Best runes for a Catalyst?

[Alexander.5796]

Hey there,
Currently building a Catalyst but not sure what Runes fit, I heard Balefire Runes are good but haven't done Hellfire Citadel yet, I have been thinking Marauder, Fireworks or Durability would work but what would work better in your eyes?

[the krytan assassin.9235]

It kinda depends on what build you are running and what gamemode you are playing (instanced PvE, open world, WvW or pvp).  

 

In general leadership runes are probably the best allround runes out there. Unfortunately they can be somewhat difficult to obtain.

If you do mostly instanced PvE as a pure dps build (fractals, strikes and raids) you normally want to run Scholar runes instead. Flame Legion runes can be used as budget alternative. Boonsupport dps can either run Scholar runes with some diviner armor pieces or leadership runes. 

For open world PvE some budget alternatives for leadership runes can be flame Legion runes/runes of the pack/rune of fireworks.  

For WvW zergbuilds you can use runes of strength as budget alternative for leadership runes

For WvW roaming antitoxin runes are best in slot by far, 2nd place goes to leadership runes. 

For pvp divinity runes are best in slot for most builds (but you can swap very easily between different rune sets here ofc). 

 

 

[Nephalem.8921]

4 hours ago, the krytan assassin.9235 said:

It kinda depends on what build you are running and what gamemode you are playing (instanced PvE, open world, WvW or pvp).  

 

In general leadership runes are probably the best allround runes out there. Unfortunately they can be somewhat difficult to obtain.

If you do mostly instanced PvE as a pure dps build (fractals, strikes and raids) you normally want to run Scholar runes instead. Flame Legion runes can be used as budget alternative. Boonsupport dps can either run Scholar runes with some diviner armor pieces or leadership runes. 

For open world PvE some budget alternatives for leadership runes can be flame Legion runes/runes of the pack/rune of fireworks.  

For WvW zergbuilds you can use runes of strength as budget alternative for leadership runes

For WvW roaming antitoxin runes are best in slot by far, 2nd place goes to leadership runes. 

For pvp divinity runes are best in slot for most builds (but you can swap very easily between different rune sets here ofc). 

 

 

Leadership runes are not the best allround runes. You trade 15% dmg+ for 25% boon duration. depending on build that is rarely worth it. Diviner/ritu + dps rune is usually better.

It is scholar, flame legion or when solo strength can be very good too together with a strength sigil you would cap might solo.

[Ragnarox.9601]

I am using fireworks in wvw, it suits me well. 

[the krytan assassin.9235]

1 hour ago, Nephalem.8921 said:

Leadership runes are not the best allround runes. You trade 15% dmg+ for 25% boon duration. depending on build that is rarely worth it. Diviner/ritu + dps rune is usually better.

It is scholar, flame legion or when solo strength can be very good too together with a strength sigil you would cap might solo.

I really disagree. Sure if you want to maximize dps leadership is never the optimal pick, yet when it comes to overall usefullness it absolutely beats the dps runes. Scholar runes lose ~35% of its value once you get below 90% hp, definitely not worth it for open world PvE/WvW. 

Flame Legion runes are decent in Dungeons and ok'ish in PvE, but bad in WvW due to condi cleanse (also they dont sync well with most cata due to lack in burst damage). Sure you can get a slightly better dps output by wearing diviners+flame Legion runes in open world, but then you completely dismiss the extra vitality, toughness and healing power that you get from the runes aswell. 

Rune of strength is bis in wvw staff cata (due to staying mostly in fire & quickness ticking instead of full dura at start of the sphere. For open world its just alot more important to get atleast close to perma uptime on your important sphere Boons. For instanced PvE strength runes offer better dmge then leadership, but are inferior to leadership when it comes to offensive support since the extra might duration is pretty much useless for that. 

 

Also keep in mind that the whole point of an all round rune is for relatively new players who dont have multiple armorsets/legendary armor/runes laying around. People complain all the time about dying in OW on ele, people often even take full cele armor. Losing a lillbit of dmge while gaining alot of extra boon dura and some surviveability is not a bad thing. I run about 10+ different runes combinations on my ele and i rarely pick leadership runes, yet when combining all possible builds/gamemodes etc together it 100% stands on top. 

