GW Noob.6038 Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Hey, guy's...I'm in a position now where I need to start doing Fractals/Dungeons and was wondering which of my characters I should use. I have 4 atm... * lvl 80 Ranger/Soulbeast (all skills) using a Boon-Berserker build. She is my main...been playing with her from the start (about 7 weeks now). She has a full set of Ascended armor, trinkets, and a back item. She also has the Kudzu legendary bow, and the Caladbolg Solana dagger. I've soloed some champs with her...don't really care for it, though; anytime a fight goes on for longer than 5 mins my boredom factor shoots through the roof! :P * lvl 80 Thief/Deadeye (only beginning skill) using p/p/r build. She has all Ascended trinkets and back item. She also has the Predator rifle, and I'm working on the HOPE pistol for her. * lvl 80 Engineer/Holosmith (only beginning skill) using the stock rifle/flamethrower condi build. He has all Ascended trinkets and back item. Not very skilled with him, mostly use him for farming. * lvl 80 Mesmer/Mirage (all skills) using an axe/torch condi build. She has all Ascended trinkets and back item, as well as a Bifrost axe and a Rodgort torch. I just started playing with her and I'm not very skilled at it yet...mostly been using her for farming. I want to get a full set of the Superior Rune of the Nightmare, which, as you may know, is only available in the Twilight Arbor dungeon. I just crafted a Vision Crystal and will be using it for either a chest armor piece, or a new Ascended warhorn for my Ranger...it'll go to whomever I choose to use for Fractals. At any rate, those are my options...of the four, which do you think would be best suited for a low-level Fractal team? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illconceived Was Na.9781 Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Any of the four would be fine in theory. My advice for you (and really, for anyone) is to start with the build you know the best and that dishes out a lot of damage. The first tier of fractals is when you start learning the mechanics and the patterns of the fights. That means you want your attention to be on what's new in the game, rather than something new in your build or rotation. Unless you're in the top 10% of players, you're going to evolve your build and your rotation and your general style|approach in order to succeed. For starters, a smooth fractal run is a team effort, so what works in soloing champs (especially if it takes >5min) isn't necessarily going to work in fracts. _(edit: see the examples from @"Cyninja.2954" & @"Turkeyspit.3965" below; I support those suggestions)_ If you start a group on your own (recommended), mention that you're new and will be taking it slow. If you join someone else's LFG, be sure to look for similar language: casual, newbie friendly, etc. Mostly all T1 runs are like that, but occasionally, you'll come across folks that... let's say ...aren't playing the same game. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress (or if you have questions about how things work). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyninja.2954 Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Additionally to what was mentioned by IWN: - Power Soulbeast uses pretty much the same gear as Boon Zerker (except for Sigils and Runes, you will have to chose which you want to run with). So in essence this character would be good to transition. Opening druid later on if you want to support. - P/P thief is not really an option for fractals. You either go D/D Deadeye or Staff Daredevil. Upside, very easy to play and DE and DD share the same gear. Downside, thief in general is very squishy and twitchy. - Engineer/Holo in general is quite difficult to master. Not saying not possible but you will have to put in a lot of extra work to master the class, especially compared to Dragonhunter, Soulbeast, Warrior or Daredevil. Also power builds are to be preferred over condi for fractals. - Mesmer and Mirage - See Engineer/Holo I would probably recommend you give Ranger/Soulbeast a go if you enjoy the class overall. The medium armor and trinkets could always get passed on to a thief or engineer power build if you want to vary or try something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeyspit.3965 Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 As many have said above, all the one's you listed are fine for T1, but if you intend on climbing beyond to T2+, you would have to make some changes. As @"Cyninja.2954" mentioned, you would need to change how you play Thief, and while Holo and Mirage are fine in higher fractals, your Soulbeast will have to switch to melee (usually GS + Sword/Axe) because you can't stay apart from the group shooting a LB, beyond the range of boons and heals at higher levels. But for now go in with what you are most comfortable with and learn the maps and the fight mechanics, and slowly evolve how you play your characters as you go up in tiers. Completely aside though.... > @"GW Noob.6038" said: >Lvl 80 Ranger/Soulbeast [...]been playing with her from the start (**about 7 weeks now**). > @"GW Noob.6038" said: >[...] She has a full set of Ascended armor, trinkets, and a back item. She also has the Kudzu legendary bow, and the >Caladbolg Solana dagger. >[...] >Thief/Deadeye [...]