Guild Wars 2

So after 3 years i’m back with dream to play ele, D/D working good for PVE, for dungeons—-what weapon is best and why tnx all

The meta for dungeons is still staff as far as I know, although SF is gaining ground. DD just doesn’t pump out the raw damage of staff. That said, I will still run DD or DF sometimes in dungeons if there is another Ele on staff running fields so I can be on blast detail.

The metabattle build:
http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Elementalist_-_Staff

Ok thanks i’ll try this build!

Every weapon has a place in dungeons. The big key is learning when to use them.

If you are the only Elementalist, I recommend going S/F or D/F. If pugs are picking up your lightning hammer as S/F switch to D/F. The cleave from lightning hammer is a huge part of your dps and if you lack it, you’ll need to replace it with lightning whip.

If there are two Elementalist, then it is optimal for one to run staff and one to run S/F with lightning hammer. Staff provides a permanent fire field and S/F blasts constantly with the lightning hammer auto attack.

http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Elementalist_-_S/F_LH

Don’t be afraid to modify this build if you need more survival. Swapping out arcane wave or the signet for arcane shield will lower dps slightly, but the dps gain by not going down is greater.

I prefer to run staff as having those two water fields is a boon for my squishy ele. D/F is fun to play but having no water fields hurts my game play style. I’ve become reliant on those fields lol

Carry all the weapons though, just because you run staff doesn’t mean you shouldn’t switch out to d/f or s/f…f in general can help you with the skips.

Staff for the highest DPS

S/F or S/D for stacking might for your team while doing a bit less dmg than staff.

D/F have a little bit less dmg than the other two, stack less might than S/X, but it’s the most fun rotation and have the best survivability. Ideal for harder content like Fractal 50.

Thaddeus.4891:

Staff for the highest DPS

S/F or S/D for stacking might for your team while doing a bit less dmg than staff.

D/F have a little bit less dmg than the other two, stack less might than S/X, but it’s the most fun rotation and have the best survivability. Ideal for harder content like Fractal 50.

Just tossing this question out there, how much more might do you need to have S/F or D/F exceed staff in damage, or is it even possible? I know staff has a huge lead, but it really lacks in the might category without outside might additions from the group. IIRC it’s like 14-15k staff, 11.5-12.5 S+LH, and 11-12 D/F with full buffs, but what about without might?

With pure staff (no icebow/lightning storm yada), 3-6 might, on a small hit box, moving target (Mossman, Archdiviner, Ashym), it’s about 6-8k DPS at best – number pulled from my personal record with DPS-meter. It is about the same with D/F, 9-12 might. D/F edges out when you have to swap attunements for crowd control, but staff edges out if you factor additional cleaving. If the object is stationary (Ice elemental – Snow blind, Anomaly), staff is pulling far far far far — far ahead and even 4-5 times better if you cannot crit.

Jerus.4350:

Thaddeus.4891:

Staff for the highest DPS

S/F or S/D for stacking might for your team while doing a bit less dmg than staff.

D/F have a little bit less dmg than the other two, stack less might than S/X, but it’s the most fun rotation and have the best survivability. Ideal for harder content like Fractal 50.

Just tossing this question out there, how much more might do you need to have S/F or D/F exceed staff in damage, or is it even possible? I know staff has a huge lead, but it really lacks in the might category without outside might additions from the group. IIRC it’s like 14-15k staff, 11.5-12.5 S+LH, and 11-12 D/F with full buffs, but what about without might?

Well staff will always do more damage than S/X, whatever the situation. I guess your question is at which points you are better off choosing S/X over Staff? Staff can do between 3 and 9 stack of might and keeping a constant 4-5 might, while S/F can do 18-21 stack of might, keeping a constant 14-16 might without outside help.

At the same amount of might, staff will do around 10% more dps than a S/F build, while keeping at minimum 9 more constant might for the whole party. So the question is what is better? 10% more dps on 1 elementalist or 270 power for the whole team. 270 power is around a 8-9% dps boost, so it’s always better to have a S/F elementalist over a Staff Elementalist if your party don’t max out might.

When I pug on my staff Elementalist and I see that the group can’t maintain 20 stack of might or more, I always switch to my S/F build. But I think that your question was more about the dps of the Elementalist alone. An elementalist Staff vs S/F will be very similar. The numbers are close enough that i don’t think you can give answer for generic build like Staff or S/F build. Traits and utilities choice will deeply alter the answer to that.

S/X is stupid to use in every damage orientated scenario, at least at the moment. Pure S/X builds are nothing near ‘meta’ game play.
When using LH + S/X might be sth to rethink – but with pugs, you will usually “lose” your LH because some random party member picks it up. Being stuck in air with S/X without LH lacks a lot of damage.

Thaddeus.4891:

Jerus.4350:

Thaddeus.4891:

Staff for the highest DPS

S/F or S/D for stacking might for your team while doing a bit less dmg than staff.

D/F have a little bit less dmg than the other two, stack less might than S/X, but it’s the most fun rotation and have the best survivability. Ideal for harder content like Fractal 50.

