Guild Wars 2

Hello All and for starters thank you to those that actually make it to the end of this post and respond!

I came over from World of Warcraft, was one of the nerds that actually (literally) grew up playing it from the beginning 10 years ago. Of course WoW got boring and once I got into GW2 I fell in love all over again. My Dilemma however, is finding a class. I’ve tried to remind myself over and over again that this IS NOT WoW so trying to pick a class based of their class line up is of course impossible. However I’m stuck jumping from char to char and can’t seem to get past level 10. I know I should go with whatever class I enjoy playing. but that is Ranger, Eng, Ele, Necro, Guard, and War (so that doesn’t help me decide lol) The problem with GW2 is I keep reading SOOO many reviews about how certain classes can end up being dead weight endgame. Or I read a review that says a class is good PvP, but worthless endgame (heard that about the Necro and Eng so far) My question is of those classes which class, if played correctly, has the potential to be all around useful (Endgame, PvP, WvW)? One thing that seems to be in EVERY review is GW2 is a game where you have to know how to play your class efficiently, I have no prob learnin one once I can decide on one. I think thats why I’m at a stand still right now because I know its very unlikely I can master all the classes at once. If it helps at all, in WoW I’m always the healer, I know in GW2 every class has its own survival options, but being support and being able to “save” a group is what fascinates me.
And to those that are about to give me the whole “Forget the reviews and pick a class you like to play” lecture lemme give you a scenerio. When WoW first came out I chose a pally to take endgame, once I finally got up there it was a waste of time to me, pally could only do HALF of any assigned task and to top that off they were a DPS joke and most of our DPS came from …auto swings = boring. NEVER AGAIN lol. I need suggestions on a class I can take endgame and be able to PLAY endgame with out smh saying "Dang it…why didn’t I just level a __________! "

No class is “worthless” in the endgame. Some of them are not desired by must-optimize-everything types for dungeon speedclears. But they all work, if you learn them. (And the ones that aren’t as good for dungeons can have PVP/WVW strengths…)

Among the ones you listed, for dungeons, Ele is highest DPS, a Guardian is good to have and a Warrior is good to have (if overrated). Rangers can do certain support setups well, but whether you’ll be welcomed or laughed at for dungeon groups is a tossup.

The support thing… basically “support” in GW2 PVE means “gives damage buffs” and in some cases, reflects. Nobody wants a healer

I always say “pick a class you like to play” because what’s the point of playing a game, otherwise? But different people enjoy different things, and maybe what you enjoy at level 10 is very different from what you enjoy at level 80.

All classes are viable in all aspects of the game, some excel more in certain areas than others but not to the point were other classes can’t compete. The only possible exption to this are Necros in dungeon speedrun groups (this is mainly because they lack a cleaving melee weapon) most groups just want you to know your class and know the dungeon though. Its also fairly easy to get to 80 so if you don’t like a classes play style you can just level another. It takes about 45 min/per lvl just by exploring/ doing events, there are even faster ways like dungeons and EOTM. So pick the class that you like best. :p

Edit didn’t see the part about healers there are no healers/tanks in GW2 the people who try to be are just a liability. Most classes can provide some support but they should also be focused on dmg. A good guardian can carry most groups that are less than skilled so if that’s what your into try guard.

No profession is useless in any game mode if you build it right. But some are better than other, and some profession like necro, ranger and engie have a bad reputation in PvE.

But if you remove those 3 you still have Guardian, Warrior, Thief, Elementalist and Mesmer that can do really good in any game mode.

Thief and Mesmer are on top for sPvP and Roaming. But when it come to Dungeon and WvW zerg they both have good and bad things. They are good profession, but you need only a few of them, because they mainly bring something that you only need once. In a WvW zerg, you really only need 1 or 2 thief or mesmer, while in dungeon you want only 1 of them (depending on some situation).

Ele are the number 1 profession in PvE right now. They are also really in demand for WvW zerg. When it come to sPvP and Roaming, they used to be a the bottom of the food chain, but since i stopped using my ele for these game mode i’m not up to date. I hear that in the last patch they boosted a bit the Ele in that game mode, but i’m really not sure. I still eat Elementalist like chips with my Theif so….

It leave us with Guardian and Warrior. If you want a profession that can be good in all game mode, I think that Guardian and Warrior are safe bet. They form the backbone of every WvW zerg, they have a special place in dungeon (pugs and organized) and are not at the bottom when it come to sPvP.

You’ll still need 3 build if you want to play good in all 3 modes with 1 profession.

Try a mesmer. Good with support, pvp, and endgame

Why not level all of them to level 80 and rotate between them as the situation demands? I have a warrior main, and necro alt. Both level 80, and love both of them. Condition necro in solo PvE is really fun, just watching groups of mobs melt is satisfying in a twisted sort of way. In PvP, my necro isn’t half bad. Still need to learn alot, but boon stripping and condition applying is great!. As far as end game, there isn’t much. And you’ll see alot of complaints about that in the forums. In the end though, play which ever you like, or rotate between them as you see fit, and have fun. Because thats all that really matters in this game.

