Guild Wars 2

First of all, I want to begin by saying that my primary toon is Thief and I alt a Guardian, primarily PvE, rarely WvW, and while I enjoy both classes it’s getting a bit… stale… I wan’t to explore a new class.

Thus, this forum and the purpose of this post.

I tried to make an ele before, didn’t really give her a legit chance because goodLORD they are SQUISHY!!! (Ok, so coming from a guy who mains a thief calling an ele squishy isn’t really a sound criticism but hey, they are!)

What I really like about ele’s though is their potential group utility in events and dungeons and such (thieves, much as I love them, aren’t the best for group utility). I also heard that ele’s were capable of insane AoE DPS, which is something I never played with before and would like to experience.

Can someone suggest a “good” non squishy build that does well in PvE? As stated above I generally just run dungeons and do PvE quests, so survivability is a must, and I’d like to contribute to the group (whether it be via boons, heals, or just crazy AoE DPS which “helps” the group by killing things). I know it’s a rather vague request but any input will be greatly appreciated!

Eles aren’t insane aoe dps. Eles are just good for support and decent at long and close range aoes. If you want burst then go Mesmer. Hate to say this but this class is getting worse every update and it’s clear it’s going to get nerfed to the ground because of people complaining that eles can move at all. Personally I’m just going to roll a war guard and mesmer and gg faceroll everything.

Yeah, my Thief alt can output waaaaay more AoE DPS by just spamming 2 on her shortbow. Eles are good for support and general slipperiness but their damage is pretty meh.

Anyway, here’s the build I use on my Ele main. Then I finish up with equipment that emphasize power and Vitality, maybe a little Toughness and Condition Damage in there too. The name of the game is versatility. You can DPS, you can control, you can support, whatever you need whenever you need it. You generally try to cower behind your elementals while landing a full Fire combo followed by some Early blasts. Switch to Staff (and switch to Blasting Staff in Arcana) in big events or when up against large numbers. It worked pretty well for me. Learn to kite hard, though. Kiting is an Ele’s best defense.

Wow I’m suddenly totally turned off from ele’s now, there is sooo much bitterness over this class as I’m reading through the posts lol. Alright, I’ll look into mesmer’s instead I guess haha

Good choice. Smart fellow

So much bitterness, from only two posts?

Honestly, if you want build advice, you would first have to indicate at what level you are, and how you intend to level your elementalist. Thankfully, you already indicated what you want out of the profession. The good news is that utility and AoE is very doable with the elementalist.

Unless these two people turned you off from the profession already?

While Eles are no longer the best at any particular thing anymore, they are still the most fun to play. Avoid the class if you want, but there’s more enjoyable things in a game than DPS.

@ Jornophelanthas, it wasn’t really just 2 people I read through a lot of the different threads on the ele profession forum, there just seems to be a general sense of unhappiness about this profession esp in response to a lot of nerfs this class dealt with.

On the other hand, after playing it for a bit I actually really like the mechanics of a d/d elementalist, switching between the different attunements and the fluidity/versility it can potentially offer a player if he can master it. I defn see where the complaining of the squishiness comes from but I also see the appeal (which is why I’m back in this forum trying to learn as much as I can haha).

I do like a challenge, I just didn’t want to spend all this time trying to get over the learning curve of learning to play ele if the optimal end result will be mediocre in comparison to the other classes. I don’t mind this class being “hard to play but high rewards if you master,” I mind the “hard to play, still sub par when mastered.”

I haven’t had a chance to REALLY delve into the class as of yet, huge test coming up Monday for me (been good about putting down video games and studying over the week end!) But for when I do, can anyone give me a heads up about:

1. Any particularly effective combo that I should always aim for to rack up some decent dps? (I’ve settled on a d/d ele, I love mobility!)
2. Any particular PANIC BUTTON: DO THIS TO GET OUT OF REALLY BAD SITUATIONS!!! thing that ele’s got going for them?
3. Most useful utility a d/d ele can bring to a party?

Thanks!

Silver.4798

I do like a challenge, I just didn’t want to spend all this time trying to get over the learning curve of learning to play ele if the optimal end result will be mediocre in comparison to the other classes. I don’t mind this class being “hard to play but high rewards if you master,” I mind the “hard to play, still sub par when mastered.”

I play an elementalist as my main character, and for me it is the default difficulty level. I have no real issues with it, and do not feel that I am terribly squishy. (Perhaps I should add that I focus on maximizing Toughness, though, as well as having above-average Vitality.) I also use all 4 attunements, and have memorized all 20 weapon skills on both dagger/dagger and staff. After I hit level 80, I never had the feeling that I was ever in a situation where I could not survive (except in WvW).

Silver.4798

1. Any particularly effective combo that I should always aim for to rack up some decent dps? (I’ve settled on a d/d ele, I love mobility!)
2. Any particular PANIC BUTTON: DO THIS TO GET OUT OF REALLY BAD SITUATIONS!!! thing that ele’s got going for them?
3. Most useful utility a d/d ele can bring to a party?

