Prophecies Sightseeing

I've only dabbled in the game since launch. But with GW2 on the horizon, and having read the two novels, I would love to wander around Prophecies and EotN to take in the world. I don't really care about HoM, since it's a grind I'm not prepared to take.

So this week I've started a Me/E and a Mo/E in pre-searing. And they just don't feel right to me. My most successful characters in other games have been ranged casters and healers. I'm not a pet fan, usually. So I'm sitting here staring at character creation wondering what to make. Is there an Elementalist build for PvE that's got some decent defensive tools?

You just need to try each profession for yourself until you find one that YOU like.

Yes.

http://www.gwpvx.com/Build:E/A_Assas...e_Elementalist

This is the best build for an elementalist. Enjoy.

Lyram, you are only in presearing.

You only have a glimpse of what both characters can do.
Your skills at this point are very limited, it will open up after searing.

I recommend you play a character at least till Lions Arch before deciding if it will fit you or not.

that build requires 3 campaigns and time spent grinding titles... not really what he's going for. Earth magic is your best bet for defense, but everything but fire is good at it to some degree.

If you can get heroes, get them. In any case just hide behind guys and nuke.

/elementalist

Sightseeing Postcards!
Make a warrior! Thick armor, no need to run around and dodge hits!

You might find it better to make an E/x rather than an x/E. The earth Ele has the most defensive abilities. The water Ele is into slowdowns. The fire Ele is direct and AoE damage. The Air Ele is good for spike damage.
My Ele builds were mostly all E/Mo - the Mo was just for the Rez and wasn't used other than that.

Thank you for the helpful replies! An earth/air elementalist might give me the right combination of abilities for a workable early-game build. And it seems like a smiting monk might be viable in terms of tools at hand. The play style might be interesting, too.