With the November update – The Lost Shores, ArenaNet will introduce the first Ascended items. This new rarity type falls between Exotic and Legendary items with slightly higher stats than Exotics. There are two ways to acquire Ascended items:
- Through the new dungeon Fractals of the Mists (Ascended Rings)
- Through special Mystic Forge recipes (Ascended items worn on the back )
The stats and functionality normally added to gear through upgrade components are actually built into Ascended items. Instead of upgrade slots, Ascended gear has Infusion slots, and rarer versions of the items also come with additional Agony Resistance built into them.
Infusions are a new type of Upgrade Component that will be introduced with Ascended Gear. They can be slotted into special Infusion slots on the gear and can be acquired in the Mystic Forge. Their purpose is to build resistance against Agony damage – a new monster condition. This condition ticks percentages of player health away and can’t be cleansed by normal means. The players will face Agony damage in the Fractals of the Mists dungeon for the first time.
There are multiple types of Infusions and Infusion slots. In November, we’ll introduce Offensive, Defensive, and Omni Infusions of Fine rarity from new Mystic Forge recipes. Infusion upgrade types must be paired with their like slot, with the exception of the rare and versatile Omni Infusions which can be slotted into any type of Infusion slot.