Guild Wars 2

Not sure if this is the best place to put this..

say on my level 80 character, i have 2 crafts maxed already. if i went ahead and did the other 6, would i still gain XP i.e. skill points by leveling crafting?

: ))

@Iconik – i know how you feel. : )) i used to have a personal thresold of having above 3k armor (~1800 toughness) at all times. then i got to experimenting outside my comfort zone and i have builds that run at 2.5k toughness and feel comfortable. and this opened up so many doors for me in terms of putting builds together. or just general flexibility if i wanted a little more healing. or a little more damage. give it a shot, use your blocks, blinds, heals right and you’ll be more than okay. : ))

finally!!!!D lol

dying to watch this video but it’s loading so slow for me at the office. :// i don’t think it’s on mobile either? ; ))

well, patience it is.

EDIT:

great video! really simple and to the point. i’ve since dropped focused mind for a while now but i like how you use it to add to your burst. it’s simple, does good dmg and i do like the fact that all skills on your bar are now instant.

i especially liked what you said about rotations in this game, especially in PvP. you can have your combos in mind to initiate and without anything off CD. but that’s the thing, you won’t come into each encounter with your opponent 1v1-ing someone else, you won’t have all your skills fresh to use, and you’re definitely not gonna wait around so your CDs come back. this build can be very proactive, and reactive, which is what i like about a lot of the Guardian builds out there. dynamic stuff.

so, @Exedore – adding on to what Silven said, i’ve played this build for a while now and the vigor/blinds/blocks and ports you get really are enough to help you survive or even get away if you need to. in the video, we can see how devastating the shields can be used for bursting. at the same time, of course they can be used for blocking as well.

though of course, if you get focused, i want to say you wouldn’t last that much longer as a bunker Guard anyways. if you play your mitigation correctly with this build, i find it to be quite strong even in outnumbered fights. : )) good luck! it’s really. fun. to play.

Liquid.9672:

Prophet.1038:

Another night bg loses their keep in eb

“Moving to spawn camp … Its not over”

LOL! Nice.

lol good catch.

i’ve seen that guy around before! XDD

Bash.7291:

akamon.2769:

i like turtles.

…………………….. God man, can’t you see people are bickering here!

i see i failed to lighten the mood. : ((
pls don’t hate me Bash.

great post!
[NOQQ] – you run with Oozo and Co? big follower of his vids. heh.

funnily, recently i’ve been testing a new build. i am also a mix of mainly cleric’s some berserker and small amount of magi’s and knight’s. decent healing so high sustainability. Citadel runes would be interesting as i could definitely benefit from Fury as well althuogh my runes are tied to boon duration which i plan to keep. although, it’s not necessary so i’m willing to experiment. will have to look into this!

i’ve run scepter torch in PvP before, as well as WvW. usually with a RHS build though and it is extremely fun! couple with JI, insta immob, and then do your rotations. you can get the jump on many people this way.

also, agree with GS 5. let it tick! pull when your enemies least expect it. let them waste their dodges by pre-empting the immediate pull after being hit by the little white sword. now quick question, since i was just thinkign the other day but haven’t been able to test it yet.. is it possible to cue the GS 5 pull and then hit Esc to cancel it? just to get people to waste dodges. just a thought.

and might i suggest running mace/focus at times? depending on the encounters of course. shield is definitely invaluable but if you want to retain some survivability but also do decent AoE dmg, the mace focus combo is great as well. using the shields (focus 5, mace 3) for double AoE bursts is super fun to play.

i like turtles.

good to know. and nice gear!D

hmm i don’t condone this usually, but why don’t you go run CoF like others mentioned? you get a ton of chacnes at loot. thuogh you’ll hit DR eventually/.. but since you don’t get to play ALL the time, at least a run or two a day can get you those wings soon : ))

i guess for now, he will simply remain as a “Mister E” until we find out ; ))
hardy har.

absoutely stellar. tremendous like.
hopefully we get to see more of this style of conversations / cutscenes at least for the duration of the rest of the Dragon Bash story…

haha so good when Logan was like..."No names... O HAI KASMEER"

me still amazed everytime i enter LA or HotM. loooove the decorations and even for that alone, this event’s been awesome for me.
ton of new skins, new things to do, and looking forward to seeing how the story turns out.

