Guild Wars 2

Arioso.8519:

And while in Silverwastes, always have at least one stunbreak on you, I like the elixer gun for that since I can help people out with some healing and cleansing on top of having my stunbreak, but whichever stunbreak skill you like will do the trick, so long as you bring one.

Am I about to learn something new? Does the Elixir Gun have a stunbreak? Which action does it?

I just looked it up… it’s the toolbelt skill! Holy &#! Had no clue all this time!

I’m trying to level a ranger, and can’t quite seem to get the skill rotation down.

Most of the time, I send in my pet, and then with a longbow, use skill 5, then 2. And then I’m kind of stuck just auto-shooting 1 until the cooldown is over. I could switch to a different weapon and go running in I suppose, but that doesn’t feel very smart on champion or large encounters.

I’m only level 38, so maybe I’m missing something. What else am I supposed to be doing?

I have a problem. I know that now. I’ve leveled an engineer to 80, an elementalist to 80, a guardian to 80, and are now working on both a ranger and a warrior. As soon as I get a class to 80, I start thinking about how that “other” profession must be so much better.

I’m not a very good player. I have terrible reflexes and can’t, for the life of me, dodge at the right time or memorize the best key-combos to hit in the right order for each weapon on each class. If I get into melee range on big boss fights I can’t make out anything happening on my screen with all the other players filling it up.

I die a lot.

And now, I’m wondering, would a warrior or ranger fix that for me? Have I just played squishy classes thus far? Or is the grass just looking greener everywhere else?

I watched as much of that 4 hour reveal as I could. I love a lot of the changes that are coming, but noticed an odd absence in the trait lines (specifically focused on my beloved engineer profession)… no swiftness on kit change?

Did I just miss it? Has there been any news about this?

I’m beginning to realize that almost every character I play, I setup to have some baseline speed increase. I can’t stand how slowly characters walk around these vast maps.

Thank you all for the helpful advice.

I’ve tried a few different ideas here, and what I’m realizing is that my troubles seem to boil down to my inability to properly use grenades and the healing turret.

For grenades, I can’t seem to keep moving, throwing, and aiming all at the same time. I switched on instant targeting, which helps, but then I find myself missing targets quite a bit (especially if they’re moving), and also having a hard time pressing my movement keys while simultaneously mashing my “1” key to keep lobbing.

For the healing turret, I find myself repeatedly mashing my “heal” key trying to drop it and spray out the extra heal on the first tick. Sometimes I get it, sometimes I don’t… but about half the time my turret gets destroyed (particularly if I miss the extra tick) and I have the same problem of not moving while button mashing my action key as I do with grenades.

I’m starting to wonder if my keyboard/mouse setup is simply inadequate for the task at hand. My fingers don’t like playing “Twister.”

So, I’m a level 80 engineer and have been trying out dozens of different builds and loadouts to more readily farm Silverwastes for some desperately needed gold.

I tried the infamous 6/6/0/0/2 build along with multiple weapon sets. Grenades, bombs, flamethrower, elixir gun, and so on. I keep testing it on the pack-mule defense missions (specifically the purple one that goes north out of the main base), but often get killed (or have to run away).

I then watch a warrior, a necromancer, and a guardian, each separately solo the same thing I’m trying to do without any problems.

Am I missing something? I like my engineer, and he does well, especially in group support, but I can’t seem to pump out the damage or maintain the survivability of these other classes.

I’ve been thinking about buying some things from the Gem Store, but am confused about how they work.

Specifically, I’m thinking about buying some different outfits for my characters, but I’m not sure how that’ll work.

First of all, does purchasing the outfits merely unlock the skins, and then still require transmutation charges to change into them?

Second, what happens when I craft/find/buy different gear? Can I continue using the “gem” skin, or do I need another transmutation charge to change the new gear into the previously purchased gem skin?

Third, can transmutation charges still be found in the game world? Or are they by purchase-only from the gem store now?

Thanks in advance!

