Difference between pages "Leveling Up" and "Guide:What Profession Should I Play"

 
 
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{{#seo:
 
{{#seo:
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|title=GW2 Leveling Guide - MetaBattle
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|title=GW2 What Profession Should I Play Guide - MetaBattle
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|description=Detailed Character Leveling Guide for Guild Wars 2.
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|description=What is the Best Class in Guild Wars 2? This guide will cover how each profession plays, both at a casual and a competitive level.
 
}}{{Guide
 
}}{{Guide
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| title = Leveling Up
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| title = What Profession Should I Play?
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| description = A guide for leveling in Guild Wars 2.
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| description = Help figuring out which Guild Wars 2 profession to try.
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| mode = PvE
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| mode = PvE,PvP,WvW
 
| section = Misc
 
| section = Misc
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| icon = Leveling.webp
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| icon = Locked Profession.webp
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| pvp-featured = yes
 
}}
 
}}
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==Overview==
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What is the Best Class in Guild Wars 2? This page will cover how each profession plays, both at a casual and a competitive level.
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The following guide covers basic advice for leveling a character and includes information on how to level up and options that can make leveling more efficient. It is important that this guide be treated like a guideline rather than a list of hard rules; do not just blindly follow it. Instead, think about what's convenient and important to you, and use this guide to fill in the blanks.
 
  
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<div class="alert alert-success" style="margin-top: 15px;">Guide last updated on: <b>October 22, 2022</b></div>
  
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==Leveling Up==
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==Elementalist==
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In Guild Wars 2, leveling up is a major part of the game. You start leveling right away by finishing the tutorial and you don't ever stop.
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Elementalists are masters of the elements. They're capable of strong damage per second or healing per second depending on playstyle. Elementalists have access to more weapon skills than any other class, which makes them difficult to pick up but rewarding to master.
  
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As a new player, your goal shouldn't generally be to get to level 80 (the maximum base level) as fast as possible but rather to enjoy and learn the game. Guild Wars 2's leveling process is smooth and well thought out, so taking your time can be as rewarding as any other activity you might choose to do. There are a number of ways to gain experience:
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The {{Tooltip|Tempest}} elite specialization turns elementalists into resilient group supports. The {{Tooltip|Weaver}} elite specialization focuses more on damage and dueling and requires players to quickly chain different elements together. {{Tooltip|Catalyst}} shines the brightest when it comes to AoE damage and boon sharing.
  
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* In '''open world and casual PvE,''' elementalists are good at wiping out large groups of enemies thanks to their AoE skills. With a dagger or sword, they're highly mobile and capable of quickly engaging or escaping from enemies. However, their low health pool makes mistakes punishing.
  
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===Standard Leveling===
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* In '''fractals and raids,''' All elementalist specialisations can be built as glass cannon damage dealers, particularly Weaver and Catalyst. Tempest favours wide-area ranged cleave, while Weaver focuses on single-target DPS and Catalyst is somewhere in between. Both Tempest and Catalyst provide boon support, whether they are dealing damage or as healers. The nature of attunements makes all elementalist builds highly adaptable, able to change gears to weave between utility, healing and damage as the situation requires - which can be very effective in less structured content such as dungeons or fractals.
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In this style of leveling, you explore the world and complete hearts and dynamic events, unlock waypoints and points of interest, view vistas, and interact with the core world of Tyria. This also involves doing dungeons and completing your Personal Story. This is the style of leveling primarily covered in this guide, as it requires you to make decisions about your build fairly early on.
 
  
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[[File:World Completion.png|250px|class=img-fluid]]
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* In '''large scale WvW,''' Weavers and Catalysts are ranged glass cannons that excel at AoE damage and field control, and Tempests are healers with unique aura buffs.
  
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There are a number of sources to look out for when earning experience through the "standard" methods, including:
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* In '''PvP and small scale WvW,''' Tempests are powerful supports with high sustain, while Weaver focuses on single target burst with duelling and roaming potential. Catalysts bring lots of AoE pressure, high susain and group utility to the table, making them viable damage dealers in both small skirmishes and teamfights.
  
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# Map Completion - Exploring the world and discovering new areas is the primary way to level early on. Completing hero challenges and hearts or uncovering vistas or waypoints will grant experience equal to a percentage of your level.
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Play an elementalist if:
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# Events - While exploring, orange "Dynamic Events" may be encountered. Completing these rewards a large amount of experience based on your level.
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* You like massive AoE skills with flashy effects.
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# Dungeons - Dungeons are unlocked at level 30 and grant experience equal to 75% of the experience between your current level and the next. This means if a player is already at 50% of the level, completing a dungeon would level them up and grant additional experience into their new level.
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* You like complex classes with many different skills and rotations.
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# Monster Kills - Killing any enemy grants experience based on the creature's level and how long it has been alive. Often, it is a good idea to kill "neutral" creatures, as they have often been alive for longer than hostile creatures and will grant significant experience.
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* You like playing glass cannons, or
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* You like constantly healing and sustaining yourself and your allies.
  
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[[Elementalist|See Elementalist Builds]]
  
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===Crafting===
 
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Training any crafting profession grants experience for each successful craft, granting far more experience if the player is under level 15 or has a currently active Booster. Since training at least one or two professions is strongly recommended, this can be a good option to level new characters or to finish out the final few levels of an existing character.
 
  
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==Engineer==
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Engineers are jacks of all trades. They have more utility skills than any other class, regardless of role, which lets them find the right tool for any situation. While anyone can perform reasonably well on Engineer, the deeper you dive into Engineer's bag of tricks, the more rewarding you'll find playing Engineer to be.
  
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===Tomes and Writs of Experience===
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The {{Tooltip|Scrapper}} elite specialization turns engineers into tanky supports with strong damage mitigation. In contrast, the {{Tooltip|Holosmith}} elite specialization is capable of high damage output and significant cleave. Meanwhile {{Tooltip|Mechanist}} is well known for its low effort, high reward builds ranging from glass cannon to support (depending on the gamemode).
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Tomes and Writs can be obtained through many different methods in the game, primarily through sPvP and World vs World. Some can also be gained as part of the daily Login Reward systems. A Tome of Experience will grant 100% of the difference between the players current level and the player's next level, while a Writ of Experience grants 5%. It is fine to use these as they are acquired. After level 80, they can be useful for gaining Spirit Shards, a valuable currency, or for leveling alts quickly.
 
  
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[[File:Tomes.png|250px|class=img-fluid]]
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* In '''open world and casual PvE,''' engineers are strong all-rounders thanks to their high damage and varied utility skills.
  
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* In '''fractals and raids,''' Power Holosmiths are relatively bursty DPS that inflict heavy crowd control and vulnerability. Condition Mechanist provides sustained damage, supported by their own mech, and has many options for tailoring the complexity of the build to suit your needs. Both Scrappers and Mechanist can be played as boon supports while also offering damage or healing, alongside defensive buffs for their party. Thanks to kits, engineers are one of the most versatile classes in the game, which makes them excellent for soloing content as there are few situations they can't handle.
  
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===Level Boosts===
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* In '''large scale WvW,''' Scrappers are supports with strong healing and condition cleanse. They have the unique ability to stealth the group or reveal stealthed enemies.
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Level 80 Boosts come with the expansions and can also be bought in the gemstore. These boost your character directly to level 80 in addition to granting them a basic set of starting gear. The gear and build granted to you by a level 80 boost is typically very poor but will suffice while you get your start as a fresh level 80. The boost also grants a number of other benefits, such as unlocking all the level 80 waypoints and giving you a very small amount of starting gold.
 
  
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It is '''heavily''' recommended that you avoid boosting to level 80 for your first character. The game can be quite overwhelming, as there is an incredible amount to learn. Take it slow, get a feel for the combat system.
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* In '''PvP and small scale WvW,''' Mechanists are increasingly seen as the bane of lower brackets with their 1 button high damage Rifle builds, but they don't fare well against more experienced players. Holosmiths are versatile melee skirmishers that deal high damage, Scrappers are somewhere in the middle of those two but also less popular than either of them.
  
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Play an engineer if:
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* You like blowing things up.
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* You're looking for a class that's easy to pick up (Rifle specs) but hard to master (any other build, really).
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* You like classes with lots of utility and niche skills.
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* You like cutting enemies down with flashy glowing lasers.
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* You want a friendly robot to command, or
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* You like being an unkillable hammer-wielding sustain machine.
  
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===Level Up Rewards===
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[[Engineer|See Engineer Builds]]
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Each player gains special rewards and unlocks each time they level, until they hit level 80. These are called Level Up Rewards, and while most of them aren't especially useful, some will be used and referenced in this guide.
 
  
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[[File:Level Rewards.png|250px|class=img-fluid]]
 
  
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==Guardian==
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Guardians excel at defensive support. Regardless of their role, they have good off-healing and numerous utility skills that shield their party members from attacks. Guardians are easy to pick up and solid in every game mode, making them a good class for new players.
  
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===Dungeons===
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The {{Tooltip|Dragonhunter}} elite specialization turns guardians into skirmishers with mobility and burst damage. The {{Tooltip|Firebrand}} elite specialization grants a plethora of support skills, and can be built for damage or healing. {{Tooltip|Willbender}}s are glass cannons with absurd amounts of mobility.
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Dungeons are a useful resource for new players, as they can help teach you how some late-game instanced content, such as a fractals, will work. Dungeons can range in difficulty from "impossible to fail" to "harder than most end-game content", but in general they are an excellent way to introduce yourself to instanced PVE. Dungeons are also a significant source of income at lower levels.
 