Just tossing this question out there, how much more might do you need to have S/F or D/F exceed staff in damage, or is it even possible? I know staff has a huge lead, but it really lacks in the might category without outside might additions from the group. IIRC it’s like 14-15k staff, 11.5-12.5 S+LH, and 11-12 D/F with full buffs, but what about without might?

Well staff will always do more damage than S/X, whatever the situation. I guess your question is at which points you are better off choosing S/X over Staff? Staff can do between 3 and 9 stack of might and keeping a constant 4-5 might, while S/F can do 18-21 stack of might, keeping a constant 14-16 might without outside help.

At the same amount of might, staff will do around 10% more dps than a S/F build, while keeping at minimum 9 more constant might for the whole party. So the question is what is better? 10% more dps on 1 elementalist or 270 power for the whole team. 270 power is around a 8-9% dps boost, so it’s always better to have a S/F elementalist over a Staff Elementalist if your party don’t max out might.

When I pug on my staff Elementalist and I see that the group can’t maintain 20 stack of might or more, I always switch to my S/F build. But I think that your question was more about the dps of the Elementalist alone. An elementalist Staff vs S/F will be very similar. The numbers are close enough that i don’t think you can give answer for generic build like Staff or S/F build. Traits and utilities choice will deeply alter the answer to that.

Could you pls give some evidence under which circumstances this would apply?

Also might will only be granted if the field blasted is a fire field. So stacking might during combat with S/X is..difficult, since classes tend to overwrite fire fields by casting sth else.
Also your fire field is just one. So stacking might, during fight and maintaining these ridiculous numbers, sounds quite impossible, when you’re the only member giving might – I’d say that you’re at least saying that there is someone else granting might once in a while otherwise these numbers can’t be obtained without prestacking.

But enlighten me, if I am wrong.

There is no point in playing staff if there is no might provided by other party members or if you can’t hold 20-25 stacks of might.
Yeah, your personal damage might be the best but at the loss of your party’s overall damage.

The best option will always be sacrificing personal damage by giving greater support – maintaining might. Out of which your party will benefit in general.

Thaddeus.4891:

Jerus.4350:

Thaddeus.4891:

Staff for the highest DPS

S/F or S/D for stacking might for your team while doing a bit less dmg than staff.

D/F have a little bit less dmg than the other two, stack less might than S/X, but it’s the most fun rotation and have the best survivability. Ideal for harder content like Fractal 50.

Just tossing this question out there, how much more might do you need to have S/F or D/F exceed staff in damage, or is it even possible? I know staff has a huge lead, but it really lacks in the might category without outside might additions from the group. IIRC it’s like 14-15k staff, 11.5-12.5 S+LH, and 11-12 D/F with full buffs, but what about without might?

Well staff will always do more damage than S/X, whatever the situation. I guess your question is at which points you are better off choosing S/X over Staff? Staff can do between 3 and 9 stack of might and keeping a constant 4-5 might, while S/F can do 18-21 stack of might, keeping a constant 14-16 might without outside help.

At the same amount of might, staff will do around 10% more dps than a S/F build, while keeping at minimum 9 more constant might for the whole party. So the question is what is better? 10% more dps on 1 elementalist or 270 power for the whole team. 270 power is around a 8-9% dps boost, so it’s always better to have a S/F elementalist over a Staff Elementalist if your party don’t max out might.

When I pug on my staff Elementalist and I see that the group can’t maintain 20 stack of might or more, I always switch to my S/F build. But I think that your question was more about the dps of the Elementalist alone. An elementalist Staff vs S/F will be very similar. The numbers are close enough that i don’t think you can give answer for generic build like Staff or S/F build. Traits and utilities choice will deeply alter the answer to that.

So sounds like the answer is ~10? If each might stack is ~1% and staff is ~10% better dps.

Though I like Iris’s practical answer

Personally I use D/F almost always because i find it fun, but always curious to learn more so when I do feel like min/maxing.

Zention.1849:

S/X is stupid to use in every damage orientated scenario, at least at the moment. Pure S/X builds are nothing near ‘meta’ game play.
When using LH + S/X might be sth to rethink – but with pugs, you will usually “lose” your LH because some random party member picks it up. Being stuck in air with S/X without LH lacks a lot of damage.

Could you pls give some evidence under which circumstances this would apply?

Also might will only be granted if the field blasted is a fire field. So stacking might during combat with S/X is..difficult, since classes tend to overwrite fire fields by casting sth else.
Also your fire field is just one. So stacking might, during fight and maintaining these ridiculous numbers, sounds quite impossible, when you’re the only member giving might – I’d say that you’re at least saying that there is someone else granting might once in a while otherwise these numbers can’t be obtained without prestacking.

But enlighten me, if I am wrong.

I don’t know what to answer you man. You are saying that S/X is kitten because pugs is taking your LH and putting all kind of fight field that make stacking might impossible. Yes it can be a problem in some party, but I usually have no problem with those thing. I put my LH a little on the side of the group so that ppl don’t pick it up on the stack my mistake and if I see some problem with some other combo field being put on the group often, I just put my fire field a bit on the side of the fight to blast it anyway.

If your point is that in really bad pugs, where ppl always take the LH and put all kind of field under bosses, S/X build are not that good, then yes you are right. But I don’t stay in terrible pugs.