Stat Changes and Equipment Upgrades: Guild Wars 2 Beginner Guide

What goes into your equipment?

Equipment has upgrade slots in addition to its base stats. Armor takes runes and weapons take sigils. Infusions require infusion slots; enrichments require enrichment slots. These slot types are not interchangeable.

Upgrade slots at a glance

Runes

One per armor piece. Six matching runes give the full set of bonuses.

Focus on these after level 80

Sigils

One per one-handed weapon or two per two-handed weapon

Focus on these after level 80

Infusions

Fit equipment with infusion slots. Ascended and legendary pieces have them except for amulets; some exotics do too. Amulets take enrichments instead.

Prepare AR before fractal scale 20

Relics

A separate equipment slot available from level 60. Equip the relic directly rather than inserting it into a weapon or armor piece.

Focus on these after level 80

Still leveling? You do not need to spend gold on runes or sigils before level 80. You replace gear frequently, so use the upgrades already in your drops.

Relics are separate from runes. With Secrets of the Obscure, special sixth-rune effects moved to the relic system. Runes now provide stats, while relics provide special combat effects.

Runes: armor upgrades

Runes are armor upgrades, one in each of six land armor pieces. Underwater, your aquabreather's rune replaces your helmet's rune. Match the aquabreather rune too if you want the same six-piece bonus underwater.

Use six of the same Superior rune. Their bonuses accumulate as you equip one, two, three, and up to six matching runes. All six are needed for the full effect.

Rune tiers

Minor

Two bonuses. No minimum armor level. Commonly encountered while leveling.

Major

Four bonuses. Requires armor of level 39 or above.

Superior

Six bonuses. Requires armor of level 60 or above. The standard rune tier to use at level 80

Legendary

The same effects as Superior runes, with the freedom to choose any Superior rune's bonuses Requires level 80 armor

Where do I get them? On Snow Crows, choose Open World for solo exploration or Raids for raid builds, then open a build for your profession. Look under Equipment and search for the listed rune on the Trading Post. For dungeon runes and other untradeable choices, check the rune's wiki page for its acquisition method.

Which rune should I use? It depends on your profession and build. Your chosen build guide should list the recommended runes with its equipment.

Overwriting an ordinary rune destroys it. Replacing an ordinary rune removes it permanently. Check the extraction methods below before replacing an expensive one. Legendary runes can be removed freely and reused.

Sigils: weapon upgrades

Sigils are weapon upgrades.

One-handed weapon: one sigil slot
Two-handed weapon: two sigil slots

Use two different sigils in a two-handed weapon. Two copies of the same type do not double the effect, even at different tiers. Copies of a triggered sigil in both weapon sets share its cooldown across swaps.

Your active weapon set has up to two sigils, whether you use two one-handed weapons or one two-handed weapon.

Common trigger types

Type	Trigger
Passive	Applies while the weapon set containing it is active
On weapon swap	Triggers when swapping in combat to the set containing it. Attunement changes, legend swaps, and similar mechanics can also trigger it. Check its internal cooldown.
On critical hit	Triggers on a critical hit
On kill	Triggers when an enemy is killed

Other triggers include flanking strikes and interrupts.

Tiers: Minor, Major, Superior, and Legendary, as with runes. Superior is the standard at level 80.

Overwriting an ordinary sigil destroys it. Extract an ordinary sigil you want to keep before replacing it. Legendary sigils can be freely removed and reused without an extractor.

Stat changes depend on rarity

“Can I change gear after choosing the wrong stats?” The answer depends on its rarity.

Exotic

Weapons, armor, and trinkets cannot normally change stats. Get another item if you need different stats.

Binding: Soulbound means only that character can use it. Account Bound allows sharing within your account. Many exotics become soulbound when equipped, so equip them on the character that will use them.

Get a replacement

Ascended

Weapon and armor stats can be changed in the Mystic Forge. Ordinary trinkets cannot use this recipe; certain special trinkets have reset options.

Binding: Account bound; transferable to other characters on the same account

Use the Mystic Forge

Legendary

Change stats at no cost while out of combat. The item's stat combinations are available regardless of which expansions you own.*

Binding: Account bound; available to characters on the same account

Right-click to customize

* Legendary relics select effects rather than stats. Core effects are unlocked automatically; SotO effects unlock with SotO ownership. Effects from later expansions require unlocking the corresponding relic, and any expansion requirements still apply.

Key points

For different stats on an ordinary exotic, obtain another piece. Soulbound gear cannot be transferred to another character; account-bound gear can.
Most ascended weapons and armor can change stats in the Mystic Forge. This costs materials and destroys slotted upgrades. Trinkets cannot use the recipe. Account-bound pieces can be transferred to characters that meet their equipment requirements.
Right-click legendary equipment and choose Customize to change its stats. It is also account bound.

Chose the wrong ascended trinket stats? Ordinary ascended trinkets cannot use the weapon and armor recipes below. Blood Ruby items can use a Bloodstone Capacitor, and Mist items can use a Mist Capacitor. These reset items do not work on Winterberry trinkets. Stat-selectable rings and back items can reset their selection a limited number of times through attuning or infusing.

Mystic Forge stat-changing recipes

Here is how to change the stats on ascended weapons and armor.

Weapon recipe

One original ascended weapon
One exotic inscription for the desired stats
Five Globs of Ectoplasm
One Anthology of Heroes

Armor recipe

One original ascended armor piece
One exotic insignia for the desired stats
Five Globs of Ectoplasm
One Anthology of Heroes

Weapons use an inscription; armor uses an insignia. The other ingredients are the same. Buy the inscription or insignia on the Trading Post, or craft it if you know the recipe.

