Guild Wars 2

I have played since launch, but never (for long) with an engineer in pve. I always seem to get into a bored rut by level 20 or so… rifling trash, and occasionally switching to bomb kit for fighting larger numbers, repeat. By what level, would you say, does an engineer come into its own in terms of defining skills and traits?

It really depends on the build you have in mind, but as for most builds at least one Grandmaster trait is required: level 80.

Thanks to the new wonderful trait “update”.

PvE should be about the journey and not the destination, but it sounds like your engineer is an alt and therefore you’ve been there and done that. In that sense, if you don’t feel engaged to play the single player story or do dynamic events, I don’t think any manner of skills and traits will change your boredom. I was excited with my engineer from start to finish. I had to make hard choices each new level where to spend my skill points. Do I go all-in with turrets, maybe get the flame thrower, save up for the mortar? It was a fun experience and the dynamic events along the way made it all the more engaging, especially when doing them with team-mates my level. If by level 20 you feel bored, my only recommendation is to stop and go back to a class you do like. I did that when levelling a thief. I knew right away I didn’t like the class and dropped him by level 10.

my engineer is also an alt and I have been doing pvp exclusively :p it is wonderful
So now I’m lvling ’m in dungeons. Dungeons are rewarding to do and still challenging at lower lvls. It feels like much more of a grind at higher lvls

Changing out your utilities a lot sure makes it more enjoyable to me.

Don’t really remember when that threshold came. I’d suggest playing with Static Discharge and P/P and building around spamming toolbelt skills…
This is more engaging i.m.o. if you choose toolbelt skills which shoots towards wherever your camera is aiming rather than directly at targets, as it becomes a game of quickly aiming your camera as well. Thrown Elixirs does this i.e.

Quickly swapping between kits and you weapon kind of like an Elementalist is kinda fun too; Quickly swapping to FT for a bursty Flame Blast, a Knockback or a Blind is fun.

The Big Ol’ Bomb is fun to time with Firefields and especially the Healing Turret Toolbelt skill which creates an evasive Waterfield since it takes fairly good timing to make the bomb explode at the right time.
The Elixir Gun’s Acid Bomb is quite fun to combo into those as well, followed by an immobilize from either the Rifle or the OH Pistol and some comfortable shooting from your newly gained distance between you and your target.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think that I might have been imposing unnecessary simplicity on the class when I play it, and haven’t really been playing to its strength of flexibility.

Cheers.

I haven’t leveled an alt in the new trait system. In the old system I would say it flourished around level 40. Seems with the new trait system, about the time you open the second tier it should get more lively. Also if this is an alt, then shuffle any knowledge scrolls you can, to the engineer. This will give you more toys, allowing you to play more with the different styles. I level alts with power/fortitude builds until about level 60.