Guild Wars 2

Status when I left gw2:

Heavies are always accepted into pugs. Eles for FGS and exactly 1 time warp mesmer.
Necros / Thieves / Rangers / Engineers = instakick in pugs.

Solo PVE /Leveling:
Warriors are extremely OP in pve compared to the other classes due to high maintainable DPS / mobility / survivability

Is it worth coming back to this game and creating something besides a warrior?

Yes. Yes, it is.

Welcome return!

I have 25 map completion. I think you just don’t know how to play because every class is very easy to level in open world. Which is understandable if you are new to the class.

Thief is actually wanted in many dungeons because it can stealth.

warrior is also nerfed in pve since adrenaline drop much faster. I dont’ think it is “that” much in demand compare to before.

I see a bunch of engineer in speed runs I don’t know why. Rangers isn’t like much in dungeon. Necro…. don’t have much love.

Thieves / Rangers are a BIT more popular now in CERTAIN paths.

Play something other than PvE if it bothers you.

Haha! You need to find some new friends to play with. I’ve never been kicked from a dungeon due to my class and I have some really odd but fun class/build marriages.

Start your own LFG’s, be picky in which LFG you join, keep up a good friends list and/or join a guild of like minded players. Problem solved.

My warrior, in full zerk gear with Twilight, is my glorified pack mule. Don’t let the meta rule your life. At the end of the day you get the final say. Game on.

I think it is also a learn to play issue. Warrior is so easy to play back when the game is out. Now other people have started to learn how to play the other class better, they get pretty good at it.

Also ranger rapid fire get a huge boost. So it’s not too bad to range now. Especially in fractal since most pug is ranging anyway.

I think most of the top dungeon runner view necro as the least loved class. Engineer can acutally stack might so people like them. And their damage is actually pretty good. Thief people use them for stealth.

FGS is nerfed btw.

Zero new skills since you left. Maybe a couple balance patches. If you weren’t happy with the classes before, there’s really no point in coming back.

All in all, very little has changed since launch of the game. There has been some tweaks to numbers but overall nothing has changed. Outdoor bosses gave certain builds more attention then they got in instances, but instances are the same as ever.

If you ignore the meta and play what you want and have fun then the game is great and a blast. If you’re focused on being number 1 and min/maxing and going all meta then this game isn’t for you.

Warrior: still very good. Mainly for banner.
Guardian: needed for dps and group heal.
Ranger: Mid Tier if played well(which players rarely do)
Engineer: top tier dps and nice might stacking. Offers alot of utility.
Thief: good dps, mainly required in Arah for stealth.
Ele: Top tier dps with huge might stacking and fury. Also IB.
Mesmer: Low tier dps, not needed much. Offers not much more than other classes.
Necro: Doesnt offer much. Can give nice aoe dps with wells, but CD making it low tier.

The V.8759:

Warrior: still very good. Mainly for banner.
Guardian: needed for dps and group heal.
Ranger: Mid Tier if played well(which players rarely do)
Engineer: top tier dps and nice might stacking. Offers alot of utility.
Thief: good dps, mainly required in Arah for stealth.
Ele: Top tier dps with huge might stacking and fury. Also IB.
Mesmer: Low tier dps, not needed much. Offers not much more than other classes.
Necro: Doesnt offer much. Can give nice aoe dps with wells, but CD making it low tier.

DISCLAIMER : This was said with the stacking and dungeoning meta in mind…

Right?

It’s unbelievable that only about 1 really answered the question(s) of the OP:

In addition to The V, I can add this: FGS got nerfed and isn’t used for DPS anymore (mainly to move around quickly with rush etc.), also it is only the Necro that really lacks DPS AND utility. The Mesmer brings utility, don’t forget. And the rest does decent DPS. Don’t forget that the ranger had a major DPS boost with some improvements and they are now pretty welcome in groups with spotter/frost spirit Sword/Axe.

So in fact; only the necro lacks both: utility and dps, the rest of the classes has their place.

Actually the ranger did get quite a big buff and a lot of people like thieves for dungeons for stealth during runs.

Rangers are far better off than they were a year ago.

But a person who doesn’t play a ranger well…that’s always going to be an issue.

I’ll try to add to the meta explanation and give more info

The V.8759:

Warrior: still very good. Mainly for banner.

PVE/Dunegons: Has seen nerfs to GS and general DPS.
Banners and Mightstacking builds A.K.A. PugCarriers are most wanted during runs, No longer Highest DPS
WvW:While Hambow, and Shoutheals still are seen in WvW They have been replaced by Guardians for a major part of the content. Still prized for warhorn and warbanners,

Guardian: needed for dps and group heal.

