Guild Wars 2

For a while, I was running an HGH Grenadier set-up with grenades, elixir kit and Elixer U, which gave me some nice utility and support and also gave me two stunbreaks which was a nice bonus. More or less this: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vdAQJAqelUUhSsY7Ww8KQ7FLsFFYIeiBQYNcRvm4GFjPBA-ThSGABnpDAgHAAwK9GUlg8UC6r6KJqCxRKDYb/RLQxnAAA-e

Since I run sinister/rampager stats for PVE, I thought I’d try out a build with a better output of damaging conditions, so I swapped alchemy for explosives and traded the elixers for the bomb kit and flamethrower:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vdAQJAqelUUhSsYfWwWLQ7FLpFF4J2iHQ4O0R123TFANAA-ThSGABnpDAgHAAwK9GUlg8UC6r6KJqCxRKDYb/RLQxnAAA-e

(side note, The gear in those builds doesn’t exactly match what I have, I got lazy setting the gear and I’m still a couple pieces short of full ascended. Basically, mostly sinister with a couple odd pieces but in general, full glass power/condi/precision)

I haven’t tried to calculate the actual DPS difference, but if nothing else, I’m doing a crazy amount of burning damage in general.

However, I was getting a bit annoyed playing the second setup. At first I just thought it was getting used to a more complicated rotation, but then I realized it was because I have no stunbreaks. You can get away with it for most of PVE, but a lot of bosses and enemies suddenly become very frustrating when they knock you down and force you to lay in their AOEs for a full 3 seconds or so while you’re basically full glass.

Now I’m not entirely sure what I want to do about it.
The egun is probably still the best overall option for me to have a stunbreak, even while untraited, though it is a little less appealing without the alchemy line, and I’m not sure if it’s better to trade the flamethrower or Bomb Kit in for it damage wise.

Engineer doesn’t seem to have to many good stunbreak options outside of elixirs, and poor stability access which makes having that back-up stunbreak all the more important.

So I was just curious as to what your preferred stunbreak skills are on Engineer.

Or if you don’t use one at all, how do you cope with not having a stunbreak?

I use Reactive Lenses in Tools, but that only seems to work against stun/fear/daze. Nothing that knocks your character around. I’ve bugged it and it sounds like others have as well so I don’t know if it will get fixed but that would make it even better.

Without basically telling you to blow up your build and give you a link to the meta like most of these types of threads do… here’s my advice:

If you’re going to use Elixir Gun I would trade Bomb Kit out and also trade your shield for offhand pistol. This well help you offset the damage loss the best IMO plus you got a little more survive ability with the Elixir Gun. I know you traited into the shield, but that’s my suggestion.

I used to run Elixir S for a bit, then Elixir Gun. Now I’m rocking Utility Goggles for both PvE and PvP since I use Static Discharge.

Chances are you won’t get CC’d too fast in PvE so it’s possible to get around using a 40 sec CD stunbreak; in PvP I just try to not go too far in and save Goggles for either the stunbreak or bursting down blinding enemies.

In PvP i dont use any. I use rocket boots and protection injection. Dont get Cc solves it all

Arioso.8519:

So I was just curious as to what your preferred stunbreak skills are on Engineer.

For skips – slick shoes/elixir S.
When I need reflect – elixir U.
When I just need stunbreak – egun.

Arioso.8519:

and poor stability access which makes having that back-up stunbreak all the more important.

5.5 sec group wide stability on 17.5(20) sec cooldown is not that bad.

Why would you need stunbreaks in pve?