Guild Wars 2

I’m level 43 now. After experimenting with bombs, grenades and flamethrower, I’ve decided that rifle/static discharge keeps me alive the best while doing good damage from range. I use Healing Turret, Rifle Turret, Tool Kit, and Battering Ram. I mainly took those because of the longer-range, low-cool down Tool Kit skills. The Battering Ram is also an excellent way to get enemies off of me if I get swarmed. I never switch to took kit, mainly because I’m just lazy

At 43 I am 10/13/0/0/10, and it is doing well as I level. I think I want this character to be my crit damage one. There is a trait that gives + 10% against enemies with less than 50% health, and another that gives + 10% above 600 range. As an aside, Static Discharge can crit, right?

The build will of course end up as 10/30/0/0/30. What I’m most curious about is what gear, runes and sigils to use.

Gear – Assume I can purchase Rare stuff. I know most people use Berzerker’s, but I want to take a high crit chance approach this time. This means Assasssin or Rampager. Assassin is great because I can get really big crit damage, and often. Rampager on the other hand would seriously boost my burning and bleeding damage. Which of these would be better as I explore the PVE world?

Sigils – I would have one rifle to build up 25 stacks of Precision, and then switch to another Rifle. I’m thinking about the following: Accuracy (another 5% crit chance), Earth (60% chance to cause bleeding), The one that gives a 30% chance to gain Might?, and Force (5 % damage). Which one of these would you recommend, or is there a better one?

Runes – I really have no idea here. If I’m stacking Might maybe I would want to extend it. I’m also tempted to just get a set that grants +25% speed (Centaur I think?) Yes I know about Speedy Kits, but as I said I’m too lazy for that. Or something that adds even more Precision/Crit chance/damage perhaps?

Anyway, thanks very much for your advice.

Yes, SD can crit. I wouldn’t recommend using the trait “Scope” since you will want to be up close while using the rifle skills.

With a rifle SD build, you should focus on berserkers or assassins gear to maximize that damage rather than try to bring your condition damage up to par.

For sigils, try out sigil of fire or air for some good burst damage.

For runes, you can go ruby(POWER/precision/critdmg) or opal(PRECISION/power/critdmg) orbs or Scholar runes(10% damage while above 90% hp)

Oh yes, static discharge can crit, and make it look good doing it.

As far as gear, well this build is prime for berserker armor, weapons and trinkets. For sigils, you can keep it simple and go with “force” (5% damage increase) or “accuracy” (5% critical chance increase). I would go with force.

For runes, you have a lot of option. Travelers is pricy but offers all around damage benefits with its stats and critical damage increase, with the utility of the speed boost. Scholar runes are great for maximizing damage. Wurm is inexpensive and gives some vitality, 3% over all damage boost and 6% critical damage. You mention centuar runes, well its straight power with an AoE 10s speed boost. Not the best, but very cheap and does have at least some utility by offering swiftness to you and the group, but works off the heal so its optimal with med kit really.

As far as the utility skills go, I like your choices, I am a big fan of personal battering ram. Rifle turret is quick damage. Tool kit is good damage, has a great block, a pull, good pry bar damage and a AoE cripple, all very useful.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/engineer/Static-discharge-is-SICK/first#post3082063 <- This thread discusses Rifle/SD and I posted my build there too. Check it out.

even in pve I do recommend having some form of escape or stun break.

elixir S or rocket boots can fill the role nicely. You can use utility googles, but I do not like it as much because it doesn’t get you out of aoe.

unfortunately that means maybe dropping pbr or rt. I tend to go with RT since I can use it to stack vuln now, but PBR is fantastic as well.

fourhim,

Rifle/SD is my favorite setup on my Engi. I’ve done extensive testing and got some interesting results. I tested a lot of different skill setups and the best I’ve found is 10/30/0/0/30 for DPS. EG4 is great damage on stationary targets and bunched groups. If you are going into more mobile fights then TK will do better if you position yourself correctly for Throw Wrench to hit twice. Trick is to switch into either EG for Acid Bomb or TK for Prybar (which ever you are running) as soon as the abilities are off cooldown to maximize damage. Rifle Turret overload is good to throw Vulnerability now.

EG4 just hits really hard and is a little better then TK’s Prybar + Throw Wrench/SD unless you can get confusion on a fast hitting target. Surprised me that my DPS was better with EG4 then with TK PB and TW/SD.

If you’re good at kit swapping, Runes of Altruism and Medkit5 can give you almost full time Fury. If not go for Ruby Orbs or Scholar.

GL out there,

Blood~

OP again. Looking at the December update notes, did they just nerf the 10/30/0/0/30 Static Discharge builds? Apparently they are taking Incendiary Ammo to Master tier. I have been enjoyig the burning on crit from those 10 points. Now I need to spend 20 points to get that? I’d like to say its negligible damage, but its really not. So are most of you SD folks going to go 20/25/0/0/25 now? I hate the thought of lossing two Grandmaster Traits though. What would you suggest with a SD build now, in light of the announced changes? Thanks again.

Modified ammunition might be a better choice now in PvE with other classes providing conditions (in place of incendiary)

I have mixed thoughts on IP. Burning is a great condition but in my SD builds I don’t run condition damage so in a PvE situation where others are applying Burning there’s a good chance that your’s drops off the end of the mob’s health bar. I will probably still go x/30/x/x/30, maybe Energized Armor or something. PvP, not sure yet.

Blood~

Not a big deal. I prefer Rocket Boots (with Rocket Kick) in my SD build anyway so I’ve got burn. Not being able to take IP I can trait for survivability now without feeling guilty. Now we won’t get roflstomped if we miss our burst.