Guild Wars 2

I’m thinking about getting a legendary weapon. I read the wiki page (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Legendary_weapon), but I have a couple questions.

First, it appears that it doesn’t matter what legendary I choose, I can later change the stats any time I want (outside combat). So, what are the differences or advantages of one over another?

Second, do the older generation legendary weapons allow use of the new stat combinations (like viper)?

1) Yes, the trait that legendary equipment is famous for, is it’s ability to change the prefix. Do note, however, that unlike armor, you cannot retrieve or toggle the Sigils on it, so you have to use an extractor, or keep a supply of sigils you vary among.
2) All legendary weapons have this same effect, no one has a benefit over another, or over ascended variants in terms of combat, you have the same skills and prefixes as everyone else, you just don’t have to carry 5 weapons for a variety of builds anymore.
3) (your second) Yes, all legendary equipment allows for all prefixes (if it didn’t it would’ve been a legendary failure)

There are only three reasons to choose to make a legendary:

• For the prefix-choice.
• Because you like/love the way it looks.
• Because you can.

However, forging a legendary involves a ton of effort, so I recommend you be certain that one or more of the above is important to you. You might enjoying running a few miles every week, but you wouldn’t commit to a marathon unless you were really determined to manage 26+ miles.

Daddicus.6128:

I’m thinking about getting a legendary weapon. I read the wiki page (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Legendary_weapon), but I have a couple questions.

First, it appears that it doesn’t matter what legendary I choose, I can later change the stats any time I want (outside combat). So, what are the differences or advantages of one over another?

Second, do the older generation legendary weapons allow use of the new stat combinations (like viper)?

It’s worth noting: you can’t change the type of legendary. So, forge a legendary staff, and only classes that can use a staff can wield it.

I’m sure that was obvious already, but just in case someone new reads this and is confused…

Functionally all legendaries are the same. They all have the same stats – equal to ascended – and all of them allow you to select any stat combination, including the new ones. (I just checked with my Dreamer which was made before HoT was released, and I can choose Trailblazer’s, Minstrels and all the other new stats.)

What you can’t change is the type of weapon. If you make Nevermore it will always be a staff and therefore only characters who can use a staff are able to use it, and only with their staff skills.

So it’s important to choose a weapon type your character/s can use and one you like using. But if you’re trying to choose between two identical weapon types like Sunrise and Sunset or Bifrost and Nevermore the only difference is what they look like – so pick whichever one you like most.

Basicly, you got to love the skin in order to justify a legendary, any of them. The stats are irrelevant. For the price of a single legendary, you can make like 30 ascended pieces. For most people thats pretty much gearing their entire account.

If you have 3000 gold doing nothing in the bank… well I suppose we all get bored sometimes and succumb to temptation.

Dawdler.8521:

Basicly, you got to love the skin in order to justify a legendary, any of them. The stats are irrelevant. For the price of a single legendary, you can make like 30 ascended pieces. For most people thats pretty much gearing their entire account.

If you have 3000 gold doing nothing in the bank… well I suppose we all get bored sometimes and succumb to temptation.

Yeah I agree. The skin is the only reason you should make a legendary.

Stat choice is unimportant given you can easily with comparatively trivial cost craft yourself half a dozen ascended items with the different stats you might want and even buy more inventory space to hold them.

Otherwise there’ s much better things to spend gold on – ie a lifetime supply of expensive foods/consumables.

Amaimon.7823:

(if it didn’t it would’ve been a legendary failure)

Thanks, Amaimon!

And, I really like that statement!!!

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

There are only three reasons to choose to make a legendary:

• For the prefix-choice.
• Because you like/love the way it looks.
• Because you can.

However, forging a legendary involves a ton of effort, so I recommend you be certain that one or more of the above is important to you. You might enjoying running a few miles every week, but you wouldn’t commit to a marathon unless you were really determined to manage 26+ miles.

There’s a fourth reason: getting the achievement for using one. And, this is my reason for asking.

How does it compare to Ad Infinitum? I earned one of those a while back (but, it didn’t trigger the achievement, which is for weapons).

Thanks!

SlippyCheeze.5483:

Daddicus.6128:

I’m thinking about getting a legendary weapon. I read the wiki page (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Legendary_weapon), but I have a couple questions.

