you drop them that much faster without waiting for or bothering guildies to help. And yes, if that implies that I solo every heart and most events outside AC and popular areas, its because I did solo most of the game on Ranger, Warrior, Necro, Ele and Guardian. If I canz do it so canz u. Update: include mesmer in the list now. The only character not level 80 is thief, which I am actually waiting to see what they do with Tengu as a playable race prior to going whole hog on.
Vigil seems fastest; choose hylek for your race quests. Alternativly, Oder of Whispers is the closest run from Lion's Arch to an Orr portal. A few extra seconds and a run buff can save you several gold (over time) in transport fees.
Then, at the Tree, say you don't want to lose face with your comrades.
Update: When you retake Claw island the respawn rate of risen seems to have increased. latest playthrough on mesmer seemed to confirm. After a little scouting I found out that the middle trebuchet is actually available for firing. Eventually, the risen will accommodate you enough that they clump in an area you can hit them with the treb. That makes short work of them. Specifically, go after the Veteran Acolytes. Once they are all dropped, the rest of the mission is cake. Or pie, depending on preference of tasty treat.
When you get to Orr, lead the tanks up and they will walk you right up to Cursed's doorstep. When the tanks first make landfall, just jump right in the water and let the sylvari tear the giants up. The NPCs in questmode and use of your runbuffs will get you through Malchor's. This is the only zone I suggest you avoid charging toward events; its just not as popular as Cursed Shore or the Straits and you can oft find yourself alone in a field of dead NPCs and very fast Risen chasing you around the map.
Then pop your run buffs and, like I said, karma farm. GG your 80.
Seen this question alot online but few actual answers and most of them are bits and pieces. I don't consider myself a superfast leveler in terms of days, but I have a job, life and other things to do. Still, some are surprised at how quickly I level compared to how much I play so I thought I'd post what I've found to be most effective.
This is not a guide, nor an endorsement of my playstyles. Its just how I did it...2 out of 5 times now. okay, maybe I do play this a lot...anyway. There are many reasons you may want to level more quickly than the stop and smell flowers approach. Your guild may be more focused on higher end content. You may be on an alternate character and you've already played through the lower levels and want to get to endgame and try out that awesome build you saw...here? Or you may just want to see how fast you can do it.
Whatever your reasons, I hope this helps. Lets hop in, shall we?
A note on builds: have your build pre-planned so you can just plop your skills in as you progress. I recommend looking for support builds for specific reasons explained at the end of this topic.
Dependent on your class, this is not always possible (say mesmer or thief). For those classes, the rule of thumb is to build to an 'extreme' in PvE. If you're going for a power build, do the most damage you can as fast as you can. Say you're speccing for closes? Go whole hog and gear your build, weapons and rune choices to reflect that.
Here is a list of builds I've used to hit the 80 mark thus far. Some modifications have been made from the originals, but the general themes of any build labeled Leveler remain the same.
1-15 low zone exploration. Do your Dailies. You should be 10 in a few hours. Things slow down from there. Even after dailies are done CONTINUE TO HIT YOUR GATHERING NODES. That's free exp, I'll hit a node and flat out ignore the mobs attacking me. Mob kills just aren't worth the exp and you're going to get your daily kills complete though events most of the time anyhoo.
15-25 head to LA, start crafting (good guides on cooking as a leveling tool are already out there. If you want to level fast choose chef and either jeweler or an armor craft; they've proven less expensive for me at the lower levels. Don't be afraid to swap disciplines; you want level now. Money comes at 80). There's a hump @ 25-30. Best spend those levels in craft and city explores until you get your elite. Chef also gives you another important feature: Consumables. Never underestimate the value of +10% exp from kills. Cook what will be most useful for you.
Here is a comprehensive cooking guide that I often fall back on, but I spend a lot of time just using the mats I've accumulated to craft whatever I can. Watch the level for what you discovery is set to (it will tell you in the creation widgit). There's not much point to creating a level 0 recipe when you're craft level is 2-300 unless you're like me and want to hand out free yum yums to the guild bank or strangers. Yes, I give candy to strangers...
Maintenance oils, Potions, Sharpening Stones, and Tuning Crystals also give a boost to experience and some useful buffs as you progress. If you don't want to make them, check the guild bank and trading post. These cheap buffs can improve your character considerably. Just make sure you buy level appropriate, like anything in this game. Anyone notice in the descriptions how the armor crafts give offensive buffs based on your level of health and defense? I think Anet is trying to tell us something...
Several people on guru and other media have mentioned that they craft their alts to 80. Well, if you have the mats and money to do that...then you probably aren't looking at this guide! Yes; it is possible to use crafting to level your character all the way to 80.
Someone has already done the math for an efficient way to craft level your character to 80. For approximately 30 gold (at time of creation of the OP; I would guess that price has increased--just a little
--if you're buying chocolate and vanilla beans to max your chef), you can park in town and have your character built and ready to play in Orr in a few hours...once you've bought your mats.Anyway, back to the "not-a-guide":
Map/Explore 25-30 zones at this point and revisit any lower zones for map completion as its a nice exp boost and easy to do. Easy is important for any type of grind; you don't want to wear yourself out on a hard fight; this should be autopilot play.
