The three GW2 weapons crafting disciplines are:
- Weaponsmith: Melee weapons, including axes, daggers, swords, greatswords, maces, hammers, spears, and shields.
- Huntsman: Ranged weapons, including short bows, longbows, pistols, rifles, harpoon guns, torches, and warhorns.
- Artificer: Magical weapons, including focus, scepters, staff, and tridents.
Not sure which GW2 weapons crafting discipline to choose? Pick the one which matches the weapons you prefer for your character. That way you will be able to craft weapons your character can use.
Tip: Level up your weapon crafting as you level up your character. In most cases, crafted weapons are better than the items you get through random drops.
Level Up Your Weapons 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 inscription types
Step 2. Discovery Panel
- 1 of component A
- 1 of component B
- 1 inscription
For example, an Initiate huntsman would:
Step 1. Production Panel
- Craft 6 Soft Longbow Staves
- Craft 6 Thin Strings
- Craft 1 each of 6 different Soft Inscriptions (for example, one each of Hunter’s, Ravaging, Vigorous, Hearty, Honed, and Rejuvenating)
Step 2. Discovery Panel
- 1 Soft Longbow Stave
- 1 Thin String
- 1 insignia
Crafting is the most common way to get ascended weapons, which have the maximum possible stats. Ascended weapons also have infusion slots, which is how you get the Agony Resistance (AR) required for higher-level fractals.
Ascended Weapons
To craft Ascended weapons, you will need to be at level 500 for your weapon crafting discipline. You will need to get an Ascended Inscription recipe, and a matching Ascended weapon recipe for each piece you want to make. Most of these recipes can be purchased from the crafting merchant.
There are several ways to get Ascended weapons that don’t require crafting. This page on the official GW2 wiki lists them here.
Legendary Weapons
Legendary weapons can only be crafted, or bought on the Trading Post. Crafting a Legendary is considered an “end-game task,” for experienced players who have a lot of gold and materials on hand.
Legendary weapons have a lot of nifty visual and audio effects which make them stand out from the crowd. This can include footfall effects, which leave a trail of footprints behind your character. Or noise effects, like the distinctive whinny of The Dreamer shortbow.
Legendaries are cool! However, we must emphasize that it’s just the skin. A Legendary weapon has the exact same stats as Ascended.
Granted, you can easily switch stats on a Legendary weapon. In practice, most people rarely swap stats. And you can swap stats on an Ascended weapon, too, it just takes a few more steps.
“That’s a lot of work for just a weapon skin,” you might think. And you would be right. But hey, they don’t call Guild Wars 2 “Fashion Wars” for nothing!
If you’re leveling up crafting in order to level your character, maximize your progress by using a Crafting Booster.
Bonus Crafting XP
If you belong to a guild with a developed Guild Hall, you can also get the Guild Crafting boost from the Tavern Proprietor. (Note: Only available to players who have the Heart of Thorns expansion.)
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