Elementalist or ranger for PVE role?

ruibullseye

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Jan 2011

1st: I know that Elementalist is completly different from Ranger play style.
Since i was gone from Guild Wars world for about 2-3 years, im not much into in how builds, roles, and whatever are.
So i wanted ur help since u guys kept playing.

i CANT decide between ranger or elementalist.
So i wanted ur opinion regarding this:
- both of them can farm everything? or there are restrictions
- can ranger and elementalist still solo farm bosses?
- Will ranger or elementlist be a good choice to conquer the 3 campaigns in NM and HM

basicly because i will try to as many titles as i can with it, (it will be my main)

Marty Silverblade

Marty Silverblade

Administrator

Join Date: Jun 2006

Non specific profession related things go in Campfire, not in any specific profession forum (I've moved/cleaned things up as necessary).

Anyway

- both of them can farm everything? or there are restrictions

Neither are remarkably good farmers. They both have roles in high end PvE though (speed clears produce lots of cash).

- can ranger and elementalist still solo farm bosses?

Yes, but it's not particularly profitable anymore.

- Will ranger or elementlist be a good choice to conquer the 3 campaigns in NM and HM

Both professions are considered to be in need of a buff. Elementalists suffer because as you get further into a campaign, the armor levels of foes increase, which means you do less damage. This means that when you start getting into the high end stuff, your damage dealing capabilities will be limited (i.e, don't expect to be throwing big nukes around and dealing tons of damage). Ether Renewal allows you to spam monk spells though, and that's massively powerful. If healing/protting isn't your thing you might want to look elsewhere. Rangers are weak because bow damage is weaker than melee, pets are sub-par, traps are pretty much useless, nature rituals are pretty much useless, and condition spam is pretty much useless. That said, they can use scythes and daggers quite well (though I'd say if you wanted to make a Ranger you'd want to be doing Ranger things like bows and pets).

PS: If you want to play one of the above professions and use the things that I've said are useless, go ahead. ArenaNet balances consist solely of buffing everything that doesn't get used to massively overpowered levels. What I'm saying is that even if you're playing a crap bow+pet build, you won't be literally useless and your team will be carrying enough overpowered things to make up for your lack of power anyway. Play to have fun, not whatever the latest flavour of the month profession is.

Sketch_Says

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Jan 2011

Florida

The Hellmouth Saints

R/E

Quote:
Originally Posted by ruibullseye View Post
1st: I know that Elementalist is completly different from Ranger play style.
Since i was gone from Guild Wars world for about 2-3 years, im not much into in how builds, roles, and whatever are.
So i wanted ur help since u guys kept playing.

i CANT decide between ranger or elementalist.
So i wanted ur opinion regarding this:
- both of them can farm everything? or there are restrictions
- can ranger and elementalist still solo farm bosses?
- Will ranger or elementlist be a good choice to conquer the 3 campaigns in NM and HM

basicly because i will try to as many titles as i can with it, (it will be my main) Now I have to say first that I am bias as I've played a Ranger for nearly 5 years. That being said, what I might suggest is a Ranger with an Elementalist secondary profession. For example, I have a R/El with focus in Air magic. As I have a shocking recurve bow (lightening dmg) the Air magic lends to that lightening dmg.

Now, I'd be remiss if I wasn't completely straight here, the mod is correct in saying that Rangers do often need buffs but I can say that I have finished the prophecies storyline NM and have started the HM track. Also, I've finished Eye of the North, I have two Elite Armor sets, and am nearly finished with 3 or 4 titles so much of what you are trying to accomplished can be done. I hope this helps you make a decision.

As a parting thought, as many others on this forum will tell you, let me suggest pvxwiki.com for some good builds as well as some solid Hero builds if you're like me and like playing "solo" Good luck and welcome back.

Roen

Roen

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jun 2010

GMT-5

[Nite]

R/

Pretty much everything Marty said, I agree with. I will note however that I've played a ranger for 4 yrs as my main. I quite like it and recently discovered the synergy between ranger trappers and SoS Rits. Laying traps under spirits before sttarting them attacking then backing off is quite effective. Just recently been running around The Underworld in such 2-player teams for fun and profit.

