Showing Posts For ionix.9054:

Toughness draw aggro?

in Guardian

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Toughness do generate aggro but it isn’t the only thing. Proximity, dealing damage, even equipping shield do it as well. And if you stack toughness you can’t do enough damage. Also, different mobs have different ai.

On the sidenote, I’m quite curious how you can get 3200 toughness without using any forms like lich form.

I’m not sure what you mean by “forms” but to get 3200 toughness you can run full knights with dolyak runes and full knights jewels. When I made my guardian the first time I heard go Knights for starting set and move from there. Crit is 40%+ but damage power is very low and health is around 15-16k depending on weapon

Toughness draw aggro?

in Guardian

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Higher toughness certainly draws more aggro.

Do an experiment. Go to any dungeon and run with 3200+ toughness.

Then run it again with 2800.

You will notice that you will have all the aggro with 3200.

If your saying you notice aggro with 2900 then 2800ish must be the cutoff. I barely get any aggro with my 2800 set. But my group says they prefer the 3200 toughness set…. it takes all the pressure off them especially during fights like lupi

(edited by ionix.9054)

4/26 T6: DH/IoJ/SF

in Match-ups

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

What month did this huge switch occur in SF? I stopped playing the second week of Jan. to focus on the spring semester at university. When I left SF was getting utterly destroyed (all throughout December). I come back and I have a queue to get into WvWvW my first day back w/ SF doubling both opponent’s scores. Where did all these people come from? They opened server xfers im assuming at some point?

The change on SF was literally night and day

(edited by ionix.9054)

Guild and I need some start help in Arah

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Everyone thanks so much for your responses!

Guild and I need some start help in Arah

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Hello

The audience for my question is warriors, elementalists, and mesmers.
My guild and I tried running Arah path 3 last night but ended after about 75 minutes. After we called it we compared stats and a few people werent really sure what target stats for arah should be. For anyone that has any experience in Arah with the following classes, could you please offer some suggestions on stats/utility skills/gear/spec for them? It would be appreciated so I can point them to this thread or convey the info to them sometime this week.

The path was going reasonably well but couldnt get passed Lupi phase 2. We also had major problems running past trash mobs (after first boss fight).

Our group make up was:
Warrior
Warrior
Elementalist
Guardian (me)
Mesmer

For guardian I was running protection, stability, and swapping b.w
speed & wall of reflection. 3k tough, 18k attack power, 38% crit, 600 heal p, 17k hit p
gear was magi with knights jewels. For myself my concern is that my HP and toughness is not high enough. I have access to soldier set, knights set, and beserker set.

One of the warriors was running only 1k toughness and in complete beserker gear (same toughness as the mesmer!) & was around 17-19k hit points. While the clothies had about 13k in hit points and 1k tough. My gut tells me that is not the way to go in this dungeon but I really just don’t know anything about those classes. I played with a couple warriors over the weekend who were absolute beasts in terms of damage and taking hits; very well rounded. They were the engine of the group imo and I would like to mimic this.

Any help guys/gals is appreciated. Thanks

Ascended gear still PVE only.

in WvW

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Why do we still have to PVE to get ascended gear?
I haven’t bought any exotic trinkets since they released Ascended back in November. Release it already.. still waiting..ugh -.-

Because the game ANET made is a PvE game and red/blue team halo match that is sPvP.

WvWvW was always an after thought and ANET prefers us to do the other content. We will never get ascended in wvwvw, it’s not wat they intend.

Sadly, I feel when a new PvP mmo comes out— like every game in recent memory, wvwvw-er lovers will just move on to the next one

Requesting help with CoF build

in Guardian

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions!

Just want to be sure, “Magi” = Healing Power, Vitality, Precision?

Are these craft able stats by a jeweller?

(edited by ionix.9054)

Requesting help with CoF build

in Guardian

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

OK I am working with what I have….

