class choice dilemma

[Gilan.1307]

So, i started playing again recently and i'm having a hard time picking a main class this time.

I tried harbinger and found it pretty boring

i mainly do open world stuff, i have separate chars for wvw or pvp

Any suggestions for what's good in open world as of the recent patch?

[Seon.8402]

Any spec can work with open world, but my top right now are:

1. Vindicator - I usually play celestial condi, which is very survivable but good damage even on your own. Alliance stance gives some nice healing/stunbreak/cleanse if people are dying at world bosses, and mallyx pull and boon rip are also great utility
2. Tempest - again celestial gear for hybrid damage and free healing and boons. Overload animations are cool, and provide alacrity. I usually run something close to a heal tempest build with celestial gear so it does decent damage and very supportive to other players
3. Virtuoso - really fun to kite enemies into a line as almost all your attacks pierce. I Usually use celestial or rabid for extra survivability
4. Scrapper - standard quickscrapper build, provides quickness, perma-superspeed, big personal barrier and might. A lot of fun to just zoom around, get in close and smash things with a hammer

 

[AliamRationem.5172]

How about sword weaver?  It doesn't seem like a popular pick, but it's not boring! 

Here's a clip of a typical pure DPS condi build, but you can use trailblazer stats if you want a lot more sustain.  You lose some burst but the damage over time is similar.

 

 

 

[Raarsi.6798]

So let's go through all of them...

Guardian is okay between Firebrand and Willbender, which I think became "the cooler Dragonhunter" now it can use longbow.  While I haven't tried pistol Firebrand, it does look like fun.

Warrior can be suitable depending on how much carpal tunnel you want.  Berserker is really fun, but expect hand pain from it.  Bladesworn can still be fun, and Spellbreaker kinda falls in the happy medium.

Revenant has some strong options between Herald and Vindicator.  Just pretend that Renegade doesn't exist (like I've been trying to since EoD launch).

Engineer has a couple of fun choices with Scrapper and Holosmith, both of which I think are dwarfed by Mechanist.  It can be fun at times, but if Harbinger's boring, then Mech probably would be too.

Thief might have something for you, I just have no clue what it could be.

Ranger may have something for you with Soulbeast being as simple or as complex as you want it to be, and I think Untamed might have something useful now that dual maces are available.  Condi Druid is there if you're looking for something different as well.

Mesmer definitely has Virtuoso as an option, while Mirage could probably fall into a similar category as Soulbeast.  Chrono exists too, but not sure how well it fares in open world compared to the other two.

Elementalist definitely has more complex options like Catalyst or Weaver, although I personally opt for FA Tempest because other builds hurt my brain.

Necromancer....has Scourge?  If you're bored on Harbinger, you'll probably get bored on Reaper (although I haven't tried dual sword Reaper yet).

[StraightPath.3972]

You need to be honest with yourself and answer some hard questions. Or at least one.
"Am I a certifiable psychopath?"

Now if the answer is no, congrats on being a healthy person.
If the answer was yes however...  there's no need to leave your door knob deficient room (necromancer) so soon.

The profession holds a wealth of fun builds to be used and abused.
Being simple to operate does not mean lacking depth.

If you happen to be an arsonist, then here's a build for your degenerate needs:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PSwEE6MsMBWCjjxwKxx1qv1D-DSJYsR9fYkUBhpgzYhnfLA-e
It's what Blaize (Balthazar rest his soul) liked best - fire and screams.
You pump your life force and go shroud, then fear the enemies, getting extra life force.
Then just auto them for some nice family BBQ.
Deaths lead to your shroud skill 3 resetting, and casts of it to your greatly prolonged stay in shroud and more arson.
Expect a ban or at least a warning for excessive flaming.

If you're more chill than that, this one might serve you well:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PSwEEaNsMBWDDkxwKxxV5u1C-DSJYsR9/gUIrCXChCUf/EYRsfLA-e

Just your regular, psycho cop build.
You shout at them, they freeze (or at least chill) and start bleeding left and right. Profusely.
Before you even get to shroud and abusing it's chills most enemies will be dead or about to.

There are better builds, and way more choices, like for example going Viper instead of Grieving or Even something totally else like Plaguedoctor or Celestial.
But hey, no one promised you normal builds and since you're still reading this... :]
 

[Puck.3697]

Play what you want and don’t overthink it

i Oftenly overthink other classes, try to avoid over popular classes and more and generally it just leads to frustration and playing way too many characters

any class can work with the right build really. 

[Antrix.4512]

Try Thief. It's a foolproof option. You won’t regret, I promise you.

As versatile as a Swiss army knife. Each spec is genuinely unique and interesting. Only the Revenant is tougher (once you get the hang of it, though DE might even suit beginners, and as a DE sniper, no one can even get close to you). A set of abilities for almost any situation. Mobility off the charts, just a master of skips. Also, the most interesting healing mechanics. The variety of builds - all my 8 template slots are filled with both builds and gear. And the amount of whining about rogues both in-game and on the forums - they are the undisputed leaders in this. Can solo almost everything, even CM fractals. I could go on about the virtues of this class for a very long time.

But there is one very big and very significant downside - if you give the Thief a chance and time to get to grips with it and get used to it... you risk losing any interest in all the other classes. Totally. I’m not kidding.

Edited March 7 by Antrix.4512