Difference between revisions of "Catalyst - Staff Backline"

Latest revision as of 13:21, 12 May 2024

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

Focused on: Strike damage, Utility and Crowd control

Designed for: WvW Zerg

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Normal

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

Overview

A backline zerg WvW DPS build for Elementalist providing damage, CC and field support. Requires a precise usage of skills and positioning to survive.

Skill Bar

Staff

Utility

Variants

Heal

Arcane Brilliance extra combo finisher, if needed for Elemental Empowerment

Template Code

[&DQYfHikbQyd1AAAAkAAAAL4BAAD4GgAAlwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA=]

Copy Template Code

Specializations

Variants

Energized Elements if Elemental Empowerment can be maintained
Evasive Empowerment only if you can't reach 10 stacks of Elemental Empowerment

Equipment

Head
Marauder

Shoulders
Marauder

Chest
Marauder

Hands
Marauder

Legs
Marauder

Feet
Marauder

Backpiece
Marauder

Accessory
Marauder

Amulet
Dragon

Ring
Dragon

Ring
Marauder

Staff
Marauder

Sigil

Staff
Marauder

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Relic

Equipment Variants

Relics

Relic of Speed
Relic of the Thief

Consumables

- personal option

Usage

General

As soon as you get 25 stacks of Sigil of Superior Sigil of Bloodlust and get out of combat, swap back to the Staff without a stacking sigil
You are much stronger with full stacks of Elemental Empowerment and Empowering Auras
- Make sure to use Frozen Ground on yourself to help maintain stacks
Staff Catalyst uses an attunement rotation for maximum burst damage
- You are not locked into this rotation, while it is optimal for DPS, change the order based on your needs:
  - Water Attunement - healing and cleanse
  - Air Attunement - CC, Immobilize clear, single target damage
  - Earth Attunement - CC, projectile reflect

Attunement rotation

Fire Attunement
Earth Attunement
Water Attunement
Air Attunement
Repeat from step 1

Priorities

High

Meteor Shower

Moderate

Sustained damage
CC

Low

Support

Surviving

This build has low passive defense
This build has moderate mobility skill access
- An About Face keybind can be useful for Burning Retreat
- Avoid using Lightning Flash for mobility unless nessecary to survive
This build has moderate active defenses
- Save Soothing Water for removing Immobilize, Chill or Weakness

Active defense priority

Windborne Speed - for Immobilize
Magnetic Aura - for projectiles
Dodge
Burning Retreat
Lightning Flash
Soothing Water

Detailed Explanations

Meteor Shower

Place Meteor Shower where the enemy group is moving to, not where they are when you begin the cast
Activate Relentless Fire after casting Meteor Shower
Use Elemental Celerity to reset the cooldown of Meteor Shower and Lava Font after your first cast
There are two ways to move during the cast of Meteor Shower:
- Cast Meteor Shower immediately after casting Burning Retreat and the Meteor Shower will be queued to cast at the target location after the rollback ends
- Use Lightning Flash after you start casting it

Sustained damage

When using ground AoEs like Lava Font, place them so that one edge is on the enemy group and the other edge is in the direction they are moving to
Your 2 skills (Eruption/Ice Spike)/Lightning Surge) have very long delays or cast times
- Predict the enemies movement, as with Meteor Shower
- If you rotate quickly enough from Earth Attunement ⇒ Water Attunement ⇒ Air Attunement you can have all three skills land at the same place and time for burst damage. Sync them up as much as possible
Use Glyph of Storms in Fire Attunement if you expect the fight to last at least 25 seconds
- Otherwise Air Attunement has more damage but with a much longer cooldown

Skill priority

Meteor Shower
Lava Font
Glyph of Storms
Lightning Surge/Eruption/Ice Spike
Autoattacks

CC

Your three ground CCs are Static Field, Unsteady Ground and Frozen Ground, in order of strength
- Frozen Ground should normally be saved to give yourself and allies Frost Aura instead of being used as a CC
Drop your target when casting Shock Wave to make it easier to aim, don't cast it into projectile reflect
You shouldn't interrupt your rotation to try and CC, instead just use whichever CC you have available for the attunements you're in
Use your CC when:
- Your group calls a spike:
  - Winds - Winds of Disenchantment
  - Wells - Well of Corruption+Well of Suffering
  - Shades - Desert Shroud
  - Traps - Procession of Blades+Test of Faith
- On top of enemy downs (while alive players are on top of them)
- Enemy groups moving defensively while your group is pushing