  
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There are eight dungeons in total. You will unlock a new dungeon in each tier of your progression, and each dungeon has two modes - "Story" and "Explorable".
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* In '''open world and casual PvE,''' guardians deal high damage and are great at supporting other players. However, their low health pool means they have to stay on their toes and be aware of their defensive options to survive.
  
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* In '''fractals and raids,''' Dragonhunters are a strong DPS option in short fights, with high burst damage and the ability to provide a small amount of group support. Firebrands are useful as sustained DPS or as high-utility healers and boon supports. Willbenders are most comfortable playing as aggressive, mobile DPS builds - they are the most selfish of the guardian specialisation, but the strong utility set of guardian means that even they can support the group. Guardian offers the best defensive utilities in the game, enabling its support builds to adapt to each encounter to keep their team safe.
  
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====Ascalonian Catacombs====
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* In '''large scale WvW,''' Firebrands are supports that bring the critical {{Tooltip|Stability}} boon. Core guardian and Dragonhunter are very powerful selfish ranged DPS.
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{{Toggle
 
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| id = 1
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = The first dungeon unlocked is Ascalonian Catacombs, or AC. AC Story unlocks at Level 30 and Explorable unlocks at Level 35. There are three Explorable Paths. You can find the dungeon in the Plains of Ashford at this waypoint: [&BIYBAAA=]
 
  
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* In '''sPvP,''' Core Guardians continue to be top tier supports or decent (but squishy) damage dealers. Dragonhunters are solid for both teamfights and duels, capable of dealing high damage and CC from range but are rather squishy when caught without CDs. Willbender is like Dragonhunter but pure melee, and they rely on mobility for sustain instead of blocks and {{Tooltip|Stealth}}. Firebrand doesn't exist.
  
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The dungeon is relatively easy and popular, so it is recommended that you complete the story and the three Explorable paths when you are comfortable doing so.
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* In '''small scale WvW,''' every Guardian spec has at least one viable build but they all tend to follow the same formula, high damage but not enough sustain to survive a longer fight. Once their cooldowns run out it's game over, you either burst the target down by then or you lose. Dragonhunters have something of an edge here, as they can get {{Tooltip|Stealth}} from {{Rune|Superior Rune of the Trapper}} which is arguably the strongest thing a roamer can have. It lets them reposition, wait for CDs, or simply leave a lost fight safely.
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* Note that especially for Explorable Path 1 (Hodgins), your group should be primarily Power focused, as otherwise you will have a hard time in Hodgins's first Scepter Room.
 
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}}
 
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====Caudecus's Manor====
 
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{{Toggle
 
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| id = 2
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = Caudecus's Manor, or "CM" (not to be confused with "Challenge Mode") is unlocked at level 40, with the Explorable Paths unlocking at 45. This dungeon is significantly more difficult than AC, but at a minimum the Story should be completed before moving on to higher tiers. CM can be found at this waypoint in Queensdale: [&BPoAAAA=]
 
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* Note that a thief who knows how to chain stealth can make this dungeon much, much easier.
 
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}}
 
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====Twilight Arbor====
 
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{{Toggle
 
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| id = 3
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = Twilight Arbor, "TA", is found within the tangled vines of Caledon Forest at the Twilight Arbor waypoint ([&BMgGAAA=]). The TA story unlocks at Level 50, however the dungeon is a bit unusual beyond that. It has two Explorable Paths, known as "Up" and "Forward", which are unlocked at level 55. Additionally, TA contains the "Aetherblade" path, which is a level 80 Explorable Path and one of the hardest dungeon paths to complete. While Up and Forward are not overly difficult, it is recommended to revisit TA Aetherblade after level 80 to complete it.
 
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* A good thief can stealth the party through the dangerous blooms. Blooms can also be destroyed with ranged weapons.
 
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}}
 
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====Sorrow's Embrace====
 
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{{Toggle
 
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| id = 4
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = "SE" is one of the physically largest dungeons and has one of the easier paths of the bunch. SE story unlocks at level 60 and its three Explorable Paths unlock at 65. It is recommended to at least attempt to complete both the Story and the Explorable Paths before moving to the next tier. You can find SE in the Dredgehaunt Cliffs, at this waypoint: [&BD8FAAA=]
 
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* It is advised to bring projectile reflects against the dredge, as they often have very hard-hitting projectiles.
 
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}}
 
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====Citadel of Flame====
 
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{{Toggle
 
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| id = 5
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = Perhaps the most popular dungeon on this list, Citadel of Flame, or "COF", is a gauntlet of fire and violence with a very "classic dungeon" feel to it. COF's story unlocks at level 70 and its Explorable Paths unlock at 75. The dungeon can be found at the Citadel of Flame waypoint ([&BEAFAAA=]), though this is one of the few dungeons with an entrance that is frequently locked by an event.
 
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If the COF entrance is locked behind a wall of spikes and fire, the "Escort Razen the Raider to the Gates of Flame" and "Hold the Gates of Flame Against Waves of Flame Legion" events will need to be completed to unlock it.
 
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* Classes with portals, such as Thief, Necro, or Mesmer, can be extremely useful in this dungeon.
 
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}}
 
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====Honor of the Waves====
 
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{{Toggle
 
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| id = 6
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = One of the most hated dungeons, Honor of the Waves (HotW) takes place in the frozen wastes of Frostgorge Sound. Its story mode unlocks at 76 and its explorable paths are available at level 80. The Story is relatively easy and gives a good amount of experience, so it is recommended to complete it before hitting level 80. The other paths are not necessary but contain a handful of achievements. At the minimum, Path 1 is somewhat simple and doesn't involve underwater combat like the other two. HotW can be found here: [&BEMFAAA=]
 
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* Paths 2 and 3 of this dungeon contain underwater combat.
 
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}}
 
  
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Play a guardian if:
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* You like protecting your allies.
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* You like having a lot of defensive options.
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* You like being the supportive core of your team, or
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* You like jumping on enemies and bursting them down in seconds.
  
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====Crucible of Eternity====
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[[Guardian|See Guardian Builds]]
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{{Toggle
 
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| id = 7
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = "COE" is one of the more difficult options in this list but also one of the most rewarding. Kills in COE have a chance of awarding Charged Cores and Charged Lodestones, which are quite valuable. COE's story unlocks at level 78, with its Explorable Paths unlocking at 80. Similar to COF, COE's entrance can become blocked by map meta events which must be completed to unlock its entrance. It is recommended that the player complete COE's story before hitting level 80, as it gives significant experience and is fairly easy. COE can be found here: [&BEIFAAA=]
 
  
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* This dungeon requires decent party coordination in several areas, as well as high DPS from the party.
 
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}}
 
  
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==Mesmer==
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More than any other class, Mesmers break the rules. They can teleport and stealth their party, become invulnerable, and rewind their ability cooldowns. Skilled mesmers are wanted in every group regardless of game mode, as they open up entire new strategies with the utility that only a mesmer can provide.
  
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====The Ruined City of Arah====
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The {{Tooltip|Chronomancer}} elite specialization enhances the supportive capabilities of mesmers, allowing them to buff themselves and their party members - that's not to say they can't do high damage with the right build. The {{Tooltip|Mirage}} elite specialization focuses on clones, dueling, and damage. {{Tooltip|Virtuoso}} is all about ranged burst damage.
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{{Toggle
 
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| id = 8
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = Arah is the last dungeon on this list and is absolutely gargantuan, with many useful glitches and skips that a party can use to bypass sections of it and a mid-boss that is harder than a lot of "hardcore" end-game bosses. Arah's story mode unlocks at level 80 as the final segment of the player's Personal Story. Once completed, the Player can also venture into Arah's Explorable Modes.
 
  
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* In '''open world and casual PvE,''' Mesmers can be difficult to get the hang of, but excel in the hands of an experienced player thanks to their utility and survivability.
  
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Arah contains four Explorable Modes: The Jotun, The Mursaat, The Forgotten, and The Seer. Each path has completely different bosses and mechanics other than the midboss - Giganticus Lupicus. Lupi is a major obstacle for most groups due to his extremely high health and damage in addition to his "Grub" mechanic which is often quite a challenge for newer players. While there are ways to exploit Lupi into being relatively easy, it can be beneficial to cut your teeth on him as he is simple to learn but can be quite difficult even when compared to some other end-game bosses.
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* In '''fractals and raids,''' Chronomancers are supports that provide powerful party-wide buffs and irreplaceable utility. Mirage is able to provide high damage and buffs with rotations that rely on maintaining clones and dodging frequently to unlock powerful ambush attacks. Virtuoso has a simple but flashy playstyle that also provides great DPS. The core mesmer toolkit includes a great variety of powerful abilities and can do things like combine portals, stealth and teleports to quickly move their teammates safely between locations.
  
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* In '''large scale WvW,''' Chronomancers are utility and CC supports. Though only used in small numbers the skills they can bring are irreplaceable
  
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As you are already level 80, you will not need to complete any of the Arah Explorable Paths. Arah can be found here: [&BCADAAA=]
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* In '''sPvP,''' Mirages are extremely annoying assassins/duelists with high mobility and an even higher skill cap. These days Chronomancer is seen as a niche one trick spec with extremely high damage but very little (if any) sustain, making it a very rare sight. Virtuoso is struggling to find its place and continues to be the worst EoD spec.
  
