Guild Wars 2

Does anyone recall the Ele dev that kept commenting on how epic this patch would be for us? It sounded like he almost felt guilty at how awesome the Elementalist class would become, and that there was a whole new world coming.

Maybe I missed something. I get wrecked by the same classes (sPvP), though I do feel like I survive a tad bit longer with some builds. The only major difference I’ve seen practically is that rangers don’t need to attack me directly, they just send in their white owls. So what am I missing? Some new L337 mixture of traits?

Apparently you have to use sigil of might plus strenght runes for imba might stack and celestial amulet with signet of restoration for sustained damage, but thieves still wreck etc etc…

The dev was sounding that way for a reason. I’ve had non-stop wreckage in Spvp thus far. Including 5/5 wins in solo que. (The rest was hot join) Granted, I may not have faced any very difficult/high level opponents yet. However, I’ve noticed significant difference in how well I did before patch versus after patch. And when I say, “significant” I mean it.

Try talking with other forumers and watching various vids and stat comparisons for new sigils, runes, etc. Ele’s are not in a bad state yet. I say, “yet” because it’s still very early to tell which classes will come out on top.

In general, I’d say don’t make any hasty conclusions. Let’s wait a bit and see how things turn out.

I ran with battle / strength for a while and was easily hitting 22 stacks of might, but it wasn’t wrecking anyone. Only difference I saw was that I could handle a little more sustained focus, which wasn’t an effect of the might.

So it seems like doing lethal damage as an elementalist is the same as it was before the patch — a mystic unicorn that requires specific combinations and perfect lighting to achieve. Whereas I could play any of my other more boring characters and win at least half of the battles without intense pre-meditated multi-step combinations.

I hate how much I only love playing my elementalist.

To be fair and show some positivity, I do love this recent patch. I think it’s a fantastic direction for everything. Only disappointment is that I thought elementalists would be more… different.

Yeah you gonna be binded to those runes if you want to succeed

I think the ele is at a better place, but I still hate how you have to rely on stacks of might and relying on somewhat OP rune.

connvince.8061:

I ran with battle / strength for a while and was easily hitting 22 stacks of might, but it wasn’t wrecking anyone. Only difference I saw was that I could handle a little more sustained focus, which wasn’t an effect of the might.

So it seems like doing lethal damage as an elementalist is the same as it was before the patch — a mystic unicorn that requires specific combinations and perfect lighting to achieve. Whereas I could play any of my other more boring characters and win at least half of the battles without[u] intense pre-meditated multi-step combinations.

I hate how much I only love playing my elementalist.

To be fair and show some positivity, I do love this recent patch. I think it’s a fantastic direction for everything. Only disappointment is that I thought elementalists would be more… different.

This is the core issue still. The skill cap on a D/D Ele is pretty high comparatively but there is little to no pay off for playing at a high level. We have to do 2-3x the work for the same result. I would be happy with putting in the extra work if I out performed other classes by some sort of measurable margin.

For instance, I am primarily a WvW roamer. I find that if I fight a decently competent Warrior I have to outplay said Warrior in every single way for the entire fight. If I make even one mistake it results in me having to go on the defensive for a moment while he regens all of my damage, which effectively resets the fight for him. Meanwhile, the Warrior can just keep charging at me and keep spamming skills without ever having to worry about dodging.

I’m not saying that Ele’s should be able to roflstomp every single class/spec, but it gets old owning Thieves. Hey, at least they didn’t nerf our perma-Vigor like I was afraid would happen. That would have made D/D Ele completely useless as I mitigate most of the incoming damage with dodge rolls.

Ele is the most OP class in the game right now. I easily go 9/10 in sPVP. You haven’t found it yet. Turn on combat log and go back through it some time, there is a skill that will surprise you…may be a bug

The ele builds didn’t really change much its the celestial ammy and might stacking. They still play the same and I am willing to bet the other classes still do it better. Ele won’t get in the meta just because it can might stack and sustain with celestial ammy not if it’s the standard builds people are running. There are classes that still do it better for the roles available.

Im not saying it’s not in a better place it is but the core is still there. So sure you can might stack up to 25 run around and do better as in better then before. When it comes to top meta I don’t think it will cut it because it can’t break in just because it can stack might well now. Thief will still be top damage and isn’t that all that might is really? So why take a might stacking ele? There is no reason to.

