Interesting/Fun Weaver Roaming Builds

[solemn.9608]

Hi gw2 eles, just wanted to drop by and share my latest off-meta build nonsense I've been playing around with. These can yield some surprising results if you're careful with them while roaming in WvW.

I have a lot of fun with these builds! You can make almost anything work on Ele if you try hard enough.

Please/feel free to share your own builds in this thread & what you like about them so others can see.

Barrier Dagger WeaverDescription: Weaver rune + Bolstered Elements trait results in massive barrier amounts when using a stance. This makes running a fairly glassy build more viable. This build uses Arcane which makes it more well-rounded than my other more experimental builds below, and would be the build that I recommend to anyone interested in creating a Weaver with the intent of roaming in WvW.Build: http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?PGgAgilVwkYPsImJWUXbvXA-z1YYhgGqRTRE3O0egnRsSgeVAS9SIgufARAvmXcGB-wGameplay:

Water/Air Sword WeaverDescription: This is my improvement on my previous Water/Air Weaver build. I run Doom sigil not just for some passive condi damage but mostly to decrease the opponent's healing potential while they are under it's effect. I run Tormenting sigil for extra spam condi in order to make it more difficult to cleanse, and also because getting one small non-crit on a hard-to-hit opponent will often result in some poison+torment damage despite their efforts to avoid consecutive hits. Melandru rune and loaf of saffron bread decrease incoming stun duration by 40%, allowing me to get away with only running one stun-break when fighting cc-heavy builds i.e. Warrior/Spellbreaker. 4/5 utility skills will cleanse a condi, and any swiftness/regen results in additional condi cleanse (-20% incoming condi duration from Melandru rune). This build can easily keep up 25 stacks of vulnerability and does an addition 5% dmg to vulnerable foes. It's skills are on a very low cooldown.Build: http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?PGgAwilFw8YisOmJWUTWvVA-z1oYhoAqRQ6bHJEleoVmgALjILgcTAvuECo7HQEwbpIzI-wGameplay:

Fire/Air Sword WeaverDescription: This build is pretty much just for the memes - however it's offensive potential is so great that it's laughably viable in many scenarios. However, I'd generally recommend running a Water/Air/Weaver build instead, because the only real advantage that Fire/Air/Weaver has is it's greater DPS, cleanse, fire aura & fire-field duration. However if that's what you're looking for, it's actually very fun to play this build if you're careful with it. I run Eagle rune for more precision & to hit hard when the opponent is vulnerable (<50% health).Build: http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?PGgAwilZw8YKsOmJO2KqvVA-z1YYhoAqRSt/OEhyIyCI2EwkLhA6+BEB8aexZE-wGameplay:

Water/Air Dagger Weaver Variant #2Description: See Water/Air Weaver #1 above; this is my older build and a less risky variant of the Water/Air Weaver build.Build: http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?PGgAgilFw8YdsNGKWUTWvNA-z1YY1oI9tjEwEOwyIiEo3CQtLhA6+BEB8aexZE-wGameplay:

Antitoxin Dagger WeaverDescription: At some point I got tired of playing Fire Weaver, but also tired of dying to condi damage, so I created an anti-condi build for D/D arcane/air Weaver. Make alterations as you see fit.Build: http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?PGgAgilZw8YPsImJWUXavVA-z1YY1oJ9tD9GoJEkzIWJQvKAJfJEQ3PgIg3SVmRA-wGameplay:

[lysico.1297]

On the barrier build (first one), why not use sword over dagger?

[Zhaid Zhem.6508]

@"lysico.1297" said:On the barrier build (first one), why not use sword over dagger?

It depends if you play pvp or wvw. Sword and dagger don't have the same tools and gameplay.IMO dagger/x is better for roaming due to range and radius, leaps, self buff, projectil block, strong "one hit" ... You see less and less sword weavers in WvW, they all go dagger/x except condi ones : sword has less mobility and cleave so it's harder to keep pressure on most of classes or on contrary to avoid pressure ... In pvp the approach is different, the point is to contest the node.The con : people get used to it and know better how to counter. :anguished:

[solemn.9608]

@Zhaid Zhem.6508 said:

@"lysico.1297" said:On the barrier build (first one), why not use sword over dagger?

It depends if you play pvp or wvw. Sword and dagger don't have the same tools and gameplay.IMO dagger/x is better for roaming due to range and radius, leaps, self buff, projectil block, strong "one hit" ... You see less and less sword weavers in WvW, they all go dagger/x except condi ones : sword has less mobility and cleave so it's harder to keep pressure on most of classes or on contrary to avoid pressure ... In pvp the approach is different, the point is to contest the node.The con : people get used to it and know better how to counter. :anguished:

I agree with the first line.Sword has a heavier hitting power & condi DPS burst, is more mobile due to air 2 (those dagger evades, while decent mobility skills, do not actually propel you very quickly when time to cast/after-cast delay/attunement time/cooldowns are taken into account), and has easier access to evades (sword evades are on skill 2, not dual attacks/skill 3). Sword's main 'cleave' is actually just autoattacking in air (multi-target, hits harder than you think if you get the entire chain off) + fire 2 and offhand-dagger skills so I'd say it's OK in the aoe cleave department. But yeah I treat sword mostly as a gank-role/single-target attacker these days.

Dagger mainhand is easier to get consistent hits with (air/fire dual attack & Fire 2 are both much easier to hit and main sources of damage), has shocking aura which is very useful especially when running fresh air, an incoming damage modifier via earth/air dual attack which doubles as a good source of small hits/DPS. Dagger is very good for CC and even has an immob.

I would say the play-styles are simply different. You could run Sword or Dagger, but for some builds, certain play-styles prevail more often than others, thus the differing choice of weapon but it's a little subjective. Try running both, see how you like it, everyone will have different preferences, they're both really good. Don't listen to anyone who tells you that "sword was nerfed to the ground for power builds" - they are just the usual doom-n-gloomer whiners who see one small nerf and give up. Sword and dagger mainhand are both really good right now.

[lysico.1297]

I have been playing both (pvp mostly) and I like dagger/x better. It just seems smoother.. Plus the #3 for air/earth is a really nice block.