Im at 18khp, 2.8k armor, 680 healing power, 1.5k power, 36% crit ( will eat omnoberry), 40% boon duration

Running 5 magi/1 soldier— 2x rune of water, 4x rune of altruism, knights jewelry and hammer. My lack of healing power compared to you is making me a bit nervous. Will try tonight and report back

(edited by ionix.9054)

Requesting help with CoF build

in Guardian

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

My friends and I tried to run CoF path 1 and had a very difficult time getting through the dungeon. The only other dungeon I have run is HOTW (all paths) which is a joke compared to CoF

Spec in HoTW & CoF is
0/0/30/30/10
valor: retributive armor, purity, AH
Honor: superior aria, two-handed mastery, pure of voice
Virtues: consecrated ground

I ran knights gear + knights jewelry + dolyak runes, hammer, and sceptor+shield
3k+ toughness 16kish health

I felt that I was melting like butter in CoF. Problems started immediately with slave driver and his spawn . I didn’t have enough tricks in my bag… blew through all my virtues, my heal, utilities, elite book, and dodges at one point while I was being nuked…. and slave driver was only at 75%. Probably didnt help that eveyrone I was with was dps spec. The real problem came at the gate control part. I had a brazier to defend.. the mobs were too much. The final boss of the wing was the easiest part tbh

I have access to knight’s accessories, knights armor, prec/heal/vit gear, and power/tough/vit gear — all exotic Any suggestions on playstyle and spec + gear so that I can be more of tank then paper would be appreciated. Out of my group of friends I typically have aggro most of the time.

Thanks to anyone willing to help

why do people play wvw?

in WvW

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Not a scripted encounter like PvE

Not a red team blue team halo match like sPvP

Variable gear, unkown enemies (unknown #’s), and a greater sense of adventure

4/5 HoD/NSP/SF (3rd try)

in WvW

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Yay another thread closure! :V

Third time’s the charm?

Guess not, probably going on the same way… :|

Yes it will probably go the same way.. two servers are QQing that a tier 8 server moved up and dominated in within a day. Hopefully SF can get moved up again to get real competition

Should i buy a Mace/Hammer/Shield?

in Guardian

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

When you say investing… as far as I know players can craft the best weapons anyway (but the ugliest). And crafting is cheap. So I say craft a hammer, buy a skin you like and save again

Should i buy a Mace/Hammer/Shield?

in Guardian

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

So i’m running the basic 0/0/30/30/10 AH Build, working well.

I’m using Knights Armor with soldier runes.
Knight’s Greatsword & Scepter/Focus with Energy/Bloodlust/5% Crit
and ascended Berserker trinkets.

I’ve got a lot of cash to spare, and i was just wondering if it would be worth investing in a Hammer for the most part, but also a Mace & Shield as well?

Out of wvwvw and dungeons I have never used a mace. A shield is worth investing for sceptor/shield or sword/shield. But if you have a lot of cash to spare, craft decent mace for cheap, buy a decent shield, save your money for vision of mists and legendaries imo

HOTW path 3 zealot advice

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Hello, looking for advice on path 3 of HOTW. The underwater boss, the zealot took us FOREVER to kill. At least 15 minutes.

Basically all we did was attack the boss. We ignored the jellyfish and the barracuddas.

One problem I noticed is that someone was always dead. The jellyfish explode and take 70% of life away and they are constantly spawned. Someone would die. It would take me a few minutes of kiting jellies/cuddas and attempts at rezzing to finally get the guy up, then someone else would go down. The team didnt seem to have enough heals to outheal the jellies. Even for a guardian I found a ton of close calls but I was able to stabalize quickly due to all my heals. Any suggestions?

Thanks guys/gals

GS/1H sword builds for Guardians

in Guardian

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

This build works and you can use your knights gear. Feel free to swap in a shielf if you choose

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/guardian/Guide-WvW-Solo-Roamer-Build-Playstyle/first#post1681933

Zerging is too profitable.

in WvW

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

You have to understand that game companies want zergs because most customers are very casual and they will only ever run in zergs. They have never had any other experience and the art of small roaming gaming is dead and has been since sometime pre-2010. There is only a small niche of people that don’t want zergs. Just because you see 100 dedicated gamers post about anti-zerging on the forums doesn’t mean squat. I bet you at least 75% of people playing don’t even know these forums exist. Most paying customers want:

1) Blue team red team halo matches that this game calls PvP. (you know, like they can get on their xBox)

2) PvE scripted encounters (you know, like they can get on their xBox)

3) Fluff gear (thank you world of warcraft)

4) Ability to get everything EASILY (thank you world of warcraft)

5) To not get smoked in WvWvW. They hump a zerg. I bet you most players that play this game dont even play WvWvW. And out of the ones that do, think about how many people you see trying to roam. THEN look at the zerg! That ratio should describe how many players want to zerg and how many dont!

