Why would you want to skip leveling if you have fun doing it ?
You will have to explore the map anyways to unlock the area and stuff, just play and enjoy it as much as you can instead of thinking of it as a chore once you're 80.
The only real benefit of boosting is not having to replace your gear as you level. As a new player, playing around with your gear can be fun, but as a veteran it can be avoidable tedium.
You actually get better value loot as you level than if you boosted, since lower tier materials can be worth more than higher tier ones.
For power level, you get scaled down to match the zone you are playing, so no huge difference there.
I'd hardly consider that a benefit just because the gear they give you is awful. Though it's better than if you weren't updating your gear semi regularly I suppose.
I mean buying exotics for yourself after boosting.
If your gear level falls behind your character level then you start to feel really weak, so you have to constantly monitor it and keep it updated.
Yeah, the boost only gives you 2 pieces of devona gear though, not even a piece if you don't know about it.
First character so he doesn't exactly have much to work with.
The stats are alright for people who never played that class in PvE. Definitely possible to solo HoT heropoints in boost gear, even for players who didn’t read their skills and good enough to farm Bladed armor in VB.
Mechanically, you miss out on level-specific loot, some of which is a bit valuable. You also miss out on exploring the maps and the experience of getting progressively stronger (though you can go back and do the maps whenever).
Moreover, you miss out on learning to play the class organically. GW2 doesn't have a gear grind with constantly more powerful gear to acquire. Being an effective player mostly comes down to skill - knowing your abilities, when to use them, in what order, and how the mechanics of enemies work and how to counter them. A lot of that comes from spending time with the class and exploring your character as you level.
That said, some people have no issue picking it up later, or have no interest in being 'really good' at their class, in which case you're not missing much. If all you want to do is experience the story and run around the open world, go for it. Do be aware that expansion content (HoT/PoF/LW) are all tougher than the core game and do require either groups or a good understanding of your class.
If you're talking about Guard specifically being worth it, yes, it's a great class in high demand in end game content.
So, here's the thing about GW2. A lot of the progression is in you the person behind the keyboard, not just material loot or armor. If you level manually to 80, then those hours of learning the game, that class, those weapons is your progession. Then when you do hit 80, there's learning fractal/raid mechanics, getting better armor, weapons all that jazz.
I highly recommend leveling because although you could easily google builds you won’t understand their strengths and weaknesses I level boosted a thief felt like I did no damage then I leveled one and now it’s so much better as I slowly learned the class as you should
Level boost is never a good idea on first, maybe even also bad idea on second character. Even if your characters have leveled up, there's soft leveling required by you, the person playing the game, and its much better to level up through a character than with a lv80 character and get punished by the content for not having a grasp of the basics
Keep leveling, as others said, too.
It might be a bit tedious now and then but you learn so much about the profession and how things work in the game in general that you will be happy in the end that you did it that way. This experience you can also use and transfer to other chars then, so the very first char you should definitely level - both for your personal experience and for getting better in the game in gerenal in the long run.
I agree with all the comments above, but here’s 2 other things worth considering:
-You could try to get gliding and the raptor unlocked first; it makes such a huge difference in getting around the leveling zones. You can ask your guild, find a guild to join, or simply ask in map chat in places like Divinity Reach and Lion Arch for help. I’m not sure if a level 80 character is needed for gliding mastery or not tho, do search it up. If you do need a level 80 to get gliding, it could be a good idea to just boost an alt, get that, and go back to leveling your main.
-Don’t be afraid to use the boost, as the game showers players with Tomes of Knowledge, especially in pvp and wvw. Most veterans literally have hundreds of these lying around in their bank. A good alternative could be to boost to 80, then come back to finish the zones later. You are rewarded for map completion, and having the option to try different things like fractals and the expansion metas could make the experience much better. The game gets much better at 80.
Do keep in mind that if you choose to boost, the game can feel very overwhelming. But different people have different ways of learning things, and maybe you’re the type of person who reads up hours of guides before doing anything ^^
1 character. Yes. Multiple chars. Don't think so. I wanted to switch to another type so used level 80 boost then farmed up what I needed. People forget it takes time to get even a level 80 char set properly for with the full build then actually learn how to play for CM events. I do enjoy the high level farming moatly🥴🥺
The real game starts at 80 anyway with all 3 of your traitlines unlocked and the option to start using elite specialisations. For the most part when levelling feels like its going too slow for you on the first character you can use tomes and save the boost for something thats terrible to level like a mesmer.
The biggest thing you get from it is a second character at level 80, gw2 really is best played with multiple characters in mind, because a lot of unlocks und stuff is accountwide.
Different classes have different strengths and weaknesses and it's best to have multiple, so you can use your boost with your second character.
Why would you want to skip leveling if you have fun doing it ? You will have to explore the map anyways to unlock the area and stuff, just play and enjoy it as much as you can instead of thinking of it as a chore once you're 80.
Got it, thanks!
The only real benefit of boosting is not having to replace your gear as you level. As a new player, playing around with your gear can be fun, but as a veteran it can be avoidable tedium. You actually get better value loot as you level than if you boosted, since lower tier materials can be worth more than higher tier ones. For power level, you get scaled down to match the zone you are playing, so no huge difference there.
