Guild Wars 2 is now over ten years old, but with the consistent release of new expansions and gameplay, the game retains a strong player base and keeps adventurers coming back to Tyria for more excitement. With many of the game’s new changes and additions, new players may find themselves faced with an overabundance of content to face, even just from the point of choosing a starting class. Is there any significant reason to pick one class over another?
Absolutely. There are nine classes in total in Guild Wars 2, and upon reaching level 80, each can pick a specialization from the three offered per class. These specializations can wildly alter the gameplay of each class, from changing a player’s dodge capabilities, to adding new boosted modes, to simpy converting a class to a healer. While no class is necessarily shoehorned into one role or another, some far exceed others in their ability to hold up a team, particularly in the endgame’s brutal instanced combat.
This article will analyze each class for its strengths and weaknesses with the aim of listing them from weakest to strongest, specifically in the endgame’s instanced combat. Every class is perfectly viable in Guild Wars 2 with the right build, but there are definite strengths of certain classes over others, whether in damage potential or key utility skills. With any luck, new players will find some guidance for their choice of starting class, while returning players will find some guidance on endgame builds.
9. Thief
It will surprise few to see thief at the bottom of this list (though it very much hurts this writer’s daredevil heart). Thief sadly deserves the bottom spot on the list of classes simply for lacking in all qualities capable of making instanced combat good or enjoyable. Daredevil is a decent enough specialization, as it can pull steady dps in either a Condition or Power build, but while its skill rotation is simple, it is quite boring, relying on spamming one or two moves on repeat. Spectre has proven to be an excellent addition, providing a surprising support alacrity build for this normally offensive class.
Nevertheless, while these options are viable, they are simply not as good as the variety of other classes the game has to offer, lacking the utility options of the better classes. Far worst of all—thief is simply squishy. Those looking to play a sneaky and acrobatic playstyle will likewise find themselves downed far easier than their counterparts, even those among spellcasting classes. For these reasons, Thief is the worst class choice except for the bravest players.
Thief strengths:
- High damage output—the thief can pull higher damage than most any other class for simpler skill rotations, but this is balanced with lower health and surviveability.
- Daredevil— The thief’s highly acrobatic staff wielding specialization deals the most reliable damage, while boasting greater survivability with its extra stamina bar. Daredevil can be set up for a highly effective Condition or Power DPS build.
- Deadeye— Deadeye pumps out an exceptional amount of damage by relying on heavy malice generating skills, then stealthing for powerful attacks. It can work in low intensity raids, but it has little maneuverability and is rarely seen in instanced combat.
- Spectre— Support Spectre is a fully valid option as a provider of alacrity for the party, as well as supplementary application of Might, Vigor, Swiftness, and Fury. It does underperform when compared to other boon support builds, as it can only maintain a maximum of 15 stacks of might, and likewise offers mediocre damage.
Choose this class if:
- You enjoy a fast paced and dangerous playstyle
- You are focused on dps
- Your party doesn’t require additional utility options
8. Elementalist
Elementalist is an incredibly flashy class, with impressive elemental feats of magic. This class relies on attunements to the four elements, whereby selecting a new element completely changes its set of weapons skills. The trick is quite neat for a class, and those looking to delve into these attunements can find quite a lot of fun with the skill rotation, but as this equates to managing four weapons at once, the rotations for reliable damage can be quite difficult to master.
Those wishing to brave the complexity will find decent DPS options in the Power Catalyst and Condition Weaver builds, but support options are quite lacking, as the Heal Tempest is underwhelming in both healing power and boon support. Likewise, as the damage potential of elementalist classes is no more than other classes, it is just as squishy as the Thief, and learning the rotation can prove challenging, players may find their attention better fixated elsewhere.
Elementalist Strengths:
- Fun but potentially over complicated skill rotations—Ase Elementalist skill rotations require flipping between multiple attunements quickly, it can be difficult to master, but entertaining for those who enjoy this gameplay.
- Tempest— Condition DPS tempest offers a potentially easier rotation, but offers subpar damage. Heal Tempest can be viable, but is much better replaced with any other healing class in terms of healing power and boon support.
- Weaver— Both Power builds and Condition can offer sizable damage numbers and CC, though they rely on constant switching of attunements for duel attack skills.
- Catalyst—The strongest option for elementalist is likewise the most complicated, relying on circling projectiles and stationary AoE’s for damage. It can however prove powerful, and provide a slight amount of might, protection, and fury for your group.
