Route

This route is designed for real players, not spreadsheet robots. It works whether you’re gearing your first level 80, rebuilding after a long break, or optimizing a raid-ready character. Follow it in order and you’ll avoid 90% of common “my build feels off” problems.

Step 1 — Decide your job in one sentence

Before you look at a single rune or relic, write one sentence:

• “I deal power damage in group PvE.”
• “I deal condition damage and bring a bit of utility.”
• “I provide quickness/alacrity with decent damage.”
• “I heal and keep boons up.”
• “I roam in WvW and win 1v1/1v2 fights.”
• “I play PvP and need burst + disengage.”

If you can’t describe your job in one sentence, your upgrades will be random—and random upgrades feel bad.

Step 2 — Choose your damage type or support type

Relics and runes become simple when you commit to a lane:

• Power lane: you care about strike damage, crit chance, ferocity scaling, and burst windows.
• Condition lane: you care about condition duration (expertise), condition application rate, and sustained uptime.
• Boon DPS lane: you care about boon duration (concentration) plus doing meaningful damage.
• Healer lane: you care about healing power, concentration, and defensive tools.
• Bruiser/roamer lane: you care about survivability, mobility, and reliable win conditions.

Don’t try to be “a little bit of everything” until you already have one strong baseline build.

Step 3 — Set your core stat goal (this picks your gear and stabilizes rune choices)

Runes amplify a stat plan; they don’t replace it. Pick the stat goal that fits your lane:

• Power DPS stat goal: reach comfortable crit chance, then scale damage through power/ferocity.
• Condition DPS stat goal: reach strong condition duration (often by mixing expertise into gear), then scale damage through condition damage and application uptime.
• Boon DPS stat goal: hit the boon duration you need for your role, then maximize damage with whatever remains.
• Healer stat goal: hit boon duration first (so you can actually maintain boons), then stack healing power and survivability.
• Roamer stat goal: pick a survivability baseline (health/armor/evades), then add enough damage to finish fights before you run out of cooldowns.

Once your stat lane is chosen, runes become “which set best supports my stat plan?”

Step 4 — Pick your rune set by answering one question: “What stat am I missing?”

In the relic era, many players overthink runes. Don’t.

Runes typically give:

• a bundle of core offensive stats (power/precision/ferocity)
• or a bundle of condition stats (condition damage/expertise)
• or concentration/healing bundles
• or defensive bundles (toughness/vitality)
• sometimes movement speed or other practical bonuses

So your rune choice is usually:

• “I need more damage stats.”
• “I need more boon duration.”
• “I need more sustain/defense.”
• “I need a hybrid bundle that fits my role.”

Practical rune picking method

1. Look at your build and identify your biggest weakness:

• Are you failing to crit consistently?
• Are your conditions falling off too quickly?
• Are your boons not stable?
• Are you too squishy?

1. Choose a rune set that targets that weakness.
2. Only after that, worry about “best-in-slot.”

Step 5 — Pick a relic that matches your trigger and your rhythm

Relics are where your build gets personality. The easiest way to choose a relic is to match it to what you naturally do often.

Most relic effects trigger from one of these categories:

• On-hit / on-crit / on-strike patterns (great for steady DPS)
• On skill use patterns (elite skill, heal skill, utility skill, weapon skill with cooldown)
• On boon application / on support actions (great for supports and healers)
• On disable / on breakbar damage (great for group PvE and control-heavy builds)
• On kill / on down / on finisher (great for open world farming or certain PvP/WvW styles)
• On movement actions (dodging, shadowsteps, leaps—great for roamers)

Relic matching rule

If your relic requires a trigger you do awkwardly, it will feel weak even if it’s “meta.”

Choose triggers you already perform naturally.

Step 6 — Build around a “main moment”

Great builds have a main moment:

• Power builds often have a burst window (big cooldowns aligned).
• Condi builds often have a ramp-up into sustained pressure.
• Supports often have a boon refresh rhythm.
• Roamers often have a catch and punish moment (CC into damage, then disengage).

Pick a relic that strengthens your main moment, not one that adds a random extra effect.