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* Sometimes the entrance to Arah will be locked by an event that spawns there. The event is much shorter than COE or COF's events and spawns less frequently.
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* In '''small scale WvW,''' Celestial Mirage and Virtuoso gets to shine. They are rather easy and forgiving specs to play with lots of sustain and high damage. Mirage has a couple of bursty, low sustain builds too but they are not quite as effective as Celestial and take way more skill. Chronomancer's even less popular than in sPvP as their lack of sustain shows even harder here.
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}}
 
  
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==General Tips==
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Play a mesmer if:
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===Upgrade Gear Often===
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* You like using tricks and utility skills to outwit your opponents.
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Even Common (white) gear of a slightly higher level can outclass Masterwork (green) gear of a lower level, so upgrading your gear often can be critical. You can visit Armorsmiths and Weaponsmiths that you find to obtain Common gear that you can use - Be sure to compare the stats on the gear you're looking at with what you're wearing by hovering over it. If the numbers are red, they're lower. Green? Higher. This can be a good way to keep your stats up to par as you level up.
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* You like completely circumventing game mechanics.
 +
* You like being an indispensable support class, or
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* You like ambushing enemies and dancing out of their attacks.
  
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'''Note that there is an easily-accessible Armorsmith and Weaponsmith in the PVP lobby which will sell you Common Gear of your level tier.'''
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[[Mesmer|See Mesmer Builds]]
  
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[[File:PvP Vendors.png|250px|class=img-fluid]]
 
  
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==Necromancer==
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Necromancers weaken their enemies and grind them down. They aren't the fastest or the cleanest, but they apply constant pressure to their enemies, forcing them to retreat and succumb. This slow grinding playstyle, combined with the necromancer's ability to cheat death, makes them relatively simple to play.
  
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===Stick with Power===
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The {{Tooltip|Reaper}} elite specialization turns Necromancers into menacing juggernauts with a lot of survivability and melee damage. The {{Tooltip|Scourge}} elite specialization reduces the Necromancer's survivability in exchange for ranged damage, debuffs, and support. {{Tooltip|Harbinger}} can buff allies through boons better than any other Necromancer spec without sacrificing their damage, but they do trade their second health bar for it as Harbinger Shroud doesn't absorb damage.  
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You always want to focus on gear that has Power as its main attribute Pre-80. The secondary and tertiary characteristics of the gear can effectively be whatever you want, but Power should be your primary focus. Couple it with Toughness for more defense or Precision for more damage. Avoid Condition Damage, as Pre-80 builds can seldom make effective use of it outside of a few exceptions.
 
  
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* In '''open world and casual PvE,''' necromancers are one of the best classes for soloing thanks to their minions and self-sufficiency. They deal high damage while stubbornly refusing to die.
  
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===Take It Slow===
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* In '''fractals and raids,''' Reapers and Scourges deal low DPS but Reaper has excellent self-buffing and Scourge provides group-wide defences, making them good in inexperienced groups. Harbinger can fill a glass cannon DPS role, or can instead focus on buffing its team with elixirs. In raids they are all useful for the {{Skill|Epidemic}} skill which is excellent for clearing adds. Scourges can alternatively be played as supports that mitigate damage and revive teammates. While niche, condition-damage necromancers have multiple ways to throw conditions back at targets which can offer some fun options for condition-heavy encounters
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You can grind out a level 80 by hand in just a few hours if you're dedicated and know the routes, but that's not going to be recommended here. You want to absorb the game, get a feel for its combat system. Guild Wars 2 is very different than many other MMOs, so rushing to 80 won't do you any good.
 
  
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* In '''large scale WvW,''' Scourges are fragile but incredibly dangerous ranged damage dealers. Core Necromancers and Reapers are a durable damage dealers that can change between melee and ranged with a focus on boon removal for Core and melee for Reapers. All Necromancer builds often coordinate skills with the commander's calls to spike the enemy group.
  
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===Party Up===
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* In '''sPvP,''' Necromancer's core toolkit of strong condition spam and boon removal makes them a staple of almost every good team comp, they also work best with a support by their side. Core Necromancers and Harbingers dominate teamfights with their constant condition pressure and boon corruption. Reapers are extremely potent direct damage dealers but get shut down even easier than other Necro specs without a support. Scourge used to be a dominant support/hybrid spec and the king of reviving allies, but that was dozens of nerfs ago. Nowadays they don't see much play.
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This one actually applies to the whole game, but Guild Wars 2 is a social game. While its fine to play solo, bringing in friends can make the game more fun and rewarding. You can use the LFG tool if you own the core game or the expansions, so don't be afraid to post looking for more folks!
 
  
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[[File:LFG Tool.png|250px|class=img-fluid]]
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* In '''small scale WvW,''' Necromancers play very similar builds to sPvP except they build for higher sustain to make up for the lack of a pocket healer. Their damage is scary and sustain is decent, but they are very weak to CC and their only mobility skills are long CD utilities which means without good CD management and creative use of terrain they are sitting ducks. Harbinger is something of an exception, their sustain is lower but mobility's better. While condition-based or Celestial Necromancers in general are somewhat tanky here, their healing options are rather limited, which means they lose health slowly but have a hard time getting it back. Reaper has great burst but the lowest sustain of all Necro specs, making them especially hard to play.
  
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Play a Necromancer if:
 +
* You like being an unstoppable wave of death.
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* You like controlling the field and forcing your enemies to flee.
 +
* You enjoy transferring conditions around the battlefield.
 +
* You like both dealing damage and supporting your team, or
 +
* You like weakening your enemies and ripping their buffs away.
  
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===Follow the Content Guide===
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[[Necromancer|See Necromancer Builds]]
−
This one is more of a preference than anything; just under or above your minimap you will see an arrow pointing to nearby objectives. While leveling, it is recommended to follow this objective compass which will lead you towards new content.
 
  
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You can also ignore it, or even change what kind of content it will point to, but if you're a bit lost this is a helpful tool to use.
 
  
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[[File:Content Guide.png|250px|class=img-fluid]]
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==Ranger==
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Rangers are versatile skirmishers that team up with their pets to take on anything. They're the only profession that can seek out and charm creatures across the world. As their class mechanics are simple and they can fall back on their pet when they're having trouble, rangers are one of the easiest classes to learn.
  
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The {{Tooltip|Druid}} elite specialization focuses on group support, offering healing and powerful party-wide buffs. Meanwhile, the {{Tooltip|Soulbeast}} elite specialization allows rangers to merge with their pets to become tough damage dealers. {{Tooltip|Untamed}} are masters of their pets, gaining new options for micromanaging their every move, which also makes them harder to play than other Ranger specs.
  
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===Use Consumables===
+
* In '''open world and casual PvE,''' rangers are among the easiest classes for soloing because of their good sustain and their pet mechanics. Rangers have more control over their pets than other minion classes, making the pet uniquely capable of drawing aggro and allowing the ranger to deal damage safely from a distance.
−
There are a large number of consumables which will boost your experience gain, in fact there are too many to list here. Some of the more common consumables include:
 
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* Nourishment (food) - 10-15% bonus to all experience gained. Obtain these from crafting or as drops!
 
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* Enhancement (utilities) - 10-15% bonus to all experience gained. Obtain these from crafting or as drops!
 
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* Banners & Guild Buffs - 5-10% bonus to experience. Obtained via Guild Commendations or found in frequently-traveled locations.
 
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* Experience Boosters - There are many types of these, such as Birthday Boosters, Celebration Boosters, Experience Boosters, and Laurel Experience Boosters. These can boost your experience gain by up to 150% and some will also grant you "kill streak" experience boosts for chaining monster kills together.
 
−
** Note that Celebration Boosters will usually stack with Experience Boosters
 
  
−
If this is a bit overwhelming, that's totally fine! Try and at least use some food and utilities frequently, as the slight bonus to experience they grant is significant over time.
+
* In '''fractals and raids,''' Druids are irreplaceable healers thanks to their utility and 10-player offensive buffs. Soulbeasts are also strong DPS with a simple learning curve. Untamed is probably the fastest-paced class in the game, capable of spamming CC and damage as long as your fingers are fast enough. Each of the wide range of pets offers a particular set of abilities that enable the ranger to fine-tune what they bring to each encounter.
  
 +
* In '''large scale WvW,''' rangers are rarely played, but Soulbeast can provide a unique "immobilizer" role in coordinated groups.
  
−
==Class-Specific Choices==
+
* In '''PvP and small scale WvW,''' Rangers of every specialization make strong duelists. Core Ranger, Soulbeast and Untamed all have strong burst damage while Druid focuses more on longer fights with decent sustain and plenty of stealth (but it's also the weakest of the 4). Rangers are usually a "middle of the pack" kind of class - they are rarely competitive enough for high end tournaments, but have a strong and constant presence in ranked PvP and WvW roaming. Great class for loners who prefer to play solo and do well.
−
This section focuses on choices to be made specific to each class. While these aren't necessarily leveling "builds", they can serve as a general guideline for traits, skills, and weapons you might choose when leveling one of the classes below. It is recommended to experiment with weapons, skills, and traits that suit your taste, rather than copying the choices below, but you can use these as a reference point for said experimentation.
 
  
−
Note that the options below assume that you are focusing on gear with Power. This should always be the case while under level 80, as condition damage lacks most of its important aspects at low levels.
+
Play a ranger if:
 +
* You like pets.
 +
* You '''really''' like pets (Untamed).
 +
* You don't like pets (Soulbeast).
 +
* You like hunting dangerous enemies and winning through smart healing and positioning.
 +
* You like summoning spirits and buffing allies, or
 +
* You like crippling enemies with traps and barrages of arrows.
  
 +
[[Ranger|See Ranger Builds]]
  
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===Elementalist===
 
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{{Toggle
 
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| id = 9
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = Elementalist is a hard class for new players due to having both the lowest health and lowest armor of any class. To make up for this, it is recommended to keep an eye out for skills that allow you to evade, such as {{Skill|Burning Speed}}, or skills and traits that grant some defense, such as {{Skill|Obsidian Flesh}}. It is important to note that, unlike most classes, Elementalist cannot swap weapons while in combat. Instead, swapping Attunements will count as a Weapon Swap.
 
