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Focused on: Strikedamage,Utility and Crowdcontrol
Designed for: WvW Zerg
Difficulty:
TBD
Contents
- 1 Overview
- 2 Template Code
- 3 Skill Bar
- 3.1 Skill Variants
- 4 Specializations
- 5 Equipment
- 5.1 Consumables
- 5.2 Variants
- 5.3 Consumables
- 6 Usage
- 7 Related Builds
Overview
A backline DPS build for Elementalist in WvW Zergs that provides damage, CC and field support. Requires a precise usage of skills and positioning to survive. Also, somewhat accessible by F2P, more new player friendly and straight to play than the weaver build Staff Backline
Template Code
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Copy Template Code
Skill Bar
Staff
Staff
Skill Variants
Utility
Glyph of Storms
Specializations
Variants
Bountiful Power for pure damage
Equipment
Head
Marauder
Shoulders
Marauder
Chest
Marauder
Hands
Marauder
Legs
Marauder
Feet
Marauder
Backpiece
Marauder
Accessory
Marauder
Accessory
Marauder
Amulet
Marauder
Ring
Marauder
Ring
Marauder
Staff
Marauder
Sigil
Sigil
Staff
Marauder
Sigil
Sigil
Rune
x6
Infusion
x18
Consumables
- feast option with additional damage reduction.
Variants
Stats
- Feel free to use as much Berserker's gear as you can without dying
Consumables
- feast option with additional power and ferocity.
Usage
General
- Having 2 Staffs is purely for the stacking sigil purpose. As soon as you achieve 25 stacks of
Sigil of Superior Sigil of Bloodlust and get out of combat you should swap back to the Staff without it.
- This build requires rapidly switching between attunements.
- You can switch while you are still casting a skill without interrupting the cast.
Mist Form (and sometimes
Lightning Flash) will be used mainly for self defense as reposition tool, temporarily avoiding ground heat and denying enemies tunnel visioning on you. Prioritize living over dealing damage. Lightning Flash can also be used while CC'ed.
- Don't attempt to rely on
Final Shielding.
- Don't attempt to rely on
- You can interrupt
Ether Renewal by using stow weapon as soon as you are full healed in order to save time
Staff
Fireball can consist a decent part of your damage.
- It also helps with self
Might uptime thanks to
Pyromancer's Puissance
- Beware of enemy reflect skills though
Chain Lightning is also a good option for cleaving a downed clump, since it bounces.
- It also helps with self
- Staff #2 skills are strong damage fillers (with low cooldown) to rotate between while Meteor Shower isn't available. Bear in mind Ice Spike and Eruption aren't instant.
Lava Font makes significant part of your sustained pressure after Meteor Shower. Look for casting it off cooldown to maximize ground pressure.
Lightning Surge quick cast and good damage, will be used to pick off single targets, try to cast it on enemies stacked to hit multiple foes.
Ice Spike whilst being Water gives significant 300-radius damage and justifies, along with the Water 4-5 skills, going into Water Attunement
Eruption gives reliable damage, assuming the the slow proc time. Can be used as preventive ground pressure and for cleaving.
- Staff#3 skills are somewhat ignorable in this build, but can bring some utility.
- Use
Gust for the extra CC, it doesn't require LoS.
Geyser for tiny heals and a water field
Flame Burst tiny damage, land it for
Burning uptime, which increases damage via
Pyromancer's Training, and follow up with a hard hittng skill.
- Use
Unsteady Ground,
Frozen Ground and
Static Field will be used mainly for the CC along with your team damage pressure.
Unsteady Ground's direction is based on your where your character is looking. Turn briefly while casting the skill to aim it and effectevily blocking the passage.
Healing Rain and
Windborne Speed can be used to soften condition pressure, benefiting from the large radius, and to remove soft CC on allies, respectively.
Meteor Shower
Meteor Shower is your main damage source, but it has a long cast time. Try to place it on spots the enemy stack will tend to be, rather than where it is now. Very useful for cleave
- Try to be in a safe spot while channeling. If you get interrupted midcast, the amount of meteors and damage will be lower.
- If you realize the skill won't connect, you have a small window to cancel (stow) the skill before the meteors start to go off, putting it on a 4s CD
- Watch out for the incoming damage from 24px Retaliation, be ready to heal u
- Meteor Shower should always be followed up, as soon as possible, by
Arcane Wave in
Earth Attunement to ensure an
Immobilize from the trait
Elemental Surge
Arcane Wave is also very effective when used inside a Spellbreaker's
Winds of Disenchantment
- By the end of the channel, you can find yourself out of position or focused by enemies. You can avoid this in two ways:
- Use
Lightning Flash after you start casting
- Using
Burning Retreat immediately before starting the cast
- Use
Conjure Fiery Greatsword
Conjure Fiery Greatsword (FGS) provides great mobility and a damage boon when wielded. It can be used after casting
Meteor Shower to increase the damage.
- You should still swap attunements, mainly between
Fire Attunement and
Air Attunement for damage, while yielding the FGS.
- Remember that you can retrieve the FGS conjured on the ground if you are still around. It stands for 30s.
- You should still swap attunements, mainly between
- Cast
Firestorm on top of downed enemies and/or the enemy stack. Despite the small radius, it hits 10 targets and should be used after
Meteor Shower to maximize damage.
Fiery Rush will be used mostly for mobility, chasing down and bursting a single target or repositioning.
Fiery Whirl will be taken mainly to deal damage in melee range, while evading through enemies. Try to use it after Firestorm.
Flame Wave spam it while on melee to maintain DPS after you burned through the FGS skills, but it isn't worth to drop yet.
High Spike Damage
- Start in Fire
Lava Font
Meteor Shower
Earth Attunement
Arcane Wave
Eruption
Water Attunement
Ice Spike
Air Attunement
Lightning Surge
Fire Attunement
Lava Font
Conjure Fiery Greatsword
Firestorm
- This combo allows 3 high damage skills to all hit at once if cast quickly, spiking for extremely high damage.
Related Builds
- Staff Backline