Now that the dust has settled

MrForz.1953 · January 3, 2021

About the legendary weapon part, if I remember correctly... They had a higher base damage even before the introduction of ascended gear, but they suffered from being locked to Soldier stats for a while. Aaah. The memories.

Tseison.4659 · January 3, 2021

Legendaries are just for glamour. It’s not gonna give you any advantage over someone and someone will likely get their kitten kicked by someone in exotic or ascended lol...

Seera.5916 · January 3, 2021

@Westenev.5289 said:
@Seera.5916 said:But LWS3 and LWS4 are a far aways off for a new player. So is level 450 crafting. They won't have been able to stockpile the daily limited items like existing players have enough in advance to make ascended crafting cheaper or quicker.
Exotics are going to be the quickest and easiest way for new players to gear up on average for most content. Then they can work towards earning ascended gear of the stats they want - if they so choose.
Once you're established, you get whatever level gear in the way that's most fun for you. Which is a wide variety for both exotic and ascended.
But you can't just claim ascended is always cheaper and easier than exotic. For new players, exotic will always win short of anything that needs laurels to buy if they haven't been buying a lot with laurels while leveling up.

Did you know the cost of 400 armoursmithing is 25 gold from scratch? +6g for 500?Did you know the cost of 400 leatherworking is 23 gold from scratch? +14g for 500?Did you know the cost of 400 tailoring is 23 gold from scratch? +6g for 500?

Not an unreasonable cost for a returning player. I seriously suggest checking out gw2crafts.

I suggested Living World ascended trinkets specifically because it doesn't require laurals and bitterfrost frontier is quickly farmable if that's what you want to do (while the other lws3 maps are much more long term and casual friendly). This is also where you'll see the most difference in stats, and also the most difficulty in finding the correct stats for your build.

And I was NOT talking about a returning player.

I was talking about a new player. As in someone who literally just got their very first character to level 80 new.

Once established, players should choose the option that's best for them. Whether they go for cheap/quick or expensive/long. For my elementalist, I've been going from exotic weapons to legendary weapons. And legendary weapons are definitely not the quick/cheap way to get ascended level stats.

Your initial claim was that ascended gear would be quickest and cheapest method for all players.

I countered saying that it wouldn't be for new players due to the fact they start with nothing.

Linken.6345 · January 4, 2021

@MrForz.1953 said:About the legendary weapon part, if I remember correctly... They had a higher base damage even before the introduction of ascended gear, but they suffered from being locked to Soldier stats for a while. Aaah. The memories.

No legendaries dident have higher damage then exotic soldier before ascended got into the picture.

The Greyhawk.9107 · January 4, 2021

Where has the OP been in the last eight odd years since Ascended equipment was first introduced?

Ashen.2907 · January 4, 2021

@Westenev.5289 said:
@hihey.1075 said:
@Westenev.5289 said:Depending on the stats you're after, it's actually cheaper/easier to get ascended gear rather than exotic - this is doubly true for trinkets. And outside of Fractals, you could probably do content in rare or exotic gear - the DPS isn't all that different so long as your stats are damage orientated and you can play your class adequately.

Can you provide examples of this? I am having a hard time figuring out how Ascended equipment is easier to obtain than Exotic.

I am genuinely interested because, as a returning player who stopped right before HoT, I am in the situation where I do not know how to proceed to update my gear (which was fully ascended) with the best stat choices for min-maxing my performance.

Don't forget you can stat swap ascended armour/weapons at the mystic forge. Don't forget to remove infusions with an infusion extractor for 24s from a fractal merchant. You can also stat swap stat swappable rings by infusing or attuning them at the mystic forge.

Ring: Fractals, 10 pristine for red ring of death and the other one (berserker stats).

Amulet (any stat): Complete HoT act 3 achivements. Requires migraine, so make sure you do it with good friends.

Ring, Backpack, Accessory (unique, any stat): Pick up lws3 ep 3 from the gem store. You will unlock bitterfrost frontieer. Farm winterberries, you should get about 70 per character per day if you do hearts + chests. More characters helps here, and the farm is fairly quick with mounts. Use the winterberries to buy accessories.

Ring, Backpack, Amulet (unique, any stat): I recommend bloodstone from lws3 ep 1 since they're stat swappable, but takes FOREVER to farm. But, in general, lw is just great for farming at least one type of ascended accessory. PvP also has realistically obtainable stat swappable accessories if you want to casually dab into the ranked season for lols.

Backpack: Lots of achievements give one. My personal favourite are the PoF banner support achievements. If you're stuck on what to go for, pick ad infinitum - it'll take you through the steps to make a beta infused backpack with 2 infusion slots you can keep.

Weapons: Elite spec weapons are probably the easiest to obtain off the top of my head. If they're the wrong stat, throw them in the mystic toilet with the exotic inscription of choice. Caladbolg is also a fun miniquest and a nice send off to traehearne, and can take the form of a gs, sword, scepter, shield or dagger.

Armour: pvp is an option, but realistically just throw money at the problem. Use gw2 crafts to get 450 tailor (light), leatherworking (medium) or armoursmithing (heavy). Begin making your daily materials. In the meantime, you can get exotic stat swappable armour from verdant brink (bladed armour) or berserkers from the cathedral of silence in cursed shore.