SQLOwns.7316:

Ele is the most OP class in the game right now. I easily go 9/10 in sPVP. You haven’t found it yet. Turn on combat log and go back through it some time, there is a skill that will surprise you…may be a bug

Love this, you totally carried you team with your ele, not because you are facing bads left and right that flooded spvp… nah

I’ll say this much: Until we start thinking outside the box and trying something new, then yes, we will be underpowered.

With the new runes, sigils, amulets, and skill/trait reworkings, we have a lot of room to stretch. So stretch it! Stop trying to play the old 0/10/0/30/30 or some similar variant. Try something totally new!

Also, try reading all of the other profession forums. It’s amazing how every class thinks that they’re going to be the worst in this new meta. Cheer up, and gear up! I did, and I’m doing just fine.

I think the Ele is viable, but it’s still not meta. There are still stronger builds, but you can still succeed on Ele whereas before it was much, much harder.

Murdered a guardian and a necro in TPvP today with my staff ele. As much as I would like to think it’s because I’m sooooo awfully powerful now, it probably does have something to do with the noticeably easier opponents in PvP right now. Give them a week to be scared back off.

oZii.2864:

The ele builds didn’t really change much its the celestial ammy and might stacking. They still play the same and I am willing to bet the other classes still do it better. Ele won’t get in the meta just because it can might stack and sustain with celestial ammy not if it’s the standard builds people are running. There are classes that still do it better for the roles available.

Im not saying it’s not in a better place it is but the core is still there. So sure you can might stack up to 25 run around and do better as in better then before. When it comes to top meta I don’t think it will cut it because it can’t break in just because it can stack might well now. Thief will still be top damage and isn’t that all that might is really? So why take a might stacking ele? There is no reason to.

Agreed. Main reasons why people seem Ele is OP right now especially in PvP:

1. Many people are still trying out and learning new builds.
2. There has been a huge influx of “Newbies” and players who mainly play PvE because of the Balthazar rewards. If you check out hotjoin you’ll see a lot of people below r20. Sure, you beat them 1v2 or 1v3 but their skill level is very low.
3. Ele players are used to being trashed around by the meta. Now that they’re arguably on the same level as other classes, they find themselves OP

Even solo queues pop now within 5 seconds after you queue which doesn’t normally happen pre-patch. Let’s just calm down and wait for a few more weeks then we can really tell if Ele is OP (which I believe isn’t)

oZii.2864:

The ele builds didn’t really change much its the celestial ammy and might stacking. They still play the same and I am willing to bet the other classes still do it better. Ele won’t get in the meta just because it can might stack and sustain with celestial ammy not if it’s the standard builds people are running. There are classes that still do it better for the roles available.

Im not saying it’s not in a better place it is but the core is still there. So sure you can might stack up to 25 run around and do better as in better then before. When it comes to top meta I don’t think it will cut it because it can’t break in just because it can stack might well now. Thief will still be top damage and isn’t that all that might is really? So why take a might stacking ele? There is no reason to.

They didn’t fix the real problem with ele’s: we are still too squishy. Our builds still revolve around cantrips, we still have the same mandatory traits, and we’re still hyper-vulnerable to getting focused.

As long as those things are true, there won’t be a role someone else cannot fill better. They can optimize themselves for the role, while we’re stuck having to compensate for our utter lack of defense.

edit – Also, I think the only reason life feels better is because players are settling into the patch. We were so awful for so long people were just facerolling us down. Now, because of minor buffs, it takes a few spare brain cells to kill us. Just give players time to start putting a minimum effort into killing us, and I’m sure things will go back to the way they were before the patch.

As someone who basically just did spvp for the daily, I was having fun with str/battle celestial in classic bunker. Got 20% through t3 of 8 because I kept playing games until I got bored.

Necros are still annoying as ever. And stealth. Also we get hard focused if we’re ever alone.

If you played an ele in wvw and pvp before the patch, I’m sure you noticed a huge difference in how much stronger you were in wvw. Why? Stats. What did they boost for spvp? Stats! Whats the best stat combo for a jack of all trades? Celestial ofcourse.

I feel much better off in spvp now, I don’t feel kitten by any means. However I definitely would of liked to see old unused traits become more useful for some change :\

Overall I’m satisfied with this patch, it was a step in the right direction. Now instead of more living story, it would be cool if they just finished polishing up those dusty traits that have been sitting on the shelf, neglected for years.

patricide.1062:

I’m not saying that Ele’s should be able to roflstomp every single class/spec, but it gets old owning Thieves.

