Guild Wars 2

Hey everybody, my main is Engineer and its gotten to the point where I want a legendary. However I don’t find legendary all that worth it for Engineer (I use kits allot) and to be honest I’m not a huge fan of the predator.

I REALLY love the legendary Meteorlogicus (the scepter). Even though it received no love from arenanet last legendary patch. However I currently do not have any classes to 80 that use scepter. I was wondering what classes, besides guardian, would get any use out or if its considered a sub-par weapon compared to everything else.

Or is guardian the only class that really gets a true use out of it?

Official Guild Wars 2 Wiki is your friend

Seeing the skills scepters use does not help me at all. I can read just fine, it does not tell me the viability of each weapon for the classes that use them. I want a class that can actually USE the scepter if I’m gonna get a legendary of it.

That link will show you the classes that can use the scepter.

Guardian
Elementalist
Mesmer
Necromancer

My mesmer has scepter. She is doing quite fine with it and has been from very early on. She also has a pistol and swaps to Great Sword.

I know these four classes can use the scepter guys, truly I have read the wiki. However I hear the scepter is not considered viable for most of them. I want to know which class can use it viably. As in, it can be used without gimping me because there is better out there.

edit: thx Garambola, thats the kinda response I wanted.

its about how effective the weapon is not who can use them.

That said unless your utterly determined to be the absolute best you can be then it generally doesn’t matter, you can do most things in the game wearing greys/whites if you really wanted to, it will be a bit tought but in general its doable.

Only time it starts to matter is mostly just pvp and high level fractals.

What should matter is what you find fun really, otherwise I’d suggest checking the profession sub forms and see which ones have good scepter builds and such.

Having played all the professions, I think that condition necro has probably the best scepter-wielding build out there. Other classes other than guardian have better ranged options, but for guardian, its ranged skills are too poor to be considered main weapon set.

The scepter is exceptional on all classes that use it (for different reasons). Scepter gets used the least on the Mesmer in high end PvE and WvW, but it is still good for what it does. It’s really up to you to pick your poison.

My guardian and my necro uses the scepter on a regular basis. But probably necro is your best bet of the two. It’s my necro’s main weapon and it’s my guardian’s backup weapon.

Yeah, most Guardian players hate the scepter. It’s not very good, but it’s really our only ranged option.

S/D is gaining popularity on Eles, as is S/F for more defensive and specialized builds (like keep defense).

Necromancer: Scepter stacks conditions quickly and efficiently, so it is often used in condition builds (with staff as alternate weapon.)

Elementalist: The attacks can be slow to fire, but with timing, practice, and patience, the scepter does quite well for certain tasks. Dragon Tooth is awesome for taking out siege in WvW, for example. Trident is a targetable small-area heal for support. Phoenix does a decent amount of damage in a nice sized area and returns some health as icing on the cake.

Mesmer: poop clones like there’s no tomorrow for shatter fodder. Block is handy in a pinch for a panic switch, and adding stacks of confusion at the right time can be a game changer.

The tool is useful for all of the professions that can use it, but it lends itself to certain play styles. You should look at the skills it offers for each profession and then decide what play style you prefer out of the selection available… only advice I can give.

Guardians use scepter mostly as the only option since it’s really the only ranged weapon (staff is also ranged but much shorter range).

I don’t have experience with other classes, but I use the scepter a lot on my mesmer with a condition damage build. Scepter autoattack on a mesmer gives creates a clone every 3 attacks, clones do almost no damage but you can trait them to apply bleed with critical attacks, so you have 3 clones applying bleed can stack fast. Also since you can only have 3 clones out at the same time, creating a new one destroys one clone, and you can trait for clones to cripple and apply more conditions to nearby enemies when they’re destroyed, so you can keep kiting and crippling targets while you bleed them out. Also the constan flux of clones are perfect for shattering builds.

