Guild Wars 2

Hello, I haven’t played GW2 in about 2-3 years now, I got it when it came out then at one point I had to move and just forgot about it (new place had no internet).

So now I’m trying to get back into PVP. I remember that I was playing a Norn Warrior with a ton of tankiness, and as much CC as I could possibly squeeze into this guy.

However, in PVP:
Nobody is where appear to be… The biggest mission is to actually find the right guy and hit it. Everyone just seem to be blinking around, turning invisible and teleporting to the other side of the map and stuff. However, once you do hit them, they are immune to everything I do. 7 out of 10 times my skills either miss, get evaded or the enemy is immune to them. I also do 0 damage.

I don’t remember this playstyle being so unsuccessful. It’s true that I forgot everything, and even if I remembered, everything has probably changed ever since, but come on, I did not expect PVP to be so punishing. Isn’t there a matchmaking system or something?

Sorry for the rant, I’m just not sure what is wrong.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in PvP right now is trying to make a build that actually hits people with melee attacks which have a cast time.

The entire meta revolves around instant RNG sigils, procs, instant attacks, almost instant immobilize + cc, stealth bursts, and passive heals which can’t be interrupted.

If you are playing warrior, you have to play with Longbow and Cleansing Ire, or else you are mostly worthless.

Warrior with longbow??? I don’t get it. How can a big dude with a ton of health and a ton of CC be worthless? Do they not have tanks in this game?

And generally speaking I never follow the ‘meta’ in any game I play. I actually hate the word. But why would you play a Warrior with a longbow, that doesn’t make any sense.

play how you like and how your comfortable and get good at it.

<never followed meta

but yes it is very manic thanks to people playing as mesmers, thieves and the like where half their gameplay is going invisible, throwing illusion effects at other players, or doing random, passive damage with minimal tells. I wish the spammy classes would go but we’re stuck with them. Brawling is infinitely more enjoyable to me.

Do yourself a favor and play something that is actually designed for PvP or an MMO from a company that publishes its own developed games.

Alexander.9810:

Do yourself a favor and play something that is actually designed for PvP or an MMO from a company that publishes its own developed games.

nice plug bro

Jabloko.7039:

Warrior with longbow??? I don’t get it. How can a big dude with a ton of health and a ton of CC be worthless? Do they not have tanks in this game?

And generally speaking I never follow the ‘meta’ in any game I play. I actually hate the word. But why would you play a Warrior with a longbow, that doesn’t make any sense.

Health does not equal sustain first mistake with war they had to buff Healing Signet and introduce CI still a problem since shoutbow is what’s really viable conquest wise,first mistake with necro 3 years DS is still feels like it’s in beta and is overestimated by the devs. Easily telegraphed CC is very bad, I’m no strict meta follower but don’t be that guy with the random build trying to use the element of surprise.

Jabloko.7039:

Warrior with longbow??? I don’t get it. How can a big dude with a ton of health and a ton of CC be worthless? Do they not have tanks in this game?

And generally speaking I never follow the ‘meta’ in any game I play. I actually hate the word. But why would you play a Warrior with a longbow, that doesn’t make any sense.

There hasn’t been a competitive warrior build in this game without Longbow/Cleansing Ire in over 2 years now.

My 2 cent for you:
Type “Metabattle” on google, and grab a Meta build from there first.
Now the game is in a stale state which the people who left to play are mostly veterans, and use most efficient builds, so I suggest you to grab an efficient build first and try out before you try your own stuffs and get pwned.

You’re not alone brother. Like you, I played a great deal during launch (Mostly PvP), and went on hiatus for about a year and a half. You’re not wrong with the observation of PvP being rather manic (Apt description), but fortunately it’s something that can be alleviated with time. It’s so incredibly spammy, but you’ll eventually adapt to what’s going on around you, allowing you to make better tactical and clutch decisions.

As for “meta”, I’m with you on that as well. Usually it’s not a bad word in most games, but here it’s become quite stale as some have mentioned. There’s a few core classes that work, and by that very virtue many others simply do not. There’s really very little room for a “counter meta”, aside from playing the meta yourself and beating others through better skillful play. Hopefully HoT will shake all this up.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fJAQNAS8enMdQlH25BmCCnIGoKoQXABwDoqHSfCddKA-TZBBwAkLDw5gAA4BAg5KAUd/BA

That’s the tanky warrior build I play. With no longbow you have to land your earthshaker. Keep up fury and use the Intel sigils well you can hit hard too. It has to be played super aggressively to make up for the lack of longbow. Feel free to whisper me ingame for tips if I’m online.

