Hey there guys,
Last year I uploaded a video where I discussed every Guild Wars 2 profession and its current
Elite Specialization. Looking at the comments of that video I can
conclude 2 things: People want some personal advice and want
to know what profession is good for a specific game mode
and apparently my pronunciation of the word "Class" was excellent.
So, since people were looking for specific
advice on what profession or class fits their favourite game mode,
I decided to create a follow-up guide for this topic. In this video I'm going to give a top 3 of
the most popular professions for each game mode. When I was creating the list for this video
I tried to combine a mixture of different playstyles, my opinion and the current meta. The builds I discuss in the video can be found
on the websites that I have linked in the description. Navigate to the corresponding category and
play the one that you like! If you are looking for an objective overview
of all the professions in Guild Wars 2 you should watch my other video which is linked
in the info charts.
You can find the timestamps for each game
mode in the description. If you want to support my content, don't forget
to subscribe, leave a like, comment and watch this video all the way to the end. Alright, let's dig into the video. I think most of the people watching this video
are wondering what the best profession is for end-game PvE content. I'm not going to discuss what the end-game
PvE content is. I dedicated a complete video to end-game content
in Guild Wars 2, so check that out if haven't already! So, let's start with that! Without a doubt, in end-game PvE, there are
3 professions that have been prominently present for the last couple of years. You will see these professions in basically
end-game setup. Let's have a look at number 3, the Warrior! The main reason why the Warrior is popular
is its support ability. First, the warrior can drop banner to create
an AoE buff for its allies.
This buff is automatically applied to a maximum
of 10 nearby allies. Therefore, this is commonly used in Raiding
and Fractal Groups. The Banner of Discipline and the Banner of
Strength are most commonly used banners in these end-game team compositions
The Banner of Discipline grants each ally 100 bonus points in Precision and 100 points
in Ferocity. These two stats increase the chance to deliver
critical damage and increase the critical damage players can deliver. The Banner of Strength grants each ally 100
bonus points in Power and 100 points in Condition Damage. These two stats increase the direct damage
and the damage over time that players can do. These effects can be amplified with the "Doubled
Standards" trait in the Discipline Trait Line of the warrior.
Second, next to those banners, the warrior
has a trait that can provide another 100 power to nearby allies. The trait is called "Empower Allies" and can
be found in the "Tactics" Trait line. Last, the Warrior also has a trait that shares
his or her might with nearby allies when they gain might themselves. This trait is called "Phalanx Strengh".
Might is a boon that increases the damage
done by a player for a few seconds. This effect can stack up to 25 times. For example, your Warrior uses a skill that
gives him or her might, then that might will spread to other nearby allies. The best thing about this profession is that
this warrior build is playable for everyone. Whether you have an expansion or not. It doesn't matter. There is a variation of this build for everyone.
The Support Warrior, or the Banner Support
(BS) as it is commonly referred too, is a very popular role that has been in the game
for years. Definitely worth having in every team and
it has a low learning curve. So, it is easier to get into for newer players! Moving on to number 2, the Ranger. If you own the Heart of Thorns expansion,
you can use the Druid Elite Specialization on your ranger. The Druid Elite Specialization gives the Ranger
a good amount of healing abilities. The Druid also gains access to the staff as
a weapon. The Staff abilities can all heal or remove
conditions in a particular way. The Druid also gains access to the Celestial
Avatar.
This temporary form gives you access to a
strong set of healing abilities. These healing abilities are so strong that
they can heal up to 5 people from low health to full health in just a second. Some of these healing abilities, like Lunar
Impact, can also provide an excellent source of Crowd Control (CC). This can be used to daze or stun a number
of enemies or break a Raid Boss' break bar. But wait, there's more! First, like the Warrior, the Druid can also
buff its allies. In most team compositions, the Druid uses
the Frost Spirit skill. This spirit can be summoned to increase the
damage of 10 nearby allies.
Second, the Druid can use the Glyph of Empowerment
which can further buff your allies' damage for a few seconds. While in the Celestial Avatar form the Glyph
will change its functionality. Activate it in the Celestial Avatar form to
increase the healing that allies receive. Third and last, the Druid can use the Grace
of the Land Trait to grant might to allies when using skills in the Celestial Avatar
form. Also, the Spotter trait can be activated to
further increase the precision of nearby allies, which increases the chance that your allies
can critically hit. The Druid is a solid option if you want a
healer in your composition. Some more experienced groups leave out the
Druid and replace it for more damage. However, if you are new to a Fractal or a
Raid then I would highly advise you take a Druid with you. Let's have a look at number 1, the Mesmer. The Mesmer is a must-have profession in basically
every end-game team composition.
