I reached level 80. What should I do now?

Just Hit Level 80: What to Do First

At a glance

Choose a build, prepare its exotic equipment, and continue the story or try level 80 content that interests you.

Things to try now

Plan your exotic (orange) gear set
Continue the main story
Check Wizard's Vault daily objectives
Gather hero points for an elite specialization
Explore for mastery points after unlocking masteries
Try scale 1 fractals through quickplay
Join world bosses and open-world meta events
Set up a build using MetaBattle or Snow Crows
Join a guild
Fill empty bag slots with bags of 18 slots or more, after comparing prices

These can wait

Farm ascended (pink) gear
Gather Winterberries for ascended trinkets (Living World Season 3, Episode 3)
Join guild missions and buy ascended accessories with Guild Commendations
Higher-scale fractals, raids, and raid encounters
WvW and PvP, although you can start now if they interest you
Unlock every mastery
Buy and play Living World Seasons 3–5
Level a crafting discipline to make ascended gear

Your first steps, in order

Complete an exotic (orange) gear set

Aim for exotic weapons, armor, and trinkets with the stats your build needs. These are enough to start most PvE content and cost less than ascended gear. Look at the Trading Post, karma vendors, or dungeon currency vendors, checking that they offer the stats you need.

Keep any suitable ascended gear you already have. Fill empty slots and replace inadequate pieces with exotics.

Continue the main story

Pick up your personal story where you left off. You will open waypoints while exploring and earn story rewards. For chronological order, follow the personal story with Season 1. New expansion and Living World maps have their own entry requirements, such as progressing the relevant story.

Check Wizard's Vault objectives

Open the Wizard's Vault from the top menu and check its daily and weekly objectives. Their rewards include Astral Acclaim, which you can spend on ascended weapon and armor chests, among other items.
Tip: Use the gear icon in each of the daily and weekly tabs to select the game mode you mainly play: PvE, WvW, or PvP. This keeps objectives together. If you have already claimed an objective other than logging in, the change takes effect at that category's next reset.

Fill your empty bag slots

You start with a 20-slot Starter Backpack. Paid accounts have five bag slots by default; free accounts have three. Put a bag in an empty slot to gain inventory space. Use bags you have already earned, then upgrade to 18-slot bags or, if you can afford them, 20-slot bags. Compare the Trading Post's instant-buy and buy-order prices. If you are not in a hurry, you can place a buy order and wait.

Trading Post order tips
· Buy orders: Offer 1 copper more than the current highest buy order for price priority over those orders.
· Sell listings: List 1 copper below the current lowest listing to appear ahead of it. Other orders and trading volume affect the wait. Check the listing fee before selling.

Gather hero points for an elite specialization

Open Hero (H) → Training to train all core skills and traits, then check that your chosen traits are equipped in the Build tab. The 398 HP from leveling cover all core training. Fully training one elite specialization costs another 250 HP. Hero challenges in HoT, PoF, EoD, and VoE regions give 10 HP each on their first completion.

You do not need to rush an elite specialization. Train your core traits first.

What you can leave for later

These goals do not all need your attention as soon as you reach level 80.

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Farming ascended gear Start most PvE in exotics. Prepare Agony Resistance for fractal scale 20 and above.

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Legendary weapons and armor Large, expensive projects to tackle once you know the game

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Tier 3–4 fractals Wait until you have the gear and experience for them

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Raids 10-player content; prepare your build and learn the encounters

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100% map completion No need to rush unless it is part of your legendary crafting plans

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Every mastery Train the masteries you need in your current region using experience and mastery points

Common mistakes after reaching level 80

Trying to do everything at once

The Wizard's Vault, masteries, fractals, story, and map completion can compete for your attention. Pick one exotic gear set as your first goal and focus on it.

Making ascended gear your first priority

You can start most PvE with exotics suited to your build. Ascended gear has slightly higher stats and slots for Agony Resistance infusions. Agony appears at fractal scale 20, which is still in Tier 1, so prepare infusion-slot gear such as rings and enough Agony Resistance before then. Feel free to use easily obtained ascended trinkets alongside exotics.

Ignoring whether boost gear suits your build

The boost's Celestial exotic gear improves several attributes. You can keep using it with an open-world build designed for those stats. For a group damage or healing build, compare its equipment requirements and replace pieces as needed. In WvW, Celestial does not provide Concentration or Expertise.
Caution: Boost reward gear cannot be salvaged, sold, or used with an Upgrade Extractor. Decide whether you will keep using it before adding expensive runes.

Two suggested routes to ascended trinkets

Ascended rings, amulets, and accessories can be relatively easy to obtain without crafting. The following two routes are useful starting points.

Winterberries (Living World Season 3, Episode 3): our first suggestion

Unlock Season 3, Episode 3, A Crack in the Ice, and enter Bitterfrost Frontier to gather Fresh Winterberries. Slooshoo sells stat-selectable ascended rings, accessories, and back items for berries and Unbound Magic. The vendor does not sell amulets, so get those elsewhere.

See the dedicated guide for a gathering route, using alternate characters, and dealing with Unique equipment restrictions.

Read the Winterberry farming guide Gathering routes, buying priorities, and attuned ring tips

Guild missions → Guild Commendations

Participate in a mission started by your guild while representing it to earn Guild Commendations. Missions include bounties, treks, challenges, puzzles, and races. Personal rewards are once per mission slot per week; switching guilds does not let you claim them again.

Visit the Guild Commendation Trader in Guild Initiative Headquarters in Lion's Arch. One ascended accessory costs 12 Guild Commendations and 5 gold. Each item has fixed stats, so check for one that fits your build before buying.