User:Tanetris/So You Want To Gear a Character
This guide is intended to help new level 80 characters gear up for high-end PvE content such as fractals, strikes, and raids, or who simply want to make the most of their character in terms of PvE effectiveness. Similar strategies apply to gearing for WvW but the suggestions here are focused on PvE stats so check what stats you're looking for first. Structured PvP, of course, has its own standardized stats, so none of this applies there.
Many of the stat combinations require the 
Heart of Thorns, 
Path of Fire, or 
End of Dragons expansions to select them. If you do not own Path of Fire, for instance, you will not have access to Harrier's stats, and if you do not own Heart of Thorns (included for free with Path of Fire), you will not have access to Viper's stats. The only exception are legendary items which are able to always select any stats. If you are missing expansion, your options for viable builds will be limited and you may have an easier time using a direct (power) damage build that uses Berserker's stats.
Before you start[edit]
So let's start with the basics. First and foremost, exotic armor is fine for literally all content except tier 4 fractals. Tier 1 & 2 fractals are absolutely fine without a single piece of ascended armor and just getting ascended trinkets. Tier 3, it'll be slightly easier to get the Agony Resistance (AR) you need with a couple pieces of ascended armor, but still doable. Raids and strikes don't require AR, and the stat increase is minimal (~1-2% for armor). So go ahead and forget about ascended armor until you're at least in tier 3 fractals, by which point you've hopefully had an armorbox or two drop for you.
The thing you absolutely do want pretty much as soon as you hit 80 and know that you're going to take this character seriously are ascended trinkets (amulet, backpiece*, accessories (a.k.a. earrings), and rings). Back is technically its own slot and not a trinket but we'll include it here and in general, it's also less important than other trinket slots so it's more important to get the other slots. But we'll come back to those in a minute. The other thing you should work toward is an ascended weapon for your primary weapon (the 2-hand or main-hand weapon you do your most damage with; typically the melee weapon if you have a melee set and a ranged set). Don't worry about the offhand right away, but you may need the mainhand of the 2nd set depending on your class's standard rotation. Weapon is a bit harder than trinkets, so don't feel bad about picking up an exotic while you start working toward the ascended. If you're a power DPS, getting an ascended weapon will give you a decent buff in damage since it has higher stats and base damage so it's the largest single increase for gear (~6% DPS gain).
Now before you go grabbing exotics and ascendeds, you need to figure out what stats you're actually aiming for. To keep this simple, in 9 cases out of 10, you're aiming for Berserker stats if you're direct damage, Viper stats if you're condition damage, Harrier stats if you're a healer, Diviner stats if you're a power boon support and Ritualist if you're a condi boon support. The proper builds will also often mix other stats to meet minimums on things like crit chance or boon durations. For example you may use some Sinister stats with your Viper on condition builds if you already cap condition duration or Assassin's to reach the cap on crit chance with power builds. Consult Snowcrow's for Raid/Strike and open world builds, discretize for fractals or MetaBattle for open world and other options. For simplicity's sake I'm focusing on those five main stats but there are lots of details on selectable gear. Also, before deciding, make sure the class you want to play has a viable meta build of the type you're aiming for, for the game mode you're intending. Every profession has at least one viable power DPS, condi DPS, boon support, and heal option with virtually no exceptions. In general though, power DPS gear is by far the most accessible.
Trinkets[edit]
One important note about ascended trinkets is that most of them (exceptions will be noted) have the property Unique. This property is irrelevant for backpacks and amulets, but for accessories and rings it means you cannot equip two of the same at the same time. For example, you cannot wear two Blood Ruby Bands, even if one is has Viper stats and the other is has Sinister stats, but you can wear one regular Blood Ruby Band and one that has been Attuned or Infused, as these count as different items. This is only a stopgap measure if you're planning to eventually do the highest level Fractals, since you'll eventually want both rings Attuned and Infused for the maximum number of infusion slots. Accessories cannot be attuned/infused. If the only stat you want is Berserker, check the Berserker trinkets section as those may be easier for you to get.
Living World Trinkets (aka easiest trinkets)[edit]
Living World Season 3, Living World Season 4, and The Icebrood Saga (Season 5) have multiple methods to obtain stat selectable trinkets, spread across multiple episodes. All selectable trinkets acquired in this way can select any stat combination available to your account no matter what season they come from. This is the best way to get expansion stats (Viper's, Harrier's, Diviner's, Ritualist's, etc.) for trinkets and still a cheap farmable option for core stats as well (like Berserker's). All the stat selectable trinkets require Unbound, Volatile Magic, or Karma in addition to the map specific currency. For some of the Season 4 maps, pre-stat selected trinkets with Plaguedoctor's or Diviner's stats are available. However, since they cost laurels and sometimes additional ectos, they are not advised over the other stat selectable options presented below. Icebrood Saga has cheap and easy options for accessory and amulet but they require story to be done so they are not a great option for fresh level 80s or players not at that point in the story.
- Note 1: The Siren's Landing backpacks are not available from Provisioner Anlana, but rather from the map's Renown Heart NPCs and require karma instead of Unbound Magic.
- Note 2: The amulet is unlocked for sale only after completing The Hunger collection.
- Note 3: The Accessory is unlocked for sale only after completing Idolatry achievement.
Living World episodes are permanently unlocked for free by logging into any character during their release window (i.e. from when it releases until the next one releases, meaning the most recent one is always available), or may be purchased from the Gem Store. Living story season 3 requires HoT and season 4 / Icebrood saga requires PoF to access them but not to unlock them.
A Crack in the Ice (S3E3) is currently considered the most desirable episode for ascended trinkets for two main reasons. First, it can cover a total of four trinkets (including one attuned ring and one non-attuned). Second, Winterberry Bushes in Bitterfrost Frontier guarantee 1-3 Winterberries per node and each node can be harvested once per character per day (compared to nodes in the other maps that can be 0-3 of their item, and have an account wide limit for harvesting). With harvests of 50+ per character per day, you can quickly rack up the Winterberries needed and convert the extras into more Unbound Magic to cover that part of the cost as well. Opening chests or doing hearts can also raise the amount to 70+, and if you you need to get additional characters to the map be sure to pick up a portal scroll.
In Season 4, War Eternal is the most desirable episode for similar reasons to A Crack in the Ice. Mistborn Motes are easy to farm in large quantities, and any extra can be converted to Volatile Magic. They drop from both the gatherable Motes as well as from chests, and the chests are renewable and endlessly farmable. The meta event that takes place on the map is also profitable so it's worth doing for general rewards in addition to ascended trinkets (and excess volatile magic is always worthwhile for shipments like Trophy Shipments).
In Icebrood saga, episode 1: Whisper in the Dark and episode 2: Shadow in the Ice provide a selectable amulet and accessory respectively. As mentioned before, you need to do the story and complete achievements to unlock the trades so it's not suggested for new players but is a great option once unlocked. The Eternal Ice Shards used to buy them are very easy to farm with both the chests on the map and the Sanctum Arena / Whispering Depths Strike Missions. Excess shards can be traded with Anette Eymundrdottir or Kjep Corrson for season 4 currency (under "Curious Stones from Afar").
The suggested option would be to unlock both A Crack in the Ice and War Eternal. This lets you easily farm all trinkets and back with only 2 episodes (though getting more is still suggested for story and buying the packs provides a discount). It total it will require 900 Winterberries + 11,000 Unbound Magic and 375 Mistborn Motes + 9,000 Volatile Magic for a complete set of trinkets. Feel free to use other options in addition or to replace these, there are even additional options in the sections below including many rewards and even ones you can just buy like Vial of Salt. Just make sure you're getting 2 rings, 2 accessories, an amulet, and a backpack.
If you need more currency or just don't like farming PvE, the reward tracks for season 3 (PvP / WvW), season 4 (PvP / WvW), and season 5 (PvP / WvW) contain map currencies of their associated Living World maps as the final reward.
With the introduction of the Living World Return achievements, many map currencies that were previously difficult to farm can be acquired in huge quantities upon partial completion of the corresponding episode achievement, making this the fastest method to acquire ascended trinkets to gear your first character(s) and greatly increasing the immediate value of unlocking additional Living World episodes such as Out of the Shadows (S3E1) or A Bug in the System (S4E2). And as mentioned above, if you own Whisper in the Dark or Shadow in the Ice, you can farm and trade Eternal Ice Shards for the additional season 4 currency.
Berserker Only Trinkets[edit]
Fair warning: if you're interested in Viper, Harrier, Diviner, or other selectable stats you can skip the next three sections. See you at Mist Trinkets.
Fractal rings[edit]
Okay, so you want Berserker stuff. Fractal rings are so called because the primary method to acquire them is either for them to drop in Fractals of the Mists or to buy them from BUY-2046 PFR for Pristine Fractal Relics, which are acquired from Daily Fractals daily achievements. If you have some understanding friends who are proficient at higher-level fractals, they can carry you through the tier 2 or even tier 3 dailies even before you hit level 80 and have your rings waiting for you. If not, it only takes a couple days of doing the daily (super easy) tier 1 fractals, just look for groups in LFG or start your own. While these rings, like most ascended trinkets, are Unique, there are two different ones available for each stat set, so just get one of each.