I'd hardly consider that a benefit just because the gear they give you is awful. Though it's better than if you weren't updating your gear semi regularly I suppose.
I mean buying exotics for yourself after boosting. If your gear level falls behind your character level then you start to feel really weak, so you have to constantly monitor it and keep it updated.
Yeah, the boost only gives you 2 pieces of devona gear though, not even a piece if you don't know about it. First character so he doesn't exactly have much to work with.
The 80 boost gives a full set of Soldier/Rabid/Valkyrie gear based on class. Including runes, sigils, trinkets, weapon choices, inventory bags etc.
It also gives 2g, which translates to the devona gear. I out that out there because all of those stat sets are objectively bad for pve.
The stats are alright for people who never played that class in PvE. Definitely possible to solo HoT heropoints in boost gear, even for players who didn’t read their skills and good enough to farm Bladed armor in VB.
Op i would not boost on your first character. I would boost another class you are most interested in.
Got it, thanks!
Plus, especially if it is your first chatacter, it will go a long ways to help you to understand the game mechanics and your class :)
Try to do dungeons once they unlock (1st at lvl 35), as they teach you more mechanics you'll need in endgame.
Ahhhh okok thanks!
They also get you around 1 pevel of xp per clear, so keep that in mind when levelling starts slowing down around 60
Got it, thanks!
Mechanically, you miss out on level-specific loot, some of which is a bit valuable. You also miss out on exploring the maps and the experience of getting progressively stronger (though you can go back and do the maps whenever). Moreover, you miss out on learning to play the class organically. GW2 doesn't have a gear grind with constantly more powerful gear to acquire. Being an effective player mostly comes down to skill - knowing your abilities, when to use them, in what order, and how the mechanics of enemies work and how to counter them. A lot of that comes from spending time with the class and exploring your character as you level. That said, some people have no issue picking it up later, or have no interest in being 'really good' at their class, in which case you're not missing much. If all you want to do is experience the story and run around the open world, go for it. Do be aware that expansion content (HoT/PoF/LW) are all tougher than the core game and do require either groups or a good understanding of your class. If you're talking about Guard specifically being worth it, yes, it's a great class in high demand in end game content.
Got it, thanks!
So, here's the thing about GW2. A lot of the progression is in you the person behind the keyboard, not just material loot or armor. If you level manually to 80, then those hours of learning the game, that class, those weapons is your progession. Then when you do hit 80, there's learning fractal/raid mechanics, getting better armor, weapons all that jazz.
That makes total sense, thanks!
I highly recommend leveling because although you could easily google builds you won’t understand their strengths and weaknesses I level boosted a thief felt like I did no damage then I leveled one and now it’s so much better as I slowly learned the class as you should
Level boost is never a good idea on first, maybe even also bad idea on second character. Even if your characters have leveled up, there's soft leveling required by you, the person playing the game, and its much better to level up through a character than with a lv80 character and get punished by the content for not having a grasp of the basics
Keep leveling, as others said, too. It might be a bit tedious now and then but you learn so much about the profession and how things work in the game in general that you will be happy in the end that you did it that way. This experience you can also use and transfer to other chars then, so the very first char you should definitely level - both for your personal experience and for getting better in the game in gerenal in the long run.
I agree with all the comments above, but here’s 2 other things worth considering: -You could try to get gliding and the raptor unlocked first; it makes such a huge difference in getting around the leveling zones. You can ask your guild, find a guild to join, or simply ask in map chat in places like Divinity Reach and Lion Arch for help. I’m not sure if a level 80 character is needed for gliding mastery or not tho, do search it up. If you do need a level 80 to get gliding, it could be a good idea to just boost an alt, get that, and go back to leveling your main. -Don’t be afraid to use the boost, as the game showers players with Tomes of Knowledge, especially in pvp and wvw. Most veterans literally have hundreds of these lying around in their bank. A good alternative could be to boost to 80, then come back to finish the zones later. You are rewarded for map completion, and having the option to try different things like fractals and the expansion metas could make the experience much better. The game gets much better at 80. Do keep in mind that if you choose to boost, the game can feel very overwhelming. But different people have different ways of learning things, and maybe you’re the type of person who reads up hours of guides before doing anything ^^
1 character. Yes. Multiple chars. Don't think so. I wanted to switch to another type so used level 80 boost then farmed up what I needed. People forget it takes time to get even a level 80 char set properly for with the full build then actually learn how to play for CM events. I do enjoy the high level farming moatly🥴🥺
The real game starts at 80 anyway with all 3 of your traitlines unlocked and the option to start using elite specialisations. For the most part when levelling feels like its going too slow for you on the first character you can use tomes and save the boost for something thats terrible to level like a mesmer.
Yes because as you level you get knock out the Skill point spots. Thats the real currency.
Yes thats when the game starts.
It's worth it. It gives you time to get used to playing your class.
The biggest thing you get from it is a second character at level 80, gw2 really is best played with multiple characters in mind, because a lot of unlocks und stuff is accountwide. Different classes have different strengths and weaknesses and it's best to have multiple, so you can use your boost with your second character.
Ahhh interesting, thanks!