Questions on energy boosters, longspear gear and more

How do I use the energy boosters or whatever GW calls them: frost / cold artifact and divine symbol all give +3/4/5 energy. How do you use them?

I have a hammer that has in the description “damage +15 (while in a stance)”. So if I use frenzy which lasts for 8 seconds, then for 8 seconds the damage is 15 higher than normal? It makes sense except when I use Frenzy, the character doesn't actually stand in a different way which is why I'm asking. Also in the description it says “Health +10”. So does that mean while I'm fighting and using it, health is 10 higher or do I just have to have it equipped (I could have it equipped but I'm attacking with a magical skill instead) or do I just have to have it in my inventory?

How do I use grawl longspear / shaman gear? I see the description is “craft materials and upgrade components”. I'm a warrior and I will be a ranger too. Can I use these to make things and upgrade my armor? How?

Is there anywhere I can put stuff that I think I might need later, but I have no use for it now? For example, I've got several of these energy boosters and a few longspear / shaman gear. They're taking up space in my inventory, but if they'll be useful later, I'd like to keep them so I'd like to put them somewhere.

1. open ur inventory, click weapon sets, it let u equip 4 differnet sets of weapons, put usual weapon in set 1, energy boost item in set 2, then switch between from set 1 to set 2 for energy boost.

2. yes, if a skill says "stance", u will be in that stance if u use it, and u will get damage boost from items with "+damage % while in stance", and yes equip item to get the health boost

3. those are monster drops, salvage them for material or sell to merch, they have no big use.

4. find "storage" in town, and click it, it's extra space, for ur acc.

enjoy the game

Sounds like you are in Pre-searing still. That is the tutorial section, and there is no storage there. If everything still looks green and pretty when you go outside, you are in Pre-searing still. If it is all burnt and ugly, you are not in Pre-searing, and you can find storage in any town.

The energy boosters are generally referred to as foci (singular: focus). These are equipped in the shield slot, and they only give you the energy bonus when they're visible in your hand. They do not give you the energy bonus if you're using a two-handed weapon at the same time (like a hammer or staff).

The description "damage +15% (while in a stance)" means that you will do 15% more damage with this weapon while in a stance. Although a stance would imply that you're standing in a different way, your character just stands the normal way and you get an icon in your effects monitor that shows you the stance you're using and how much longer it will last. The extra 15% damage only applies to the damage you do with that weapon though; it won't increase the damage of anything else like spells while you're holding the weapon. The "health +10" on the weapon is always active, as long as you have the weapon equipped and visible in your hands (so the health bonus will still apply if you're casting spells with that weapon equipped).

To "use" things like longspear gear and shaman gear, you can't use them to directly upgrade your armor. What you can do with them though, is to buy a salvage kit and then use the salvage kit on them to turn them into crafting materials. You will need crafting materials later in the game to make better armor. Also, later in the game you will come across similar gear dropped from enemies that are blue, purple or gold. These armor drops contain runes and/or insignias - you can use an expert salvage kit to extract these runes/insignias and use them to upgrade your own armor.

There is somewhere you can put stuff that you might need for later. After you leave the tutorial area you will come across a new type of NPC in towns - the Xunlai Agent. This NPC will let you open a personal vault where you can store things for later use. The vault can also be used to transfer items and gold between all of the characters on your game account.

Equip them. If you've got a one-handed weapon equipped, you'll get an energy bonus from them.

While under the effects of Frenzy, you'll do 15% more damage. While in a stance, you don't stand differently, alas. You're just 'in a stance' - Frenzy will be on your effects monitor (top-left corner by default).

You need to have an item equipped to get any bonuses from it.

Xunlai Storage vaults. It seems as though you're in pre-Searing, the 'tutorial' area. When you leave it (Ascalon will be all nuked) look for Xunlai agents in cities to open storage.

The energy-boosting artifacts you might as well just sell to the merchant, you will get stronger ones later easily. The Grawl gears you can't use, but can salvage (buy a Salvage Kit from a merchant) to get materials from them.

What about a shield with an armor rating of 4 but it also says "armor +5 while health is above 50%". Does that mean the armor rating is 9 while health is over 50%? That would make sense except it's a crappy looking shield and I have another one that looks much better but the armor rating is only 5. I'm guessing that "armor +5" means something else like +5% maybe. That means the armor rating would be just over 4 not 9.

