Guild Wars 2

I don’t main ele, its sort of an alternative character I play sometimes for something new. This meta I seem to be a bit better with celestial staff, but I always wondered, are both good for different reasons? Or is D/D undoubtedly superior?

I would like to say that it depends on you skill or playstyle. But D/D set is superior to staff. I still play celestial (or zerker, if I am in a very confident mood) staff because I do not like daggers. Staff brings more to your team if you use it right, at least for me. DD can do many things that a staff ele can do, with much ease, but it’s team support is lower than staff.

By the way if you will try ele in pvp, try scepter/focus fresh air. Hard to learn, fun to play. My favourite pvp build is s/f. Only bad part is that you can not play it constantly because it causes my hand to ache. Too many buttons, too little time

alain.1659:

I would like to say that it depends on you skill or playstyle. But D/D set is superior to staff. I still play celestial (or zerker, if I am in a very confident mood) staff because I do not like daggers. Staff brings more to your team if you use it right, at least for me. DD can do many things that a staff ele can do, with much ease, but it’s team support is lower than staff.

By the way if you will try ele in pvp, try scepter/focus fresh air. Hard to learn, fun to play. My favourite pvp build is s/f. Only bad part is that you can not play it constantly because it causes my hand to ache. Too many buttons, too little time

Whats a good scepter focus build? :o

You can do fire/air/arcane ( blinding ashes, fresh air, evasive arcana), it is dangerous but fun. Or you can do air/water/arcane with cantrips and celestial amulet to be more tanky but you will have to use pack runes or something to buff your crit damage. There are several different builds on this subject, you can google it easily if you want to play.

ps: scepter focus may seem heavily nerfed after the patch, but you can “almost” compansate the nerfs with your playstyle.

alain.1659:

I would like to say that it depends on you skill or playstyle. But D/D set is superior to staff. I still play celestial (or zerker, if I am in a very confident mood) staff because I do not like daggers. Staff brings more to your team if you use it right, at least for me. DD can do many things that a staff ele can do, with much ease, but it’s team support is lower than staff.

By the way if you will try ele in pvp, try scepter/focus fresh air. Hard to learn, fun to play. My favourite pvp build is s/f. Only bad part is that you can not play it constantly because it causes my hand to ache. Too many buttons, too little time

I actually disagree. The only support staff can give that is better than d/d is putting a meteor shower on a point. It may have 2 water fields, but it has no way of blasting them unless you are in earth first. D/d has water 5, swapping to water (which it does constantly for blast finisher, unlike staff which only switches to water to heal), water 2, and doging in water. Also it provides huge amounts of might for anyone fighting on point.

Honestly staff is just a better bunker. D/d can win more 1v1s and provides more team support. I think staff is pretty good at a mid point if you are able to stand off to the side.

alain.1659:

You can do fire/air/arcane ( blinding ashes, fresh air, evasive arcana), it is dangerous but fun. Or you can do air/water/arcane with cantrips and celestial amulet to be more tanky but you will have to use pack runes or something to buff your crit damage. There are several different builds on this subject, you can google it easily if you want to play.

ps: scepter focus may seem heavily nerfed after the patch, but you can “almost” compansate the nerfs with your playstyle.

one more thing, for cele staff, hoelbrak or pirate runes?

I use hoelbrak runes mostly, but they are both good. Although instead of pirate you can use strength runes for the uptime and damage. Pack is also another option if you want to try something different.

alain.1659:

I use hoelbrak runes mostly, but they are both good. Although instead of pirate you can use strength runes for the uptime and damage. Pack is also another option if you want to try something different.

Been doing pretty good with staff, not feeling the tankiness or dps of d/d though lol, must be missing something. I hate the healing signet xD

Ive tried many staff builds , and honestly i didnt like hybrid or bunker.Hybrid is the worst,no dmg and still die pretty fast.So if u will die either way,why not go full glass?

And i LOVED my ultra-high dmg staff build.Fire/air/arcane.Traits,amulets,utility – everything to deal more and more damage(LIKE using arcane shield as your “defensive” utility).

How to play (basics) : Avoid 1v1. Staff ele have lots of AoE , so u are meant to annihilate in team fights. You will probably lose a 1v1 , or use everything you got to try to kill someone.But if u want to 1v1,a good way is Tornado+Lightning Rod trait.Its very strong.
Position: Look for places where you can cast your skills without being distubed.Positioning is very important if u are playing Staff ele.

Master glass Staff isnt as easy as u may think.You gotta learn be best combos between CC and Damage,and learn how to use your skills to avoid being chased/killed.

