Question: Class and Elite Spec Rundown

[Ditrit.3014]

Hey guys,I'm an old GW2 player who's making a bit of a return to the game. I've played on and off this game from near release. I used to be big on PvP and played every class and variation imaginable at the time. That being said, a lot has changed since those original days (PvP seems a lot less bustling for one), and for that reason, with the HoT and PoT expansions I'm looking at enjoying the PvE content this game has to offer, but still enjoy hopping into the Mists every now and then for a bit of fun. Coming back to the game I feel really out of touch (rightfully so) with that old sense of knowledge.

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My question is simply: What is the current sorta consensus (or even your personal opinion) on some/all of the elite specs, and even perhaps on the core classes currently (if they've changed in a meaningful way since near the start of the game)?

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For example, I've seen there have been some changes to the Warrior's tactics line to make it more interesting (?). And on another note, from what I can gather it appears that Holosmith has gotten a nerf, whereas before the consensus seemed to be that holo was a lot more fun and could do a lot more damage. I could probably go patch note diving, but it has never given me a good sense of where each class is currently (whether for WvW, PvE, groups, or PvP), and rather mostly tells me numbers. I've tried looking for statistics on the game, but that isn't really giving me a good sense either, except that Guardians are still pretty popular.I'm not looking for what is particularly my playstyle, but I am wondering what the other classes/specs look like.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

You could try reading threads in the 'Professions' sub-forums.

Good luck.

[Konrad Curze.5130]

@Inculpatus cedo.9234 said:You could try reading threads in the 'Professions' sub-forums.

Resume of the prof subs: all professions suck and are unarguably the worst in the game and the most in dire need of attention/buffs, while at the same time all the opponent's profs have it so much better and are all overpowered

[Paradoxoglanis.1904]

Well, if you are wondering about the meta, there are websites you can look up builds on such as metabattle, snowcrows, or godsofpvp. As for actually understanding why certain builds are meta or how they function, there is no simple answer. Its best if you just play and experience it for yourself.

[Arcaniaxs.4519]

Assuming that we are talking about pve endgames ( fractal-raids-strikes )Warrior- as berserker it is mostly a support/dps as banner slave. Eighter condi and power works on itThey can optimize for a solid condi or dps build that has good dmgSpellbreaker isnt used in pve endgame cuz idk reasonsGuardian- is just best at everything(healer/dps condi and power/boon support/good at tank)... it is rumoured that it may be able to provide alarcity in future xDRevenantRenegade is a support/dps role in pve that provides alacrity to 10 members has good dpsIt can also be a solid condi dps that has insane dmg in some bossesI saw uses for heralds and they were awesome but its not very commonRangerAlso good at everything except tankingDruid is the meta healer in raids and supports large variety of boonsDruird also has a condi dps buildSoulbeast is a solid dps role and has very high dmg. Both condi build and powerThiefMostly daredevil is used as a high dmg dealer class in pve with ez rotation. Doesnt provide a very good support except its ccDeadeye is a high dmg dealer too but due to its unforgiving rotation it isnt used much. But its very strong and used mostly as pylon kiter in qadim2 bossThief also has a boon support build relying on a stolen skill granted by only 4 raid bosses. But its very strong in those bosses cuz supporting all boons for 10 squad members except alacrityEngineer is mostly used as holosmith dps role with insane dmg.Scrapper is sometimes used as healer and boon support but its super rareNecromancerReaper is used as a power dps role but some think it has lower dmg compared to other builds. But it has insane cleave dmg like daredevilScourge is used as a condi dps and mostly as a second healer for bosses that teleport players and down them far from the groupScourge can instantly teleport downed players to it self and has a great revive abilitiesElementalistWeaver is used as a fast paced dps role with hard and rewarding rotations with high dmg. Both condi and powerSome think condi weaver has the highest dmg and hardest rotationTempest is used as a dps role or a healer/boon support roleThe dps can be codi or powerBoth with high dmg but it isnt very common to see oneThe healer build has awesome condi remove and boon supporting plus good healing and unique buffs with sharing aurasMesmerMirage is mostly used as a projectile reflector and meta in condi dps bosses due to great amount of condi dmgChronomancer is a meta support classIt provides large amount of boons and is the mta tank in raids as wellThere is a dps build for it that has the highest bdnchmark dmg in snowcrows website. It isnt very common to see oneI hope that this comment helped uIf anyone saw a mistake i wrote then correct me plz xD sry for any mistake

[Ditrit.3014]

@Konrad Curze.5130 said:

@Inculpatus cedo.9234 said:You could try reading threads in the 'Professions' sub-forums.

