How’s the support Druid?

[Dralor.3701]

Don’t have tons of to me to play test so I pose the question to those who have....

Can’t really bring myself to soul beast anymore with the way the swap is working now. I always enjoyed the healing Druid but is it viable in pvp or WvW? I’m sure it’s still outclassed by the bff ire brand but is it at least close?

[Downstate.4697]

Short answer. Its viable. Is it better than other builds put there? Hard to say. I've seen lots of variations in pvp. Some opt for trap builds with trapper runes. Decent mobility with a mix of healing and condi damage.

Other go full support with maybe a gs or SW wh

[bigo.9037]

I haven't played it myself but was fighting one a few days ago (after patch) and he was surprisingly difficult to deal dmg to even with my full dps burst build.

He was using sword warhorn and staff I believe. Full support.

Traps are pretty useless. Don't bother with them.

[Za Shaloc.3908]

I've played support Druid in WvW 20+ hours since patch. I am a washed up Ranger player (mained it a while back, then abandoned it because I got tired of Soulbeast) so take my words with a grain of salt, but it has turned out pretty decent so far. It feels significantly better than it did pre-patch. I'm legitimately enjoying myself. Part of it is admittedly probably hype though because I have been wanting to actually play the role on Druid for so long now.

Key thing is that Lingering Light did not get nerfed. Healing can be extremely potent. On full Minstrel/Monk/Life, 14.5k+ CA Glyph of Rejuvenations and 9k+ CA Glyph of Alignments. Cultivated Synergy is 2.8kish x2 in CA, regen rivals close to Ventari Rev's while in CA. In general, it feels pretty solid. No Firebrand by any means, but the healing is probably its biggest asset so far, which it does a superb job at. Also, Glyph of the Stars is amazing. Hands down my favorite skill currently, both in and out of CA. I have had some really clutch moments with it, although it can be hard to always find the perfect time to use it because it can be extremely versatile. Probably the strongest rez skill in the game right now (pls don't nerf Anet ;-;), and the condi denial is superb for denying bombs. Corrupts just strip the boon when in GotS' non-CA radius, so no stab corrupts feels especially good.

With all that said, I mostly play in pug v pug fights (I am on a perma-cloud server), which doesn't really mean much as far as build viability goes. I play a lot, but I don't play super tryhard. Still though, there is a noticeable different between my performance pre- and post-patch. I am ultimately playing for fun, but I actually feel like I am making a positive impact now. Of course though, the kit is far from perfect and definitely needs some work.

If you are curious, here are the two builds I have been bouncing back between. One is higher on cleanse, the other feels a bit more self-sufficient. You can make a bunch of adjustments to your liking (Celestial Shadow is still really good, but I am trying to break away from it) for traits and to a lesser extent, utilities. Both builds have really good celestial force generation, especially the Skirmishing variant. Pets can be flexible, but I take Ferny regardless for the regen uptime.

Skirmishing variant. Solid cleanse potential, big regen uptime. Quickdraw is quickdraw.Beastmastery variant. 2 group stunbreaks, on demand quickness/superspeed for pulling off clutch skills and disengaging.

Keep in mind, I am rusty on the class, and the builds I am running are not builds I would run smallscale because of the lack of self-survivability. If I was running that, I'd probably take WS and tweak a ton of stuff. These are meant more towards larger-scale support.

[Soilder.3607]

@bigo.9037 said:I haven't played it myself but was fighting one a few days ago (after patch) and he was surprisingly difficult to deal dmg to even with my full dps burst build.

He was using sword warhorn and staff I believe. Full support.

Traps are pretty useless. Don't bother with them.

That might've been me to tbh. I've been running full support Druid in WvW since the patch, with Staff and Sw/Wh. Did you fight that guy in WvW? And if so what server was he on and what server were you on?

To answer the OP's question, I've been running full support Druid in WvW. It feels pretty good. It definitely has some very potent healing abilities. Condi clear is alright if you use Glyph of Alignment and Glyph of Equality while in CA mode, as well as Verdant Etching. Seed of Life in CA mode was buffed in the patch; it now removes two condis. Glyph of the Stars is actually a phenomenal skill. Possibly the ultimate counter to conditions and it affects 10 targets. You can furthermore use the Brown Bear pet, as I do, to cure an additional two condi's, and you can grab Signet of Renewal to fully clear allies. So the condi clear actually isn't all that bad if you build it right.

I do not know how dedicated WvW guilds feel about healing Druid. I would assume much the same way as they did before the patch, as in, not preferring them over Firebrand and/or healing Scrapper.

