New Player: Staff vs dagger/focus

[ambush.4592]

I'm new to GW2 (just started playing last week), and immediately fell in love with the Elementalist profession since it plays the way I wished a Balance Druid (from WOW) played--with the ability to switch between specs (fire/earth/air/water) mid-fight. I would like to know what is the optimal weapon type for the Elementalist for all content. Is dagger/focus viable in all content? or should I strictly switch to staff for AoE fights/zergs/raids?

 

I've been researching a lot of different forums, but most of the information I found are from 3+ years ago, which make them outdated.

[JohnWater.5760]

> @"ambush.4592" said:

> I've been researching a lot of different forums, but most of the information I found are from 3+ years ago, which make them outdated.

Elementalist didn't change that much, so the build is the same.

I'm a PvE player, so I can't say about PvP or WvW. (I only play with Dragonhunter and Mirage in WvW.)

I love playing with Dagger/Focus in all PvE contents, but sometimes you can't attack in the melee range so I play with Scepter/Focus.

I usually play with Weaver, mainly Air/Water.

If you have HoT, Scepter/Warhorn is one of the best builds, mainly Air attunement.

If you have PoF, Sword/Dagger is the best but is not that easy to handle.

Staff is just meh, too slow and no precision.

 

[steki.1478]

For core ele your best option currently is power build with d/d. Focus is a condi/defensive weapon, which you don't need for leveling. Staff is weak and too slow. Scepter is alright, but it lacks consistent damage and cleave.

 

The optimal weapon doesn't exist. There's different builds with different elite specs and different weapon sets that work great in specific scenarios.

[kybraga.7103]

I say it depends on your willingness to learn, D/D is definitely a great choice for solo-content and leveling but when you're doing HoT/PoF. I recommend Scepter/Focus with Condition Damage since enemies become a lot stronger and don't get wiffed by a single Burning Speed/Fire Grab combo.

 

Longevity, Scepter/Focus.

Scepter/Warhorn

 

Fun, Dagger/Dagger.

WvW, Staff.

 

Raids, Sword/Dagger

 

[Stallic.2397]

For pvp, Dagger main hand is the best option. And that's whether you're playing Core, Tempest, or Weaver. Sword might be easier, but not the most optimal. Dagger/focus is the best for defense, though Dagger/Dagger is possible. Requires a lot of good positioning and class understanding

 

I also play open world and Dagger is my go to, but scepter weaver is a great mage feel, especially when you create earth elemental/tank companions. Then you can solo plenty of difficult bosses per say with the right gear

[AliamRationem.5172]

> @"Stallic.2397" said:

> For pvp, Dagger main hand is the best option. And that's whether you're playing Core, Tempest, or Weaver. Sword might be easier, but not the most optimal. Dagger/focus is the best for defense, though Dagger/Dagger is possible. Requires a lot of good positioning and class understanding

>

> I also play open world and Dagger is my go to, but scepter weaver is a great mage feel, especially when you create earth elemental/tank companions. Then you can solo plenty of difficult bosses per say with the right gear

 

Love power ele with daggers. However, in my opinion, sword/focus condi weaver is one of the strongest open world builds for any class.

 

Check my thread on the subject in the ele folder. Plenty of videos and build links.

[Stallic.2397]

> @"AliamRationem.5172" said:

> > @"Stallic.2397" said:

> > For pvp, Dagger main hand is the best option. And that's whether you're playing Core, Tempest, or Weaver. Sword might be easier, but not the most optimal. Dagger/focus is the best for defense, though Dagger/Dagger is possible. Requires a lot of good positioning and class understanding

> >

> > I also play open world and Dagger is my go to, but scepter weaver is a great mage feel, especially when you create earth elemental/tank companions. Then you can solo plenty of difficult bosses per say with the right gear

>

> Love power ele with daggers. However, in my opinion, sword/focus condi weaver is one of the strongest open world builds for any class.

>

> Check my thread on the subject in the ele folder. Plenty of videos and build links.

