Guild Wars 2

Hey guys, new player here! im curious what some good and bad classes in guild wars are and kind of a tier list ranking for each on in PvP, PVE, and finally all around. ThankS!

All classes are equally viable on PvP and PvE. It all depends on your trait build and play style.

Hi there!

ALL classes are PERFECTLY viable in PvE.

The most popular for dungeon runs where some people suffer from the Elitist mentality are as follow :
Guardian
Warrior
Ele

However let me stress this, all classes can PvE just fine.

PvP : Again most classes are viable. However I find that the ranger is the least useful in a team, however if played well, still viable and good.

WvW :
Depends if your running alone or with the blob of 100+ players.

So in short, pick what you want and go from there. Getting a second char to level 80 is easy enough.

Or alternatively you can be more specific as to what you would like to play?

im curious about necromancer and engineer, my brother and i bought this game and we used to play tons of MMO’s. (vanilla WOW-CATA, SWTOR, ETC) Also what would be some good professions for some of those classes?

Engineer is very much accepted in all avenues of the game at the moment providing solid dps, stacking vulnerability on bosses, and stacking might for entire party should you have a kittenty ele or no one doing it.

Necro again is a top tier class especially for pvp and wvw and is in fact part of the meta, it does lack group utility and does not have the damage to make up for that fact in pve but that is not something you should be concerned with unless you are going to be competitively speed running dungeons.

For the professions you are going to want Huntsman, Weaponsmith, Leatherworker, and Tailor.

Additionally, with the upcoming changes with class specializations in the expansion things will surely change for all classed so just pick the two you and your brother enjoy and start playing.

Triddium.3971:

im curious about necromancer and engineer, my brother and i bought this game and we used to play tons of MMO’s. (vanilla WOW-CATA, SWTOR, ETC) Also what would be some good professions for some of those classes?

Engineer is my personal favourate, so I am a bit biased here.

Engineer is a pretty difficult class though.

According to recent PvP thread:

Tier S ( overpowered ) : Ele , engi
Tier A: warrior, thief , necro
Tier B: mesmer, guard , ranger

Tier lists in this game are vastly misleading since its usually new people who look at them. The higher tier in pvp for instance like ele is difficult to play and a new player will fail hard with.

glock.6590:

According to recent PvP thread:

Tier S ( overpowered ) : Ele , engi
Tier A: warrior, thief , necro
Tier B: mesmer, guard , ranger

SAB Confirmed!

(Sorry was a bit off-topic but couldn’t resist!)

According to reddit

Summary here :

• War : Meta in PvE, WvW and in good position for PvP
• Guard : Meta in PvE, WvW and in not so good position for PvP
• Ranger : Easy to pick up, VERY HARD TO MASTER (’cause your pet is dumb). Not so great for PvP. Niche use in speed clearing. Great for roaming in WvW.
• Engineer : Hard to pick up but appreciated in every game mode. Jack of all trades. Also grenades are insane.
• Thief : What you can expect from a rogue-like class -> PvP and small fight oriented dude. Spike damage. Don’t pick this guy if you plan to roam the mists with 100+ ppl.
• Ele : shines in group play. Hard to master class because of fragility. The ele is a force multiplier in a group.
• Necro : Basically the opposite of ele -> Easy as f*** to learn and master. Very autonomous class and not accepted in speed clearing because of this. Meta in WvW. Terrible in PvP because of low mobility.
• Mesmer : A toolbox class that can brings many things to a group. Has uses in PvE speed clear and WvW. PvP can be difficult. The ultimate jumping puzzle master.

Keep in mind however that 75% of the dungeons groups I see (bar arah and CoE) are casual groups that do not give a kitten about the meta builds. In these groups the necromancer is popular because he is very tough and autonomous.

^ The above list is absolute kitten… and it’s dated.
Don’t base your decisions on it and just play whatever you feel like playing.

leman.7682:

^ The above list is absolute kitten… and it’s dated.
Don’t base your decisions on it and just play whatever you feel like playing.

Sure it’s dated, but it’s not like the classes or the meta have been turned upside down ever since

And I agree with your statement " just play whatever you feel like playing", however some persons want this type of info, so here we go.

Novuake.2691:

Hi there!

ALL classes are PERFECTLY viable in PvE.

The most popular for dungeon runs where some people suffer from the Elitist mentality are as follow :
Guardian
Warrior
Ele

However let me stress this, all classes can PvE just fine.

