Guild Wars 2

So last night I turned level 80 (for the first time in the game)! I only had 4 gold, so I couldn’t go crazy, but in honor of it I bought all level 80 green armor, weapons, and jewelry.

Now I eventually want to get all orange equipment, weapons, and jewelry, but from what I can tell that just takes gold to buy them, or just running dungeons. The whole game I’ve just been selling Rare items, and salvaging green, blue, and white. I don’t really know much about the game, I’ve just really exploring the world, so I’m not quite sure what I should be saving or what items I should be trying to get.

So I guess that’s the question I want to ask. I know I hear a lot of people say that they save there yellow items, but I’m not sure why, or what the purpose is. Can anyone just give me some tips now that I have a level 80, on what I should be doing (mainly to try and gain exotic equipment), or what I should be keeping or trying to get in terms of items in the game?

Thanks for the help!

First of all, try to figure out what combination of stats you want to use for your build. You can experiment with various builds and items in sPvP area.

While doing that, start gathering gold/karma/tokens/laurels with which you’ll buy the gear. It doesn’t have to come all from one place, you can do guild missions (many guilds let you tag along to get the commendations you need), dungeons etc.

A good source of stuff are dragon events, and orr temples. There you can get plenty of rares to sell (I don’t see why would anyone save rare items, currently their main purpose is salvaging).

Awesome. Thanks for the feedback. So salvage the rares, and start trying to get gold, karma, tokens, and laurels.

I prefer to sell the rares myself, but if you salvage them make sure you use either a Master’s, Mystic or Black Lion Salvage kits (Black Lion kits are sometimes given as daily rewards).

If you’ve been saving up karma you can get a full set of exotic (orange) armor relatively cheaply and easily from the temples outside Orr. Especially if you’ve been doing dailies and saving the jugs, and then get a karma boost before using them.

You can’t get all the possible stat combinations that way, but there’s a good selection and it will get you started at least.

Also, if you are wearing green items now and get a better rare as a drop, you can wear it before salvaging.

AntiGw.9367:

I prefer to sell the rares myself, but if you salvage them make sure you use either a Master’s, Mystic or Black Lion Salvage kits (Black Lion kits are sometimes given as daily rewards).

To elaborate on it, so long as the price of the rare is bellow the price of one ectoplasm it’s statistically more profitable to salvage. You can get between 0 (sucks, but can happen) to 3, and statistically, the average return rate is around 0,9 ectos per rare.

You do this with a Master’s kit always. Black Lion Salvage kits are too valuable for this and don’t offer a significant enough improvement in your salvaging. Save those for times when you absolutely have to guarantee you’ll salvage a sigil/rune from an item. Conversely, anything bellow Master’s Kit is too inefficient for the cost difference.

You can use the cheapest kits for normal salvaging though. Master’s is only mandatory for salvaging ectos.

General advice: First thing is to decide on a build. Read the forums for suggestions. Use a build calculator. Try it in heart of the mists. Whatever. I can send you a suggestion if you tell me what class you’re using, but ultimately it’s down to whatever you wanna do.

Once you decide on the build you want, start working on buying lvl 80 exotics. Don’t bother with rares. Go straight for exotics (and make sure they’re level 80!).

I recommend going straight for ascended with your amulet. Do dailies/monthlies/WvW and with that buy an ascended amulet straight up. Otherwise running dungeons and doing these events once a day are probably your best way to make money and earn gear.

Personally I also like doing the high level maps (Orr maps and Soundgorge, for example). They guarantee 2 exotics each. They’re usually not lvl 80, but you can usually sell them for some gold and it’s a nice way to get to know the maps and just… chill a bit and do some exploration I like.

ProxyDamage.9826:

AntiGw.9367:

I prefer to sell the rares myself, but if you salvage them make sure you use either a Master’s, Mystic or Black Lion Salvage kits (Black Lion kits are sometimes given as daily rewards).

To elaborate on it, so long as the price of the rare is bellow the price of one ectoplasm it’s statistically more profitable to salvage. You can get between 0 (sucks, but can happen) to 3, and statistically, the average return rate is around 0,9 ectos per rare.

You do this with a Master’s kit always. Black Lion Salvage kits are too valuable for this and don’t offer a significant enough improvement in your salvaging. Save those for times when you absolutely have to guarantee you’ll salvage a sigil/rune from an item. Conversely, anything bellow Master’s Kit is too inefficient for the cost difference.

You can use the cheapest kits for normal salvaging though. Master’s is only mandatory for salvaging ectos.

General advice: First thing is to decide on a build. Read the forums for suggestions. Use a build calculator. Try it in heart of the mists. Whatever. I can send you a suggestion if you tell me what class you’re using, but ultimately it’s down to whatever you wanna do.

Once you decide on the build you want, start working on buying lvl 80 exotics. Don’t bother with rares. Go straight for exotics (and make sure they’re level 80!).

I recommend going straight for ascended with your amulet. Do dailies/monthlies/WvW and with that buy an ascended amulet straight up. Otherwise running dungeons and doing these events once a day are probably your best way to make money and earn gear.

Personally I also like doing the high level maps (Orr maps and Soundgorge, for example). They guarantee 2 exotics each. They’re usually not lvl 80, but you can usually sell them for some gold and it’s a nice way to get to know the maps and just… chill a bit and do some exploration I like.

Be sure to compare the value of the rune / sigil on the exotic from map completion to the price of the item. Often you can get more money by using a BLACK LION KIT <—- Very important everything else has a chance of destoying the rune / sigil to salvage the exotic, bank / sell any ectos and sell the sigil / rune directly.

You get 2 exotics from Mt. Maelstrom, Fireheart Rise, Frostgorge Sound, Cursed Shore, Machor’s Leap, and Straits of Devastation

Lots of great tips and advice in here. Thank you guys so much. One more question though. I get the idea that ecto’s are valuable, but what exactly are they used for (besides selling them)?

SingTheDeadSong.8957:

Lots of great tips and advice in here. Thank you guys so much. One more question though. I get the idea that ecto’s are valuable, but what exactly are they used for (besides selling them)?

They are used in making Legendary weapons, and in regular crafting as well.

Laurels vendor also takes them, check him out in Lion’s Arc.