Crystalline Band - Berserker
Ring of Red Death - Berserker
You'll see on each ring's page that there are other vendors selling them for different currencies. None of them are anywhere near as good a deal as the Pristine Fractal Relics. If you're not going to get them from Fractals, just get Living World rings instead.
Guild Mission accessories[edit]
Guild Mission accessories, as one might expect, come from doing Guild Missions. Specifically, while they can rarely drop as part of the weekly personal reward popup chest, generally they're bought from a Guild commendation trader for 12 Guild Commendations and 5 gold. 'Easy' and 'Medium' guild missions award 1 Guild Commendation apiece, while 'Hard' ones award 2. If you have a fully upgraded guild that does PvE missions, that means 10-11 Guild Commendations per week (up to 15 if you do all). You don't need to be level 80 for most guild missions; the exact level needed depends on the mission, but some are doable as low as level 15, and the majority are doable by level 60. Many missions can also be done solo for personal rewards rather easily: Easy bounty can be done with 1-3 players (can always ask for help in map), races can reward credit if you join another group that gets 15 players through or sometimes you still get credit just by making it to the end yourself, for all treks you only need to find and activate one location so use the list of locations and pick the easiest.
Note: you can only get personal rewards from each guild mission 'slot' once per week, even if you do them more than once in multiple guilds that have different missions in that slot. Can check credit on the "Guild missions" tab of the Guild panel (G).
As with Fractal rings, Guild Mission accessories are Unique but come two to a stat set, so get one of each. Or get one along with an Living World accessory. Your call.
Althea's Ashes - Berserker
Magister's Field Journal - Berserker
Laurel amulets[edit]
Laurel amulets can be purchased from Laurel Merchants for 30 Laurels, or from WvW Laurel Merchants for 20 Laurels + 250 Badges of Honor. If you do some WvW and have the Badges of Honor, the latter is a better deal. The reason there are three different Laurel amulets for each stat set is that they used to have different infusion slot types; this has since been replaced with enrichment slots and there is now no difference between the three. Pick whichever one you like the flavor text or look of!
Call of the Wild - Berserker
Distinguished Circle of Logic - Berserker
Mark of the Tethyos Houses - Berserker
Mist trinkets[edit]
Mist trinkets are special stat-selectable trinkets where any stat combination can be selected and they are non-Unique, meaning it is possible to equip both ring and accessory slots with two copies of the same item. They can also be reset by using a Mist Capacitor, allowing you to change to a different stat combination if desired. You will still need to own Heart of Thorns to select Viper and Path of Fire to select Harrier or Diviner. There are three methods available to obtain mist trinkets: Fractals of the Mists, Player vs Player, and World vs World.
- Fractals of the Mists
- Mist trinkets using fractal currency can be purchased from BUY-2046 PFR for 100 Pristine Fractal Relics and 2 Integrated Fractal Matrices.
- Pristine Fractal Relics are obtained from completing Daily Fractals and from Scale 99 and 100 challenge motes.
- Integrated Fractal Matrices can be purchased from BLING-9009 or INFUZ-5959 for 10 Stabilizing Matrices and 15 normal Fractal Relics. Stabilizing Matrices can be purchased off the Trading Post for … per 20. There is a chance to get one from Scale 99 and 100 challenge motes as well.
Would suggest using other options as they still cost a decedent amount with the matrices and pristine relics are useful for cheap core stat rings, later unlocks and augmentations, or converting to normal relics (which you need a lot of).
- Player vs Player
- Mist trinkets using PvP currency can be purchased from Ascended Armor League Vendor for Ascended Shards of Glory plus Shards of Glory.
- Ascended Shards of Glory can only be obtained during PvP League seasons, where they are awarded for accumulating enough pips to complete a league reward chest. League reward pips may only be accumulated in Ranked Arena and only during an active season, reset between seasons, and are in addition to normal PvP Reward Tracks progress.
- Regular Shards of Glory are awarded both from League Rewards and from normal Reward Tracks, and can also be bought from the Trading Post for … per 170.
- World vs World
- Mist trinkets using WvW currency can be purchased from Skirmish Supervisor for WvW Skirmish Claim Tickets and Memories of Battle.
- WvW Skirmish Claim Tickets are earned from completing the Skirmish reward track. A maximum of 365 can be earned per week.
- Memories of Battle are earned from completing the Skirmish reward track, and can be also be bought from the Trading Post for … per 250.
| All stat | BUY-2046 PFR | Ascended Armor League Vendor | Skirmish Supervisor | EoD stats | Skirmish Supervisor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mist Pendant
|
100  + 2 
|
175  + 170 
|
260  + 250 
|
 Mists-Charged Jade Pendant
|
150 + 250 + 100 
|
 Mist Band
|
100 + 2
|
200 + 170
|
350 + 250
|
 Mists-Charged Jade Band
|
175 + 250 + 125
|
 Mist Talisman
|
100 + 2
|
150 + 170
|
175 + 250
|
 Mists-Charged Jade Talisman
|
115 + 250 + 75
|
Raid trinkets[edit]
Unlike most trinkets, the trinkets available from Raids are not Unique, meaning that you can equip two of the same ring or two of the same accessory without issue. Each trinket is associated with a Raid Boss who must be defeated once on the account before you can purchase it from Scholar Glenna in that raid wing. The trinket may also rarely drop when defeating that same boss.
Raid items are separated into 4 types: Assaulter's, Defender's, Healer's, and Malicious. As their names suggest they contain gear with primary stats of power/ferocity (or two secondary power damage stats), toughness/vitality (or both as secondary), healing power/concentration (or both as secondary), and condition damage/expertise (or both as secondary) based stats respectively. Celestial is included in all. Notable PvE stats in each type are as follows:
- Assaulter's: Assassin's, Berserker's, Cavalier's, Celestial, Commander's, Diviner's, Dragon's, Grieving, Harrier’s, Knight's, Marshal's, Sinister, and Viper’s.
- Defender's: Cavalier's, Celestial, Giver's, Harrier's, Knight's, Minstrel's, Shaman's, and Trailblazer's.
- Healer's: Celestial, Diviner's, Giver's, Harrier's, Magi's, Marshal's, Minstrel's, and Seraph.
- Malicious: Celestial, Grieving, Ritualist's, Seraph, Shaman's, Sinister, Trailblazer's, and Viper's.
- Backpacks
- Burden - Requires defeating Deimos (Assaulter's, Defender's, Healer's, Malicious)
- Sabetha's Crucible - Requires defeating Sabetha the Saboteur (Assaulter's, Defender's, Healer's, Malicious)
- Xera Backpiece - Requires defeating Xera (Assaulter's, Defender's, Healer's, Malicious)
- Amulets
- Assaulter's Talisman of Manton - Requires defeating Sabetha the Saboteur
- Defender's Talisman of Holt - Requires defeating Sabetha the Saboteur
- Healer's Talisman of Garr - Requires defeating Sabetha the Saboteur
- Malicious Talisman of Irwyn - Requires defeating Sabetha the Saboteur
- Accessories
- Spectral Talisman (Assaulter's) - Requires defeating Gorseval the Multifarious
- Spectral Ward (Defender's) - Requires defeating Gorseval the Multifarious
- Spectral Balm (Healer's) - Requires defeating Gorseval the Multifarious
- Spectral Juju (Malicious) - Requires defeating Gorseval the Multifarious
- Zane's Assaulter Memento - Requires defeating Prison Camp Encounter
- Berg's Defender Token - Requires defeating Prison Camp Encounter
- Healer's Pact Badge - Requires defeating Prison Camp Encounter
- Narella's Malicious Bauble - Requires defeating Prison Camp Encounter
- Assaulter's Pointed Keep Fragment - Requires defeating Keep Construct
- Defender's Hardened Keep Fragment - Requires defeating Keep Construct
- Healer's Rounded Keep Fragment - Requires defeating Keep Construct
- Malicious Jagged Keep Fragment - Requires defeating Keep Construct
- Rings
- Energized Loop - Requires defeating Vale Guardian (Assaulter's, Defender's, Healer's, Malicious)
- Woven Band - Requires defeating Slothasor (Assaulter's, Defender's, Healer's, Malicious)
- Besieger Ring - Requires defeating Siege the Stronghold (Assaulter's, Defender's, Healer's, Malicious)
Miscellaneous trinkets[edit]
This covers any other ascended trinket (besides back pieces which are in the next section) available from achievements, the Mystic Forge, special scavenger hunts, etc.
All stat selectable:
- Core
- Vial of Salt (…) - Amulet, stat selectable (Berserker, Viper, Harrier, Diviner, Ritualist, etc). Created in the Mystic Forge. Can purchase all of the material off the trading post including the Shards of Glory needed to buy PvP essences.
- Wylenn's Manual of Style - Accessory. Reward for completing the Style Guide achievement. Expensive.
