Guild Wars 2

I recently made an engineer and I’m trying to understand it. In past classes I had two weapons to swap to. The plan was always to have a ranged weapon and a melee weapon.

The engineer just has a ranged weapon and kits. So I’m trying to apply the same idea, ranged weapon + melee kit. Is this the right logic or am I trying to fit a square block into a round hole?

I suppose you could say that the engineer shouldn’t enter melee range and if that happens you should just kite them. Sometimes that isn’t an option through. Is there something I’m missing that I should consider?

That’s about the most right logic we’ve got available for the situation. Hopefully they actually add those new weapons soon.

Well, I consider rifle to be a melee weapon, as odd as that sounds. Grenades and bombs work really well in melee too. I tend to stay in melee most of the time so don’t get stuck in the notion that engineers are a range class. In fact, many engis consider the trait “Scope” (+10% crit chance at greater than 600 units range) to be complete crap because we have so few attacks greater than 600 units. We area medium range class that can do well at range (grenades) as well as in melee.

AoE from bombs/nades/tk

My favorite thing about the engineer profession is the asymmetrical relationship between melee and ranged. Nearly every single one of our mainhand weapon skills has a different range. Also, grenades get easier to land the closer you are to your opponent.

Engineers excel at “mid-range,” as the developers envisioned. Basically, most engineer builds will need to get closer to a ranged opponent than he wants you to, and will need to keep a melee opponent a little further away than he wants to be.

Well certainly bombs and grenades are an option, but what’s missing is a defensive melee skill. Mesmer swords have blurred frenzy and a block, guardians can grant protection and heal, etc. It doesn’t feel as “complete” as a regular melee weapon skillset. But maybe it’s as simple as if they get too close, throw down the glue bomb and a smoke bomb. Afterwards, drop more bombs or give yourself some distance.

I’m only level 16 so I’m still learning, it’s just a very different style from what I’m used to with other classes.

I haven’t yet tried tool kit, how useful is it? Is it only used in a turret build or is it more universal?

Tool kit is like a mace-and-shield build. It’s got decent melee power (nowhere near as good as bombs, though) and an amazing block. Oh, and some other skills I guess.

No no. TK is definatly more universal. Especially if you want a clear melee options and range options. I think that eventually you’ll start ti integrate them more but using TK as your melee is a good way to ease into it.
edit: Snack beat me to it.

You really should be up in melee range, or at least close to it, for most builds. Engineer is much more a melee profession than a ranged one. We really only have grenades that are consistently a ranged option, and even those are easier to land up close most of the time. Nearly every other kit has at least one significant skill that requires you to be in melee range. Elixir Gun #3 and 4, all of Bomb Kit, Tool Kit, and Flamethrower.

In terms of weapons, we don’t have a ranged weapon in the same terms that other professions do. Main hand pistol is about it, but whatever you pair it with (either shield or another pistol) is going to be good in melee range. Shield a little better for range than offhand pistol, granted, but still both are most effective close up IMO.

Rifle is much more of a melee weapon than it is a ranged weapon. You can really only range with the auto attack anyways, Overcharged Shot has shorter range than the auto, and Blunderbuss/Jump Shot are much better if you’re in melee range.

XrBob.3028:

Well certainly bombs and grenades are an option, but what’s missing is a defensive melee skill. Mesmer swords have blurred frenzy and a block, guardians can grant protection and heal, etc. It doesn’t feel as “complete” as a regular melee weapon skillset. But maybe it’s as simple as if they get too close, throw down the glue bomb and a smoke bomb. Afterwards, drop more bombs or give yourself some distance.

I’m only level 16 so I’m still learning, it’s just a very different style from what I’m used to with other classes.

I haven’t yet tried tool kit, how useful is it? Is it only used in a turret build or is it more universal?

As the previous posters said, Tool Kit is a solid mace/shield type of kit. In terms of surviving in melee range, we have a plethora of options (which is good considering what I said about being a mostly melee profession or “mid range” if you want to put it that way).

