Guild Wars 2

I am a 36 elementalist, havn’t played any other class so not much to compare it with except a Mage in WoW =) which is why I chose an elementalist. I like the style but dont think I fully understand combo fields and what not and think that this might be a big part of their potency.

Each skill has their own attributes when you hover over it… now the combo field do u need to be in it or does it need to be on enemy or both? and what attributes define an ability that works with the combo field that is down?

Maybe someone could give me an example of a combo field or finisher ?

Cheers guys.

A combo field is exactly what it sounds like: an area on the ground that has a special effect. Maybe players standing in this field take damage (lava font), maybe they are chilled (Frozen ground), or maybe they are healed (healing rain and geyser). These are all examples of combo fields.

1. To make a combo, the first thing you must do is set down a combo field. To know if a spell creates a combo field, it will say so in the skill tooltip.

2. Now for the tricky part. There are many different types of ways a player can interact with a combo field. A ranger shooting arrows through a field of fire will set the arrows on fire is an example of a “projectile”. Another type of interaction is called the “blast finisher”. This is where a large BOOM type skill is placed on a combo field to create an aoe effect. For example, using arcane wave (a blast finisher) on a lava font (a fire field) will create AoE might for all of your buddies.

The 3 most common types of finishers are as follows:
Projectile (Think ranger shooting arrows)
Blast (Think engineer putting down a giant bomb)
Leap (Think a thief using heartseeker over a fire field, granting him a special effect. In this case, fire shield is the effect granted).

I’m a Staff Elementalist. Here are my go-to combos. They require having evasive aracana (a grandmaster arcane trait that gives you combo finishers upon landing a roll) and arcane wave. Both act as combo finishers. The recipe is: Use a skill that’s a combo field (i.e. static field, frozen ground, lava font) and use a combo finisher inside it (evasive arcana, arcane wave, eruption).

1. For getting 13 stacks of might in one combo:
Eruption > Lava Font > Roll into Lava Font and trigger Evasive Arcana > Arcane Wave > Burning Retreat > Roll Forward and trigger Evasive Arcana

2. For getting 10 seconds of frost armor (which gives chills nearby enemies):
Eruption > Frozen Ground > Roll into Frozen Ground and trigger Evasive Arcana > Arcane Wave

3. For healing massive amounts of HP (pretty much your entire bar):
Eruption > Geyser > Arcane Wave > Healing Rain > Roll into Healing Rain and trigger Evasive Arcana

4. For getting 15 seconds of swiftness which I use when I travel long distances (in conjunction with glyph of restoration and windborne speed [air4] to get a total of 30+ seconds of swiftness):
Static Field > Arcane Wave

Those are about all the self combos you can do as a Staff Elementalist. I use them a lot and basically everything combos with Arcane Wave and Evasive Arcana. They work really well if you get runes that increase boon duration (superior runes of monk, water). I love comboing with an elementalist and love it when another staff ele is around who knows how to combo. I end up having 20+ stacks of might and frost armor on a lot.

yeh nice, I’m on staff atm also. now that I know I can work on my set combos!

cheers appreciate it

All combos:
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Combo

Short explanation of combos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrzwFP1vCag

SecondtoNone.7549:

4. For getting 15 seconds of swiftness which I use when I travel long distances (in conjunction with glyph of restoration and windborne speed [air4] to get a total of 30+ seconds of swiftness):
Static Field > Arcane Wave

I’m wondering why you don’t use Eruption > Static Field for this, too.
Dunno if it requires better timing than the other combos but it’s still possible.

@DesertRose

Not sure how to quote someone, but anyway, it’s something I cast while running. I use windborne speed and then glyph of restoration and then I cast static field ahead of me and when I run into it, I cast arcane wave. And depending on what traits/boons I have, this always equals at least 30+ seconds of swiftness. Great for traveling.

If the quote option isn’t there just post some non-sense like “I want to quote”, once you posted in a thread you’re able to quote and edit/delete your own posts (weird bug, huh?). Just delete your non-sense post afterwards.

DesertRose.2031:

If the quote option isn’t there just post some non-sense like “I want to quote”, once you posted in a thread you’re able to quote and edit/delete your own posts (weird bug, huh?). Just delete your non-sense post afterwards.

It worked! Thanks. :]

Personally I wish comboing with static field did something else. Swiftness is boring—especially in pvp/wvw. Id love if it blinded or pushed or really anything other than swiftness.

SecondtoNone.7549:

DesertRose.2031:

If the quote option isn’t there just post some non-sense like “I want to quote”, once you posted in a thread you’re able to quote and edit/delete your own posts (weird bug, huh?). Just delete your non-sense post afterwards.

It worked! Thanks. :]

Personally I wish comboing with static field did something else. Swiftness is boring—especially in pvp/wvw. Id love if it blinded or pushed or really anything other than swiftness.

I just tried to make a post with a body of “nonsense post” it gave me an error saying it wasn’t long enough and now i can reply.

use leap in the static field. that’s a dazing strike i believe.

magnetic grasp.
lava axe and lightning hammer both have a leap.

for aura builds
lay down a fire field and leap to get a fire shield.

In addition to these combos there is a trait in water (Shards of Ice) that stacks vulnerability upon use of arcane spells (Arcane Wave and Arcane Blast). I try draw mobs to me, drop a Lava Font, shoot one with Arcane Wave and Arcane Blast followed by Flame Burst (for stacks of burning) and Burning Retreat. That mob is now down and I can work on the rest.

Also taking the trait Arcane Mastery means that Arcane Blast cooldown is now 14 seconds allowing it to be a regular combo finisher. This means that for veterans I can keep vulnerability up almost constantly using just Arcane Blast finishers.

The secret to using the staff is to know your combos and almost never rely of single spells.

So I’m nearing 40 and still have no combos memorised and it still confuses me a little bit, I think i’ll be working on this.
Something like Erruption as a Blast Finisher though seems odd, it has a 3 second explosion delay by which time most fields would be gone.. I reckon fields should last longer, maybe not the spells effect but the combo field should maybe linger for an extra 2 seconds?

wyldie.6308:

Something like Erruption as a Blast Finisher though seems odd, it has a 3 second explosion delay by which time most fields would be gone.. I reckon fields should last longer, maybe not the spells effect but the combo field should maybe linger for an extra 2 seconds?

The sequence is Eruption → combo field.

so u use the blast then the combo field not the other way around?

In this case, yes. Because eruption takes so long to cast. You use eruption and while it’s doing it’s stupid little dance, you cast the combo field over it. Eruption will finish kittening off and it’ll blow it’s kittens while the combo field is still there.

But usually, you cast your blast finisher while in the combo field. Eruption’s just a special case.

It’s hard to land it in pvp/wvw because it’s so slow. Sometimes, in pve, a dolyak will just walk through it too. -Elementalist sigh-