Meeeee I have words! I was like you and HUGELY intimidated by the process, which is why it took me from launch to last year to make my first, but it ended up being actually a lot of fun in the end! The collections are fun, and the first iterations of the weapons are hysterical! My personal favorite is this burned up match stick that is the first pre-precursor for Bifrost (which I still should finish crafting):
Stock up on materials you'll need from the get-go and use gw2efficiency for example to check what you need (Wiki is harder to follow imo). Bank/material storage space is gonna be your friend, but you can manage without too!
The crafting practice collection part will most likely feel like a slog. This is normal, but you can do it, and the other parts are a blast! If you need materials you can only craft one of daily, best start making these from the get-go too (or be lazy and just buy stuff when you can). You are not in a hurry!
You may need to do fractals. If you're like me and find grouping up intimidating, these can usually be done in a duo or even solo if you're a pro, but not necessarily all of them, and people are usually so happy to help.
You're not in a hurry, must be repeated, so take your time and do what you feel like doing, and have fun! I LOVED going on material runs for example, for wood and ore and stuff, and doing the "lore" bits of the collections. Could have done that for forEVER.
WvW isn't so awful after all (as someone who also found THAT intimidating).
PvP you can skip entirely unless you like it, just buy the bits!
Take breaks from it to do whatever is fun when you're feeling burned out, or even actually BEFORE you feel burned out! It's not a race, you can meander and get distracted all you like! Journeys should ideally be enjoyed, and this is no different!
If you buy a precursor, you can obviously skip to the last bits directly, but I enjoyed the collections, they made it feel less intimidating and more like an adventure and a joyrney!
Accomplishing bits and pieces of this was HUGELY satisfying for me, the collections really help! Good luck, if you do choose to start, and definitely share your journey! WHich weapon are you thinking? :D}=
dailybridgerton
origamiaround
vaporwave
ellievsbear
tangentwithtanner
areudirty
