Advice: fun/engaging class/build for WvW Zerg / big open world PvE events?

I've spent 90% of my time in GW2 using very glassy PvE builds. I've also played on condi/all-around builds in WvW, and lastly just some meta PvP gameplay.

So now I'm just looking for something refreshing. I want to support a group during Zerg play: either with boons or as many heals as possible.

I've experimented with tough/vit/condi Scourge with minions and blood magic....it was the most casual/relaxing gameplay I've ever seen. I also was healing people a little bit. I also ran a cele ele which was really engaging and fun - cycling through overloads brought solid AOE dmg and tons of healing in water.

Basically now I'm looking for other fun ideas from the extremely knowledgeable community. Really want something tanky, that either excels in boon application or healing Ally's. Thank you.

Minstrel firebrand/chronomancer are the main (and only) boon bots in wvw, while chrono has that role even in pve (not necessarily minstrel there). FB offers stronger defensive support and heals, while chrono has better utility and quite strong enemy pressure with (aoe) CC skills.

@"Phobos.6234" said:I've spent 90% of my time in GW2 using very glassy PvE builds. I've also played on condi/all-around builds in WvW, and lastly just some meta PvP gameplay.

So now I'm just looking for something refreshing. I want to support a group during Zerg play: either with boons or as many heals as possible.

I've experimented with tough/vit/condi Scourge with minions and blood magic....it was the most casual/relaxing gameplay I've ever seen. I also was healing people a little bit. I also ran a cele ele which was really engaging and fun - cycling through overloads brought solid AOE dmg and tons of healing in water.

Basically now I'm looking for other fun ideas from the extremely knowledgeable community. Really want something tanky, that either excels in boon application or healing Ally's. Thank you.

a build im personally having alot of fun with in publics, will soon upload a vid with a few fights to show how it looks ingame :)

is fairly tanky, provides a big load of condi cleanse, some heals, alot of boonrips and cc

https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/29523/revive-of-the-worker

For open world, I would say Cele Firebrand is the perfect middle ground of personal performance, while still having the power reflection offered by Firebrand. I ran a variant of the Burn Firebrand, but with full tome traits, and its personal sustain and damage are respectable, but is still strong enough in support stats for good Tome performance. "Receive this light" for small scale burst healing outside of tome, and save tome 2 for large group/panic healing. Run Lore, Potence, and Liberation mantras for your performance maintenance- Triggering Potence during normal fights, or in conjunction with burst attacks, as FB's have a minor trait that gives condi damage, healing and toughness bonus while under quickness. Cele lacks Concentration, so you get Boon duration via Runes (Durability or Leadership depending on how you want to shift stats), and cheap Concentration food/utilitys.... there really no need to fun expensive food in this situation. The build also generalist enough that it can accept other food types and benefit in the given area.... which is nice because organized metas will occasionally drop trays of food.

When you go to WvW, you can then swap out for the Support FB build (Minstrels). To make the gear up cheap, you can run exotic armor; meaning your only real effort investment is getting 2 sets of Asc Trinkets. If you've shelved your Cele Ele, you can use those trinkets on your FB to save tokens.

On the topic of Scourge, Cele stats (with Monk runes) is currently the best option for WvW. With Firebrands nullifying conditions enmass, the boon conversion of Scourge is more critical in function then the condition damage; making up for it by the sheer volume of conditions a group of scourges can reapply across an enemy zerg. Scourges are a pressure and counter pressure element in zerg comp, and work by bottlenecking enemy boons (an intentional quirk of the Scrg/FB dynamic), upkeeping Barriers (which temporarily disables incoming Crit hits), and keeping condi pressure up on enemy groups to stymie the sustain potential of Firebrands. The 2 main builds are offensive with support (more conversions with curses), or support with offense (transfusion variant). The transfusion build is actually riskier to the group, because if you screw up, you pull allies into a bomb and get them all killed.

But if you want to be a champ, go support mesmer and find a good commander to run with. You don't see Mesmer play often in less organized servers, because you need a zerg with enough awareness to capitalize on the Mesmer's skills. Veil to interfere with targeting or set up a rolling ambush, Portal bombs, Gravity Wells, pulling people off walls, alacrity/quickness for siege, Lord Breakbar destroying, healing reflection, and occasionally hiding in keeps during flips to portal in allies in for a recap.