last chance for my ele

[Irensaga.6935]

> @"MysticReaper.4318" said:

> with the double daggers, i am frying the bastards to death. 3 days and counting, i died twice. because i went into overleveled areas. i was careless. you are all right. i have to play smarter. i can't let my rage on them interfere with my progress. i can't blame me after months of trying and torment, i finally getting the last laugh.

 

Thanks for letting us know how it's going for you.

 

Once you hit Heart of Thorns, get the Tempest class unlocked - then you can equip a warhorn. Dagger-Warhorn allows you to almost camp entirely in Air attunement. Lightning whip auto-attacks, using the horn to blast out a spinning lightning orb that melts multiple enemies caught in its path, and Overload Air on your F3 key casting AOE lightning storms for heavy damage... It's a pretty good time.

 

You're still going to die a lot as you learn. If it gets too much, I recommend having another class to be able to switch to when you just get fed up with things, so you don't burn out on the game.

[Farwind.1796]

I have played all the classes. I have ten characters and two of them are Ele's (one Tempest, one Spellweaver). I find that I play the pet classes especially well. Necro, Ranger, and yes Engineer with their turrets. So I always have up Glyph of Lesser Elemental and the elite skill of Glyph of Elemental. They have gotten me out of tons of situations in which I would have died otherwise.

[Chichimec.9364]

Ah, I love my elementalist but the poor thing is so squishy that I have trouble keeping it alive on higher level maps. Thanks everyone, especially @HnRkLnXqZ.1870 for the solid advice on playing this class.

[Luthan.5236]

It's good to try different stuff. I mean: There are a lot of skills and weapons. Even for the ele that afaik got only 1 weapon set and less weapons than a lot of the other classes. Back then (I played from release to 2013 then I stopped until now) I made elementalist as my 3rd char and I played all the chars. (Have 8 chars, one of each class. Still playing without the expansions and 5 of the 3 classes at level 80.)

 

I remember Ele being squishy and the "all out" strategy suggested above worked best for me back then. Might be different now with all the changes in the last years and with the elite specs.

 

Engineer is my main. I had turrets (someone above said he liked them because he likes "pet" classes) at first. Always used the rifle and switched to a high precision/power set up later with the knockback/"launch" and whatever they are called skills. I also liked the bombs where at first I mainly used it for big ol bomb. Now after being back after a break from 2014 to mid 2019 I'm discovering the flamethrower and all the other stuff (I seem do to more damage ... lots of skillse seem to have gotten buffed).

 

I'll try my again Ele soon as well - core without elite stuff until I decide to get the expansions in a few weeks/months.

 

As people mentioned above: Switching between all the attunements ... that's what Ele are supposed to do. That's why they are hard to play - especially for me ... I already have trouble keeping up with engineer that also got only 1 weapon set and while playing without kits. A lot of quick button smashing. Needs skill.

 

Something to quickly heal, get away ... or do huge damage spike (if there are too many/strong enemies and you want to get rid of one fast) is always a good idea. Not trying to pull too many at once until you feel comfortable and found your build/style. I found for me it is best to try own stuff instead of just copying a build that is supposed to be good from the internet. Easier to learn by doing it yourself. (I agree with HnRkLnXqZ.1870 on this.) Though the builds you can find online are good to give a rough idea/direction on different ways to play a class.

[Ygdrasill.9135]

Ele is fun once you get to level 80, get decent gear and a workable build with one of the elite specs. I suggest going for Tempest first if you're already having trouble because even a simple Weaver rotation is longer than I can keep track of. Until that point they are almost too squishy to play in the areas designated for their level. Best suggestion, get a friend to play with you and team level both your characters together. Elementalist supporting a melee fighter works really well.

[antorios of boxius.1043]

Staff Tempest Tank here, keep in mind for when u get to 80, there is the Tank option, if the squishyness troubles u, as it did myself. When i say Tank i mean 3200, to 3500 armor, Roughly 700-900 healing power in that range. Your vitality can be 16 to 21k. Lastly Condi damage is where the rest of your points go. You should have 900-1,200, Consider Settlers armor( toughness+ healing+ condi) your trinkets can make up your vitality, as well as adding armor, or healing or condi damage. If u test this route consider maxing your points to those 4 attributes. Low damage, high sustain, to the point u can take on champs yourself , if there is no one around or not in a guild/group.

 

Specializations should be water, earth , tempest. Main thing always test different builds, have fun doing that, see what u like to do. Test the elements as per the situation during fights you will need them all, that IS what the toon is.

[Fenom.9457]

> @"Nath Forge Tempete.1645" said:

> I main ele since 2012 and it has been a every day life struggle ... so basically If anyone has infos ... i'm interested too.

>

> I compare it to diviner firebrand ... and man it's day an night. SO easy 1 player content.

 

 

? I main ele too and can solo all the story missions and almost anything not group designed. I dont even use a meta build (except in my attempts to raid occasionally).

[Nath Forge Tempete.1645]

> @"Fenom.9457" said:

> > @"Nath Forge Tempete.1645" said:

> > I main ele since 2012 and it has been a every day life struggle ... so basically If anyone has infos ... i'm interested too.