- Heart of Thorns
- Mordrem Loop - Amulet. Reward for completing the Heart of Thorns Act IV Mastery meta-achievement.
- Rurik's Engagement Ring - Ring. Converted from Strange Rock by taking it to various places in Ember Bay. Repeatable, but note that it is Unique.
- The Icebrood Saga
- Saga's End Draconic Core - Accessory. Reward for completing every chapter of The Icebrood Saga.
Predefined stats:
- Core
- Bane's Tooth - Accessory (Magi). Reward for completing the Honor of the Waves Collector achievement. Additional copies may be bought for Laurels once the achievement is completed, but note that it is Unique. Huge time investment needed.
- Faolain's Blossom - Accessory (Magi). Reward for completing the Twilight Arbor Collector achievement. Additional copies may be bought for Laurels once the achievement is completed, but note that it is Unique. Huge time investment needed.
- Season 2
- Plague Signet - Ring (Sinister). Reward for completing the Tangled Paths Mastery meta-achievement. Additional copies may be purchased for 1,000 Bandit Crests + 10 gold after the meta-achievement has been completed.
- Verata's Seared Ring - Ring (Sinister). Purchasable for 1,000 Bandit Crests + 10 gold on completion of the Seeds of Truth episode (meta-achievement not necessary).
- Path of Fire
- Goren's Eel-Tooth Charm - Amulet (Harrier). Reward for completing Path of Fire: Act 2 Mastery
- Jahnus's Stained Pectoral - Amulet (Grieving). Reward for completing Path of Fire: Act 3 Mastery
- End of Dragons
- Kurzick Brooch - Amulet (Ritualist's). Reward for completing End of Dragons: Act 3 Mastery
Other back pieces[edit]
For completeness sake, here are additional ascended back pieces available through other methods. The Unbound Magic back pieces are easier and cheaper.
Berserker Only:
- Book of Secrets/Quiver of Swift Flight - created in the Mystic Forge.
- Prototype Fractal Capacitor/Beta Fractal Capacitor/Fractal Capacitor - bought for Fractal Relics from BUY-4373 and upgraded in the Mystic Forge.
All stat selectable:
- Core
- Quiver of a Thousand Arrows/There with Yakkington: A Traveler's Tale - created in the Mystic Forge.
- Finite Result/Upper Bound/Unbound - crafted after completing respective Legendary Backpacks collections. Unbound is also the precursor to Ad Infinitum.
- (Dynamic/Static/Synergetic) Tempered Spinal Blades - created in the Mystic Forge (requires account bound elements that must be crafted).
- Bough of Melandru - Crafted. Has two infusion slots without being infused. Lets you skip needing a Gift of Ascension for slots.
- Chaos of Lyssa - Crafted.
- Light of Dwayna - Crafted.
- Shadow of Grenth - Crafted.
- Wings of Ascension - Created in the Mystic Forge from the lesser Wings of Glory backpieces purchased from League Vendor for PvP League Tickets. Also the precursor to The Ascension.
- Warcry - created in the Mystic Forge from the lesser Wings of War backpieces purchased from WvW Legendary Vendor for WvW Skirmish Claim Tickets. Also the precursor to Warbringer.
- Season 2
- Mawdrey - final reward of a multi-stage scavenger hunt, see the walkthrough for a guide.
- Heart of Thorns
- Lightbringer's Pack - reward from the collection of the same name.
- Luminate's Backplate - reward from the collection of the same name.
- Magister's Pack - reward from the collection of the same name.
- Warmaster's Pack - reward from the collection of the same name.
- The Wayfarer's Henge - reward from the A Henge Away from Home collection achievement. Requires Living World Season 3 episode 5: Flashpoint.
- Path of Fire
- Rising Banners of the Sunspear - reward from the Raise the Banners: Sunspear Support collection, requires a character that has completed the PoF story and had selected the corresponding story choice in Blazing a Trail.
- Ensign Banners of Amnoon - reward from the Raise the Banners: Amnoon Independence collection, requires a character that has completed the PoF story and had selected the corresponding story choice in Blazing a Trail.
- Dreaded Banners of King Palawa Joko I - reward from the Raise the Banners: Salute to Palawa Joko collection, requires a character that has completed the PoF story and had selected the corresponding story choice in Blazing a Trail.
- Sagacious Banners of Dynastic Reckoning - reward from the Raise the Banners: Amnoon Arbitrator collection, requires completing the other 3 banner collections.
- Mark Y Golem - reward from the Redeeming IG-6417 collection achievement. Requires Living World Season 4 episode 2: A Bug in the System.
- Ascended Banner of the Dauntless Commander - must first craft the exotic version: Banner of the Commander. Requires Living World Season 4 episode 3: Long Live the Lich.
- End of Dragons
- Echovald Cathedral Backpiece - crafted as part of the To Greater Heights collection, selectable stats. Have to get the Echovald Spire Backpiece back first and upgrade it.
Additionally, Legendary back items can always select any stats, including expansion stats you don't have. Stats may be switched at will out of combat. As one might expect of a Legendary item, the path to create one is long and expensive.
- Ad Infinitum - Fractal Legendary
- The Ascension - PvP Legendary
- Warbringer - WvW Legendary
Weapons[edit]
So the weapon. Again, the aim is to get your primary main-hand/2-hand weapon to be an ascended of the proper stats according to whatever build guide you're following. The rest can be filled in with exotics and upgraded over time. If this is news to you and you don't understand why, go back and read the #Before you start section! I wrote it for a reason!
So, weapons. Let's cover the most likely weapons for most people, and then we'll get into getting them.
- Berserker: Zojja's weapons
- Viper: Yassith's weapons
- Harrier: Zehtuka's weapons
- Diviner: Steelstar's weapons
- Ritualist: Togo's weapons
Wizard's Vault (easiest first ascended weapon)[edit]
Okay, so the Wizard's Vault is actually amazing for our goal of getting one good main-hand/2-hand ascended weapon to get started on. And it's very doable even if you've just hit level 80 for the very first time, as that's when the Wizard's Vault unlocks! So what you want to do is do 6 weekly objectives (during the same 'week', which resets Monday mornings). Often if you have an experienced friend to help these can be knocked out in as little as an hour or two. This will net you 750 Astral Acclaim (50 from each objective, plus another 450 for getting 6 for the week). Which is plenty to buy an Ascended Weapon Chest for 600 Astral Acclaim. Bam, you have an ascended weapon of your choice. The only real downside is that there's a fairly limited choice of stats, but just see the below section on how to stat-swap an ascended weapon in the Mystic Forge. Or if you're lucky enough to want Berserker's, just pick the Zojja's one and you're good to go~
Ascended weapon stat-swapping[edit]
If you're dealing with the Wizard's Vault weapon box or a lucky drop that doesn't have the right stats for you available, all you need to do is go to the Mystic Forge with the ascended weapon of the type you want, an exotic inscription of the stat you want (either crafted or bought off the Trading Post), an Anthology of Heroes bought from Miyani for 10 Spirit Shards, and 5 Globs of Ectoplasm (see Stat changing for more details).
- Berserker: Berserker's Orichalcum Imbued Inscription
- Viper: Viper's Orichalcum Imbued Inscription
- Harrier: Mordant Inscription
- Diviner: Diviner's Orichalcum-Imbued Inscription
- Ritualist: Ritualist's Orichalcum Imbued Inscription
Other sources[edit]
So I mentioned lucky drops. Technically weapon boxes can drop basically anywhere, but your best chances for them are Daily Fractal reward chests, or opening Dragonfall chests or completing Dragonstorm for Gift of Aurene (container) (stat selectable). Don't worry if they're the wrong stats; just pop right back up to the above section on stat-swapping.
If RNG is not on your side, but the weapon type you need is a Greatsword, Sword, Dagger, or Scepter, you should take a look at The Sword Regrown questline. All you have to do is finish the Heart of Thorns personal story and reforge Caladbolg. You'll be able to turn it into one of those four weapon types (or a Shield which is not a mainhand weapon but mentioned for completeness) and select any stat combination.
If you have the respective elite specializations fully unlocked, you can also consider Specialization Collections weapons. These weapons have very limited stat selection options, but can be swapped to different stats with the same Mystic Forge recipe mentioned above for weapon boxes.
| Type | Stats | Ascended Weapon | Exotic Weapon | Collection | Profession |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greatsword | Berserker |  Dark Harvest |
 Reaper's Greatsword |
Dark Harvest (achievement) |  Reaper
|
| Shield | Berserker |  Horologicus |
 Chronomancer's Shield |
Horologicus (achievement) |  Chronomancer
|
| Sword | Berserker |  The Cutting Edge |
 Holosmith's Sword |
The Cutting Edge (achievement) |  Holosmith
|
| Rifle | Berserker |  Cursed Flintlock |
 Deadeye's Rifle |
Cursed Flintlock (achievement) |  Deadeye
|
| Hammer | Berserker |  Fix-r-Upper |
 Scrapper's Hammer |
Fix-r-Upper (achievement) |  Scrapper
|
| Longbow | Berserker |  Ydalir |
 Dragonhunter's Longbow |
Ydalir (achievement) |  Dragonhunter
|
| Axe | Viper |  Expurgation |
 Firebrand's Axe |
Expurgation (achievement) |  Firebrand
|
| Dagger | Viper |  Fang of Mokèlé |
 Soulbeast's Dagger |
Fang of Mokèlé (achievement) |  Soulbeast
|
| Short bow | Viper |  Guerrilla Arc |
 Renegade's Short Bow |
Guerrilla Arc (achievement) |  Renegade
|
| Sword | Viper |  Warpblade |
 Weaver's Sword |
Warpblade (achievement) |  Weaver
|
| Torch | Viper |  Guide for the Lost |
 Scourge's Torch |
Guide for the Lost (achievement) |  Scourge
|
See Elite specialization equipment for the full list of weapons and armor. Note that the Heart of Thorns specialization weapons can be significantly more expensive than crafting as they require the respective Mystic weapon to be unlocked. The Path of Fire specialization weapons are much more affordable in comparison.