Tool Kit – Gear Shield blocks
Elixir Gun – Acid Bomb can get you distance, Super Elixir to heal.
Flamethrower – Smoke Vent for AOE blind, Air Blast to create distance
Bomb Kit – Smoke Bomb for pulsing AOE blind, really helps
Pistol/Shield – Pistol #3 AOE blinds. Both shield skills protect you in one way or another
Flame Turret – Overcharge is also a pulsing AOE blind.
Slick Shoes – AOE CC, helps keep mobs from hitting you
Personal Battering Ram, Throw Mine, Thumper Turret, Rifle #4 – More skills to get some distance from enemies that are hurting you

When all else fails, Elixir S is a nice little moment to catch your breath.

well if you are asking about what to do when you cannot get away or do not have good close range abilities slotted, just keep shooting them in the face. It’s not like there’s a ranged dead zone or that taking melee hits interrupts your shots.

As Adamantium alluded to, You can kit swap at leisure. So for close in I use blunderbuss, jumpshot, > flame thrower – flameblast detonate, napalm and back to cycling through for damage. Then you have you elixir gun and healing kit or turret for heals. etc And that’s just one kit for quick powerful melee range damage. Multiple kits give multiple optionsfor any situation you may be in.

Engineer is best within about 200-600 range, you want to keep enemies just outside melee range for the best results in my opinion.

Being kited can be a serious issue for engineers, running stealth/gap closers/high swiftness uptime can help alleviate that weakness.

Imho the engineer got the opposite problem, most of our weapon are hybrid, rifle is more melee oriented than most of the engi comunity would like, pistol#2 connect more hit the closer you are to the target, bomb and toolkit are both good melee option, flamethrower is also a good option if you’re not going in wvw zerk(we have a problem with retaliation), grenade if used in melee range leave the opponent less time to dodge them and have a faster landing so you can spam them faster.
Our problem is ranged option because it’s just rifle autoattack and grenade(only with granadier trait, because without it it do less damage than rifle auto) for power build and EG for condition.

The way I play, I am more survivable than any warrior or guardian (I have both), the closest to this is my shout healer warrior.
Engineer are very very strong in meele.
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fcAQJAqel0picX3ShF87IxIFdW0hUgfDL6R+1vjB-j0BB0HAUIgUBIlNFRjVNjIqWbDzguIa1SBIrwI-w
Just try it!

I play as pistol shield. There are a variety of builds i use. I have more tools up my sleave than I can even explain.

But to sum up the essentials for me:
Perma Swiftness, Perma Vigor, Perma Retaliation, Perma Regen
Quickly shoot my poison at my main target, add bleeds from auto attack.
Use shield to bounce projectiles, finish with a KD
Throw my shield to daze them, or let them stun themselves on me if they hit me.
Throw in quick AOE blind with some confusion.
They generally run at this point.
Swap to toolkit
Throw caltops on ground
Get elixer gun out, poison them more, cripple them
Spray acid on ground
Dodge around with my vigor
Get regen from elixer utility.
Swap to toolkit
Pull them into caltops and acid
Smack em in the face with my prybar, add more confusion
Might have a quick heal from my utility skill on medkit.
Maybe use a few medkits if needed
Throw my wrench to cripple them if they try to run again.
If they still hitting me through the confusion stacks, swap to elixer again, drop light field.
If recharged use acid again for burst heal and more damage.
Change back to toolkit, use the block channel.

Swap and change kits to suit the situation.

If too many enemies, run away, drop caltrops, use light field, acid on it for heal and gain distance, dodge dodge dodge dodge. Escape as im much faster. Other times, i will just use my wrench to smack a group of people at the same time while i dodge around.

I would class myself as medium range, IE I dont have long range skills but i am good mid range and can fight in meele with ease. Anyone at long range will get pulled into my acid and caltrops for prybar and be near death almost instantly, often the confusion from static shot and prybar will outdo a heal or two.

If I am ever downed, drop revival elixer before you go down, spam auto attack, use 2 to KD the first person just as the about to execute me or pull into my team.
When they come back use three to do AOE knockback. I am now ressed from team/4/my elixer.