  
 +
==Revenant==
 +
Revenants project force across the battlefield. With their personal auras and tactical area-of-effect skills, they build up themselves and their allies while raining destruction on their foes. Revenants can be difficult to play due to their energy management system, but they are rewarding for players who learn and master their intricacies.
  
−
====Attunements====
+
The {{Tooltip|Herald}} elite specialization focuses on defensive buffs and group support. The {{Tooltip|Renegade}} elite specialization has a mixture of defense and offense, providing AoE damage, lifesteal, and crowd control. {{Tooltip|Vindicator}}s bring both devastating AoE attacks and support to the table (depending on how you build them) but they only have 1 dodge.
−
Elementalist's profession mechanic is "Attunements" which come in four flavors: Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. Attuning to a different element will change the skills currently on your skillbar as if you had equipped new weapons. This makes Elementalist somewhat complex, as it has a very large number of skills due to this mechanic.
 
  
 +
* In '''open world and casual PvE,''' revenants are slow and steady brawlers. They can generate their own boons and healing, making them strong when soloing.
  
−
====Weapons====
+
* In '''fractals and raids,''' Heralds and Renegades are sustained DPS that boost the damage of their allies. Renegades can also be built as healers with very strong, but short-range, offensive buffs and healing. Vindicator offers a unique playstyle centred around single, impactful dodge-attacks that provide damage or support in an area, and can be played as potent, if niche, healers. Revenants have access to some incredibly powerful abilities such as the strongest CC in the game, or the ability to provide permanent stability.  
−
While leveling as Elementalist, it is recommended to use either Scepter or Dagger as your mainhand weapon, with Focus or Dagger as your offhand. Doing this, you will rely heavily on {{Skill|Air Attunement}} for damage.
 
  
 +
* In '''large scale WvW,''' Heralds and Vindicators are ranged damage dealers with a focus on spike damage. Heralds also provide incredible boon support to their team while Vindicators offer a more selfish, personal DPS focused playstyle.
  
−
====Skills====
+
* In '''PvP and small scale WvW,''' the Revenant class has a long history of being rather OP damage dealers when played right. Power Heralds are high on damage/mobility but there's very little room for mistakes when it comes to sustain, as most of their tools help with avoiding damage ''not'' recovering from it (except for {{Skill|Infuse Light}}). Renegades are more forgiving in terms of sustain while their burst damage is a bit lower but still dangerous. Vindicators are known for their medium damage combined with good sustain and group utility. Core Revenants don't really see play - while they aren't ''bad'', they don't have their own niche and since Revenant is a '''Heart of Thorns''' class, Core Rev isn't even available for F2P players.
−
{{Skill|Glyph of Lesser Elementals}} and {{Skill|Glyph of Storms}} are extremely powerful skills. You can rely on these for both defense (When cast in {{Skill|Earth Attunement}}) and offense ({{Skill|Air Attunement}} and {{Skill|Fire Attunement}}). At higher levels, {{Skill|Glyph of Elementals}} can also be a very powerful tool. {{Skill|Arcane Shield}}, {{Skill|Arcane Blast}}, and {{Skill|Armor of Earth}} are also excellent options.
 
  
 +
Play a revenant if:
 +
* You like flashy reality-tearing skill effects.
 +
* You like classes that are quirky but strong when played well.
 +
* You like summoning spectral weapons and calling in artillery strikes, or
 +
* You really, really, really like hitting people with hammers.
  
−
Until you get mounts, {{Skill|Signet of Air}} is a good option for the movement speed.
+
[[Revenant|See Revenant Builds]]
  
  
−
====Traits====
+
==Thief==
−
When first unlocking traits, it is highly recommended to go for Fire.
+
Thieves are sneaky, slippery assassins. While their damage-dealing options are straightforward, they have the most mobility, evasive skills, and access to stealth of all the professions. This makes thieves easy to pick up but difficult to play to their full potential.
−
{{Specialization|Fire|bot|bot|top}}
 
  
 +
The {{Tooltip|Daredevil}} elite specialization focuses on mobility and evading attacks. In contrast, the {{Tooltip|Deadeye}} elite specialization sacrifices mobility for stealth and single-target burst. {{Tooltip|Specter}} is perhaps the most forgiving iteration of Thief because they gain access to a Necromancer-like second health bar, and they offer players both good damage and group support.
  
−
Arcane and Water will offer a mixture of offense and defense, while Air will offer a massive damage increase if taken after Fire. Earth offers some defense, but tends to perform poorly under level 80.
+
* In '''open world and casual PvE,''' thieves deal good damage and have the ability to sneak past enemies with their superior mobility and stealth. However, their low health pool makes quick reactions important against more difficult enemies.
−
}}
 
  
 +
* In '''fractals and raids,''' Daredevil deals solid DPS with a simple rotation and in raids gains access to potent stolen skills, while Deadeye and Specter deal very high single-target damage, though Deadeye sacrifices mobility in order to do so. Specter can also provide good boon support and provides some passive group defence as well as being one of the only player-targeting supports in the game. All builds can reliably skip sections in fractals with teleports and stealth, which makes for useful out-of-combat utility.
  
−
===Engineer===
+
* In '''large scale WvW,''' Daredevils are slippery damage dealers that constantly evade attacks and bring incredible spike damage. They are rarely played at large numbers, but a strong choice from groups smaller than 30.
−
{{Toggle
 
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| id = 10
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = Engineer is a class that can be either extremely easy or extremely difficult to play, depending on context and build. Like Elementalist, Engineer cannot swap weapons in combat; instead, Engineer has a type of skill called "Kits" which will function as a Weapon Swap. When leveling an Engineer, it is recommended to try some of the different Kits to get a feel for them, as they are often important in end-game builds and understanding how to "juggle" them is a good skill to learn.
 
  
 +
* In '''PvP and small scale WvW,''' Thieves of all specializations make excellent roaming and ganking assassins. Daredevils specialize in melee combat with 3 dodge bars while Deadeyes are all about sniping key targets from range. They are what you'd expect: high burst damage, high mobility, very slippery but not very good at facetanking damage. Specter is a bit more tanky, the spec gets to enjoy the benefits of a second health bar and does well in both melee and range.
  
−
====The Toolbelt====
+
Play a thief if:
−
Engineer's Profession Mechanic is the Toolbelt. The skills on your toolbelt will change based on the Healing Skill, Utilities, and Elite Skill you choose. This is very similar to Elementalist's Attunements in some ways. This gives Engineer a rather large number of skill options at once and can be overwhelming. It is recommended to take it slow when learning Engineer and to spend time familiarizing yourself with the Toolbelt and what each new skill does.
+
* You like using stealth to run circles around your enemies.
 +
* You like outplaying enemies in PvP with a high skill cap class.
 +
* You like being able to avoid damage with well-timed evades, or
 +
* You like dealing massive damage and killing things out of nowhere.
  
 +
[[Thief|See Thief Builds]]
  
−
====Weapons====
 
−
Engineer is heavily limited on its choice of weapons due to the aforementioned Kit mechanics. While leveling, Rifle is basically the best option as Pistols do very, very low damage. Fortunately, we can create a build that does not rely on the base weapon used and instead relies heavily on kits.
 
  
 +
==Warrior==
 +
Warriors are sturdy melee fighters that their party members can rally around. While relatively simple to play, they have access to good damage and crowd control skills, and are useful in all game modes because of their unique offensive capabilities.
  
−
====Skills====
+
The {{Tooltip|Berserker}} elite specialization sacrifices personal defense to put out high sustained damage. The {{Tooltip|Spellbreaker}} elite specialization is more methodical, and rewards well-timed counters and interrupts by preventing damage and turning it against attackers. {{Tooltip|Bladesworn}} has it all - high damage, sustain, mobility, and even support for the team.
−
{{Skill|Bomb Kit}} should be the immediate goal when leveling an Engineer. Its Skill 1 deals very high damage. {{Skill|Grenade Kit}} is another powerful option due to {{Skill|Grenade Barrage}} and its relatively good ranged damage, however new players may find this skill somewhat difficult to use due to its reliance on Ground Targeting. When leveling, it is completely viable to camp Bomb Kit and spam 1 while occasionally swapping to Grenade Kit to use Skill 2, 4, and 5.
 
  
 +
* In '''open world and casual PvE,''' warriors are both strong and easy to play thanks to their innate damage and durability.
  
−
Other strong skills include {{Skill|Elixir U}}, {{Skill|Elixir B}}, and {{Skill|Rifle Turret}}. {{Skill|Rocket Boots}} can also be a great option for extra mobility.
+
* In '''fractals and raids,''' banners allow warrior to fulfil a boon support roles without needing to be near the group at all times, making it very effective at handling other mechanics within an encounter. All specialisations can all fulfil this role depending on the fight, though Berserker or Bladesworn are preferable. Even as a pure DPS, Bladesworn is able to provide incidental boon support without sacrificing damage. Berserker is a straight-up brawler that can quickly cleave down nearby adds while being able to consistently CC targets without pause. Spellbreaker is a more defensive option that doesn't see much play, but can work as an aggressive tank that rips boons off its target.
  
 +
* In '''large scale WvW,''' Spellbreakers are durable supports with strong CC and boon removal. At smaller zerg sizes (<30), DPS Spellbreakers are both durable and incredibly high potential damage. Both builds bring the unique {{Skill|Winds of Disenchantment}} skill, which single-handedly defines fights by forcing engagements and retreats.
  
