Guild Wars 2

Going scepter as main. Plan is mostly a cond build.

Was thinking focus, but might be to defensive?

This is all for wpvp nothing else..

Run mostly solo or in small groups. I rarely zerg surf.

You probably want dagger. Only condition damage focus has is flame wall. And if you’re soloing, you probably want the escapes for when you need to avoid zergs.

was thinking that.. Thanks for confirmation

Yup, dagger all the way, just carry a focus for those times someone is needed to block some treb/cata/etc shots, you’ll be a hero.

Counterpoint: almost all of the focus skills are powerful control utilities that can be used to help condition builds win attrition wars.

KirinDave.6451:

Counterpoint: almost all of the focus skills are powerful control utilities that can be used to help condition builds win attrition wars.

Going off of this, the focus is also VERY defensive, and as such can keep you in a fight for much longer than if you were to use a dagger, in addition to this it has a lot of anti zerg stuff due to all the defensive abilities (such as becoming invulnerable for 4 seconds, so many times that’s saved me!).

However if you wanna be super offensive you absolutely should use the dagger, no questions asked.

Ah really good point Durzlla/Kirin , I’ve been d/d so long… I need to force myself to play focus more, the defence is really stellar.

emikochan.8504:

Ah really good point Durzlla/Kirin , I’ve been d/d so long… I need to force myself to play focus more, the defence is really stellar.

But you are pay a very steep price for that defense. I can almost ignore a focus ele with the amount dmg they put out. They just arnt a threat.

Shinji.2063:

emikochan.8504:

Ah really good point Durzlla/Kirin , I’ve been d/d so long… I need to force myself to play focus more, the defence is really stellar.

But you are pay a very steep price for that defense. I can almost ignore a focus ele with the amount dmg they put out. They just arnt a threat.

lol bull kitten they’re not a threat, the last 2 skills in each attunement don’t make or break your damage output. Does dagger have some nice BURST skills? Yes absolutely, but you can set up burst combos with the scepter/focus and utilities, especially seeing that you can take purely offensive utilities should you so choose because of all the raw defense you gain from the focus.

ride the lightning is more likely to save you from a zerg than any focus skill

Berengar.6951:

ride the lightning is more likely to save you from a zerg than any focus skill

Quoted for truth.

NdranC.5107:

Berengar.6951:

ride the lightning is more likely to save you from a zerg than any focus skill

Quoted for truth.

As somebody who wants to love focus and has used both D/D and D/F quite a lot, I third this fact.

Speaking of focus, I came across the most interesting D/F ele I’ve ever seen in WvW recently. He was a burst D/F ele, and did it quite well. I don’t know much about his build other than that he was an auromancer; almost always had fire aura up. He would come in and kill someone squishy in 1-2 seconds or get someone not so squishy down to 10-20% HP.

He would run away after that, and when he didn’t, his DPS was somewhat bleh-ish. Focus’ defensive abilities allowed him to mingle with a small crowd of enemies for a little while after he did his initial burst. Nonetheless, I think he’d find it hard pressed to play a style other than gimping a solo or small group of enemies with his build. It was quite neat to see the build though; quite creative.

TimeBomb.3427:

NdranC.5107:

Berengar.6951:

ride the lightning is more likely to save you from a zerg than any focus skill

Quoted for truth.

As somebody who wants to love focus and has used both D/D and D/F quite a lot, I third this fact.

Speaking of focus, I came across the most interesting D/F ele I’ve ever seen in WvW recently. He was a burst D/F ele, and did it quite well. I don’t know much about his build other than that he was an auromancer; almost always had fire aura up. He would come in and kill someone squishy in 1-2 seconds or get someone not so squishy down to 10-20% HP.

He would run away after that, and when he didn’t, his DPS was somewhat bleh-ish. Focus’ defensive abilities allowed him to mingle with a small crowd of enemies for a little while after he did his initial burst. Nonetheless, I think he’d find it hard pressed to play a style other than gimping a solo or small group of enemies with his build. It was quite neat to see the build though; quite creative.

Focus can be a monster but quoting this for truth to the 4th. If your look at all the skills on paper S/F looks like a monster because you could might stack to kingdom come do it ranged (in spots) and still have blinds and defense past anything you can get on any other set.

