Guild Wars 2

Look i’ve read and read and read but i dont understand combo fields whatsoever. I need an explanation as if you were explaining it to a toddler. Many brain cells gone over the years and im pretty dumb i wont lie. I just need it explained to me dumbed right down. This would be muchly appreciated!

Someone puts down a combo field, then a combo finisher takes place in that field: COMBO!
(You can see if something is a combo field or finisher in the skill tooltip, btw)
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Combo

you lay a piece of bread + you apply jam = yummy

field(bread) + finisher(Jam) = combo

there are many types of fields and finishers, resulting in many different end combos.

My necro puts down a dark field (well of something), you shoot through it with something that can combo and BAM! Life Steal combo finish.

Let’s take it back even further. Not all AOE’s are fields, your skill tool tip will say Field: Fire or may be Field: Water.

To make use of these fields, you use a skill that has Finisher: in it, for example Finisher: Blast.

The examples I’ve chosen are the most popular ones. The trick to watching for a field is the edge of the field will have a ring of what looks like rising white puzzle pieces. If you see someone like that it’s almost guaranteed to be a combo field. There will also be some particle effects inside that will give you an idea as to what sort of field it is.

Here’s an example
An Elementalist with a staff casts Lava Font, which is a fire field. A Warrior runs up and casts Banner of Strength. This banner has Finisher: Blast on it, so when it lands you will see AREA MIGHT appear telling you that all of the tarty members in range just gained might. The warrior then picks up the banner and hits skill 5 which does nothing except it is another Blast finisher and the party members gain more might. Each party member can then pick up the banner or use their own skills with blast finisher and blast the fire field while it is still active to gain more might and so on.

Similar with Combo: Water, although in this case using a blast finisher on a water field will pop AREA HEALING up so that everyone in range gets a heal.

Basically, it’s about observation. There are basically two types of combo finishing, party or self buff and enemy debuff. Blast is probably one of the most useful combo finishers as every blast will be have an area of effect buff or debuff. Blasting a dark field will give area blindness on foes, while blasting a smoke field gives area stealth. Blasting a light field gives area cleanse which is incredibly handy. As I fight with guardians a lot, usually being a warrior, my sustained combat ability in a condition heavy environment is helped a great deal by light fields. Warriors generally have Finisher: Physical, Blast, Leap, Whirl and all of those will cleanse conditions. Physical and Leap are self cleanses, Blast is a party wide cleans while Whirl is a party cleans but not self cleanse as it throws Cleansing bolts out to your party.

Hope that sums things up for you