Updated:
01 Feb 2024
In Guild Wars 2, everyone that first logs into the game will have a taste of the PvE scene right off the bat when they create their characters for the first time, and assuming they haven’t purchased any expansions and used the level 80 booster, they will enter the Prologue and have to fight a boss at the end. Eventually as they start progressing further into the game and start building their character, they will start looking to find awesome DPS builds to help them clear content faster or to do more damage while they are farming and perhaps be a better DPS unit in the team. We’ve got you covered as we have the top 10 best DPS builds according to the latest benchmarks of Snowcrows.com and will break them down in an easy-to-understand way for you to use them (assuming you have the right gear already, of course).
Note: The following builds are based on the popular Guild Wars 2-based website, Snow Crows and their DPS Benchmark, a reliable source of information when looking up the current meta builds. As this is a current snapshot of the current meta, it may change whenever there is a Balance Patch or update.
10. Power Untamed
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The Untamed is a mighty elite specialization of the Ranger who wields the two handed hammer and has the unique “Unleash Pet/Ranger” ability to either make your pet or yourself stronger and gain access to the Unleash attacks. They charge at their foes, ready to smite and obliterate them with various, unrelenting strikes that shake the enemies to their core as the Untamed thump them one at a time.
Why the Power Untamed is great
- The Power Untamed build excels in melee-ranged encounters and can destroy the majority of its enemies, although it may be reliant on certain debuffs that the enemy needs to be under.
- It strays away from the norm and forgoes its usage of the bow to deliver stunning, sundering strikes along with its pet, unleashing either itself or their pet while also gaining access to new skills.
- In case the user needs to dodge and runs out of Endurance, they have access to their sword skills to get to a better position.
Choose this build if:
- You are not afraid to get up close and personal as a pure melee Ranger and can prove you are just as lethal without the longbow.
- You are looking for an easy build that can be used at anytime or are not yet that experienced as a Ranger and want something fun to use.
- You relish the challenge of learning your skill rotations to cause significant sustained damage onto your targets.
Full Build Details:
Major Perks and Traits
- Marksmanship - Stoneform, Farsighted, Predator’s Onslaught
- Skirmishing - Sharpened Edges, Strider’s Strength, Vicious Quarry
- Untamed - Blinding Outburst, Enhancing Impact, Ferocious Symbiosis
Equipment
- Armor - Berserker stats (power, precision, ferocity)
- Infusion - Mighty Agony Infusion (increases power and agony resistance for Fractals of the Mists)
- Runes - Rune of the Scholar (increases power and ferocity)
- Relics - Relic of the Thief (gain increased strike damage when using a weapon skill with a recharge or resource cost)
- Trinkets - Berserker trinkets
- Weapon set 1 - Berserker stat two handed hammer with Sigils of Force (increases outgoing damage) and Impact (increases outgoing strike damage and strike damage against stunned and knocked down foes)
- Weapon set 2 - Berserker stat main hand sword and off hand axe with Sigils of Force and Air (hit foes with a lightning bolt when you land a crit)
Consumables
- Food - Bowl of Orrian Truffle and Meat Stew (gain Might buffs while dodging, increases Endurance regeneration and Experience from kills) or Cilantro Lime Sous-Vide Steak
- Utility - Potent Superior Sharpening Stone (increases power based on your precision and ferocity)
Utility Skills
- Heal skill - “We Heal As One!” - A core Ranger healing Shout skill that heals you and your pet while receiving a copy of the other’s buffs.
- Skill 1 - Frost Trap - A core Ranger Trap skill that drops a trap that inflicts Chill debuffs.
- Skill 2 - Signet of the Wild - A core Ranger Signet skill that passively increases ferocity for you and your pet, and when activated immobilizes your foes.
- Skill 3 - Exploding Spores - An Untamed Cantrip skill that summons a ring of spores that explodes, causing foes to get knocked down.
- Elite Skill - Forest’s Fortification - The Untamed elite Cantrip skill that provides the user with defensive buffs and gets its recharge time reduced when dealing strike damage on enemies.
Check out this video showcase from YouTube.
9. Scrapper - Power Scrapper
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The humble Scrapper, along with its unique Gyro inventions, have seen a surge of usage and popularity thanks to the build proving its mettle in the realms of structured PvP and World versus World. While the build shares many similarities to its competitive counterpart and its reliance on the ever reliable Grenade Kit, it proves just how versatile the profession is and how it can simply change things around and go into another game mode. Where it winds up next is completely up to the user as they continually blast their foes into smithereens.