Whats the problem?

The longer you play this game the more you realize the best defense in the game is simply not getting hit. This game was not really designed around mobile fortress tank (there are some though). CC and evade are the best defenses in the game. Dagger does this better and heals for more.

Some players swear by swirling winds but I will tell right now when a zerg comes you’ll thank your lucky stars you have daggers.,

TheGuy.3568:

TimeBomb.3427:

NdranC.5107:

Berengar.6951:

ride the lightning is more likely to save you from a zerg than any focus skill

Quoted for truth.

As somebody who wants to love focus and has used both D/D and D/F quite a lot, I third this fact.

Speaking of focus, I came across the most interesting D/F ele I’ve ever seen in WvW recently. He was a burst D/F ele, and did it quite well. I don’t know much about his build other than that he was an auromancer; almost always had fire aura up. He would come in and kill someone squishy in 1-2 seconds or get someone not so squishy down to 10-20% HP.

He would run away after that, and when he didn’t, his DPS was somewhat bleh-ish. Focus’ defensive abilities allowed him to mingle with a small crowd of enemies for a little while after he did his initial burst. Nonetheless, I think he’d find it hard pressed to play a style other than gimping a solo or small group of enemies with his build. It was quite neat to see the build though; quite creative.

Focus can be a monster but quoting this for truth to the 4th. If your look at all the skills on paper S/F looks like a monster because you could might stack to kingdom come do it ranged (in spots) and still have blinds and defense past anything you can get on any other set.

Whats the problem?

The longer you play this game the more you realize the best defense in the game is simply not getting hit. This game was not really designed around mobile fortress tank (there are some though). CC and evade are the best defenses in the game. Dagger does this better and heals for more.

Some players swear by swirling winds but I will tell right now when a zerg comes you’ll thank your lucky stars you have daggers.,

I’ve always been happier that i have my focus… Sig of Air gets me around fast enough and a swirling wind prevents any ranged cripples from getting to me as i book it, plus a nice magnetic surge should i actually get hit by any cripples/ i need to make sure ranged snares/immobs aren’t going to get me, and worst case scenario if the zerg does get me and i’m with other people i can obsidian flesh, become immune to all damage for 4 seconds (this tends to make 99% of a zerg switch targets) allowing me to escape especially since it also makes you immune to more oncoming conditions. Focus is the KING of not taking hits, what does dagger do? It has 2 melee ranged knock downs (one of which forces you to roll backwards) a heal + condi removal, a chill for people that hit you (all of which are on 40+s CDs) and Ride the lightning.

Focus has a reflect, a projectile destroyer (destroys ALL projectiles, not just reflectable ones), a 3s chill that doesn’t require your face being kicked in, an aoe daze (all of which are on a 25 or 30s CD), a 2s KD and a 4s invuln to ALL damage (both on a 50s CD), i’d say focus has a significant advantage on avoiding stuff, especially if you’re at range when the zerg shows up (face it if you’re not at range when you’re alone when the zerg shows up you’re dead regardless of what you’re using since immob will stop your R/L in its tracks).

Durzlla.6295:

TheGuy.3568:

TimeBomb.3427:

NdranC.5107:

Berengar.6951:

ride the lightning is more likely to save you from a zerg than any focus skill

Quoted for truth.

As somebody who wants to love focus and has used both D/D and D/F quite a lot, I third this fact.

Speaking of focus, I came across the most interesting D/F ele I’ve ever seen in WvW recently. He was a burst D/F ele, and did it quite well. I don’t know much about his build other than that he was an auromancer; almost always had fire aura up. He would come in and kill someone squishy in 1-2 seconds or get someone not so squishy down to 10-20% HP.

He would run away after that, and when he didn’t, his DPS was somewhat bleh-ish. Focus’ defensive abilities allowed him to mingle with a small crowd of enemies for a little while after he did his initial burst. Nonetheless, I think he’d find it hard pressed to play a style other than gimping a solo or small group of enemies with his build. It was quite neat to see the build though; quite creative.

Focus can be a monster but quoting this for truth to the 4th. If your look at all the skills on paper S/F looks like a monster because you could might stack to kingdom come do it ranged (in spots) and still have blinds and defense past anything you can get on any other set.

Whats the problem?

