Build:Holosmith - Protection Holo

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

Focused on: Direct damage, Support and Bunkering

Designed for: PvP Conquest

Difficulty:

TBD

This build was last updated on January 25, 2022 and is up to date for the October 8, 2024 patch.

Overview

A tanky sPvP Holosmith build made to win duels and occasionally help out in team fights by bringing both damage and support to the table.

Skill Bar

Sword/Shield

Utility

Elixir Gun

Elite Mortar Kit

Utility Variants

For the optional slot:

• Thumper Turret - 3 Blast finishers and a stun break on toolbelt, plenty of combo potential and good CC. Experimental Turrets on Inventions is worth considering with this skill for added Protection synergy.

• Elixir U - stun break and some burst with Quickness.

• Spectrum Shield - purely a defensive choice, great against every type of pressure.

Template Code

[&DQMvGR0aOS4UARQBNRYAAJUBAAAkAQAA+RIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA=]

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Specializations

Variants

• If you're expecting to be dueling Power based specs, take Light Density Amplifier.

Equipment

Sword

Shield

Sigil

Sigil

Rune

Amulet

Equipment Variants

• Sigil of Cleansing over Intelligence for more sustain.

• Rune of Herald is a bit more squishy but has minor Protection and boon synergy.

• is a more tanky option, should you need extra sustain.

Usage

To be added <--Elite specialization basics

• Holosmith grants access to the Photon Forge (sometimes referred to as holo mode) and introduces a new resource: heat. Heat is generated passively while the forge is active, or by activating forge skills. Higher CD skills generally generate more heat.
• Reaching maximum heat (100) should be avoided as overheating damages you and locks you out of the forge until heat goes back to 0. The best tool for heat management is dodge rolling, which vents 15 heat per roll via Thermal Release Valve and does some moderate AoE damage.
• Engage Photon Forge is used to activate the forge, after which your weapon skills will be replaced by 5 new ones. You can't exit the forge for at least 5 seconds, so be careful about reentering with high heat levels.
  • Both Engage Photon Forge and Disengage Photon Forge count as toolbelt skills and will work with related traits. Both skills can proc weapon swap sigils too.

Forge skills

This is where most of the damage comes from

• Although the auto attack chain got significant nerfs in March 2018, it can still do considerable cleave damage especially with Template:Gw2skill.
• Holo Leap will be used to maintain permanent Template:Gw2skill and Template:Gw2skill (through Invigorating Speed), keep using this skill out of combat as well but don't build too much heat (manage with dodges accordingly). Holo Leap also does considerable damage while in combat. Keep in mind that this is a Leap Finisher, so always try to combo it with either a Light Field for Template:Gw2skill or a Water Field for healing.
• Corona Burst will be the only source of Template:Gw2skill in the build and an important source of Template:Gw2skill, granting up to 5 stacks per use. There's a second attack too which goes off after a short delay. This should be the first skill you use after entering holo mode.
• Photon Blitz can be useful for reaching targets trying to escape, but won't be used much.
• Holographic Shockwave is an excellent AoE CC and also a Blast Finisher. You can also fake cast it by stowing your weapon right after activation in order to bait enemy dodges.

General

• Applying Protection removes conditions, and removing a condition converts it into a boon via Purity of Purpose.
• Thumper Turret is one of the most versatile skills in the build:
  • Right after deployment it does an AoE CC, triggers a Blast finisher, applies Protection, and activates a projectile-reflection bubble.
  • Detonate Thumper Turret is a 2nd Blast finishers. Note: try not to detonate/pick up this turret while the bubble is still up, as a 2nd AoE CC will go off right before the shield drops.
  • Rumble (toolbelt) is a stun break with Template:Gw2skill and yet another Blast finisher, which comes handy if you get CC'd and Autodefense Bomb Dispenser procs because you can immediately blast it for AoE stealth and catch a break.
• Healing Turret cleanses a total of 4 conditions (2 baseline and 2 extra from traits). If you're under heavy condition pressure consider picking up the turret (F by default) instead of detonating it to shave off 5 seconds from its CD for more frequent cleansing. Alternatively, detonating the turret in a Light field sacrifices some AoE healing but cleanses one additional condition, bringing the total amount to 5.
• Hard Light Arena will be your best cleanse and party utility tool, converting up to 12 conditions into boons while also applying its own boons every second. As a Light combo field any Blast finisher executed in it will AoE cleanse 1 condition, while Leap finishers grant Template:Gw2skill. Always try to use it above 50 Heat to prolong its duration.
• Enable skill retargetting (under general options, combat/movement section). This lets you cast Prime Light Beam facing target A, potentially bait out a dodge, then switch over to target B just before the skill goes off and hit that target.
• Overcharged Shot can knock downed enemies off of capture points, bleeding them out while you cap thus delaying their respawn. Your elite skill could do the same, but that'd be a waste of cooldowns (except if there are enemies trying to revive their downed, in that case your elite can pressure all of them while interrupting the rez attempt even even if thed had Stability by launching the downed player far enough to cancel the channeling).
  • Overcharged Shot knocks you back upon activation. To negate this you can try building stability before using the skill, either from Template:Gw2skill or Rumble.
• Net Shot, Overcharged Shot and Prime Light Beam can CC people long enough to set up a burst.

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