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Returning player, current state of support/tank builds ?


Axylxys.9174

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I came back about 2 weeks ago and still can't decide what to do so, i thought i might as well post here.

My issue is that i don't like pure dps style, i'm more of a support/tank player in all games and i enjoy survival over brute force. I have a lot of old characters (all professions but engineer and revenant at lvl 80), but i stopped the game like 6 months after release. All of them have builds that don't work well anymore, my main used to be a mantra support mesmer. After looking at the new stuff i changed her gear and build to mirage condition and... well it's fun but i don't like the glass cannon style, while before i could survive about anything.

After looking at a lot of build guides, sites, forums, i'm still lost. Everything seems focused on high end pve (raid or top fractals) or pvp/WvW. I'm doing neither, but i want to get there at some point. Is it even viable to try some out of meta builds for this, or will i run into a lot of trouble later ? It seems there is so much elitism around with strict group setups and builds that seem to be totally worthless outside of the meta one. Is it the usual forum exageration stuff, or do i risk having to re-do all of my gear and get kicked outside groups later if i try something else ?

Right now i'm considering necro or revenant support, any hope to play most of the content with them or is it a lost cause anyway ? What tanky/support builds can take on most content, and be welcome in groups (maybe not raids, i'm not in a hurry for this) while still able to do some stuff solo ? Druid fits that so far for me and it's my main but, it's not fun enough to not want to look elsewhere.

Thanks in advance for any suggestion :)

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@Axylxys.9174 saidI'm doing neither, but i want to get there at some point. Is it even viable to try some out of meta builds for this, or will i run into a lot of trouble later?

Viable is a rather contested word that means different things to different people. How well an off-meta build works strictly depends on how well it fulfills its niche, and how much that contributes to the teams performance as a whole. For example, a tank build may do well surviving through many mechanics, but in encounters where tanks have no purpose (e.g. most Fractals), your lack of damage contributes nothing to the group, therefore rendering your build useless.

@Axylxys.9174 saidIt seems there is so much elitism around with strict group setups and builds that seem to be totally worthless outside of the meta one. Is it the usual forum exageration stuff, or do i risk having to re-do all of my gear and get kicked outside groups later if i try something else?

Most groups defer to meta builds because they know it works, which then allows the group and its players to worry about encounter mechanics, and skill priorities. There may be static groups or guilds that are more willing to experiment than others, however, as rare as they are.

@Axylxys.9174 saidWhat tanky/support builds can take on most content, and be welcome in groups... while still able to do some stuff solo ?

First and foremost, most support or tank builds have a dreadful time solo due to their low damage. If you intend to have a support character for high-end content, consider buying a cheap set of secondary DPS-oriented equipment.

i'm considering necro or revenant support, any hope to play most of the content with them or is it a lost cause anyway ?

"Most of the content" in Guild Wars 2, i.e. open world content, have very little use for support builds, much less tanks. For high-end content, where supports become relevant, support necromancers and revenants have had some success. In their current state, a support Scourges can output fairly decent heals, barriers, might, and condition cleanse. Renegades, on the other hand, provide Alacrity and Might, while still being able to output decent damage.

However, considering the upcoming balance patch this coming Tuesday, I would hold off committing to a build until more details of the sweeping changes are revealed.

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