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Virtuoso - DPS Virt

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

Focused on: Boon removal and Strike damage

Designed for: WvW Zerg

Expansions required: Heart of Thorns buildsEnd of Dragons buildsSecrets of the Obscure builds

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

Overview

A high spike damage power build that uses the combination of Bladesong Harmony and Psychic Riposte to effectively spike targets in zerg fights. Shattered Concentration allows it to also bring strong boon removal since it procs on each blade of Bladesong Harmony.


Skill Bar

Greatsword
Sword/Shield
Utility


Variants

Weapons
  • Shield Focus for Temporal Curtain
Utilities
  • Rain of Swords
  • Veil
  • Illusion of Life

Sword of Decimation should be the first utility swapped out if any changes are made

Elite
  • Mass Invisibility
  • Signet of Humility


Template Code

[&DQcKJRglQhUjDwAAhQEAAGoBAADqGgAAvAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA=]
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Specializations


Variants


Equipment

Head
Dragon
Shoulders
Marauder
Chest
Marauder
Hands
Marauder
Legs
Dragon
Feet
Marauder
Backpiece
Dragon
Accessory
Dragon
Accessory
Dragon
Amulet
Dragon
Ring
Dragon
Ring
Dragon
Greatsword
Marauder
Sigil
Sigil
Sword
Marauder
Shield
Marauder
Sigil
Sigil
Rune
x6
Infusion
x18
Relic


Equipment Variants

Relics
  • Relic of Speed
  • Relic of Isgarren
  • Relic of Evasion


Consumables


Variants

Gear


Usage

General

  • Bladesong Harmony and Bladesong Sorrow only require you to face the target to start the cast, you can turn immediately after


Overall Priorities

High
  • Damage
Moderate
  • Boon Removal
Low
  • Boon Application


Surviving

  • This build has moderate passive defense
  • This build has low mobility skill access
  • This build has high active defenses
Active defense priority Toggle
  • Mantra of Concentration - for Stunbreaking
  • Dodge
  • Distortion


Detailed Explanations

Damage

  • Most of your burst damage comes from Bladesong Harmony, use it as frequently as possible with as many blades as possible
    • Make sure to have Psychic Riposte procced before casting
    • Try to target enemies in the middle or back of the enemy group to take advantage of the piercing effect on Bladesong Harmony
  • Your main source of blades is Psychic Riposte, this means that sometimes you need to move into damage to avoid it and proc the trait
    • Aegis will proc Psychic Riposte so being in party with a Firebrand is very important for Virtuoso
  • Bladesong Sorrow is only 9% less damage than Bladesong Harmony, cast it whenever it won't interfere with casting Bladesong Harmony
  • Try to combine Mind Stab with Mirror Blade and Bladesong Harmony to increase your burst damage
  • Signet of the Ether should be considered a DPS cooldown more than a heal, use it to reset Phantasmal Berserker
  • Use Sword of Decimation when your group calls for a spike
    • Winds - Winds of Disenchantment
    • Wells - Well of Corruption+Well of Suffering
    • Shades - Desert Shroud
    • Traps - Procession of Blades+Test of Faith


Boon Removal

  • A large part of your boon removal comes from proccing Shattered Concentration
    • Use Bladesong Sorrow whenever you have spare blades and can do so without deprioritizing Bladesong Harmony
      • Don't wait for 5 blades for Bladesong Sorrow, even 3 blades from a proc of Psychic Riposte is fine
    • Use Bladesong Dissonance with 1 blade stocked since its number of hits doesn't scale with the number of blades used
  • Land Null Field just before your groups spike when possible
    • Try to place it so one edge is on the enemy group and the other edge is in the direction they are moving
    • If possible, hit allies as well as enemies with Null Field, but prioritize enemies


Boon Application

  • Use Mantra of Concentration to cover Stability Stability when there is downtime on a push
    • Make sure to recharge Mantra of Concentration as soon as possible if you expend the charges
  • Use Time Warp when groups clash. Prioritize your own group for Quickness Quickness and Superspeed Superspeed


Ratings

This build has a rating of 5 stars based on 4 votes.
Log in or register to rate this build.
5 stars
Soldier198 gave this build 5 stars • July 2023
This is a difficult build to play and requires much more awareness of positioning than other ranged dps builds but the results are incredibly good if played well. Power virtuoso is capable of inflicting massive spike damage and boon stripping and can opt to bring some of the powerful utility skills inherent to the mesmer profession (veil, portal). With a high skill level, this build can notably outperform a scourge in both strips and damage. Unforunately, I do not think most players will be able to achieve such a performance level with the build. Nonetheless, I rate it 5/5 because it truly is that good in skilled hands.
5 stars
Nwx gave this build 5 stars • July 2023
Really cool build. Making so your phantasmas now are summoned with the distortion is a game changer that finally allows you to utilize one of the Mesmer's main mechanic in zergs.
4 stars
Tyroxin gave this build 4 stars • July 2023
Snatches a DPS role that would previously be filled by Thief, dishing out sudden damage spikes. Doing so at range allows it to be much more forgiving for usage in public groups. Its action, including strips, are mostly projectile based though, and therefore not of unlimited effectivity. Could be compared to old Scourge, but I don't see it replacing Scourges en masse yet; however still a viable replacement for non-maxing groups.
5 stars
Julian gave this build 5 stars • June 2023
Superior strips to scourge, with DPS comparable to a staff weaver, and with single target spike capability comparable to gunflame. Very solid build, and most cases just a numerically superior scourge.

Comments

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