A few other collection achievements also provide a stat-selectable ascended weapon, though they're not for the faint of heart. Included here for completeness, but you're generally better off just crafting.
- Primordus Weapons - stat-selectable staff
- Ascended Weapon Chest (variant) from:
- Kaiser Snake Weapon Box from:
There are also a few collections and achievments that award exotic stat selectable or non-core stat weapons such as:
- Machined weapons - Achievement collection, need to first unlock the plated rare weapon then spend Heart of Thorns currencies. Used for the HoT elite specialization collections too so you may need to make one anyways fi you're going for those.
- Still Waters Fishing Rod - (Diviner only) Staff. Purchased for 2
and 250 
after completing the Reel It In achievement. - Dragonsblood weapons - (Diviner only)
- Shining Aureate weapons - (Diviner only)
- Fortune-Shining Aureate weapons - (Diviner only)
- Zephyrite weapons - Choice from Blessing of the Four Winds for completing the Festival of the Four Winds daily achievement 5 times.
- Haunted weapons - Choice from Mad King's Gift for completing the Halloween daily achievement 5 times.
- Divine Sovereign weapons - Purchased from Sovereign Weapon Vendor after unlocking the rare version. Costs a significant amount of gold so would only suggest if you like the skins. Also requires Favor of the Festival from doing the Festival of the Four Winds daily and weekly achievements.
Trading Post[edit]
As for filling in those other weapon slots, the trading post has cheap named weapons to get which can be a good way of getting needed sigils or holding you over until you upgrade to ascended.
| Berserker Weapons | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Weapon | Cost | Note |
| Axe |  Maw of the Damned
|
… |  Superior Sigil of Force
|
| Dagger |  Usoku's Needle
|
… |  Superior Sigil of Accuracy
|
| Focus |  Adam
|
… | |
| Greatsword |  Ebonblade
|
… | |
| Hammer |  Ironfist
|
… | |
| Longbow |  Eir's Longbow
|
… | |
| Mace |  Serpentstone
|
… | |
| Pistol |  Venomstriker
|
… | |
| Rifle |  Charrzooka
|
… | Superior Sigil of Accuracy
|
| Rifle |  Exterminator
|
… | |
| Scepter |  Anura
|
… | |
| Scepter |  Hypnotic Scepter
|
… | |
| Shield |  Kryta's Embrace
|
… | |
| Short bow |  Eir's Short Bow
|
… | Superior Sigil of Accuracy
|
| Staff |  Deathwish
|
… | |
| Sword |  Bonetti's Rapier
|
… | |
| Sword |  Twin Sisters
|
… | Superior Sigil of Force
|
| Torch |  Combustion
|
… | Superior Sigil of Accuracy
|
| Warhorn |  Kodanroar
|
… | |
| Selectable Weapons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type | Weapon | Cost |
| Greatsword |  Iron Legion Flamesaw
|
… |
| Pistol |  Iron Legion Pistol
|
… |
| Rifle |  Iron Legion Longshot
|
… |
| Staff |  Iron Legion Staff
|
… |
| Sword |  Iron Legion Combat Blade
|
… |
Weapon crafting and vending[edit]
So you don't have any weapon boxes, none of the Regrown Caladbolgs work for you, the achievement weapons are out of reach, and you have 0 Magnetite Shards since this will be your first raid character. Well, then you need to do some crafting. As stated above, before you proceed, you'll need a character on your account to have level 500 of Weaponsmith, Huntsman, or Artificer (depending on weapon type). You now have two options: you can either craft the weapon directly, or you can craft Grandmaster Marks and use these along with mode-specific currencies and a small amount of gold to purchase the weapon from BLING-9009 or Ascended Weapon League Vendor.
I have provided a table below comparing costs for various mainhand and 2-hand weapons used in the current raid meta. Costs are based on Trading Post buy order prices from the API for base items before all crafting and do not include one-time expenses for recipe sheets, nor do they include opportunity costs for strictly accountbound currencies/items such as Karma, Fractal Research Pages, or Ascended Shards of Glory.
These costs also do not reflect that it is sometimes cheaper to buy intermediate ingredients such as ingots from the TP rather than buying the ore and crafting them into ingots. For this kind of granular comparison, use gw2efficiency's crafting calculator and enter the name of the weapon you want to craft for the direct crafting method; or enter the Grandmaster Mark for the discipline needed (Grandmaster Weaponsmith's Mark, Grandmaster Huntsman's Mark, or Grandmaster Artificer's Mark), set the quantity to 3, and then add 5 gold to the result for the vendor method.
| Berserker Weapons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Weapon | Discipline | Direct Craft | Vendor |
| Axe | Zojja's Reaver | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Dagger | Zojja's Razor | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Mace | Zojja's Flanged Mace | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Sword | Zojja's Blade | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Scepter | Zojja's Wand | Artificer | … | … |
| Focus | Zojja's Artifact | Artificer | … | … |
| Shield | Zojja's Bastion | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Warhorn | Zojja's Herald | Huntsman | … | … |
| Greatsword | Zojja's Claymore | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Rifle | Zojja's Musket | Huntsman | … | … |
| Staff | Zojja's Spire | Artificer | … | … |
| Viper Weapons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Weapon | Discipline | Direct Craft | Vendor |
| Axe | Yassith's Reaver | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Dagger | Yassith's Razor | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Mace | Yassith's Flanged Mace | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Pistol | Yassith's Revolver | Huntsman | … | … |
| Sword | Yassith's Blade | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Scepter | Yassith's Wand | Artificer | … | … |
| Focus | Yassith's Artifact | Artificer | … | … |
| Shield | Yassith's Bastion | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Torch | Yassith's Brazier | Huntsman | … | … |
| Longbow | Yassith's Greatbow | Huntsman | … | … |
| Short bow | Yassith's Short Bow | Huntsman | … | … |
| Harrier Weapons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Weapon | Discipline | Direct Craft | Vendor |
| Axe | Zehtuka's Reaver | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Dagger | Zehtuka's Razor | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Mace | Zehtuka's Flanged Mace | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Pistol | Zehtuka's Revolver | Huntsman | … | … |
| Sword | Zehtuka's Blade | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Shield | Zehtuka's Bastion | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Warhorn | Zehtuka's Herald | Huntsman | … | … |
| Staff | Zehtuka's Spire | Artificer | … | … |
| Diviner Weapons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Weapon | Discipline | Direct Craft | Vendor |
| Sword | Steelstar's Blade | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Shield | Steelstar's Bastion | Weaponsmith | … | … |
| Staff | Steelstar's Spire | Artificer | … | … |
| Focus | Steelstar's Artifact | Artificer | … | … |
Armor[edit]
If you plan on starting with raids, don't worry about ascended armor right away. However, if you plan to start and progress with fractals, ascended armor is a requirement once you progress to higher scales and have obtained your ascended trinkets.
Let's talk about exotic armor first.
Berserker Armor[edit]
Berserker armor has the widest variety of potential ways to acquire a set of exotic armor. Each of the sets have their pros and cons in terms of cost, ease, and speed of acquisition, as well as personal appeal of the associated armor skins. Consider which one(s) best fit your goals and playstyle and pick one, or do a bit of everything. Also see the following section of all stat selectable armor for more options:
Loot/Trading Post:
- Zhed's/Nika's/Devona's armor - Random drop loot. Can also be bought very cheaply from the Trading Post, comes with runes in it that are decent temporary options. This is my go to suggestion for quick gear.
Dungeons:
- Citadel of Flame armor - Purchased for
Tales of Dungeon Delving from completing the explorable mode of Citadel of Flame. The PvP and WvW dungeon reward track also provides both tokens and your choice of an armor piece as its final reward. - Crucible of Eternity armor - Purchased for Tales of Dungeon Delving from completing the explorable mode of Crucible of Eternity. The PvP and WvW dungeon reward track also provides both tokens and your choice of an armor piece as its final reward.
- Arah armor - Purchased for Tales of Dungeon Delving from completing the explorable mode of The Ruined City of Arah. The PvP and WvW dungeon reward track also provides both tokens and your choice of an armor piece as its final reward. See the "other" section below for an alternate means of acquiring the helm.
