Guild Wars 2

Currently working toward my last two levels and then the hunt for exotics is on!
Right now, I am just not entirely sure about my build.

So far it works pretty well. But is it optimal?
I’ve looked into quite a lot of alternatives – Condition staff, Shatterer dodge-clones etc. – and I can safely say this mix of melee and ranged suits my style.
But is that good enough in the long run?

The thing I am going for is a mixture between general PvE (map completion) and dungeons (mainly damage with mild support). WvW and sPvP aspects can be ignored for this.

The build:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fgAQNAR8dlwzSqXVzhGaNJxZGRf5oU0dwTqgqLfA3A;T8Ag0ynEOJ9S9lyJKlMKJUyqkTJpSLLGFsLA
Note: copy-paste this manually if it suggests it is a “bad link”.

The playstyle:
Single enemy (Bosses):
Open with the Greatsword to get in the clone (+ vulnerability) and the Phantasm asap. Swap to Sword/Focus to set up that Phantasm too and the line to ward ranged attacks off if needed. Granted the enemy is not too powerful, I leap in to unleash fiery hell and then roll back out. Swap back to Greatsword to set up the second Berserker and then keep distance for survivability.
Shatters where necessary only, to maintain the Phantasm squad. Keeping an eye on their health: if low, shatter beats getting them destroyed by the enemy.
Utility skills are adjusted according to the requirements of the fight.

Multiple enemies:
Similar Phantasm summoning style, but making more use of the Shatters and Sword’s blurred frenzy to maintain survivability. Kiting is my friend, it’s hard to explain in depth. Each fight is different. If nothing else, it keeps the combat fresh and enjoyable.

The gear:
Note: Tested several, this seemed most viable thusfar. Any remarks are welcome.
Full berserker with matching gems on accessories.
Runes: currently uncertain.
Weapons: Greatsword & Sword/Focus.
Sigils: Force on Greatsword. Fire on Sword due to large amount of hits inflicted and AoE. Force on Focus; uncertain about this usefulness.

The feedback required:
Does this look any good? If so: why? If not: why? Go ahead. Shoot! Tell me what you think.
And remember, the forum has rules. Much as I encourage you to bash all the downsides of my build and ideas, keep it polite, and don’t forget to add suggestions to fix and improve things! Constructive criticism all the way!

I am not a huge fan of using a focus in PVE simply because one of the abilities is very “cosmetic” in terms of practical function. Warden is OK but temporal curtain really only has limited PVE use and not so great in combat when compared to other things. Later in the game when you are in Orr and fighting wall to wall risen kiting is not exactly the best way to go because EVERYthing there wants to kill you and you will bite off more than you can chew.

Your build is not terrible but if I can make a bit of a suggestion; Perhaps swap out 5 pts in Domination for another 5 pts in illusions to get might on shattering. Helps quite a bit.

The focus 1(4) skill acts as a field… if you use sword3 through it you will get retaliation boon both ways, if you use staff 2 the same thing, if you lay focus 1(4) on your phantasm via focus 2(5) it will do whirl finishers… The ability of this class to synergise off of their own skills is great. Use fields to cast on phantasms and to cast clones through, it’s great.

Unf. Just noticed that the link I’d pasted in is not the build I was actually using at all.
The site provided a link to a completely different build somehow. Seems to have been fixed now.

Thanks for the suggestions so far though. I’m looking into bringing Torch and Pistol along for my Orr adventures. I’ve already completed Straits so far, but it’s very bothersome to pull a lot of extra things by accident.
Torch’s extra stealth, blind and proper shattering to get clones out of bad places do help a lot!

Auruan.2837:

Unf. Just noticed that the link I’d pasted in is not the build I was actually using at all.
The site provided a link to a completely different build somehow. Seems to have been fixed now.

Thanks for the suggestions so far though. I’m looking into bringing Torch and Pistol along for my Orr adventures. I’ve already completed Straits so far, but it’s very bothersome to pull a lot of extra things by accident.
Torch’s extra stealth, blind and proper shattering to get clones out of bad places do help a lot!

Yeah, just remember your phantasms can do more than just stand there and tank n spank…. field combos all the way… it’s tremendous fun!

