Guild Wars 2

Been wanting to switch from staff to Dagger/Dagger because it just looks fun. But becuase it requires you to pretty much be in melee range can you take a beating like a necro along with their tons of ways to get health back or can you avoid damage like a mezmer using clones? I just dont see how being in melee range is even remotely viable for an elementalist. What do Elementalists have compared to the other 2 light armor casters to stay alive in melee range?

Necros can use pets to take hits and siphon life. They might not be good right now but with max pets out using siphon life on hit with traits to increase their damage and HP along with 50% more health gained from dagger 2 that healing adds up. Also sword mezmers can again use their illusions to help them out.

D/D elementalists can kill their enemies a lot quicker. And you don’t have to be in super close melee range, you can be at a decently safe distance and your moves will still hit. Additionally, dodge back a roll or two and you are safe again.

Use your utility slots to make yourself safe in melee range. Arcane Shield, for example, will deflect three hits, then explode on your enemy.

D/D is good for 1v1 only. As the enemies increase, the staff is exponentially better.

Or, just use the Lightning Hammer.

I run D/D in PvE and find that with an even mix of Knight and Valkyrie gear I’m tough enough to survive almost everything. I usually switch to staff for heavy PBAoE fights like boss dragons, however.

I trait heavily for direct damage as well, 30/20/20 fire/air/arcane.

MajorHeartfire, fire D/D is still quite good at aoe, in a lot of cases even better at close grouped mobs than staff. The primary attack isn’t, but everything else on the bar is either a true AoE cone or an area attack. Obviously for spread out mobs nothing compares to Meteor Shower.

try D/F I loved that set up and used it most of the way up, currently in love with the staff. D/F gives a bit more survivability

The advantage that D/D eles have is mobility. I almost always open combat with RTL, pop my shock aura and Lightning Touch, updraft, swap to either earth or fire, and then either burning speed or Magnetic Grasp and go from there. you can be constantly flying in and out of melee range as a D/D ele and it’s great. Not to mention tons of fun.
And I have to agree with masanbol. D/D has incredibly awesome AoE.
I’m traited for AoE and heavy condition damage. 20/10/30/10/0 (fire/air/earth/water/arcane).
I excel in PvE when I pull at least 3 mobs. I get them close together, and then I blow the crap out of them with Churning earth. Either that, or line them up and hit them with a Drake’s Breath, Fire Grab combo.
In PvP, by myself, I can take 4 enemies to below 50% with at least one of them downed before they can kill me.

If you get some toughness/vitality being vulnerable is not an issue. D/D is really fun to play or at least worth a try.

Use mobility.

Dont stay in close, jump in and out to activate combo fields, switch attunement often.

Cameirus.8407:

Use mobility.

Dont stay in close, jump in and out

what am I a thief?

Its the hardest but I think most rewarding way to play a Ele, it requires as stated above, a lot of moving around, a lot of attunement swapping, and if you spend your trait points in conjunction with how you build your gear set, it can be very powerful while also offering decent survivability.

I’m not 100% sold on it yet for WvW and being better than staff overall… its definitely better for damage (staff fire damage isn’t great for WvW except for huge fights where enemies dont notice aoe damage as much) but the utility in the staff line within air and water is unmatched I think by any class.

One of the problem I see is Explorer gear doesn’t synergize well with condi builds.

As a D/D ele I make sure to pretty much wear nothing but gear with the Carrion stat on it and usually I’m in the fire attunement for the AoE, then switch to frost for the ice cone and ice aoe, then switch it up to earth for earthquake/churning earth.

Your arcane shield is your best friend. Plus if you use ring of fire + arcane wave you cast area might.

Loosifah.4739:

Your arcane shield is your best friend. Plus if you use ring of fire + arcane wave you cast area might.

Try ring of fire + arcane wave + switch earth for earthquake and then churning earth right after it, you must let churning earth finish even though ring of fire is gone by then it will still add stacks and you will have 9 stacks of might. If your still alive after churning earth ( taking into account that you will have agro from everything in the area ) then all you got to do is keep moving and switching atonements as cooldowns come off to finish off any remaining mobs.

Mobility, knock down / back, slows, and damage are the key to surviving with d/d’s.