Guild Wars 2

Yet that is all I see is Staff Ele’s (with a few D/D) in pve and wvwvw..

I thought Staff for Ele stunk?

What gives

WVW doesnt count because you need long range to be effective, not so many choices

and in SPVP, staff is viable only as a bunker spec but thats more because bunkers overall are overpowered, not only ele

In WvW, it’s very obvious as to why it’s a good weapon. You have long range and aoes to control crowds. In PvE, you hit more mobs and thus, do more damage to more mobs and can get more drops. It also gives you a long range with decent attack and the elementalist only good damage build makes you very squishy so you will die from mobs easily if you go out and solo the maps.

Staff ele is definitely viable. It’s just not viable for a burst-damage 1v1 build, which is what everybody wanted it to be for some reason.
It has its uses in every part of the game (dungeons, sPvP, and WvW)

I have started to switch lately. Staff when in a large zerg (fast traveling and sieges) and D/D anywhere else cos its just so much fun

You can still be very effective using daggers in a siege though, blasting water fields, switching to water for regen, stacking might for the people near the gate and stopping enemy repairers.
But all that is not always required. So i do bring a staff.

S/D earth water build is good in my book, earth with S/D dose a lot of dam, range 900, S/D 900 & S 1.200 is not much difference, i try’d with staff to, DPS just kills fast, & faster then staff skills, staff is good for WvW or PVE support as AOE ele or healer, but i’m not saying that it is impossible to play with staff, no it is possible, but harder

Bunker Staffs are most viable in sPVP, but it’s hard to kill stuff and 1v1’s can go on forever.

I play a condition damage based staff ele traiting into earth, water, and arcana. So far, I still have good survival because of the high toughness and decent hp (19k) and I don’t get bursted down by thieves and I can kill better than my bunker build.

The key to playing ele is to never ever stand still. Move move move. Circle strafe, jump, move backwards, dodge. But don’t stand still. Avoid using Fire 5 unless no one is targetting you and you’re firing away at a group of enemies from far away (this is really fun and you do a lot of damage).

Oh and don’t burn through your stunbreakers unless you’re getting bursted down. You need the stunbreakers when you’re getting HBed or getting hit by a thief’s burst.

Staff Ele is viable but needs work in the Air line. Other than that, Fire and Earth Staff Ele is beast.

boozer.7815:

Staff Ele is viable but needs work in the Air line. Other than that, Fire and Earth Staff Ele is beast.

That’s funny because I walk around in the air attunement as a Staff Ele.

I’m always using windborne speed for the movement speed boost. I actually start off my battles with Air 2 for a quick blind and then Air 3 in an attempt to push them back. If it does knock them over, I use Air 1 to squeeze some damage in and Air 5 to stun and then, usually move to earth to use eruption. I love switching to earth for the temporary protection (and stability of you get the grandmaster trait) as people usually open with the best skills (stuns) initially.

Staff shines in its CC (Air 2,3,5; Water 4; Earth 4,5) and AoE heals (Water 3 w/ Evasive Arcana is beast). The average player probably won’t get the best DPS out of a staff —assuming you don’t count Might stacking as DPS-- despite some wicked glass cannon staff builds out there. I definitely prefer S/D for solo PvE, but I feel that the staff is more versatile in dungeon situations.

Staff is pretty OK in dungeons. I just finished getting 390 Twilight Arbor tokens for the Staff skin and my best groups were the ones where I went healing duty as Staff Ele (got a Mesmer and Thief, too), whereas the other groups I had tended to die a lot due to the AoE DoT-heavy environment.
All that doesn’t change though that I feel clumsy and weak everytime I use a Staff to solo stuff.

WvWvW is all about the staff.

Staff is good ,however I think that D/D are the best weapons to Ele ( That I use all the time).

SecondtoNone.7549:

boozer.7815:

Staff Ele is viable but needs work in the Air line. Other than that, Fire and Earth Staff Ele is beast.

That’s funny because I walk around in the air attunement as a Staff Ele.

I’m always using windborne speed for the movement speed boost. I actually start off my battles with Air 2 for a quick blind…

while I do the same (can’t live without the consta-swiftness anymore), I definitely wouldn’t call air-2 a QUICK blind. it’s incredibly slow, and takes longer cast than an enemy to attack. I never really used the skill because of the slow speed. on engi I can switch to grenades and throw number 3 (area blind) when I see a mob start his sparkly-moves (their stronger attacks) and not get hit. after that I started to love the blindness, but try the same with ele – the cast of air 2 takes so long you’ll never be able to use it to mitigate a big hit, only to just spam it and hope you won’t waste it on an auto-attack. also, thanks to the attunement-cooldowns, you probably won’t even be able to use it if you see a telegraphed action starting.

