It's another help me choose a Profession thread

[NightGoat.4856]

I know we have a lot of these already, but I wanted to make one for my specific situation so please bear with me.

A couple years ago I played through the core game as an Elementalist and had a blast while leveling, but at endgame I found it died way too fast to be fun. So, I'd like to start playing again as a different Profession, playing through the core game again and then both expansions without using boosts.

I'll mostly be doing solo PvE but might get into group PvE content later. So basically, I'm looking for something that solos well but isn't completely unwanted when it comes to group stuff. I'm also looking for something that's fun to play and isn't just pressing the same exact same sequence of buttons in every fight. I don't have that much free time, so I really just want to play one character and don't want to spend a lot of time trying a bunch of Professions out. Some things I'm considering:

Guardian - I love the aesthetic of this class, but when I played around with one before I found I was just repeating the same moves every fight and it got kind of boring.

Warrior - straightforward class, lots of weapon options so maybe I could just switch if I got tired of the ones I was using, but I kind of prefer more magical classes aesthetically, and I'm also concerned it would get old after a while.

Thief - I like the idea of initiative, it seems to be fun to play, but it also seem like a squishy one and doesn't seem to offer much AoE or group utility.

Mesmer - seems like a really interesting class, I like the idea of messing around with time and space magic and shooting lasers from a greatsword is just cool. But it also seems like it could be squishy, and when I've played around with one before I found it took too long to kill enemies and having to summon clones again for every enemy got kind of annoying. Also, all that purple seems like it'd limit my choice in dyes if I don't want my clothes' colors to clash with my effects.

Necromancer - cool aesthetic, but when I've played around with one before I also found it took too long to kill enemies. Apparently Reaver can be really good in world PvE but it'd be a long time before I unlocked it.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Ghos.1326]

In PvE, you can really make any build quite tanky. It all depends on the trait lines you take. For the kind of role you're looking for, do you want something more bunker? Duelist (healthy balance of offense/defense)? DPS? Support? Lets go from there and see where you might land.

[Buran.3796]

@NightGoat.4856 said:

Necromancer - cool aesthetic, but when I've played around with one before I also found it took too long to kill enemies. Apparently Reaver can be really good in world PvE but it'd be a long time before I unlocked it.

Any advice would be appreciated.

If you're aiming to PvE and you think that the Necro lacks damage you should check the last video of Lord Hizen (3 days ago) in Youtube just soloing almost everything in the game with a Scourge build from that class.

[Sinistral.5309]

@Buran.3796 said:

@"NightGoat.4856" said:

Necromancer - cool aesthetic, but when I've played around with one before I also found it took too long to kill enemies. Apparently Reaver can be really good in world PvE but it'd be a long time before I unlocked it.

Any advice would be appreciated.

If you're aiming to PvE and you think that the Necro lacks damage you should check the last video of Lord Hizen (3 days ago) in Youtube just soloing almost everything in the game with a Scourge build from that class.

(Warning: Opinion based stuff incoming)

I am of the unpopular opinion that necro should be avoided, especially by anyone new (i know you're not, but anyhow...). Yes, it can be strong for soloing content, but it's also excrutiatingly boring and slow. Literally zero mobility skills/cc breaks, and if you get into a fight you don't want...you're screwed.People love reaper for some reason, maybe the aesthetic? i dunno, but necro with a GS is just so damn slow and clunky, however both elite specs function pretty decent as a bleed-based condi specs, but thats condi...trying to level/kill trash in open world will make you want to hang yourself by the toe nails eventually :persevere:

And that's without mentioning the fact the class teaches you so many bad habbits.(Source: My first 80 character was a necro, and i regretted it)

As for warrior, not much to say, except surprisingly enough it stays pretty fun even well past 80 + expansions, while still pretty simplistic you really can't go wrong with it. Pretty sure group-play is strictly based on keeping strong banners up, havn't played too much endgame with mine so can't really say.

Guardian: I levelled one to 80, then deleted it out of pure frustration/hatred. The whole class is just so many levels of wrong, heavy armour wearing tissue paper class based around blocks that are just way too short. Sounded way better on paper than it actually is.

Mesmer: So far my favourite class, only downside is their sheer lack of any aoe skills (Chrono Wells don't count, they last a few seconds, do pitiful damage, and long cd's). As far as i'm aware boon chrono's are still wanted in both open-world/fractals, and they're more than capable of facerolling open-world :)

If it's fun, engaging stuff you're looking for, then probably mesmer/engineer would be better for you? Both have the utility to adapt on a per-fight basis (engi more so) and can require more than a "spam 1 to succeed" playstyle to be effective :)

[ZeftheWicked.3076]

As a necro main i say go necro!

Now yes, core necro in pve is slow, but that's the admission fee for the awesome that is to come later with reaper (not reaver) and scourge.Now to bust some myths and state some facts:

1. Necro has a lot of stunbreaks, it's stability he's short on. But with reaper you get that too.
2. Tons of builds. With heaps of free stats from traits and very balanced traitlines there huge field for experimentation.
3. Soloes most PvE like a champ, is the profession for mass mob wipeout combined with very strong sustain.
4. In PvE core is slow & boring. That is true. Condi build can allevate some of that. But the reaper and scourge make it worth, especially reaper.
5. In end game PvE he is acceptable (raids) to desired (scourge for fractals).
6. In open world PvE he's a saviour of events. The ability to mass ress allies is just too good when you go to HoT metas and other bigger events.