Guild Wars 2

I just ordered the corded 2014 Naga and hopefully the quality hasn’t gone down too much from the old version. I’ve just become too accustomed to the extra 12 thumb buttons that I don’t think I could ever go back to a standard mouse. I’d considered the Logitech version, but I always find myself disappointed in their build quality.

WolftheAngel.4089:

I also use the tilting side-to-side scroll wheel feature to walk from side to side as opposed to pressing the Q and E buttons on my keyboard. I believe this is one feature that doesn’t exist in the old Naga if I read that right.

I actually set A+D for strafing and use Q+E for other skill keybinds. The titling features seems like a neat addition so I’ll give it a shot and see if that works better, but is there a way to disable it if I don’t like it?

No problem, I’m a bit of a newb when it comes to tech stuff so I normally go for name brands or whatever is the most expensive (assuming it must be better). Budget wise I’m not too worried about the cost, all in I’m willing to spend around ~ $300 max for something high quality and will last me at least a good couple years of casual use.

Fermi.2409:

Don’t buy Razer stuff is my recommendation, they’ve really gone downhill since the older stuff you’re using.

For a keyboard, buy a decent mech. You can get a TT Esports Poseidon Z for $56 shipped right from Best Buy; Razer’s keyboards are way too expensive for having Kailh switches, and have been reviewed commonly as feeling inconsistent. Their rubberdome boards are laughably overpriced, if you go rubberdome just buy something cheap from Logitech.

For a headset, get a separate mic+headphones or something like Kingston HyperX Clouds (which are rebranded Takstar Pro80s with an attached mic).

Mouse, go with whatever you want I guess. Again, Razer’s build quality is lacking these days but at least their mice are priced somewhat competitively on sale.

But definitely don’t go Razer for headset/keyboard, you’re legitimately just throwing away money.

It’s a shame to hear Razer quality has gone down. What happened exactly?
Perhaps I’ll checkout the “TT Esports Poseidon Z” which seems close enough to the Anansi without all extra unnecessary gimmicks. As for the headest “Kingston HyperX Clouds”, how would you rate the comfort? I have a small-medium size head so I often come across the problem where they are either too loose or incredibly restricting and painful to wear for more than an hour or 2.

Argon.1563:

I use the Razer Orbweaver, Naga 2015 and Kraken Pro headset.

I’ve always been curious about the Orbweaver/Tartarus gaming keypads, but I never understood what its exact purpose was. I don’t mind doing some manual keybinding, but there still doesn’t seem like theres enough buttons on it to cover everything. Also, is the top left rectangular button supposed to act as the space button and circle pad the mouse?

I’ve been using Razer products since 2009/2010 and now that I’m moving I’m thinking of replacing/buying another set as a backup. I know they are a bit overpriced, but I like everything to match and so far I’ve been quite pleased with their quality and performance. Now with so many difference version (Epic/Ultimate/Tournament/Stealth/Chroma) I have no idea which to choose as I really don’t make use of all the extra features

Currently I’m using the Anansi keyboard (2010), Naga mouse (2009), and Carcharias headset (2009).

Keyboard:
I actually like the Anansi as a work/play keyboard, but it is a bit outdated so I’m sure theres something new and better by now. That leaves either the Deathstalker or BlackWidow which both have multiple variations to choose from. I’d rather avoid any of the Chroma versions as I’d probably never use the lighting effects which honestly seem like a waste of energy.

Mouse:
I originally got the Naga for MMOs, but now I’m so used to it I can use the thumb grid fine even outside of gaming. One of the main reasons holding me back from getting the new version was that they moved the 2 extra side buttons below the mouse wheel which seem a bit harder to reach. I’ll probably stick with the new standard corded Naga, but if anyone has had a good experience with the wireless version let me know if its worthwhile. My main concern is the battery life and whether or not wireless affects feedback response during gaming.

Headset:
The Charachias still works perfectly fine on PC, but the long cord sometimes gets in the way which can be annoying. They also don’t work on the newer Macbook Pros which only have the 1 audio input plug making it useless there.

So does anyone have recommendations on which Razer Keyboard/Mouse/Headsets they have enjoyed the most? I’m not looking for anything too fancy as I’ve never really made use of the extra maco buttons and I usually keep the back light just dim enough to see in the dark.

Anyone have recommendations for fun/competitive WvW builds for zerging (mainly) and maybe some occasional small group roaming?

I’ve been using the HGH Flamethrower build for some time now which is fun, but I’m starting to get bored of it. When I originally switched to an Engi main I did so for the versatility and now with new specialization system its killed alot of the viable hybrid/experimental builds. Now I feel forced to either focus more on survivability: “Alchemy” – (Protection Injection/Backpack Regenerator) and “Inventions” – (Automated Medical Response/Mecha Legs/Bunker Down) or give one up for more damage.

My current gear is:
Full Ascended Berserker – Runes of Strength
Ascended Berserker Rifle – Air/Energy
(Considering changing Air -> Strength, but I’m not sure if its worth it as I can easily maintain 15-20 stacks Might solo already)
Trinkets – Mix of Berserker and Celestial
(Celestial is mainly for added survivability, but I may change it back later on)

Ideally I’d rather not change too much of my gear setup (especially the Runes) as they were incredible expensive. I was originally considering “Rune of the Pack” instead so if anyone has had good experience with them let me know if it’s worthwhile.