 

I've seen your videos on the threads and they're really good.

 

I only dislike sword when it comes to pvp. The lack of range, and chase potential really limits a sword weaver.

 

But for open world, I agree, Sword is a great weapon

[AliamRationem.5172]

> @"Stallic.2397" said:

> > @"AliamRationem.5172" said:

> > > @"Stallic.2397" said:

> > > For pvp, Dagger main hand is the best option. And that's whether you're playing Core, Tempest, or Weaver. Sword might be easier, but not the most optimal. Dagger/focus is the best for defense, though Dagger/Dagger is possible. Requires a lot of good positioning and class understanding

> > >

> > > I also play open world and Dagger is my go to, but scepter weaver is a great mage feel, especially when you create earth elemental/tank companions. Then you can solo plenty of difficult bosses per say with the right gear

> >

> > Love power ele with daggers. However, in my opinion, sword/focus condi weaver is one of the strongest open world builds for any class.

> >

> > Check my thread on the subject in the ele folder. Plenty of videos and build links.

>

> I've seen your videos on the threads and they're really good.

>

> I only dislike sword when it comes to pvp. The lack of range, and chase potential really limits a sword weaver.

>

> But for open world, I agree, Sword is a great weapon

 

That's true. Dagger is more popular for PvP. It has a little bit better range and more and better mobility skills. But you do get some weirdos like me still running sword! I've been running grieving amulet lately and I'm getting some great fights! Though I'm not sure how smart it is to go glass on a condi build!

[ambush.4592]

> @"AliamRationem.5172" said:

> > @"Stallic.2397" said:

> > For pvp, Dagger main hand is the best option. And that's whether you're playing Core, Tempest, or Weaver. Sword might be easier, but not the most optimal. Dagger/focus is the best for defense, though Dagger/Dagger is possible. Requires a lot of good positioning and class understanding

> >

> > I also play open world and Dagger is my go to, but scepter weaver is a great mage feel, especially when you create earth elemental/tank companions. Then you can solo plenty of difficult bosses per say with the right gear

>

> Love power ele with daggers. However, in my opinion, sword/focus condi weaver is one of the strongest open world builds for any class.

>

> Check my thread on the subject in the ele folder. Plenty of videos and build links.

 

It's a shame that the staff is weaker than the dagger and sword in open world. To me the dagger is very difficult to get used to (since you need to actively move to dodge melee mechanics) while the staff feels so easy to use and combo...I usually aggro the enemy with fireball, then use flame burst while they're running toward me, burning retreat to make them chase me even farther while taking damage, and then place Lava Font between me and them to melt them before they get in melee range. If I want to aggro a group, I start off with meteor shower. I can't comment on how sword feels since I can't currently use it (I'm at level 10 lmao).

 

 

[AliamRationem.5172]

> @"ambush.4592" said:

> > @"AliamRationem.5172" said:

> > > @"Stallic.2397" said:

> > > For pvp, Dagger main hand is the best option. And that's whether you're playing Core, Tempest, or Weaver. Sword might be easier, but not the most optimal. Dagger/focus is the best for defense, though Dagger/Dagger is possible. Requires a lot of good positioning and class understanding

> > >

> > > I also play open world and Dagger is my go to, but scepter weaver is a great mage feel, especially when you create earth elemental/tank companions. Then you can solo plenty of difficult bosses per say with the right gear

> >

> > Love power ele with daggers. However, in my opinion, sword/focus condi weaver is one of the strongest open world builds for any class.

> >

> > Check my thread on the subject in the ele folder. Plenty of videos and build links.

>

> It's a shame that the staff is weaker than the dagger and sword in open world. To me the dagger is very difficult to get used to (since you need to actively move to dodge melee mechanics) while the staff feels so easy to use and combo...I usually aggro the enemy with fireball, then use flame burst while they're running toward me, burning retreat to make them chase me even farther while taking damage, and then place Lava Font between me and them to melt them before they get in melee range. If I want to aggro a group, I start off with meteor shower. I can't comment on how sword feels since I can't currently use it (I'm at level 10 lmao).