I suck at playing casters in this game. Seriously… I’m terrible. I’m the guy that goes to areas several levels lower and STILL dies.

I got an engineer up to level 80, which I love and like to think I’m pretty good at playing. I think it has to do with all the action icons being different shapes and colors so I always know where I’m at in my attack chain. I tried the necromancer, but it’s all green and a lot of circles that I can’t differentiate. Mesmer had a similar issue for me, all purple and I can’t tell the phantasms apart. So, I’m kinda stuck with the fragile elementalist who’s different attunements have different colors and icons.

So, here’s my questions:

What’s a good leveling weapon set? I’ve tried a few, but really need to stick with something for a while in order to learn it. Mostly been using the staff.

What’s the best healing skill for leveling? I can’t seem to make any of them work better than just attuning to water and using weapon skills.

What are the best extended skills to use for leveling? I’ve been using signet of air for the movement speed, and arcane shield for some extra defense. I just barely got the elite glyph of elementals too, though I haven’t really used it yet.

Anything else? Seriously. I suck.

Miku.6297:

Actually reading the OPs full question again; I’d say necro as well. For open world pve play, and mostly solo, necros can be a blast

Thank you for listening to what I asked – truly appreciated. Could you please expand on why a necromancer would be a good fit? The profession is seriously a mystery to me. I didn’t understand it at all, but that sort of intrigues me. I seem to remember a while back a lot of people saying necros were very underwhelming – has that changed?

VodCom.6924:

If you want a caster for jumping puzzles or a difficult but rewarding profession : mesmer

How is it difficult and rewarding exactly?

Doggie.3184:

My issue with Ele is just I can’t play it as a Water/Ice DPS because every MMO outside a select few hate and neglect all elements that aren’t fire for DPS and I’m quite tired of it…

But Guardian is still the best Caster… They got that Praise the Sun Holy Magic.

Excellent point! It would’ve been nice to focus on a different element.

I do have my level 80 guardian, but it certainly doesn’t feel like a caster. I’ve tried a few different weapon combinations, but he hasn’t come close to the power level of my engineer (versatility + DPS potential). Staff seems like a second thought for the class.

I’ve got an 80 engineer (which I LOVE), an 80 guardian (which is OK), and now I need a caster character to round out my account. I’m stuck though.

I’ve only played each at low levels, and am having a hard time figuring ANY of them out. Elementalist seems very clicky and perhaps requires too fast of reflexes in order to stay alive (I’m getting a bit old and slow). Mesmer, I just don’t understand – your clones come and go so quick that I can’t make use of my function key skills. Necromancer, I don’t get it, but it has something to do with turning on Death Shroud right before you would die.

Anyway, I’m willing to put in the time to learn one of these well, like I did with my engineer. I mostly PvE and on rare occasion run a dungeon. I almost always solo.

Does anyone have a good recommendation for me? I’m at a loss.

I’ve gotten a couple of characters up to level 80 now, but am having a hard time finding really cool looking armor sets to deck them out in.

I keep asking others where they get their flashy sets and they’ve all said “from the gem store.” Are there any cool looking (meaning, flashy, extra effects, jump in your face type stuff) armor sets that can be earned through normal PvE?

I’ve been playing an engineer, and am generally quite happy with the class. I’m ready for a change though.

I only play PvE, and rarely do dungeons (except when I can find the time). I prefer classes with survivability over raw damage (though good damage is always nice), but most importantly, I like staying out of the “mosh pit.” I can’t see anything going on when I’m in melee range on boss fights or large group events. It turns the whole game into a button mashing contest for me.

I don’t need long range, just something to keep me a little ways back. Any recommendations? Or is the engineer really the best at what I’m looking for?

Thanks in advance!

I really like the elementalist class. It has style, flexibility, and is generally quite fun. However, I REALLY struggle trying to hit the right keys at the right time. My hand is flying all over the keyboard, and I can’t seem to get the combos right.

What have others done to help alleviate this problem? Do you limit yourself to one or two elements? Just one weapon? Do you use the force?

