Guild Wars 2

I started an Asura Engineer as my first character, and I’ve been playing with my Mesmer friend up until level 20. I’ve been using pistols and turrets for the most part. I just don’t feel like I bring much to the table with my engineer. I do not like the kits, elixirs, or rifles at all. (As in, I don’t want to use them at all). The turrets seem really fragile and not really worth setting down unless a veteran pops up. Even then, they break nearly instantly. Am I doing it wrong?

If you think Turrets are weak, that is—they’re not working out for you, and you don’t like Kits, Elixirs, or Rifles…this may not be the profession for you.

I suggest going into the Mists and getting to the training area with some target golems. Try out every skill or mixes of skills you think would be fun. See how it feels before you pass final judgement. The Mists is the best way to really get a feel for a profession before you commit.

Maybe you should try taking your engineer to the mists or WvW that way you can check him out at 80 with all the options/traits available. This will give you a feel for them at end game. I’ve not played an engie to 80 yet but a friend of mine mentioned that leveling was not great until everything was unlocked for them. If all else fails try a different profession.

If you dont like kits, elixirs, rifles and think the turrets are weak, the profession might not be for you, if your liking pistols however why not try a dual pistol thief or something?

I have no idea what the Mists are, or how to enter WvW (also not really a pvp person primarily.) My problem with elixirs are that the cooldowns seem way too long for what they do. Turrets seem great, but again, the cooldowns seem way too long to effectively move them from place to place while leveling. I really want to like pistols, but they seem really weak. Still not liking kits.

Check out http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Heart_of_the_Mists . The mists is the staging area for pvp. Great place to start to figure out which class you want to play since you get all the skills/traits.

You’ll probably never feel super powerful just pressing pistol skills 1-4 and putting down some turrets. There’s nothing wrong with that playstyle, it’s just not really how the engineer was designed.

Warriors and guardians will feel amazing using just their weapon attacks. You also might want to give mesmers a try if you’re looking for a profession that uses mostly main weapon attacks and summons to deal damage. A lot of people would like to use turrets as a main source of damage on the engineer, but it’s just not optimal in the current design.

Rhade.8674:

I started an Asura Engineer as my first character, and I’ve been playing with my Mesmer friend up until level 20. I’ve been using pistols and turrets for the most part. I just don’t feel like I bring much to the table with my engineer. I do not like the kits, elixirs, or rifles at all. (As in, I don’t want to use them at all). The turrets seem really fragile and not really worth setting down unless a veteran pops up. Even then, they break nearly instantly. Am I doing it wrong?

Based on:

1> You aren’t impressed with turrets(not many people are).
2> You don’t like kits, elixirs, or rifles.

It just doesn’t sound like this is a profession you’ll enjoy. #2 Really stands out to me — at least when it comes to kits and elixirs.

Not trying to be mean or a jerk. I just wouldn’t want you wasting time on a profession that doesn’t suit your playstyle. And trust me, I could totally understand why the Engie wouldn’t appeal to other players.

Since you are a PvE player, oddly enough, for me, I find a thief in PvE to be really fun. Have you tried a thief? Some people may think they’re a PvP type class, but they are a lot of fun in PvE IMO.

One thing that I think you’ll find is true regardless of profession is the fact that certain skill types that may seem weak at first glance, can be traited to become so much more.

There’s a reason that Elixirs (HgH) is currently the most popular engi build – because they can do so very much with said elixirs, while still retaining flexibility and damage.

The game as you level is very different from what you’ll experience at endgame, and sadly, the leveling experiencing varies wildly based on profession at the moment.

I suggest you play around with builds in the Heart of the Mists – It’s a good step for learning any profession, and any builds that might appeal to you. It’ll help you figure out the direction you want to take as you level, as well.

I will say though that definitely, even given recent patch buffs, turrets alone are not the engineer’s strong suit. (Partly because many turret traits are broken currently)

When I started, I wasn’t much into a lot of the kits and a few other skills either. I mostly used a few turrets and elixirs. Then one day after reaching level 80 and helping to open the Temple of Balthazar, someone was telling other people, “Don’t use CC skills, use conditions”. I picked up Elixir Gun for the first time really and fell in love with it. Now I can’t get enough of it. Same goes with Bomb Kit and a few other kits.

Bottom line: sometimes it’s just a matter of learning which situations are best for those skills.