I usually run glass staff (because d/d celementalist is sort of unfun, but every other d/d build is pitiful), and I can attest to its fun factor.
One thing I recommend trying is arcanes instead of cantrips, possibly with a conjure thrown in. Obviously it’s not as good, but it really is a whole different playstyle, with real burst and some weird condition control thrown in (immob or chill spam).
You also get the exciting feeling of being super combo-y, with three field types and a number of blast finishers, as well as the inherent need for staff to plan cast orders out to land skills.

Train staff then DnD as dnd requires knowledge of the staff ele if u really want to be good.

Fuzzion.2504:

Train staff then DnD as dnd requires knowledge of the staff ele if u really want to be good.

I’m decent with staff, but I think one of the biggest changes is either renewal. I have always seen healing signet’s passive as the superior healing skill, and since I main warrior I thought alright I should be ok at managing passive healing in the background.

I never feel the healing lol, I must be missing something. Another big thing I have an issue with is d/d’s reliant on might stacking. I’ll go through the entire offensive rotation but only get about 3-4 stacks of might.

dtox.8397:

Ive tried many staff builds , and honestly i didnt like hybrid or bunker.Hybrid is the worst,no dmg and still die pretty fast.So if u will die either way,why not go full glass?

And i LOVED my ultra-high dmg staff build.Fire/air/arcane.Traits,amulets,utility – everything to deal more and more damage(LIKE using arcane shield as your “defensive” utility).

How to play (basics) : Avoid 1v1. Staff ele have lots of AoE , so u are meant to annihilate in team fights. You will probably lose a 1v1 , or use everything you got to try to kill someone.But if u want to 1v1,a good way is Tornado+Lightning Rod trait.Its very strong.
Position: Look for places where you can cast your skills without being distubed.Positioning is very important if u are playing Staff ele.

Master glass Staff isnt as easy as u may think.You gotta learn be best combos between CC and Damage,and learn how to use your skills to avoid being chased/killed.

can you link me a damage oriented staff build?

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vFAQFAWhMMozhFOwyBsSMQAYUW4IEFiCQAYAIngJwQE-TJRBABxXGgo9H04BAAwFAAA

This is a staff build I use in pvp. I have fun with it.

FrownyClown.8402:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vFAQFAWhMMozhFOwyBsSMQAYUW4IEFiCQAYAIngJwQE-TJRBABxXGgo9H04BAAwFAAA

This is a staff build I use in pvp. I have fun with it.

I recently started using something like this after your suggestion (with a few changes) and I feel zerker staff offers a little more than celestial. Even though im extremely frail, the overall damage turned the tide in a lot of battles today. People who ignore meteor shower got downed pretty fast lol.

I think the funniest trait is the grandmaster one in fire where you cast a lava plume when downed. There were so many times where I was about to get killed (got back stabbed by thief for example) only for them to stand in the lava plume and get downed themselves. I figured if I was gonna be this squishy, might as well have a surprise waiting for them right? xD

Cele D/D Ele is far superior in sPvP at the moment.

Using staff is doing your team a disservice.
You could bunker and just purely support team fights with some healing and hard CC… thats literally it.. your dps is really awful as a bunker staff ele..

if you go zerk staff ele in this burst meta…. lol… you’ll be lucky to even channel meteor shower to 100%… thief or mesmer would burst you down in seconds..

Cele D/D is by FAR the better option.
Great team support through CC/sustain DPS/might stacking/heals and cleanses in water

D/D just literally does EVERYTHING GOOD and thats what every ele I see is doing in PvP. occasional fresh air S/D or F burst ele but its gets shredded with the current high burst meta

Neko.9021:

Cele D/D Ele is far superior in sPvP at the moment.

I keep hearing that, but I don’t feel it. its very squishy, I would need someone to show me it can be tanky or viable.

DrDivine.5378:

Neko.9021:

Cele D/D Ele is far superior in sPvP at the moment.

I keep hearing that, but I don’t feel it. its very squishy, I would need someone to show me it can be tanky or viable.

you are playing it wrong or something… its not squishy at ALL. it can hold its own in 2v1s very well when played properly. you fingers will get a good workout thou.. its not an easy build to master.. knowing when to go to water or earth is something you learn with experience.. you can’t just blindly spam skills and buttons as a D/D ele you gotta be able to time everything, all your CCs, blast finishers, water cleansing/healing.
mess up your water timing and you will drop quickly.
knowing when to escape outnumbered fights is also key. you dont just use air 4 to zap into battle, its also a key escape tool.

http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Elementalist_-_Dagger/Dagger

In general staff is more defensive (or way more offensive but jihad ele is super gimmicky) while dd is more offensive. Staff also does better in larger fights, while dd does better in small skirmishes. Both are quite good really.

