Guild Wars 2

Want to roam solo and with a friend. I want a druid build that is obnoxious, heals for a lot, super durable, and has mediocre damage output that will eventually outlast my opponents.

Metagarbage didnt have a build, I need advice from some long time druids (actually confident with the class, not looking for average advice).

Thanks for your time in advance.

Power
BM Druid or WS Druid
Pick and choose you own stats between the different power based stats (zerk, cleric, etc) to find you own mix and you can use any combination of LB, GS, Staff, S/D, S/A and S/WH depending on what you prefer (I Switch bristtleback for Wolf when using LB-Staff)
Just keep the runes, sigiles and food

Condi
NM Condi Druid or WS condi Druid
Once again find you own mix between apoth and dire and there are a few different rune and sigil options

Typically the WS verisons are more defensive with more condi removal and the other does more damage

This has been my personalized build lately: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQJAWRnUqA1Ci9rAOsActglOBz5vFAKcwr0YaO9pFEqWYl480A-TVCFQBsb/BCcBA0k6PZUJIm0FAgHAgUU+1gDBwCOCAAA-w

Depending on the situation/how I’m feeling, I’ll swap out GS for LB, and when I do that, Lingering Light is swapped for Ancient Seeds.

Either variant also works for group play, just make sure you run Lingering Light if you’re focusing on staying on the group, and swap to a Staff with Water/Transference Sigils.

Conceptually, the build is modeled after the stat split that Mender’s Amulet gives in PvP (but toughness focused because with Durability Runes alone, you have enough of a vitality buffer for your condi clear to be more than adequate), which is a very strong, well rounded amulet for power druid.

In a 1v1 scenario, the only thing you’d struggle with is Tempests really, and not that they would be threatening to you in any way, they are just obnoxious to take down when they are competent. Condi Berserker is probably the biggest threat, but in open field, there is no way they can keep up with you to do their damage reliably.

Just go full nomads/minstrels with durability runes. Throw in some clerics pieces if you want to pretend you’re doing damage. You probably won’t die to anything but a 1v3, but you probably won’t kill anything either.

Alternatively go dire condi trap. Add in however much healing armor pieces you feel you need from settlers or shamans. You might be able to kill people with it.

I use this for WvW roaming alone or for zergs and stay at the frontline entering celestial form as often as possible to buff frontline and provide stealth/superspeed. I have high regen and basicly a walking water field. You won’t die… Even if you are alone, it takes a good 5-6 to kill you. Really fun build to play.
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQJAWTnUqA1CiVsAOsActglZBD+fWQXoPBg603yZqNnyaA-TlCBQBmUJIAOCA5RTwCV/JjKDuwFAQMK923DA0BEgDBA/2fAA-w

If I’m roaming with a small dps group I use this:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQJAWTnUqA1CiVsAOsActglZBzZqNnyaw/zC6D9JAUn+WA-T1CBQBaZ/hLcBAMpSQsoETVq/kRlBA4IAkHNB77BA6ACwhAQMKNAA-w

Take whatever pets you like and I normally use power food for both. Although a vit/regen food is cheap and more sustain for the Mistral build.

Additionally, how come people don’t use gear sets like apothecary, or ones that add vit/cond/healing?

It seems like this would still make you very tanky with a lot of sustain, but also give you decent condition damage output.

Any ideas?

The issue with condi Druid running axe/dagger + sword/torch, you get kited easily and without signet of the wild or staff, astral force regen is slow. If you can’t have your celestial form up quickly, you will be having issues with condi removal if you are not running WS trait line or signet of renewal. Personally, being a solo roamer in WvW I expect myself to be ready for all the different scenarios I may face. That means having enough condi cleanse without compromise in stats and mobility. Mobility is king in WvW. Personally I run lb/staff with soldier runes. I min/max my stats. My healing is just at 557-558, this allows ur regen boon to tick for 200hps and for celestial avatar #4 to tick at 1k, these numbers are not inclusive of WvW buffs. I run NM,BM,Druid with 5 shouts as utilities. I do not run durability runes as I deem signet of renewal for condi removal as a waste of utility slot in WvW, shouts provide me with more utility and combined with soldier runes, condi removal. Defence vs power builds are not much of an issue if you are running 3k/3.1k armor baseline and protective ward trait. Staff and perma regen from BM line+shouts gives you perma regen, perma swiftness and good astral force generation. LB gives you a much needed personal spike damage and combined with ancient seeds, more kiting potential, not to mention it can give you stealth. Try to push your crit chance with staff to 40% baseline so you don’t hit like a wet noodle and slot in a sigil of accuracy in lb for more spike damage. Also, I do not run bountiful hunter as the power increase (since you have healing stats) and clutch quickness for heals from instinctive reaction is too much for me to give up. With soldier runes for condi removal, we don’t need evasive purity in NM line, run vigorous training for more dodge uptime from vigor boon.

Sorry for the long wall of text. Hope it helped though. Feel free to PM me in game and/or duel/hook me up for duels to get a demo or if you have anything to ask. I don’t really stalk the forums.

Personally I run:

Nature Magic: (2)Instinctive Reaction, (1) Evasive Purity, (2) Protective Ward
Beastmastery: (3)(Resounding Timbre, (1)Wilting Strike, (2) Zephyr’s Speed
Druid: (1) Druidic Clarity, (1) Celestial Shadow, (2) Lingering Light

Celestial ascended armor
Durability Runes
Power, Toughness, Healing accessories

Longbow/Staff
We Heal As One, Glyph of Empowerment, Equality, Protect Me, and Strength of the Pack. Pets are HoT’s Bristleback and Smokescale.

Armor starts at 3100 but with Sigil of Momentum it grows. Healing power ranges from 850 to 1100 which I find more than enough. I can pretty much solo anything but SM and a Keep It is a build for comfort not speed. Only class I typically have trouble with regardless of numbers are mesmers. That is a player issue, not build. If I duo or go small group then I’m there for ranged pressure.

Solo kills are really just a play style of sustain while lining up my Pets to do the damage. With about 540 – 600 condition damage it can wear them down especially with well time CC. Has long as I don’t freak out by some peoples burst or CC typically life is good.

Chuckles.8153:

Additionally, how come people don’t use gear sets like apothecary, or ones that add vit/cond/healing?

It seems like this would still make you very tanky with a lot of sustain, but also give you decent condition damage output.

Any ideas?

It’s essentially the same reason why condi Druid becomes less desired in certain raid encounters; that full damage efficiency requires an immobile target, and against mobile targets, power DPS is same/greater than condi.

Besides that, ranger condi builds don’t really have the same sort of unmitigated burst potential other classes can put out for their condis. Generally speaking, once a smart opponent realizes you’re condi, they’ll just kite and ignore you and focus something else.