Question about gear, kinda lost.
I generally recommend Weaponsmithing and Armorsmithing.
Most of your good weapons will come from weaponsmithing, and you’ll want armorsmithing for crafting your Ascended set.
If you’re looking to go with Longbow or Rifle as ranged options, you’ll want a character with Huntsman. Stuff you make isn’t soulbound, so you can have another character for that.
PvP is separate gear for armor and amulets. Not 100% sure about weapons and how they scale, but you do have to own the weapon you want.
For dungeons, angle toward Fractals. You might get really lucky and score an Ascended box for some kind of gear, which saves a ton of cash/gathering.
I will say that leveling weapon/armor simultaneously hurts. You’ll need a lot of metal, so it might be good to get familiar with farming spots. (Iron in northwestern Brisban Wildlands is a popular one.)
“I’m finding companies should sell access to forums,
it seems many like them better than the games they comment on.” -Horrorscope.7632
Oh, should mention, if you do lots of PvP, the reward tracks can help you get some passable Exotic gear. I say “passable” since the gear has only 3 stat combos, but it might not be what you really want.
You can also flat-out buy Exotics off the trading post for a few gold, so endgame gear is easy to get. Ascended is only really necessary for Fractals, though it is also best in slot for PvE.
“I’m finding companies should sell access to forums,
it seems many like them better than the games they comment on.” -Horrorscope.7632
Thank You so much for all that info!!! I was definitely feeling lost!!