>

>

 

Ah, right. Sorry! File that for later!

[Aigleborgne.2981]

> @"ambush.4592" said:

> > @"AliamRationem.5172" said:

> > > @"Stallic.2397" said:

> > > For pvp, Dagger main hand is the best option. And that's whether you're playing Core, Tempest, or Weaver. Sword might be easier, but not the most optimal. Dagger/focus is the best for defense, though Dagger/Dagger is possible. Requires a lot of good positioning and class understanding

> > >

> > > I also play open world and Dagger is my go to, but scepter weaver is a great mage feel, especially when you create earth elemental/tank companions. Then you can solo plenty of difficult bosses per say with the right gear

> >

> > Love power ele with daggers. However, in my opinion, sword/focus condi weaver is one of the strongest open world builds for any class.

> >

> > Check my thread on the subject in the ele folder. Plenty of videos and build links.

>

> It's a shame that the staff is weaker than the dagger and sword in open world. To me the dagger is very difficult to get used to (since you need to actively move to dodge melee mechanics) while the staff feels so easy to use and combo...I usually aggro the enemy with fireball, then use flame burst while they're running toward me, burning retreat to make them chase me even farther while taking damage, and then place Lava Font between me and them to melt them before they get in melee range. If I want to aggro a group, I start off with meteor shower. I can't comment on how sword feels since I can't currently use it (I'm at level 10 lmao).

>

>

 

Staff in open world is anything but weak. It is indeed very strong, granted it is slow.

You can keep distance with many cc and burst them down slowly but surely.

My tactic is to aggro as many as possible to benefit from our 5 targets skills. Start in earth:

- earth 4, 2

- if archers, activate earth 3

- fire 2, 3, 5 (meteo is half secured by earth 4)

- arcane shield or fire 4 if necessary

- air 3, 5 if needed, then 2

At this point, everything should be dead, if not

- water 4 to slow things down

- water 2 on water 3, and water 5 if need more healing

 

I can keep doing this endlessly. I also use storm utility as filler.

 

If I must face many ranged from many directions, staff is not good as you only have earth 3.You could pick earth shield for those fights, along with lightning rod (one of the best staff trait).

 

Anyway, as much as I like staff, I still prefer dagger or sword. But many open world situations are easier with staff. Other weapons heavily punish any mistake because of proximity, unless you play condi tank. Not even mention high vulnerability to cc foes.

[MarzAttakz.9608]

I'm going to be brutally honest with you and say that if you decide to go forward with this class be prepared for a toxic love/hate relationship. Sadly the dynamism is no longer rewarding enough to justify the supposed "rewards". In Core Tyria, which we were initially balanced around, the trade-offs aren't that noticeable but as soon as you step into more difficult environments (Expansion Maps, PVP, WvW) the failings become very apparent. Quite simply put: ArenaNet have lost touch with the core fundamentals of the class and have treated us with disdain from the very beginning.

 

Playing as perfectly as possible, being constantly aware of positioning and chaining our skills in order to simply hit with other skills feels good yet the end result is inferior to what other classes accomplish with a quarter of the button presses. Sadly that's what you fall in love with, and sadly that's what ultimately ruins the relationship.

 

This was my class from the very first Beta Weekend and I've stuck to it for thousands of hours, but I'm at the point of completely giving up on it now.

 

Disclaimer: the majority of my frustration stems from competitive game modes and how out-dated the Elementalist has become.

[AliamRationem.5172]

__> @"MarzAttakz.9608" said:

> I'm going to be brutally honest with you and say that if you decide to go forward with this class be prepared for a toxic love/hate relationship. Sadly the dynamism is no longer rewarding enough to justify the supposed "rewards". In Core Tyria, which we were initially balanced around, the trade-offs aren't that noticeable but as soon as you step into more difficult environments (Expansion Maps, PVP, WvW) the failings become very apparent. Quite simply put: ArenaNet have lost touch with the core fundamentals of the class and have treated us with disdain from the very beginning.

