What is a good World Boss build?
Personally, I like to use Greatsword primarily against epic world bosses because they aren’t critable. Sword spec, while it does more dps, gives precision. Another reason for Greatsword is the ability to stack might for allies with iElasticity. Though you sacrifice a phantasm, they end up dead pretty quickly most of the time anyway. For my other weapon set, It will depend on the fight. MH is always sword just because there’s no other option, but OH is either sword of focus. Usually it’s focus because of the speed boost in fights like Teq for getting quickly back to the boss for the burn phase.
In the case of VW, the champs are critable so sword/focus (for stopping projectiles) is the way to go most of the time, but if you aren’t comfortable being in melee, GS is always an option for the same reasons I listed above. It’s importable to be in the middle group for VW and have Feedback on your bar for when the middle boss spins. I never really enjoyed playing in melee, so for VW, I take GS training, Medic’s Feedback or Glamour Mastery (and hope you’re group doesn’t suck), and iElasticity. You could also take the improved focus trait for more reflection (assuming that works for this boss).
This is what I do and it seems to work out quite well.
For regular world bosses GS+Sword/Focus, picking as many +%dmg and direct power boosts as you can. iZerker and iWarden to my knowledge are the only phantasms you can place inside the “head” of the bosses where they take almost no damage. Slot Mantra of Pain for tagging if you don’t afk through the pre-events.
For Tequatl always stick to defense duty and run pretty much any damage build you like. If you do it with an organised community even a condi build might be usable, but not recommended ofc. If you find yourself in the zerg for any reason try to stick with the ranged crowd, Blurred Frenzy doesn’t work against waves…
For Triple Trouble run the max damage meta build and learn to use it. Take a Focus unless you’re at amber, and ensure you have a zerker set for the 2nd phase.
Vinewrath really depends on how your map is playing, the “best” role probably is max reflect build on 2nd boss. For the first boss (troll) bring Mantra of Concentration, Pistol, and MH sword, place iDuelists outside his AoE range and use mantra during the big laser attack. 2nd boss (thrasher) just camp Focus for reflects, 2 mesmers can shut him down completely. Try to avoid fighting the 3rd boss because he moves a lot, if you must bring GS+Sw/Sw because both phantasms follow him and have the highest chance of actually hitting him.
If you notice your group needs the support, or your own latency is too bad to actively dodge “mid-tier” attacks, you can also trait Restorative Mantras and cycle MoP, summoning phantasms on cooldown unless you already have 3 up. This helps neither “very good” nor “terrible” groups though, and you still have to get out of the massive insta-kills either way.
Speaking from a silverwastes perspective, I run GS+staff in a CI interupt build. I completely destroy teragriffs and thrashers with HS+interupts. I mainly solo, but use MoD (more interupts) feedback and blink (priceless when i miss a dodge from a griff). Dropping a CS on a group of teragriffs (or any of the mobs other than hucks) is borderline comical.
in other pve, i swap out staff for sword/pistol (and if roaming in wvw) and stick to the CI build. zergs i stick to gs/staff though.
Wouldnt recommend this if just starting out on mesmer though. you need to recognize the victims movements and when to interupt, etc.