P.VE/Dungeons: Zerk Guardian has the Highest continous DPS of the 2 melee classes, They excel at mitigation and can be more usefull then a warrior party. Still very squishy when playing zerk. Genrally GS and Sword Focus
WvW: The mainstay of any WvW zerg, All builds tend to pass the revue, being condi-remove shoutbuilds, healing builds, bunkers. Staff seems mandatory, 2nd set can be anything, not eluding any type of weapon except maybe torch.

Ranger: Mid Tier if played well(which players rarely do)

PVE, The longbow has been buffed quite a lot for midrange figting, and rangers shooting opening shot will add 20% more damg for the party in a few seconds, Melee is still lacking even though buffed, Zerk LB and GS(or LB and S/*) can be seen as a viable alternative for many other proffessions Except maybe Warrior, Thief, Guard and Ele as they seem to comprise the meta.

Engineer: top tier dps and nice might stacking. Offers alot of utility.

PVE/Dungeons The Kit builds deliver a lot of dps and conditions, but when build for power, they tend to hamper others a lot by stacking empty conditions.
WVW: As seem in a large discussion lately Light and Blast combo’s tend to make life hard for Grenadier Engineers, as they tend to suicide on greande attacks. Dropping the falmethrower and the grenade kit, makes them viable , but not very special.

Thief: good dps, mainly required in Arah for stealth.

PVE/Dungeons Always appreciated for the highest short term burst dmg vs single target the Thief is still very much alive in PvE and Dungeons. also their ability to produce blasts and AoE stalth makes them a valuable asset in a lot of dungeon paths.
WvW While not adept at zerging due to the fact most damage is limited to low amounts of targets It’s probably the most dangerous enemy 1vs1, As a DPS AND As Full conditions build still dreaded in roaming parties.

Ele: Top tier dps with huge might stacking and fury. Also IB.

PvE Damage output is -Unmatched- by any class, While FGS has been nerfed It is still capable of delivering more DPS then any other character Wile not having to commit to 1 or 2 targets, also unmatched in healing or any other support, It’s only weakness still lies in the fact it is SQUISHY, celestial armor tends to reduc this, but it will deteriorate DPS, so Zerk stays preferable.
WvW While WvW is a place where ELE’s survive,,the DPS is either the same, leaving and Ele in the open no more then a rallybot OR people go clerics of celestial to provide people with very powerful Aoe support spells.

Mesmer: Low tier dps, not needed much. Offers not much more than other classes.

PvE/Dungeons While Not having the highest DPS , phantasm builds can still be very powerful in dungeons, their support abilities (feedback, timewarp) and the ability to give a short AOE invisibilities makes them a poor man’s thief replacement. Very circumstantial , but generally not a big problem to take along. Biggest problem still is the lack of mobility,.
WvW very usefull in wvw due to the Invisibility and timewarp, adding to the DPS of zergs when well used by copmmanders, Not as powerfull in the zerg though, and surely no melee applications. As a Full conditions build very feared in roaming parties.

Necro: Doesnt offer much. Can give nice aoe dps with wells, but CD making it low tier.

PvE/Dungeons, While not seen as supportive, Necro can still do good damage in dungeons, on par with rangers and mesmers or higher when using a dedicated build with well support, As A DPS character it is powerfull but it is hampered by the lack of a decent melee weapons, Dagger has been improvbed to hit 2 targets now, which does double outgoing dps vs multiple targets compared to a year ago
WvW, As a support character Necro can be influential on the MELEE battlefield, staying alive as long as guardians and warriors. running as a PBAOE it can be most dangerous and assist the zerg in ways most people just not thing about. As a Full conditions build still feared in roaming parties.

In PvE all is viable

In Dungeons warrior, guardian, ele and thief are most viable

In WvW all have roles….IMHO mesmer has the short stick on loot…

You want honest answer? Nothing changed after 1 year.
I’m still waiting for the day when we will actually get a good dose of fix’N’upgrades..

I’ve been running a celestial staff ele and I’m not even thinking about changing back to zerker. I’m glad I’m free from that meta, now (with my traits) I can deal almost the SAME damage with great direct damage/condi. damage output and healing/condi. removal output. Celestial has changed elementalist builds completely.

Thieves isn’t just a bit popular, thieves are actually mandatory for almost any speedruns.

To whoever said necro has good dps, they have the lowest dps of all the classes in dungeon atm, even mesmer does higher than necro and thats saying alot.

Valento.9852:

I’ve been running a celestial staff ele and I’m not even thinking about changing back to zerker. I’m glad I’m free from that meta, now (with my traits) I can deal almost the SAME damage with great direct damage/condi. damage output and healing/condi. removal output. Celestial has changed elementalist builds completely.

Is there actually some testing or “you think” you are doing almost the same damage.

