Guild Wars 2

wintermute.4096:

You where the one who brought up a “condition build guardian”, I only pointed out that it’s crap, I really don’t see how that would be considered “twisting the argument”.
Burn is worthless in terms of primary dps sources, at least for guardians.

It’s nice if it happens as a side effect of whatever you are doing anyway, but investing in it is certainly the least effective way to spend your stat budget.

well maybe its twisting an argument that You say i would think burn is the Primary Source of damage. Never said that nor would i since Auto attack dps on greatsword is around 700 with base power on a target with 2600 toughness.

yes you indeed Pointed Out its crap without any evidence. Tell me the stat Set up you would like to comprare and i will do the math for you. Seems to be the only way.

I’m Talking about burn and you switch it to condition damage in general. Dont Twist the Argument so ist fits your answer.

No one denies that engineer can stack more conditions. Frankly i dont care about other classes. My Point is about the viability of burn for a guardian in terms of dps.

if no One specializes in burn Great – then i can fill tha void.

Name me the stat Set you want me to compare and i do the math for you.

DeathPanel.8362:

Your 1 stack of burn(max 1) is not going to do any noticeable damage over time compared to any other classes who specialize in conditions, and certainly a drop in the bucket compared to zerk builds.

Unless they make burning stackable, condition guardian is not a viable alternative in any type of play.

1. What are These Builds and classes that specialize in burn?

2. I assume you did the math to back half of that Statement up. of course a zerker Build Provides more damage then carrion. But that’s like comparing carrion to soldiers. So i suggest. Not everyone linkes to be a Glass cannon.

If you check your facts i suggest starting with comparing autoattack dps and then work your way up.

Cheers

wintermute.4096:

Asmodal.6489:

i seriously dont see why CD should be a rough path. if you do the math dps on carrion wil be higher then knights – given a 100% uptime on burn and you bypass armor and protection boons…

That is a pretty bad comparison to make, because carrion has condition damage as it’s primary and power as secondary, whereas knight’s has only power as secondary and precision as another secondary.

That being said, focussing on condition damage is probably the worst possible way to build a guardian, especially in group content. The classes who are really good at condition damage can put out 3-5 times the amount of condition damage you can, and even those are not really sought after.

Fun fact: all of those nice +x% damage traits don’t actually do anything for the burns, they only ever increase direct damage.

so….
i dont get what you are saying – why is that a bad comparison? its the best you can get since both have two offensive and one defensive stat. which stats would you like me to compare? if condition damage is such a bad thing me “wasting” it on the max stat shouldnt be an issue right?

do you speak from experience or do you just repeat what you read somewhere else? I run a full condition spec and its completely on par with a power/precision orientated spec as well in solo or group play. telling people condition damage is the worst thing in the world is pretty much the same nonesens as was telling people healing power is a waste before the healway guardian came around.

i watch the targets very closely in dungeons and I invite you to do the same… more often then not – if i dont burn them no one else does – at least consistently.

condition damage specs are not thought after because people like big burst numbers and cant understand what sustained damge really is about.

your fun fact is not funny since it has nothing to do with anything. even on chars that run power precision i do not spec those traits since there are always better things to pick – a t least for a guardian.

to OP: before you invest in crit damage you should invest in precision.
i really think rabid is the worst combination of stats for almost any profession. (i like to be enlightend otherwise)

seems like we have an awful lot of burn/CD usefulness discussion threads at the moment so i do not want to start another one here and just invite the naysayers to back their statements up with some evidance.

i do want to mention though that the only easy and constant burn competiton for guards is ele and only if they stay in fire which never happens (i dont think CD builds are that popular with eles anyways). Engis are close to none existent in pve (unfortunately) and i dont know how rangers are supposed to burn effectively without torch – their condition builds focus on bleed and poison.

FlyingK.9720:

The major issue with trying to do burning damage as a guardian is that you are going to be competing with other classes that will very likely do more damage and since only one of you can burn at a time, any time you take away from others is reducing overall dps of the group.

