User:Houroftheowl/beginner team

stuff to do first:

 * If you have not done so already, it is highly recommended to create a new character (ideally an elementalist) in Nightfall and play as far as Choose Your Secondary Profession. This quest allows you to unlock a lot of useful skills for free and choosing mesmer secondary means you can buy cheaply from Tohn in Kamadan. Having multiple characters is nice anyway, and helps you learn a bit more about playing Guild Wars.
 * When you reach the Zaishen Elite quest, make sure you choose the Student Sousuke quest, or you'll be missing an elementalist hero.
 * Ascend. This either means completing Nahpui Quarter or Augury Rock, or if you're a Nightfall character you can just complete the Hunted! quest. Ascension is necessary to change your secondary profession so that you can buy more skills from skill trainers.
 * Play through Eye of the North, until you unlock Gwen. The starting quest is depending on your campaign choice and can be either What Lies Beneath, I Feel the Earth Move Under Cantha's Feet or Hole of Istan.
 * Add Ogden Stonehealer, Dunkoro, Gwen, Vekk, and Acolyte Sousuke to your party. Using their builds below, complete the quest to unlock Olias, and then add him and M.O.X.

general tips:

 * When accepting quest rewards, make sure your low level heroes are in the party - they will receive full XP from the rewards. Whenever they level up, remember to spend their attribute points.
 * Grab any treasures that are along your path, such as the ones in Arkjok Ward, Jahai Bluffs, and Mirror of Lyss. The gold will be very helpful for buying skills and equipment.
 * Each campaign has a quest that gives 2 free Signets of Capture. Accept the quest, and save the signets for elite skills in this teambuild. More Signets of Capture can be bought from skill trainers, but wasting them on useless skills will cost a lot of money.

Changes on the way to Rilohn Refuge
Progress through the Nightfall primary questline until you reach Rilohn Refuge and unlock Master of Whispers. When you reach Sunspear Sanctuary, do the following:
 * Accept The Command Post from Lonai.
 * Get Building the Base: Prisoners of War from Dunkoro in the Command Post explorable area and complete that quest.
 * This will spawn a new hero skill trainer with some useful skills for later.

When you reach Kodonur Crossroads, you'll unlock Zhed Shadowhoof as a new Elementalist Hero. [build prof=E/Rt name="Zhed Shadowhoof" res=11 cha=10 ene=5][Bloodsong][Splinter Weapon][Ancestors' Rage][Essence Strike][Mend Body and Soul][Spirit Light][Protective Was Kaolai][Life][/build]
 * Remove M.O.X. from your party and add Zhed instead.
 * Give Zhed the following build:
 * Equip a and change your secondary profession to Necromancer. In this mission, capture  from Taskmaster Vanahk.

After completing Mysterious Message, accept Secrets in the Shadow from Master of Whispers. Do NOT accept For a Price from Margrid the Sly.

Changes in Rilohn Refuge
At Rilohn Refuge, it's time to make some changes: [build prof=N/Rt BloodMagic=10+1+2 SoulReaping=7 RestorationMagic=11][Blood Is Power][Blood Bond][Spirit Transfer][Signet of Lost Souls][Mend Body And Soul][Spirit Light][Protective Was Kaolai][Strip Enchantment][/build]
 * Give Ogden's build to Dunkoro and kick Ogden.
 * Learn from Libeh in the Command Post. Put it on Gwen's build, replacing.
 * Learn and  from Michiko in Kaineng Center.
 * Replace Olias's with.
 * Add Master of Whispers, and give him this build:
 * Buy a Rune of Major Blood Magic from a Rune Trader and put it on MoW's headpiece.

Teambuild at Rilohn Refuge
Your team should now look like this:

The way to Dzagonur Bastion
Continue with the Nightfall primary questline. [build prof=E/P Fire=12 Energy=9 Command=9][Flare][Fireball][Liquid Flame][Meteor]["Fall Back!"][Fire Attunement][Aura of Restoration][Resurrection Signet][/build]
 * When you reach Chantry of Secrets, learn from Warden of Whispers, and change both Vekk's and Acolyte Sousuke's builds to this:


 * When you reach the primary quest All's Well that Ends Well, equip a and change your secondary profession to mesmer. Yammiron, Ether Lord can be found near the start of this quest; capture  from him. Use it to replace  on Gwen's build.
 * At Dzagonur Bastion, equip a and change your secondary profession to elementalist. General Tirraj spawns near the end of this mission; capture  from him. Beware that the mission will end when all 4 Margonite bosses die, so make sure not to kill Tirraj last.

