Gearing up exotic armor is best done with Verdant Brink, completing the Bronze tier every week in WvW or its equivalent in PvP, or doing the Lunatic Wardrobe. Weapons are harder to get in stat-selectable exotics, but Halloween's got you covered there too. The other good event for that is Festival of the Four Winds.
That said, exotic can be acquired very easily, and cheaply on the trading post. Exotic is only 5% behind ascended gear, so its fine for everything except the high end fractals (thanks to the stupid agony system). Guild Wars 2 is pretty skill based, so knowing how to play trump's the best gear every time.
For ascended Dire armor pieces see here. For ascended Dire weapons see here. For ascended Dire trinkets see here. About Guild Wars 2 Wiki; Disclaimers;
In my opinion, it's better to craft the gear so that you don't have to waste a lot of gold for getting that exotic gear. It may be the slower method, but it's cheaper than just buying the gear/weapons from the trading post. As for what stats to craft/buy, go with berserker gear. It's a lot faster to kill mobs with power damage than it is with
Crafting. When it comes to ascended weapons and armor, crafting is 100% the most consistent, reliable and cheapest way to obtain ascended gear, especially once you have the crafting disciplines leveled up. There are 6 crafting professions when it comes to armor and weapons.
Ascension is described as a state of communion with the Old Gods. Among other benefits, those who succeed in attaining it are able to travel through the Mists, and with the right help can unlock hidden reserves of power. As well as being masters of their primary chosen heroic profession, Ascendants are able to grasp, to an extent, elements of
Throw this into the Mystic Forge: The item you're stat changing. 5 Globs of Ectoplasm. 1 Anthology of Heroes (bought from Miyani) The exotic Inscription (for weapons) or Insignia (armor) of the stat you want to change to. That last one is the only difficult part. For Viper's, you'll need to buy the recipe for a Viper's Orichalcum Imbued
Infusing and Attuning are mutually exclusive. A ring can be either, or both. The process for Infusing is exactly as @Dzjudz.9142 stated; while it can be a loot drop, it can also be done explicitly. Attuned is a different process, and can be preformed on a infused or regular ascended ring.
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guild wars 2 how to get ascended gear