Guild Wars 2

I’m looking to replace my Main Necromancer with an Elementalist, but I need a little bit help. I’ve never like D/D combo that much, and I’m not a staff type of person. I was looking at some Scepter builds, but they never mentioned WvWing.

Can anyone link me an in-depth WvW appropriate Scepter/Focus(Or dagger) build?

Scepter/dagger is better at the moment for wvw. Scepter/ focus could work in larger fights.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fEAQJArYhEmibzR4wjEIEFmgLMK0BiHWgDwhlCzAA-jEyAYrASiAoCgZvioxWBLiGr2GT5CpiHStUARMBA-w

I typically run this build. You can get close to 2k toughness being in earth with the 2 skill. You have 2 condi clears -your heal and cleansing fire- so using sparingly as conditions will be your downfall.

Scepter is best utilized in small to medium sized group roaming. I would recommend going to Xunleashed youtube channel and taking a look at his s/d roaming videos as he utilizes kiting and hitting enemies behind him very well.

Typically you want to stay at a far range unless you are trying to land a massive burst from fire or something. I would recommend saving your rtl/updraft for when enemies get too close.

Just watch out for thieves. The high toughness will make it pretty forgiving if they land a surprise back stab.

Thank you for the answer, I’ll definitely check that YT channel out!

Dagger is a nice offensive offhand choice for wvw.

But with the current state of the game you’re going to live longer and get more out of focus. The chills, knockdowns, stuns, invul, condi cleanse, reflect, projectile denial for outweighs 2 knockdowns and 2 nukes that re hit or miss, minor heal, gap closer.

S/d is best suited for pve. Back when d/d was the go to build there was no other option because nothing else mattered. But now d/f and s/f are far superior to any x/d build for pvp/wvw.

I use this build primarily: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fEAQJArYhImgbnR1gjDIkCmg4hFQBcY5xMkD2AA-jkCBofChUgAUEI0HgZPFRjtMMIVNTjVXDT5iIq2cuIa1SBIoyI-w

You get perma swiftness via Inscription and GoEH if you are solo or small group. If you have access to others granting swiftness then drop Inscription for Quick Glyphs.

Build up your 25 stacks of precision and then swap it out for Generosity. Giving an engi back their own confusion is very satisfying when it happens

Treborlavok.3504:

Dagger is a nice offensive offhand choice for wvw.

But with the current state of the game you’re going to live longer and get more out of focus. The chills, knockdowns, stuns, invul, condi cleanse, reflect, projectile denial for outweighs 2 knockdowns and 2 nukes that re hit or miss, minor heal, gap closer.

S/d is best suited for pve. Back when d/d was the go to build there was no other option because nothing else mattered. But now d/f and s/f are far superior to any x/d build for pvp/wvw.

I’m sorry … but what? Maybe in zerg WvW … but in roaming/small scale WvW dagger > focus.

Taldren.7523:

Treborlavok.3504:

Dagger is a nice offensive offhand choice for wvw.

But with the current state of the game you’re going to live longer and get more out of focus. The chills, knockdowns, stuns, invul, condi cleanse, reflect, projectile denial for outweighs 2 knockdowns and 2 nukes that re hit or miss, minor heal, gap closer.

S/d is best suited for pve. Back when d/d was the go to build there was no other option because nothing else mattered. But now d/f and s/f are far superior to any x/d build for pvp/wvw.

I’m sorry … but what? Maybe in zerg WvW … but in roaming/small scale WvW dagger > focus.

Dagger over focus if your fighting scrubs or glass cannons, sure for the extra dps. But if you’re fighting any competent person in wvw focus is a far better choice over dagger.

I’ve met many an ele who thinks dagger is the better offhand choice and proved them all wrong.

Offhand dagger is better for zergs because you can drop bombs with CE and combos/might with DT/RoF. And you get the aoe knockdowns with updraft and earth 4. But if your fighting alone or in any 1v1-3 your going to need focus to survive and burst them down. It’s not all about the dmg when roaming. It’s about being able to survive and outlast your opponent. Using scepter/focus is by far the best choice for roaming alone and in small groups.