>

> Playing as perfectly as possible, being constantly aware of positioning and chaining our skills in order to simply hit with other skills feels good yet the end result is inferior to what other classes accomplish with a quarter of the button presses. Sadly that's what you fall in love with, and sadly that's what ultimately ruins the relationship.

>

> This was my class from the very first Beta Weekend and I've stuck to it for thousands of hours, but I'm at the point of completely giving up on it now.

>

> Disclaimer: the majority of my frustration stems from competitive game modes and how out-dated the Elementalist has become.

 

To be clear, MarzAttakz.9608 is referring to the state of core elementalist only. It's unfortunately true that this class is pretty close to the bottom of the barrel in every game mode while also being near the top of the list in complexity. However, the elite specs both have unique play styles and effective builds in every game mode and work great for expansion open world content.

 

In other words, I would probably not recommend this class for players who really want to run close to the meta but don't intend to purchase the expansions. For anything else I see no problem. But honestly, if you're going to be deep diving into endgame I seriously doubt you'll be content with the core game on any class. Expansions are a no-brainer for people who intend to put time into this game.

[solemn.9608]

Careful who you listen to on these forums (that goes for every piece of advice you receive, not just what some have said here). It just depends what you personally define as "a lot of effort". Playing ele does not feel like a lot of effort for me and it feels insanely OP sometimes. Open world/expansion maps are a joke with some of the builds I've used. It's going to depend a lot on you, not the spec. If your fingers don't get tired easily you probably won't get tired of ele easily. It's a very engaging/stimulating class, just depends if you like that or not.

 

I would really advise against just using one weapon. Try to familiarize yourself with at least two. I would personally recommend having a Staff for WvW and Sword/Dagger (or dagger/dagger) for open world, although you can switch the secondary to focus if you're not as aggressive with it or need reflect/projectile hate.

[MarzAttakz.9608]

> @"AliamRationem.5172" said:

> To be clear, MarzAttakz.9608 is referring to the state of core elementalist only. It's unfortunately true that this class is pretty close to the bottom of the barrel in every game mode while also being near the top of the list in complexity. However, the elite specs both have unique play styles and effective builds in every game mode and work great for expansion open world content.

 

In part, yes, I am referring to core since it's the foundation everything is built upon. I do like aspects of each elite spec but they don't do enough to make up for the inherent inadequacies in competitive game modes. Add nonsensical nerf's to various things over the years and the effectiveness of the class is no where near how good it felt at release.

 

Originally we were one of the few classes with access to a variety of shareable boons, almost all field types, water fields + high healing co-efficients + decent blasts, and uniquely aura's. And we were "balanced" around that. Our skills were made half as effective because we had twice the number and we could only use one weaponset. Our health was made lowest because we had the highest healing co-efficients and more healing skills, our armor was made lowest because we had access to protection.

 

Now days the only damn field people bother to blast are smoke fields, we can barely maintain our own might stacks, fury is practically gone, our shareable boons are a joke compared to the preponderance of boons other classes simply shit out and aura's are niche. We still have the lowest health (and nerfed healing), the lowest armor (everyone else has access to protective boons) and we're still locked into one weaponset.

 

Almost everything we were balanced around, has been taken away and given to other classes and nothing has been given back. That is my issue. Do you guys not understand where I'm coming from?

 

Personally I'm glad you've found your magic build and it works for you, and I sincerely hope it doesn't get arbitrarily destroyed like the few we've been fortunate to use over the years (here's looking at you D/D DaPhoenix, S/d or d/d Cellofrag, hell even our old Cleric Bunker staff build and pre-Tempest aurashare d/d).

