The Engineer is a highly versatile and all-around profession. It has a large plethora of skills to use. Its kits allow it to fulfill many different roles and used for a variety of situations. It is a jack-of-all-trades profession, where by it can reliably fulfill almost any role in groups, but generally cannot do many roles better than most other professions unless perfectly using an optimal play style and build.
It uses Medium Armor, and has an intermediate amount of overall durability when compared to other professions. It currently uses Pistols, Rifles, Harpoon guns, and Shields for its weapons. However, it is unique in that it can use turrets to control relatively small areas and use a variety of gadgets for some interesting play. It has access to many different types of combo fields and can easily initiate combos. Its unique mechanic allows each #6-9 ability to have a 2nd ability on the F1-F4 keys on its “Tool Belt.”
The Engineer’s best form of survival is through anticipating future combat and adapting for the situation. Its ability to maneuver and attack its enemies at medium to long range is another means of survival. However, it can reliably fight at relatively close ranges, and has multiple tools to use for melee combat.
The profession takes practice to be able to start to use it effectively.
Ultimately your best play style will be the one that you like the best.
Mechanics
Turrets
Turrets are useful for controlling relatively small areas with a general radius of about 1,000 units. There are several different turrets from which to use, and many are mid to long range. Beginning Engineers may find the Rifle and Healing Turrets to be especially helpful while learning to use the profession, as they can be reliable tanks and help deal damage. Each turret has an overcharge ability that basically makes it do a stronger attack. Picking up turrets reduces their cool-down so that they can be redeployed faster than if they were destroyed.
Elixirs
Elixirs are highly versatile and each has a specific use and generally provide boons, remove conditions, or do something interesting. The F skills for elixirs generally are AoE mid-range tosses that do a special but related effect to the utility skill.
Gadgets
Think of them as James Bond gadgets in a way. They have a variety of situational uses and each are unique. Need to knock foes back? Use the battering ram!
Kits
All replace the equipped weapons and have their own stats and play style. Each kit replaces skills #1-5 and works similar to bundles and other environmental weapons.
Equipment
The equipment stat type depends highly on the type of role that you want to fill. Since the engineer is extremely good at filling roles while on the fly, a more flexible set is generally more useful and cost effective.
Traits
Each trait line has some very useful traits that the engineer can find useful. Traits and point allocation depend highly on what role is to be filled and what game mode you’re playing.
- For more Durability, put points into the Inventions and Alchemy lines
- For more Damage, put points into Explosives and Firearms
- For more overall usefulness, put points into Tools
- Explosives generally enhance the effectiveness of explosive weapon kits
- Firearms generally enhances the effectiveness of the primary weapons and flamethrower
- Inventions generally enhances general durability, defenses, and the effectiveness of turrets
- Alchemy generally enhances the effectiveness of all things Elixirs and changing the ways conditions affect you
- Tools enhances the effectiveness of tool belt skills, their cool downs, and overall usefulness
My World vs World Rules of Thumb
- 30 points in both Inventions and Alchemy trait lines
“Automated Response”- its a vital part of any Commander Builds or basic PvP builds
Acquired with 30 points in Alchemy - 10 points into “Tools” to get “Speedy Kits”
Its vital to any WvW build- provided you use kit(s) - Remove in increments of 10 from the Inventions trait line if there’s gaps, something unwanted, or something else
Put these points into the other trait lines to make things that you like using more effective
Goal of your equipment build is to Optimize your durability:
- Soldiers is a good go to stat type if you prefer larger and more consistent damage and reliable durability
- Dire armor with a mix of Soldiers, Carrion, and Rabid trinkets are another good choice if you prefer Damage Over Time
- Sentinels is another good choice
- Celestial is a good way for getting a well-balanced more optimal build, although with a bit less survivability than the above types.
- As a last resort replace 1 piece of equipment at a time if you feel a glaring gap in your build after following the above rules
Guild Wars 2 needs a Public Beta Environment
(edited by buckeyecro.9614)