Salvaging Items in Guild Wars
Originally Published by Freyas
Overview
You can buy salvage kits from outfitters which can be found in nearly every town or outpost. These kits can be used to break down the items that you'll find while exploring into their basic components, which you can then use to craft new equipment from them. The salvaging system is very useful, both in acquiring materials for crafting new armor and weapons, and also in managing your inventory during long stretches away from civilization. In addition, as you kill enemies, you'll acquire many items with the description "salvage item". These items have no real use in game, but if you salvage them, you can acquire materials that can otherwise be difficult to find.
This Outfitter sells two different types of Salvage Kits! What is the difference?
There are two different types of salvage kits that you can buy. There are Basic Salvage Kits, which are sold throughout the game, and Expert Salvage Kits, which are available after you've reached the Shiverpeak Mountains. In general, the output from salvaging an item with either kit is the same- if a long sword salvages for 2 iron with a normal kit, chances are if you salvage another long sword from the same area using an expert kit, you'll still get 2 iron. However, there are some instances where using an expert kit can provide much better results.
When should I use an Expert Salvage Kit instead of a Basic Salvage Kit?
Expert Salvage Kits can be used to acquire item upgrades from some items that you may find. As you collect items, you may see some items that have special modifiers. Some are listed in the name, such as a Firey Long Sword of Enchanting, which will make the sword deal fire damage as well as make your enchantments last longer when you cast them. Other modifiers aren't listed, but if you hold your mouse over the weapon, it will list a bonus, such as "damage +7%(while in a stance)". If you use a Basic Salvage Kit on one of these items, you'll still acquire iron or wood from salvaging this sword. However, if you use an Expert Salvage Kit, you have a chance to salvage an upgrade item that you can use to add one of these modifiers to another weapon. In the case of a Firey Long Sword of Enchanting, if you salvage it using an expert salvage kit, you have a chance to salvage a Firey Sword Hilt, which you can use to make a different sword deal fire damage, or you can sometimes get a Sword Pommel of Enchanting, which you can use to upgrade a different sword so that sword will increase the duration on your enchantments.
In addition to weapon upgrades, creature armors, which are described as "salvage items", can yield runes, which you can use to upgrade your armors. Most runes will increase the level of an attribute, though some runes can add other bonuses. For a listing of the different types of runes that you can get, check out this page.
Most items have some rare materials that they can salvage into, as well. In order to get these rare materials, you will generally need to use an Expert Salvage Kit. For example, an item that normally salvages into iron will occasionally yield steel when you salvage them with an Expert Salvage Kit. The likelyhood of getting a rare salvage when using an Expert Salvage kit is fairly small, but increases as you progress in the game. However, for several materials, the only way to obtain them is by using an Expert Salvage Kit.
How many crafting materials will I get for salvaging an item?
Each item will only give you one type of material when you salvage the item. However, the quantity of materials you recieve from salvaging an item depends on the level of the creature that the item came from. Most items from the early areas in the game will only yield 1-2 of a material when you salvage the item, while as you progress in the game, the amount of material that you will salvage from an item increases. An item from a level 1 creature will usually yield 1 material, while if you salvage an item dropped by a level 10 creature, you will generally recieve 2-3 of a material. Items from higher level monsters also tend to be more likely to salvage into rare crafting materials.
An item I found says that it's "highly salvageable". What does that mean?
Highly salvageable items are items that are more likely to give larger amounts of materials or higher quality of materials when you salvage the item. If the item was dropped by a high-level monster, it is generally worthwhile to use an Expert Salvage Kit on these items, as you have a high chance of salvaging rare crafting materials from these items.
I've salvaged a weapon or armor upgrade- how do I use it to upgrade my equipment?
After salvaging an item with an expert salvage kit to obtain an item upgrade, you can visit a crafter to add that upgrade item to the weapon or armor that you wish to upgrade. Swords, Axes, Hammers, and Staves can all be upgraded using their associated upgrade components, and all armors can be upgraded. However, each item can only have one upgrade for each upgrade slot. A sword can recieve both hilt and pommel upgrades, but you can't add a second hilt to a sword that already has a hilt upgrade. There is no way to remove an upgrade from an item, so if the item you wish to add your component to already has something in that upgrade slot, you won't be able to add your upgrade.
