Guild Wars 2

Okay, so I have a Ranger who is level 80. I really did enjoy that character and she is something I have had a great deal of success doing dungeons and stuff with. However I have not had a great deal of success with sPvP, or WvW with her.

That said, I kind of want to level up another toon to 80 who is generally speaking more useful in more diverse things than my Ranger happens to be. I have tried leveling up a Guardian, Elementalist, and Necromancer to between level 20-30.

I can say from experience that the Necromancer, specifically the Minion Mancer build is too slow when it comes to the combat system. It reminds me of play during Guild Wars 1, and I am not particularly thrilled with that. Initially I had enjoyed the Necro because it presented me with a particularly tanky character. But that enjoyment started to wane when I realized that the character just wasn’t as efficient as it could be. Nor was it particularly an active character class.

The Elementalist I do enjoy, because it is a more active class. I especially enjoy the Staff builds. However I have found that the Elementalist suffers from squishiness-syndrome. Which can be problematic in some cases. However it is a class I can enjoy somewhat due to the active nature of the class.

The Guardian while being active and not nearly as squishy as the Elementalist… presents me with concerns that the only relevant build I have been able to find for it is not really the most optimal build for soloing purposes, and is really more optimal for large group settings (Altruistic Healing + Empowering Might). Thus I am not particularly thrilled with the class as I tend to do a great deal of soloing in a PvE setting.

Is there any class that based on what I have said above that you guys think I would enjoy more than the classes I have already tried? And Ranger doesn’t count as I already have it to 80.

Stick with ele. One you’re adapted to the squishiness it’s a very rewarding class to play. If you just can’t take the squish then try engineer; they have similar mechanics and play but have better armor/hp.

Might try mesmer also.

Basics of the guardian: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/guardian/Guide-PVE-Guardian-101-A-Beginner-s-Text/

Optimised guardian builds for PvE: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/guardian/Guide-DPS-Guardian-for-PVE

I’ve looked at the second of those guides… and its not so much a guide as a “Rotation List” and that is not what I am looking for in a guide really at the moment. I can figure out rotations easily enough on my lonesome. What I am looking for is a class that meets my playstyle, which matches the Elementalist a great deal more than the Guardian at the current time. Unfortunately the Elementalist is a great deal more squishy than I would normally like to be playing.

An Siorai Tharian.4516:

Okay, so I have a Ranger who is level 80. I really did enjoy that character and she is something I have had a great deal of success doing dungeons and stuff with. However I have not had a great deal of success with sPvP, or WvW with her.

That said, I kind of want to level up another toon to 80 who is generally speaking more useful in more diverse things than my Ranger happens to be. I have tried leveling up a Guardian, Elementalist, and Necromancer to between level 20-30.

I can say from experience that the Necromancer, specifically the Minion Mancer build is too slow when it comes to the combat system. It reminds me of play during Guild Wars 1, and I am not particularly thrilled with that. Initially I had enjoyed the Necro because it presented me with a particularly tanky character. But that enjoyment started to wane when I realized that the character just wasn’t as efficient as it could be. Nor was it particularly an active character class.

The Elementalist I do enjoy, because it is a more active class. I especially enjoy the Staff builds. However I have found that the Elementalist suffers from squishiness-syndrome. Which can be problematic in some cases. However it is a class I can enjoy somewhat due to the active nature of the class.

The Guardian while being active and not nearly as squishy as the Elementalist… presents me with concerns that the only relevant build I have been able to find for it is not really the most optimal build for soloing purposes, and is really more optimal for large group settings (Altruistic Healing + Empowering Might). Thus I am not particularly thrilled with the class as I tend to do a great deal of soloing in a PvE setting.

Is there any class that based on what I have said above that you guys think I would enjoy more than the classes I have already tried? And Ranger doesn’t count as I already have it to 80.

FYI, AH + EM is one of the worst PVE builds you can run on a guard. I suggest you take another look at those guides.

If youre looking for a strong active class, try ele, engi, mes, or thief.

