Guild Wars 2

I usually use my engineer for PvP as i always have, but recently I’ve been doing PvE as well and I’m using my condition engineer in dungeons which as far as I’m aware this is not optimal, so I’m going to make my berserker build for PvE

However with the 33% added damage on the flamethrower I’m wondering if it’s actually the best thing to use for straight up damage, I’ve seen bomb kit, and granade kit with a tumper turret for the might stacking, though with juggernaut might would be easier to keep with the flamethrower as well

So anyone with more PvE experience I’d like to know your opinion before i do anything stupid :P

It’s more than fine for open world pve. The problem with ft auto is, the damage is still less than gk auto and it doesn’t apply vuln unless precise sights is taken (grenades will still stack more vuln with this trait). In regards to juggernaut, it’s a “selfish” trait (since the might only applies to you) and any semi organized or experienced group is going to be wanting to stack might for the group. This means that juggernaut is largely wasted in those scenarios.

Rather than try to type out all the info I will encourage you to go here:
http://www.dtguilds.com/forum/m/6563292/viewthread/15457607-dnt-engineer-build-9914
And here:
http://www.dtguilds.com/forum/m/6563292/viewthread/15386797-optimal-dps-rotation

These guys and gals spend a fair amount of time theorycrafting and I agree with their assessments since it’s what I also run and can attest to it’s effectiveness.

Hey. I spend alot of time on my engi, and im a bit special for builds.
It all very strongly depends on what kind of PvE-er you are. Me, im a freegoer. In many situations, ill disregard whatever is meta in favor of what I think is fun to play. I wont do stupid things (or well, not all too often ;-) ), but often ill take something I think is fun, like FT, when the most damaging option (grenades) bores me. Rather than the most efficient option for my other two skills, ill also take fun things instead.
That’s the question you gotta ask yourself. Are you a meta-goer, who has fun following the meta and finishing dungeons as fast as possible, or are you more like me, preferring to have more variety in your builds possibly at the expense of some clear speed?
FT is very much /viable/, yes, especially now with the extra damage and blast finisher. Its not the best option though. I run it though – I have an on-crit might sigil, and along with juggernaught, I can hit 25 stacks of might all by myself in the right circumstances. As said, juggernaught is a bit selfish, but its not too bad. You can take bomb kit and have very quick fire blast fields.
I personally run FT on a FT-rifle power build for PvE, using my 3-4-5 on the rifle plus FT 2 for some nice damage in quick succession. Traits will go to Juggernaught, and CDR+damage traits for rifle and flamethrower, along with my traditional Speedy Kits.
Wolfineer has a nice guide/build on this. I even run the Knights armour in PvE sometimes, for situations where we lack a guardian or need tankiness rather than damage (say, standing on the buttons in the Dredge fractal). As i said, i enjoy playing with parties who do everything just a bit less strictly meta, and sometimes we end up dying a bit.

As long as you get your hands on Berserker armor (or Assassin if you can afford it), Berserker trinkets, a Berserker Rifle, a Berserker or (exotic) Giver Pistol and Shield you cannot do anything too stupid.

Grenade Kit #1 will provide far more Vulnerability, and Bomb Kit #1 will provide more direct damage, so you should use one of those over Flamethrower #1.
Flamethrower is still useful for its hard-hitting Flamethrower #2 and the fire field from Flamethrower #4.

Anybody tested FT auto with skale venom yet? Is it decent at vuln stacking? I hear skale venom has no internal c/d.

Well for pug id just say Jugg is most usefull (you never know if youl have might or not) For non pug then you may want to run bombs altrought regardless of pugs or not running FT with HGH 25 perma might helps making yourself usefull to the team

kyubi.3620:

Well for pug id just say Jugg is most usefull (you never know if youl have might or not) For non pug then you may want to run bombs altrought regardless of pugs or not running FT with HGH 25 perma might helps making yourself usefull to the team

HGH is pretty terrible for pve in my opinion, yeah you can maintain might… but all the time spent chugging elixirs is time you are not doing damage. HGH also forces you to use elixirs on cooldown to maintain that might which puts you in a situation of possibly not having the elixirs available for when you need their effects, essentially rendering those skill slots and toolbelt skills ineffective.

As always, use the right tool for the job

FT is good in PvE for farming. It provides enough damage to register for loot drops and its near continuous jet stream allows for more tagging. Strangely, it also seems to do a lot more damage to certain mobs than other setups. It also provides amazing group support. Now that Flame Blast is a blast finisher, combined with other skills you can give your group 12 stacks of might within a single Napalm, or just 6 stacks with using Flame Blast twice.

The only drawback is in the recent patch sometimes the FT damage numbers don’t show up. The skill’s auto attack is still going, but you can’t tell if you’re actually hitting the target. Sometimes swapping weapons will help fix it. Those of us who played with engies since the beginning recall a time when the FT jet would miss targets, so it’s annoying that problem has returned, or at least some derivative of it.

Other than that, some mobs requires different setups. Bomb kit offers the best survivability. For example, I can solo the Colocal Queen (Dry Top) with bombs, but I would run the risk of downing using any other means, especially when it starts to get crowded. So you just need to use best judgement and use the right tool for the job.

