Q:
Getting ascended items...
A:
I’ve been doing 10 way before I had any AR, even in PuG groups that where successful from start to finish that had no AR either. It’s a matter of figuring out what attacks cause agony and how to avoid/counter it if able. Some can be negated by anti projectiles, some can be completely dodged, and some you are forced to take (jade maw), but with a cooperative team, you can recover quickly from being downed if you position yourself in a safe spot.
Rings aren’t the only way to get some AR, though. You could get the backpiece, too: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Prototype_Fractal_Capacitor Aside from the RNG chance for the vial, everything else is collected through fractal relics and you probably have enough skill points to get crystals/philosopher’s stones. After that, you can just get the simple infusion for 75 relics for +5 AR, which will reduce 10-19’s agony by half.