SkiTz.4590:

DrDivine.5378:

Neko.9021:

Cele D/D Ele is far superior in sPvP at the moment.

I keep hearing that, but I don’t feel it. its very squishy, I would need someone to show me it can be tanky or viable.

you are playing it wrong or something… its not squishy at ALL. it can hold its own in 2v1s very well when played properly. you fingers will get a good workout thou.. its not an easy build to master.. knowing when to go to water or earth is something you learn with experience.. you can’t just blindly spam skills and buttons as a D/D ele you gotta be able to time everything, all your CCs, blast finishers, water cleansing/healing.
mess up your water timing and you will drop quickly.
knowing when to escape outnumbered fights is also key. you dont just use air 4 to zap into battle, its also a key escape tool.

http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Elementalist_-_Dagger/Dagger

Thats probably what im doing, probably one of the biggest is mightstacking. I was watching the tutorial video on metabattle about the offensive combo to stack might, but I only end up getting 4-6 stacks when they say I should be getting 10-25 without using any cantrips. How is that?

use blast finishers in that ring of fire. you have a lot. also remember dodge rolling into earth is also a blast finisher with evasive arcana trait.

you should easily be able to stack 10might if you do a proper rotation

just practice your rotation. you have to be quick. quicker you are with landing blast finishers, the more you will stack.

SkiTz.4590:

Using staff is doing your team a disservice.

Learn to distinguish between games and reality. Here no one dies because you’re doing something wrong. Here you lose maybe a completely unimportant game that you have already forgotten after 10 minutes. Important therefore, always considered victory or defeat: YOUR Fun.

Magira.6390:

SkiTz.4590:

Using staff is doing your team a disservice.

Learn to distinguish between games and reality. Here no one dies because you’re doing something wrong. Here you lose maybe a completely unimportant game that you have already forgotten after 10 minutes. Important therefore, always considered victory or defeat: YOUR Fun.

you saying losing is fun?

D/D is more powerful than staff, it is sure. But if you play staff masterfully, it is better than an average d/d player. In the end it all comes to your own skill, adaptation, and wits. So if you play better with staff, you actually do something good to your team with not playing d/d.

And meta means “nothing”. It all comes to your ability to play your own build. There are several good players who are not playing meta. And what you call meta is a build that have been found by a player, who uses that build very well, with his own skills. Difference is that, one becomes public, one not.

SkiTz.4590:

DrDivine.5378:

Neko.9021:

Cele D/D Ele is far superior in sPvP at the moment.

I keep hearing that, but I don’t feel it. its very squishy, I would need someone to show me it can be tanky or viable.

you are playing it wrong or something… its not squishy at ALL. it can hold its own in 2v1s very well when played properly. you fingers will get a good workout thou.. its not an easy build to master.. knowing when to go to water or earth is something you learn with experience.. you can’t just blindly spam skills and buttons as a D/D ele you gotta be able to time everything, all your CCs, blast finishers, water cleansing/healing.
mess up your water timing and you will drop quickly.
knowing when to escape outnumbered fights is also key. you dont just use air 4 to zap into battle, its also a key escape tool.

http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Elementalist_-_Dagger/Dagger

I’m going to still use this build to see if anything comes out of it, but so far even with the 15 stacks of might it isn’t very good dps and average tankiness. Theres gotta be something left out of the guide because I’m not feeling the tankiness or good dps.

Don’t play it if you don’t like it. No point in that. And honestly, if you can’t apparently see how strong it is in PvP right now, it’s probably just not the build or class for you.

Neko.9021:

Don’t play it if you don’t like it. No point in that. And honestly, if you can’t apparently see how strong it is in PvP right now, it’s probably just not the build or class for you.

I usually enjoy tanky builds, and ele isnt my main so I’m not a professional or anything like that, I just want to believe it’s good. I always hear how d/d eles this patch are basically god mode, the ultimate support hybrid since shoutbow warrior pre patch, I’m really excited, I just want to see what it can do and if it’s actually true or not.

If you like it tanky use earth instead of fire and go stone heart. You will loose damage but when using earth at the right moment its very tanky.
Also much strengh comes from mobility. Ele requires training.
I personally enjoy stone heart and it will absorb the zerker burst well but if i move badly the low HP of the ele are unforgiving!