LifeInfusion

LifeInfusion

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: May 2005

in the midline

E/Mo

You're better off with a Ranger if you are using primary profession skills.

Rangers can at least use Asuran Scan. They can use scythes and daggers too without much of a downside.

This is coming from someone who has played Ele since beta...don't bother with them in hard mode when all other professions got massive buffs.

Even if you run the crappiest ranger bow skills you can at least slot a 0 point d-shot and be useful, plus trigger barbs and mark of pain.

The skill pool for eles in HM:
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...93&postcount=1

Quote:
Aura of restoration (1 energy return on every spell, heal)
Elemental Lord (1 energy return , heal, +1 to ele attributes)
Energy Blast (20 cooldown... but armor ignoring)
Ether Renewal (ER eles)
Ether Prism (wannabee ER eles)

Deep Freeze (66% slower in the area ... 15 cooldown AND 25 energy)
Freezing Gust
Frigid armor
Glowing Ice
Ice Spikes
Icy Shackles
Maelstrom (hard to use without deep freeze, expensive)
Mist Form (gimmick, Glyph of Swiftness and an Of Enchanting upgrade)
Slippery ground
Steam (relies on burning)
Blurred Vision
Ward Against Harm
Water Trident (spammy KD)
Winter's Embrace (use Freezing Gust)

Earthquake/Dragon's Stomp
Crystal Wave (20 cooldown...)
Churning Earth (guaranteed KD, nearby ... 30 cooldown AND 3 cast)
Magnetic Surge (10 cooldown, 2 cast)
Obsidian Flame (exhaustion)
Eruption - causes fleeing
Grasping earth (sort of, belongs on assassin/dervish)
Obsidian Flesh (overplayed)
Sliver armor
Stone Sheath
Stoneflesh aura
Stone striker
Unsteady Ground
Ward Against Melee
Ward of Stability
Ward of Weakness
Armor of Earth

Mind Blast
Meteor
Meteor Shower
Glyph of Immolation (used with armor ignoring spells)

Gale
Blinding Surge (tried this...see below)
Blinding Flash (B-surge is more effective...)
Gust (Gale isn't elite)
Whirlwind/Tenai's Wind (better on melee, such as Dervish)
Thunderclap? (Technobabble is better)

Glyph of Energy (only useful for 15-25 energy spells)
Glyph of Renewal (can be used on secondary just as well)
Glyph of Lesser Energy (only useful if using 15-25 energy spells, otherwise just as good on secondary)
Glyph of Restoration

ruibullseye

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Jan 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by Marty Silverblade View Post
Non specific profession related things go in Campfire, not in any specific profession forum (I've moved/cleaned things up as necessary).

Anyway

- both of them can farm everything? or there are restrictions

Neither are remarkably good farmers. They both have roles in high end PvE though (speed clears produce lots of cash).
Didnt get this part, that means they are good farmers? or one is better than the other?


Quote: Originally Posted by Marty Silverblade View Post



- Will ranger or elementlist be a good choice to conquer the 3 campaigns in NM and HM

Both professions are considered to be in need of a buff. Elementalists suffer because as you get further into a campaign, the armor levels of foes increase, which means you do less damage. This means that when you start getting into the high end stuff, your damage dealing capabilities will be limited (i.e, don't expect to be throwing big nukes around and dealing tons of damage). Ether Renewal allows you to spam monk spells though, and that's massively powerful. If healing/protting isn't your thing you might want to look elsewhere. Rangers are weak because bow damage is weaker than melee, pets are sub-par, traps are pretty much useless, nature rituals are pretty much useless, and condition spam is pretty much useless. That said, they can use scythes and daggers quite well (though I'd say if you wanted to make a Ranger you'd want to be doing Ranger things like bows and pets).

PS: If you want to play one of the above professions and use the things that I've said are useless, go ahead. ArenaNet balances consist solely of buffing everything that doesn't get used to massively overpowered levels. What I'm saying is that even if you're playing a crap bow+pet build, you won't be literally useless and your team will be carrying enough overpowered things to make up for your lack of power anyway. Play to have fun, not whatever the latest flavour of the month profession is. Can u explain this part better? got confused :s

LifeInfusion

LifeInfusion

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: May 2005

in the midline

E/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by ruibullseye
View Post
Can u explain this part better? got confused :s He means that they aren't part of the meta and that most people feel both classes have been needing a buff.

