Guild Wars 2

After like 6 posts of back-and-forth exchanges, there is still not a single build mentioned/linked.

I thought the 6/6 build was pretty obvious.

Heres the variant with extra vigor.
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fdAQJAqOlUUpEr9Zh1rRaLIQfiI2WRlxPXgAcUA-ThRBABXt/o8rjTAAe6BA4BAQp6PmpEEA-e

Besides the original point was that build is irrelevant. What makes engi easy is using your utilities (toolkit for blocks, elixir U for projectile defence etc). Condi is superior for solos. Berserker is superior for group content. Its the same with all classes, you tailor your build for the encounter. So there is no set build. It varies, but stays relatively close to the meta builds traitwise for each class. Utilities always change.

Given all of the math done recently displaying the superior damage done on the engineer with direct damage over condition damage, Why do you suggest condi damage is superior when solo?

Condi damage is inferior in group settings, not in solos.

Most bosses have high or moderate armour values. There are some exceptions. But its recently been publicly shown off that condi builds seem to achieve faster times than berserker when soloing. Berserker engi builds achieves 9min lupi solos. Condi is a lot faster. Lupi does have very higher armour so thats a rather extreme example. Theres also the fact that a very large portion of engis dps even on a berserker build is condi damage. If you can generate might then you pretty much max out condi builds potential. Berserker builds require a lot more investment. Which most classes dont do very well solo.

All of the math I have done and seen of others suggest that direct damage on the engineer out weighed the condition damage. Given the concept of boss defense factoring in, I could see the possibility of the opposite.

Do you have a link to the threads on this topic about how the damage varies with the bosses? I have obviously missed those more recent discoveries.

There arent threads. There are only videos. Mostly lupi solo records. Video proof is better than maths anyway.

And the math i have done personally has shown that berserker builds for most classes in solos is really not that impressive. So its no surprise that condi comes out on top in solos. Especially as most bosses have more than 2600 armour (the standard value theorycrafters use to calculate direct dps). This doesnt mean its the case for all classes. Some classes are very bad at condi dps. Guardian for example.

Warrior is the best solo pve class followed closely by guardian. I pick warrior over guard due to warriors mobility and passive healing.

thats for the average person anyway…. personally the way I rank it…

Warrior
Ele
Ranger
Guardian
Thief – Engi – Necro tied

Mesmer

Mesmer is my main but the lack of any kind of aoe makes regular trash mobs annoying

Spoj The Second.7680:

There arent threads. There are only videos. Mostly lupi solo records. Video proof is better than maths anyway.

And the math i have done personally has shown that berserker builds for most classes in solos is really not that impressive. So its no surprise that condi comes out on top in solos. Especially as most bosses have more than 2600 armour (the standard value theorycrafters use to calculate direct dps). This doesnt mean its the case for all classes. Some classes are very bad at condi dps. Guardian for example.

That is basically what I took out of your previous post. So let me ask you, do you have a video of the same player using a condi builds and another of them in a power builds, fighting the same mobs?

A bit off the subject but somewhat relevant. Here is a video of a nice engineer solo run of Arah P3

Best pve is definitely subjective. Of the classes I’ve played, guardian was the easiest, engi was just fun with all the kits to change up the playstyle, mesmer has the most fun mechanics once you figure them out (plus you feel like a boss in orr farming constant mobs with no break when everyone tells you how much mesmers suck at solo open world). Ele is kind of delicate but mobile and interesting with the fast paced class mechanic. warrior and ranger i haven’t done, and thief has been pretty easy so far, but again you have to get used to the mechanics – plus invisible ninja.

max level – up to you what you find fun for what you do. personally, i enjoy the challenge of mesmer group pve, and trolling in wvw.

Best pve profession is not subjective.
Is situational.

Would you rather pug a fractal 50 without an ele or without a guardian?
Just to tell one.

P.S: ele is all but mobile…expecially in PvE.

If we’re talking speedruns now, then:

1. Elementalist because might-assisted FGS. It’s not even funny.

2. Engineer. I’m running a different build from meta with 5-5-0-0-4 rifle-healturret-toolkit-x-bombkit. The idea is to rotate prybar, confusion bombs, fire fielded BoB (+healturret detonation), spanner throw, rifle 3 and rifle 5. Unless there’s a need to AoE it has nearly full uptime on non-autoattack skills, and in the rare 1 or 2 spare seconds, you use the bomb kit’s AA. Also has access to stealthblasting by setting thumper turret as x. Most of the time x is rifle kit, or elixir B for condiclear. In situations where ranged attacks are useful x is grenade kit, otherwise grenades don’t even appear in my bar. Static discharge adds to what is already very high damage. Elite crate adds even more over time, plus some heal support.

3. Thief, again because like the engineer it’s capable of not caring about the concept of cooldowns. Single target max burst rotations involve CnD+backstabbing until near zero initiative then AAing on the s/p set. Max survivability rotations involve using Pistol Whip nearly exclusively, timed to pit evade frames at boss attack times. Thieves can stealthrun better than engineers too.

4. Warrior. There’s the Axe/Mace signet build used for max personal dps or the Axe/Mace + GS Phalanx strength build used to maintain 100% uptime on 25 might and fury alone on a party, as long as the target is crittable.

5. Guardian. Symbol + VoJspam builds with GS/Hammer. Reflects available.

6. Mesmer. Timewarp, rotation of ethereal combo fields (Null Field and Feedback) for combo confusion in addition to their active effects. Swordsman phantasms for single target boss, berserker phantasms for bosses that summon. iDefender for parties that can’t seem to stay alive without support. Acts as boonstripper due to sword AA functionality. Triple disenchanter phantasms also entirely nullify CoE and HoTWp1’s ‘buffing’ mechanics allowing for parties to mete max dps without wasting time hitting the generators.

7. Ranger. Condi-built, frost spirit and spotter to support direct users in a party, while dealing 16-18 bleedstacks, poison and burn at 1800 ish condi damage. Cat pet does direct damage unaffected by ranger’s gear. More of a place against high defense bosses, less useful otherwise. Power builds suffer because their multipliers are reduced to ‘account for the pet dps’.

8. Necro. AoE condi isn’t necessary when the only things that come in sufficient numbers to be AoEd never live long enough for those to be useful. Main support is in condition-boon conversions for the party, except AoE condiclears held by all classes and the fact that most mob condis are weak mean this support doesn’t really matter. Power builds suffer from no Cleave of any sort and poor power multipliers in general.

P.S. Ele has full uptime on Swiftness by using Blasts on the Lightning Hammer’s Static Field.

P.P.S. Most people use guardians and warriors because the higher ranked ones (elementalist, engineer, thief) all require dealing with a lot more skills at once, better timing, or both., failing which people are ineffectual carpets for bosses to step on. The difference between a grenade AAing engineer or a non-AA engineer in terms of DPS is as large as 30%, for instance, and an elementalist that doesn’t know how to mightstack would easily underperform a far more easy-to-use PS warrior. A bad thief just lies dead the whole fight, every fight – the margin for error is small in the extreme.

Guards and wars on the other hand require far less skill to reach max effect. Mesmers just don’t do as well as the higher tiered ones and can generally be replaced by a thief for stealth/boonstrip or a guardian for reflects except when triple disenchanters are useful. CoFp1 and p2 are very slightly faster with a portal, but aside from that, they don’t really bring much to the table that other classes don’t.