A grand example is my condition Mesmer whom currently sits at 1663 condition damage before consumables. Condition damage is already weak and problematic enough without players trying to step on eachother’s toes.

good point. but in a structured group situation there are also tons of ther things to coordinate. yet i would argue that a true long duration burn is only achievable by guards and eles who spec for arcane burns.

azureai.9764:

I’m dubious about the choice of a mace on a condition damage Guardian build. One of the easiest ways to keep burning for a Guardian is to use Virtue of Justice’s passive, but that mace is too slow to activate VoJ often.

Anyone trying for a CD Guardian (and, admittedly, it is a rough path…but not kitten undoable as others swear), should be focusing on quick strikes. Sword is probably your best weapon of choice as a CD Guardian.

mace symbol ticks provide counts twords VoJ too and with JI and purging flame its enough to keep the fire burning on single target. in general you will activat VoJ a lot anyways because of the recharge on kill. weapon speed is not that important. the pbaoe burn from aegis will give a good headstart on long burns too.

I would say mace is a good choice in this build since it is the main source for surviveability – regen, heal, block + pretty good aoe attack

i seriously dont see why CD should be a rough path. if you do the math dps on carrion wil be higher then knights – given a 100% uptime on burn and you bypass armor and protection boons…

Gasu.6254:

http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/guardian/?3.2|9.1h.h2.d.1h.h1|0.0.0.0.0.0|1h.75.1h.75.1h.75.1h.75.1h.75.1h.75|2u.0.2w.0.2t.0.1h.62.1h.62.2w.0|k25.u35b.k25.0.0|0.0|0.13.z.17.1i|e

This my burning build that I have used since the launch.
It definitely isn’t the best build out there but I’ve had fun with it.

The build focuses on burning and blocking but it also has a good critical chance.

Hopefully I can replace my ascended trinkets with carrion ones some day

I like it – yet i couldnt give up 5 in virtues with 15 in radiance. how do you find your surviveability?

to OP: I still would recommand not spending laurels on condition damage heavy gear. unless you really sure about what you want.

yeah its terrible. the evidance you provided shows it clearly.

the build i currently use for solo roaming pve and wvw. in dungeons i tend to go a little more group freindly.

http://tinyurl.com/c3qadng

full carrion gear, trinkets have some toughness but i will switch them too.

shattered aegis and fiery wrath are changed depending on the situation (solo vs. group fights). The build works really well for me and it focuses on applying burn to all nearby foes constantly(!) without going 30 in Virtues.

the build also generates quite some might which adds further to both damage sources. purging flames, shield of wrath, firery aura work well together.

people that say that burn sucks should try keeping burn up on all foes around you. toss in three stack of 7+ second bleeds it adds up very well. ticking for around 1.000 damage per second and a whirling wrath with decent power makes those numbers fly…. and opponents pretty nervous. i see a lot of runners (but i guess thats a guardians fate in any build)

opponents Condition removal is not really an issue since you keep applying burn constantly and tome of wrath action is epic.

dps wise its pretty simple… the longer you fight the higher the dps in this build is compared to a zerker crit build. vs. trash mobs i would say that its pretty much a draw… in orr you can cut down most trash mobs in 5 secs regardless of spec.

i tried this build with zerker gear which grants an insane damage output but you cant get any more squishy…

mace instead of sword works well too same goes for torch instead of focus.

its not OP its just a fun build. and imo its viable

abelooi is right – your build lacks synergy and is actually centered around greatsword with zero defensiv and a very low healthpool – i do not see a burn build here you just use things that burn.

your trait choice does not provide surviveability and your stats are also heading in the opposite direction. so you need to work on one or the other if you want more defense.

I’d say you have to make a choice here… crit or burn ?

why the hell do you trait off block burn with only aegis as a source for block?

you could also cosider rune of the forge which i find very useful if things get too hot. ou can switch to defensive weapon set like mace(focus and still maintain long duration protection to regain health.

