Getting started (Factions)

Welcome to Guild Wars Factions, and welcome to GuildWiki!

You're a new player and need somebody to show your the ropes of Guild wars? GuildWiki is the largest resource for Guild Wars-related knowledge on the internet, and it will provide you with any information you need. But let's start with the basics. Read on!

Getting Basic Equipment
As soon as you can afford it (at any time during the profession quest sequence!) you should improve your equipment, which will make it easier and faster for you to level up.

Get Xunlai Storage Space
Especially if you have a Factions account merged with a Prophecies account, and you already have a high-level Prophecies character it is recommended that you open a Storage account for your new Factions character as soon as possible. This allows you to transfer gold and items from your old character to your new character, which should make it much easier for the new character to obtain new equipment.

Maximize Inventory Space
As soon as you can afford it you should maximize your inventory space.

A Belt Pouch will increase your inventory space by 5 slots. You can get a belt pouch this way:
 * Buy it from a Merchant in Shing Jea Monastery for 100 gold.
 * Get it as a quest reward for the quest A Belt Pouch.
 * Trade it from collector Marik Kuri or Hai Lae in Sunqua Vale. You'll have to slay a few Mantids or Kappas to obtain the items they are asking for, but that should be fairly easy.

A Bag will increase your inventory space by 5 slots. You can have two bags. You can get a bag this way:
 * Buy it from a Merchant in Shing Jea Monastery for 100 gold.
 * Trade it for 1 Monastery Credit at a Monastery Quartermaster.

A Rune of Holding increases the capacity of a bag by 5 slots. You can apply one per bag. You can get a Rune of Holding this way:
 * Trade it for 3 Monastery Credits at a Monastery Quartermaster.

Improve your Armor
Your initial armor is very weak and does not offer much protection. As soon as you have collected the necessary materials and gold you should get some better armor from one of the three Armor Crafters in the Shing Jea Monastery. Prioritize chest armor and then leg armor before the others, as they receive more hits than the other pieces (though they also cost more to craft).

As an alternative, you can obtain armor from the various armor collectors around Shing Jea Island, which has the same Armor Level as the ones you can buy at the Monastery, but be aware that some of these collectors are far away from the Monastery and you'll have to defeat many foes and run through a large amount of land to reach them.

When you have spare funds, buy Minor Runes for the attributes of your primary profession from the Rune Trader in the Monastery and apply them to your armor. Minor runes are fairly cheap (usually 150 -250 gold) and have no downside, so there is no reason not to use them.

Improve your Weapons
The weapons you start out with won't do much damage. As you kill foes on the island you will find better weapons in the drops. Some weapons you may find require a certain level for an attribute of either your primary or secondary profession. Most high-end weapons require at least 9 levels invested in the linked attribute to do their maximum damage potential.

There are several other ways to obtain better weapons besides finding them in the drops of beaten foes. On the island there are collectors who offer weapons in exchange for collectors items. In the monastary you will also find a weapons smith who will craft you a weapon in exchange for some materials and gold. Finally you can trade with fellow players for gold or items to obtain better weapons to use.

Additional Quests
Whenever you see a green exclamation mark above the head of an NPC, talk to him/her to check for quests offered. Again, be aware that some quests are not available as long as you have not finalized your secondary profession and/or finished your first mission (read below). There are many quests to be found on Shing Jea Island. It is advisable to complete a few of them to get your character to a higher level before leaving the island.

Your first two Missions
Once you have finalized your secondary profession, you will be granted access to the first mission location, Minister Cho's Estate. The quest A Formal Introduction will take you here. Take on the mission and complete it for extra XP and Skill Points. For details, read: Minister Cho's Estate (Mission)

Once you have finished your first mission and the follow-up quests Warning the Tengu and The Threat Grows, you are free to leave the Shing Jae Monastery area via the Saoshang Trail and explore the eastern side of the Shing Jea Island. The quest The Road Less Traveled will take you to Seitung Harbor. Further exploration will take you to the eastern-most outpost on the island of Zen Daijun, which is the second mission location.