Guild Wars 2

Hi guys!
I’ve played for over 80 hours now with my highest level reach being level 23 because I keep making characters and deleting them because I can’t find the right one for me. I’ve now narrowed it down to elementalist and necromancer and would like to ask you on your opinion for both classes! Also I have some side questions.

Which class is more fun?
Solo PvE gameplay?
What are they like early/mid/late levels?

solo pve ele is probably more fun because you have access to more skills and if you get good at it things become very efficient very early while necro kinda need to be 80 to get their full effectiveness going for them.

ELE
early: simple spam staff or scepter skills. keep water attunement on ready for easy heals
mid: start playing with daggers and start getting aggressive
late:your pretty set into either a condition master or aggressive face melting likely condition since its pve but things die when you look at them funny

Necro
Early: your axe is your friend and death shroud is your wife you have a tendancy to kill things because you can
Mid: your starting to play with utilities mainly wells or minions depending on your build you can be bursty if you feel the desire to and your not afraid of pulling a few too many
Late: your locked in to tanky nothing can hurt me minion master melt before my superior bleeds scepter/staff condimancer or bow before my axe dagger and wells ferocity mancer any way you look at it your killing champions a little faster than you should and you strike fear into the hearts of the undead everywhere. even in full zerk gear your still unusually tanky and your not 100% sure its fair but what do you care your a mother kittenin master or death who doesnt die raises the dead and makes their enemies well dead

Ele has its use in every part of the game while necro shines primarily in pvp. However, even there it’s less fun because of the complete lack of stability (which makes you a living punching ball in group fights) and mobility. As a necro, you are committed to every fight since you can’t run away, as an elementalist you can usually disengage if you have to. Elementalist has a place in optimal group setups for dungeons/fractals while necro usually does not. Thus, I recommend elementalist due to his usefulness in all aspects of the game and his more satisfying gameplay.

elementalist is in a good spot in every game mode right now but it can be a bit tough on a new player given the innate squishiness and large amount of skills on a single weapon.

necromancer on the other hand is bottom of the barrel in dungeon play and only shines in a few places in the game (pvp, zerg play, possibly fractals?) but it’s relatively easier to pick up because, unlike the ele, it’s innately tanky and has a bit more room for error while learning.

if you plan to stick to it ele is probably a better coiche because once mastered it’s top-tier at any time in any place but you have a long road ahead.

i disagree i play both and in pug parties my ele gets rolled because they have no idea to keep running when i drop a stunfield behind them or they do something stupid and expect the ele to heal quickly. not to mention WvW ele requires a good front line while a necro can be the front line and still deal the same damage as ele just on less targets at a time. plus necro has better access to stability and you know that second health bar is always nice

“necro has better access to stability”

you lost me there.

better access to stability? mist form, armor of earth x2, earth attunement switch if traited, arcane shield + tornado are pretty much the most useful stability utilities in the game. the only profession that comes with more stabi is the warrior.

tanztante.6532:

better access to stability? mist form, armor of earth x2, earth attunement switch if traited, arcane shield + tornado are pretty much the most useful stability utilities in the game. the only profession that comes with more stabi is the warrior.

guard has more than anything other than warrior and traited for 2s of stability when parties demand zerker cute. arcane shield is a block not a stability kittens in 0.1 seconds is enough to get you knocked down in pve thats a thing and it happens. tornado would be nice except right stability is wanted for running portions and you dont want to actually hit enemies because it slows you down can you NOT hit enemies with tornado? armor or earth alright ill give you that but x2? think again gaining stability doesnt stand you back up if your already down so even if you took that trait which again zerker zerker zerker if your under half health your gonna be dead before the knockdown is over. so really yah mistform and one armor of earth if you give up not one but two of your utility for it. your parties must love you so much

Rangerdeity.5847:

tanztante.6532:

better access to stability? mist form, armor of earth x2, earth attunement switch if traited, arcane shield + tornado are pretty much the most useful stability utilities in the game. the only profession that comes with more stabi is the warrior.