I realize that AH + EM is one of the worst PvE builds that one can run on a Guardian. That said, I didn’t really like the alternatives that were presented in those two guides all that much.

That said, yes, I was looking for a strong and active class. That said I was speaking with someone in the game, and he suggested I consider a build for Ele similar to this build:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fEAQFAWhEmkbwx5QlDAkHuYCLiCPUeszM2A-jgyAorgQECS2TQMBqsW2KiGreBT5SEVbwFqN5JyjjJFgVDjA-e

I realize that the build doesn’t utilize Ascended Weapons and Armor as presented, but that is because at the moment I cannot invest the time money and effort needed to get Ascended. Not to mention that this is just an outline of what I am planning on aiming towards with an Ele. Not what is actually where I will end up at the end of everything all things considered.

That said, I will probably be focusing on my Ele for the time being.

If Ele continues to dissatisfy you, give Mesmer a try. It’s the only class I leveled to 80 for the pure fun of it without any RP. Lots of active things to do, lots of tricks to avoid getting squished, and by all accounts highly desired in dungeons and WvW.

Tharian the build you linked is classic bunker ele which will do you just fine (it’s what I’ve been running since launch.) If you still find it’s too squishy you might put those 10 in air into earth instead.

Good luck!

Try Mesmer and Engineer. Both have very active playstyles, great variaty and they are very fun. A Mesmer or Engi can pretty much be anything you imagine.

Since you are looking for classes that are good at sPVP (rank 47) and WvWvW (silver invader) from my experience, i play all professions on both, the best are;

1. Mes
2. Ele
3. Guard
4. War
5.Thief
6/7. Engi or Ne
8 Ranger

This is my personal opinion and may not be agreed upon however the ranks associated should lend some credibility.

I think Warrior is generally thought to be one of the easiest for solo PvE. I’d try that.

My advice is to first level them to 80 so you can experience the full benefits of the traits. Then, when your build is set and your armor, runes, sigils, accesories and weapons are adequate, you can make a competent assessment of how a class truly is.

Also, regarding rangers – I don’t know about sPvP, but they are pretty awesome in WvW roaming.

Maybe try an Engineer? I’d always struggled with this class, as I wasn’t really sure what I was doing with it, and concluded originally that it was really boring. However, having watched a recent build video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIVZ9qxKKzI (bear in mind the build in the video isn’t going to be optimised until level 80), I tried again. Now, I’m having a ton of fun.

It’s similar to the Elementalist in that you don’t swap weapons, but you have a range of different skills due to equipping various kits. It’s definitely active, focuses on cc and, one you get past the first 5 levels (which are essentially a little kitten the ears listening to a gun firing either slowly or quickly again and again), has some really interesting options. I am loving my grenade kit – it doesn’t kill as quickly as some of the other classes, but imo, it’s faster than a Necro or Mesmer, but isn’t nearly as squishy as the Elementalist.

Other active classes include Mesmer, which I can’t get interested in, despite their strengths. Seems to take an absolute age to kill anything (though very possibly I just have the wrong build for it) and Thief. I think Thief is an interesting class, but I find if it’s not played correctly, then it’s incredibly squishy, despite being a medium armor class. I’m not sure how you feel about the skills and the mechanics of being a Thief, however. I, personally, think they lack interest until higher levels, so I would suggest going further than level 30 with one before you make your mind up.

I have to second (or third?) the Engineer. I love the class. Explosions, a huge bag of tricks, and perma-swiftness? And have I mentioned how inherently awesome Rocket Boots are? But don’t play it for the gimmicks, it’s actually an amazing all around class that excels at PvE and WvW. I tried Ele and I have a level 80 Guardian as well, but Engi is the best balance I could find between damage, survivability, and fun.

I also couldn’t end this without also seconding Mesmer. I duo with a Mesmer often (my fiance is an amazing player) and together we have NO problem capping camps in WvW and harassing our enemies. I often am amazed at just how evasive that class can be.

In defense of the Guardian, arguably the most powerful and versatile class in PvE: here

And ofc, because I main an ele ;-) This is how an staff ele can bring you glamourous damage