Also, can someone explain to me if there’s a trick to the Healing Turret combo? Whenever I execute the combo (double press): Healing Turret-> Cleansing Burst -> Detonate, I only get the burst heal about half the of the time or else nothing happens and the CD starts counting down. Sometimes I wait for the Healing Burst animation to trigger first (which in my experience it usually doesn’t) before detonating which sometimes works, but most of the time it still does nothing and feels like a complete waste of a heal. This is incredible irritating and one of the main reasons I switched to “Elixir H” in the first place.

Anyone have recommendations for good WvW builds for zerging (mainly) and maybe some occasional small group roaming?

I’ve been using the HGH Flamethrower build for some time now which is fun, but I’m starting to get bored of it. When I originally switched to an Engi main I did so for the versatility and now with new specialization system its killed alot of the viable hybrid/experimental builds. Now I feel forced to either focus more on survivability: “Alchemy” (Protection Injection/Backpack Regenerator) and “Inventions” (Automated Medical Response/Mecha Legs/Bunker Down) or sacrifice one for for damage.

My current gear is:
Full Ascended Berserker – Runes of Strength
Ascended Berserker Rifle – Air/Energy
(Considering changing Air -> Strength, but I’m not sure if its worth it as I can easily maintain 15-20 stacks Might solo already)
Trinkets – Mix of Berserker and Celestial
(Celestial is mainly for added survivability, but I may change it back later on)

Ideally I’d rather not change too much of my gear setup (especially the Runes) as they were incredible expensive. I was originally considering “Rune of the Pack” instead so if anyone has had good experience with them let me know if it’s worthwhile.

Also, can someone explain to me if there’s a trick to the Healing Turret combo? Whenever I execute the combo (double press): Healing Turret-> Cleansing Burst -> Detonate, I only get the burst heal about half the of the time or else nothing happens and the CD starts counting down. Sometimes I wait for the Healing Burst animation to trigger first (which in my experience it usually doesn’t) before detonating which sometimes works, but most of the time it still does nothing and feels like a waste of a heal. This is incredible irritating and one of the main reasons I switched to “Elixir H” in the first place.

It’s the most efficient way to farm them I’ve seen. I only farm SV casually either during downtime or to switch things up and they start to add up fairly quickly. Buying them with Karma is faster if you were lucky enough to stockpile it before the nerf, but if you didn’t I’d say SV is the way to go. Besides just Obsidian Shards you’ll earn plenty (literally stacks on stacks) of Empyreal Fragments and Dragonite Ore. If you sell/salvage the rest you can still make a pretty good profit and collect some T6 mats which you’ll be needing alot of anyways. It does get monotonous though so I usually take a break after 2-3 full runs. Run events when you run out of crests to buy more keys when you need them.

As for drop rates being affected by MF the wiki says it does:

Magic Find is both an account bonus and a character attribute that increases the chance to receive higher-quality loot from slain foes. With a couple exceptions, it does not affect containers (including champion loot bags), chests, or any other source of loot.^{1 2} The exceptions are:

Containers received from structured PvP reward tracks.
Bandit chests in The Silverwastes
Divine Lucky Envelopes during Lunar New Year

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Magic_Find

I’m not sure if the more recent Macbook Pro models have gotten better, but its never run well on my 2013 Macbook Pro Retina (even on the lowest settings). I’d experience frequent lag, disconnects, and worst of all overheating. Minutes into launching the game it felt like I could cook an egg on the keyboard.

I don’t know much about computers, but if you want a device to play MMOs or just high intensity games in general I’d say go with a desktop. WvW can get pretty intense during zerg fights so if your rig can’t handle it your fps will drop significantly and you won’t have a very good gameplay experience.

I’ve been having issues organizing my inventory bag setup and I’m wondering with there is a certain order or specific bags that would help make it easier. This is what I use on my Engi, but I can move them around to alts no problem if I can figure out why it’s acting so funky. My current bag setup from top to bottom is:

Currently 7 slots (might buy the last one, but not sure if I really need it)

- Starter Backpack – Universal 20 slot
- 20 Slot Fractal Uncommon Equipment Box
- 20 Slot Fractal Uncommon Equipment Box
- 20 Slot Fractal Rare Equipment Box
- 20 Slot Safe Box
- 20 Slot Safe Box
- 20 Slot Safe Box

I haven’t had any really any issues with the last 4 bags (Rare/Safe1/Safe2/Safe3). The real issue is when the Starter bag gets full on (Junk/Loot Bags/Fine+Basic gear) the rest just gets mixxed into the Uncommon/Rare bags into a complete mess. Then if I try to Salvage them the Runes/Sigils just start cluttering everything as well.

I’ve tried replacing one of the Uncommon boxes for a standard Equipment Box, but then it just takes in all gear first regardless of rarity and ignores the Uncommon/Rare bags until it is full.

Is there something wrong with my bag order? I’m considering including a 20 slot Craftsman bag to see if that would help and would even be willing to replace the Starter Bag with something else if need be.

