Guild Wars 2

Will it do more than Pry Bar, Confusion, Throw Wrench and SD?

On a 2600 armor target for me Pry Bar crits for ~3.9k on a 12 second CD plus ~750 in Confusion per activaton for ~6.5 seconds. Throw Wrench crits twice for ~2k and SD crits ~1.2k on a ~15.5 sec CD. IIRC… This should add around 850 DPS to your rotation given you activate on cooldown and the confusion ticks 3x times.

I haven’t tested EG personally but I’d like to see what it can do.

Blood~

… Anyone seeing any values that don’t look right, please feel free to help me correct them.

The more damaging abilities you have access to that have higher ‘damage per cast’ than auto attack, the higher you can push your effective DPS. The trick is you have to be able to hit these attacks as soon as they come off cooldown. If you load up with Tool, Bomb and Grenade kits and throw SD on top you’ll have a ton of damage but you’ll have to manage cooldowns. Bomb 1 for you default auto attack + B2, B3, G2,G4, G5, TK3, Rifle 3 n 5 and then your toolbelts+SD would push a lot of damage but, you’d have to hit cooldowns on everything which is not easy in the least bit.

10/30/0/0/30 Rifle/SD with TK, PBR and Rifle Turret can already compete with Ax/M – 100b warrior in the testing I’ve done and you really only have to toolkit for Pry Bar to max it. Switch to 30/10/0/0/30 Rifle, Grenade Kit, Toolkit and Rifle Turret ups your dps by 4% and Bomb’s instead of Grenade’s is another 6% on top of that. Haven’t tested Bomb/Grenade/Tool kit in this yet but I’d assume you do a bit more. Again though, this is theoretical DPS assuming you can hit all the cooldowns right away. These values come from actual hits on a 2600 armor target using the same gear across the tests.

Blood~

My $.02, if you pug a group, write down the names and if you get kicked for less than full zerker then /ignore them.

First off, full Zerker is doable and preferable if people can stay on their feet. Its not the only way to roll though and other setups are fine if you’re not in a group of kittens. I won’t kick anyone for running any build, but if I see a guardian in back with a staff trying to heal I may put um on my ignore list.

That being said, a fun and tanky build that I’ll run once in a while is 10/30/0/30/0 Hammer with a focus on longer symbols and Protection up-time with runes. You’ll do respectable damage and give all your melee a good amount of protection as long as you keep hitting the target. Supplement this with Omnom Pie and Sigil of Blood for some extra self healing and you can stay on target a good amount of the time. Full PVT will drop your damage output by at least 20% if not 30% compared to full Zerker. With this I will run anywhere from 2 pcs to 6pcs of PVT and the rest is Zerker along with the weapons.

I wonder if we won’t see some changes in PvE that will necessitate nonZerker builds.. Having 8 viable builds where only 1 or 2 are PvE ‘meta viable’ is kind of a waste IMHO.

Blood~

Thanks much guys. I tested out the two builds and got some interesting results. Axe/Mace supplemented with 100b gave me the highest numbers out of anything I’ve tested but Thief Backstab/Heartseeker was very close. I was able to closely match a lot of other thief and engineer dps to GSword Warrior numbers. Guard was about 12% lower than GSword warrior akittens best. I was honestly expecting to see GSword a lot higher but I’m happy that I can match it with other classes. Axe/Mace 100b on the other hand was quite impressive. About 13% above GSword alone. This was calculated assuming all abilities are able to be used on cooldown. Again, not saying my system is completely accurate but I feel its doing a decent enough job in comparing dps output.

TYVM
Blood~

Something to take into consideration is the Vulnerability stacks from grenades. If you’re running in a group that already stacks Vulnerability Bombs are the way to go. If no one is stacking Vulnerability Grenades will probably give your team more bang for your buck because they stack so quickly..

Static Discharge and damaging toolbelt skills up your damage considerably with most builds, I was quite surprised to take an FT build up to a competitive level. We also enjoy zero cooldown on kit to weapon switches so pop into Rifle for Blunderbuss and Jump Shot on cooldown if you can.

Blood~

*Removed a few false statements after further testing.