guard has more than anything other than warrior and traited for 2s of stability when parties demand zerker cute. arcane shield is a block not a stability kittens in 0.1 seconds is enough to get you knocked down in pve thats a thing and it happens. tornado would be nice except right stability is wanted for running portions and you dont want to actually hit enemies because it slows you down can you NOT hit enemies with tornado? armor or earth alright ill give you that but x2? think again gaining stability doesnt stand you back up if your already down so even if you took that trait which again zerker zerker zerker if your under half health your gonna be dead before the knockdown is over. so really yah mistform and one armor of earth if you give up not one but two of your utility for it. your parties must love you so much

the saddest part is, even an ele with 2 “wasted utility skills” is more valuable than a necro

i still don’t get how would necro have more stability than an ele, only stability i can see on a necro are the elite transforms (which… uh… you don’t really use for running? epsecially considering their as slow as an injured snail) and foot in the grave… which doesn’t even break stuns.

Which class is more fun?

• Ele. You have more viable sets and builds fit for both PvE and WvW. But its very frustrating to master at first. This is why eles start of learning sceptor and focus before proceeding to staff then to Dagger and dagger, though this rule is not fixed.

Solo PvE gameplay?

• Ele. But both are fun.

What are they like early/mid/late levels?

• Ele is easy to learn hard to master. And the skill ceiling that you attain is not as rewarding as say a guardian in WvW. Cant comment on PvE skill ceilings.

Fuzzion.2504:

Which class is more fun?

• Ele is easy to learn hard to master. And the skill ceiling that you attain is not as rewarding as say a guardian in WvW. Cant comment on PvE skill ceilings.

while i dont agree guardian has a high skill ceiling (tho a rewarding one to reach none the less) PVE skill ceiling on ele is amazing they can carry a whole party thru Arah if they feel like it

i’m gonna have to break this down

Rangerdeity.5847:

tanztante.6532:

better access to stability? mist form, armor of earth x2, earth attunement switch if traited, arcane shield + tornado are pretty much the most useful stability utilities in the game. the only profession that comes with more stabi is the warrior.

guard has more than anything other than warrior and traited for 2s of stability when parties demand zerker cute.

i really really don’t understand this sentence. it makes absolutely no sense. but let’s investigate:
guardian:
skills
Shelter 1 1/4 sec
“Stand Your Ground!” 5 sec
renewed focus 2 sec
traits:
indomitable courage 3s
total: 11 1/4 sec. whoop dee kittening doo…

i will not take hallowed ground into consideration, since you said it’s for running purposes only

warrior:
balanced stance 8sec
dolyak signet 8sec
and more if you count rampage and some traits, but that alone makes for 16 secs of stability.

Rangerdeity.5847:

arcane shield is a block not a stability kittens in 0.1 seconds is enough to get you knocked down in pve thats a thing and it happens.

arcane shield is also a stunbreaker and it eats 3 hits, what else do you want? you don’t even get infight if hit.

Rangerdeity.5847:

tornado would be nice except right stability is wanted for running portions and you dont want to actually hit enemies because it slows you down can you NOT hit enemies with tornado?

if enemies hit you, you will slow down, no matter if you have stability or not. if you want to run at ooc (130%) speed, don’t get hit.

Rangerdeity.5847:

armor or earth alright ill give you that but x2? think again gaining stability doesnt stand you back up if your already down so even if you took that trait which again zerker zerker zerker if your under half health your gonna be dead before the knockdown is over.

armor of earth is a stunbreaker. earths embrace (earth III) grants armor of earth, ergo stunbreaker. get your facts straight.

Rangerdeity.5847:

so really yah mistform and one armor of earth if you give up not one but two of your utility for it. your parties must love you so much

my party actually loves me for being able to stay infight for a very very very very very long time due to blink, long range and high mobility in general. and they love me even more if they miscalculate and i can still get out of a §$%$%/&%/ HAMMER STUNS charge or can hold my ground against decap engis and freaking hambows.

by now, i’m guessing you never ever played ele or necro to more than level 30.