Nope, armor +5 means exactly that. So that shield will give you 9 armor while your health is above 50% and 4 armor when it falls below half.

If you are in a party with other people, use the cool looking one. If you are just by yourself use the 4+5 shield. haha, jk.

If you want to be real detailed with your equipment, you can place your 4+5 shield in wep slot 1, and the +5 shield in wep slot 2 with the same one handed wep, then when you drop below 50% health then switch to wep set 2. However that small difference will make little difference at this stage.

Also at this stage, the +15% damage is only a %age of damage not +15 damage. So if you hammer does 10 damage, you are maybe only getting +1 or +2 damage per hit when you are in stance. When you get stronger weapons later in the game, this will matter more.

The armors that drop are unusable other than to either sell or salvage for materials or runes. Id say salvage them for now to save up some materials for soon later when you can craft armor, and sell all other stuff that doesnt effect your class. All armors are customized to your character, you cannot use other people's or other characters armors.

Well sounds like you are having fun in presearing, again explore around and enjoy.

To the other posters. Nuked?? what are you talking about, ascalon always stays pretty! (shhhhhhhh!)

I see no difference while holding the energy booster. I thought the idea was that you could be holding something in both hands during a fight, and when your energy goes down, you change to a different weapon slot, the energy is quickly restored, and you change back to the previous weapon slot. While holding an energy booster, I cast a necromancer spell on a skale that drained his health. My energy restored at the same rate it would have if I hadn't been holding anything. I even attacked another skale while not holding anything, so I could compare the 2, and I see no difference. So what am I not doing? I thought it was automatic and all you had to do was hold it.

You only get the energy while you're actually holding the item, when you unequip the +energy item the energy goes away as well

Urgh, you're getting confused >.<
The energy +5 focus will always work, when you're wielding it, you will have 5 more energy than you get normally. If you swap it out, your total energy will drop.
So, if you have 20 current, and 20 maximum energy without wearing anything.
> Equip +5 energy focus
Now you have 25 current and 25 maximum.
When in battle and you swap to a + energy mod, you will gain energy, but only total energy.
So you might have 5 current, 20 max energy.
> Equip +5 energy focus
Now you have 10 current energy out of 25 max.

You see how it works? I get where your theory's coming from, but I don't know how to explain it any thoroughly than that :/

Well if you have a 2 handed wep (hammer) and have the off-hand (booster) in the other hand with a circle-slash through it, you wont get benefit from it.

If you are a warrior for example you have energy of 20, if you have a sword equipped with the off-hand (booster) in the other hand with +4 E and without requirements, you will have 24 Energy. Now you have a pool of 24 energy to play with. If you use all the energy and now have 0, and remove the off-hand, you technically have -4 Energy and have to wait a bit for the Energy to start regenerating in the visible range.

If on the otherhand you have a sword with a shield and you have 20 Energy, use all the energy and get to 0 Energy, and then switch to the wep with offhand set with +4 Energy, you will instantly have 4 energy, since your pool of Energy is now 24 not 20.

If you are still in presearing, you for the most part wont have to worry about requirements for weps. But later in the game if there is a requirement of, lets say 6 death magic, and the off hand gives +8 Energy, you may only see half or less of that in you energy bar, you only can see the full benefit from the inherent stats if you meet the requirements. I wont get into modifications until later.

Hope it cleared it up a bit. If still confused, I hope i didnt make it worse.

It doesn't increase your energy regen rate, it just gives you some emergency energy. The idea is you swap back down after the fight is over.

Ok, I see what it does now, but wouldn't that mainly be useful to a profession that uses magic? If you're an elementalist, for example, you'll have more energy to cast spells with. I'm a warrior - ranger so I have a shield in one hand and a sword or axe in the other. I understand I could have a sword in 1 hand and the energy booster in the other and increase my energy but I'm wondering if that would really be practical. Currently, only 2 of my melee skills uses energy: cyclone axe and frenzy. The rest use adrenaline. Maybe I'll find a reason to increase my energy later. For now, I'll keep my shield in my left hand. Thanks.

Yeah, almost all warriors you find will be using a shield, while casters use focuses+sword/wand, or staves.

I've actually never heard of a warrior using a focus. You shouldn't need more than 25 energy. You could easily get that +5 energy from a +5 energy sword/axe.