I am Commander Engineer, yet to find anyone to beat me full hp vs full hp in 1v1 (although i focus on group fights and do exceptional there too).
The passive support i give to my teams makes me invaluable, magnet, cripple, daze , kd, reflect etc.

I play using Giver stats (cant remember other names)
But i am maximum toughness with healpower and boon duration, I never once considered getting more damage as it would be wasted as my damage is hybrid.
Dont understand how people think engineer is Under Powered, sure its hard to master, but once you do, you are absolutely unstoppable. I have around 30k hp i think.

Put it this way, once a pistol whipper and a backstabber ganked me with haste on, the pistol whipper stunned me, the dagger thief died almost instantly from the reflected damage and confusion (he was probs <10k hp) after spamming out his skills. I was left around 3/4 hp, blocked the damage from sword thief, regened hp and then killed him with ease.

Other times I have been defeated 2v1 and ended up on the ground with one enemy on about 5% hp, they get grounded from bleed etc, they spam auto attack on me to try kill me while other executes, but the elixer keeps me up, i use my ccs to block the execute and kill the guy on the ground before im executed, then get rallied and kill 2nd guy.

Prybar
Static Shot
Concussion Bomb
Flash Grenade

Hit your 3’s! All the above skills either confuse or blind, and they are all bound to button 3. Coincidence?

Button 4 on many kits is also defensive. 2 shield blocks, 2 knockbacks, chill, blind, a leap back.

Toolkit 1 is fun sometimes too, as the third swing can hit hard in power builds.

Tool Kit offers great defense with a cripple (#2), confusion (#3), and a block (#4). It’s our only true melee option. But that doesn’t mean things that have range can’t or shouldn’t be used at melee range.

Bombs are pretty much melee, and grenades are used even more effectively at close range. Both offer a combination of chilled, cripple, immob, blind, confusion, and stealth (smoke+blast). So quite a lot of defense at melee range there.

As others have stated, our rifle’s skills have such a varying degree of range that you’re often best at melee range. Double jump shot on top of your enemy and then hit em with a blunderbuss and they are hurting. Preface that with a bomb/grenade combo field and you’ve got stealth or weakness or fire armor; all good at close range.

XrBob.3028:

Well certainly bombs and grenades are an option, but what’s missing is a defensive melee skill. Mesmer swords have blurred frenzy and a block, guardians can grant protection and heal, etc. It doesn’t feel as “complete” as a regular melee weapon skillset. But maybe it’s as simple as if they get too close, throw down the glue bomb and a smoke bomb. Afterwards, drop more bombs or give yourself some distance.

I’m only level 16 so I’m still learning, it’s just a very different style from what I’m used to with other classes.

I haven’t yet tried tool kit, how useful is it? Is it only used in a turret build or is it more universal?

Toolkit has an amazing 20 second cd (can be traited lower) 3 second block. Combine that with shield #5 for another 1 and a half sec block, Elixir S for 3 secs of invuln. Then you can trait for vigor on swiftness for more dodge fun, and trait for an extra Elixir S at 25% hp. (Though granted trait things don’t apply much as you’re still leveling)

Then all the blinds and knockbacks others have listed… Engineer is certainly not lacking for defensive cooldowns.

And yeah as others have said, Flamethrower and bomb kit may as well be melee kits. Even grenades are best at medium range – less travel time, easier to hit things. Engineer definitely shines at medium range or less.

Shield is also a melee weapon. In WvW I’ll take shield over rifle any day, thus rendering toolkit somewhat redundant.

Chaba.5410:

Shield is also a melee weapon. In WvW I’ll take shield over rifle any day, thus rendering toolkit somewhat redundant.

I disagree about rendering TK redundant. Its only similarity is the block. But the KT also has cripple and a long range pull. If you’re planning on fighting in melee (as this thread suggests) don’t overlook the value of a pull & cripple. Not to mention, who doesn’t love a good PryBar?