Why is gearing up such an absolute nightmare?

As someone who has a lot of characters, I honestly feel like gearing up for this game is such a massive burden, especially thanks to the introduction of new stats with the release of Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire. It seems like it's outright impossible to gear up a character with the original stats these days; unless you wish to run around as a glass-cannon.

Yes, I'm well-aware that it's possible to craft exotics of the HoT sets. The problem, however, is the prices. They require absurd amounts of resources for just an exotic set. And apparently, it's impossible to get my hands on exotic gear with PoF stats unless it's an item from one of those reward boxes or an achievement. It's starting to become such a drag having to grind in PvP or WvW for that one box... or waste all of my funds in crafting to the point where I'm struggling for days just to keep up. I could always focus on Fractals again, but the timezone differences and the fact that I keep getting myself into feeble groups that can't last until the last boss isn't working; RNG hasn't been kind whatsoever as well. I tried to find myself a guild, but none were all that "active" or willing to help by any means.

Other MMOs that I've played were pretty much straightforward when it came to gearing up, and even lesser versions of said stats were enough to get the character working. I just can't understand what I'm doing wrong. I've been struggling at this for over a year now, and taking breaks every now and then doesn't seem to be helping.

Edit: It seems like people can't read nowadays. I'm not talking about the vanilla stats. They are considered dated by today's standards.

What class are you, and what stats are you trying to obtain?

It's important not to knock "glass cannon" builds right out of the gate; this game relies mostly on active defenses, so the longer a fight takes the more likely it is for someone to make a mistake and wind up dead. Usually group content will have dedicated support units to keep you alive, like a healer tempest, Druid or Ventari Herald - so personal survivability isn't really necissary in PvE.

@"Westenev.5289" said:What class are you, and what stats are you trying to obtain?

It's important not to knock "glass cannon" builds right out of the gate; this game relies mostly on active defenses, so the longer a fight takes the more likely it is for someone to make a mistake and wind up dead. Usually group content will have dedicated support units to keep you alive, like a healer tempest, Druid or Ventari Herald - so personal survivability isn't really necessary in PvE.

This is pretty much a generalization. Anything that's related to HoT or PoF is going to be a pain to get nonetheless. I don't like running as a Berserker at all due to just how glassy it feels.

You can run a minimalist build. A good amount of the gear that you get from completing story instances, achievements, events and so forth can drop exotics that have more defensive stats or a blend of offense and defense (I don't recall getting much for support type stats tho).

It's actually a method of play, a minimalist only uses equipment that they get as drops and it can be a fun little challenge to finally see good pieces that you can either use, cross your fingers when you salvage for the materials/upgrade item or set aside to sell or use on another character.

Now if you're concerned with gearing up for other content, I'd look into other avenues to grab quick gear. Vendors often sell exotics of certain stat combos (not all, of course) for some sort of currency. With a combo of salvaging, gathering materials, doing content for currencies and raking in daily rewards, it's not that daunting to start getting the gear you're looking for. It takes time, but if you could just get your gear set-up in a couple weeks, there wouldn't be much reason to participate in the majority of the game's content.

@"RandomWolf.3986" said:Anything that's related to HoT or PoF is going to be a pain to get nonetheless. I don't like running as a Berserker at all due to just how glassy it feels.

I don't feel that's entirely true - for the most part, PoF didn't provide any relevant stats except Harriers, which is a glass-cannon healing alternative for Druids. If you’re looking at HoT stats, you have the option of LWS3 achievements for exotic armour, HoT story repeats for exotic armour and LS3 currency or Ranked sPvP tickets for trinkets (which have a cheap stat-swap to boot). You can also get LWS3 or LWS4 armour while working towards said trinkets - which you have already mentioned.

Also, the game doesn't punish you for using hybrid stats - if you don't feel comfortable using full Berserker, you can mix in a little Marauders, Valkyrie or even Soldiers to beef yourself up - the latter 2 being just as readily available as Berserkers.

@"RandomWolf.3986" said:As someone who has a lot of characters, I honestly feel like gearing up for this game is such a massive burden, especially thanks to the introduction of new stats with the release of Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire. It seems like it's outright impossible to gear up a character with the original stats these days; unless you wish to run around as a glass-cannon.

This complaint doesn't make much sense. You can gear up with original stats (not Hot or PoF I assume you mean?) and not be a glass cannon because there are lots of stat prefixes from the core game that really lean hard on the defensive side of things. Other than Vipers and harriers, there isn't much to the new HoT and PoF prefixes that really offer anything you can't get with a thoughtful approach to using a mix of core prefixes.