WvW:
- Diviner/Mist Walker/Heavy Plate WvW armor - Purchased for Badges of Honor from the Armor Master
Collection:
- Mistward armor - (Requires Heart of Thorns) From the Revenant specialization collection achievements: Mistward Headwrap, Mistward Pauldrons, Mistward Plate, Mistward Warfists, Mistward Legguards, and Mistward Warboots
Karma:
- Temple armor - Bought from Keeper Jonez Deadrun for Karma. WARNING: This armor is unsalvageable, which makes it a distinctly non-ideal choice if you're going to put expensive runes in it
Crafted:
- Exalted/Emblazoned/Draconic armor - Crafted with level 400 Tailor/Leatherworker/Armorsmith. Can also be bought from the Trading Post but is more expensive to craft and buy than the Named armor listed above.
Specialization Collection:
- Chronomancer's Epaulets - Light Shoulders. Reward for completing the Master Chronomancer achievement by fully training the Chronomancer elite specialization.
- Dragonhunter's Gauntlet - Heavy Gloves. Reward for completing the Master Dragonhunter achievement by fully training the Dragonhunter elite specialization.
- Reaper's Hood - Light Helm. Reward for completing the Master Reaper achievement by fully training the Reaper elite specialization.
- Scrapper's Mask - Medium Helm. Reward for completing the Master Scrapper achievement by fully training the Scrapper elite specialization.
Other:
- Gaze of the Lich/Accursed Visage/Grasping Dead Visage - Helm. Actually a part of the Arah armor set, but mentioned here separately because you get a free Berserker-statted one for your armor class on every character that completes Victory or Death at the end of the Core personal story.
- Monocle - Helm. Currently only available on the Trading Post for exorbitant prices, but here's hoping it comes back eventually.
Selectable Armor[edit]
This section will go over your options for selectable armor that lets you pick any stats you have access to and includes a few worth while options that are specific stats. First off, as you might've guessed from the one exception mentioned in the lead of the armor section, expansion stats are going to be a bit more difficult than Berserker. Most of the ways to get stat selectable exotics come from the expansions and living story which is generally designed for level 80 characters who are already in exotics (if you already have a geared level 80 character, skip down to the list starting at "Heart of Thorns" right below). You're going to need something to wear in the meantime, so your basic options are:
- Pick up some cheap exotic armor from the TP/crafting/dungeons/karma:
- Carrion/Rabid (if going viper) see Condi Alternatives section below
- Magi (if going harrier) see Magi section below
- Berserker (if going diviner) only a couple of alternatives see Diviner section below
- Stick with a power build for your class until you have your new armor set ready; or
- Start with a different character and come back to this one later.
Once you've made that decision, here are your options for acquiring exotic stat selectable armor (can select any attribute combination you have access to no matter where it comes from):
Heart of Thorns:
- Bladed armor - Acquired in Verdant Brink in Heart of Thorns. A Headgear box is rewarded for completing The Jungle Provides, Glove boxes can drop from Airship Cargos, Coat boxes can drop from boss chests, and the rest of the set is awarded from either completing tier 4 of the nighttime map meta (look for taxis on LFG when it's about to start), as one of the choices for final reward of the Heart of Maguuma Reward Track, or bought from the Airship Parts vendor.
- Box of Viper's Gear - (Viper Only) Armor or weapon of your choice. Reward from completing Bitter Harvest story instance for the first time per character
Season 3:
- Bloodstone Crown Box - Helm. Reward for Out of the Shadows Mastery meta-achievement or from PvP/WvW Bloodstone Fen Reward Track
- Draconic Headdress Box - Helm. Reward for Maintain Aurene's Shield achievement or from PvP/WvW Ember Bay Reward Track
- Dragonscale Epaulettes Box - Shoulders. Reward for Rising Flames Mastery meta-achievement or from PvP/WvW Ember Bay Reward Track
- Glacial Gauntlets Box - Gloves. Reward for "A Crack in the Ice" Mastery meta-achievement or from PvP/WvW Bitterfrost Frontier Reward Track
- Caudecus's Mask Box - Helm. Reward for "Confessor's End" achievement or from PvP/WvW Lake Doric Reward Track
- White Mantle Elite Guard Mask Box - Helm. Reward for Head of the Snake Mastery meta-achievement or from PvP/WvW Lake Doric Reward Track
- Houndskin Mantle Box - Shoulders. Reward for Flashpoint Mastery meta-achievement or from the PvP/WvW Draconis Mons Reward Track
- Mursaat Brogan Box - Boots. Reward for One Path Ends Mastery meta-achievement or from the PvP/WvW Siren's Landing Reward Track
Season 4:
- Corsair Turban Box - Helm. Reward for "Daybreak" Mastery meta-achievement or from PvP/WvW Domain of Istan Reward Track
- Olmakhan Mantle Box - Shoulders. Reward for "A Bug in the System" Mastery meta-achievement or from PvP/WvW Sandswept Isles Reward Track
- Corsair Jerkin Box - Coat. Reward for "Long Live the Lich" Mastery meta-achievement or from PvP/WvW Domain of Kourna Reward Track
- Corsair Leggings - Leggings. Reward for "All or Nothing" Mastery meta-achievement or from PvP/WvW Thunderhead Peaks Reward Track
- Corsair Boot Box - Boots. Reward for "War Eternal" Mastery meta-achievement or from PvP/WvW Dragonfall Reward Track
Season 5 (The Icebrood Saga):
- Choice of the Dragonrender - Helm. From the Gift of the Ancestors reward given in tier 5 of the Master of the Ancestral Forge collection or from the PvP/WvW Bjora Marches Reward Track (tier 7)
- Ice Golem's Maw Box - Helm. Can be purchased off the trading post for …
- Stone Summit Helm Box - Helm. Can be purchased off the trading post for …
- Charr War Mask Box - Charr Only Helm. Can be purchased off the trading post for …
- Blood Legion Soldier Helm Box - Charr Only Helm. Can be purchased off the trading post for …
- Shoulders of the Ebon Vanguard Choice Chest - Shoulders. Can be purchased off the trading post for … or purchased individually for Tyrian Defense Seals
- Stone Summit Shoulder Box - Shoulders. Can be purchased off the trading post for …
- Dominion Tribune Manica Box - Gloves. Reward for tier 5 of "Jormag Rising" Mastery meta-achievement
- Stone Summit Glove Box - Gloves. Can be purchased off the trading post for …
- Stone Summit Boot Box - Boots. Can be purchased off the trading post for …
PvP/WvW:
- "Invader's" Armor - Purchased from TEID-07 Unified Vendor System for gold and badges of honor. 5 + 400
for a full set of armor. Also sells Trinkets, Back, and Aquabreather. - Warlord's Armor Box - From completing PvP League reward tiers and the weekly bronze tier of the WvW skirmish reward track.
- Desert Armor Box - From the Crystal Desert Reward Track
- Legacy Armor Box - From the Legacy Armor Reward Track
- Glorious armor - Available from the PvP-only Glorious Reward Track.
- Triumphant armor - Available from the WvW-only Triumphant Armor Reward Track.
Crafting:
- Lunatic armor - Collection then crafted. One full set from the Lunatic Wardrobe collection available during Halloween. Recipes can be bought during the event to unlock crafting at any time.
- Ornate Guild armor - (Requires Heart of Thorns) Crafted. Requires expensive recipes (lots of Crystalline Ore) purchased from a Guild Hall with Guild Armorer 2 unlocked. If you have the recipes the armor itself is very cheap for stat selectable armor.
- Adventurer's Mantle - Helm. Crafted from Adventurer's Scarf and Adventurer's Spectacles found in Buried Locked Chests in Dry Top. If you already have the parts it's very cheap to make and unlocks a skin.
- Crafting with Viper's Intricate Gossamer Insignia (Viper) - Crafted with level 400 Tailor/Leatherworker/Armorsmith. Only since the January 19, 2021 update, exotic Viper equipment is no longer account bound on acquire and can now be bought from the Trading Post. It's also more expensive than crafting a Berserker exotic armor set, costing ~100g in material costs for a full set and requiring recipe sheets for each piece that can run for up to 1 or 2 gold each on the Trading Post, and another recipe for the insignia which must be bought from a vendor.
- Crafting with Insignia of the Harrier (Harrier) - This requires a level 400 Tailor/Leatherworker/Armorsmith and the recipe for each part. Just like with viper, it is much more expensive than berserker armor and you're usually better off using other armor while you work towards ascended.
- Crafting with Diviner's Intricate Gossamer Insignia (Diviner) - This requires a level 400 Tailor/Leatherworker/Armorsmith and the recipe for each part costs 500
volatile magic and 3 
laurels from Kynon. With the January 19, 2021 update, exotic Diviner equipment is also no longer account bound on acquire and can now be bought from the Trading Post. The insignias and inscriptions all also need Exquisite Serpentite Jewel which you only get from Thunderhead Peaks events and chests. Like the other crafting options, it is much more expensive than berserker armor and you're usually better off using other armor while you work towards ascended.
