Guild Wars 2

Just an update, I joined up with Packmasta and his guild as they were the first reply. Thanks for all the responses.

I’m in the US, EST. Usually play after dinner, and some on the weekends, all dependent on the kids

I’m a returning player who is looking for a guild to run with. Currently have characters up to ~level 32, but looking to finally hit max. Want to see all the game has to offer (fractals/dungeons, WvW, PvP, etc).

I’m finding staff is more about the setup/plan approach vs. d/d. Not so much pulling mobs in close to hit with PBAoE, but setting up. I didn’t consider using an elemental for tanking purposes. Are their health pools sufficient?

Just thought I’d start a conversation about an alternative to D/D for leveling. I personally enjoy D/D, but thought I’d give some consideration to staffs. I’ll start with a few aspects I think are important for leveling. The spells for each attunement are seemingly transparent, however improving their effectiveness in leveling, I think, makes for a nice discussion.

With a staff as your main weapon what stats, traits, utilities and item upgrades would you roll with? I personally like to level with three things in mind:

• High capability for handling multiple mobs
• Survivability
• Adaptability

With D/D I preferred a tanky build, going PVT, with utilities that contribute to survivability. With a staff however, I feel like I can probably sacrifice either vitality or toughness for precision, contributing more to damage. Opinions?

Cheers!

Thanks for all the replies. I probably should have mentioned this would be PvE centric, but the point has been made. The conditions compliment the power. Is gearing PVT the most efficient way to increase survivability, or do you guys find taking traits to help out necessary (versus points spent on increasing damage potential)?

My question ultimately boils down to the type of damage a D/D utilizes. Fire and Earth both apply conditions, so at first glance, I assume gearing for condition damage is the way to go. But after reading through a couple of forum posts I see more people leaning towards Power/Precision (burst) builds. So are then conditions for a D/D Elementalist complimentary to burst or vice versa?

The reason I ask is that I look at the multiple Burn effects added by fire, and don’t see how they can’t be beneficial to quickly taking down enemies. Using Condition damage gear would boost the effectiveness of those burns, and Earth Attunement (bleeds) would be boosted as well. A theoretical trait build would include options for survivability (Earth/Water+Cantrip utility) as follows: http://www.guildhead.com/skill-calc#mmszz9mMTbvMMhwTMx0xa0okbcRoc .

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks in advance!

Great thread, the videos are awesome. Definitely helping me determine my play style. Keep up the good work!

I’m in Jax as well. What server are you guys playing on?