Gear questions / guidance

[Amanarius.2730]

Hello everyone !
So. I've been a (very) casual player for quite sometime, and I have recently decided to play more seriously. And even though I have figured out things, I'm still so confused about gear and how it works. I've trying to find tutorials online, but I figured out I should ask here (even though my questions may seem very stupid):

1. Do only prefixes (like Berserker) matter ? I've been figuring out what gear to use (in exotic) and was confused if I could use any Berserker equipment and the other characteristics on it were only cosmetic.

2. How does the mechanisms of runs and sigil work. Where can I find them ?

3. How do skins work ? I know that once we acquire a piece of armour or a weapon, we can use its skin. But is there a way to acquire a skin in-game (excluding the ones we can buy with gems).

Once again, sorry if those sound stupid but I really had headaches trying to figure out those out.
Thanks for any response !

[Mungo Zen.9364]

1 - Your gear stats should reflect the type of build you want to play.  Berserkers is typical for Power DPS builds while Vipers is for Condition builds.  However, there are dozens of stats combos available so you may want to read a guide on your preferred profession and build to get some guidance as it will start teaching you how al the systems work that makeup your character.

2 - Runes and Sigils are available through many sources although the easiest would be Trading Post or Crafting.  6 Superior Runes of the same name will give you the 6 piece bonus, anything less and you don't get the set bonus (so you may want a 7th Rune for your Aquabreather kit).  A lot of Sigils and Runes are very cheap and can be tried out just for the experience of 'what does this do for me?'

1+2 - You may be best served exploring builds via two methods.  One is to go to a site like Metabattle and find a community build which matches the playstyle you enjoy and then look at what gear they use.  A lot will also have alternate builds if you can't afford the more expensive items right away.  The other method, which can be inexpensive and fun, is to just buy different armor, runes and sigil sets and trying them out.  It will involve a lot of trial and error but after a few go rounds you will be well versed in how these systems work for you.

3 - Skins are applied under the Wardrobe tab and use Transmutation Charges per item being changed.  Just select the item to be skinned and on the left you will be shown all available skins you have that match that item (must match armor weight and slot or weapon type).  You can then go to the Dyes tab to color the skins as you please.

 

[RavensSorrow.6128]

To add to what Mungo said:

 

1. Things like Beserker, Viper, Celestial names on gear refers specifically what stats it will have.  Beserkers means the stats will be Power as a main focus and Precision and Ferocity as secondary. Where Viper has power and Condition damage as the major and Precision and Expertise as minors. Celestial is great as it gives you a small amount of every stat. You can mix and match these as you see fit. Guides usually recommend gear "sets" to go for but if you need cheaper options or say more survivability while solo grabbing other pieces isn't the end  of the world. Get what you can and work towards a complete set as you explore. I often have 2 equipment tabs going building a power set and a condition or support set in the other slowly. This also get the items out of your bags to free up space. (/wiki attributes combinations)

 

2. Runes are like traditional set pieces in other MMOs. The more you wear of one set the more bonuses it gives you (i.e 6 Runes of Balthazar equipped gives you more burn duration and health at 6).  Sigils are akin to enchantments on weapons. You can equip them to give yourself special bonuses when wielding or swapping to that weapon. Things like "on swap chill enemies nearby" or "on kill gain Might" or even as simple as "+10% healing".  Easiest way to get them in the Trading Post as Mungo said. However you can craft them too if you wish. (/wiki Runes . /wiki Sigils).

 

3. Skins are under  your Wardrobe tab. There are a ton of skins in game. From Gem Store items, to Cultural Armor sets bough from vendors, to random drops. You can get these anywhere. If you don't own a skin it will say "skin locked" in grey on the item. Even if your current class can't use them you can add them to your account by right clicking them or even salvaging them. This way when you get a cool looking bow but your Necro doesn't use it, add it to your account and when you play your Ranger it is there waiting for him. Skins are everywhere. I got a random drop the other day for "The Ugly Stick" from doing a world boss. I've been playing this game for years was just a lucky drop chance. I also aquired a Micro Phone looking warhorn from saving up currency on a map and just buying it from that vendor after a few days. I even completed an achievement for a specialization collection to get very angry looking hammer (Untamed). You can get skins many ways wether it's real money, drop luck, achievements or working toward a vendors cost. This game has a tone of skins and dyes  you can look forward to collecting.

