Guild Wars 2

So I do unranked queue a lot, and when I do, I usually go at it alone. Normally I play power necro or shatter mesmer, two fun and great builds, that simply cannot tank a point and die pretty quickly when someone control Ts them.

I haven’t really played my ele in a while, and when I did, I mostly played S/F, but I’m interested in getting back into it if it would help me win and carry games by supporting teamfights and being able to tank a point when needed. I understand that D/D is alot easier than staff to play, but staff seems interesting too. So What would you guys suggest?

Also, I haven’t looked too much into the Ele changes for HoT, but do you think those builds would still be viable after that patch, even with being able to have much less boon duration?

You’ll offer your team far more support in staff, I think it is the best team oriented weapon in the game.

I roll with both specs in exactly the scenario you describe: solo queue unranked.

Cele Staff is great support, but you have to have a team that coordinates well enough to take advantage of it. While you have some escape tools (cantrips, Fire 4, Air 3 and 5, Water 4, etc), you really need team members that can help peel so that you can cast your stand-and-deliver spells like Fire 5 and Water 5. Courtyard is great for this, since you’re fighting in a group, and you’re almost guaranteed to have a 5v5, so your support abilities will shine.

D/D is much more flexible, which is better when you’re grouped with randoms and have no idea what you’ll have to work with on your team. It’s a little frustrating on Skyhammer, since in addition to tracking everything that you need to do as an ele, you need to pay special attention to your positioning so that you don’t Fire 3 down kitten or off a cliff.

So what I do: I join up as my D/D, and if we’re doing courtyard or skyhammer or there’s another D/D, swap out to staff (I have two 80 eles, but the specs are so similar you can easily change them out in 30 seconds).

Serenadin.3470:

I roll with both specs in exactly the scenario you describe: solo queue unranked.

Cele Staff is great support, but you have to have a team that coordinates well enough to take advantage of it. While you have some escape tools (cantrips, Fire 4, Air 3 and 5, Water 4, etc), you really need team members that can help peel so that you can cast your stand-and-deliver spells like Fire 5 and Water 5. Courtyard is great for this, since you’re fighting in a group, and you’re almost guaranteed to have a 5v5, so your support abilities will shine.

D/D is much more flexible, which is better when you’re grouped with randoms and have no idea what you’ll have to work with on your team. It’s a little frustrating on Skyhammer, since in addition to tracking everything that you need to do as an ele, you need to pay special attention to your positioning so that you don’t Fire 3 down kitten or off a cliff.

So what I do: I join up as my D/D, and if we’re doing courtyard or skyhammer or there’s another D/D, swap out to staff (I have two 80 eles, but the specs are so similar you can easily change them out in 30 seconds).

Yeah thats true. I just tried a game with staff and my teammates were circlejerking at the far point for most of the time, but we just barely won because I was able to tank mid long enough against 3 opponents. I’ll try D/D next, but I like staff a lot so far! What runes do you suggest for staff? metabattle says pirate which seems weird to me, and then doom/energy

nearlight.3064:

Serenadin.3470:

I roll with both specs in exactly the scenario you describe: solo queue unranked.

Cele Staff is great support, but you have to have a team that coordinates well enough to take advantage of it. While you have some escape tools (cantrips, Fire 4, Air 3 and 5, Water 4, etc), you really need team members that can help peel so that you can cast your stand-and-deliver spells like Fire 5 and Water 5. Courtyard is great for this, since you’re fighting in a group, and you’re almost guaranteed to have a 5v5, so your support abilities will shine.

D/D is much more flexible, which is better when you’re grouped with randoms and have no idea what you’ll have to work with on your team. It’s a little frustrating on Skyhammer, since in addition to tracking everything that you need to do as an ele, you need to pay special attention to your positioning so that you don’t Fire 3 down kitten or off a cliff.

So what I do: I join up as my D/D, and if we’re doing courtyard or skyhammer or there’s another D/D, swap out to staff (I have two 80 eles, but the specs are so similar you can easily change them out in 30 seconds).

Yeah thats true. I just tried a game with staff and my teammates were circlejerking at the far point for most of the time, but we just barely won because I was able to tank mid long enough against 3 opponents. I’ll try D/D next, but I like staff a lot so far! What runes do you suggest for staff? metabattle says pirate which seems weird to me, and then doom/energy

The other point of view is “Whatever you’re having the most fun with”, and save the min/maxing for ranked. If you’re having fun with staff, no reason to force yourself to play a spec that you don’t like.

