Guild Wars 2

I am running a 10/30/0/30/0 Engineer right now in PVE and I really like using a maxed out Firearms trait line. One of the traits that becomes available, then, is Juggernaut: “You gain 200 toughness while wielding a Flamethrower. In addition, gain might for 15 seconds every 3 seconds, as long as you remain in this weapon kit.” I like using this trait in PVE every now and then, but I can’t evaluate how useful it is, and whether it’s a good choice to keep the trait or not. Here’s how I see it:

Pros: When I equip my Flamethrower, an integral but not central part of my skill set strategy, I gain up to 5 stacks of Might, and when paired with Elixir B and Hidden Flask, up to 7 (sometimes even beyond that). This will usually put my Engineer at a level where it can handle almost any challenge on its own (aside from Champions and Group Events). In addition, I gain a large amount of resistance with the increased Toughness, an attribute I have otherwise disregarded in an attempt to maintain greater Precision and Vitality.

Cons: I am very limited to the Flamethrower. My Engineer is simply not as effective when my Flamethrower is not equipped. Sure, I can use my Flamethrower up to 5 stacks of might, use some skills, switch around between my Tool Kit and my regular pistols and come back, but by then almost all, if not all, my might has gone away. This seems to be the biggest downside to Juggernaut, as my Engineer loses most of its versatility.

Any thoughts? Should I keep Juggernaut, use it every now and then, or get rid of it completely? Should I be running a different trait (or set of traits) for the Firearms trait line? I appreciate all comments concerning this topic.

I would honestly suggest not worrying about versatility. That’s the Elementalist’s gig. Find what works for you and run with it – the Engineer is not in a good place right now, with no idea where it’s supposed to shine, what it’s really supposed to be good at, or anything; until the devs figure that out, it’s pretty much up to the player to make something of it.

If you’re using Juggernaut, along with the might stacks, you’re also liking the extra toughness, correct? Take along pistol/shield, and only swap when you’re on the defensive for the reflection/block/confusion you can apply, maybe try to get off a poison spray before moving back to flamethrower.

The biggest thing hindering Juggernaut at the moment is that, as your primary weapon, you’re hugely dependant on #1 spray and the burst damage from #2, and they both have bad tendencies to miss periodically based on movement and terrain.

I would say if you’re sold on Jugg just make sure you take advantage of the defensive side of the spec as much as the offensive.

For that defensive side:

1. you can swap to kits when stunned

2. you can use the Flamethrower #5 blind when stunned

So if a thief for example, hits you: even stunned: hit flamethrower, hit #5.
You not only get the 200 toughness, but you blinded him as well, even without using a stunbreaker yet.

Offensive side:
Juggernaut plus might from using elixirs can result in pretty good might stacking, especially if you add runes to that.

Also: Flamethrower #1 hits FAST.
Sigils without a long cooldown (steal health on 2 sec, etc) are golden with it.
More might if you want that…

200 toughness doesn’t make you a bunker, but it helps.

I’m really relieved that it can be useful when used correctly. I’m glad I’m headed in the right direction! In response to aydenunited, the pistol/shield is exactly what I’m running, and I’m glad that having to constantly switch back and forth is probably a bad thing when on the offensive.
My other question had to do with the Tool Kit. I’ve been messing around with Pry Bar lately and I like the added advantage I get from Elixir B. Is it probably best that I switch out of Flamethrower just to get the Pry Bar advantage, and maybe a gear shield in a pinch, but switch back right away? Would that be a good strategy?
Also, just curious: how competetive would this strategy be in PvP and WvW?

Use prybar, than immediately swap to pistol and use pistol #3 (same button).

You now have 7 stacks of confusion on your target instead of 3…

or the other way around of course, pistol #3 as they move in for blind and confusion, than tool kit for prybar and block if needed.

You should really check out the topic about the ‘TANK CAT’ build.
It’s not using the flamethrower, but it will give you a ton of fun options if you go with tool kit.

Even just as something to give you ideas on combo’s, it seems right up you ally.

After using pistol-tool kit combo, you could swap to flamethrower and hit #5 for another blind, and than just knock them back.

if fighting mobs: dodge (backwards) after knockback and you’ll be in the perfect spot to use flamethrower #2 explosion on them.
In theory you are in the perfect spot without the dodge, but they immediately move in on you again (if melee mob) so your dodge negates that distance they make.

Flamethrower can be tough to use in PvP and WvW mainly because of what happens when you encounter either a very mobile ranged player or someone who rushes you then kites cirlces around you. Personally, if someone comes at me with the FT i know that if i stay mobile and out of the cones typical range and width their dps decreases immensely. One strategy I use to pull off a full FT #1 would be to maximize the amount of cripples you can apply. There is a trait in the precision tree that when you immobilize you also cripple for 5s, which is great because if the player drops the immobilize the cripple will still be there. Also, in the tools tree, if you pick the trait that allows you to create a spell when kit swapping in addition to the trait that allows the thrown wrench and wrench smack to cripple you will be a cripple machine when using the toolkit. Siege can be fun with the FT because you can blast through walls and doors with it to kill defenders on the other side. As well, you can melt down a ram on the other side of your keep which is always fun.

Switching between toolkit and FT is a great idea as the TK is just a great kit in general. Magnetic pull is one of my favorite skills in the game period. A 1200 range yank that when used right can yank a defender off of a keep wall is just glorious. The prybar skill, when it crits, hits like a truck. Gear shield has saved me from many a burst thief as they will typically waste a bunch of initiative/conditions on their burst.

One piece of advice I have from playing a FT eng for many hours is this. Don’t rely on juggernaut to either might stack you into high DPS or to save your life. Its a nice bonus for sure. But a great way to end up having a flag planted on you in WvW is to rely too heavily on one kit, especially one notorious for missing. For me, a full rotation between rifle, FT, TK, and either an elixir or elixir gun maximizes my potential. Remember, you could have a full 25 might stacks but if your not hitting the guy…what does it matter? My rifle downs more people than my FT because its consistent not because it does the most damage. But does it help to swap into my rifle with 6-7 stacks of might just sitting there? Definitely.

On a side note…I really wish the FT would apply its burn on the first pulse of #1 rather than the last. Getting that burn condition on someone right away would mitigate the frustration of not getting a full pulse off.