Returning Player needs aid

[Vittich.4853]

Dear folks,

as an returning player which hasn't played for a while the shear amount of possibilities is a bit overwhelming.In order to question through POF (and also parts of the last addon which I skipped a bit) I am in search of a matching class for me.

I am not oriented in PVP (even though a bit wvw roaming would be nice) but more in PvE.This includes the quests, events and dealing with many hard champion encounters. Simply said: I love killing PvE mobs - even without a purpose.

Also I am not a solo player as I play together with a power-mage most of the time.Nevertheless I don't want to play a supportive/heal/tank role.

Now to the classes itself:No Ele, No Mesmer, No Rev and no condition damage Specs - just because i don't like them very much.

What I already tried:

• Reaper (Minion or a pure GS build) - which was totally fun at first but became more and more boring, mostly because it's limited to 1 weapon melee / range (GS + Axe). Also I don't like to have that much pets around but removing them shows the lack of utility skills as most are designed for condition and overall necro...
• Warrior (GS + 2xAxe / Spellbreaker Sun & Moon) - both was fun, also in regards of the damage you are capable of. Unluckily the range weapons are really really really bad and even warrior has tons of weapons he feels a bit... limited. Furthermore I feel my warrior isn't really tanky for being a warrior (which does only count for core warrior) I know that i can improve this via talents and via improving myself but mostly this feeling comes from being rooted with gs-2 and being busy spamming all the dmg skills just to ensure I don't miss any DPS..
• Guardian - My first GW2 character, 6 years ago. I really like the ton of utility skills as they seemingly bring tons of flexibility and most of them are actually helpful. Also with scepter there is a nice sort of range dmg. Unfortunately the bow is quite.. low in dmg - but still kinda fun. Despite it seems my guardian is dying very early, but this seems to improve greatly while training to play with the defensive skills. Still it seems a bit non-rewarding squishy.

So to come to the point why I'm writing here:

Could you list me some Pros and Cons to each of the mentioned specs below regarding the following requirements:

• Soloing stuff (even champions) - but it can be a challenge!
• Capable of switching weapons and skills (despite of perhaps loosing dmg) - and maybe only due to a purpose (being quicker, doing range for a few mobs,....)
• Capable of doing a good amount of damage - no matter if burst or all-time-high dmg
• All stuff in combination with a power-ele-mate

The classes which might be interesting for me (and where I'm looking for your pros and cons):

1. Reaper (Minion / no Minion)
2. Core Warrior (Bannerslave / Axe-Axe + GS)
3. Spellbreaker (Normal GS build / Sun & Moon build)
4. Soulbeast
5. Core Guardian (GS + scepter+focus / GS + sword+shield)
6. Dragonhunter (same as core Guardian / GS + Longbow)
7. Core Engineer / Holosmith
8. Power Thief / Deadeye ( P+P / Rifle ...)

Honestly most interesting for me are both guardian types (5+6) and Power Thief.I never played Engineer or Deadeye.

Please let me know your thoughts and (hopefully) some pros and cons.

Thank you very much! :)

[Josif.2015]

@"Vittich.4853" said:The classes which might be interesting for me (and where I'm looking for your pros and cons):

1. Reaper (Minion / no Minion)

Unless you want to fall asleep from boredom, minions shouldn't be used. Not even in PvE if you like a challenge. If you're not too confident in taking on champions, then sure use a few minions.

2. Core Warrior (Bannerslave / Axe-Axe + GS)

Bannerslave warrior is best suited for berserker rather than core warrior, that is if you're playing with other people. Core bannerslave warrior isn't bad, in fact it has higher burst damage and CC than berserker. The only thing it lacks is the sustained damage that berserker provides.

3. Spellbreaker (Normal GS build / Sun & Moon build)

The Sun & Moon build uses the axe/dagger + dagger/axe weapon set. I guess it's up to your preference in terms of weapon sets, but I always use the greatsword even in PvE.

4. Soulbeast

Core ranger and soulbeast are both viable in PvE, it all comes down to personal preference. Soulbeast has more mobility and evasion than core ranger, but that's only because ArenaNet was lazy and just copy pasted the revenant's Unrelenting Assault animation.

5. Core Guardian (GS + scepter+focus / GS + sword+shield)

I wouldn't recommend using the off-hand shield for guardian in PvE unless you're playing support firebrand. The shield is a support weapon compared to the focus which is the better weapon for both dealing damage and self sustain.

Dragonhunter works just as well as core guardian, but if you're playing the radiant guardian build, then core guardian works better due to virtues being instant cast unlike the dragonhunter's virtues.

6. Dragonhunter (same as core Guardian / GS + Longbow)

Just like core guardian, the longbow can be seen as the better ranged weapon when compared to the scepter. But the higher damage comes from using the greatsword + scepter/focus weapon set.

The longbow isn't bad, it's just that most of the skills apply soft CC like cripple and one hard CC skill which most players don't need unless you're fighting bosses with defiance bars.

7. Core Engineer / Holosmith

Play holosmith. Unless you played core engineer back in the day with three or four kits like me, spending hours, days, weeks, months or even years practicing the profession and unless you're willing to dedicate a large amount of time into learning core engineer, the holosmith is the less time consuming specialization.

Holosmith is the easiest specialization to play for engineer and it's a solid option for new/returning players to learn the profession. Too bad ArenaNet made it better than core engineer and scrapper and made it so that you have to play like a god when you play those builds.

8. Power Thief / Deadeye ( P+P / Rifle ...)

Both weapon sets work well, but the rifle is the better weapon due to the higher damage and because you won't fall asleep like with using p/p. With p/p, all you do is press one button over and over again.

If you're playing deadeye, the rifle is the only ranged weapon you'll ever need considering how far away you can attack targets from. Use p/p if you want, but if you want to change it up a bit, swap p/p with either d/d or s/p. D/d is good for the high burst damage from backstabbing and s/p is good against bosses with defiance bars.

Please let me know your thoughts and (hopefully) some pros and cons.

Thank you very much! :)