ANet is still learning bit by bit and hopefully with each event, they take way more than we could imagine and apply that to making the next event and years to come even better.

ah, good to know. much appreciated!
usuuuually save RF for times to save my behind, but it’s good to know how it all works together.

yea, i was trying to spam blinds and dodging helps too. or interupts, too.

sweet folk, was just curious. ; ))

so following up with my e.g. if the enemy landed one hit, it would have missed, aegis and the blocks would still be there.

but okay, on to your points about horrible blocking, that’s what i feared then. i would have assumed aegis to be before blocks as well, but i guess since they’re all classified as the same “mechanic”, it works they way it does now.

mace/focus is one of my favorite sets too actually, so i actively pop SoW, and then PS on the outside. usually gets enemies to push off of me, or they’ll be forced to attack and take AoE damage. however, say for e.g. my SoW took 2 hits before i put up PS, then technically the next hit would set off PS, but at the same time, nullify SoW? and on top of that, if i happen to have aegis, then all would be gone.

and definitely points taken on proc on block mechanics. well, i’ve always tried so hard to time my aegis and blocks lol. though never really paid attention.. thanks for the clarification. gonna go field test this more.

i’d like to see it as blind >> aegis (since it’s a boon) >> blocks, and then by time of application / activation.

just got me thinking and mainly for the purpose of Shield of Wrath on the focus. and to a certain extent, Protector’s Strike from mace.

let’s just talk about SoW for now though.

so i pop it, it can take 3 attacks for me and will disappear. now many of us actually use SoW for damage. in the heat of a battle, where your enemy is constantly attacking you, the chances for you to have SoW go off can be quite slim depending on who and what you’re up against. so say we have aegis on, we get hit, will SoW lose one charge first, or aegis be taken off first? i’m guessing aegis here.

then say, we add in a blind, from.. focus 4 or sword 2 of VoJ with 5 in Rad. now, your blind enemy attacks while we have aegis AND SoW up. their next attack will “Miss”, but does it still count as a hit and i get a “Block” from aegis or SoW?

just got me thinking. and i’m bored at work, relatively…

Liquid.9672:

We’re just fine thanks. A post today on our forums from a member of a guild that transferred to BG recently reminded me of this.

that’s good to hear. ; )) these are the things to hold on to. good on ya, Liquid.

i, for one, would certainly welcome more posts of this nature.

:OOOO
i will say, that is a first for me to lay eyes on and that’s awesome. snap!

lol. shhhh!
o____O

lol, i will admit, it’s rough when it’s a big fight and you can’t even see the sanctuary bubble admist all the effects.. but that was golden. will watch again.

though we all make mistakes.. i’ll admit, i was having a little 1v1 fun last night, my friend had his SoW up.. i was even counting down aaaand instead of dodging away, i jumped into his explosionz and got downed lol sigh. XDDD

1 MIRRION GOLD for whoever wins the forum!D
will be paid in Spikes, Porous Bone and as a bonus some ruined ore chunks and logs i got from harvesting with my necro alt last night (dangit, i definitely took the days for not having to switch level appropriate farming tools for granted!). If you haven’t maxed out your bank tabs yet, i suggest you do so now.

can we discuss tactics? good fights? and dare i ask, props to your opposition for said good fights? i wouldn’t mind seeing more videos, BUT only if to showcase some epic times.

or would that be doing it wrong? ; )))

in all cerealness though, i’ve been wanting to jump back into WvW more again lately. so thanks for the fun times, BG and JQ! i’ll admit, i love you guys more than hate.

quick question here.. so i play a Guard, and have had my fair share of being stealth stomped whether it be WvW or PvP. i guess i don’t understand the stealth mechanics that well yet. so when a thief throws down shadow refuge, i can knock him out of it. is it because they haven’t reached the full duration yet so they are just pseudo-stealthed? then i am assuming that even if stealth, you can hit them, so they wouldn’t be immune to CC or knockbacks. but when i am downed, they run up, stealth, my downed skill #2 bubble knockback rarely affects them.

am i missing something? they didn’t have stability on. some cases, i was blinded as well so there’s one explanation. though other times, i don’t think i was blinded.

Amadan.9451:

i would dare suggest something very bold… just make me chose the quantity of item i want to buy, than ask me for confirmation and done!

heh, i always love these posts! i like to think that if i tried, i could achieve the same. haha
when running around, i always get jealous seeing people at places i donno how to get to. ://

personally i was hoping lighting the effigies was gonna be ONE GIANT effigy being lit by all in Lion’s Arch of a newby map or something. a one off… acuse it’s supposed to be symbolic.. no? maybe that’s just me.

i guested to the max and ran back and forth for the close ones. lol. though still not done yet. ://

[added: just noticed Lisa above me did the same guesting “trick”!]

woot! can’t wait to get on. XDDD i needa get off work.