Wolfric.9380:

If you like it tanky use earth instead of fire and go stone heart. You will loose damage but when using earth at the right moment its very tanky.
Also much strengh comes from mobility. Ele requires training.
I personally enjoy stone heart and it will absorb the zerker burst well but if i move badly the low HP of the ele are unforgiving!

Someone saw this post (Katrina) and confronted me in game for some training on rotations and might stacking. This was using the fire line, but performance has improved. Sometimes I get busted, but it was interesting to see I was tanking mesmers while dealing decent damage. One of my biggest issues was the dodge roll in earth. I would actually roll far enough out of it which wouldn’t proc it but that player also helped me with that positioning. When I get off work today in going to practice some more in matches.

Ele is definitely a frustrating class for me lol but its slowly winning me over. Any additional tips are appreciated, such as what to do when being focused

I survive up to two players focusing at least for a while in earth. I try to disengage when more fire on me (since using focus its the moment for obsidian flesh or swirling winds if range /often both since i go air for speed). I often die if that happens if they case me and thats OK ;-).

D/D is godmode again currently.
staff is fun for messing around, but D/D is superior.

note: my first and favourite char is a staff zerker ele,
but D/D plainly is superior.

Liewec.2896:

D/D is godmode again currently.
staff is fun for messing around, but D/D is superior.

note: my first and favourite char is a staff zerker ele,
but D/D plainly is superior.

What would you say counters DD ele, what fights should I avoid?

necros with signets, boon rip mesmers. Sometimes a lucky warrior.

D/D is better than staff. I usually play staff for fun. Your mid point pressure is pretty good and I rarely die as much as people think.

FrownyClown.8402:

necros with signets, boon rip mesmers. Sometimes a lucky warrior.

D/D is better than staff. I usually play staff for fun. Your mid point pressure is pretty good and I rarely die as much as people think.

How well does DD do against burn guards? Out of curiosity

DrDivine.5378:

FrownyClown.8402:

necros with signets, boon rip mesmers. Sometimes a lucky warrior.

D/D is better than staff. I usually play staff for fun. Your mid point pressure is pretty good and I rarely die as much as people think.

How well does DD do against burn guards? Out of curiosity

Most burn guards are bad and will try to spam all their burn at the engage. You condi removal outmatches them. Your burn outmatches them. Your sustain outmatches them. In a fair fight you should never lose.

DrDivine.5378:

FrownyClown.8402:

necros with signets, boon rip mesmers. Sometimes a lucky warrior.

D/D is better than staff. I usually play staff for fun. Your mid point pressure is pretty good and I rarely die as much as people think.

How well does DD do against burn guards? Out of curiosity

cake walk. DD ele has plethora of condi cleanses. You can take care of their burns EASILY and at the same time, apply pressure on them with burns of your own + blinding ashes.

SkiTz.4590:

DrDivine.5378:

FrownyClown.8402:

necros with signets, boon rip mesmers. Sometimes a lucky warrior.

D/D is better than staff. I usually play staff for fun. Your mid point pressure is pretty good and I rarely die as much as people think.

How well does DD do against burn guards? Out of curiosity

cake walk. DD ele has plethora of condi cleanses. You can take care of their burns EASILY and at the same time, apply pressure on them with burns of your own + blinding ashes.

Excellent, now regarding rotations, do you sometimes have to use skills out of the rotation? For example, sometimes I’ll use fire ring, earthquake and roll, then double click magnetic grasp. I noticed phantarams rotation involves him only pressing grasp once and then pressing it after another skill

he prob used earth 4 for the blast man.

FrownyClown.8402:

he prob used earth 4 for the blast man.

Probably, now comes sort of probably a personal preference question, but should I take fire or earth?

earth was orginally tried, but fire was found to be better for the damage and might stacking potential.

And blinding. Fire is way better. Do not worry, that build is very easy. Once you grasp the combos, it is the easiest build in the game.

ps: Do not forget playing staff. I do not want to be the only one who plays staff

FrownyClown.8402:

earth was orginally tried, but fire was found to be better for the damage and might stacking potential.

I will practice in fire then, I have been enjoying the offensive potential so far. I’m going through the stages of learning elementalist. Frustration. Depression. Acceptance lel

alain.1659:

And blinding. Fire is way better. Do not worry, that build is very easy. Once you grasp the combos, it is the easiest build in the game.

ps: Do not forget playing staff. I do not want to be the only one who plays staff

Thank you for the confidence lol, Elementalist has always been a class I really liked on the surface, but never really mastered. Pre patch I often played gimmicky builds like fresh air as I couldn’t play d/d. This patch I seem to be doing a bit better with help from the forums.