Why does GW2 require Fractals & random events to get Legendary weapons?

[Angel Silverstar.1038]

I really do not like doing Fractals since it takes getting 4 people to want to do the fractal you need done, or in my case anyone that is willing to suffer thru water fights etc. so this and random events I have not been able to create any legendary weapons. A random events like once you help in a certain quest as in the Scholar Nabbi "Help the Pact reach the graveyard outside Zaishen Antheneum quest" for 2 days off and on waiting for it to activate and have not been able to get it to show so it is nearly impossible to get the required item unless someone can tell you when this even will activate. It also make the game boring if I am killing the same NPC in the same spots for over an hr hoping it will activate.This is frustrating and I am almost at the point that it is just not worth the effort to try to create these Legendary's. Anyone else have the same issues?

[mercury ranique.2170]

Legendary weapons do not require you to do fractals.1: you only need fractals for the precursor2: both the precursor and the legendary can be bought with gold

To be honest, the prices are really fair, it takes as much time to make your own as it takes to buy one on the tradepost. The difference is when did you deserve it? I say all three ways are good (do it all yourself, buy the legendary, or buy the precursor). Doing it all yourself is supposed to be challenging.

[GrubySzymek.1362]

@mercury ranique.2170 said:Legendary weapons do not require you to do fractals.1: you only need fractals for the precursor2: both the precursor and the legendary can be bought with gold

To be honest, the prices are really fair, it takes as much time to make your own as it takes to buy one on the tradepost.

Doesn't apply to gen2 legendaries.

[Angel Silverstar.1038]

Grandmaster Legendary's do require Fractals. Example: Frostfang 3 -Underground Facility Ice Shavings.png Underground Facility Ice Shavings Use a Glacial Imbued Jar to collect ice shavings from the ice pillar at the end of the Underground Facility Fractal.What do you mean deserve it?How do you buy Frostfang or any of it's parts on the trading post? I looked and don't see it.The point also is how do I do it by myself if I am required to rely on others to do fractals? How do I get the items I need if all I am doing is waiting for a random event to occur.

[infrequentia.3465]

@Angel Silverstar.1038 said:Grandmaster Legendary's do require Fractals. Example: Frostfang 3 -Underground Facility Ice Shavings.png Underground Facility Ice Shavings Use a Glacial Imbued Jar to collect ice shavings from the ice pillar at the end of the Underground Facility Fractal.What do you mean deserve it?How do you buy Frostfang or any of it's parts on the trading post? I looked and don't see it.The point also is how do I do it by myself if I am required to rely on others to do fractals? How do I get the items I need if all I am doing is waiting for a random event to occur.

legendaries do NOT require fractals.

PRECURSOR craftin might need 1.

BUT crafting is only 1 way of getting the precursor

you can buy themyou can get them as dropsyou can get them as rewards from chests.

and you can craft them for a 100% chance on getting the precursor you want

but legendaries them self do not need fractals.

they only need gift of exploration. gift of jumping gift of fortune and gift of the legedary you want

[Talindra.4958]

Me and my husband have always helped any guildies who doesn't play fractal to run them through certain map so they can complete their leg collection. I'm sure there are many helpful guild out there to help too.You can try posting in LFGeg “LFM to help with [fractal lvl], [purpose - what leg collection]”.. we hv very nice game community and ppl do jump into group to help

[Randulf.7614]

The precursor crafting often require fractals because legendary weapons promote and encourage gameplay in multiple modes of the game. They also encourage pvp/ wvw via tokens (skippable via the TP) and wvw again via the gift of battle. Legendaries arent specifically meant to be solo content, they do involve some group content, in either instances or open world.

Generation 1 legendaries and precursors can be outright bought in the TP. Frostfang should be in there if any are available, as should the precursor.

As for the events, the ida is to tie them thematically to the legendary. However, that can sometimes seem not the case and they often bug out on a regular basis - a well dovumented and annoying problem esp on event chains.