First, it appears that it doesn’t matter what legendary I choose, I can later change the stats any time I want (outside combat). So, what are the differences or advantages of one over another?

Second, do the older generation legendary weapons allow use of the new stat combinations (like viper)?

It’s worth noting: you can’t change the type of legendary. So, forge a legendary staff, and only classes that can use a staff can wield it.

I’m sure that was obvious already, but just in case someone new reads this and is confused…

I’m glad you said it. I thought that was true, but I would have wanted to make sure before making one. Now, I know.

Thanks!

Thank you also, Danikat, Dawdler, and Curunen! I think I already covered your answers in the other posts, but I’m grateful you posted anyhow!

Daddicus.6128:

How does it compare to Ad Infinitum? I earned one of those a while back (but, it didn’t trigger the achievement, which is for weapons).

If you only want it for the achievement, I suppose you could just pick the cheapest one. Some legendaries are WAY more expensive than the backpiece, and some are actually cheaper.

https://gw2efficiency.com/crafting/legendaries

Fluffball.8307:

Daddicus.6128:

How does it compare to Ad Infinitum? I earned one of those a while back (but, it didn’t trigger the achievement, which is for weapons).

If you only want it for the achievement, I suppose you could just pick the cheapest one. Some legendaries are WAY more expensive than the backpiece, and some are actually cheaper.

https://gw2efficiency.com/crafting/legendaries

For me, Legendary Weapon collections take more effort than Ad Infinitum, a lot more mats, and a lot more time doing things I don’t normally do. (That last can be a good thing… or a bad thing, depending on your attitude).

On the other hand, if you all you want is to make your own legendary, just buy the precursor for one of the underwater ones and buy any mats you’re missing. Then the only ‘hard’ part is world map completion and WvW Gift of Battle (the former takes lots of time; the latter can take as little as hours, but might be more daunting depending).

Wait: I have to play WvW to create any legendary weapon? I hope I’m reading that wrongly.

Daddicus.6128:

Wait: I have to play WvW to create any legendary weapon? I hope I’m reading that wrongly.

Yes you have to play WvW and complete the Gift of Battle reward track for a legendary. 1 is needed for every legendary.

There was a long period of time where you could technically make several legendaries without ever playing WvW as Gift of Battle was could be purchased without any requirements (using achievement chest badges of honor). Later they added a WvW rank requirement (still a fairly low one though) and now it is tied to the reward track. It has always been the intention from the devs that you do things in all gamemodes except sPvP, which has it’s own legendary.

Lethalvriend.1723:

There was a long period of time where you could technically make several legendaries without ever playing WvW as Gift of Battle was could be purchased without any requirements (using achievement chest badges of honor). Later they added a WvW rank requirement (still a fairly low one though) and now it is tied to the reward track. It has always been the intention from the devs that you do things in all gamemodes except sPvP, which has it’s own legendary.

Yeah, Anet shot themselves in the foot adding badges to achievement chests. It almost completely devalued them.
Originally no requirement for purchase, but you could only get badges in WvW.
Then came the achievement chests and if not soon after, a rank 50 requirement, which was soon lowered to 13.

The reward track was a good step imo, it’s not perfect though. I’d personally have it as a blank reward track that runs simultaneous to another track we select. It then progresses as any other track with a selectable reward of Mystic Clovers and an Amalgamated Gemstone or the Gift of Battle.

Daddicus.6128:

Wait: I have to play WvW to create any legendary weapon? I hope I’m reading that wrongly.

Not exactly.

You need to complete the Gift of Battle reward track for WvW. The easiest and most efficient way to do that is to play WvW. However, there’s a 100% work-around and a partial work-around

The full work around is to do the Big Spender daily whenever it comes up. You can do this in your guild hall, by buying a single Badge of Tribute. You need to complete 80 WvW dailies and Big Spender comes up about 3-4 times a month, so we’re looking at 20-30 months.

You can reduce that time considerably by doing the other WvW dailies that do not require any PvP.

• No fighting: Master of Monuments (you cap a point; no PvP, no PvE)
• PvE fighting: Land Claimer (single NPC), Guard Killer (kill 5 NPCs), Caravan Disruptor (kill one Yak)

(I left off Veteran Creature Slayer, because it’s a lot less obvious where to go to find the three eligible beasties, so I don’t think it’s a realistic option for those looking to avoid WvW.)

