Which support?

[Eliam.3716]

I’m a big fan of playing support classes in pvp type content, have not done much WvW in GW2 but wanting to get into it more.  Is there a support class/spec that doesn’t get played enough or makes a big enough difference when present?  Zerg mostly at this point.

[Dawdler.8521]

19 minutes ago, Eliam.3716 said:

 Is there a support class/spec that doesn’t get played enough or makes a big enough difference when present?

Error does not compute. You cant make both statements at once. Zerg support classes that arent played doesnt make big enough difference because the zerg support classes that are played does.

There is an extremely narrow window of 3-4 mans where a tempest auramancer can duo support with a firebrand and probably also an extra scrapper with the group having only one dps because of pro fighting guilds being carried by supports, but that's about it. It's not zerging though. So TL;DR bring a firebrand or scrapper.

Edited April 16, 2022 by Dawdler.8521

[Eliam.3716]

Fair enough, like I said just getting into it.  Appreciate the feedback 

[Xenesis.6389]

47 minutes ago, Eliam.3716 said:

I’m a big fan of playing support classes in pvp type content, have not done much WvW in GW2 but wanting to get into it more.  Is there a support class/spec that doesn’t get played enough or makes a big enough difference when present?  Zerg mostly at this point.

Firebrand.

Scrapper.

[ArchonWing.9480]

Support Chrono:

https://gw2mists.com/builds/mesmer/support-chronomancer

Most groups don't need many, but it's potentially very high impact with Illusion of Life able to change the tide of a battle very quickly, especially when paired with Mimic.

Edited April 16, 2022 by ArchonWing.9480

[Stand The Wall.6987]

support chrono is really just a utility class. that build is trash and dead weight imo, should be dps but i digress. if you want to do green numbers firebrand and scrapper like others said, sometimes tempest or spellbreaker is a good pick for groups. maybe if you know the commander he'll let you run druid or heal rev. those two classes have the highest burst heals, druid beats rev nowadays but rev wins in buffs. oh yeah specter is now single target support, way to go anet back pedaling on your original design goals. metabattle.com has most of these builds listed.

Edited April 17, 2022 by Stand The Wall.6987

[Hotride.2187]

 I'd say scrapper since its more versatile than firebrand. You can support big groups, small groups, you can stealth and run. You also have better roaming options with more similar gear (e.g. cele grenades vs cele small scale support).

Firebrand is IMO limitted to big groups (20+). If you want to roam on it you will be dying to ganks since its not mobile. If you have a group of players you regularly roam with (who wont run or can stealth you to let you also run) firebrand is also a good option.

The main difference is firebrand is an overall worse support but has (by a wide margin) the best access to group stability. So you need 1 per party (5 players) for big fights or your party gets CCed out of your group and dies. For small scale on guard you can also run the spvp conquest support build with minstrel, but that also cant run; its just very difficult to kill.

Cele tempest is also decent for small scale but has no place in big groups.

Edited April 17, 2022 by Hotride.2187

[Esorono.1039]

You have two choices.

Firebrand, Scrapper. There used to be Spellbreaker to keep them in check, but since the change, these two E-Specs are next to unstoppable.

[Custodio.6134]

12 hours ago, Stand The Wall.6987 said:

support chrono is really just a utility class. that build is trash and dead weight imo, should be dps but i digress. 

Yes, Support-Chrono is "just" a utility class, but if call it "trash", you clearly show that you don´t understand the reason WHY it is still very important to have at least one or two per squad. 

Chrono with this particular build is not a "typical" support like Firebrand or scrapper. It doesn´t spit out boons, it doesn´t heal, but neither of those is the reason why you want to have at least a certain amount of those Chronomancers in your squad anyways. 

The main task of Chrono (and this build in particular) is stripping boons and CC. Any good Chronomancer overtakes Scourges or Spellbreakers in terms of strips. This is combined with utilities, that are not shown in the "standard" build, but the situational category. especially veil and portal are VERY situational, and equally strong. 

---------

that said: back to topic

talking about "support classes that are NOT regularily played (referring to a "standard" setup) have a reason WHY they are not played frequently. These reasons are either: 
1. They get outclassed by another profession, that fit the same role, but perform better (side note: better in this context means, that the utility the class provides is actually useful/needed. It does NOT mean that it has "more" or "less" utility !!!!!!!!!!!! )
2. They are pretty niece, and only used in very specific scenarios (usually depending on group size and fighting style of the commander), and/or have a very high skill needed and are only then useful, when they are played close to perfect (which is, in 99% of public-zergs or non-competetive-guild-scenarios NOT the case)

As a (public) squad leader in a competetive game mode (which WvW obviously is), you want to pick the most ideal setup as possible. This setup is currently consisting of 1 Support-Firebrand, 1 Heal-Scrapper, 1 Hammer-Herald, at least 1 Power-Scourge + 1 additional Class (usually another Scourge, or the occasional Spellbreaker/Chronomancer or other classes you don´t mandatory need in every subgroup). As Firebrand and Scrapper are (due to their ability-kit) mandatory, this leaves very little room for other supports. You could theoretically add an extra support into there, but that would be overstacking support and grant almost zero additional benefit, while additionally losing dps overall. You could also swap out the scrapper (since Firebrand has zero alternatives) for a tempest, but you would give up too much utility (insane healing and cleansing, initial stab, Superspeed, quickness, stealth, damage mitigation,  projectile block, ranged CC and more) which the tempest with its kit cannot compensate for. 

In conclusion: 
no, there is (as current class balance and fighting mechanics goes) no class/specc that is under-represented while still being viable. 
However: with starting to learn Support-Firebrand or Heal-Scrapper you cannot go wrong. Those two are the most essential classes in a Zerg-setup, and often public squads lack either one or both of those. Also keep in mind, that both, guardian and engineer DO have DPS-builds available, which gives them a certain amount of flexibility if needed. (However, being able to swap to a dps-specc on either guardian or engineer is a pretty rare case, and you need a certain amount of expierience to perform on these speccs, so don´t count on that)

[Stand The Wall.6987]

2 hours ago, Custodio.6134 said:

The main task of Chrono (and this build in particular) is stripping boons and CC

yes, and you can do this with a power build. using support gear on a class that can't heal or give boons is a waste of a party slot. 

[Grand Marshal.4098]

1 hour ago, Stand The Wall.6987 said:

yes, and you can do this with a power build. using support gear on a class that can't heal or give boons is a waste of a party slot. 

Virtuoso ! 😂

[Legend of Rogue.5394]

On 4/16/2022 at 3:44 PM, Eliam.3716 said:

I’m a big fan of playing support classes in pvp type content, have not done much WvW in GW2 but wanting to get into it more.  Is there a support class/spec that doesn’t get played enough or makes a big enough difference when present?  Zerg mostly at this point.

I Blob or Zerg with Firebrand just because the Mass Aegis, Stability, removal, buff, heal.

 

Minstrel on all armor, weapons, trinkets

Rune of Drability

Mace/ Shield

Staff

 

If you are running with scouts or small groups swap over to Axe/shield for CC and control

Staff is staple for 4 skill and access to regen and 2 heals plus control of tight paths with your 5 skill.

 

Scrapper is really good but I find it boring to play, and it was nerfed and it really lacks identity. The stealth gyro is loved by Discord Zergs and you will be praised as a hero for ages to come. 

 

As as someone who commands the legions with his asuran Firebrand, I can ASURAN you (that was bad) I really love scrappers.