Guild Wars 2

Hello.

Are there any utilities for your profession that you feel ‘forced’ to use?

As an example, I just can’t play without ‘’Retreat!’’ on my Guardian. ‘’Retreat!’’ grants me swiftness and an aegis. I do WvW a lot, and my Guardian feels so slow without it. Especially if I somehow end up in a 1vs1 fight. Every profession outruns me if I don’t have swiftness.

Yes,a lot of them actually.

Warrior: For Great Justice and Shake it off – Stun breaker so good

Thief: The signet with 25% speed,I forgot the name

Elementalist: Arcane Blast – Free blast finisher

Mesmer: Blink and Feedback

Ranger (mostly in a WvW and PvP context, but I often use these in PvE)

Signet of the Hunt: 25% speed
Lightning reflexes: dodge + stun break

Ranger – Definitely Signet of the Hunt for +25% move speed
Guardian – Shouts in general as far as WvW goes. I love the idea of Consecrations (Hallowed Ground stability sounds awesome) but shouts allow for much more versatility in the open field. Consecrations such as Sanctuary have crippling CD even when traited too.

OP I would consider changing this topic to Utilities that you feel are a “staple” to their respective professions. Feeling “forced” is a bit negative
Also, maybe expand the topic to weapons or trait lines as opposed to just utilities?
Just something to consider, good post!

I am a thief.

Signet of Shadows definitely. Also, either assassin’s signet (180 power) or the precision one (180 precision). The last two are definitely optional, but in WvW signet of shadows is pretty much a must.

I don’t really use signet of shadows in dungeons because there aren’t a lot of times you need to run far. I hate how some signets are required and you miss out on other, more useful ones. Balance, i guess.

BigEvs.6971:

Ranger – Definitely Signet of the Hunt for +25% move speed
Guardian – Shouts in general as far as WvW goes. I love the idea of Consecrations (Hallowed Ground stability sounds awesome) but shouts allow for much more versatility in the open field. Consecrations such as Sanctuary have crippling CD even when traited too.

OP I would consider changing this topic to Utilities that you feel are a “staple” to their respective professions. Feeling “forced” is a bit negative
Also, maybe expand the topic to weapons or trait lines as opposed to just utilities?
Just something to consider, good post!

I could rename it, but I named it like this because the more ‘dramatic’ the name is, the more people will get their attention to it, that is also why I put the apostrophes on ‘forced’, meaning that I was sarcastic, because people aren’t forced to anything, it’s their own choice on which utility they take.

I think I will stay with the utility topic for now, but people can post more things if they feel like it ;P

Well of darkness with pve necro…actually any aoe blind field for any class lol

Yes, I feel “forced” to use certain utilities. There are so many conditions in the game that I find condition removal to be essential. Hence, condition removal is always on my bar in some fashion. Removal of annoyance from things like 5 minutes of weakness applied by Teq; 40 second cripples from Risen Gorillas (assuming you don’t dodge); or poison spam from Risen Hylek resulting in stacked duration.

When running around the open world, I usually have a speed signet up for convenience, but not using a speed skill is a minor annoyance compared to being stuck in combat by a condition I cannot remove because I didn’t equip the skill to do so.

In WvW, a stun break is also essential — unless you like repair bills.

I don’t feel forced to use any of them, but I don’t like going without condition removal if I can help it.

I have yet to see many rangers who aren’t always running atleast 2 of the Signets, most of the time.

That signals a huge problem…. especially with pet survivability in DubVee & PvE.

.

I don’t actually run Sig of the Hunt on mine anymore though.
NaturesVoice chained by Guard = permaswift so atleast there’s evidence that some improvement is starting to happen here… (but we won’t get what we really need until BeastMastery itself is skill-split from sPvP finally)

As an Elementalist, you’ll never see my utility bar without Mist Form or Arcane Shield.

25% movespeed on any profession that can have it just seems mandatory because everyone else runs it, and if you don’t you’re going to get left behind and hunted down.

As an Engineer that plays three different specs depending on activity and mood, nope. Almost every skill in my Utility pool is used, minus Mortar/Elixir X/75% of Utility Turrets.

Anybody who doesn’t like taking a Stun Breaker or Condition Removal are a little bit silly. Mobs and players use both. Ever been chain pulled by Spiders at Temple of Grenth? It’s infuriating. What, do you want ANet to just disable all those mobs just for you?

Also, most people forget that there are offensive and defense Stun Breakers, sometimes both in one Stun Breaker. Elixir S can be used to stomp, or it can be used to negate a big burst you see coming. Judge’s Intervention on Guardian can be used both to flee a fight and to get the jump on someone else.

Farzo.8410:

BigEvs.6971:

Ranger – Definitely Signet of the Hunt for +25% move speed
Guardian – Shouts in general as far as WvW goes. I love the idea of Consecrations (Hallowed Ground stability sounds awesome) but shouts allow for much more versatility in the open field. Consecrations such as Sanctuary have crippling CD even when traited too.