Fight any competent stun lock war and tell me that dagger is the better choice. All dagger will help you do then is run away faster. Focus you can mitigate his stuns and keep him slowed and interrupted and burst him down.

Treborlavok.3504:

Fight any competent stun lock war and tell me that dagger is the better choice. All dagger will help you do then is run away faster. Focus you can mitigate his stuns and keep him slowed and interrupted and burst him down.

What burst are you talking about? With Focus you have no damage in both Water and Earth attunements, your fire attunement can’t actually hit anything to deal damage, so unless you mean you are just going to chain lighting at them and count that as burst then sure.

Taldren.7523:

Treborlavok.3504:

Fight any competent stun lock war and tell me that dagger is the better choice. All dagger will help you do then is run away faster. Focus you can mitigate his stuns and keep him slowed and interrupted and burst him down.

What burst are you talking about? With Focus you have no damage in both Water and Earth attunements, your fire attunement can’t actually hit anything to deal damage, so unless you mean you are just going to chain lighting at them and count that as burst then sure.

If you’ve actually used scepter/focus you’d know its 10x easier to land your DT/phoneix combo.

With dagger you have no dmg in water… Only 1 stun in earth and 1 aoe bomb, which will always miss and just makes you a sitting sick against a competent player. If you can land a CH on someone then they’re a complete idiot and a free kill for you.

Treborlavok.3504:

If you’ve actually used scepter/focus you’d know its 10x easier to land your DT/phoneix combo.

With dagger you have no dmg in water… Only 1 stun in earth and 1 aoe bomb, which will always miss and just makes you a sitting sick against a competent player. If you can land a CH on someone then they’re a complete idiot and a free kill for you.

EQ does damage and is a burst that can be easily used in Ring of Fire (which actually does damage unlike Flamewall) for multiple might stacks.

CH can easily be landed with LF and will also generate multiple might stacks.

Firegrab is great AE damage unlike the uselessness of Fireshield. Wooo … another burn with a 5 stack limit in the game and only 1 might per second (max 5 stacks) if you are being clobbered.

Frost Aura is superior to Freezing Gust.

…

You have more survivability, but no burst to do anything with focus.

I use scepter/focus and do massive burst using fresh air/frost bow. I won’t explain how, exactly, but rest assured, it puts all you scepter/dagger, dagger/dagger noobs to shame.

Treborlavok.3504:

But with the current state of the game you’re going to live longer and get more out of focus. The chills, knockdowns, stuns, invul, condi cleanse, reflect, projectile denial for outweighs 2 knockdowns and 2 nukes that re hit or miss, minor heal, gap closer.

What? Offhand dagger provides chill with an attack deterent and 10% damage reduction, has two CCs to the foci’s one, and its condition removal heals whereas the focus has no healing whatsoever. The only thing focus really has over the offhand dagger is projectile denial and invulnerability.

I sincerely like the focus, it’s fun at times but half it’s skills are mediocre and the weapon as a whole is clunky no matter what MH you combo it with, it’s a joke compared to our only other offhand option and it needs serious work

What?! Just yesterday the meta was staff and now s/f is the new meta? Elementalist user can’t make up their mind or what? I just saw another thread that said s/d has this insane burst damage!

All of us must has gone YOLO to get their build recognise.

Just ran scepter/dagger in wvw. Its terrible.

Jacks.5367:

What?! Just yesterday the meta was staff and now s/f is the new meta? Elementalist user can’t make up their mind or what? I just saw another thread that said s/d has this insane burst damage!

All of us must has gone YOLO to get their build recognise.

S/d is our best burst and dmg combo. It always has been.

Like I already said, focus gives you sustainability over daggers dmg.

You go ahead and remove 1 condi and get a minor heal, I’ll remove 3 and reflect projectiles back at my enemy and make them kill themselves. The slow on focus water 4 is better than the aura on dagger, but they’re both close in what they do. The dagger aura is more defensive while the focus slow is more offensive being able to use it as both a minor “lockdown” to be able to land a DT.

Like I said, you can CH—> LF all you want. But you’re only going to hit players who don’t know that combo and can’t dodge/block/blind/interrupt.

Take dagger into wvw or pvp and face a good stun lock war or stealth/condi mes… You’re going to get rolled every time. Focus gives you the ability to mitigate the dmg and stay alive and land your DT/phoneix and bursts.

