Guild Wars 2 Best Class - What's the Best Class to Play?

Updated:

10 Nov 2022

Guild Wars 2 Best Class - What's the Best Class to Play?

Guild Wars 2, or GW2 offers nine classes (also known as professions) including Engineer, Necromancer, Thief, Elementalist, Warrior, Ranger, Mesmer, Guardian, and Revenant. Thanks to the Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire expansions, there are even more striking (pun intended) professions to choose from. Here is a simple break down of the professions which shows which are best. What profession will get your dragon slaying, fire wielding, arrow shooting heart pumping to play?

1. Engineer

Do you like blowing things up? Flame-throwers, guns, bombs, and turrets? Engineers do too. With these kinds of weapons comes great damage. Engineers are a strong, heavy professions that make them really dangerous.

Pros.

Cool, versatile weapons
Heavy damage
Can set turrets

Cons.

The Engineer is a very intricate class, so most people play a simplified version
Close combat weapons can be a con if you’re playing against a high range class
Low mobility/have trouble dodging attacks
Not as easy to attack moving enemies

Tank Level: 22/25

Healing level: 19/25

Mastery level: 14/25

DPS level: 25/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 80/100

Heart of Thorns: Scrapper gives the engineer the ability to finish off a kill or revive allies. Engineers also get more self-healing abilities, boons for toughness, and the ability to stun and daze.

Tank Level: 23/25

Healing level: 23/25

Mastery level: 13/25

DPS level: 25/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 84/100

Path of Fire: Holosmith gives engineers a fire-bending weapon skill. This skill causes more damage in exchange for health. This skill burns, sets off explosives, and removes impairments. You also have the ability to dodge.

Tank Level: 19/25

Healing level: 19/25

Mastery level: 12/25

DPS level: 25/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 75/100

2. Necromancer

Necromancers are friendly with death and can raise minions and blood sucking fiends from their graves to help deal damage and take the effects of the spell’s enemies cast on you. Necromancers weaken enemies by drawing blood and stealing life while often being able to cheat death themselves. They are a close combat profession and are some of the most efficient in killing opponents in solo events.

Pros.

Strong solo profession because of minions
Minions take damage and cause opponents to bleed
Hard to kill in solo games

Cons.

Do not deal enough damage in group events and require help from allies

Tank Level: 19/25

Healing level: 19/25

Mastery level: 17/25

DPS level: 25/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 80/100

Heart of Thorns: Reaper gives Necromancers the ability to attack a group of allies. This was previously a con in the original GW2, but now Necromancers can hurt many enemies at once, trap enemies, chill them, and inflict conditions on them. Their mobility is slightly weakened, but they strike and chill their enemies with cries from the underworld.

Tank Level: 20/25

Healing level: 19/25

Mastery level: 16/25

DPS level: 25/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 80/100

Path of Fire: Scourge gives Necromancers shade, like a cloak that protects them against strikes and spells cast on allies. Scourge converts boons set on allies into crippling attacks on enemies.

Tank Level: 24/25

Healing level: 22/25

Mastery level: 17/25

DPS level: 25/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 87/100

3. Thief

Like the name suggests, one of the best parts of being a thief is being stealing. Thieves have the ability to sneak around and away from enemies. They can become invisible as well as speed their movement in their close combat duels. They are hard to master because they require you to evading attacks, sneak around, and turning invisible all while attacking, but once you have it down, they are one of the hardest to combat.

Pros.

Stealth
Evades attacks/amazing mobility
If you master the thief, they can be one of the deadliest and hardest to defeat

Cons.

Close combat can be a con if you play against a profession that has range
One of the most difficult professions to master

Tank Level: 17/25

Healing level: 19/25

Mastery level: 15/25

DPS level: 23/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 74/100

Heart of Thorns: Daredevil turns thieves into assassins by giving them more dodging, trapping, survival, and defense abilities. A simple thief becomes a master of crime and escape with this specialization.

Tank Level: 20/25

Healing level: 19/25

Mastery level: 15/25

DPS level: 24/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 78/100

Path of Fire: Deadeye gives thieves more endurance when up against enemies. Enemies may strike but the thief can reduce the damage while creating malice. Malice develops over time and reduces inflicted damage. Deadeye thieves also have a sniper which gives it the ability to attack enemies from a distance.

