The tooltips on each skill will list if it is a combo field or finisher. Each type of field reacts differently with each finisher, and every field reacts in some way with every finisher. It takes a bit to learn them all, but it makes gameplay much more fun and generally easier once you do.
Hats off to all the ones who stood before me, and taught a fool to ride.
For each combo there is a field and a finisher. Set up a field with one skill and use another skill as a finisher.
For example, the most common field for a ? / dagger elementalist is the the #4 skill in the fire attunement. This sets up a fire field.
Switch to the earth attunement and use the number #4 skill from within the fire field. You should see a text that says “area might,” In addition to the effects of earth 4 you have also given people in the area 3 stacks of might (maybe limited to 5 people, I don’t know)..
You can also stack finishers. For example, if you have arcane wave on your skill bar. You can do Fire 4, Earth 4, Earth 5, while Earth 5 is charging hit Arcane Wave. After Earth 5 goes off you’ve given everyone 9 stacks of might. At level 80 that’s equal to
315 points of power and condition damage.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
Start in earth, cast earth 2 on yourself (or under, i guess), then switch to any other attunement and cast a spell that is labeled a field over the exact spot where your earth 2 is about to finish casting.
