Guild Wars 2

NOTE: This is mainly for WvW, and PvE to a lesser extent. Could see some use in sPvP with Geomancer’s Freedom trait+Melandru Runes though (more on this later).

As we’ve all forseen (I want to think!) the Ride the lightning nerf, I immediatly came to a counter-build for that particular nerf. Remember, Rlt range decreased to 1200 (it’s bugged to 1500 right now) and CD increased to 40s when you don’t hit something with it.

This is the rough, basic build, per say (armor and trinkets of your choise): http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/elementalist/?1.0|8.0.0.8.0.0|0.0.0.0.0.0|0.7r.0.7r.0.7r.0.7r.0.7r.0.7r|0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0|0.0.k39.k39.u56b|15.0|1l.1s.1u.24.0|e

The premise of the build is to reach 98% faster recovery from the Chill, Cripple and Immobilize conditions, thus gaining great passive mobility.

You can achieve that with the Geomancers freedom trait (33%), x6 Superior Runes of Melandru (25%) and Boul of Lemongrass Poultry Soup (40%).

With the nerf to Cleansing Water (now with a 5 second internal CD) and your now 65% reduction in condition durations affecting you, it’s not such a hot trait anymore, so you would sacrifice 10 points from water that would go to Earth. The other 10 would come from Air.

As you no longer have high fury nor high swiftness uptime (no more Zephir’s Boon), I switched Mist Form for Signet of Air for that passive +25% in movement speed. It makes great sinergy with your 98% reduction in movement impairing conditions

The fact that you’re harder to focus fire down and with recent nerfs to Mist Form (no longer an HP reset or no healling/utility skill usable while in it), Mist form is just not as good as before, but still usable for safe resses, stomps or quick breaks, absolutely.

I would use Signet of Air or Mist Form eitherway though.

Cons of this build? No more Aura Share and no more 60% boon duration. If you find that you really need more boon duration and 98% reduction in movement impairing conditions is overkill, you could always use Chocolate Omnomberry Cream (+20% boon duration).

The greatest pro of this build is (I think!), it’s just as viable with Focus offhand as it is with Dagger offhand. You’d lose the newely nerfed Rtl, but you’d gain a superior lower CD invulnerability that actually allows you to heal yourself or even use other elements (thus not missing Mist Form that much!), among other sweet defensive moves. With all the passive mobility you just gained, you wouldn’t miss your nerfed Rlt that much anymore!

What do you guys think? Am I into something here?

EDIT:

Alternative build: http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/elementalist/?1.0|8.0.0.8.0.0|0.0.0.0.0.0|0.7r.0.7r.0.7r.0.7r.0.7r.0.7r|0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0|0.0.u39b.a3.u56b|15.0|1l.1s.1u.24.0|e

You take 10 out of Water straight to Earth to get Rock solid, you lose a small burst heal on Healing Ripple and CD reduction in cantrips, but you gain a much safer, or much harder to interrupt Ether Renewal if you time it right (stability on earth)!

Do condition duration stack linearly like that…? Seems strange to be able to get 98% off like that

Kirbyprime.2645:

Do condition duration stack linearly like that…? Seems strange to be able to get 98% off like that

Not sure, I stopped playing the game due to RL stuff, so I wont get in now. The difference wouldn’t be much though.
You can easily check that out in the Mists against a warrior throwing you Bolas. Use Melandru runes plus the earth trait.

Well, not going to buy runes to test it in wvw with food, but in pvp using the runes plus trait, the warrior cripple ( 7s ) lasts 3s on me.

In sPvP, 58% is 4.06 seconds of those 7 in that cripple, so you should be left with 2.94 seconds of cripple… so… It works.

Yes, condition duration reduction stacks linearly. It also stacks stronger than condition duration increase, as the increase is applied first, to outgoing conditions, and then the duration reduction is applied secondly, as the condition hits you.

Geomancer’s freedom trait should be adept now since warriors are getting even more powerful adept version of it.

Don’t worry, in next patch they will nerf this also

I’m kind of iffy on losing auras so I tweaked it slighted to this.

http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/elementalist/?1.0|8.0.0.8.0.0|0.0.0.0.0.0|0.7r.0.7r.0.7r.0.7r.0.7r.0.7r|0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0|0.a1.k59.a5.u56b|15.0|1m.1t.1u.24.0|e

Changed Stone Skin to Cleansing Flame for burst condition removal. The loss of stability is annoying tbh, but I think the removal is more important post patch.

A very versatile build indeed. The Zephir’s Boon trait is really really good.
The ‘only’ weakness of this build in terms of movement impairment are blowouts, knockbacks and stuns, so the stability from both Armors of Earth kind of covers that, and I think you have a lot of condi protection through condi reduction, Cleansing Water and Ether Renewal already. But it’s fine though, you never have enough condi removal!

where did you read all this details about ele’s nerf?

Insanity.5174:

where did you read all this details about ele’s nerf?

Watch this
http://www.guildwars2guru.com/news/1059-tpvp-state-of-the-game-featuring-grouch-symbolic-phantaram-caed-and-devs-jonathan-sharp-karl-mclain/

Or read this http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/1d67nf/gw2guru_sotg/

I have ran this build with 6x Melandru and 0 0 20 20 30 and it works great. It is rough not having Zephyr’s Boon at first though but you get used to it. This is exactly what I will be switching to 100% of the time if these changes happen. But I may just go 0 0 20 20 30 with 2x Melandru and 2x water/monk for just 83% reduction of chill/cripple/immob while keeping the boon duration for up time on swiftness(most importantly)/boons.

@LightningBlaze.4913 ty

This is gonna be a favorite for WvW warriors. Prepare for the unsnarable warrior zergs!