First off, yes I realize these exact traits have been taken in other theory crafting forums. What I am doing is a breakdown of a build going through skill vs. skill, explaining each and why and what. But isn’t just a “hey, is this a good build” forum. It’s this is “this skill vs. skill” build forum.
Please note this is a raid a build. It is taking into account that the current set up of raids means certain things just aren’t viable. I also haven’t played the raid yet, but I did watch a lot of encounters.
At the end there is a little fun solo build for PvE open world. I ran this build while in zergs and alone in the BWE.
Link to build: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQNBmYD7kRFokFsgVwmVgoVswIYwP1q6W1J0V6aaMFgvVAokpVG-TxxGABAcRAwTJYuPBg20Noo6PDt/wSK/IFgf7tA-e
Armor:
Either clerics or magis both are healing power main stat.
(In the build link I posted:) The gear I am running in the build link is magi’s and it’s because I am converting gear and magi’s was cheaper XD okay, kidding. Some bosses agro based on toughness. If I am the only one in the group with toughness then I will be holding agro and as a long time healer, I don’t want that agro. Healer + argo doesn’t always go so well, but there is another reason behind the mix and match. Vitality gear is good against condi damage and toughness is good against burst. We are playing a high burst healer which means when soloing content or even when standing in the middle of the raid “zerg” we are out healing the damage the toughness would mitigate. The vitality could then help keep us up through the condi damage if we were to take any considering druids have so much condi cleanse now. But that was the thought path when I made the mix and match gear set (outside the fact there are no magi trinkets). Also, the food I found which converters the toughness and vitality I can’t get in game without spending a lot of gold to get and I just don’t have the gold thus it’s not worth it to get that food despite the fact it’s better. Over all my healing output is the same either way I go with the gear.
Runes:
Monk – This is still the best healing rune in the game. The main reason for this is the 6 option with the flat +10% to outgoing healing.
Weapons:
Either clerics or magis, both are healing power main stat
Staff + sword/warhorn
The staff is the main weapon and we are going for the two others for the warhorn. While it might not be our regen hitting the group there is still a chance for it and with the traits we have Call of the Wild now applies regen. If this doesn’t work change s/wh to another staff and move the master trait in Nature Magic to Vigorous Training. Another reason for s/wh is to provide a little damage even if it isn’t great. If you would rather run it as zerker then go for it. We’ll have to wait and see what happens with raids in the long run to see what is really needed.
Sigils:
No stacking sigils are taken. One, I don’t care for stacking sigils, it is very rare outside of the open world in PvE now days to get the 25 stack. And, two, there are no big mobs to mow down in the raid, making it pointless to take them as it is.
Renewal – it’s another heal on weapon swap. (This is currently the most expensive of the two on the TP)
Water – a 30% chance to heal allies on hit. (Really cheap at the moment)
First:
Healing Spring vs. Glyph of Rejuvenation:
My original idea was to use Glyph of Rejuvenation because it was a fun new heal. Here are both. Healing Spring is a higher skill cap (not just a mindless heal in other words or a “oh, I need to be be in celestial form to burst heal the others” heal).
Healing Spring – This heal skill does give a lot more use for the druid in the ways of healing in the forms of: regen, blast finisher, leap finisher, projectile finisher, and whirl finisher. As well as the fact the base heal is around 100 more than the glyph. The problem with this skill lies in if the Druid doesn’t take a weapon with blast or leap finisher on it or if they forget to use it. Regen is a tricky little boon in the fact it’s impossible to tell if it’s your regen which is on the ally or not. Yours could easily be overridden by someone else’s. Druid has two blast finishers: Call of the Wild on the warhorn and both skills on staff 3 (Lunar Impact in Celestial Avatar and Ancestral Grace outside of it) which is added heals of 1,320. And only two leaps: sword skill 2 and great sword 3 providing a heal of 1,300. Both the projectile and whirl make regen and are from offhand axe for the whirl and long or short bow for the projectile.
Glyph of Rejuvenation – while I get how it doesn’t heal as much as the spring, if the radius is increased on it, this skill could still be viable as a the heal to take. Also this heal is a burst heal, meaning it is hitting the five targets for that 6k heal and they are being healed right away for that amount or 2k heal depending on which form you’re in.
Second:
Quickening Zephyr vs. Glyph of Equality or Glyph of the Tides:
Quickening Zephyr – Quickness is still extremely useful. Where it was used to output damage on longbow with getting the aoe down and then rabid fire, now it can be used to push out heals faster to burst up allies quickly. I played around with this skill during the BWE and while I didn’t use it in celestial form I did outside of it and there was difference the healing output even with just Solar Beam and Astral Wisp. It also would allow you to output that little more damage since we do heal through attacking outside of the celestial avatar.
Glyph of Equality – it’s a stun and a stun break depending on the form you are in when using it. With the traits it can be a heal as well which would be a reason to take it if lacking burst healing.
