Build:Team - 7 Hero Beginner Team

This guide provides players using an entirely new account with a team build that is soon available and financed on the fly. It is meant to be played in the Nightfall campaign: It grows in power while progressing with the main quest and empowers the player to deal with more challenging PvE content. By design it evolves into an endgame teambuild, but can be used to work towards any other non-transitional Hero Teambuild.

If you're inexperienced with Guild Wars, read the Beginner Basics first.

Preparation for the Beginner Team Build
This setup requires you to play this far:

You have to ascend in order to be able to change your secondary profession, which is required to purchase skills for heroes not matching your initial profession combination. With a character created in Factions, the fastest way to ascend is to do the Factions mission Nahpui Quarter, the second mission on the mainland. Characters that have been created in Nightfall ascend during the primary quest Hunted!, right after the Consulate Docks mission, and don't have to do any quests in Factions.

Unlocking the Heroes
Nightfall Heroes
 * Dunkoro, Tahlkora, Melonni: Follow the primary quests of the Nightfall campaign to unlock these heroes.
 * Acolyte Sousuke: Follow the primary quests until you have completed Bad Tide Rising. Talk to Field General Hayao in Sun Docks and accept the quest Zaishen Elite. Complete it, then choose the quest Student Sousuke afterwards. Upon completion, Acolyte Sousuke will be unlocked.
 * Olias: Follow the primary quests until you can access Consulate Docks. Talk to Dinja and accept the quest All for One and One for Justice. Upon completion, Olias will be unlocked.

Eye of the North Heroes
 * Vekk (and Ogden): Talk to Bendah in Kamadan and accept the quest Hole of Istan. Upon reaching Boreal Station, Vekk (and Ogden) will be unlocked.
 * Gwen: Follow the primary quest Against the Destroyers and travel to the Eye of the North. If you are not max level, use the level 20 henchmen in Boreal Station as help. Upon watching The First Vision for the first time, Gwen will be unlocked.

Purchasing the initial skill set
Buy 9 skills from skill trainers and get two more in exchange for hero skill points. The required skill trainers are:

Build Overview
Paste these team build template codes into paw*ned².
 * paw*ned² template codes

Player Build Suggestions
Suggestions for transitional builds made of skills available when playing with this team:

Starting Heroes in Detail
[build prof=Elementalist/Mesmer DominationMagic=12 InspirationMagic=11 EnergyStorage=6][Resurrection Signet][Spiritual Pain][Unnatural Signet][Mistrust][Cry of Frustration][Power Drain][Drain Enchantment][Empathy][/build]
 * Acolyte Sousuke

[build prof=Elementalist/Mesmer DominationMagic=12 InspirationMagic=11 EnergyStorage=6][Resurrection Signet][Spiritual Pain][Unnatural Signet][Mistrust][Cry of Frustration][Power Drain][Drain Enchantment][Empathy][/build]
 * Vekk

[build prof=Dervish/Mesmer DominationMagic=12 InspirationMagic=11 Mysticism=6][Shatter Hex][Spiritual Pain][Unnatural Signet][Mistrust][Cry of Frustration][Power Drain][Drain Enchantment][Empathy][/build]
 * Melonni

[build prof=Mesmer/Monk FastCasting=10 DominationMagic=12 InspirationMagic=8][Shatter Hex][Spiritual Pain][Unnatural Signet][Mistrust][Cry of Frustration][Power Drain][Drain Enchantment][Resurrect][/build]
 * Gwen

[build prof=Necromancer/Mesmer DeathMagic=12 SoulReaping=8 DominationMagic=10][Animate Bone Minions@14][Animate Shambling Horror@14][Unnatural Signet][Death Nova@14][Cry of Frustration][Signet of Lost Souls@10][Masochism@10][Resurrection Signet][/build]
 * Olias

[build prof=Monk/Mesmer HealingPrayers=12 DivineFavor=8 ProtectionPrayers=7 InspirationMagic=8][Signet of Rejuvenation][Patient Spirit][Protective Spirit][Aegis][Shield of Absorption][Mend Ailment][Cure Hex][Power Drain][/build]
 * Tahlkora

[build prof=Monk/Mesmer HealingPrayers=12 DivineFavor=8 ProtectionPrayers=7 InspirationMagic=8][Signet of Rejuvenation][Patient Spirit][Protective Spirit][Aegis][Shield of Absorption][Orison of Healing][Cure Hex][Power Drain][/build]
 * Dunkoro

At Kodonur Crossroads
Note: Permanently replace Vekk with Zhed Shadowhoof using the same build. Zhed is required for this and one future mission. Note: Make sure you have Monk as your primary or secondary profession during the mission. You can change your secondary profession by talking to Profession Changer in Great Temple of Balthazar. After the mission, upgrade your monk heroes:

At Rilohn Refuge
Permanently replace Melonni with Master of Whispers. [build prof=Necromancer/Mesmer DominationMagic=11 DeathMagic=11 SoulReaping=8][Empathy][Spiritual Pain][Unnatural Signet][Mistrust][Cry of Frustration][Signet of Lost Souls][Animate Bone Minions][Death Nova][/build]

At Kodash Bazaar

 * This build upgrade consists of two steps: The first is to implement the elite skill [[Energy Surge] into the team. The second is to add [[Blood is Power], which results in a couple of additional build changes throughout the entire team and requires to buy a couple of skills. If you don't yet have the required platinum to execute the second step of this build upgrade, you can postpone it until later.