Best bet to beat champions of all kinds in my opinion is something like this build:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fUAQNApdSlUgKDnGSKEf4ESmCRCBxUoRe01DFKiYIA

blind is often not helpful – blocks are and in this build they give might and burn the target. along with a constant symbol you get a fast count twoards your 5th hit for passiv VOJ.

purging flame along with leap of faith grants also the new fantastic fire aura, burn, conditon removal and might on hits. shield of wrath also gives might on activation.

mace/focus provides excellent surviveability for utelizing strong passiv health regen and altrustic healing.

combo it with well placed dodges – might on dodge food and even more endurance regen for a walk in the park on almost any champion.

in addition: guardian is no warrior

for pve its viable and if you like hammer then go for it….

if you are looking for stronger builds – there are a lot of options.

no one? Really?

How long is the brun duration on Rank 6 of rune of the forge? I assume its 1 second but maybe someone can confirm.

Vitu.3580:

I

If you gave shield a block – especially a timed duration block – there would be absolutely no reason to use the focus. The shield already provides passive defense just by equipping it, and can be traited to provide passive toughness as well. Allowing it to do the same – or better based on your suggestion – as focus would make the latter obsolete.

i would love the change to shield and use it on one set and focus on the other…

sword/shield + mace/focus + retreat + VoC would be OP in terms of block/mitigation in pve and in bunkering down… guard would truley be a facetank.

10 blocks + 3 blinds (5 in radiance) + renewed focus + shelter would lead to rotation where you can avoid being hit even once – even without the blinds you can facetank champs and wittle them down while constantly healing.

we are already very close to that – 3 more blocks would be insane….

shield does need some love though… i really do not like that weapon

i would recommand going 30 honor and do with the rest what suites you best.
30 honor has the advantage of being extremley flexible in what you do.

you can go for reduced shouts to be a buff throwning condition remover with 20% two hand weapon cd reduction for more dps and/or faster empowering might.

if you know the dungeons and mechanics “stand your ground” and “hold the line” are golden. toss in virtue activated buffs and might from crits you have solid setup which lets anyone in group profit greatly.

you could also go for a defensive near-facetank experience with trating symbols all the way and going for mace focus — really good if you have close combat professions/playstyles in your party.

other then that bringing scepter/shield regardless of you weapon preference is a good idea.

applying boons is what we do best and with ease

we nee mor beards. i would pay for a wider selection of norn beards instantly

if you are at it toss in some human male faces that are actually old/worn/experienced. i am past my twenties and i do not like playing characters that look like high school drop outs. human males only have one acceptable face that does not look like a half wit.

oh and decent focus skins…

might think about visual effect dye too…. making the focus abnormality glow blue would really suite my guardian

GS is just a lot of fun and every skill is usefull in any situation, hammer is very situational and for some a little boring (1,1,1,2,1,1,1,2) in pve. its still a good weapon! the only thing i cant get myself using is scepter – mechanics are okay but the visual effect just does not make it a fun weapon.

i dont want to hijack this thread for some other discussion – so my advice on OP is drop the 10 in zeal for 10 in valor or go full honor to get some more condition removal in.

or if you really only shooting for single target dps keep the 10 in zeal and reconsider powerful blades. the gain is just really low. inscribed removal is probably better since you already use 2 signets (i assume you use the heal signet)

you did call it the build that has it all…
in the end if you are happy with it and it does work for you i am the last to tell you differently.

never said its pointless

you are saying its not worth on itself but in combination with 100 power and 10% duration and radiant power for 20% extra damage on a single target?

guess what: i agree – but now you spent 35 trait points to make it usefull – and still on a single target (considering the weapon choice – using a 3 second aoe burn is not utelizing the damage boost from the trait. it merley sets it up)

i do not know which game you are playing but imo most dungeons focus on fighting groups of mobs until you reach the final boss. and in solo pve you will always want as much mobs on you as you can handle. for wvwvw different rules apply – you could easily argue that there is not enough condi removal in this build sp whats the point there?

again: i am not saying the trait is useless.

but i would ask myself if 10% damage increase on single target (+traitline bonus) is really worth it not having aditional condition removal every 10 secs + 100 Toughness and 10% critical damage.