. She has all Ascended trinkets and back item. She also has the Predator rifle, and I'm working on the HOPE pistol for her. > * lvl 80 Engineer/Holosmith [...] He has all Ascended trinkets and back item. > * lvl 80 Mesmer/Mirage [...] She has all Ascended trinkets and back item, as well as a Bifrost axe and a Rodgort torch You did all that in 7 weeks??? :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiviana.2650 Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 > @"Turkeyspit.3965" said: > As many have said above, all the one's you listed are fine for T1, but if you intend on climbing beyond to T2+, you would have to make some changes. > > As @"Cyninja.2954" mentioned, you would need to change how you play Thief, and while Holo and Mirage are fine in higher fractals, your Soulbeast will have to switch to melee (usually GS + Sword/Axe) because you can't stay apart from the group shooting a LB, beyond the range of boons and heals at higher levels. > > But for now go in with what you are most comfortable with and learn the maps and the fight mechanics, and slowly evolve how you play your characters as you go up in tiers. > > Completely aside though.... > > > @"GW Noob.6038" said: > >Lvl 80 Ranger/Soulbeast [...]been playing with her from the start (**about 7 weeks now**). > > > @"GW Noob.6038" said: > >[...] She has a full set of Ascended armor, trinkets, and a back item. She also has the Kudzu legendary bow, and the >Caladbolg Solana dagger. > >[...] > >Thief/Deadeye [...]. She has all Ascended trinkets and back item. She also has the Predator rifle, and I'm working on the HOPE pistol for her. > > * lvl 80 Engineer/Holosmith [...] He has all Ascended trinkets and back item. > > * lvl 80 Mesmer/Mirage [...] She has all Ascended trinkets and back item, as well as a Bifrost axe and a Rodgort torch > > You did all that in 7 weeks??? :o > > People coming from other mmos know the grind lol. I vote soulbeast also im new also starting low tier fracs using soulbeast as i gear up and get AR and learn how fracs work. Usually its a clusterkitten in pugs, so i use the groot pet to bolster heals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GW Noob.6038 Posted January 10, 2019 Author Share Posted January 10, 2019 > @"Turkeyspit.3965" said: > You did all that in 7 weeks??? :o Ha! Yeah, i did. I normally play about 16 hours a day, so I've had the opportunity to get lots of stuff done...let me quickly add, though, that I did not craft any of the Legendary weapons, I bought them all on the TP. I am crafting the HOPE pistol, however, and will probably do some others in the future. Thanks for your input...I'll let it guide my thinking. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GW Noob.6038 Posted January 10, 2019 Author Share Posted January 10, 2019 @Illconceived Was Na.9781 Thanks for the advice..it was valuable, as always! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GW Noob.6038 Posted January 11, 2019 Author Share Posted January 11, 2019 > @"Cyninja.2954" said: > Additionally to what was mentioned by IWN: > > - Power Soulbeast uses pretty much the same gear as Boon Zerker (except for Sigils and Runes, you will have to chose which you want to run with). So in essence this character would be good to transition. Opening druid later on if you want to support. > - P/P thief is not really an option for fractals. You either go D/D Deadeye or Staff Daredevil. Upside, very easy to play and DE and DD share the same gear. Downside, thief in general is very squishy and twitchy. > - Engineer/Holo in general is quite difficult to master. Not saying not possible but you will have to put in a lot of extra work to master the class, especially compared to Dragonhunter, Soulbeast, Warrior or Daredevil. Also power builds are to be preferred over condi for fractals. > - Mesmer and Mirage - See Engineer/Holo > > I would probably recommend you give Ranger/Soulbeast a go if you enjoy the class overall. The medium armor and trinkets could always get passed on to a thief or engineer power build if you want to vary or try something else. Thanks a bunch! I could Transition over to a Power Soulbeast build, sure. I've resisted using a Greatsword in the past because the idea of a Ranger wielding a huge two-handed sword is dumb...I mean stupid...I mean ludicrous...! But, I guess I could go with a huge 6-foot long Greatsword on a Ranger just to get some stuffs from the Fractals...sure, why the hell not? I can move the Bifrost axe from my Mesmer over to my Ranger and buy an elcheapo exotic Greatsword on the TP and I'll be set...then all I have to do is practice the new build 'til I've got it down. My intention is to get the Bloomhunger sap from the level 5 Swampland Fractal boss for the HOPE pistol project...then just farm as much fractal stuffs as I need to upgrade all my Ascended gears with +5 power infusions. Thanks again for your help! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infusion.7149 Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 I would go with the ranger, even if not playing druid you can drop spirits or share stances (assuming you're playing the boon zerker they have on metabaattle). Just be aware if you're running longbow that some things reflect projectiles , so weapon swap appropriately. If you're new to fractals it's also much more forgiving than thief (worst besides ele for newcomers due to 11k base HP and no weaponswap for eles) or condi axe mesmer (you would need to wait for condi ramp up and you have mirage cloak instead of dodge). Engineer would work as well on holo, if you get the hang of using photon forge (rifle is terrible if you don't have photon forge or bomb kit for auto let alone photon forge 2 &4 or bomb kit 2). It sounds like your mastery of engineer is basic so that could be a class to practice on T1 in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeyspit.3965 Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 > @"GW Noob.6038" said: > Thanks a bunch! I could Transition over to a Power Soulbeast build, sure. I've resisted using a Greatsword in the past because the idea of a Ranger wielding a huge > two-handed sword is dumb...I mean stupid...I mean ludicrous...! But, I guess I could go with a huge 6-foot long Greatsword on a Ranger just to get some stuffs from the > Fractals...sure, why the hell not? Greatsword on Ranger has, in my opinion, the best animations that support the overall theme of the profession than any weapon in this game. The giant bear animation for Maul and the Eagle animation for Swoop are just downright awesome. Sadly