Leveling: There are 3 different ways to level up.
There is PvE experience that allows you to gain PvE levels. There are 40 PvE levels. You will find that it is quite easy, compared to other MMOs, to level up in PvE, this is intentional. There is a BIG emphasis on making the game “fun”. PvE levels allow you to “buy” (very cheap, no big currency needed to buy PvE skills) skills and abilities. There are also special PvE skills and abilities that you get depending on which tree you choose to specialize in. (Each class has three different trees to specialize in) Always buy as many PvE skills/abilities as you can, already from them.
There is a PvP experience, which allows you to gain PvP levels, this is called “Renown”. There are a total of 80 PvP levels. PvP levels allow you to gain some new skills, abilities, or attributes, depending on where you place your Renown points. You gain 1 point for each level of Renown you gain.
There is also the “Influence” experience. This is independent of Renown and PvE experience. This is limited to a PQ area. (PQ = Public Quest) When you first start, there is only one PQ in the lobie area. As you progress through the levels and explore more of the world, you will find other PQs. There are three levels for each PQ, each level allows you to choose an item you want. In the lobie areas the items are not that important, however after reaching level ten you will start to find PQ which reward blue items, these are pretty decent! When you participate in a PQ, after the PQ is complete, there will be a dice roll for the loot. The more you contribute to PQ, the bigger the bonus you get. The best players get additional loot they choose from the final PQ treasure chest. Understand that after reaching the third level, you can choose one level one item, one level two item, and one level three item. If you only complete the first level, you can only choose a level one item from the NPC. After reaching level three of a PQ, there’s really NO reason to continue PQing areas, as it’s time to move on. (You can’t keep getting items after choosing the item of that level)
Elaboration: There was very limited crafting content in closed/open/preview gameplay. This was also intentional because the developers did not want to reveal too much information about the game. The crafting that was in the game is very easy and self-explanatory in the “Tomb of Knowledge”. Think of this like an in-game encyclopedia. I will give an example of a craft skill. You can grow your own “seeds” (these drop from mobs, and some can also be bought from merchants to get you started) To start with you can only grow one seed at a time, however later on with levels you will be able to farm up to four at a time. You can add water, a nutrient, and soil to give your plant a better chance of becoming something other than a weed. After your plant grows, you will “loot” it. Of this you can buy a vial and mix a potion. There are quite a few different potions that you can make. There’s even a tutorial that shows you how to do this. This is not a lengthy process, just growing a seed takes very little time (adding water, soil, or a nutrient shortens this time).
Gear: No, you are not going to spend hours camping ANYTHING! Gear drops are common and you get some junk loot that will give you more than enough coins to buy levels and items. Since you do NOT have to play PvE at all in the game, there are “Renowned Equipment Traders”. These vendors have average to awesome gear that you can buy pretty cheap, however you need to be a certain PvE level AND a certain PvP level to get them. The better the equipment, the higher the level needed to purchase the items. They adapt very well to their current level. No problem, I was fully equipped in “greens” at level ten in all classes. You will also be able to loot dead enemy players in PvP! This does NOT come out of your inventory, however the vast majority of items are green or better. So ALWAYS loot in PvP if you see “shiny” around a dead enemy player.
Areas: What if you are an orc and have a dark elf friend? From the start of the game, it will take you less than ten minutes to join a friend in another area (you need a very small amount of coins to “buy” a ride). All quests in all areas can be completed by any race/class. Also note that the travel time is not a 30 minute ride on a flying mount, it takes about twelve seconds to fly to a new area.
I know all this information sounds a bit overwhelming, however, you will realize it very quickly and see that the game was really designed to be FUN. Like PvP, then go PvP. Tired of PvP’ing, go to a PQ and get some great loot. Tired of PvP and PQ, do PvE quests. Tired of PvP, PQ, and PvE quests, go do some crafting. So far in WAR I have never been bored as I can always find something to do that is fun, and I say that having leveled up over 160 times!