> >

> > I compare it to diviner firebrand ... and man it's day an night. SO easy 1 player content.

>

>

> ? I main ele too and can solo all the story missions and almost anything not group designed. I dont even use a meta build (except in my attempts to raid occasionally).

 

I didn't say I can't do solo content on ele . Just it's a useless struggle when I can faceroll the same content with basically any other class. (except mesmer or thief maybe? i don't know)

[Fenom.9457]

> @"Nath Forge Tempete.1645" said:

> > @"Fenom.9457" said:

> > > @"Nath Forge Tempete.1645" said:

> > > I main ele since 2012 and it has been a every day life struggle ... so basically If anyone has infos ... i'm interested too.

> > >

> > > I compare it to diviner firebrand ... and man it's day an night. SO easy 1 player content.

> >

> >

> > ? I main ele too and can solo all the story missions and almost anything not group designed. I dont even use a meta build (except in my attempts to raid occasionally).

>

> I didn't say I can't do solo content on ele . Just it's a useless struggle when I can faceroll the same content with basically any other class. (except mesmer or thief maybe? i don't know)

 

Ah, I see. Maybe it’s my lack of practice with other classes, but I find it generally easier to use ele for everything. Except PvP, half the other classes are much better

[Nath Forge Tempete.1645]

> @"Fenom.9457" said:

> > @"Nath Forge Tempete.1645" said:

> > > @"Fenom.9457" said:

> > > > @"Nath Forge Tempete.1645" said:

> > > > I main ele since 2012 and it has been a every day life struggle ... so basically If anyone has infos ... i'm interested too.

> > > >

> > > > I compare it to diviner firebrand ... and man it's day an night. SO easy 1 player content.

> > >

> > >

> > > ? I main ele too and can solo all the story missions and almost anything not group designed. I dont even use a meta build (except in my attempts to raid occasionally).

> >

> > I didn't say I can't do solo content on ele . Just it's a useless struggle when I can faceroll the same content with basically any other class. (except mesmer or thief maybe? i don't know)

>

> Ah, I see. Maybe it’s my lack of practice with other classes, but I find it generally easier to use ele for everything. Except PvP, half the other classes are much better

 

I confess I didn't try all of the classes in open world

 

1) Reaper : most faceroll to me since it has shroud + shroud skills .... maybe lack a second offensive weapon next to GS

2) Holosmith : actualy reks any mobs out there. Solo champion easy.

3) Herald : was a bit harder before herald rework now it's really great for open world (a lot of self boon tho) same for renegade (a bit harder)

4) warrior : well huge dmg/ cleave and a heavy armor + passive sustain

5) Quickbrand : the amount of self offensive boons that class has is insane . Plus defensive boons and self healing .

 

Then we have the elementalist that struggle to cleave , take higher dmg , or can tank but take ages to kill mobs. You can evade sure but you can't evade and deal dmg at the same time. honestly it a struggle ... may be fun . But when you want achievements most of the time it's like you force yourself to play in tribulation while everyone else is on infantile mode.

[Gorkus.7496]

I know this is late to the party, but I wanted to add just a bit.

 

IMO - Playing an elementalist is more about tactics than build. Don't let anyone tell you an ele isn't viable, regardless of build. It is tough, there is a larger learning curve than most other professions, but once mastered, makes you a better player than just about anyone else out there. I started out as a staff ele then moved to S/d weaver at lvl 80. Like you, I struggled at first and thought of giving up the class. But, in the end, I'm glad I didn't because I find playing the weaver is the most fun profession (for me anyway). Other, more popular professions, get boring to me because their mechanics become ultra repetitive. With a weaver (ele), there are so many more options, that it's rare that I get into a specific skill rotation. Repeating the same skills over and over is what I call boring play. I like that I have to think about which skill would be best in a particular situation versus just hammering out my tried and true burst rotation for the thousandth time. That said, of course there are tried and true combos with ele too. It's just that there are far more combos to choose from and some work better than others in specific situations, and one must learn when and where to use them.

 

For example, with a staff elementalist (the max DPS in the game), you can learn how to start one spell then teleport to (or away from) your enemy, and release that spell without just standing there waiting for the animation to finish. Standing still is your enemy. This works great for fire 5 (Meteor Shower) which has almost a 4 second casting animation. Cast meteor shower then quickly cast lightning flash in the opposite direction of your enemy. Then wait while the meteor shower animation finishes from a safe distance. Lightning flash has a zero casting time and won't interrupt your previously cast spell.

 

With your (water) trident, you can even use earth 5 (Murky Water) to gain invisibility on land. The mechanic is tough to learn, but you cast murky water from the water onto the shore, perform a combo finisher inside the smoke screen you setup with murky water, and voila, your ele has a few seconds of invisibility.

 

At lower levels, I found using the glyph(s) of elementals priceless. I carried both the lesser and regular versions up until I switched to weaver. Having a friend, a target for enemies to attack, was critical. As long as they aren't attacking you, you are golden. The reason I used both was so that I always had one ready to cast in case I lost the other too soon. Combined with dodging, Fire 4 (Burning retreat) and teleport (lightning flash), I could stay out of toe to toe combat most of the time. Did I ever get downed? Sure. But it wasn't all the time or right away.

