"I'm A Survivor!"

Today's post marks my the achievement of my first rank for the survivor title on one of my Guild Wars characters. For those who don't know, or haven't experienced it, the Survivor Title is one that can only be obtained through gaining certain levels of experience without dying once. I remember that for the longest time I've wanted to have this precious title all to myself, yet I have been daunted by the prospect of having to pay more attention to my place in the battlefield. In my usual line of profession, this isn't easy. I am prone to getting myself into aggro, especially when trying to find something else on another program on my machine. Still, I finally decided two months ago that enough was enough, and that I would at least try, and see how far it got me. So far, it's got me to the first part of my uphill climb.
The thing that I thought most unusual about practising on a survivor character was that it was surprisingly easy once you realised a few things. The most important thing is something that I am learning across all the characters I play; do not stand in the aggro. I'm absent-minded, I'll admit, but it wasn't until I stopped making my mistakes that I knew I was doing them at all. The more I play this game, the better I do become, and I see it in the little things I do.
The second thing I learned from playing a survivor is that it is essential to know that your skills are and which ones will empower you. Having a damage-heavy build is great if you're an elementalist or a warrior, but something like my mesmer requires skills that take out targets whilst recharging that precious energy bar. If I run out of energy in the process of a fight, I will not have the ability to heal myself should I need it. And in the beginning, I did. The first 11 levels of my survivor were completely solo, but I feel the happiness of success every time I look upon that title under my name.