Guild Wars 2

Im looking for a ranged class and so I’m stuck between the two. I havent played in a few months, but if I recall both are capable at ranged, but the ele has the lowest hit pool and the higher skill cap. I like the staff idea for both class’s, But i’m stuck between the two. Does one seem to prevail ahead of the other in wvw or what are the pro’s and cons of both class’s in ranged wvw

I feel like a ranged necro in WvW isn’t always the best option – because all of their skills are ground targeted and it can be pretty easy for people to avoid unless you plonk it right on top of them.

The ele on the other hand has a bit of crowd control, you have access to knockbacks, immobilise, chill etc. as well as large AoE attacks.

I am biased though, I just think ele’s are pretty awesome. I expect everyone to come along and tell you staff ele’s suck though… (They’re wrong)

WvW commanders value staff Eles very highly. This is because they provide water fields, static fields, lots of AoE, lots of group support and cc from a single weapon.

Well-mancers are valued for AoE boon/condition control and general debuffing that wells and staff provide (nearly every necro build has staff as primary or secondary weapon).

From my experience, Ele can be played more purely as ranged backline. Necromancer sort of can, but with primary mechanic deathshroud and general tankyness sometimes it encourages you to get into the thick of it to maximize effectiveness of certain abilities.

Just want to say that all classes have ranged weapons, in case you didn’t know. Some classes are probably more effective than others at range, but I don’t know much about the comparisons.

I am inexperienced in WvW, but I have seen both classes used to good effect. For example, Necros can assist in holding choke points by piling marks onto one area like a bridge, and can also set marks right outside the portals for keeps/towers that defenders come out of, instantly damaging them if they go outside. Staff elementalists also provide excellent group support in WvW with static field (for stacking AoE swiftness) and their fire and water fields for stacking might or healing. They also have a fair amount of CC at their disposal.

Thanks for all the valuable input, Ele seems like you need to be concert pianist to be able to play at the fullest potential, which I am not by any means. I like the idea of the wellmancer and the minions. Can you incorporate minion master type of build with the wellmancer?

You can, but be advised it’s technically a tank type build. Damage won’t be high, you won’t be much in demand for dungeon parties. You probably can’t 1v1 most players either, so use that build in zergs for best effect.

Also since wells and minions are both utility type skills, you’ll have to sacrifice the full potential of both to get to use them together.

If you are looking for a light armour ranged class, then a schatter mesmer is what you want. In fact, imo this is the best ranged class/build in the game!