I prefer using Cleric's gear on my support Druid, as the Druid doesn't provide many boons to its' allies like the Firebrand does, and so I find maxing my healing output to be more optimal. As the poster above stated, 14k healing on Glyph of Rejuvenation in CA mode is absolutely possible. Combine this with Cultivated Synergy (which you absolutely should) and you're looking at ~18-20k healing in CA mode. I also run Superior Runes of the Flock in addition to Verdant Etching, which means that every time I use Glyph of Rejuvenation, I can potentially heal up to 25 allies for differing amounts of healing (5 allies from Glyph of Rejuvenation, 10 allies from Cultivated Synergy because it activates on both you and your pet, 5 allies from Flock Runes which usually heal around 2.5k, and 5 allies from Verdant Etching if the seed heals them).

Give it a try if you'd like OP.

[AlexndrTheGreat.8310]

One WvW issue to mention that has plagued druid, and before that ranger, since the beginning of GW2 is their pets. In large scale fights your pets will generally be wiped out very quickly from the abundance of AoE damage and as a result completely lose on of your class’s focus. In addition when attempting to mass stealth the raid, your pet is of the lowest priority for stealth and more than likely will be visible as your group tries to push and can completely ruin the effect. These issues are much greater when in an organized group where commanders stick to a more strict meta, and Druids healing can easily be covered by other classes that lack these weaknesses while having much more strengths.

[Za Shaloc.3908]

@Soilder.3607 said:

@bigo.9037 said:I haven't played it myself but was fighting one a few days ago (after patch) and he was surprisingly difficult to deal dmg to even with my full dps burst build.

He was using sword warhorn and staff I believe. Full support.

Traps are pretty useless. Don't bother with them.

That might've been me to tbh. I've been running full support Druid in WvW since the patch, with Staff and Sw/Wh. Did you fight that guy in WvW? And if so what server was he on and what server were you on?

To answer the OP's question, I've been running full support Druid in WvW. It feels pretty good. It definitely has some very potent healing abilities. Condi clear is alright if you use Glyph of Alignment and Glyph of Equality while in CA mode, as well as Verdant Etching. Seed of Life in CA mode was buffed in the patch; it now removes two condis. Glyph of the Stars is actually a phenomenal skill. Possibly the ultimate counter to conditions

and

it affects 10 targets. You can furthermore use the Brown Bear pet, as I do, to cure an additional two condi's, and you can grab Signet of Renewal to fully clear allies. So the condi clear actually isn't all that bad if you build it right.

I do not know how dedicated WvW guilds feel about healing Druid. I would assume much the same way as they did before the patch, as in, not preferring them over Firebrand and/or healing Scrapper.

I prefer using Cleric's gear on my support Druid, as the Druid doesn't provide many boons to its' allies like the Firebrand does, and so I find maxing my healing output to be more optimal. As the poster above stated, 14k healing on Glyph of Rejuvenation in CA mode is absolutely possible. Combine this with Cultivated Synergy (which you absolutely should) and you're looking at ~18-20k healing in CA mode. I also run Superior Runes of the Flock in addition to Verdant Etching, which means that every time I use Glyph of Rejuvenation, I can potentially heal up to 25 allies for differing amounts of healing (5 allies from Glyph of Rejuvenation, 10 allies from Cultivated Synergy because it activates on both you and your pet, 5 allies from Flock Runes which usually heal around 2.5k, and 5 allies from Verdant Etching if the seed heals them).

Give it a try if you'd like OP.

Sounds like you have had a very similar experience to my own, so it's good to see that it seems to be working for others. Out of curiosity, mind linking your build? Seems like we have a lot of overlap in what we decided on, but I'd like to see how you're approaching it.Also, how do you feel survivability is on full Cleric's? I have myself a full set of Cleric's that I was using pre-patch but I felt too squishy at the time so went back to full Minstrel's. I imagine now it feels a bit better? You are right though: other than regen, it doesn't provide many boons.

[Soilder.3607]

@"Pterikdactyl.7630" said:

@Soilder.3607 said:

@"bigo.9037" said:I haven't played it myself but was fighting one a few days ago (after patch) and he was surprisingly difficult to deal dmg to even with my full dps burst build.

He was using sword warhorn and staff I believe. Full support.

Traps are pretty useless. Don't bother with them.

That might've been me to tbh. I've been running full support Druid in WvW since the patch, with Staff and Sw/Wh. Did you fight that guy in WvW? And if so what server was he on and what server were you on?