I’ve never had a problem with rune of the Privateer, as the power bonus helps a lot. Rune of Hoelbrak gives the same bonuses without the parrot if that annoys you, but given the amount of cleansing that you have, I feel that the capstone on Rune of the Privateer is better.

You can also experiment with swapping out the celestial amulet for zerker. It works well until people figure out that you’re a complete glass cannon and react appropriately.

yeah I like celestial better right now just to hold points. I’m just worried that I’ll have to role a new sustain class once the spec patch hits.

Hi, nearlight. I beg you pardon for my english. I hope to be understandable.
I have 3055 games as elementalist, many of them played with celestial D/D. And is one of those build that you can’t play continually once you master it, whitout playing it worst and worst and worst, cause the repetitivness of rotations and the habit that don’t help you to play it better but like an automatism. So, I suggest in any case to try something different.
Recently (since a couple of months) I’m playing staff, and at start I found it really different from D/D: it don’t have a precise rotation, you must play it based on circumstances, and the timing when you cast a skill is very important. If you want to play staff and master it, stuck on it for a while: you won’t be good in one day.

Pro D/D cele
- great 1v1 potential
- great mobility
- hight might stacking
- perma protection (via elemental shielding)
- chance to chase enemy (you don’t have it with staff)
definitively better in solo Q

Pro cele staff
- great support and heals
- great damage pressure on the node (with D/D is drastically reduced)
- great condition remove (for yourself and for the team)
- AoE, AoE, AoE!!!
- great CC
definitively better in organized team Q

Sigils and Runes for cele Staff
- you are forced to take energy sigil (to provide for Renewing Stamina, that you can’t take cause you need Blasting Staff)
- Runes of the Pirate give you a better 1v1 chances (the parrot hit hard) that you don’t have (all AoE) and spread might for your team, but you can try some alternative.

Healing skill
I suggest Ether Renewal instead of signet. When you will be used to cast it, it will change your ele life!

Hope to been helpful.

Dulle Griet.8436:

-snip-

Uh… No… Staff is not better (in an organised team) than D/D. There’s a reason D/D has been meta for so long and staff is run by like… 2 people competitively. Honey and… Someone else, probably.

Staff is actually nicer in solo play because it’s easier to support your team, whereas it’s harder on D/D because the heals etc are much shorter range, so you need to be a bit more co-ordinated (i.e. “Stay near me for heal.”).

However, that’s like asking whether a bunker or DPS guard is better. They essentially fulfil different roles. Staff elementalist is for a more supporting role and point pressure, whereas D/D is roamer role, pushing points and 1v1s, whilst also providing some support and CC.

Auldon.1972:

Dulle Griet.8436:

-snip-

Uh… No… Staff is not better (in an organised team) than D/D. There’s a reason D/D has been meta for so long and staff is run by like… 2 people competitively. Honey and… Someone else, probably.

Staff is actually nicer in solo play because it’s easier to support your team, whereas it’s harder on D/D because the heals etc are much shorter range, so you need to be a bit more co-ordinated (i.e. “Stay near me for heal.”).

However, that’s like asking whether a bunker or DPS guard is better. They essentially fulfil different roles. Staff elementalist is for a more supporting role and point pressure, whereas D/D is roamer role, pushing points and 1v1s, whilst also providing some support and CC.

Okay that answers my question pretty well. I feel like I do better with staff in solo queueing just due to the support in team fights.

Auldon.1972:

Dulle Griet.8436:

-snip-

Uh… No… Staff is not better (in an organised team) than D/D. There’s a reason D/D has been meta for so long and staff is run by like… 2 people competitively. Honey and… Someone else, probably.

Staff is actually nicer in solo play because it’s easier to support your team, whereas it’s harder on D/D because the heals etc are much shorter range, so you need to be a bit more co-ordinated (i.e. “Stay near me for heal.”).

However, that’s like asking whether a bunker or DPS guard is better. They essentially fulfil different roles. Staff elementalist is for a more supporting role and point pressure, whereas D/D is roamer role, pushing points and 1v1s, whilst also providing some support and CC.

Better for the one who play it, for sure. Did you read the question?! ‘Solo Queuing: D/D or Cele Staff’. I think you don’t.
Btw, you told Staff is easier to play in solo Q cause the heals have bigger AoE and I don’t understand: what does that have to do with anything?! With ele D/D you have a lot more sustain (nearly perma-protection) more mobility to disengage, and the rotation it’s pretty the same all the times. Staff offers something different (more support, CC, pressure on node… I wrote it before) but it’s much exposed. But… wait: with staff you have 2 ground-target AoE that heals: so easy to play!