Guild Wars 2

I’ve been really enjoying Elementalist lately after I recently changed mains from Mesmer but I’m having a hard time surviving as I go higher in fractals (currently around 50-60).

I currently run mostly Fresh Air D/W build in full zerker and occasionally switch out for staff depending on the encounter and I find the rotation really simple but without all the evades and blocks that I’m used to on mesmer I find myself getting downed too often.

So I was hoping to get some advice from other more experienced elementalist on some changes to build/weapon/gear setups or just any general tips on how you survive when things can basically 1 shot you sometimes.

Any tips are appreciated!

overload makes it hard or impossible to dodge without killing your dps

I would just go condi, since you only need one offensive stat for it to be good instead of 3, so you can just run dire or carrion.
Armor increases the higher you go anyway, making condi better and better.

Alternatively swap out some zerker for marauder so that you don’t get one-shotted. marauder has higher total stats, so for every 1% of dps you lose, you gain 5% in health.

learn where to stand.. I know I know.. sounds like I call you a bad player, but truly, positioning mean more then anything else on ele.

Besides that, you can change you fire trait line for water, this will both give your whole party alot more healing (since you then can party heal with all your auras) and make your more tanky. You loose abit of dmg, but for a Fresh air build its not alot. (dont do it on staff)

swapping your “Arcane brilliance” (healing skill) out with “warsh the pain away” will also work. Or “feel the burn” out for “arcane shield”.

Dont forget to use “Glyph of storm” in earth to blind the small mobs. And as elite “glyph of elementals” in earth (rocky) is the best tank in game.

Sigfodr.9576:

learn where to stand.

mostly this.

OP, I have full zerker as well, changing gear to more defensive option won’t help much. Timing on skills is important, no point starting meteor shower channel or overload if the boss is about to use his 1 shotting skill, swap utilities as needed for particular fights.

Aftershock is amazing and the reflect is worth slightly lower dps from not having fire signet.

Wash the pain away – I almost always use this now, arcane brilliance only for very short fights if the party lacks might (no ps warr).

Imo, glyph of storms is good now only if you need blinds for trash mobs, otherwise I don’t use it.

Any tips how to stay alive while casting meteor shower in WvW. Before i just popped stab, started cast ms and put magnetic aura on and usually i did have some hp left after cast. Now if revenant notice me i am dead every time.