Mork vom Ork.2598:

Highchu.3806:

“Elixir S” already grants 3 sec Invulnerability which is essentially better than Resistance during its duration. Resistance does seem underutilized, but it can’t be overused as it would completely shutdown Condi builds. It would be cool if it was included maybe as an after effect (couple seconds), but that would make it too strong.

In comparison
- “Mist Form” gets the extra 66% mobility speed for +15 sec CD (75)
- “Obsidian Flesh” gets -10 sec CD (50) and loses Stun Break for +1 sec Invulnerability

At a 60 sec CD (Untraited) I think “Elixir S” is fine as is right between “Mist form” and “Obsidian Flesh” in strength. Of course I wouldn’t mind if they added a little something extra, but I think it would need to be a more reasonable boon like 2-3 sec (Regen/Vigor/Swiftness).

As for condition removal they wouldn’t want any one skill too universal so gotta keep each Elixir unique. Theres always “Elixir C”, “Healing Turret Combo”, and if you spec Alchemy theres [Alchemical Tinctures] for 1 Condition removal every Elixir use/toss. It’s still not the best, but it’s doable. I think theres many other skills/traits that need changes before worrying about buffing Elixirs

You forgot to mention the biggest difference and greatest advantage of Obsidian Flesh: it does not lock eles out of using their skills (e.g. condition removal) making it so much better than Elixir S.

However, granting resistance to Throw Elixir C would be the better option anyway.

O yes, I forgot about that. Perhaps comparing “Obsidian Flesh” to “Elixir S” was a bad example since it’s a weapon skill and not a utility. Even so I think “Elixir S” is balanced enough alongside “Mist Form” to not require a buff. While the movement speed boost would be great, I’m satisfied with the shorter CD instead. To each his own.

Only Ascended/Legendary gear have Infusion slots and depending on their type (Offensive/Defensive/Utility/Omni) they offer different stat/effect bonuses.
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Infusion

Twilight comes with 2x Offensive Infusion slots so you’ll be limited to choosing from the Offensive or Omni (Universal) options. Stat/Agony Resistance from these types of infusions only go up as high as (+ 5 X stat) and an additional Y effect (+5 AR or +1% Damage to Guards, Lords, and Supervisors). From what I hear Power>Precision for offensive infusions, but only by a very small amount. Whether you go for AR or the WvW damage boost is up to you.

If you want even more AR you can infuse Ascended Rings/Backpieces for an extra “Agony Infusion” slot which only adds more Agony Resistance and thats it. This is kind of like a last step for upgrading Ascended gear and only really necessary for those requiring more AR than the normal infusions can provide.
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Infused_equipment
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Agony_Infusion

As for upgrades those are the same as Upgrade components (Jewels/Runes/Sigil/Infusion) depending on the type of gear. Twilight already comes preinstalled with a “Superior Sigil of Leeching” and an empy sigil slot for your choosing.

If you’re looking to maximize Power DPS Berserker stats is the right choice. As for Sigils, Force+Night is the standard for Dungeons/PvE. Ideally you’d want multiple sets with varying sigils for different situations. What works best in one mode (PvE) might not be so good in another (WvW).

“Elixir S” already grants 3 sec Invulnerability which is essentially better than Resistance during its duration. Resistance does seem underutilized, but it can’t be overused as it would completely shutdown Condi builds. It would be cool if it was included maybe as an after effect (couple seconds), but that would make it too strong.

In comparison
- “Mist Form” gets the extra 66% mobility speed for +15 sec CD (75)
- “Obsidian Flesh” gets -10 sec CD (50) and loses Stun Break for +1 sec Invulnerability

At a 60 sec CD (Untraited) I think “Elixir S” is fine as is right between “Mist form” and “Obsidian Flesh” in strength. Of course I wouldn’t mind if they added a little something extra, but I think it would need to be a more reasonable boon like 2-3 sec (Regen/Vigor/Swiftness).

As for condition removal they wouldn’t want any one skill too universal so gotta keep each Elixir unique. Theres always “Elixir C”, “Healing Turret Combo”, and if you spec Alchemy theres [Alchemical Tinctures] for 1 Condition removal every Elixir use/toss. It’s still not the best, but it’s doable. I think theres many other skills/traits that need changes before worrying about buffing Elixirs

Yea, a daily conversion of 25 Quartz → 1 Charged at a place of power (Obelisk Shard). I’m usually just get too lazy or forgetful to visit my home instance to harvest. It might be a good idea to stock up and leave an alt by the entrance for easy access.

I’ve never really bothered using miniatures before and after trying one out I noticed they leave a following friendly green npc dot on the compass which I find a bit misleading (especially in WvW). Is there a way of disabling miniature dots and leaving the rest as is? I’ve looked through the options, but unless I’ve missed something I can’t find a way. If not I’m going to disable miniatures completely.