Tank Level: 22/25

Healing level: 21/25

Mastery level: 15/25

DPS level: 25/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 83/100

4. Elementalist

Because elementalists are one with earth, wind, fire, and electricity, they have not one but four sets of spells to cast on their enemies. Each weapon can be used under earth, wind, fire, or electricity, and each element can either be used to attack or heal self and allies. Whether you are wrapping your enemy in a web of electrical currents or burning them in a pit of fire, elementalists have one of the most entertaining skills.

Pros.

One of the best classes in group events
Fast-paced and entertaining
DPS-like attacks
Mobile
Different elements can be used to cast many different spells
Healing (water) spells are useful in team events

Cons.

Have a low health bar
Can lose health easier

Tank Level: 18/25

Healing level: 25/25

Mastery level: 23/25

DPS level: 25/25

Overall class Usefulness rating: 91/100

Heart of Thorns: Tempest gives elementalists even more skills, called attunements, to play with. Tempests create boons, might, and throw lightning. Watch out, Thor. Oh, and they throw tidal waves that heal allies.

Tank Level: 18/25

Healing level: 25/25

Mastery level: 23/25

DPS level: 25/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 91/100

Path of Fire: Weaver gives elementalists the ability to use two elements at once by using off-hand and main-hand weapons. This gives them dual attacks, which is no bueno for their opponents. This increases the conditions cast on enemies, grants swiftness, and can take more damage.

Tank Level: 25/25

Healing level: 25/25

Mastery level: 23/25

DPS level: 25/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 98/100

5. Warrior

Warriors are one of the easier professions to master. One of the best traits of a warrior is the ability to sacrifice their health in order to deal more damage. When up against one opponent, warriors can easily conquer them with their heavy blows. They have some evasive and rush tactics but are easily conquered in team events.

Pros.

Strong damage hits
Options to strike harder and leave more damage in exchange for health
Evades
Rush skill where you run into an opponent, hurt them, and stun them

Cons.

Can die easily when attacked by multiple players (just run)

Tank Level: 15/25

Healing level: 17/25

Mastery level: 25/25

DPS level: 21/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 78/100

Heart of Thorns: Berserker gives warriors more speed and swiftness with attacks. It allows you to hit enemies harder when on low levels of health. This is useful considering how vulnerable they can be when attacked by multiple people. Berserker warriors also work with fire by casting spells all around them that burn and ward off enemies. This is the one time we encourage you play with fire.

Tank Level: 19/25

Healing level: 17/25

Mastery level: 24/25

DPS level: 22/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 82/100

Path of Fire: Some people call them rebels, GW2 calls them spellbreakers. With this specialization, warriors use attacks on them to convert them into counter-attacks against enemies and interrupts any spells they were casting. This works great in group events.

Tank Level: 20/25

Healing level: 17/25

Mastery level: 24/25

DPS level: 23/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 84/100

6. Ranger

While the ranger has DPS-like power and many healing abilities. Rangers also have the ability to carry a pet with them. Whether you want an eagle clawing at your enemies or a Moa Bird screeching at deafening pitches, pets help stun enemies, make them bleed, and take damage from your ranger. They are one of the simpler professions to begin with.

Pros.

Easy use and mastery
Pet takes damage
Distance weapons like bows
High DPS
Healing abilities

Cons.

Pets can be too helpful and take away from the fun of the kill
Low mobility

Tank Level: 19/25

Healing level: 19/25

Mastery level: 25/25

DPS level: 25/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 88/100

Heart of Thorns: Druids are the guardian angels on the battlefield. They provide healing to allies by summoning energy, becoming avatars, and turning into wisps. Healing on allies also increases personal and pet health.

Tank Level: 19/25

Healing level: 25/25

Mastery level: 25/25

DPS level: 25/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 94/100

Path of Fire: Soulbeast gives rangers even more healing abilities. You are also now able to take a vulture stance, which means you can hit enemies with might and inflict poison when your health is low. When you use skills successfully, you have the ability to create second attacks. If turning into wisps and avatars was cool, with soulbeast, you and your pet become one. Together you become a beast of your own, dealing heavy blows that are undefendable to enemies.

Tank Level: 24/25

Healing level: 25/25

Mastery level: 24/25

DPS level: 25/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 98/100

7. Mesmer

Mesmers are one of the most entertaining professions. Mesmers are able to teleport between two locations, cast spells to make fighting doppelgangers (illusions) that can be a distraction for enemies while you escape or burst and cause damage. They are a class that everyone wants in their pvp or group matches.

Pros.

