Gear & Artifacts
Gear determines far more than Item Level. Equipment bonuses, stats, weapon effects, artifact powers and set bonuses all work together to shape your character. This guide explains what to look for before you equip, refine or spend resources on an item.
Gear Is More Than Item Level
Item Level is useful for measuring character progression and meeting content requirements, but it should not be the only reason you equip an item.
Equipment can provide ratings, percentage bonuses, special effects, set bonuses and conditional combat effects. A lower Item Level item with an excellent bonus can sometimes contribute more to a build than a higher Item Level replacement.
Main Equipment Slots
What Should I Look at on a Piece of Gear?
Read the Conditions
A gear bonus that looks excellent on paper may only work while a certain condition is active. Always check when the effect activates, how long it lasts and whether your normal combat style can keep that condition active.
Weapons
Weapon choices change frequently as new modules and encounters are released. Do not assume the newest weapon automatically replaces everything that came before it.
Weapon Bonus
Read the weapon's effect and determine whether it supports your role and normal combat conditions.
Weapon Set
Main-hand and off-hand items may belong to a matching set. Evaluate the set bonus as part of the weapon choice.
Item Level
Higher Item Level provides progression, but the weapon bonus must still be useful to the character.
Equipment & Artifact Sets
Some pieces of equipment belong to a set. Wearing the required matching pieces unlocks an additional effect.
Artifact sets commonly combine a neck item, waist item and matching artifact.
How Artifacts Work
Artifacts provide stats and can also provide powerful combat effects. Your character can equip four artifacts.
What Can an Artifact Do?
Commonly Requested Group Artifacts
In organized dungeon and trial groups, players are often asked to bring artifacts that increase the damage enemies receive or otherwise help the entire party.
The exact artifact requested can change depending on the content and what the other players are already carrying.
This can be difficult for newer players to obtain, so groups may use other available debuff artifacts instead.
Coordinate Artifacts With the Group
The best artifact for organized content is not always the one that produces the highest personal damage. Groups often gain more by bringing a variety of useful buffs and debuffs instead of every player using the same artifact.
Single Target vs. Area of Effect
Single Target
Single-target artifacts focus their power on one priority enemy and are often useful during boss encounters.
Examples may include artifacts such as Mythallar Fragment or Marco's Mystic Marker depending on the group setup.
Area of Effect
AoE artifacts affect multiple enemies and can be useful when fighting large groups or bosses with additional targets.
Examples may include Dragonbone Blades, Nightflame Censer or Beacon of Meteor Swarm depending on the situation.
Personal Damage vs. Group Damage
Players often make the mistake of choosing every item based only on what increases their own damage.
Personal Artifact
Designed mainly to improve the individual player's damage, stats or survivability.
Group Artifact
Provides a buff, debuff or other effect that improves the performance of several players at once.
Before You Spend Refinement Resources
Where Gear & Artifacts Come From
Dungeons & Trials
Bosses, end chests and Master content can reward equipment and artifacts.
Campaigns
Campaign stores, progression rewards and campaign quests can provide useful equipment and artifact pieces.
Events
Seasonal and limited events can offer unique equipment and artifacts.
Lockboxes
Some artifacts and equipment originate from current or older lockboxes.
Auction House
Tradeable equipment and artifacts may be purchased from other players.
Special Stores
Trade Bars, campaign currencies and other specialty vendors can provide additional options.
You Do Not Need Best-in-Slot Everything
Build with what you have. A properly balanced character using good obtainable equipment is far more useful than an unfinished build waiting for one rare item. Upgrade gradually and replace pieces as better options become available.
Gear Changes — Understanding It Lasts
New modules regularly introduce new equipment, weapons and artifacts. Individual best-in-slot recommendations may change, but the way you evaluate an item remains the same.
Look at your role, your current stats, the equipment bonus, the conditions required to activate it and how the item interacts with the rest of your build.
When you understand why an item is useful, replacing it later becomes much easier.