 

> @"solemn.9608" said:

> It just depends what you personally define as "a lot of effort". Playing ele does not feel like a lot of effort for me and it feels insanely OP sometimes. Open world/expansion maps are a joke with some of the builds I've used. It's going to depend a lot on you, not the spec.

 

"A lot of effort" for me is 1200 hours (Lhylyth, Lvl 80 Human Weaver, Created Aug 25, 2012 07:37, 7 years and 11 months old, 2710 hours played across account) of my life I've invested into this class, learning rotations, learning principles, learning positioning, learning enemy patterns and in part the extra number of actions I have to take to be as effective as another class that can do the same thing easier. Effort for me (and this is personal, due to where I live on the planet) is trying my hardest to be competitive at 200+ ping. For those of you fortunate to play with sub-60 ping count yourselves lucky. The slow responses at what most of you would term lag takes a huge effort out of you.

 

I do agree with both of you that solo open-world is fun and enjoyable on even Core specs (D/D specifically), I love Tempest in small groups and Sword/Dagger Weaver is a good evolution of Core D/D but past that, in any pvp environment, if you're not an exceptional player, you're basically a rally bot.

 

You can call me Crusty, call me Salty and I could "git guder", yes I could move 12000 km across the planet to be closer to the server but will it fix anything about this class, not likely.

 

OP, what solemn.9608 said is good advice, be careful who you listen to, from my side I have no personal agenda. I'm simply trying to spare you the frustration I've felt over the years by falling in love with this class. You make your own decisions.

 

 

[solemn.9608]

> @"MarzAttakz.9608" said:

> "A lot of effort" for me is 1200 hours (Lhylyth, Lvl 80 Human Weaver, Created Aug 25, 2012 07:37, 7 years and 11 months old, 2710 hours played) of my life I've invested into this class, learning rotations, learning principles, learning positioning, learning enemy patterns and in part the extra number of actions I have to take to be as effective as another class that can do the same thing easier. Effort for me (and this is personal, due to where I live on the planet) is trying my hardest to be competitive at 200+ ping. For those of you fortunate to play with sub-60 ping count yourselves lucky. The slow responses at what most of you would term lag takes a huge effort out of you.

>

> I do agree with both of you that solo open-world is fun and enjoyable on even Core specs (D/D specifically), I love Tempest in small groups and Sword/Dagger Weaver is a good evolution of Core D/D but past that, in any pvp environment, if you're not an exceptional player, you're basically a rally bot.

>

> You can call me Crusty, call me Salty and I could "git guder", yes I could move 12000 km across the planet to be closer to the server but will it fix anything about this class, not likely.

>

> OP, what solemn.9608 said is good advice, be careful who you listen to, from my side I have no personal agenda. I'm simply trying to spare you the frustration I've felt over the years by falling in love with this class. You make your own decisions.

 

Well said, 200+ ping would probably change how I feel about it as well, the only reason I enjoy it so much is because it's as fast as I like to play and with less time to react I'd probably get very frustrated very quickly. Wasn't taking a jab at your credibility btw, sorry if it seemed like I was but I'm glad you explained for the OP anyway, worked out well.

[AliamRationem.5172]

I get where you're coming from, but I feel you greatly exaggerate the deficiencies of this class in competitive mode.

 

Pre 2/25 fire weaver was meta in PvP. After the big patch, Tempest stepped up but LR weaver was popular, too. These builds also work in smallscale roaming.

 

I'm not saying the class overall is near the top or even above the bottom (ele, warrior, and mesmer seem to be the low picks atm). But you paint a bleak picture that I'm not sure I can agree with. It's not THAT bad.

[ambush.4592]

> @"AliamRationem.5172" said:

> __> @"MarzAttakz.9608" said:

> > I'm going to be brutally honest with you and say that if you decide to go forward with this class be prepared for a toxic love/hate relationship. Sadly the dynamism is no longer rewarding enough to justify the supposed "rewards". In Core Tyria, which we were initially balanced around, the trade-offs aren't that noticeable but as soon as you step into more difficult environments (Expansion Maps, PVP, WvW) the failings become very apparent. Quite simply put: ArenaNet have lost touch with the core fundamentals of the class and have treated us with disdain from the very beginning.

