GvG Support Elementalist Builds

Introduction

Currently, Support Elementalist sees a lot of play in GvG. In fact, two of its elite specialisations are viable but fill slightly different roles: Tempest and Catalyst. The goal of this guide is to explain what the advantages and disadvantages of the two specs are. We will not discuss gear choices here, as they will generally impact both specs in a similar manner.

The Role of Elementalists

To start we should understand why we want to play elementalist in general. Elementalist sees play in GvG because it has access to several unique abilities. Firstly it has access to the best revive skill, with Glyph of Renewal . This revive skill is particularly powerful because it can be retargeted. It can also be used to port the downed player to the Elementalist's location or revive multiple downs at once. Secondly, it has access to auras and can share them with allies. These auras provide powerful effects and having access to them via an Elementalist is a big upside. Thirdly, Elementalists can provide a lot of cleanses so they fit into many comps. They can fill the support slot of a party replacing the likes of Druid or Scrapper. All of these three are mechanics of core elementalist, so they do not require any particular elite specialisation. However, they require some core elementalist traits. So far we want to bring the following trait setup:

In the Fire trait line we get access to Smothering Auras, which will be our main source of cleansing. In the Water trait line we get access to Powerful Aura, which allows us to share our auras with our group. This is key, as many of our traits will proc on aura application, for example Smothering Auras. On top of that, in Fire, Sunspot is a source of an aura, and will synergize with all the aura traits. Together with the Flame Expulsion from Pyromancer's Puissance, we will provide a very large amount of Might just by swapping in and out of Fire Attunement. And in Water, we also get access to Healing Ripple and Cleansing Wave. This means that we proc a very powerful healing skill every time we attune to Water. This is instant cast, so it can be used while stunned or while dodging. It heals for a large amount of health and cleanses as an AoE skill in a 240 radius. These core traits will be the cornerstone of our builds.

For our elite specialisation, we want to pick one that gives us access to a lot of aura application. This way we can make as much use of these class mechanics as possible. For this, two options come to mind: Tempest or Catalyst.

The Tempest Variant

The obvious choice is Tempest. Designed as a support spec, it is easy to see how Tempest´s toolkit will come in handy. It has access to a good amount of healing and a lot of aura applications. Combined with Smothering Auras, this gives us one of the best cleansing classes in the game, while also providing a decent amount of sustain, very good burst healing, and some boon application. Boonwise, Tempest provides a lot of Might, Alacrity, and Vigor. The general trait setup for Tempest is the following:

The trait Unstable Conduit will give us an aura every time we overload an attunement. This synergises with Lucid Singularity, which will pulse Alacrity while we are channeling an overload. The trait Invigorating Torrents is one of the rare sources of Vigor. Since we generate a lot of auras, this will permanently supply our party with this boon. By playing Tempest, we also get access to Shout skills, which are very powerful support skills. Most notably, "Wash the Pain Away!" is a very powerful AoE burst heal and "Aftershock!" is one of the strongest Elementalist utilities in general as it is doing many things at once.

The Catalyst Variant

The less obvious choice is Catalyst. This was not designed as a support spec, and it does not have any useful utility choices for us. However, the Jade Sphere that we gain access to can be traited to be the best source of boons in the game. For this, we want to use the general trait setup:

The trait Spectacular Sphere makes it so that our sphere now applies two boons instead of one. The combinations of boons that we get access to is most notably Quickness and Fury from the Deploy Jade Sphere (Air) and Protection and Resistance from the Deploy Jade Sphere (Earth). Sphere Specialist will give these boons extra duration and Energized Elements will help us with gaining enough energy to drop our spheres. The minor trait Elemental Epitome will be our main source of auras, so that we can still use all the aura synergies just as before. While this build will not provide any meaningful amount of healing, it currently is the best boon source in the game. We provide large quantities of Might, Fury and Quickness, covering the most powerful offensive boons. We also provide Protection and Resistance as a ranged instant cast ability, which will be incredibly useful when supporting players from range. If we make proper use of Elemental Epitome, we will also have at least as many auras as Tempest, if not more. If we use Deploy Jade Sphere (Water), we can also gain some access to Vigor on Catalyst.

Conclusion

Both options, Tempest and Catalyst, give us access to Glyph of Renewal, a large amount of cleanses and the elemental auras.

Tempest will give us a good amount of healing and large amounts of Might, Alacrity and Vigor.

Catalyst will not give much healing, but will provide large amounts of Might, Fury, Quickness as well as Protection and Resistance. It should also be noted, that Catalyst is harder to play than Tempest, especially for beginners.

Tempest		Catalyst
Yes	Glyph of Renewal	Yes
High	Cleanses	High
High	Healing	Low
High	Auras	Very High
Might, Alacrity	Offensive Boons	Might, Fury, Quickness
Vigor	Defensive Boons	Protection, Resistance, ( Vigor)

Currently Viable Tempest Builds

For Tempest, the best option currently is the following build:

D/F Alac Tempest

Head
Minstrel

Shoulders
Minstrel

Chest
Minstrel

Hands
Minstrel

Legs
Minstrel

Feet
Minstrel

Backpiece
Minstrel

Accessory
Minstrel

Accessory
Minstrel

Amulet
Minstrel

Ring
Minstrel

Ring
Minstrel

Dagger
Minstrel

Focus
Minstrel

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

D/D Heal Tempest

If Alacrity is not needed (this is barely ever the case), the following adjustments can be made instead for higher healing output:

Head
Minstrel

Shoulders
Minstrel

Chest
Minstrel

Hands
Minstrel

Legs
Minstrel

Feet
Minstrel

Backpiece
Minstrel

Accessory
Minstrel

Accessory
Minstrel

Amulet
Minstrel

Ring
Minstrel

Ring
Minstrel

Dagger
Minstrel

Dagger
Minstrel

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Currently Viable Catalyst Builds

For Catalyst, currently following traits are best:

Staff // Dagger/Dagger Boon Catalyst

For weapon choices, we can choose between Dagger/Dagger and Staff. Dagger/Dagger provides a decent amount of burst healing from spamming Transmute Frost, which can be very useful. It also has better access to Shocking Aura than Staff. On the other hand, Staff has access to Stability from Transmute Earth and great ranged CC from Static Field and Unsteady Ground as well as other useful utility. Staff is also easier to play than Dagger/Dagger.

Head
Minstrel

Shoulders
Minstrel

Chest
Minstrel

Hands
Minstrel

Legs
Minstrel

Feet
Minstrel

Backpiece
Minstrel

Accessory
Minstrel

Accessory
Minstrel

Amulet
Minstrel

Ring
Minstrel

Ring
Minstrel

Staff
Minstrel

Sigil

Sigil

Dagger
Minstrel

Dagger
Minstrel

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

• Nomad stats on the helmet.