GW Professions, Attributes and Skills (Builds)

Each Guild Wars player can have up to four characters ("heros") per account.  Each character can choose from one of six professions (Elementalist, Mesmer, Monk, Necromancer, Ranger, and Warrior) as their primary profession and then choose a secondary profession from the same list.  This link describes the main and secondary professions available.  The profession a player chooses effects their appearance and armor.
http://eu.guildwars.com/gameplay/category/listing/the_professions/

Each profession has up to five attributes. Some attributes are only available to a primary profession and it looks like each character can choose a maximum of eight attributes.  You can read more about attributes here.
http://eu.guildwars.com/gameplay/article/attributes/

Choosing attributes gives a character skills that belong to that character's chosen attribute.  As you level, you get more attribute points which improve your skills.  Here is a bit more about skills.
http://eu.guildwars.com/gameplay/category/listing/skills/

Attributes can be adjusted at any town.  The game seems to encourage players to change their attributes to match the situation their characters are in.  These various builds are much discussed in the game.  I am going to start assembling various builds for the different professions as I find them.  These will be placed in the various profession tabs under the header.

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Starting Out in Guild Wars

The Guild Wars EU website has a nice beginner's section that talks about the basics of the game.
http://eu.guildwars.com/gameplay/

The US Guild Wars site has help for the new PvP player.
http://www.guildwars.com/competitive/articles/pvpprimer/default.php

The Guild Wars Guru has many articles to help new players.
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/gameplay-id276.php

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

The One Essential in Any Game

...is a good map.  The Official Wiki has a nice selection of regional and zone maps.
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/List_of_maps

The Unofficial Wiki has a page full of maps to help players navigate various campaigns.
http://guildwars.wikia.com/wiki/Maps

The Guild Wars Guru has some downloadable map tools.
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/downloads-id274.php

The site also has Collector finder maps.
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/sjeng/index.htm

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Starting Guild Wars

With Guild Wars 2 due to come out in 2011, the Solo MMO Player decided to play a little of the original game.  The financial model Guild Wars (GW) is based on is much different than that of WOW's.  There is no monthly fee to play the game. Instead you buy one or more of the GW "areas":  Guild Wars, Factions, Nightfall, and/or Eye of the North.  When GW2 comes out, once you buy that, you can transfer your character into that area of the game as a whole.  Some items in GW seem to be available for cash--extra storage, character slots, makeovers and name changes, special costumes and armor sets, etc.

GW seems to be an ability-based game.  Instead of leveling until you can level no more and then chasing gear through endless dungeon runs (the WOW model), in GW you have to master the 200 or so abilities available for characters.  You can only choose 8 abilities from the list of possibilities and you can change them to meet the situation, so understanding the abilities thoroughly is the real heart of GW.

If this appeals to you, then GW is a game you will want to try.

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com