Just the other night I had a great 2v2 with myself and my guildie(condi mes) vs 2 stun lock wars. Amazing fight and without focus to keep them slowed, remove the cc, stun them and last but not least the invulnerability, we would’ve lost.

Focus is all about being able to be offensive but defensive at the same time. Dagger allows you to get more dmg but at the cost of giving up a lot of defense.

Here are things that you may or may not know yet about focus:
Flamewall – 1 second burning. Any decent player will walk away from it no matter how good you are.
Fire shield – self explanatory. Enemy goes aggressive, they are punished with 1s burn and grant you 1 stack of might.
Freezing gust – 3s chill. I still don’t know how you got the idea that this skill can lock a decent player to get hit by 180 aoe DT.
Comet – 2s Daze. Not stun. Player can move just can’t use skill. Also it has delay about 1s. So there is a chance to miss if the enemy is moving around.
Swirling winds – 6s remove projectile but no damage or retaliation. If melee this skill is useless.
Gale – range version of updraft but no evasion.
Magnetic wave – 3s of reflect projectile and cure 3 condition. Again if melee, you are dead. You can’t cure daze or stun if you got hit. Since it’s not a break stun skill.
Obsidian flesh – self explanatory. Invulnerable for 5s.

Here is my 2cent:
Fire attribute is pretty much useless since you will only use fire aura and phoenix (1 condition cleanser and vigor). Scepter skill 1 has 1.25 cast time for okayish damage + 2 s burn. DT has about 2-3s drop time. You probably will not be here all the time.
Water – One of your best damage dealer skill 1. Shatterstone is as bad as DT. Trident has good heal as cleansive wave with shorter duration but no cleansing cleaner. 3s chill and 2 daze .
Air – This is where most of your damage will probably from unless you go condi. Lightning and blinding are instant skill allows you to use it while channeling other skill. Also this has your best cc. Range knockdown. Skill 4 is useless against melee.
Earth – your condi damage. Skill 1 works the same as fire 1 but better since the damage output + bleed is pretty decent but it has short range. Skill 2 provide tougness, I don’t think you want to cast it. Since the damage is pretty low. Skill 3 has blind but if your enemy is afar, this skill will likely to miss. 4 & 5 is self explanatory. Use 4 within 180 aoe of your allies to condi cleanser your allies. 5 is super defensive.

As can be seen from my explain above and obvious that either the warrior hammer makes too many mistake or the mesmer just too kitten good.

Anyway I still failed to see how focus can be awesome in PvP. You may need to try harder to convince me that S/F is better than D/D.

Also any ele should know that, their healing skill sucks. Ether has great heal and condi cleanser but you are immobile for 4 s to take the full effects. Glyph your 2nd best healing skill but has long recharge time and 1.5s cast time with additional boon. Signet is as good as warrior signet but since ele has slower cast time and has no trait to boost it unless you go 30 earth. This is where water d/d comes in handy. Skill 2 provide a mobile healing without has to hit your enemy and it skill 5 a small burst heal. I think this provide a more survivability than s/f.

Signet would be our best heal choice if it was par with the war passive. But with the condi heavy meta you need to run ER. Also if you’re using scepter, it’s pointless to use signet. And I’d rather have the condi remove from ER over the instant bigger heal and boon from glyph.

If you’re fighting a melee build. For the sake of this lets say a stun war. Yes, your range def skills of focus air 4 and earth 4 reflect are pointless. But earth 4 lets you clear any cond applied. Also I said “lockdown” from water 4 for the slow factor. You can slow them with water 4, and then rush them while swapping to fire/casting DT→phoneix→fire aura/swap air1-2-3 roll→ gale/ swap earth→blind/lf out swap back Into air(FA build) 1-2-3 roll while swapping to water… Repeat. Also, the biggest bursts and sustained dmg is coming from constantly swapping in and out of air for the 2 lightning blasts(1 on air swap 1 on air scepter 2) I’ve never lost vs a stun war nor a d/d ele.

The only class that is annoying to fight is stealth/condi mes. They’re beatable, but the fights take forever if they’re good.