Guild Wars 2

I leveled a Mesmer to 80 a few months ago and stopped playing, I have just come back to the game this week, but I find I really have no goals and I’m not sure what to do next. Is there anything I should be doing to progress my character further now? For example is there a new story line added with any patches I might find interesting? Is there some new gear I should be grinding for and if so what/where would I grind it out? I don’t know what to spend my karma on or even where a vendor is that sells more than some crafting mats. Basically I’m asking what does the endgame consist of and how does one progress their character once you hit the level cap?

Second question is: Are there any good Mesmer resources I should be reading to improve my play?

Mesmer guide:
http://alttabme.com/forum/index.php?threads/the-ultimate-mesmer-build-thread.2161/

Endgame gearing guide:
http://dulfy.net/2012/10/03/gw2-endgame-gearing-guide/

Where to get armor:
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/List_of_armor_sets

Ascended gear:
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/List_of_ascended_equipment

Guild Missions:
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/leah-rivera-on-new-guild-missions/

Tons more stuff, you may want to check the patch notes:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/info/news

Joining a guild is a good idea

Thank you very much, that was very helpful.