Build:Elementalist - Staff DPS

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

Focused on: Strike damage, Utility and Crowd control

Designed for: WvW Zerg

Difficulty:

TBD

This build was last updated on February 19, 2022 and is up to date for the October 8, 2024 patch.

Overview

A backline DPS build for Elementalist in WvW Zergs that provides damage, CC and field support. Requires a precise usage of skills and positioning to survive. Also, somewhat accessible by F2P, more new player friendly and straight to play than Staff Backline

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Skill Bar

Staff

Staff

Utility

Skill Variants

Utility

• Armor of Earth for personal stability when prone to being caught in CC often.

Specializations

Variants

• Stormsoul and Lightning Rod traits add significant damage, but only if you can catch the enemy in your CCs (Especially Static Field) without Stability.

Variants

• Bountiful Power If not using Arcane Wave

Equipment

Head
Marauder

Shoulders
Marauder

Chest
Marauder

Hands
Marauder

Legs
Marauder

Feet
Marauder

Backpiece
Marauder

Accessory
Marauder

Accessory
Marauder

Amulet
Marauder

Ring
Marauder

Ring
Marauder

Staff
Marauder

Sigil

Sigil

Staff
Marauder

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Consumables

feast option with additional damage reduction.

Variants

Stats

• Use as much Marauder as you feel is necessary then fill out with Berserker
• Avoid inefficient stats like Valkyrie's. Marauder's is strictly better than Valkyrie's when considering effective power and health.

Sigils

Trade Sigil of Superior Sigil of Force for:

• Sigil of Superior Sigil of Energy Extra survivability
• Sigil of Superior Sigil of Frenzy good offensive filler sigil when kills are frequent

Runes

• Rune of Superior Rune of the Pack Better Fury uptime in situations where it is not provided by the group.
• Rune of Superior Rune of the Scholar Highest potential damage but difficult to maintain versus 24px Retaliation
• Rune of Superior Rune of the Thief if min'maxing around crit chance cap.

Food

• highest damage option with frequent kills.
• equal option to Truffle Steak, profits from external precision sources.

Usage

General

• This build provides high damage, but is taken over Build:Weaver_-_Staff_Backline for the wide variety of CC available to lock down enemies inside Winds of Disenchantment and other group damage sources.
• Having 2 Staffs is purely for the stacking sigil purpose. As soon as you achieve 25 stacks and gets out of combat you should swap back to the Staff without the stacking sigil.
• This build requires rapidly switching between attunements. You can reduce the cooldown on an attunement by switching it while you are still casting a skill (this will not interrupt the cast).
• Whilst being a full Marauder's build, you are still really squish to Hammer revs and power damage in general. Antecipating heating and positioning properly is essential to survive
• Mist Form (and sometimes Lightning Flash) will be used mainly for self defense as reposition tool, temporarily avoiding ground heat and denying enemies tunnel visioning on you. Prioritize living over dealing damage. Lightning Flash can also be used while CC'ed.
  • Don't attempt to rely on Final Shielding.
• You can interrupt Ether Renewal by using stow weapon as soon as you are full healed in order to save time

Staff Explanation

• Fireball can consist a decent part of your damage. Despite being a slow projectile, it hits hard (in AoE) if it connects, so don't hesitate to use it. Also helps with self Might uptime thanks to Pyromancer's Puissance
  • Chain Lightning is also a good option for cleaving a downed clump, since it bounces.
• Staff #2 skills are strong damage fillers (with low cooldown) to rotate between while Meteor Shower isn't available. Bear in mind Ice Spike and Eruption aren't instant.
  • Lava Font makes significant part of your sustained pressure after Meteor Shower. Look for casting it off cooldown to maximize ground pressure.
  • Lightning Surge quick cast and good damage, will be used to pick off single targets, try to cast it on enemies stacked to hit multiple foes.
  • Ice Spike whilst being Water gives significant 300-radius damage and justifies, along with the Water 4-5 skills, going into Water Attunement
  • Eruption gives reliable damage, assuming the the slow proc time. Can be used as preventive ground pressure and for cleaving.
• Staff#3 skills are somewhat ignorable in this build, but can bring some utility.
  • Use Gust for the extra CC, it doesn't require LoS.
  • Geyser for tiny heals and a water field
  • Flame Burst tiny damage, land it for Burning uptime, which increases damage via Pyromancer's Training, and follow up with a hard hittng skill.
• Unsteady Ground, Frozen Ground and Static Field will be used mainly for the CC along with your team damage pressure. Unsteady Ground's direction is based on your where your character is looking. Turn briefly while casting the skill to aim it and effectevily blocking the passage.
• Healing Rain and Windborne Speed can be used to soften condition pressure, benefiting from the large radius, and to remove soft CC on allies, respectively.

Meteor Shower

• Meteor Shower is your main damage source, but it has a long cast time. Try to place it on spots the enemy stack will tend to be, rather than where it is now. Very useful for cleave.
  • Try to be in a safe spot while channeling. If you get interrupted midcast, the amount of meteors and, thus, the total damage will be lower.
  • If you realize the skill won't connect, you have a small window to cancel (stow) the skill before the meteors start to go off, putting it on a 4s CD.
  • Watch out for the incoming damage from 24px Retaliation, be ready to heal up.
• Meteor Shower should always be followed up, as soon as possible, by Arcane Wave in Earth Attunement to ensure an Immobilize from the trait Elemental Surge.
  • Arcane Wave is also very effective when used inside a Spellbreaker's Winds of Disenchantment
• By the end of the channel, you can find yourself out of position or focused by enemies. You can avoid this in two ways:
  • Use Lightning Flash after you start casting it.
  • Use the "Burning Retreat trick" (see GYF). This way avoids using Lightning Flash but you can find yourself even further away from your zerg. Template:Gfycat

Conjure Fiery Greatsword

• Conjure Fiery Greatsword (FGS) provides great mobility and a damage boon when wielded. It can be used after casting Meteor Shower to increase the damage.
  • You should still swap attunements, mainly between Fire Attunement and Air Attunement for damage, while yielding the FGS.
  • Remember that you can retrieve the FGS conjured on the ground if you are still around. It stands for 30s.
• Cast Firestorm on top of downed enemies and/or the enemy stack. Despite the small radius, it hits 10 targets and should be used after Meteor Shower to maximize damage.
• Fiery Rush will be used mostly for mobility, chasing down and bursting a single target or repositioning.
• Fiery Whirl will be taken mainly to deal damage in melee range, while evading through enemies. Try to use it after Firestorm.
• Flame Wave spam it while on melee to maintain DPS after you burned through the FGS skills, but it isn't worth to drop yet.

High Spike Damage

1. Start in Fire
2. Lava Font
3. Meteor Shower
4. Earth Attunement
5. Arcane Wave
6. Eruption
7. Water Attunement
8. Ice Spike
9. Air Attunement
10. Lightning Surge
11. Fire Attunement
12. Lava Font
13. Conjure Fiery Greatsword
14. Firestorm

• This combo allows 3 high damage skills to all hit at once if cast quickly, spiking for extremely high damage.

Related Builds

• Staff Backline