It’s 30 days if you want to craft the full armor set. You could still buy the Ascended Celestial trinkets with a combinations of Laurels/Ectos/Badges of Honor. Check between the PvE and WvW vendors for differences in prices if you’re interested.
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/List_of_ascended_trinkets

As for Ascended Celestial Backpieces I think “Quiver of a Thousand Arrows” and “There with Yakkington: A traveler’s Tale” would be the cheapest to make. I haven’t tried crafting a “Mawdrey” yet so idk how much that would cost.
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Quiver_of_a_Thousand_Arrows
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/There_with_Yakkington:_A_Traveler%27s_Tale

I’d avoid the Six Gods backpieces (Dwayna/Grenth/Lyssa) which will cost at least 250-300g to craft depending on what mats you already have. Same goes for the “Tempered Spinal Blades” which I recently made another of and cost about 300g+ with my bad luck on Watchwork Sprocket forging.

Yea I know, the problem isn’t getting the Berserker gear I just wanted to change it up. I was hoping Condi/Hybrid builds would have become more viable, but as usual Power pulls ahead. I guess thats fine though since it goes well with Grenade/Flamethrower Juggernaut builds.

For Power I hear Zerk Rifle is still better for dps, but is a Zerk Shield + Pistol still viable? Also, if I were to go for a Condi build which stat prefix is most idea with Celestial trinks? I’ve only ever tried Rabid. but Carrion and Sinister look like good options as well.

I’ve just recently hit 80 on my Engi and I want to keep it as a Hybrid “Jack of all Trades” character that I can more freely switch between casual PvE (open world/farming/maybe the occasional dungeon) and WvW zerging with minimal changes to my gear. At the moment I’m working on collecting a set of Ascended Celestial Trinkets, but I’m unsure what stat prefix to go with for the armor/runes. Just to clarify I know Hybrid/non Zerker builds are not as optimal for PvE, but this is more for fun and just being able to handle most situations at least somewhat decently.

I’m still kind of unclear as to which stats our kits scale the most from as many seem to benefit from a combination of Power/Condi/Healing. Also is our kit damage affected by our base weapon stats (Rifle or P+P/S)?

As I cycle between Kits fairly frequently I’m not sure whether I should lean more towards Power/Condi/Toughness or even full Celestial (probably be a bit too widespread) for more versatility.

For Kits I’ve mainly been sticking with Grenades or Bomb + Flamethrower as staples and swapping between [Explosives] and [Firearms] for Spec 1 depending on which I want to focus on. For Specs 2+3 I use [Alchemy]+[Inventions] for personal survivability/utility. I try to only carry at most 3 kits at a time as 4 or 5 if you include Med Kit just becomes too unmanageable for me at the moment.

I left some spots empty, but this is the core build I’ve been using and would ideally like to center it around. If I find that my survivability is good enough I’m willing to drop [Alchemy] as it’s more for WvW.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vdAQFAElUUhSsYtWg2LUsMowqPstKmsA8dA-TVBHwAAuAAOV+FWHgdlgDeAAAA-w

So here’s my dilemma, what’s a good all around Armor+Rune set to complement Celestial trinkets for casual play whether it be casual PvE or WvW zerging? I’ve already got mobility covered with Mecha Legs so for Runes I’m thinking either Strength/Hoelbrak/Pack as general all purpose choices.

What you mean by repurchase, is there an option to do that on lvlv 80??

No, it was more like 30-40% of the skills/traits I originally bought before were now locked again and I’m guessing some of my Hero Points were refunded during the new system implementation. I didn’t keep track of how many points I had originally, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t gain or lose anything from it.

If by “reset” you mean being able to reallocate spent hero points on skills/traits you can’t unfortunately. I’m not sure if it was the same for lower levels, but when I came back the patch screwed up alot of the skills/traits on my 80s and had to repurchase them.

Unless they add the option in the future you’ll need to either level up or do map completion to unlock more Hero Points. At lvl 31 you should only have only have access to the 1st Specialization line until you earn the 2nd at lvl 45 and 3rd at lvl 71. If you want to maximize your current points it would be best to invest into 1 specific Specialization line for traits that interest you the most and buy only the skills you really need.

The new system is kind of annoying if theres that 1 skill/trait you want, but it’s last to unlock so you are forced to buy the rest first. You will get used to it though after a little while and by the time you hit 80 you should have everything unlocked.

Once you hit 80 you can basically choose however you want to play (PvE/PvP/WvW). The type of gear stats you want somewhat depends on what mode you’re playing and build style you want to go with. In PvE most people generally go for power builds (“Berserker” stats Power/Precision/Ferocity) for maximum dps. In say PvP or WvW where you’ll be facing real players and not AI you may want to add in more defense or health with Soldier/Knights. There are also condition builds which focus less on Power/Ferocity and instead stacking conditions like Carrion/Rabid/Sinister. They mixed up alot of our skills/traits with the recent patch so the meta builds of professions may still change overtime. I’m sure you can find more builds online, but for starters you can checkout:

http://metabattle.com/wiki/MetaBattle_Wiki
http://intothemists.com/

As for Ascended gear it’s not necessary unless you want to run higher level Fractals which require the “Agony Resistance” stat which can only be placed on the infusion slots of Ascended equipment. They also provide a small stat boost compared to Exotic gear ~5% which is negligible and more of a vanity option for the average player.

If you decide Exotic isn’t good enough you can start crafting Ascended gear (Armor/Weapons) when your crafting discipline hits 500. If you have Armorsmithing at 400 you’re already a good chunk there, but that last 100 levels are usually the most expensive and I’m sure it’s gone up since I leveled it myself awhile back. The same applies to crafting weapons so if you want say an Ascended Greatsword you’ll need Weaponsmithing 500 to craft it.