You won’t own a good thief, you will surely die a slow and painful death

Grimreaper.5370:

patricide.1062:

I’m not saying that Ele’s should be able to roflstomp every single class/spec, but it gets old owning Thieves.

You won’t own a good thief, you will surely die a slow and painful death

I own rank 70 + thieves with staff post patch,no joke
No stability for them to my double armor of earth and rock solid ,stoneheart to relief pressure good aoe around my feet and we are set to go !

PvP just got invaded by like a billion newbies lol.

Ele’s stengths and weaknesses are still the same, and for that reason it will never compete with the top sPvP classes (thief, guardian, warrior, etc).

I’ve noticed a considerable improvement in my damage output as a zerker staff ele in spvp. Very few things can stand in a full damage rotation now, and my meteor shower has decimated opponents left and right. With Stoneheart worked into my build I have a place to go if I’m being focused, and it has definitely given me the breathing room I need to survive until help arrives or long enough for focus to be pulled off me so I can go back to fire and drop another damage rotation.

I actually survived a backstab thief’s initial burst because I was in Earth Attunement when he jumped me. While I might not be able to kill a thief without some luck from meteor shower hitting him in stealth, the ability to last more than a second is a massive improvement.

I have been playing a valks ele in higher level matches (vs good fights and other teams) and I seem to be doing fine, here is is my current build http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vEAQJAoYhcM6c2zwxBfEBARBMmMK0howDlH5MjNA-TgAA0E5oyxljJHZO2cGfA

Eles strong suit now is roaming, and being able to heal an immense amount. I have yet so see a hard counter and most things I can 1v1 without an issue (all depending on player skill) if you want, feel free to message me in-game for tips and such

connvince.8061:

Does anyone recall the Ele dev that kept commenting on how epic this patch would be for us? It sounded like he almost felt guilty at how awesome the Elementalist class would become, and that there was a whole new world coming.

Pretty sure this was in reference to there being a new “role” that ele could fill. I assume this is the ‘healer’ role based on the new water trait. I’m not sure anybody has really tried it. Sounds like an escort mission.

Nomin.5901:

I have been playing a valks ele in higher level matches (vs good fights and other teams) and I seem to be doing fine, here is is my current build http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vEAQJAoYhcM6c2zwxBfEBARBMmMK0howDlH5MjNA-TgAA0E5oyxljJHZO2cGfA

Eles strong suit now is roaming, and being able to heal an immense amount. I have yet so see a hard counter and most things I can 1v1 without an issue (all depending on player skill) if you want, feel free to message me in-game for tips and such

Don’t you get eaten by necros, engis and conditions for that matter?

To follow up, I did some quick hotjoin tests with a maximum healing effectiveness build.

With 25 stacks of benev, aquatic B, and monk runes
soothing mist ~220hp/s on teammates
regeneration ~450hp/s on teammates

these are… pretty high numbers (like 1.7 healing signets?), this is not even mentioning the burst heals/blast finishers, or even staff autoattack

edit: soothing mist + battle presence + regen + healing signet #thedream

ens.9854:

To follow up, I did some quick hotjoin tests with a maximum healing effectiveness build.

With 25 stacks of benev, aquatic B, and monk runes
soothing mist ~220hp/s on teammates
regeneration ~450hp/s on teammates

these are… pretty high numbers (like 1.7 healing signets?), this is not even mentioning the burst heals/blast finishers, or even staff autoattack

edit: soothing mist + battle presence + regen + healing signet #thedream

Noooo stop doing this, you’re going to convince everyone that Ele’s are the best healers and then our meta will be forever doomed to being healing slaves :S

Wintel.4873:

ens.9854:

To follow up, I did some quick hotjoin tests with a maximum healing effectiveness build.

With 25 stacks of benev, aquatic B, and monk runes
soothing mist ~220hp/s on teammates
regeneration ~450hp/s on teammates

these are… pretty high numbers (like 1.7 healing signets?), this is not even mentioning the burst heals/blast finishers, or even staff autoattack

edit: soothing mist + battle presence + regen + healing signet #thedream

Noooo stop doing this, you’re going to convince everyone that Ele’s are the best healers and then our meta will be forever doomed to being healing slaves :S

Better be best at something than be best at nothing

But lol, Eles were known as “Blind Bots” in GW1, we’ll be “Heal Bots” in GW2!

