Daredevil - Staff Daredevil

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

Focused on: Direct damage and Utility

Designed for: WvW Zerg

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

TBD

This build was last updated on March 09, 2022 and is up to date for the October 8, 2024 patch.

Overview

Staff Daredevil brings huge direct damage and cleave from Vault while being a difficult target due to its evade frames. Excels in highly coordinated group play group with strong support enabling it.

Skill Bar

Staff

Staff

Utility

Specializations

Template Code

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Equipment

Head
Marauder

Shoulders
Marauder

Chest
Marauder

Hands
Marauder

Legs
Marauder

Feet
Marauder

Backpiece
Marauder

Accessory
Dragon

Accessory
Dragon

Amulet
Dragon

Ring
Dragon

Ring
Dragon

Staff
Dragon

Sigil

Sigil

Staff
Dragon

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Consumables

• • personal option

Usage

General

• When using Swipe prioritize, in order:
  • Warriors - Whirling Axe
  • Revenants - Essence Sap
  • Mesmers - Consume Plasma
  • Necromancers - Skull Fear

Priorities

High

• Spike damage

Moderate

• Sustained damage

Surviving

• This build has low passive defense
• This build has high mobility skill access
  • An About Face keybind can be useful for Debilitating Arc
  • Beware of CCs like (Line of Warding) and Shocking Aura that will interrupt Dodge and Vault
• This builds has high active defenses
  • If you die inside ground pressure, immediately use Shadow Escape towards your group
    • If you are unlikely to be cleaved quickly, don't use Shadow Escape as it can make allied Signet of Mercy fail
  • Use Channeled Vigor between engages while positioned safely to restore endurance
  • Shadowstep is your most powerful defensive skill and only stunbreak, try to be very conservative with it
    • Hold onto Shadow Return for as long as possible for the same reasons

Active defense priority Debilitating Arc - for Immobilize Signet of Agility - for Immobilize Dodge Debilitating Arc - general use Signet of Agility - for endurance Dagger Storm Channeled Vigor Shadowstep

Detailed Explanations

Spike damage

• Bound ⇒ Vault ⇒ Vault ⇒ Weapon Swap (Sigil of Superior Sigil of Hydromancy) ⇒ Vault
• Use Swipe at the end of the cast of Weakening Charge or Bound to port yourself onto the target as an alternative opener
  • Weakening Charge hits harder than Vault, but only if all three hits connect, which is unreliable without Swipe
• Use your spike 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

Sustained damage

• Switch weapons as often as possible to proc Quick Pockets and Sigil of Superior Sigil of Energy
  • Try not to swap if either proc would get less than full value, though Quick Pockets is more important
  • Swap as you finish Vault to increase your spike with Sigil of Superior Sigil of Hydromancy
• Try to position yourself on the edge of the enemy group, away from the direction they push into
  • This also applies for targetting Vault, don't cast it into the middle of the enemy stack
• In general, it is better to pool initiative for spikes instead of spending it on sustained damage
  • This does not mean you should spend long at the initiative cap
• Finish your auto chains before using another damage skill, unless you need the evade frames from Vault or Bound to keep dealing damage

Skill priority Dodge (Bound) - when missing Bounding Dodger buff Vault Whirling Axe Essence Sap - single target only Dodge (Bound) - general use Staff Strike