Glyph of the Tides – a pull when in celestial form and a knock back out of it. This skill can be useful if the celestial form is charged and you’re missing someone who can pull enemies in for a tight grouping aoe (assuming trash mobs as in many and not just the pre-bosses we have seen so far in raids).
Third:
Frost Spirit vs. Glyph of Alignment:
Frost Spirit – Main problem with the spirits they’re so squishy even with taking the trait to make them less so and that means taking the trait to make them less so! It doubles the spirit’s health but you are sacrificing the chance to have your pet heal when using the f2. Most of the time when running my ranger my spirit dies fast in a fractal, not because I placed it wrong or anything but because it ended up with agro. From what I have seen of raids there is constant aoe damage meaning the spirit won’t last the full 60s and the chance at 75% to increase the damage of my allies might not have happened at all.
Glyph of Alignment – While it’s not a lot of damage it is damage outside of the celestial form. Inside of the form it is 4k plus heal depending on if you traited to have glyphs drop a seed of life or not.
Fourth:
Glyph of Empowerment:
Glyph of Empowerment – this is a raw 10% boost to your allies + a heal or a boost to your healing + a heal. Why would you want to switch it out? (heal is only if you trait for it)
Fifth:
Glyph of Unity vs. Spirit of Nature:
Glyph of Unity – When in celestial, activating this and being in the middle of the raid means you can burst heal with all your other skills and whatever you are healed is that much more your allies are getting. On the flip side, side the skill can be used when you know you can’t dodge or can out heal the damage incoming to damage the mob or even boss around you.
Nature Spirit – It is a heal and I have used this while soloing dungeons so it does help to keep you and others around up longer. However, the life of the spirit is the same with the frost spirit and with damage being raid wide these won’t last long. It depends on what you want to run here. The time the spirit is up might be more useful than the short time you are tethered to people. I didn’t really get to test this.
Skirmishing:
Adept: Trapper’s Expertise – This trait is to be taken if you’re running the Healing Spring only. It’s up to you which other trait you would swap it out with otherwise.
Master: Spotter – for the reason the spotter build has been the “meta” for rangers for a long time now. If you end up in a situation with two rangers exchange spotter for Strider’s Defense. We are running a sword so it is useful there. (be certain to ask the other ranger/ druid first otherwise no one might be running spotter at all).
Grandmaster: Quick Draw – the main reason (for me at least) to go into Skirmishing. This was bugged last BWE where it didn’t cool down the staff any faster. Hopefully it will be fixed come launch.
If you don’t want to run Skirmishing go for beastmastery (see solo build for traits). This is a little more selfish of a traitline however.
Nature Magic:
Adept: (Either) Instinctive Reaction or Allies’ Aid – Take Allies’ Aid if you find your group has a lot of members going into the downed state in order to increase the speed to rez them. Take Instinctive Reaction otherwise. This grants quickness when you get low on health and quickness will push out your heals faster meaning you and your allies are healed up just a little faster.
Master: Windborne Notes or Vigorous Training – if you’re not running a warhorn take vigorous training or if you find you’re not using your s/wh a lot. Otherwise, while regen is tricky, it is just that little extra heal and your warhorn recharges faster.
Grandmaster: Invigorating Bond – 2k heal from your pet every time you use their ability in combat.
Druid:
Adept: Cultivated Synergy – while the heal is small, it is great to use. The fact it also appears around your pet means your pet is healing whoever is in melee. I used this during the BWE in zergs and it was tones of green appearing on the screen. It makes the druid far more of a sustain healer.
Master: Verdant Etching – This means when you use a glyph your using the staff celestial form skill 2 at the same time. Cleansing condis and healing as well as getting that cooldown on the glyphs.
Grandmaster: Lingering Light – another really useful one for making sustain healing.
Just the build I was running in the open world during the BWE. I was still getting golds on events which was great to see and it was the play style I had loved from other mmos.
Staff and Greatsword. The greatsword is more just for mobility and defense during solo play rather than the damage output and since you’re taking traits to make your pet a little tankier.
This is just a fun build, so I am not going into a blow by blow about why each skill is picked. Just keep in mind when looking at the solo play build it is meant for just that, running around in the open world without a party. So maps people will be running around in large numbers.
Beast Mastery:
Adept: Resounding Timbre – We aren’t running the trap heal and instead took two shouts “We Heal as One” and “Strength of the Pack.” This adds swiftness and regen to them and reduces cool down the shouts.
Master: Natural Healing – this is fun to run on a healing build. Your pet lives a lot longer than without this skill meaning it can sit there and regen heal while you heal and it kills mobs.
Grandmaster: (either) Zephyr’s Speed or Beastly Warden – it depends on if you want your pet to really be tanking the mobs or if you want that extra speed boost after swapping pets.