Help in picking a class

I started playing gw2 about a year and a half ago. It was my first mmo so it took me a long time to figure out the basics such as gear stats. I started off with necromancer and ended up hating it. I have since tried different classes but I am unsure of which one I will enjoy the most once it's at 80. I do not like classes which involve pets or minions so that already rules out necro and ranger. I've considered giving elementalist a try because of it's mage like abilities of which I am quite fond of in mmos. Any advice for a newbee?

@KellieTea.5607 said:I do not like classes which involve pets or minions so that already rules out necro and ranger. I've considered giving elementalist a try because of it's mage like abilities of which I am quite fond of in mmos. Any advice for a newbee?

Start with warrior. It's a very fun profession that is highly recommended for new players. I wouldn't recommend elementalist because of how complicated the profession is unless you enjoy practicing difficult professions for a long time.

what are you looking to get into, pvp, wvw or pve? As for ele, it's a very squishy class that requires you to know how to use your active defences (dodge, evades, blocks, heals, etc) ontop of your passive ones (armor, damage reduction traits, etc) to be able to survive.

@Sephylon.4938 said:what are you looking to get into, pvp, wvw or pve? As for ele, it's a very squishy class that requires you to know how to use your active defences (dodge, evades, blocks, heals, etc) ontop of your passive ones (armor, damage reduction traits, etc) to be able to survive.

Probably a bit of everything tbh but mostly pve

ele is fine in pve, though as stated before, you need to get acquainted with your active defences since you don't have alot of passive ones. You need to learn how and when to dodge, strafe, use evasion skills, blocks and use barriers to be able to use it effectively in open world pve. From what I've heard, ele isn't in a good spot in pvp/wvw, though I've met a few weavers (ele pof espec) in wvw that are basically unkillable 1v1 due to how well they manage their evades, heals, blocks, and dodges.

I get you don't like necro, fine. To each his own. But necro is not a pet class. You're not forced to pick minions at all. With exception or ranger and mesmer to a degree (clones), no profession is forced to have ai companions out. Most have an option to summon something, but you're not forced to go that way.

Also "you hated necro". Care to elaborate why? It could go long way to picking another profession if we know what turned you off in necro.

@"ZeftheWicked.3076" said:I get you don't like necro, fine. To each his own. But necro is not a pet class. You're not forced to pick minions at all. With exception or ranger and mesmer to a degree (clones), no profession is forced to have ai companions out. Most have an option to summon something, but you're not forced to go that way.

Also "you hated necro". Care to elaborate why? It could go long way to picking another profession if we know what turned you off in necro.

I probably had way too big of expectations going in with necromancer. That being said I did not get very far (level 35) and got frustrated. My biggest issue was taking multiple targets on in just simple pve. I would often die very quickly even with good gear equipped. It was a bit disappointing for me because I really wanted to love the class.

you aren't going to have a much easier time surviving on an ele. That being said, aoe is better on ele, espcially with staff and glyph of storms.try http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vFAQFAWnMICNNg9MAmNA0RgBBATukhgUQ9GaDnhIAUAKiA-e

@"Sephylon.4938" said:you aren't going to have a much easier time surviving on an ele. That being said, aoe is better on ele, espcially with staff and glyph of storms.try http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vFAQFAWnMICNNg9MAmNA0RgBBATukhgUQ9GaDnhIAUAKiA-e

Alright thank you! I think messing around with the different classes is probably something I need to do. Looks don't matter much to me if I can't enjoy the play style of the class itself.

Your hatered of necro might be very undeserved then. Thing is at late game necro is the profession to handle a large pack of mobs and survive. No other has similar aoe while having such strong sustain (warr is far less of a mobber, ele is squish).

Before you discard your necro into oblivion, give it another go with the following advice to get you going:

1. Spectral Grasp - it'll grab a handful of mobs for you in an instant and refill your life force like crazy the more you grab
2. Well of suffering - your strongest aoe cleave if you build power (which for core necro i recommend)
3. Corrosive Poison Cloud - it blocks projectiles, and inflicts weakness on those inside it. It also does good poison damage if you're condi.
4. Signet of Vampirism - unless you're under heavy condi pressure (where consume conditions is the way to go), this + Signets of Suffering trait in spite line give some seriously good sustain.
5. Signet of Locust - Signet's of Vampirism's best friend. Vamp sig is great for 1v1, this guy will leech huge health when you're in 1v5 situations.
6. Spectral Armor - the wonder defense - protection + life force gain on hit, + stunbreak
7. Flesh Golem - a good tank. Minions aren't usually good damage, save this guy and Shadow Fiend. But a good helper is good, and your other elites aren't that great for PvE (pvp is a different story)