Step 7 — Test in the right environment

A build can feel amazing in open world and fall apart in structured fights, and vice versa. Test where you actually play:

• Open world test: can you kill packs quickly, survive unexpected hits, and tag enemies reliably?
• Group PvE test: can you maintain uptime on the boss and contribute to breakbars or support goals?
• PvP test: can you win the first trade and also survive the second trade?
• WvW test: can you function under pressure and not crumble to focused burst?

Relic and rune changes should be tested against the content you do most.

Step 8 — Lock in a “starter library” of combos

Instead of reinventing your upgrades for every character, build a small reusable library:

• One power DPS rune + relic combo
• One condi DPS rune + relic combo
• One boon DPS rune + relic combo
• One healer/support rune + relic combo
• One roamer rune + relic combo (if you WvW/PvP)

Once you have this library, gearing new characters becomes fast and painless.

Practical examples you can copy as a concept (not a rigid prescription)

Example A — Open World Power “Comfort DPS”

• Rune goal: offensive stats + enough survivability that you don’t faceplant.
• Relic goal: something that triggers reliably during normal combat and doesn’t require perfect timing.
• Why it works: open world rewards consistency, not perfect rotations.

Example B — Group PvE Power DPS

• Rune goal: maximize offensive stats; avoid defensive stats unless the fight demands it.
• Relic goal: improve burst windows or steady strike damage in real boss uptime.
• Why it works: bosses reward damage uptime and clean burst alignment.

Example C — Condition DPS for Events and Bosses

• Rune goal: condition damage + expertise so your conditions last long enough to matter.
• Relic goal: supports your most frequent condition application pattern (your “loop”).
• Why it works: conditions are about sustained pressure and clean maintenance.

Example D — Boon DPS

• Rune goal: concentration-focused rune set or hybrid rune that supports boon uptime.
• Relic goal: supports boon application rhythm or damage during your boon cycle.
• Why it works: boon DPS succeeds by meeting boon requirements first, then scaling damage.

Example E — Healer/Support

• Rune goal: healing + concentration; consistency beats fancy.
• Relic goal: triggers from healing/support actions you do constantly.
• Why it works: healer relics should fire often and predictably, not “sometimes.”

Example F — WvW/PvP Roamer

• Rune goal: defensive baseline plus enough offense to finish.
• Relic goal: triggers on your control, disengage, or sustain pattern.
• Why it works: roamers win by choosing fights and converting advantage quickly.

Loot

“Loot” here means two things:

1. How you obtain runes and relics
2. Which upgrades are actually worth spending on

Relics: what you need to know before you buy anything

• Relics are a distinct equipment type that provides a special passive or triggered combat effect.
• Many relics can be acquired through crafting and trading.
• Some relics are tied to achievements or expansion progress.
• Core relics exist even for players who don’t own the newest expansion features, while expansion-exclusive relics require the relevant expansion.

Practical relic shopping rules

• If you’re still leveling, don’t buy expensive relics early. Relics are a level-60+ style optimization tool, not a level-12 survival fix.
• For your first serious build, choose a relic you can actually access reliably and that fits your content.
• If you change builds often, consider investing toward long-term flexibility (see the extraction section on legendary planning).

Runes: how rune value works after the relic split

After the relic system, runes became more about clean stat packages and consistent tier bonuses, instead of “the whole build is defined by the 6th bonus.”

That’s good for beginners because it makes rune choice easier:

• Most of the time, you’re picking runes for stats and role support, not one special gimmick.

How to obtain runes efficiently

• Trading Post purchases are often the fastest for common rune sets.
• Crafting can be cheaper if you already have materials (or if the rune is commonly crafted).
• Some rune sets come from specific content or vendors, so your best path depends on what you play.

Beginner-safe rune buying strategy

• Buy one full set of runes for your main build.
• Don’t buy five different rune sets “just in case.”
• Only branch out when you have a second build you actually play weekly.

Relic and rune “rarity traps”

In GW2, more expensive doesn’t always mean better for your build.

Common traps:

• Buying a relic because it’s popular, but your build never triggers it reliably.
• Buying a rune set that looks “offensive,” but it pushes you away from critical thresholds you need (like boon duration for support, or duration stats for condi uptime).
• Overpaying for a tiny upgrade when your gear stats are still mismatched.