−
====Traits====
+
* In '''PvP and small scale WvW,''' Warriors are duelists first and foremost. In sPvP, Bladesworn is a jack of all trades spec capable of performing well in almost any role due to their high damage/mobility/sustain/support, but in WvW roaming they don't scale well enough with the stats and are more in the middle of the pack. Core Warriors and Spellbreakers have very similar duelist builds and playstyles, usually some variant of a Power Greatsword build. They hit hard and are generally very mobile. Berserker has the highest damage and can be devastating if left unchecked - but most people know their sustain is subpar and pressure them out of existence before they could do anything, making them nearly extinct.
−
When leveling, it is often best to aim for either Explosives or Firearms first.
 
−
{{Specialization|Explosives|mid|bot|bot}}
 
  
 +
Play a warrior if:
 +
* You want to be a tough, mobile, brutal frontline fighter.
 +
* You like simple but rewarding classes with great gameplay flow.
 +
* You like setting yourself on fire and headbutting enemies.
 +
* You like calmly preparing for a single lethal strike, or
 +
* You like countering attacks and expertly interrupting your foes.
  
−
Afterwards, aim for the other that wasn't taken. Tools can also be taken for a mixture of defense and offense, while Alchemy is a very powerful defensive specialization. Inventions is somewhat weak pre-80, but can be good if taking several Turrets.
+
[[Warrior|See Warrior Builds]]
−
}}
 
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−
 
 
−
===Guardian===
 
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{{Toggle
 
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| id = 11
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = Guardian is a paladin-esque class that focuses on high damage and Active Defense, especially through its ability to spam {{Tooltip|Aegis}} to block attacks. Guardian is often thought of as a defensive class by new players, but its damage is very high and it can be quite hard to play at first due to its extremely low health pool (tied with Elementalist).
 
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−
 
 
−
====Virtues====
 
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Guardian's profession mechanic is called "Virtues". As a core guardian, there are three Virtues available: {{Skill|Virtue of Justice}}, {{Skill|Virtue of Resolve}}, and {{Skill|Virtue of Courage}}. These Virtues each have a passive effect, which occurs naturally, and an active effect which places the passive on cooldown. These are relatively simple to use compared to some other profession mechanics.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
====Weapons====
 
−
Greatsword is core guardian's bread and butter, and it is highly recommended to use it as your primary weapon. For secondary weapons, Sword/Focus is generally the best option, but Scepter/Focus will allow for some ranged engagement. Note that if using the Valor traitline, a Shield instead of Focus can be very strong.
 
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−
 
 
−
====Skills====
 
−
{{Skill|Sword of Justice}} is one of Guardian's most powerful skills, and this remains true even in end-game open world, raids, and fractals. This skill deals high damage and applies {{Tooltip|Vulnerability}}, which increases all damage the target takes. This should be one of the first skills you aim for when leveling your Guardian.
 
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−
Other powerful skills include {{Skill|Hammer of Wisdom}} for crowd control, {{Skill|Bane Signet}} for damage, {{Skill|"Stand Your Ground!"}} and {{Skill|"Retreat!"}} for defense, and {{Skill|Wall of Reflection}} for projectile hate. Also note that {{Skill|Litany of Wrath}} is an exceptionally powerful heal skill which can keep you alive even through extremely high incoming damage so long as you stay attacking things.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
====Traits====
 
−
It is highly recommended to aim for Zeal as your first specialization. This will grant you higher {{Tooltip|Vulnerability}} uptime and a large boost to damage.
 
−
{{Specialization|Zeal|bot|mid|bot}}
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
After Zeal, feel free to explore Radiance for more DPS, Virtues for both DPS and defense, Honor for defense and allied support, or Valor for extremely high personal defense.
 
−
}}
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
===Mesmer===
 
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{{Toggle
 
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| id = 12
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = Mesmer is an illusionist and duelist that focuses on creating clones and disorienting enemies. It has relatively low damage compared to other classes below level 80, but features a wide array of powerful utility that makes it a great class for players that prefer to use tricks and strategy over brute force.
 
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−
 
 
−
====Illusions and Shatters====
 
−
Mesmer's profession mechanic comes in two flavors. The active skills are called Shatters, and each performs a different role from damage to crowd control to defense. Complementing these Shatters are Mesmer's Illusions. These come in two varieties: Phantasms and Clones. Clones are created through a variety of sources and will use the Skill 1 of whatever weapon they were summoned with. For example, if you create a Clone while wielding a Greatsword, your Clone will use {{Skill|Spatial Surge}}. Phantasms are only created through specific weapon or utility skills, and possess their own powerful attack. Once their attack is finished, a Phantasm will disappear and become a CLone.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
These two mechanics work together: Shatters will "consume" any existing Clones (up to three). The more clones a Shatter consumes, the more powerful the Shatter becomes. This mechanic remains relevant in virtually every Mesmer build in the game, so it is important to begin getting used to it even early on.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
====Weapons====
 
−
Unlike other classes, Mesmer actually does have a few weapons that can be rather poor to use at early levels: Specifically Torch, Staff, and Scepter. These weapons will do absymally low damage at early levels and are typically best avoided. Instead, Greatsword and Sword/Sword are often the best options, though offhand Focus and Pistol can be potent as well.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
====Skills====
 
−
{{Skill|Mantra of Pain}} is one of Mesmer's strongest skills early on. This skill is a cast-and-forget ability which deals damage in an area around your target. {{Skill|Mirror Images}} and {{Skill|Phantasmal Disenchanter}} can also be quite powerful, even at low levels, due to their ability to give you more clones. More clones means more shatters.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
Other powerful skills include {{Skill|Blink}} and {{Skill|Arcane Thievery}}. It should also be noted that Mesmers have access to {{Skill|Portal Entre}}, which allows the mesmer to teleport themselves and other allies between two points with ease.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
Early on, it may be a good idea to unlock {{Skill|Signet of Inspiration}} for the passive {{Tooltip|Swiftness}}.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
====Traits====
 
−
Mesmer is fairly reliant on traits for its damage, and even its clone generation in some cases. Dueling, Illusions, and Domination can all be valid first choices, but the best "first" option is typically Domination
 
−
{{Specialization|Domination|mid|mid|top}}
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
* {{Trait|Furious Interruption}} can be taken if using Greatsword + Sword/Pistol
 
−
 
 
−
After Domination, Dueling and Illusions are recommended for increased damage. Chaos or Inspiration can also be taken for a large increase to defense.
 
−
}}
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
===Necromancer===
 
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{{Toggle
 
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| id = 13
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = Necromancer is one of the easiest classes to play in the game and is designed to perform very well when alone compared to other classes. It's a somewhat selfish class without much support for allies, but because of this it can be a very powerful solo class.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
====Shroud====
 
−
Necromancer's profession mechanic is called "Death Shroud". This ability works a bit like an Elementalist's attunement - Changing all of your equipped weapon skills as if you had equipped a new weapon. This ability will disable your heal and utility skills, and while active you will lose Life Force instead of Health when struck. This is a bit of a blessing and a curse
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
====Weapons====
 
−
Necromancer's weapons get much stronger once elite specializations like Scourge or Reaper have been unlocked, but while leveling Dagger and Axe mainhands are ideal. Staff can also provide some cleave damage, which Necromancer lacks at times. For offhands, feel free to use any offhands you prefer, but Warhorn can be an excellent choice due to its additional crowd control.
 
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−
 
 
−
====Skills====
 
−
Necromancer can branch into many different skills when leveling, but in general it is recommended to either focus on Minions or Wells. {{Skill|Well of Suffering}} and {{Skill|Well of Darkness}} are both very strong abilities which deal area damage while the various Minions provide additional defense by virtue of providing additional targets for enemies to hit.
 
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Early on, it may also be a good idea to unlock {{Skill|Signet of the Locust}} for increased movement speed.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
====Traits====
 
−
Spite, Blood Magic, and Soul Reaping are all excellent choices for Necromancer when leveling up, and each brings something different to the table. In general, Spite will offer higher DPS while Blood Magic brings higher defense and Soul Reaping provides a smoother flow to the class by making Life Force easier to get. For a generally-good option, pick Spite.
 
−
{{Specialization|Spite|top|mid|mid}}
 
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−
 
 
−
Additionally, if using Minions, Death Magic can provide a strong boost to defense.
 
−
{{Specialization|Death Magic|top|top|mid}}
 
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}}
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
===Ranger===
 
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{{Toggle
 
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| id = 14
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = Ranger is a strong, versatile class that brings a pet and can spec for group support, DPS, or even healing in the late game. It has naturally high armor, health, and damage which makes it an excellent starter class.
 
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−
 
 
−
====Pets====
 
−
Ranger's profession mechanic is its pet. This is not especially interactive, but it does provide the player with a second body which can be useful in many situations. Late-game, pets are often used for crowd control or "merged" with by the Soulbeast Elite Specialization for extra stats. Early game, they serve as useful allies that can provide boons, crowd control, or a cute screenshot.
 
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−
 
 
−
====Weapons====
 
−
Ranger's weapons are almost all good, and its hard to go wrong when choosing one. In general, offhand Dagger, offhand Torch, and Shortbow are more geared towards '''condition''' damage, which makes them a bit sub-par for leveling. Other options, like Greatsword, Longbow, and Axes are fantastic and it is encouraged to choose one you think is fun. Each weapon set has a trait that will modify how it functions, which can be a big deal when leveling up. In general, our default recommendation is to play with Axe/Axe + Longbow.
 