Rangers have only a handful of skills that they can use that are decent in hard mode:
* d-shot, savage shot , sloth hunter's shot, utility: Lightning reflexes, edge of extinction, frozen soil, winter (situational)
* Barrage (with balling), incendiary arrows (not so much since destroyers don't burn), Burning arrow (okay but not that great)
* marginal due to AI:Enraged lunge/Never Rampage alone pet builds with pet AI that sucks
* marginal: keen arrow (if running GTFE paragon, but not a solid skill), Marauder's Shot (situational, not as good as sloth hunter), Point Blank Shot/Zojun's shot, Prepared Shot

Unlike for the elementalist, preparations like Glass Arrows/Read the Wind/Expert Focus/etc., Order of Pain (+15), Barbs (+15), Ebon Vanguard Battle Standard of Honor (+15), Great Dwarf Weapon (+20) all add to auto attacks. So does "I am the strongest!". Asuran scan will multiply the added damage too.

The ranger needs a buff only because its attacks do +20ish at best unless you run Slothhunter's shot and stuff like pointblank shot, while melee can hit for +38-40s (Eviscerate, Executioner's Strike, Body Blow, etc), gain +20ish armor ignoring from Strength of Honor, and apply deep wounds. Of course, bows can reach melee-like levels when preparations such as Glass Arrows are applied. Spears also have faster attack speed (with only 1 point less damage) and adrenaline attacks, although their +damage is also in the +20s for the most part with the exception of Spear of Fury (+38-40 is possible), Mighty Throw (3 cast), Unblockable throw (3 cast), Wearying Spear (pretty bad most of the time unless you build around it). Spear of Lightning hits harder than it looks due to 20% armor penetration.

Barrage is also a good proc for splinter weapon, although Rt/R does it better.

Ugh

Ugh

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jun 2009

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by ruibullseye View Post
Didnt get this part, that means they are good farmers? or one is better than the other?
Neither are optimal farming classes, but both can farm and both can take part in end-game stuff, which is easiest to partake in when you look for a group for a speed clear, which is a group using premade builds with premade tactics to clear an area as quickly as possible for the rewards.

Quote:
Can u explain this part better? got confused :s Simply put: rangers and eles aren't good at PvE. They're soon to be the two weakest PvE classes since the dervish buff is on the way. As for which one has it worse, that's probably eles.

Less simply put: In hard mode, foes have higher health, damage, and armor. The most efficient and the safest ways to deal with HM mobs is to kill them as quickly as possible.

Rangers specialize in spreading conditions, interrupting, and using underpowered crap, such as pets, traps, and nature rituals. Everything rangers specialize in is less efficient than straight damage, so using them takes up time and acts as a potential hazard for your group. Eles specialize in damage, so they seem good at first. But, pretty much all their spells are armor-respecting, so the massive armor buffs to HM mobs results in eles' effectiveness getting shafted. So, rangers and eles are not good for HM relative to most other options. However, this is relative, and they are still capable of doing things.

To compensate for their inadequacies, rangers and eles steal shit from other classes. Rangers steal daggers, scythes, and spirits; eles steal Protection Prayers. Melee rangers and spirit rangers are significantly worse than their legitimate counterparts, though, so their versatility doesn't really help them. ER eles are actually quite powerful, but they're boring as hell (imo) and that's all eles can really do well, so it still sucks. Also, these builds have nothing to do with rangers' and eles' actual playstyles, and I wouldn't make a class just to play one nothing that's like it.

If you don't want to play gimmicks and what not, rangers can still turret stuff and barrage stuff, which is okayish, and eles can try to nuke, use crappy wards, or spam blind.

Both rangers and eles are great for normal mode, however. In fact, they're probably the best classes for normal mode. Since foes in normal mode have less health, armor, and damage than those in hard mode, ele spells do what they're supposed to and the sub-par damage of rangers doesn't matter because the foes are already dead by the time a melee could get there. But, unless you plan on staying in NM, rangers and eles will not serve you AS well as other classes.