That said, if your goal is for a character to wield meteorlogicus I’d go with an elementalist… it’s just that it gives me an elements vibe that fits it better, IMHO. Now if mesmers could just use bows, the dreamer looks like a perfect weapon for them (though I think the bitfrost fits them very well too).

Sometimes my Guardian is better off kiting a mob, scepter works great. Obviously a slower kill than with the greatsword, but all good

locoman.1974:

Guardians use scepter mostly as the only option since it’s really the only ranged weapon (staff is also ranged but much shorter range).

I don’t have experience with other classes, but I use the scepter a lot on my mesmer with a condition damage build. Scepter autoattack on a mesmer gives creates a clone every 3 attacks, clones do almost no damage but you can trait them to apply bleed with critical attacks, so you have 3 clones applying bleed can stack fast. Also since you can only have 3 clones out at the same time, creating a new one destroys one clone, and you can trait for clones to cripple and apply more conditions to nearby enemies when they’re destroyed, so you can keep kiting and crippling targets while you bleed them out. Also the constan flux of clones are perfect for shattering builds.

That said, if your goal is for a character to wield meteorlogicus I’d go with an elementalist… it’s just that it gives me an elements vibe that fits it better, IMHO. Now if mesmers could just use bows, the dreamer looks like a perfect weapon for them (though I think the bitfrost fits them very well too).

Your post made me realize the OP should go with Mesmer! Why? With all the other options you only get one Meteorlogicus but with a Mesmer you get 4 of you holding Meteorlogicus.

Khisanth.2948:

locoman.1974:

Guardians use scepter mostly as the only option since it’s really the only ranged weapon (staff is also ranged but much shorter range).

I don’t have experience with other classes, but I use the scepter a lot on my mesmer with a condition damage build. Scepter autoattack on a mesmer gives creates a clone every 3 attacks, clones do almost no damage but you can trait them to apply bleed with critical attacks, so you have 3 clones applying bleed can stack fast. Also since you can only have 3 clones out at the same time, creating a new one destroys one clone, and you can trait for clones to cripple and apply more conditions to nearby enemies when they’re destroyed, so you can keep kiting and crippling targets while you bleed them out. Also the constan flux of clones are perfect for shattering builds.

That said, if your goal is for a character to wield meteorlogicus I’d go with an elementalist… it’s just that it gives me an elements vibe that fits it better, IMHO. Now if mesmers could just use bows, the dreamer looks like a perfect weapon for them (though I think the bitfrost fits them very well too).

Your post made me realize the OP should go with Mesmer! Why? With all the other options you only get one Meteorlogicus but with a Mesmer you get 4 of you holding Meteorlogicus.

That is actually pure genius XD
(Also, I kinda love scepter/torch on my mesmer for the sheer confusion output, seeing as “confusion”-conditions were my favourite source of damage already in GW1)

Guardians use scepter just fine. As you already commented on.

Mesmers can make great use of the scepter in things like shatter builds. The scepter autoattack spawns clones. Add in clones on dodge and you’ll be able to go from no clones to full clones in a few seconds. So if you trait for damage on shatter, and to speed up shatters, etc., you’ll be golden.

Necro condition builds work with scepter as well. You will have all the inherent problems of condition vs direct damage builds, but that’s not a necro or scepter problem, that’s a condition damage problem. That said, solo the scepter is great for stacking conditions and mix it with offhand items that fit your style, and like mezzies clone builds, you’re golden.

Elementalist is iffy if you’d want scepter. Not because it doesn’t work, but because staff is so much better for AoE fighting and dagger/dagger is just awesomesauce. Still, like any elementalist weapon, you can do all kinds of different builds and make them work.

Thanks for the input everybody. Think I’m going to go with Mesmer. I played Mesmer for years in GW1 (I know they are different though) but didn’t play around with it much in Gw2 because of my Engi love. I also think that Mesmer of all the playstyles listed by you guys is probably the closest to what I would enjoy playing. Thanks for all the detailed descriptions!