HI SANGHAE!

^^ them fighting words! i like it. >:DD

Quick build i put together

similar to what i run when i know i’ll be in group play / zerg play. works out roaming as well. can switch weapons easily as well. my stats i feel are quite balanced. i don’t go too defensive, nor do i go fully offensive. i also use perception stacks, and with that crit chance should be about 54% which is not bad. i threw in sigils of strength to proc might, as well as empowering might, though i usually don’t play with those as i feel even with an AH build, not having strength sigils or empowering might doesn’t hinder the healing at all.

you have nice crit chance, decent crit damamge, balanced power and armor, health is in a good spot, healing could be more but the constant streams of AH healing is more than enough to keep me up. is it SUPER tanky? i efel more than fine surviving most encounters and i still am able to hit well and apply pressure – which in my opinion, in WvW, is the best dmg mitigation, to put your oppoents in defensiev mode.

mP – the new build you linked is extremely tanking, from a stats perspective. if you stick with AH, you should be decent, but remember, more HP means mroe health to fill up when you lost it. if you WERE to switch to a 0/0/20/30/20 build, i’ve seen people do it and they ejoy ti and virtues is a great line, just not as blatantly “defensive” or “offensive” as our other lines may be.. i would then invest in some more Healing Power into your build for some sustainibality though – i woudl try to get t up to at least 700-ish. but that’s just my take.

i want to say you’ll have enough conditional removal.. but at the same time, you can never have enough condition removal in ZvZ! the conditions that you just cleansed will be stacked back onto you twice as fast, twice the amount in no time, depending on which zergs you’re fighting, but usually, it’s not uncommon to see stacks of conditions on you at any given time in a clash.

and don’t forget, once you settle on a build, you can always switch weapons, major traits between battles. a lot of people tend to not do this and i think it’s a good practice to have. even if it’s so much as me equipping a staff while running across the map for a symbol of swiftnes, then i switch back to my regular weapon set right away. so you can more than easily swtch up the Honor major trait to Empowering Might or Two-handed mastery or what not, if not using Pure of Voice. then if you suspect a fight up ahead with a lot of conditions, then you can slot it back in.

good luck! : ))

i’m still guessing we don’t have any details regarding this yet?

i was wondering how the story will work out in LA.. or instancing? or would it be Karka invasion style? surely hope not the latter.. but instances in LA seems.. out of place as well.

i guess wait and see for now. ://

lolol, any tinkering Chris has made to his build will forever be a secret in the Mists. ; ))

dem tunes ; )))

added: and that Guard that leap of faithed face first into your sanctuary. XDD

good stuff! learning lots from your new support videos, Amins.

@Tarsius – yes, /0/0/30/30/10 is a good choice too for dungeons. : ))

i am also in one of the higer tiers where zergs are galore. i usually only run this build during off times as well XDD though like Brutaly mentioned, will have to try it in the face of a zerg haha

@applied disbelief – not sure how others play, but i like to play scepter more close to mid-range so most of my scepter autos hit – and hit for a lot for that matter! also this build is more designed for bursting so.. for e.g. one initiating combo could be, pop shield of wrath, wait a couple seconds, JI into your target, insta immobilize, drop smite, switch to mace, double tap torch 4 (shield of wrath should go off around here as well) , then protector’s strike. inevitably in retaliation if they’re not dead already, they’ll attack you, setting off protector’s strike. massive damage. and if somehow they survive and weapon swap cd is up, you can switch back to scepter, insta immo, smite and auto til they drop. XDD

though sword is more than viable as well. i want to say shield is most likely the last contender in this build as it’s the least DPS-oriented. but i say experiment and see if it works for you.

@Brutaly – heh, if you use it, it definitely works ; )) hammer is extremely fun as well with this build. HUGE crits on mighty blow. and i am really seeing the benefits of having Sigil of Intelligence

30/10/30/0/0 can work in WvW as well. though, you gotta play smart and you defniitly can’t face tank! it’s more get in your face, unleash, then run or get out and heal back up or wait for CDs. check out these videos for reference. especially the “Zealous Defender” ones or the “12k hits” one under DPS builds : ))

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/guardian/New-6-15-Video-WvW-PvE-Builds/first

i want to say… depending on what you want to achieve in WvW, PvP and WvW are different beasts. roaming you can more easily “get away” with DPS builds on a Guardian. you can also think about the standard 10/30/30/0/0 and pick up Right Hand Strength to really boost your scepter and torch 4 damage.

i’m unfamilair with the ranger or engineer classes.. but utilize the CC’s they offer or support from the engineer to help you guys land your bursts on other groups, or ensure you have ways to survive after your bursts or if fights go on logner than expected.