Resume of the prof subs: all professions suck and are unarguably the worst in the game and the most in dire need of attention/buffs, while at the same time all the opponent's profs have it so much better and are all overpowered

This is partially what I'm hoping to avoid. The Professions' sub-forums seems to be full of complaints, theory crafting (such as about the balance of specific skills), asking for help, and people wishing for more content. My question doesn't touch on any of this as I'm just looking for a sorta standard summary of what a person thinks about a class/spec.

@Paradoxoglanis.1904 said:Well, if you are wondering about the meta, there are websites you can look up builds on such as metabattle, snowcrows, or godsofpvp. As for actually understanding why certain builds are meta or how they function, there is no simple answer. Its best if you just play and experience it for yourself.

I've taken a look at GW2 efficiency before posting this, and it didn't answer my question - it was again about popularities of classes and the like rather than touching on why those popularities outside of aesthetics might stand. I'll take a look at the other sites you mention as I haven't heard of them, thank you! :DAs I'm a returning player, the amount of time it's going to take to not only try out each of the core classes, but also play them and their specs in enough depth to get a feel is what I find daunting atm. Especially since it appears that I can't try the elite specs right out the gate in PvE from what I can tell.

One of the things I loved about the Mists when I first started playing this game was that I could try out different builds easily and accessibly. But as I'm now looking at the other aspects of the game (such as PvE), that no longer holds for quick and yet thorough theory crafting.

[Roche.7491]

@Arcaniaxs.4519 said:Assuming that we are talking about pve endgames ( fractal-raids-strikes )Warrior- as berserker it is mostly a support/dps as banner slave. Eighter condi and power works on itThey can optimize for a solid condi or dps build that has good dmgSpellbreaker isnt used in pve endgame cuz idk reasonsGuardian- is just best at everything(healer/dps condi and power/boon support/good at tank)... it is rumoured that it may be able to provide alarcity in future xDRevenantRenegade is a support/dps role in pve that provides alacrity to 10 members has good dpsIt can also be a solid condi dps that has insane dmg in some bossesI saw uses for heralds and they were awesome but its not very commonRangerAlso good at everything except tankingDruid is the meta healer in raids and supports large variety of boonsDruird also has a condi dps buildSoulbeast is a solid dps role and has very high dmg. Both condi build and powerThiefMostly daredevil is used as a high dmg dealer class in pve with ez rotation. Doesnt provide a very good support except its ccDeadeye is a high dmg dealer too but due to its unforgiving rotation it isnt used much. But its very strong and used mostly as pylon kiter in qadim2 bossThief also has a boon support build relying on a stolen skill granted by only 4 raid bosses. But its very strong in those bosses cuz supporting all boons for 10 squad members except alacrityEngineer is mostly used as holosmith dps role with insane dmg.Scrapper is sometimes used as healer and boon support but its super rareNecromancerReaper is used as a power dps role but some think it has lower dmg compared to other builds. But it has insane cleave dmg like daredevilScourge is used as a condi dps and mostly as a second healer for bosses that teleport players and down them far from the groupScourge can instantly teleport downed players to it self and has a great revive abilitiesElementalistWeaver is used as a fast paced dps role with hard and rewarding rotations with high dmg. Both condi and powerSome think condi weaver has the highest dmg and hardest rotationTempest is used as a dps role or a healer/boon support roleThe dps can be codi or powerBoth with high dmg but it isnt very common to see oneThe healer build has awesome condi remove and boon supporting plus good healing and unique buffs with sharing aurasMesmerMirage is mostly used as a projectile reflector and meta in condi dps bosses due to great amount of condi dmgChronomancer is a meta support classIt provides large amount of boons and is the mta tank in raids as wellThere is a dps build for it that has the highest bdnchmark dmg in snowcrows website. It isnt very common to see oneI hope that this comment helped uIf anyone saw a mistake i wrote then correct me plz xD sry for any mistake

It seems that there is too many dps.

Can you rank them from 1-10 in pve?