Choose this class if:
- You are looking for a more challenging playstyle
- You enjoy a flashy but complicated moveset
- You are interested in playing as a more unique (but less optimized) healing class
7. Necromancer
Thief and Elementalist have their struggles in keeping up with their counterparts, but from here, all of the classes are perfectly viable when built strategically, though some however either offer better utility, reliability, or are simply critical to every raid group. The Death Magic wielding Necromancer is difficult to place so low, but it unfortunately is overshadowed quite a bit by other classes in terms of damage and utility. In open world, it is easily the best class in the game, with Reaper offering heavy burst damage and survivability with reaper shroud, while Scourge offers a fun alternative condition based playstyle with high protection from its barriers.
In instanced combat, this high regard is limited. Reaper performs excellently in less experienced groups due to its tanky shroud and high personal boon uptime, though it underperforms in experienced groups. Scourge likewise underperforms on bosses that move frequently, as much of its damage relies on stationary AoE’s. It does see critical use with the Mursaat Overseer and Soulless Horror raids, where its ability to spread conditions makes them an irreplaceable role, but it otherwise sees little utility. While this class is ultimately outstanding on its own, the other classes outshine it.
Necromancer Strengths:
- High survivability—Necromancers have access to
- Situationally important—Certain encounters, such as Mursaat Overseer and Soulless Horror, require a Necromancer in party to spread conditions with the Epidemic skill.
- Reaper— Reaper provides heavy burst DPS and high personal boon uptime with Quickness and Might. This works well for less experienced groups, but falls off in groups with high DPS.
- Scourge— Condition Scourges provide excellent DPS in stationary settings, but their damage suffers with bosses that move frequently. It can also be kitted for a decent support healer with excellent boon uptime, but all of its healing is secured through barrier instead of health.
- Harbinger— Condition and even quickness boon builds can work for Harbinger, but sadly the debuffs to health are a turn off for most.
Choose this class if:
- You are running instances with a less experienced group (Reaper provides excellent defense and personal boons).
- You are fighting bosses that summon enemies (Epidemic is a required skill for Soulless Horror and Mursaat Overseer)
- You enjoy a class with a darker aesthetic
- You are fighting bosses that are stationary (Scourge relies on stationary AoE’s)
6. Warrior
There was a time where the melee expert Warrior was a staple to every instanced combat group, when their banners provided unique power and precision buffs that few groups would go without. Sadly, those mechanics are now long since removed, but the warrior remains a powerhouse of offensive capabilities. It excels as a simple yet effective provider of damage across all of its specializations—Berserker provides heavy burst damage through its rage, Spellbreaker balances with survivability due to its counter potential, and Bladesworn offers massive if not risky damage due to its slow windup.
Warrior is likewise a tanky class with a lot of health, which certainly aids newer players who might struggle to stay alive in more intense encounters. It does have limited potential for Condition DPS, with berserker offering a decent option, but it does remain perfectly viable. In sum, Warrior is simply a middle of the road class, with a lot of potential in good hands, but perfectly viable in less experienced.
Warrior Strengths:
- Reliable dps
- Simple or complex skill rotations depending on player preference
- Massive burst potential
- Berserker—can be kitted for Power or Condition DPS. Berserker provides heavy burst through its rage skills, as well as substantial CC.
- Spellbreaker—Similar to Berserker, with heavy damage and CC, but offers additional survivability potential due to its specialization specific counter mechanic, allowing for blocking and counterattacking
- Bladesworn—The gunsaber (a sword and gun combination unique to the specialization) offers a unique gameplay option as well as some of the best damage for the class. The use of dragon slash does however leave the player immobile, presenting some risk.
Choose this class if:
- You enjoy melee based combat
- You enjoy a more straightforward playstyle
- You are more focused on a class providing power dps
- You need a class with substantial CC potential
5. Mesmer
Similar to Warrior, the illusion master the Mesmer was once a critical staple of every Raid group, but while much of its use has been delegated to other classes, its capabilities for boon sharing and tanking remain almost just as potent as before. Mesmer excels as an exceptional damage class, providing exceptional Power DPS through Chronomancer, Condition DPS through Mirage, or both through Virtuoso. It can also provide exceptional boon support for Quickness and Alacrity as a Chronomancer, while maintaining decent damage output simultaneously. This build can also double as a tank due to its access to blocks and Distortion, though it is not as popular as Engineers or Guardians for the role as it once was.
On top of these variety of options, the Mesmer’s portal skill allows it to connect a portal between two locations, which can be massively helpful for jumping puzzles or obstacle courses in certain instances. Mesmer does however tend to be one of the more difficult classes to master, due to the complicated nature of its summoned illusions and shatter skills. While Mesmer doesn’t tend to be as popular due to this, it remains an exceptional choice for those looking for a more complicated class to master.
Mesmer strengths:
- Strong DPS—Mesmer’s various builds all present high DPS, but can also tend to have more complicated skill rotations that are difficult to pull off.