There is also the possibility of getting Ascended gear without crafting through (Ascended Chests) drops which are rare, but available from a variety of different activities. These can drop as either a Weapon or Armor chest for a specific gear type and stat prefix. Recently they allowed us the option to change unwanted stats through the Mystic Forge which is actually fairly affordable and much cheaper than going through the process of crafting the item itself.
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Ascended_chest

As for Ascended Accessories you have more options on how to get them, but are more time consuming than expensive to get. (Amulets/Rings/Accessories) can be bought with Laurels which can get pricey as they do add up if you want a full set. If you run fractals you can buy Ascended Rings with “Pristine Fractal Relic” which you can get 1 of daily as a completion reward. The wiki also says they can come from WvW rewards/PvP tracks if thats what you prefer. If you do buy them with Laurels though you might want to checkout the Laurel vendors in WvW as well as the ones in PvE. The Laurel cost for the same Ascended (Amulet/Ring) from the WvW Laurel vendor are 10 Laurels cheaper at the cost of additional 250 “Badges of Honor” which you get as pretty frequent drops just casually playing WvW.
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Ascended_equipment

Sorry if the post is a bit long, but my recommendation is to get yourself a Berserker set for PvE (dungeons/open world) as the most optimal dps set. If you want a seperate set for WvW you can make one for Condition or a more defensive set for roaming or something. You can try bringing your PvE set into WvW, but the runes might not work as well there and you’ll be more of a glass cannon. For now Exotic is perfectly fine for pretty much everything in the game. When you save up enough Gold/Materials and still want Ascended go for it then. If you try to attempt it now you should be prepared to drop alot of real money or be broke (ingame) slowly grinding away.

o yea almost forgot the best way if you want to gear up with Exotics is to go for dungeon sets (Ascalonian Catacomb – Paths 1+3) and (Citadel of Flame – Paths 1+2) are the easiest and if you run each path daily you should have enough tokens for a full set in a week or so. If you don’t mind spending the gold you can always just buy a full set off the TP or theres also the WvW Exotic armor with costs about ~1g + (150-200) Badges of Honor per piece of equipment. The available stat options are also more limited and unless they’ve changed it I don’t think you can salvage them.

Also, I’ve been wondering for awhile, but haven’t test it yet.
Does the [Tool Kit] Smack chain “Smack”-> “Wack” “Thwak”

Whack your foe. Repairs turrets.

Turret Heal Percent: 5%

Does it apply to non Engineer deployed firendly turrets such as:

Mortar Seed Turret (Red/Blue/Green) – Consumable
Turret in th name, but does it count as a Turret?
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Mortar_Seed_Turret

Seed Turret – Syvari Racial Skill
(Turret in the name, but does it count as a Turret?
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Seed_Turret

Take Toot – Syvari Racial Skill
[Same applies to Seed Turret, but it summon multiple simultaneously)
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Take_Root

I’m a fairly new Engi and i’m trying to ease my way into the learning process by sticking with a 2 kit leveling build probably with it until 80 as 3/4 feel a bit to complex at the moment. I’m mainly sticking to WvW zerging and PvE openworld using Tool Kits [Grenades] for ranged mobs and [Flamethrower] midrange and fun. I’m still saving up for Juggernought so hopefully it gets better with that.

I originally invested alot of my Hero Points into Explosives for “Grenadier”, but unknowingly it was disabled this week. For now I’m just just keeping it anyways for mob tagging and AoE defenses. Hopefully it doesn’t get nerfed too badly because grenades are actually pretty fun with my main issue being the slow travel time.

As for the {Flamethrower] I’m pretty much spamming “Flame Jet” for kicks, but realistically It doesn’t see like the most practical choice without [Juggernaut} which still seems pretty dangerous on the front lines.

I’d be willing to give up one of of either {Explosives/Firearms] for [Alchemy} if it would make for a better all purpose (casual) PvE/WvW Power/Celestial build.

I Tried a bit of the “Elixir Gun” which is okay, but [Elixir c] is finicky and seems better suited for-a more Condi or Healing builds.

[Tool Kit] seems like the better melee/close range option (kind of resmbes P/S), but I preferred more mid/longrange combat [Flamethrower] if I can help it.

As for Turrets 95% of the time I only take “Healing Turret” or maybe more if i bing “Supply Crate”. Even with healing/Repair they seem to die pretty quickly so does the [Tool Kit] “Smack” heal really make that much of a difference? I’ve never really seen much use of a full turret build that would benefit Tool Kit outside of maybe PvP bunker builds or stationary WvW positions.

Just so I understand, once I place “Healing Turret” I need to wait X sec (20?) before the “Healing Burst” trigger effect takes place?

I’m fairly new to Engi so I might be wrong, but I’ve trying the “Healing Turret”→ “Healing Burst” →“Detonate Healing Turret” combo and alot of the time the “Healing Burst” doesn’t activate or the combo doesn’t go off.

