Guild Wars 2

So, I’m opening this to get some suggestion on how to handle 1vs1 encounters when I have the staff and I meet a D/D elementalist.

First of all, I usually use D/D and rarely have issues in 1vs1, even against other D/D. Though in World, when attacking of defending, I use the staff and since there’s no weapon swap, it happens that I hit a D/D elementalist while I still have the staff.

So far my only solution is to figure out a way to escape, but D/D has many distance shortener skills, so he can be on me in no time. I also have less damage than him.
Any strategies you may suggest?

Bunker up and hope the enemy will get bored of the fight.

None. I was actually going to write a post about Staff Elementalists, I seem to be finding more and more of them away from their group or trying to solo with a staff, they are basically a free kill. There is nothing a Staff Ele can to against a D/D Ele apart from try and run. And to those who are trying to solo as a staff Ele, don’t do it.

Only advice I can think of is don`t bother with Staff
Stick with D/D, you`re safer & will live heck of a lot longer.

The problem is that I already stick with D/D, but it’s pointless when sieging or defending a tower or when fighting a larger zerg. You need the staff then. In those cases, I can’t swap to D/D since I’m either in combat or don’t have the time to go through the inventory (escaping).

I was imagining there was no solution, so any good escape tactic?

alt-f4 always works

this is why i am all for eles having weapon switching honestly like i cant STAND when that happens and im stuck with that weapon set and u may or may not win with it aswell most players say OH ELE WILL BE OP more OP than any other class yea.. noo i really dont think we will at all tbh. still the same skills just switching out the only thing i could think of that would be OP is the staff water healing aswell as the D/D heals then yea. ull pretty much stay full health for a while.

Lordryux.9785:

this is why i am all for eles having weapon switching honestly like i cant STAND when that happens and im stuck with that weapon set and u may or may not win with it aswell most players say OH ELE WILL BE OP more OP than any other class yea.. noo i really dont think we will at all tbh. still the same skills just switching out the only thing i could think of that would be OP is the staff water healing aswell as the D/D heals then yea. ull pretty much stay full health for a while.

Completely disagree. I play D/D, I know that I have no ranged abilities and therefore will not be very useful in keep offence/defence. That’s the price I pay for being mobile and semi-melee. In the same token, if I use a staff I should know that I won’t be much use solo/small group however, I will shine in keep offence/defence.

That’s how the class is designed. If aNet gave ele’s in combat weapon swapping, then YES they would be OP. If they gave them out of combat weapon swapping then no, they wouldn’t be OP, but it’s the same as reaching in your bags and equipping a staff…i.e. it’s not needed.

I don’t understand why everyone says staff is bad at solo fights. I PVP a lot and I’m a staff ele and I do quite well. I don’t even use a bunker build. My staff ele uses a toughness/condition build.

It may be hard to land our high damage spells like eruption and lava font but they can be landed with proper aim and proper use of chill/stun/immobilize (we have tons of CC as a Staff ele). Now, this was easier before EA nerf. You could roll into frozen ground and stack like 8 seconds of frozen armor and it was much easier to land AoEs after it. The key is simply knowing when to use the right spell and at what time.

Mind you, I havent played Staff Ele since the nerf and I’ve been experimenting with SD…

SecondtoNone.7549:

I don’t understand why everyone says staff is bad at solo fights. I PVP a lot and I’m a staff ele and I do quite well. I don’t even use a bunker build. My staff ele uses a toughness/condition build.

It may be hard to land our high damage spells like eruption and lava font but they can be landed with proper aim and proper use of chill/stun/immobilize (we have tons of CC as a Staff ele). Now, this was easier before EA nerf. You could roll into frozen ground and stack like 8 seconds of frozen armor and it was much easier to land AoEs after it. The key is simply knowing when to use the right spell and at what time.

Mind you, I havent played Staff Ele since the nerf and I’ve been experimenting with SD…

I have never, ever been troubled by a Staff Ele. Most of the time I ignore them and kill the more dangerous targets. Maybe it’s a case of most of these players don’t know how to effectively use CC/Immobilise, I can tell you that 90% of them don’t even understand basic kiting. With the amount of mobility you can get with D/D (if you use the right cantrips), your not going to be able to kite me anyway.

And the match up is Staff Ele vs. DD Ele. Staff Ele will lose, everytime.

^ this.

A staff ele trying to do damage is not a threat, I leave them for last unless they are glass cannon in which case poof! they’re dead.

Loco.4561:

SecondtoNone.7549:

I don’t understand why everyone says staff is bad at solo fights. I PVP a lot and I’m a staff ele and I do quite well. I don’t even use a bunker build. My staff ele uses a toughness/condition build.

