(edited by Aberyst.9128)
Those having trouble with Elementalist
Ele dmg is too low, especially for how squishy they are. My ranger out damages my ele by a lot with a lot less work and greater survivability. There’s a -reason- why everyone is complaining, the class isn’t good enough.
We can only hope arena net will look at class balancing after they stabilize the game.
I will agree that it does need a slight buff, I also havent played any other classes so dont know how the dmg scales up. But at the same time i dont have a problem killing mobs, groups of mobs or even veteran mobs when leveling.
Im just making this post to help people who dont know alot about the class, hopefully this gives them some insight.
How do I never die as an elementalist? Works for PvE and PvP.
Always have equipment with little or no defensive stats in order to maintain glass-cannon status. Mixing these traits with a lot of toughness and vitality will reduce damage far to much and should only be done when using dual-daggers!
30 in water. tier3 – remove conditions on granting regeneration. tier1 cantrips grant regeneration and vigor on use. tier2 can be 20% cantrip reduction, or if using less cantrips temporarily, then swap tier2 for several traits to increase survivability, debuff, or damage. If only using 1 cantrip, always chose cleansing fire – except for when using a focus, since earth has a 3x condition removal ability. Never use lightning flash in PvE unless you’re jumping up a hilltop to kite a boss solo. However lightning flash is the best PvP cantrip, but I also never PvP without cleansing fire.
10 in arcane, always use elemental attunement. With every build, ever. EVER!
10 earth – Earth’s Embrace
10 air – Quick Glyphs (or 20 air excluding fire- for dual-dagger – Zephyr’s Boon for aura speed bonuses)
10 – fire – Spell Slinger if using 3 cantrips. If using 2 or less then pick Internal Fire, or burning precision if you have very high crit.
Maybe you guys having trouble just havnt figured it out yet.
Dmg Check
Survivability Check
Thats in PVP, PvE is a boring its so easy.
Maybe you guys having trouble just havnt figured it out yet.
Dmg Check
Survivability CheckThats in PVP, PvE is a boring its so easy.
That’s 30 earth and either 20 or 30 water. 3 utility signets sucks for PvP because of the cast time on signets. The chill, immobilize, blind, and burn from signets can be applied using existing weapons skills! If those signets were instant cast like arcane spells then they would be worth it, but that build in the video is bad.
Please explain to me how that elementalist would escape from bull charge —> hundred blades. Would be instant death.
(edited by Fugly.5287)
One of the major problems I have as a Elementalist is that burning does not stack. It seems like every other damage condition stacks except burning.
I play fire about 90% of the time, so I could probably play a different style and be fine. But I really like fire, minus the whole ‘duration stacking’ rather than damage stacking.
What good is infinite burning on a mob that doesn’t take a long duration to kill? Or a long burning duration on a boss? It would be nicer to be able to stack burning to do more damage more quickly.
My elementalist works just fine and im lv 15 full power staff. Glass cannon is the right word to use there. I’m full power build right now but I’m planning to go full power condition damage because virtually all my attacks burn (and condition duration, somewhere in there), only problem I can see if that random Guardian in the crowd ready to break my conditions off the group(in pvp anyway, I’m breezing through pve lul). Any thoughts?
One of the major problems I have as a Elementalist is that burning does not stack. It seems like every other damage condition stacks except burning.
I play fire about 90% of the time, so I could probably play a different style and be fine. But I really like fire, minus the whole ‘duration stacking’ rather than damage stacking.
What good is infinite burning on a mob that doesn’t take a long duration to kill? Or a long burning duration on a boss? It would be nicer to be able to stack burning to do more damage more quickly.
Burning, swiftness, and protection stack duration. Bleeding and might stacks intensity. This is the same for all classes. If you have enough condition damage to make burn attacks worthwhile, then you should be using bleed attacks (earth) in the same attack combo rotation.
Keep in mind the elementalist is the most difficult class to be effective with. If you want to excel with the least effort, then play a warrior or ranger.
It sounds like you’re playing elementalist incorrectly. You should never spend 90% of the time in 1 attunement. You shouldn’t spend over 25% of the time in 1 attunement, except for air when traveling or fleeing. Swap between them as frequently as possible. This is key. Arcane attunement trait helps a great deal keeping a boon up all the time. If you use the right traits you can self sustain might, protection, or swiftness indefinitely.
Try to learn combos cycling between attunements. For example with a staff you can open with water #4 aoe snare, and aim #2 aoe vulnerability in the 50% path in front of the target. Press F4, drop #5 stun field, press #2 for 6 second blind. Now switch to fire and use #2 lava font at your own feet. Since the enemy is blind you can let them get one swing (hopefully they waste their stun) then roll away. Now switch to earth, use #4 snare (careful cause they can roll through it to dodge the snare), and use a #2 aoe attack within the space between you two. Mix it up with utility skills. There are dozens of good combos depending on your utility skills, numbers of allies or enemies.
I have 0 problems with PvE using Staff only. I primarily go fire, I will switch to earth if I need the projectile reflect. I can take some Vets solo. You just need to know how to use your skills and when to dodge. Remember, Burning Retreat not only creats a line of fire, but it also is a 0 endurence dodge backwards.
In a tough fight I may switch to Water for some heals but this generaly is a last ditch effor to survive if I am fighting solo.
Do Not forget about Combos, even when operating Solo you can combo off your own fields. Fire, Water and Air all create fields with the Staff and Earth has 3 finnishers. You also have access to Arcane Wave and Arcane Bolt if you buy those slot skills, they are also finnishers and can allow you to Combo without switching elements.
Most players choose elementalists because they want to play a ranged class. And you are asking them to play melee?
Then a better advice would be to reroll a warrior or guardian instead.
Doesn’t change the fact that eles are useless in PvP.
Compared to other classes Elementalist do a lot less direct damage, especially if you made a direct comparison to the ranger.
But they excel at AoE damage and AoE effects and this is what I think you need to play to as a staff elementalist. You also need to have a good balance of power and condition damage as well as survivability if you want to be offensive.
D/D is popular because it is the highest direct damage spec. But compared to other melee classes the damage is very very low. I’m not 100% sure on how to play D/D but the strength is in the mobility and not damage. So you probably should try to play toward that.
I play staff mostly and find ELE’s to be best at sPvP play when trying to keep people out of the capture zone. In fact ELE’s are pretty intimidating inside houses or small area’s because you have to eat their AoE. For WvW I go heavy condition and I find the ELE is pretty good at harassing keep defenders. Probably the best because of how much AoE damage we can throw onto the walls.
I don’t feel that ELE’s are meant to be played like a direct damage class like a ranger/thief because the damage is too low even if you stack everything into power. It is just too underwhelming compared to other damage classes. You need to play to it’s strengths.