AnyStep 1: Energy Surge
 * can be captured from Yammiron, Ether Lord outside of the Kodash Bazaar.
 * Replace [[Resurrection Signet] on Acolyte Sousuke and Zhed Shadowhoof.
 * Replace [[Empathy@11] on Master of Whispers. Replace his [[Mistrust@11] with [[Shatter Hex@11].
 * Replace Shatter Hex on Gwen.

AnyStep 2: Blood is Power ''– the skill changes should be performed in one go. The equipment changes can be performed at any point.''
 * Skill acquisition:
 * can be captured from Lieutenant Vanahk outside of Chantry of Secrets.
 * The new ritualist spells can be bought from Michiko in Kaineng Center.


 * Equipment upgrade:
 * Buy a Rune of Major Domination Magic from any rune trader NPC for both of your mesmer heroes. Upgrade their headpieces with it.
 * Buy a Rune of Major Death Magic and a Bloodstained Insignia for Master of Whispers. Upgrade his headpiece with them.
 * Monk heroes:
 * Buy a Rune of Minor Protection Prayers for both of your monk heroes. Upgrade their headpieces with it.
 * Buy a Rune of Minor Healing and Minor Protection Prayers for both of your monk heroes. Insert the Runes of Healing Prayers into the head pieces, the Runes of Protection Prayers into a different piece of armour.

[build prof=Necromancer/Ritualist BloodMagic=8 SoulReaping=10 Curses=2 RestorationMagic=12][Blood is Power][Enfeebling Blood][Signet of Lost Souls][Mend Body and Soul][Spirit Light][Protective was Kaolai][Life][Flesh of My Flesh][/build]
 * Build upgrade:
 * Replace [[Drain Enchantment@11] on Zhed Shadowhoof with [[Shatter Hex@12].
 * Replace Drain Enchantment on Gwen with [[Shatter Enchantment@15].
 * Replace [[Resurrect] on Gwen with [[Flesh of My Flesh@2].
 * Replace [[Remove Hex] on Dunkoro with [[Reversal of Fortune@12].
 * Replace [[Signet of Lost Souls@8] on Master of Whispers with [[Masochism@10].
 * Replace Olias's entire bar with a Blood is Power Healer build:

After Dzagonur Bastion
[build prof=Mesmer DominationMagic=12 FastCasting=10 InspirationMagic=8][Energy Surge][Spiritual Pain][Unnatural Signet][Mistrust][Cry of Frustration][Power Drain][Drain Enchantment][Empathy][/build]
 * Accept the quest Brains or Brawn from Zerai the Learner in Kodash Bazaar and finish it.
 * Tell Zerai to hire Goren as bodyguard, so you yourself can recruit Norgu as new hero.
 * Do the following quest The Role of a Lifetime to unlock Norgu.
 * Permanently replace Acolyte Sousuke with Norgu:

After finishing Nightfall

 * Travel to Chantry of Secrets and talk to Guardian of Whispers next to a closed gate to gain entrance to a secret area of the outpost. Kneel down in front of the shrine to Kormir by using the chat command /kneel. Talk to her avatar to get access to a new outpost, the Gate of Anguish.
 * Seek Chaplain Phyratyss and complete his quest Finding a Purpose.
 * After accepting the quest reward don't add Razah to your party. Talk to him in Heart of Abaddon, the Command Post or in Isle of the Nameless and tell him to become a mesmer.
 * Add him to your party. Permanently replace Zhed Shadowhoof with your new mesmer hero Razah. Give him the same build as Norgu.

Transition to an endgame build

 * The endgame build which is closest to the final version of this beginner team is Triple Energy Surge.
 * Keep improving your hero equipment: Buy better weaponry fitting their attributes, give them attribute and health runes alongside armor insignias. Follow Guide:PvE Equipment.
 * Play the Factions primary questline, siding with the Kurzick faction. Capture Unwaking Waters and unlock the ritualist hero Xandra in Gunnar's Hold during the norn fighting tournament. Taking her as ST Prot over Dunkoro will largely increase the team stability.
 * Alternatively, you can unlock soul twisting at a Priest of Balthazar with Balthazar faction points acquired in PvP.
 * Incompatible with bone minions. Upgrade Master of Whispers to a bone fiend minion master or replace him with Zhed Shadowhoof.
 * Continue the primary questline The Knowledgeable Asura. The mission quest Finding the Bloodstone will unlock Livia. You can use her as Prot Hero or Healer Hero over Tahlkora.
 * Alternatively, capture Elementalist Prot Hero.