To use a weapon or armor upgrade, you can simply visit a crafter, which you'll find in the different towns as well as other places around the world. At the top of the menu, there's a tab labeled "upgrade". Once you enter the Upgrade window, there will be a place to select which item you wish to upgrade. Once you have selected the item you wish to upgrade, if there are any slots available on that item, boxes will appear in the menu for you to select which upgrade component you wish to use. For example, if you wish to add a Firey Sword Hilt to your Long Sword of Enchanting, you'll select the Long Sword of Enchanting as the item you wish to upgrade. Once this is selected, a slot will show up for you to select the sword hilt that you wish to upgrade the item. You can simply drag the Firey Sword Hilt into that slot, and click the "Upgrade" button. It will cost you one gold, and your Long Sword of Enchanting will now be a Firey Long Sword of Enchanting. If no slot shows up after you've selected the item that you wish to upgrade, that indicates that there are no possible upgrade slots on that weapon. Thus, since a Firey Long Sword of enchanting has both a Firey Sword Hilt and a Sword Pommel of Enchanting already in use, you will no longer be able to add upgrades to this item.
How do I tell if the weapon I'm using already has an upgrade?
If there is an extra modifier on the weapon, that means that the weapon has at least one upgrade. In order to tell what upgrade slots are left to improve that weapon, you can take the weapon to the crafter, and select it in the upgrade menu. When the item is selected, it will give you the opportunity to add upgrades to any open slots that that weapon has. By seeing what you can use to upgrade, you can see which upgrade slots are in use and which ones are open. If you select a Firey Long Sword, it will give you the option to upgrade with a Sword Pommel, meaning that the weapon is currently upgraded with a Sword Hilt. Likewise, if you select a Long Sword of Enchanting, you will have the option to add a Sword Hilt to the weapon, meaning that the weapon is currently upgraded with a Sword Pommel. This can be useful in finding out if you want to attempt to salvage the upgrade from a weapon to fill a slot in your current weapon, since if the upgrade you wish to add to your weapon takes a slot that you're already using on your current weapon, you will not be able to add that upgrade.
What slots are there available for upgrading my armors and weapons?
The different weapon types have different upgrades available to them.
Swords: Sword Hilt, Sword Pommel
Axes: Axe Grip, Axe Haft
Hammers: Hammer Grip, Hammer Haft
Staves: Staff Head, Staff Wrapping
In addition, all armors have one slot which you can use to add a rune.
How do I get my upgrade items back?
The only way to get an upgrade item from a piece of equipment that you have is by using an Expert Salvage Kit. When you salvage the item using an Expert Salvage Kit, you have a chance of retrieving one upgrade component from that item. However, you will not always retrieve your upgrade items after salvaging the equipment, so it can be wise to not use good upgrade items in equipment that you do not plan on using for long.
You can buy salvage kits from outfitters which can be found in nearly every town or outpost. These kits can be used to break down the items that you'll find while exploring into their basic components, which you can then use to craft new equipment from them. The salvaging system is very useful, both in acquiring materials for crafting new armor and weapons, and also in managing your inventory during long stretches away from civilization. In addition, as you kill enemies, you'll acquire many items with the description "salvage item". These items have no real use in game, but if you salvage them, you can acquire materials that can otherwise be difficult to find.
This Outfitter sells two different types of Salvage Kits! What is the difference?
There are two different types of salvage kits that you can buy. There are Basic Salvage Kits, which are sold throughout the game, and Expert Salvage Kits, which are available after you've reached the Shiverpeak Mountains. In general, the output from salvaging an item with either kit is the same- if a long sword salvages for 2 iron with a normal kit, chances are if you salvage another long sword from the same area using an expert kit, you'll still get 2 iron. However, there are some instances where using an expert kit can provide much better results.
When should I use an Expert Salvage Kit instead of a Basic Salvage Kit?
Expert Salvage Kits can be used to acquire item upgrades from some items that you may find. As you collect items, you may see some items that have special modifiers. Some are listed in the name, such as a Firey Long Sword of Enchanting, which will make the sword deal fire damage as well as make your enchantments last longer when you cast them. Other modifiers aren't listed, but if you hold your mouse over the weapon, it will list a bonus, such as "damage +7%(while in a stance)". If you use a Basic Salvage Kit on one of these items, you'll still acquire iron or wood from salvaging this sword. However, if you use an Expert Salvage Kit, you have a chance to salvage an upgrade item that you can use to add one of these modifiers to another weapon. In the case of a Firey Long Sword of Enchanting, if you salvage it using an expert salvage kit, you have a chance to salvage a Firey Sword Hilt, which you can use to make a different sword deal fire damage, or you can sometimes get a Sword Pommel of Enchanting, which you can use to upgrade a different sword so that sword will increase the duration on your enchantments.
In addition to weapon upgrades, creature armors, which are described as "salvage items", can yield runes, which you can use to upgrade your armors. Most runes will increase the level of an attribute, though some runes can add other bonuses. For a listing of the different types of runes that you can get, check out this page.
