Guild Wars 2

what is engineers biggest enemy in wvw and in pvp and if u know ur engi and u good at it is engineer good choise for pvp wvw ? how u do agains ham/bow war or med guardian or shatterer mesmer or condi necro thx for help

Well, that’s quite a complicated topic that could easily fill several posts, but I’ll answer some more simple queries.

In general, I find some of the toughest match ups to be against necromancers. Whether it’s manipulating your boons, overloading you with condition, consuming your applied conditions, or simply enduring your damage while keeping you CC’ed, they just always seem to have some kind of natural edge against an engineer. Obviously it’s very dependent on the builds that each player is using though.

Warriors can also be pretty tough sometimes, as can mesmers.

I usually don’t feel that guardians, rangers, or elementalists have anything special about them that makes them naturally difficult, though one shouldn’t underestimate high burst guardians.

I find I generally feel very confident against thieves, but you have make the right moves during the fight, especially if they’re a s/d thief with an unblockable boon stealer.

I don’t find engineers to be particularly difficult or easy either, no matter the spec they are running (but this is probably because I’m fairly familiar with engg).

Engineers are a pretty decent choice right now for sPvP, even if you don’t get on the decap engg bandwagon. They can do well in WvW too, although they often don’t fill the specialized roles that the other professions do. But this just means you have more options to play how you want, which I like (whereas a mesmer without veil might as well just be deleted as far as zerg play goes).

Here are my opinions. I mostly sPvP and rarely WvW. My thoughts on WvW may be out of date. I usually run condi builds in PvP modes so this is based on that.

Elementalist – If you’re a condi build and they’re built for healing and clearing condis just ignore them. They won’t be able to make much of a dent in your health, but you probably won’t be able to kill them either. I mostly find these types of Eles in WvW. In sPvP Eles aren’t usually a problem as they’re built more for damage and you can avoid their attacks easily.

Warrior – Warriors are stupid right now. Hambow, or Hammer/Mace with Runes of Perplexity is just the stupidest thing to ever exist. Luckily they’re not as prevalent as they were before those runes got fixed but they’re still stupid and annoying in WvW. In sPvP unless it’s a terribad Warrior (luckily those are pretty common) you’re going to have a hard time. If it’s a bunker you’ll never kill it. If it’s damage it will likely kill you first. Just dodge the telegraphed attacks as best you can, block/invuln the spikes, kite during their immunities, eat through all their condi removals, out dps their passive healing, hope you have friends nearby and… well… yeah Warriors are stupid.

Ranger – In sPvP not much of a threat. Annoying if they know how to use longbow well, but it’s not a very strong weapon so they probably won’t be able to kill you with it. You should be able to burn them down.

Necro – Necros are our hard counter, so it’s going to be tough to beat them. They don’t have that much condi removal compared to other professions, the key is to make them burn through DS and Consume Conditions as quickly as possible, then unload the rest of your conditions and damage (keep a burn available). Still, if they’re competent they’ll probably kill you.

Guardian – Guards are a pretty good match up for us due to their low health pool. If they’re bunker you probably won’t kill them (that’s the point of a bunker after all) but any other build you shouldn’t have too much of a problem with because conditions just eat their health bars away so fast.

Thief – Annoying little suckers. A very good Thief will make you feel stupid, but those are very few and far between. Very. In WvW you’ll be lucky to get any Thief kills, they’ll just run when you’re winning (which is most of the time due to low health pools like Guards). In sPvP I usually don’t have a problem with them because I usually have bombs/Elixir B/Elixir S and those skills are great counters to Thieves. If they go stealth, I go stealth. If they pop venoms I pop stability. If they’re using sword or dagger, I drop bombs. Shadow Refuge, Big Ol Bomb. Like I said a very good Thief is extremely hard to counter but those are like 1 for every 50 you’ll fight, probably even less.

Engineer – Obviously when playing the same profession it just comes down to outplaying your opponent. If you can figure out his build before he figures out your build you’ll probably be able to win. Pay very close attention to what he does in the first few seconds of the fight, it will probably give away his build. Play to its weaknesses and you win.

Mesmer – I hate good Mesmers. A lot. The good thing is they usually have just 1 big burst, if you can avoid that you win. The hard part is avoiding it. I play with Elixir S most of the time so if I see the burst coming (usually started by the long stun and/or immobilize) I can survive. Also dodging through clones that run at you and AOE to kill phantasms is very helpful. Mesmers are my most hated and most fun fights sometimes lol. If I win against a good Mesmer I feel very good about myself. If they kill me I feel very angry.