Why Power Scrapper is great
- The Power Scrapper will demolish any PvE enemy from any range: at long-range, they get bombarded with the Mortar Kit, medium-range with the Grenade Kit, and melee-range the mighty hammer.
- You don’t need to change much of your build if you want to go into World vs World straight away as you just need to switch one major traitline and a few skills since it shares the exact same armor and weapon set for a decent build.
- The Power Scrapper build has proven time and time again that it’s damage output is nothing to ever scoff at and they have reliable crowd control attacks when needed.
Choose this build if:
- You know how to use your Grenades and can lead your shots like the best of the players.
- You know the best range to shoot from with your Mortar Kit and know when to pop the ranged healing mortar when it is needed.
- You want a DPS build that can be picked up from the get go by beginners and do huge numbers immediately.
Full Build Details:
Major Perks and Traits
- Explosives - Glass Cannon, Aim-assisted Rocket, Big Boomer
- Firearms - High Caliber, No Scope, Modified Ammunition
- Scrapper - Gyroscopic Acceleration, Object in Motion, Applied Force
Equipment
- Armor - Berserker stats (power, ferocity, precision)
- Infusion - Mighty Agony Infusion (increases power and agony resistance for Fractals of the Mists)
- Runes - Rune of the Dragonhunter (increases power and ferocity)
- Relics - Relic of Fireworks (increases outgoing strike damage if you used a weapon skill with a recharge time of 20 seconds or greater)
- Trinkets - 4 Berserker Trinkets with 2 Dragon stat (power, ferocity, vitality, precision) trinkets (backpiece and one accessory)
- Weapon set - Berserker stat two handed hammer with Sigils of Force (increases outgoing damage) and Impact (increases outgoing strike damage and strike damage against stunned and knocked down foes)
Consumables
- Food - Bowl of Orrian Truffle and Meat Stew (gain Might buffs while dodging, increases Endurance regeneration and Experience from kills) or Cilantro Lime Sous-Vide Steak
- Utility - Potent Superior Sharpening Stone (increases power based on your precision and ferocity)
Utility Skills
- Heal skill - A.E.D. - A core Engineer healing Gadget skill that heals you after some time, and in the event you take a lethal hit while the skill is active, will grant you a massive amount of healing instead.
- Skill 1 - Grenade Kit - A core Engineer Engineering Kit skill that replaces your current weapon skill into the Grenade Kit bundle.
- Skill 2 - Shredder Gyro - A Scrapper Gyro skill that summons the Shredder Gyro to your side to attack your enemies and also functions as a Whirl combo finisher.
- Skill 3 - Throw Mine - A core Engineer Gadget skill that throws a land mine beneath your foe that inflicts damage, stuns them for a few seconds, steals the enemy’s buffs, and functions as a Blast combo finisher.
- Elite Skill - Mortar Kit - The core Engineer elite Engineering Kit skill that replaces your weapon skill into the Mortar Kit bundle which excels in long-range attacks.
Check out this video showcase from YouTube.
8. Power Berserker
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The Berserker has seen its fair share of ups and downs lately but because of the non-stop efforts of buildcrafters as well as some buffs to the profession, they have found a worthy build to bring it right back to the top. The Power Berserker build lives up to its namesake, dropping all nuances and focuses and straight up firepower as it blitzes across the battlefield and decimates every enemy it sees.
Why Power Berserker is great
- The Power Berserker is actually the old “Berserker” Warrior build from the old days but on steroids and only needs a few tweaking to go back to the original build for free-to-play players.
- The build focuses on pure power and the recharge of Adrenaline to continue the profession’s Berserk mechanic to deliver huge damaging blows continuously.
- It is always a spectacle to see a Berserker going mad on enemies, losing all thought and just going “unga-bunga” as it charges at its foes.
Choose this build if:
- You missed the classic Power Warrior build after it was nerfed and power crept.
- You want a Berserker build that just fits right with its namesake and allows you to focus on doing damage and lots of it.
- You are aware that you lack range attacks but that is just how you like to deal with enemies: up close and personal.
