Guild Wars 2

Hey guys!

I just came back after quite a while and I’m quite…..dunno, sad?
I used to play PS Warrior like 3 Years ago, GS + Axe / Warhorn and even grinded my Howler back then!
But now, I can’t use it any longer on him + there’s no PvE viable class that really uses it?

I decided to purchase HoT next month and boost a Revenant to 80.
Now i read some Metabattle stuff, and I’m very disappointed as Rev doesn’t seem to be that viable?
All I saw was a S/A + Staff build, Demon / Dwarf + Dragon.

Is it somehow possible to play him, at least, with a shield?
All i read about the axe, that it’s only used for the Teleport – would i still get invites and have enough damage switching to Shield?

And is the 2nd Staff that necessary for the infamous #5?
Or can there a Hammer be used instead / something else?

Tl;dr – What is a 100% no-no for PvE and what weapons can be build around Mallyx / Glint to make a somehow, just a tad bit, viable build?

Hi There!

Glad to see the interest you have in playing Revenant.

Revenant’s state isn’t NEARLY as bad as you would otherwise conclude by reading forums/reddit. Yes, they’re no longer OP. Yes, there are no longer part of what most try hards call META. Revenant is truly an average class today.

Having said that, Revenant is absolutely viable in all PVE content. Low level Fractals can be finished by any class, and virtually any sensible build, so no concerns there, but Revenants are fully capable of clearing all Fractal difficulties.

As for raids, Revenants are not considered for speed runs, but still fully viable. Unfortunately, most groups will not take this class simply because it isn’t optimal, but in reality, the differences between having a Rev vs another Thief/Ele etc. are irrelevant for the absolute majority of groups. It’s unfortunate most players think: Rev not optimal for speed runs? = Rev dead class.

Shield are absolutely fine for Rev. Axe is often preferred because Axe#4 is a extremely effective gap closer, and Axe#5 adds some level of CC. Shields are suitable for more defensive styles of play with healing/prot on #4, and block on #5. DPS wise, neither axe or shield is part of your rotation. In other words. either is fine.

Staff is one of Revenant’s iconic weapons due to Staff#5, but in no way is it necessary. If your group requires additional CC/condi cleanse, Staff is irreplaceable, but Hammer is Revenant’s only ranged option, and a VERY good one at that for PVE. It isn’t usually ideal for fractals or raids, but extremely useful for open world content.

Wow, thanks for that amazing answer, answers all the questions I had about the Rev!

I think, as soon as my paycheck comes in, I will get HoT and Boost a Rev to level 80.
Weapons, I aim for now are: Axe, Shield, Sword, Staff & Hammer. Maybe a legendary like Nevermore or Bolt, not quite sure yet. Does it take long, to finish the Questline to get Glint’s Bastion? Can’t really judge it, as I’ve never played the Addon.
Do I need any professions to craft it?

And in the End, I think, as the old guild I was in has been deleted, I will look for a casual, fun guild, where I will always find a Spot in Raids / PvE content, as Rev still provides many boons and Adds a LOT of might to the party – not sure, if he’s on the same level as my PS Warrior, but I will make it work.

Thanks a lot again!

P.S.: i never really cared about the Meta, if I enjoy Revenant, I will stick to him. Sadly, as I prefer Raids & Fractals, I want to get a spot, to finish that content.

Completing Glint’s Bastion requires finishing two collections. They mostly contain a bit farming the individual currencies of the HoT-Maps and stuff like full exploring one HoT-Map with the revenant. So you can use that collections to get familiar with the maps

IMO you won’t get any problems to get even high level fractal pug with rev. I’m used to play daily T4 with revs, having no problems to find groups. About raids, I’m in a raid oriented guild which prefers taking a rev for some encounters (trio for example). So smart people who know that rev is no speedrun option BUT still viable, even for raids, are out there

If you really enjoy Rev (I’ll admit, this class can be infuriating at times due to the number of bugs), but would like to raid, find yourself a raiding guild. Many pugs simply won’t accept a Revenant given the current state of the game.

Worst case, play another class just for the raiding scene. Ideally a Warrior, so when you have ascended gear, you can share this among the two characters. Warriors are essentially a lock in all raid comps.

I already have a PS Warrior, but sadly, i crafted Howler (Precursor dropped for me in a Dungeon back in 2014)
The Meta builds even recommend, going warhorn, as it can blast fire fields as well!

I got another question there.

The Shield i get for becoming a herald, will it be “transmuted” when I earn Glint’s Bastion or are they two different items?
I’m not quite sure, if I can put my Sigill in the Exotic one, or should I spare it, until I have Glint’s?