Webba.3071:

Sure, no worries. I mean the way so many replies to the OPs post are so downright hostile or indignent when what he actually posted does not seem to merit that sort of response at all. It seems that the majority of people replying have not tried to, or are not capable of, imagining being in a situation that the OP describes and what that might feel like.

Accusations that the OP is rude or making demands on higher level players, when his post would imply that he has been nothing but polite in his requests in game and on the forum seem to show that people either do not understand what he wrote, or are too busy being insulted by a perceived complaint directed at them personally (no such complaint exists) to understand that this is simply another player recounting his somewhat frustrating experience.

I am one of those lvl 80 players who has been tooling around the low level zones (and you are just being a kitten if you choose to ignore the well known fact that lvl 80 gear and build gives a significant/massive advantage in the starter zones) and if a player there asked me if I could possibly go somewhere else so they could finish a heart I would be happy to do so, I have 100% map completion after all.

Thats me though, and I tend to be very naive about these things. I assume people are misunderstanding the op when in actual fact they could just be being intentionally mean to them.

thanks for the response, Webba. : )) agreed. well, written in my post, i touched upon OP’s tone in his reponses. wasn’t telling him off, just pointing that out, which is one of the reasons why i feel he’s getting these type of responses here. i am on the same page, i feel his OP is being being midunderstood, or more likely, being lvl 80 themselves who “farm” starter maps feel “attacked”. and through that, the OP is feeling “attacked” as well. ://

once anyone brings labels onto the table, people will feel a need to side or pick a side they belong to. whether it be for 80’s for newbies, what have you.

there you go. you got it already lol.

ahh, people were actually surprised i went into tPvP with this. they told me to go mid, i was like, i’m not exactly a bunker.. they went, then what are you? then instead of telling them, i showed them i was DPS. and we stuck around for a few more rounds ; ))

though dungeons may be an entirely different story. i kept the same gear and changed the traits up and went 0/5/30/30/5 and did more than fine. so i’d imagine you could go 0/15/30/20/5 as well. these are pretty standard builds though and haven’t done dungeons in a while (except for a recent CoF path for tokens) so there may be better setups out there. and for trash mobs, maybe switch in GS or hammer, but you can stick with mace though. just for more cleave/AoE’s as scepter is more single target friendly.

but hey, in the end, if you can survive on your own, deal a lot of damage, don’t see why you can’t bring that into a dungeon. it’s just different if you will lol if you want one of these days we can try it out and i won’t get impatient with ya ; )) lol

yea, good analysis Ghost and CMF. gw2skills more compact, the update was VERY nice for WvW/PvE, but not as fully fleshed out as buildcraft in terms of some of the more mathy stuff.

both have their pros. : ))) i like gw2skills for the ease of putting a quick build together though!

i actually prefer Writ of the Merciful compared to Writ of Persistence. small heals, but it helps a lot. although, argubaly, if this really is just PvE focused, then Persistence is a good choice too —> longer lasting = more DPS.

for purging flames, i think you can walk in and out of it to remove more than one condition. though hallowed ground is a very strong skill as well! definitely give it a shot and see which you prefer. or you can switch it accordingly.. if you know a lot of CC / knockbacks coming up in a certani dungeon encounter, throw in hallowed ground. lot of conditions? use purging flames.

mace + focus is a fun set. you get one blast finisher on each weapon set as well. or even mace + torch. especially if you’ll be running buffed symbols. plus, you’ll be pretty darn “tanky” with hammer and mace. with the right specs, mace hits very hard as well, especially AoE dmg from protector’s strike.

http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/
they did a major overhaul as well and now includes PvE/WvW options.

may not be as “clean” looking as buildcraft but more compact, and i think all consumables and skills/traits are more updated than buildcraft.

last time i checked (about a week or so ago), gw2buildcraft for e.g. is missing the Power + Crit damage food. signets still reflect 90 stat increase instead of 180, etc.

that being said, i haven’t used buildcraft since so feel free to correct me if i’m wrong if they’ve updated again.

to add though, buildcraft also offers effective power, damage reduction, effective health options if that helps you.

