Guild Wars 2

I’m just starting an elem and I’m confused about exactly how I should be playing one. I’ve read quite a few posts and it seems like everyone has a different opinion. I’ve played countless RPGs and MMO’s over the years and that is the basis of my confusion.

Should I focus on one element to put my points in, or be switching from element to element? In other games I’ve played, spreading your points out among too many powers leaves a character weak in the end. Is that the same here?

Just a little confused and looking for some guidance.

Thanks in advance

What you talking bout Willis?

In this game, you will swap attunements constantly and you spend your trait points on certain skills, not elements. You play with all very heavily in this game.

Under traits you have fire, air, water, earth and arcane. Do you get enough points to level them all up? I assume you don’t and you have to make choices about which trait to focus on. That’s why I’m asking.

If you pay more attention to what the traits actually do, you’ll notice that it’s fully viable to select major traits which don’t care about your current attunement, and of the minor traits, only the 5 point traits in each element tree care about being in that element – the master minor traits are themed on switching elements, which you wouldn’t be doing if you stuck to one element forever, and the grandmaster minor traits give global benefits for all attunements.

Then there’s the arcane trait line, which is very heavily themed around changing attunements regularly (and because it’s so beneficial to do so, most people spec into Arcane)

I may only just be getting the hang of playing an elementalist myself, but it’s pretty clear that the best way to play is switching attunements regularly. Remember that each individual skill in each attunement has a seperate CD to the same slot in another element, so regularly switching would let you use powerful skills more often. With that in mind, sticking to a single element seems to be a bad way to play the class.

1. Elementalists do not have the ability to swap weapons. Instead, they have the ability to swap attunements. You should treat this as a weapon swap option, because each attunement gives you access to a completely new skill set.

2. It is perfectly viable to use (for example) weapon skills from earth attunement without putting a single point in the earth traits. Some of the trait powers give a bonus to a specific attunement, but that bonus is not necessary to use that attunement. (Also, only a few of the major trait powers that you can choose from are limited to skills from a specific attunement.)

3. Over the course of 80 levels you will receive 70 trait points. Since each traitline only goes up to 30, it is possible to max out 2 traitlines, or to fill out 3 traitlines to 20 points each.Therefore, it is perfectly possible to give 2 of your attunements all the trait bonuses you want.

4. You do not need to play all four attunements intensively, but it is recommended to regularly swap between at least 2 attunements, with perhaps a 3rd (because of the cooldown on attunements) as a fallback option. If you WANT to go all-out and swap between all four, perhaps the Arcane traitline is for you.

In summary, elementalists are NOT suited for playing in only 1 attunement all the time. Why? Because then you only use half the number of skills other professions have access to (because elementalists can’t swap weapons in combat). Because it is perfectly possible to give at least 2 attunements all the trait bonuses you want. Because the cooldown on your weapon skills encourages you to change attunements (e.g. why not use some air magic skills while all your fire skills recharge). And because different attunements are suitable for different things (e.g. fight going badly? swap to water attunement for some extra healing skills).