Ten Things to try in the next BWE without spoiling the game

I’m sure I’m not the only one. Quaffing cans of super-charged caffeine drinks so as to power me though every single hour possible in the BWE and in the Monday stress test. If you’re also like me, you’re probably feeling a little conflicted right now. You want to maximise every single moment in the next BWE but don’t want to spoil the story or explore too many zones. Since going outside in the sun on a GW2 BWE is unthinkable we need other things to do. Well here are some ideas for when the next BWE comes around.

1. It’s a bug hunt.

One of the most valuable activities you can do during a BWE is try to find bugs for Arenanet. Have you noticed something odd in the sky? Are there clipping errors on armor, a break in an invisible wall or maybe even an exploit you found? Going bug hunting is a fun way to pass the time, without spoiling the game. Just make sure you note down, what you did and where so Arenanet can repeat and then fix it. There is a little bug report icon in the top left (next to the cog wheel) you can use to give the details and even send in a screenshot.



Keep watching the skies...

2. Practice basic gameplay

There’s no doubt that GW2 offers a very different way of playing to the traditional MMO. Active dodging, kiting, watching what the enemy is doing are now all vital parts of gameplay. Due to downscaling you can go back to those early areas and practice all of the above. Sure it’s not like pressing into Terra Incognita but being able to spot that one shot kill, instinctively kite, and practice getting used to the combat mechanics will stand you in good stead for when you do.

3. Use your free gems

If you don’t want to use your free gems to transfer servers, then cash some of them in (to fund crafting and the like perhaps) or use them to try out the cash shop items to see if you like them.

4. Crafting

Use the crafting system to create and discover recipes. GW2’s crafting system is very complex, especially cooking. So how about taking up your gathering tools and heading to the nearest crafting NPC(found in all major towns) and just play with the crafting system. You’ll need to be careful you don’t wander too far on your node hunt of course, but there are enough nodes dotted around to make a good start. Don’t forget to note your recipe findings down though.

5. Try classes and races you don’t want to play

Rather than going for the class and race you know you want to play, how about going for the opposite? Make sure you stay away from the homelands of the race you intend to play, unless you want to spoil the story and the area.


6. Make your live character already

By this I mean, spend the time with the character creator now, rather than spend the time doing it once the game is live and you want to just get on and play. Since you can take screenshots of the sliders in the character creator, how about making a screenie of their settings now? So that when the game goes live all you need to do in live is call up the screens and copy them. Of course, they may well add more styles and settings between now and live, but at least you’ll be most of the way there.



Making a note of sliders could save you hours when the game goes live

7. Mess about with friends

GW2 has many ‘fun’ places to chill so why not head to one. Like the Diverse ledges waypoint in Lions Arch with some friends, then put on your diving goggles and just mess about in game. Invite people to a diving contest, and give points for style, grace and sheer disregard for life and limb. Why not use your free gems to get prizes for people and make an event of it.

Just chilling can be a lot of fun.


8. Practice Theorycraft.

If being serious is more your style, you can head to the mists and experiment with skills, traits and combos. Use the combat log chat tab to note down the effects of what you are doing. The conditions/debuffs and how many times they are stacked are on top centre(just below the target’s name) Not only will it help give you a better idea of the class you are playing, but it will give you an edge going forward. Of course, everything is liable to change but the concepts and combo’s are unlikely to be altered that much.

9. Explore Strange New worlds

Not sure on a home server yet? Then use the BWE to visit servers you are considering trying, before you are locked down when the game goes live.

10. Express yourself

How about making a note of the features and ideas you think the game is lacking or perhaps doesn’t do quite right? Don't just focus on the big things, but also on the smaller ones that no one really sees but misses if they are not there. Then make constructive and logical reasons why you think they should be changed and posting them in Guru's Primordus Visions forum and/or the official GW2 beta site when it's open.

So I hope this has given you at least a starting point on what to do in the next BWE and should give you a whole weekends worth of fun without actually spoiling the game.