The most valuable “loot” is flexibility

If you play multiple builds and multiple characters, the real value is being able to swap easily.

High flexibility investments include:

• A small library of rune sets that cover your roles.
• Extra equipment templates for characters you actually use.
• A plan for long-term legendary upgrades if you like buildcrafting and hate repurchasing.

Where the legendary conversation starts

If you love buildcrafting, you’ll eventually hear:

• “Legendary runes are still great quality-of-life.”
• “Legendary relic is the endgame solution for relic swapping.”
• “But legendary relic works differently than other legendary items.”

That’s true—and it matters:

• Legendary upgrades are less about raw power and more about freedom, convenience, and long-term cost reduction.

If you’re not a legendary person yet, skip it for now. If you are, the next section is your map.

Extraction

“Extraction” is how you convert relics and runes into permanent account value instead of a pile of items you keep rebuying.

Extraction goal #1: Stop rebuying the same upgrades

Most players waste gold by repeatedly buying:

• runes for multiple armor sets
• relics for multiple builds
• small upgrades for alts they rarely play

Fix it with this rule:

Only invest deeply in the characters you play weekly.

Make one character excellent, then expand.

Extraction goal #2: Build a reusable upgrade library

Instead of thinking “this character needs its own everything,” think:

• “I have a power kit.”
• “I have a condi kit.”
• “I have a support kit.”

A good upgrade library includes:

• 1–2 rune sets per role
• 1–2 relics per role
• and a clear idea of which character uses which kit

This approach also makes it easier to try new elite specializations or new expansion weapons without rebuilding your entire account every time.

Extraction goal #3: Understand the legendary relic reality

Legendary relic exists and is crafted like other legendary gear—but it has an important difference:

• You typically need to unlock relic effects to use them with the legendary relic (especially as future expansions add new relics).

That means legendary relic is not a magical “I instantly have every future relic forever” button.

It is:

• a powerful quality-of-life tool for swapping among relics you have unlocked
• a long-term goal for players who love buildcrafting and want flexibility

Who should chase legendary relic

• You play multiple builds across multiple characters.
• You change relics often (PvE vs PvP vs WvW, or different boss types).
• You enjoy long-term crafting projects and don’t mind the gradual material commitment.

Who should not rush legendary relic

• You only play one build most of the time.
• You’re still building your first set of ascended gear.
• Your gold is tight and you need immediate power upgrades.

Extraction goal #4: Legendary runes still matter

Even after the relic split, legendary runes remain valuable because:

• you can freely change rune stats without rebuying sets
• it reduces inventory clutter and saves time when you change builds
• it supports long-term account flexibility

If you like switching roles (DPS one day, healer the next), legendary runes are still one of the cleanest quality-of-life upgrades in the game.

Extraction goal #5: Make “thresholds” your buildcraft priority

In GW2 buildcrafting, you often care less about raw stat totals and more about thresholds like:

• “I have enough boon duration to maintain my role.”
• “I have enough expertise that my key conditions last long enough to matter.”
• “I have enough sustain that I can stay on target.”

Runes and relics should help you hit thresholds first, then optimize.

A simple threshold-first extraction plan

1. Solve survivability and role requirements.
2. Then optimize damage or output.
3. Only then chase “perfect best-in-slot.”

This is how your upgrades feel good immediately.

Extraction goal #6: Keep a “swap plan” instead of random experimenting

Experimentation is fun, but random experimentation is expensive.

Do this instead:

• Pick one new relic to test at a time.
• Run it for a full session in real content.
• Decide “keep” or “drop.”
• Only then try the next one.

This prevents the classic loop: buy 4 relics, use none properly, feel broke.

Practical Rules

These rules are blunt because they’re designed to save you gold and frustration.

Rule 1: Choose runes for stats. Choose relics for effects.

If you reverse that, you’ll constantly feel like your build is missing something.

Rule 2: If your relic trigger is awkward, it’s the wrong relic.

A “top tier” relic that you trigger poorly is worse than a “mid” relic you trigger perfectly.

Rule 3: One build must be boring and reliable.

Have one stable “default build” for your main character:

• good survivability
• consistent output
• simple trigger patterns
• Then you can experiment safely without breaking your account’s ability to farm and progress.