Bakitten291:

Judges intervention is a 3 second aoe burn, using virtue of justice gives the 5 second burn to 5 other people near you who may be attacking other targets, burn on block trait in valor can very easily AoE burn when being focused with shelter active in a group, purging flames in a pure AoE stacking burn. not to mention the virtue trait to make justice an aoe pulse burn. We have ALOT of ways to apply burning for multiple builds. And not only that but in group play other people’s burning counts as well. get a couple guardians or an ele in the mix and groups can have perma burn on them at once. I would hardly say its over rated trait at all..

as you described – there is a lot of ifs and buts

yes you can trait for constant burn on 5 targets around you – the op does not. So it is a conditional SINGLE target damage boost.

everyone who uses this trait should question its usefulness in his/her particular build. its not an effective 10% damage increase as most people (like the op) says it is.

if you are min/maxing you build there are better things to pick.

wintermute.4096:

Konrad.9587:

Nothing is solved. Can you think of any, apart from gear inspection, reliable ways of early identification and elimination of MF leeches, AR leeches, full P/V/T players joining speed runs, etc?

I don’t want ungeared noobs in my speedruns and fractals as well, but it seems we can’t help it. Anet has decided that we can’t be allowed to sort out leeches and burdens on the group, we have to pretend they just don’t exist and carry on.

I don’t want poor uneducated people in my society, but it seems we can’t help it. Government has decided that we can’t be allowed to sort out leeches and burdens on the Society, we have to pretend they just don’t exist and carry on.

>> fixed so some of you might actually understand what you own reasoning actually means. just because its a Game it does Not mean Social mechanics are not in place.

Zeal +10% damage on burning foes (burning no problem as guardian)

….
i See 10 in zeal and this trait in a Lot of Builds with this argument. Fact is to utelize These 10% you have to keep your target constantly burning and Even then its pnly singletarget if you dont go for a Long burn aoe skill.

This trait is the Most overated trait for guardians – hands down

Hi there,

inspired by some other thread i tried to make a guardian build that focuses on pbaoe massive burn application and condition damage while sustaining a high survivability and stacking a lot of might.

this is a pve build first … i might test it in pvp where i think it might work to.

So here it is:
http://tinyurl.com/bn62u6d

Food:
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Bowl_of_Orrian_Truffle_and_Meat_Stew
(veggie pizza is okay too)

Tuning Crystal:
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Master_Tuning_Crystal

Playstyle:

Single target (trashmobs + veterans): ageis removal+block aplies 3sec burn from the start which are easily maitained by protectors strike, zealots flame. swap to sword/focus to maintain 3 additional block-burns – with two blinds available and retreat and VoC off CD the target should be dead now – leaving you without a single hit on you.

multiple targets (trash mobs + veterans):
use you off ageis-block-removal-burns first then for heal block (which also gives 3secs pbaoe burn and might) then hit purging flames which should cover all targets in burn for the rest of the fight.

fun about the spec is the mini game you play where you keep up the burn the whole time…

i beg to differ.

the trinity is in the players heads following a concept of maximizing one of the above.

take an guardian for example: whats the support line in your opinion? valor? virtues? honor? any of these can be used very offensively.

so its really the players that make the trinity. the trinity is also defined differently and are bound to the class… for example a cleric will never be able to become a warrior

thats what i am trying our right now…

its a mainly a pve build focusing on condition damage with mace and permeating wrath… two things that you do not see often – thats why i chose them.

everybody says condition build on guard is stupid cause you only have one. which is true but with permeating wrath this build focuses on maintaining burn on all (5) targets around you. the idea is simple due to supreme justice you need only 4 hits to you point blank burn with mace you are able to achieve that very consistently due to symbol ticks which you can have close to perma up and the auto attack hits 1+2 and mace 3. mace focus gives you high survivability to stand your ground

staff is for gathering mobs and might stacks to increase condition damage. (you can also use greatsword for even more burning activation – but again that wouldnt be the point)

http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=-7BdZ;1RFF30M3NG-90;9;49;0TT1;626717ALJk74b0TT1;626717ALJk74O

even if you do not go down virtues i really recommend traiting symbols all the way. its what defines the mace…. and slaming the ground for a symbol looks cool.

as the game grows older the element of suprise get far more important. i appreciate the effort of Bhutjolokia.