About the stability thing, it was never about duration for the Guardian. The only reason people bring Guard to tourneys (this is opinion from back when the game started, after the retal and Guard hp nerf because Guard OP) is because of the group-wide, low CD (basically on-demand) stability. The Guard can kite and dodge and use skills but someone else with enough hp can stomp through the Guard’s 24 second CD, AoE stability. In sustained group fights a Guard can use it twice or even thrice and get safe stomps when no other class could (and its innate blinds and blocks). The efficiency is amplified by Indomitable Courage.

Warrior has long stabs but they are less accessible readily (Rampage is fun but other 2 more practical). Also the easiest among Guard Ele Warrior which has decent stab uptime to get feared with corrupt boon (due to lack of covering boons) or shattered off.

Ele could have on-demand stab if they do Rock Solid, I’ve done it before when I pug team queue with no heavies. I feel like my Banner bunker all over again. However, it’s not much of a tradeoff because Cleansing Water is an incredible trait to sacrifice for stability (and there are situations where you just had to go into earth and can’t save it for stomp). I only ran it when I know the people on the other side is only 2/5 condi. It’s a vaguely useful trait for pushing Turret Engis with someone else (to get that Burn off), but if I know there are 2 of those on the other team, it’s time to go staff ^^

I have 18 slots…. make more characters have fun, enjoy all the professions. This way you won’t have any regrets. The key is to put time in making your characters so you will take love and pride in them.

tanztante.6532:

i’m gonna have to break this down

Rangerdeity.5847:

tanztante.6532:

better access to stability? mist form, armor of earth x2, earth attunement switch if traited, arcane shield + tornado are pretty much the most useful stability utilities in the game. the only profession that comes with more stabi is the warrior.

guard has more than anything other than warrior and traited for 2s of stability when parties demand zerker cute.

i really really don’t understand this sentence. it makes absolutely no sense. but let’s investigate:
guardian:
skills
Shelter 1 1/4 sec
“Stand Your Ground!” 5 sec
renewed focus 2 sec
traits:
indomitable courage 3s
total: 11 1/4 sec. whoop dee kittening doo…

i will not take hallowed ground into consideration, since you said it’s for running purposes only

warrior:
balanced stance 8sec
dolyak signet 8sec
and more if you count rampage and some traits, but that alone makes for 16 secs of stability.

Rangerdeity.5847:

arcane shield is a block not a stability kittens in 0.1 seconds is enough to get you knocked down in pve thats a thing and it happens.

arcane shield is also a stunbreaker and it eats 3 hits, what else do you want? you don’t even get infight if hit.

Rangerdeity.5847:

tornado would be nice except right stability is wanted for running portions and you dont want to actually hit enemies because it slows you down can you NOT hit enemies with tornado?

if enemies hit you, you will slow down, no matter if you have stability or not. if you want to run at ooc (130%) speed, don’t get hit.

Rangerdeity.5847:

armor or earth alright ill give you that but x2? think again gaining stability doesnt stand you back up if your already down so even if you took that trait which again zerker zerker zerker if your under half health your gonna be dead before the knockdown is over.

armor of earth is a stunbreaker. earths embrace (earth III) grants armor of earth, ergo stunbreaker. get your facts straight.

Rangerdeity.5847:

so really yah mistform and one armor of earth if you give up not one but two of your utility for it. your parties must love you so much

my party actually loves me for being able to stay infight for a very very very very very long time due to blink, long range and high mobility in general. and they love me even more if they miscalculate and i can still get out of a §$%$%/&%/ HAMMER STUNS charge or can hold my ground against decap engis and freaking hambows.

by now, i’m guessing you never ever played ele or necro to more than level 30.

this is not supposed to be for pvp take the OP into consideration keep your pvp fetish out of his thread and i have both classes at 80 and use them both for PVE switching between the two depending on class composition. and honestly MUCH much easier on Necro and I can carry parties that mess up with more reliability on necro

it’s easier to play necro in pve, sure

it’s also the worst dungeoneering class, as opposed to ele being among the most appreciated one (with the only exception being very high scale fractals where ele squishyness is much harder to compensate for)

not to say you can’t play necro in a casual pve dungeon (you can run 5 of anything) but it’s overall the least efficient class. why?