I dunno I guess ANET got to get paid too, ya know

It's your fault you're not having fun

in WvW

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

I don’t know where this “not having fun” thing is coming from. The only threads I see on here is that WvWvW is subpar to the other games past and present. It has potential, but this isn’t being utilized and there is zero indication that it will be any time soon.

It is astounding to us that ANET spent so much time on the WvWvW patch to produce additional text under your name and an expanded merchant menu with a simple gear code copy and paste job (I understand the object oriented programming paridigm, trust me “copy and paste job” is a GENEROUS term).

Portals + Invisibility Ruin WvW.

in WvW

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Don’t fight it, join them. Roll one of those classes and take advantage of it. If your getting tripped up chances are most other people are too. You’ll have more fun since those abilities aint going anywhere anytime soon

Wv3 advice

in Guardian

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

I’m currently running this build and it works very well (you can replace the focus with a shield if you want). If you get a 1v1 and you open the fight as he suggests… most the time things are in your favor

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/guardian/Guide-WvW-Solo-Roamer-Build-Playstyle/first#post1681933

(edited by ionix.9054)

Advice on a guild wars 2 "backup" on my pc

in Players Helping Players

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Sure. The GW2.dat file is the most important one for a backup.

To explain more.
GW2.dat is where all the data is stored, like maps, terrains, skins, etc. So it is basicly the game. You find it in you guild wars 2 folder (in program files).
Save that file in a backup or on another hard drive.

When reinstalling, you download the client. Then install. When you come to the log-in screen (where the big download is done), you break off the game. replace the current (very small gw2.dat) in the program files folder with the one and the back-up and you reboot the game.

Thanks for the response. Just to clarify.
1) Download client.
2) Install.
3) When it starts the big download… at any point I cancel it, then replace the newly installed gw2.dat with the one I have saved off on an external or wherever.
4) Start the game up again and let it sort itself out.

Thanks!

Advice on a guild wars 2 "backup" on my pc

in Players Helping Players

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

So windows failed. I have everything on one HD. I am in the processes of reinstalling the OS, but I’ve reformatted so everything is lost.

Is it possible to keep GW2 on a separate hard drive then my OS such that if decide to re-install my OS then I dont have to redownload everything for guild wars 2? Are there any issues to watch out for? For example does gw2 integrate itself into the registry so that if I install a new OS, then go to the gw2 location and try to open it I wont get some kind of error?

Also, is it possible to keep everything on one harddrive, right click the gw2 folder, copy and paste onto an external hd, and then just copy back over and can pick up where I left off as needed? Or again, does the install integrate itself into windows somehow such that this is not possible?

Any help with this matter is appreciated. Thanks guys/gals

"WvW is disappointing because..." thread.

in WvW

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

1) 0 character progression. Carrying extra supply is not character progression to me

2) Items unique to RvR that have COMPARABLE skins to PvE. I actually have to PvE to get skins that I think are awesome. And comparable ascended options available

3) Virtually NO community. Because servers have the potential to switch there is a lack of rivalry with enemies. There is no fun trash talking via forums, no people calling eachother out, and unless I missed it no server v server forums. These rivalries/alliances are what bond a home realm.. or in this game the server.

4) Lack of indivudalism. Zerging is rampant. Unfortunately it is obvious that game companies prefer zerging. Every pvp game I play caters to this. I don’t know who the good players are, or the players that play the most. It’s an endless stream of zergs and randoms. People getting absorbed into the zerg then break away. If you asked me who the good pvp guild is on my server (small efficient, potent 5 man) I would not be able to tell you and I play a couple hours in wvwvw a night. There are so few opportunities for a nice 5v5 fight or 1v1 that I will never know who stands out

4.5) No one roams. Everyone focuses on siege. The fact that so few people want a decent 5v5 fight and would prefer to zerg train steamroll another zerg is mindboggling to me. It really, really is. It’s a new generation of players I guess. Post 2010. The 2001-2005 era of pvp is what I like.

5) No way to make money in WvWvW

6) No way to move around the map quicker

7) The SAME map for every server. God does this get old.

8) Obvious lack of interest that ANET has in wvwvw. I feel that there is no hope.

9) Carebears. Oh my lord is this game filled with carebears. I remember a post where people were upset about being killed at a jumping puzzle in wvwvw. And offered the idea of a TRUCE IN THAT AREA. LMFAO. I am100% serious.

