[Q] Profession that's viable in PvE/PvP/WvW ?

[grabowac.7915]

Hello all.

I'm still new to this game and I'm still learning how it all here works but I have one question.

 

I currently play a Mirage Mesmer. I am playing a condi build (SnowCrows) and I like it for now.

Been doing some fractals, world bosses/champs etc. and it was pretty good with the rare/exotic gear.

 

Last 2 days I was farming in Bitterfrost Frontier for all those Empyreal fragments needed for armor crafting and been farming the Winterberries for the trinkets.

I bought already an ascended ring from the Bitterfrost Frontier NPC and switched the stats right away to Viper's because I wanted/want to play a condi Mirage.

 

My plan now is to craft myself the ascended Viper's armor but I am not sure should I do that, because I think that condi Mirage isn't a good option in PvP/WvW.

For PvP I saw just the power builds with a greatsword and NOT with Viper's trinkets.

 

My question would be now before I start crafting the gear and before I buy other trinkets would be;

Is there a profession thats good in PvE/PvP/WvW but that uses the same gear/trinkets in both PvE (raids, dungeons, fractals) and PvP?

For example Berserker ascended armor + runes for both PvE and PvP because the build works as a power build in both PvE and PvP.

 

I'd like to know because I dont have that much gold/items to craft all those items twice, so I'd like to know if there's something that works both ways.

My thoughts was Engineer/Holosmith because I saw on SnowCrows it's using a power build, is in the "optimal list" for the bosses so yeah..

 

Or.. Should I just buy Viper's gear and do PvE content (raid, fractals, whatever) with the Mirage and while farming that way, get myself the gear/crafting materials for the power build?

 

Any helpfull ideas are welcome! :blush:

[Ayakaru.6583]

First obstackle: everything works in PvE

From Zhaitan, to Balthazar, back to mordremoth, everything is dumbed down so little kids can play the game without difficulty. Your shaman’s druid is good enough.

 

If i understand your story correctly, you want a single character for all three modes.

I don’t its possible without at least minor tweaking, but i have 3 characters i use in all three game modes without issues:

 

Warrior, elementalist, and guardian, and to some extend the necromancer.

Now i cant play all three modes with the same runes and skills and traits, but they work for me.

But as long as you don’t raid, really, play whatever you like. Everything _works_, ad long as your consistent in a play style, (CC oriented, raw DPS, condi, magic utility, support.). Whatever path you choose, be consistent in gearing and traiting for it.

Aka, dont run a longbow, sword-torch warrior with rifle traits and berserker runes, thats just plain chaos.

 

 

[grabowac.7915]

> @"Ayakaru.6583" said:

> First obstackle: everything works in PvE

> From Zhaitan, to Balthazar, back to mordremoth, everything is dumbed down so little kids can play the game without difficulty. Your shaman’s druid is good enough.

>

> If i understand your story correctly, you want a single character for all three modes.

> I don’t its possible without at least minor tweaking, but i have 3 characters i use in all three game modes without issues:

>

> Warrior, elementalist, and guardian, and to some extend the necromancer.

> Now i cant play all three modes with the same runes and skills and traits, but they work for me.

> But as long as you don’t raid, really, play whatever you like. Everything _works_, ad long as your consistent in a play style, (CC oriented, raw DPS, condi, magic utility, support.). Whatever path you choose, be consistent in gearing and traiting for it.

> Aka, dont run a longbow, sword-torch warrior with rifle traits and berserker runes, thats just plain chaos.

>

>

 

With "PvE" I meant all the "player vs monster" content. Meaning Fractals, Dungeons and Raids. And yeah open world too..

I think that "PvE" in GW2 means only the open world content so i'll edit that in OP.

 

For raids/fractals I wanted to get the ascended items and that's why I wanted to know if anything works in all 3 game types with 1 gear type (only power for example).

Since I need for the mesmer condi gear (viper) for raids and power gear (eventually berserker) for pvp, I was thinking of getting 1 gear type (light/medium/heavy) and 1 stat type (viper/berserker/whatever).

[TamX.1870]

I am struggling with the same issue on my toons. I mainly play my ranger on druid specs. As fractals do not need any specialized gears, I have mainly geared up my ranger for WvW roaming. WvW roaming builds are usually pretty close to PvP builds, which is nice. But for raids and WvW large scale fights I would need different gears, and in fact, currently I think that ranger is not that good for large scale WvW fights. I think gearing is not that much about game mode, but group size. The larger group, the more specialized build you want. Of course, you can optimize gears easier for PvE (because mobs are not that intelligent to choose their targets).

