Guild Wars 2

I’m in aT atm, elementalist for a while, doing some GvG quite a lot, and since the patch i cme to some reflexion i would like to share and compare with you. Feel free to discuss this is an open thread

Water reflexions
Water for me is not a real good use.
I’ll take the postulate ice bow is rather too hard to use now

so what about water:
First column
_ soothing ice: synergise well with aura traits, specialy the earth one, when under frost aura you take 40% less damage.
Problem is the 20 seconds cooldown, that is long. not awfully long, but still…

_Piercing shards: Without icebow, i wont use piercing shards since it’s little use. so for me it’s a no-go since i’m not using it

Second column
Every trait here is very good but we have to make a chose.

Third column
_Cleaning water is convinient, but not that usefull, on melee you wont need it anymore since guards got back the purge on shout and at the end the only way to do it already purge.
The other way are self centered: swapping to water or cantrips. if you are so scared of condi, you can just take purging fames, it should be enough. but i dont feel like it’s necessary.

_ Soothing power
That trait is good, it gives a perma 300 regen to your group instead of 150.
It’s a good use, but it doesn’t cover a burst which is what we fear the most.

_ Passive
_ Soothing mist is good but doesn’t cover a burst and you cant share it with someone who already has it
_ healing ripple has a VERY short range, useless to heal allies, can be use self centered
_ Aquatic Benevolence stupid trait since we are not healing, it’s mostly guys exploding that is important.

Own conclusion
Apart from 2nd column, nothing amaze me.
We dont have the extra 3000 life from water, means i dont see the reason i need this.
i wont go for a full traitline for some purge and 20% cd reduction on 2 utilitaries skills.

Earth
I’ll compare to earth since both are defensive

_ Earth embrace helps, it’s good, not amazing but the breackstun helps surviving a burst and works Ok with final shielding

_ Geomancer Training… is sooo good, with stone earth you are virtually unkilable to a ranger. magnetic aura comes every 20 sec, it’s available freely when you go earth

_ stone earth feel cheated, you cant be killed by a FP while in earth
You divide by 3 the DPS

_ Passive 1: good with stone earth, you reduce incoming damage by 7% having this trait while in earth

_ Passive 2: a plus, kind of useless

_ Passive 3 : 10% less damage from close fellows, meaning thieves and mesmers, works when you are not in earth.

Comparaison conclusion
In earth almost everything feels usefull and non situational.
Swapping earth becomes a godmode, and your overall resistance is inceased.

In water it’s some OK traits, but it doesn’t take the comparaison.
A FP is going to kill you if you take water, no mater what.
You have better chances with earth.

FIre reflections:

Fire adds 150 power by a passive trait

Without fire you go for 9-12 mightstacks
With pyromancer puissance you go to 20-25

Means with a passive and a grandmaster trait you add
150+12*30= 486power

so if you compare to a 2597+30*10=2900 power of a non fire build stacked, you already have a 17% increase
A 10% more with pyromancer training with the reduction of you cds

And a 10% more on burning targets

Fire by itself is a 30%-40% dps incease, i’ll not appreciate running without it.

Arcana
Arcana is quite cool, Elemental attenument, arcane fury and evasive arcana are great traits

Renewing stamina synergise well with EA.

Arcane shield is really usefull.

But every of this is mostly devensive.
Only exception is fury, but it doesnt work well with fire focused build.

I’ld say it’s less necessary than it use to be, and i can immagine playing without it, taking earth instead of arcana.

Air
A nice dps increase, but we have way more choses.
Since we have a sree spot if not using icebow, i’ld point the use of Glyph of elemental power
with fire we have 10% more damage on burning ppl.
One burn in 25 zerk might stacks hit 450 dps

The glyph has no CD, it’s a fun useof our tools, giving some damage adds.

A trick with this glyph it it doesn’t take into account the element you are, but only the element you were when you casted the glyph, so if you cast it in water, then go to fire, you’ll get a free chill chance on your crits

Not saying it’s THE solution, but it may be interesting to have a closer look at it.
The 5 sec CD is per target.

rest is increase crit chance or damage, i wont spend too much time on it since you know it well.

Own chose
Our damage output is amazing now, going full dps allows us to 3 shoot a thief.
I could immagine going wihtout arcana, taking earth, but my main build is

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vFQQFAWhMMozh9NwyB8RMQAYRBIAsAkJ5EoEUrh0QZA-T1RGABA8AAGS5HI7PQmOCDuAAAq+jUKBDAgAczbGAczbezbezbWKg72ZB-w

fire / Air / Earth
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vFQQFAWhMMozh9NwyB8RMQAYRBIAsAmdwLoIKTyJQJA-T1RGABA8AAGS5HI7PQmOCDuAAAq+jUKBDAgAczbGAczbezbezbWKg72ZB-w

Your water 5 cleanses a condition every pulse. If you run the trait that cleanses a condition whenever regen is applied it will heal 2 conditions every pulse. That is huge for your frontline and even your necros.

I haven’t gvg’d in a long time, but I think you pretty much hit everything for a gvg staff setup.

FrownyClown.8402:

Your water 5 cleanses a condition every pulse. If you run the trait that cleanses a condition whenever regen is applied it will heal 2 conditions every pulse. That is huge for your frontline and even your necros.

yes, but since with pure of voice, guards got a nice amount of purges, making less necessary the 2 purges.
Depending of the number of eles you’ll prefer to use big water during repacks.

Not saying it’s not cool, but taking a whole traitline for that seem pretty… too much