Very let down as elementalist. How do I not die in the fractals? Rant/help needed.

[AliamRationem.5172]

5 hours ago, Arheundel.6451 said:

Elementalist is a stats check class...you can't afford glass stats and expect the same results as some other classes, which have access to inbuilt defensive mechanics regardless of traits. On ele you need to trait for dmg(aire/fire) and sustain(water) or tankiness (earth), plus need to invest in utilities for defenses....this is the main reason why most pve eles run condi specs

Not in fractals they don't.  You have a healer.  Sustain stats are just going to reduce your performance and you'll still die to mechanics fails.

[TheQuickFox.3826]

I play daily T4 + recs as Tempest DPS with random pugs and I run this build:

Tempest Condi DPS fractal build.
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PGgEsEWWAbixwqYk4o6c12A-DyQYrgOqRDHeYUUAdJgzxggEEbgXTPm2+VA-e

Does your group need AlacDPS? Easy.
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PGgEsEWWAbixwqYk4o6c1WB-DyQYrgOqRDHeYUUAdJgzxggEEbgXTPm2+VA-e

It's robust because of the mostly Celestial stats. It won't break any DPS records but DPS is fine as long you're not playing CMs.
Usage: Summon as many fire elementals as you can. Mistlock singularities help because every time you use one it resets the cooldown of "Glyph of Lesser Elementals" so you can summon another one. Pririty is with fire attunement. Cast everything there. Cast a firestorm. Cast Overload Fire whenever it is ready. When all is used, switch to earth and/or air and cast until the overload is ready. When your healer is struggling, switch to water and your water skills to do some off healing. Overload water is a decent group heal.

You won't have much problems dying with this build. Today I played T4 Thaumanova and all other players died or fell into the reactor. I was able to solo the last quarter of the boss with my elementals and the protection that the Celestial gear pieces give me.

Edited October 28, 2023 by TheQuickFox.3826

[Puck.3697]

On 4/16/2023 at 12:25 PM, Follet.8751 said:

Ele is said in every guide/build/youtuber and guild member I speak with that it's the squishiest class there is. I don't understand how you compare it with guardian (I also play guardian and it's a walk in the park in comparison, and super tanky with berserker gear and 3/6 trinkets berserker/celestial

Because I'm afraid most guides are outdated. 

Thief is equally squishy and they always have been, just a fact nobody plays the class 😂 

Ans guardian does have a insanely low hp pool, just guardian is also insanely easier to play. 

[Joncal.9623]

Best suggest I can give ya is to go with the "one build, all modes" celestial tempest/cata. 😂
You'll not push out insane damage (45kish) but at least you'll be able to tank more than 3 hits. 😚

[zeyeti.8347]

19 hours ago, Joncal.9623 said:

Best suggest I can give ya is to go with the "one build, all modes" celestial tempest/cata. 😂
You'll not push out insane damage (45kish) but at least you'll be able to tank more than 3 hits. 😚

Thats's ok , but had someone who tryed that doing fractal cm's and was just kick off the group (damage you know...), also ele has very poor cc, it's not the strongest and lack accessibility if you go out air (where the most cc are) when the breakbar appear , well no cc for you , i know it we play with a weaver on fractal 100 cm and have to take extra cc.

The low hp atm has no reason to exist on ele and other classes  , when the game started it was understandable cause ele and guardian could heal a lot and thief has stealth , but now... every class can have sustain , ele has to invest in hp or thougness to resist , but loose too much damage , even in open world i mostly play reaper and qherald , the two have more than 20k hp (with jade bot) , qherald has amazing healings and boon uptime , reaper have so much hp i barely care about hits(the two of them are full berserker and somehow i feel more tanky than an ele playing with marauder...).

I have +5000 hour on my ele and when i tryed out other classes my reaction is still the same... why did i inflict this to myself ... ele need Qol the most , no damage increase etc , the change in one month on Empowered Empowerment is one good step in the right direction , hope anet keep that track.

Ele and warrior are not played at the same % as the other in endgame content (not a single e-specs) maybe the change in one month will change that (i really hope).

Edited October 30, 2023 by zeyeti.8347

[Joncal.9623]

We’ve so many “should not exist in current state” with ele across all specs it’s kinda pointless to list them all. 

Eventually you’ll find a way around them, even if highly frustrating. 
 

I’ve been trying to switch main for years but I keep coming back to ele despite having a blast on other classes. 🤣

[noneHotBuildTest.7251]

It is not you problem.