These are my thoughts, hope it helps. Your mileage may vary.

if you’re a good engineer with the standard condi build, the only class you can’t beat is a condition necromancer. a new player could roll condi necro and will still beat you. hard counters #1. be wary of any condition based build. a good spirit ranger or condi warrior could still beat you.

The main reason a condi necro is tough to beat as a condition build (of any profession) is that each time you stack conditions on them, you’re just giving them ammo. The typical condition necro has two condition transfer skills with a possible third, and Consume Conditions makes them happy to be loaded with conditions.

This is completely intended by ANet: necros are supposed to be very difficult to beat with conditions.

in wvw the only thing that I find hard to beat in 1v1 are diamond skin d/d eles. a good cleric/pvt one who plays defensively enough will be godlike, I can barely break the 90% threshold and then they can just atune to water and be back at full hp.

I’m not that fearful of necros anymore, there’s alot of ways to outplay one.
Not saying it isn’t tough, but you can get around them by paying attention/being better/countering; diamond skin eles however…!

Time to switch to rifle.

Yeah definitely necromancers, and next for me personally are condi mesmers and then stun warriors. Thieves i really have no problem with, tho i dont actually kill many of them as they tend to just run off into the distance after a few grenades. Rangers, again no problem, if they want to duke it out in range combat the condi from pistol usually does the trick.

Never really fight eles, only ever see em in groups with their staff so i dunno.

Necromancers are tough but it really helps to take something like bomb kit and nail them with non-condition damage. Like fighting when you to only use one arm.

Warriors are just so dang annoying to any class. OP but they really do a number with engies depending on their build given we tend to be low on stun breakers and stability.

Mesmers are not a unique engie problem, but a good Mesmer is always tough because of the ’Where’s Waldo" effect. Even if it only takes a couple seconds, it matters.

The rest are even fights or better.

Maskaganda.2043:

in wvw the only thing that I find hard to beat in 1v1 are diamond skin d/d eles. a good cleric/pvt one who plays defensively enough will be godlike, I can barely break the 90% threshold and then they can just atune to water and be back at full hp.

I’m not that fearful of necros anymore, there’s alot of ways to outplay one.
Not saying it isn’t tough, but you can get around them by paying attention/being better/countering; diamond skin eles however…!

Where are all these diamond skin eles? I never see them in WvW… seen some in sPvP though.

Warriors – A pain in the kitten in PvP, but I don’t find them that bad in WvW. They have lots of sustain, yes. But because of the wide-open nature of WvW compared to PvP where you need to sit on a point, Warriors in WvW need to use slightly different tactics. Using Hambow would just get you killed. As soon as a Warrior switches to bow, I drop my kits and reflect.

Guardians – This is the one class that has never known what its like to be UP. However, they’re not OP. In PvP, if the guardian is alone on a point I tend to just overrun them with conditions from afar until I see an opportunity to knock them back. If they have a friend and it becomes 2v1, then it is best for me to run. Even a mediocre guardian is nothing to scoff at. In a gametype based around holding small plots of land, its only natural that the super tanky controller class will be strong. I tend not to see many that roam in WvW. Mostly for the reason as to why they’re so good in PvP. They’re great at defending and for control in zergs, but when roaming they don’t have AMAZING mobility and sticking potential.

Thieves – Most thieves have a canned skill rotation that can be easily predicted. In PvP, an engineer can easily go toe-to-toe with any thief build, with the exception of an HGH grenadier vs a s/d thief. In WvW, you can’t escape a thief unless you blast your smoke fields. Just fight them. When they’re losing they’ll just stealth away and reset the fight. Keep calm and continue on your merry way. If they come back, fight them again. It’s good practice for when you meet a decent thief. Perpexity thieves are something to watch out for, though.

Rangers – While we CAN 1v1 these guys in PvP, I wouldn’t recommend it if they’re the meta spirit build. If they aren’t, then go get em champ. In WvW they’re strong roamers, but so are we. Golden rule in WvW: if they’re coming at you with a bow, you have the advantage. Otherwise, its equal ground.

Engineers – they’ll hook u in a gabba m8, i swer on me mum

Elementalists – Stone skin eles are really annoying. S/D eles bring a decent amount of damage, D/D eles have more sustain and CC. In PvP and WvW they’re not much of a threat. The upcoming balance patch will buff their sustain, however. So be wary then. Roaming eles were once uncatchable, unkillable demons.

Necromancers – Our hard counter. Only if they’re condition. In PvP, pack condition removal and range them down with ’nades. In WvW, try to run away. They have the lowest mobility in the game. Abuse that. MM builds are just bleh.