I like having high dps. I currently run Guard, Thief, Mesmer and Engi all of which are geared with at least a zerker set. At first I had no interest in running a Warrior but the promise of ‘unbeatable dps’ has put a new shiny finish on the class for me.

My question is, if I finish leveling my warrior and build for DPS is it so good that other classes aren’t worth considering for dungeon runs. I want to avoid shelving my other toons. I’ve run almost every path with GC builds on different toons and up to FotM34 with my GC Guard.

Does the class have a lot of build options and different play styles available? against.

I have a system that I feel comfortable with to compare DPS of different builds and classes. I’m not very familiar with Warrior past lvl 25 though. Can anyone point me to a good DPS build guide?

Input is appreciated,

Blood~

Not a lot has changed. Spirit Weapons can be killed and Vigor on Crit is 5 sec/5 sec CD but not sure if those nerfs were within the last 6 months or not. Other than that some buffs came in, reworked some traits too. Class hasn’t received many nerfs that I can recall. I’m sure someone else can post better info though.

WB
Blood~

ethebubbeth.9140:

Rampagers with ruby jewels was the highest damage output until they fixed Scope in the big balance patch. Rampagers is still really close to full berserker, it just necessitates a different trait selection.

The only values I’ve seen are from TheKnox on the guru thread less I’m missing something. Those are best case scenario also. Again, I don’t want to discount this but we are lacking actual DPS values. I think there is a dps calculation spreadsheet hidden out on guru somewhere.

I did some testing on the new golem in the mists. Got some values. Zerker Grenades/SD averages 3% higher than Zerker Rifle/SD. This climbs 1% per stack with more Vulnerability from Grenades but evens out again if the group maxes Vulnerability w/o you. Not saying my method is 100% accurate but its at least a comparison of two builds. I’ll have to try Rampagers amulet and HGH setup n see where it takes the numbers. Gonna check this against my other 80’s also when I get some time.

Either way Zerker Grenades does quite good damage if you land your hits If you’re not real accurate then Zerker Rifle/SD is a good contender, sorry for deviating from the main topic.

Blood~

AsmallChicken.9634:

Zerker Nades is the highest damage output an Engi can produce (Bomb might be a little bit higher but is harder to use).

Do you have values for build vs damage output? Where is your info coming from?

Reason I ask is because there is a lot of conjecture on these boards. In a lot of cases comparative DPS seems to be subjective. I’m not trying to discount this statement, I would just like to see the numbers.

Blood~

Nice damage on T-B34RC3 (Tyler Bearce Game Designer ??)

Looks like a fun build, gonna give it a try.

Blood~

With zerker gear I’m finding 10/30/0/0/30 Rifle/SD to be quite effective. Could try 30/10/0/0/30 as well if you wanna run Grenades. Rifle Turret and PBR both have short cooldown toolbelt abilities. Toolkit is also short and gives an extra kit for fun when you need melee.

GL
Blood~

There are so many builds you can run at 80, some match your thief tank style. Toolkit is nice, hits hard, has a block and a pull. Static Discharge is nice at 20, adds a good amount of damage output if you skill for short duration toolbelt skills like Rifle Turret, Tool Kit and Personal Battering Ram. I consider Rifle almost a melee weapon as its two big damage abilities are better close range. At 80 I run Rifle/SD or Grenades/Gadgets or FT/HGH (which you will prolly like the most). All do quite well, I feel that zerker builds rival any other DPS builds from other classes, lotsa viable builds.

Blood~

Razer Nostromo
Logitech G600 MMO Mouse

Nostromo gives you a D-Pad for your thumb, like platform controllers. Tons of buttons and great response. G600 is a new addition for me, had trouble till I got the DPI settings to where I was used to, now its just great. Over 40 programable buttons lets you setup however you want.

1-5 n 6-0 are on the Nostromo. F1-F4 are rekey’d to Shift+1 – Shift+4, Shift is on the mouse. Map, Tab Target, Mark Target, F or [Use] and Weapon Switch on the Nostromo. Mouse has Dodge, Jump, Shift, Exit, Target Target, and a bunch of other screens.

Movement is through the D-Pad and Mouse. Game like our 8bit forefathers intended!