Thanks!

1. I never use one single skill combo all the time, but alternate between multiple skills that have varying degrees of synergy. The main reason for this is that some skills have long cooldowns. I’ll list some below:
- On D/D, there is a particularly powerful might combo that works well against multiple AI monsters. (Don’t try against players!). Have them surround you (or use Fire 3 to launch yourself in their midst). Use Fire 4 to create a fire combo field. Switch to Earth attunement. Use Earth 4 (blast finisher, area Might) to knock them down. Start charging Earth 5 (blast finisher, area Might) for massive damage and 8 stacks of bleeding. Use Earth 2 for some additional AoE if you want. If any still stand after a few seconds, switch to Air until Fire attunement comes off cooldown.
- Very simple combo: Give the Burning condition to a foe with Fire 2. Then use Fire 5 for a big chunk of damage. (It deals bonus damage to burning foes.)
- At point blank range, Fire 1 is the auto-attack skill that deals the best damage.
- Auras, Arcane Skills and Cantrips all cast instantaneously, and will not interrupt any other skill you happen to be casting at the same time.
- Look for synergies within skills. Do not wait until all skills on your bar are on cooldown to switch attunements. Do not use a skill simply because it has recharged. Instead, switch attunements when you feel you need a particular skill on another bar.
- Final tip, useful in PvP/WvW: Activate Earth 5 (which takes 3 seconds) when you see an enemy (or group of them) approaching you. While it is charging, use Lightning Flash (Utility skill, Cantrip) to instantly teleport right next to them. This will not interrupt charging the earth skill. If you time it correctly, you can teleport next to your enemy just as the charge finishes and the Earth 5 blasts off.

2. There are 3 skills that more or less qualify as “panic buttons”, and 2 more that require some more coordination. Most of these are utility skills. I usually have 1 Utility skill slot dedicated to an escape skill.
- Arcane Shield (Utility) gives you a maximum 3 seconds of invulnerability. It ends early and damages enemies if you get hit 3 times before its duration is up. You can use it to run, or to set up a long-casting skill. Its cooldown is rather long, though. Extra advantage: you can access it immediately, as it is in the first tier of utility skills available, costing only 1 skill point.
- Mist Form (Utility) gives you a guaranteed 3 seconds of invulnerability, but removes all your weapon skills for the duration. However, it also breaks stuns. You can use it to run or find cover behind allies. Its cooldown is rather long, though.
- Updraft (Air 5 on dagger) performs a dodge backwards while knocking down all enemies right in front of you, and gives you swiftness as well. Either jump right back into the fight with Air 4, Fire 3 or Earth 3 (hit it again after it hits), or turn around (you can bind a key to making an about face!) and run. It has a medium-length cooldown.
- Ride the Lightning (Air 4 on dagger) can also be used to escape, but requires that you do not target an enemy and turn your character to face the direction you want to escape to. This can be hard to pull of if you’re surrounded, but if it works, it is the way most likely to succeed to escape from a group of enemy players in WvW.
- I’ll mention one extra skill: Armor of Earth (Utility), because it provides you with 6 seconds of Protection and Stability, and also breaks stun. Again, this one has a long cooldown.

3. I rarely play D/D in a party, as I switch to staff for that. If you are good at identifying and dodging an enemy’s most dangerous attacks, you can tank a champion for short durations, but your combat style should still mostly be hit-and-run. I find Water 2 and Water 5 useful heals when I’m standing close to my allies (and Water 2 also deals damage to enemies at the same time). Your weapon slots have 2 auras, and you can consider selecting traits that give auras to your allies with added benefits, but this requires significant investment. The Fire Field combo (mentioned under combo tips) can also help a party, because it gives Might to all allies in the field. Finally, you have many ways to put various conditions on enemies.
Still, your main contribution to a party in a D/D setup is to deal damage. If you want to have more party utility/support, you should consider using a staff when playing with others, because that allows you to put down A LOT of different combo fields for other people to use their finishers in.

Thanks Jorno that was really well thought out and helpful! (I literally took notes haha).

Just a few questions of clarification:
1. Regarding earth 5 and then lightning flashing next to an opponent, am I correct in thinking that it doesn’t matter where I activate the skill, it just matters where I end up 3 seconds after the trigger so that the skill triggers in an AoE around me?

I’m asking because if what I think is true, theoritically can I not activate earth 5, switch to fire 3 or air 4 and jump into the heart of enemy mobs and have earth 5 trigger while I use the air or fire skills? (This sounds like the “light” variation to the first combo you mentioned with fire 3—>4, [Earth] —> earth 4, 5, 2). Or will this not work because as soon as I switch attunements from earth to something else, the charging earth 5 skill dissipates?

2. Using Ride the Lightning as an escape skill, how do you exactly manage to not target an enemy and go in a direction you want to go, does this require messing with the default options?

3. I noticed that ele’s dont have the handy “switch weapon set by hitting tilda” thing, which is a bummer (but 4 attunements are essentially 4 different weapon sets anyway so I’m not complaining!) I didn’t know that using staff is a better option in dungeons. Can you elaborate more on staff utility in a party setting?