The longer you play this game the more you realize the best defense in the game is simply not getting hit. This game was not really designed around mobile fortress tank (there are some though). CC and evade are the best defenses in the game. Dagger does this better and heals for more.

Some players swear by swirling winds but I will tell right now when a zerg comes you’ll thank your lucky stars you have daggers.,

I’ve always been happier that i have my focus… Sig of Air gets me around fast enough and a swirling wind prevents any ranged cripples from getting to me as i book it, plus a nice magnetic surge should i actually get hit by any cripples/ i need to make sure ranged snares/immobs aren’t going to get me, and worst case scenario if the zerg does get me and i’m with other people i can obsidian flesh, become immune to all damage for 4 seconds (this tends to make 99% of a zerg switch targets) allowing me to escape especially since it also makes you immune to more oncoming conditions. Focus is the KING of not taking hits, what does dagger do? It has 2 melee ranged knock downs (one of which forces you to roll backwards) a heal + condi removal, a chill for people that hit you (all of which are on 40+s CDs) and Ride the lightning.

Focus has a reflect, a projectile destroyer (destroys ALL projectiles, not just reflectable ones), a 3s chill that doesn’t require your face being kicked in, an aoe daze (all of which are on a 25 or 30s CD), a 2s KD and a 4s invuln to ALL damage (both on a 50s CD), i’d say focus has a significant advantage on avoiding stuff, especially if you’re at range when the zerg shows up (face it if you’re not at range when you’re alone when the zerg shows up you’re dead regardless of what you’re using since immob will stop your R/L in its tracks).

I can boil your whole point down to one skill “and Ride the lightning.”

As far as immobilize goes its a killer on all classes save warrior traited and thief. That being said. This is the part you need to read and realize you have no argument against. On DD when I see the zerg I can literally out run them. The other thing you need to understand is 1 of these “2 melee ranged knock downs (one of which forces you to roll backwards)” the roll backward is an evade and swiftness. Turning your camera while on the run means that if someone catches up to you not on do you knock them down, gain swiftness, create distance, but kitten you even evade incoming attacks.

“99% of zergs give up” I am sorry but I find that hard to believe the only thing that makes zergs give up is out running them or stealth that’s its.

On a lesser not not dealing wit the sets your an ele right? So cut the bs 2 cantrips take care of immobile plus both sets have condition removal. The only time immobilize gets us is if we were fighting already beside that we all know its a non issue.

I know you feel passionate about focus but this false info is bad for the community. In WvW mobility is king. It has nothing to do with how many hits you can take it has to do with how well you bail out of bad situations. It doesn’t matter if your a mobile fortress or not. Survival boils down to 2 things. Wither you out run the pack or you stealth. Thats it end of story.

What separates the good from the bads are those that experiment and evaluate based on their own experiences.

Focus is far superior to dagger in the off-hand, offensively, and defensively. Why focus is not used, is because of my first statement. Learn to play your class.

Razarei.2809:

What separates the good from the bads are those that experiment and evaluate based on their own experiences.

Focus is far superior to dagger in the off-hand, offensively, and defensively. Why focus is not used, is because of my first statement. Learn to play your class.

Your first statement is completely correct. Your second is a joke. Both are useful. In WvW over dagger is smarter. Is that always the case? Nope. Overall if you had to stand in one spot your better off with the focus. If your in limited space your better off with the focus. VS ranged dps your better off with the focus. Same with ranged situations.

VS multiple mobs Your better off with dagger. Room to kite dagger. CC dagger. Healing Dagger. And DPS all go to dagger.

Its not that complex most of the time you’ll want mobility dagger enhances that focus makes you tougher.

As far as good and bad goes its about your level of play and knowledge. The only thing that separates a good from a bad player is is how good or bad you are, no more no less.

TheGuy.3568:

VS multiple mobs Your better off with dagger. Room to kite dagger. CC dagger. Healing Dagger. And DPS all go to dagger.

wat.

Versus multiple mobs in an actual fight (taking retreat out of the question) having a focus brings far more advantages than a dagger offhand. Swirling winds = 6 seconds of invincibility to projectiles. Obsidian flesh = 4 seconds of godmode. Earth 4= 3(?) seconds of projectile reflection. The ice comet thingy is aoe 2 second daze that can be cast on the move. All of these skills contribute greatly to your survivability in an outnumbered fight. Offhand dagger has what? Ride the lightning to get 1200 distance away (this is assuming your opponents stand still and wait for you to fly off into the sunset), a knockdown that roots your during cast, a 1.4k heal, and an extra dodge+knockdown?