I’m fairly new to the Engineer and mainly leveling through WvW/PvE personal story. Once I hit 80 I’m leaning more towards an all purpose Power/Celestial builds with Specs 1+2 as a combination between either (Explosives/Firearms/Alchemy), but for the third I’m undecided between Tool Kits (Streamlined kits) or Inventions (Mecha Legs) for mobility.

As much as I enjoy Streamlined kits, nothing in the [Tools] Adept/Grandmaster lines particularly interest me compared to [Inventions] Adept “Automated Medical Response” and Grandmaster “Bunker Down” as I feel incredibly squishy most of the time.

Also, whats the recommended weapon choice for Power/Celestial oriented builds? P/P seems more Condi oriented so I’ve been playing around with P/S and Rifle, but due to the fact I’m on Kits 90% of the time I don’t think I’m properly utilizing the base weapon skills properly.

Grenth Hood Skin – Gem Store
It’s currently unavailable, but it may come back in the future
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Grenth_Hood_Skin

I already have an Ascended Berserker backpiece which I swap between my 80’s and I’m thinking of crafting a second Celestial piece as a general all purpose one. I’ve generally avoided Celestial as the stat spread isn’t benefiecial to most professions, but making another Berserker seems redundant and I don’t really need a Condi/Tank prefix either.

If I get around to finishing my Ele/Engi I’m guessing it would work best on them. Has anyone found a few pieces of Celestial gear to be worthwhile and has there been any changes to it with the most recent patch?

If you don’t want to craft them your only real option is to get lucky with Ascended chests. They are pretty rare so I wouldn’t bank too much on getting one if you’re farming for them. I’ve only gotten them 3 times (2x Teq and 1x WvW) and thats over 1-2 years of casual play. https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Ascended_chest

For now it’s probably better to just save up and when you have enough gold/mats you can craft them later if you still want them. Ascended chests are a possible (very rare) drop from the Lost Bandit Chests in the Silverwastes so you might get lucky. If the stat prefix is wrong you can use the Mystic Forge and change the stat to whatever you need.

Generally its better to start with Ascended Weapons before Armor as you get a higher intial stat boost from weapons. I think Ascended is only like a 5% overall buff over Exotic so it’s not essential unless you want to run higher level Fractals (lvl 10+) where you’ll need the infusion slots for Agony Resistance.

If you haven’t started Weaponsmithing yet it would probably be cheaper just to finish up Armorsmithing which is almost done. Either way it’s going to be expensive. For me crafting a single Ascended piece of equipment typically costs around ~60g depending on what mats you have on hand. If you have extra Ascended gear through chests changing stats through the Mystic Forge is actually pretty cheap ~10g if you buy all the mats off the TP. Crafting the insignias yourself will save you about 30% over buying it off the TP.

As for gear Berserkers is still the go to DPS power set for dungeons. I’m not sure if Condi is now a viable option after the recent patch. If you want a more tanky alternative you can try Knights (Toughness/Power/Precision) or maybe Soldiers (Power/Vitality/Toughness), but there will be a noticable drop in your dps. I use Ascended Knights+Hoelbrak on my Guard which works pretty well for open world/WvW. It’s still good to keep a Berserker set for Dungeons even if its only Exotic.

1)
Head – Unknown (so many facemasks I can’t tell which has that specific embroidery)

Shoulders – Disabled

Chest – Illustrious Shoulderguards [Medium]
Legs – Illustrious Leggings [Medium]
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Illustrious_armor_

Gloves – Assassin’s Gloves [Medium]
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Assassin%27s_armor
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Assassin%27s_Gloves

Boots – Whisper’s Secret Boots [Medium]
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Whisper%27s_Secret_armor_
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Whisper%27s_Secret_Boots

Backpiece – Rox’s Quiver Backpiece
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Rox%27s_Quiver_Backpack_Cover

2)
Head – Unknown

Shoulder – Sneakthief Shoulderguards
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Sneakthief_armor
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Sneakthief_Shoulderguards

Chest – Strider’s Tunic Skin
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Strider%27s_Medium_Armor_Skin
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Strider%27s_Tunic_Skin

Gloves – Sneaktheif Gloves
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Sneakthief_Gloves

Legs – Strider’s Legging Skin
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Strider%27s_Medium_Armor_Skin
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Strider%27s_Legging_Skin

Boots – Viper’s Medium Leggings
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Viper%27s_Medium-Armor_Skin
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Viper%27s_Medium_Legging_Skin

When you look for armor skins you should first check the wiki to compare sets
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Human_female_medium_armor

You can also check the wardrobe gallery at the bank to preview them as well

I mained Necro for years and personally found it to be the most enjoyable. The Minion Master/Bomber builds are great for PvE and can solo just about anything. In PvP AoE Curses was alot of fun and the survivability was great.

The Ritualist Spirit Spammer build is also solid for soloing, but is more suited for ranged combat. I kept mine mainly for casual farming/PvE as it gets kind of boring just dragging your spirits along to kill everything for you.

I’d say make a new character and start fresh. Reaching lvl 30-40 again shouldn’t take long and it will probably be useful to relearn the early game mechanics if you’re just starting up again. You can jump into WvW as soon as you finish the intro level/zone and there you will be upleveled to 80 for balancing, but you will have much lower stats and limited access to skills/traits until you level up and unlock more specializations.