Early level necro core is indeed not amazing, especially as necro loves having good stats, and low level maps scale stats down rather brutally.But at lvl 80 things will massively improve as elite spects (Reaper and Scourge) are both amazing mobbers, great tanks and vastly superior to core necro. Reaper is great at cleaning up packs of 5 fast and brutal, scourge is slightly less faster killing, but he can get even more enemies at the same time thanks to his shades, and has unique barrier support in his kit.

@ZeftheWicked.3076 said:Your hatered of necro might be very undeserved then. Thing is at late game necro is the profession to handle a large pack of mobs and survive. No other has similar aoe while having such strong sustain (warr is far less of a mobber, ele is squish).

Before you discard your necro into oblivion, give it another go with the following advice to get you going:

1. Spectral Grasp - it'll grab a handful of mobs for you in an instant and refill your life force like crazy the more you grab
2. Well of suffering - your strongest aoe cleave if you build power (which for core necro i recommend)
3. Corrosive Poison Cloud - it blocks projectiles, and inflicts weakness on those inside it. It also does good poison damage if you're condi.
4. Signet of Vampirism - unless you're under heavy condi pressure (where consume conditions is the way to go), this + Signets of Suffering trait in spite line give some seriously good sustain.
5. Signet of Locust - Signet's of Vampirism's best friend. Vamp sig is great for 1v1, this guy will leech huge health when you're in 1v5 situations.
6. Spectral Armor - the wonder defense - protection + life force gain on hit, + stunbreak
7. Flesh Golem - a good tank. Minions aren't usually good damage, save this guy and Shadow Fiend. But a good helper is good, and your other elites aren't that great for PvE (pvp is a different story)

Early level necro core is indeed not amazing, especially as necro loves having good stats, and low level maps scale stats down rather brutally.But at lvl 80 things will massively improve as elite spects (Reaper and Scourge) are both amazing mobbers, great tanks and vastly superior to core necro. Reaper is great at cleaning up packs of 5 fast and brutal, scourge is slightly less faster killing, but he can get even more enemies at the same time thanks to his shades, and has unique barrier support in his kit.

You seem to be getting rather defensive of necro there ?

I'm simply trying to save OP from turning his back on the profession that might work best for him. He clearly stated his biggest issue was inability to take on a big pack of mobs on his own.

That is exactly what necro excels at. I can understand that a core necro at lvl 35 (who knows if he has any good survival or damage traits unlocked) can lead to opposite impression. But once you hit lvl 80 and get reaper or scourge unlocked, i doubt any profession comes near when it's time to wipe out hordes of monsters while staying alive in the middle of the fray.

To name but a few "beginner friendly" alternatives:

• warrior has solid sustain and very good damage, but he can't pull packs of monsters to himself like necro, and he's generally made for 1v2, 1v3 skirmishes, not big fights. He's also made for quickly bursting down a target. If fight drags on, warrior's defenses start showing nasty chinks in it's armor.

• ranger has hands down easiest time keeping himself alive, due to pet that can tank and draw aggro off him. But his aoes are either flat out weak or very small in radius. He's not that good at doing mass destruction, again more of a skirmisher.

• ele has huge aoe capability, and massive damage - better then necro. But he is very squishy, and defensive skills and builds take away a huge chunk of his damage. Necro has the ability to gain a lot of sustain at expense of little damage loss. Ele does not - it's sustain or damage, not both.

I'm not being defensive, and I'm not blind to reason. If he said "I want a raid profession" or "I need strong boonshare spec" i would shut right up about necro and suggest better choices. But if he wants to go to open world PvE and take on large packs of mobs like a boss, without getting downed every few seconds then necro is the best choice imho.

@ZeftheWicked.3076 said:Your hatered of necro might be very undeserved then. Thing is at late game necro is the profession to handle a large pack of mobs and survive. No other has similar aoe while having such strong sustain (warr is far less of a mobber, ele is squish).