 

In general I feel stupid, that raid require so different gears than the rest of the game. For example, I'd need Harrier pieces on my druid just to tone down toughness, while in most game modes if I go heal, Minstrel would be better with its vita and toughness. Where else you can use those Harrier pieces? You don't need full-scale healer in fractals. You are too squishy for WvW healer in Harrier pieces.

 

I have currently given up to get my ranger to raids or large scale WvW, I don't want to burden my team mates. What I am planning is to use other alts, and gear them towards certain game mode. I am currently planning gearing either my guard or necro for large scale WvW fights, and keep ranger as WvW roamer. Fractals I can go with ranger, and PvP, of course, do not need gearing. I haven't yet decided what toon/class I'd make for raids.

 

 

[grabowac.7915]

> @"TamX.1870" said:

> I am struggling with the same issue on my toons. I mainly play my ranger on druid specs. As fractals do not need any specialized gears, I have mainly geared up my ranger for WvW roaming. WvW roaming builds are usually pretty close to PvP builds, which is nice. But for raids and WvW large scale fights I would need different gears, and in fact, currently I think that ranger is not that good for large scale WvW fights. I think gearing is not that much about game mode, but group size. The larger group, the more specialized build you want. Of course, you can optimize gears easier for PvE (because mobs are not that intelligent to choose their targets).

>

> In general I feel stupid, that raid require so different gears than the rest of the game. For example, I'd need Harrier pieces on my druid just to tone down toughness, while in most game modes if I go heal, Minstrel would be better with its vita and toughness. Where else you can use those Harrier pieces? You don't need full-scale healer in fractals. You are too squishy for WvW healer in Harrier pieces.

>

> I have currently given up to get my ranger to raids or large scale WvW, I don't want to burden my team mates. What I am planning is to use other alts, and gear them towards certain game mode. I am currently planning gearing either my guard or necro for large scale WvW fights, and keep ranger as WvW roamer. Fractals I can go with ranger, and PvP, of course, do not need gearing. I haven't yet decided what toon/class I'd make for raids.

>

>

 

That means I am not the only one with that problem. ^^

But still, for a new player with almost no experience in this game and with not that much gold/resources for crafting, what should I do?

It's a bit boring to farm Bitterfrost map for trinkets all the time just because I wanted to play something else.

I already bought 1 trinket with viper's stats, but don't wanna buy all of them if I simply cant play anything except PvE (raids, fractals...).

I would give WvW a try too since I never played it but with condi mesmer and viper's gear, its gonna be hard.

[TamX.1870]

> @"grabowac.7915" said:

> That means I am not the only one with that problem. ^^

> But still, for a new player with almost no experience in this game and with not that much gold/resources for crafting, what should I do?

> It's a bit boring to farm Bitterfrost map for trinkets all the time just because I wanted to play something else.

> I already bought 1 trinket with viper's stats, but don't wanna buy all of them if I simply cant play anything except PvE (raids, fractals...).

> I would give WvW a try too since I never played it but with condi mesmer and viper's gear, its gonna be hard.

 

I would say that stop farming Bitterfrost - or any other area - if it starts to get boring :D I don't have Mesmer, so I don't know how much gear variations you have, but I know that Mesmer is at good spot in all game modes. I checked metabattle and there is condi Mesmer roamer build for WvW:

 

https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Chronomancer_-_Condi_Roamer

 

Like with most other classes, here you have Trailblazer instead of Viper. Full glass cannon gears can be optimal for fractals and raids, where you can learn not to take damage and you have support classes to recover you, but in environments like WvW it is hard to make other players stop hitting you, and thus you usually like to have some sort of hybrid builds (condi DPS switches Viper to Trailblazer and power DPS switches Berserker to Marauder, things like that). With your Viper pieces, you can get similar effects by mixing in few Dire or similar pieces.

[AliamRationem.5172]

If you're new, I wouldn't worry about farming ascended. Exotic is vastly cheaper and easier to acquire and it's only about a 5% stat loss. Ascended is required for higher level fractals because it's the only gear (aside from legendary tier) that may be infused with agony resistance (a mechanic that only exists in fractals). Even then, you only need a piece or two of ascended to get into tier 2 fractals, so there's really no need to rush it.

 

If you want to gear up cheap, berserker stats are your best bet. It's probably the most common set available and the stats are perfect for power builds. Power chrono might be a good option. I know there is a burst shatter build for WvW that likely relies on berserker stats. PvP is irrelevant as you don't use your PvE gear anyway. And it looks like SnowCrows lists chrono power DPS in the top 10 (below condi mirage, but still up there!).