Not every post can be about a gamebrakeing op tactic that lets you facerofl 1on1.

its about what you do with this mechanic

that trick does not work anymore so do not bother

Windwalker.2047:

Arcane skills were viable in the first and second beta weekend,since then they have been nerfed to the ground (and i mean deep down to the9th circle of hell-cooldown increase by 50% and dmg reduced by roughly the same)now they are just bad,bad utillities.
The only one use is arcane shield since its the only true dmg negation uty besides mist form and can be used while chaneling without interrupting it.

i do not fully agree – they are very viable but you have to center your build around them and even then its mostly a decent pve spec.

i think the bigest problem is that cantrips are too good not to have them on your skillbar. they are basically 3x panic button due to stun breaker and are powerful.

also nearly any build an ele can make, suffers because you wil want at least one cantrip.

traits and skill setup as it is screams cantrips if you want a well rounded build for pve and pvp that does not depend on teamplay…

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/elementalist/Moving-Staff-D-D-S-D-some-questions/first#post1422867

hi Kayanos,

my build is also centered aroun arcane skills but on directdamge with d/d and not conditions. i think your idea is great an i might test it myself too. (gear went in another direction)

suggestion 1:
elemental surge without arcane power is a waste imo. you said “burn everything”. well with the combo of elemental surge and arcane power you can apply 25 seconds of burn if yu stay in fire… (no + duration factored in) – swap it in for arcane blast or the shield… (which you do not need imo – long cd)

plus if you activate in earth you can auto bleed and immobilize at the same time

suggestion 1.2
if you follow suggestion 1 you might find yourself wondering why you spec in fire at all.. … and the answer can only be trait XII .. erverthing else you dont really need. so if thats worth it to you leave it at that spec if not consider suggestion 2

suggestion 2:
put you point in earth and water…

0/0/20/20/30 for more defense and alot of condition removal

0/0/30/10/30 would be also awsome… 3secs group stability an 8sec protection for allies + condi removal…

or use shard of ice for extra vurnability on target

what sleeve … oh

Am i the only one who is bummed because of the male t3 light cultrual armor for males?

T1 and T2 are awsome but t3 feels more like a downstep. why do we get a ribbon for a helmet? why are the shoulders so small?

savesme a lot of gold but i really would like to have another option here.

In addition:
why are they all wolf themed… my spirit is not wolf!

i think norns deserve cultural armor that matches their totem…

gimme!

hedition.7261:

Do you think switching from fire attunement to lightning attunement is the same as switching from staff to D/D?

No it is not the same. No weapon switching is a handicap.
We have to plan beforehand what kind of fights we are facing and switch accordingly.

Of course eles are powerful classes and allowing weapon switching makes them OP. I am not asking for weapons switching, but please do consider this when nerfing eles.

We have to plan more, and press alot more buttons to achieve results other classes can do so with ease.

i think you are on the right Track. The Problem is that ele weapons keep their range across all atunements. switching an attunement gives you more options but you are still playing the Same way. weapon swap on other professions feels more like switching strategy then swapping attunements does. since range always means a lowered damage ouput eles are forced to compromise. conjures are not a solution because they always feel like a wasted slot if you do not centre a build around them. At least to me.

I personally do not need the weapon swap

you need to cross static field off that list.

the nerf is actually reasonable. a full aoe stun field is really crazy in wvw. if it would still be in place it would be abused to no end. how many timed eles do you need to effectivly kill a whole zerg? anyone who has played daoc knows what i am talking about – if you can effectivly shut down multiples for 5-6s you can have the rest of an organized group dish out so much damage that everything dies.

5- eles teams incomming… 3 staffies 2 d/d – there would be so much whine, tyria would drown …

by the time the zerg reacts you have 3 eles in position fireing aoes all over the place while 2 dd eles rip through everything comboing on a bunch of fields…

no thank you!!!

