How do I get my first exotic set?
Getting Your First Exotic Gear Set
For a power build, compare Berserker armor in your profession's weight class on the Trading Post. Search for Zhed's (light), Nika's (medium), or Devona's (heavy).
Which stats should I choose?
Choose a build and check its recommended stats first. Most exotics cannot change stats, so buying the wrong combination means replacing them. If you have no direction yet, start with an open-world power build and Berserker gear.
Berserker's
Power, Precision, and Ferocity for strike damage. Available through named Trading Post armor and some karma or dungeon vendors. Condition damage and healing builds need different stats.
Carrion
Condition Damage, Power, and Vitality. This can be a cheap starting point, but it lacks Expertise, so your condition duration may be low. Many PvE condition builds use Viper, while others use different combinations. Check your build's equipment section.
Celestial
This combination works with open-world builds that use several attributes. Some raid bosses target the player with the highest Toughness, so coordinate with the tank in groups. If you received Celestial gear from a boost, you do not automatically need a new set. It does not provide Concentration or Expertise in WvW.
For a power build with too little health, replacing some pieces with Marauder (Power, Precision, Vitality, and Ferocity) can help. First check your dodges, defensive skills, and other survival tools.
Compare Trading Post Marauder prices with TEID-07's stat-selectable gear in WvW. If you already have Badges of Honor, this is a useful way to get the stats you need without farming another currency.
Getting armor and weapons
Choose the route below that fits what you have. Buying on the Trading Post is the quickest starting option.
Buy directly on the Trading Post
Fastest option; recommendedPower armor: The named sets below are level 80 Berserker exotics. Search for the name matching your armor weight and compare the prices of all six pieces.
- Zhed's: Light armor for elementalist, mesmer, and necromancer
- Nika's: Medium armor for engineer, ranger, and thief
- Devona's: Heavy armor for guardian, revenant, and warrior
Weapons: Choose the weapon category, then click the gear icon (⚙) beside the search field.
- Attributes: select Power, Precision, and Ferocity
- Select your profession in the profession filter
- Rarity: Exotic
- Level range: 80–80
- Check Only show available items
- Sort by Price, lowest first
Check the resulting weapon stats. One-handed Berserker exotics have +120 / +85 / +85; two-handed versions have +239 / +171 / +171. Buy the least expensive suitable weapon with those stats.
Temple armor for karma
- Location: Cathedral of Silence in Cursed Shore. After the Temple of Grenth meta event opens the vendor, buy Berserker armor from Keeper Jonez Deadrun.
- Cost: 42,000 karma per piece; 252,000 karma for all six pieces
This uses karma instead of gold. If you already have enough karma, consider it; otherwise, compare named Trading Post sets. This karma armor cannot be salvaged.
WvW Badge of Honor vendor: TEID-07
- Cost: 5 gold and 400 Badges of Honor for six land armor pieces
- Sells stat-selectable armor, weapons, and trinkets. Check and apply your desired stats in the selection window.
A useful option if you have already spent some time in WvW
Dungeon currency: Tales of Dungeon Delving
- Buy from the dungeon vendor in Fort Marriner, Lion's Arch
- Pay with the unified Tales of Dungeon Delving currency. If an item is locked, check its required dungeon path completions.
If you already have dungeon currency, look for gear with your stats. If not, the Trading Post or another reward route is a faster way to equip yourself first.
Compare your plans for runes, gear, and legendary crafting before spending. Buying dungeon armor is fine if it fits your current build and you have enough currency.
Trinkets: choose based on the currencies you have
Ascended trinkets have higher stats, and rings and accessories have infusion slots. They require currencies such as laurels, map currencies, or Guild Commendations. You do not need to leave slots empty or keep low-level items while saving. Amulets have an enrichment slot instead of an infusion slot.
For a power build, search for level 80 exotic amulets and rings, then check the Berserker stats and current price. An inexpensive exotic is a reasonable temporary choice for an empty slot.
Laurel Merchants in major cities such as Lion's Arch sell ascended trinkets. Check each item's fixed stats first. The table shows standard vendor prices; WvW Laurel Merchants replace part of some prices with Badges of Honor. An accessory's 50 ectoplasm cost is substantial, so compare guild or map currency options first.
| Trinket slot | Laurels required | Additional cost |
|---|---|---|
| Amulet | 30 | - |
| Ring | 35 | - |
| Accessory | 40 | 50 Globs of Ectoplasm |
Complete six Wizard's Vault weekly objectives and claim the weekly completion chest for 10 laurels.
LWS3 and LWS4 map currencies, together with Unbound Magic or Volatile Magic, buy stat-selectable ascended trinkets. Two copies of the same item marked Unique cannot be equipped together. Attuning one ring makes it a different item for this purpose.
A level 80 gemstone that gives +17 Power and Ferocity and +9 Vitality and Precision in a regular upgrade slot. Use it in a regular upgrade slot. If your trinket already has a jewel, compare the stats before replacing it.
Runes, sigils, and relics on a budget
Runes for power builds
Aim for six of your build's recommended runes. If Scholar is beyond your budget, compare these alternatives' current prices and attributes.
- Superior Rune of the Eagle: Six give +175 Precision and +225 Ferocity. An option for power builds that need more Precision.
- Superior Rune of Infiltration: Six give +175 Power and +225 Precision. Consider them if your critical chance is low.
- Superior Rune of Divinity: Six give +78 to each attribute. These suit builds that use several stats. For power damage alone, compare Eagle and other damage-focused runes first.
Sigils for a power build
A one-handed weapon holds one sigil; a two-handed weapon holds two. Each weapon set has up to two, for a maximum of four across two full sets. Two sigils with the same effect in one set do not stack.
- Superior Sigil of Air: An extra lightning strike on a critical hit, with a 3-second cooldown. Check its current price as an entry option.
- Superior Sigil of Accuracy: +7 percentage points of critical chance. Use another sigil if you already reach 100% with your expected boons.
- Superior Sigil of Force: +5% strike damage. A possible Air replacement for power builds. If you want the effect on both weapon sets, put one in each set.
Keep using a weapon that already has the sigil you need. Moving it to another weapon requires an extractor or a suitable salvage method; compare that cost first. Sigils in boost reward gear cannot be extracted.
Relics
Core relics come from the Trading Post or crafting. Expansion relics come from achievements, story or content rewards, and vendors after unlocking them. Check that your skills can trigger the recommended effect before obtaining it.