 

Maybe not a 100% one-size-fits-all build, but it's about as close as you're going to get. I think condi mirage would also be a good choice, but ideally you'll want Viper stats for that and those have to be crafted for the most part. So maybe start with the power chrono and see where it takes you.

[grabowac.7915]

> @"AliamRationem.5172" said:

> If you're new, I wouldn't worry about farming ascended. Exotic is vastly cheaper and easier to acquire and it's only about a 5% stat loss. Ascended is required for higher level fractals because it's the only gear (aside from legendary tier) that may be infused with agony resistance (a mechanic that only exists in fractals). Even then, you only need a piece or two of ascended to get into tier 2 fractals, so there's really no need to rush it.

>

> If you want to gear up cheap, berserker stats are your best bet. It's probably the most common set available and the stats are perfect for power builds. Power chrono might be a good option. I know there is a burst shatter build for WvW that likely relies on berserker stats. PvP is irrelevant as you don't use your PvE gear anyway. And it looks like SnowCrows lists chrono power DPS in the top 10 (below condi mirage, but still up there!).

>

> Maybe not a 100% one-size-fits-all build, but it's about as close as you're going to get. I think condi mirage would also be a good choice, but ideally you'll want Viper stats for that and those have to be crafted for the most part. So maybe start with the power chrono and see where it takes you.

 

Well tbh I almost already have all the items I need to craft all 6 parts of the Ascended armor. It just takes time to craft those things. So that isn't that much a problem.

A bigger "problem" than that is really for which class should I craft the armor (light, medium, heavy) and should I craft it with Viper's/Berserker's/other's stats.

AFAIK if I craft the light gear, I could use the gear on necromancer/elementalist (if I had them) because those items are account bound and not soulbound or?

If yes, then its okayish but still, even if I played ele, ele ist a power build and I cant do anything with the Viper's gear if I would craft it.

 

Just yeah.. Mirage mesmer with Viper's gear just isnt a good option for WvW or?

I was thinking of crafting the Viper's gear and then maybe doing fractals/raids/whatever in order to get enough gold to craft the berserker's gear and start doing WvW. Although I dont know if that's a good solution.

 

I'm just thinking between holosmith and mirage. I have the mirage now and I like it, but have to craft armor/trinkets twice (Viper's and Berserker's) because I cant play WvW with Viper's stats.

But on the other side holosmith seems really cool and needs just 1 gear set (Berserker's) for both PvE (Fractals, Raids) and WvW.

 

 

What would you suggest?

Thanks

[AliamRationem.5172]

> @"grabowac.7915" said:

> > @"AliamRationem.5172" said:

> > If you're new, I wouldn't worry about farming ascended. Exotic is vastly cheaper and easier to acquire and it's only about a 5% stat loss. Ascended is required for higher level fractals because it's the only gear (aside from legendary tier) that may be infused with agony resistance (a mechanic that only exists in fractals). Even then, you only need a piece or two of ascended to get into tier 2 fractals, so there's really no need to rush it.

> >

> > If you want to gear up cheap, berserker stats are your best bet. It's probably the most common set available and the stats are perfect for power builds. Power chrono might be a good option. I know there is a burst shatter build for WvW that likely relies on berserker stats. PvP is irrelevant as you don't use your PvE gear anyway. And it looks like SnowCrows lists chrono power DPS in the top 10 (below condi mirage, but still up there!).

> >

> > Maybe not a 100% one-size-fits-all build, but it's about as close as you're going to get. I think condi mirage would also be a good choice, but ideally you'll want Viper stats for that and those have to be crafted for the most part. So maybe start with the power chrono and see where it takes you.

>

> Well tbh I almost already have all the items I need to craft all 6 parts of the Ascended armor. It just takes time to craft those things. So that isn't that much a problem.

> A bigger "problem" than that is really for which class should I craft the armor (light, medium, heavy) and should I craft it with Viper's/Berserker's/other's stats.

> AFAIK if I craft the light gear, I could use the gear on necromancer/elementalist (if I had them) because those items are account bound and not soulbound or?

> If yes, then its okayish but still, even if I played ele, ele ist a power build and I cant do anything with the Viper's gear if I would craft it.

>

> Just yeah.. Mirage mesmer with Viper's gear just isnt a good option for WvW or?

> I was thinking of crafting the Viper's gear and then maybe doing fractals/raids/whatever in order to get enough gold to craft the berserker's gear and start doing WvW. Although I dont know if that's a good solution.

