I was going to reply to another thread with this, but decided that it probably warrants its own thread.
I'm not going to epeen my street creds for the following information, and why you should take my advice, but suffice it to say that if you recognize the name "Sekkerhund", then you most likely have heard of me and probably trust that I know what I am talking about. Being one of the first successful RvR commanders in the world helps build that kind of knowledge and experience. ;)
Alrighty.
I see people mention this a lot and its finally bugged me enough to make a post:
You do NOT need "PVT" gear to effectively perform out in WvW. In a lot of cases, most cases IMO, using PVT can actually gimp your build and cause you to be less effective to your team in a fight. Whoever started this thing about needing "PVT Exotics" to do well in WvW is an idiot who does not know what they are talking about. Yes, I know exactly "why" they're claiming its the best to wear. They. Are. Wrong.
GSCH does not "zergball" and if you automatically throw yourself into PVT gear, you will find yourself being less effective to your team if you do not run a build that is both comfortable to you and have gear with proper stats that enhance your build. You should wear stats that are appropriate for your build. You should learn to play your build (that comes with time and practice). If you feel that your build is not working for you, then change it and play with it until it does. If you don't know to what's a good build that might fit you, ask somebody, if you don't know anyone to ask, feel welcome to ask me. If its a class that I don't have experience with, I probably know someone to refer you to. You can make a post here on the family boards and many folks will be happy to help (plus it will help others).
Ok, so by "build", I mean the full package: Traits, Runes, Sigils and Stats. Build for your style of play and what feels comfortable to you, there is no "one size fits all" or "PVT or Die" rule to being successful in any type of combat in this game.
Which reminds me about another myth I keep hearing: There is NO difference between "Heavy", "Medium" or "Light" armor. They're just different skins. They all have the exact same stats. Your character's armor, hitpoints, etc. are all based on the "Prefix" type of your gear and your Class (base class stats, traits, utility skills, etc).
edit: I was wrong with the above and need to research something, then come back and revisit it. I made the mistake of going by something I'd assumed without testing the numbers, first.
If you want to know where to start and figure things out on your own: Experiment with gear and builds in the sPVP zone (Heart of the Mists). Its all free and you don't have to waste your gold buying gear and it will give you a good feel for what works best. I'm not a fan of it, since it doesn't allow me to customize a hybrid build, but I'm at a more advanced level and looking for different things our of my characteers. But for a basic point to begin, sPVP is a great way to find and test your WvW builds.
edit #2: "PVT" = Power, Vitality Toughness stats, aka Soldier prefix. Its considered to be the highest defensive stats for gear that you can get in the game. Power affects your direct damage. Vitality affects your maximum health and Toughness affects your armor. (click stat names for in-depth info)
» Edited on: 2013-06-13 03:31:58