While there are many ways to go about enjoying end-game content in Guild Wars 2, the crafting of a legendary item – be it an accessory, a piece of armour, or a weapon – is considered the ultimate prestige. Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games, and MMORPGs (the Role-playing game variant) in particular, have traditionally been all about the late-game grind. While Guild Wars 2 has traditionally shied away from the end-game grind present in other MMOs, it is still a factor for legendary items, which are the epitome of both player convenience and Fashion Wars lustre. With Guild Wars 2 End of Dragons on the horizon, it only stands to reason how many players might want to get ready for their favourite new classes by crafting some shiny new toys. Hence this Ultimate Guild Wars 2 Legendary Weapon Guide, which will set anyone on the correct path. 

This article is split into two parts. The first discusses why anyone would consider crafting a legendary weapon in the first place, whereas the second offers in-depth insight into how to create the most lustrous of weapons.

Is it worth it?

In an interesting move unlike many other MMO titles, Guild Wars 2 has completely removed the need to grind for better equipment. Once a player has a full set of level 80 exotic gear, they are pretty much set for the rest of whatever end-game content they want! While Ascended gear may have marginally better stats, the only reason one would want a full set of these comes down to how armour and gear link to characters and accounts. 

When a character equips a normal piece of gear, this piece becomes “Soulbound” (linked to the character alone, with no means to trade it or move it between other characters on the same account). Ascended gear, however, is “Account bound”, meaning one can put it in a shared inventory slot, and have any character with the means equip it. Legendary weapons on the other hand, while they share the same stats as Ascended weapons, are account bound as well. However, they do come with a few extra perks. 

  1. Legendary weapons go into what is called the “legendary armoury”, a magical place in the equipment menu that does not take up an inventory slot. It allows the weapons to be shared among all characters who can wield them, and at the same time. 
  2. All legendary weapons allow for the changing of stats and attributes at will. This means players do not have to go through arduous crafting processes whenever a new set of stats become available. From berserkers, through to griever and whatever may come in the future, all legendary weapons are futureproofed and ultra convenient. 
  3. The fashion wars in Guild Wars 2 are very real. New gear in the game only comes in one of the five rarity options, the highest being Ascended. Since so many players already have exotic and/or ascended gear; new armour sets, outfits, and even weapons, are generally just transmuted to visibly appear however players want them to look. Apart from being super shiny, and featuring their own wonderfully crafted animations and special effects, legendary weapons can be transmuted for free. This means players can change them into whatever other weapons of the same type they please, without the added stress of buying or earning more charges. 

Top Tips

What would an Ultimate Guild Wars 2 Legendary Weapon Guide be without some tips to make the experience all the more palatable? There is no question how crafting legendary weapons takes time, so long in-fact, players who want to speedrun this from scratch (provided they have all the materials ready to go) still have to wait literal days due to [dumb] crafting restrictions. As a result, players might as well execute this process as efficiently as possible. 

  1. Always place Buy Orders. Instead of buying materials from the tradepost outright (from players who put a mark-up on the items they sell), try to put in buy orders instead. This way players who are looking to sell their materials quickly will make their due, while players who put in the buy order will get their material for much cheaper. 
  2. Try obtain legendary weapons during normal play. There is nothing more overwhelming than to pour all your heart and soul into the crafting of a legendary weapon, and hitting a roadblock. Take it slow and steady, because the game certainly will not allow for speedrunning!
  3. Enjoy the content! Every major region in Guild Wars 2 features a map meta (string of events culminating in a boss fight). While some of these metas offer more money and more material than others, it is imperative players try them all and play the ones they enjoy the most. This way the proverbial grind will cause less overall strain. 

GENERATION ONE – PART 1

THE GIFT OF MASTERY

Legendary weapons ultimately require four vital components, often noted as “Gifts” and originating from different all-encompassing aspects of the game. The first of these is called the Gift of Mastery. The reason why this Ultimate Guild Wars 2 Legendary Weapon Guide starts with this Gift is because it is both a vital part of the grand recipe, and the process of acquiring it comes with the added benefit of farming some material for the rest of the components. The Gift of Mastery is also the easiest to attain of all the others for players who like to indulge the player-versus-player aspects of the game. 

In order to craft this Gift, players need to combine the following material in the Mystic Forge. 

