The Most Interesting Build Awards
Engineer PVE
Build: The Left Bower, or “Anything I can do, you can do better”
Link (it should be noted that the Sitting Duck trait is not accurate in this builder. It actually provides 5x Vuln for 8 seconds, on a 10 second CD when using rifle):
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fcEQFAUlIqyaH5ShF17IxIFkuzgeYXA73PKmPbB
This build takes advantage of control abilities, several finishers, and various conditions to create a fun and exciting play experience for the engineer – as well as make your party members go “I didn’t know engineers could do that!” (to which you reply “sure we can, just not as good as the profession we stole it from!”).
Explanation:
Rifle: I like the utility and damage of the rifle. Piercing auto-attack, immobilize, short-range high AOE damage, knockback with cure immobilize, cripple, and chill, and the super fun jump shot with it’s leap finisher. In only one case do I use pistol/shield – the harpy fractal on the platforms.
Healing Turret: Good self-heal on a decent cd. You time this up with it’s regen field to explode it and heal your team. You get the timing right and over the course of two key presses (or mouse clicks) you get a self heal, self regen, team heal, team regen, and a blast finisher. Toolbelt is yet another AOE regen.
Flamethrower: Used to get hated on a lot, but I’ve always loved it. Nice AOE, #2 is nice when you get a feel for the range, reflect + AOE knockback (dredge get off my downed friend!), fire field, AOE blind that is usable whilst stunned. Also Incendiary Ammo works well with piercing rifle shots, setting whatever you hit on fire.
Toolkit: Amazing kit here. Autoattack does ok melee damage (at least it’s multi-target), but the real reason I use this kit is for the 2-5. #2 is thief caltrops with a shorter duration and shorter cd. It stacks – STACKS – bleed and cripple for a nice damage/utility combo. Useful for when you’re being chased by those un-ccable enemies and just good extra AOE damage. #3 solid melee damage with confusion. Plus the awesomeness factor of hitting someone with a prybar. #4 BLOCK ALL THE THINGS! This comes in handy more than you realize at first. Just one of these uses is bridging that annoying gap when you are about to die, but your heal is still a few seconds away. #5 is good for pulling those annoying ranged mobs to your melee friends, or pulling them away from your downed friend. Also good for trolling guardians (for best results, send them chasing after your enemy with Flamethrower 3, once they get there, pull the enemy back with Toolkit 5, once they run back to you, send the enemy away again with Rifle 4). The toolbelt ability here is Throw Wrench. This is a piercing attack that hits everyone in a line hard – and TWICE. Goes well with Incendiary Ammo and Static Discharge (seen later).
Elixir R: If I were to sing the praises of Elixir R, and tell of the countless times it has saved myself or my group in a dungeon, I would run out of room. So let me just say that you will use this. A lot. It’s an instant stunbreak and full endurance refill, but the toolbelt ability is the best part: Ground targeted ranged AOE condition removal and player revive. For when you really want your friend to live, but just can’t be bothered to walk over to him. Super useful on the fire shaman fight, and other times when stopping to revive someone is just not gonna work.
Here’s my thinking behind each of the traits:
Empowering Adrenaline: Since my adrenaline is rarely full, this seems like a really good damage boost.
Incendiary Powder: Extra damage on crit, I crit quite a bit!
Sitting Duck: I feel like this one gets overlooked a lot; 8 second 5xvuln on a 10 second cd (rifle 2). Makes my team better.
Precise Sights: Vuln on half your crits. Makes my team better.
Rifle Mod: +10% damage to rifle. Seems like a no-brainer.
Static Discharge: Nice damage when it works. I say ‘when it works’ because it doesn’t seem to hit anything when I use my turret toolbelt ability, and only seems to work sometimes when I activate Incendiary Ammo. If anyone has any insight into this, I’d appreciate it.
Speedy Kits: One day I tried Speedy Kits. Now I can’t make a build without it. You Speedy Kit addicts know what I’m talking about.
Stat focus on power/precision/crit damage with gear.
7 Flamethrower and 8 Toolkit are used most of the time, but are swapped out sometimes for any of the following, based on the encounter:
Grenade Kit for harpy fractal – also use pistol/shield on this for the added reflect
Elixir C for heavy condition encounters/jungle fractal cripple removal
Elixir U for burning down the fire shaman’s bubble
9 Elixir R always stays. It’s just too amazing.
My turret is so much better at this game than I am.
(edited by Amos.8760)
Hm…why not?
Name: Healway Guardian
Uses: WvW/PvE (some use in sPvP with tweaking)
Link: http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?fUAQNAR8dlUgyC33xKEf4ES2jVKBRQsHYUG1RXFUIA;TsAquMdJ6y6lzLpXrPGfc+Y3w7DA
Armor: Cleric’s, 3x Monk/3x Water
Weapons: Cleric’s
Trinkets: Sapphire (Soldier’s Ascended)
In-depth video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dH74AtU3-Q&list=UU4t7oj7kV4YbOE3b6xLwJtQ&index=12
Video of its use (WvW): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVrOZCrAveQ&list=UU4t7oj7kV4YbOE3b6xLwJtQ&index=6
The build centers around healing power and toughness for survival; smaller hits are covered by more powerful ticks of healing from Rejuv, Regen, and dodge roll heals (from Selfless Daring). Mango Pies help.
Damage comes from power stacking which contributes to direct damage and Retaliation, which has an effortless 100% uptime. Burn blocks (when traited) also contribute to damage on a large scale with the use of Shelter, Aegis, and the focus 5 skill.
Chris “Dawnheart” Aerinoh — Revenant, Guardian — Blackgate
(edited by Christos de Soufre.3802)
Well, while most of my classes builds are somewhat different than the norm, I don’t see or hear anyone using anything like this
Name: zubat used confuse ray! you’re now confused!
http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=VWRw;2Z;09-l6RRFx08-V1Vg066JU;4T-J99261;136-0;05;0Lw0;3hoHAhkGA2JEThis is for pve only
Why it’s interesting: huge, easy stacks of confusion through pistol, tool, and bomb kits, then blind/block/dodge while bombing with the bomb kit as they kill themselves. Can get to 10 stacks in about 2 seconds. Pistol 3->tool 3-> bomb 3. All have quick recharges and the bomb is aoe 5 stacks. Pistol hits 3 people with 3 stacks and blind, tool kit gives 3 stacks
Reflect projectiles with shield 4 and all ranged mobs also kill themselves or double tap for knock back and a blast finisher, or use the long block as you run up to them and manually stun at the last second to get full effect. Use mine kit for boon removal and blast finishers.
Constant vigor and swiftness by swapping kits at the right time.
Large bomb radius with vulnerability and bleeding trait gives good DMG while safe inside the huge constantly blinding smoke bomb.
And so you end fights without losing health at all
(edited by Malleus Maleficarum.2603)
Profession: Engineer
Use: PvE
Name: Grenade Cleric
I use my grenades way more than the pistols, but they have their uses too. The grenades put on some decent condition damage. That way I can keep dealing damage while I switch to one of my kits to heal up an ally. Elixir R in itself isn’t the greatest option, but the toolbelt skill tosses a rez to a party member. I can bring them back to life without having to stop healing or dealing (damage).
when does this competition end?