It’s a shoutbow variation, and it’s meant to be different as opposed to replacing it in the meta. I enjoy this build far more, and it’s the build I win the most on.

You can be successful on some melee warrior builds using GS or sword (for the gap closers) in low-mid tier soloq (and even higher, with some skill). The “meta” game is only meta in team play in ranked (although it performs really well in soloq as well). The problem is caused partly by your build (try choovanski’s), but also by the fact you haven’t played in a long time. People know what works: insta-cast skills, teleports, and burst damage over sustained. Apart from radom procs (looking at you power necros), that’s a play style you will find enjoyable once you get used to it. Warrior is relatively easy to play profession, so I have no doubt you will be winning your games in no time.

Judging by ur mentality OP, go greatsword + hammer traited 00626 with zerker amulet and pack runes. This works just fine. I made a 1v1 video about it, works to an extent in group fights as long as u watch your sorroundings and have an understanding of your opponents are capable of and how the fight evolves. A decent point roamer.

nacario.9417:

Judging by ur mentality OP, go greatsword + hammer traited 00626 with zerker amulet and pack runes. This works just fine. I made a 1v1 video about it, works to an extent in group fights as long as u watch your sorroundings and have an understanding of your opponents are capable of and how the fight evolves. A decent point roamer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkxtlD9RfSo

Yeah… you’re literally just spamming your buttons when they’re off CD. Not exactly play anyone should idolize. Whirlwind Attack only ticking once, using Earthshaker into his shelter and aegis and actually just plain missing it once (unless you swapped to hammer to use earthshaker as a gap closer… in which case lol), using rush at point blank a second after the guardian used his invuln, dodging nothing randomly…

Larynx.2453:

Yeah… you’re literally just spamming your buttons when they’re off CD. Not exactly play anyone should idolize. Whirlwind Attack only ticking once, using Earthshaker into his shelter and aegis and actually just plain missing it once (unless you swapped to hammer to use earthshaker as a gap closer… in which case lol), using rush at point blank a second after the guardian used his invuln, dodging nothing randomly…

That’s just mean. Ok, the guy is maybe not the best player in the game, but he wanted to suggest a build to the OP. The build works decently well (I sometimes use it in WvW), and that’s all that matters. What was the point of your comment, aside from boosting your fragile ego?

Jabloko.7039:

Warrior with longbow??? I don’t get it. How can a big dude with a ton of health and a ton of CC be worthless? Do they not have tanks in this game?

There aren’t any fulltanks anymore, here’s the reason why:

- DMG got buffed by quite a lot and offensive abilities in general, but defense didn’t get buffed. So even with the tankiest specs possible, you couldn’t really hold against 2 opponents for long enough anymore. So ppl just stripped away all the defense that you didn’t need to win a 1v1, so the builds wouldn’t miss out on DMG in favour of defense that wouldn’t really do anything.

Jabloko.7039:

And generally speaking I never follow the ‘meta’ in any game I play. I actually hate the word. But why would you play a Warrior with a longbow, that doesn’t make any sense.

Well, theres a difference between playing only the meta builds and sticking with builds that just don’t work. The Warrior uses Longbow because in the more sustainy builds most classes use celestial Amu and the Warrior gets tons of DPS, fire-fields, AoE and some burst with the Longbow. It’s by far the best choice for a semi-tanky warrior. And Sword-Warhorn is used because of the insane condi-clear of the warhorn and the Sword gives you a Leap-Finisher and some burst with Sword-3.
I don’t think other Weapon-Sets or builds are worthless, but for the current meta, the "classic "shoutbow really is the best choice. It’s not the IMHO most used build in the Meta for nothing. ^^’

Literally all you need to know is WHEN to hit, WHERE to hit and HOW to hit. Like dude… It’s strategic. I’m rolling with a GS/Hammer war and I have no problems. You just have to take the time to learn, find people that could teach you, etc!

Everything is getting blocked? Learn the graphics stance for when people are using shields or shielding spells, wait for their rotation/move to be over and lay into them! Don’t waste your cooldowns if they’re not going to do any damage!

You’re not hitting anybody? You’re probably blinded! Evade and keep a distance until it runs out. If you’re not blinded, then see above thing about shielding spells.

