So, turrets are unpopular, I get it. They don’t scale with stats, they’re flimsy, they’re a gimmick for point defense, etc etc.
But I love them.
Here’s the build I run: http://en.gw2codex.com/build/20513
The fact that they don’t scale with stats means that you don’t lose any damage by building tanky. So, soldier’s amulet, defensive runes, etc. And those 10 pts in Alchemy, even though you don’t slot elixirs, means you become invincible at 25% health, and at 75% you get loaded up with nice boons.
I don’t take anything that boosts the survivability of the turrets because there’s nothing very good that does. The autoheal pulses every 10 seconds, 30% DR is minimal given their small HP pool, but most of all I WANT THEM TO DIE. The 20 pts in Explosives means every turret is a big ol’ knockback just waiting to happen.
I originally went 30 Firearms to help with personal damage in addition to the turrets, but I found when building for vit/toughness, the returns weren’t great enough. And the power from Soldier’s and the Explosives tree makes your rife shots pretty adequate. You’re no glass cannon thief, but you can whittle one down while it fails to kill you. (Overcharged rocket turret is great for nixing thief openers.)
Also, everyone knows about the water field blast finisher with healing turret (best is when you manage to blow all four turrets and spam the point with AOE heals)… but my favorite trick is using the net turret to keep people off points for a very long while. Net shot them, overcharge net turret them, blow the turret to knock them off, net them immediately with the toolbelt net (which is a very long duration immobilize.)
And the build can go so many different ways. If you want more damage when your turrets are down, 10 points in Tools will get you Static Discharge, which with Rifle Turret’s toolbelt skill can add a lot of burst when you want it. I’m pretty sure Rife Turret has the fastest recharging toolbelt skill in our repertoire, and it can be cast while you’re firing another shot or skill. Lots of chain lightning.
I also don’t think I can overstate how satisfying it is to set up all four turrets + three more from a supply drop on an important point. Lots of automatic damage, permanent regen and potential condition removal, 4 knockbacks on demand, and powerful CC in the form of overcharged rockets (knockdown) and nets (daze.)
I love turrets. :x