The ultimate goal for most Guild Wars 2 players is to craft their own legendary weapon. This endeavor can take months of farming and careful planning, but the rewards are well worth it: a weapon with the highest stats, the option to change its runes and skins for free, and shared with all characters in your account.
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While these perks make the journey worthwhile, you still have to choose the legendary weapon in question, and with three generations of legendaries, the choice can be tough. Yet not all legendaries share the same qualities; some have added effects, others summon creatures, and there are even weapons that double up as musical instruments. Knowing what you’re working towards is key to making the right choice.
10 Xiuquatl
Introduced in the second generation of legendaries, Xiuquatl has little competition when it comes to scepter legendaries or hard-to-pronounce names. The only other scepter before it, Meteorlogicus, is a bit small when considering its legendary status. Xiuquatl has a more impactful presence without being overtly shiny.
Yet its main feature is the winged serpent familiar that is summoned when the weapon is drawn. It stays above your shoulder, hovering next to you wherever you go. No other weapon summons a creature when drawn, much less on permanent, making Xiuquatl unique, even when compared to all other legendaries.
9 Verdarach
Verdarach has a lot going for it: Subtle when holstered, impactful when drawn, and more uses than just combat. Being a warhorn, Verdarach is limited to be used on the offhand, and while there, it’s barely visible; it’s completely translucid, and even the footfalls you leave are small ghostly clouds, noticeable but not overtly so.
When you draw it, it grows to an enormous size and calls forth ghostly warriors. People will notice you when you call them for battle. Verdarach can also be used as a trumpet when not in a fight, making very real music for anyone to listen to. And among the trumpet skins, Verdarach is still the best choice.
8 Kudzu
If you’re playing the Ranger class, Kudzu must have already caught your eye. A classic for a reason, Kudzu is the perfect companion for nature lovers, letting you leave a flower path wherever you go. It is also a perfect fit for any Sylvari characters since it’s a weapon rooted in their lore.
Even the projectiles are a beauty, marked by a yellow hue and leaving a trail of daisies behind as they fly to their target. This is all without mentioning the centerpiece of the bow, the riser shaped like a Sylvari woman, giving the weapon a very regal look.
7 The Shining Blade
Very few weapons have story connotations in Guild Wars 2, even among legendaries. At least, not that you can equip; Sohothin is a very important weapon in the story, but you can only get a replica. The original is always wielded by Rytlock.
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The only weapon with story relevance you can get is the one awarded by the Knight Of The Thorn achievement, and even then, it’s only of Ascended quality. This is why The Shining Blade is so unique; it is introduced during Living World Season 4, and you actually get to wield it. With such a legendary introduction, you just have to craft it so it remains with you for future adventures.
6 Nevermore
When the second generation of legendaries was introduced, they came with all sorts of side quests telling their stories. While sadly not all of them ended up getting that treatment, Nevermore is one of the lucky ones that did. All others were streamlined with the legendary mastery associated with core Tyria. Nevermore’s story is a heartwarming journey about the importance of Nature and the need for Raven to push his people forward.
The effects and esthetics are all related to the Raven Spirit of the Wild, so if you’re into the Norn stories and mythos this is a great weapon, or even if you’re playing any kind of Necromancer.
5 Chuka And Champawat
The shortbow legendary, Chuka and Champawat, also got the elaborate story treatment of the early second generation legendaries. Without spoiling it too much, you take care of two tiger cubs until they are fully matured, and they follow you in spirit whenever you draw the bow.
Not only is the story of the cubs worth it alone, you also get a backpack skin of a tiger cub hugging your back. And when you shoot this mighty bow, your arrows take the form of tiger spirits ready to pounce at your enemies. For a lot of people, that was an improvement from The Dreamer shooting unicorns, or at least a less silly alternative.
4 The Binding Of Ipos
The focus as a weapon has always been something of an afterthought for players; it could be a chain, maybe ale. It's not something you base your look around. So when making a legendary for that weapon type, you need to make sure that it stands out. And The Binding of Ipos stands out in all the right ways.
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The idea itself is very original: a forbidden arcane book that floats out of being holstered to hover in front of you, arcanely evil pages ready to be read. Your left hand becomes corrupted; a cloudy, massive claw is all that can be seen. Any spell-casting class will feel the power when wielding this jaw-dropping book.
3 Eternity
If you want a single weapon that shows status above all else, you can’t go wrong with one that’s made of two legendary weapons. You see, to make Eternity, you have to combine Twilight and Sunrise, two legendary weapons in their own right, with all the costs associated with them.
The benefit of having Eternity is that during the day, it looks like Sunrise, with its blade showing blue skies and pink-tinted clouds. At night, it becomes Twilight, a black blade with vampire bat wings, showing mysterious red lights within its darkness. The status alone makes Eternity worth it, but combine two of the best visual effects in the game, and you have a show-stopper weapon, to be sure.
2 Exordium
When creating the second generation of legendary weapons, ArenaNet had to at least try to top Eternity when it came to the greatsword. And while it may not have the same level of prestige as a legendary made of two other legendaries, it makes up for it in uniqueness.
Exordium is a blade that transforms to better adapt to the wielder's every move. In gameplay, this means that it transforms visually to better represent its use: If you block, it becomes a shield. If you throw it, it becomes a giant shuriken. There’s even a unique look for pulling enemies over, only done by Necromancers. Every class you use this blade with will feel extremely different from the one before.
1 The Legendary Facets of Aurene
The third generation of legendary weapons did things a bit differently. Instead of a unique theme for each weapon, there’s a unified theme about the Elder Dragon Aurene. While this left players a little disappointed, the weapons themselves were really well-made and came with two new features. The first revealed was a new effect when killing enemies, an explosion that happened every so often.
While nice, that wasn’t the main draw of the third generation; that draw was the ability to unlock variants for your crafted weapon based on each Elder Dragon. Unlocking these variants still requires farming and gold, but not as much as a whole new legendary. Meaning that you could get up to seven legendary looks for the price of a single legendary weapon. That itself is hard to top, and for achievement hunters, getting all the Aurene variants has to be the hardest one to get.
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