I’m still getting used to the new system, but from what I understand “Skill Points” are now renamed “Hero Points” to be spent in the training tab to unlock specializations/skills/traits. Unlike before when we had 14 points (at lvl 80) to spend in any of the 5 trait lines (now called “Core Specializations”) we are now limited to choosing between a maximum of 3 at a time based on our level. You can swap between them by clicking on the large Hexagon under “Build”→“Slot Skills”→ “Specialization”.

For your lvl 25 Necro you will only have access to traits/skills you’ve bought so unless you’ve unlocked some in other lines you’ll be limited to choosing from the “Well Training” and “Death Magic” for the time being.

I couldn’t find the respec/clear traits option so maybe they just haven’t included it yet. Hopefully they include it later on, but I’d rather they revert to the old layout which was simple and easy to use.

The chest piece looks like the Incarnate Set
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Incarnate_Light_Armor_Skin

Shoulder is part of the Pheonix Set
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Phoenix_Light_Armor_Skin

I think the gloves are Primitive, but I might be wrong
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Primitive_armor

It’s been awhile since I’ve done any farming besides World Bosses, have the other popular spots changed? I used to run FGS alot, but whenever I go over I never see a train anymore. I took a break right around when Silverwastes was getting big so I’m not very familiar with that area if its still a thing. I’m mainly after Empyreal Fragments/Obsidian Shards/Karma/Loot bags if anyone can point me in the right direction. Thanks

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Container
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Crafting_material

Check the wardrobe storage at the bank to preview different looks. Unfortunately Medium gear seems harder to work with since nothing looks particularly clown like. The light armor “Harleuin’s Mask” would have worked nicely if it was an option.

If I had to make some recommendations I’d say

Body:
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Stalwart_armor
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Studded_armor

Helmet:
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Visage_of_Koda

Weapons:
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Toy_weapon_skins

Gem Store:
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Shoulder_Scarf

The megaserver system should pair you up with a fair amount of other players regardless of your home server. Most of the regular World Bosses shouldn’t be an issue if you join 5 mins before, although the earlier you join the more likely you get a better map. Teq and Jungle Worm really require you to join earlier (at least 1 hour before) to get a full map and improve the chances of success. If that doesn’t work you can try the guesting option in the login screen to see if that helps.

I think it really comes down to personal preference and playstyle. I’d recommend reading the wiki to see which professions peak your interest the most and try them out. As a newer player you shouldn’t be too invested yet so give each a try and see which works best for you. Ideally aim for at least lvl 20 to get a general feel for what they have to offer. In my opinion it’s much more enjoyable and easier to invest time into a profession that suits you rather than going for which is easiest or has top dps.

As for rotations, GW2 has far fewer skills than WoW making them much easier to learn. Certain professions like Elementalist “Attunements” or Engineer “Kits” change or add more skills which can make them more difficult/complex for some. Weapon combinations also make a difference, but still there aren’t alot of skills so it shouldn’t be much of a problem.

Dodging is incredibly important and better than blocking in most cases. It is essential for the less survivable professions as their primary means of damage reduction. GW2 doesn’t have the traditional “tank” or “healer” roles so staying alive depends alot on how you handle your character. It’s better to get used to it early on as you really can’t survive without it later into the game.

General PvE (open world) – All professions are viable with some just being better suited at certain tasks than others. Whichever you choose it shouldn’t hinder your ability to complete the campaign or regular activities.

Group content (dungeons/fractals) – Groups tend to favor certain professions above others (usually War/Guard/Ele/Mes) with the rest as second pick. This shouldn’t be a problem in normal pickup groups, but less desirable classes may have a harder time finding a spot in speed runs or in groups that prioritize max dps. I’ve been away for a little while so idk if things have changed, but Rangers and Necros used to get a lot of hate from other players in groups due to stereotypes.

PvP – Everything is streamlined for all players in PvP (gear/skills) for an even playing field. Whether you’re using a new or decked out character it will come down to experience rather than who had better gear going in.

WvW – Massive siege battles between multiple servers competing over territory. If you just want to zerg (follow the main group) you can use whatever you want. Ideally you should be bringing group utility skills and be able to keep up with the group. For roaming solo or in a small groups some professions like the Thief with stealth may do a better job at picking off individual targets or exploring the map alone. There’s a lot more freedom to do and play the way you like in WvW.

Going by your criteria I’d probably recommend Warrior or Guardian as the most survivable professions offering more leeway in dodging/making decisions. Warriors focus more on personal survivability/damage while providing offensive group buffs (closest to a tank). Guardians are less survivable and help to provide defensive/utility buffs to the group (closest to a healer). I personally found leveling the Guardian to be incredibly boring, but once I hit 80 things got alot better. As much as I enjoy both I always find myself going back to Warrior above all others.

If you want versatility and creativity you can try the Elementalist or Engineer which are the most adaptable. Eles although squishy have the highest dps and are top picks in groups. Engineers can fill various roles as a jack of all trades master of none. Both have the most skills/less defined rotations making them more of a challenge to learn.