Before you discard your necro into oblivion, give it another go with the following advice to get you going:

1. Spectral Grasp - it'll grab a handful of mobs for you in an instant and refill your life force like crazy the more you grab
2. Well of suffering - your strongest aoe cleave if you build power (which for core necro i recommend)
3. Corrosive Poison Cloud - it blocks projectiles, and inflicts weakness on those inside it. It also does good poison damage if you're condi.
4. Signet of Vampirism - unless you're under heavy condi pressure (where consume conditions is the way to go), this + Signets of Suffering trait in spite line give some seriously good sustain.
5. Signet of Locust - Signet's of Vampirism's best friend. Vamp sig is great for 1v1, this guy will leech huge health when you're in 1v5 situations.
6. Spectral Armor - the wonder defense - protection + life force gain on hit, + stunbreak
7. Flesh Golem - a good tank. Minions aren't usually good damage, save this guy and Shadow Fiend. But a good helper is good, and your other elites aren't that great for PvE (pvp is a different story)

Early level necro core is indeed not amazing, especially as necro loves having good stats, and low level maps scale stats down rather brutally.But at lvl 80 things will massively improve as elite spects (Reaper and Scourge) are both amazing mobbers, great tanks and vastly superior to core necro. Reaper is great at cleaning up packs of 5 fast and brutal, scourge is slightly less faster killing, but he can get even more enemies at the same time thanks to his shades, and has unique barrier support in his kit.

It was the first class I started with so I do find myself going back to it naturally despite how I may feel currently. It's confusing for a new player coming in and seeing all these people hating on the class be it through videos or online chats. Especially when I was struggling with the class to begin with this for sure motivated my opinion. After asking for advice in my guild they were saying the same things you are telling me. So I am willing to give it another chance since no other class has really drawn me to it like necro does. Do you have any simple necro builds you recommend for starting out?

For core try http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vRAQRBIhdu1IDN0Sj90gjNwejjchCGANwKQLj1oZnXxSMFA-e and pls. Pls learn to dodge, and kite. Necro teaches the worst habbits to new players due to its natural bulkEditThis build is pve only. Necros struggle in pvp and solo roaming wvw due to their large tells and lack of active defences. I don't really recomend it as a starting profession for pvp/wvw unless you're familiar with the tells of every class, can dodge them perfectly, and can out play them. Necros in solo pvp environment is basically praying your opponent makes a mistake andnpunishes them severely for it.

@"Sephylon.4938" said:For core try http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vRAQRBIhdu1IDN0Sj90gjNwejjchCGANwKQLj1oZnXxSMFA-e and pls. Pls learn to dodge, and kite. Necro teaches the worst habbits to new players due to its natural bulkEditThis build is pve only. Necros struggle in pvp and solo roaming wvw due to their large tells and lack of active defences. I don't really recomend it as a starting profession for pvp/wvw unless you're familiar with the tells of every class, can dodge them perfectly, and can out play them. Necros in solo pvp environment is basically praying your opponent makes a mistake andnpunishes them severely for it.

I don't really see myself doing pvp but it's probably too early to know for sure. For dodging is the only way to do so hitting a single button? If it's that necessary can I change it to some kind of a macro to make it more automatic?

Here's my PvE core power necro build:

gw2skills.net/editor/?vRAQRBIhdu1IHN0Sj90g1NwejDjhK+zBwAQDiqYImpQMkDA-jBCBABVq+DWK/+4EAAwDBwo9HyT/wZKB1/IAAA-e

You'll notice it's...quite different from above one ;] That's the beauty of it - necro can achieve his goals in myriad of ways.Short intro on how it works - this build is a bruiser build combining offense and defense using curses line for defense.

damage Your biggest damage dealers are well of suffering and dagger auto - stabby-stab-stab!You got nice ferocity, but crit chance is not 100%. You can boost it a bit by popping shroud (to get fury on shroud from curses "furious demise") trait.Rune of Rage will give you opportunity for much longer lasting fury cast as you get hit by enemies.For maximum crit chance you can choose to change soul reaping's grandmaster trait from "foot in the grave" to "Death Perception". If you do that, you'll have perfect crit rate when shrouded. It does come at expense of your best stunbreak and only stab - so choose wisely.

Might generation: Since i'm not using spite, might is a wholly different story then for spite builds. Put it simply - cast blood is power, then well of power - it'll convert torment on you into more might! You can do this twice! You have two casts of Blood is Power and well of power is up for 5 seconds! Time it right and you'll end up with 22 stacks of might (16 from blood is power and converted torments, 6 from well of power itself!)

Vulnerability generation - focus #4, axe auto and well of suffering should keep these vulni stacks high.

