Build:Weaver - Staff Weaver

The community gave this build a rating, making it top-tier: Great

Focused on: Strike damage

Designed for: Open World and Open World General

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

TBD

This build was last updated on August 20, 2022 and is up to date for the February 11, 2025 patch.

Overview

A long-ranged staff build for elementalist for open world farming with a zerg. This build is primarily focused on dealing area damage in group farms and does not function well solo. Most of the damage of this build comes from AoE pulsing ground attacks, so this build can struggle against very mobile targets.

There are two variants of this build:

• Weaver: this is the default variant, a fully ranged build with even more pulsing AoE ground attacks through
  Pyroclastic Blast
  and more long range attacks with
  Plasma Blast
  . On top of that, as a weaver, the cooldown for swapping attunements is much shorter, which greatly benefits this build that, while wanting to use different attunements like all elementalist builds, has the bast majority of its damage tied to Fire Attunement so it wants to return to Fire as soon as possible.

• Tempest: this variant has to be played in melee range but is simpler and provides more melee AoE attacks through
  Overload Fire
  and
  Overload Air
  , better tagging potential by using shouts like
  "Feel the Burn!"
  or
  "Aftershock!"
  , and some boons to your subgroup. However, it greatly suffers from the increased recharge to attunements. If you leave Fire Attunement, it goes on cooldown for 10 seconds, or 20 if you overload, and the bast majority of this build's damage comes from Fire Attunement. But if you never leave Fire Attunement, you obviously cannot cast skills from the other attunements.

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Skill Bar

Staff

Utility

Skill Variants

Let's explain why we recommened these skills, and alternatives you can consider:

Healing

Glyph of Elemental Harmony

is a great burst heal and povides a boon.

• Arcane Brilliance
  - the strongest heal if there are enemies in range, plus a blast finisher, but very weak healing if there are no nearby enemies.
• Ether Renewal
  - very situational heal that removes up to 8 conditions throughout its long channeling time. Arcane Shield can help with channellig it without getting interrupted.
• Signet of Restoration
  - passive healing over time, but very weak heal on demand, leaving you vulnerable to burst damage.
• When playing the tempest variant,
  "Wash the Pain Away!"
  is a weak AoE heal, but also cleanses 1 condition.

Utility Skills

Glyph of Storms

provides ranged AoE damage, use it on Fire.

Arcane Wave

provides ranged AoE burst damage.

Arcane Shield

is a stun break and blocks 3 attacks.

• Arcane Blast
  - Good single target damage.
• Primordial Stance
  - great AoE damage but in melee range.
• Lightning Flash
  - Mobility.
• When playing the tempest variant,
  "Feel the Burn!"
  or
  "Aftershock!"
  provide good AoE tagging and support.

Elite Skills

Conjure Fiery Greatsword

- provides high damage with skills 4 and 5, and mobility with skill 3.

• Glyph of Elementals
  - Cast it on Fire for damage, on Water for support, healing and Knockback, on Air for a Stun, or on Earth for defense.

Specializations

Trait Variants

• Burning Fire
  - If conditions are a problem.
• Zephyr's Boon
  - Fury and swiftness if using aura traits/utilities.
• Master's Fortitude
  - Bonus vitality at the expense of the 10% critical chance from Superior Elements.

Arcane

Replaces Air. Adds defense and utility at the cost of damage.

• Arcane Resurrection
  - Improves revive power in zergs.
• Bountiful Power
  - Use this when running with a group that grants lots of boons.
• Evasive Arcana
  - Provides good defensive abilities on dodging while in
  Water Attunement
  or
  Air Attunement
  .

Tempest

The tempest variant has to be played in melee range but is simpler and provides more melee AoE attacks through

Overload Fire

and

Overload Air

and better tagging potential by using shouts like

"Feel the Burn!"

or

"Aftershock!"

, and some boons to your subgroup. However, it greatly suffers from the increased recharge to attunements. If you leave Fire Attunement, it goes on cooldown for 10 seconds, or 20 if you overload, and the bast majority of this build's damage comes from Fire Attunement. But if you never leave Fire Attunement, you obviously cannot cast skills from the other attunements.

Equipment

This build uses the same gear as Build:Weaver_-_Power_DPS, making it a good option for general PVE.