Mesmers – In WvW, if its a PU mesmer, just run. They can’t catch you. And you running away will make them feel unwanted and unloved. They’ll eventually succumb to the loneliness and depression as they realize that their only friends are their clones and phantasms. We’re on equal grounds with every other mesmer build.

Basically, in my opinion:
In PvP we’re disadvantaged vs Necromancers and Warriors, and have the advantage over thieves, eles and sometimes guardians. Equal with everything else.
In WvW we’re disadvantaged vs Necromancers, and whether we are advantaged or equal to other classes depends on their build. I.E. we’re advantaged vs power rangers, but equal vs regen condition rangers.

Are engineers a great choice in PvP? Yes, yes and yes. We’re amazing.
Are engineer a great choice for WvW roaming? Yes x 10^100. We’re even better here than we are at PvP.
Are engineers a great choice for WvW zerging? We’re okay. We offer sustained ranged damage, CC and healing bombs. We’re weak to retaliation, which limits the builds we can use. This is an area Anet needs to work on.

hmmm…
power bruiser with 30/10/20/10/0, tk/rocketboots/nades
(as in, im a fighter, not a bunker.. but 1800+ toughness)

is it good? yeah love it

in 1on1 , its a necro. its nearly IMPOSSIBLE for an engy to beat a necro in 1on1. If its either condi or power with cleanse.

Mesmers also give me trouble.

everything else I usually beat 1on1.

Yamsandjams.3267:

Maskaganda.2043:

in wvw the only thing that I find hard to beat in 1v1 are diamond skin d/d eles. a good cleric/pvt one who plays defensively enough will be godlike, I can barely break the 90% threshold and then they can just atune to water and be back at full hp.

I’m not that fearful of necros anymore, there’s alot of ways to outplay one.
Not saying it isn’t tough, but you can get around them by paying attention/being better/countering; diamond skin eles however…!

Where are all these diamond skin eles? I never see them in WvW… seen some in sPvP though.

yea, I don’t see them that often. most times I’ve seen one was someone respecing after I killed them a bunch of times. and it doesn’t even work unless they are defensively geared, if they are using zerker or celestial it’s still pretty much winnable. cleric/soldier tho, I just can’t do it wth my roaming build, no way around it, no outplaying possible, gotta go rifle/power build, from my experience.

hence why I say necros aren’t as bad. there’s alot of room to outplay one and plenty of tactics to employ. if I see a good necro I know it’s gonna be tough, but I’m confident in my chances.

Yeh i run a build similar to maskaganda and with the hgh might stacks up 1 pry bar usually cuts through diamond skin then load up the conditions, it can be a long fight but i dont feel very threatened.

The only build that scares me wvw roaming is probably an unsuspected condi burst necro and even then im usually fine unless they send my conditions back to me.

insanemaniac.2456:

hmmm…
power bruiser with 30/10/20/10/0, tk/rocketboots/nades
(as in, im a fighter, not a bunker.. but 1800+ toughness)

wvw roaming

hide spoiler

• ele:
  fresh air — OGODOGOD RUNNNN (im so bad)
  the rest — advantage engi

• engi:
  really fun to fight in general, you never know what theyll bring. when i see a perplex one i shout “SCRUB” at my monitor.

• guard:
  zergling — i win
  dps/zerker/whatever — kinda skill match, slight advantage engi

• mesmer:
  phants — advantage mesmer
  pu condi — stalemate, not worth fighting. can win after 5-10 mins.
  shatter — skill match, but advantage engi

• necro:
  condi — hard counters me cuz i use nades
  MM — i stomp MM when i see them but only noobs run MM in wvw
  wells — usually stay in zergs

• ranger:
  power — lol
  regen condi bunker — skill match… but rare as hell

• teef:
  hmm…
  d/d & d/p — advantage engi, but can heavily depend on if they backstab while protection injection is doin work
  s/d — advantage thief
  condi not s/p — advantage engi
  s/p — i dont remember being pistol whipped…
  thieves matchup variety is second only to engi. also supply crate is an “i win” button pretty often.

• warrior:
  power — hard counter in general, axe wielder is skill matchup
  condi — skill match

is it good? yeah love it

That’s the trait setup I run with both power and condi, good stuff.

Pwent.2639:

Yeh i run a build similar to maskaganda and with the hgh might stacks up 1 pry bar usually cuts through diamond skin then load up the conditions, it can be a long fight but i dont feel very threatened.

The only build that scares me wvw roaming is probably an unsuspected condi burst necro and even then im usually fine unless they send my conditions back to me.