I’ve been away from the game for quite some time now. Just got back and picked up my level 80 engineer… and can’t do squat in PvE. I forgot how to play, and I’m clueless as to what builds work anymore.

So, what’s the best PvE build going so far for 2015?

That looks beautiful! Thank you!

I’ve been gone for a good long while from the game, but am coming back and want to setup my engineer the way I always wanted to (but was kitten back when I left).

I love having my little Asura Engineer running around dropping bombs and throwing grenades at everything – just feels right. Could someone please link me a good, current build to get started with? Some added survivability would be nice too.

Thanks!

I’ve been gone for a while. I got burned out playing my favorite classes (engineer and ranger). It seemed like engineers were to forever be one of the lower citizens. I was mostly focused on PvE and WvW. Eventually I leveled up a guardian to 80 just so I could survive better, but was bored by the class. PvE seemed to halt at level 80 anyway.

Have things gotten better in those areas of the game? I really wanted to like GW2, especially with the no-subscription model of the game. I can’t stand some of the “F2P” games out there with their grind fests or carrot-on-a-stick-for-your-credit-card models.

I’ve been gone a good, long while, but am getting ready to return and try playing my level 80 engineer again.

When I left, Bombs and Grenades were the only viable builds for PvE and WvW respectively. With all of the changes that have occurred to the class, what’s the current Build-of-The-Moments for PvE and WvW? I’m assuming that there’s still only one or two viable builds for the class; if I’m wrong, please let me know.

Wolfheart.1938:

Engineers have always been good in PvP/WvW but they are significantly harder to play at good efficiency. Maybe that is your problem OP?

For Engineers, it was farming in the higher level areas that brought about the realization that I was underpowered; with instances where I would attempt something multiple times, die, and then watch a warrior go in and complete it in seconds while still maintaining full health. I then level a warrior up into the 40s and realized he was already doing as much damage as my geared up, level 80 engineer.

In WvW, I found my niche, but still felt very underpowered compared to other classes. I did have a fun moment reversing a thief’s sudden attack once, but thieves and warriors could still take me down pretty easily unless I was holed up somewhere safe to throw grenades at them. I think this was when thieves had some kind of perma-stealth bug going on.

Overall, it still sounds like the game has major balance issues. Even if they just balanced the classes for PvE I’d be content. Not sure why they’re struggling with this so much.

I’ve been away for a while now, but have been feeling the urge to come back. The reason for leaving the first time was due to my frustration of leveling an engineer all the way to 80 and then discovering that most professions were superbly better at everything.

I later returned and decided that “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” and leveled a guardian to 80. Sure enough, the guardian was ultra powerful compared to my engineer, and in frustration, you guessed it, I left again.

Now, some months have passed, and I was wondering if the classes were any closer to being balanced? I remember this being a big selling point of the game initially, that there were no class-specific-roles, and that any profession could play any needed role (just in a different way). Of course, my favorite professions seemed to be the worst too (Engineer and Necromancer).

Anyone have opinions on which race makes a better Guardian between Norn and Charr?

I like the look of both, and although I’ve started on Charr, the movement animation and the look of helmets on their long heads are bothering me. My original plan was to use the Charr racial skills like Charrzooka and whatnot to get some ranged attacks when I wanted them. Are the Norn any better/worse off with their skills?

I know… I’m so vain.

What’s the survivability of the Necromancer like compared to the other caster professions (Elementalist and Mesmer)? Pertaining to both WvW and PvE.

For the record, I keep coming back to something like this:
http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=-V70;2sPku0i6cQFx0;9;49T-J94;0457;146-3o

I’m not sure how well it’s going to work, but I think I’ll be trying it tonight.

I love my level 80 engineer, and I’ve been playing all sorts of different builds and configurations to try and figure out what I like most.

