Guild Wars 2

Ciao! I’m Hinoken, sylvari elementalist, i actually do only tpvp with my team, always running a bunker build.
Right now i’m getting sick of spending all the time waiting in my base and defend, so i’m trying a dps build, but i just DIE TOO FAST! I know i dont have experience with this build, but i’m asking if there is some good dps ele that can give me some tip!
Here’s the build, S/D:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fEAQJArYhMmKbkR5gjDAEFmgiQhFOUeEzM2A-ToAA0CnIwRhjDHDOScs4MoYKC
I have 0 experience with scepter, always used dagger in main hand, and i’m having some mobility problems, not to mention i lost my skill rotation, suggestions please!

Scepter is too slow for pvp. I also switched to dps in pvp and have found a build that works for me:
15/15/15/15/10 with divinity runes and cleric amulet; D/D sigil of hydromancy and sigil of force.
Will give you alot of pbaoe skills so all you gotta do is stick to whomever you’re fighting and just keep doing rotations.

y’r survivability will be average and damage will be average but because of the large amount of attacks you’ll do in a short amount of time you could call it somewhat of a continuous burst.

Only problem is the low cooldown on elemental atunement swap. Aka the build isn’t perfect but it works.

Swimsasa Stoon.8936:

Scepter is too slow for pvp. I also switched to dps in pvp and have found a build that works for me:
15/15/15/15/10 with divinity runes and cleric amulet; D/D sigil of hydromancy and sigil of force.
Will give you alot of pbaoe skills so all you gotta do is stick to whomever you’re fighting and just keep doing rotations.

y’r survivability will be average and damage will be average but because of the large amount of attacks you’ll do in a short amount of time you could call it somewhat of a continuous burst.

Only problem is the low cooldown on elemental atunement swap. Aka the build isn’t perfect but it works.

The build i’m running with is ok, i’m not gonna change it, that is probably the best dps build for ele (really similar to Phantaram build, he is the best dps ele out there).
Your build is not dps (not saying is not good), cause you’re using cleric jewel, that’s more bunkerish, i always used cleric with DD and 0-0-10-30-30, but now i wanna try something different.
I’m having problems with scepter not becuase is slow, but because is too fast, rotations are crazy and if u lose 1 second you’ll die, especially when i try to combine Updraft with Dragon’s Tooth, i really need some advice for helping me survive!

Both or your sigils share cooldowns, you might want to change it. You might also want to swap arcane mastery for renewing stamina or vital striking for either aquamancer’s alacrity or stop drop and roll (if enemy team composition has plenty of burning) if you have issues with surviving.

haviz.1340:

Both or your sigils share cooldowns, you might want to change it. You might also want to swap arcane mastery for renewing stamina or vital striking for either aquamancer’s alacrity or stop drop and roll (if enemy team composition has plenty of burning) if you have issues with surviving.

are you sure about sigils cooldowns? never tought about it, one is “on weapon swap” and the other “on critical hit”.
Thank you for the advice about traits, i already tought about that (2 cantrip & 1 arcane or 2 arcane % 1 cantrip) with different traits.
Any suggestion for rotations?

Scepter rotations are not nearly as fluid as D/D, but that doesn’t mean they don’t work. Here’s what I do: start in earth and load up your rock barrier. Then, get into combat using earth 1 (5 can be used if you switch out mist form with lf otherwise it won’t land or you’ll take too much damage being so close).

Now, you burst. Switch to air, start channeling 1, and use 2 for the double lightning strike and burn your arcanes. After 1 finishes, RTL (and possibly updraft) followed by another air 1 as you switch to fire. Don’t use DT; let your air 1 complete its channel and then try to finish them with rof, phoenix, and fire grab.

Then, I swap to water/earth to heal and reload rock barrier. Water 1 does decent damage if you still haven’t killed your target.

Main point: don’t try to work DT into your rotation, it just isn’t reliable in pvp. Most of your damage comes from air and your arcanes.

Some build suggestions in case you’d consider a change. I don’t use EA in my build. I go 30 air and pick up the reduced air cooldowns so you can reload your burst rotation faster. Also, I’ve never found vital striking to be that useful. Finally, I think that renewing stamina is almost a necessity in pvp; consider replacing your arcane cooldowns for the near-unlimited dodges.

Mijo.3274:

Swimsasa Stoon.8936:

Scepter is too slow for pvp. I also switched to dps in pvp and have found a build that works for me:
15/15/15/15/10 with divinity runes and cleric amulet; D/D sigil of hydromancy and sigil of force.
Will give you alot of pbaoe skills so all you gotta do is stick to whomever you’re fighting and just keep doing rotations.

y’r survivability will be average and damage will be average but because of the large amount of attacks you’ll do in a short amount of time you could call it somewhat of a continuous burst.

Only problem is the low cooldown on elemental atunement swap. Aka the build isn’t perfect but it works.