Kunder

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Nov 2010

Keep in mind that in the end eles/rangers are both more than strong enough to beat any HM area H/H without too many difficulties. They do it much less efficiently, but they can still do it. The first character I beat EotN with was a ranger who took along 2 SF eles against the destroyer mobs (which anyone knowing anything about destroyers will tell you is hilariously useless). So don't worry about being unable to finish PvE content.

Farming is a completely different matter, though. Neither class is good at that inherently, both only able to play well by abusing their secondary skills to play other classes.

Thock

Thock

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jul 2005

Achieving Deficiency [aD]

Eles are now a bad support class in hard mode pve, and it doesn't look like anet is going to be fixing this anytime soon. However they are still a blast to play in nm so if thats all your looking to do I would say go for it. Rangers have a bit more to offer in HM but are still lackluster when compared to other classes. If your looking for a ranged damage dealer I would suggest rit, mes or nec.

lv42daze

lv42daze

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Jan 2009

ROCK

E/Me

eles rule. ive got 30 titles on my ele, dont let ne1 tell u diff!!@

AndrewSX

AndrewSX

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2010

Italy, Turin

Lake

E/

If you're aim are the titles don't bother soo much with the profession choice...pick up wathever you want(but keep in mind what your character is good/bad at...) and play the game. You can earn GWAMM on every class....maybe some are easier than others but is still possible for everyone.

P.S: Marty and above posters said everything, and they're right.

HigherMinion

HigherMinion

Forge Runner

Join Date: May 2008

East Anglia, UK

Order of [Thay]

N/

Rangers are bad.


They have two, three at a push, bars to run in PvE. Damage is weak, slow (unless super buffed with spirits, rapid fire and EoC with quick shot/sundering attacks)
They can use Barrage, which is ok if you have someone to throw Great Dwarf Weapon on you. If not, it's bad. The damage is so low per foe, you might aswell have taken Life Transfer.

Anyway there are other bars but they're all equally meh.

Elementalist, on contrast, can actually add something to the team. It's a more diverse profession, as you can keep people alive, kill things or offer midline support.
AP bars are good, ER prot, etc.


You wanted to know about farming, but if you're just starting you don't need to know.

Boogz

Boogz

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Feb 2008

Variable Speed Farmers[VsF]

Mo/

both of them suck at general pve imo. Like was said above, eles has subpar damage when it comes to HM, they're most useful when coupled with utility spells (B-surge, blurred vision, churring earth, ward against melee, etc).

Rangers are nearly useless. they have almost no elite skill that is worth using in PvE. You're going to be a splinter/barrage ranger nearly your entire life

Roen

Roen

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jun 2010

GMT-5

[Nite]

R/

I think one of the problems with Rangers is there are no really strong builds with just one or two specs (aside from Splinter/Barrage...which as mentioned can be run as effectively if not better by Rit/R). For instance, in HM you could throw down Dust Trap, Snare, and Tripwire then pull enemies into your traps, causing blind, cripple, and knockdown, then splinter/barrage them because now they can't scatter. But in order to make it work best, you have to spread attributes across Expertise, Wilderness Survival, Marksmanship, and Channeling.

So trapping becomes more effective with /Me secondary and using Echo chaining to get multiple copies of traps up. I like trapping but it's a slow play style and lots of people don't care for it. It's not the most effective, that's for sure.

Unfortunately, the most effective build I've run in HM is a R/Rit SoS spammer. Which, as I understand it, is even better run as a Rit primary.

So, basically, I'm a sad Ranger.

Klance

Academy Page

Join Date: Nov 2009

TtBE

Mo/Me

Both classes can finish NM and HM of all non-elite areas with heroes and henchmen.

The problem is that both classes are comparatively worse at doing damage compared to every other class, so other classes are more efficient (read faster).

That being said rangers can still use a bow (barrage or some sort of single target spike build with point blank shot/zojun shot or penetrating/sundering shot), scythe or daggers and do decent damage (just comparatively lower compared to the other physical classes).

Elementalists are also comparatively less efficient than the other casters (baring the monk), but they come with one great benefit, the fact that an ER ele is generally the best healer/protter in game. If you're in HM and you want to do damage, generally your best choice is to go AP and spam PvE skills.