Evade attacks with teleportation
You can create illusions
Burst effect which stuns and cripples enemies
Illusions take damage

Cons.

While they aren’t the hardest class to master, they are an intermediate profession

Tank Level: 23/25

Healing level: 20/25

Mastery level: 20/25

DPS level: 25/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 88/100

Heart of Thorns: Chronomancers use masters of time. They rewind time and take back conditions dealt on allies. Wells of time insure that spells are countered and make enemies slower while giving allies quickness. Chronomancers cripple enemies and block attacks.

Tank Level: 23/25

Healing level: 24/25

Mastery level: 20/25

DPS level: 25/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 92/100

Path of Fire: Mirages confuse enemies and heal your mesmer. Mirages play mind games. They are masters of deceit and trickery. They blind and interrupt opponents.

Tank Level: 20/25

Healing level: 21/25

Mastery level: 20/25

DPS level: 25/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 86/100

8. Guardian

Guardians are natural healers. Their main function is to support allies by protecting them and casting spells that benefit the team. Their shields give them the power of defense to ward off hard spells cast from the enemy line. Guardians are a must have in any group event but are weaker if left alone.

Pros.

Great at healing
Protect allies
Good defenses with shields
Supports team

Cons.

Relatively low health bar
Never leave your guardian alone or they could become easy pickings

Tank Level: 10/25

Healing level: 25/25

Mastery level: 23/25

DPS level: 15/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 73/100

Heart of Thorns: Dragonhunter gives guardians some much needed offensive skills. They are able to throw spears, shoot arrows, and fire missiles. They are able to lay traps that cripple enemies when they cross over them. They also get more healing powers for themselves and allies.

Tank Level: 12/25

Healing level: 25/25

Mastery level: 21/25

DPS level: 19/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 77/100

Path of Fire: Firebrand gives guardians the ability to burn. They cast fire spells that burn enemies and regenerates the guardian’s health. They also cause bleeding by scourging.

Tank Level: 13/25

Healing level: 25/25

Mastery level: 21/25

DPS level: 20/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 79/100

9. Revenant

Revenants are only playable if you have the Heart of Thorns or Path of Fire expansions. Revenants are one with spirits, mists, and auras. They use energy from auras, which is key since this is what gives your character the ability to deal damage as well as stay active. Revenants also have heavy armor which makes them durable in the battlefield.

Pros.

Strong armor makes them durable and hard to kill
Draw energy from mists

Cons.

Harder to master
If you lose energy, you’re screwed

Tank Level: 20/25

Healing level: 15/25

Mastery level: 22/25

DPS level: 19/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 76/100

Heart of Thorns: Herald gives the revenant a shield of protection that blocks attacks and grants self-healing. They are also given toughness, protection for allies, and speed.

Tank Level: 20/25

Healing level: 17/25

Mastery level: 22/25

DPS level: 20/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 79/100

Path of Fire: Renegade revenants get arrows that cause bleeding. They shoot flaming arrows into the sky and knock enemies down. If you believe in prayer, so do renegades. They seek aid from the spiritual realm which causes the revenant and their allies to have regenerating abilities.

Tank Level: 20/25

Healing level: 18/25

Mastery level: 22/25

DPS level: 20/25

Overall class usefulness rating: 78/100

GW2 has a great selection of different professions to choose from. The best class often depends on if you would rather kick the crap out of opponents or heal wounded allies. Although there is a lot to consider when selecting a profession, rangers are the simplest to master, can be a DPS or healer, and are one of the deadliest. If you want to deal heavy damage, go for the engineer, whose skill and battle-might are unmatched. If you would rather heal, the guardian is the profession to choose. Whatever profession you decide to use, GW2 will ensure exciting and challenging-ly fun play.

GW2 gave many new skills and traits to their professions through Heart of Thorns. The elementalist, mesmer, engineer, and ranger and amongst some of the most impressive specializations offered. There were also increased quality in the guardian and warrior professions. The mesmer stands as the most fun and powerful profession in GW2 Heart of Thorns. They are entertaining and offer many new skills.

Path of Fire was a dynamic expansion. Fiery arrows were flung into the sky, ranger/pet hybrids were created, and gods were called upon. No gods are needed for the engineer. With its hammer, explosives, and healing abilities are definitely impressive and makes this profession one of the most feared to encounter. The elementalist also has a lot to offer with its dual element skill. Either way you pick, Path of Fire gave birth to some of the best skills in GW2 history.