> >

> > Playing as perfectly as possible, being constantly aware of positioning and chaining our skills in order to simply hit with other skills feels good yet the end result is inferior to what other classes accomplish with a quarter of the button presses. Sadly that's what you fall in love with, and sadly that's what ultimately ruins the relationship.

> >

> > This was my class from the very first Beta Weekend and I've stuck to it for thousands of hours, but I'm at the point of completely giving up on it now.

> >

> > Disclaimer: the majority of my frustration stems from competitive game modes and how out-dated the Elementalist has become.

>

> To be clear, MarzAttakz.9608 is referring to the state of core elementalist only. It's unfortunately true that this class is pretty close to the bottom of the barrel in every game mode while also being near the top of the list in complexity. However, the elite specs both have unique play styles and effective builds in every game mode and work great for expansion open world content.

>

> In other words, I would probably not recommend this class for players who really want to run close to the meta but don't intend to purchase the expansions. For anything else I see no problem. But honestly, if you're going to be deep diving into endgame I seriously doubt you'll be content with the core game on any class. Expansions are a no-brainer for people who intend to put time into this game.

 

If core game on every class is that bad, it's most likely to make players want to purchase the expansions. I feel for MarzAttakz.9608, it sucks for players who enjoy the core builds since it limits the way the profession can be played. I already purchased the expansions since $30 with no subscriptions is a no-brainer for me compared to paying $15 per month (Bli$$ard). GW2 feels like a casual version of WoW and since I have a lot of responsibilities (the reason I stopped playing WoW about 2 years ago, raided competitively, casually PvP'd), this game is perfect for me to pick up (the fact that GW is entirely new to me is a bonus lol).

[AliamRationem.5172]

> @"ambush.4592" said:

> > @"AliamRationem.5172" said:

> > __> @"MarzAttakz.9608" said:

> > > I'm going to be brutally honest with you and say that if you decide to go forward with this class be prepared for a toxic love/hate relationship. Sadly the dynamism is no longer rewarding enough to justify the supposed "rewards". In Core Tyria, which we were initially balanced around, the trade-offs aren't that noticeable but as soon as you step into more difficult environments (Expansion Maps, PVP, WvW) the failings become very apparent. Quite simply put: ArenaNet have lost touch with the core fundamentals of the class and have treated us with disdain from the very beginning.

> > >

> > > Playing as perfectly as possible, being constantly aware of positioning and chaining our skills in order to simply hit with other skills feels good yet the end result is inferior to what other classes accomplish with a quarter of the button presses. Sadly that's what you fall in love with, and sadly that's what ultimately ruins the relationship.

> > >

> > > This was my class from the very first Beta Weekend and I've stuck to it for thousands of hours, but I'm at the point of completely giving up on it now.

> > >

> > > Disclaimer: the majority of my frustration stems from competitive game modes and how out-dated the Elementalist has become.

> >

> > To be clear, MarzAttakz.9608 is referring to the state of core elementalist only. It's unfortunately true that this class is pretty close to the bottom of the barrel in every game mode while also being near the top of the list in complexity. However, the elite specs both have unique play styles and effective builds in every game mode and work great for expansion open world content.

> >

> > In other words, I would probably not recommend this class for players who really want to run close to the meta but don't intend to purchase the expansions. For anything else I see no problem. But honestly, if you're going to be deep diving into endgame I seriously doubt you'll be content with the core game on any class. Expansions are a no-brainer for people who intend to put time into this game.

>

> If core game on every class is that bad, it's most likely to make players want to purchase the expansions. I feel for MarzAttakz.9608, it sucks for players who enjoy the core builds since it limits the way the profession can be played. I already purchased the expansions since $30 with no subscriptions is a no-brainer for me compared to paying $15 per month (Bli$$ard). GW2 feels like a casual version of WoW and since I have a lot of responsibilities (the reason I stopped playing WoW about 2 years ago, raided competitively, casually PvP'd), this game is perfect for me to pick up (the fact that GW is entirely new to me is a bonus lol).