Best investments I’ve made in terms of gaming experience aside from maybe my chair

Blood~

Zerker 30/10/0/30/0 or 30/10/0/0/30 is what I’d suggest. Good setup for both grenades and bombs. First will bolster elixirs, might gen and condition removal. Second is more mobile and lets you work with Static Discharge and gadgets for a bit more damage. If you’re gonna be in kits most of the time I’d suggest P/S for some utility and 2 Sigils or Rifle for a bit more burst.

Blood~

I’m running a Rifle/SD that I really like. Zerker 0/30/0/10/30 with Rifle Turret, Tool Kit, Rocket Boots, Supply Crate and Healing Turret. This gives two water fields and four blast finishers for group heals. Without meters statement of DPS is usually subjective to the player but with the testing I’ve done I’m relatively confident in saying that this build does as well or better than my PvE backstab thief.

Sub in PBR for Rocketboots if you want for a faster toolbelt/sd ability.

Blood~

I would love to see Hammer also. I agree the transform is a bit much but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t see some range on an attack or two.

Biggest problem is all but a few hammer skins are terrible. Id rather take almost any GSword and turn it sideways to smack people with than most hammers in game. Hammers are supposed to be big and smashy, most are small and fail to represent the feel of the weapon. Aetherized Hammer FTW.

Blood~

I’ve been seeing immobilize locks from Sword/Shield and Hammer warriors IIRC.

Ty Tattoo, I usually run Rifle/SD and sometimes Power FT in sPvP which I do like. I like the Rabid Grenades for WvW as I’m less GC but I just haven’t had a lot of success with it so far. When attacking a tower I love having grenades to hit the walls, makes you feel more effective but at the same time it seems like more of an annoyance to the enemy than it is effective in taking them down.

dunn, Does +100 Toughness make that big of a difference past full Rabid? That build does look appealing though.

Blood~

I run a zerker Rifle/SD build with PBR and toolkit. This is relatively effective if the war doesn’t have stability. I’ll let him charge in then Overcharged or PBR and net so he cant get back to me right away. If he stays in front you can keep doing damage. I’ve been running Rocket Boots lately which is working out pretty well.

Another build that was somewhat effective was a 0/30/0/20/20 with more pushbacks and launches using FT and come condition clearing.

It is a hard matchup though and I’m probably running 50/50 vs them. Some can take me out without much trouble.

GL
Blood~

Deniara Devious.3948:

One grenade does around 250-500 per hit, which is not yet enough to tag the target.

Guess this is new to me but is there a minimum amount of damage you need to get a tag?

Usually I run with and run up against decent zergs, but not super organized. This depends on the weeks match up as I’ve seen some super organized zergs though also.

I usually get the daily through sPvP but when I decided to mess with WvW last night I just couldn’t get the kills.

I’ll throw on my zerker gear n see how it goes, also been building some knights for a FT build which may help.

TYVM
Blood~

I really like Grenades in Zerg vs Zerg and ‘storming the castle’. I’ve been having issues racking up kills though. I currently run full Rabid and 30/10/0/0/30 Grenades and Gadgets. Would a zerker setup be more effective or should I stick with conditions? I don’t do a lot of roaming. I am still working on improving my play also so it is a factor.

TY for your input,

Blood~

SD is great. Try 10/30/0/0/30 with Rifle, Medkit, Rifle Turret, Tool Kit, Personal Battering Ram and Supply Crate. Goal is to run low cooldown toolbelt abilities. With Zerker gear the burst is great and sustained damage is quite good. Burn on Crit trait, Hair Trigger, 10% rifle dmg, Mod’d Ammo, Speedy Kits, SD and Power Wrench.

Modified Ammo is like any other % damage trait, it effects all damage which is the best way to increase damage output. If you can stack multiple % modifiers its even better.

GL
Blood~

I’d suggest full Zerker with maybe Soldiers Amulet and Back. Trait 0/30/0/30/10 Fireforge n Hair Trigger with Juggernaut, HGH elixir setup and Speedy Kits. Stack might with Juggernaut, HGH, Sigil of Battle, Elixirs and 2x Rune of Strength , Hoelbrak and Fire. You can run around with 12 stacks of might easy and poping elixirs gives 20 stacks with long duration. Mix Rifle 3 and 5 with FT auto and 2 for decent damage output. This has a ton of CC if you head to the mists also, pretty fun.