Anti condi - consume conditions when you're bombed with large amount of different condies...or just need to heal.First hit after going shroud will transfer 2 condies off you to enemy hit.Going into shroud will also remove any movement impairing condies (cripple, chilled, immobilized) due to speed of shadows trait.Well of power converts conditions on you into boons each second (up to 5 condies converted).

Anti cc - your shroud stunbreaks and grants you one stack of stability - so that's one free get outta jail card with 10s cooldown after you leave shroud.Well of power is also a stunbreak with tiny stab.At 50% health you'll also get passive spectral armor, which also breaks stun and will give you nice protection (+ lifeforce gain).

Anti damage - wells give you protection. Also at 50% health passive spectral armor. Btw when you get it you can go into shroud and tank a lot of punishment like boss this way. They hit you, you lose life force, but spectral armor's effect heals said lifeforce because you got hit, keeping shroud up much longer.Lastly your crits will inflict weakness, as will shroud entry. Weakening Shroud is often an underrated trait.

Healing - dagger #2 is sweet, especially when traited and you're bleeding (extra healing for you). With blood is power or dagger #3, self bleeds won't be an issue. Oh yeah it also hits harder when enemy itself is bleeding, which with Blood is Power....you get the picture.. You also have vampiric presence and vampiric traits from blood magic line, for tiny, but constant heals from the speedy dagger and locust swarm's ticks. Vampiric Rituals also make your two wells siphon health for you.

Generally this build may be bit more defensive then PvE requires. If you intend to camp shroud and just life blast things into oblivion, choosing spite and Unyielding Blast trait in soul reaping are better choices then curses. My build is made more in mind with spending ample time in your base form and having versatile defenses. It's not top damage nor absolutely top sustain, but it's well-rounded for a core build.

@KellieTea.5607 said:

I don't really see myself doing pvp but it's probably too early to know for sure. For dodging is the only way to do so hitting a single button? If it's that necessary can I change it to some kind of a macro to make it more automatic?

Yes and you should never try to macro a dodge! Dodge is your only 0 damage taken defense and should be used vs really dangerous enemy attacks. That's because you got a stamina bar that regenerates one dodge per 10s so you can't just spam them. You can have max 2 dodges in reserve and it takes 10s to get another.

Boon vigor will speed this process up a bit, not that it's related to build I provided, or casting well of power when having self bleeding on you from blood is power. Nope, no such evil synergies there!

@KellieTea.5607 said:I started playing gw2 about a year and a half ago. It was my first mmo so it took me a long time to figure out the basics such as gear stats. I started off with necromancer and ended up hating it. I have since tried different classes but I am unsure of which one I will enjoy the most once it's at 80. I do not like classes which involve pets or minions so that already rules out necro and ranger. I've considered giving elementalist a try because of it's mage like abilities of which I am quite fond of in mmos. Any advice for a newbee?

So if you like magic but want something easier to play and is good in all game modes the best answer I can give you is guardian. They are a atypical cleric class that primarily uses protective abilities for themselves and allies as well as some damage buffs. They have quite a bit of aoe with hammer, greatsword, scepter, staff, torch, sword, mace. They're also quite forgiving and have quite a few mechanics that can help you learn to use other professions. Since others aren't as forgiving to new players such as elementalist. Guardian might be what you're looking for and is the best starting class imo.

Core necro might seems bit weak especially on low levels. You don't have all abilities unlocked. Leave alone that you hardly know the class and what it can do, you still learning, no offence. On the subject it's warrior to try, really. But ummh don't hate the necro.

@KellieTea.5607 said:I started playing gw2 about a year and a half ago. It was my first mmo so it took me a long time to figure out the basics such as gear stats. I started off with necromancer and ended up hating it. I have since tried different classes but I am unsure of which one I will enjoy the most once it's at 80. I do not like classes which involve pets or minions so that already rules out necro and ranger. I've considered giving elementalist a try because of it's mage like abilities of which I am quite fond of in mmos. Any advice for a newbee?

I think if you like mages in other games, then you should try elementalist. Even if its difficult at first, trying is the best way to learn. If you enjoy throwing fireballs at things, there isnt a profession better.

I suppose the magic theme is what you like most.Heavy armor guardian, light armor ele(mes exc cause of clones).As a guardian main I d say ele. Is ultra viable and sword/dagger Weaver is ultra fun to play.You can't go wrong with ele in any game mode.As others said, difficult at start but really rewarding at end.