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−
 
 
−
====Skills====
 
−
Ranger has many excellent skills, but {{Skill|Frost Spirit}}, {{Skill|Storm Spirit}}, and {{Skill|Stone Spirit}} are especially good. {{Skill|Frost Trap}} is excellent for area damage and synergizes with {{Trait|Remorseless}} if it's taken. {{Skill|"We Heal As One!"}} is generally the best heal option, while {{Skill|"Strength of the Pack!"}} is a great elite for running around in open world. Other great skills include {{Skill|"Protect Me!"}}, {{Skill|Signet of Stone}}, and {{Skill|Signet of the Wild}}. Early on, it may also be good to run {{Skill|Signet of the Hunt}} for the increased movement speed.
 
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−
 
 
−
====Traits====
 
−
Ranger's traits are straightforward and typically work to either buff the ranger or their pet, or create interactions between the two. Beastmastery and Marksmanship are both excellent options to start off with, and Skirmishing or Wildnerness survival can be good later on for either increased damage or defense. For most setups, we recommend taking Marksmanship at first.
 
−
{{Specialization|Marksmanship|mid|mid|mid}}
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
* {{Trait|Remorseless}} can also be taken if you have {{Skill|Frost Trap}}. Use {{Skill|Barrage}} when on Longbow, and {{Skill|Frost Trap}} on other weapon sets to proc this trait.
 
−
}}
 
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−
===Revenant===
 
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{{Toggle
 
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| id = 15
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = Revenant is an exceptionally powerful class that can fill a multitude of roles end-game and outperforms almost anything else when solo. It grants itself almost every boon in the game and has some of the highest sustain possible. Revenant is also quite different from other classes in how it handles Skills, which will be covered in the next section.
 
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−
====Energy====
 
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Revenant's profession mechanic is "Energy". Its skills consume energy when used, and Energy must regenerate or be replenished to continue using skills. Skills will consume energy in two ways: Direct, or Upkeep. Skills that directly consume energy have a flat energy cost that is subtracted from the energy total. Skills that use Upkeep will subtract an amount from the Energy Total over time. Upkeep is managed by "Pips" just above the Revenants Energy bar. Five pips point right, indicating energy gain over time, and five pips point left, indicating energy lost. This means the maximum possible upkeep active at once is 10, or a drain of 5% Energy per second.
 
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−
 
 
−
Energy is replenished at a rate of 1% per pip active on the right side, or will be reset to exactly 50% on swapping Legends (or to 75% if {{Trait|Charged Mists}} is activated).
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
===Weapons===
 
−
Revenant's core weapons are generally great, but we recommend Sword/Sword as your primary damage set. Your second set can be Staff for its high crowd control or Hammer for a ranged option.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
====Skills====
 
−
Rather than unlocking individual skills, Revenant's skills are tied to its secondary profession mechanic, Legends. You unlock Legends in the same way you would unlock normal skill types, but you cannot mix skills form one Legend with another. This means that instead of mixing and matching several skills, you instead select from several "loadouts". This has upsides and downsides, but helps to simplify the options, at least.
 
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−
 
 
−
When selecting skills early on, it is recommended to go for {{Skill|Legendary Dwarf Stance}} and {{Skill|Legendary Assassin Stance}} as these are more geared towards Power damage. {{Skill|Vengeful Hammers}} and {{Skill|Impossible Odds}} add a lot of damage, and most of the Dwarf skills are very strong for defense.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
====Traits====
 
−
Devastation and Invocation are Revanant's strongest core traits for Power builds, and we generally recommend aiming for Devastation when first starting. This provides a large increase to damage and a huge amount of sustain.
 
−
{{Specialization|Devastation|mid|mid|bot}}
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
Later on, aim for Retribution for an increase to defense and damage.
 
−
}}
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
===Thief===
 
−
{{Toggle
 
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| id = 16
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = Thief is a strong solo class that specializes in damage, mobility, and utility. It has easy access to Stealth, and is the only class pre-80 that can consistently stealth around enemies to reach places that would normally require combat. It also has access to {{Skill|Infiltrator's Arrow}}, a potent mobility tool which is especially good before you get mounts.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
====Steal & Initiative====
 
−
Thief's profession mechanic is called Steal, and it's very straightforward. It is a 1200 range Shadowstep that will teleport you to your target. On reaching your target, it will grant you a second skill in the F2 slot which is based on the target's "Class". In PVE, this can be a bit unpredictable. The stolen skills are usually somewhat mediocre, but {{Tooltip|Detonate Plasma}} is very powerful.
 
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Several traits, especially in Trickery, will modify Steal to behave in different ways. When leveling, this mechanic is mostly useful as a way to gain boons, extra stealth, or as a teleport.
 
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Thief also has a secondary profession mechanic called Initiative. This mechanic means that Thief's weapon skills have no cooldowns; instead, they cost Initative. This point system allows a player to spam one skill for DPS, which has both pros and cons.
 
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====Weapons====
 
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Thief's core weapons are all relatively good options, and unlike other classes Thief's 3rd skill changes based on which two weapons are equipped (if using 1-handed weapons). These are called Dual Skills, and some of them are quite powerful.
 
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A few weapon sets to consider are Pistol + Pistol for {{Skill|Unload}}, Dagger + Pistol for {{Skill|Shadow Shot}} and {{Skill|Black Powder}}, Sword + Pistol for {{Skill|Pistol Whip}}, which is a long-duration evade (the tooltip is incorrect), or Dagger + Dagger for high damage via {{Skill|Cloak and Dagger}} {{to}} {{Skill|Backstab}}.
 
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As Thief's weapon skills have no cooldowns, it is often recommended to keep a Shortbow in the second slot for the mobility it provides.
 
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====Skills====
 
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Thief's skills are largely geared towards mobility, defense, or utility. {{Skill|Assassin's Signet}} and {{Skill|Signet of Agility}} are both excellent options when leveling. {{Skill|Smoke Screen}} can be used for stealth and defense, while {{Skill|Shadow Refuge}} provides even more stealth.
 
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For heal skills, {{Skill|Hide in Shadows}} and {{Skill|Signet of Malice}} are both recommended. For your elite, {{Skill|Thieves Guild}} is very strong.
 
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{{Skill|Signet of Shadows}} can be taken for even more movement speed.
 
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====Traits====
 
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It is hard to compete with Critical Strikes and Trickery while leveling on Thief. They offer high damage, high healing, and personal boon support which can make leveling a breeze. In particular, {{Trait|Signets of Power}} is a very strong trait if using signets while leveling.
 
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{{Specialization|Critical Strikes|mid|mid|bot}}
 
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* {{Trait|No Quarter}} can be taken for higher DPS at the cost of personal sustain
 
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Later on, aim for Deadly Arts for damage, Acrobatics for defense, or Shadow Arts for an increase to stealth duration.
 
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===Warrior===
 
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| id = 17
 
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| title = Click to Expand
 
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| content = Warrior is an easy-to-play, heavy armor class with high HP. It is very straightforward and this makes it ideal for new players, though it has a lack of active defense or sustain until late-game which can make it very reliant on the player's ability to dodge in very high pressure situations.
 
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====Burst Skills====
 
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Warrior's profession mechanic is its Burst. Its F1 skill will change based on the weapon that is currently equipped. These Burst skills are fueled by Adrenaline, indicated by a yellow bar to the left of the skill. As a core warrior, Adrenaline will build up in three stages, and using a Burst will consume each full bar of Adrenaline. The more bars of Adrenaline that are consumed, the higher damage the Burst skill deals.
 
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Adrenaline is gained from a variety of sources passively during combat, or occasionally actively through skills like {{Skill|"To the Limit!"}}.
 
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====Weapons====
 
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Warrior is a weaponmaster, and has access to a wide array of different weapon options. Rather than focusing on which weapons should be used, its often better to just focus on which to avoid. Longbow and Sword (both mainhand and offhand) are highly focused on Condition damage, and since Power is stronger when leveling it is generaly recommended to avoid these. Other than that, the rest are quite good and you are encouraged to experiment. We recommend Greatsword + Axe/Axe.
 
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====Skills====
 
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Warrior's Signets and Shouts are generally the best options to aim for at first, though Banners and Stances are also good. In particular, {{Skill|"For Great Justice!"}}, {{Skill|Signet of Might}}, and {{Skill|Signet of Fury}} will grant a massive boost to damage, while {{Skill|"Shake It Off!"}} and {{Skill|Dolyak Signet}} are great for extra defense. For your elite, {{Skill|Signet of Rage}} is excellent for building adrenaline. For healing, all options are strong. {{Skill|Mending}} will trigger {{Trait|Peak Performance}} if using it, while {{Skill|Healing Signet}} grants passive sustain and {{Skill|"To the Limit!"}} is good for Adrenaline generation. {{Skill|Defiant Stance}} can be used to counter high-pressure fights.
 
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====Traits====
 
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In general it is best to take Discipline first, as this traitline provides a smoother flow to the class, extra movement speed, and {{Tooltip|Quickness}}.
 
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{{Specialization|Discipline|mid|bot|mid}}
 
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Later, you can aim for Strength and Arms for more damage, Tactics for ally support and self-healing, or Defense for more defense.
 
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Revision as of 21:06, 4 February 2023

What is the Best Class in Guild Wars 2? This page will cover how each profession plays, both at a casual and a competitive level.

Guide last updated on: October 22, 2022

Elementalist

Elementalists are masters of the elements. They're capable of strong damage per second or healing per second depending on playstyle. Elementalists have access to more weapon skills than any other class, which makes them difficult to pick up but rewarding to master.