Blood~

Protectors Strike does lack against a ranged hit but its terribly awesome in melee. Built right you can get crazy damage off of it and its AoE. The only thing I’d like to see is the ability to pop it for damage, on demand 7K aoe hit would be great.

Blood~

Mix Berserker and Soldiers gear with a 0/0/30/30/10 AH EM build to start. Work your way to more Berserker and less Altruistic Healing if you want more damage. Fiery Wrath in Zeal tree and Radiant Power in Radiance tree give some good damage boost. Hammer, GSword and Staff are my picks for WvW.

Blood~

Hammer’s Symbol of Protection makes you tanky too. AH+Hammer is super good for survivability but you’re sacrificing a lot of damage. Learn AH and love it but if you really love something you will set it free. When you do you could give a 10/30/0/30/0 a try also. Good DPS, lotsa damage mitigation and with a few good dodges quite workable as an ‘anchor’. Switch Superior Aria with Writ of Exaltation if you want a bigger puddle but the new symbol is quite large. This is great as it will give your melee protection also, WoE will prolly let your symbol hit your ranged guys as well. I’ve used this in Arah and FotM 20, after 20 things start to hit just a bit too hard though so you’ll need more proactive damage mitigation. Make note of the rune setup, those and WoPresistance gives you 100% uptime on Protection.

I will normally hit 4K to 5K on Mighty Blast and 9K to 11K on an autoattack chain including symbol damage IIRC. Will do better in a group setting with vulnerability and might.

Blood~

I run a Rifle/SD build and really like it. It seems to have quite good damage but we don’t have meters so its all subjective. 0/30/0/10/30 with fast toolbelt cooldown skills like Rifle Turret, Toolkit and PBR or Rocket Boots. I run Zerker gear and love the damage and control of Rifle. 5K blunderbuss and 9k jump shots are not uncommon.

I’m not sure how this compares to bombs or grenades but I feel it’s competitive with my other zerker classes.

I like rifle but I feel it either needs a full compliment of SD to really shine or you need to use it as a method of control. Its a strong weapon though and 2k auto-pings are nice.

Also, I’m sorta on the fence about HGH. You can either save your elixirs for when they’re needed or you blow them to gain might stacks. I get frustrated with this because even if you stack your might you’re not maxed without help.

So looking at what you’re doing I might suggest putting Flamethrower in the mix with Juggernaut. 0/30/0/30/10, Juggernaut, Fireforge Trigger and Speedy Kits. This will give you 11 stacks of might if you run Might Duration runes without using any elixirs, makes it much easier to max your stax. Also you get control and frontal aoe damage with FT, knock back and aoe blind, hard hitting 2 and a long duration fire field for more might stacking with blast finishers. If you get comfortable drop 409 for Deadly Mixture.

You’ll have your rifle -10% damage but you’ll gain a second weapon set that does well in zergs and bumps up your toughness.

Blood~

We obviously don’t tank like other MMO’s but we can do some. Best way that I’ve found to gain agro is simply proximity and do some damage, always exceptions though.

Protection, IMHO, is the ultimate tanking boon. Run Hammer with 0/0/30/30/10 or 10/30/0/30/0 or anything in between. Grab 2x Sup Rune of Earth, Monks and Water each. This will give you +50% protection duration, trait in Writ of Persistence and live in your Symbol of Protection. You and your melee are now taking 33% less damage. Add in the signet for another 10% and add in some toughness if you need more mitigation.

Guards are all about a bunch of little constant heals especially when you talk AH. I use Sigil of Blood and Onmon Pie all the time. Don’t be afraid to run without AH though, switch in some DPS traits. I am currently running the 10/30/0/30/0 build which works well. I carry a full set of soldiers and a full set of berserkers, constantly mixing and matching depending on the content. This build lets you run tanky or you can optimize for DPS, if you get in a crappy zerker group you can just switch up and roll with um. Using an old but thorough spreadsheet Hammer shows to be around 5% less DPS than GSword all things being equal, if you have Writ of Persistence traited.