- Boon share—Mesmer remains a strong Boon share class, but is not as popular as other classes as it once was.
- Portal skill is incredibly helpful with less experienced groups and puzzles
- Chronomancer—Powerful DPS option with exceptional boon support potential, though its rotation with shatters can be complicated. Chronomancers also offer a reliable Tank for a group.
- Mirage—One of the strongest Condition DPS potentials, but is even more difficult to master than Chronomancer, and relies on expert precision to execute
- Virtuoso—A slightly less complicated specialization, but one nonetheless offering excellent damage potential
Choose this class if:
- You are looking for a more complicated class to master
- You enjoy more flashy skills and spells
- You are looking for a decent tank option (though not the best)
- You are looking for a class with a high damage potential for a high skill ceiling
4. Revenant
The Revenant class was introduced later than the other eight, arriving with the game’s first expansion in 2015. This class is unique in that it derives its power from famous legends of Tyria, channeling each spirit to gain access to unique skills. Being the last class to release, Revenant has been kept strong over its existence, remaining one of the top performing classes and a staple of most instanced groups.
Unfortunately, it has been slightly overshadowed with recent patches, as its role for providing Alacrity has been challenged by multiple opposing classes such as Ranger and Engineers. Nevertheless, the Revenant remains highly versatile, as its channeled legends provide options for support roles with healing or boon sharing, or for Power and Condition DPS. It likewise provides options for hybrid roles, as Alcrigades were once staples of every group, but this role in particular has been overshadowed by Engineers and Rangers for providing Alacrity. Nevertheless, for those looking for an exceptional class welcomed in any group, Revenant remains at the top of the charts.
Class Strengths:
- Highly versatile—Revenants can reliably cover any role for Power or Condition DPS, healing, and boon share, though it is currently outshone by other classes for any of these.
- Great for rounding out team comp—Revenant’s hybrid roles mean it can provide Quickness or Alacrity for its subgroup, while most classes have access to one or the other.
- Highly unique gameplay—The Revenant can swap between two active legends to swap their skills in combat, while also gaining access to energy to power their skills. This makes for gameplay highly unique, and a great alternative for those bored of more standard classes.
- Herald—Excellent hybrid support class, providing heavy damage as well as Quickness, Fury, Regeneration, and Might for its subgroup. It is likewise quite an easy class to utilize efficiently.
- Renegade—Once was a staple of raid groups, this specialization is less effective than other producers of Alacrity but yet remains highly effective. It can also serve as an excellent party healer or hybrid support role.
- Vindicator—A specialization limited in utility, but providing an excellent and durable option for Power DPS.
Choose this class if:
- You are looking for a highly versatile class
- You are looking for a class powerful in support or DPS
- You are looking for gameplay quite different to the game’s other classes
3. Engineer
Now in our top three classes, we have the mechanical inventor the Engineer. Unlike other classes, Engineer has gone from one of the most unpopular classes to most popular in a short amount of time. With the release of the expansion End of Dragons, Engineers gained access to the Mechanist specialization that allows them to summon a Jade Mech for combat. This provided a surprisingly simple but effective option for Power or Condition DPS depending on the skills used, where engineers can primarily allow the mech to do most of the damage work. It likewise provided an exceptional boon/heal build for Mechanists, which can successfully provide healing and alacrity for their group or even perform as a party tank with tremendous success.
This is all before examining the Scrapper and Holosmith specializations, which both perform as exceptional DPS roles. Scrapper is not seen quite as frequently, but its gyros offer significant utility, particularly in their ability to revive allies at a distance. Holosmith offers less utility and a more complicated moveset, but with enough practice it can provide some of the highest damage potential in the game. Altogether, the Engineer offers the versatility of the Revenant with options for easier rotations, higher damage, or more reliable support.
Engineer strengths:
- Highly versatile—Like Revenant, Engineers can be built to fulfill almost any role, but unlike revenant, Engineers can fulfill any of these roles at the top of the current meta.
- High utility—Engineer’s various mechanical tools provide a wide array of aid for a team
- High damage—Engineers can be built for simple rotations or complicated depending on preference, but both offer high damage.
- Scrapper—Not as high potential as other specializations, but quite strong DPS in capable hands. Provides utility through gyros such as distanced revives. Can also be kitted to provide Quickness for party.
- Holosmith—Less utility than Scrapper, but provides one of the highest damage outputs in the game. The Skill rotation is quite complicated but flashy for those looking for a challenge.
- Mechanist—High damage potential for low intensity. This is one of the strongest specializations for likewise being one of the easiest. It can also be kitted as a support class for powerful healing and boon sharing capabilities.
