I really want to reskin my necro - Ihad a quick look at some forums and the wiki - it seems you can "transmute" skins, bank them and reuse - they just lose stats or something something something. Given I know nothing of stats or transmutation, outside of Full Metal Alchemist, do you guys now if this process has would have to be done EVERY time you level up? Banking skins: https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/game/players/Possible-to-reuse-Gem-Armor-Skins There are also make over kits for hair and body - can't change race or profession. http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Total_Makeover_Kit
Transmuting skins is a very simple process, although it may sound confusing at first. With world completion (completing a map 100%), getting chests, finishing daily tasks, what have you, will sometimes earn you what are called "transmutation stones" which look like yellow crystals. These allow you to combine two different items of the same item type - thus taking the stats of one of the items and making it look aesthetically like the other. So lets say I have a really cool looking sword - but I got a new one that has better stats. If I were to double click on a transmutation stone, it would open up a menu with two boxes. I drag the cool looking one into one box, and the one with the better stats in the other. It displays the appearance, the stats, and the sigil upgrade that you have attached on each weapon. You simply click one in each category that you prefer: this appearance, these stats, and this sigil, which will combine them and give you the stats of the new sword with the skin of the other, giving you the new item you want while destroying both old items you used to combine. You may do this to any weapon or armor type. Although you may have to have the appropriate level if you were to buy a cool looking weapon/armor just for its skin. (I think, I am not sure on this). Edit: And by "banking skins," I think they mean reusing a skin on a another character. When you wear an armor or equip a weapon, it most times will become "soul bound," meaning only that character may wear it. One way to be able to use that again would be to transmute it, using a transmutation stone to combine the appearance of it with the stats of some cheap piece for the sake of creating a "new item" and removing it from being soul bound to that character. That way you could put it in the bank, log in with another character and take it out, and then use another transmutation stone to combine that skin with the stats of another item (since you most likely used the cheapest item you could find just for the sake of transporting the skin.)
Practical? No not really, you should be holding on to them until you have found the coolest items you can that you will be using as final at level 80. Remember, a full set of armor will take 6 transmutations, plus however many weapons you will be using (for me I have two sets of 2 weapons so that plus 4 more transmutations) So it would be smart for me to hold on to AT LEAST 10 transmutation stones to insure I can have all of the coolest skins for everything. But personally, I burn through them like candy. I use them up pretty fast just because I don't have the patience or the confidence to use stupid looking gear until I am maxed. It's personal preference. But if the coolest looking items you find can be afforded and already have the best stats, there's no point in holding onto transmutation stones since you can buy it when you're ready and look the coolest while having the stats you want already with the items. Note that you may also be lucky enough to get actual skins on drops. These are straight up skins that you can add to the specific weapon or armor, depending on what it is for. These are very rare and require you to get your luck up in order to find them. This means DO NOT WASTE THEM until you are level 80! You may be able to research to find the best way to increase your chances of finding skin drops. I personally have found one exotic weapon skin so far after getting two characters to level 50.
You may just find once you hit 80, you might not even need to transmute once you see the level 80 Exotics. They have some pretty hot doggin' cool skins. You can check out http://www.gw2armor.com/ to look at all the different Exotic armor skins.