I am not sure that any of that is easier than clicking on the TP icon, selecting desired stats, and spending gold. Similarly, I don't think any of your examples are easier than spending karma at a temple heart vendor.

Westenev.5289 · January 4, 2021

@Ashen.2907 said:I am not sure that any of that is easier than clicking on the TP icon, selecting desired stats, and spending gold. Similarly, I don't think any of your examples are easier than spending karma at a temple heart vendor.

Good luck finding a temple heart vendor for:

Marauders.Minstrils.Trailblazer.Vipers.Sinister.

Sound familiar? Probably because they're some of the most commonly used armors in WvW and PvE. And you can't buy them on the trading post. So, I ask you, without listing any of the methods I have listed...

... how do you buy these stats off the trading post? What is your easy acquisition method for a person who admits they hate PvE and want to WvW?

Seera.5916 · January 4, 2021

@Westenev.5289 said:
@Ashen.2907 said:I am not sure that any of that is easier than clicking on the TP icon, selecting desired stats, and spending gold. Similarly, I don't think any of your examples are easier than spending karma at a temple heart vendor.

Good luck finding a temple heart vendor for:

Marauders.Minstrils.Trailblazer.Vipers.Sinister.

Sound familiar? Probably because they're some of the most commonly used armors in WvW and PvE. And you can't buy them on the trading post. So, I ask you, without listing any of the methods I have listed...

... how do you buy these stats off the trading post? What is your easy acquisition method for a person who admits they hate PvE and want to WvW?

But the OP doesn't mean that.

No post mentions that they hate PvE and want to WvW. The post I've quoted is the first place that mentions hating PvE and wanting to WvW.

Which means we're talking in general for this thread. For the average player. And the average player plays PvE.

Just accept that exotics in general, for the average player, are easier to obtain than ascended. There may be a handful of stat combinations where ascended is easier to obtain, but that's not the case for most.

T G.7496 · January 4, 2021

What's your point?

If it is that 'the acquisition of ascended gear is mandatory to play the game in any mode, and is too much of a grind', then you're wrong on both counts.

Westenev.5289 · January 4, 2021

@"Seera.5916" said:But the OP doesn't mean that.

Yes, the OP didn't mean that. And, funnily enough, I wasn't replying to the op. I was replying to "the first post you mentioned".

hihey.1075 · January 4, 2021

@Westenev.5289 said:
@"Ashen.2907" said:I am not sure that any of that is easier than clicking on the TP icon, selecting desired stats, and spending gold. Similarly, I don't think any of your examples are easier than spending karma at a temple heart vendor.

Good luck finding a temple heart vendor for:

Marauders.Minstrils.Trailblazer.Vipers.Sinister.

Sound familiar? Probably because they're some of the most commonly used armors in WvW and PvE. And you can't buy them on the trading post. So, I ask you, without listing any of the methods I have listed...

... how do you buy these stats off the trading post? What is your easy acquisition method for a person who admits they hate PvE and want to WvW?

If you are not aiming at min-maxing and stay with exotics, then who cares about not having access to "optimal" stats. And, regardless, you can easily get a "temporary" exotic set, and join a WvW zerg for a few hours to complete a reward track that awards you with an exotic gearpiece with all the stats you need.

The point still stands: exotics, regardless of the stat-choice, is dramatically easier to obtain than any ascended.

aspirine.6852 · January 4, 2021

By now they should make it possible to buy and sell ascended gear through the TP.

lare.5129 · January 4, 2021

anyone can easy buy leg weapons from TP

maddoctor.2738 · January 4, 2021

@"hihey.1075" said:The point still stands: exotics, regardless of the stat-choice, is dramatically easier to obtain than any ascended.

That depends on the content you play and the stats you want. And what you mean by "easier".For example, getting 2 exotic Diviner Rings requires 10 x Exquisite Serpentite Jewels which are acquired from Thunderhead Peaks. They are random drop, account bound (so not sold on the TP), and you rarely get 5 in a day, you will likely need to wait 3 days and finish both meta events 3 times, before you get enough.

You can buy stat-swappable Ascended rings for 100 map currency on Season 4 maps, which you can get at your own time, instead of waiting for the timer. Now which is faster depends on the person obviously.

In general Ascended Trinkets are easier to acquire than Exotic variants, provided you want more "rare" stat combinations.

Seera.5916 · January 4, 2021

@Westenev.5289 said:
@"Seera.5916" said:But the OP doesn't mean that.

Yes, the OP didn't mean that. And, funnily enough, I wasn't replying to the op. I was replying to "the first post you mentioned".

And I reread the posts to make sure it wasn't a reply to a commenter instead of the OP. Your post that I quoted was the first post that mentioned playing WvW and hating PvE.

VAHNeunzehnsechundsiebzig. · January 4, 2021

@hihey.1075 said:
@Westenev.5289 said:
@hihey.1075 said:
@Westenev.5289 said:Depending on the stats you're after, it's actually cheaper/easier to get ascended gear rather than exotic - this is doubly true for trinkets. And outside of Fractals, you could probably do content in rare or exotic gear - the DPS isn't all that different so long as your stats are damage orientated and you can play your class adequately.