generally air is nice because of the stun field and the knockback interrupt, but the blind needs serious work (no damage but insta-cast, and maybe aoe). also, the stun of the static field is so short, it usually doesn’t seem worth it. I rather cripple or chill the enemies as that stays a lot longer and doesn’t force me to change my current attunement (I’m very often in earth or water in tough fights, fire is only the inbetween state to spam 2/3 and maybe use the dodge – or of course in sieges in wvw)

I feel staff is viable in most situations – even pvp if you run with a buddy – but needs some skill rework and the attunement cooldowns are just way to high (why can’t it be like engi’s kits with only 1 sec cooldown?). I often feel I can’t react to stuff in time but just have to use the tools that are in my current attunement even if they might not be the most suited ones. If my reactions are too slow, I’m ok with it – but if the class is slower than me, it feels… unnecessary limiting.

Anyone can please post his staff build ? I was thinking before reading forum that i would want to try a staff ele build based on aoe. Tyvm.

You can check out my youtube channel, I just started it there I got 2 videos of my gameplay and 1 Tutorial video for my Build/runes and rotationes.

Its a 20/20/0/0/30 build, it might not be the best build but it works for me and is great fun =)

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwiZ15PBG3f4yal-B1VPJoA?feature=guide

Fun its all that matters , not how good is 1 v 1 or other things. Tyvm

SecondtoNone.7549:

Bunker Staffs are most viable in sPVP, but it’s hard to kill stuff and 1v1’s can go on forever.

I play a condition damage based staff ele traiting into earth, water, and arcana. So far, I still have good survival because of the high toughness and decent hp (19k) and I don’t get bursted down by thieves and I can kill better than my bunker build.

The key to playing ele is to never ever stand still. Move move move. Circle strafe, jump, move backwards, dodge. But don’t stand still. Avoid using Fire 5 unless no one is targetting you and you’re firing away at a group of enemies from far away (this is really fun and you do a lot of damage).

Oh and don’t burn through your stunbreakers unless you’re getting bursted down. You need the stunbreakers when you’re getting HBed or getting hit by a thief’s burst.

my Sylvari ele future build, i say future cause i’m not lvl 80
weapon S/D
earth 30/3/4/7
water 30/3/5/11
arcane 10 /5
good build if u want to survive long battles & do a lot of dam, i tested it in are were u can reset & try meany builds but u will be back to normal when u return to game, it also kills fast & u can switch to water sometimes to support ur group, to get erth & fire both 30 dose not give much earth water is better, i try’d it in Heart Of Mists, it kills faster then then other ele builds, not good DPS with staff, Staff is not bad but my opinion is that S/D is better, with staff gameplay is a bit harder, & with staff fire is better, it has useful skills like example 1, what makes u jump backward & u leave trail of fire on the ground what dam ur enemy as long as he runs on that trail of fire, good in PVE

Sugram.3106:

SecondtoNone.7549:

Bunker Staffs are most viable in sPVP, but it’s hard to kill stuff and 1v1’s can go on forever.

I play a condition damage based staff ele traiting into earth, water, and arcana. So far, I still have good survival because of the high toughness and decent hp (19k) and I don’t get bursted down by thieves and I can kill better than my bunker build.

The key to playing ele is to never ever stand still. Move move move. Circle strafe, jump, move backwards, dodge. But don’t stand still. Avoid using Fire 5 unless no one is targetting you and you’re firing away at a group of enemies from far away (this is really fun and you do a lot of damage).

Oh and don’t burn through your stunbreakers unless you’re getting bursted down. You need the stunbreakers when you’re getting HBed or getting hit by a thief’s burst.

my Sylvari ele future build, i say future cause i’m not lvl 80
weapon S/D
earth 30/3/4/7
water 30/3/5/11
arcane 10 /5
good build if u want to survive long battles & do a lot of dam, i tested it in are were u can reset & try meany builds but u will be back to normal when u return to game, it also kills fast & u can switch to water sometimes to support ur group, to get erth & fire both 30 dose not give much earth water is better, i try’d it in Heart Of Mists, it kills faster then then other ele builds, not good DPS with staff, Staff is not bad but my opinion is that S/D is better, with staff gameplay is a bit harder, & with staff fire is better, it has useful skills like example 1, what makes u jump backward & u leave trail of fire on the ground what dam ur enemy as long as he runs on that trail of fire, good in PVE

S/D is good too. But imo, a bunker staff ele is a good support class for controlling points. High AoE Heals with good CD and awesome AoE condition removal is sweet.

I’m rolling a condition based staff ele right now. The high toughness and 19k hp adds for good survivability and I can stack decent burns and bleeds. I can actually kill stuff unlike the bunker build where 1v1’s took ages.

SecondtoNone.7549:

Sugram.3106:

SecondtoNone.7549:

Bunker Staffs are most viable in sPVP, but it’s hard to kill stuff and 1v1’s can go on forever.

