Discussion about the gear and items in Guild Wars 2

[Lithios]

Now for many of you like me that have played other MMOs (primarily the 1000 pound gorrilla in the room known as WoW) we have seen a strong variance in items. I have heard the talks about how guild wars 2 will not have the usual max level gear progression treadmill that most other MMOs have. Still I was wondering how will stats work on items. I dont know off the top of my head what stats to expect on the gear. Also I have seen some gear that has lead me to believe gear will be a whole new level of customizing play style that I think many people havent anticipated just yet.

I saw one piece in an image that was +40 condition damage. This is pretty huge to see on gear. This would allow a Thief to turn themselves into a full dot and vanish Thief by grabbing a weapon combo that supports burst damage and stuns (dagger/dagger or sword/dagger) and then traiting into poisons and then gearing poisons also. Its just gotten more and more daunting everytime I discover a new layer in this game. Now seeing the condition damage as a stat on gear gets me wondering what other stats they play to put on the gear. I wonder if they have "-boon duration" gear. Or gear that improves run speed. It just all looks like it could come together so well!

Also this is a question as a new comer to guild wars from WoW. Did guild wars 1 have many fun items that you find in wow. By fun items I mean like "Vanquished Tentacle of Cthun" or a trinket that grants extra attacks every few hits or "Super Simian Sphere" something like that.

TLR
What stats can we expect on gear?
Does the Guild Wars universe usually have items designed around amusement?
I saw a gear from GW2 with +condition damage, what can we expect as far as gear with strange stats?

[Deleted]

All i know is it's going to most likely be a little bit of a headache to adjust to all these new stats and conditions and stuff..The game is a whole different ball game, with the active dodge and stuff than i am used too..

But i think's going to be interesting at least, loving the whole skills connected to weapon business a lot..

[Mif]

Does the Guild Wars universe usually have items designed around amusement?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...x1HyPXA#t=220s

[PonyCannon]

To your question about stats.
I think there are only 4 different stats one can get on actual gear Power, Precision, Vitality, and Toughness. But you can also get Runes on you gear to add even more to the gear customization, or sigils for weapons.
To your question about novelty items.
I have no idea. I never played GW1 and I haven't personally heard anything about them in GW2 yet.

To your question about special stats.
I think that stat may of come from a rune or sigil put on gear.

[grandpab]

Offense stats
Prowess: Improves the damage multiplier on critical strikes.
Malice: Improves the damage done by conditions like burning, poison, confusion, and bleeding.
Expertise: Improves the duration of all conditions inflicted by the character.

Support stats
Concentration: Improves the duration of all boons applied by the character.
Compassion: Improves all outgoing heals that your character does, including self heals.

Profession specific stats - I'm not sure if these stats will be found on gear or not, right now the only way I know you can raise them is with your trait points.
Brawn (warrior) — Improves the damage of warrior burst skills.
Willpower (guardian) — Decreases the recharge on all virtues.
Cunning (thief) — Decreases the recharge of the Steal ability.
Empathy (ranger) — Improves pet attributes.
Ingenuity (engineer) — Reduces the recharge on all tool-belt skills.
Guile (mesmer) — Reduces the recharge on all Shatter skills.
Intelligence (elementalist) — Reduces the recharge of the four elemental attunements.
Hunger (necromancer) — Increases the size of the necromancer’s life-force pool.

[Deleted]

Instead of ever increasing item level you need to chase, in GW2 you chase after gear that suits your playstyle. It's really hard to convince people at this stage, but really, this game will have unprecedented amount of possible class builds and playstyles.

I mean there is so many possibilities to deal damage, depends on class you can:
- concentrate on power stat to obtain steady and solid damage
- get traits that buff your damage while under effect of boons and focus on a stat that increases their duration instead so you can benefit from them longer (although it's risky since there are ways to remove boons from enemies)
- gear toward higher crit chance which allows for potential spikes
- gear toward higher crit damage and get traits that guarantee crit on next attack so you can apply pressure more accurately
- get both higher crit damage and crit chance and gain huge damage but that makes you one glass cannon and enemy's farts can kill you
- concentrate on multiple conditions and their damage (which may make your base damage a little low)
- spam weak conditions but get traits that gives you extra damage against enemies with conditions
- and many more

I don't think I've even covered quarter of potential possibilities when it comes to damage. That's without touching possible combinations with support and control... Seriously, this game has depth. As an avid theorycrafter I'm impressed.

[Milanor]

As far as I know, the only way to obtain effects or additional attribute bonuses that aren't part of the normal 10 is through the use of traits or upgrade components, which can do just about anything, it seems.

Although exceptions to this may be plentiful, as we already know of several what with the special effects on the Ghastly Weapon set.