[Samnang.1879]

I have 7 or 8 legendaries... i never have trouble with events. unless its a bug then u just have to wait it out and complain on map chat and have ppl telling u, "u can't complain cuz anet is doing their best"

[Khisanth.2948]

That event is the last in a chain so if you are waiting around of it to start that is not likely to happen unless someoen else happens to do it and that is not likely unless it is straits of devastation events daily.

[mrstealth.6701]

@infrequentia.3465 said:

legendaries do NOT require fractals.

PRECURSOR craftin might need 1.

BUT crafting is only 1 way of getting the precursor

you can buy themyou can get them as dropsyou can get them as rewards from chests.

and you can craft them for a 100% chance on getting the precursor you want

but legendaries them self do not need fractals.

they only need gift of exploration. gift of jumping gift of fortune and gift of the legedary you want

All of that only applies to the core set of legendary weapons. Any added from Heart of Thorns or later have precursors that must be crafted. And a number of those (maybe most, or all) require doing at least one fractal.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Have you tried using the Wiki to help on your Legendary Journey?For instance, this page gives information on how to complete the event should it stall: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Help_the_Pact_reach_the_graveyard_outside_Zaishen_AntheneumI've heard many players state the T1 fractals are pretty easy to solo; or you could just ask someone to help you. There's even a sub-forum here specifically created for that: 'Players Helping Players'.

Good luck.

[Vayne.8563]

I don't get the whole need to do fractals/need to suffer through water fights. Most of the low level fractals, all the ones you need for legendaries are dead easy. I never had to suffer through any of them. Anyone can run low level fractals if they join a group of people doing that fractal and people do fractals quite frequently. Sounds like what you need is a casual/friendly guild and to make some friends. Because you're making something that's quite painless into something quite painful by blowing it up in your mind.

[TheMaverick.6104]

I have made a couple legendaries through collection. And yes it has made me go through fractals, specific ones, i didnt like.(actually made me like them) And yes i have been looking for events too, but to me this is a part of the stort behind the weapon, a part of why its legendary.

[Voltekka.2375]

@"Angel Silverstar.1038" said:I really do not like doing Fractals since it takes getting 4 people to want to do the fractal you need done, or in my case anyone that is willing to suffer thru water fights etc. so this and random events I have not been able to create any legendary weapons. A random events like once you help in a certain quest as in the Scholar Nabbi "Help the Pact reach the graveyard outside Zaishen Antheneum quest" for 2 days off and on waiting for it to activate and have not been able to get it to show so it is nearly impossible to get the required item unless someone can tell you when this even will activate. It also make the game boring if I am killing the same NPC in the same spots for over an hr hoping it will activate.This is frustrating and I am almost at the point that it is just not worth the effort to try to create these Legendary's. Anyone else have the same issues?

No, I dont have this issue. At all. T1 fractals are easy with any composition.Water fights tend to not last long. Enemies in underwater fights die fast, too.Bugged events are another thing altogether. Noone likes bugged events.

ANET created content, so that players wouldnt be able to just breeze through the necessary achievements. I mean, come on. You are trying to craft the precursor to a legendary weapon. There should at LEAST be something even remotely challenging, besides "give master huntsman 250 elder staves"...

[Steve The Cynic.3217]

I don't get the hate people pour on underwater combat in this game. I know that people do hate it, and that it isn't perfect, but I don't get why they hate it so much.

[Danikat.8537]

Legendaries are meant to be the ultimate goal for players who have mastered the game, therefore they require items from (almost) all areas of the game, and since it's a multiplayer game that sometimes means playing with other people. I understand the frustration, I've often had to do things I wouldn't normally do in order to make a legendary or another cosmetic item. But I also understand why it's set up that way. It's not supposed to be easy or quick or something everyone can do without breaking out of their personal comfort zone.

For Fractals and other group content I recommend making your own LFG listing if you don't see one immediately. Make sure you say which Fractal you want to do (pick the lowest level version of the map you need, it'll be easier) and mention in the listing that you need it for a legendary because then some people who just want to do any Fractal may join to help you out. If you can try to do it at a busy time (evenings are good, but it needs to be evening in Europe for EU servers and evening in the USA for NA servers which may not necessarily be evening where you are).