Support

Focus on using Windborne Speed when your group is pushing or disengaging from the enemy
Cast Healing Rain on clashes, targeting the ground AoE so that one edge is on your group and the other edge is where they are moving to
If a player in your party is going to die because of Immobilize, save them with Windborne Speed
Cast Geyser where your team is regrouping
Use Frozen Ground on your group before pushes to give Frost Aura
Use your Jade Sphere in Air Attunement, on your group, for Quickness

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{SEO|description=A backline zerg WvW DPS build for Elementalist providing damage, CC and field support. Requires a precise usage of skills and positioning to survive.}}
 {{Build
 | profession = elementalist
@@ Line 5: / Line 4: @@
 | designed for = wvw zerg
 | focus = strike damage, utility, crowd control
-| rating = test
+| rating = good
 | xpac = hot, eod
+| difficulty = 2
 }}
@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 |utility2 = Relentless Fire
 |utility3 = Glyph of Storms
-|elite = Conjure Fiery Greatsword
+|elite = Elemental Celerity
 }}
-;Variants
-* {{Skill|Elemental Celerity}}
+===Variants===
+;Heal
+* {{Skill|Arcane Brilliance}} extra combo finisher, if needed for {{Trait|Elemental Empowerment}}
@@ Line 39: / Line 41: @@
 ==Specializations==
-{{Specialization|Fire|mid|bot|top}}
+{{Specialization|Fire|bot|bot|top}}
 {{Specialization|Air|bot|mid|top}}
-{{Specialization|Catalyst|bot|top|mid}}
+{{Specialization|Catalyst|mid|top|mid}}
 ;Variants
-* {{Trait|Staunch Auras}} only if you can't reach 10 stacks of {{Trait|Elemental Empowerment}}
+* {{Trait|Energized Elements}} if {{Trait|Elemental Empowerment}} can be maintained
+* {{Trait|Evasive Empowerment}} only if you can't reach 10 stacks of {{Trait|Elemental Empowerment}}
@@ Line 52: / Line 55: @@
 | rune = Superior Rune of the Scholar
 | rune-qt = 6
+| relic = Relic of Fireworks
 | weapon1 = Staff
 | weapon2 =
@@ Line 58: / Line 62: @@
 | weapon3 = Staff
 | weapon4 =
-| sigil3 = Superior Sigil of Force
+| sigil3 = Superior Sigil of Bloodlust
-| sigil4 = Superior Sigil of Bloodlust
+| sigil4 = Superior Sigil of Energy
 | infusion1 = Mighty WvW Infusion
 | infusion1-qt = 18
-| backpiece =  Dragon
+| amulet =  Dragon
+| ring1 = Dragon
 }}
+===Equipment Variants===
+;Relics
+* {{Relic|Relic of Speed}}
+* {{Relic|Relic of the Thief}}
@@ Line 75: / Line 86: @@
 ===General===
 * As soon as you get 25 stacks of {{Sigil|Superior Sigil of Bloodlust}} and get out of combat, swap back to the Staff without a stacking sigil
-* You are much stronger with full stacks of {{Trait|Elemental Empowerment}} and {{Trait|Empowering Auras}}, if possible get tempest in your party
+* You are much stronger with full stacks of {{Trait|Elemental Empowerment}} and {{Trait|Empowering Auras}}
+** Make sure to use {{Skill|Frozen Ground}} on yourself to help maintain stacks
 * Staff Catalyst uses an attunement rotation for maximum burst damage
 ** You are not locked into this rotation, while it is optimal for DPS, change the order based on your needs:
@@ Line 82: / Line 94: @@
 *** {{Skill|Earth Attunement}} - CC, projectile reflect
-{{Collapsible
+{{Collapse start|Attunement rotation}}
-|width=85
-|;Attunement rotation
-|
 # {{Skill|Fire Attunement}}
 # {{Skill|Earth Attunement}}
@@ Line 91: / Line 100: @@
 # {{Skill|Air Attunement}}
 # Repeat from step 1
-}}
+{{Collapse end}}
@@ Line 97: / Line 106: @@
 ;High
 * {{Skill|Meteor Shower}}
-* {{Skill|Conjure Fiery Greatsword}}
 ;Moderate
@@ Line 112: / Line 120: @@
 ** An '''About Face''' keybind can be useful for {{Skill|Burning Retreat}}
 ** Avoid using {{Skill|Lightning Flash}} for mobility unless nessecary to survive
-* This builds has moderate active defenses
+* This build has moderate active defenses
