Holosmith - Celestial Elixir Holo Roamer

The community gave this build a rating, making it top-tier: Great

Focused on: Hybrid damage, Mobility and Sustain

Designed for: WvW Roaming

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Normal

This build was last updated on October 12, 2024 and is up to date for the October 8, 2024 patch.

Overview

A Celestial Holosmith build for WvW roaming built around elixirs, boon stacking and Burning. As far as Holo builds go, it's one of the more tanky ones while still dishing out respectable damage.

Skill Bar

Pistol/Shield

Utility

Skill Variants

Utility

Viable choices for the optional slot:

• Photon Wall - another block to use.

• Elixir R - endurance refill on low CD, has synergy with various offensive traits. The toolbelt skill is the strongest part of this, Toss Elixir R allows you to revive yourself if you'd lose a duel provided that you can drop it under your character at the right moment.

• Elixir C - if you're struggling against conditions a lot then this could solve your problem.

Weapons

• Sword - focuses more on the strike damage aspect of the build. Better burst damage, worse sustain and range. Also adds an extra leap finisher.

Elite

• Prime Light Beam - unblockable CC to set up burst.

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Specializations

Specialization Variants

Firearms over Explosives is also a viable option. While this makes your condi bursts a bit stronger, you lose the Fury (take Boiling Point on Alchemy to compensate) and Explosive Entrance procs to even it out. Your sustain's also going to be a bit weaker due to the loss of frequent Blind and barrier procs:

Equipment

Head
Celestial

Shoulders
Celestial

Chest
Ritualist

Hands
Celestial

Legs
Ritualist

Feet
Celestial

Backpiece
Celestial

Accessory
Celestial

Accessory
Celestial

Amulet
Viper

Ring
Viper

Ring
Celestial

Pistol
Celestial

Shield
Celestial

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Relic

Equipment Variants

Relics

• Relic of Vass - offensive option.

Stats

• You could still play full Celestial, it makes the build more forgiving, but it also trades a lot of offensive stats for defensive ones you already have enough of.

Consumables

Food

• - defensive option with Explosive Entrance, Relic of Rivers and Thermal Release Valve synergy.
  • - budget version.

• - defensive ascended choice with passive damage mitigation while also providing a decent amount of offensive stats.

Utility

Usage

Elite specialization basics

• Holosmith grants access to the Photon Forge (sometimes referred to as holo mode) and introduces a new resource: heat. Heat is generated passively while the forge is active and also by activating forge skills. Higher CD skills generate more heat.

• Reaching maximum heat (100) should be avoided as Overheating damages you and locks you out of the forge until heat goes back to 0.

• Engage Photon Forge is used to activate the forge, after which your weapon skills will be replaced by 5 new ones. You can't exit the forge for at least 6 seconds, so think twice before reentering with high heat levels. You can however manage heat levels by dodging, both in and out of holo mode.
• Both Engage Photon Forge and Disengage Photon Forge count as toolbelt skills and will work with related traits. Both skills can proc weapon swap sigils too.

General

• Relic-dependent Every elixir you use makes your next 3 attacks apply Poison thanks to Relic of Vass.
  • Your healing skill applies 6 stacks of Vass instead of 3.

• Vass works with toolbelt and kit elixirs too, giving the builds a constant stream of Poison applications.

• Your best burst skill is Photon Blitz. It does high damage and hits several times over its duration, making it ideal for unloading Vass stacks.

• Elixirs provide a steady stream of cleansing via Compounding Chemicals. There's also Sigil of Superior Sigil of Cleansing (which you can activate by entering/leaving holo mode or swapping in and out of kits) and the Super Elixir + Acid Bomb combo. You might need to be more careful against condition builds so make good use of your blocks, blinds and CC effects.