Nevertheless both classes are capable of doing almost all of the game with heroes and henchmen.

@Kunder Whirlwind attack, fast dagger chains (JS, FF, DB) or a scythe can all quickly unload a splinter weapon. Also a warrior has warrior's endurance + energy attacks.

ruibullseye

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Jan 2011

hm i got it now =). thnx alot.

btw can u guys now tell me about Mesmer or Dervish ?
the same questions, how they scale in nM and hM and that stuff =). thnx

Really thnx alot for ur time wasted , appreciate

AndrewSX

AndrewSX

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2010

Italy, Turin

Lake

E/

Dervish aren't that great afaik now, but with the upcoming update.....who knows?

On the other hand, Mesmer are amazing in PvE now. Armor ignoring damage(and Hm is a walk in the park), interruptions(if you get good at it), various kind of hexes for both meele and caster shutdown and a nice primary attribute....forgot something?

LifeInfusion

LifeInfusion

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: May 2005

in the midline

E/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roen View Post
I think one of the problems with Rangers is there are no really strong builds with just one or two specs (aside from Splinter/Barrage...which as mentioned can be run as effectively if not better by Rit/R). For instance, in HM you could throw down Dust Trap, Snare, and Tripwire then pull enemies into your traps, causing blind, cripple, and knockdown, then splinter/barrage them because now they can't scatter. But in order to make it work best, you have to spread attributes across Expertise, Wilderness Survival, Marksmanship, and Channeling.

So trapping becomes more effective with /Me secondary and using Echo chaining to get multiple copies of traps up. I like trapping but it's a slow play style and lots of people don't care for it. It's not the most effective, that's for sure.

Unfortunately, the most effective build I've run in HM is a R/Rit SoS spammer. Which, as I understand it, is even better run as a Rit primary.

So, basically, I'm a sad Ranger.
Trapping is best with quickening Zephyr and a full trapper team. That's how oldschool UW trap teams worked.

As far as attribute spread you don't need Wilderness survival if you run barrage. Troll unguent isn't impressive, apply poison is sad in PvE, storm chaser/natural stride is of limited use. You could splash points in it for Frozen soil and Winter, but I don't see how that would be that important for zones outside of Slaver's exile. Incendiary arrows only needs 4 wilderness unless you are insane and run 12 for 1 more second of burning while gimping your energy or bow damage.

Unlike eles with DoT AOEs, splinter doesn't cause mass scatter.

Quote:
Originally Posted by AndrewSX View Post
Dervish aren't that great afaik now, but with the upcoming update.....who knows?

On the other hand, Mesmer are amazing in PvE now. Armor ignoring damage(and Hm is a walk in the park), interruptions(if you get good at it), various kind of hexes for both meele and caster shutdown and a nice primary attribute....forgot something? Fast cast also reduces mesmer skill recharge in PvE and makes reses quicker for those "o crap" moments like 400-500 damage boss spirit rifts.

P.S. eles are decent when you are killing things below level 20 since you get a damage multiplier, although other classes get the damage bonus on normal attacks (i.e. base damage from Barrage or Whirlwind attack). It's why I'm using my ele to steamroll things in Istan while opening chests for the Lucky title.

Roen

Roen

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jun 2010

GMT-5

[Nite]

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by LifeInfusion View Post
Trapping is best with quickening Zephyr and a full trapper team. That's how oldschool UW trap teams worked.
I like Trapper's Speed but I know what you mean.

Quote: Originally Posted by LifeInfusion
View Post
As far as attribute spread you don't need Wilderness survival if you run barrage. If you focus on Splinter/Barrage, I agree. My meaning was how nice it would be to solo with a bar like:

Trapper's Speed
Dust Trap
Snare
Tripwire
Splinter
Barrage
Troll Unguent
Whirling Defense

Lay traps, hit Troll unguent and whirling defense for defense and splinter to be ready, pull, when traps activate, hit barrage a couple times. If things looking good, splinter/barrage some more. If not, hit troll unguent, whirling defense, run until aggro lost, rinse & repeat.

But that's not workable because you'd have to spread attributes out too thin.

