u/Eternal_Willow

just started on the Bristlebane live server an hour ago! i know genuinely nothing about this game, but found it while looking for new games to play other than Overwatch and Warframe on repeat lol. i’ve tried a good amount of MMOs, but NOTHING this old. i also haven’t played an MMO of this type in a long time, with the tons of hotbars and buttons and stuff. it’s a little overwhelming, i’m used to stuff like GW2, ESO, and New World combat with the low amount of buttons to worry about lol

so, what should i expect, getting into this game? is the leveling experience a long one like i’m hoping for? how is player housing? looked through some other recent “new player” posts but most seem to just suggest servers to play on instead of giving beginner advice. also, speaking of, are there some good and relevant beginner guides out there i should know about?

thanks, and i’ll see you all in Norrath! which is what i’m pretty sure the world is called. maybe.

Replay code: VT22WK

Battletag / in-game username: LunarWillow

Hero(es) played: Tracer

Skill tier / rank: Silver 1

Map: King’s Row

PC or console: PC

Description of the match / things you want reviewed: this game felt very bad for me. while i didn’t die much at all, i’m pretty sure that’s because i was playing too safe for a lot of the match. i felt that i wasn’t really ever in much of a position to do much, which led to me having basically no impact for the attack round. and the defense round was bad too, since i don’t really know how to defend as a Tracer. i just tried to stay in the cinema and shoot down at them, since my aim is pretty horrible up close. not looking for aim tips, i know that’s something i’ll just naturally get better at, but right now it’s horrible. so, i’m mainly looking for tips on defending as a Tracer, and help with knowing when to engage, instead of sitting main with the tank and shooting from there (which i am VERY aware is bad lol)

i know i say "anxiety," but i'm not sure that's really the correct word. i've been regularly watching guides upon guides upon guides in my freetime for Overwatch. general guides, character guides, guides for positioning and everything else... but i haven't started a real match in weeks. not comp, not QP.

it's not that i don't want to, i've been itching to get in and play, and i've definitely had the time. but, when i hover over the queue button, my mind goes "hop in VAXTA to prepare!" and so i do! i hit my shots, i feel good, i go back to queue... and then right back to VAXTA without queuing. it's like i'm stuck in an infinite training arc where i never feel good enough to just play a match of any mode! but i know i'm more than good enough for my current peak rank (Gold DPS, my main role). my aim is getting much better and less shaky, my movement is improving, i can point out mistakes in VODs well enough (not my own, since, you know, no played games to watch), and yet i keep training. recently, i played for almost 5 hours without queuing, just VAXTA with guides playing in the background to try and ingrain these strategies into my mind. i think one problem is that VAXTA doesn't really teach positioning, which is a thing i've always struggled with immensely, even after 167 hours of playtime (i know, rookie numbers). and, of course, i need to play matches to learn it better, but... yeah.

so, has anyone ever gotten themselves stuck in this same situation? if so, how did you end up getting out of it?