- bad cleaving
- no team support
- good point: decent DPS and survivability

compare to ele:

- best might (possibly fury) stacking
- best single target cc (frost bow 5 on bosses)
- good support options (depending on weapon used, projectile absorption and line of warding being imho the best non-damage supports it has)
- best at breaking static objects (frost bow 4)
- monster personal DPS (better than necro, but harder to pull off and walk out alive)

Rangerdeity.5847:

this is not supposed to be for pvp take the OP into consideration keep your pvp fetish out of his thread and i have both classes at 80 and use them both for PVE switching between the two depending on class composition. and honestly MUCH much easier on Necro and I can carry parties that mess up with more reliability on necro

well, i keep my pvp fetish to myself then and tell you, that in pve you don’t need stability and necro still has none. necro is most definitely easier to play than the max dps eles, that’s true.

Rangerdeity.5847:

i disagree i play both and in pug parties my ele gets rolled because they have no idea to keep running when i drop a stunfield behind them or they do something stupid and expect the ele to heal quickly. not to mention WvW ele requires a good front line while a necro can be the front line and still deal the same damage as ele just on less targets at a time. plus necro has better access to stability and you know that second health bar is always nice

^ clearly doesn’t play a necro.

Rangerdeity.5847:

i disagree i play both and in pug parties my ele gets rolled because they have no idea to keep running when i drop a stunfield behind them or they do something stupid and expect the ele to heal quickly. not to mention WvW ele requires a good front line while a necro can be the front line and still deal the same damage as ele just on less targets at a time. plus necro has better access to stability and you know that second health bar is always nice

2nd health bar ? and did i see this correctly " necro has better access to stability " ????
oh so you were talking about that dreaded 1 second stability from well of power , that lich form which locks you out of your other skill slots which that stability only being one buff , or that dreaded plague form which the same only 1 buff which locks you out of your skill slots , or that dreaded foot in the grave that gives you a whooping 3 seconds of stability , yeah that must be some better access to stability lol .

but about that 2nd health bar , which by the way got nerfed by recast time being 10 seconds if you have no life force , it is a buffer , the healing over time is garbage which needs to specced in for the trait . you cant use your weapons skills or skill slots or heal yourself in ds . 2nd heath bar ???? do you even play the class ?

Just play with both.
I have eight characters, and the least one has 150h (8th, ranger), while the most played has 300h (5th, warrior). If wasn’t the time between the creation, they would have almost the same time played. All professions are fun.

2426 hours on Ele since she’s my main. 192hour on nerco since I power level her and use her most for spvp and wvw. My acct is 4562.5 hours so I think my warrior has 900 hours and maybe couple hundred for heac remaining. I’d say it’s L2P and preference of high risk vs moderate rewards. Just have fun

Stick with ele. High skill cap, but its usefull on every type of game:

solo pve content? A lot of different builds. I run fresh air/full arcana D/D for world completion. A lot of mobility and damage.

Support pve? Staff is awesome both on the offense and defense<

PVP? You have a lot of builds wich are great: Staff bunker, staff glass canon, fresh air burst/ fresh air roamer / D/D roamer, D/F roamer. I´ve mained ele for almost a year and D/D classic build is one of the best pvp builds out there, if played properly u make people ragequit

WvW? Staff ele for zerk fights its mandatory, D/D bunker its a solid roaming choice. S/D or S/F fresh air builds in small groups are deadly.

My first toon was an ele and i really dont enjoy playing any other class as much as my elementalist. I do everthing: pve, pvp, WvW, and its still fun. Hasnt gotten old for me yet.

Hit me in-game for all things elementalist if u decide to stick with the class

both are good. I have fun on my ele whereas i do not on my necro. which is fun for you?