It depends on what you're doing, and whether you hoard or not. MMORPGs are partially based on "trading", sell what you don't need, buy what you do. If you've been playing for a year that's enough to have earned at least 6 full ascended sets. Even if you did nothing but do the daily that would have been enough for ~2 sets.

You have to figure out how you want to get your gear, and pay attention to what you need, how you get it, sell the unneeded materials, and use your gold to make it quicker. If you go for ascended gear it has the benefit of it being cheap to swaps stats, in case you ever feel like you made a poor decision on the stats you chose.

Depending on the time you play I can also help with fractals.

@Obtena.7952 said:

@"RandomWolf.3986" said:As someone who has a lot of characters, I honestly feel like gearing up for this game is such a massive burden, especially thanks to the introduction of new stats with the release of

Heart of Thorns

and

Path of Fire

. It seems like it's outright impossible to gear up a character with the original stats these days; unless you wish to run around as a glass-cannon.

This complaint doesn't make much sense. You can gear up with original stats (not Hot or PoF I assume you mean?) and not be a glass cannon because there are lots of stat prefixes from the core game that really lean hard on the defensive side of things. Other than Vipers and harriers, there isn't much to the new HoT and PoF prefixes that really offer anything you can't get with a thoughtful approach to using a mix of core prefixes.

Pretty much all sets besides "Berserker" are considered useless by the majority of the community and flawed when arranging a build. I can't get into Fractals and even escorts like that.

But your complaint is contradictory. The core stats are cheapest on the TP, and easiest to unlock in crafting. Berserker, Assassin, Rampager are widely available. More defensive there are Carrion, Knight, Zealot, Rabid. Yet you're implying none of these seven widely available, high performance choices are good enough for you. I would not recommend gear with two defensive stats, unless you're pure support in group-focused content (raid, fractal).

Gear with stats from expansions are intentionally designed for dedicated players. If you desire these, you really must focus on grinding gold, mats, and rewards for them. They're not just going to fall into your lap.

It's not the gear; it's the player. Change your play style. Learn to embrace glass cannon. Train some defensive traits and skills; wear fully offensive gear. The right traits and skills, and player skill, will get you a lot farther than measly toughness or vitality.

Gw2 is ridiculously merciful with gearing up compared to any other popular MMO, I don't get this post.

@Lunateric.3708 I must agree, but I play one character and stuck with one stat primarily in all three games and/or expansions. So . . . my experience was different. I guess 'one's mileage varies' should apply. ;)

@Lunateric.3708 said:Gw2 is ridiculously merciful with gearing up compared to any other popular MMO, I don't get this post.

Then I'm afraid you didn't read the whole thing.

@Zin Dau.1749 said:But your complaint is contradictory. The core stats are cheapest on the TP, and easiest to unlock in crafting. Berserker, Assassin, Rampager are widely available. More defensive there are Carrion, Knight, Zealot, Rabid. Yet you're implying none of these seven widely available, high performance choices are good enough for you. I would not recommend gear with two defensive stats, unless you're pure support in group-focused content (raid, fractal).

Gear with stats from expansions are intentionally designed for dedicated players. If you desire these, you really must focus on grinding gold, mats, and rewards for them. They're not just going to fall into your lap.

It's not the gear; it's the player. Change your play style. Learn to embrace glass cannon. Train some defensive traits and skills; wear fully offensive gear. The right traits and skills, and player skill, will get you a lot farther than measly toughness or vitality.

It's not contradictory; you seem to have not read the post itself since everything was said coherently. This has nothing to do with the core sets. All those stats you mentioned besides Berserker are looked down upon nowadays.

Grinding never worked for me, that's why it took me five months to get a legendary, which I regret deeply. It sucks the fun out of everything.

@"RandomWolf.3986" said:. All those stats you mentioned besides Berserker are looked down upon nowadays.

Are they? Thank God. Now maybe people can stop demanding my cleric-based druid keep getting nerfed. ;)

Edit: Though, to be fair, I do use Rune of the Monk these days. So you may have a point.

@Ardenwolfe.8590 said:

@"RandomWolf.3986" said:. All those stats you mentioned besides Berserker are looked down upon nowadays.

Oh please. Spare me your gratuitous sarcasm.

@"RandomWolf.3986" My apologies, My post was meant to be light-hearted. I'm sorry you took it to mean the opposite. Maybe if I added more . . . ;) ;) ;) it would be clearer? :)

So what specific hot/pof stats are you after mate? Your making it kinda hard to understand becouse right after you say original stats witch seem to point to core stat combos.EditYour talking about exotics so I guess viper or minstrel?We have known for ever that exotic hot stats arent worth to craft just go for ascended.Craft what ever ascended thats cheapest and stat change said item in the mystic forge with an exotic insigina/inscription mate.

