Guild Wars 2

So I want some opinions on whether or not to get ascended gear. I currently have all gear pieces as exotic carrion for my thief. However, none of the ascended gear is carrion, so I would be trading off power/vitality/cond for toughness/cond/precision.

I know the stat numbers are higher, but I’d actually be losing some condition damage as it is not the largest/primary stat on ascended gear. Another concern is that with criticals not helping condition damage, and having only precision on those items, it seems like a nearly useless stat.

Because of this I have not bought any ascended gear, which is depressing because I have the laurels available. Am I right to not purchase any and just save for the endless cat tonic? If it helps I don’t do dungeons at all, mainly wvw.

What’s wrong with some toughness over power if you have a good amount of vitality?

And what do you mean with con dmg not being the primary stat on ascended gear?

Humorless.1573:

What’s wrong with some toughness over power if you have a good amount of vitality?

And what do you mean with con dmg not being the primary stat on ascended gear?

By that I was meaning how most gear has 3 stats, with one being higher than the other two. With the ascended gear that is power/prec/cond the condition damage is of the lesser 2 stats. It only isn’t if you get prec/toughness/cond. My main concern is the usefulness of the precision stat considering I am losing power by switching from exotic carrion.

Lunaire.5827:

My main concern is the usefulness of the precision stat considering I am losing power by switching from exotic carrion.

Usefulness of Power in a condition build: Extra damage on the application of conditions

Usefulness of Precision in a condition build: Extra damage on the application of conditions. Can proc Opportunist if traited for it. Can proc Sigils (Earth and Strength are good for Condi builds)

All but the ascended back item has the choice of 2 items that have condition damage as primary.

You have rabid/rabid gear that is primary condition secondary precision + toughness, this is nice as you get both the higher primary stat condition damage as well as some nice crit chance (as detailed by taril actually slightly better than power in general) and some toughness, this is also the condition choice for the backslot item.

The other option is a unique primary stat allocation of Condition/Toughness/Vitality with a rabid secondary.

This means you get full primary condition boost, full secondary toughness boost, a non gemmed/crest vitality boost and a gem/crest precision boost.

There actually isn’t any ascended gear that has toughness as its primary stat and still has condition damage on at all.

I’ve added the ascended neck and will add 2 more ascended items.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Symbol_of_the_Deceiver with the condition damage infusion added after.

This is the ascended condition WvW build I run. All the trinkets are/will be ascended (I missing the two accessories, but I’m about to get one of them. You will need to add 250 condition damage from the Sigil of Corruption, as it isn’t reflected in the stats.

http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/thief/?7.0|a.1m.h9.8.1m.h1j|a.1m.h1j.8.1m.h9|1h.7r.1h.7r.1h.7r.1h.7r.1h.7r.1h.7r|2x.0.2x.0.3x.0.2x.0.3x.0.2w.0|0.0.u36b.k26.k23|15.d|0.0.0.0.0|e

The benefits of this build/setup (I run either P/D and P/D or P/D and SB, depending on where I am etc.):

Pros:

- Sigils of energy on both weapons means a lot of extra dodges.
- Higher Toughness and extra vitality in equal amounts
- Melandru runes and Lemongrass soup – conditions slide off you, almost removing the need for condition removal. Fears, snares, roots and DoTs are negligible (-65% duration), and stuns last 25% less.
- Cloaked in Shadow and Instinctual response breaks up the typical CnD →Steal → backstab chain, as you stealth on mug-steal and blind your attacker, causing their CnD to miss, and hence their backstab. When you dodge away, you leave caltrops from uncatchable as well.

Cons:

- Low condition duration, 30%. Enough for an extra tic, allowing for 6 stacks to stay up from auto-attack.
- Lower condition damage (1500-1650, depending how much time is spent stealthing). It still tics for 125-130, but you can get a lot more if you focus on it.

Wow okay thanks for all of the advice guys, I appreciate it!

Fade.7658:

This is the ascended condition WvW build I run. All the trinkets are/will be ascended (I missing the two accessories, but I’m about to get one of them. You will need to add 250 condition damage from the Sigil of Corruption, as it isn’t reflected in the stats.

http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/thief/?7.0|a.1m.h9.8.1m.h1j|a.1m.h1j.8.1m.h9|1h.7r.1h.7r.1h.7r.1h.7r.1h.7r.1h.7r|2x.0.2x.0.3x.0.2x.0.3x.0.2w.0|0.0.u36b.k26.k23|15.d|0.0.0.0.0|e

The benefits of this build/setup (I run either P/D and P/D or P/D and SB, depending on where I am etc.):

Pros:

- Sigils of energy on both weapons means a lot of extra dodges.
- Higher Toughness and extra vitality in equal amounts
- Melandru runes and Lemongrass soup – conditions slide off you, almost removing the need for condition removal. Fears, snares, roots and DoTs are negligible (-65% duration), and stuns last 25% less.
- Cloaked in Shadow and Instinctual response breaks up the typical CnD ->Steal -> backstab chain, as you stealth on mug-steal and blind your attacker, causing their CnD to miss, and hence their backstab. When you dodge away, you leave caltrops from uncatchable as well.

Cons:

- Low condition duration, 30%. Enough for an extra tic, allowing for 6 stacks to stay up from auto-attack.
- Lower condition damage (1500-1650, depending how much time is spent stealthing). It still tics for 125-130, but you can get a lot more if you focus on it.

This is where I am going template wise – have a completely different layout of plastyle though. Any was of accelerating purchase of ascended gear? I do the monthly like on the 2nd of each month and do the dailys but it is slow and I don’t do PvE.

For awhile, I was running Fractals 2-3 times a day, levels 18, 28 and 30 (mostly for a chance at fractal weapon skins). That nets you 3 pristine fractal relics a day, plus 3 chances at an ascended ring and weapon skin (plus the money isn’t bad). In 7 days, you’ll have enough for the pair of rings.

For the amulet, it’s a matter of grinding out the 20 dailies, and the monthly for the laurels.

If you’re guild-less, then your only option is grinding out the 80 laurels needed, plus the 100 ectos. Until they add alternate ways of gaining ascended gear in WvW, I’m afraid that’s about the only way to get the gear.

p.s. You’ll burn out on doing fractals in a short amount of time probably, especially if it’s for weapon skins. After countless runs, I got 1 skin I could use and maybe 4 that I couldn’t use on any alts.

Fade.7658:

For awhile, I was running Fractals 2-3 times a day, levels 18, 28 and 30 (mostly for a chance at fractal weapon skins). That nets you 3 pristine fractal relics a day, plus 3 chances at an ascended ring and weapon skin (plus the money isn’t bad). In 7 days, you’ll have enough for the pair of rings.

For the amulet, it’s a matter of grinding out the 20 dailies, and the monthly for the laurels.

If you’re guild-less, then your only option is grinding out the 80 laurels needed, plus the 100 ectos. Until they add alternate ways of gaining ascended gear in WvW, I’m afraid that’s about the only way to get the gear.

p.s. You’ll burn out on doing fractals in a short amount of time probably, especially if it’s for weapon skins. After countless runs, I got 1 skin I could use and maybe 4 that I couldn’t use on any alts.

Yeah I tried fractals once and got burned out PvE is horrible. Laurels it is then. Althuogh I do need a darn vial of essence to go backpack buying.

Just wait, there was a thread in the general forum after the last patch where the dev said they were going to add carrion with the next batch of ascended gear they put in. They didn’t give a timeframe, but I’m just saving my laurels/commendations for a full set of carrion when they do add it.

Edit: Found it: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Missing-Ascended-Stats-Bug-or-Intentional/first#post1532855