If you're willing to wait a bit you could look out for a day when the Fractal you need is also one needed for the daily achievements, because then a lot more people will be doing it.

And of course don't forget that you should be able to ask your guild/s to help you out.

[Turin.6921]

You only need fractals for the pre and those you can buy with gold if you really do not want to do fractals for the crafting. End of story....You have options to go around this.

As for random events. Well you have to tolerate that. It is a PvE based goals after all. It is good to go for events. what is a bit annoying is camping for them. That is why i think that events tied to legendaries should always be player activated directly and not on timers. But in the end of the day this is a minor annoyance.

[Cerioth.7062]

Be glad it's only t1 fractals you need to do. Unlike for Ad Infinitum.

[ReaverKane.7598]

@infrequentia.3465 said:

@Angel Silverstar.1038 said:Grandmaster Legendary's do require Fractals. Example: Frostfang 3 -Underground Facility Ice Shavings.png Underground Facility Ice Shavings Use a Glacial Imbued Jar to collect ice shavings from the ice pillar at the end of the Underground Facility Fractal.What do you mean deserve it?How do you buy Frostfang or any of it's parts on the trading post? I looked and don't see it.The point also is how do I do it by myself if I am required to rely on others to do fractals? How do I get the items I need if all I am doing is waiting for a random event to occur.

legendaries do NOT require fractals.

PRECURSOR craftin might need 1.

BUT crafting is only 1 way of getting the precursor

you can buy themyou can get them as dropsyou can get them as rewards from chests.

and you can craft them for a 100% chance on getting the precursor you want

but legendaries them self do not need fractals.

they only need gift of exploration. gift of jumping gift of fortune and gift of the legedary you want

Again, this only applies to ~half the current legendary weapons.

@"Cerioth.7062" said:Be glad it's only t1 fractals you need to do. Unlike for Ad Infinitum.Ad Infinitum is the fractal legendary what did you expect? Complaining you need to do high tier fractals for it is like wanting to win a World championship only playing a local division.

Fact of the matter is that Legendary Weapons are supposed to be attained only through "mastering" all aspects of the game. If you look at each of the required gifts each represents an aspect of the game (including RNG luck), so its normal that you're asked to play everything, including PvP and WvW.Sadly, while it still requires you to play every aspect of the game, legendaries are far from being the symbol of status that they should.

[Turkeyspit.3965]

I hate to point out the obvious, but the game is entitled "Guild Wars", so perhaps you should look at joining a guild? I've only been playing a few months, but after a quick internet search, I found a guild that seemed promising, and they are quite awesome! Friendly, helpful and full of information. Many of them are geared to T3-T4 fractals, but regular run T1 with us newer players, or running us through story mode dungeons.

[Odinens.5920]

@Steve The Cynic.3217 said:I don't get the hate people pour on underwater combat in this game. I know that people do hate it, and that it isn't perfect, but I don't get why they hate it so much.

For me it's because it is done so infrequently I have no idea what skills do what, and it turns into button mashing....I hate button mashing, and hate that it resorts to that.

[GrubySzymek.1362]

@"Turkeyspit.3965" said:I hate to point out the obvious, but the game is entitled "Guild Wars"

That's why we have GvG obviously... oh wait.

[Aneysa.3845]

I think that you just have to decide how badly you want that legendary. When I decided that I was going to get Astralaria, I didn't realize that I was going to have to do fractals and dungeons. I have always been a casual PVE player and just the thought of doing fractals scared the crap out of me. Fortunately?... I'm a little obsessive and decided to go for it. I had to learn how to use LFG which was hard as I have pretty severe social anxiety. I learned early on that you need to let the party know that you are new to fracs. Yes some people were ugly. I was called an idiot among other things which was pretty galling since I am an older person, but I also met some very helpful people and was able to get what I needed for the collection. If you want the thing badly enough you can do it. Yes there is a lot of grinding and doing things that were totally outside of my comfort zone but I slogged through it. It took me about 2 months and let me tell you that the sense of accomplishment that I got from completing it is even better than the weapon itself.Feel free to message me in game if there is anything I can do to help or if you just need some moral support.