Rule 4: Don’t copy relics without copying the rotation logic.

Many relics are powerful only when your build:

• hits specific cooldown timings
• aligns burst windows
• maintains uptime on certain actions
• If you copy the relic but not the rhythm, you won’t feel the power.

Rule 5: In open world, comfort beats perfection.

If you’re dying, your DPS is zero. Use runes and relics that keep you alive long enough to actually play.

Rule 6: In group PvE, reliability beats “cute synergy.”

Boss fights reward:

• uptime
• consistency
• clean breakbar contribution
• Choose relics that work during real uptime, not only on perfect conditions.

Rule 7: In PvP/WvW, assume you won’t get to free-cast.

Relics and runes that require long uninterrupted sequences often underperform in competitive modes. Prioritize:

• defensive triggers
• control triggers
• mobility and sustain synergy

Rule 8: Don’t overspend until your gear stats are correct.

If your gear stats are wrong for your role, upgrading runes/relics is like installing a turbo on a bicycle.

Rule 9: Treat “boon duration” like a job requirement, not a luxury.

If you’re playing a boon role, meet your boon uptime first. Your damage can come later.

Rule 10: Keep your build changes measurable.

When you swap a relic or rune set, ask:

• Did my uptime improve?
• Did my survivability improve?
• Did my burst feel cleaner?
• If you can’t answer, you’re changing too many variables at once.

BoostRoom

If you want relics and runes to feel simple—and you want your build to feel powerful without weeks of guesswork—BoostRoom can help you lock in a clean build plan fast.

BoostRoom is especially useful if you relate to any of these:

• “I copy builds, but mine never feels the same.”
• “I don’t know which relic actually fits my playstyle.”
• “I keep buying rune sets and still feel weak.”
• “I want one build for open world and one for group content, but I’m overwhelmed.”

How BoostRoom helps with relics and runes

• Role clarity first: we help you define your job so your upgrades have a purpose.
• Threshold-first planning: boon duration, condi duration, survivability—handled before expensive optimization.
• Relic selection that matches your rhythm: you get effects you actually trigger naturally.
• Practical testing: how to tell if a change is better in your real content, not just in theory.
• Account-friendly upgrade roadmap: so you stop rebuying upgrades across alts and start building a reusable library.

The goal is not to turn you into a spreadsheet player—the goal is to make your character feel strong, consistent, and fun.

FAQ

Do relics replace runes in GW2?

No. Runes still go in armor and provide structured bonuses (mostly stats). Relics are a separate equipment slot that provides a special combat effect.

Why did my rune “6th bonus” disappear?

Many unique “special effects” that used to be tied to the 6th rune bonus were moved into the relic system. Runes remain, but their role is now more stat-focused and standardized.

Can I use relics in PvP without owning every expansion?

PvP uses a structured build system. Relics are available in the PvP build panel, though expansion ownership can affect what you can use in PvE and how you acquire certain relics outside PvP.

What’s the simplest way to pick a relic as a beginner?

Pick a relic whose trigger matches what you already do constantly (on-hit, on skill use, on support action). Avoid relics that require awkward timing until you’re comfortable.

Do I need legendary relic to be “competitive”?

No. Legendary relic is quality-of-life and flexibility. You can be fully competitive with a normal relic that matches your build.

Are legendary runes still worth it after relics?

Yes, for players who swap builds often. Legendary runes remain a strong account-wide convenience because you can change rune stats freely without rebuying sets.

Why does my build feel worse after changing relics?

Common reasons: the relic trigger doesn’t match your rotation, your build doesn’t maintain uptime to trigger it, or you changed too many things at once and lost a key threshold (boon duration, condi duration, sustain).

Should open-world builds use different runes and relics than raid builds?

Often, yes. Open world rewards survivability and consistency. Raids and organized groups reward optimized output and strict role requirements.

Is it okay to run “defensive” runes on DPS?

In open world and learning environments, absolutely. If defensive runes keep you alive and attacking, they can increase your real damage over time.

How many relics and rune sets should I own?

Start small: one complete setup for your main role. Then expand into a “library” only when you have multiple builds you actually play weekly.