Turns out, I LOVE the elixir gun. After that, I would say I love the rifle next, and then bombs (but only in PvE, as hitting other players with bombs seems near impossible), then the toolkit. I can’t stand grenades (my poor fingers and keyboard), and I’m mostly neutral towards the flamethrower (mostly just use it during big events with lots of targets).

So, with all that in mind, what’s a good build for me? I mostly PvE and WvW, though I think I may start some dungeon running soon.

@Dezarys: I’ve also started a Guardian, but am having issues with their lack of solid ranged abilities. I’m not sure I could get used to being in the thick of the mob when playing. At least, that’s been my impression up to level 10. =P

Looks like I’m going Mesmer. Thanks everyone!

Ice of Dragons and Fiennes, I completely understand what you’re saying and I wish the game really did work like that. Unfortunately, I spent a lot of my time getting an Engineer up to level 80 and have been really disappointed by the constant nerfing I’ve had to endure. I’m still hopeful that Engineers will one day be great again, but until then I want to pick a new profession that will work and not follow the same downward path the engineer did.

This is now becoming a fascinating discussion for me. I honestly hadn’t even considered Mesmer a possibility.

I did level an elementalist up to 22, but found him to be entirely too squishy for my liking. King of AoE though.

How do you deal damage as a Mesmer though? I’m not terribly familiar with the profession, but thought it was more about illusion. I actually assumed a guardian could do more damage.

My next plan is to level up an alt for dungeon and fractal running. I don’t care as much about DPS (though it would be nice). The focus would be more on support and solo survivability when necessary.

What’s your recommendation?

I’ve been waiting a couple of months to come back and play my engineer again, but I’m realizing that no amount of patching is going to fix my issues with it.

SO, I’ve narrowed my choices to thief or guardian. I primarily solo, but like playing WvW and PvE stories (and exploring). Dungeons will also be in my future, but I haven’t tried them yet.

I would have played a thief from the beginning, but with everyone talking about how OP they are, it kept me away from them (I just want to play something fun for me, not because it’s the flavor of the month). Guardians also interest me with their utility and strong defense, but I’m worried about a lack of ranged options.

Any help is appreciated!

I haven’t played for at least a couple of months now. I started with an engineer and leveled him all the way to 80, had fun, and then felt completely nerfed in WvW. I keep watching as the patches come out, hoping for “something,” but nothing has gotten me excited enough to come back yet. I even skipped out on Christmas events and the last unique event (Lost Shores, I think it was called). They just didn’t do anything for me.

Despite all of that, I keep coming back and checking the forums… hoping to read something that sparks my interest and reels me back in.

After the engineer, I tried leveling a warrior (got to about level 40, and got bored), and then an elementalist (got to about level 20, but was tired of dying in every challenge I faced). I also had a hard time repeating all the leveling content again (despite picking different classes, races, etc.).

Could someone please tell me about a part of the game I might be missing? Or just something that makes it fun again? I WANT to come back, but I want to enjoy it if I do.

Thanks.

I did try pistol / shield last night and found it makes turning the tables on those annoying thieves a lot easier. I’m missing the CC abilities of the rifle though (I love stopping a big Charr in his tracks and raining fire down on him). I’m guessing that’s where the tool kit comes in, but I’m not very adept at using it yet either.

Hmmm… maybe I’ll wait for the patch and see what happens before investing any more into this character.

I started a ranger and got him up to about level 10 or so and found I was surprised at how much I enjoyed playing it (I generally go for the flashier classes with big particle effects and explosions like Engineers and Elementalists).

Being a big WvWvW player, how does the Ranger fare? Do rangers have a place in WvW? Are they good snipers (I’ve been looking for a good sniper)? Can they take a hit and get away from a surprise zerg or thief attack?

Thank you! I’ve been experimenting with these builds and I was surprised at how much of a difference they make.

For example, I went with the first “tank” build (the one without the FT), and my survivability skyrocketed in WvW. I had no idea that much toughness could help so much… I didn’t even care that I was doing a bit less damage than usual. Admittedly, I stayed with the rifle (I just know it better), but really need to give pistol/shield another “shot” (pun intended). Even the wrench kit surprised me.