This is endgame at the highest rungs, if you’re making a first character or don’t have to be the best of the best it won’t be a big deal. I have all eight classes and I try to dabble in all of them. My biggest tip for someone in your situation, stop deleting your characters, level them and try them all. When you have enough gold buy 3 character slots so you have 8 and make every class. You don’t have to play one class exclusively.

war
dungeons: good
wvw: great
pvp: great

guard
dungeons: good, great fractals
wvw: great
pvp: great

thief
dungeons: great
wvw: good
pvp: great

engi
dungeons: poor
wvw: good roaming, poor zerg
pvp: great

ranger
dungeons: great (pugs hate rangers and don’t know this)
wvw: good roaming, poor zerg
pvp: ok

necro
dungeons: poor
wvw: ok roaming, great zerg
pvp: ok

ele
dungeons: great
wvw: great
pvp: good

mesmer
dungeons: poor, ok fractals
wvw: good roaming, poor zerg
pvp: ok/poor

Warriors and Guardians are always welcome in a dungeon pug from my experience. So are Mesmers and Elementalists. So far I can only say I’ve really enjoyed Guardian as I haven’t put all that much time into my Warrior and my Mesmer and Elementalist are both really low level.

KaeKae.6270:

The problem with GW2 is I keep reading SOOO many reviews about how certain classes can end up being dead weight endgame. Or I read a review that says a class is good PvP, but worthless endgame
<<.snip.>>
When WoW first came out I chose a pally to take endgame, once I finally got up there it was a waste of time to me, pally could only do HALF of any assigned task and to top that off they were a DPS joke and most of our DPS came from …auto swings = boring.

1) It should be about the pleasure you derive from playing the class/style you like, not about the reviews you read from hardcore dungeon or PvP players. No class is dead weight if it is played properly. If you are about nothing but speed farming dungeons as end game, then clearly go Zerker warrior.
2) Clearly you will play this game just as you played WOW. This si not WOW, it is GW2. Immersion into your character is how you find out what you like. At level 10, you have not even scraped the edges of what each class can do. My ranger had defeated dungeon bosses that 4 zerkers failed at. They even berated me, (while laying on the floor dead) as I single handedly defeated the boss, that my build was inferior. Your WOW attitude will lead to disappointment unless you play the game. Exploiting weaknesses in the game to get max reward for no skill involvement is not what this game is about, although many play that way.

XacTactX.6709:

mesmer
dungeons: poor, ok fractals
wvw: good roaming, poor zerg
pvp: ok/poor

id change this to wvw: good roaming, good utils for zergs. (ie. veil, null field, mass invis, time warp and portal bombs/portals for golems. also great for ninja keep takes if the mes can hide and stay hidden

XacTactX.6709:

mesmer
dungeons: poor, ok fractals
wvw: good roaming, poor zerg
pvp: ok/poor

Actually, mesmers are VERY useful in dungeons. There’s a lot of skipping trash mobs and mass invisibility is very handy there (I’m looking at you gravelings). Mesmers and Thieves are very in for Arah. Then there’s the very powerful Time Warp. For mass play, Time Warp is one of the most awesome spells. The ability to grant everyone in the field quickness can turn the tide. In Mega Boss fights, commanders always hope to have at least one but ideally 2 mesmers who can drop a time warp on the players to burn down the Wurms or Tequatl.

Their utility in WvW cannot be emphasised enough. I’ve been in many a fight where a very well placed Time Warp has let us burn through the enemy zerg. Veil is also a hugely useful spell. Commanders use them for mass invisibility to hide the direction the zerg is going to attack from. In terms of zerg fights, mesmers don’t have the large AOE spells that elementalists and necros have. However, as a back liner, they’re immensely useful at hunting down stragglers and taking down rally bots (taking out enemy players who will then rally your own players). Although Guardians Warriors Elementalists Necromancers (GWEN) is basically the meta for WvW, small numbers of mesmers have a very solid place in a zerg.

KaeKae.6270:

My Dilemma however, is finding a class. I’ve tried to remind myself over and over again that this IS NOT WoW so trying to pick a class based of their class line up is of course impossible.
[…]
My question is of those classes which class, if played correctly, has the potential to be all around useful (Endgame, PvP, WvW)?
[…]
If it helps at all, in WoW I’m always the healer, I know in GW2 every class has its own survival options, but being support and being able to “save” a group is what fascinates me.

The main differences of GW2 to WoW are:

• No Tank-Healer-DD-Trinity. Tanking in GW2 is more about avoiding damage by active/skill based dodging or using weapon/utility skills that make you invisible, give you invulnerability, reduce/reflect incoming damage or make you distorted for a few seconds. While every profession has more or less possibilities to heal, most of the burst heals are self targeting ones only and have a long cooldown, the only AoE thing that works like this is a water-field & explosion combo, most other healing effects work like HoTs, some of them just for a limited amount of time, others continously as long as certain premises are fulfilled.

• Every profession (class) sooner or later has access to all weapon skills, utility skills and traits the profession offers. You don’t have to choose a path that will limit you, you can change weapons, utilities and traits everywhere as long as you are out of combat. Some traits support certain weapon set ups more than others, some utility skills profit more from certain traits than others. But it’s totally up to you and your preferences what build you want to play and in case of doubt I’m sure you will play a build better you like, than a build you dislike but think is fotm.

