Guild Wars 2 Legendary weapons look awesome, but largely remain a mystery

It's been about a month since the launch of Guild Wars 2 which for many MMOs, marks the deciding time as to whether or not players continue playing. As we've learned, however, Guild Wars 2 isn't like most games. There remains much to be explored and discovered in the world of Tyria, even after a month of playing — at least for me anyway. One such thing, which largely remains a mystery, is Legendary Weapons in Guild Wars 2.

What are they? More importantly, how do you go about getting one? In most MMOs, you can acquire Legendary Weapons by repeatedly running instances and hoping for drops. While it is somewhat similar in Guild Wars 2, there's far much more to acquiring one. ArenaNet has described Legendary Weapons as "the end result of an epic adventure in Guild Wars 2" which requires you to travel all over, collecting items and amassing the necessary materials.

In a post today, Guild Wars 2 lead designer Isaiah Cartwright discussed the concept of Legendary Weapons as well the basics of how to craft one. What you won't see is the exact guide because ArenaNet has decided to keep the recipe a mystery for the community to figure out.

Let me explain some of the process. It all starts with a base weapon—these are the extremely rare exotic weapons. Once you’ve obtained your base weapon, you’ll need to present gifts to Zommoros, a powerful djinn who lives in Lion’s Arch. These gifts come from all over Tyria, and you’ll need different ones depending on what Legendary Weapon you’re trying to craft, so be ready to do some exploring.

From there, you’ll need to collect ore, wood, and high-level trophies. You’ll complete dungeons, battle in World vs. World, collect karma, and visit the Temple of Balthazar. Once you collect all of the necessary gifts, materials, and karma, you’re ready to craft your Legendary Weapon.

"…if you want some hints, many players have been posting their progress on forums," Cartwright said. "You’ll begin to see some ambitious players wielding Legendary weapons in game very soon. If you’re more the figure-it-out-yourself type, you can finds hints as to how to craft your weapon in almost every area of Guild Wars 2—WvW, dungeons, dynamic events, crafting, and more—so keep your eyes peeled."

So what's the purpose of a Legendary Weapon? Well, for one they show off your accomplishments. As the pinnacle of weaponry in Guild Wars 2, Legendary Weapons let you change your character's footprints, projectiles, slash effects, and much more.

"They’re designed to stand out and show everyone that you are a true master of Guild Wars 2," Cartwright concluded. ArenaNet will continue to talk about Legendary Weapons on blog posts, but don't expect anything more than a tease.