Fantastic guide!

Could you add a second build example for your “Tank” category please? You mention “unless you are going Juggernaut with Flamethrower,” but don’t mention what you recommend giving up for it.

Hilarious… I was literally moments away from posting a question about this myself. I’ve never seen them go off. Is it a bug perhaps?

I’ve already played through the PvE portion of the game and am embarking in Wv3 a lot now. I’ve heard others say that they level up that way rather than playing through the storylines again.

So I started an elementalist, got him up to level 10, and entered Wv3… and was promptly slaughtered. I tried collecting the different points of interest and vistas, but they’re XP reward is scaled down to my level.

How do you level up in Wv3?

So I’ve finally started playing Wv3 with my level 80 Engineer and I’m really enjoying it. I wasn’t aware before I started though that it’s not like PvP in that you’re using your actual gear and money.

How do you afford to play WvWvW? I’m assuming that I’ll eventually get hit with repair costs, paying for siege weapons, and all the other things. At level 80 I’m down to 1.5 gold and don’t seem to be making anymore. What are people’s gold earning tactics in game?

Ok, I’ve tried just about everything to like grenades, but I can’t stand the aiming, throwing, and timing paradigm to try and hit people. In PvE I was addicted to bombs and the elixir gun… is there a way to make something like that work in PvP and WvW?

I’d be willing to switch to the flame thrower from the elixir gun if I had to.

Anyone have a viable build that would work for this?

So, is this something that will correct itself in time as HoD drops into lower tiers? If so, how long is it going to take?

Dang… I just picked the wrong server then huh? Are there any ranking online anywhere I can check to make sure I don’t pick another lemon?

Is it time to transfer servers then? Is that my only choice? Or is this a failing of the WvWvW system in general?

I love the Elementalist play style and effects, but PvE is a real pain at lower levels (one hit deaths all the time are frustrating). Do Elementalists get tougher as they level up? Is there a recommended leveling spec to help alleviate this?

I’m only level 10, though it has been the hardest profession to get there by far. I play D/D or Staff usually.

For the last two weeks now, WvW for our server has been a losing battle. The score tonight was literally 360,000 to 2,000. What happened? How do you get a dead WvWvW server to come back to life?

I have avoided using grenades thus far. It drives me crazy trying to throw and move around to dodge at the same time. I can’t seem to find a good key-combination that lets me do that.

Unfortunately, I also like doing AoE damage from a range… SO, could someone please tell me how to do this without cramping my fingers and destroying my 1-5 keys from repeatedly mashing them?

Thanks!

I thought about going with a Guardian, but the lack of ranged attacks really drives me nuts.

I just hit level 80 with my wonderful Engineer, and am now ready to start another profession. I’ve tried going into the mists and checking out skills and whatnot, but I’m a big PvE player and the mists don’t seem to give me a good knowledge of dungeon and event survivability and usefulness.

So I’ve been looking at the thief and the warrior. The warrior keeps getting boring for me above level 10 (seems like just a bunch of signets in the utility slots), but the thief seems to keep moving along with fun things to do.

My question is, in PvE (with SOME PvP/WvWvW), how is the thief in comparison to the Warrior? In survivability? In handling groups of monsters? In dungeons?

Any advice is appreciated!

I really enjoy playing the Elementalist (love the big “booms”), and in general, I do fine in PvE areas (using D/D fire 3 then fire 4, followed up with fire 2, and then switching to earth if I need it).

I’m now level 18, but stuck on an Asuran story line for level 16. It’s the one where you’re trying to get Kudo to give up the weather machine, and he’s summoned portals that repeatedly spawn elementals that you need to take out in order to get to him. I can take out a few with the help of the NPCs, but I can’t stay alive long enough to get to Kudo.

I’m terribly frustrated at this point, as I’ve tried several variations in attacks and attunements to try pushing through. Could someone please give me some tactical advice with this?