1 x Gift of Exploration

  • Characters who reach 100% World Completion receive two Gifts of Exploration each. This can be done on different characters. 
  • 100% Completion entails exploring all parts of, and completing all renown quests in maps. 
    • All Six Cities.
    • The 25 Launch maps.
    • The chantry of secrets in Bloodtide Coast.

250 x Obsidian Shards

  • The easiest way to get Obsidian Shards is to buy them from Tactician Deahstrider in The Straits of Devastation. 10 Shards cost 21,000 karma. 
  • Players can also purchase them from BUY-4373 in the Fractal Lobby. One Shard costs 30 relics.
  • Players who enjoy World versus World can buy them from the Skirmish Supervisor. 15 Shards cost 45 claim tickets and 20 memories of battle.
  • Finally, some map karma merchants will sell single Shards for map currency and/or Volatile Magic. 

1 x Gift of Battle

  • Complete the Gift of Battle reward track in World versus World.

1 x Bloodstone Shard

  • Bought from Miyani who stands guard nearby the Mystic Forge for 200 Spirit Shards.

GENERATION ONE – PART 2

THE GIFT OF FORTUNE

Next up in the Ultimate Guild Wars 2 Legendary Weapon Guide is the Gift of Fortune. Similar to the Gift of Mastery, all generation one legendary weapons require this Gift, which also requires some busy work. This one will be particularly easy to complete by players who have collected their log-in rewards for a long time, and have chosen legendary recipe ingredients for their loyalty chests every 28 days. 

In order to craft this Gift, players need to combine the following material in the Mystic Forge.

77 x Mystic Clover

  • Some WvW and PvP Reward Tracks will bestow players with Mystic Clovers when reaching the end. 
  • Players who enjoy fractals can buy Mystic Clovers from BUY-4373. Two Mystic Clovers cost 150 relics, 1 gold, 1 glob of ectoplasm, and 2 spirit shards.
  • The Legendary Chest of Crafting Materials (28-day log-in reward) will reward players with 7 Mystic Clovers and other materials. 
  • Players have a 33% chance to receive Mystic Clovers when combining the following items in the Mystic Forge (Expensive. Not Worth it).
    • 1 x Obsidian Shard
    • 1 x Mystic Coin
    • 1 x 1 Glob of Ectoplasm
    • 6 x Philosopher’s Stone

250 x Globs of Ectoplasm

  • Dropped from high level monsters.
  • Salvage level 68+ equipment.
  • Buy from BLTC

1 x Gift of Might

  • Combine the following tier-6 materials in the Mystic Forge:
    • 250 x Vicious Fangs
    • 250 x Armoured Scales
    • 250 x Ancient Bones
    • 250 x Vicious Claws

1 x Gift of Magic

  • Combine the following tier-6 materials in the Mystic Forge:
    • 250 x Vial of Powerful Blood
    • 250 x Powerful Venom Sac
    • 250 x Elaborate Totems
    • 250 x Crystaline Dust

Tier-6 materials can be bought from the BLTC, or looted through Heavy Crafting Bags. Heavy Crafting Bags can be purchased from Laurel Vendors. One Heavy Crafting Bag costs 10 laurels and contains three random tier-6 materials. 

GENERATION ONE – PART 3

THE LEGENDARY WEAPON GIFT

While both the Gift of Mastery and the Gift of Fortune are similar for all generation one legendary weapons, The Legendary Weapon Gift is unique to all Legendary weapons. It is themed around the legendary weapon of choice, and will always require 100 Icy Runestones, a Superior Sigil of some kind, a Material Gift also based on the legendary weapon’s crafting discipline, and a final unique themed gift based on the weapon itself. The Ultimate Guild Wars 2 Legendary Weapon Guide includes recipes for all gifts below.

In order to craft the Legendary Weapon Gift, players need to combine the following in the Mystic Forge:

100 x Icy Runestones

  • Purchased from Roja the Penitent in Frostgorge Sound. One Icy Runestone costs 1 gold. 

A Superior Sigil Based On The Legendary

  • Every legendary weapon requires a different Superior Sigil. They can be bought at the Black Lion Trading Company for anywhere between two and ten gold. 
  • Superior Sigils can be crafted by characters who have the required discipline leveled high enough. 
  • They can be found as enemy drops, or armour and weapon salvage.

