Guild Wars 2

Hay all, iv been struggling to find a class to suit my current playstyle and after 7 others here I am at the elementalist( only chosen last because people claim that they die with a sneeze, yet others claim them to be the most rewarding and versatile class out there?) Due to my lack of time I plan to make this elemntalist my main class for a long while due to insane versatility

So here is what i already know about the class :

The elementalist has no weapon swap(meaning a I can only use 1 set at a time) but they have 4 different element to call on your weapon set, so id have 20 different skills on demand instead of the normal 10

They also have cool conjoured weapons which further adds versatility(iv only every used th fire sword on my extremely tanky guardian and did such insane damage I was in a moment of awe………

Burst damage on the class is extremely high

Elementalist also have the ability to use pets that seem way smarter than that of the ranger or necromancer

Elementalists are very squishy yet people say that they make great bunkers?

Requires skill and timing to be a good elementalist

This is what I want to know :

What kind of gameplay will I be looking at later levels? Will I always be on the defensive or will I beable to take on 5 to 6 mobs at a time?

Basic run down on skills and abilities? (though not really needed because I intend to wiki he hell out of these)

Will I excel in Dungeons?

People claim that elementalist make good tanks how far is this true? Is it about armor of abilities?

Leveling suggestions (recemended weapons, builds, skills)……….(also not a high priority as I like to experiment myself, though advice is welcomed)

But mainly what to expect in all aspects of the game as an elementalist?

Thanx in advance =)

The people who say they die too easily either have the wrong build or they can’t make full use of all 4 elements. After less than a month at level 80, using the AC daggers and a few pieces of exotic karma gear, I can take on 5-6 mobs without any fear of dying. Of course, this requires you have some defensive abilities and traits. The same is true in sPvP. I can walk into a group of enemies by myself and get out alive, something I can’t say for my engineer.

Be warned though, elementalist is not easy to learn. As a jack of all trades, you need to use all 4 attunements effectively to deal damage and keep yourself alive at the same time.

I run a 0/10/0/30/30 D/D Ele, and I’m having a blast with it. I’ve tried almost all other professions except Engie, and the only one I feel safe going into pretty much any situation is my Ele. I have the mobility to run through Orr without minding the mobs there much, and the tankiness and damage to kill off 6+ of them at the same time. Of course, all the while kiting and stacking buffs. It’s also ridiculously easy to tag mobs in events with the tons of PBAoe we have.

The hardest part about starting to play Ele’s is setting up your key bindings imo. It took me a good 30 mins to find one set of bindings that felt easy on my left hand (I use a normal USB Mouse).

Summoned elementals (our “pets”) are stupider than Ranger pets and Necro minions since I think those only attack whoever you target and start attacking, whereas our Ele’s will go on whatever mob is nearby, unless you start attacking a specific one, and even then, if they’re already locked onto a different one, they’ll stay on that one.

Haven’t played much sPvP or WvW with him. Ask someone else about those. But with a Powerful Auras build (grandmaster 30 water trait that spreads auras you apply to yourself and their effects to up to 5 nearby allies) you and your group could get real strong I’d imagine.

DigitalBAZOOKA.3940:

Hay all, iv been struggling to find a class to suit my current playstyle and after 7 others here I am at the elementalist( only chosen last because people claim that they die with a sneeze, yet others claim them to be the most rewarding and versatile class out there?) Due to my lack of time I plan to make this elemntalist my main class for a long while due to insane versatility

So here is what i already know about the class :

The elementalist has no weapon swap(meaning a I can only use 1 set at a time) but they have 4 different element to call on your weapon set, so id have 20 different skills on demand instead of the normal 10

yet they force you on a particular range each.

They also have cool conjoured weapons which further adds versatility(iv only every used th fire sword on my extremely tanky guardian and did such insane damage I was in a moment of awe………

Not that good if not to give one to a guardian/warrior

Burst damage on the class is extremely high

Depends on weapon but damage isn t comparable to warriors and many other classes (DPS not only burst).

Elementalist also have the ability to use pets that seem way smarter than that of the ranger or necromancer

not even comparable…
Ele has 2 pets as elite skill and they have short duration and long CD.
The only 2 usable are usually
Ice elemental (because it cures sometimes)
Earth elemental in PvE (a wall with legs)

Necro and ranger are completely on a different level…….way better in everything.
We use elementals as elite due to the lack of any other decent elite.

Elementalists are very squishy yet people say that they make great bunkers?

You learn from first level to dodge, otherwise you die to a moa….for that when you reach 80 you are quite accustomed to evading and healing.

What kind of gameplay will I be looking at later levels? Will I always be on the defensive or will I beable to take on 5 to 6 mobs at a time?

as D/D you can take many mobs at once….in PvE
In dungeons you will AoE damage many and spam might stacks to the party…..but you risk a lot due to the insane burst of most mobs in dungeons.

Basic run down on skills and abilities? (though not really needed because I intend to wiki he hell out of these)

Depends on traits but you will have some interesting combos….
In PvE you should be able to keep at least 6 stacks of might with spikes of 15…..
Also if you use at least one hydromancy sigil, you’ll be able to keep most mobs chilled with appropriate rotations.

Will I excel in Dungeons?

No….
Guardian or warriors are better….mesmers and engineers are good also.
You will do your part but you won t excel in anything…

People claim that elementalist make good tanks how far is this true? Is it about armor of abilities?

You have RTL to escape fast, many healings, and the chance to evade more than other classes with some traits….

It requires you to evade appropriately, yet there are many counterbuilds….
Btw you are the counterbuild to thieves….infact if you read someone complaining about ele 90% you can find in his profile he use a thief.

