Research Notes are a currency that you can store in your wallet and use to purchase and craft different items. The deeper you dig into Guild Wars 2, the more you will find out how important this resource is.
This guide will cover everything you need to know about this currency.
How to get Research Notes
To get started with getting Research Notes, you have to buy a Research Kit for 2 silver. This item can be purchased as a stack of 250 from most crafting vendors and a bunch of other merchants as well.
Once you get a Research Kit, you can obtain the notes through those means.
- Salvaging utility items, crafted armor, jewelry, food, tonics, and potions with the Research Kit.
- Salvaging Ascended Armor and Weapons with the Research Kit after changing their stats in the Mystic Forge at least once.
Salvaging Crafted Equipment and Food
You can obtain Research Notes by salvaging specific items that you can either craft or purchase directly from the Trading Post. The higher the rarity of the item you are salvaging, the more Research Notes you will obtain.
This is what you can expect.
| Item | Average Notes per salvage |
|---|---|
| Exotic Armor | 76.2 |
| Accessories | 5.1 |
| Potions | 1 |
| Ascended Gear | 425 |
Any Utility item, crafted food, and potions that require a novice-level crafting discipline (rank 50 or below) cannot be salvaged for Research Notes.
To get started, head over to the respective crafting station with at least rank 75, and start by crafting any item that you want. For the purpose of this guide, we will be going with Valkyrie Barbaric Helmets.
To discover this item, you will need rank 300 Armorsmith and the following items:
- 1 Mithril Helmet Casing
- 1 Mithril Helmet Lining
- 1 Valkyrie Silk Insignia
Craft the item and then salvage it with the Research Kit that you have, or tick the checkbox in the crafting station menu to automatically receive the notes without getting the item in your inventory.
Salvaging Ascended Gear
The other method to get Research Notes is by salvaging them from Ascended Items. This method will not work on Ascended items that you obtain directly, and you have to change the stats of the item once before you can actually salvage it.
In the Mystic Forge, place the following material to change the stats of an Ascended item:
- Original Ascended Weapon or Armor
- Exotic Insignia or Inscription
- 5 Globs of Ectoplasm
- 1 Anthology of Heroes
Before you salvage any Ascended gear, if you have any infusions or runes/sigils in them, make sure to extract them first as they will get deleted after you salvage the item using a Research Kit.
Fastest Way to Get Research Notes
The fastest way to get Research Notes is by buying and salvaging Potent Potions of Sons of Svanir Slaying. Get the Research Kit from the crafting station vendors in Lion’s Arch, and salvage all the potions that you have.
The other way is to salvage the unwanted ascended gear that you have accumulated in your storage over time. Just make sure not to buy any ascended gear for the purpose of salvaging it. If you already own extras, then that’s fine, otherwise, rely on the Potent Potions of Sons of Svanir Slaying.
Cheapest Way to get Research Notes
The cheapest way to get Research Notes can vary from day to day depending on the market value. However, the usual go-to would be to craft and salvage Coral Mithril Earrings at the Jeweler. You will need a rank 75 discipline in that crafting station, and the following items:
- 1 Mithril Setting
- 1 Mithril Hook
- 1 Coral Tentacle
This will cost you roughly 5 silver, and net you around 5 to 6 notes on average. This makes each note cost around 90 copper.
It is also advisable to always check out the most updated prices for silver to note ratio at the fast farming community website.
Where to use Research Notes in Guild Wars 2
You can use Research Notes in so many places, but they are primarily used to upgrade the Jade Bot Core, craft weapon and armor skins, and even craft Motivations that allow you to hunt tier 2 and tier 3 Rifts.
If you aim to craft a Legendary Obsidian Armor, then you will need a lot of Research Notes, so make sure to get a good stock of them before going hunting.
How can I see my Research Notes?
You can find out how many research notes you have by opening your inventory and pressing on the wallet icon located in the bottom left corner.
Scroll down until you find the research notes.
