Guild Wars 2

Zoaha’s Torment-Boon Blast Build

With the new spring update there have been a lot of major tweaks to the traits. With a new grandmaster trait for each trait line a lot of versatility has been introduced.

This build focuses mainly on condition damage and maintaining stackable torment while also being able to stay alive even against the heaviest hitters with considerable boons.

Admittedly, spamming skills will turn this build into a crowd control frenzy for party support but for soloing, maintaining illusions and timing your shatters will be an integral part to fully utilize this build.

Once the build editors catch up with the new update, I will provide a link to the guide.

Also feel free to critique the build, I would love to hear your suggestions !

Trait Distribution

2/0/6/0/6

• Domination: I or II
• Chaos: V | VIII| XIII
• Illusions: I | II | XIII

Quick Overview of Important Skills

Utility Skills: Mantra of Recovery | Signet of Domination | Mirror Images | (Your Choice.. I like Feedback) | Time Warp

Armor Selection
Since there is no points in vitality I am using settler’s armor which provides

• Toughness
• Healing Power
• Condition Damage

Chrysocola Amulets, Accesories, and Spineguard.

• Power
• Vitality
• Condition Damage

Runes

Superior Rune of Tormenting

It is the bread and butter of this build with a +30% increase in torment duration along with applying two stacks of torment to nearby foes every time you use a heal skill. You also get +175 condition damage which is a nice added bonus.

Weapon Selection
Staff -/- Scepter&Torch

• Power – Vitality – Condition damage (better survivability)
  or
• Power – Precision – Condition Damage (more critical hit chance).

Superior Sigil of Energy on Staff and and scepter or torch.
Superior Sigil of Corruption on free weapon, scepter or torch.

Conditions Applied: Chilled, Poison, Weakness, Blindness, Cripple, Confusion, Torment, Bleeding, Burning, and Vulnerability.

Build Details

Domination

Selected Traits: I or II

Mental Torment (I): Mind Wrack deals a 20% increase in damage.
This could be supplemented with…

Halting Strike (II): Which Deals damage when interrupting a foe. (Which you will be doing a lot but its preference.)

Chaos

Selected Traits: V|VIII|XIII

A full trait line in chaos allows your character to have significant toughness while increasing your boon durations.

Debilitating Dissipation (V): Clones apply one of three random conditions to nearby foes when killed… Bleeding, Vulnerability, or Weakness
Bountiful Interruption

Bountiful Interruption (VIII): Upon interrupting a foe, you always receive might, power, and a huge increase in condition damage.

Bountiful Dissillusionment (XIII): Gain four boons (Retaliation, Might, Fury, Regen) every time a shatter skill is used.

Illusions
Selected Traits: II|I|XIII
Confusing Cry (II): Shatter Cry of Frustation grants retaliatin. This is preference and could be substituted for IV or V.

Precise Wrack (I): Because mind wrack has the shortest cooldown, it will be heavily used to shatter illusions especially during long boss battles.

Maim The Disillusioned (XIII): Enemies hit by shatter skills are inflicted with torment.

Skill Summary

This setup allows the most number of conditions per set. It also allows you to pump out illusions to utilize your shatter skills.

The staff skill 5 provides boons and when well placed, the daze will provide interruption thus activating your other boons from the chaos trait line.

Chaos armor grants regeneration and protection as well as activating a random condition when struck. Skill 3 is a phantasm that deals 10% more damage per each unique condition.

The scepter-torch combo allows for a block skill that applies torment (~ 12s) and is crucial for dealing tons of damage over time.

The prestige allows you to get out of sticky situations since you will need to be up and close to apply torments effectively.

Playing the Build

Getting up close and personal with enemies is the key to this build. The toughness allows your to moderately tank enemies while still being able to dodge. It is also important that you heal within range of nearby foes to stack torment which will provide you with considerable damage over time.

Using the illusionary counter on the scepter should be your go to when your out of dodges and clones are recharging. Illusionary counter followed by the prestige allows you to get away and prepare for another counter.

Every third hit of ether bolt 1 on the scepter provides a clone and only takes a few seconds to stack 3 clones for an effective shatter.

Start with laying down a feedback-chaos storm combo which will give chaos armor when they are overlapped and entered.

Mirror Images > Phase Retreat > Shatter > Phantasmal Warlock > Swap > Phantasmal Mage > Confusing Images> > ether bolt 9 times > shatter > swap.. Rinse and repeat.

Before I critique this build, I’m curious as to your understanding of a couple traits. You do realize that the GM chaos trait is one particular non-stacking boon per shatter, right? You also realize that debilitating dissipation doesn’t function with shatters?

Why would you need power in a condition build?
Also you don’t have a lot of interrupts, I don’t see the logic behind taking interrupting traits.
Lastly, a shatter build without deceptive evasion? something’s gotta be wrong here :-\

Ya by all means go ahead. So BD in the grandmaster slot was a way to provide some regen and protection which is why i didn’t want to choose prismatic understanding since its buffs are weak compared to BD.

For the Debilitating dissipation, it would be much more useful when your soloing and have to keep your illusions up. As for mobs and shatters, it could be replaced on the fly with master of manipulation when using blink instead of feedback.

@Sreb
Ya, now that you say it, chaotic dampening would be much more useful instead of the interruption trait.

Raawk.7584:

Ya by all means go ahead. So BD in the grandmaster slot was a way to provide some regen and protection which is why i didn’t want to choose prismatic understanding since its buffs are weak compared to BD.

What?

I’m a bit worried about this build. How does it fare against conditions?

BD doesn’t offer the same survivability that PU does, also there are better ways to get the boons that BD gives you. Overall it’s a useless trait that doesn’t add anything significant to your build for the points invested.

Raunchy.6891:

BD doesn’t offer the same survivability that PU does, also there are better ways to get the boons that BD gives you. Overall it’s a useless trait that doesn’t add anything significant to your build for the points invested.

Heh. I was trying to see OP’s rationale behind taking it before dropping that opinion…but yeah, pretty much.

I’m using this build in WvW with good result
is similar to your build but more based on confusion

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vgAQNAW7fnknRZaWoGOoBBiGJMzI4IH1DtfdAU+wsB-zUCBYhBGXEikGmmOQk3IpoFRjtsuIasqbY6YER1kCAm1AA-w