It isn’t just elitism for the PvE perception. Guardian is popular due to it supportive skill sets, and the fact that for much of the content they designers seem to forget that guardians are great at negating ranged threats (something that I would guess was part of the original design before they were given the option for a 1200 weapon/attack).

As for warrior no much that is funnier than seeing a ‘never-played-anything-other-than-warrior" main trying a different profession. The whole ’what do you mean that attack will down me’ rage as they learn what is and isn’t dangerous.

PvE (Organized Dungeon)
1 ) Elementalist
2&3 ) Warrior & Thief
4&5 ) Guardian & Mesmer
6&7 ) Engineer & Rangers
8 ) Necromancer

PvE (Pug/Casual Dungeon)
1, 2 &3 ) Elementalist, Warrior, Guardian
4, 5, 6, 7 ) Thief, Engineer, Rangers, Mesmer
8 ) Necromancer

WvW (Organized Zerg)
1,2,3 &4 ) Guardian, Necromancer, Warrior, Elementalist
5, 6 ) Mesmer, Thief
7,8 ) Ranger, Engineers

WvW (Pug Zerg)
1, 2 ) Guardian, Warrior
3, 4, 5, 6 ) Elementalist, Necromancer, Engineers, Rangers)
7, 8 ) Mesmer, Thief

PvP
1, 2 ) Elementalist, Engineers
3, 4, 5 ) Warrior, Thief, Necro
6, 7, 8 ) Engineer, Ranger, Mesmer

Bran.7425:

It isn’t just elitism for the PvE perception. Guardian is popular due to it supportive skill sets, and the fact that for much of the content they designers seem to forget that guardians are great at negating ranged threats (something that I would guess was part of the original design before they were given the option for a 1200 weapon/attack).

As for warrior no much that is funnier than seeing a ‘never-played-anything-other-than-warrior" main trying a different profession. The whole ’what do you mean that attack will down me’ rage as they learn what is and isn’t dangerous.

Sounds Elitist to me.

But I fully understand WHY people insist on these classes in most dungeons.

Novuake.2691:

Sounds Elitist to me.

But I fully understand WHY people insist on these classes in most dungeons.

Not exactly it is more like the dungeon were designed with metric tool sets and so was guardian, while many of the other profession were designed with imperial tool sets. You can eventual find a fit but the metric set does it smoother and is often the ‘right tool for the job’ in the metaphor.

penelopehannibal.8947:

glock.6590:

According to recent PvP thread:

Tier S ( overpowered ) : Ele , engi
Tier A: warrior, thief , necro
Tier B: mesmer, guard , ranger

SAB Confirmed!

(Sorry was a bit off-topic but couldn’t resist!)

I see what you did there….you, sir, are a genius! bows

Bran.7425:

Novuake.2691:

Sounds Elitist to me.

But I fully understand WHY people insist on these classes in most dungeons.

Not exactly it is more like the dungeon were designed with metric tool sets and so was guardian, while many of the other profession were designed with imperial tool sets. You can eventual find a fit but the metric set does it smoother and is often the ‘right tool for the job’ in the metaphor.

Not quite, Mesmer’s are used for many solo runs of Arah for example and yet they are not part of the dungeon meta. I believe a mesmer holds the record for Giganticus Lupicus time too.

Novuake.2691:

Bran.7425:

Novuake.2691:

Sounds Elitist to me.

But I fully understand WHY people insist on these classes in most dungeons.

Not exactly it is more like the dungeon were designed with metric tool sets and so was guardian, while many of the other profession were designed with imperial tool sets. You can eventual find a fit but the metric set does it smoother and is often the ‘right tool for the job’ in the metaphor.

Not quite, Mesmer’s are used for many solo runs of Arah for example and yet they are not part of the dungeon meta. I believe a mesmer holds the record for Giganticus Lupicus time too.

The meta is subject to change based on adjustments and exploit removal. Mesmer also possesses metric design (reflection was not well thoughout at all when placed into the PvE design, just imagine if retaliation was similarly designed).

At one time the meta was 4 warriors and a mesmer. For all we know due to powercreep the next meta might be 3 revenant, a (insert thief specialization name), and a druid ranger with dual pigs.

However the discussion of PvE is kind of moot point as balance there has/will probably always be subject to being of least concern so long as they continue to balance everything through the filter of conquest spvp.

Bran.7425:

The meta is subject to change based on adjustments and exploit removal. Mesmer also possesses metric design (reflection was not well thoughout at all when placed into the PvE design, just imagine if retaliation was similarly designed).

At one time the meta was 4 warriors and a mesmer. For all we know due to powercreep the next meta might be 3 revenant, a (insert thief specialization name), and a druid ranger with dual pigs.