In fact, you want about play elementalist in your fractals like that but sadly, players have switched to the newer, AI based "OP" classes  like macha (“Devs“ fault).

[noneHotBuildTest.7251]

It sounds like you're facing a significant challenge with Elementalist survivability despite mastering top DPS rotations. The issue of dying in two to three hits from bosses, even with diligent dodging, is a clear indication of a balancing problem. It's disheartening to see that even with a good healer/buffer, the Elementalist struggles to maintain survivability, making it feel as thin as smoking paper.

Comparatively, other classes offer exceptional survivability along with easily achievable high DPS output and simpler rotations. This points to an inherent imbalance that needs attention. Your attempt to switch to more defensive builds is understandable, but the noticeable decrease in DPS highlights the dilemma Ele players face – a difficult choice between survival and damage output.

It's evident that Elementalist needs adjustments in terms of balancing to bring it in line with other professions. A profession that's designed for frenetic and constant skill casting should not be hindered by such a significant survival struggle. Here's hoping that ArenaNet addresses this issue and provides the necessary buffs or adjustments to make Elementalist a more viable and enjoyable choice for players like yourself.

[Ram.5981]

It's hard to play an ele in end game PVE content, especially in full-glass. It is possible. I do it just fine. You have to be VERY aware of the mechanics and what to do to 'succeed' them (avoiding AOEs, standing behind the boss, getting to the 'safe' circles, etc etc). Failing these as a zerk ele will almost always kill you. With a lot of practice and solid knowledge of the mechanics and skills (memorizing the rotation is a good start, but you need to learn to be flexible and adapt).

While it's unfortunate that ele is a high-risk, low-reward class, I do enjoy it the most (85% of my game hours are on my ele). I love the challenge and push myself to be the top of the (dps) charts as much as I can. I find other classes I've played too easy (yes, I get close to the same dps as my ele, but I don't like just pressing 2 buttons).

[AliamRationem.5172]

53 minutes ago, Ram.5981 said:

It's hard to play an ele in end game PVE content, especially in full-glass. It is possible. I do it just fine. You have to be VERY aware of the mechanics and what to do to 'succeed' them (avoiding AOEs, standing behind the boss, getting to the 'safe' circles, etc etc). Failing these as a zerk ele will almost always kill you. With a lot of practice and solid knowledge of the mechanics and skills (memorizing the rotation is a good start, but you need to learn to be flexible and adapt).

While it's unfortunate that ele is a high-risk, low-reward class, I do enjoy it the most (85% of my game hours are on my ele). I love the challenge and push myself to be the top of the (dps) charts as much as I can. I find other classes I've played too easy (yes, I get close to the same dps as my ele, but I don't like just pressing 2 buttons).

Is this a problem only for ele though?  You have a healer, so unless you're out of position or the attack literally 1-shots, at worst you dodge to buy a second for your healer to catch up.  But most mechanics don't 1-shot and if they do failing to avoid that isn't going to be a great survival strategy on any other class either.

Maybe I'm just used to CM where everyone dies if they ignore mechanics, but I don't feel like it's difficult to survive on my viper weaver and in fact just having earthen vortex in my rotation makes me feel like I'm ahead on the defense game a lot of the time.

[Noodle Ant.1605]

8 hours ago, AliamRationem.5172 said:

Is this a problem only for ele though?  You have a healer, so unless you're out of position or the attack literally 1-shots, at worst you dodge to buy a second for your healer to catch up.  But most mechanics don't 1-shot and if they do failing to avoid that isn't going to be a great survival strategy on any other class either.

Maybe I'm just used to CM where everyone dies if they ignore mechanics, but I don't feel like it's difficult to survive on my viper weaver and in fact just having earthen vortex in my rotation makes me feel like I'm ahead on the defense game a lot of the time.

the amount of players in t4 pugs (na) that actively try to facetank everything might surprise you. i was initially surprised when i first learnt that downstate warriors existed

if players are already downing on bulkier classes, then its not that hard imagining them struggle on ele

[Bladestrom.6425]

On 4/15/2023 at 10:10 PM, Follet.8751 said:

Hello!

I'm a main elementalist, almost full ascended berserker geared already with 108AR. I know the top dps rotations very well, and perform on the bot as the top videos (or very close). Both with weaver and catalyst.

 

Simple answer OP, don't wear beserker, wear a mix of cele/gear with dmg stats until you feel comfortable.  eat food and utility, make sure your AR is correct and don't worry about xxK parses.    I have played since beta and comfortable do 20k+ with the above which is enough to destroy anything