@"RandomWolf.3986" said:As someone who has a lot of characters, I honestly feel like gearing up for this game is such a massive burden, especially thanks to the introduction of new stats with the release of Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire. It seems like it's outright impossible to gear up a character with the original stats these days; unless you wish to run around as a glass-cannon.

Yes, I'm well-aware that it's possible to craft exotics of the HoT sets. The problem, however, is the prices. They require absurd amounts of resources for just an exotic set. And apparently, it's impossible to get my hands on exotic gear with PoF stats unless it's an item from one of those reward boxes or an achievement. It's starting to become such a drag having to grind in PvP or WvW for that one box... or waste all of my funds in crafting to the point where I'm struggling for days just to keep up. I could always focus on Fractals again, but the timezone differences and the fact that I keep getting myself into feeble groups that can't last until the last boss isn't working; RNG hasn't been kind whatsoever as well. I tried to find myself a guild, but none were all that "active" or willing to help by any means.

Other MMOs that I've played were pretty much straightforward when it came to gearing up, and even lesser versions of said stats were enough to get the character working. I just can't understand what I'm doing wrong. I've been struggling at this for over a year now, and taking breaks every now and then doesn't seem to be helping.

Edit: It seems like people can't read nowadays. I'm not talking about the vanilla stats. They are considered dated by today's standards.

If you don't want pure DPS stats, chances are you aren't concerned with the meta. While expansion stats may be the most effective tactic available for your build, I'm not sure why you think you can't use core stats to play it your own way. Is there some reason you must have Trailblazer and not Dire, for instance? If berserker isn't your cup of tea, would Soldier work better? I'm just not sure I understand why this is an issue if you aren't adhering to the meta anyway.

Edit: Define "dated"? In the context of playing the way you want to play, what does that even mean? Do you think they're dated? Or is the fact that somebody else might think so impacting your decisions here?

@Linken.6345 said:So what specific hot/pof stats are you after mate? Your making it kinda hard to understand becouse right after you say original stats witch seem to point to core stat combos.EditYour talking about exotics so I guess viper or minstrel?We have known for ever that exotic hot stats arent worth to craft just go for ascended.Craft what ever ascended thats cheapest and stat change said item in the mystic forge with an exotic insigina/inscription mate.

Agreed. When I read the OP, I thought you wanted gear that didn't make you a glass cannon.

Unless you specify what gear you're specifically trying to get, no one can assist you.

And yeah, if you don't have crafting leveled up, it's a good call to work on it over time because you're going to want to be able to craft Ascended. Them's tha breaks. It's gonna take some grinding so invest in some other gear stats in the meantime.

@Leo G.4501 said:

@Linken.6345 said:So what specific hot/pof stats are you after mate? Your making it kinda hard to understand becouse right after you say original stats witch seem to point to core stat combos.EditYour talking about exotics so I guess viper or minstrel?We have known for ever that exotic hot stats arent worth to craft just go for ascended.Craft what ever ascended thats cheapest and stat change said item in the mystic forge with an exotic insigina/inscription mate.

I would bet minstrel/viper/harriers.

I was gonna say WvW track for a couple of weeks and you could have a full set of Triumphant Armor. (exotic)These have selectable stats from HoT and i believe PoF as well...so no crafting required.But.....Thats only if you want to do WvW.

@Voltekka.2375 said:

@Leo G.4501 said:

@Linken.6345 said:So what specific hot/pof stats are you after mate? Your making it kinda hard to understand becouse right after you say original stats witch seem to point to core stat combos.EditYour talking about exotics so I guess viper or minstrel?We have known for ever that exotic hot stats arent worth to craft just go for ascended.Craft what ever ascended thats cheapest and stat change said item in the mystic forge with an exotic insigina/inscription mate.

Kinda fun that the OP say he dont want glass cannon and then might want viper that is condi glass cannon stats =)

@Sleepwalker.1398 said:I was gonna say WvW track for a couple of weeks and you could have a full set of Triumphant Armor. (exotic)These have selectable stats from HoT and i believe PoF as well...so no crafting required.But.....Thats only if you want to do WvW.

They can do the same sign the Glorious Reward Track in spvp if they want, not sure which would be faster though.

@Lunateric.3708 said:Gw2 is ridiculously merciful with gearing up compared to any other popular MMO, I don't get this post.

Right. There are a few exceptions, like minstrel gear, but what's the saying? Exceptions confirm the rule.

If you have more characters then it will cost more to get them all outfitted ... that is just math.

The only expansion stats that are really expensive is trailblazer and minstrel.

... or is this just an complaint about the price of linseed oil?