Immune to everything you do? They popped STABILITY, keep an eye for it! Stability prevents players from being knocked down, feared, slowed or chilled or crippled! If they’re popping stability, it means they’re planning on doing something big and don’t want you to stop them from doing it! Keep your distance! Stability is very important in PvP for uninterrupted takedowns, rezzes, and large attacks. If you see a Thief spinning in circles, stay away or out DPS him. That’s their ONLY form of stability. Other than that, blinding, stealth and staying mobile is essential for them. They’re soft.

Some classes are squishier than others, prioritize who to kill, when you should, and think before you go into fights. Anticipate what the other player is going to do next, or force their hand to do so.

These are all things you slowly learn to recognize. It’s hard man, but once you get it down this game’s PvP is very fun. Sure there are problems, but if you enjoy it enough you work around them.

Larynx.2453:

nacario.9417:

Judging by ur mentality OP, go greatsword + hammer traited 00626 with zerker amulet and pack runes. This works just fine. I made a 1v1 video about it, works to an extent in group fights as long as u watch your sorroundings and have an understanding of your opponents are capable of and how the fight evolves. A decent point roamer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkxtlD9RfSo

Yeah… you’re literally just spamming your buttons when they’re off CD. Not exactly play anyone should idolize. Whirlwind Attack only ticking once, using Earthshaker into his shelter and aegis and actually just plain missing it once (unless you swapped to hammer to use earthshaker as a gap closer… in which case lol), using rush at point blank a second after the guardian used his invuln, dodging nothing randomly…

There were more fights than just the guardian that u were commenting on in the beginning. I make mistakes, as stated in the video description because I was new to the class, and sorry for not being an expert of all other class mechanics, I didnt know I would have to go on about that
It does however showcase the GS/Hammer warr potential during the fights as the opponents are capable, and once again I am deeply sorry for hurting your feelings.

Larynx.2453:

nacario.9417:

Judging by ur mentality OP, go greatsword + hammer traited 00626 with zerker amulet and pack runes. This works just fine. I made a 1v1 video about it, works to an extent in group fights as long as u watch your sorroundings and have an understanding of your opponents are capable of and how the fight evolves. A decent point roamer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkxtlD9RfSo

Yeah… you’re literally just spamming your buttons when they’re off CD. Not exactly play anyone should idolize. Whirlwind Attack only ticking once, using Earthshaker into his shelter and aegis and actually just plain missing it once (unless you swapped to hammer to use earthshaker as a gap closer… in which case lol), using rush at point blank a second after the guardian used his invuln, dodging nothing randomly…

So…where did this guy ask for your advice? Cuz I’m pretty sure what he was trying to do was give a good build option and a basic idea of how it works to someone who hasn’t played in a long time. You don’t need a pro to do that and if the build works without having to play it exactly perfectly then this just proves that his suggestion was spot on for the OP, despite your brash criticism.

But if you didn’t really have the intent of the post or the best interest of the OP in mind and only meant to be “that guy” who chips in just to cut someone else down…then mission accomplished, I guess. =/

@OP: I’d +1 this build suggestion. Also, give the game a bit more time as you get back into it. Then game will feel a lot less manic as you get a better understanding of what is going on.

Drakortha.6974:

play how you like and how your comfortable and get good at it.

<never followed meta

but yes it is very manic thanks to people playing as mesmers, thieves and the like where half their gameplay is going invisible, throwing illusion effects at other players, or doing random, passive damage with minimal tells. I wish the spammy classes would go but we’re stuck with them. Brawling is infinitely more enjoyable to me.

Complete bullkitten. Shows how little you play mesmer/thief and has zero idea how the class works.

I am a mesmer main playing double range shatter(the meta). The only stealth I bring is decoy which I save for the most rough spot. The passive damage(auto+izerker+conditions+air/fire proc) I can do would be even less than warrior’s auto heal. The burst damage I do(mirror blade+shatter) is just as telegraphed as any of your warriors’ big hit.

I am so tired of the random accusations of mesmers from people without even the basic knowledge. OP is a returning player. Please give him more constructive advice rather than throwing out all the bullkitten.

Exciton.8942:

Drakortha.6974:

play how you like and how your comfortable and get good at it.