Full Build Details:
Major Perks and Traits
- Strength - Peak Performance, Great Fortitude, Berserker’s Power
- Discipline - Warrior’s Sprint, Destruction of the Empowered, Axe Mastery
- Berserker - Smash Brawler, Blood Reaction, Bloody Roar
Equipment
- Armor - Berserker stats (power, precision, ferocity)
- Infusion - Mighty Agony Infusion (increases power and agony resistance for Fractals of the Mists)
- Runes - Rune of the Scholar (increases power and ferocity)
- Relics - Relic of the Thief (gain increased strike damage when using a weapon skill with a recharge or resource cost)
- Trinkets - Berserker trinkets
- Weapon set 1 - Berserker stat two handed rifle with Sigils of Force (increases outgoing damage) and Hydromancy (upon switching to this weapon set, inflict Chill debuff)
- Weapon set 2 - Berserker stat dual axes with Sigils of Air (upon landing a critical hit, damage foes with a lightning bolt) and Force
Consumables
- Food - Bowl of Orrian Truffle and Meat Stew (gain Might buffs while dodging, increases Endurance regeneration and Experience from kills)
- Utility - Superior Sharpening Stone (increases power based on your precision and ferocity)
Utility Skills
- Heal skill - Blood Reckoning - A Berserker healing Rage skill that heals the user as well as extending your Berserker mode, increases your Adrenaline level, and recharges your Primal Burst skills.
- Skill 1 - Signet of Fury - A core Warrior Signet skill that passively increases precision and when activated, fills your Adrenaline and temporarily increases both your precision and ferocity.
- Skill 2 - Signet of Might - A core Warrior Signet skill that passively increases power and when activated, makes your attacks unblockable while also providing you with Might buffs.
- Skill 3 - Outrage - A Berserker Rage skill that breaks the user out of stun while also extending your Berserker mode based on if there is an enemy near you.
- Elite Skill - Headbutt - The Berserker elite Rage skill that makes the user headbutt the enemy, stunning both of you for a few seconds while filling up your Adrenaline and extending your Berserker mode.
Check out this video showcase from YouTube.
7. Power Catalyst
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The Catalyst has seen its fair share of DPS builds that made it a literal juggernaut, but with Secrets of the Obscure adding in the Weaponmastery Training and opening up the possibilities for combining the Elite Specialization weapons together, it gave us new and exciting combinations to try out. Enter the new Power Catalyst that leaves behind the hammer and instead focuses on sword/warhorn to deliver devastating attacks that cleave enemies while blowing them away.
Why Power Catalyst is great
- Catalysts are able to summon their Jade Spheres with their F5 ability depending on their current elemental alignment to deploy a Combo Field on demand that also pulses buffs for you and your allies and damage to your enemies.
- With their access to what are normally an elite specialization-exclusively locked weapons, both the sword and warhorn prove to be the superior weaponry for the Power Catalyst next only to the hammer.
- Due to Elementalists usually being one of the harder professions to use efficiently, only those who play as them regularly and practice their skill rotations can make them very capable in battle. The same thing can be said for the Catalyst despite not needing to use the hammer 3 skill which usually adds to the complexity of their rotations.
Choose this build if:
- You want a high-damaging profession that can hoard boons for itself if you are the type to solo.
- You want a Catalyst build that can do lots of cleave damage which can make for a good farmer (although staff would still be better as a farming weapon).
- You need more damage in your already powerful Catalyst build but want more sustain to help the other players.
Full Build Details:
Major Perks and Traits
- Fire - Burning Precision, Power Overwhelming, Persisting Flames
- Air - Ferocious Winds, Stormsoul, Bolt to the Heart
- Catalyst - Vicious Empowerment, Empowering Auras, Empowered Empowerment
Equipment
- Armor - Berserker stats (power, precision, ferocity)
- Infusion - Mighty Agony Infusion (increases power and agony resistance for Fractals of the Mists) and Precisie Agony Infusion (increases precision and agony resistance for Fractals of the Mists)
- Runes - Rune of the Scholar (increases power and ferocity)
- Relics - Relic of Fireworks (increases outgoing strike damage if you used a weapon skill with a recharge time of 20 seconds or greater)
- Trinkets - Berserker Amulet
- Weapon set - Berserker stat main hand sword and off hand warhorn with OR two handed hammer with Sigils of Force (increases outgoing damage) and Impact (increases outgoing strike damage and strike damage against stunned and knocked down foes)
Consumables
- Food - Bowl of Orrian Truffle and Meat Stew (gain Might buffs while dodging, increases Endurance regeneration and Experience from kills)
- Utility - Superior Sharpening Stone (increases power based on your precision and ferocity)
Utility Skills
- Heal skill - Signet of Restoration - A core Elementalist healing Signet skill that passively heals you whenever you cast spells and when activated grants a bigger heal.
