Virtuoso - Condition Signet Virtuoso

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

Focused on: Condition damage, Control and Sustain

Designed for: PvP Conquest

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Easy

This build was last updated on October 27, 2024 and is up to date for the October 8, 2024 patch.

Overview

A condition Virtuoso duelist build for PvP with great sustain. Meant to win 1v1s and other smaller skirmishes over time by outlasting its opponent in a battle of attrition.

Skill Bar

Staff

Scepter/Shield

Utility

Skill Variants

Elite

• Time Warp - sometimes the signet can be hard to utilize on a condi build especially in 1v1s (you don't always have the damage to finish off the target on your own before the Moa form runs out). Time Warp is much easier to get value from but the signet could potentially be more game changing if used right.

• Mass Invisibility - low CD escape tool (for an elite) that could also help you and your allies get around the map undeetcted or get the jump on the enemy team.

Weapons

Shield requires the Secrets of the Obscure expansion, if you don't have it then your options are:

• Torch - defensive weapon with condi cleanse, stealth and a delayed AoE CC.

• Pistol - better damage and a quick stun that could be used to set up burst.

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Specializations

Variants

• Sympathetic Visage adds more cleansing to the build at the expense of group utility. It's slightly better in 1v1s but above that the loss of rez power could sometimes cost you fights.

Equipment

Staff

Sigil

Sigil

Scepter

Shield

Sigil

Sigil

Rune

Amulet

Relic

Equipment Variants

Runes

If you don't mind sacrificing some mobility, you could replace Lynx with one of the following runes:

• Rune of Dolyak - more tanky option.

• Rune of Necromancer - higher damage.

Sigils

• Sigil of Cleansing - could replace Doom and Confusion sigils if you need more defense against conditions.

• Sigil of Doom over Confusion - if you prefer extra healing reduction and better condition variety to longer burst duration.

Usage

Elite specialization basics

• Shatters are replaced by Bladesongs (we're still going to refer to these as shatters).

• Instead of generating clones in combat you now stack Blades and Blades persist even after combat. The maximum count is 5 instead of 3.

• Bladesongs are a bit more clunky than regular shatters. They require you to face the target to activate and have a cast time, therefore cannot be used defensively while stunned.

General

• Role: look for 1v1s and smaller skirmishes, your damage isn't enough to be relevant in teamfights.

• Blink is a very simple yet versatile skill allowing you to chase enemies, retreat to the safety of the highghround, break stuns, or get around the map faster.

• When you can't count on your team to assist with a kill, Signet of Humility's more about securing a kill on an already pressured target rather than setting it up. The Moa doesn't last long and the Moa'd player has access to a few defensive/mobility skills to avoid your followup attacks if played well. This however is still great for denying low HP enemies access to their heals and cleanses inbetween two bursts.

• Signet of Illusions is perhaps the most versatile skill in the build. While the passive is nice, its best part is the active - refreshing shatters is useful in just about any situation whether you need burst damage, CC or even the sustain of F4-5. Activating the signet itself also grants 1 second of Distortion via Blurred Inscriptions.

Mobility

• Use Phase Retreat for mobility while roaming between capture points or chasing after targets. PR teleports you in the opposite direction of where you're facing, so in order to teleport "forward" simply turn around and use it then turn back. We recommend that you set up a bind for about face to do this in a fluid manner (Options ⇒ Control Options ⇒ Movement).
  • About face ⇒ Phase Retreat ⇒ about face is the rotation.
  • Make sure that you don't have an enemy targeted when doing this!

Sustain

• For Virtuoso the best defense is a good offense. Bladesongs/Shatters are crucial for sustain.

• Shatter skills grant Aegis from Bladeturn Refrain while blocking an attack procs Duelist's Reversal and Psychic Riposte, applying boons and generating 3 Blades. This is the important part.

• Stocking a Blade heals you from the passive of Signet of the Ether, while using a shatter skills heals you via Restorative Illusions and even removes a condition.

• Try not to use the active of Signet of the Ether unless you're in serious trouble as the passive is way too valuable.

• Every Signet skill grants Distortion. Signet of Midnight is your panic button: breaks stuns, applies Stealth + Distortion and cleanses 5 conditions thanks to Blurred Inscriptions. SoM is the only mass condition cleanse in the build, keep that in mind when facing condition specs. Correcting mistakes or recovering from bursts becomes harder while this is on CD.

• Bladeturn Requiem acts as an instant cleanse and source of Aegis, plus the multiple hits could rip Aegis from enemies and get rid of Blind in you so that your more important skills can connect. Aside from that it doesn't do much, it's by far your weakest shatter.

• If taken Blade Renewal is your time-out, protecting you from both strike damage and condition bursts while also stocking Blades (and that has further synergy with the Signet heal).

• The build has plenty of ways to deal with conditions:
  • Weapon swapping removes a condition via Sigil of Cleansing.
  • Signet of Midnight is your mass cleanse, removing a total of 5 conditions with Blurred Inscriptions.
  • Mender's Purity removes another one when you use your healing skill.
  • Last but not least, The Prestige is another source of cleansing when playing with Torch.

• Chaos Armor can be used even while stunned, blinding nearby enemies and giving you a chance to gain Protection whens struck.

• Same goes for Phase Retreat, you could use it to get out of harm's way even while stunned.

• Echo of Memory needs to block an attack otherwise its chain skill (a copy of this skill) won't become available. Make sure that this happens even if your opponent is trying to play around it by briefly moving into hostile AoE fields or using the Echo of Memory right in the middle of an enemy's attack animation so they can't cancel in time.

Damage

• Every shatter inflicts Torment via Maim the Disillusioned.

• Try to use shatters with 4-5 Blades stocked if possible for maximum effect.

• Bladesong Sorrow is your main burst skill.

• Bladesong Harmony is burst skill #2 but also more of a filler for dumping your Blades.

• As for weapon skills Scepter/Torch is the primary damaging set in the build. Illusionary Counter is a block with Blade generation that has nice synergy with all the other block related traits, you can always follow up here with a shatter.

• Confusing Images is best used after blocking so you can have Fury and Quickness for its entire duration.

Related Builds

• Virtuoso - Celestial Roamer - WvW version of the build.

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