Small update, upgraded my whole stuff to Zerker, at the moment crafting Ascended Zojja’s gear.
The damage difference to Soldier’s is amazing!
I really dig Sword / Shield + Staff combo

They are two different items. So don’t worrry

I disagree with what people said about using the shield for PvE content… If you really want to use a shield, for I dunno aesthetic reasons for running a sword and shield(?), then of course do what makes you happy, but it’s sort of a useless choice for raids/fractals.

The axe is meta, not because of the teleport, but because of its contribution to break bar damage and ability to collect small adds for cleaving (temporal rift.) I can’t stress how useful this is… As revenant, you’re always going to be on “team breakbar” because it’s one of the few things we do better than most of the other professions and in a lot of fights axe-5+sword-2+Chaotic Release is enough to break the bar. That means that you don’t have to swap to staff and be stuck without your sword auto attack spam for 10 seconds. And grouping adds can be put to great use in several of the encounters.

That utility aside, if you really want a defensive option, you’re still better off going with sword/sword… The healing from shield 4 or 5 is pretty inconsequential if you’re wearing full zerker’s gear, and if you need protection you can just pulse facet of chaos and then swap stances or let your energy deplete to turn it off w/o putting it on 30 second cooldown. And as for the shield block, it blocks for 3 seconds with a 25 second cooldown… The sword on the other hand blocks for 2 seconds every 15 seconds and offers some contribution to breakbar damage with immobilize on 4 and the pull on 5 (although it moves you horribly out of position.) So, I mean, in conclusion, if you want a defensive option in PvE, it’s much better to have a shorter block on a shorter cooldown as there’s never a situation where you need to just face block something for 3 seconds. Plus, you can move while blocking with the sword, which is invaluable.

narcx.3570:

I disagree with what people said about using the shield for PvE content… If you really want to use a shield, for I dunno aesthetic reasons for running a sword and shield(?), then of course do what makes you happy, but it’s sort of a useless choice for raids/fractals.

The axe is meta, not because of the teleport, but because of its contribution to break bar damage and ability to collect small adds for cleaving (temporal rift.) I can’t stress how useful this is… As revenant, you’re always going to be on “team breakbar” because it’s one of the few things we do better than most of the other professions and in a lot of fights axe-5+sword-2+Chaotic Release is enough to break the bar. That means that you don’t have to swap to staff and be stuck without your sword auto attack spam for 10 seconds. And grouping adds can be put to great use in several of the encounters.

That utility aside, if you really want a defensive option, you’re still better off going with sword/sword… The healing from shield 4 or 5 is pretty inconsequential if you’re wearing full zerker’s gear, and if you need protection you can just pulse facet of chaos and then swap stances or let your energy deplete to turn it off w/o putting it on 30 second cooldown. And as for the shield block, it blocks for 3 seconds with a 25 second cooldown… The sword on the other hand blocks for 2 seconds every 15 seconds and offers some contribution to breakbar damage with immobilize on 4 and the pull on 5 (although it moves you horribly out of position.) So, I mean, in conclusion, if you want a defensive option in PvE, it’s much better to have a shorter block on a shorter cooldown as there’s never a situation where you need to just face block something for 3 seconds. Plus, you can move while blocking with the sword, which is invaluable.

Agreed, but OP asked about whether Shield is a viable weapon, and it absolutely is. Yes, Axe is meta, and Sword OH is likely the better choice, but this doesn’t make Shield a detriment.

I’m sorry for answering now, had quite a stressful week at University.

Anyway.
I’m playing my Revenant, just crafted the first Ascended Piece (Chest), but I’m not quite sure, if I want to continue, as Revenant is quite a…hated class in /m and I really want to do at least Fractals.
Not sure if I will have the time anymore for raiding, but at least Fractals are doable.
That’s why i thought about going back to warrior, GS + Axe / WH, Phalanx Strength is very desired and i can still use my Howler.
Tho, it’s quite bland imho, and I thought about going Necro with Dagger + Warhorn / Greatsword, but it’s damage is just so low.

Anyhow, thanks for your guys’ input!
I’ll think about, maybe play Warrior in Raid / Fractal in General & going for Revenant, when I face like 50+ Fractals, if I ever hit those.
They use the same gear, so I’ll be able to switch quickly on the run.

I’m just coming back to the game and the rev hate talk had me really worried and feeling kinda hesitant to try the new class. However this thread has given me a platform with which to go on and hope for the best.