Armor Crafting: Tailor, Leatherworker, and Armorsmith

Man working on metal smithing in a tool shed

The three GW2 armor crafting disciplines are:

  • Tailor: Light (Elementalist, Mesmer, Necro)
  • Leatherworker: Medium (Engineer, Ranger, Thief)
  • Armorsmith: Heavy (Guardian, Warrior, Revenant)

Not sure which GW2 crafting discipline to choose? Pick the one which matches your character. That way you will be able to craft armor your character can use.

Tip: Level up your armor crafting as you level up your character. In most cases, crafted armor is better than the items you get through random drops.

Level Up Your Armor Crafting

As with all Guild Wars 2 crafting disciplines, the most efficient way to level up is to use the Discovery panel. The process for each tier is the same:

Step 1. Production Panel

  • Craft 6 of component A
  • Craft 6 of component B
  • Craft 1 each of 6 different insignia types

Step 2. Discovery Panel

  • 1 of component A
  • 1 of component B
  • 1 insignia

For example, an Initiate armorsmith would:

Step 1. Production Panel

  • Craft 6 Iron Paulding Casings
  • Craft 6 Iron Casque Linings
  • Craft 1 each of 6 different Wool Insignia (for example, one each of Hunter’s, Ravaging, Vigorous, Hearty, Honed, and Rejuvenating)

Step 2. Discovery Panel

1 Iron Paulding Casing
1 Iron Casque Lining
1 insignia

Bonus Crafting XP

To maximize your progress, use a Crafting Booster

If you belong to a guild with a developed Guild Hall, be sure to get the Guild Crafting boost from the Tavern Proprietor. (Note: Only available to players who have the Heart of Thorns expansion.)

Craft Ascended Armor

Crafting is the most common way to get ascended armor, which has the maximum possible stats. Ascended armor also has infusion slots, which is how you get the Agony Resistance (AR) required for higher-level fractals.

To craft Ascended armor, you will need to be at level 500 for your armor crafting discipline. You will need to get an Ascended Insignia recipe, and a matching Ascended Armor recipe for each piece you want to make. Most of these recipes can be purchased from the crafting merchant.

For example, to craft a set of Ascended Berserker’s armor, you will need to buy the recipes for:

  • Zojja’s Berserker’s Insignia
  • Zojja’s headpiece
  • Zojja’s chest piece
  • Zojja’s shoulders
  • Zojja’s legs
  • Zojja’s gloves
  • Zojja’s boots

Some Ascended crafting recipes are harder to get. For example, Yassith’s armor (Rabid stats) is a popular choice for condition damage builds. Yassith’s armor recipes only drop from Exalted chests after the Auric Basin meta. Due to their rarity, these recipes sell for over 2 gold each on the Trading Post.

There are several ways to get Ascended armor that don’t require crafting. This page on the official GW2 wiki lists them here.

Craft Legendary Armor

Unlike Legendary weapons, Legendary armor is not a craftted item. You earn Legendary item from doing raids. Read more about the Legendary armor collections here on the official Guild Wars 2 wiki.

Crafting Bags for Inventory

In addition to armor, these three crafting disciplines can also craft bags. Crafting is one of the best ways to get better bags for your character. You can also sell them on the Trading Post for a small profit.

Photo by Clark Young on Unsplash

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