Guild Wars 2

Hello all, just started playing this game Saturday and I’ve decided to put my time into my engineer the most. At first I loved the idea of being helpful with turrets and stuff, so I made it my goal to spec that way. I’ve put all my points I can into inventions… until I started looking at the forums and guides, NO ONE is putting any points into inventions. Is this stupid? If so what should a 21 engineer be working with for lvling/pve?

I’ve recently picked up rocket turret, which is also the same time I got my 3rd slot for ults, and so I was rather enjoying being able to set up 3 turrets in front of a boss. In fact for a long time all my ults have been different turrets, would I lvl much faster or easier with another spec?

TL;DR: Are inventions pointless? What is a good lvling spec if not? How do I repsec if it turns out they suck? :P

It does depend on your playstyle/what you want to do, however most people consider inventions, especially turrets, unusable do to their tendency to die quickly and their poor ai.

As for respeccing, if that’s what you decide to do, you simply talk to an engineering trainer (the guy who sells trait books) and pay a few silver.

Lastly, a good spec? I could rattle off a few, but the main thing is, play what you like and have fun with. Running around as a tankcat isn’t fun for everyone, and being told you should be “x” spec or else you’re a noob isn’t my style.

As for personal preference? I run a flamethrower, 10/30/0/30/0. But, again, play what is fun for you.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fcAQFAUlIqyUnqSbF1LJRoHJG0LGUh8KqQl/ogt0F;TgAA2UJZSSkkNJXSykGFA

I would use a build similar to this if I were using turrets at this time. With knights gear (knights gear is Power / Precession / Toughness)

I really like the “turrets explode when destroyed.” that does an AoE knockback and damage. Basically punishes enemies for destroying your turrets.

The reasons most people don’t invest in inventions is because that trait line is heavily turret-focused, which few people use. That’s because turrets rarely last on the field long enough to make a difference in dungeons or a pvp setting.

However, I feel that they work fine in general pve and leveling since mobs aren’t quite as tough, so long as you don’t mind having to pick up your turrets to move every so often. In fact, turrets allow you to complete heart quests quicker once you get the traits for reduced turret damage and auto repair because you can set them up to kill the required mobs while you go around clearing secondary objectives.

If you wanna respec, talk to an engineer trainer. You can find one in any of the big cities, as well as one near the Mystic Forge in Lion’s Arch.

i’ve yet to meet an engineer that would tell you that you are specing wrong. we have a lot of diversity in our builds and every engineer has at least a few builds that they use for various different things.

take a look at what traits you have and decide for yourself what you like. i will say this however, flamethrower is a lot of fun for leveling, and bomb kit can cause some serious pain on mobs if you can get them to chase you.

Thank you all for your take, but if I may I would like to add a question.

Is there a point in Specing into inventions when healing/supporting in dungeons? Or are there other specs that work better for that? No need to link a spec or anything just wondering what my future options are should I go support.

CubicalChicken.9416:

Thank you all for your take, but if I may I would like to add a question.

Is there a point in Specing into inventions when healing/supporting in dungeons? Or are there other specs that work better for that? No need to link a spec or anything just wondering what my future options are should I go support.

I find that I can support well when I spec into inventions for healing supporting. Even if throw elixir r is down when I need to revive someone I can usually run in with high healing power, use elixir s and revive someone even if there is immediate danger around me (I can usually bring them up to full health before elixir s runs out). Also I think I have enough healing skills to keep people going so yeah it can be worth it then.

If you wanna do a Bomb Healing spec, then sure.

I just want to point out that a number of “popular” engi builds are only available after level 60 grandmaster traits. A couple of examples of these are the “flamethrower juggernaut”, grenadiers, bomb healing, and elixirs HGH builds.

For leveling purposes, a few of the more easily accessible useful traits are actually in tools.

Inventions gives you Toughness and Healing Power. Both very handy for whatever build you happen to be running – unless you’re a glass cannon, I suppose.

Although, don’t expect turrets to do much in dungeons until/unless they get further buffed. I’ve had eight turrets down at once, and watched every single one get AoE’d away by a single mook (Fern Hound-lookin’-thing in Twilight Arbor, for the curious). You can still make it work, especially if you’re trying to protect an NPC or objective, but you’ll have to play hell and high water to do it.

Usually alchemy, tools, explosives and even firearms can provide useful but I consider inventions the one that lacks the most, not only it doesn’t provide synergy with most builds, but it is clearly focused on turrets even thought atm they are only worth for the explosive trait and rifle turret’s toolbelt.

Besides… the only reason I’d delve 30 points deep in inventions is stats, especially the minor trait that turns 10%healing→power easily combined with 5% toughness→power but nothing more really, even the shield trait is sub-par especially because kits won’t retain those bonuses.

Rfreak.6591:

Usually alchemy, tools, explosives and even firearms can provide useful but I consider inventions the one that lacks the most, not only it doesn’t provide synergy with most builds, but it is clearly focused on turrets even thought atm they are only worth for the explosive trait and rifle turret’s toolbelt.

Besides… the only reason I’d delve 30 points deep in inventions is stats, especially the minor trait that turns 10%healing->power easily combined with 5% toughness->power but nothing more really, even the shield trait is sub-par especially because kits won’t retain those bonuses.

As somebody who uses turrets more often than not (and has, in fact, gone back to a full-turret build after the scaling addition), I have to disagree on them not being worth it. They’re useful, if you know how to use them.

Also: For people who don’t use kits, the shield trait is great.