I was not a blind bot in Gw1. Had many good burning or chill builds. One of the chill builds I stopped playing it was so easy to win. I would be happy to be a significant burn our chill bot again.

Haha true eles hps is very close to being true healer. Its fine! some people enjoy helping others ,dont be selfish pricks

Avead.5760:

Haha true eles hps is very close to being true healer. Its fine! some people enjoy helping others ,dont be selfish pricks

Made me smile

You’re right about it being a healer, ele can easily pump out more healing than other professions can heal themselves for…. using staff auto attack alone—it heals for 1k in a 240 aoe every shot

It puts ele in an interesting spot; they almost become the required first focus in any engagement, unlike support bunkers in the past. If your team has enough wellmarks/earthshaker/cleanses to spam on top of you, you may actually survive! (I exaggerate, energy sigils will still let you live forever)

I don’t have anything scientific, but I return with experience gleaned from the fields of battle.

We are in a really great spot. I wouldn’t say the zerker specs are much stronger. They’re different, time will decide if it’s good or bad. I often felt I was exchanging one boon for a major flaw.

But where I didn’t expect the help, we are now much more highly rewarded for dipping some into defense. I feel like I can get a situation going (in D/D at least), get the damage started and get some combos, but if things go south, I can bail. I can bail if there are four people following me. I don’t die. But it’s not like previous bunker D/D… I can actually kill people pretty quick if they don’t pay attention to me.

I’m not sure how far this extends into skill vs builds and whatnnot, but it’s made PVP a hell of a lot more fun. Weird idea that is… that viability is somehow followed by enjoyment.

So maybe the general nerfering of stats and certain combos really has helped out more than anticipated. I look forward to exploring the new options.

Every classes have they low risk/easy mode/faceroll builds .
Ele’s not ,give us one A-net .

let’s see what’s on the menu
cheesey scepter burst, wet noodle staff bot,
oh and daggers is the soup of the day Again
no thanks, i’ll pass

Scepter burst is cheesey, okeey,,,,

cheshirefox.7026:

let’s see what’s on the menu
cheesey scepter burst, wet noodle staff bot,
oh and daggers is the soup of the day Again
no thanks, i’ll pass

Well that’s a bit unfair, now isn’kitten Mr. Sadpants? Every class has weapons that either aren’t great or are situational. The only item I don’t have much success with is the focus, but it’s great when soloing PvE. Some people do well with it in sPvP.

And calling the staff a wet noodle makes you sound more like a troll than an elementalist giving any sort of feedback.

connvince.8061:

cheshirefox.7026:

let’s see what’s on the menu
cheesey scepter burst, wet noodle staff bot,
oh and daggers is the soup of the day Again
no thanks, i’ll pass

Well that’s a bit unfair, now isn’kitten Mr. Sadpants? Every class has weapons that either aren’t great or are situational. The only item I don’t have much success with is the focus, but it’s great when soloing PvE. Some people do well with it in sPvP.

And calling the staff a wet noodle makes you sound more like a troll than an elementalist giving any sort of feedback.

+1 to this post.

D/D
0/2/0/6/6
Celestial Amulet
Strength Rune
Battle
HydroMancy

Definitely a solid build

As a staff player, a dev said staff ele got stronk. But there was nothing about staff in patch notes. I might be missing a batch of notes.

In short, it is same kitten as before for me. The only thing which keeps me playing as ele is “Fresh Air” which i strongly dont want it to be exist like Diamond Skin.

rhodoc.2381:

As a staff player, a dev said staff ele got stronk. But there was nothing about staff in patch notes. I might be missing a batch of notes.

In short, it is same kitten as before for me. The only thing which keeps me playing as ele is “Fresh Air” which i strongly dont want it to be exist like Diamond Skin.

I think he’s referring to Aquatic Benevolence and/or Lightning Rod. Maybe we just haven’t discovered what specific build he was referring to.

One thing I know despite people disagreeing, Blinding Ashes is definitely good for 1v1s (and I kitten hope they increase the blind target to 3 to make it viable in team fights). Aquatic Benevolence is a solid skill for cleric builds.

Kyon.9735:

rhodoc.2381:

As a staff player, a dev said staff ele got stronk. But there was nothing about staff in patch notes. I might be missing a batch of notes.

