Guild Wars 2

I’m finding that I’m not sure how to properly prepare for AOE encounters. Is there a particular pet / weapon that I should be using? I’m a ‘power’ druid. What are folks doing about this?

Stay out of the AoE, for the most part. That means you need to be willing to take a decap. The other classes were simply given too much access to mass AoE so we need to get off point, and kill them from Range. There really is nothing else to do. Their AoE can cover most points, so we need to just run away and kill/widdle them from Range.

If you face a DH try to avoid the unblockable insta-cast pull they have so they can’t pull you back onto their traps. Most DH players are really bad mechanically/strategically. They almost always open by teleporting to you and dropping an insta cast trap/AoE ring of some sort.

Once you dodge away, they try to snag and pull you back. Just be ready for that opening, get away from them, and twiddle them down.

I guess I should be more clear. What I’m wondering is how to do AOE from range in PVE.

Thanks for the quick reply!

You can try equipping your LB with fire sigil, using two lb, and quick draw. With some pets, you can dish out a tolerable damage. But other professions will always be better than you in the terms of range aoe dmg (with some exceptions)

You can also try fire + blight sigils in wvw.

barrage is the only real ranged power aoe skill rangers have I think.

I wouldn’t run double longbow or anything silly but you can do something else with LB, quickdraw and druid,

Engage in fight, activate celestial avatar, exit and cast barrage first, will chop the recharge down quite a bit. If you are using celestial shadow it will even allow you to free cast barrage. You may wonder if that is wasting astral force but really, barrage tics so fast for a nice duration you will build it right back fairly quickly.

AoE is a limitation of the class I think by design. Condition damage builds are better at AoE than power though since your traps will hit harder and torch is crazy strong.

That said, sword and greatsword both cleave so if you just want to mix it up and tag mobs. That’s probably the way to go.

Grenix.3762:

I’m finding that I’m not sure how to properly prepare for AOE encounters. Is there a particular pet / weapon that I should be using? I’m a ‘power’ druid. What are folks doing about this?

Drake is a good alternative. 3/4 of its attacks are all AoE. I think its the only pet the cleaves on its AA.

Lb with mm line lead the wind makes your arrows pierce (why dh gets this as baseline and we don’t aggravates the he’ll out me)and mual with gs, and your auto cleaves.1
Also with staff and lb (lead the wind traited) positioning is critical aim for the target behind what you hit

Eleazar.9478:

Lb with mm line lead the wind makes your arrows pierce (why dh gets this as baseline and we don’t aggravates the he’ll out me)

Well, their auto can only hit 2 targets max while LtW allows for 5 at 1500 range, so stay mad I guess.

StickerHappy.8052:

Drake is a good alternative. 3/4 of its attacks are all AoE. I think its the only pet the cleaves on its AA.

Wyverns also cleave on it’s auto attack, but seeing how bad they are in general, sticking with Drakes – specifically the River and Marsh Drakes – are a much better pet option to strike multiple foes.