Holosmith - Holorifle
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Note: Please note that builds will default to plain icons, these may not be as accurate. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Overview
A WvW build utilising the power potential of the Holosmith in a smallscale roaming setting.
Skillbar
Traits
Variants
- makes it harder to maintain
Vigor but potentially offers better sustain.
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 either a Light Field for
Light Aura or a Water Field for healing. - will be the only source of
Stability in the build and an important source of 
Might, granting up to 5 stacks per use. There's a second attack too which goes off after a short delay. This should be the first skill you use after entering holo mode. - won't be used much, but it's not a bad followup skill for Holographic Shockwave.
- 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.
- If you want access to more frequent cleansing, consider picking up the turret instead of detonating it, you'll lose a bit of healing in exchange for 25% CD reduction.
- Both and its toolbelt skillare Water Fields.
- will be a significant boost to your damage.will be the most frequently used trigger for it, combo it with any other hard hitting skill for burst damage.
- Every utility skill's toolbelt skill will fire the projectile right at your target, but the other 2 skills are much less reliable.
- Toolbelt skills grant Vigor, and you deal 10% increased damage while affected by this boon.
- After using 5 toolbelt skills will activate.
- can be used offensively especially above 50 heat. Standing in melee range all 3 parts ofcan hit the same target.
- knocks you back upon activation. To negate this you can try building Stability through
Corona Burst before using the skill. - 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.
- ,andcan CC people long enough to set up a burst.
Pretty solid roaming build, it shines against bad players, enter photon forge holo3 plus holo5 plus autoattacks will destroy any profession without passives.
Against good players you have to time well photon forge skills and know how to cancel them, especially against spellbreaker's full counter or really good thieves.
If you don't run rifle turret for a pure static discharge build, using Lesser Utility Goggles is by far a better choice.
If you do so, drop Rifle and use Pistol/Shield with Cleansing and Energy sigils, you will lose damage, but gain nice utilities and sustain abilities.
Healing Turret->Overcharge it->Shield4 (blast)->Holo2(leap) will heal you for a lot if you are fast enough before the water field disappear.
Shield5 is quite a powerful skill which can block and stun even mesmer sword2 and revenant sword3 if they hit you while you are blocking.
If you face too many condi players especially against good scourges you can consider to swap Photon Wall for Elixir C mass condi cleanse and cleanse on toolbelt.
In this meta Passive and Active Elixir S are just mandatory, and the stealth comes in handy more times than you think.
One cool trick is to bait the elite Prime Light Beam a lot cancelling it making the enemy waste dodges.
Then you go stealth and cast it while in stealth to surprise your enemy. This tactic shines against warriors and spellbreakers after you procced both endure pain and they use shield5, you go stealth a