10) When wvwvw’ers say its about siege and my mentality is the red team blue team halo match that this game calls PvP. What ever happened to wanting to roam with your band of friends, wearing gear that is the best you can afford (maybe amazing, maybe not), fighting others who may be above or below you skill level etc. Wheres the sense of adventure? Again I guess this is a 2001-2005 mentality.

Other then this I like it.

(edited by ionix.9054)

why are there non PCs in www?

in WvW

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

It’s another way for people to rez up
Aggro can add another dynamic to a fight. I watched an incomingray video where he took on more then his numbers by running through a field of mobs. The chasers got all the aggro and he repeatadly rezzed off the mobs and let the mobs help take his enemies down. He came out the winner

I’m sure if people learned to use them to their advantage instead of smashing buttons they could be more fun.

All the PvP games I played (since 2001) have had mobs. But inthe old style games they offered a leveling bonus since it was in a PvP area. This was back when people actually had to grind mobs to level

Rank Name logic...

in WvW

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

To me it seems that invader, assaulter, and raider are titles that don’t clearly imply that you are a part of something.

But recruit means you’ve definately joined the ranks of something organized.

Advice for gurdian in HOTW

in Guardian

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Looking for advice on my role as a guardian in HOTW. I’ve typically spent all my time in wvwvw, but my guild has recently decided to run some dungeons for new gear + skins. I cant say I really know what Im supposed to be doing.

We ran the butcher path last night and I went down VERY quickly… or I simply dodged rolled for the entire dungeon as I kept drawing aggro b/c couldn’t take the hits; I had carpel tunnel by the end. Our dps output was also a major problem (guard, 2x mesmer, element, thief. We spent alot of the time dying and rezzing and running. maybe this is why dps was slow…..)

I ran it with a 0/10/30/30/0 spec using greatsword, sceptor + shield. Full knights armor + accesorries. That is 3k+ armor and around 15k+ HP and 50%-ish crit.

After the dungeon I changed my spec to 10/30/30/0/0 for RvR using sword+focus, greatsword. I was able to survive longer so I am wondering if this type of setu kitten omething that can carry over to HOTW?

My questions:
1) What is my role supposed to be? I have always played greatsowrd/hammer very offensively in oRvR. This doesn’t work in PvE, expecially at the spec I listed above. Is my role supposed to be support? Should I dps?
2) I felt like paper. Butcher takes 45% of my health per hit. Another time we pulled alot of wolves upstairs path and they dropped me almost immediately.
3) Recomendations on spec/weapons and gear would also be appreciated. I figure range like a sceptor with at least a shield in both scenarios is required.

Ive seen videos of encounters where everyone stacks on the boss and drops him without ever moving. Perhaps it’s great group synergy but I am hoping to find a spec that allows me to be a better “tank” for dungeons.

Any help is appreciated. Will check back in a bit if something needs clarification.

WPVP Rewards are a JOKE!

in WvW

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Questions for OP:

1. How many hours of WvW do you play per week on average?
2. Would you like rewards that would make you an 00ber d00d?
3. Can you imagine the outcry if the progression rewards enabled you to completely crush others because you’d spent many more hours WvWing than them?
4. Can you therefore see why these tweaks/xp/improvements have to be “slowly slowly” (at least until we see our first top-ranked WvWers and what they’re capable of with fully unlocked abilities?)

I think it is way, way, way, WAY too early to be complaining here about them until you see the impact they have on the game.

I’m pretty sure Anet will disregard this thread. I sure hope they do.

They will disregard it. As all PvP… err siegevsiegevszerg games that I have played do

WPVP Rewards are a JOKE!

in WvW

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

The game is how it is. No matter how you and your mates want to run around and gank. I guess get more mates?

No, get a new game

WPVP Rewards are a JOKE!

in WvW

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

All their abilities are siege based, which is fail. ANET talked early on about molding a pvp reward system similar to DAoC, but they’re way off…WAY OFF. It’s almost as if they were dumfounded and decided to call WoW devs to ask for advice.

“Uhh ya, pvp rewards? Sure, let them do more damage on an arrow cart.”

This game had a lot of potential…

You are a very small minority in this opposition. The rewards are for WvWvW, not for PvP. WvWvW is first and foremost about Siege and defense of positions. These rewards are perfect for WvWvW. Looking for bonus to damage against other players is NOT what this ranking system was about. A-Net, please do not feel that this person’s opinions are a sample of the majority.

