Haha! Yeah the "capture everything instead of just googling what skilltraders have to offer" really did it for me. So far having a blast (on my 2nd run)! Oops. I died during Dunes of Despair the very first attempt. I overaggro'd on the bridge near the enemy Guild Lord after killing that mesmer boss. It has been a while and forgot the "cheese" method, so I got nuked while Alesia stood there and watched.
Currently in Abbadon's Mouth. Have been playing pretty safe so far, when it comes to certain mission bonusses especially. Sadly I've been really busy at work so progress will be a bit slower from now on.
This is the last screenshot I made:
Collector's weapon from 5 Topaz Crests in The Crystal Desert, +25 hp added which I salvaged from the Stormy Eyes bow + 20/16 Armor Pen which I got from a purple drop.
Max Gear (infused) and Survivor Runed, +30hp, +1+1 Marksmanship, +1 expertise, 2x vitae. Still have to do the Southern Shiverpeaks Attribute quest now that I think of it..
0 Deaths, playtime, locked storage..
Trying to finish Proph storyline + attribute quest this week, so I can go to cantha and get 1 step closer to unlocking Heroes.