[Arcaniaxs.4519]

Look... all classes have a dps build that is viableSome builds and classes have easier rotationsSome have harder and more complex rotations. For exampleDaredevil and berserker deal nearly the same amount of dmg. But due to daredevil having a very easier rotation it can be faster and deal more dmg in some situationsSome classes have dmg modifiers. Like guardians need retaliation boon for maxing their dps or weavers needing 100% alarcity and quickness uptime for their rotation to work well but providing these isnt always as ez as we want. Right?I suggest my own personal classes for dpsPower builds:1 holo2 soulbeast and dragonhunter3 weaver and daredevil4 berserker5 reaperChrono can be top if u know the rotations wellCondi builds1 fire brand2 renegade and weaver3 soulbeast and berserker

DPS wise it is diffrent but i counted the ezness in rotations tooDaredevil and firebrand have the simplest rotations and they both provide very very high dmgs as well. Daredevil may require a bit experience and training so u wont lose ur bursts and manage ur endurance :)Hope these info helps uAlso dragon hunter is accepted everywhere

[AliamRationem.5172]

Hi! I'm mostly a solo open world player, but I have done plenty of solo roaming and some PvP and fractals, too. I like to find a play style that feels right to me and a build that is adaptable to everything I do.

So, my vote goes to Weaver. Amazing damage and sustain, but tricky to get the hang of. Here's a video with build link in comments:

[Ditrit.3014]

@Arcaniaxs.4519 said:Look... all classes have a dps build that is viable

100%, which surprises me constantly about this game, I can play a Thief and have one experience, and then play as a DPS warrior and have a completely different one. Thank you tons for the short rundown of the specs.

@"AliamRationem.5172" said:Hi! I'm mostly a solo open world player, but I have done plenty of solo roaming and some PvP and fractals, too. I like to find a play style that feels right to me and a build that is adaptable to everything I do.

So, my vote goes to Weaver. Amazing damage and sustain, but tricky to get the hang of. Here's a video with build link in comments:

:O I've been running Power Daredevil for a bit now, and looking at your damage numbers I'm blown away. I don't know if it's my build, my exotic-only gear (except for the rings), or your experience, probably a bit of it all. I've been wanting to revisit Elementalist. But back when the game was fairly new, my impressions were essentially "you have to work a lot harder for a similar payoff." Your vid has me kinda sold on giving weaver a look.

[AliamRationem.5172]

@Ditrit.3014 said:

@Arcaniaxs.4519 said:Look... all classes have a dps build that is viable

100%, which surprises me constantly about this game, I can play a Thief and have one experience, and then play as a DPS warrior and have a completely different one. Thank you tons for the short rundown of the specs.

@"AliamRationem.5172" said:Hi! I'm mostly a solo open world player, but I have done plenty of solo roaming and some PvP and fractals, too. I like to find a play style that feels right to me and a build that is adaptable to everything I do.

So, my vote goes to Weaver. Amazing damage and sustain, but tricky to get the hang of. Here's a video with build link in comments:

:O I've been running Power Daredevil for a bit now, and looking at your damage numbers I'm blown away. I don't know if it's my build, my exotic-only gear (except for the rings), or your experience, probably a bit of it all. I've been wanting to revisit Elementalist. But back when the game was fairly new, my impressions were essentially "you have to work a lot harder for a similar payoff." Your vid has me kinda sold on giving weaver a look.

Thanks!

Your impressions are not wrong. I found weaver pretty difficult to learn. It has a lot more skills than other classes and you can't access them all within a single swap. This isn't really like any other class, even core ele or tempest. At the same time, the pace is frenetic, as you're swapping attunements every 3-4s. The window to make decisions is much smaller than it is for other classes. Where other classes frequently do not swap on cooldown, but as needed, weaver has to rotate continuously and those choices are often critical to everything you do (DPS, sustain, CC).

We were talking in another thread about the complexity of weaver vs. other classes. I think this little clip of a quadruple blast heal combo on riptide illustrates the point:

This is undoubtedly more effort than pushing the 6 key. However, it's also a ton of healing, generates barrier, evasion, interrupts, reflects, and cleansing - and with primordial stance and glyph of elemental power, you can even roll some nice damage into that! More effort? Definitely! But I wouldn't say it goes unrewarded!

More importantly, I find this really fun to play!