Guild Wars 2

Hi all !

Thanks for having a look at this thread.

I would like to present a build I camed up with that I really enjoy playing in both PvE and dungeons/FOTM. This build relies on the conjured Lightning Hammer and makes it a very usable “switch” weapon for the elementalist, to complement a more traditional ranged-based staff or scepter gameplay.

This build also leaves a few opened options, for people to personalise their gameplay.

OVERVIEW

This build focuses on damage via critical hits for very high closed ranged dps with the hammer, but lets you provide some support and stay at the back to cast AOEs with a more traditional staff or scepter weapon.

Being able to switch between these two positions during combat makes your elementalist extremely versatile and flexible.

The build :

http://en.gw2codex.com/build/23357-hammer-switch

GEAR

Armor > focus on Power and Precision, we want to be doing decent damage and a lot of critics. Pick a 3rd attribute to match your gameplay (Critical Damage for improved damage, Toughness or Vitality for better survivability)

Trinkets > balance with your armor stats to ensure decent survivability while maximising damage

Sigil > whatever you like that triggers on criticals or kills usually works reasonnably well. Superior Sigil of Fire is great for maximising area damage, but you can choose to have some support or utilities instead. Pick what you fancy as a “flavour” for this build.

I personally tend to go for Power/Precision/Critical Damage (Berserker / Ruby) armor with some Emerald or Beryl type trinkets and a Superior Sigil of Fire.

SKILLS

Utility 7

There’s an empty utility slot in the build linked at the top of the thread ; that’s for you to decide, depending on your game style or dungeon. I would recommend:

Cleansing Fire or Signet of Water > additional anti-conditions, great to combine with Ehter Renewal in condition heavy areas. Make sure you don’t pack too many though, that would be a waste

Lightning Flash > improved mobility on the battle field. Hammer 2 and Staff 4 do already provide very good movement abilities though, to get in and out of enemy groups smoothly

Arcane Power > guaranteed criticals, for max damage

Mist Form > improved survavibility, especially if you swap Earth VI for Water III in the traits

Elite

Again, that one too is for you to choose. Some racials can be nice (Take Roots as Sylvari, for example), otherwise the Glyph of Elementals can be quite versatile. Up to you, they all work as long as they’re timed properly

TRAITS

Fire and Air lines are mandatory for the build to work, but feel free to swap Stone Splinters for a Water trait (regen on cantrips if using one, condition removal on attunement) or an Arcane one (vigor on criticals). Small impact, but another way to add some “flavour” to this build, and customise it to your needs

USAGE

Keep your distance with your staff or scepter for a more supportive or ranged-AOEs based role.

Switch to the Lighting Hammer to jump in the action and deliver powerful blows. Watch your health, but the hammer offers decent controls ; using it properly will ensure maximum survavibility.

In particular, use a Hammer 5 + 3 combo to trigger Air XII and gain superior control and damage.

Switch back to you main weapon when/if necessary ; if you can stay at close range, you should be able to maintain the Lightning Hammer all the time if other players don’t pick up the one you drop.

WHAT ABOUT PvE ?

For PvE you can drop the survivability to a minimum and maximise critical damage, condition damage (lots of burning going on), or magic find.

In Orr, base mobs (“trash”) tend to die in just 4-5 hammer swings ; I am registering 5500+ critical hits, and I’m not even using exotic gear. Vitality or toughness won’t be an issue for traditional PvE. Also be aware that with just a trait or utility carefully selected, you have much more survivability than a “pure” glass cannon.

Well, that’s about it ! Thanks for reading, I hope you’ll find this build enjoyable

i’m usually against to call a build “bad” or “inefficent” before i’ve tested it. but…

• you go 30 in fire without the might on fire ability. (that is the only reason you go 30 in fire)
• you go a “crit build” with 0 fury? i mean srsly my balanced build have probably as much crit chance as you have. and i’m only 10 in air. get fury! especially in a critbuild.
• you don’t pick storm ( i’m sorry but it’s simply to good. use it in earth and u have alot of blind and u almost get invull if there is less than 5 foes around you)

those are the major flaws. and i’m sorry but i cant see this build more as a having a fun hammer-time

and sure it might be fun. but efficent? no

Thank you for your feedback, it’s always a good start to improve from a base idea.

Nevertheless, I can justify the choices I made over the ones you’re suggesting :

- Fire XII only triggers with fire spells, which is not the primary way of dealing damage with this build. It’s still a valid option if you prefer to build some Might first before switching to hammer. I do find that less practical then jumping in and out as needed though. A consistent stable and reliable base damage is what I was aiming for

- Arcane Fury ; definitely an option ! As mentionned in the details, it’s very possible to swap the 10 traits points from the Earth line for other benefits. It really depends how much Precision the player is going for. With a good base stat, I find that increasing the raw damage is more interesting. Another interesting alternative to use the free utility slot for Arcane Power. There are definitely multiple “flavours” for similar results, here

- Tornado ; as stated in the build description, it’s pretty much down to individual preference. I, for myself, much prefer the Take Roots Sylvari racial skill, which guarantees an instant 2 sec invulnerability, and lots of turrets to distract the enemies.

The whole point of the build is not to enforce some specific skills or traits, it’s only to explain that it’s very much possible to build a decent and fun-to-play build around a conjured weapon that acts as a valid switch.

I’m not saying this is an overly powerful build, I’m merely stating it works well enough and provides a reliable alternative to more traditional elementalist styles. Also, with solid foundations, there are sufficient ways to customise this build to match personal preferences.

I do suggest you give it a try though

This sounds like fun, a setup that will also compliment a conjured weapon.

I don’t subscribe to min/max theory either. The idea that a grandmaster trait. or any skill trait for that matter, is only good for one selection is simply wrong. The same goes for weapon selection, or gear, or any other options. I get so tired of hearing bunker this and bunker that, of 0-0-10-30-30 and so on I could stab myself in the foot. The fact is that in Wvw and Pve there are many many good builds that work just fine and are fun to play. Grats to you for looking outside the box.