Stomp Agenda is a guild for all levels of player. We have no representation rule, but obviously we like it when you do. There is often much discussion on guild chat.
While helping new players with questions, we've come across a wide variety but here are some of the more common ones that get asked in no particular order.
Try typing in the chat window: /wiki X
This will open your browser (and switch away from the game) and look up the Guild Wars 2 wiki page for X, assuming there is one. For example, /wiki queensdale will open the wiki page for Queensdale which includes how to get there, a list of map locations include waypoints, vistas and points of interest, and other information about the map.
Hello WoW player. No, there are no mounts in GW2 unless you count the broomstick and magic carpet gemstore items. These don't give you a speed increase, merely change the way you appear to move around the map. There are skills that will give you a speed increase, either temporarily or semi-permanently. For example, the engineer class has Elixir B which grants swiftness among other effects.
If you see a diamond shape on the map and a player with a strange symbol above their head in either purple, red, blue or yellow, they are showing a Commander's Tag. This is typically used to organise groups of players as it allows everyone on the map to see where the commander is.
There are many ways - crafting, exploration, gathering (the log/plant/ore icons on the mini-map), map completion, dynamic events, or even just killing things. Which you choose is up to you.
In Queensdale if you know what you're doing it's possible to level up to level 10 in under 2 hours simply by doing all the hearts, vistas and points of interest for those levels.
Get some food and utility items. These will usually give you a percentage extra XP for kills and some other effect for a period of between 30 and 45 minutes. Some items may have longer durations. You can use one food item and one utility item at a time. Using a second one will replace the effects of the first. If you have either active, you will see a blue square with an apple, or a blue square with a spanner/wrench just above skills 6-8.
The easiest place is the trading post, however if you have a free to play (f2p) account, you may not be able to purchase them as there are restrictions. If you start crafting and learn to be a chef, this will allow you to create your own food items.
You'll be wanting a "gw2 event timer" such as the one at dulfy.net. If you're only a fairly low level, you have access to 4 main ones. Shadow Behemoth in Queensdale, Fire Elemental in Metrica Province, Great Jungle Wurm in Caledon Forest and Svanir Shaman in Wayfarer Foothills. New characters start off with a waypoint in each of those areas and you'll usually need to work your way to the highest level area within the map (look for a heart for level 14 or 15).
Different people will tell you different things. This is my method for dealing with it, at least until you reach level 80 and can start customising everything properly.
1. Visit a normal Black Lion Merchant (not a trading post). These are placed around the maps and have a stack of coins over their head. You can also visit the 'heart merchants' that you have unlocked. Talk to them and there should be a 'Sell Junk' button. Click that to get rid of all the useless stuff and get a few coppers in return.
2. Deposit all materials - in the top right corner of your inventory window there is a small gear icon. Clicking that will give you a menu and one of the items is Deposit all materials. If there are things you know are materials but they're not depositing, it's most likely because you have exceeded the storage for that item. The default is a stack of 250 of any item, but you can purchase additional storage expansions from the gem store (up to 5 extras giving 1500 total).
3. Open the trading post window by pressing 'o' and select the lower tab 'Trading Post' with the scales icon. Sort by price. Is it worth more than 50 silver? If it is, maybe it's worth selling it if you don't want it. (need to expand on this later)
5. Can you use the item? If you mouseover it, there will be a line in red saying that the armour or weapon is unusable by your profession if you can't equip that item. If it's not worth much on the trading post, probably just salvage the item (see comment below).
6. If you can use the item and you're below level 80, compare the weapon strength or armour defence range near the top of the mouseover box. Higher number - equip it. Lower number - sell it on the trading post or salvage it.
7. Got a bunch of minor runes/sigils? Sell them to a Black Lion Merchant (not the trading post). Major runes/sigils can be sold on the trading post (sell instantly for quick money). Superior runes/sigils may well be worth quite a bit - either hang onto them if you might want them for your own equipment at level 80, or sell them on the trading post.
If you open any bags, chests or other containers, you'll probably need to repeat the above steps again with all the new items.
Salvaging. For rare items, use a Masters Salvage Kit. For exotic items or when you absolutely must have the sigil/rune (eg it's a Superior one worth lots), use a Black Lion Salvage Kit. Anything else, just use something lower than a Masters kit such as a Journeyman Salvage Kit.
After salvaging, you may need to Sell Junk again or repeat step 7.
Every account has a home instance. It is an area of each of the cities which is personalised to you, and if you've done the level 10 personal story, chances are you entered the section of the map.
When you first start playing, your home instance is empty but you can purchase items from various places which add features to it. There are also a few achievements which give you extra features. See list of upgrades on the wiki.
The STMP guild leader, Panwyn, has acquired all but one of these upgrades and takes guild members in to harvest them most days. That's what is meant when someone asks about home instance on the guild channel.
Comments or suggestions? Please contact Lex Goodwyn (Leaky.1472) in game.