Webba.3071:

A dispiriting lack of empathy on these boards…

mind elaborating this?

aww, you’re almost there!D

i always figured WvW to be the best place for karma.. if not, do people still run Orr events? doesn’t seem so..

then, might i suggest dungeon runs? do the easy ones.. but then you’d still be farming lol. just make sure you have full karma boosts (i think up to 90% now at least??) when you use your consumables.

i love this build. XDDDDD

PvE you will kill like no other. again, as usual, dodge the big hits. for PvE, you can even go 10/30/30 and take Fiery Wrath (Zeal II).

for WvW? just be more wary of your positioning and who you’re up against. i want to say, this is more of a roamer build if anything. and know various ways to burst your enemies and what to do next if they should survive it.

this build’s strength obviously lies in its offensive capaibilities, and you will want to down your opponents before they can even touch you, so it’s geared with that in mind, with enough survivability in case a fight drags on. switched to Signet of Resolve as well for one more passive condition removal and the bigger heal (and the trait for faster recharge) of course, feel free to make the tweaks you need to personally. and this is just my take. : ))

Build + Gear chocies

in WvW, was able to take on a 1v2, 2v4 couple of times. though in the face of a zerg, you’re relatively squishy lol. so avoid those. lol

and just for some stats fun (target depending), mace symbol ticks for 1k+ easily, mace 3 hit auto builds up as 1k+, 2k+, 3k+ (i’ve even seen a 4k crit once), protector’s strike i’ve seen hit for 8k

no need to judge. you haven’t seen me play. nor played with me. i wasn’t condoning these acts of “elitist” players. i didnt’ say you were rude either for asking them. i just said it wasn’t the best idea, beacuse you already know what kind of response you were going to get. in a sense, what i meant was that by asking, whether it is your right or not, will only serve to exacerbate the situation that you find the game to be in from a newer player’s perspective.

in fact, i act the same way you do. if i see upleveled players or seemingly new players and we’re after the same mob, i atually wait til they land their first few attacks first, and then generally i only use auto attack. if i am on the way to an event but see downed players or players that need help on the outskirts of the “event area”, i will go out of my way to help them, and more often then not, will miss out on events but it’s okay. i don’t mind. and most of the time i will get a ty or smiley and that’s, in a sense, what i play for as well.

from what i’ve seen on my server though, yours i cannot speak of, the low level maps are often more populated. and then come the high level maps. the mid level maps are the ones that are deserted. most “veterans” will be farming the low starter maps for events, since they are galore, easier to kill stuff as well. like Smooth Penguin said, don’t follow the “zerg”.

i too feel that our community can be better at welcoming “new players”, but that’s the thing. most people, by human nature, have a need to belong. they often won’t remember where they started.. and most will only do unto others what they perceived were done unto them. yes, it’s a vicious cycle. so what can we do to help? i will bet and say most people out there aren’t out to bully or bash new players, rather, they see them as a non-actor. which is worse? i’ll let you decide. but keep in mind, there are still more than a handful of players out there, that are like you, who want to help newer players. we can’t control the actions of others, so work on the ways that you CAN make a difference to those you want to help and welcome. and hopefully these new players will remember you helping them, and then be able to do the same. sure, it would be nice if the more experienced players allowed more room to grow with the newer players, but again, at the end of the day, we can’t control people, but we can affect them through your own play style. stay positive. spread that good kitten. and pray that it goes from 1 to 3, 3 to 5, 5 to 100. i will at this point also make note of your attitude and tone in your replies. i don’t think anyone in here is telling you that you’re wrong or that you’re a noob (and i hate using that word). most peolpe came in here to address the issue, share their sides of the story or just to offer some advice on hwo to avoid the situations that you’ve mentioned. yes, we can’t and most certainly don’t expect new players to go out of their way just to enjoy the game based on hwo they want to. on the other hand, we shouldn’t expect veteran players to go out of their way just so you can enjoy the game based on your preferences, should we? like most things in life, in game, it goes both ways.