@Anymras.5729

It’s true inventions is a must if you use turrets but I’d just w8 for a fix, they clearly aren’t working as intended, they often end up targeting destroyed/invulnerable objects too, such a poor AI on such long CD…

It’s true the shield trait is great, but the shield skills aren’t, magnetic shield STILL scales on character height (which means taller=bigger reflection bubble) and ducks you in place unless you cancel it (which will happen a lot) as for the #5 it WILL be reworked ‘coz it’s clearly nowhere close to be working as intended.

I dunno, that magnetic field has saved my Asura bacon quite a few times, and whether Static Shield gets reworked or not (probably to eliminate the “You can attack while blocking” thing), I find it handy to have a secondary block, especially one I can use while moving. I’ve done better with those two bits of defensive capability than I have with dual pistols, a rifle, or any kit that I’ve tried (and I’ve tried them all).
Magnetic Shield, in particular, has seen me through a couple Group Event champion fights, defused the initial salvo of a Young Karka horde (with the added bonus of dealing massive amounts of damage using their own attacks), and even helped me clear some much-needed space.

As for it scaling on character height…honestly, I don’t see a problem with that. It only reflects direct damage projectile attacks to begin with, doing nothing to AoEs or melee – what’s wrong with it scaling to fit the character?

I use 30 points in inventions in my PvP build currently! Probably the only engi anywhere to do so…

Inventions can definitely be useful. However, the starting traits are not as great for leveling as some of our others, so I’m not sure I’d start off by speccing entirely into inventions. Tools has several awesome leveling traits—get 10 points there and you can keep up swiftness permanently while you travel, and then switch to static discharge or kit refinement before you fight (both of which are awesome PvE leveling traits).

Anymras.5729:

As somebody who uses turrets more often than not (and has, in fact, gone back to a full-turret build after the scaling addition), I have to disagree on them not being worth it. They’re useful, if you know how to use them.

Also: For people who don’t use kits, the shield trait is great.

How do you use them, then? I made an Engin- Heck, I BOUGHT THE GAME for the turrets, and I haven’t been able to find out a way to make them useful against anything but vastly under-leveled PvE content, nevermind WvW or PvP. I want to use turrets so badly, but can’t seem to do so. Are there any tricks you could offer?

I put points into inventions for the toughness, healing and shield specialization.

I just don’t take the traits that have to deal with turrets. They’re useless. Inventions doesn’t have to have anything to do with turrets really.

Toolbox.9375:

Anymras.5729:

As somebody who uses turrets more often than not (and has, in fact, gone back to a full-turret build after the scaling addition), I have to disagree on them not being worth it. They’re useful, if you know how to use them.

Also: For people who don’t use kits, the shield trait is great.

How do you use them, then? I made an Engin- Heck, I BOUGHT THE GAME for the turrets, and I haven’t been able to find out a way to make them useful against anything but vastly under-leveled PvE content, nevermind WvW or PvP. I want to use turrets so badly, but can’t seem to do so. Are there any tricks you could offer?

Well, actually net turret is the only decent turret for WvW. It doesn’t do damage or need to last long so it’s perfect. I use the toolbelt net, then drop the turret for the next net, then overcharge for 2 more nets that stun. It’s pretty useful.

I also place the net turret around corners and behind objects to surprise and trap enemies. It works nicely against enemies coming through doorways. Their goal is to rush you or push in so their group can push in as well, but then they get rooted and screwed. I also place them behind objects in camps and wait or bait some enemies in.

Net turrets placed defensively with your siege helps against pesky thieves and people suicide-rushing it.

Inventions is good only if you are aiming for a pure tank build. Other than that it do not have usefull traits like alchemy or tools.

Chickenshoes.6250:

Toolbox.9375:

Anymras.5729:

As somebody who uses turrets more often than not (and has, in fact, gone back to a full-turret build after the scaling addition), I have to disagree on them not being worth it. They’re useful, if you know how to use them.

Also: For people who don’t use kits, the shield trait is great.

How do you use them, then? I made an Engin- Heck, I BOUGHT THE GAME for the turrets, and I haven’t been able to find out a way to make them useful against anything but vastly under-leveled PvE content, nevermind WvW or PvP. I want to use turrets so badly, but can’t seem to do so. Are there any tricks you could offer?

Well, actually net turret is the only decent turret for WvW. It doesn’t do damage or need to last long so it’s perfect. I use the toolbelt net, then drop the turret for the next net, then overcharge for 2 more nets that stun. It’s pretty useful.

I also place the net turret around corners and behind objects to surprise and trap enemies. It works nicely against enemies coming through doorways. Their goal is to rush you or push in so their group can push in as well, but then they get rooted and screwed. I also place them behind objects in camps and wait or bait some enemies in.

Net turrets placed defensively with your siege helps against pesky thieves and people suicide-rushing it.

Well, disclaimer: I typically play non-Dungeon PvE (Turrets get obliterated by a hard look in dungeons). Anyway, on to how I use them:

Aggressively, oddly enough. I tend to hurl my Rocket Turret to a position where it’ll have a decent chance of hitting the enemy, even while I’m charging toward the target (or I chuck it somewhere high to keep it marginally safer). Then, when I’m about to draw even to the Rocket Turret’s position, I plant my Rifle, and my Flame follows when I’m at close range. Healing Turret as necessary (detonating after placement for combo AoE Heal effect), Overcharge everything, except the Healing Turret, and don’t be shy about detonating them – when traited, the blast deals a surprising bit of damage, and knocks enemies around. And, of course, be liberal with your Toolbelt skills.

Warning: Using a full set of Turrets is going to get you all the PvE aggro. Just freakin’ all of it. Even, apparently, when you haven’t got any of them out or done anything – yesterday, I was in Metrica, doing the Champion Steam Ogre battle with some randoms, and while I was in the middle of typing, the thing ignored everyone else, who were hitting it, and went for me before I even realized it was there.