Especially the Chronomancer Elite Specialization
plays a key role in your team. This Elite Specialization comes with the Heart
of Thorns Expansion. The Chronomancer has the ability to manipulate
time. With the right gear and the correct skill
rotation, the Chronomancer can provide permanent Quickness and Alacrity to your allies. But what do these boons do? The Quickness boon increases your attack,
action and spellcasting speed by 50%. This allows your team to deliver damage much
faster and it makes it easier for the druid to heal your team. Quickness usually comes from the skills; Tides
of Time, the Signet of Inspiration, the Well of Action and Time Warp. The Alacrity boon reduces the cooldown of
your skills. Having this boon allows you to cast your powerful
spells and skills in much faster succession. Alacrity usually comes from the skills; Tides
of Time, Well of Recall and Signet of Inspiration.
There are also some traits which improve your
Alacrity. For example, Flow of Time and Improved Alacrity
traits. The Chronomancer is also able to extent the
duration of these boons along with other boons by using the Signet of Inspiration. With the correct skill rotation and use of
the Continuum Split ability this skill can be used in rapid succession. As described before, the Chronomancer plays
a key role in every end-game setup. The Quickness, Alacrity and the extension
of other boons like Might and Fury allow your DPS players to deal more damage in a shorter
period of time.
If you happen to own the Path of Fire expansion,
you can use the Mirage Elite Specialization for your Mesmer. The Mirage is excellent in dealing Condition
Damage. It is commonly used for specific Raid Bosses
that are easier to defeat with Condition Damage. So, if you want to deal damage instead of
supporting your team, the Mirage could be great for you! I think that covers end-game PvE. Let's move on to open world PvE. We can define Open World PvE as participation
in World Events, Guild Missions, Exploration and the Personal and Living World Story.
There is no real meta in Open World PvE. It's basically BYOB (Bring your own Build)
so I'm going to list my 3 favourite professions here. My personal preference for this game mode
is mobility, AoE damage and a bit of support. So, for number 3, I chose the Revenant. The Revenant is a so called "Soldier" profession
and wears heavy armour. This profession uses a wide array of weapons
and is mainly focussed on dealing melee damage. Despite this, the profession can do a fair
amount of AoE damamge from medium range. Just to name a few examples, Unrelenting Assault
– a Sword Skill, Temporal Rift on an off-hand weapon or Searing Fissure on a mace. The Revenant also uses Legends from the Guild
Wars lore to gain access to a specific set of skills. The skills that come with these Legends are
managed with a unique energy mechanic that originates from the original Guild Wars. So, why did the Revenant make it to this list? Well, those legends offer different playstyles
which allow you to quickly adapt to the situation. For example, the Assassin's stance allows
for mobility and fast attacks while the Dwarf stance offers more control-
and defensive abilities which gives you more survivability.
The Path of Fire expansion allows the Revenant
to unlock the Renegade Elite Specializations. The Renegade can wield a bow and thus deal
damage from long range. This makes the profession even more versatile
than it already was. Keep in mind that this profession is only
accessible if you have either the Heart of Thorns Expansion or the Path of Fire expansion. Moving on to number 2, the Necromancer. The Necromancer is a "scholar" profession. This means that the profession uses light
armour and mainly focusses on casting spells. The reason why I prefer a Necromancer in open
world PvE is also its versatility. As the name Necromancer does suggest, this
spellcaster uses curses and undead magic to deal damage and can even be used to support
allies. The base necromancer with no Elite Specializations
already offers a lot of different playstyles.
You can be a summoner with an army of minions
behind you or deal condition damage with your curses. I think my favourite thing about the Necromancer
are its Elite Specializations. The Reaper Elite Specialization allows the
Necromancer to wield a Greatsword and use shout skills. It gives you a Warrior-ish vibe. The Shroud abilities of the Reaper also provide
great mobility and crowd control (CC). The other Elite Specialization, the Scourge,
replaces your shroud ability into sand shades which can be used to remove conditions from
allies and deal damage to enemies. Personally, I think the Sand Shades provide
a fair amount of AoE damage and support for your allies.