Doing just those sorts of dailies, you can avoid “playing” WvW and finish the track in about 15-30 weeks.

One final note: you have to have a minimum WvW rank, but you might already have that for other reasons. Even if you don’t, you’ll earn rank points by doing the semi-work-around above.

One more final note: find a friend to do this with. Ideally, someone who knows WvW, but even someone inexperienced who also wants the GoB. It’s both more fun and less …scary.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

One final note: you have to have a minimum WvW rank, but you might already have that for other reasons. Even if you don’t, you’ll earn rank points by doing the semi-work-around above.

You do not need a minimun WvW Rank. The GoB Reward Track is selectable right out of the gate.

Alternatively if you’ve not played WvW before I strongly recommend using this as an opportunity to try.

I didn’t touch WvW for literally years because I always had other things to do, and it seemed complicated and surely I’d need to get a completely new build first and people might be angry if I didn’t know what I was doing and PvP of any kind seems stressful and wouldn’t I need to play for hours at a time to achieve anything and…

Basically there was always an excuse or 5 for why I’d do it ‘later’ and later was steadily turning into never.

Then they brought in the first season and with it the mini dolyak as an exclusive reward. So I was playing WvW. I was playing a lot of WvW because the season had been running for about 2 weeks before I knew about it so I had a lot of catching up to do.

At first I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I’d follow a commander if one was online, or run aimlessly around the map if not. But I gradually learned how things worked and actually came to enjoy it. And that might never have happened if I hadn’t been “forced” to play.

(Having said that I’m also ‘forced’ to PvP for mini llamas and that just confirmed it’s something I have absolutely no interest in ever doing, and I’m still in the ‘1001 excuses’ stage with raids.)

Tanner Blackfeather.6509:

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

One final note: you have to have a minimum WvW rank, but you might already have that for other reasons. Even if you don’t, you’ll earn rank points by doing the semi-work-around above.

You do not need a minimun WvW Rank. The GoB Reward Track is selectable right out of the gate.

Oh? cool. I’ll fix my post.
I guess I was remembering the old requirement.

WvW is really not bad, even if you are a PvE only player. Honestly, the method described above about using the guild vendor badges sounds horrendous.

You can earn ticks on the WvW track through flipping camps and minimal PvP, for what it’s worth. All you need to do is handle ~3-5 NPCs at a time, which shouldn’t be a problem. Of course, if your server population isn’t desolate (and hopefully your server matchups and combinations help ensure activity) just find the ball of folks and help capture towers and keeps. Kind of easy to earn points in the zergs.

Alternatively, you can progress the track, albeit at a lower maximum tick value, in Edge of the Mists, where it’s almost a 100% guarantee there will be people to zerg with through a rotation of objectives to keep up participation.

Danikat.8537:

Alternatively if you’ve not played WvW before I strongly recommend using this as an opportunity to try.

I don’t play WvW because I did play, and found the population generally disgusting. But this was back when the mapping title included WvW maps.

Plus, raiding probably dragged off a number of the toxic players. So, maybe I’ll poke around a bit.

Daddicus.6128:

Danikat.8537:

Alternatively if you’ve not played WvW before I strongly recommend using this as an opportunity to try.

I don’t play WvW because I did play, and found the population generally disgusting. But this was back when the mapping title included WvW maps.

Plus, raiding probably dragged off a number of the toxic players. So, maybe I’ll poke around a bit.

I wouldn’t assume that “toxic players” are confined to any one thing. There are jerks everywhere (just as there a really great people everywhere, too).

I dunno what server your on, but FA and it whatever its matched with I see literally zero hostile players in team chat ever.

WvW players are generally pretty easy going since the only reason to play the game mode is for fun.

Well, I tried going into WvW, and I discovered that people are WAY better than I am (see my other thread). If a player so much as gets in range (i.e. when I can see the orange dot), I’m as good as dead unless I have friends around. Stealth doesn’t work at all, and humans seem to be able to do monstrous amounts of damage (1-hit downed, by most enemies).

I’m sure not happy that GoB is required. That experience was just awful, and I only got three ticks of the forty (I somehow managed to complete three of the dailies, although I only really understand why for one of them).

Yuck.