the weapon itself is lackluster when it comes to DPS, but if you're going to do group content at higher levels and want to DPS, you don't have much choice but to go melee. In higher fractals you will need the boons and heals given by others to succeed, and that requires you to be stacked in melee range, completely negating the one benefit a Longbow gives to the ranger. The longbow also is pretty terrible at cleave, as the pierce requires mobs stand in a straight line, and volley hits for next to nothing. GS, while more of a utility weapon, still gives you access to hitting 5 targets via Maul. And, if you're in a group that doesn't have Druid, you can sacrifice some personal DPS by using Spirits on your utility bar, and boosting the whole group. Your choice of pet can also change based on the needs of the group. None of this really matters though in T1, but if you really love Ranger and want to continue on into T3 and T4, I'd take a serious look at switching to Druid, as not only will you have zero trouble finding groups, but you will be playing one of the Ranger's stronger builds for that content. But again, for now just go in and learn the fights and the maps, because positioning is just as important as DPS, especially as new mechanics are introduced at the T3 level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phs.6089 Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Make sure to grab[ jaracanda](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Juvenile_Jacaranda " jaracanda") for soulbeast. While learning fractlas its a huge help with additional healing and cleansing skill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GW Noob.6038 Posted January 11, 2019 Author Share Posted January 11, 2019 > @"Turkeyspit.3965" said: > In higher fractals you will need the boons and heals given by others to succeed, and that requires you to be stacked in melee range, completely negating the one benefit a Longbow gives to the ranger. The longbow also is pretty terrible at cleave, as the pierce requires mobs stand in a straight line, and volley hits for next to nothing. GS, while more of a utility weapon, still gives you access to hitting 5 targets via Maul. > > And, if you're in a group that doesn't have Druid, you can sacrifice some personal DPS by using Spirits on your utility bar, and boosting the whole group. Your choice of pet can also change based on the needs of the group. > > None of this really matters though in T1, but if you really love Ranger and want to continue on into T3 and T4, I'd take a serious look at switching to Druid, as not only will you have zero trouble finding groups, but you will be playing one of the Ranger's stronger builds for that content. But again, for now just go in and learn the fights and the maps, because positioning is just as important as DPS, especially as new mechanics are introduced at the T3 level. As I previously mentioned, the only things I want to do with Fractals right now is get the Bloomhunger sap for my HOPE pistol project, and make a bunch of Mighty +5 infusions for all my gears. Other than that, I have no reason to progress into the higher-level Fractals. Having said that, though, there is a back-item, the Fractal Capacitor, that I would like to have for my Hi-Tec Thief...I haven't looked into what I would have to do to get it, but I'm certain that it is a long and highly frustrating journey, because that's the way Anet rolls: they want to make you suffer as you work towards your goal. So, I can live without that back piece... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GW Noob.6038 Posted January 11, 2019 Author Share Posted January 11, 2019 > @"phs.6089" said: > Make sure to grab[ jaracanda](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Juvenile_Jacaranda " jaracanda") for soulbeast. > While learning fractlas its a huge help with additional healing and cleansing skill. The very first thing I did when I got to level 80 was to go to the PoF maps to get my mounts...the second thing I did was to go and get my Jaracanda. He's been my main pet ever since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeyspit.3965 Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 > @"GW Noob.6038" said: Having said that, though, there is a back-item, the Fractal Capacitor, that I would like to have for my Hi-Tec Thief...I haven't looked into what I would have to do to get it, but I'm certain that it is a long and highly frustrating journey, because that's the way Anet rolls: they want to make you suffer as you work towards your goal. So, I can live without that back piece... > Well....as it happens.... [https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/65382/fractal-capacitor-infused-skin](https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/65382/fractal-capacitor-infused-skin "https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/65382/fractal-capacitor-infused-skin") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Forestman.4758 Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 For T1 fractals, play whatever you find the most enjoyable. Parties on the LFG rarely (if ever) require certain roles to be filled in low-tier fractals. When you get up to T3/T4, that's where you'll have to address your party composition and get certain builds down really well. I can't speak to most of your professions, but I do main soulbeast! Without a doubt, greatsword is your highest DPS weapon. Sword/axe is best to maximize DPS for your secondary weapon set, but keep in mind that not all situations are good for stacking on the enemy 100% of the time. Having a ranged weapon is necessary quite a bit of the time, so running greatsword and longbow is often a good idea. Also, feel free to friend me in game! I'm in a couple guilds that are new player friendly, and we'd be happy to show you the ropes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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