I typically just follow the GW2spidy charts which usually peaks the highest on Tuesdays.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Sylvari_female_light_armor

I’d personally go for:
Dungeon – Nightmare Court / Armor of the Lich
Cultural – All look pretty nice
Crafted – Winged (shoulders) / Feathered / Illustrious
Gem Store – Pheonix / Flamekissed / Zodiac

I think Zodiac would probably look the nicest as the blue kind of matches with Bifrost for a really standout look.

Its up to personal preference. In my opinion the Norn male models are just too big and bulky which can make stacking and jumping puzzles a little more difficult. Human males are pretty generic looking so I typically don’t go for them myself. The female Norn/Human models look pretty similar with the Norn being a little taller and muscular I guess. If you plan on ever going for the Cultural armor sets you should take that into account as well.

In general PvE you can use whatever you want, but in group content (Dungeons/Fractals) you should mainly be focusing on DPS and group utility. Warriors are tanky enough as it is so you don’t really need anymore armor/health.

The more common meta builds can be found here:
http://metabattle.com/wiki/MetaBattle_Wiki
or
http://intothemists.com/ (better for PvP/WvW builds)

You’ll probably find more build recommendations in the Warrior sub forum
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/warrior

With the wardrobe system they removed Transmutation Splitters so I don’t think you can change it without another lvl 80 Light Armor character to equip and transmute it. If nothing else you can try contacting support and see what they can do for you.

https://help.guildwars2.com/home

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Dynamic_level_adjustment

Dynamic level adjustment adjusts a character’s attributes and level based on the area they are in, either reducing them to match their current area in PvE¹, or increasing their attributes and levels (typically to 80) in WvW or Structured PvP. For example, in PvE, a character with an actual level of 50 in a level 10 area will have their attributes reduced to an “effective level” equal to a level 11 character (maximum level for the area +1). The effective level is shown as a green number next to a downwards arrow and the actual level on the experience bar and is stated under the actual level on the hero panel. Changes to attributes are also seen on the hero panel in green. Unaltered values for an attribute can be seen when hovering the mouse over that attribute.

If this is going to be your new main you should choose the profession that fits your playstyle the best. From the sound of it your mainly focusing on general PvE/Dungeons which leans more towards Warrior/Ele. Thats not to say Necro is bad it just lacks the group support to make it a worthwhile choice for speed runs which not everyone does. When it comes to open world and normal dungeons runs any profession can get the job done, others might just be a little faster is all.

The Warrior was my very first character and while I really enjoyed it in the beginning it started to get little repetitive towards endgame. As a profession its got the whole package high health/armor/mobility/damage/offensive support and its very beginner friendly. Highly desirable in groups and strong in WvW/PvP, but theres not a whole lot of versatility compared to other professions. I chose it because it was one of the few dedicated melee classes besides Thief and Guardian which play entirely different. Even if its a bit more simplistic compared to other professions I’d recommend it if you enjoy Warrior classes of other MMOs. If its your only character you will likely start to get bored of it after awhile, but if you change it up sometimes its still very good to have. I eventually moved on to Guardian for a change of pace, but I always find myself drawn back to the Warrior.

Necros are pretty fun, but for most players you either love it or hate it. Of the 3 caster professions (Mesmer/Ele/Necro) its by far the most survivable with its high base health and Deathshroud/Plague giving you great burst defense. Dagger+Staff autos got buffed so its not as slow as it used to be. While they are only mediocre in PvE they shine in WvW/PvP if thats what you’re into. Not particularly suited for solo roaming, but in zergs they can easily tag large groups with Wells/Marks/Epidemic which is pretty nice. I’d recommend it for WvW/PvP, but in PvE you’d probably find other professions have more to offer to the group.

A full set of Ascended armor costs 1300 each of Dragonite Ore/Empyreal Fragments/Bloodstone Dust. Weapons require 500 each so depending on what you’re after they can start to add up. I do alot of Ascended crafting so I never have enough Fragments/Dragonite.

The conventional method of collecting Fragments (Dungeons/Chests) and Dragonite (World Bosses/WvW) can be slow and time consuming. I haven’t spent much time in Silverwastes so idk just how easy it is to collect there, but if its as good as you say I wouldn’t be surprised if they changed it in the future.

If you plan to craft Ascended in the future I’d recommend holding onto the Dragonite Ore/Empyreal Fragments since they are the slowest to collect and you will need alot of them. Bloodstone Dust has always been plentiful so I can understand wanting to drop the extra stacks.

You can also try refining the mats to save some space, but it will require you to have lvl 450 in one of the Crafting Disciplines and a fair amount of Karma for the Obsidian Shards.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Dragonite_Ingot
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Empyreal_Star
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Bloodstone_Brick

Mostly just used for skins. It is Account Bound though so if you have a fresh 80 you can use it as a filler until you get something better. Since its only Rare quality if you already have Exotic/Ascended it would be worse stat wise.

You will keep the first bonus (+X Stat) whether you are in PvE or WvW, but to make use of the second bonus you need to be in the right game mode.

What are the current WvW meta builds (Power/Condi)? Its been awhile since I’ve really played my Necro and I mainly stuck to the standard Wellomancer/Terrormancer builds which may or may not be out of date now. I haven’t really kept up to date on the more recent changes so all I know is that mainhand Dagger got cleave and Staff auto has 50% boosted velocity. If theres any other major changes please let me know. Thanks.