Guild Wars 2

i have a question, im currently running a boon build and im doing great i rarley die and deal great dmg. the problem is that im in most percision and power gear, im trying to make the transition to power, toughness and vitality gear.
so my question is could it do my dmg and survival more benefit to just use runes for Defense or?, to switch and use runes for power/percis??

first what area are you building for?
spvp, tpvp, pve, wv3

oops im sorry, this build is mainly for pve/ but i change it slightly to fit wv3. to me this is the only elementalist build where i dont instantly die

are you doing at level or lower content or higher or dungeons?
at level content doesnt mean a whole lot IMHO.
for instance my warrior can not be killed by 1 or 2 at level mobs.

im doing at level 80 Content. im asking this question from a pvp/soloing surive point of veiw though i do intend to do dungeons with this build.

I like to have 14k+ HP.
for spvp runes i generally go for effects i like around stats that i like.
so right now im running with
25/0/25/20/0
arcane shield/flaming ax/mistform.
centaur runes for the run buff when using a healing skill.
that will change im sure.

but i have done all kinds of variations.
It seems to me it just does not matter all that much.
What matters a lot more is that i get my combos down and i like what i am doing.
i do about the same no matter what i try.

i did 30/30/0/10/0 build once and just stayed in air mostly. that worked too…

im just saying that… a few points difference does not really seem to be a game changer. to me…
weapon choice… now that changes things.

that could be because everything i have tried was all kittened up or… it could be i just suck at the ele… or whatever. i dont know.

You should use the runes to either amplify your build or cover a weakness in your build. For example if you’re running a bleed build you can opt for 2x Afflicted, 2x Krait and 2x Centaur these will maximize your builds potential (Just an example). Or if you feel you need more defense you can run dolyak to maximize your defense. Its down to what your build works with and what suits your play style best.

My build revolves around applying regen to remove conditions ect so I chose Dwayna to maximize this.

These runes would compliment a Power/Vit/Tough build well;
Rune of;
Fighter
Fire (using blast finishers for might ect)
Hoelbrak (Might be usefull if you lack anti-condi)
Ogre (Quite commonly used)
Strength (Again, good for might stacking)

So yeah, choose something that compliments or covers a weakness in your build, runes are really icing on the cake – your traits/jewelry matter more.

I take it your getting Solder Armor (Power Main, Toughness and Vitality Minor)? I am working at that too. Currently I just kept runes it came with. But I actually plan to not use runes on it. I plan to use Crest of the Soldier.

Why? Runes give 165 to the main stat and 50 the minor. Some have effect instead of a minor though. Personally, I didn’t find any I liked 6th ability on, so it was really only the Stats. Crests (or Orbs) however give 120 to the main and 84 to two minors (20 to Primary and 14 to 2 Secondaries each x6 parts of armor). So you’d get 120 Power, 84 Toughness, and 84 Vitality with 6 Crest of the Soldier. That totals 288 Attributes vs. the 215 from a set of Runes.

However, if you want effects, Runes may be better. Rune of the Dolyak is one I considered for defense due to its healing with 6th rune. I felt it was too minor though. Your call really if you like the effect.