The Sapper

Professions:
(P) Elementalist
(S) Ranger

Attributes:
(P) Energy Storage: 6 (+1 minor rune)
(P) Water Magic: 11 (+1 minor rune)
(S) Wilderness Survival: 12

Skills:
1. Ice Spikes (Elementalist/Water Magic/Hex) (15e/2/15) - Target and nearby foes are struck for 64 cold damage and are slowed for 5 seconds.
2. Maelstrom (Elementalist/Water Magic/Spell) (25e/4/30) - Create a maelstrom at target foe's location. For 10 seconds, foes in that area are struck for 21 cold damage each second. Maelstrom interrupts spell-casting when it hits. This spell causes exhaustion.
3. Shard Storm (Elementalist/Water Magic/Hex) (10e/1/10) - This projectile strikes for 50 damage and slows the target's movement for 5 seconds.
4. Water Trident (Elite) (Elementalist/Water Magic/Spell) (5e/1/3) - Send out a water trident at target foe. Water Trident strikes for 49 cold damage if it hits. If it hits a moving foe, that foe is knocked down. This is an elite skill.
5. Barbed Trap (Ranger/Wilderness Survival/Trap) (15e/2/20) - When Barbed Trap is triggered, all foes in the area take 56 piercing damage, become crippled, and begin bleeding for 21 seconds. Barbed Trap ends after 90 seconds. While activating this skill, you are easily interrupted.
6. Dust Trap (Ranger/Wilderness Survival/Trap) (25e/2/30) - When Dust Trap is triggered, all foes in the area are Blinded for 9 seconds and take 56 earth damage. While activating this skill you are easily interrupted. Dust Trap ends after 90 seconds.
7. Flame Trap (Ranger/Wilderness Survival/Trap) (10e/2/20) - When Flame Trap is triggered, for 3 seconds all foes in the area are struck for 27 fire damage and set on fire for 3 seconds. Flame Trap automatically triggers after 90 seconds. While activating this skill, you are easily interrupted.
8. Dryder's Defenses (Ranger/Wilderness Survival/Stance) (5e/0/60) - For 10 seconds, you gain 75% chance to evade attacks and 55 armor against elemental damage.

This build is primarily for PvP and in that realm, best utilized in GvG. I would like to think of a viable trapper-type build for PvE, but it would probably require a lot of swapping from this one. Anyways, the idea is as follows. Traps would be placed at chokepoints on the map (as best as timing allows). Dryder's Defenses is used to avoid getting interrupted while laying traps if the enemy is already there/almost there. Then you'd want to run the hell away so as not to be killed as soon as Dryder's wears off . The Water magic snares and slows are there to increase the harrassment. This build is not looking to deal major damage. It is most definitely a harrassment build. Ideally, Shard Storm and Ice Spikes would be used to herd enemies as best as possible. Maelstrom is kinda situational for any times when I can get casters in a group. Obviously, I could not nor would want to cast that often. This build would be well-supported by an AoE-focused Ele and someone else who could take advantage of the conditions inflicted by the traps. Ice Trident is there for some cheap and fast damage as these other spells are energy intensive but have fairly long recharges.

Trident is the skill I'm most concerned with. I'm tempted to go with glyph of lesser energy, but then I really have no quick spells and would just be running around firing my wand off too often. I've heard that Ice Spear really sucks, so I ditched that idea. I'm also not too sure about Flame Trap... anyone who has had experience with any of the traps, your suggestions would be much appreciated. This build is pretty much all theoretical since I haven't used this abilities. Advice from anyone is welcome

I dunno. Sounds good, but I'm not exactly a build expert.

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Yes, I had the same thoughts. I forgot to include it in my above description, but I was looking at Mist Form for my defensive ability instead of Dryden's. The recharge of Mist Form is only 30 seconds compared to Dryden's 60, plus it provides an even better and longer defense. However, it is an elite skill so I would have to give up Trident, and thus my only cheap and fast attack. Despite the fact that I don't expect this build to be a damage dealer, I feel that I would need to contribute something else. This is sort of the reason I wanted to post this build on the forum so that I could get feedback about these types of questions. Is Trident worth being less efficient with the traps? Should I worry about these high cost spells as much?

I guess. Trident owns.

My elementalist uses Armor of Mist in PvP. It might come in handy for you. I suggest keeping Trident. It will help your group out a lot and will not be less efficient because of the traps. With Trident, Traps and Maelstrom I think this will be a very helpful build to your team. You might even replace Shard Storm with Conjure Frost to increase your damage output per energy. Or maybe even Water Attunement to conserve some more energy. If you want to try being more of a damage dealer, maybe switch Water Magic to Air Magic and see how that suits you.

IMO find out what you will be casting more. Expertise helps SO much with traps.

Yes, I thought about going Ran/Ele instead of Elementalist primary just for the eased energy costs of Expertise. However, I did want to have those spells from the Water line and it just wouldn't have worked with the limited energy of the Ranger. However, the PvE trapper I have in mind will definitely be a Ranger primary. The Ele spells I have here just wouldn't be nearly as useful in PvE.

Exhaustion of Maelstrom woulds render a R/E ineffective...so you would definately need to take it out if you want to use R/E.

I would also only take either Ice Spike or Shard Storm...but not both. Take Water Attunement or a Glyph instead to manage your energy usage. Using traps as a non-R primary does take out quite a bit of energy. And with attunement, spamming trident comes easier too.

Ra/E might be a good idea. Almost all of your skills are ranger skills and that would benefit from expertise. If you stick conjure in there (and have the proper bowstring), you can still deal good damage.

I wouldn't put 12 in Wilderness. Though it's your primary skill, it just doesn't seem a good use of points (no weapon restrictions, etc).

Like 10 Wilderness, 9 Expertise, 7 Water, 10 Bow.

Eh I think that build is fine, and I like the idea of replacing it with air magic, but frankly trident/maelstrom are good enough damage dealers to me.

Plus, I would need someone else to edit it. I have no idea how to make or edit builds. If someone could do that it would be GREATLY appreciated.

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Yeah with 60 energy who cares??