>

> I'm just thinking between holosmith and mirage. I have the mirage now and I like it, but have to craft armor/trinkets twice (Viper's and Berserker's) because I cant play WvW with Viper's stats.

> But on the other side holosmith seems really cool and needs just 1 gear set (Berserker's) for both PvE (Fractals, Raids) and WvW.

>

>

> What would you suggest?

> Thanks

 

I am no WvW expert (I only go there to farm Gift of Battle when I need one!), but in my brief experiences there with condi mirage I felt remarkably ineffective in large scale battles, but very strong roaming on my own. I think for zerg battles the issues are many. First, condi can be cleansed by support classes and mirage doesn't have great access to cover conditions. Condi mirage also lacks a solid ranged option for big battles. Staff attacks get absorbed by allies and scepter is a single-target option. We do our best damage at melee range, but this is problematic in the zerg because we rely on avoiding damage which simply isn't feasible on the frontline. You're going to take a lot of damage as a light armor glass build with medium health, and that just doesn't work out well for mirage at all. It just seems ill-suited to that type of gameplay. Roaming was the opposite. Mirage makes for a superior duelist and felt rather dominant in 1v1 encounters.

 

So I guess the question is how important is WvW zerg to you? I think mirage performs well in everything else, including WvW roaming. But if you're going to run with the zerg a lot, then I'd recommend a different build or class.

 

Also, you're correct: Ascended gear is account bound and may be passed between characters on the same account. So if you craft Viper ascended now and decide you'd rather pursue other options, that set will still be usable when you do your next light armor condi build.

 

[Linken.6345]

Well anything is viable mate, Optimal is the word your asking about I guess?

[grabowac.7915]

> @"AliamRationem.5172" said:

>

> I am no WvW expert (I only go there to farm Gift of Battle when I need one!), but in my brief experiences there with condi mirage I felt remarkably ineffective in large scale battles, but very strong roaming on my own. I think for zerg battles the issues are many. First, condi can be cleansed by support classes and mirage doesn't have great access to cover conditions. Condi mirage also lacks a solid ranged option for big battles. Staff attacks get absorbed by allies and scepter is a single-target option. We do our best damage at melee range, but this is problematic in the zerg because we rely on avoiding damage which simply isn't feasible on the frontline. You're going to take a lot of damage as a light armor glass build with medium health, and that just doesn't work out well for mirage at all. It just seems ill-suited to that type of gameplay. Roaming was the opposite. Mirage makes for a superior duelist and felt rather dominant in 1v1 encounters.

>

> So I guess the question is how important is WvW zerg to you? I think mirage performs well in everything else, including WvW roaming. But if you're going to run with the zerg a lot, then I'd recommend a different build or class.

>

> Also, you're correct: Ascended gear is account bound and may be passed between characters on the same account. So if you craft Viper ascended now and decide you'd rather pursue other options, that set will still be usable when you do your next light armor condi build.

>

 

Alright, meaning if I want to play mesmer WvW, I should simply gear power gear and switch to power shatter build with maybe a Greatsword.

Too bad I need 2 sets or armor because that just takes a lot of time and gold. And gold is my bigger problem because I am still new here.

 

The only "bad" thing about the account bound armor is.. My next "want-to-play"-profession would be a Holosmith. and holo uses medium gear and at the moment its optimal only with the power variant which means, power trinkets and power medium armor. and since I am about to craft light condi armor, I cant use the light armor on the holo.

Using viper's light armor on necro is not worth it because necro is bad anyways.

Using it on ele isnt the best thing either because ele is running a power staff build so yeah..

Bad situation for me ^^

 

> @"Linken.6345" said:

> Well anything is viable mate, Optimal is the word your asking about I guess?

 

Well yeah, optimal would be the word im asking about. But as already stated above, viper's light gear for mirage cant be used on holo and that's my problem.

I guess I will just have to test few professions and take the best out of them. I like the mirage and thats why I want to keep playing it, the only bad thing is that its not that good for WvW.

[Odinens.5920]

I think the closest you'll get is a build that works for open world PvE/low level fractals/dungeons/WvW (roaming). I play all of those with one build on a DH. The problem you will have is when you want to get serious about any content (Fractals/PvE raids/WvW/sPvP). What I mean is that if you want to get serious in all game modes then you will not be able to have 1 build on 1 class. It just won't work.

 

You will need a different build for each mode. And by build I mean both the actual build AND the gear needed for each build.