The Tempest Tempest elite specialization turns elementalists into resilient group supports. The Weaver Weaver elite specialization focuses more on damage and dueling and requires players to quickly chain different elements together. Catalyst Catalyst shines the brightest when it comes to AoE damage and boon sharing.

  • In open world and casual PvE, elementalists are good at wiping out large groups of enemies thanks to their AoE skills. With a dagger or sword, they're highly mobile and capable of quickly engaging or escaping from enemies. However, their low health pool makes mistakes punishing.
  • In fractals and raids, All elementalist specialisations can be built as glass cannon damage dealers, particularly Weaver and Catalyst. Tempest favours wide-area ranged cleave, while Weaver focuses on single-target DPS and Catalyst is somewhere in between. Both Tempest and Catalyst provide boon support, whether they are dealing damage or as healers. The nature of attunements makes all elementalist builds highly adaptable, able to change gears to weave between utility, healing and damage as the situation requires - which can be very effective in less structured content such as dungeons or fractals.
  • In large scale WvW, Weavers and Catalysts are ranged glass cannons that excel at AoE damage and field control, and Tempests are healers with unique aura buffs.
  • In PvP and small scale WvW, Tempests are powerful supports with high sustain, while Weaver focuses on single target burst with duelling and roaming potential. Catalysts bring lots of AoE pressure, high susain and group utility to the table, making them viable damage dealers in both small skirmishes and teamfights.

Play an elementalist if:

  • You like massive AoE skills with flashy effects.
  • You like complex classes with many different skills and rotations.
  • You like playing glass cannons, or
  • You like constantly healing and sustaining yourself and your allies.

See Elementalist Builds


Engineer

Engineers are jacks of all trades. They have more utility skills than any other class, regardless of role, which lets them find the right tool for any situation. While anyone can perform reasonably well on Engineer, the deeper you dive into Engineer's bag of tricks, the more rewarding you'll find playing Engineer to be.

The Scrapper Scrapper elite specialization turns engineers into tanky supports with strong damage mitigation. In contrast, the Holosmith Holosmith elite specialization is capable of high damage output and significant cleave. Meanwhile Mechanist Mechanist is well known for its low effort, high reward builds ranging from glass cannon to support (depending on the gamemode).

  • In open world and casual PvE, engineers are strong all-rounders thanks to their high damage and varied utility skills.
  • In fractals and raids, Power Holosmiths are relatively bursty DPS that inflict heavy crowd control and vulnerability. Condition Mechanist provides sustained damage, supported by their own mech, and has many options for tailoring the complexity of the build to suit your needs. Both Scrappers and Mechanist can be played as boon supports while also offering damage or healing, alongside defensive buffs for their party. Thanks to kits, engineers are one of the most versatile classes in the game, which makes them excellent for soloing content as there are few situations they can't handle.
  • In large scale WvW, Scrappers are supports with strong healing and condition cleanse. They have the unique ability to stealth the group or reveal stealthed enemies.
  • In PvP and small scale WvW, Mechanists are increasingly seen as the bane of lower brackets with their 1 button high damage Rifle builds, but they don't fare well against more experienced players. Holosmiths are versatile melee skirmishers that deal high damage, Scrappers are somewhere in the middle of those two but also less popular than either of them.

Play an engineer if:

  • You like blowing things up.
  • You're looking for a class that's easy to pick up (Rifle specs) but hard to master (any other build, really).
  • You like classes with lots of utility and niche skills.
  • You like cutting enemies down with flashy glowing lasers.
  • You want a friendly robot to command, or
  • You like being an unkillable hammer-wielding sustain machine.

See Engineer Builds


Guardian

Guardians excel at defensive support. Regardless of their role, they have good off-healing and numerous utility skills that shield their party members from attacks. Guardians are easy to pick up and solid in every game mode, making them a good class for new players.

The Dragonhunter Dragonhunter elite specialization turns guardians into skirmishers with mobility and burst damage. The Firebrand Firebrand elite specialization grants a plethora of support skills, and can be built for damage or healing. Willbender Willbenders are glass cannons with absurd amounts of mobility.

  • In open world and casual PvE, guardians deal high damage and are great at supporting other players. However, their low health pool means they have to stay on their toes and be aware of their defensive options to survive.
  • In fractals and raids, Dragonhunters are a strong DPS option in short fights, with high burst damage and the ability to provide a small amount of group support. Firebrands are useful as sustained DPS or as high-utility healers and boon supports. Willbenders are most comfortable playing as aggressive, mobile DPS builds - they are the most selfish of the guardian specialisation, but the strong utility set of guardian means that even they can support the group. Guardian offers the best defensive utilities in the game, enabling its support builds to adapt to each encounter to keep their team safe.
  • In large scale WvW, Firebrands are supports that bring the critical Stability Stability boon. Core guardian and Dragonhunter are very powerful selfish ranged DPS.
  • In sPvP, Core Guardians continue to be top tier supports or decent (but squishy) damage dealers. Dragonhunters are solid for both teamfights and duels, capable of dealing high damage and CC from range but are rather squishy when caught without CDs. Willbender is like Dragonhunter but pure melee, and they rely on mobility for sustain instead of blocks and Stealth Stealth. Firebrand doesn't exist.
  • In small scale WvW, every Guardian spec has at least one viable build but they all tend to follow the same formula, high damage but not enough sustain to survive a longer fight. Once their cooldowns run out it's game over, you either burst the target down by then or you lose. Dragonhunters have something of an edge here, as they can get Stealth Stealth from Rune of Superior Rune of the Trapper which is arguably the strongest thing a roamer can have. It lets them reposition, wait for CDs, or simply leave a lost fight safely.

Play a guardian if:

  • You like protecting your allies.
  • You like having a lot of defensive options.
  • You like being the supportive core of your team, or
  • You like jumping on enemies and bursting them down in seconds.

See Guardian Builds


Mesmer

More than any other class, Mesmers break the rules. They can teleport and stealth their party, become invulnerable, and rewind their ability cooldowns. Skilled mesmers are wanted in every group regardless of game mode, as they open up entire new strategies with the utility that only a mesmer can provide.

The Chronomancer Chronomancer elite specialization enhances the supportive capabilities of mesmers, allowing them to buff themselves and their party members - that's not to say they can't do high damage with the right build. The Mirage Mirage elite specialization focuses on clones, dueling, and damage. Virtuoso Virtuoso is all about ranged burst damage.

  • In open world and casual PvE, Mesmers can be difficult to get the hang of, but excel in the hands of an experienced player thanks to their utility and survivability.
  • In fractals and raids, Chronomancers are supports that provide powerful party-wide buffs and irreplaceable utility. Mirage is able to provide high damage and buffs with rotations that rely on maintaining clones and dodging frequently to unlock powerful ambush attacks. Virtuoso has a simple but flashy playstyle that also provides great DPS. The core mesmer toolkit includes a great variety of powerful abilities and can do things like combine portals, stealth and teleports to quickly move their teammates safely between locations.
  • In large scale WvW, Chronomancers are utility and CC supports. Though only used in small numbers the skills they can bring are irreplaceable
  • In sPvP, Mirages are extremely annoying assassins/duelists with high mobility and an even higher skill cap. These days Chronomancer is seen as a niche one trick spec with extremely high damage but very little (if any) sustain, making it a very rare sight. Virtuoso is struggling to find its place and continues to be the worst EoD spec.
  • In small scale WvW, Celestial Mirage and Virtuoso gets to shine. They are rather easy and forgiving specs to play with lots of sustain and high damage. Mirage has a couple of bursty, low sustain builds too but they are not quite as effective as Celestial and take way more skill. Chronomancer's even less popular than in sPvP as their lack of sustain shows even harder here.

Play a mesmer if:

  • You like using tricks and utility skills to outwit your opponents.
  • You like completely circumventing game mechanics.
  • You like being an indispensable support class, or
  • You like ambushing enemies and dancing out of their attacks.

See Mesmer Builds


Necromancer

Necromancers weaken their enemies and grind them down. They aren't the fastest or the cleanest, but they apply constant pressure to their enemies, forcing them to retreat and succumb. This slow grinding playstyle, combined with the necromancer's ability to cheat death, makes them relatively simple to play.

The Reaper Reaper elite specialization turns Necromancers into menacing juggernauts with a lot of survivability and melee damage. The Scourge Scourge elite specialization reduces the Necromancer's survivability in exchange for ranged damage, debuffs, and support. Harbinger Harbinger can buff allies through boons better than any other Necromancer spec without sacrificing their damage, but they do trade their second health bar for it as Harbinger Shroud doesn't absorb damage.

  • In open world and casual PvE, necromancers are one of the best classes for soloing thanks to their minions and self-sufficiency. They deal high damage while stubbornly refusing to die.
  • In fractals and raids, Reapers and Scourges deal low DPS but Reaper has excellent self-buffing and Scourge provides group-wide defences, making them good in inexperienced groups. Harbinger can fill a glass cannon DPS role, or can instead focus on buffing its team with elixirs. In raids they are all useful for the Epidemic skill which is excellent for clearing adds. Scourges can alternatively be played as supports that mitigate damage and revive teammates. While niche, condition-damage necromancers have multiple ways to throw conditions back at targets which can offer some fun options for condition-heavy encounters
  • In large scale WvW, Scourges are fragile but incredibly dangerous ranged damage dealers. Core Necromancers and Reapers are a durable damage dealers that can change between melee and ranged with a focus on boon removal for Core and melee for Reapers. All Necromancer builds often coordinate skills with the commander's calls to spike the enemy group.
  • In sPvP, Necromancer's core toolkit of strong condition spam and boon removal makes them a staple of almost every good team comp, they also work best with a support by their side. Core Necromancers and Harbingers dominate teamfights with their constant condition pressure and boon corruption. Reapers are extremely potent direct damage dealers but get shut down even easier than other Necro specs without a support. Scourge used to be a dominant support/hybrid spec and the king of reviving allies, but that was dozens of nerfs ago. Nowadays they don't see much play.
  • In small scale WvW, Necromancers play very similar builds to sPvP except they build for higher sustain to make up for the lack of a pocket healer. Their damage is scary and sustain is decent, but they are very weak to CC and their only mobility skills are long CD utilities which means without good CD management and creative use of terrain they are sitting ducks. Harbinger is something of an exception, their sustain is lower but mobility's better. While condition-based or Celestial Necromancers in general are somewhat tanky here, their healing options are rather limited, which means they lose health slowly but have a hard time getting it back. Reaper has great burst but the lowest sustain of all Necro specs, making them especially hard to play.