The game has a lot of potential and this update (I cannot call it a patch) delivered on many fronts.

WvWvW is about siege first and foremost? I don’t think I have ever used a siege weapon. My guild and myself purchased this game to roam and gank. We want open world fights… not siege. I hate that kitten. I do not understand why any emphasis is ever placed on siege game after game. Why is this fun?

If this generation of players is into this sieging, zerging style of gameplay I am definately out of place. Unfortunately this contiguous sequence of games fail to give us the true RvR that daoc we desire. We are always going to be left to play an aged game because that is all there is.

This patch was absolutely fail. Ideas were in the correct direction on every front, but they failed to deliver. There are other threads on this board that address these issues more “eloquently.” (ie. the gear for crests (or lack thereof) is absolutely fail..)

help vs thieves & warriors :(

in Guardian

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Today I swapped up my utilities and ran:
- save yourselves
- pain inverter (im asura)
- hold the line

Made sure my omnomberry pie’s were up

Definitely more success with these utilities in 1v1’s

help vs thieves & warriors :(

in Guardian

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

@KensaiZen “However, let me break it down for you. Your 2.2k is quite low to deal with thief or warriors. You should try getting it to atleast 2.6k minimum. You can get it to 2.8k and still retain damage.”

It’s possible to get toughness to 2.8k? Im using full knights armor, accessory, and superior dolyak which is all toughness. It puts me at 2.2k. Besides for a weapon what else can bring me up 600 tougness?

help vs thieves & warriors :(

in Guardian

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Are the damage logs (damage done and damage mitigated etc) available post-fight?

I appreciate the responses all. I can say I will immediately be trying something other then the dolyak set starting tonight including the good tactical advice.

@Guanglai Kangyi.4318. Thanks for your suggestions. I actually did not know I could hit them stealthed, I was doging to avoid a backstab. However, from my experience I don’t find your comment to be true for many thieves: “A thief can never kill a guardian. It’s impossible. You can negate their burst easily and it’s crap anyway, and their sustained is virtually non-existent.”

Given that I am outplayed, I have watched 30%-60% of my health drop in mere seconds. I was actually surprised at the lack of mitigation… or am I actually mitigating a ton of damage, where someone wearing light armor would be dead when I am at half health?

help vs thieves & warriors :(

in Guardian

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Hello. Got my first toon, a guardian, to 80 about 2 weeks ago.

I am having major issues vs. warriors and thieves (mainly thieves) in wvwvw

Currently I am running full Knight’s armor, full Knights accessory, Corrupter hammer(with 5% crit booster)/ Mystic claymore (w/boon removal) and 6 piece dolyak set.

Roughly:
HP 16k-17k depending on weapon
Armor: 3.3 k
Toughness 2.2k
Power 1.65 k
Crit: 43% with hammer, 49% with claymore

Spec: 0/10/30/30/0 (empowering might, AH…)

I am fully stocked up with omnomberry pies (66% chance to life steal on crit, +70 precesion) which brings crit with claymore to 53%

I usually play with a mesmer and elementalist friend. So I don’t necessarily want to spec for solo.

Running with the utilities.. save yourself, 5 sec cc immunity + retaliation skill, teleport

Warriors: Do a ton of damage to me. I can win about 50% of the fights, but I am certain these are undergeared players and ahve less experience then myself. I have found that dodging that “whirl-wind” move allows me to survive longer… but really is just prolonging the inevitable. There always comes a point in the fight where the warrior takes control and my heals aren’t enough to keep up with the damage they are putting out.

Thieves: Wow. Disregarding inexperienced players… I get rofl stomped. I am getting smacked for 2-3 k crits and I can’t even catch this class. For instance last night I went head to head with a sylvari thief. I port directly to him hoping for a bit of surprise factor.. he dodges, I stun, drop my ring… and he’s gone. Next thing I know he is running around me shooting pistols. Drops my health by 15-20%. I switch to greatsword and leap… gone again. For the most part this continues for the next 30 seconds with him finally getting in close and destroying me.
I read someone say they were able to fight a theif AND rez 2 people? If I stand still and let a thief beat me I am dead in 5 seconds flat. Is it possible to stack more then 2200 toughness!? I see others say they eat thieves alive. I don’t want to be rude and call BS… but I have not had this experience with equally geared individuals at all!