Most items have some rare materials that they can salvage into, as well. In order to get these rare materials, you will generally need to use an Expert Salvage Kit. For example, an item that normally salvages into iron will occasionally yield steel when you salvage them with an Expert Salvage Kit. The likelyhood of getting a rare salvage when using an Expert Salvage kit is fairly small, but increases as you progress in the game. However, for several materials, the only way to obtain them is by using an Expert Salvage Kit.
How many crafting materials will I get for salvaging an item?
Each item will only give you one type of material when you salvage the item. However, the quantity of materials you recieve from salvaging an item depends on the level of the creature that the item came from. Most items from the early areas in the game will only yield 1-2 of a material when you salvage the item, while as you progress in the game, the amount of material that you will salvage from an item increases. An item from a level 1 creature will usually yield 1 material, while if you salvage an item dropped by a level 10 creature, you will generally recieve 2-3 of a material. Items from higher level monsters also tend to be more likely to salvage into rare crafting materials.
An item I found says that it's "highly salvageable". What does that mean?
Highly salvageable items are items that are more likely to give larger amounts of materials or higher quality of materials when you salvage the item. If the item was dropped by a high-level monster, it is generally worthwhile to use an Expert Salvage Kit on these items, as you have a high chance of salvaging rare crafting materials from these items.
I've salvaged a weapon or armor upgrade- how do I use it to upgrade my equipment?
After salvaging an item with an expert salvage kit to obtain an item upgrade, you can visit a crafter to add that upgrade item to the weapon or armor that you wish to upgrade. Swords, Axes, Hammers, and Staves can all be upgraded using their associated upgrade components, and all armors can be upgraded. However, each item can only have one upgrade for each upgrade slot. A sword can recieve both hilt and pommel upgrades, but you can't add a second hilt to a sword that already has a hilt upgrade. There is no way to remove an upgrade from an item, so if the item you wish to add your component to already has something in that upgrade slot, you won't be able to add your upgrade.
To use a weapon or armor upgrade, you can simply visit a crafter, which you'll find in the different towns as well as other places around the world. At the top of the menu, there's a tab labeled "upgrade". Once you enter the Upgrade window, there will be a place to select which item you wish to upgrade. Once you have selected the item you wish to upgrade, if there are any slots available on that item, boxes will appear in the menu for you to select which upgrade component you wish to use. For example, if you wish to add a Firey Sword Hilt to your Long Sword of Enchanting, you'll select the Long Sword of Enchanting as the item you wish to upgrade. Once this is selected, a slot will show up for you to select the sword hilt that you wish to upgrade the item. You can simply drag the Firey Sword Hilt into that slot, and click the "Upgrade" button. It will cost you one gold, and your Long Sword of Enchanting will now be a Firey Long Sword of Enchanting. If no slot shows up after you've selected the item that you wish to upgrade, that indicates that there are no possible upgrade slots on that weapon. Thus, since a Firey Long Sword of enchanting has both a Firey Sword Hilt and a Sword Pommel of Enchanting already in use, you will no longer be able to add upgrades to this item.
How do I tell if the weapon I'm using already has an upgrade?
If there is an extra modifier on the weapon, that means that the weapon has at least one upgrade. In order to tell what upgrade slots are left to improve that weapon, you can take the weapon to the crafter, and select it in the upgrade menu. When the item is selected, it will give you the opportunity to add upgrades to any open slots that that weapon has. By seeing what you can use to upgrade, you can see which upgrade slots are in use and which ones are open. If you select a Firey Long Sword, it will give you the option to upgrade with a Sword Pommel, meaning that the weapon is currently upgraded with a Sword Hilt. Likewise, if you select a Long Sword of Enchanting, you will have the option to add a Sword Hilt to the weapon, meaning that the weapon is currently upgraded with a Sword Pommel. This can be useful in finding out if you want to attempt to salvage the upgrade from a weapon to fill a slot in your current weapon, since if the upgrade you wish to add to your weapon takes a slot that you're already using on your current weapon, you will not be able to add that upgrade.
What slots are there available for upgrading my armors and weapons?
The different weapon types have different upgrades available to them.
Swords: Sword Hilt, Sword Pommel
Axes: Axe Grip, Axe Haft
Hammers: Hammer Grip, Hammer Haft
Staves: Staff Head, Staff Wrapping
In addition, all armors have one slot which you can use to add a rune.
How do I get my upgrade items back?
The only way to get an upgrade item from a piece of equipment that you have is by using an Expert Salvage Kit. When you salvage the item using an Expert Salvage Kit, you have a chance of retrieving one upgrade component from that item. However, you will not always retrieve your upgrade items after salvaging the equipment, so it can be wise to not use good upgrade items in equipment that you do not plan on using for long.
MMO Guru Network