@SlimGenre,

Gallrvaghn & Slasher are right some of the things you mentioned will waste arcane power too quickly and uncontrolable. bruning spped for example. even with one target its almost instantly gone. and does really no damage. i would keep it away from fire fields. it bugs out on some other skills as well and i can only speak for dd. it does bug out quite a bit.

earth:
Arcane power is used up by hits on target so if you cast churning earth with 3 targets in range it uses up those three charges. it applies the immobilze on the hit which is normal but kind of useless. Thats why i really only use it in earth when i want the guaranteed critical on CE or immobilize a single target for 6-8 seconds with the autoattack and magnatic grasp (does not happen often)

fire:
is a plain deal. i use it for veterans as an opener. if you want a long burn on your target you close in on it and hit autoattack for 3 hits to apply 15 secs of burn then hit fire garb for crit and another 5 second burn…. then i switch to lightning which uses up the last charge with electric discharge for good crit damage and blind.

if i have more targets around me and low health you can use it with ring of fire add arcane wave and get out of there leaving 5 targets burning for 10 secs.

water
pretty much the same as ring of fire deal but leaving them chilled for quite some time.
the other option is the chill+vurnability deal on single target that was described earlier.
if you gear for duration this really becomes a nice trick. if you dont you better hurry to bring down damage. nevertheless the target gets chilled for 20secs+.

lightning
this one is tricky since the double hit on auto attack uses two charges and they are most of the time applied so fast that they overlap withou being used up by your target. on the other hand the whip does really nice damage (at least i feel that way) and it looks super cool. i could see it being funny facetanking 100blades close to the end so you avoid the last 2-4 hits. other then that – just use the single target damage skills activate aura and leave lightning for soemthing else.

but there are a lot of different ways to go about it… i feel it makes you really versetile and arcane precision puts the icing on top of it.

hi there,

i would love to watch it unfortunately germany got some strict copyright rules thats why your video is blocked. If you find the time: a version without unlicensed music would be awsome!

Kaleden.9386:

Toss in a consumable like Skale Venom and you’d probably reach 25 stacks easily. Though I’d love to hear from Asmodal, as arcane builds seem like fun if I could learn to be without my cantrips.

didnt even consider food …

Well i do think the build is fun. I do not know how it performs in WvWvW in the long run. i did some and had great laughs but with this spec you really need somebody to clear conditions so i can speak mainly for pve.

personally i hate cantrips. the cooldown ist just too long i want to use my abilities. (the effects are awsome though) if i need them is swap them in.

i have zero problem in dungeons and in the open world (who has though). and a chilled boss is only half as dangerous.

the build just feels like you can insta burst single trash mobs when you have them around 50%. and you might still have your hard hitting skills off CD. coming from a staff ele who takes forever to kill anything this is just something new.

arcane blast and arcane wave are instant so even if you are knocked down you can get a blind off. hell you can even activate arcane power and blind single target just be attuning to lightning. wait for the hit an activate shock aura.

the best about this build is that your attunements feel mor dedicated. max chill vurnability in water, max burn in fire, perma blind in lightning…
earth is more control and not so important in pve but if all the arcane traits would apply bleed … well taht would be off the hook.

SlimGenre.6417:

Kaleden.9386:

SlimGenre.6417:

Asmodal.6489:

water
you can put 25 stacks of vurnability on your target in like 2 seconds while chilling them for 10+. if the target is low on health you get a 40% damage boost on arcane wave, blast and 5 base attacks.

How do you get the 25 stacks? Shards of ice gives 3 stacks on the build you’re using for both Arcane Blast and Arcane Wave, so that makes 6… and then 1 stack for your first 4 attacks after using Arcane Power… that adds up to 10 stacks, not 25… what am I missing?

I was wondering that, too. My guess is Vapor Blade with Arcane Power activated and hitting a target with both the outgoing and returning attack of Vapor Blade.

Can’t be vapor blade, he said 25 stacks in 2 seconds… What he’s talking about sounds like blast finishers, but no blast finishers give vulnerability stacks. You can get combo finishers whirl or projectile through a lightning field, but d/d has no lightning field. Could do vapor blade through lightning field for 2 stacks per hit I bet, so that’d be quicker, but still, not “2 seconds” quick.