• Every skill (except auto attack) and its related effects have a much shorter duration and a much longer cooldown than similar ones in WoW. Because of this, timing is very important. Watch your enemy, how does it attack and especially when to time your skills properly, otherwise it would be a waste with no effect.

• While in WoW it is possible to level a toon to cap in dungeons/instances, in GW2 one gets access to the first dungeon at lvl 30, but due to the downscaling mechanic it is recommended to first get up to 80, equip some exotics and then start the dungeon career. Because a downscaled lvl 80 toon will always be stronger/more durable than a true lvl 30 toon.

• Do crafting, because crafted items on crafting level 400+ will make your toon be well prepared for “endgame”.

If you have the impression of being too weak yet for the next heart quest on your map (which can happen easily on every starter map in a certain level range), travel to your capital city, enter the asuran portal to Lion’s Arch, then go to another capital city and enter another starting area to do some quests, skill point challenges, events and sightseeing there. You won’t suffer any disadvantages by being downscaled but continue to level up. When you have gained a few more levels, return to your starting area by simply clicking a way point there on the world map.

I’ve been playing the extremely ‘unviable’ necro since day one and still enjoy every minute of it (ok, most) because it suits my playstile really well. I’ve also never had any trouble finding groups to do content with, but then I really don’t care for speedruns and the like.
Seriously – just play what feels most comfortable to you.

KaeKae.6270:

Hello All and for starters thank you to those that actually make it to the end of this post and respond!

I came over from World of Warcraft, was one of the nerds that actually (literally) grew up playing it from the beginning 10 years ago. Of course WoW got boring and once I got into GW2 I fell in love all over again. My Dilemma however, is finding a class. I’ve tried to remind myself over and over again that this IS NOT WoW so trying to pick a class based of their class line up is of course impossible. However I’m stuck jumping from char to char and can’t seem to get past level 10. I know I should go with whatever class I enjoy playing. but that is Ranger, Eng, Ele, Necro, Guard, and War (so that doesn’t help me decide lol) The problem with GW2 is I keep reading SOOO many reviews about how certain classes can end up being dead weight endgame. Or I read a review that says a class is good PvP, but worthless endgame (heard that about the Necro and Eng so far) My question is of those classes which class, if played correctly, has the potential to be all around useful (Endgame, PvP, WvW)? One thing that seems to be in EVERY review is GW2 is a game where you have to know how to play your class efficiently, I have no prob learnin one once I can decide on one. I think thats why I’m at a stand still right now because I know its very unlikely I can master all the classes at once. If it helps at all, in WoW I’m always the healer, I know in GW2 every class has its own survival options, but being support and being able to “save” a group is what fascinates me.
And to those that are about to give me the whole “Forget the reviews and pick a class you like to play” lecture lemme give you a scenerio. When WoW first came out I chose a pally to take endgame, once I finally got up there it was a waste of time to me, pally could only do HALF of any assigned task and to top that off they were a DPS joke and most of our DPS came from …auto swings = boring. NEVER AGAIN lol. I need suggestions on a class I can take endgame and be able to PLAY endgame with out smh saying "Dang it…why didn’t I just level a __________! "

Hi! I’m pretty new to the game and I also came from WoW (pre-Cata). My main there was a Druid because I enjoy being flexible in-game. I mostly solo, but I like being able to help a group (not necessarily as a healer, but as utility and buffer, possibly raid-saver). So I totally get where you’re coming from.

I started with a Guardian, and I just got it to 80 recently (it is MUCH easier to level in GW2 – almost too easy). I’m researching gear and high end builds still, but I’ve really enjoyed this class for a few reasons:

1) Flexible play. I don’t know about other classes, but I feel like I can really change how I play depending on the weapons I equip. My favorite all-purpose combo is Staff and Greatsword. Staff gives a haste spell and a buff for allies, so it helps when solo adventuring/exploring and also is an easy way for me to join in on an event to help other people out. Greatsword has a good combination of damage, mobility and control, so I like using it for escort and protection quests. I can jump in and take down a mob, or I can yank some off NPCs quickly. Hammer is fun too, but if you’re against fast-attack mobs, it can get a bit frustrating.

2) Survivability. I feel like Guardian has some nice condition/debuff cancelling abilities and other things that are good panic buttons, so it’s a good way to learn the ropes.

3) Helpfulness. There are some traits that I like having (I don’t know how the ‘hardcore’ feel about them), like one that gives a stack of boons/buffs when you revive someone in combat. It’s a shorter cooldown than WoW’s combat rez spells, and there have been some big events where I just joined in and helped to rez and buff people since I didn’t know the fight too well. No one seems to complain about a helping hand.

So there’s my plug for Guardian. This is a great intro to Guardian class: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/guardian/Guide-PVE-Guardian-101-A-Beginner-s-Text/first

Try leveling Guardian and see how you like it. Again, leveling is a LOT faster in this game, so even if you don’t like it, you won’t have “wasted” as much time as you would have in WoW.