Guild Wars 2

Now, we all knew druids were going to be support based (or at least should have known) and while I’ve thoroughly enjoyed playing a highly damaging dps ranger, monk was my go-to in the first game and I’m glad that my main can take on this sort of role — so long as it IS in fact necessary.

As I intend to take part heavily in the raids (as well as pushing the envelope with higher tier fractals, though I’m not sure what surprises they’ll have for us and whether support builds like this would be useful/necessary there) I thought I’d theorycraft a support-line druid build. This is assuming that specialized roles will be required, and that one of these roles will be that of a healer — not necessarily a dedicated healer, but a character that can meaningfully contribute in terms of healing while contributing to other aspects.

The Build:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQJBMhKSpitqQYWo8o+q/3PAqzvdAPA-T1xDABMcCAIUJYn6B+U9nrU+BwDAAl9HIFgfTtA-w

the missing utilities are: Glyph of Empowerment, Glyph of Tides (this skill is the variable) and Glyph of Unity.

Selected Druid Traits are: Cultivated Synergy, Verdant Etching, Lingering Light.

This build is designed to provide a healthy balance of dps, sustain and party-based support. It provides 5 targets with permanent regen (313hp/s), permanent Fury, permanent swiftness, and two 10% damage buffs.

You will always know the cd of invigorating bond, due to the matching timer of the the F2 ability, thus you can know whether you will have an average heal on the fern hound (2.5k) or a significant burst heal (5k).

I do not expect this build to be unaltered, nor will it have astounding dps, but I do believe it will be viable as a starting point for raid content, and possibly in other areas where support-based actions are wanted. While it has a respectable amount of power for a heal-spec, the lack of hard precision and ferocity will ensure that it has mediocre (at best) dps — this is why the build focuses on the pet for a significant portion of it’s dps, and is the main reason for taking beastmastery, though resounding timbre is a compelling argument as well.

My first variation (if it is clear that personal dps on a heal-oriented character in raids is NOT a concern) would be to replace beastmaster with Skirmishing to provide the Spotter buff and quick-draw to capitalize on “Call of the Wild” and whichever is the most appropriate Staff skill (Sublime Conversion or Ancestral Grace probably).