The build i’m running with is ok, i’m not gonna change it, that is probably the best dps build for ele (really similar to Phantaram build, he is the best dps ele out there).
Your build is not dps (not saying is not good), cause you’re using cleric jewel, that’s more bunkerish, i always used cleric with DD and 0-0-10-30-30, but now i wanna try something different.
I’m having problems with scepter not becuase is slow, but because is too fast, rotations are crazy and if u lose 1 second you’ll die, especially when i try to combine Updraft with Dragon’s Tooth, i really need some advice for helping me survive!

only fast scepter skills are air 2 and 3 and water 1. The rest are all channeling skills and thus slow. Even if the attackkitten for more you won’t be able to put out more hits than a D/D elementalist. I tend to hit 1-2k dmg per attack and I can do a ton of attacks in just a couple seconds. Stat wise it might not be a dps build but with the damage you do on atunement swap through traits and sigil plus all the instant cast pbaoe’s you have as a D/D you could certainly consider it a dps build but with some survivability.

After a good day of playing now i think i understand better this build, i actually owned really easily mesmers, necros, guardians, rangers and other eles in 1v1!
It may sound stupid, but i actually have problems with warrior and thief, having only 1 stunbreaker with 75s CD is deadly sometimes, i cant survive a 100B or backstab→spam2 while stunned, i suffer the burst more then the sustained dmg.

By the way i’m actually thinking about a change in the build, getting aquamancer alacrity instead of vital strike may be a good change, and ther’s 1 more thing did you guys tried the immobilize from signet of earth? i think it could be an awesome chain:
Updraft → Signet of earth → Dragon Tooth → Fire Grab
gonna give this a try for sure…

glad y’r enjoying pvp I made a mesmer and am already earning just as much glory with my mesmer as I was with my elementalist :p.

Try normal bunker specs but use Valkyrie or berserker amulet or jewel, result will be much different.

Mijo.3274:

After a good day of playing now i think i understand better this build, i actually owned really easily mesmers, necros, guardians, rangers and other eles in 1v1!
It may sound stupid, but i actually have problems with warrior and thief, having only 1 stunbreaker with 75s CD is deadly sometimes, i cant survive a 100B or backstab->spam2 while stunned, i suffer the burst more then the sustained dmg.

By the way i’m actually thinking about a change in the build, getting aquamancer alacrity instead of vital strike may be a good change, and ther’s 1 more thing did you guys tried the immobilize from signet of earth? i think it could be an awesome chain:
Updraft -> Signet of earth -> Dragon Tooth -> Fire Grab
gonna give this a try for sure…

Aquamancer is a good idea. Another idea for traits would be to use final shielding instead Arcane Mastery to block some attacks when you are cced and they burst you. Might be useful.

Signet of earth is nice for the 3s immobilize but the problem I find is that if the other person is smart they would remove that right away unless you stack like a Fire scepter AA or stack additional conditions on that person. Another interesting idea is to use glyph of the storm if you are planning on assaulting a far away point in a 1v1 setting. Dropping that under earth attunement would increase you defense through blinds and all of your scepter abilities in close range would force the person off the point or they would take a lot of damage while not doing as much to you.

Those are my suggestions, I typically run a similar build and trait with slightly different utilities than you do.

While S/D has high end damage opportunity, it generally fails to deliver against experienced players (I will admit it hurts mesmers due to the high amount of AoE on clones). I find more success with D/D. Here’s a build I recommend trying to see how well D/D can function:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fEAQJAoYhMmKbwx5gjFAkCnEPowogIyDPUUMTOA-TsAA0CnICSFkLITQSds6M44UwkEA

This build utilizes the auras available, Water 4 Frost Aura, Air 3 Shocking Aura, Combo With Fire 4 Ring of Fire and Earth 3 Magnetic Grasp to create a Fire Aura, in conjuction with Zephir’s Boon and Elemental Shielding to consistently gain Fury, Swiftness, and Protection.

With Arcane Wave, you have instant access to Vigor with the Renewing Stamina trait.

15 points in Fire and 15 points in Air gives you passive damage on attunement swap from Sunspot and Electric Discharge while also giving you some increased damage output on Power Precision and Crit Damage.

The build still utilizes cantrips because I believe they’re an incredibly useful utility to overcome CC and keep you up. Luckily, the Spell Slinger trait in Fire gives you 3 stacks of Might for using a cantrip. Your runes give you a chance to add additional stacks of might every time you’re hit, and your runes benefit you with a 40% increase to Might duration, thereby keeping you stacked with lots of Might all the time.

Weapon swap gives you 100% crit chance and you have a 60% chance to strip a boon off your target on a critical. With antunement swap crits, Arcane Wave crit, and crits off your Fury, you should be able to strip a boon every ten seconds—cutting off a player from regeneration at critical moments.

You maintain the mobility of D/D, with some decent survivability provided by auras and cantrips, which makes you a serious threat.

As for a Scepter Dagger build, I’d say shoot for a build that utilizes Elemental Surge in the Arcana traits.

Based on attunement, arcane skills cause:
Fire: burning for 5 seconds
Water: chilled for 3 seconds
Air: blindness for 5 seconds
Earth: immobilized for 1 second

You get more for your money when using Arcane skills. Your Arcane skills become on-demand utilities to get the job done instead of just being a damage increase.

