Is Long Bow essential for WvW Condi Build?
Yes and No.
The Longbow Nerf only really hurt Power builds, so as a condition weapon you wouldn’t really notice a huge difference.
First let us look at the Longbow as a condi weapon. It has two sources of burning (combustive shot and fan of fire) and one source of bleeding (Pin Down). Longbow is our only source of burning, and Pindown applies an instant 6 stacks of bleeding for a long duration.
Now look at the Longbow in general. It has great AoE, takes advantage of Cleansing Ire the best, has an immobilize and a blind. The two hits with one auto also makes it easier to proc on hit/crit sigils.
Given this, Longbow is an amazing condition weapon and is borderline essential for a condition build.
I have however also seen rifle used with limited success (the only source of condition is the auto, however this could work in some situations). I have also seen the mace used in a condition build with distracting strikes, but it is lackluster even with perplexity runes unless your opponent doesn’t know to stop attacking or use condi removal.
On another note, a possible build is a shout healing/condi build. You literally never die or people half the time will give up trying to kill you.
Given that longbow is a strong condition weapon, it’s recommended for any condition warrior specs. Given that longbow is the only way for a warrior to unseat people up on walls and effectively reach recessed siege weapons, it’s a must for warriors in WvW doing anything more than havoc.