I like using the scepter on my Guardian. I use a torch in her other hand. With the range, you can start hammering things as you approach and then breathe fire or swap to a melee weapon when you close. For open world it is nice. Also, because the projectile is slow, you can have a bunch of little balls in the air at once, and hear them hitting in sequence, which looks and sounds sort of cool.

always slightly annoys me that guardians scepter has a 1200 range… when switching from guardian that I play as mostly melee (cos they sort of are) to my thief whos limited rang is silly

But yeah non of the profs I’ve used scepter on have looked to be all that weak with it, its just another weapon, may not be the min-maxers choice but still.

nobody said Ele? really?

Knighthonor.4061:

nobody said Ele? really?

Do you even read? There’re at least 5 posts in this thread that have mentioned elementalist.

Scepter/dagger is good for ele is you take the time to learn your rotations. I mainly use it in fractals and dungeons for ranged attack/control/mobility. Great for kiting mobs. Although not as effective for damage as D/D and not as good for support as Staff. But if you need a mix of the two S/D might be fun.

My advice, play all 4 scepter classes to level 2 or 3 and see which one best suits your play style with the scepter.

Scepter/dagger is ele is awesome. I really prefer it above dagger/dagger. The main reason is that it gives more survivability without sacrifcing too much damage.

My ele and my necro use scepter as a main weapon. (ele switchting to staff when im prewarned by a dynamic event, cause of no weaponswap, and necro using staff as secondary). My mesmer doesn’t use a scepter at all. My guardian is only level 12 atm and is using the scepter as secondary weapon for now.

After playing a ranger for 4 months, then switching to an alt guardian, I will say this:

The scepter is by far the worse weapon I have used in this game. It servers no purpose. The damage is pathetic. the skills are bad, and for the limited range it has, I am better off in melee, with far better options.

The fact that the scepter is the guardian’s only range option is the only reason I carry one around .. I cringe every time I have to use it ..

bri.2359:

After playing a ranger for 4 months, then switching to an alt guardian, I will say this:

The scepter is by far the worse weapon I have used in this game. It servers no purpose. The damage is pathetic. the skills are bad, and for the limited range it has, I am better off in melee, with far better options.

The fact that the scepter is the guardian’s only range option is the only reason I carry one around .. I cringe every time I have to use it ..

As stated above I disagree with you (dunno bout the guardian), but both on my necro as on my ele the scepter works great. A gurdian also use a staff ranged. but I would prefer the scepter shield combo

mercury ranique.2170:

bri.2359:

After playing a ranger for 4 months, then switching to an alt guardian, I will say this:

The scepter is by far the worse weapon I have used in this game. It servers no purpose. The damage is pathetic. the skills are bad, and for the limited range it has, I am better off in melee, with far better options.

The fact that the scepter is the guardian’s only range option is the only reason I carry one around .. I cringe every time I have to use it ..

As stated above I disagree with you (dunno bout the guardian), but both on my necro as on my ele the scepter works great. A gurdian also use a staff ranged. but I would prefer the scepter shield combo

My next alt will be a mesmer, so perhaps the scepter will be more useful with that class. For a guardian, it really is a dreadful weapon, and going from a ranger traited for Eagle Eye to this made it much worse.

I prefer the guardian staff skill 2 (the big glowing blob thing), it has a longer range than the scepter skill 1, downside is it’s much slower.

Scepter is a very viable weapon for necros as long as you go for a conditionmancer playstyle. I hate scepter on ele compared with the staff or double daggers, because I find the hover from above on some attacks annoying and the playstyle feels less fluid. I also suspect that in pvp/wvw most people aren’t going to stand under your big glowing rock of fire unless they’re on siege and can’t disengage fast enough.

Why not try out the different classes on the combat NPCs in the Mists though, since you’ll get all weapons and skills unlocked and can mess around with different builds? You’ll get a better feel for what you personally like then.

I use Scepter / warhorn (sometimes dagger here also) & Staff on my Condition Necro. I like its application there. I’m kind of blah about the other classes use though.