Yeah, I actually got hit with three signet of spites at once one time… just nothing that can be done. Elixir C would be a mircale in that situation, but there’s just no room for it… tool kit is too useful. I guess one could try subbing out elixir B since you get the hidden flask trait, but… just need a 4th utility slot lol.

id say its biggest enemy is necro. however automated response basically owns every necro that isnt zerk…. that said i also run turret for cleanse and there are so many other traits to help too. 2nd behind necro…. id say is SOME mesmer builds.

K U T M.4539:

insanemaniac.2456:

hmmm…
power bruiser with 30/10/20/10/0, tk/rocketboots/nades
(as in, im a fighter, not a bunker.. but 1800+ toughness)

wvw roaming

hide spoiler

• ele:
  fresh air — OGODOGOD RUNNNN (im so bad)
  the rest — advantage engi

• engi:
  really fun to fight in general, you never know what theyll bring. when i see a perplex one i shout “SCRUB” at my monitor.

• guard:
  zergling — i win
  dps/zerker/whatever — kinda skill match, slight advantage engi

• mesmer:
  phants — advantage mesmer
  pu condi — stalemate, not worth fighting. can win after 5-10 mins.
  shatter — skill match, but advantage engi

• necro:
  condi — hard counters me cuz i use nades
  MM — i stomp MM when i see them but only noobs run MM in wvw
  wells — usually stay in zergs

• ranger:
  power — lol
  regen condi bunker — skill match… but rare as hell

• teef:
  hmm…
  d/d & d/p — advantage engi, but can heavily depend on if they backstab while protection injection is doin work
  s/d — advantage thief
  condi not s/p — advantage engi
  s/p — i dont remember being pistol whipped…
  thieves matchup variety is second only to engi. also supply crate is an “i win” button pretty often.

• warrior:
  power — hard counter in general, axe wielder is skill matchup
  condi — skill match

is it good? yeah love it

That’s the trait setup I run with both power and condi, good stuff.

i hate using my condi set with it bleah
might be other reasons tho, and not the traits. im not really sure.

insanemaniac.2456:

hmmm…
power bruiser with 30/10/20/10/0, tk/rocketboots/nades
(as in, im a fighter, not a bunker.. but 1800+ toughness)

wvw roaming

hide spoiler

• ele:
  fresh air — OGODOGOD RUNNNN (im so bad)
  the rest — advantage engi

• engi:
  really fun to fight in general, you never know what theyll bring. when i see a perplex one i shout “SCRUB” at my monitor.

• guard:
  zergling — i win
  dps/zerker/whatever — kinda skill match, slight advantage engi

• mesmer:
  phants — advantage mesmer
  pu condi — stalemate, not worth fighting. can win after 5-10 mins.
  shatter — skill match, but advantage engi

• necro:
  condi — hard counters me cuz i use nades
  MM — i stomp MM when i see them but only noobs run MM in wvw
  wells — usually stay in zergs

• ranger:
  power — lol
  regen condi bunker — skill match… but rare as hell

• teef:
  hmm…
  d/d & d/p — advantage engi, but can heavily depend on if they backstab while protection injection is doin work
  s/d — advantage thief
  condi not s/p — advantage engi
  s/p — i dont remember being pistol whipped…
  thieves matchup variety is second only to engi. also supply crate is an “i win” button pretty often.

• warrior:
  power — hard counter in general, axe wielder is skill matchup
  condi — skill match

is it good? yeah love it

No swiftness in a roaming build?

power shoes

Ah okay, makes more sense. Do you find that can replace the extra speed from swiftness on a permanent basis? There’s a LOT of ground to cover in WvW, even a few percentage could really make a difference…

yeah. the difference is noticeable, but i dont miss the thread of focus i had to dedicate to maintaining speedy kits. and rocket booting on cd still puts me ahead of everyone but a thief/warrior/fgs/norn in land speed. you know, the things engi cant catch anyways.

the biggest thing about the choice is the reset on healing turret, imo 8% speed < healing turret reset. going 15+ tools instead forces me into med kit with worse condi clears (sooo important in roaming, but not sayin med kits bad, i love it), and having 1 of those 2 minor traits gives you so much more staying power in a fight.

the only boons i have in the build come from hidden flask. so its a very selfish build, but i provide condi spam stds, a little water, and the ability to absorb ANYTHING a friend wants to give me. and im aware enough to blast friendly fields with both my blasts.

Sounds cool, thanks for the info!

EDIT: Question: if you had 6 Runes of the Traveler what would you change in your traits? It seems like you go 20 pts into Inventions purely for the run speed, so how would you spend that 10, or perhapds 20, points differently?