Engineer - Core Power Engineer

The community gave this build a rating, making it second-tier: Good

Focused on: Strike damage

Designed for: Open World, Open World General and Open World Core

Difficulty:

Easy

This build was last updated on January 19, 2026 and is up to date for the December 09, 2025 patch.

Overview

A simple but strong power based engineer build for levelling or unlocking your first elite specialization. This build can hold its own in most open world situations and is very easy to play. It is somewhat tanky and has large amounts of crowd control, giving it permanent personal Quickness due to Equal and Opposite Reaction.

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Skill Bar

Rifle

Utility

Skill Variants

Healing Skills

The choice of heal skill is very open. We recommend Healing Turret as it is simple to use, provides very high healing, and cleanses 2 conditions when first deployed while creating a water field where you can detonate the turret to generate even more healing (See: Guide:What are Combo Fields). Always pick up the turret or detonate it, as it will provide more healing over time than the super weak regeneration that leaving the turret deployed provides.
Other options can be considered:

• Med Kit large heal with Bandage Self. The kit also has condition cleanse, extra heal plus a water field, and defensive boons.
• A.E.D. - helpful to negate a big attack or a oneshot, but poor healing if it doesn't, and has a helpful 2 second stun on the toolbelt skill Static Shock.

Utility Skills

Throw Mine is great for damage and crowd control, there's no need to ever replace it.
Bomb Kit requires a bit of skill to use to be constantly switching in and out of it, but provides good damage. Can be replaced if you hate Engineering Kits.
Grenade Kit requires a bit of skill to use to be constantly switching in and out of it, but provides good damage. Can be replaced if you hate Engineering Kits.
Other alternatives are:

• Elixir U - a good stun break and boon generation.
• Rocket Boots - for getting around faster. But provides no damage.
• Flamethrower - for tagging mobs in group events with Flame Jet.
• If you need extra crowd control (though Throw Mine already deals a lot) you can use Personal Battering Ram.
• Elixir C - massive condition removal and heals per existing boon.

Elite Skills

We recommend Supply Crate for its AoE stun and damage. Amazing except for its long cooldown. The toolbelt skill, Med Pack Drop, cleanses all conditons when first used and then leaves health packs in the area.

Equipment

Ascended gear is not required, exotic gear with the same stats will work.

Standard Equipment

Head
Berserker

Shoulders
Berserker

Chest
Berserker

Hands
Berserker

Legs
Berserker

Feet
Berserker

Backpiece
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Amulet
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Rifle
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Relic

If you are gearing this character from zero, start with exotic quality gear. Search the trading post for "Nika" armor. Then search for the weapons you want to use: "Exterminator" rifle. Upgrade to ascended gear as you progress. See also: Guide:How to Gear a Character.

• You can use Relic of Zakiros to trade a minor amount of damage for sustain, Relic of the Cavalier to start combat with boons, or Relic of Durability for a little extra defense.

Consumables

Budget consumables are acceptable for use in open world.

DPS

• Prioritize Steak Ascended food.
• /
• /

Farming

• Prioritize Steak Ascended food.
• /
• (and variants)

Usage

Damage

• Spam Throw Mine, Blunderbuss, Jump Shot, Grenade Barrage, and Orbital Strike.
  • When those are on cooldown, use Bomb Kit for all bombs and your Grenade Kit for Shrapnel Grenade and Poison Grenade.
• Inflicting crowd control gives you Quickness and Stability thanks to Equal and Opposite Reaction. Review your sources of crowd control.

Defense

• Most enemies will just die before they can attack you. They will also struggle to even come close to you thanks to all your crowd control.
• You have access to Stealth due to the smoke combo field from Smoke Bomb (engineer)
• Jump Shot can be used to get out of trouble.
• Remember to always dodge and sidestep attacks if possible. Don't get hit by anything you can move out of.
• Transmute converts conditions into boons when using your heal skill.
• Big Boomer and Compounding Chemicals provide some healing over time.
• Healing Turret heals and also cleanses 2 conditions. You can pick the turret up for a cooldown reduction, or detonate it 1 second after deploy to blast the water field for more healing.
  • Never leave your Healing Turret out: the healing you get from the passive regeneration is worse than if you detonate it / pick it up and put it down again.
• Regenerating Mist provides a small amount of healing and creates a water combo field that is automatically blasted for extra healing thanks to Blast Zone.

Crowd Control

• Overcharged Shot
• Throw Mine
• Supply Crate
• Big Ol' Bomb
• Magnetic Bomb