Leveling suggestions (recemended weapons, builds, skills)……….(also not a high priority as I like to experiment myself, though advice is welcomed)

there is a guide for that in this section….

But mainly what to expect in all aspects of the game as an elementalist?

Thanx in advance =)

The most fun class to play if D/D….
You won t be able to chat btw .-. due to insane amount of buttons you’ll have to press…

EX my basic opening PvE combo

Fire:
3-4
step forward
Earth:
Roll back (tiggers evasive arcana trait)
4-5
While channeling 5
armor of earth
arcane wave
fire attunement

Doesn t work in WWW etc >.> but for pve is good with correct positioning.
You won’t find a class with similar combos

Ok a war can just 1hb for more dmg but its not as fun…

Look for a lot of fun, frustration and repair bills.

Lol thanx for the quick responses! They are really apprisated

@LordByron

Thanx alot you really cleared up alot of my misconceptions on the elementalist and have cemented my mind on my decision to make this ele my main toon

@SkeeLd

Thanx for bringing up the key binding dilemma! Something that iv completely forgot about! For every other class iv played the class mechanics are limited so didn’t need to play around with F1-F4 buttons, but now I need to change attunements on the fly, I use a standard keyboad and mouse and ideas?

Grow longer fingers, increase your APM, fiddle with the bindings until you find something that works, many of us play without gaming grade mice. After 100+ hours it becomes muscle memory anyway.

if you don’t get frustrated too easily and you’re a good player (sophisticated button mashing instead of just facerolling the keyboard), you’ll have kittenloads of fun..

It’s the most fun class to play in this game as far as I’m concerned.

Lord Byron’s answer pretty much summed it up apart from 1 remark
“D/D is the most fun”
He’s right, D/D is the most fun, but Staff isn’t too bad either. I switched to staff a few days ago, and it’s like playing an entirely different class, almost equally satisfying as Dagger/Dagger.

Reason for the switch to Staff: you’ll have to be able to play both, there’s just no way around that, get used to it.

D/D in sPVP is the best fun ever
Staff will give you more in dungeons
WvW = depending on the situation. Picking fights = D/D, mass PVP = Staff (more or less)

Whereas for levelling (and I will be shot down in flames for this, doubtless), I read a bunch of posts that said sceptre/ dagger was the kitten and… it is. More defenses (earth 2 is an earth shield, saving you a cantrip and/or 10 points in earth that you really want in arcane line or air line) and if you get the fire 4-2-3 spam right, and don’t move out of the way of the veeeeery slow falling tonne of fire, you can kill things pretty fast.
And in WvW, you’ll want to carry a focus for the anti-trebuchet button.
It’s fun. Go for it.

DigitalBAZOOKA.3940:

Elementalists are very squishy yet people say that they make great bunkers?

IF running a bunker build, Elementalist is kinda immortal. Think this: in PvP devs needed to nerf above mentioned bunker build by 50% (yep, fifty, you read well).

What kind of gameplay will I be looking at later levels? Will I always be on the defensive or will I beable to take on 5 to 6 mobs at a time?

you will stockpile foes and dance over their crushed corpses. Obviously you have to give away your immortality to gain offensive power, but dead foes never complain.

Will I excel in Dungeons?

dungeon = teamwork
although you will be able to pull out some miracle.

People claim that elementalist make good tanks how far is this true? Is it about armor of abilities?

some build allows you to be slammed on teeth with an hammer and still keep your smile like a baws. Google “tank Elementalist” and enjoy…

mainly what to expect in all aspects of the game as an elementalist?

Jonathan Sharp (GW2 Game Designer) words are way better than mine to answer this question:

We see the elementalist as the king of versatility. The skill ceiling for the Ele is exceptional, as the ability to leverage all four attunements at the right time is crucial for understanding the elemetnalist. The Ele boasts some of the best team support and control abilities in the game, as well as some great area of effect damage.

Grevender.9235:

IF running a bunker build, Elementalist is kinda immortal. Think this: in PvP devs needed to nerf above mentioned bunker build by 50% (yep, fifty, you read well).

If this is gonna happen, that would be the dark times for Elementalists, because that’s the only viable PvP build right now, if you don’t want to be a meat-on-the-stick for every 2-3 button instagib build….. and pretty much every other build also…
Squishy + forced melee range = dead Elementalist (your own signature points it out…)

STRanger.5120:

Grevender.9235:

IF running a bunker build, Elementalist is kinda immortal. Think this: in PvP devs needed to nerf above mentioned bunker build by 50% (yep, fifty, you read well).

If this is gonna happen, that would be the dark times for Elementalists, because that’s the only viable PvP build right now, if you don’t want to be a meat-on-the-stick for every 2-3 button instagib build….. and pretty much every other build also…
Squishy + forced melee range = dead Elementalist (your own signature points it out…)

Unfortunately a common mistaek is not to specify weapon set.

He is referring to staff ele…

Also this game is not famous for being blance, infact since then staff is considered mostly unviable….
Bunker staff eles disappeared completely.

Save for few exceptions…..

Lol finally started my ele yesterday, and you guys where absolutely right! The most fin iv had in a long time, duel daggers just ment face! I went for map completion for queensdale as soon as o started……. Cleared so much so fast(even though I killed everything in sight) that I found myselff having to move to wayfer foothills because all the mobs were now lvl 14 and 15 while I was only level 8 with crappy starting armor, getting 1 shoted was not fun =D and do see the issue with repair bills and alot of it really comes down to dodging at the right moment and change attunement(especially to water) when needed…… Anyways things are still early and iv got a long way to go =D