Choose this class if:
- You want a low intensity class that likewise provides high damage
- You are looking for one of the best boon/heal options in the game
- You are looking for a more complicated moveset that pays off in high damage
- You are looking for a class with lots of additional utility for your party
2. Ranger
Many classes have risen and fallen over the course of GW2, but Rangers have remained at the top of the meta for all but the entirety of its existence. This nature based class comes equipped with collectible pets for combat that can provide a variety of utilities for a party, whether in additional damage, CC, or helping to resurrect fallen allies at a distance.
More importantly, the Ranger specialization the Druid was the game’s first specialized healing class, and has remained a staple of all raiding groups throughout every patch. The Druid provides some of the strongest healing in the game while offering Alacrity, Might, Fury, Regeneration, and condition cleanse for its group. Additionally, it is a required class for many Raid encounters such as Vale Guardian and Gorseval, where its Entangle immobilization is crucial for dealing with certain mechanics.
Apart from Druid, Soulbeast and Untamed both offer powerful DPS alternatives that can perform as Power or Condition builds, and as the Ranger’s bonus utility is tied to its pet, this utility is carried into any build. You will go into few high intensity encounters where a Ranger will be absent.
Ranger strengths:
- Pets—provide immense utility for both self resurrection and distance resurrection with the Search and Rescue skill.
- Versatile—while it shines on support, Rangers are exceptional for DPS as well
- Highly popular—Rangers are one of the most common classes, and few groups will operate without at least one present.
- Druid—One of the best healing classes in the game, relies primarily on burst healing through its Celestial Avatar state. It likewise provides Alacrity, Might, Regeneration, and Fury for its subgroup. With recent patches, it can also be built for a surprisingly decent Condition DPS build.
- Soulbeast—Offers an exceptional Power or Condition DPS build, along with Ranger’s standard utility skills. It is also a go-to choice for Hand-Kiting on Deimos due to its ranged potential.
- Untamed—Not as viable a specialization, but still has decent potential. Its skill rotation tends to be quite difficult to master.
1. Guardian
The top spot for best class in Guild Wars 2 goes to the game’s paladin class, the Guardian. This class has long been a fan favorite—as a heavily armored, melee, magic class, it provides exceptional survivability through healing, Regeneration, Protection, and Aegis, while maintaining an exceptional offense simultaneously. The class’s greatest strength, however, is in its support. The Firebrand specialization provides massive healing power to its subgroup while maintaining high Quickness and Might, along with defense in the form of Aegis and Protection. Few groups in instanced combat will go without a Healbrand due to their exceptional effectiveness, as well as the reliable ease of using their skills.
If healing is not to taste, the Condition/Quickness Firebrand build offers both DPS on par with fully specialized dps classes, all while maintaining full Quickness and Fury uptime for their subgroup. Excluding support, the Dragonhunter and Willbender specializations both offer excellent DPS alternatives, even if they are overshadowed by the top tier specialization that is the Firebrand.
Outside of specializations, the Guardian’s base skills offer a variety of utilities that outshine any other class, from Stability fields, to projectile shields, to condition cleanse, to CC. Best of all—Guardian skills simply look cool, from its glowing alchemical AoE’s to massive bursts of blue flame. All in all, the Guardian balances survivability, utility, effectiveness, and enjoyment of gameplay in one single class.
Guardian Strengths:
- Best supporting class—Guardian provides reliable and steady healing through its skills, or heavy bursts through channeling Tome of Resolve. This outweighs even Druid, who’s heals primarily rely on Celestial Avatar state for burst healing.
- Mostly simple—The Skill rotations for Guardian and Guardian specializations tend to be simple to moderate, without a significant skill ceiling.
- Exceptional utility—Guardian base skills are already some of the best utility options in the game, from providing stability, invulnerability, distance revives, or protective bubbles against projectiles.
- Heavy survivability—with heavy armor and high health, Guardians rarely go down easily.
- Dragonhunter—bursty Power DPS build. The Dragonhunter doesn’t boast the highest damage in the game, but holds its ground at even with the other classes, and provides the Guardian’s general utility if additional support is needed.
- Firebrand—Arguably the best supporting class, the Firebrand provides massive healing power along with protective Aegis, Regeneration, Quickness, Might, and Fury. It can likewise be kitted as a Condition DPS class or a hybrid support role that provides full damage along with full Quickness and Fury uptime.
- Willbender—Not as exceptional as the other specializations, but a Power or Condtion DPS build is fully viable.
Choose this class if:
- You are looking for an easy class with lots of survivability
- You are looking for a strong support or healing class
- You are looking for a class with lots of utility at its base level
- You would like to be included in every Raid/instanced combat group
