Guild Wars 2 offers various methods to obtain top-tier gear, specifically ascended gear, without the need for extensive grinding. Ascended gear provides stat levels equivalent to legendary gear but with less effort required. This guide will outline the fastest and simplest ways to acquire ascended gear in both PvE and PvP content.

 

• PvE Content
  • Crafting
  • Fractals of the Mists
  • Raiding
  • Strike Missions
• PvP Content
  • Structured PvP
  • World vs. World/a>
• Additional Methods

 

 

↖ PvE Content

 

Crafting

The fastest and simplest method to obtain ascended gear, including weapons and armor, is through Crafting. To craft ascended gear, you need to level up your crafting discipline and gather the necessary materials. Crafting materials can be obtained through various means, including purchasing them from the Trading Post. Keep in mind that Crafting can be expensive, especially for new players. However, it serves as a stepping stone towards acquiring legendary gear, which often requires high-level Crafting.

 

Crafting Basics and Advanced Tips

You can have two crafting professions per character, and gathering resources doesn't require a profession slot. Here's a breakdown of the crafting disciplines:

Cooking	Cook food, create feasts, make dyes, and have a garden in your home instance.
Jewelcrafting	Make accessories and crafting components.
Artificer	Craft magic wands, potions, and more.
Huntsman	Create ranged weapons and potions.
Weaponsmithing	Produce various weapons.
Armorsmithing	Make heavy armor and storage boxes.
Leatherworking	Craft medium armor and larger banks.
Tailoring	Create light armor and larger bags.
Scribe	Unique profession for guild hall decorations.

All professions can refine materials and make miscellaneous items. There are also backpacks available. To start a profession, talk to a profession master in a capital city. Crafting stations allow you to craft items, and you'll learn new recipes automatically as you level up. The discovery tab lets you combine items to unlock new recipes.

 

Use the search box and /wiki command to find information on recipes and components. Crafting uses materials from your bank, and crafting subcomponents is possible. Crafting multiple items becomes faster over time. You can buy missing ingredients from the Trading Post.

 

Two useful tools are GW2Crafts.net and GW2Efficiency.com. They provide guides, calculate costs, and help with crafting projects.

Fractals of the Mists

Participating in fractals allows you to accumulate the required materials for ascended gear passively. Completing daily fractal dailies and other fractal content will earn you fractal research pages, fractal relics, and Grandmaster insignias. These materials can be used to purchase ascended gear. The specific requirements depend on the gear type (light, medium, or heavy armor).

 

Tips & Tricks

Fractals of the Mists in Guild Wars 2 offer great gear and gold grinding opportunities.

• Fractals are small dungeon instances with unique maps, bosses, and mechanics that scale in difficulty.
• Completing higher-level fractals increases your personal level and grants valuable rewards like ascended gear and crafting materials.
• Agony is a damage over time effect that starts at level 20. Use Agony resistance infusions to mitigate its effects.
• Misslock instabilities add unique gameplay effects starting at level 26, requiring strategic adaptation.
• Fractal Mastery tracks provide bonuses, access to vendors, and unlock Misslock Singularities for free Agony resistance.
• Visit the Fractals of the Mists Lobby (Misslock Observatory) to purchase gear, consumable potions, and exchange currencies.
• Start with exotic gear, infuse ascended accessories, unlock fractal masteries, and consider joining a group or guild.

 

Raiding

Raiding in Guild Wars 2 offers challenging 10-man boss encounters that require coordination and skill. Completing raid encounters grants you access to an experimental armor collection. By finishing this collection, you receive a free piece of ascended gear for each gear slot. Raid training groups are available to help players learn the encounters and progress through raid content.

 

Strike Missions

Strike missions provide a more passive way to earn ascended gear. By completing daily strike missions, you can earn profit shards, which can be exchanged for ascended gear. These missions are relatively quick and easy, making them a convenient method to acquire ascended gear.

 

↖ PvP Content

 

Structured PvP

Earning ascended gear through structured PvP involves participating in ranked PvP matches. The more matches you win, the faster you'll obtain ascended gear. Completing ranked PvP matches awards you with the required currencies:  gw2 gold, ascended shards of glory, regular shards of glory, and Grandmaster marks. These currencies can be used to purchase ascended gear pieces, including weapons, armor, amulets, rings, and accessories.

 

World vs. World (WvW)

In WvW, you can earn ascended gear by participating in events and completing objectives. By actively engaging in WvW content, such as capturing camps, defending keeps, or attacking enemy players, you'll passively accumulate the necessary materials. These materials include gold, memories of battle, World vs. World skirmish tickets, and World vs. World ascended marks.

 

↖ Additional Methods

• Laurel Merchant: You can acquire ascended amulets, rings, and accessories through the Laurel Merchant, using laurels earned by logging in regularly.
• Fractals of the Mists: Fractals also provide a chance to obtain ascended gear, including amulets, rings, and accessories. The materials obtained in fractals can be used to purchase these items.
• Elite Specialization Collections: Completing the elite specialization collections tied to each profession's expansion can earn you ascended weapons. These collections require various tasks and achievements specific to the expansion.
• Story Missions: Completing specific story missions can reward you with ascended amulets, rings, and accessories. These rewards are tied to the mastery system of each story mission.

 

Remember that once you acquire ascended gear, refrain from changing its stats. Ascended gear can serve as a precursor for legendary gear, which requires specific stat selections.

 

Conclusion:

By following these methods, you can obtain top-tier ascended gear in Guild Wars 2 without having to engage in massive grinds. Choose the methods that suit your playstyle and preferences, and gear up your character for challenging end-game content.