Preparations for Factions
After Dzagonur Bastion, it's time for more changes: [build prof=E/P ene=9 comma=9 air=12][Invoke Lightning][Arc Lightning][Lightning Strike][Air Attunement]["Fall Back!"][Shell Shock][Aura of Restoration][Resurrection Signet][/build] [build prof=Me/Rt fas=9 dom=12 ins=6][Energy Surge][Mistrust][Cry of Frustration][Unnatural Signet][Shatter Hex][Drain Enchantment][Power Drain][Flesh of My Flesh][/build] [build prof=E/Mo ene=8 prot=10 air=12][Invoke Lightning][Arc Lightning][Lightning Strike][Air Attunement][Protective Spirit][Aegis][Shield of Absorption][Aura of Restoration][/build] [build prof=E/Rt Air=12 Energy=8 RestorationMagic=10][Invoke Lightning][Arc Lightning][Lightning Strike][Air Attunement][Mend Body And Soul][Spirit Light][Protective Was Kaolai][Aura of Restoration][/build] [build prof=N/P Death=12 Soul=9 Command=9][Animate Bone Fiend][Animate Shambling Horror][Putrid Bile][Signet of Lost Souls]["Fall Back!"]["Incoming!"][Masochism][Resurrection Signet][/build] [build prof=E/Rt Air=12 Energy=8 Channeling=10][Invoke Lightning][Arc Lightning][Lightning Strike][Air Attunement][Shell Shock][Splinter Weapon][Ancestors' Rage][Aura of Restoration][/build]
 * Learn  from Michiko in Kaineng Center and  from Micah Fergson in Eye of the North.
 * Change Acolyte Sousuke's and Vekk's builds to this:
 * Accept Brains or Brawn from Zerai the Learner in Kodash Bazaar. Select Goren to go with Midauha. Complete The Role of a Lifetime to unlock Norgu.
 * Kick Dunkoro to make room for Norgu, and give him this build:
 * Change Acolyte Sousuke's build to this:
 * Change Zhed Shadowhoof's build to this:
 * Replace Master of Whispers's with.
 * Replace Gwen's with.
 * Equip a and change your secondary profession to paragon. Accept Desperate Measures from Kamveh in Forum Highlands; you don't need to complete the quest - just follow the marker to Render and capture
 * Change Olias's build to this:
 * Change Vekk's build to this:

Teambuild
Your team should now look like this:

Detour to Factions
Leave Nightfall and progress through the Factions primary questline. [build prof=Rt Communing=12+1+3 Spawning=10+3][Soul Twisting][Shelter][Union][Displacement][Armor of Unfeeling][Boon of Creation][Signet of Creation][Optional][/build]
 * After Sunjiang District, take Journey to House zu Heltzer and follow the Kurzick questline.
 * While farming faction for Befriending the Kurzicks, capture from Wagg Spiritspeak.
 * During (or after) Into the Whirlpool, capture from Ritualist's Construct.
 * Learn,  ,  ,  , and  from Michiko in Kaineng Center.
 * Travel to Gunnar's Hold and accept the quest Round 1: Fight! from Magni the Bison. Completing the quest is not necessary; you just need to defeat Xandra to unlock her. If she does not appear in the second round, you will have to start the quest over.
 * Give Xandra this build, and replace Acolyte Sousuke:
 * If your own build is melee (axe, sword, hammer, daggers, or scythe), put (learned from Libeh) in the empty slot. You'll need to manually suppress and force Xandra to use this. If you can't be bothered with that, or are not running a melee build, just bring . Put 8 points in the relevant attribute.
 * Manually using spirits (especially ) before aggroing dangerous enemies is strongly advised. This shuts down a lot of incoming damage, allowing you to safely play more aggressively.
 * The Superior Runes of Communing and Spawning Power are especially impactful for this build, so buy both of them from a Rune Trader. Make sure the Communing rune goes on the headpiece.

The End of Nightfall
[build prof=Me/Any Domination=12 FastCasting=11 Insp=6][Energy Surge][Mistrust][Cry of Frustration][Unnatural Signet][Shatter Hex][Drain Enchantment][Power Drain][Spiritual Pain][/build]
 * Return to Nightfall and continue the primary questline.
 * When you reach Gate of Torment, learn from Hoju, and use it to replace  on Olias's build.
 * After Abaddon's Gate, talk to Guardian of Whispers and /kneel at the statue of the Goddess of Truth to access the Gate of Anguish outpost. Talk to Chaplain Phyratyss to get Finding a Purpose, and complete this quest to unlock Razah. Do not add Razah to the party, but go to Great Temple of Balthazar and enter Isle of the Nameless; turn left and you'll see Razah. Talk to him and tell him to become a mesmer. Return to an outpost, kick Vekk, add Razah to the party, and give him this build:

At this point, your team is almost identical to BiP support. The next thing to focus on is runes, insignias, and then weapons. Buy these as soon as money allows.