I generally use Feedback for more than just the great effect it has: the field is nice. Get some confusion whirls in there, chaos armour with my sword’s leap and so on.
But nothing beats watching fireballs fly far and wide if I can combo with Elementalists or others. In dungeons, when combining them with e.g. a Ranger’s healing spring, it’s just pure joy!

Hey Auruan. Some nice ideas there, and my experience is that finding that optimal build is a little harder to find with PvE, just because so many different approaches work depending on how much defense, utility, support and how many “oh crap” abilities you want to have just in case.

Trait-wise, I feel like some things are off but I’m not 100% sure of what’s off about your build from the link that you posted. I imagine Phantasmal Haste should be there in Illusions, though? I don’t mind Nueshak’s idea of getting Shattered Strength, but I’d probably drop Sharper Images for it instead of losing direct phantasm damage… though will you shatter with a build like this often enough to really appreciate it? Maybe if you run Signet of Inspiration, but more on that later.

Specifically about focus, I actually kinda like the idea of Warden’s Feedback to have a reflect handy, and with that plus Feedback, you’ll probably rock anything that’s primarily ranged, though I’d be tempted to take a different utility (probably Null field) to get a broader range of abilities, after all iWarden is also a ranged defense you can have against those. I think focus is a great PvE weapon not so much for Into the Void but because iWarden has so much AoE damage potential, plus that double retaliation combo from sword-3 that sinican was talking about. Couple that with swapping out an Illusion trait for Confusing Cry can give you the chance to get long retaliation stacks, usually around 30 seconds or more… though as you mentioned, you probably don’t want to shatter too often if you can help it.

Sigil-wise, in PvE I feel like the stacking on-kill sigil should be on at least one of your weapons, particularly if you’re good at not getting downed. In this case you might even opt for the precision one, with on-crit sigils on the other weapons, maybe something like Fire (like you have already) or Generosity (the new one that passes your conditions to your target) as a persistent condition-removal tool.

Utilities can be swapped in and out whenever, of course, but I’d consider Null Field for condition removal, and it’s an ethereal field like Feedback…. Signet of Inspiration I like a lot in PvE lately, particularly for sharing long retaliation stacks and because if you run with even one buffing sort (shout warrior, most guardians, etc.), you have this opportunity to nearly double all of your allies’ boons… iDefender is an interesting defensive choice, and I imagine if you’re smart about its use, you’d feel a little safer not running Decoy/Mirror Images or some kind of stun break?

Overall, though, nice melee/ranged options, lots of phantasmal AoE, certainly looks on the mark for what you were hoping for, for sure.

I can’t see your link =(

But anyway, I used to be a Sword/Focus with GS, but I switched from GS to staff because it brings more group utility. But for certain fights I may go sword/sword or sword/pistol. I love the focus it brings so much a fight when its traited, but its not so great when un-traited.

I personally like power, and crit builds since crits can get ridiculous at times. I’ve had my iWarden hit for 15k =P

I don’t know if you put Signet of Inspiration in your utilities, but your group will love you for it. If used right you can give everyone 25 stacks of might, and defensive buffs =)

Thank you both very much for the excellent feedback!
I’ve gotten to 80 and geared myself in better than average Berserker gear, so far. I can say nothing but: worth it. It’s fun, I can still easily survive and the damage and stacks of bleeding are mighty fine.

Vutak. I’ve been using Null Field in dungeons, because, as you said, it provides excellent back-up. Never quite saw its use in the field, but for dungeons it’s quickly upgraded to one of my favourite skills to use. I can even swap to the 20% cooldown reduce for Glamours, so that is incredibly nifty. Great suggestion!
I also tried out the Confusing Cry idea, which seems to work nicely in certain situations.
Blink is one of those skills I swap in and out as the situation demands. And as for the other suggestion: I got a pistol with the might stack sigil. I seldom get defeated, so it’s fun to use it to build up some extra power.

Fallos. I do have the focus traited at this point, thus it actually works very nicely as anti-ranged. I swap it out for pistol on occassion though.
I took Signet of Inspiration with me, as you suggested. Really nice when I had a support Guardian aboard. Used sword to melee next to him, taking in all his shout boons and then rolled back to the allies that were out of reach to grant them everything. It’s a very nice little tactic and very nifty for some extra support!

All in all, I’m quite satisfied with the build now, and grateful for the feedback. Thank you!