Either I’m missing something or he’s HEAVILY exagerating

yeah i got carried away and i am exaggerating …BUT NOT HEAVY

- you get 6 stacks from arcane wave and blast
- vapor blade hits 6 times in 2-3 seconds (roll to and back from the target) applying 11 (6 from its own hits and 4 from arcane power) stacks so you end up with 16.

in addition you get them from Arcane Precision. wiki says chance is 7.5% but it feels higher to me — i am generous so lets say 2 more

leaving it at 18 and me as a show off… BUT…

if you need more … i used to run 0/25/0/15/30 (got me confused)

which gives also vurnability on crit and since all of these (8) hits are crit 5-6 additional crits are not uncommon.

and there you have it .. 25 stacks
toss in sigil of fragility and you get there as well (not sure if the cooldwon would stop the other procs on crit)

bam!

its true though they drop quickly but you can still manage to get a ring of fire and fire garb out.

its not OP its just cool to do. you can test it yourself in the mists. (i will too when i get home)

hi,

i really love D/D in pve and i am settled for an little bit diffrent spec then usual.

0/20/0/20/30 focused on arcane skills: http://tinyurl.com/bu7rd6t

in air i usually choose inscription. with the glyph heal you already have perma sprint since it last 13secs and aplies it twice or 8 secs of protection or two stacks of might or 26 secs regeneration. (i really do not get why people do not use it – its even more redicolouswith 30 water)

water is for 20% more damage vs. vurnable targets and vurnable on arcane use.

arcane is for elemental attunement (with the inscription and glyph you see where this is going 12 secs protection when you swap to earth and heal) and 20% CD reduction.

elemental surge is the Grandmaster and in combination with arcane power and arcane precision its just a lot of fun… i usually blow erverything at once.

water
you can put 25 stacks of vurnability on your target in like 2 seconds while chilling them for 10+. if the target is low on health you get a 40% damage boost on arcane wave, blast and 5 base attacks.

fire
little bit more boring but do it at the beginning of the fight and the target will burn for 10+ secs while you can change to do something else.

lightning
if you are against a single mob its just "leave me alone for 7 hits and stacking some weakness.

earth
arcane blast becomes a 1500 range 1 sec instant immobilize, arcane wave becomes a nice addition to your escape tools. standard attack can be pretty much a 5-8 sec immobilize.

the beauty starts when you start casting churning earth switch to lightning for a pbao blind and another singeltarget blind… jsut before the hammer falls you go to water hit arcane power and put chill on 5 targets whe it lands. do another frozen burst or swap to fire for ring of fore and to escape with burning speed….

i just love it.

huge downside: no stability and no condi removal but its for pve so who cares.

works well in dungeons although i tend to spec 0/10/0/30/30 there for condition removal and i swap the arcane blast for mist or armor of earth. (inscription is nice but not really important)

perma chilled champions are really easy

well it would be awsome if it would coat us with some light spikey surface with the shiny effect in the way collossus does it

Gallrvaghn.4921:

Gaudrath.6725:

What effect? Gray shader is not an effect. :p

It fits the skill’s name PREFECTLY <3

and obsidian is actually more black than gray

i think you should put a little more effort in starting a topic if you want it to be “alive”. maybe starting with your opinion on it.

the real issue for me is that focus leaves you with you main hand to deal damage. focus feels very (reange) defensive which is great BUT…. scepter or mainhand dagger as only source of “damage skills” feels like you are missing out on a lot of damage.

if you use it with scepter it really becomes a 1on1 setup that screams for a condition damage centered build with high surviveability. The short range and the fact that it is mostly single target because the aoe effects are so easy to dodge makes them kind of unfullfilling in wvwvw.

with dagger it draw you in melee range but you lack the high damage and escape tools that would make the setup work really well.

dagger offhand is just so well balanced that it is really hard not to choose it. it got everything and on top of that it has the coolest animations that are really fun to play with…

stompong the ground… chruning earth … rtl ..fire garb … i just love them… they reek of power.

Viability is mostly a matter of perspective. A Lot of People consider erverything besides the 0/10/0/30/30 not viable simple because other specs do Not deliver the Same things.

the Problem is that water and arcane outshine fire and earth tremendously.

Got kicked from a Guild because i refused to join TS regularly. 100%rep is a no go since i also have my own Guild for Bank Account.

Hardest Part for me is to find a Guild with nice people AND a cool name. a lot of uinspired stuff Out there