 

Once you get to weaver, if you so choose, there are two great builds. One focuses on fire and air and delivers massive damage, the other focuses on water and arcana and has virtually unlimited healing. As a water weaver, I have been the solo player left alive in numerous boss situations, simply because the water weaver's sustain is insane. Sure she does less damage, but how much damage is down by downed or defeated players?

 

Another great bonus to the ele are sigils that work with weapon swapping. Changing attunements is considered a weapon swap. Since ele are switching attunements all the time, it turns out that weapon swapping sigils work for ele better than any other class. Elementalists can swap attunements eveyy 8 seconds. Weavers can swap every 4 seconds and using the weaver's elite specialization, weave self, allows the weaver to swap attunements every 2 seconds. You do the math, weapon swapping sigils can be a must have for the ele/weaver.

 

In the end, make the build you like the most regardless of what "the community" says. While a particular build may help, It's my opinion that your tactics will keep you viable far more than any build.

 

Edited: One more useful point for ele: Since an ele can deliver among the greatest dps in the game, she often becomes the main target of the boss / enemy, which is not helpful for the squishy class. Sometimes, it is better, not to attack for a while. Maybe rez a helpless downed warrior instead. ;)

[aetemes.2603]

Text wall inc.

 

Ele was one of my first leveled classes I loved it. But I took a loooong break and came back. The first thing I noticed is that staffs damage was so damn God damn awful...it did not use to be like that at all. I had to read that a lot of the ranged damage was nerfed (explained a lot of my alts feels in comparison). I also feel eles damage was toned down more than others perhaps because of tempests/weavers/basic eles capabilities/modifiers combined.

 

Ele is a lot more awesome in group settings and if you embrace the idea of using all your skills which takes a while to get used to. Yes in open world they can be harder compared to my other alts (I think some classes can just solo the unsoloable and some just cant imo). I'd say they are kinda like my thief but probably better.

 

As people have said dagger/dagger is the way to go the other weapons can be used better when you have the elite specialization and can bother with superior runes at level 80 and you are in group situations.

 

Heres are few things that -I personally- found helpful.

 

Take a few vitality/power pieces...but dont over do it. I would take berserker pieces after that personally (at least knight -yuck). Things need to die so that you don't yoy hate your life while leveling imo.

 

Take both glyphs of elementals the elite and the the utility one. Use them on earth if you are scared too many mobs will focus you they are your temporary I have a pet use the lesser one first...fill the gap with big guy...use lesser again...or use both if things really going down. The others ones are squishy. So the worth it ones are the earth version.

 

 

Glyph of storms is also great on earth it is a mass blind and aoe damage.

 

Now I read people saying use water/earth trees...experiment your self.

 

But heres what I liked.

 

Air first especially the trait that refreshes your air if you crit...because this will allow you to feel a little less tense about swapping to other elements to spam the usefull skills then just go back to air for autoattack damage to fill in the gaps.

 

It also has the reduce cooldown on glyphs I would take that along with the glyph as your heal slot (use it in water for the regen boon as well if needed) and both elemental glyphs and glyph of storms.

 

Zephyr speed/passive speed when in air mode is great too. Being able to run around fast passivley in lightning is a big deal imo you wanna run around and just lash these mobs with your lightning whips and make it easy for you to move around if you need to run away reposition kite los whatever etc.

 

Personally the other two trees I'd invest in after is fire and water. I would finish fire first. Mainly because fire is the other great tree for damaging, the reduce fire skills recharge/might for just using skills in fire - although I prefer the you get fury (and might) when you blast fire fields last longer talent. Also the when you die you spawn a lava font saved me...a lot lol.

 

You can take the reduce conjured weapons cool down and use the last utility slot for lightning hammer. Lightning hammer used to be stronger I think but its great.

 

Why? Its auto attack aoe blinds and blasts!. So you make a fire field (dagger 4) and then just activate the hammer and you get to melee and get more poweful as you do while mass blinding things getting hit. It's a little slow though..so. Sometimes I just take arcane blast instead to blast the fire field...or whatever else I might situationally need (arcane shield is good although all the rest of the utility is way too long of a cd/situational for my taste).

 

Lastly I'd go water you could just get the soothing mist talent first and work on fire in the mean time or...go full water first I guess I prefer offense though.

 

Soothing mist is great because you can go into water use its heals/skills then as you leave it soothing mists lasts a while outside of water. Nothing to say much about water it has a trait that increases your damage in all forms as long as your hp is up and makes tuning into water better at healing you up even after you leave water mode. Which is why I dislike earth...earth is a little too situational in it's style of defense for my taste. Water has traits that work out side of water mode/you just go there and leave.

 

I'd even level arcane before earth cause arcane has nifty things. Reduces swapping elements recharge! Free boons when you get hit/swap elements! Free concentration! Free spell on dodge/reduced arcane skills recharge for arcane blasts?.

 

Till you get to elites and being able to commit to gear/builds...kinda ignore staff scepter. Use them to get familiar but don't be shocked that their damage kinda is meh.

 

Ok im gonna shut up now lol.