Few questions about the gem store
You can convert gold to gems.
Also, gems are rewarded for certain achievement milestones. Eg 400 gems at 10k
Correct, no pay to win. Infinite tools and salvage are very useful convenience items. You also have extra storage, char slots and makeover kits which are useful to many.
Is it possible to earn gems from playing the game, or are they purely a real money currency that i’ll have to fork open my wallet for?
And after looking through alot of the items, they seem to be all cosmetic and quality of life stuff. No pay to win. Is that true? And what would be considered the most useful things to get? I’m mostly looking for the infinite use tools and such.
The Wiki is a great source of game information. (Link above, and accessed in-game via typing /Wiki [topic of choice] in chat.) Here’s the article on Gems: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Gem
You can acquire almost anything in the Gem Store (save expansions, etc.) through in-game play. There isn’t any Pay-to-Win items offered, as this isn’t a Pay-to-Win-type game. (Although, some items may be considered controversial by some.)
Many feel Character Slots, Bank Tab expansions, Unlimited Gathering Tools, Salvage-O-Matics are most useful, but, of course, opinions may vary. My most useful acquisition was the Royal Terrace Pass, for instance.
Welcome to Tyria, and good luck.
Guess i’ll save up for the unlimited use gathering tools. I was lucky and one of my friends gifted me a 20$ gem card during the last character slot sale and managed to get 4 extras. So I have one for each class which should be plenty for me.
However much I like some of the extra outfits and such, those i’ll work for later. Should get the far more useful stuff out of the way as soon as possible.
It’s worth noting that the unlimited tools are hugely convenient, but they are not economically better than simply buying the tools at vendors. (Laurel tools are also useful in that regard, lasting longer, and using what is essentially a free currency from login rewards.)