Returning GW veteran need help to catch up on Elite Specializations.

Hey guys! I played GW2 from launch up until the realese of HoT and have now made a decision to return to the game, but all these new "professions" found in the elite specializations have me confused. I'm looking to play a new character and do one of the expansions, but I'm totally lost on the current PvE metagame and which specializations are good in what aspect etc. Which professions offer a mix of good survivability and damage in solo PvE and have a place in the Raid/Fractal Meta?

@"Julu.8359" said:Hey guys! I played GW2 from launch up until the realese of HoT and have now made a decision to return to the game, but all these new "professions" found in the elite specializations have me confused. I'm looking to play a new character and do one of the expansions, but I'm totally lost on the current PvE metagame and which specializations are good in what aspect etc. Which professions offer a mix of good survivability and damage in solo PvE and have a place in the Raid/Fractal Meta?

Warrior. Check out http://snowcrows.com for raid meta builds https://discretize.eu for fractal.

From what I hear Necro got nerfed? I used to main necro, are they useless now?

Same spot as they've been at since release. Best bet if you want to run 1 is to find a guild/static.

EditTo further clarify; necro's role in raids is dps. Here's the current benchmark for raidshttps://snowcrows.com/benchmarks/

All classes are viable. Only a few are optimal. Anytime you see someone say "xxx is useless", translate it to "xxx is not as useful as yyy."

So if you are doing leet raiding or fracs, that matters. It also matters if you pug, since pugs are full of leetist fools. But if you have a guild you can casual with, anything can work if you are good at playing that class.

@"Julu.8359" said:From what I hear Necro got nerfed? I used to main necro, are they useless now?

If you've been playing since before HoT why are you adding the "now"?

Necro is not in the same spot it was at start. He is behind others in damage raid-wise, but it's nowhere near the disaster that core necro 2012 used to be for instanced content.

Since HoT necro received much love, traits are way better, weapons got love (least axe, dagger and greatsword for reaper specialization did), some utilities got buffed and are very useful (corrosive poison cloud for one). He is slightly behind in the damage race, but that's nothing compared to what used to be especially in the days of 25 condi cap on enemies.

As for which xpansion to choose - i will say this. Unless you absolutely hate platforming component of GW2, advice is as follows:

a) you want fun and access to best gear stat combos - Heart of Thorns. Imho most fun and best content in all of the game. Also it'll let you unlock reaper spec which is big fun and what "saved the necro" in 2015. Really after the torment of core you'll be amazed how fun a necro can be once you do some reaping. And gliding rocks!

b) you want the down to earth practical choice - Path of Fire. Maps are far more generic then HoT, very little verticality. It's like core, just with mounts, much bigger maps and some innovations carried over from Hearth of Thorns + few minor of it's own (Bounties, unidentified gear). Mounts are better then glider for mobility (faster), scourge spec is more desired in parties then reaper due to support capabilities (barriers).

The price you pay for all this is that PoF is less fun, both the maps and it's elite spec (scourge). Also not sure if you won't lock yourself out of both best and a lot of very viable gear stat combos if you don't get Heart of Thorns. Losing out on viper stats (PvE) and trailblazer (for wvw) is a huge blow for necro.Other then that there are non meta, but still very necro friendly gear stats that await in the jungle, such as Marauder and Crusader stats.

If you want to hurl at the mere mention of jumping, being able to fall off from heights and maps that require real exploration, not just running on flat terrain from point A to point B, then you have only one choice - Path of Fire.

If you're thinking of just Open World PvE with Necro, you can definitely survive with Zerk Armor (Max damage stats). I finished HoT story with my reaper. Spam Rise and You're all Weaklings. lol

@Dace.8173 said:

@"Julu.8359" said:From what I hear Necro got nerfed? I used to main necro, are they useless now?

This made me laugh far more than it should have. =D