Most important is play how you like, stay alive and be mindful of your dps output.

Blood~

DeathPanel.8362:

Writ of exaltation works well if you aren’t using a dps/crit build. If you are then empowering might may be more useful.

WoE works very well with a Hammer DPS build.

Blood~

CptAurellian.9537:

take 20/25/0/25/0, or otherwise just the good old 10/30/0/30/0. Those builds offer excellent DPS.

^ These will add 30%+ to your base damage if the criteria are met. 10/30/30/0/0 is good also, you’re trading 10% overall damage for 30% more crit damage. Elusive Power is good if you have to dodge but its a dps loss if you dodge just to get the bonus dmg. I like to think of it as mitigating dps loss from dodging instead of increasing dps. Crit as a tradeoff is always ‘on’ though.

Blood~

I would like to see a symbol on Sword, not sure how it would be worked in though. 2 and 3 abilities are pretty nice, although they 3 should allow some movement. Maybe a symbol on 2 that pops immobilize where you land, IDK.

Blood~

With AH if I’m running Hammer I’ll do Writ of Exaltation, Persistence and switch the 3rd around, EM or Pure of Voice mostly. With GSword I run Superior Aria, 2h Mastery and EM or PoV. Don’t be afraid to change traits between combats if you know you’ll need something, same with skills.

Blood~

Silv.9207:

For PvE you can’t play as DPS. You’r healt is very low (like ele and thief) and in berserker build you’ve not all that ability to heal and evade damage like other classes. But you can output a very good dps. not the best of the game, but whit the GS you can hit like a warrior. But you’ve too low healt to survive like a warrior and you’re easy to be downed, expacially by some boss.
If you want to be useful in PvE you Must be the Tank-Support. High defence, healing symbols, shout everywhere. You can be the rock that a party need to kill a large number of boss, but you Must be a Tank. I’ve try to go in dungeon whit some DPS guardians, but they fall down easy.

At last: there’s a lot of good build, but you can’t be the DPS of the group, because you’ve too low hp. You can play as tank, or supporter tank, or hybrid.

Misinformation here. I have run almost every path and up to FotM 32 with an AH free Zerker DPS build. You can play around in melee without much problems if you know what you’re doing. I dropped AH and Soldiers cuz this class was just way to easy and I didn’t feel challenged. Zerker DPS is quite fun as you need to proactively mitigate your damage, plus all the tools we have just help a ton. Nothing against survivability in a build but if you’re not at half health you’re not pushing your DPS

At last: Play what you have fun with, be mindful of your DPS output. Zerker is viable but may not be for everyone.

Blood~

I have seen some values a while back on guru but after using the formula on a number of different builds I wasn’t convinced that it was painting a completely accurate picture. I have however just dug up an old spread sheet from someone on guru that I really like. Everything being equal GSword was sitting at 3800 DPS and Hammer at 3600 DPS using this specific spreadsheet.

I’ll say it again, I think ANet has a bit more balance between classes than some think. But without values this is just an assumption.

Guanglai Kangyi.4318:

so yes, guardian DPS is undeniably better if that is the case. It is basically a toss-up between the two classes when the traits are working as intended, in their current form warriors are actually losing out even to necromancers.

Can you please post your calculated values and the formula you use to get them. Simply stating ‘this is better than that’ is not adequate.

I run the 10/30/0/30/0 and really like it. I feel pretty confident that it can match some other classes dps output, but I can’t state it as fact as I don’t have an accepted formula or method of testing. I can’t say anything about warriors either as I haven’t played one.

Blood~

I’m personally not terribly impressed with HGH but do run it sometimes.

1. For PvE Zerker Static Discharge and Rifle seem to work quite well. Decent AoE but HGH Grenades work quite well also, very good aoe damage. WvW I run Rabid Grenades and Gadgets.

2. I love this class for Dungeons. If you know what you’re getting into we have a build for it. Damage output is quite good also, at very least comparable to my thief and mesmer.