1 x Gift of Metal/Wood/Energy

  • Buy the correct recipe from Miyani nearby the Mystic Forge in Lion’s Arch. The recipe for either the Gift of Metal, Gift of Wood, or Gift of Energy costs 10 gold. Depending on the Gift, players will require a character with the corresponding crafting discipline at level 400 to use them:
    • Gift of Metal – Weaponsmithing
      • 250 x Platinum Ingots
      • 250 x Darksteel Ingots
      • 250 x Mithril Ingots
      • 250 x Orichalcum Ingots
    • Gift of Wood – Huntsman
      • 250 x Seasoned Wood Planks
      • 250 x Hard Wood Planks
      • 250 x Elder Wood Planks
      • 250 x Ancient Wood Planks
    • Gift of Energy – Artificer
      • 250 x Piles of Radiant Dust
      • 250 x Piles of Luminous Dust
      • 250 x Piles of Incandescent Dust
      • 250 x Piles of Crystalline Dust

1 x Unique Gift Based On The Legendary

Buy the correct recipe from Miyani nearby the Mystic Forge in Lion’s Arch. Each recipe is named differently for every weapon, so players need to ensure they buy the correct one. Each recipe costs 10 gold. Depending on the Gift, players will require a character with the corresponding crafting discipline at level 400. 

  1. Armorsmith
    • The Gift of Darkness 
      • 1 x Gift of Ascalon (Dungeon Vendor)
      • 250 x Orichalcum Ingots
      • 250 x Cured Hardened Leather Square
      • 100 x Onyx Lodestone
    • The Gift of Light 
      • 1 x Gift of Ascalon (Dungeon Vendor)
      • 250 x Orichalcum Ingots
      • 250 x Cured Hard Leather Square
      • 100 x Charged Lodestone
    • The Gift of Entertainment 
      • 1 x Gift of the Nobleman (Dungeon Vendor)
      • 250 x Orichalcum Ingot
      • 250 x Bolts of Gossamer
      • 5 x Box o’ Fun
    • The Gift of Weather
      • 1 x Gift of Knowledge (Dungeon Vendor)
      • 250 x Orichalcum Ingots
      • 250 x Hardened Leather Section
      • 100 x Charged Lodestone
  2. Artificer
    • The Gift of Lightning
      • 1 x Gift of Ascalon (Dungeon Vendor)
      • 250 x Orichalcum Ingots
      • 250 x Bolts of Gossamer
      • 100 x Charged Lodestones
  3. Jeweler
    • The Gift of Ice 
      • 1 x Gift of Sanctuary (Dungeon Vendor)
      • 250 x Orichalcum Ingots
      • 100 x Glacial Lodestones
      • 100 x Corrupted Lodestones
    • The Gift of Music 
      • 1 x Gift of the Nobleman (Dungeon Vendor)
      • 250 x Orichalcum Ingots
      • 250 x Bolts of Gossamer
      • 100 x Opal Orbs
    • Shark Statue 
      • 1 x Gift of Zhaitan (Dungeon Vendor)
      • 250 x Orichalcum Ingots
      • 250 x Armoured Scales
      • 250 x Vials of Powerful Blood
    • Unicorn Statue 
      • 1 x Gift of Thorns (Dungeon Vendor)
      • 250 x Orichalcum Ingots
      • 100 x Chrysocola ORbs
      • 100 x Opal Orbs
    • Vial of Quicksilver
      • 1 x Gift of the Forgeman (Dungen Vendor)
      • 250 x Steel Ingots
      • 150 x Molten Lodestones
      • 250 x Silver Doubloons
  4. Leatherworker
    • The Gift of Nature 
      • 1 x Gift of Thorns (Dungeon Vendor)
      • 250 x Omnomberries
      • 250 x Ancient Wood Planks
      • 250 x Cured Hard Leather Squares
    • The Gift of Stealth
      • 1 x Gift of Knowledge (Dungeon Vendor)
      • 250 x Orian Truffles
      • 250 x Orichalcum Ingots
      • 100 x Onyx Lodestones
    • Wolf Statue
      • 1 x Gift of Thorns (Dungeon Vendor)
      • 250 x Orichalcum Ingots
      • 250 x Cured Hardened Leather Squares
      • 250 x Vicious Fangs
  5. Tailor
    • The Gift of History 
      • 1 x Gift of Ascalon (Dungeon Vendor)
      • 250 x Cured Hardened Leather Squares
      • 250 x Piles of Crystalline Dust
      • 100 x Onyx Lodestones
    • Eel Statue
      • 1 x Gift of the Forgeman (Dungeon Vendor)
      • 250 x Orichalcum Ingots
      • 250 x Cured Hardened Leather Squares
      • 250 x Armoured Scales

