What gear do you recommend for an Ascendent?

[Verde]

Options are good. Pls and thk u.

[Dorftek]

Singleclass? In wich case I'd use gear with special attacks that would help you fill focus quicker such as Rakhan Fieldboots, WOTEP, Kitchen stove, Stalkers Patience etc etc.

[Verde]

Yep single class.

[Haplok]

As above. Plus probably Red Hand as the main weapon (avoid vessel destroying upgrade, as it provides no focus).

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

For the first 12 levels or so, red hand and a quarterstaff for your weapons, miscreants leather, acinas tricorn, baubles of the Finn, ring of the marksman, kuaru"s prize, the great escape cape, boots of the stone, gauntlets of ogre power / burglary gloves depending.

After that switch to kitchen stove with the thunderous report enchant and whatever other unique pistols and blundys float your boat.

 

edit: now that i'm not on my phone a little clarity --

 

Up to level 12 or so you can easily max your focus quickly by using a normal arquebus / red hand , with a quarterstaff as your "ranged" alternate damage type (crushing). 

 

Past about level 12-14 though you stop being able to max out your focus meter quickly with the Red Hand and  you need AOE damage or multi-hit damage to do it. That means the kitchen stove/thunderous report and that means you need to respec from two-handed weapons to dual-wielding. Fortunately by level 12-14 or so you should be able to get some pistols or blundys with alternate damage types (fire in the hole, eccea's arcane blaster, thundercrack) or even a good scepter, so you can just start operating entirely at range. 

 

Escape cape is for when you get pinned in melee and don't want to be.

Edited August 16, 2018 by Dr. Hieronymous Alloy

[Dorftek]

also, is it in solo or supported by a grp with tank n heals?

[Verde]

Not solo

[thundercleese]

For weapon it depends on how much you are wanting to optimise. Frostseeker may not be the optimal weapon choice for all encounters, but for groups it is very effective at filling your focus, providing you have a decent crit rate. The problem with it is consistency; if you don't crit your focus bar will barely move - if you do it will almost always go straight to full.

 

Dr. Hieronymous Alloy's suggestions are all very good. Basically anything that increases accuracy/pen and/or your primary stats.

[Verde]

Thanks all I'll def be on the lookout for these items.

 

Sceptars you say? Which ones do you suggest?

[1TTFFSSE]

Weapon: From the time you get to Nekataka to about level 15/16 The Red Hand and Essence Interrupter/Aamina's Legacy (vs pierce immune) will carry. 

My endgame layout on weapons would be something like Thundercrack+Kitchenstove (instant focus refill attack weapons) in slot 1 and in slot 2 the main auto attack weapon 

Main Attack weapon is probably a choice between Aamina's Legacy (Best single target dps), The Red Hand (best penetration), or Frostseeker (kind of a generalist weapon for all situations)

 

Or you can get giftbearer's cloth and the xtra weapon slot talent or fleshmender and load up 4 weapon slots with a bunch of firearms like Scordeo's/ Kitchen Stove, Ecea's , Xefa's, Dire in the Hole and try to never reload in combat but cycle through them. Should work really well given that you have thunderous report to mac focus 1/encounter and another backup in the Thundercrack Pistol. Ranged weapons work with Rakhan Field boots ability too. 

 

Acina'a Tricorn, Marksman Ring and Kuaru's Prize are standard. 

For robes armor probably miscreant's and maybe the high harbinger robes later

With Sharpshooters garb you reload a bit faster with The Red Hand but I don't think it beats the +10% damage from the high harbinger robes.

 

Everything else is taste. I guess precognition amulet is great on hearth orlan. otherwise Orishia is also a good choice. 

[MaxQuest]

Options are good. Pls and thk u.

Everything Dr. Hieronymous Alloy and 1TTFFSSE said. Plus would add about early-mid game focus generation:

The Red Hand is great, but it doesn't benefit from those -85% recovery time, when opening from stealth.

 

I would recommend making the first 2 shots from another heavy-hitting weapon (arquebus, arbalest, rod, hunting bow).

It especially plays good with a rod with modal on. So it goes:

1. attack with rod (from stealth; short recovery)

2. attack with rod

3. quick switch

4. attack with red hand (no reload yet)

5. attack with red hand

 

This way you start the fight with 4 shots made in very short time.

And even a mundane rod will work (whose modal aoe is also increased by Aloth's Armor and Ring of Overseeing; which you do get way before the main equipment)

But will also advice to take a look at Amira's Wing, which is great for 2 reasons:

1. you can get it early and it already comes in superb quality.

2. it has 3 per-rest wind spells: Hylean Squal, Wilting Wind and Winter Wind (it is missing from tooltip; but you get it too). And these effects are great because... they generate focus, and their damage for some reason is also increased by weapon quality. Dealing 100 raw damage with Wilting Wind in 6m aoe (and getting that much focus) is.. nice.

Edited August 17, 2018 by MaxQuest

[Haplok]

An interesting idea. But there is one issue with that. Firearms have the huge, often overlooked advantage of having no recovery. They do have reload but you can immediately interrupt it if you want to cast spells or use items.

In case of double rod modal attack, you'd be stuck in a long recovery (or weapon switch) animation after the second shot. This is particularly bad for an Ascendant who wants to spam spells ASAP when ascended.

 

This is another reason I prefer Red Hand, pistols or mortars to hunting bows or Frostseeker.

Edited August 17, 2018 by Haplok