Marshal's Prefix Build on Soulbeast

[Dithnir.4593]

I tried out a Seraph prefix a while back and had some great feedback that helped me theorycraft a little better. Well, maybe.

I wanted to see if I could put a build together with another less common prefix, the (Spear)Marshal's prefix. This is for pve, mainly open world and can work in solo but is geared a little more towards group.

http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?POAFcEFaYZFMKGCLiZilvz9TtkjMH-zRRYmRP4G+yo3UIkKw9pRB/WgKA-e

With Marshal's, it makes sense to leverage the heal stat, but given the prefix is +Pow, +Precision, +Condition Dmg +Healing, it obviously suffers from a lack of Ferocity and Expertise and can't support more robustly as there's no Concentration either for boon uptime. Damage is thus important to improve the viability of this build.

 

The Power and Precision at least give the raw damage output a lift but I've chosen condi weapons for more sustained damage and to leverage the runes. The key here, which I learned from the previous thread, is the utility of the Runes of Aristocracy.

They proc 5 Might stacks off applying Weakness with only a 1 second cd, while boosting Might duration to 50%. With Marsh Drake's F2, Winter's Bite and CotW applying weakness, that's a good few stacks, but the Frost Spirit also provides more might for self and party. This should boost raw and condi damage in tougher solo encounters while also helping out the group. Sustain in solo is enhanced through Wilderness Survival and the high healing boosting regen, while both pets, Healing Trap, Moa Stance, CotW provide either healing or protection and resistance.

 

Hidden Barb, Instinctive Engage and both pets' F3 provide Quickness which procs Essence of Speed that boosts boons you have by 2 seconds in duration. It takes a lot of concentration to get an additional 2 seconds to active boons, so this mitigates the absence of Concentration.

 

As mentioned above, to make the most of the healing stat, I've got a Healing Trap and shareable Moa stance for regen along with Photosynthesize on the Jacaranda, while both pets provide raw healing and condi removal, the latter you also have on weapon swap.

 

Quick Draw provides versatility by massively shortening CD on whatever is the best skill needed for your situation on weapon swap.

 

Both pets also provide Vitality, which is boosted, and also boosts Expertise, through Taste For Danger. Food and Utility tops off Expertise boost to give a 34% condi duration, along with the sigils. Both pets also provide a 25% healing boost per target. I assume that applies to regen, but I'm not sure.

Edited January 8, 2023 by Dithnir.4593
not 'resolution' but 'resistance'.

[Beddo.1907]

Sorry, but that build is just too all over the place. 

I can't find a single reason to play it.

[Dithnir.4593]

That's fair 🙂

I've made some changes, improving sustain significantly with Predator's Cunning and have been testing it against a couple of champions with adds with success even without figuring out a rotation. I'm still not leveraging the healing enough, no doubt Druid would lean into that for more group support, but finding a build that leans into all the stats sufficiently has been enjoyably frustrating (I'm a bit weird).

 

I certainly posted it prematurely, I shan't do that again. It's been interesting to see how adjustments to improve it mean becoming more and more similiar to the builds you'd see on Metabattle and others. Kind of obvious, but at least with Ranger I'm struggling to see the value of any prefix outside Berserker/Assassins, Harrier's or Vipers for Pow/Heal/Condi respectively. A Guardian can make good use of Seraph's, for example. Maybe that's the point of some prefixes, they're targeting certain class's strengths?

 

I have been looking at Ritualist prefix for a melee SLB boon support. Anyone tried the prefix?

[Connla Dda.9407]

As from wvw perspective marshall stat combination is very good, just after the celestial ones. Good for Soulbeast of course due to dagger main hand hybrid weapon. My build differs from yours though. Due to more points into Healing Power than Condition Damage i do focus is on regen and protection - which heals you. Also Dwayna rune helps (+10% HP and 30% regen boon uptime + 20% stronger regen). Of course it is ment to roam, due to zerg play is full Cleric or Minstrel Druid. It goes like this:

 

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?POAFcEGaUZBsHWELkdiHzk7zuEz/G-zVRYLRMCzNa4OLlCigUChKKg0TAR+AB0bh+DAA-w

 

It is not full Marshall though as i am poor wvw player, so not have Legendary Accessory nor Daggers. Thus i chose Carrion as a replacement.

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by Connla Dda.9407

[Zyreva.1078]

The problem with a lot of hybrid stat combinations is that they are missing crucial stats and don't have much intrinsic synergy, which makes them nothing but worse versions of celestial gear. Take marshal for example - it has power as main stat and precision as secondary stat, but no ferocity, so power dmg is low anyway. It has healing power as main stat, but is missing concentration which is crucial for support builds. For WvW/ open world self survivability you'd also want toughness and vitality, which are missing too. Then it also has condition dmg as minor stat, which adds completely negligible dmg at most, due to being a minor stat and lacking expertise.

So it's not so much about lacking synergy with the ranger class, the problem is about the stats themself. Cele works perfectly fine on any ranger spec (assuming an appropriate build) and the only reason to not go full cele on a support/dps hybrid is usually to avoid tanking in encounters with toughness based aggro mechanics and low toughness tanks.

 

 

[AliamRationem.5172]

Unless you have power primary with both precision and ferocity you just can't deal decent damage with power.   You seem to be aware of this as your build is a condi setup, but your stat selection has condition damage secondary and no expertise.  There are better stats to use for this build.