Quite honestly most of the time I have no idea what dmg I’m doing.

I found some information. I have a hard time reading long text though

http://www.dtguilds.com/forum/m/6563292/viewthread/13496842-berserker-vs-celestial-in-pve/6563292/id

did the guy say you do like 29% less damage in celestial? I kind of just spend 1 minutes reading it.

conditions are still broken….
but afterall they are aware and looking into it…
we just got to wait another few years for a fix -_-

papryk.6273:

conditions are still broken….
but afterall they are aware and looking into it…
we just got to wait another few years for a fix -_-

I have a feeling it will be in the following feature pack. PvP will not have much work this next one (unless they decide to add new maps), since its in a good place right now.

hunnybun.1380:

Status when I left gw2:

Heavies are always accepted into pugs. Eles for FGS and exactly 1 time warp mesmer.
Necros / Thieves / Rangers / Engineers = instakick in pugs.

Solo PVE /Leveling:
Warriors are extremely OP in pve compared to the other classes due to high maintainable DPS / mobility / survivability

Is it worth coming back to this game and creating something besides a warrior?

If you’ve got trouble joining an exisiting group, make your own!

Leveling is no problem at all with any class, just play on it’s strenghts
About solo PvE: Mesmer, Warrior, Thief, Ele can solo Arah paths. And that’s only the first page of youtube I’ve checked.

I’ve played with a guardian since headstart, never had a problem – though I mostly run with guild groups. But even in full zerker runs I’m not kicked

The classes remain much as they were a year ago with two exceptions (PvE):

Rangers are less trash tier.

Eles are now used almost exclusively for Might/Fury stacking and Ice Bow, not FGS (nerfed).

laokoko.7403:

Is there actually some testing or “you think” you are doing almost the same damage.

Quite honestly most of the time I have no idea what dmg I’m doing.

I found some information. I have a hard time reading long text though

http://www.dtguilds.com/forum/m/6563292/viewthread/13496842-berserker-vs-celestial-in-pve/6563292/id

did the guy say you do like 29% less damage in celestial? I kind of just spend 1 minutes reading it.

and full celestial is a 26% loss.
Another thing is condition damage – eles are still really, really bad at utilizing it compared to engis, necros, and warriors.

That’s what the site said you provided, and that 26% loss is the least, other builds have up to 32,5% loss.

Taking in mind the ele’s are bad for condition dmg, it’s most likely to state that they won’t make up for the 26% power loss.

Condi. damage is just a slight plus, and you get more stats altogether which are much worth it for survivability and support. It works perfectly in fractals and other not-so-much-brainless content.

Oh, and raw numbers don’t make up for poor gameplay and/or unpredictable circumstances that may happen (heavy hp loss -> switch to water for decent healing + aoe support). It’s all about synergy, something zerker gear will never have for eles.

Valento.9852:

Condi. damage is just a slight plus, and you get more stats altogether which are much worth it for survivability and support. It works perfectly in fractals and other not-so-much-brainless content.

Oh, and raw numbers don’t make up for poor gameplay and/or unpredictable circumstances that may happen (heavy hp loss -> switch to water for decent healing + aoe support). It’s all about synergy, something zerker gear will never have for eles.

It’s quite rude to call every area where zerker is capable of running “brainless”.

As far as I’m aware off is that zerker meta’s are team builds, they utilize a full team’s capabilities. Where they all deal 90% damage and 10% utility so that one player doesn’t have to carry the others.

Then again, the excuse about poor gameplay can be stated for everyone who’s not at their best that moment. Also predictability is 100% with fractals? as it’s always the same content(Read same content randomly sellected out of static ones) though harder every level.

Back OT:
The zerker vs non-zerker discussion still lives, zerker has been nerfed over time but is still deemed the “Most efficient / Time efficient” in most PvE situations

In case players do everything right, that is

short ish answer:

Open world PvE: non issue

Organized group Content (dungeons and Fractals) : 7 of the 8 classes are in the Meta.

WvW Large scale: GWEN is meta with the rest of the classes playing outliers.

WvW Small scale: non issue, just depends on how tight your team is if you have or want one.

PvP Competitive Tourney Scene is Elementalist, Engineer and Warrior are winning tourneys. Nich roles and outliers with everyone else.

PvP non tourney scene: non issue.

everything works but necro… that class is fading away

Ezeriel.9574:

everything works but necro… that class is fading away

For dungeons, yep.

For PvP they are still perfectly viable, but seeing less and less of them, for some reason.

Necros received upgrades on their dagger auto, now hitting 2 mobs not one (same for thieves). A good necro can be a real beast in organized group. But pugs are pugs and I still see geniuses stacking at spider queen behind the fence in AC…so yeah.