- Skill 1 - Glyph of Storms - A core Elementalist Glyph skill that summons an area-of-effect storm that deals damage and debuffs based on the current elemental attunement.
- Skill 2 - Relentless Fire - A Catalyst Augment skill that increases both your attack and condition damage, makes them unblockable, and when used near your Jade Sphere, will have its duration extended.
- Skill 3 - Arcane Blast - A core Elementalist Arcane skill that blasts an enemy with a critical hit that counts as a Projectile combo finisher.
- Elite Skill - Elemental Celerity - A Catalyst elite Augment skill that reduces the weapon skills on your current elemental attunement and grants a random buff based on the Jade Sphere currently deployed.
Check out this video showcase on YouTube.
6. Condi Druid
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The Druid has had a resurgence of sorts lately with the Condition Druid becoming stronger than ever. What is usually a support healer for group content has become a worthy condition damage-dealing powerhouse as of late and many have taken notice of this. What it lacks in long-range, it makes up for with close-mid range condition damage that melts its enemies.
Why Condi Druid is great
- The Condi Druid relinquishes its longbow for the axe/dagger and dagger/torch to deal tons of condition damage for encounters that need more condi than physical damage.
- Because the profession is still a Druid at its core, it has access to many healing and supportive skills built into its Celestial Avatar form that it can use on its allies.
- Speaking of the Celestial Avatar form, because of the Eclipse perk on the Druid elite specialization traitline, it gives the Celestial Avatar skills some offensive capabilities and can inflict even more debuffs onto enemies.
Choose this build if:
- You are tired of always playing it safe and sticking to long range combat and want to get closer to the action.
- You want to inflict tons of condition damage onto your enemies while still maintaining your support skills just in case things go a bit crazy.
- You know your profession in and out, can manage your resources wisely, and know when to best use those attacks which forces you to stay within an animation.
Full Build Details:
Major Perks and Traits
- Skirmishing - Sharpened Edges, Hidden Barbs, Vicious Quarry
- Wilderness Survival - Taste for Danger, Ambidexterity, Poison Master
- Druid - Blood Moon, Natural Balance, Eclipse
Equipment
- Armor - Viper’s stats (power, condition damage, precision, expertise)
- Infusion - Malign Agony Infusion (increases condition damage and agony resistance for Fractals of the Mists) and Spiteful Agony Infusion (increases expertise and agony resistance for Fractals of the Mists)
- Runes - Rune of the Trapper (increases condition damage and duration)
- Relics - Relic of the Fractal (inflict Burning and Torment debuffs whenever you inflict more than 6 stacks of Bleeding debuffs)
- Trinkets - Viper’s trinkets
- Weapon set 1 - Viper’s stat main hand axe and off hand dagger with Sigils of Agony (increases outgoing Bleeding duration) and Geomancy (upon switching to this weapon set, inflict Bleeding debuffs)
- Weapon set 2 - Viper’s stat main hand dagger and off hand torch with Sigils of Agony and Earth (whenever you land a critical hit, inflict Bleeding debuffs)
Consumables
- Food - Cilantro and Cured Meat Flatbread (triggers Life Steal on a crit, increases condition damage, expertise, Karma, Magic and Gold find, and experience gained from all sources)
- Utility - Toxic Focusing Crystal (increases condition damage based on both your power and precision, and experience gained from kills)
Utility Skills
- Heal skill - “We Heal as One!” - A core Ranger Command skill that heals you and your pet, as well as copying each other’s buffs.
- Skill 1 - Spike Trap - A core Ranger Trap skill that inflicts Bleeding debuffs, launches enemies, and is unblockable.
- Skill 2 - Signet of the Wild - A core Ranger Signet skill that passively increases ferocity for you and your pet, and when activated immobilizes your foes in place.
- Skill 3 - Sharpening Stone - A core Ranger Survival skill that makes your next attacks inflict Bleeding debuffs.
- Elite Skill - Entangle - The core Ranger elite Survival skill that immobilizes your foes and inflicts Bleeding debuffs unless it destroys the roots immediately.
Check out this video showcase on YouTube.
