PvE Condition holosmith/core build question - how to handle fights with lots of adds?

I'm trying to become more proficient with condi engie builds for PvE and have been practicing condition holosmith and core builds in open world. I'm running the typical Snow Crows triple kit build and liking it a lot, but am having trouble with one aspect compared to power holosmith or power scrapper. I'm fine with single/few targets and after a short ramp up can melt most champs faster than with a power build (17K+ burning ticks are amazing!). However, I sometimes get overwhelmed and struggle with champs or fights that have lots of adds, ones that I can easily handle on my engie power builds. For example, soloing the champ giant in Orr - I can't kill the grubs fast enough before they become a problem. Or in the desert, my condi build can really struggle with the Forged raiding parties, something that I can comfortably solo with power builds.

Any suggestions as to how I can deal better with this?

It is in the nature of condition damage to Need a ramp-up time until they can unleash their full potential, while it is the nature of power damage to have the full potential right from the start.The only Thing you can do is good placing of AoE fire-Skills (bomb 2, blowtorch, F/T 4) and maybe try to pull the Mobs together, but other than that I don't see a possibility to kill small adds comparably fast as a power build would do.

Thanks Prinzsecond! I thought the same thing, but wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something. I guess it's just the nature of condi vs power damage. I've started using blinds on the kits while rotating through them, be more strategic with AOE placement, and kite a bit more - all of which are helping alot.

If you want to do better with condition holosmith or just condition engineer in general, then you better put some dedication into learning the playstyle and use the 4 kit build with grenade kit, flamethrower, bomb kit and mortar kit, because no other build in the game requires as much dedication to be good as core engineer does. To help you learn the build better, here are the combos I use:

1. (Toolbelt skill) Use Incendiary Ammo
2. (Pistol) Poison Dart Volley, Static Shot, Blowtorch (when up close to an enemy)
3. (Mortar Kit) Drop Gunk
4. (Toolbelt skill) Big Ol' Bomb
5. (Bomb kit) Fire Bomb, Concussion Bomb
6. (Flamethrower) Flame Blast, Napalm
7. (Grenade Kit) Shrapnel Grenade, Freeze Grenade, Poison Grenade
8. (Toolbelt skill) Grenade Barrage
9. (Flamethrower) Flame Blast
10. (Grenade Kit) Spam Grenade until Shrapnel Grenade is off cooldown
11. (9 second cooldown timer on Big Ol' Bomb) Switch to Mortar Kit and use Poison Gas Shell
12. (Bomb Kit) Fire Bomb
13. (Pistol) Static Shot, Blowtorch, Poison Dart Volley
14. (Flamethrower) Flame Blast
15. (Grenade Kit) Shrapnel Grenade and spam Grenade until the Streamlined Kits icon shows up
16. Repeat steps 3-15.

Paying attention to the Big Ol' Bomb cooldown timer is a good way to learn how to time your skill rotations and to not miss out on Gunk which is the best kit spell compared to the other kit spells. Alacrity can mess this up a little bit as you won't be able to tell when exactly Gunk will be available so try to calculate in your head how much time you have left.

The problem with a lot of these build guides is they often don't teach you how to deal when the situation goes sideways. They assume an ideal situation, which usually isn't the case. If you're fighting multiple elites, vets, or normals, they're easy to handle:

• Start popping your AoE blinds: Smoke Bomb (Bomb kit 4) + Flash Shell (mortar kit 4) + Smoke Vent (Flamethrower 5) + Static Shot (Pistol 3)
• Start popping your AoE CC's: Holographic Shockwave (PF 5) + Big Ol' Bomb (Bomb kit toolbelt) + Air Blast (Flamethrower 3)
• Kite as much as you need to: Glue Shot (Pistol 5) + Glue Bomb (Bomb Kit 5) + Freeze Grenades (Grenade Kit 4) + Endothermic Shell (Mortar Kit 4)
• Stack your heals - Start blasting/leaping your water fields from Healing turret. I don't recommend AED from Snowcrows build, it's too unreliable. Mortar kit 5 provides an extra heal + water field.

Condi engi is one of the most versatile PvE builds out there, there's almost nothing it can't handle when you know every skill.

@Vagrant.7206 said:

• Stack your heals - Start blasting/leaping your water fields from Healing turret. I don't recommend AED from Snowcrows build, it's too unreliable. Mortar kit 5 provides an extra heal + water field.

Not only that, but the toolbelt skill Mortar Strike can be used before you use Elixir Shell. By timing it perfectly with Flame Blast, you can use 2 blast finishers that can keep you and your allies alive or at least not so close to being downed. Also, I don't understand why Snowcrows picked A.E.D. as the main healing skill. The long cooldown is way too long even when traited, it doesn't give you or your allies condition cleansing and relying on enemies to deal a lot of damage in order to get the most out of this healing skill is a terrible design choice.

@Hoodie.1045 said:

@Vagrant.7206 said:

• Stack your heals - Start blasting/leaping your water fields from Healing turret. I don't recommend AED from Snowcrows build, it's too unreliable. Mortar kit 5 provides an extra heal + water field.

It was likely for raid scenarios without healer support, where AED might be more useful. But AED is not particularly useful in any other scenario save PvP.

Thank you Hoodie and Vagrant!

I use Healing Turret. I didn't even notice that SC suggested AED - doesn't make sense to me to use it. I'm using a 3 kit build with Prime Light elite for Holosmith and 4 kit build with Mortar kit elite for core, with a rotation very similar to what was outlined by Hoodie.

After playing more, I think my trouble was not being used to the ramp up time required for getting the condi damage going with this build compared to a power build. With a power holo build, the small adds melted so quickly that kiting and blinds weren't necessary. This wasn't the case with the condi builds for me. However, paying more attention to blinds and kiting (similar to what Vagrant suggested) has really been working. I was already using the cc skills and blasting the water fields.

Really liking the build!

With regards to Hoodies Rotation, I would not recomment to use BoB in a fix rotation when you want to deal with small adds quickly, if it goes bad you just dristribute them, needing much more time to kill them one by one. If you know the exact Situation you can use BoB to place some Mobs together, but do not use it just to have the "perfect" Rotation.

Prinzsecond, Hoodie, Vagrant - thanks again for the advice! Build is working great for me now and is rapidly becoming one of my favorites.