ShadowPuppet.3746:

kyubi.3620:

Well for pug id just say Jugg is most usefull (you never know if youl have might or not) For non pug then you may want to run bombs altrought regardless of pugs or not running FT with HGH 25 perma might helps making yourself usefull to the team

HGH is pretty terrible for pve in my opinion, yeah you can maintain might… but all the time spent chugging elixirs is time you are not doing damage. HGH also forces you to use elixirs on cooldown to maintain that might which puts you in a situation of possibly not having the elixirs available for when you need their effects, essentially rendering those skill slots and toolbelt skills ineffective.

Because the thousand buff elixir and the condition cleanse elixir actualy are a problem to put on cooldown? I blow them up all the time! Id also mention that the toolbelt elixir do count toward the might stacking, Including nonetheless the toolbelt healing elixir and the multibuff elixir. Also might stacking with any profession but elementalist is time wasting regardless (Im looking at you bomb enginer you spend so much time trying to stack might in that burning circle of yours that you aint auto attacking with bombs!) Its all about what elixir you use and how well timed they are. In the end the many buff granted are actualy worth the while to the team regardless

kyubi.3620:

Im looking at you bomb enginer you spend so much time trying to stack might in that burning circle of yours that you aint auto attacking with bombs

You mean:

-Big ol bomb
-Switch to bomb kit and use fire bomb
-Switch to elixir gun and use acid

Because that’s actually still doing damage with 3 diffrent attacks and gaining 6 stacks of AOE might in the process, if you had your healing turret out and have your ulti up you could get an easy 12 stacks, and that’s just the engineer’s blast finishers

Exeon.4358:

kyubi.3620:

Im looking at you bomb enginer you spend so much time trying to stack might in that burning circle of yours that you aint auto attacking with bombs

You mean:

-Big ol bomb
-Switch to bomb kit and use fire bomb
-Switch to elixir gun and use acid

Because that’s actually still doing damage with 3 diffrent attacks and gaining 6 stacks of AOE might in the process, if you had your healing turret out and have your ulti up you could get an easy 12 stacks, and that’s just the engineer’s blast finishers

Don’t forget flame blast!!! engineer’s new best friend (especially with a staff ele in the party)
Edit: Also, if you happened to look at the links I posted those builds recommend scholar runes and force/night sigils. Those are really only gonna be your best bet if you play with a familiar group all the time. For pugs I would recommend strength runes and sigil and then either force, night, or accuracy for the second sigil.

ShadowPuppet.3746:

Don’t forget flame blast!!! engineer’s new best friend (especially with a staff ele in the party)
Edit: Also, if you happened to look at the links I posted those builds recommend scholar runes and force/night sigils. Those are really only gonna be your best bet if you play with a familiar group all the time. For pugs I would recommend strength runes and sigil and then either force, night, or accuracy for the second sigil.

I did and i already finished my engineer build using berserker WvW armor with scholar runes and i went for crit/night sigils as i get more power from berserker but less crit + it’s way cheaper.
I’m using an ascalonian rifle skin to keep track when it’s night to switch out.

Dunno why but i don’t like Napalm blast because a lot of times the blast finisher doesn’t work for me(hence why i use bomb kit in dungeons and flamethrower in world-events/solo

Exeon.4358:

ShadowPuppet.3746:

Don’t forget flame blast!!! engineer’s new best friend (especially with a staff ele in the party)
Edit: Also, if you happened to look at the links I posted those builds recommend scholar runes and force/night sigils. Those are really only gonna be your best bet if you play with a familiar group all the time. For pugs I would recommend strength runes and sigil and then either force, night, or accuracy for the second sigil.

I did and i already finished my engineer build using berserker WvW armor with scholar runes and i went for crit/night sigils as i get more power from berserker but less crit + it’s way cheaper.
I’m using an ascalonian rifle skin to keep track when it’s night to switch out.

Dunno why but i don’t like Napalm blast because a lot of times the blast finisher doesn’t work for me(hence why i use bomb kit in dungeons and flamethrower in world-events/solo

You can use bomb, ft, and eg… the bomb fire field is much easier to blast in than ft fire field.

ShadowPuppet.3746:

You can use bomb, ft, and eg… the bomb fire field is much easier to blast in than ft fire field.

Yea i use elixir gun, bomb kit and G-kit which i swap out for the FT in Soloing/world-events

Even before update i already liked Flamethrower, Easy to handle and hit mulitple targets for loot. Flame barier for might stack, smokescreen, knockback.. whats not to like.
Now more dmg + 1 extra short combad finisher all the sweeter. I might try in pvp sometimes, but not sure if that would work. Having faced other flamethrower engies, i think it can be pretty enoying knockback/blind.

love it for soloing…. and open world in general.
run 2/6/0/6/0 rifle/juggernaut/HGH w/ strength runes…perma 18-20 might solo is nice w/ max bloodlust stacks…allows you to wear some knight gear and not lose too much dmg:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fdQQFAUlcTpWrVXxALseNydBB6JEgsK6Y0ic8p8B-TFCEwAJuAAwU/J1+DbVCyU5XHNEt1BA4BBQKgIGDA-w