When i played my necro in TA exp path 1, I got kicked before even start because i was one. With a new group we did it just fine (that was my first run of it too), and i was constantly ripping condies of my teammates and fearing and chilling the mobs for some downtime for the team. I doubt they saw any of that, being busy with a kill, but no one can tell me necros offer no support.

hunnybun.1380:

Status when I left gw2:

Necros / Thieves / Rangers / Engineers = instakick in pugs.

Which this needs to change.. I implore ANet to see this as a real problem and do something about it.

hunnybun.1380:

Status when I left gw2:

Heavies are always accepted into pugs. Eles for FGS and exactly 1 time warp mesmer.
Necros / Thieves / Rangers / Engineers = instakick in pugs.

Solo PVE /Leveling:
Warriors are extremely OP in pve compared to the other classes due to high maintainable DPS / mobility / survivability

Is it worth coming back to this game and creating something besides a warrior?

Dungeon : All profession except Necro bring something in there. In records run you will see : Thief, Guardian, Warrior and Mesmer, but only one of each. Elementalist will fill the rest of the party usually 2 or 3 or them. Elementalist is the best dps against group and have the best burst with Ice Bow/Lighting Storm. Thief have the highest single target dps (if you exclude Ice Bow). Engineer and Ranger follow in dps, but are not part of records run because they are not TOP dps and don’t have the best utilities. Guardian, Warrior and Mesmer have decent to ordinary dps, but bring utilities that allow faster run.

WvW : Guardian, Warrior, Elementalist and Necro make up the spine or any zerg. Thief and Mesmer as gank/utilities/scout are also used in small numbers. Engineer and Ranger still have their place, but mostly in pugs zerg.

sPvP : Elementalist and Engineer are on top right now, but most profession are relatively balanced right now, no fat kit that everybody avoid in particular.

To answer your question. Warrior is not the hot profession right now. It’s still a good profession that usually have a place in top teams in most portion of the game, but its far from being the best profession in any.

Allelya.6830:

hunnybun.1380:

Status when I left gw2:

Necros / Thieves / Rangers / Engineers = instakick in pugs.

Which this needs to change.. I implore ANet to see this as a real problem and do something about it.

It did change. Only Necro are left behind in PvE. Still need more work, but they going in the right direction for that problem.

It should be noted that all the above information is for 100% power builds.

Condition builds are multiple tiers lower DPS and are not viable at all in PvE in any situation. Condition builds are fairly useful in PvP, but much less so than they were a year ago.

The problem is mostly that condition DPS is capped at 60% of top tier DPS with it being physically impossible to improve. It also suffers from poor gear scaling, and conditions being overwritten by power builds.

For example, upgrading from full exotic gear to full ascended gear for a zerker player offers a ~21% dmg increase. Doing the same for a rabid geared player offers a 5% dmg increase.

ZudetGambeous.9573:

It should be noted that all the above information is for 100% power builds.

Condition builds are multiple tiers lower DPS and are not viable at all in PvE in any situation. Condition builds are fairly useful in PvP, but much less so than they were a year ago.

The problem is mostly that condition DPS is capped at 60% of top tier DPS with it being physically impossible to improve. It also suffers from poor gear scaling, and conditions being overwritten by power builds.

For example, upgrading from full exotic gear to full ascended gear for a zerker player offers a ~21% dmg increase. Doing the same for a rabid geared player offers a 5% dmg increase.

To be fair, condition build are viable in 2 situations in PVE that I know of. A lot of good solo dungeon build were published after the release of sinister stats and you still need them against husk (like with the Triple Wurm).

You might not know that, now, party owners can be vote kicked. Its still two votes to kick.

So that security is gone.

Thanks for the responses everyone!

I feel like I’ve already accomplished everything I can in gw2 and there hasn’t been enough changes to warrant a return. I’m going to start playing guild wars 1 again though

Just to clarify my earlier post I was purely talking about dungeons on the stacking way (Speedruns).
In addition:
I set ranger to mid tier because in raw damage it is still outdamaged by at least 3 classes. Still it has really good dps yes. And indeed its utility is very helpful.
Engineer has higher dps than most people think and I really believe it is in top tier. However it is really hard to get the damage this high because a slight mistake in kit swapping will mess up your dps by alot.
Mesmer indeed has great utility, but its reflects can be covered by guard and engi easily. Next to that boon strip is rarely useful. That only remains 2 important ones: Boon sharing through signet and Time Warp. Since only really inportant boons are fury and might, the boon copy can be negated because a single ele can provide these max. Time warp is high cooldown making it not often worth taking mesmer.

Ps. I forgot about portal which can indeed help out sometimes, but in experienced groups not really needed.

Have a nice day!
V