5. Power Vindicator
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The Vindicators are the third elite specialization of the Revenant that was introduced in End of Dragons and act like the Final Fantasy Lancers that use their Jump ability to dive onto their enemies with great impact. They are capable of rending their foes with each swing of their greatswords that can provide both offensive attacks and a great blocking skill when they run out of Endurance.
Why the Power Vindicator is great
- The Power Vindicator relies on brute force and high damage to deal with its enemies to help their teammates.
- The build is very easy to learn for those looking to try a different type of DPS Revenant.
- Because of its access to both the greatsword and swords, the build has exceptional cleave damage capable of tagging multiple enemies in melee combat.
Choose this build if:
- You are looking for a great DPS Vindicator build for those pesky World Boss fights, Fractals, or even Raids and Strike Missions.
- You aren’t too focused on crowd control or it is not needed at the moment.
- You don’t mind being highly mobile and can position yourself to be where you need to be in between fights.
Full Build Details:
Major Perks and Traits
- Devastation - Unsuspecting Strikes, Notoriety, Swift Termination
- Invocation - Rising Tide, Spirit Boon, Roiling Mists
- Vindicator - Leviathan Strength, Reaver’s Curse, Forerunner of Death
Equipment
- Armor - Berserker stats (power, precision, ferocity)
- Infusion - Mighty Agony Infusion (increases power and agony resistance for Fractals of the Mists)
- Runes - Rune of the Dragonhunter (increases ferocity and power)
- Relics - Relic of the Thief (gain increased strike damage when using a weapon skill with a recharge or resource cost)
- Trinkets - Berserker trinkets
- Weapon set 1 - Berserker stat dual swords with Sigils of Air (upon landing a critical hit, damage foes with a lightning bolt) and Force (increases outgoing damage)
- Weapon set 2 - Berserker stat two handed greatsword with Sigils of Air and Force
Consumables
- Food - Bowl of Orrian Truffle and Meat Stew (gain Might buffs while dodging, increases Endurance regeneration and Experience from kills)
- Utility - Superior Sharpening Stone (increases power based on your precision and ferocity)
Utility Skills
Because Revenants and their elite specializations rely on their Legendary Stances to get unique sets of utility skills, we will only describe the stances used.
- Legendary Assassin Stance (Shiro) - Focuses on single target attacks that can help to close the gap or dodge out of the way from deadly attacks. The Elite is a massive CC, capable of shredding defiance bars and temporarily stunning enemies while you go in for the kill or run away from bad matchups.
- Legendary Alliance Stance (Archemodus and Saint Viktor) - The Legendary Alliance Stance is a bit different wherein they have similar utility skills but you can switch between either Archemodus (red - offense) for Saint Viktor (blue - support) with your F3 skill depending on the situation.
Check out this video showcase from YouTube.
4. Condition Holosmith
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No matter where you go in Guild Wars 2, there will always be a variation of Engineer to be spotted in every game mode. Of course they would make their name in PvE as on of the top DPS builds and with a Holosmith no less. The Condition Holosmith has the potential to go even further up the ladder with the right build, rotations, and timing, but for now, they can rest easy as the king of the medium armor class.
Why the Condition Holosmith is great
- The Condi Holo boasts high damage potential and the video benchmarks prove it to be true.
- It doesn’t take much for the build to get going and can instantly increase the damage when it pleases.
- The build may not be beginner friendly as it has a deep learning and mastery curve, but when done right, it proves why it is great at its job as a DPS unit.
Choose this build if:
- You are looking for a highly active Holosmith build that pushes you to manage your Heat resource while remembering NOT to switch out of it by using an Engineering Kit skill.
- You want to be challenged as an Engineer or Holosmith-main with a complicated yet satisfying skill rotation once pulled off correctly and effectively.
- You want to see high damage numbers every so often and have the skill to do so.
