Holosmith - Holorifle

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Overview

A WvW build utilising the power potential of the Holosmith in a smallscale roaming setting.

Skillbar

RifleHealingUtilityElite

Template Code

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Specializations

Equipment

6x

Superior Rune of Durability

18x

Mighty WvW Infusion

Consumables

Food

- - budget version

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, or by activating forge skills. Higher CD skills generally 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. The best tool for heat management is dodge rolling, which vents 15 heat per roll via and does some moderate AoE damage.

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 5 seconds, so be careful about reentering with high heat levels.
- 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.

Forge skills

This is where most of the damage comes from

Although the auto attack chain got significant nerfs in March 2018, it can still do considerable cleave damage especially with Quickness.

will be used to maintain permanent Swiftness and Vigor (through ), keep using this skill out of combat as well but don't build too much heat (manage with dodges accordingly). Holo Leap also does considerable damage while in combat. Keep in mind that this is a Leap Finisher, so always try to combo it with a Water Field for healing.

tends to be the first skill Holosmiths use in combat right after entering holo mode. This is a two-parter that also stacks Might. The second strike goes off after a delay, making it ideal to combo with other skills for burst damage. Try to squeeze in 2 Corona Bursts before exiting the form.
- The more targets you hit with this skill, the more barrier you get from which is important for your sustain. Against enemies like Rangers with pets or Mesmers with clones, aim to maximize targets hit by this.

can be useful for reaching targets trying to escape, otherwise it should only be used if you can make sure that all of its projectiles are going to land (for example if the target is CC'd).

is an excellent AoE CC and also a Blast Finisher. You can also fake cast it by stowing your weapon right after activation in order to bait enemy dodges.

General

The only sources of cleansing in the build are , , and .

- Against condition burst 's immunity can bail you out.

is a mobility skill with few combat applciations. Feel free to use it if you wish to cut down on travel time, need to chase down someone, or if you're on low HP and have to disengage in a blink of an eye.

Toolbelt skills grant Vigor, and you deal 10% increased damage while affected by this boon.

's self-knockback can be prevented via building Stability with .

, and can CC people long enough to set up a burst.

Enable skill retargetting (under general options, combat/movement section). This lets you cast facing target A, potentially bait out a dodge, then switch over to target B just before the skill goes off and hit that target. Alternatively, just stow your weapon if the target dodges in order to not send the skill on full CD.

A few burst combo examples:
- Corona Burst ⇒ Overcharged Shot ⇒ Jump Shot ⇒ Blunderbuss
- Corona Burst ⇒ Holographic Shockwave ⇒ dodge to vent heat ⇒ Holo Leap