Play a Necromancer if:

  • You like being an unstoppable wave of death.
  • You like controlling the field and forcing your enemies to flee.
  • You enjoy transferring conditions around the battlefield.
  • You like both dealing damage and supporting your team, or
  • You like weakening your enemies and ripping their buffs away.

See Necromancer Builds


Ranger

Rangers are versatile skirmishers that team up with their pets to take on anything. They're the only profession that can seek out and charm creatures across the world. As their class mechanics are simple and they can fall back on their pet when they're having trouble, rangers are one of the easiest classes to learn.

The Druid Druid elite specialization focuses on group support, offering healing and powerful party-wide buffs. Meanwhile, the Soulbeast Soulbeast elite specialization allows rangers to merge with their pets to become tough damage dealers. Untamed Untamed are masters of their pets, gaining new options for micromanaging their every move, which also makes them harder to play than other Ranger specs.

  • In open world and casual PvE, rangers are among the easiest classes for soloing because of their good sustain and their pet mechanics. Rangers have more control over their pets than other minion classes, making the pet uniquely capable of drawing aggro and allowing the ranger to deal damage safely from a distance.
  • In fractals and raids, Druids are irreplaceable healers thanks to their utility and 10-player offensive buffs. Soulbeasts are also strong DPS with a simple learning curve. Untamed is probably the fastest-paced class in the game, capable of spamming CC and damage as long as your fingers are fast enough. Each of the wide range of pets offers a particular set of abilities that enable the ranger to fine-tune what they bring to each encounter.
  • In large scale WvW, rangers are rarely played, but Soulbeast can provide a unique "immobilizer" role in coordinated groups.
  • In PvP and small scale WvW, Rangers of every specialization make strong duelists. Core Ranger, Soulbeast and Untamed all have strong burst damage while Druid focuses more on longer fights with decent sustain and plenty of stealth (but it's also the weakest of the 4). Rangers are usually a "middle of the pack" kind of class - they are rarely competitive enough for high end tournaments, but have a strong and constant presence in ranked PvP and WvW roaming. Great class for loners who prefer to play solo and do well.

Play a ranger if:

  • You like pets.
  • You really like pets (Untamed).
  • You don't like pets (Soulbeast).
  • You like hunting dangerous enemies and winning through smart healing and positioning.
  • You like summoning spirits and buffing allies, or
  • You like crippling enemies with traps and barrages of arrows.

See Ranger Builds


Revenant

Revenants project force across the battlefield. With their personal auras and tactical area-of-effect skills, they build up themselves and their allies while raining destruction on their foes. Revenants can be difficult to play due to their energy management system, but they are rewarding for players who learn and master their intricacies.

The Herald Herald elite specialization focuses on defensive buffs and group support. The Renegade Renegade elite specialization has a mixture of defense and offense, providing AoE damage, lifesteal, and crowd control. Vindicator Vindicators bring both devastating AoE attacks and support to the table (depending on how you build them) but they only have 1 dodge.

  • In open world and casual PvE, revenants are slow and steady brawlers. They can generate their own boons and healing, making them strong when soloing.
  • In fractals and raids, Heralds and Renegades are sustained DPS that boost the damage of their allies. Renegades can also be built as healers with very strong, but short-range, offensive buffs and healing. Vindicator offers a unique playstyle centred around single, impactful dodge-attacks that provide damage or support in an area, and can be played as potent, if niche, healers. Revenants have access to some incredibly powerful abilities such as the strongest CC in the game, or the ability to provide permanent stability.
  • In large scale WvW, Heralds and Vindicators are ranged damage dealers with a focus on spike damage. Heralds also provide incredible boon support to their team while Vindicators offer a more selfish, personal DPS focused playstyle.
  • In PvP and small scale WvW, the Revenant class has a long history of being rather OP damage dealers when played right. Power Heralds are high on damage/mobility but there's very little room for mistakes when it comes to sustain, as most of their tools help with avoiding damage not recovering from it (except for Infuse Light). Renegades are more forgiving in terms of sustain while their burst damage is a bit lower but still dangerous. Vindicators are known for their medium damage combined with good sustain and group utility. Core Revenants don't really see play - while they aren't bad, they don't have their own niche and since Revenant is a Heart of Thorns class, Core Rev isn't even available for F2P players.

Play a revenant if:

  • You like flashy reality-tearing skill effects.
  • You like classes that are quirky but strong when played well.
  • You like summoning spectral weapons and calling in artillery strikes, or
  • You really, really, really like hitting people with hammers.

See Revenant Builds


Thief

Thieves are sneaky, slippery assassins. While their damage-dealing options are straightforward, they have the most mobility, evasive skills, and access to stealth of all the professions. This makes thieves easy to pick up but difficult to play to their full potential.

The Daredevil Daredevil elite specialization focuses on mobility and evading attacks. In contrast, the Deadeye Deadeye elite specialization sacrifices mobility for stealth and single-target burst. Specter Specter is perhaps the most forgiving iteration of Thief because they gain access to a Necromancer-like second health bar, and they offer players both good damage and group support.

  • In open world and casual PvE, thieves deal good damage and have the ability to sneak past enemies with their superior mobility and stealth. However, their low health pool makes quick reactions important against more difficult enemies.
  • In fractals and raids, Daredevil deals solid DPS with a simple rotation and in raids gains access to potent stolen skills, while Deadeye and Specter deal very high single-target damage, though Deadeye sacrifices mobility in order to do so. Specter can also provide good boon support and provides some passive group defence as well as being one of the only player-targeting supports in the game. All builds can reliably skip sections in fractals with teleports and stealth, which makes for useful out-of-combat utility.
  • In large scale WvW, Daredevils are slippery damage dealers that constantly evade attacks and bring incredible spike damage. They are rarely played at large numbers, but a strong choice from groups smaller than 30.
  • In PvP and small scale WvW, Thieves of all specializations make excellent roaming and ganking assassins. Daredevils specialize in melee combat with 3 dodge bars while Deadeyes are all about sniping key targets from range. They are what you'd expect: high burst damage, high mobility, very slippery but not very good at facetanking damage. Specter is a bit more tanky, the spec gets to enjoy the benefits of a second health bar and does well in both melee and range.

Play a thief if:

  • You like using stealth to run circles around your enemies.
  • You like outplaying enemies in PvP with a high skill cap class.
  • You like being able to avoid damage with well-timed evades, or
  • You like dealing massive damage and killing things out of nowhere.

See Thief Builds


Warrior

Warriors are sturdy melee fighters that their party members can rally around. While relatively simple to play, they have access to good damage and crowd control skills, and are useful in all game modes because of their unique offensive capabilities.

The Berserker Berserker elite specialization sacrifices personal defense to put out high sustained damage. The Spellbreaker Spellbreaker elite specialization is more methodical, and rewards well-timed counters and interrupts by preventing damage and turning it against attackers. Bladesworn Bladesworn has it all - high damage, sustain, mobility, and even support for the team.

  • In open world and casual PvE, warriors are both strong and easy to play thanks to their innate damage and durability.
  • In fractals and raids, banners allow warrior to fulfil a boon support roles without needing to be near the group at all times, making it very effective at handling other mechanics within an encounter. All specialisations can all fulfil this role depending on the fight, though Berserker or Bladesworn are preferable. Even as a pure DPS, Bladesworn is able to provide incidental boon support without sacrificing damage. Berserker is a straight-up brawler that can quickly cleave down nearby adds while being able to consistently CC targets without pause. Spellbreaker is a more defensive option that doesn't see much play, but can work as an aggressive tank that rips boons off its target.
  • In large scale WvW, Spellbreakers are durable supports with strong CC and boon removal. At smaller zerg sizes (<30), DPS Spellbreakers are both durable and incredibly high potential damage. Both builds bring the unique Winds of Disenchantment skill, which single-handedly defines fights by forcing engagements and retreats.
  • In PvP and small scale WvW, Warriors are duelists first and foremost. In sPvP, Bladesworn is a jack of all trades spec capable of performing well in almost any role due to their high damage/mobility/sustain/support, but in WvW roaming they don't scale well enough with the stats and are more in the middle of the pack. Core Warriors and Spellbreakers have very similar duelist builds and playstyles, usually some variant of a Power Greatsword build. They hit hard and are generally very mobile. Berserker has the highest damage and can be devastating if left unchecked - but most people know their sustain is subpar and pressure them out of existence before they could do anything, making them nearly extinct.

Play a warrior if:

  • You want to be a tough, mobile, brutal frontline fighter.
  • You like simple but rewarding classes with great gameplay flow.
  • You like setting yourself on fire and headbutting enemies.
  • You like calmly preparing for a single lethal strike, or
  • You like countering attacks and expertly interrupting your foes.

See Warrior Builds

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