3. PvP I’m all over the place but am sorta liking a HGH Flamethrower build for point control. HGH is sorta counterproductive as you’re using your elixirs for Might instead of their actual effect when you need it. HGH/Grenades is a powerful but difficult to master build, pays off big once you get real good at it though. I run Zerker or Knights with it and let the might boost conditions.

4. Try a Static Discharge with low cooldown toolbelt options. Rifle is good for leveling. Bombs are good for leveling also. Lvl 20 give SD, 40 go bombs or SD or just Rifle, 60 opens up a lot for most builds.

Like others have said, don’t mess with grenades till 60. They also have a high learning curve so you’re gonna be less effective starting out. This is most evident in WvW/PvP as its harder to predict where your target will be, PvE is relatively easy. Turn fast ground targeting on your game options.

I’m still learning all the little tricks so I may be missing something but I haven’t been able to max Might stacks alone with HGH. Maybe I’m missing something though, just my experiences so far.

Blood

This is what I like to run. 10/30/0/30/0 Hammer. I like this a lot because you can push good damage and still take 33% less damage, along with anyone in your symbol. Take note of the runes and Writs, increased Protection allows you to live in Protection full time as long as you stick in your symbol and hit stuff. Pop Save Yourselves at the start for 15 seconds of Prot. Back out and let your scepter and omnom pie heal ya up when needed. Guard Hammer, IMHO, is the ultimate in melee support. Just so much damage mitigation.

I run DPS gear but mix in more Soldiers till you’re comfortable. I have run this setup in almost all explores and FotM 32, haven’t cared to go over that. Normally the groups are GC and we do just fine. Main thing is find a playstyle you like just be mindful of your dps output, it helps so much to kill stuff faster.

What I like most about this is that you can adjust the traits to semi-optimize most weapons and it can move from ‘DPS’ to more support when needed. I will rarely end a dungeon with the same traits as I started.

GL
Blood~

Devils.3679:

But none the less what else do you pair with torch for dps….

swiftpaw.6397:

Have you tried 1h sword >_>

I love rifle but Jump Shot, IMHO, isn’t really good for escapes. P/S and EG do well if you keep rocket boots on your bar. I’ve removed myself from many bad situations with just those two. Toolbelt from Slick Shoes is a nice stun break and speed then just keep your speedy kits going. Frost Grenade is great for getting away also.

Blood~

The way I read your post it sounds like you were interpreting the 11.8k as a single hit within the cleansing flame channel, which again sounded like you’re calculating 60K out of only the cleansing flame. There are still a lot of people who think the total number is a single hit. You made no mention of the other abilities. You may want to elaborate a bit. I know my class better than most. If damage is what your after why are you not traiting for an extra 10%?

Come back when you know how to communicate.

Why don’t you break down the 60K in 4sec so people can see what you’re doing.

Devils.3679:

11.8k isn’t small and the dmg wasn’t from scepter, lol its from cleansing flame and if you are hitting for almsot 12k with cleansing flame that gives you 60k+ chain. tell me how how over 60k in 4 secs is small. what what proof of you great dps do you have?

I think you’re mistaking the total count-up of the Cleansing Flame with a single hit. The big number at the end is the total… 11.8k total actually isn’t bad for cleansing flame but unless you have a crazy situational buff you aren’t doing 60k in 4 seconds. The numbers you posted are pretty good but you could get higher with 20/25/25/0/0 with scepter.
Blood~

I use 10/30/0/30/0 for FoTM 20+ and everything else. Full Zerker gear except Soldiers back and amulet. Quite versatile and good damage. Trick is knowing what you’ll be facing and adjusting for it, which this build does pretty well with. Using the right skills is important. The only thing this build lacks for me is Master of Concecrations but Shield of the Avenger can be put on a lower cooldown when needed. This build is pretty great for damage output but mixes in some survivability with Honor. Only build that I’ve found with better damage numbers is 10/30/30/0/0, I’m working up to that one though, not quite there yet.

Guards do fine damage when setup for it. In fact we can build for more DPS and still maintain survivability because its innate in a lot of class abilities. Without meters its hard to say exactally where we are but in practice I can easily match my thief and Mesmer damage output with my Guard. Warriors are high but Guards aren’t low.