I play a condition damage based staff ele traiting into earth, water, and arcana. So far, I still have good survival because of the high toughness and decent hp (19k) and I don’t get bursted down by thieves and I can kill better than my bunker build.

The key to playing ele is to never ever stand still. Move move move. Circle strafe, jump, move backwards, dodge. But don’t stand still. Avoid using Fire 5 unless no one is targetting you and you’re firing away at a group of enemies from far away (this is really fun and you do a lot of damage).

Oh and don’t burn through your stunbreakers unless you’re getting bursted down. You need the stunbreakers when you’re getting HBed or getting hit by a thief’s burst.

my Sylvari ele future build, i say future cause i’m not lvl 80
weapon S/D
earth 30/3/4/7
water 30/3/5/11
arcane 10 /5
good build if u want to survive long battles & do a lot of dam, i tested it in are were u can reset & try meany builds but u will be back to normal when u return to game, it also kills fast & u can switch to water sometimes to support ur group, to get erth & fire both 30 dose not give much earth water is better, i try’d it in Heart Of Mists, it kills faster then then other ele builds, not good DPS with staff, Staff is not bad but my opinion is that S/D is better, with staff gameplay is a bit harder, & with staff fire is better, it has useful skills like example 1, what makes u jump backward & u leave trail of fire on the ground what dam ur enemy as long as he runs on that trail of fire, good in PVE

S/D is good too. But imo, a bunker staff ele is a good support class for controlling points. High AoE Heals with good CD and awesome AoE condition removal is sweet.

I’m rolling a condition based staff ele right now. The high toughness and 19k hp adds for good survivability and I can stack decent burns and bleeds. I can actually kill stuff unlike the bunker build where 1v1’s took ages.

well its not bad but bit harder i with my earth water build can be support to, not as good as with staff but i can

then try this build, i just came up with it http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fEAQFAWhMmebzxzgjDAEFnYS4BBMUQRxM7A

Hm, I’ve only done Staff and Dagger/Dagger. Haven’t played around much with S/D but sounds like a cool build.

SecondtoNone.7549:

Hm, I’ve only done Staff and Dagger/Dagger. Haven’t played around much with S/D but sounds like a cool build.

weapon S/D
earth 30/3/4/7
water 30/3/5/11
arcane 10 /5

well it worked for me when i try’d it in heart of mists, in case u ton’t know what it is i say this, its PVP area were u can reset traits & try different builds on mobs, well this explanation is not 100% correct but partly correct

In large groups in WvW, it’s completely about the staff. Attacking structures, defending them, etc. Meteor storm and healing rain alone are amazing.

That’s…. really it though. It has a few other uses but I have seen very few other instances where staff was superior to D/D, S/D, S/F

Staff Combo Fields when used right are godlike power. Only reason people come here and complain about Staff Ele is because they have absolutely zero skill playing this class.

Wasabi Kitty.8247:

In large groups in WvW, it’s completely about the staff. Attacking structures, defending them, etc. Meteor storm and healing rain alone are amazing.

That’s…. really it though. It has a few other uses but I have seen very few other instances where staff was superior to D/D, S/D, S/F

How about any group support role, dungeons, large events, general zergging….?
Soloing with staff is on par with any other weapon too, different but just as effective.

Staff is pretty awesome weapon….i don´t understand how people get the idea that it sucks at just about everything.

Strang.8170:

Wasabi Kitty.8247:

In large groups in WvW, it’s completely about the staff. Attacking structures, defending them, etc. Meteor storm and healing rain alone are amazing.

That’s…. really it though. It has a few other uses but I have seen very few other instances where staff was superior to D/D, S/D, S/F

How about any group support role, dungeons, large events, general zergging….?
Soloing with staff is on par with any other weapon too, different but just as effective.

Staff is pretty awesome weapon….i don´t understand how people get the idea that it sucks at just about everything.

I daresay, much more effective given all the options we have with it.

Strang.8170:

Staff is pretty awesome weapon….i don´t understand how people get the idea that it sucks at just about everything.

I agree, I love Staff and I feel like I can do anything with it. I have no clue why people say it’s not a good weapon. It’s great in WvW at various things, not just attacking/defending keeps. It’s great in dungeons and DE’s for more than just healing and condition removal. It’s also great solo – I used to switch to S/D when soloing but I don’t even bother anymore because I’ve played Staff so much that I’m able to solo with it quite well at this point and feel more comfortable with it at this point than S/D anyway. It’s a complicated and very versatile weapon and when played right is powerful and useful in a lot of ways.

boozer.7815:

Staff Combo Fields when used right are godlike power. Only reason people come here and complain about Staff Ele is because they have absolutely zero skill playing this class.

I agree with this as well. I love my combo fields.

I also love my staff. I’d marry it if that were legal. Currently using D/D(for the stupid weapon master achievement) and it’s making me wanna cry. Staff just makes everything so much…easier. <3 range.