To answer the OP's question, I've been running full support Druid in WvW. It feels pretty good. It definitely has some very potent healing abilities. Condi clear is alright if you use Glyph of Alignment and Glyph of Equality while in CA mode, as well as Verdant Etching. Seed of Life in CA mode was buffed in the patch; it now removes two condis. Glyph of the Stars is actually a phenomenal skill. Possibly the ultimate counter to conditions

and

it affects 10 targets. You can furthermore use the Brown Bear pet, as I do, to cure an additional two condi's, and you can grab Signet of Renewal to fully clear allies. So the condi clear actually isn't all that bad if you build it right.

I do not know how dedicated WvW guilds feel about healing Druid. I would assume much the same way as they did before the patch, as in, not preferring them over Firebrand and/or healing Scrapper.

I prefer using Cleric's gear on my support Druid, as the Druid doesn't provide many boons to its' allies like the Firebrand does, and so I find maxing my healing output to be more optimal. As the poster above stated, 14k healing on Glyph of Rejuvenation in CA mode is absolutely possible. Combine this with Cultivated Synergy (which you absolutely should) and you're looking at ~18-20k healing in CA mode. I also run Superior Runes of the Flock in addition to Verdant Etching, which means that every time I use Glyph of Rejuvenation, I can potentially heal up to 25 allies for differing amounts of healing (5 allies from Glyph of Rejuvenation, 10 allies from Cultivated Synergy because it activates on both you and your pet, 5 allies from Flock Runes which usually heal around 2.5k, and 5 allies from Verdant Etching if the seed heals them).

Give it a try if you'd like OP.

Sounds like you have had a very similar experience to my own, so it's good to see that it seems to be working for others. Out of curiosity, mind linking your build? Seems like we have a lot of overlap in what we decided on, but I'd like to see how you're approaching it.Also, how do you feel survivability is on full Cleric's? I have myself a full set of Cleric's that I was using pre-patch but I felt too squishy at the time so went back to full Minstrel's. I imagine now it feels a bit better? You are right though: other than regen, it doesn't provide many boons.

This is what I run --> http://gw2skills.net/editor/?POwEwEmpsB2Cjh5wKxjWytpWyrqA-zVIYf0xXKJVAJGCpmAVHB6cQCl9wbxvNL-w

I typically camp the bear pet in a zerg, using its condi cleanse on recharge. Sometimes I use the wolf pet as my second pet for the AoE fear, which is better put to use in smaller groups.

I use flock runes because I do not have monk runes. However, flock runes do provide a very important increase in vitality, in addition to their healing power bonus, with a gain of 100 vitality and a 10% increase to base health; this is particularly important to a player in cleric's gear. Their active effect, that being an additional healing effect around you when using a healing skill, typically heals in the realm of 2-2.5k health outside of CA mode, and upwards of 4k in CA mode.

I run Wilderness Survival instead of Beastmastery for the added survivability it provides, most notable through an increased uptime of protection and the exceptionally strong scaling Rugged Growth. Similarly, that's why I prefer Protective Ward over Invigorating Bond.

The Superior Sigil of Benevolence provide a greater healing output to allies compared to the Superior Sigil of Life, the drawback being that this increased healing modifier does not apply to yourself.

Allies' Aid is an equally viable trait; I take Instinctive Reaction simply because I love maxing my healing output.

The survivability of Cleric's is good enough. I believe the greatest threat to the healing Druid is its lack of stability. Incoming damage is well enough countered by the Druid's superb healing. Being unable to heal is more or less ones downfall.

I am also glad to see that I am not the only one playing healing Druid in WvW.

[Dralor.3701]

I always thought healing Druid was fine even in the previous meta, people just seeing red if you weren’t a scrapper or fb.

[Revolution.5409]

It is in a much better state after this patch, I used it with a 2vs2 build with CC / Support and I am having fun immobilizing opponents for a long time.If Anet changes FB with the next patch it could become a viable alternative with some small buffs.

[Strider.7849]

@bigo.9037 said:I haven't played it myself but was fighting one a few days ago (after patch) and he was surprisingly difficult to deal dmg to even with my full dps burst build.

He was using sword warhorn and staff I believe. Full support.

Traps are pretty useless. Don't bother with them.

I'm curious about this, I still have yet to meet a druid that has put up any challenge since the nerfs. Every. Single. One. I have met in WvW I have blown up in WvW. Even when I'm outnumbered, they haven't posted a threat or any significant support to their allies. I would love to make it work again, as it was my preferred style of play. I'm working on legendary armor so I can tweak things little by little to find a way to make it work, I just don't have the gold to make multiple sets to test.