Where do I get an Anthology of Heroes? Buy one from a Mystic Forge vendor, such as Miyani, for 10 Spirit Shards. At level 80, when you cannot gain mastery experience in the region, every 254,000 experience awards one Spirit Shard. Experience used for mastery training is separate.

Mystic Forge location: The most accessible one is in Trader's Forum, Lion's Arch. A portable Mystic Forge Conduit also lets you access the forge while away from the city.

Stat changing destroys slotted runes, sigils, and infusions. Remove upgrades you want to keep before the exchange. For infusions and enrichments, INFUZ-5959 in the fractal lobby sells an Infusion Extraction Device for 24 silver, requiring Follows Advice. Use an Upgrade Extractor for runes and sigils.

Do not put legendary precursors into this recipe. It turns an ascended precursor into an ordinary ascended item, which can no longer be used to craft the legendary.

The resulting item has a different skin. Weapons receive Antique skins and armor receives Illustrious skins. If you prefer the old appearance, transmute it from your wardrobe.

Extracting and recovering upgrades

These three tools can help you recover slotted runes, sigils, and infusions.

Upgrade Extractor

Equipment: Kept

Upgrades: Kept

Wizard's Vault: 35 Astral Acclaim each, up to 12 per season. Also sold in the Gem Store; check current bundle prices.

Use this to keep both the equipment and its ordinary runes or sigils. It cannot be used on Level-80 Boost reward gear.

Black Lion Salvage Kit

Equipment: Destroyed

Upgrades: Runes and sigils recovered; not infusions

Gem Store or Black Lion Statuettes

Use this to sacrifice salvageable ordinary gear and recover its runes or sigils. This kit cannot salvage ascended equipment or recover infusions.

Infusion Extraction Device

Equipment: Kept

Upgrades: infusions and enrichments kept

24 silver from INFUZ-5959; requires Follows Advice

Use before stat changing to remove infusions.

Which method should I choose?

Changing stats? First remove infusions with an Infusion Extraction Device and runes or sigils with an Upgrade Extractor.
Only want to keep an ordinary rune or sigil? Use a Black Lion Salvage Kit on salvageable exotic-or-lower equipment.
Ordinary salvage kits such as Basic or Copper-Fed do not return intact runes or sigils. They can produce upgrade materials such as Lucent Motes and may also yield Charms or Symbols.

Karma gear:Use an Upgrade Extractor to recover ordinary upgrades from unsalvageable karma gear. Level-80 Boost gear is a separate exception: it cannot be salvaged or have its upgrades extracted.

Legendary equipment needs no extractor: Right-click to freely remove and replace its upgrades.

Agony Resistance Infusions: Prepare Before Fractal Scale 20

Infusions go into infusion slots. Agony infusions in these slots supply the AR you need for fractals. They are mainly used in ascended or legendary gear, although some exotics also have slots. Amulets take enrichments instead.

Agony damage starts at fractal scale 20, so prepare AR before reaching it. You do not need expensive attribute infusions at the start. We recommend building up ordinary +9 Agony Infusions one at a time. They remain useful in high-scale fractals and are less expensive than +10 or higher infusions. Add them as you obtain slots until you have enough AR for the scale you want to play.

Infusion types

Type	Effect	Who needs it?
Agony Infusion	Agony Resistance +1 ~ +30	Prepare before playing fractal scale 20 or above
Attribute infusions	Add attributes. Standard attribute infusions give +5; check whether they include AR.	Players optimizing every last stat; an optional expense for most
WvW Infusion	+5 to an attribute and an offensive or defensive bonus against WvW NPCs; no AR	Dedicated WvW players
Cosmetic infusions	Visual effects and attributes. Many give +5 to an attribute and +9 AR, with exceptions.	Collectors and players customizing their appearance; often expensive
Swim-Speed Infusion	Increase swimming speed when fitted to an aquabreather	Convenience for underwater content

Removing infusions: An Infusion Extraction Device costs 24 silver. Remove infusions you want to keep before stat changing.

Infusion slots by equipment type

Equipment	Slots
One armor piece	1
One-handed weapon	1
Two-handed weapon	2
Ring, accessory, or back item	Normally one each. Rings can reach three through attuning and infusing; back items can reach two through infusing.
Amulet	No infusion slot; one enrichment slot instead

Frequently asked questions

Can I change exotic gear stats?

Ordinary exotic gear cannot change stats. Get another exotic with the stats you want. These are generally less expensive than ascended pieces, so replacing the item is the practical route.

Should I buy runes or sigils while leveling?

No need. You replace gear frequently before level 80, so keep using the upgrades already in your drops.

Does stat changing also change the skin?

Yes. The Mystic Forge consumes the original ascended item and creates a new one. Weapons receive Antique skins and armor receives Illustrious skins.

I chose the wrong trinket stats. What now?

Identify the item first. Blood Ruby items use a Bloodstone Capacitor, and Mist items use a Mist Capacitor. These do not work on Winterberry trinkets. For stat-selectable rings and back items, check whether attuning or infusing can reset the selection. Extract infusions and enrichments before resetting to keep them.

What is a relic, and how does it differ from a rune?

Relics occupy their own equipment slot. With Secrets of the Obscure, special sixth-rune effects were moved into the relic system. Runes now provide stats, while relics provide special combat effects.

Can I put two identical sigils in a two-handed weapon?

Two sigils of the same type do not stack, even at different tiers. Use two different sigils.

Are runes or sigils destroyed when removed from legendary gear?

No. You can remove and replace upgrades freely on legendary gear. Removed upgrades return to your inventory.

Can I stat-swap a legendary precursor?

Do not use a precursor in the Mystic Forge stat-changing recipe. It becomes ordinary ascended equipment and cannot be used to craft its legendary.