GENERATION ONE – PART 4

THE PRECURSOR WEAPON

Crafting a legendary begets owning a precursor weapon. Every single legendary weapon has its own unique precursor weapon. These weapons are usually dialed down versions of their legendary versions, and are always tied to their lore and creation process. Depending on which generation of legendary weapons players are looking at, the act of owning a precursor weapon is a vastly different process. 

The legendary crafting process generally starts with whatever precursor weapon players choose, and is a vital component in the Ultimate Guild Wars 2 Legendary Weapon Guide. The precursor weapon for all generation one legendary weapons is a level 80 exotic weapon, and is tradeable. It can be bought, sold and also found in the open world. Players who opt to make a generation one legendary weapon their goal have two reliable solutions to finding and/or crafting their precursor weapons. 

The first reliable solution comes by way of the Black Lion Trading Company (BLTC). All Gen 1 precursors can be bought from the tradepost. Make no mistake, however, these cost a hefty sum of gold. Once players know what the name of their intended legendary’s precursor is, they can search for it on the tradepost and buy it directly from there. Leaf of Kudzu, the precursor to the legendary longbow Kudzu, currently sells for around 500 gold. 

The second reliable solution is to craft the precursor weapon. In order to do so, players first need to finish the Legendary Crafting Mastery trackline in the hero panel (H). Players who are currently working on this mastery (and have unlocked at least the first level) can go to Grandmaster Hobbs in Lions Arch, and buy the first volume of the Legendary Journey for the legendary weapon in question. This costs 5 gold and 10,003 karma. This will unlock the first of three to four collections pertaining to the crafting of the precursor, with every step resulting in a slightly more improved version thereof. Go to the unlocked collection in the hero panel, and follow the instructions from there. For reference, Leaf of Kudzu’s collection is named “Kudzu 1: The Experimental Longbow”; with each new collection just sporting a different number. 

Legendary Precursor collections are fun to do. Every collection is unique to the Legendary they pertain to, and will take players on an adventure through the entire game map. Leaf of Kudzu is all about collecting seeds and nurturing them in a secret grove, while the collections for Dawn, the precursor to the greatsword Sunrise, will take players on a journey to prove their mettle as protectors of Tyria. Each volume ends in the crafting of an “experimental” variant of the precursor and most of the crafting materials are usually given to the player as a reward. Once all volumes of a journey have been completed, players will be able to craft the precursor. Take note, however, how these collections can only be done once. It is tied to account achievements, and as such, will only reward players a single time. As such, it is recommended only players who want to keep the precursors and craft them into their legendary forms do these, as selling them is not worthwhile. 

The third, less reliable option is to farm precursors through the Mystic Forge. This is achieved by putting four weapons of similar level and type into it, and hoping for a better return. It is recommended players only use level 78 exotic-tier weapons, and that all four weapons are the exact same. This way, the return on investment tends to be better. With that said, this can be an extremely expensive gamble as players fill their inventories with hundreds of gold worth of exotics, for the empty promise of a precursor drop. As with all gambles, it can also be extremely fortuitous. 

A fourth option is to wait until the precursor drops from a random enemy or a world boss, while completing tasks around the world. Regardless of which crates players open, and what enemies they kill, a precursor has a super, duper, mega, chance to drop. With some luck, that player could be you. 

Once all four major components have been assembled and collected, players can throw these final pieces into the Mystic Forge. The result is an achievement point for first timers, a beautiful pop up with lore and backstory, and some great artwork based on the newly crafted legendary weapon. 

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Junior Editor at Vamers. From Superman to Ironman; Bill Rizer to Sam Fisher and everything in-between, Edward loves it all. He is a Bachelor of Arts student and English Major specialising in Language and Literature. He is an avid writer and casual social networker with a flare for all things tech related.