OP I would consider changing this topic to Utilities that you feel are a “staple” to their respective professions. Feeling “forced” is a bit negative
Also, maybe expand the topic to weapons or trait lines as opposed to just utilities?
Just something to consider, good post!

I could rename it, but I named it like this because the more ‘dramatic’ the name is, the more people will get their attention to it, that is also why I put the apostrophes on ‘forced’, meaning that I was sarcastic, because people aren’t forced to anything, it’s their own choice on which utility they take.

I think I will stay with the utility topic for now, but people can post more things if they feel like it ;P

Fair enough, thanks for your consideration!

Shadow Refuge on thief.

Balanced stance on warrior.

Really nothing beats those in terms of use/duration.

There are no skills in GW2 that are any better/worse than others.

This is the outcome of the lower number of skills put into the game; with too many skills there is no balance, but with the system currently there is 100% balance.

stayBlind.7849:

There are no skills in GW2 that are any better/worse than others.

This is the outcome of the lower number of skills put into the game; with too many skills there is no balance, but with the system currently there is 100% balance.

AHA.

…wait, you’re serious?

I don’t understand what this thread is about-are you asking for the best utilities per profession? Or utilities that aids in countering popular specs from other professions? Or utilities that people expect/demand you have for dungeons?

Also an apostrophe doesn’t denote sarcasm, the title and OP doesn’t really address any actual issue so there’s nothing to mock or ridicule in the first place-result sarcasm is impossible, " force’s" is an apostrophe; ‘forces’ are quotation marks. Once again your post is basically ‘what utilities do you always use?’…I cannot fathom how you could find anything to taunt/ridicule/mock from that-at best you could say you used ‘force’ ironically…but again without proper context (e.g. a post investigating why dungeon groups ‘force’ profession x to bring skill y; or why guilds ‘force’ their members to bring skill z in wvw) it’s just poor choice of words imo

Guardian’s Hold the Line and Stand your ground. Incidentally, I can skip Retreat and replace it with consecrations (like sanctuary :p)

Imbune.5497:

I don’t understand what this thread is about-are you asking for the best utilities per profession? Or utilities that aids in countering popular specs from other professions? Or utilities that people expect/demand you have for dungeons?

Also an apostrophe doesn’t denote sarcasm, the title and OP doesn’t really address any actual issue so there’s nothing to mock or ridicule in the first place-result sarcasm is impossible, " force’s" is an apostrophe; ‘forces’ are quotation marks. Once again your post is basically ‘what utilities do you always use?’…I cannot fathom how you could find anything to taunt/ridicule/mock from that-at best you could say you used ‘force’ ironically…but again without proper context (e.g. a post investigating why dungeon groups ‘force’ profession x to bring skill y; or why guilds ‘force’ their members to bring skill z in wvw) it’s just poor choice of words imo

No? I’m asking what utilities people feel forced to use, or more like, what utilities they feel like they must have on their slot.

It feels like you try to see the bad in everything. Don’t overanalyze stuff.

Elementalist I always, always have Sigil of storms ready, you just have to love that AoE blind that lingers in PvE

The game has too many CCs, the last balance patch helped but I still feel forced to bring stability no matter what the build, and some classes have so little access to it…

-Grenade Kit with Engineer
-Epidemic with Necromancer
-Shadow Refuge with Thief
-For Great Justice with Warrior
-“Save Yourselves!” with Guardian
-Mist Form with Elementalist
-Portal/Time Warp with Mesmer
-Signet of the Hunt with Ranger

I’m an engineer. Elixir B is so good that you have to equip it. And this isn’t really a utility but Supply Drop is the ONLY viable elite.

On the bright side, Elixir S used to be mandatory, but recent changes have made other stunbreaks viable.

grenade kit
stand your ground
save yourselves
shadow refuge
supply crate(if it counts)

stayBlind.7849:

There are no skills in GW2 that are any better/worse than others.

This is the outcome of the lower number of skills put into the game; with too many skills there is no balance, but with the system currently there is 100% balance.

Which is why i end up running always the same skills, and there are some skills i wouldn’t put on my bar if they paid me (well, maybe then – i would consider it a skill-based MF version ;P).

Oh wait…

And back to skills: for my guardian it’s 3 shouts (including retreat and the stability one) in WvW. In PvE i usually drop Retreat, for more needed utilities (damage reduction signet, wall of reflection etc) depending on situation.

For other classes speed in WvW (usually in form of +25% signet) is a must. You just don’t want to stay behind when it counts. Portal for mesmer is usually off the bar, but at the same time gets a lot of use, so should be mentioned here.

in dungeons:
feedback+timewarp on mesmer
WoR+SotA for guard

in WvW:
every move speed signet except air

That’s an interesting notion. I had forgotten before how annoying the current utility skill system was. My utility bars are nearly all of the form : 2 stun breakers and 2 condition removals (if I can get a skill that does both)

In fact, it’s a shame that a lot of classes cannot make good use of their fun utilities because they are stuck using cond removal and stun breakers.