I haven’t tested this, but I’ve been told that using Arcane Power will cause your next five spells to trigger the Elemental Surge effects. Makes me think of using runes that prolong something like chill and then using Arcane Power to chill and defeat a player. I may try this out next time I jump online…

melandru runes
scepter
focus
valk gear

knock down enemy
switch to fire
dragontooth
arcane blast
pheonix behind them so it hits more times
arcane blast

dead or atleast half health so you can pressure them.
scepter isn’t slow. . . people just get lax with the easy nature of d/d.

did I just write.. arcane blast twice in that skill rotation.

Mijo.3274:

After a good day of playing now i think i understand better this build, i actually owned really easily mesmers, necros, guardians, rangers and other eles in 1v1!
It may sound stupid, but i actually have problems with warrior and thief, having only 1 stunbreaker with 75s CD is deadly sometimes, i cant survive a 100B or backstab->spam2 while stunned, i suffer the burst more then the sustained dmg.

By the way i’m actually thinking about a change in the build, getting aquamancer alacrity instead of vital strike may be a good change, and ther’s 1 more thing did you guys tried the immobilize from signet of earth? i think it could be an awesome chain:
Updraft -> Signet of earth -> Dragon Tooth -> Fire Grab
gonna give this a try for sure…

My advice, coming from someone who has ran the S/D double arcane dps build for months now with success, is thakittens going to take time to get use to the build. It is very unforgiving especially if you are use to playing with multiple cantrip get out of jail free cards. Going double arcane is removing the training wheels. While its more difficult, you get rewarded with significantly higher damage potential than you could while running 2-3 cantrips, which is a game-changer for your team if you play right with the right composition.

My suggestions as far as your build goes compared to what I run:

1)Switch Arcane mastery for Renewing stamina.
-While this reduces the frequency of bursts, Eles have to build for sustain alongside dps so they can last in team fights. Renewing stamina gives you more chances to dodge enemy burst attempts, and works well with evasive arcana for extra heals. Very important trait for a dps ele.
-You could switch vital striking for Aquamancer’s Alacrity depending on how much sustain you think you need, so its a matter of choice.
2)I run Fire and Force sigil.
-While some of this is personal preference, fire sigil does enough damage to multiple targets that it makes air comparatively useless. Zoose uses geomancy for close range pummeling, but since much of my burst comes from air, I prefer air. Force is going to give you more burst potential with your arcane utilities than battle sigil and accuracy.
3)Runes are a matter of preference, but I run with Scholar’s for the damage. I’m not sure I could justify running slightly more critical chance over stacking power and modifiers. Being able to kill a squishy in nearly one burst combo coming onto a point is just awesome.
-Other options: Divinity and Ogre.

In terms of actual gameplay style advice? Your success is dependent on positioning, positioning, positioning! You need to leverage the hybrid style of the Scepter/Dagger if you plan to do well with this build. Its not as rigid and straightforward as Dagger/Dagger or as loose and situational like the staff. The main things to remember when using the set:
-You’ve got range, use it! This is the most important element that separates D/D builds from being less successful at being dps compared to S/D against competent opponents. You can apply significant pressure while out of melee range with your burst rotation, and even train a target with arc lightning and lightning strike will put pressure. Don’t be too timid either, knowing when to lay the fire attunement smack-down on point from close range is critical to winning fights. Just watch for players to go out of position and look for the right time.
-Don’t worry about dragon’s tooth that much. People get bent out of shape that this single spell won’t land, or try to change their to build to accommodate for its slow delivery. Its not worth it. Its best applies after you’ve downed a target and his teammates go to assist, or when your teammates are lining up lockdowns on a target. Other than that, phoenix, RoF and firegrab will more than do the job.
-Land those combos. Coordinate with teammates or bait defensive cooldowns so you can land your damage strings without trouble. This is integral to being a successful dps ele. My guardian bud and I coordinate our CCs so I can easily land bursts while he keeps them in target areas.
-Don’t get greedy. This build is squishy but at the same time its not. You can sustain yourself for long periods of time if you time your attunement swaps right and know when to disengage. If an enemy gets low, definitely think twice about pursuing into enemy lines, especially if water attunement is down alongside RtL and mist.

This is the most fun build I’ve played on my ele. Tough, but very rewarding to those willing commit to the learning curve.

THX a lot for all the suggestions!!
yesterday i did a lot of tournaments with my team using the dps build, now i think i understand it,
here the DPS Build for Elementalist i’m using right now:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fEAQJArYhMmeblR5gjDAEFvYiQhFOUeMTO2A-ToAA0CnIwRhjDHDOScs4MIYKC

The signet of earth make me do more dmg than the Arcane Blast, most of the times i can land DT->phoenix->fire grab.
Aquamancer and Renewing stamina make me almost unkillable in 1v1 and still doing good dmg.
I have to admit that DD is way easier than SD, cant even compare! But this build is really fun to play!
Right now the classes that i cant defeat in 1v1 are:
Engineer: oh this class is just godly OP right now imo…
DD cantrip ele: they outheal my dmg
Guardian bunker: they dont kill me, i dont kill them, endless -.-