[arduran.3820]

This is what I run for all three elite specs, just my 2 cents

 

Cele w/ Traveler is my go to for open world content, also works great for condi boon support

Marauder w/ Pack is great for power boon support or playing open world with a bit more focus on burst 

Zerker/Assassin mix w/ Scholar for most instanced content, hitting crit cap is super important, Eagle is a good budget option if you can't afford Scholar 

Viper w/ Elementalist is the go to Condi option for instanced content 

Viper/Grieving mix w/ Flame Legion is a weirdly great hybrid option that I enjoy a ton, you can switch the mix of stats one way or the other based on what you want. I personally run enough Vipers to max burn duration and then fill the rest with Grieving 

 

If you're new, new to ele, or poor I cannot recommend enough a Cele set w/ Traveler runes, it works in every game mode and on every build

 

In WvW full Cele w/ Antitoxin is best for roaming/small scale 

Marauder w/ Scholar for zerg dps, Zerker if you're brave, Eagle is another great budget option, Pack if you want to be a little less selfish (the 6th bonus is nice) 

 

I bailed out on PvP but Divinity runes are generally the best option to start with 

Dolyak if you want to be tankier 

Speed if you want to be, well, faster (do not recommend but pairs well with the high swiftness uptime from the Arcane line, especially since the superspeed nerf)

Anything else is kind of an experimental pick

Edited March 13, 2023 by arduran.3820
Formatting

[luigrein.8514]

Seconding celestial with traveler as a good cheap generalist option. Taking it in to raids will probably mean you are tanking, which you may or may not want, but is doable.

[Klowdy.3126]

48 minutes ago, luigrein.8514 said:

Seconding celestial with traveler as a good cheap generalist option. Taking it in to raids will probably mean you are tanking, which you may or may not want, but is doable.

For open world/solo crap, I run Cele cata with full power/condi damage. I don't feel the need for any other stats for solo play, and it's fun to have a good balance of strike/condi damage, with decent boon uptime, high health, and good toughness. Probably not optimal, but works well enough for me. 

[Skyroar.2974]

1 hour ago, Klowdy.3126 said:

For open world/solo crap, I run Cele cata with full power/condi damage. I don't feel the need for any other stats for solo play, and it's fun to have a good balance of strike/condi damage, with decent boon uptime, high health, and good toughness. Probably not optimal, but works well enough for me. 

I like Rune of the Elementalist for this reason. +175 power, +225 condition damage, and a condi duration buff that equals 150 expertise, coupled with Sigil of Strength for +/- 10-15 free stacks of might overtime (up to +300-450 power/condi damage).

Celestial gear gives enough toughness, vitality, healing power and boon duration for all your needs.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Skyroar.2974

[SoftFootpaws.9134]

Catalyst is best played as a boon support, since this translates into solo play as well (perma-everything on yourself, except Alacrity). You can play it as DPS, but you'll probably be pulling your hair out before too long.

 

My recommendation is to go for a mix of Celestial and Diviner's, with Pack runes, and reach 100% boon duration with runes, sigils and food and dump the rest into power damage. This isn't the most optimal combination, but you can take it into every single game mode or encounter without problems, except raids that require a tank.

 

Its virtually immortal in open-world, story, and can solo dungeons and low-tier Fractals too. You can also run Alacrity Tempest on the exact same build, but you need to adjust trinkets a bit since Tempest has some extra boon duration. This is useful for solo encounters where you need even more tankiness.

Edited March 13, 2023 by SoftFootpaws.9134

[Klowdy.3126]

3 hours ago, Skyroar.2974 said:

I like Rune of the Elementalist for this reason. +175 power, +225 condition damage, and a condi duration buff that equals 150 expertise, coupled with Sigil of Strength for +/- 10-15 free stacks of might overtime (up to +300-450 power/condi damage).

Celestial gear gives enough toughness, vitality, healing power and boon duration for all your needs.

Yeah, the stat set has always been interesting to me, but until catalyst, I never really played it. I like the jack-of-all-trades, elemental feel of catalyst.