It may be hard to land our high damage spells like eruption and lava font but they can be landed with proper aim and proper use of chill/stun/immobilize (we have tons of CC as a Staff ele). Now, this was easier before EA nerf. You could roll into frozen ground and stack like 8 seconds of frozen armor and it was much easier to land AoEs after it. The key is simply knowing when to use the right spell and at what time.

Mind you, I havent played Staff Ele since the nerf and I’ve been experimenting with SD…

I have never, ever been troubled by a Staff Ele. Most of the time I ignore them and kill the more dangerous targets. Maybe it’s a case of most of these players don’t know how to effectively use CC/Immobilise, I can tell you that 90% of them don’t even understand basic kiting. With the amount of mobility you can get with D/D (if you use the right cantrips), your not going to be able to kite me anyway.

And the match up is Staff Ele vs. DD Ele. Staff Ele will lose, everytime.

Well, I’ve been PVPing for a long time and you don’t see many staff Eles other than bunker staff Eles anyway (so, low talent pool). All you really see are DD eles because they’re easier to play.

I use all weapon types(albeit I’m known for using d/d most of the time).
Generally speaking, I destroy all my fellow d/d elementalists with staff =P. I lure them to a high rise cliff, and shove them off the edge using staff air3. Its usually an instant kill xD. Its pretty fun to do too :]

daphoenix.4283:

I use all weapon types(albeit I’m known for using d/d most of the time).
Generally speaking, I destroy all my fellow d/d elementalists with staff =P. I lure them to a high rise cliff, and shove them off the edge using staff air3. Its usually an instant kill xD. Its pretty fun to do too :]

That’s one way to do it, lol

daphoenix.4283:

I use all weapon types(albeit I’m known for using d/d most of the time).
Generally speaking, I destroy all my fellow d/d elementalists with staff =P. I lure them to a high rise cliff, and shove them off the edge using staff air3. Its usually an instant kill xD. Its pretty fun to do too :]

Cruel enough that Ele` don`t have fall trait damage, you have to rub it in? ;p

Mist form and RTL. Play it like a racing game

mak.9027:

The problem is that I already stick with D/D, but it’s pointless when sieging or defending a tower or when fighting a larger zerg.

Loco.4561:

I play D/D, I know that I have no ranged abilities and therefore will not be very useful in keep offence/defence. That’s the price I pay for being mobile and semi-melee.

I really disagree here. When attacking a keep, there need to be people who aren’t zeroed in on the gate/siege, watching corners and stopping defenders from getting in. When defending, I can usually make some pretty effective sallies as a D/D ele. Whether that means downing and pushing back attackers, or getting up allies who didn’t quite make it in.

Khalic.3561:

mak.9027:

The problem is that I already stick with D/D, but it’s pointless when sieging or defending a tower or when fighting a larger zerg.

Loco.4561:

I play D/D, I know that I have no ranged abilities and therefore will not be very useful in keep offence/defence. That’s the price I pay for being mobile and semi-melee.

I really disagree here. When attacking a keep, there need to be people who aren’t zeroed in on the gate/siege, watching corners and stopping defenders from getting in. When defending, I can usually make some pretty effective sallies as a D/D ele. Whether that means downing and pushing back attackers, or getting up allies who didn’t quite make it in.

And that’s exactly what I do, I protect siege, rez people, stop enemy players getting in or scout to watch for enemy reinforcements. My point was, I don’t expect to be able to pew pew defenders on the walls, or bomb people when defending and that is what some people believe keep / tower offence/defence is.

I was meaning it in that context. Not the context of I just stand still and twiddle my thumbs :P

mjharrison.3209:

^ this.

A staff ele trying to do damage is not a threat, I leave them for last unless they are glass cannon in which case poof! they’re dead.

i’m more of a semi bunker staff, not full bunker so can’t tank as much, but i still do a decent amount of damage this way and i can tank. i eat D/D for breakfast they either can’t do enough damage to kill me, so i eventually kill them because i do more damage, or they are to fragile and i just kill them quicker because i can still tank decently well

The people who think a weapon swapping ele would be OP are making what is essentially a math error.
They think about the abilities a d/d ele would gain by swapping to staff mid-fight but they are not paying attention to the abilities they lose access too for the duration of the time they have the staff out.
They think about it as (STAFF+DAGGER)
when it is really (STAFF+DAGGER)/2
It is the average of the 2 weapon sets, a strong set and a weak set. That makes its power between the 2, not above the strong.

Occam.9841:

The people who think a weapon swapping ele would be OP are making what is essentially a math error.
They think about the abilities a d/d ele would gain by swapping to staff mid-fight but they are not paying attention to the abilities they lose access too for the duration of the time they have the staff out.
They think about it as (STAFF+DAGGER)
when it is really (STAFF+DAGGER)/2
It is the average of the 2 weapon sets, a strong set and a weak set. That makes its power between the 2, not above the strong.

Good point, sir.

Weapon swap sounds fun but we’re never gonna get it.