 

The design favors elite specs because, with the exception of the altered class mechanic (which is supposed to be a tradeoff rather than a straight upgrade), elites have access to everything core specs do but also exclusive utilities and a weapon type inaccessible to the core spec. If, on top of that, core traits for your class have better synergy with the elite spec than they do with each other, then it's very likely that your class elite specs will overshadow your core specs.

 

For an example of this, consider the trait "powerful aura" in water. It causes any aura you apply to yourself to also apply to nearby allies. Core elementalist has access to auras via traits and weapon skills, so this trait can be useful to them. However, the Tempest elite spec has multiple traits that improve auras as well as a whole line of utilities that apply auras. There is no core trait line that synergizes as well with powerful aura as the tempest elite spec.

 

I feel that's a flawed design, but even so it is not across the board. For example, ranger, thief, guardian, and necromancer currently have meta builds in PvP. Warrior and mesmer usually do as well, but are a little low on the totem pole since the dust settled on 2-25. For various reasons, elementalist and engineer don't usually make the list of core specs that have competitive options.

 

[Zhaid Zhem.6508]

Sword and dagger don't have the same utilities.

 

Sword you have a gap closer (or kite) with air#2, riptide to dodge and kite a fight with very simple combo (earth #2 #4 #5, air #2 fire #2...); you have a cool barrier on fire/earth, a fat pressure to punish rez or rooted people with pyrovortex, gale strike, etc etc.

 

Dagger is more for brawling with weakness, cc, a damage reduction, a projectil block...; you have also a lot of leaps but it needs unravel or attune to same element, it's not as easy at sword #2 air or water, and doesn't travel walls of course.

And most of your attacks are 240-300 when often people have 130-180 range ; so be smart and you can attack at the good range avoiding to be hit (for example the dagger whirl from soulbeast, sand shades etc).

 

You don't have a better weapon overall, it depends what you want to play, against who.

For example I can't play WvW without dagger/dagger or d/f; 360° attacks, you can chain leaps to kite, more cc, more range, block, easier when outnumbered etc, etc etc; but in PvP, no matter the build (fireweaver, celestial, power etc) I play sword more often.

[RyanThomas.4182]

This discussion seems to have veered into PvP but I think the original question was mainly asking about PvE content. If you're just looking for meta raid builds, you can check here: https://snowcrows.com/raids/builds/elementalist/tempest/power/

Seems like scepter/warhorn is what they're using right now.

 

Sounds like you're still leveling your first character, so I'll let you know about the options you have access to before elite specs. Imo dagger/dagger and dagger/focus are the builds I use most in PvE. They're very fun and feel rewarding to play because you have to focus on playing optimally to maximize your boons. If you play well, you can maintain your boons and do loads of damage, but also keep yourself alive with lots of kiting/dodging/healing options. I personally use dagger/focus if I'm in areas where I know there will be more projectiles coming at me, but most of the time I'm in dagger/dagger.

 

Scepter is a good option as well if you want to stay at range, and I usually use a scepter when I'm doing bounty events because those have bosses with special effects that force you to sometimes fight at range (which dagger isn't great at). Main problem with scepter is that the autoattacks are really bad, so I often find myself just waiting for my other attunements to come off cooldown. I think scepter would be kind of unfun to play before you have the Fresh Air (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Fresh_Air) grandmaster trait, as well as Tempest overloads, but that's just my opinion.

 

Staff is really boring imo. If you're looking for the caster fantasy maybe it will suit you, but it just isn't my thing. It's not optimal for dps these days in raids, so I'm not sure what people use it for in PvE content these days. Maybe just tagging mobs while zerging around? I think it's useful in WvW, but I don't play any sort of PvP content these days so I'll defer to others.