Strang.8170:

Wasabi Kitty.8247:

In large groups in WvW, it’s completely about the staff. Attacking structures, defending them, etc. Meteor storm and healing rain alone are amazing.

That’s…. really it though. It has a few other uses but I have seen very few other instances where staff was superior to D/D, S/D, S/F

How about any group support role, dungeons, large events, general zergging….?
Soloing with staff is on par with any other weapon too, different but just as effective.

Staff is pretty awesome weapon….i don´t understand how people get the idea that it sucks at just about everything.

Group support maybe, but only if it’s a group 10+

It’s terrible for dungeons. Seriously if you use it in dungeons you’re one of the reasons people are reluctant to take elementalists. Scepter/Focus is far superior in dungeons, offering more damage, more CC, and more utility.

I’m not sure which “large events” you’re talking about. If you mean the big events in Orr that spawn tons of mobs then D/D and S/D are much better as with a staff you won’t be able to tag that many mobs due to cooldowns/longer cast times.

staff is great for group support/control and killing siege, but mediocre to crap at everything else.

5-target AOE cap and lack of decent single target damage kills it.

Wasabi Kitty.8247:

Strang.8170:

Wasabi Kitty.8247:

In large groups in WvW, it’s completely about the staff. Attacking structures, defending them, etc. Meteor storm and healing rain alone are amazing.

That’s…. really it though. It has a few other uses but I have seen very few other instances where staff was superior to D/D, S/D, S/F

How about any group support role, dungeons, large events, general zergging….?
Soloing with staff is on par with any other weapon too, different but just as effective.

Staff is pretty awesome weapon….i don´t understand how people get the idea that it sucks at just about everything.

Group support maybe, but only if it’s a group 10+

It’s terrible for dungeons. Seriously if you use it in dungeons you’re one of the reasons people are reluctant to take elementalists. Scepter/Focus is far superior in dungeons, offering more damage, more CC, and more utility.

I’m not sure which “large events” you’re talking about. If you mean the big events in Orr that spawn tons of mobs then D/D and S/D are much better as with a staff you won’t be able to tag that many mobs due to cooldowns/longer cast times.

I´ve never had any trouble tagging mobs with staff, none whatsoever.

More CC?…what are you smoking? because i want that kitten too.

S/F
-3s chill singel target
-2s daze aoe
-2s KD single target

Staff
-5×2s chill aoe
-4×2s stun aoe
-KB single target
-5×2s cripple aoe
-2s immobilize aoe

Focus keeps yourself alive better, staff keeps everyone alive better.

Also, having 10-20 stacks of might on everyone starts pretty fast outweights(far before 10+ players…) any extra damage you could deal with scpeter, even in glasscannon build. Couple that with infinite regeneration(condition removal with it if you´ve specced for it), and ability to heal everyone nearly to full twice over without even accounting finishers from other players.

Well, staff players aren´t the thing that makes people reluctant to take eles, bad ele players are.

Wasabi Kitty.8247:

Strang.8170:

Wasabi Kitty.8247:

In large groups in WvW, it’s completely about the staff. Attacking structures, defending them, etc. Meteor storm and healing rain alone are amazing.

That’s…. really it though. It has a few other uses but I have seen very few other instances where staff was superior to D/D, S/D, S/F

How about any group support role, dungeons, large events, general zergging….?
Soloing with staff is on par with any other weapon too, different but just as effective.

Staff is pretty awesome weapon….i don´t understand how people get the idea that it sucks at just about everything.

Group support maybe, but only if it’s a group 10+

It’s terrible for dungeons. Seriously if you use it in dungeons you’re one of the reasons people are reluctant to take elementalists. Scepter/Focus is far superior in dungeons, offering more damage, more CC, and more utility.

I’m not sure which “large events” you’re talking about. If you mean the big events in Orr that spawn tons of mobs then D/D and S/D are much better as with a staff you won’t be able to tag that many mobs due to cooldowns/longer cast times.

If I am bringing a group of people to a dungeon with all finishers and no fields (or a very minimal set of fields, none of which being water), do you seriously think S/D is still going to be best? Don’t get me wrong, if I have a ranger or 2 in group I am all over my S/D but there are some groups who need the fields to play in just by their builds.

It is all subjective folks, and dependant and what is around you, it always has been and always will be.

I like using a staff for both PvE and WvW. In WvW, you’re not going to be that D/D elementalist that just runs around the battlefield making people’s lives miserable, but you can put up a field where the fighting’s thickest and not only do you hurt the enemy, but your allies in the area can throw up a finisher. You have aoe harass for sieges, and aoe speed boost for rushing that zerg (or that dolyak).

That said, if you’re not traited and equipped defensively and get caught alone, there’s a high change you’ll wilt like a leaf on a hot summer’s day.