 ** Save {{Skill|Soothing Water}} for removing {{Tooltip|Immobilize}}, {{Tooltip|Chill}} or {{Tooltip|Weakness}}
-{{Collapsible
+{{Collapse start|Active defense priority}}
-|width=85
-|;Active defense priority
-|
 * {{Skill|Windborne Speed}} - for {{Tooltip|Immobilize}}
 * {{Skill|Magnetic Aura}} - for projectiles
+* '''Dodge'''
 * {{Skill|Burning Retreat}}
 * {{Skill|Lightning Flash}}
 * {{Skill|Soothing Water}}
-}}
+{{Collapse end}}
@@ Line 131: / Line 137: @@
 * Place {{Skill|Meteor Shower}} where the enemy group is moving to, not where they are when you begin the cast
 * Activate {{Skill|Relentless Fire}} after casting {{Skill|Meteor Shower}}
+* Use {{Skill|Elemental Celerity}} to reset the cooldown of {{Skill|Meteor Shower}} and {{Skill|Lava Font}} after your first cast
 * There are two ways to move during the cast of {{Skill|Meteor Shower}}:
 ** Cast {{Skill|Meteor Shower}} immediately after casting {{Skill|Burning Retreat}} and the {{Skill|Meteor Shower}} will be queued to cast at the target location after the rollback ends
 ** Use {{Skill|Lightning Flash}} after you start casting it
-====Fiery Greatsword====
-* Treat {{Skill|Firestorm}} as a secondary {{Skill|Meteor Shower}}
-* Activate {{Skill|Relentless Fire}} after casting {{Skill|Conjure Fiery Greatsword}}
-* {{Skill|Fiery Whirl}} is low cooldown and has high damage, use it aggressively but don't move yourself into a bad position
-** Aim through the enemy stack if your group crosses through them and aim across the enemy stack otherwise
-* Use {{Skill|Fiery Rush}} for mobility, on single targets or to set up {{Skill|Fiery Whirl}}
-* Coordinate with a DPS player in your group to pick up the conjure dropped on the ground
-** Make sure to place it in a safe place for them to grab
-** If you don't have anyone reliable to coordinate with, you can pick it up yourself for 30s after casting the skill
@@ Line 155: / Line 151: @@
 ** Otherwise {{Skill|Air Attunement}} has more damage but with a much longer cooldown
-{{Collapsible
+{{Collapse start|Skill priority}}
-|width=85
-|;Skill priority
-|
 * {{Skill|Meteor Shower}}
-* {{Skill|Conjure Fiery Greatsword}}
 * {{Skill|Lava Font}}
 * {{Skill|Glyph of Storms}}
 * {{Skill|Lightning Surge}}/{{Skill|Eruption}}/{{Skill|Ice Spike}}
 * '''Autoattacks'''
-}}
+{{Collapse end}}
 ====CC====
 * Your three ground CCs are {{Skill|Static Field}}, {{Skill|Unsteady Ground}} and {{Skill|Frozen Ground}}, in order of strength
+** {{Skill|Frozen Ground}} should normally be saved to give yourself and allies {{Skill|Frost Aura}} instead of being used as a CC
 * Drop your target when casting {{Skill|Shock Wave}} to make it easier to aim, don't cast it into projectile reflect
-** You shouldn't interrupt your rotation to try and CC, instead try to predict when you'll need to CC and move into the best possible attunement early
+* You shouldn't interrupt your rotation to try and CC, instead just use whichever CC you have available for the attunements you're in
 * Use your CC when:
 ** Your group calls a spike:
@@ Line 183: / Line 176: @@
 ====Support====
+* Focus on using {{Skill|Windborne Speed}} when your group is pushing or disengaging from the enemy
 * Cast {{Skill|Healing Rain}} on clashes, targeting the ground AoE so that one edge is on your group and the other edge is where they are moving to
 * If a player in your party is going to die because of {{Tooltip|Immobilize}}, save them with {{Skill|Windborne Speed}}
 * Cast {{Skill|Geyser}} where your team is regrouping
+* Use {{Skill|Frozen Ground}} on your group before pushes to give {{Skill|Frost Aura}}
 * Use your '''Jade Sphere''' in {{Skill|Air Attunement}}, on your group, for {{Tooltip|Quickness}}

Difference between revisions of "Catalyst - Staff Backline"

Latest revision as of 13:21, 12 May 2024

Contents

Overview