What Is Gear Score
Gear Score (GS) is a single number that rates the overall power of your equipment in Lineage 2. It combines the stats of every item you're wearing — weapon, armor, jewelry and enchant bonuses. The higher your GS, the stronger you are in combat.
GS is the main yardstick for content readiness. Clan leaders use it to pick rosters for sieges, raid leaders build boss parties around it, and on the Olympiad a higher GS gives a real edge.
Understanding how GS is calculated — and how to raise it — is one of the core skills for any player.
GS Formula
GS is the sum of every piece of your equipment. Here's what feeds into it:
| Source | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Base P.Atk or M.Atk plus enchant bonus. The weapon is the single biggest contributor (roughly 35–40% of total GS). |
| Armor (5 pieces) | Combined P.Def of all worn pieces (helmet, chest, gaiters, gloves, boots) plus enchant bonus. A full set adds a set bonus. |
| Shield | Shield Def. Counts only for shield classes (tanks and some fighters). |
| Jewelry (earrings, rings, necklace) | M.Def from jewels. A full jewelry set also grants a set bonus that feeds into GS. |
| Enchanting | Each +1 on a weapon adds about +3–4 P.Atk (or +4 M.Atk on a magic weapon). Each +1 on armor adds +1 P.Def. |
Simplified formula: GS = weapon P.Atk + total armor P.Def + total jewelry M.Def + enchant bonuses + set bonuses.
Gear Score by Grade
Approximate GS values for a full setup with no enchant (weapon + full armor set + jewelry):
| Grade | Level | GS (no enchant) | GS (+3) | GS (+7) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No-grade | 1–19 | 300–500 | 400–600 | — |
| D-grade | 20–39 | 600–900 | 750–1050 | 950–1250 |
| C-grade | 40–51 | 1000–1400 | 1200–1600 | 1500–1900 |
| B-grade | 52–60 | 1500–2000 | 1800–2300 | 2200–2800 |
| A-grade | 61–75 | 2200–2800 | 2600–3200 | 3200–3800 |
| S-grade | 76+ | 3000–3800 | 3500–4300 | 4200–5200 |
These are ballpark figures — exact GS depends on the specific items. Top-tier sets (Majestic, Dark Crystal, Tallum) give more GS than basic sets of the same grade.
GS Requirements for Content
Each type of content has its own GS floor:
| Content | Minimum GS | Recommended GS |
|---|---|---|
| Solo farming | — | Matching your grade |
| Group dungeons | 1500+ | 2000+ |
| Raid Bosses (B-grade) | 1800+ | 2200+ |
| Raid Bosses (A/S-grade) | 2500+ | 3200+ |
| Olympiad | 2800+ | 3500+ |
| Castle sieges | 2500+ | 3000+ |
| Competitive PvP | 3000+ | 3800+ |
| End-game (Epic Bosses) | 3500+ | 4200+ |
On high-rate servers (x50, x1000) the bar is lower because gear is easier to obtain. On low-rate servers every point of GS is worth its weight in Adena.
How to Increase GS
Ways to raise your GS, from most effective to least:
- Enchant your weapon — the single strongest move. Each +1 on a weapon adds more GS than +1 on anything else. The safe threshold is +3; the sweet spot on most servers is +7. More detail in the equipment guide.
- Move up a grade — switch to the next grade as soon as your level allows. A full B-grade set at +3 beats scattered A-grade pieces with no enchant.
- Complete your armor set — wear a full single-set armor for the set bonus. Mixing pieces from different sets throws that bonus away.
- Complete your jewelry set — a full set (Black Ore, Majestic and others) grants an M.Def set bonus. Many players underrate how much jewelry contributes to GS.
- Enchant your armor — take it to at least +3 (the safe level). Each +1 adds +1 P.Def per piece — a total of +5 P.Def across a full set.
- Pick the optimal set — within a single grade, different sets give different GS. Check the tier list and choose the best set for your class.
GS Tiers & Benchmarks
A rough breakdown of players by GS:
| Tier | GS | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | up to 1000 | Starter gear, D/C-grade with no enchant. Fine for early farming. |
| Mid | 1000–2000 | C/B-grade with enchants. Can join groups and easy raids. |
| Experienced | 2000–3000 | B/A-grade at +3–5. Comfortable farming and siege participation. |
| Hardcore | 3000–4000 | Full A-grade or early S-grade at +5–7. Competitive Olympiad and PvP. |
| Top | 4000+ | Full S-grade at high enchant (+7 and above), top jewelry and epic jewels. Server elite. |
On Top-B servers the maximum GS is capped by B-grade, so the benchmarks shift down: 2000+ already counts as top-end. On x2 and x50 servers with A/S-grade access the bar is higher.
Check your GS regularly and compare it against the recommended values for the content you care about. Targeted GS growth is your key to progression.