<never followed meta

but yes it is very manic thanks to people playing as mesmers, thieves and the like where half their gameplay is going invisible, throwing illusion effects at other players, or doing random, passive damage with minimal tells. I wish the spammy classes would go but we’re stuck with them. Brawling is infinitely more enjoyable to me.

Complete bullkitten. Shows how little you play mesmer/thief and has zero idea how the class works.

I am a mesmer main playing double range shatter(the meta). The only stealth I bring is decoy which I save for the most rough spot. The passive damage I can do would be even less than warrior’s auto heal. The burst damage I do(mirror blade+shatter) is just as telegraphed as any of your warriors’ big hit.

I am so tired of the random accusations of mesmers from people without even the basic knowledge. OP is a returning player. Please give him more constructive advice rather than throwing out all the bullkitten.

Take a breath and re-read his post. He used an “or”, not an “and”. He also didn’t say anything about you in particular, do there’s no need to be offended.

infantrydiv.1620:

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in PvP right now is trying to make a build that actually hits people with melee attacks which have a cast time.

The entire meta revolves around instant RNG sigils, procs, instant attacks, almost instant immobilize + cc, stealth bursts, and passive heals which can’t be interrupted.

If you are playing warrior, you have to play with Longbow and Cleansing Ire, or else you are mostly worthless.

Pretty much this. I still remember before the 4/15 patch I felt like watching opponent animations and dodging the right skills was most important. Nowadays, watching animations is pointless most of the time, and it is more about predicting when your opponent is going to use an instant cast/burst from stealth/when a proc is going to 80-0 you.

I liked how it was before…

Jabloko.7039:

Warrior with longbow??? I don’t get it. How can a big dude with a ton of health and a ton of CC be worthless? Do they not have tanks in this game?

And generally speaking I never follow the ‘meta’ in any game I play. I actually hate the word. But why would you play a Warrior with a longbow, that doesn’t make any sense.

Because Longbow is the only weapon set that proc cleansing Ire without requiring a hit.

Cleansing Ire is a very powerful trait because it removes 3 conditions every 7-10 seconds. Without it, you will be eating condis and die.

Larynx.2453:

nacario.9417:

Judging by ur mentality OP, go greatsword + hammer traited 00626 with zerker amulet and pack runes. This works just fine. I made a 1v1 video about it, works to an extent in group fights as long as u watch your sorroundings and have an understanding of your opponents are capable of and how the fight evolves. A decent point roamer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkxtlD9RfSo

Yeah… you’re literally just spamming your buttons when they’re off CD. Not exactly play anyone should idolize. Whirlwind Attack only ticking once, using Earthshaker into his shelter and aegis and actually just plain missing it once (unless you swapped to hammer to use earthshaker as a gap closer… in which case lol), using rush at point blank a second after the guardian used his invuln, dodging nothing randomly…

On the other hand, that guardian is blocking, dodging, blinding almost everything. It just shows that the build is strong.

I main Mesmer, played it exclusivly for the first three years. I recently picked up warrior and have played Killshot (Rifle sw/wh) with it exclusively. I play full zerk, no LB, no cleansing Ire in a roaming DPS role (like the mesmer that I am). Don’t really have any problems but then I also don’t play in torny finals. Ranked PvP though.

Warriors arent just tanky bruisers, they’re highly mobile and suited to versatile encounters. Here’s a match from yesterday
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaTMVGVjVOMgrpfxHI43nWg

Also the ladies love it ;D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsoDHA83YuM

runeblade.7514:

Larynx.2453:

nacario.9417:

Judging by ur mentality OP, go greatsword + hammer traited 00626 with zerker amulet and pack runes. This works just fine. I made a 1v1 video about it, works to an extent in group fights as long as u watch your sorroundings and have an understanding of your opponents are capable of and how the fight evolves. A decent point roamer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkxtlD9RfSo

Yeah… you’re literally just spamming your buttons when they’re off CD. Not exactly play anyone should idolize. Whirlwind Attack only ticking once, using Earthshaker into his shelter and aegis and actually just plain missing it once (unless you swapped to hammer to use earthshaker as a gap closer… in which case lol), using rush at point blank a second after the guardian used his invuln, dodging nothing randomly…

On the other hand, that guardian is blocking, dodging, blinding almost everything. It just shows that the build is strong.

Actually had to log on for this. Theres no spamming buttons when theyre off cd, if he did he woulda lost. Sure he did mistakes, but still he beat decent players that put up a good fight.