If you want to get early carpel tunnel, go with engineer.

Would probably good to point out that my only knowledge of mmos is very limited having only played ffxiv to max level as my most experience as far as mmos go. From what I have seen around it looks like classes and the game itself does not fully become alive until max level. Or at least change from how they were originally. In ffxiv some classes do this but for the most part they still keep their typical builds.

@"ZeftheWicked.3076" said:Here's my PvE core power necro build:

gw2skills.net/editor/?vRAQRBIhdu1IHN0Sj90g1NwejDjhK+zBwAQDiqYImpQMkDA-jBCBABVq+DWK/+4EAAwDBwo9HyT/wZKB1/IAAA-e

You'll notice it's...quite different from above one ;] That's the beauty of it - necro can achieve his goals in myriad of ways.Short intro on how it works - this build is a bruiser build combining offense and defense using curses line for defense.

damage Your biggest damage dealers are well of suffering and dagger auto - stabby-stab-stab!You got nice ferocity, but crit chance is not 100%. You can boost it a bit by popping shroud (to get fury on shroud from curses "furious demise") trait.Rune of Rage will give you opportunity for much longer lasting fury cast as you get hit by enemies.For maximum crit chance you can choose to change soul reaping's grandmaster trait from "foot in the grave" to "Death Perception". If you do that, you'll have perfect crit rate when shrouded. It does come at expense of your best stunbreak and only stab - so choose wisely.

Might generation: Since i'm not using spite, might is a wholly different story then for spite builds. Put it simply - cast blood is power, then well of power - it'll convert torment on you into more might! You can do this twice! You have two casts of Blood is Power and well of power is up for 5 seconds! Time it right and you'll end up with 22 stacks of might (16 from blood is power and converted torments, 6 from well of power itself!)

Vulnerability generation - focus #4, axe auto and well of suffering should keep these vulni stacks high.

Anti condi - consume conditions when you're bombed with large amount of different condies...or just need to heal.First hit after going shroud will transfer 2 condies off you to enemy hit.Going into shroud will also remove any movement impairing condies (cripple, chilled, immobilized) due to speed of shadows trait.Well of power converts conditions on you into boons each second (up to 5 condies converted).

Anti cc - your shroud stunbreaks and grants you one stack of stability - so that's one free get outta jail card with 10s cooldown after you leave shroud.Well of power is also a stunbreak with tiny stab.At 50% health you'll also get passive spectral armor, which also breaks stun and will give you nice protection (+ lifeforce gain).

Anti damage - wells give you protection. Also at 50% health passive spectral armor. Btw when you get it you can go into shroud and tank a lot of punishment like boss this way. They hit you, you lose life force, but spectral armor's effect heals said lifeforce because you got hit, keeping shroud up much longer.Lastly your crits will inflict weakness, as will shroud entry. Weakening Shroud is often an underrated trait.

Healing - dagger #2 is sweet, especially when traited and you're bleeding (extra healing for you). With blood is power or dagger #3, self bleeds won't be an issue. Oh yeah it also hits harder when enemy itself is bleeding, which with Blood is Power....you get the picture.. You also have vampiric presence and vampiric traits from blood magic line, for tiny, but constant heals from the speedy dagger and locust swarm's ticks. Vampiric Rituals also make your two wells siphon health for you.

Generally this build may be bit more defensive then PvE requires. If you intend to camp shroud and just life blast things into oblivion, choosing spite and Unyielding Blast trait in soul reaping are better choices then curses. My build is made more in mind with spending ample time in your base form and having versatile defenses. It's not top damage nor absolutely top sustain, but it's well-rounded for a core build.

Thank you for taking the time to share this. This time round I plan on getting it to max level and playing with the class a lot using the information I have been given. :)

@Lily.1935 said:

@KellieTea.5607 said:I started playing gw2 about a year and a half ago. It was my first mmo so it took me a long time to figure out the basics such as gear stats. I started off with necromancer and ended up hating it. I have since tried different classes but I am unsure of which one I will enjoy the most once it's at 80. I do not like classes which involve pets or minions so that already rules out necro and ranger. I've considered giving elementalist a try because of it's mage like abilities of which I am quite fond of in mmos. Any advice for a newbee?

I actually have tried guardian before and I will admit I do like how it plays at the early levels. Not sure if it's for me but I am still testing the waters with it. I especially love the greatsword it is probably my favorite weapon type from the game.