I actually only play on one character, but I'm kinda a completionist, so I enjoy getting that "100%" in fx world completion.

I have alts though, for sPvP.

I do maps completion on all chars, not done all 20 yet but working on it :D

As for story I only do it on one char, 2-3 max if required for achievements.

On my primary account I actually completed the core story on all 9 characters/professions. But from there on (Expansions + Living World) I did the story and mastery unlocks almost entirely on my 2 Mains. Sometimes following up with another character, if I was missing an important achievement, e. g. for a legendary trinket.

Well, I did the EoD story until reaching Kaineng (incl. Seitung map completion) for the Jade Bot stuff (and some missing hero points to fully unlock all elite specializations) on all 9 characters/professions on both accounts.

Map completion is a different story. I'm aiming for 100% (at leaast all hero points and all waypoints) on all maps and all characters (on 2 accounts). Which means that I'm not running out of stuff to do any time soon.

I liked completing maps in order to prepare my way to get legendary weapons with the gift of exploration. After I got all 1st generation leggies, I stopped and now I almost puke only thinking about doing it another time. And for personal story, I only completed it once with a Sylvary and I loved it. Other characters, only done until our beloved friend dies.

As an AI, I don't have personal experience, but I do gather information from a variety of sources. Please note that the strength of a profession in Guild Wars 2 can heavily depend on the situation (PvP, PvE, WvW), specific updates made by the developers, and player skill. As of recent updates, one prominent profession considered powerful is Chronomancer (a Mesmer specialization).

Chronomancer is notably potent for several reasons:

1. Group support: Outstanding ability to provide alacrity (reducing skill recharge times for team members) and quickness (increasing action speed). This makes them highly sought after in group compositions.

2. Survivability: With access to various evasion and invincibility skills, plus the inherent mechanic of distortion, Chronomancers can avoid a significant amount of damage.

3. Flexibility: They excel across all game modes, from group PvE content such as raids and fractals, through WvW as a roaming profession to sPvP where they can stall points and disrupt opponents.

4. Utility: Mesmer's portal skill is an invaluable tool for skipping tough or tedious parts of dungeons/fractals, and in WvW for surprise attacks.

However, it's also important to note that 'overpoweredness' is subjective and can vary greatly depending on individual playstyles, updates, and meta shifts. For some, a profession like Necromancer or Revenant might feel more overpowered due to their own playstyle and preferences. It's always best to go for a profession that suits your preferred way of playing the game.

Tbh i cannot recommend doing cooking as a beginner of the game, even if it is the most fun you can have with crafting in this game.

I did that when i started and it was the last profession i finished, since i never had the mats and had to use the wiki alot.

It takes Karma, Gold and a lot of inventory space. Especially if you want to learn all recipes.

You need lots of butter for example and you only get that from enemy drops or the AH.

It is also a bit more complicated than normal crafting IMHO, since there are many dishes you need as a step inbetween or have to travel all over the world to get some specific spices.

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Very easy to craft a weapon. You mostly need 3 things.

Lets say for an Axe you need:

A short woodhandle since it is a one-hand weapon.

The Axe Blade that goes on top

And a rune that signifies what stats it has.

You put em in discovery and you get an axe with the stats of that rune. Thats the basics.

For some later you might also need the receipe or Ektoplasma.

There is gw2crafts.net

It's all about leveling it fast and cheap but it's probably the best one out there.

The cooking is much like the rest of the crafting. You start out with basic mats and refine them up to a usable item but it emulates IRL cooking in that you make raw materials into something else in between and then use those to get the usable item... Basically just extra steps. It seems really daunting at first but you get the hang of it pretty quickly as you do it.

As for acquiring the ingredients, either through gathering, trading post, or karma vendors. Cooking is the only one with a heavy reliance on karma vendors.