Guild Wars 2

So first, why is it this “does not work” for you? Is it a weapon you don’t like? Is it the playstyle of putting your phantasms and letting them do half the work while you auto attack that you don’t like? Is it that you don’t feel that this is very efficient? Is it that you feel you are dying too easily?

The metabattle is a glassy power-phantasm build. You can instead play shatter (power or condi) builds, they do less damage in optimal conditions but they are more active. You can also play a condition phantasm, which has a nearly comparable DPS to power.

The metabattle is usually the “fastest way” to clear PvE content. If you play open world, or events on your own, you really don’t care that much (except for the gain of time). If you play dungeons, you can also deviate from the “meta”, but you have to make sure the group you are playing with agrees with that.

Then try condi, it is more ranged while still fairly strong:
scepter/pistol + scepter/focus
rampager gear (sinister works but hard to get), krait rune (bleed duration)
in dueling take duelist’s discipline.

Your phantasmal duelist will hit like a truck thanks to the bleeds, and scepter is fairly strong.

Well yes, you could also play rabid to be more defensive. But I thought having range may be enough to increase your survivability..