Firebrand itemization

[Iyam.1497]

Hi all,

I've recently returned playing after a decade or so and I have just started to get a good grip of how the game now works with all the updates and stuff.

I have an old guardian char which I played during release and maxxed it to level 80 before I stopped playing. I wanted to do the firebrand build with it but it seems that the items I would need for that is still a long way to get. 

What are the recommended items / equips for this build (lesser versions) while you are still completing the necessary items to craft them. I just finished leveling my armor crafting to 500, and it seems I might need to level up other crafting skills as well.

Thanks!

[Remus Darkblight.1673]

First decide what build you actually want to play on the Firebrand, for this consider what content and role you want to fill. There are third party sites that offer builds such as snow crows, metabattle, and hardstuck.

If you have all content unlocked (i.e. living world chapters), I would recommend going to those and using the respective currencies from them to purchase ascended trinkets (rings, amulet, accessories, back items) which all have selectable stats.

If you enjoy world versus world, there is an NPC that will sell you armour and weapons with selectable stats for a very cheap price, but you do need some badges of honour. If you don't want to play that game mode or don't have time to farm the badges, depending on your role you can quickly get set up with exotic armour in a core stat set cheaply from the trading post. Berserker for power, Cleric for support, Carrion or Dire for condition damage. Although berserker is often still best in slot for power builds, you will likely want concentration or expertise for support or condition builds, in which case Minstrel, Viper, or Trailblazers would be preferred, however they are significantly more expensive to buy or make.

It may also be worth mentioning Celestial gear (all stats), it has some very strong solo builds for world versus world, and is a bit of a jack of all trades in other areas. You can get a full set of celestial gear by getting a new character to level 80.

[Iyam.1497]

For starters, I just wanted to play the story mode (PVE) through that was added to the base game as that was what I played before. I just wanted a guardian that can do the quests without much dying. I've been using my old gears for now and been looking at what I use to go through the expansions. If I go use my old build, it has not much dps so I was considering doing the firebrand for added damage.

[Remus Darkblight.1673]

9 minutes ago, Iyam.1497 said:

For starters, I just wanted to play the story mode (PVE) through that was added to the base game as that was what I played before. I just wanted a guardian that can do the quests without much dying. I've been using my old gears for now and been looking at what I use to go through the expansions. If I go use my old build, it has not much dps so I was considering doing the firebrand for added damage.

The core story you can do in berserker gear (or really any gear you want), but there was a marked increase in enemy difficulty in Heart of Thorns necessitating more balanced builds. Playing a glass cannon there solo is much more difficult. This difficulty was cut back a bit in subsequent expansions though. If you're really not bothered about doing optimal damage and getting things done quickly, then celestial is probably the best bet, if you had to choose just one gear set. It's flexible enough to allow you to experiment with build types or hybrid damage, while still being able to make good use of your own heals and boons.