Notes:
If you're going for the PvP/WvW Reward Tracks rather than the meta-achievements remember to pick up the relevant Guild Enhancements if your guild has them unlocked, and remember that completing Dailies in these game modes award Potions of PvP Reward and Potions of WvW Rewards to boost your progress. If you do go with achievements, just take a look at the achievements they require first, the ones with many more achievements than required for the mastery are usually easier to get.
Living World Story achievement reward armors, Living World Story reward track armors, Lunatic armor, and Ornate Guild armor do not soulbind when equipped, meaning they can be passed between alts of the same armor weight class if you have, for example, both a condi thief and a condi engi, or a condi ele and a condi necro.
Condi Alternatives[edit]
All of these options lack any condition duration which dramatically increases your damage in longer fights. You should expect to deal much lower damage compared to actual viper gear. This can be partially mitigated with runes and sigils that have flat duration increases but will still be worse than viper or sinister for damage. Core stat condition damage gear will be very close to the berserker options above with a few changes.
- Rabid - Has condition damage and precision. Since most condition builds benefit in some way from crits this is usually your best DPS option. The downside of Rabid is that it has toughness which can mess up tanking in raids (so don't bring this to raids).
- Named armor - Khilbron's armor (light) / Vatlaaw's armor (medium) / Galrath's armor (heavy). Purchased cheaply off the trading post.
- Dungeon armor - Purchased for Tales of Dungeon Delving after completing the explorable mode or from the final reward in the corresponding PvP/WvW reward track:
- Caudecus's Manor armor - Caudecus's Manor Dungeon / Reward track.
- Twilight Arbor armor - Twilight Arbor Dungeon / Reward track.
- Honor of the Waves armor - Honor of the Waves Dungeon / Reward track.
- Arah armor - The Ruined City of Arah Dungeon / Reward track. See the "other" section above in Berserker Armor for an alternate means of acquiring the helm.
- Carrion - Condition damage with power, some condition builds can take more advantage of the extra base damage and it doesn't have the issue of toughness. This is usually your go to for budget gear.
- Named armor - Ogden's armor (light) / Shiro's armor (medium) / Brutus and Sheena's armor (heavy). Purchased cheaply off the trading post.
- Dungeon armor - Purchased for Tales of Dungeon Delving after completing the explorable mode or from the final reward in the corresponding PvP/WvW reward track:
- Rampager's - Usually worse than Carrion and Rabid for DPS as it lacks main stat condition damage. There are however select cases where it is still used like Virtuoso.
- Named armor - Norgu's armor (light) / Aidan's armor (medium) / Koss' armor (heavy). Purchased cheaply off the trading post.
- Sinister - With the exception of the Living World Season 2 trinkets unlocks (like Caithe's Blossom) you're getting stat selectable options already and often you're better off selecting viper's.
- Grieving - Just like with Sinister, this set can be more damage in some cases but is rarely used. In most cases builds that do run grieving only run a couple pieces so check your build first or pick a different option.
- Funerary armor - Collection for all 6 pieces of armor, after that you can purchase more.
- Dire - Do not bother with this, the toughness and vitality on it mean you're going to deal lower damage, will draw aggro (mainly an issue in raids), and Rabid/Carrion already have defensive stats with more damage.
Magi[edit]
If going for Magi exotic armor, this one's super-simple: Do Ascalonian Catacombs explorable mode and/or the equivalent PvP/WvW dungeon reward tracks for Ascalonian Catacombs armor. Not only do you get Magi exotic armor, but it includes a Superior Rune of the Monk in each piece, which is the ideal rune for a healer.
- Ascalonian Catacombs armor - Purchased for Tales of Dungeon Delving from completing the explorable mode of Ascalonian Catacombs. The PvP and WvW dungeon reward track also provides both tokens and your choice of an armor piece as its final reward.
- Crafted Magi's armor is also very cheap on the Trading Post, grinding the gold for it will be a lot faster than grinding the Ascalonian Catacombs dungeon. You will still need to use Ascalonian Catacombs' Monk Runes for most heal builds.
- Keep in mind that if your build expects harrier gear you'll be lacking a huge amount of boon duration and the build might not be able to provide boons as intended.
Other exotic stat options for healer/support:
- Zealot's - Offensive power stats with healing power minor. Usually your utility and skills don't have a ton of damage as a support but this is a decent alternative though it is missing the much needed concentration that most builds want from harrier's.
- Giver's - Has both the healing power and concentration that you want but has major toughness which will cause issues with tanking in raids (some bosses attack whoever has highest toughness). Also means you have no damaging stats yourself. This is still a great option to swap in place of harrier when you want to tank in raids, though you usually only need a few pieces like a single amulet.
- Cleric's - Alternative to Magi but has power/toughness instead of precision/vitality. Can cause tanking issues as mentioned with giver, Magi is usually the better choice between the two.
- Minstrel's - Like with clerics, it can cause toughness issues. Provides no offensive stats and is difficult to get like givers. PvE will prefer Harriers.
Diviner[edit]
- Mist Shard Helm Box - Helm. Reward for War Eternal achievement Chasing Waterfalls
- Mist Shard Shoulders Box - Shoulders. Reward for War Eternal achievement "Putting Out Fires"
- Mist Shard Coat Box - Coat. Reward for War Eternal achievement "Championship Bout"
- Mist Shard Glove Box - Gloves. Reward for War Eternal achievement "My Beautiful Infrastructure"
- Mist Shard Leggings Box - Leggings. Reward for War Eternal achievement "Life in the Underworld"
- Mist Shard Boot Box - Boots. Reward for War Eternal achievement "Cutting Weeds"
- Commander's gear is also an option but it trades damage and boon duration for toughness and isn't much easier to get.
But what about ascended armor?[edit]
Okay, okay... Ascended armor boxes come in two basic varieties: named chests, which allow you to pick any piece of armor with a particular stat set, and select-stat chests, which allow you to pick any stat in the specific set but only for one particular armor slot. The former can drop anywhere, but the latter are only from Fractals. A third special type is Pile of Regurgitated Armor, which only comes from Triple Trouble as a very rare drop and gives you your choice of a Helm, Gloves, or Shoulders.
Relevant PvE stats in each set:
- Assaulter's: Assassin's, Berserker's, Cavalier's, Celestial, Commander's, Diviner's, Dragon's, Grieving, Harrier’s, Knight's, Marshal's, Sinister, and Viper’s.
- Defender's: Cavalier's, Celestial, Giver's, Harrier's, Knight's, Minstrel's, Shaman's, and Trailblazer's.
- Healer's: Celestial, Diviner's, Giver's, Harrier's, Magi's, Marshal's, Minstrel's, and Seraph.
- Malicious: Celestial, Grieving, Ritualist's, Seraph, Shaman's, Sinister, Trailblazer's, and Viper's.
If you're after Berserker, Viper, Harrier or Diviner but have the wrong type of armor box, not to worry! As with ascended weapons, we can change the stats in the Mystic Forge. To do this, combine a piece of ascended armor of the correct type (e.g. if you want a Heavy Helm, make sure you're using a Heavy Helm), an exotic insignia of the stat you want (either crafted or bought off the Trading Post), an Anthology of Heroes bought from Miyani for 10 Spirit Shards, and 5 Globs of Ectoplasm.
- Berserker: Berserker's Intricate Gossamer Insignia
- Viper: Viper's Intricate Gossamer Insignia
- Harrier: Insignia of the Harrier
- Diviner: Diviner's Intricate Gossamer Insignia - Needs the recipe to be purchased
There are also a few collection achievements that offer an ascended armor box as a reward, but as with the ascended weapon collections, they're not for the faint of heart.
- Ambrite Weapon Collection - one piece of stat-selectable armor of your choice (Berserker, Viper, Harrier, Diviner, etc)
- Bioluminescence - one piece of stat-selectable armor of your choice (Berserker, Viper, Harrier, Diviner, etc)
- Leystone Armor (achievement) and The Best Offense- one piece of armor of choice (Berserker, Magi)
- Envoy Armor I: Experimental Armor - a full set of stat-selectable armor in your choice of weight (Berserker, Viper, Harrier, Diviner, etc). But if you can accomplish this, why are you bothering with this guide?
- Envoy Armor II: Refined Armor - a full set of stat-selectable armor in your choice of weight (Berserker, Viper, Harrier, Diviner, etc). But for real, if you can accomplish this, I don't know what you're doing here. This armor is also the precursor to Perfected Envoy armor, the legendary armor set, and if you have that... Just... Just go. Just go.
And for completeness, similar to the table for ascended weapons, this full table has ascended armor by stat type approximating costs to craft or buy from the Fractal/PvP vendors, based on base ingredient prices pulled from the Trading Post API.