Kunder

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Nov 2010

Quote:
Originally Posted by Klance View Post
@Kunder Whirlwind attack, fast dagger chains (JS, FF, DB) or a scythe can all quickly unload a splinter weapon. Also a warrior has warrior's endurance + energy attacks.
Both unload a Splinter Weapon equally well in terms of simply making 5 attacks before the recharge on the Rit is up, but the Ranger doesn't have to run to his target and can more easily target the enemy in the exact middle of the group (rather than hitting an enemy in front and not splashing the back, or trying to hit the middle and getting stuck on the front). In that regard I consider them a better target to cast Splinter Weapon on.


To everyone saying Rt/R is better than R/Rt... running either is weak in the first place. 1 Rt SoS with Splinter weapon @ 16 channeling, 1 R/W with Barrage and SY. Do it. I might have agreed with that a few years ago before Rits got a number of buffs, but SoS is a powerbuild that 75% (internet statistic) of players are running currently. No reason not to slot Splinter Weapon on them and free up your secondary to abuse the adrenaline gain of Barrage.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ruibullseye View Post
hm i got it now =). thnx alot.

btw can u guys now tell me about Mesmer or Dervish ?
the same questions, how they scale in nM and hM and that stuff =). thnx

Really thnx alot for ur time wasted , appreciate Mesmers can be absolute rape. Panic or Psychic Instability are skills strong enough to make entire enemy groups hilariously useless (constant AoE interruption and long term AoE knockdown respectively), and when they do Wastrel's Worry and Wastrel's Demise pump out huge armor-ignoring damage on enemies that can't use skills. Pretty much everything a mesmer does is immune to HM enemy armor buff, some things actually become more useful like Panic interrupting more often.

Dervishes are meh. They basically fall into the same category as Warriors and Sins, also known as the 'hit shit till it dies' category, but they have to hit a few more times for things to die. They scale in HM about the same as all melee does: normal attacks suck, but with enough buffs you still plow through everything. Keep in mind that the dervish update is expected to come sometime between now and the heat death of the universe so this is subject to change.

AndrewSX

AndrewSX

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2010

Italy, Turin

Lake

E/

Quote:
Fast cast also reduces mesmer skill recharge in PvE and makes reses quicker for those "o crap" moments like 400-500 damage boss spirit rifts. This is why i said "nice primary attribute"

HigherMinion

HigherMinion

Forge Runner

Join Date: May 2008

East Anglia, UK

Order of [Thay]

N/

Meh on mesmers; you can live without them if you kill the enemy fast and use prots well and aggro techniques. You can kill them faster without a mesmer dragging you down.

Ranger is definitely weaker than melee classes. Splinter Barrage is meh, too, when you spend half the time re-casting splinter on yourself and lack Expertise to spam both the Weapon Spell and Barrage anyway. Atleast just taking it on a hero is ten times more effective. Paragon are about as weak as Ranger as damage goes, but they add support to the team; a Ranger adds EoE.

Xeng Suey

Xeng Suey

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2007

Somewhere I belong

Mo/

Ho well .... so many braindead people talking bad stuff about mesmers and dervish that i dont know if i should answer first to Minion or to those peeps lol

I'll start with Ele vs Ranger question:

Rangers - They can use rupts and conditions quite efficiently but they lack on damage or defense for party.

Bows -As we well know general pug groups don´t use ranger rupts for pve (and they are indeed unecessary in my experience) neither heavy condition builds to do pve stuff. In other hand, pure dmg skills for ranger lay only in pure spike builds that can strike dow a single fow in matetr of seconds (even in HM) but cant do massive AoE dmg (not even considering barrage for its low dmg by itself). So playing bows are out of question if you want to lay AoE dmg...
Pets - lol do i have to elaborate on this...might not, sorry its too obvious =\
Traps - right... UW farm and stygian veil farm. what else? Ermmh...
Ranger spirits - Ok! we have lacerate and EoE ! :O Hooo!But... But... OMG! heavy condition builds dont work too well in pve... god dam it! not viable again =(

Hmm..so... solo farm with SF/whirling defense or SF/Whirling tanking for HM SC's are the last resort for this profession in pve, me thinks...

Only viable stuff with this profession in pve is giving them scythes or daggers. But is it fun? I dont find it fun if u ask my opinion...