i often spend time just /saying trying to talk to new players, but most don’t even respond to me either. everything goes both ways and everyone has a story. furthermore, i got on my alts that i rarely ever touch, and was helping a friend level in Queensdale. sure there were level 80 downscaled characters, as well as people like myself on low level alts, or even completely new players.. and what i saw was most people were getting kills, getting hearts done, calling out events and for e.g. at the champ troll, bandit events, centaur events, there were again a mix of 1’s through 80’s and dare i say, even people working together. i didn’t feel i was unabel to get kills or complete events at all. no one told people to go anywhere, from newbies to your so-called elitists…

i see where you’re coming from about how Dragon Bash added some unwanted attention to these areas.. but to be honest, it’s always been the case that starter maps are the most popular. to do events. to do dailies. i hope in the future ANet can bring some attention back to the mid-level maps.. some of them ar SO beautiful. i did all my holograms in Lonar’s Pass for e.g.

i wish you good luck with your continued adventures in Tyria! : )))))

really, the main point of why i decided to post here in the first place, is to let you know, don’t let the actions or words or others affect how YOU want to play the game. you told me to step back and think outside the box, i urge you to do the same. don’t let the players (in an MMO, yes ironic) dictate how you want to play. you are a player yourself. and it’s up to YOU how your experience in the game will measure up to your expectations.

[edit: crappy editing on forums XDD]

was on SoR BL last night (SEA) for a bit so good being able to be back in action.

quick props to BG here – you guys moved fast, hitting objectives left and right. our scouts did good calling things out, and we tried to respond to everything as best as could. fun fights!

hope to see more of you all this week.

and i guess i can say, welcome back TW?
also, welcome back RG!

torch 5 is not bad… but given the long animation duration, the damage is slightly lackluster. condition cleanse on self would be nice too. and you really needa be careful of retaliation before you plan to spit fire.

though torch 4 more than makes up for it for me. and 5 is not bad for chasing down enemies with like a smidget of health left. ://

timing Shield of Wrath on focus though is way too fun. paired up with protector’s strike for easy 12k+ damage. and probs more potentially, since i don’t look into numbers THAT much.

take pure zerker : ))
i liked the named Call of the Wild, for my Norn, who is also running runes of the Pack lol. so i took that one too.

i got Zerker/Valkyrie mixed rings. and then working for pure zerker accessories. won’t say the little vitality is useless. but i want to say really depends on how you want to set the rest of your Guard up though. : ))

Bash, Christos – let’s play!D

i’ll bring the picnic basket.

good luck to TC, SoS aaaand CD this week!D

TC, SoS, miss you guys already. go get ’em errbuddy!

^^^ or this! heh.
i’m slowly working towards mjol as well. lodestones trickling in.. just haven’t bothered setting foot in the new AC yet. ://

just started my journey for… Rodgort!D

i’ve a lot of leftovers of other stuff from crafting before… though i DID spend an ungodly amount of Karma and badges of honor for weapons skins, armor stats, acended jewelry, etc.. lol but these shoudn’t be a problem to pick it back up. have over one third of the clovers done.. T6 mats rolling in while i’m doing those..

so the main thing left is SKILLPOINTS! for more clover crafting and the bloodstone shard. debating doing it all on one character, or using my alts to map complete for “easy” skillpoints.

and a few more CoF runs : ))

i guess one of the things i’ve noticed in gw2.. or, well, perhaps MMOs in general, though this is my first.. is that the way to efficiency always wins out. these also are IME, those who are more rude and have no regard to other players as well… though of course, i am may be biased.

it sucks that you and your new friend weren’t able to play the game as you wanted to. when doing hearts or killing mobs, the “zerg” usually moves together.. try going in the opposite direction fo them. sure you won’t get in EVERY single hit, but definitely more chances when there’s just one exo 80 rather than 5 of them.

i will say, requesting other players to leave a certain area would by no means be a good idea, ever. now you know. : )) and i know you asked probably in the heat of the moment, frustrated for your friend ebacuse you wanted to help them and have them have a good time…

or best bet, play during “off-hours” for your server. though i know that may be hard with IRL, what not. hope your friend willf ind ways to enjoy the game though!

supppposedly exotics have a higher chance, but how much? who knows. i want to say rares would be more cost-effective. and you can do higher volumes of tries at the mystic forge. what iw ould do though is if you happen to loot exotic greatswords, or you get them from yuor rare GS forges, keep ’em until you have enough.

though then, i would perhaps even check their prices on the TP. if you believe it to be more beneficial to sell them, do so.

maybe someone else who has more experience can offer some advice.

in regards to second character.. iw ant to say all the gifts you create from the mystic forge are account bound. iirc, the only things soulbound are the bloodstone shard or philosopher’s stones/crystals sicne they are acquired via skillpoints, which are character bound. so you can plan carefully and use your alts to help as well.. but just make sure you know which characters will be in charge of which aspects.