In terms of cc- Dagger: updraft+earth 4, frost armor. Focus: wind 4, comet, water 4. Both weapons have their advantages and disadvantages in this department but I would have to agree that in general, dagger is a tiny bit better here.

Healing? A 1.4k heal+1 condition on a 40 second cooldown. Useful, sure. But game changing? Not nearly as much as some of the focus highlight skills.

Also I would like to point out an unsung hero in the focus skill arsenal. That is flame shield, skill 5 in fire attunement. Though it seems like a poop skill, in an auramancer build it allows one to pop fury, swiftness, and protection instantly without having to switch to air attunement or water attunement first. Also, it is fire attunement so you can use your high damage fire attunement skills.

dual dagger does fire shield better than focus, fire 4+ earth 3 gives you the same aura on a 15 second cooldown

Berengar.6951:

dual dagger does fire shield better than focus, fire 4+ earth 3 gives you the same aura on a 15 second cooldown

That’s a silly point to make since focus can put down a 9 second firewall then do magnetic grasp through it for the same effect. But I believe anet nerfed this by making it so you don’t get boons from auras acquired through combo fields.

Edit: Since OP will be using scepter, he has no magnetic grasp. Lol.

Focus actually improves your burst in a few notable ways compared to Off Dagger:

1. Focus has a series of skills that allow you to ignore a LOT of enemy incoming, allowing you to focus on performing your burst. This alos means you can use more of your utility slots for damage.
2. Focus has more immobilization, knockdown and aura, allowing you to prevent the enemy from moving away from your short or midrange burst.
3. Focus has an extra instant attack (also a blast finisher and magnetic aura provider) that directly improves your PBAoE burst in a way that RtL doesn’t, allowing you to stack might and ignore more enemy crowd control.

So it’s sort of a question of what you want your role to be. If you are working with a group, there is a lot to say for Focus. If you’re solo roaming, the power of RtL to disengage is hard to beat.

Turbo Whale.1738:

Berengar.6951:

dual dagger does fire shield better than focus, fire 4+ earth 3 gives you the same aura on a 15 second cooldown

That’s a silly point to make since focus can put down a 9 second firewall then do magnetic grasp through it for the same effect. But I believe anet nerfed this by making it so you don’t get boons from auras acquired through combo fields.

Edit: Since OP will be using scepter, he has no magnetic grasp. Lol.

Totally missed that the OP was maining scepter <_<

Fire aura gained from dagger fire 4 or focus fire 4→earth dagger 3 do give you swiftness/fury when traited, though I think they are for a shorter duration.

TheGuy.3568:

Razarei.2809:

What separates the good from the bads are those that experiment and evaluate based on their own experiences.

Focus is far superior to dagger in the off-hand, offensively, and defensively. Why focus is not used, is because of my first statement. Learn to play your class.

Your first statement is completely correct. Your second is a joke. Both are useful. In WvW over dagger is smarter. Is that always the case? Nope. Overall if you had to stand in one spot your better off with the focus. If your in limited space your better off with the focus. VS ranged dps your better off with the focus. Same with ranged situations.

VS multiple mobs Your better off with dagger. Room to kite dagger. CC dagger. Healing Dagger. And DPS all go to dagger.

Its not that complex most of the time you’ll want mobility dagger enhances that focus makes you tougher.

As far as good and bad goes its about your level of play and knowledge. The only thing that separates a good from a bad player is is how good or bad you are, no more no less.

No. Both my statements are correct. I’m not going to spoonfeed you the techniques used or the reason why because of my first statement. Think outside the box, that’s all I’m saying.

People encounter dagger/dagger elementalist practically all the time, it’s cliche now…so much so many are probably forming personal strats to deal with their various talents. Focus is rare. Some people don’t understand Swirling Winds or Magnetic Wave and so forth. Many haven’t sharpened their strats to deal with them.

Uncertainty can be a weapon too.

Yeah, I am scepter MH.. Thanks for all the info guys.. good stuff