I have all classes at 80, and whatever gives a character a speed boost has to be there. 25% speed sigils are top of the list. My guardian carries a staff mainly because I get speed from it. My engineer gets speed on kit swap, though that gets annoying real fast as you have to swap every few seconds to keep it up. Warrior has the elite signet which gives fury, might and speed. Mesmer doesn’t leave home without a focus equipped. And so on.

I still feel horribly slow in WvW if my current character has no means of “catching up”. As in on top of the normal speed boost, do a jump like ranger on greatsword 3, or thief with shortbow 5.

stof.9341:

That’s an interesting notion. I had forgotten before how annoying the current utility skill system was. My utility bars are nearly all of the form : 2 stun breakers and 2 condition removals (if I can get a skill that does both)

In fact, it’s a shame that a lot of classes cannot make good use of their fun utilities because they are stuck using cond removal and stun breakers.

Totally agree!

I mean c’mon, my guard would like to use spirit weapons….I never see anyone using them (I bring in hammer sometimes for fun, shield I guess can be helpful). I tried using mantra’s on a mes, can’t say for sure if I liked it or not.

Elites fall into this also…some elites have a cool animation, but just have these super long cd’s…racials, I’m looking at you. I mean, I was doing AC the other day on my norn ranger and whipped out the wolf form elite to have some fun, pretty much everyone in the party was surprised saying things like “been playin 8months and have never seen anyone use those forms” or “Wow, norns can turn into stuff?”.

For that matter, many utilities have nice animations. Many of the ones that I never take or never see ingame (dungeons/open world/wvw/spvp) to me look better than some shout or some signet activation.

I started messing around with weapons you never see also…like Mesmer sword oh in pvp.

Bezayne.6459:

I have all classes at 80, and whatever gives a character a speed boost has to be there. 25% speed sigils are top of the list. My guardian carries a staff mainly because I get speed from it. My engineer gets speed on kit swap, though that gets annoying real fast as you have to swap every few seconds to keep it up. Warrior has the elite signet which gives fury, might and speed. Mesmer doesn’t leave home without a focus equipped. And so on.

I still feel horribly slow in WvW if my current character has no means of “catching up”. As in on top of the normal speed boost, do a jump like ranger on greatsword 3, or thief with shortbow 5.

I too play this way for WvW or open world. Dungeons and spvp, not so much.

Engineer – Elixir Gun (just too much utility)

25% speed boost signet for all classes that have them

Sorean.5379:

Yes,a lot of them actually.

Warrior: For Great Justice and Shake it off – Stun breaker so good

Thief: The signet with 25% speed,I forgot the name

Elementalist: Arcane Blast – Free blast finisher

Mesmer: Blink and Feedback

The funny thing about my mesmer is I feel like I’m forced into ALL of my utilities. I always have to switch something good out depending on the situation. My build revolves around clone spam and shatters, but I always have to sacrifice a clone utility for portal, or feedback , or boon share, or something.

in PvE: movement speed all the way.
signets, swiftness-skills (which sometimes also forces me to use specific weapons)…
other than that, as a powernecro, i COULD use all kinds of utilities, but well of suffering just outshines everything else. so i run around with locust signet, well of suffering and spectral walk/another well.

in WvW:
at least 1 stunbreaker or source of stability. the rest varies.

Sorean.5379:

Yes,a lot of them actually.
Elementalist: Arcane Blast – Free blast finisher
Mesmer: Blink and Feedback

- I’ve never had Blink on my bar except to try it out, do use Feedback often, but not all that often. Only in dungeon runs where there is a ranged enemy I suspect my group mates are too soft to withstand. And I stopped using that Elementalist one in the level 40s range, give or take.

Entries marked with (.) below are almost all the time. I keep them unless I must put in something else.

Mesmer: Mirror Images, Decoy (.)
Warrior: Shake it Off, For Great Justice (.)
Thief: Signet of Agility, Assassin’s Signet (.)
Guardian: Retreat, Save Yourselves, Hold the Line (.)
Ranger: Signet of Renewal, Sharpening Stone (.)
Elementalist: Signet of Fire, Signet of Water (or Cleansing Fire), Signet of Air (.)
Engineer: Elixir B, Elixir C, Toolkit (.)
Necromancer: Signet of the Locust (.)
- My necromancer is only level 42, so I have yet to lock onto a build-theory for her.

I always have shadowstep. If it’s pve, pvp, or wvw, i always bring that skill. I use the trait “fleet shadow” instead of “signet of shadows” when i go wvw.

I’m glad to see I’m not the only Guardian who always has Retreat on their skill bar.

As Guardian, Stand Your Ground is a must for me.

In all build that I use, there is it.

I never use Retreat =O