Need help choosing a main

[Jab.7309]

First of all I know people will tell me to make more chars, but i want one to focus and master right now, I have acces to HoT and PoF and play mainly PvE, but want someday to try WvW and PvP.I'd like to play somthing versatile with many different options (many vastly different builds, i like to switch up frequently), capable of both strong solo play and some fun group utility, but i don't want piano playstyle.I'm realy torn apart between few classes: Guardian, Necro and Mesmer. I i like mechanics of this classes and some of they skills, buy i also have few problems with each of them. I like chars that have some combination of magick and melee weapon fighting, and here is my problem with necro which is mostly spellcaster (exept for reaper and dagger, but i'd love to play necro with 1h sword), i also love huge aoe damage (which mesmer i feel struggles with). As for a guardian i feel like he has to much support skills (i hate playing sup, love tanking though) and some aesthetics are bit off for me.I really hope for some suggestions (mayby i misjudged some classes, and mayby there are better classes for me than this three), so feel free to write what you think.

[bluberblasen.9684]

mesmer with GS and sword / x ( power mirage .. power chrono )

caster ( 1200 range )+ melee rangehigh damage outputno piano playing needed

high survival ( unlimited dodge / evades / stealth / teleports / pets )

nice looking because light armor class

[Dayra.7405]

Hm, I have different "mains" for different purpose (and every class at lvl 80 at least once, to change "mains" from time to time).

• PvP it doesn't matter, a fresh created Lvl 1 is as strong as any long played char.
• OpenWorld PvE, I love my Ranger (quite often you're solo, so builds for Fractal-/Raid-Team Cooperation aren't the best)
• High-lvl Fractals and Raids you need a char accepted by current Meta (which changes from time to time after ANets skill-rebalance) and fits the role you have to play in the team. (having more than one to choose from helps to fill that role)
• WvW has usually different Metas, e.g. more survivability

[ZeftheWicked.3076]

I'm a long time necro main so i'll adress things on necrotic end of things:

1. Builds - necro absolutely rocks in this department. Can basically use any and all gear stats and make it work, can use almost all traitlines for a given purpose no matter what it is, no must have utility skills or elites, yet plenty of good ones for a given situation.

2. Simple with strong solo and good supp. Nothing comes close to necros aoe + sustain combo in open world. Unlike others necro does not compomise - amazing AoE with powerful sustain are the norm here. Mass ressurection is more then enough support in open world, especially in xpac content where ppl love to die.

3. Spellcaster with melee options. Power necro is mostly melee (save axe). Condi necro is the caster side. And shroud/spec is where you decide which you want more of - core/scourge for spellcaster feel, reaper for melee onslaught.

[Genesis.7864]

My advice is to play them all through til lvl 80 and see which one stands out the most in regards to playstyle.

If you're just playing the core free to play, then I'd recommend Guardian, thief, warrior, or necro

For core only:If you want the easiest: pick necro or guardian (either of these both have great Elite specs too!!)If you want a challenge then pick Thief or Elementalist.However choosing either of these two (especially Elementalist) will pay off in the longrun too. Both Weaver and Tempest are amazing elite specsThief just got a new set of skills which turned the tables for it. It's a squishy profession too but high risk = high reward.

Edit: another easy spec is Ranger. Both its elites are good too. Both can be condi, but the one (druid) is a heal/support.

[mindcircus.1506]

@Jab.7309 said:As for a guardian i feel like he has to much support skills (i hate playing sup, love tanking though) and some aesthetics are bit off for me.Aesthetics aside, Guardian is a much more flexible class than you think. Dragonhunter isn't a very supportive spec, it's strongest as a power damage dealer. Firebrand can certainly provide some of the best support in the game, but specced as an AOE dps it's devastating.Given what you've written, this would be my recommendation if you can get past the looks of it that turn you off.

[Sobx.1758]

@bluberblasen.9684 said:mesmer with GS and sword / x ( power mirage .. power chrono )

I think this mesmer suggestion is pretty good.

[Genesis.7864]

I've mained mesmer since 2012 and Chrono since HoT until this last patch (thousands and thousands of hours on mesmer).They're still usable in raids. Functional in fractals (albeit annoying with the loss of a couple functions). Tedious and annoying in solo PvE (again, because of the loss of distortion and IP). Impossible in WvW and PvP (can't burst, condi is nowhere near as good as Mirage)..Mirage is great in PvP and usable in WvW. Core mesmer is what I mostly use in PvE now: illusion: 1-2-1 /dueling 1-3-1 /domination 2-2-2 or 2-2-1(swap domination or dueling with Inspiration 3-2-3 or 3-2-1 for more survivability)Sword/Sword and Greatsword or Sword/Focus.Mix the traits around as you please to fulfill your situation.

Though, I do still prefer chrono for raiding and if I absolutely need it for fractals. But I'm looking at other specs now, especially Renegade and Firebrand as replacements for Chrono which deem much more promising.It pains me to say this as I maxed my mesmer out completely.. It's quickly becoming an alt.

[alain.1659]

I can give you just one advice. Log in to all of the professions and look at their weapo and utility skills. Whichever feels like "home" shall be your main. I found mine like that, although I played all of them for a while.

[MrForz.1953]

You'll only have to trust your gut feeling on that one. Can't decide for you what you'll like the most. Unless performance is part of the criteria, in that case "maining" won't mean anything at all.

[ButcherofMalakir.4067]

If you like close combat spellcaster with aoe then I guess condition firebrand might be good pick for you. Unlike normal guardian it is more like a battlemage. Warrior type which can open f1 book to turn the battlefield into ashes. It has acces to support options but they will be last resort since you will have nothing to augment them.

[Tukaram.8256]

Best to play around with different professions to see what works for your playstyle. I read the skills of a mesmer, and it does not sound like me. My 2 mains are my ranger (archer & pet) and my necro (minion master). Both hold their own pretty well, but for solo play I much prefer the necro. I worked 6 characters up to 80 and only really like 2 of them.

[whoeverxwins.1279]

I go back and forth between necro and mesmer mains, but mesmer is my favorite. Core mesmer and chrono are pretty tanky. Currently I'm running shatter mirage, which is great fun in open world and story. Can't kill me if you can't hit me! It's more of a challenge than core or chrono, since you don't have an actual dodge anymore, but with practice is great fun.