I'm not sure which games you might be comparing to, but GW2 gear acquisition isn't quite the same as in most of the games I've played in the past. While you can definitely get gear from loot drops or events, that tends not to be the primary source of gearing up in my experience. Most people I know get their gear primarily from crafting or from the various currencies (karma, laurels, LW S3 zone currency, etc). I'd say, personally, I've probably bought 2-3 pieces of gear total from the trading post. What I usually do when I get a new character leveled is craft weapons, then go to Orr to buy armor and rings with karma, and leave the accessories/amulet as whatever masterwork or rare I have until I can get one from loot/story/currency. I'm still very slowly progressing my armor from exotic to ascended doing it through a combination of crafting, item collections, fractals, and LW currency vendors.