Only time I’ll use scepter on my Ele is if I need the focus.

Scepter on Guards are just so-so. But not much else to choose from.

Scepter on my Mes only cause I want to stay ranged AND use the focus.

In my experience the only profession that is effective with a Scepter is a condition necro.

Situational for Guardian.
Every other weapon is better for Mesmer.
Ele…I have no experience with but all the chatter I read is for D/D or staff

Necro is going to give you the most bang for your buck, but the legendary won’t match the flavor of the class in the slightest.

Ele is an obvious choice here, but you have to really enjoy the skill set. Staff or DD will give you more to do in the long run. Scepter is training sauce IMO.

Mesmer is ok, but as has been stated, their other weapons are much better.

Guardian isn’t bad if you want to solo champs and spend upwards of an hour doing so (per champ). With the right build you can solo just about anything with a scepter if you’re willing to sit there. If you like how the legendary looks this might be the best option, as you’ll certainly be seeing a lot of it.

Minus Guardian, I’ve leveled the other three classes to 80 and played with a variety of styles mainly focusing on maximizing damage. Out of the three, Mesmer scepter is probably the least efficient for direct damage but nice for shatter/confusion builds, Elementalist scepter has great versatility and coupled with a dagger provides a significant amount of direct damage, condition damage, blast finishers and might stacking. Necromancer condition builds require scepter to be most optimal.

So whoever told you scepter’s were bad for classes misinformed you heavily. But it is largely based on what you want to build for.

azureai.9764:

Yeah, most Guardian players hate the scepter. It’s not very good, but it’s really our only ranged option.

This x10. It’s a poor ranged weapon on guardian but we don’t have anything better. I start with this while closing, then switch to hammer or GS, or to mace/shield if in a group.

In Wv3, Chains of Light can slow an enemy down if they’re making a break for it, and then you switch to hammer and pound them down.

It’s been my experience that every weapon has its uses in this game. Scepters are viable for all of the classes that can use them. It’s how you play and how you build your character that ultimately matters.

As for the scepter on guardians, I completely disagree that it’s a poor ranged weapon. It’s actually a very good weapon with some really useful attacks. By itself it isn’t the greatest but most main hand weapons work best with off hands anyway.

@Zedd

Please, go play a class that uses proper ranged weapons – ranger, warrior, thief until at least lvl 40. Then come back tell and us what you think about the guardian’s scepter as a ranged weapon …

Here is a comparison between a ranger’s main-hand axe and a guardian’s main-hand scepter (both exotic)
Note: Throwing axe is the weakest main-hand weapon a ranger has available

Axe
dam: 857 – 1048
skill 1: dam 122 (x 3 targets); Range – 900
skill 2; dam 120 ( x 5) + 1275 (bleed); Range – 900
skill 3: dam 122 + 3 sec chill; Range – 900

Scepter
dam: 895 – 1014
skill 1: dam 162 (single target); Range – 1200
skill 2; dam 1200; Range – 1200
skill 3: dam 0; R – 900

Throwing axe does more base damage than scepter on 2 of 3 skills, plus hits multiple targets with skill1, skill 2 is a burst of 5 that can hit multiple targets as well. If you include total damage output per skill, axe out damages a scepter across the board. But then you have experience with every weapon and know this already, yes??

Most guardians don’t like scepter for a very good reason, not just to complain about something ..

If the argument is purely about the scepter’s damage as a ranged weapon, then yes it’s rather low. Guardians simply aren’t good at ranged damage overall. If you want a heavy armor class that has high ranged damage, then warriors are a better choice.

Anyway, you’re assuming everything is about damage. It isn’t. I don’t like it for the damage. The damage is rather poor. But the weapon actually is quite useful despite that, especially if you combine it with the right off-hand and use it in the right situations.

And I do play a class that uses “proper ranged weapons.” I also play a ranger and a warrior. If I want to do more ranged damage, then I’ll play one of those characters. But guardians aren’t all about damage. They certainly aren’t about good ranged damage.