I am aware that my damage isn’t super high, but I crit every two hits and a dish out .8-3.5k with my range of attacks. Given my build, surely this isn’t horrid.

Would like to have more success vs these classes but vs evenly geared opponents I find them completely untouchable. I don’t mind a loss, but when the fights are this lopsided I am searching for other’s opinion on what I can practice or change in my set-up to be more successful.

Any thoughts/suggestions are welcome. Thanks all!

(edited by ionix.9054)

ding 80 whats now? WvW, PvP?

in Thief

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

WvW is what i call “PvP for PvErs”.

Usually PvEr’s hump the zerg. If you want some excitement throw together a small group and roam. I guess you can do SPvP, but its simply a red team blue team (literally), flag capture match. Lot’s of people enjoy this consol-esque type play.

Does guardian even need Zeal trait?

in Guardian

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Is the greatsword damage increase and lvl 5 not worth it?

A few questions :)

in Guardian

Posted by: ionix.9054

ionix.9054

Hello! I am a new player coming from DAOC and Warhammer Online ( 2001 – 2012… ) and am very excited to get out on the battlefield and experience gw2 PvP. Currently I’m on the Jade Quarry server with my brother, a mesmer/warrior.

There seems to be A LOT of great information, especially in the stickies, but I cannot tell if they really answer my questions. I would like to ask a bit more directly and if anyone has the time to respond to my questions it would be much appreciated.

Now I’ll cut to the chase:

Guardian Questions:

1) There seems to be 2 builds that look very appealing to me. I have definitely settled on a hammer/greatsword build. Once I get the gear I will probably spend about 75% of the time in PvP, however most the time in PvP will be duo with my brother unless we find a competitive PvP guild. We tend to roam more then actively attack keeps and such which means most of what we do is hit small groups en route or gank. I am looking for a recommendation on which of the following 2 builds would fit my duo/potential group play.

As a minor, a build that would allow me to not have to respec often for PvP/PvE is preferable, but only if it does NOT influence PvP effectiveness.

-Altruistic Healing (sticky). Seems most like this

-20/15/0/30/5 (Incomingray video)
w/ 2x retalation buff + teleport utility for PvP. I never see any threads on this build.. is it considered a bit exotic?

I would love to say I want to deal tons of damage and never die, but I understand that to take a little I must give a little.

2) Level 39 at the moment. As far as PvE is concerned I am surprised how much damage I take. Thinking my armor drops weren’t coming fast enough I spent Wednesday this week making $$ and leveling up to 400 armorsmithing. I crafted level 35 gear with crit damage/power on the whole set. I hit hard but, I can feel the punches. I can try vit/heal gear but my gut is telling me damage will suffer. Without altruistic healing, is there a trick to taking less damage at my level? Obviously, the best mitigation is to not get hit… Any suggestions on how I can stand against higher level mobs or more then 3-4 mobs my level with a greatsword/hammer are welcome. How did ya’ll streamline your leveling?

3) I see lots of comments regarding accessory sets. In the altruistic thread it says to get the knight set first.. etc. Is there a resource on these item sets? I would like to have a plan so I can be geared the day I hit 80, but at the moment don’t know if I should be saving karma, my gold, leveling another crafting skill, or doing a particular dungeon. Where do these sets come from?

4) As far as gear is concerned in PvP and PvE, will I have to be swapping depending on which I am doing in this game?

5) As stated above, I leveled armorsmithing to 400. Does the best 80 gear come from crafting or drops? I was hoping it would be crafting, however it doesn’t appear people use crafted sets (from the threads I have read). If this is true, what is the motivation to level armorsmithing/weaponsmithing to 400? I understand to craft legendaries it is necessary … but it is too early to tell if that is a realistic goal for myself.

6) As far as choosing level 80 armor for PvP/PvE, where do I start? My understanding is that I want to be thinking about exotic gear purchased from karma merchants. Where are these karma merchants located?

7) What gear is good for Orr? I read in some thread the first real gear check here. Would my armorsmithing be sufficient to gear me up for this dungeon?

8) As far as stats go, what I have gathered is that after I am totally geared and venture out into PvP, I want to be sitting at 15k health, 3k armor, 40-50% crit chance. Is this an accurate assessment?

Thanks again to anyone that reads and responds constructively. I am welcome to any other resources that address direct ideas without thread after thread of debating. As a new player it is hard to extract what I should or shouldn’t be paying attention to.