AH is a monster of a trait but I like how someone described it as ‘training wheels’, IMHO. Find the playstyle that you’re comfortable with, ‘support’ ‘anchor’ and ‘dps’ are all viable but full dps is definitely doable. I personally can’t stand the guys that sit in the back waving their staff at me for healing, I want people to push as much dps as they can while staying on their feet. If everyone in your group does that you have a good group. A Stand Your Ground here and a Wall of Reflection there is adequate support and you can do this without sacrificing dps.

Blood~

Whats nice about P/S is that if you’re looking at a kit as your main ‘weapon’ you will get 2x sigils that apply to it and some decent cc. I really like the shield4 for reflect and blast finisher.

10/30/0/30/0 could work. HGH and might duration works well with Juggernaut. FT4 and Blast Finishers throws more might. P/S Sigil of Battle and Accuracy, Zerker/Soldiers and 2x Rune of Strength, Fire and Holbreck each. Healing Elixir, Elixir B(or another), Flamethrower, Elixir Gun and Elixir X. This gives you Hair and Fireforged Trigger for better cooldowns, Elixir cooldown, dmg increase with kits and might stacks. With runes and traits you will sit in 11 might stacks just for having FT on. Then blast your napalm, switch into P/S and toss elixirs for more might.

Great survivability even with dps setups. I really like to just hit a dungeon and go toe to toe with targets and live. First 80 was a thief, second was a guard and the difference in ease of play was huge. Playing a Guard is like taking the scenic shortcut to dungeon tokens.

Didn’t read all the posts and this has prolly been said but…

10/30/0/30/0 is a great build. Good damage output, allows you to optimize for most 1h weapons and 2h weaps and it can go more support too if needed. AH is powerful but its not needed. I’ve run this build through most dungeons and fractals 30 with mostly Zerker gear successfully.

Not sure if this is what you’re looking for but I run P/S in a power build, but grenades are the main damage and P/S is more for utility, blocks and 2x runes. I’m messing with actually two builds, Grenades and HGH 30/0/0/30/10 or SD 30/10/0/0/30.

HGH has a ton of condition removal and might stacking. I run Sigil of Battle and Accuracy. A mix of Zerker and Soldiers gear, heavier on zerker. 2x Runes of Strength, Holbreck and Fire each for 60% Might duration. This feels like a safe and strong build but I’m ‘forcing’ myself to practice it. Healing elixir, Elixir B, Grenade Kit, Elixir U (for toolbelt) and Supply Drop or Elixir X

SD has less condition removal but higher damage I feel. I really like SD as it’s burst is nice especially with Grenades. Same gear except I’d simply run Ruby Orbs. Medkit, Rifle Turret, Grenades, Toolkit and Supply Drop. I’m also having fun with Personal Battering Ram in PvP.

Again, this is more of a Grenade build but I’m messing with P/S instead of Rifle. I’m not a fan of full condition builds, direct damage seems a bit more reliable and faster for most PvE content IMHO. Traditionally though pistol likes Conditions if you use it for your main damage source AFAIK.

For WvW I run full Rabid with P/S 30/10/0/0/30 with a focus on Gadgets and it works quite well.

I’m still pretty green here so take this how you will.
Blood~

FT4 with blast finishers to push up your might stacks. Long duration field lets you get a lot out of it. I messed around with a might stacking and it helped a lot. Its all about the combos.

I’ve been running a 30/10/0/0/30 build for wvw. P/S, Healing Turret, Rocket Boots, Grenade Kit, Slick Shoes and Supply Drop. I run Rabid armor and Carrion trinkets. It works quite well and its very fun. Lotsa blasting for your water fields with Boots, Shield and detonate. Replace Slick Shoes with another turret or Elixir Gun for more blasting fun.

Super Speed, Slick Shoes and Rocket Boots can cut a traveling zerg in two in the right situation.

Blood~

I don’t have a lot of time on the class yet but this really showed me how engineers can do a lot of things but have a difficult time doing them.

This begs the question, if we master the class is it more ‘powerful’ than others for all the work that goes into it?

Blood~