4. I would like to run a similar build you mentioned with a high toughness high vitality spec, and in fact the build I have in mind goes something like this:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fEAQJAoYhImmbxR5gjDAkHm4CLiCPUeMDN2A

If you notice that I am a bit paranoid about conditions and condition removal/generally VERY defensive on my utilities, that’s probably because I am haha. More than likely these utilities are overkill on the defense and severely lacking on offense, once I am more confident about not dying I’ll probably switch it up (feel free to recommend any changes at all).

Does that build seem sound?

I made an elementalist last week and have been using d/d. It’s great fun. High damage, high mobility and high survivability when played correctly. Everyone on the forums seems to slate the ele and say how underpowered/squishy it is, but I think when played correctly they’re very effective.

I’ve been following this guide;
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/elementalist/Guide-Mastering-the-D-D-ele-2-16-12

Probably the most detailed guide I’ve ever seen on playing a particular class. All the information you need is there. Couldn’t decide between a necro or an ele but this guide made my mind up for me!

It’s hilarious I read that thread too and that’s what got me interested in making an ele too!

Regarding your questions:

1. You can swap attunements, use Arcane skills, Cantrips (like Lightning Flash) and Auras while charging Churning Earth (Earth 5), but any other skill will abort the charging, and the spike burst will not happen. Unlike most other skills, moving will also interrupt it. However, since the charging already has an area cripple effect, aborting the skill before it is finished WILL cause it to go on full cooldown.
Having said that, if you don’t interrupt the skill, the damage burst will happen centered on your location at the end of the 3 seconds.

2. You have to manually deselect the enemy you are attacking, as well as have your character facing in a direction that has no point-blank enemies standing directly in his/her face. What also tends to help is actually selecting another enemy/critter in the distance as your target, even if it is out of range of the RTL-distance.
Still, it is hit or miss in my personal experience.

3. Staff use in a party setting is not “the best way to use staff” or “the best way to play in a party”. It is merely an efficient way to play a support role, with the added benefit that equipping staff is a playstyle that resembles the “classical mage” style the most. (This helps if you play with people who have never tried the elementalist and think it is a “generic mage” that deals huge damage and can’t take a single hit.) Feel free to use staff in solo play, and to use different weapons in a party, though, if you like those styles.
If you go for a single attunement strategy in fire, the staff fire skills are quite forgiving and can be boosted quite significantly by traits. This is not a support role, though. More like artillery.
However, what I find most intriguing about the staff skills is that you have A LOT of combo fields that you can put down. Fire 2 and Fire 4 create Fire Fields (although Fire 4 is very unwieldy for that purpose). Water 3 and Water 5 create Water Fields. Water 4 creates a Cold Field. Air 5 creates a Lightning Field. In addition, Earth 1, Earth 2 and Earth 5 are all Combo Finishers, and you can equip Arcane Blast and/or Arcane Wave in a utility slot for more finishers.
Many other professions have few ways to create Combo Fields, and many ways to create Combo Finishers. By throwing down suitable fields, you can allow others to create combo effects, IN ADDITION TO what the Combo Field Skill also does (e.g. Fire 2 deals damage, Water 3 provides healing). Read up on the wiki what each type of Field/Finisher combination results in:
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Combo_field
Two final tips:
- If multiple Combo Fields overlap, only the most recently cast Field will count for a combo. So if there is someone else who is throwing down fields (Guardians, Mesmers and Necromancers tend to do this), make sure that you do not interfere with their own game strategy or hinder the party more than you’re helping. (Putting a Fire Field over a Water or Light Field is generally not a good idea, because Water and Light have healing/condition removal applications.)
- Be intelligent about what fields to use. A Cold Field is useful for slowing down moving enemies, but less so if they are stationary. A Water Field is extremely valuable when your party needs healing, but is next to worthless if everyone is at full health. Also, don’t forget what skills do apart from combos. Water 5 has a larger area, longer duration and also removes conditions, while Water 3 is a more immediate heal with a shorter cooldown.

4.
My build is closer to this:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fEAQJAoYhMmkbtx3gjDAkHtADLjHgECJlCzA

Most people don’t like elementalist signets, but I find that they suit my play style. Also note the combo with Mist Form & Water Signet and water traits X and XI.
On my armor, I make sure each equipment piece gives Power, and I use a full set of Melandru runes for more Toughness, as well as condition/stun mitigation.

In more PvP settings (like WvW), I switch to a more Cantrip-based build that is closer to the build that you linked. The Air Signet is there mostly for the passive effect.
(http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fEAQJAoYhMmkbxR3gjDAkHn4SJjHdECJlCzA)

A final note:

Please don’t take anything I say as the only truth out there. My play style is not necessarily the most optimal/efficient way to play an elementalist. Just the way that is most fun for me. I am sure there are others who are better at playing the class, and who know more of the intricacies of skill and trait interactions.