 

Ask any other questions you have! GLHF.

[Rumpus.1234]

A few notes about weapon and armor skins, because making characters look good is the real endgame:

• If you spend a charge to apply a skin, you are applying it to that particular item. Save transmutation charges for items you're going to use a while, usually Exotic and up.
• Armor skins can be dyed, weapons cannot. Matching armor colors to a particular weapon set is an easy way to come up with a color scheme! Some back item skins can be dyed.
• You can preview most skins in-game in the Account Vault (bank). The wiki can tell you where to get each item ("How do I get Runic Slayer armor?"). If you're starting a serious collection, that's one way to set in-game goals.
• Be careful applying cultural armor skins to account bound armor you might want to pass between characters (for example, Ascended quality). You will not be able to wear the transmuted item on a character from a different race until you spend another transmutation charge..
• EDIT: I almost forgot to mention, lots of weapon skins have unique sounds or visual effects. For example, the awesome microphone RavensSorrow mentioned, Voice of Metal! If you apply a skin to a weapon, those effects will be applied or replaced.

Edited August 22, 2022 by Rumpus.1234

[Amanarius.2730]

Thank you everyone ! I just want to be sure about the first question. If I want a Berserker set, it doesn't matter which one is it, right ? Most of the builts I've seen required Zojja's set, and I don't know which exotic equivalent I could use. 

[DeanBB.4268]

Don't focus on the armor names, but the attributes. If you want berserker stats, look for Power, Precision, Ferocity, with Power being the primary (larger number). 

Unless you are crafting, then you'll need to know what they are called. But you can just look up the names on the wiki. I've been crafting most of 10 years, and still look things up.

[RavensSorrow.6128]

1 hour ago, Amanarius.2730 said:

Thank you everyone ! I just want to be sure about the first question. If I want a Berserker set, it doesn't matter which one is it, right ? Most of the builts I've seen required Zojja's set, and I don't know which exotic equivalent I could use. 

 

So Zojja's (and other named pieces) are just an older bunch of items named after famous characters. These sets have been around for a while and there exotic pieces can be quite cheap. All you really want to know is you want items "of the Beserker". As DeanBB said look for high Power accompanied by Precision and Ferocity.

You can also slide in other pieces. Take Marauder attributes for instance, it looses some powerful stats to give a bit of vitality as well. That my help in solo and open world play. Again do /wiki Attribute Combinations in game if you want a full list (it's big) but the general idea is Power primary with Precision (crit chance) and Ferocity (crit damage) is best for Strike Damage builds.

[mikansei.5742]

7 minutes ago, Amanarius.2730 said:

Thank you everyone ! I just want to be sure about the first question. If I want a Berserker set, it doesn't matter which one is it, right ? Most of the builts I've seen required Zojja's set, and I don't know which exotic equivalent I could use. 

For exotic armor in particular, there are cheap named armor sets with the same stats as the expensive crafted exalted/emblazoned/draconic exotics - for berserker stats, light armor is named "Zhed's", medium is "Nika's" and heavy is "Devona's". The 6 armor pieces in a named set all come with a matching set of runes, too, tho the usefulness of any particular rune set will vary based on your build.

For exotic weapons, there are cheaper berserker stat versions too - you can look them up on the TP by inputting specific stats to search for; in this case, Power, Precision and Ferocity. They don't have a unified naming scheme, but here's a few examples: focus, rifle, sword, staff. These are all under 1g apiece.

[Amanarius.2730]

The more I think I get it the more I have question lmao.

So for exemple, I want a Berserker set for my Reaper and for my chrono. I can get any set with berserker stats (like Berserker's Aurora whatever of Grenth or Flame Legion whatever) and then put runes on them depending on what the two professions need ? 

[Ashantara.8731]

28 minutes ago, Amanarius.2730 said:

So for exemple, I want a Berserker set for my Reaper and for my chrono. I can get any set with berserker stats (like Berserker's Aurora whatever of Grenth or Flame Legion whatever) and then put runes on them depending on what the two professions need ? 

Yes, you can get two armor sets with Berserker stats and put any (preferably exotic) runes on either depending on what fits the character's build.

Just make sure you get 6 of the same per set in order for all 6 rune boni to trigger.
 

Edited August 23, 2022 by Ashantara.8731