However the discussion of PvE is kind of moot point as balance there has/will probably always be subject to being of least concern so long as they continue to balance everything through the filter of conquest spvp.

Again, elitist, BEST time, BEST tool. While using LESS efficient class can still do it, it will just take a little longer.

That is EXACTLY what elitist is, is it not?

Novuake.2691:

Again, elitist, BEST time, BEST tool. While using LESS efficient class can still do it, it will just take a little longer.

That is EXACTLY what elitist is, is it not?

Nope. Being able to recognize which profession is best at what is not elistim. Kicking everyone that is not exactly like you would want them to run their profession, insulting ppl that do not play ‘’the right way’’ or laughing at them THAT is elitism.

I like to run the best possible way my profession and I like to run organized dungeon with my guild. But I’m happy when a guildmate join my run without a meta build and I never kick someone in pugs for his build/profession.

PVE

So Ele and Thief are difficult to play.
I have grouped with many Eles that have been a GREAT asset to the team and very few thieves that I have taken note of. However, I tried Thief for myself and it seems perfectly up to par for DPS and survivability.

Ranger, Necro and Engineer are easy to play but difficult to master.
Only thing is, you still see a few groups advertising “NO NECROS.” In the past we had a bunch of anti-Ranger groups, but that’s very rare now. People usually don’t complain about Engineers because they have no clue what to expect. All three of these classes are a burden when not properly built.

Warrior and Guardian are so easy that people seldom even try to master them.
Unlike the other classes, for these two the game by default drives you toward builds that are slightly decent for high tier PvE. Obviously, it still requires skill and smarts to be good at these classes. So if you want something that is going to require skill to master, you can leave these on the list along with all of the other classes in the game. However, Warrior requires the least micromanagement.

Finally, Mesmer is the most confusing.
A lot of Mesmers I have met have been good at their class. That’s because if they weren’t so into it, they’d be pulling their hair out. When I played it, I had to look up a guide to even get an idea of what I should be doing. If you go into it without a plan, you’re going to have trouble getting credit for simple events in the open world. It’s probably the greatest mastermind class. It’s probably the least fun if you enjoy the feel of cleaving mobs and dodging hammers.

About Me
All of the above is drawing from my personal experience.

I have all classes at 80. I run dungeons A LOT. I have been in top tier groups and I have been in first timer groups.

I’m sort of a “Friendly Elitist.” I like anyone who honestly tries to better themselves and their build, even when their build isn’t optimal. However, I will not hesitate to votekick anyone causing delays by ignoring party chat, randomly AFKing, arguing or being dead through 90% of fights.

I try to make sure I’m looking into the best gear and builds for my own characters.

Thanks for the input all!

All classes are good. The advantages and Disadvantages in various cases are minor. Some are better at some stuff than others, but there is nothing defining.

What you should look into is the play-style that suits you. Also there is the complexity, as some classes are harder to master than others.
From easy to hard the list goes:
Warriors.
Elementalists
Thiefs
Rangers
Necros
Guardians
Engineers
Mesmers
Commandos

Just realized an easy solution to your question.

http://metabattle.com/wiki/MetaBattle_Wiki

Go there for all meta builds which will give you an idea of classes, builds and their rank in the appropriate game mode.

Thaddeus.4891:

PvE (Organized Dungeon)
1 ) Elementalist
2&3 ) Warrior & Thief
4&5 ) Guardian & Mesmer
6&7 ) Engineer & Rangers
8 ) Necromancer

PvE (Pug/Casual Dungeon)
1, 2 &3 ) Elementalist, Warrior, Guardian
4, 5, 6, 7 ) Thief, Engineer, Rangers, Mesmer
8 ) Necromancer

WvW (Organized Zerg)
1,2,3 &4 ) Guardian, Necromancer, Warrior, Elementalist
5, 6 ) Mesmer, Thief
7,8 ) Ranger, Engineers

WvW (Pug Zerg)
1, 2 ) Guardian, Warrior
3, 4, 5, 6 ) Elementalist, Necromancer, Engineers, Rangers)
7, 8 ) Mesmer, Thief

PvP
1, 2 ) Elementalist, Engineers
3, 4, 5 ) Warrior, Thief, Necro
6, 7, 8 ) Engineer, Ranger, Mesmer

THIS is pretty much what I expected when I clicked on the thread. Only one update needed: you hve Engineer listed twice in PvP, but no Guardian. I’m inclined to agree with pretty much all the ranking as well. I just need to create an Elementalist now…