In short, it is same kitten as before for me. The only thing which keeps me playing as ele is “Fresh Air” which i strongly dont want it to be exist like Diamond Skin.

I think he’s referring to Aquatic Benevolence and/or Lightning Rod. Maybe we just haven’t discovered what specific build he was referring to.

One thing I know despite people disagreeing, Blinding Ashes is definitely good for 1v1s (and I kitten hope they increase the blind target to 3 to make it viable in team fights). Aquatic Benevolence is a solid skill for cleric builds.

AB gives you absolutely nothing. Just team members.

Ugruk.4069:

Scepter burst is cheesey, okeey,,,,

Macroable Hardware says otherwise

T raw.4658:

Ugruk.4069:

Scepter burst is cheesey, okeey,,,,

Macroable Hardware says otherwise

So everyone cheats now? Couldn’t that be said for every class? Strong logic <.<

I’ve had a great deal of success using a 4/0/0/4/6 build. With Celestial Amulet, Runes of Strength, and Sigils of Fire and Intelligence. (I’m not yet sold on the Runes of Strength and the Sigil of Fire. But they are definitely making my net damage output a significant force.

Here is the link for those interested: Elemental Surge

I’m still toying around with the Adept and Master traits to see what works best overall. I think the biggest factor in my success is my play style with the staff. [Full disclaimer: I am NOT the second coming of whatever Messiah, but I do notice that when I play in said style my team and I are more successful.] As long as I stick with my team-mates and and stay out of the main fray of things, I generally survive longer and am able to be more useful.

Arcane Wave and Arcane Shield are the true unsung heroes of the build especially since I am running Elemental Surge. I’ve debated dropping Mist Form for a third Arcane skill but it saves me far too often then I would like to admit.

I’m having a blast running this and have a level of success that I’m very happy with. Let me know what you all think.

I haven’t posted on the forums for a good while because I’ve been having so much fun in game.

I’ll just say this. Skilled players now have the tools to be very powerful on ele. Enjoy the patch guys! And thanks, ANET!

rhodoc.2381:

AB gives you absolutely nothing. Just team members.

Yes, it is a Healer Role, whats the problem?

Lol what a lame logic to consider burst cheesy. Must be coming from players that are too afraid to die easily and thus spec more towards defense than offense. Instead on relying in their players skills to survive more with fewer defense no they rely heavily in their traits, utilities and defensive stats. Being a punching bag is even more lame.

LightningBlaze.4913:

Lol what a lame logic to consider burst cheesy. Must be coming from players that are too afraid to die easily and thus spec more towards defense than offense. Instead on relying in their players skills to survive more with fewer defense no they rely heavily in their traits, utilities and defensive stats. Being a punching bag is even more lame.

I consider fresh air burst to be cheesy, mostly because of how much using it disadvantages you in anything other than a prearranged 1v1, but also because it is a burst with a pretty big amount of instant damage.
Staff burst is better, because it has so many built in tools and requires a bit more effort to set up, while being less of a one-and-done build.
Dagger burst is rare because of melee.

P Fun Daddy.1208:

LightningBlaze.4913:

Lol what a lame logic to consider burst cheesy. Must be coming from players that are too afraid to die easily and thus spec more towards defense than offense. Instead on relying in their players skills to survive more with fewer defense no they rely heavily in their traits, utilities and defensive stats. Being a punching bag is even more lame.

I consider fresh air burst to be cheesy, mostly because of how much using it disadvantages you in anything other than a prearranged 1v1, but also because it is a burst with a pretty big amount of instant damage.
Staff burst is better, because it has so many built in tools and requires a bit more effort to set up, while being less of a one-and-done build.
Dagger burst is rare because of melee.

I consider builds that evolve around the arcana, water tree and on defensive stats to be cheesy too because they require no effort to stay alive even without dodging and predicting your opponent next move right. Any build disadvantages you on anything other than 1v1 against 2 or more GOOD players by yourself. Group/zerg it is easy and require a bit of thinking instead of mindlessly jumping in the front line to get hammered. Against bad players winning outnumbered (by yourself) is always possible regardless of what build you use.

So many cat fights going on in the forums today. Is everyone cranky on the ele forums?

oZii.2864:

So many cat fights going on in the forums today. Is everyone cranky on the ele forums?

When is the Ele forum NOT cranky though?
Just wait for our happiness to come off CD though before we have to blow through all our Cantsads before the next patch.