Eles - teoreticly they are suposed to be the nuking sistem of gw. But actually they have lower dmg ten a mesmer :O

So... in NM you can use all builds you want for ele that they will work pretty well, specially in fire attribute.
In HM things are way different, considering the high armor rating and the high scattering on foes. As Marty sayed, you can use E.R. to heal/prot, but u can use E.R, also, to smite. yes! to SMITE! Strenght of honor, judges insight,smite hex, smite condition, balthazar´s aura, balthazar´s spirit, add in G.D.W. and 2 or 3 melles on your party (warriors, dervs sins or others R/A or R/D's) and you will see it done a fun build to play with lots of dmg!

I have both ele and mesmer pve characters. Mesmer > Ele in terms of dmg, every day on week, with almost every build (not considering pure shutdown build like powerblook or PD, obviously). Plus, with mesmer dmg the foes dont scatter.... Esurge and keystone signet builds own! armor ignoring ftw!

For last but not least important, for the people who say dervs are bad for pve purposes, give your dervish a build with:

{wounding strike}
mystic sweep
wild blow
aura of holy might (i think thats the name of that Kurz/Lux skill for derv)
IAU
drunken master
[chose derv skill]
[chose derv skill]

and use a smiter (monk or ele) on your team with judges+strenght of honor on your team. Dmg, in single hit, dealt by dervs can go up to 350 to 400dmg even in HM. Now imagine that when u have deep wound, and bleeding up to 3 foes per hit.... But yeah dervs are bad... NOT!
Btw arguments like "Ho! dervs by them selfs cant hit up to 350 to 400 dmg per hit!So they are crap in pve...." aint valid, just because no profession alone wins ALL areas in gw, plus buffers are a good midline option for a given team build.
And btw...if u find mobs with block stances, pls use ur brain and use wild blow, ok? Or, if u can, simply switch your taget. Tkx.

Btw, not saying that dervishes dont dever and update. I'm just saying that dervishes CAN play pve eficiently.

ruibullseye

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Jan 2011

can u link plz ?

bj91x

bj91x

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Dec 2005

I don't farm so I can't answer that, but as somebody who played through all campaigns with all professions, I can say that both Elementalists and Rangers are good to go through all campaigns in NM and HM. In all honesty though, there's no profession that isn't good in this game. You can always create builds to make any profession good using their primary skills. However, I haven't tried some of the elite areas so there are probably some select areas where my comments don't really apply.

If you want to PUG, you may have a harder time with some professions. I haven't been playing the game with PUG lately so I don't know what the in crowd is these days. However, if you're planning on playing alone or with friends/guilds, it really doesn't matter which you choose other then which profession you'll have more fun with. I played alone on my R and E and didn't have a problem with anything I tried.

Also, I don't really see why some people talk badly about Barrage. My Barrage build does 50 AOE based DPS using just my R's primary skills. 50 AOE based DPS is good. Possibly with the exception of some select elite areas, if your AOE based DPS deal around 40 DPS and your single target DPS deal around 60 DPS, you're going to tear through enemies. In fact, going by timed HM missions, you'll finish these missions with master bonus with a lot of time left on the clock. As for single target DPS, my R's beastmaster build (bow based) does around 70 single target DPS. Also keep in mind that melee characters need to spend a good amount of time running toward enemies in battle. A R with a bow will spend nearly the entire fight attacking so this helps to alleviate their low bow DPS.

Heck, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that you can tear through timed HM missions with even less DPS than I stated. I often play with H/H who often do dumb things other than spam DPS skills. Plus, the above numbers are based on Master of Damage, who take considerably more damage than HM enemies. Yet, me and my heroes still tear through things with ease and time to spare.

As for E's not getting damage buffs, while it's true that buffed physical DPS deal more damage than just plain E's, these physical buff builds require some synergy which you're not always going to get. Besides, even without these buffs, E's deal more than enough damage that you can tear through nearly anything in HM. Their support skills are also very helpful in HM. Knock downs and blind conditions are two of my favorites. Enemies aren't too dangerous when they're sitting on the job or can't hit you.

TLDR: You don't need to deal top of the line DPS to get through the game fast and easy. Both E's and R's deal good damage for nearly every area in the game.