Guild Wars 2

I said the same thing in the other DS thread. Yes, DS, by itself is not the over-the-top-faceroll-I’m-as-OP-a-Warrior trait, however, it can be a very effective tool.

I have been running with a 0-10-30-20-10 D/D diamondskin build for the last couple of weeks in roaming non-zerg WvW, and have had great success. I have also been trying out other builds with the same gear setup, most notably a high-crit Fresh-Air (0-30-10-20-10), and the standard Evasive Arcana (0-10-10-20-30). The Fresh-Air build can put out some very impressive burst numbers, and the might-stacking and extra heal/cleanse can be clutch, however, I keep migrating back to my DS build.

The reason I find is that, in most cases, the opening will dictate the flow and outcome of the fight. Against condition classes this is just devastating. There is nothing more satisfying that watching a necro try to fear/signet of spite and have nothing happen. Keeping over 90% health early isn’t that difficult with Omnoberry Pies and SoR, you just need to heal early. Additionally, against power classes, I still am over 2,700 toughness with a decent enough health pool. With my current gear set-up, I still have 60% crit chance with Fury and 87% crit damage. This generally means 2k lightning whip crits and burning speed and fire grab crits in the 4-8k+ range.

My build & gear: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fEAQJAoYhMmgbzx4wjEIEFugJMeECdQHKK8AlC5AA-jEDBYfIYjBkEJIUBgJqFRjtMsIasqaAKkYaXJVFLyWzDRziO1SBUuwI-w

Yes, DS is somewhat gimmicky, however, I have had great success with it in small scale roaming in WvW. Running Omni Pies + SoR does make is pretty easy to keep yourself topped off early during the fight, especially if you go in with the protection and stability of AoE, and later on you can typically kite/heal pretty well with water abilities coupled with Earth III.

Understandably, there are and will always be the flavor of the month classes that will give you fits (read: Warriors, Mesmers), however, I find that DS does a world of good, and at times is borderline overpowered, against necros, engies and condi warriors.

That being said, it’s still painfully obvious that playing an ele is GW2 “Hard Mode”, but what fun is a game if you don’t challenge yourself.

My build: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fEAQJAoYhMmgbzx4wjEIEFugJMeECdQHKK8AlC5AA-jEDBYfIYjBkEJIUBgJqFRjtMsIasqaAKkYaXJVFLyWzDRziO1SBUuwI-w

Dynnen’s statement is what makes the the above screenshot priceless…..

It also depends on your play-style and what you’re looking to achieve. Personally, I run a 0/25/0/15/30 D/D & Staff Ele with almost full Celestial except for a Cavalier rings and Valkyrie gloves & accessories. This is primarily for small-scale roaming in WvW. Yes, my armor is low, and I have to be very aware and proactive defensively, however, my spike damage is quite high due to might stacks and my high crit chance and damage. Generally, my lightning whip crits for 2-3k and burning speed and fire grabs each hit anywhere from 3-5k. Furthermore, while gimmicky, its pretty funny to watch a Meteor Storm/Whirlwind critting people for 6-8k per hit.

Obviously, against the current condition/perplexity meta you’re always going to be at a disadvantage, but I find I have a chance (albeit small) if I can cleanse the first barrage of conditions with water attunement and ether renewal followed by a strong initial attack.

My build: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fEEQJAoYhEmgbyx5wjDA0DmIZ8gFlHzkjNA-jEEBoiIYjBkgAgEBkIAJ5jIiN9BrMMIVXht8KaKGYKTJVfKyqWAeeAuDMa1SBUuyI-w