The exp you get from map completion is nice, and the loots/mats are a good source of income for crafting. I recommend stopping to craft every 3-5 levels as your attention span wanes. That's an important note: DO OTHER THINGS. Keeps you from feeling the grind as much but it also lets you build up your armor/weapons, etc so you can craft your own instead of hitting the TP. Why pay someone else for level 60 armor when you already can make it and have the mats (you were farming nodes weren't you)? And need the exp...
Mid 30s, hit your guild up for AC story and explores. Its the easiest dungeon to hit and the quickest to complete all three paths. Do all three paths daily from here on out+your dailies. If you want to PuG, PuG. But if you want it done right and done fast, get a guild that does this often.
35-40, I start personal story. Burn through them till your out of LA and head south to Fields of Ruin. I personally try to make my way toward Frostgorge asap, to make it easier if I wish to farm the claw of jormag there (thats later of course but blaze that trail northward for good exp). If you're lucky you'll hit The Shatner on the way.
Pause to do personal story and keep your level either even with or a minimum of 2 levels higher than recommended dependent on your comfort level at soloing.
Anyone notice that I have you heading in two different directions from around 50 onward? South to Orr for Trahearne's Personal Story and north toward Jormag? Thats not a typo. You're doubletiming POis, Hearts and Waypoints for experience by taking on both paths at the same time.
Points of Interest for Events (in order of level played)
1-15 either Metrica Province or Queensdale. Preferably both. The events in both areas are easy and seem to pop most often.
Kessex: 15-25 has a nice trifecta between Earthworks Bluff and Triskellion; then move west into Centaur held territory for the bridge and the two back to back events.
Field of Ruin: 30-40 hit up Blackwing Hautclaire up to Hunters and if you can Grimm Hills.
Harathi Hinterlands: 45-50 lower levels stay in Wynchona then move towards Modniir Gorge and ask if Kol is up.
Bloodtide/Sparkfly: 50-60 if there's Hylek or Sylvari around there's probably an event you can hit.
Malestrom: 60-70 some easy ones between Broken Arrow and Gauntlet Gulch (specifically the one where you can turn into a bunny), then hit the chest event in Maelstrom's Bile every chance you get. More difficult but its worth it. If you have to zone to LA and hollar for help, do it. Its worth it.
Straits: level 70+ Thunderberry Battery through Din al Jindi has a good repeatable series. Run between those areas unless you see someone calling that one of the gods is up. Do Vizier's Jumping Puzzle
Cursed Shore: Penitent Waypoint, Shelters Gate and Jofast is the "Karma Farm" and I've never seen it without at least 10 people running it. From 75 on, let the zerg do the work.
One note on Events: I don't always stay in them through completion. If there are already enough people playing that event, then stick around until you are fairly confident you are going to get a gold award. Then leave. Find another event, maybe one that actually needs your help or is only just starting. That trick is not limited only to the Orr Karma Farm. It works everywhere. Most important is that if you see an event, get to it. Fast! You want that exp, even if its just a Bronze. Drop what you're doing and put on your running shoes.
Story Path Spoiler Alert (just suggestions mind you): I often run supportish builds during my leveling process. I don't go glass canon as I don't like the style in PvE and because PvE often has a few handy NPCs that will sometimes take a few swipes at your enemies near Hearts and Events. This is helping you drop them that much faster without waiting for or bothering guildies to help. And yes, if that implies that I solo every heart and most events outside AC and popular areas, its because I did solo most of the game on Ranger, Warrior, Necro, Ele and Guardian. If I canz do it so canz u. Update: include mesmer in the list now. The only character not level 80 is thief, which I am actually waiting to see what they do with Tengu as a playable race prior to going whole hog on.
Vigil seems fastest; choose hylek for your race quests. Alternativly, Oder of Whispers is the closest run from Lion's Arch to an Orr portal. A few extra seconds and a run buff can save you several gold (over time) in transport fees.
Then, at the Tree, say you don't want to lose face with your comrades.
Update: When you retake Claw island the respawn rate of risen seems to have increased. latest playthrough on mesmer seemed to confirm. After a little scouting I found out that the middle trebuchet is actually available for firing. Eventually, the risen will accommodate you enough that they clump in an area you can hit them with the treb. That makes short work of them. Specifically, go after the Veteran Acolytes. Once they are all dropped, the rest of the mission is cake. Or pie, depending on preference of tasty treat.
When you get to Orr, lead the tanks up and they will walk you right up to Cursed's doorstep. When the tanks first make landfall, just jump right in the water and let the sylvari tear the giants up. The NPCs in questmode and use of your runbuffs will get you through Malchor's. This is the only zone I suggest you avoid charging toward events; its just not as popular as Cursed Shore or the Straits and you can oft find yourself alone in a field of dead NPCs and very fast Risen chasing you around the map.
Then pop your run buffs and, like I said, karma farm. GG your 80.