Infusions[edit]
Ascended armor comes with infusion slots just like trinkets which is useful for getting into higher level fractals later on. In most cases if you are working on fractals you'll be putting +9 Agony Infusion in these slots. There are upgraded +9 infusions that also give +5 to a stat type. These stat infusions are very expensive and add very little to your build overall (~2-3% DPS for all 18 slots). You will realistically only need the infusions at all if you are doing fractals on the character or you wish to perfect your build. In general they are the very last thing you work on.
Runes and Sigils[edit]
While getting the properly-statted weapons, armor, and trinkets are important, what you put IN them in terms of runes and sigils is just as important. Your build guide should have rune and sigil recommendations, and while they can seem like a daunting extra cost, they are a critical part of making your character effective at its role. As a general rule, unless you have DPS tests to back you up, make sure you have the runes and sigils recommended by your build guide before you enter high-end content where your group will be counting on you (e.g. t4 fractals and raids), and never substitute minor/major runes and sigils when the superior version is called for.
IMPORTANT NOTE: if you're putting expensive runes or sigils into exotic equipment, make sure it's salvageable so that you can recover the upgrade with a Black Lion Salvage Kit if/when you move up to ascended gear. Check, double-check, and triple-check this before you apply the rune/sigil. Please.
Runes[edit]
These are acquisition methods for typical example runes. The uses mentioned are broad generalities as of the time of this writing. As always, consult your build guide for what you should be using.
- Power DPS
Superior Rune of the Scholar - Singularly most common power DPS rune. Crafted by 400 Tailor (no recipe sheet required). The rune is not accountbound, so it can be purchased from the Trading Post or crafted by a friend.
Superior Rune of the Thief - Used on power builds that need more precision to crit and still has a large damage increase when flanking. Consult your build guide to determine if you require these runes, assassin's pieces, or both to reach crit cap. Crafted by 400 Leatherworker (no recipe sheet required). The rune is not accountbound, so it can be purchased from the Trading Post or crafted by a friend.
Superior Rune of the Eagle - Used when crit is still needed or flanking with thief runes is not possible. Crafted by 400 Tailor, Leatherworker, or Armorsmith after learning the recipe from Recipe: Rune of the Eagle. While the recipe is account bound, the rune itself is not, so it can be purchased from the Trading Post or crafted by a friend.
- Condition DPS
Superior Rune of the Nightmare - For condi builds that need extra condition duration. The runes can be purchased from the dungeon merchant for Tales of Dungeon Delving or salvaged from pieces of Twilight Arbor armor using a Black Lion Salvage Kit.
Superior Rune of the Lich - For some condi builds that need more duration than Renegade runes but don't need Nightmare.
Superior Rune of the Elementalist - Lower duration than lich but has power and more flat damage to make up for it.
Superior Rune of the Renegade - For condi builds that don't need extra condition duration. Crafted by 400 Tailor, Leatherworker, or Armorsmith after learning the recipe from Recipe: Superior Rune of the Renegade (requires unlocking the Renegade elite specialization for the revenant and doing the Help Erran storm the Deadhouse to save his wife, Emara event). The rune is not account bound, so it can be purchased from the Trading Post or crafted by a friend.
Superior Rune of Perplexity - For builds that focus only on confusion like condi Chronomancer.
Superior Rune of the Krait - For builds that focus on bleeding like condi Soulbeast.
Superior Rune of Balthazar - For builds that focus on burning like condi Firebrand.
- Support
Superior Rune of the Pack - Used to provide boons, boon duration, and damage. Crafted by 400 Tailor, Leatherworker, or Armorsmith after learning the recipe from Recipe: Rune of the Pack. While the recipe is account bound, the rune itself is not, so it can be purchased from the Trading Post or crafted by a friend.
Superior Rune of the Firebrand - Used by Firebrands focusing on quickness output and condi damage. Crafted by 400 Tailor, Leatherworker, or Armorsmith after learning the recipe from Recipe: Superior Rune of the Firebrand (requires unlocking the Firebrand elite specialization for the guardian and doing the Help Explorer Jeppa recover lost supplies event). The rune is not accountbound, so it can be purchased from the Trading Post or crafted by a friend.
- Healing
Superior Rune of the Monk - As mentioned in the Magi section, this is the go-to healer rune. Purchased from the dungeon merchant for Tales of Dungeon Delving or salvaged from pieces of Ascalonian Catacombs armor using a Black Lion Salvage Kit.
Superior Rune of the Flock - Used on heal scourge since you don't have a lot of direct healing and can benefit from the higher health and additional small heal. Crafted by 400 Tailor, Leatherworker, or Armorsmith after learning the recipe from Recipe: Rune of the Flock.
Superior Rune of Mercy - Can be used by heal scourge for faster revive capabilities. Good in raid training but less preferred as group experience increases. Gives toughness which can interfere with tanking. Crafted by 400 Tailor, Leatherworker, or Armorsmith after learning the recipe from Recipe: Rune of Mercy.
Sigils[edit]
These are acquisition methods for common sigils. The uses mentioned are broad generalities as of the time of this writing. As always, consult your build guide for what you should be using.
- Power DPS
- Superior Sigil of Force - Near-universal sigil for power damage builds. Crafted by 400 Artificer, Huntsman or Weaponsmith after learning the recipe from Recipe: Sigil of Force. It can also be purchased from the Trading Post or salvaged with a Black Lion Salvage Kit from any of a variety of exotic weapons that contain it, many of which are cheaper on the Trading Post than the sigil alone and/or have unique skins. Of particular note is Rusttooth, which can be created in the Mystic Forge, though the current price of Mystic Coins makes this not cost-effective.
Superior Sigil of Impact - Most common sigil to go with Force on power damage builds. Crafted by 400 Artificer (no recipe sheet required) It can also be purchased from the Trading Post or salvaged with a Black Lion Salvage Kit from Onus.- Superior Sigil of Accuracy - Used to cap out crit chance on builds that have trouble with it or need it on one weapon set.
Superior Sigil of Hydromancy - Does a single large hit that chills and can crit on weapon swap. Is better than the 3% damage of impact in some cases (though not the full 10%).
Superior Sigil of Air - Extra damage on crit. Is better than the 3% damage of impact in some cases (though not the full 10%).
- Condition DPS
Superior Sigil of Bursting - Crafted by 400 Huntsman after learning the recipe from Recipe: Superior Sigil of Bursting, which can occasionally be purchased from a Pact Supply Network Agent. The sigil is not account bound, so can be purchased from the TP or crafted by a friend.
Superior Sigil of Malice - Crafted by 400 Artificer after learning the recipe from Recipe: Superior Sigil of Malice, which can occasionally be purchased from a Pact Supply Network Agent. The sigil is not account bound, so it can be purchased from the TP or crafted by a friend.
Superior Sigil of Geomancy - Bleeding on weapon swap.
Superior Sigil of Earth - Bleeding on crit.
Superior Sigil of Doom - Poison on weapon swap.
Superior Sigil of Torment - Torment on crit.
Superior Sigil of Agony - Bleeding duration.
Superior Sigil of Smoldering - Burning duration.
- Support
Superior Sigil of Concentration - Used to help cap out boon duration. Crafted by 225 Scribe (no recipe sheet required) or salvaged with a Black Lion Salvage Kit from Candy Cane weapons. The sigil is not account bound, so it can be purchased from the TP or crafted by a friend though it's usually way cheaper from the TP or weapons.
- Healing
Superior Sigil of Transference - The go-to sigil for healers. Crafted by 225 Scribe (no recipe sheet required). The sigil is not account bound, so can be purchased from the TP or crafted by a friend.
Superior Sigil of Water - Minor heal around target on crit, usually not taken.
Superior Sigil of Renewal - Minor AoE heal on swap, usually not taken.
- Utility
Superior Sigil of Energy - Used to restore endurance for Mirage so they can Ambush more often.
Superior Sigil of Paralyzation - Extra duration on stuns and dazes, run on CC weapon swaps that can trigger it.
Superior Sigil of Severance - Bonus stats when you interrupt, used on CC weapon swaps.
- Other
Superior Sigil of the Night - Used in zones that are permanently night. Does not work in raids but it's common in higher fractals to have weapon swaps when you can get the bonus damage.
Superior Sigil of Serpent Slaying - Example slaying sigil used when enemies are the corresponding type. Does not work in raids but it's common in higher fractals to have weapon swaps when you can get the bonus damage.
Superior Sigil of Mischief - Used to apply blind and trigger the 
Ineptitude trait for confusion on condition damage chrono. For single targets you can use 
Minor Sigil of Mischief instead.
Superior Sigil of Frailty - Option for revenants with 
Dance of Death or on supports in groups that lack good vulnerability.
