Guild Wars 2

Hi, i’ve got my first character at 80 with a set of exotics and currently i’m in Maguuma searching for Hero Points. I’m looking for a guild PvE oriented, friendly, not too much hardcore and with italian players in. I’m relatively new to this game so i hope someone will guide me to endgame content, maybe training for PvP even if i don’t like it very much.
I’m a Guardian Asura btw

(Sorry in advance for any grammar error, i’m Italian)
Hi, i’m returning to the game after a very long time and i would like to start a ranger or a guardian, wich are my favorites professions, but this elite specialization thing kinda scares me.
I love the Ranger for the use of Longbow, but going elite i would trade off that for the staff (because using Longbow and Staff in slots feels not very versatile) and going “healer”, wich i’m not new as a concept but spending time leveling till 80 with a certain playstyle and then changing it drastically it’s not cool for me.
Same goes to Guardian: as i said i already played as a healer and in fact the supporting guy is my favorite role, and even if in gw2 there is not a “trinity” i still could be a “jolly cooperation Guardian”, but then again, using the bow of the Dragon Hunter will turn me from a supporter/defender to a pure ranged dps?
So, my question is: are core specializations still viable for a good build without elites or are these necessary to be “competitive”? And if so, there are elites wich don’t go too off from the original concept of their profession?