• Ascended gear is not required for open world, exotic works fine.
• Note the second staff is for stacking sigil purposes and is not required.

Head
Berserker

Shoulders
Assassin

Chest
Berserker

Hands
Berserker

Legs
Berserker

Feet
Berserker

Backpiece
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Amulet
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Staff
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

staff
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x14

Infusion
x4

• This setup provides 100% critical chance with Fury thanks to
  Zephyr's Speed
  ,
  Elements of Rage
  , and
  Superior Elements
  .
  • Nearby allies will help maintain Weakness for the bonus of Superior Elements. Your Earth autottacks
    Stoning
    will also help.
  • If you don't have infusions, use an Assassin head armor.
• If you are only going to play the tempest variant, use the gear from Build:Tempest _-_Fresh Air.

Variant Equipment

Gear

• Marauder - Trades 10% damage for +60% effective health.
• Knight - Defensive (trinkets only).

Runes

• Superior Rune of Vampirism
  - provides a huge increase to sustain in a zerg.

Sigils

• Superior Sigil of Stamina
  - Extra defense in a zerg.
• Superior Sigil of Strength
  - Option for more self Might generation.

Consumables

Food

• Any ascended food is superior to any other food you could use. Steak for power, flatbread for conditions. Budget versions of these foods exist and are acceptable.
• Peppermint Omnomberry Bar
  - farming.
• Bowl of Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
  - DPS.
• Bowl of Orrian Truffle and Meat Stew
  - defense.

Utility

• Sharpening Skull
  (and variants) - farming.
• Tin of Fruitcake
  /
  Superior Sharpening Stone
  - DPS.

Consumable Variants

Food

• Dragon's Breath Bun
  - Damage buff against groups of weaker enemies.
• Fried Golden Dumpling
  - Budget food (if not using
  Superior Sigil of Strength
  ) for added self might generation.
• Plate of Orrian Steak Frittes
  /
  Plate of Roast Meat with Braised Leeks
  - Budget DPS food.

Utility

• Hardened Sharpening Stone
  - Budget DPS utility.

Usage

Damage / Tagging

• Your damage skills are
  Lava Font
  ,
  Pyroclastic Blast
  ,
  Eruption
  ,
  Lightning Surge
  ,
  Plasma Blast
  ,
  Shock Wave
  , and
  Ice Spike
  . Fill in the gaps with auto attacks.
• Use
  Firestorm
  and
  Meteor Shower
  on large, static groups of enemies or bosses.
• Arcane Blast
  - Instant cast single target tagging.
• Flame Burst
  and
  Chain Lightning
  - Useful for rapidly tagging weaker enemies.
• Arcane Wave
  - Instant cast wide area tagging (If equipped).
• When playing the tempest variant,
  "Feel the Burn!"
  and other shouts are an instant cast AoE tagging.

Defense & Support

• The best defense is to dodge attacks or get out of the way. Your Dual Attacks provide Swiftness thanks to
  Swift Revenge
  to help run out of attacks.
• Burning Retreat
  is a powerful defensive evade and movement skill, can be used in any direction by rotating your character.
• Sandstorm
  inflicts Blinded in a large AoE, useful against groups of trash mobs.
• You can attune to Water and then to another element to access
  Healing Rain
  to remove conditions, provide Regeneration, and a water field. You can double attune to Water to use
  Geyser
  for healing and a water field.
• Ice Spike
  ,
  Eruption
  and
  Transmute Earth
  can be used on water fields for additional area healing or on fire fields for extra might.
• Magnetic Aura
  provides Magnetic Aura for projectile reflection.
• If you need more defense, you can slot and use
  Stone Resonance
  .
• Lahar
  provides 1 stack of personal Stability.
• Arcane Shield
  can be used to block dangerous attacks.

Crowd Control

• Gust
  - Knockback
• Pile Driver
  - Daze
• Static Field
  and
  Unsteady Ground
  - Stun and Knockback, respectively. These only work if an enemy crosses the edge of the skill, they have no effect on targets that don't cross it.
• Frozen Ground
  and
  Shock Wave
  - Soft CC options.
• Crashing Waves
  - From Ice Elemental if equipped.
• Shocking Bolt
  - From Air Elemental if equipped.
• If you need a lot of crowd control you can use
  Conjure Frost Bow
  so that you and an ally can use
  Deep Freeze
  .