Food[edit]
This section mostly only applies to raids, where the group is generally racing an Enraged timer if they don't get a kill fast enough. Food is pretty unnecessary in low tier fractals but is expected in most Tier 4 groups and especially challenge mode (CM) on fractals 98-100. "Food" is something of a misnomer, as it encompasses both actual Food as well as Utility items, with the expectation that you use both. These consumables typically give a 30 or 60 minute buff (unless extended with a Metabolic Primer for food or Utility Primer for utility items) that increases stats relevant to your role; generally your build guide will tell you what the recommended food for your build is, so, as always, consult your build guide. Food
| Power Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ascended | |||
| Effect | Food | Bonus Effect | Crafting |
| +100 Power +70 Ferocity |
 Cilantro Lime Sous-Vide Steak
|
Steal Life on Crit | … |
 Peppercorn-Crusted Sous-Vide Steak
|
-10% Incoming Damage | … | |
| +100 Power +70 Precision |
 Plate of Coq Au Vin with Salsa
|
Steal Life on Crit | … |
 Plate of Peppercorn-Spiced Coq Au Vin
|
-10% Incoming Damage | … | |
| Meta | |||
| Effect | Food | Crafting/Vendor | TP |
| +100 Power +70 Ferocity |
 Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash
|
… | … |
 Plate of Spicy Moa Wings
|
… + 2 
|
… | |
| +100 Power +70 Precision |
 Plate of Truffle Steak
|
… | … |
 Steak with Winterberry Sauce
|
… + 5 
|
… | |
| +100 Precision +70 Ferocity |
 Curry Butternut Squash
|
… | … |
| Budget | |||
| Effect | Food | Crafting/Vendor | TP |
| +80 Power +60 Ferocity |
 Avocado Smoothie
|
… + 252 + 1 
|
… |
| +80 Power +60 Precision |
 Plate of Steak and Asparagus
|
… | … |
 Can of Steak and Asparagus
|
5
|
N/A | |
| Hybrid Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ascended | |||
| Effect | Food | Bonus Effect | Crafting |
| +45 to All Attributes |  Spherified Cilantro Oyster Soup
|
Steal Life on Crit | … |
 Spherified Peppercorn-Spiced Oyster Soup
|
-10% Incoming Damage | … | |
 Flight of Sushi
|
+150 Fishing Power | … | |
| Meta | |||
| Effect | Food | Crafting/Vendor | TP |
| +45 All Attributes |  Dragon's Revelry Starcake
|
… | … |
| Healing Food | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascended | ||||
| Effect | Food | Bonus Effect | Crafting | |
| +100 Healing Power +70 Concentration |
 Bowl of Fruit Salad with Mint Garnish
|
+10% Outgoing Healing | … | |
| +100 Concentration +70 Healing Power |
 Mint Creme Brulee
|
+10% Outgoing Healing | … | |
| Meta | ||||
| Effect | Food | Crafting/Vendor | TP | |
| +100 Healing Power +10% Outgoing Healing |
 Delicious Rice Ball
|
N/A | … | |
| Budget | ||||
| Effect | Food | Crafting/Vendor | TP | |
| +80 Healing Power +8% Outgoing Healing |
 Canned Rice Ball with "Lucky" Filling
|
N/A | N/A | |
| Boon Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ascended | |||
| Effect | Food | Bonus Effect | Crafting |
| +100 Concentration +70 Power |
 Plate of Beef Carpaccio with Salsa Garnish
|
Steal Life on Crit | … |
 Plate of Peppercorn-Spiced Beef Carpaccio
|
-10% Incoming Damage | … | |
| +100 Concentration +70 Expertise |
 Salsa Eggs Benedict
|
Steal Life on Crit | … |
 Peppercorn-Spiced Eggs Benedict
|
-10% Incoming Damage | … | |
| Meta | |||
| Effect | Food | Crafting/Vendor | TP |
| +100 Concentration +70 Power |
 Soul Pastry* (45 min)
|
N/A | … |
| +100 Concentration +70 Expertise |
 Plate of Eggs Benedict
|
… | … |
 Bowl of Green Chile Ice Cream
|
… + 25
|
… | |
 Bowl of Carne Khan Chili
|
… + 25
|
… | |
 Bowl of Firebreather Chili
|
… + 35
|
… | |
| Budget | |||
| Effect | Food | Crafting/Vendor | TP |
| +100 Concentration 33% Might on Crit |
 Fried Golden Dumpling
|
N/A | … |
| Tank/Kite Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ascended | |||
| Effect | Food | Bonus Effect | Crafting |
| +100 Healing Power +70 Concentration |
 Bowl of Spiced Fruit Salad
|
-10% Incoming Damage | … |
| +100 Concentration +70 Healing Power |
 Spiced Pepper Creme Brulee
|
-10% Incoming Damage | … |
| +45 to All Attributes | Spherified Peppercorn-Spiced Oyster Soup
|
-10% Incoming Damage | … |
| Meta | |||
| Effect | Food | Crafting/Vendor | TP |
| -10% Incoming Damage +70 Concentration |
 Mussels Gnashblade
|
… | … |
| Budget | |||
| Effect | Food | Crafting/Vendor | TP |
| -10% Incoming Damage +70 Toughness |
 Lemongrass Mussel Pasta
|
… | … |
| -10% Incoming Damage +70 Healing Power |
 Oysters with Pesto Sauce
|
… | … |
| -10% Incoming Damage +70 Ferocity |
 Oysters with Zesty Sauce
|
… | … |
| -10% Incoming Damage +70 Precision |
 Oysters with Cocktail Sauce
|
… | … |
| -10% Incoming Damage |  Fried Oysters
|
… | … |
Utility
| Power Utility | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | ||||
| Effect | Utility | Crafting/Vendor | TP | Duration |
| Gain Power Equal to 3% of Your Precision Gain Power Equal to 6% of Your Ferocity |
 Potent Superior Sharpening Stone
|
… | … | 60 min |
| Superior Sharpening Stone
|
… | … | 30 min | |
| Mist-Infused Sharpening Stone
|
N/A | … | 30 min | |
 Tin of Fruitcake
|
… | … | 30 min | |
| Gain Power Equal to 3% of Your Precision Gain Ferocity Equal to 3% of Your Precision |
Furious Sharpening Stone
|
… | … | 30 min |
| Writs | ||||
| Effect | Utility | Crafting/Vendor | TP | Duration |
| Gain 200 Power When Health above 90% |  Writ of Masterful Strength
|
… | … | 30 min |
| Gain 160 Power When Health above 90% |  Writ of Learned Strength
|
… | … | 30 min |
| Condition Utility | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | ||||
| Effect | Utility | Crafting/Vendor | TP | Duration |
| Gain Condition Damage Equal to 3% of Your Precision Gain Condition Damage Equal to 8% of Your Expertise |
 Potent Master Tuning Crystal
|
… | … | 60 min |
| Master Tuning Crystal
|
… | … | 30 min | |
 Tuning Icicle
|
… | … | 30 min | |
| Gain Condition Damage Equal to 3% of Your Power Gain Condition Damage Equal to 3% of Your Precision |
 Toxic Focusing Crystal
|
… | … | 30 min |
| Writs | ||||
| Effect | Utility | Crafting/Vendor | TP | Duration |
| Gain 200 Condition Damage When Health Is above 90% |  Writ of Masterful Malice
|
… | … | 30 min |
| Gain 160 Condition Damage When Health Is above 90% |  Writ of Learned Malice
|
… | … | 30 min |
| Gain 200 Precision When Health Is above 90% |  Writ of Masterful Accuracy
|
… | … | 30 min |
| Gain 160 Precision When Health Is above 90% | Writ of Learned Accuracy
|
… | … | 30 min |
| Support Utility | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | ||||
| Effect | Utility | Crafting/Vendor | TP | Duration |
| 0.6% Outgoing Healing per 100 Healing Power 0.8% Outgoing Healing per 100 Concentration |
 Bountiful Maintenance Oil
|
… | … | 30 min |
| Mist-Infused Maintenance Oil
|
N/A | … | 30 min | |
| Gain Concentration Equal to 3% of Your Power Gain Concentration Equal to 3% of Your Precision |
 Potent Lucent Oil
|
… | … | 30 min |
| Gain Concentration Equal to 6% of Your Condition Damage Gain Concentration Equal to 3% of Your Precision |
 Enhanced Lucent Oil
|
… | … | 30 min |
| Gain Concentration Equal to 3% of Your Power Gain Concentration Equal to 6% of Your Condition Damage |
 Toxic Maintenance Oil
|
… | … | 30 min |
| Gain Concentration Equal to 3% of Your Precision Gain Concentration Equal to 6% of Your Healing Power |
 Peppermint Oil
|
… | … | 30 min |
| Gain Power Equal to 8% of Your Concentration Gain Concentration Equal to 3% of Your Precision |
 Holographic Super Cheese
|
… + 1 
|
… | 30 min |
- In Fractals specific utility potions can be used based on the fractal, a list can be found on the fractal page in the sigils & potions section. Powerful Potion of Slaying Scarlet's Armies (…) would be an example of one such potion.
See also[edit]
- MetaBattle's adaptation of this guide
- Chieftain Alex's equipment guide
- GW2W's equipment query search tool
Thanks[edit]
- To User:Chieftain Alex who has helped make all of the fancy TP cost table stuff work.
- To User:Dak393 who has been working on major 2019 updates to this guide.
- To every other user who has helped add new information due to game updates and meta shifts since the original writing.
- To everyone who's commented on the talk page, shared with their friends/guildies, or sent messages of support.