Full Build Details
Major Perks and Traits
- Explosives - Glass Cannon, Aim-assisted Rocket, Shrapnel
- Firearms - Chemical Rounds, Thermal Vision, Incendiary Powder
- Holosmith - Solar Focusing Lens, Crystal Configuration: Storm, Photonic Blasting Module
Equipment
- Armor - Viper’s stats (power, condition damage, precision, expertise)
- Infusion - Malign Agony Infusion (increases condition damage and agony resistance for Fractals of the Mists)
- Runes - Rune of the Trapper (increases condition damage and duration)
- Relics - Relic of the Fractal (inflict Burning and Torment debuffs whenever you inflict more than 6 stacks of Bleeding debuffs)
- Trinkets - 5 Viper’s trinkets and 1 Sinister stat backpiece (condition damage, power, precision)
- Weapon set - Viper’s stat dual pistols with Sigils of Earth (whenever you land a critical hit, inflict Bleeding debuffs) and Bursting (increases outgoing condition damage)
Consumables
- Food - Cilantro and Cured Meat Flatbread (triggers Life Steal on a crit, increases condition damage, expertise, Karma, Magic and Gold find, and experience gained from all sources)
- Utility - Toxic Focusing Crystal (increases condition damage based on both your power and precision, and experience gained from kills)
Utility Skills
- Heal skill - A.E.D. - A core Engineer healing Gadget skill that heals you after some time, and in the event you take a lethal hit while the skill is active, will grant you a massive amount of healing instead.
- Skill 1 - Grenade Kit - A core Engineer Engineering Kit skill that replaces your current weapon skill into the Grenade Kit bundle.
- Skill 2 - Bomb Kit - A core Engineer Engineering Kit skill that replaces your current weapon skill into the Bomb Kit bundle.
- Skill 3 - Flamethrower Kit - A core Engineer Engineering Kit skill that replaces your current weapon skill into the Flamethrower Kit bundle.
- Elite Skill - Prime Light Beam - The Holosmith elite Exceed skill that blasts the foes with an unblockable ray of light that deals additional Burning damage at higher heat levels.
Check out this video showcase on YouTube.
3. Condition Tempest
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Tempests have always made a name for themselves being great DPS and support units thanks to their wide array of abilities and their ability to overload their elemental attunements to create powerful effects. With the Condition Tempest build and access to the Weaponmastery Training from Secrets of the Obscure, it gains the mighty Hammer from its Catalyst brethren to further augment its abilities. A storm is definitely incoming and it will be in the form of this mighty Tempest build.
Why the Condition Tempest is great
- While the Condition Tempest is a DPS unit, it is still able to share boons with its allies, making it double as a support.
- The build focuses on pouring out constant Burning and Bleeding debuffs which get stacked higher and higher the more it is being applied.
- While the Condition Tempest has little to no crowd control skills aside from Immobilize debuffs, if the encounter doesn’t call for it, it won’t really matter much.
- The build is somewhat reliant on a certain bug that makes the toughness higher than normal so expect this to be nerfed in the future, but while it is still active, enjoy having way more toughness than expected.
Choose this build if:
- You know the true power of the Tempest and how to utilize your skill rotations to get the most out of your skills.
- You don't just provide DPS for the team but can also be called upon to share your buffs when needed.
- You are highly flexible and can adapt when the time comes that the toughness bug is patched out.
Full Build Details:
Major Perks and Traits
- Fire - Burning Precision, Burning Rage, Persisting Flames
- Earth - Serrated Stones, Strength of Stone, Written in Stone
- Tempest - Unstable Conduit, Tempestuous Aria, Transcendent Tempest
Equipment
- Armor - Viper’s stats (power, condition damage, precision, expertise)
- Infusion - Malign Agony Infusion (increases condition damage and agony resistance for Fractals of the Mists)
- Runes - Rune of the Trapper (increases condition damage and duration)
- Relics - Relic of the Fractal (inflict Burning and Torment debuffs whenever you inflict more than 6 stacks of Bleeding debuffs)
- Trinkets - Viper’s trinkets
- Weapon set - Viper’s stat two handed hammer with Sigils of Earth (whenever you land a critical hit, inflict Bleeding debuffs) and Smoldering (increasing outgoing Burning debuff duration)
Consumables
- Food - Cilantro and Cured Meat Flatbread (triggers Life Steal on a crit, increases condition damage, expertise, Karma, Magic and Gold find, and experience gained from all sources)
- Utility - Toxic Focusing Crystal (increases condition damage based on both your power and precision, and experience gained from kills)
Utility Skills
- Heal skill - “Wash the Pain Away!” - A Tempest healing Shout skill that pulses healing for you and your allies and cleanses a debuff on the final pulse.
- Skill 1 - Glyph of Elemental Power - A core Elementalist Glyph skill that imbues your next 5 strikes with debuffs depending on your current elemental attunement and acts as a stun break.
- Skill 2 - Signet of Earth - A core Elementalist Signet skill that passively increases toughness and when activated inflicts Bleeding and Immobilize on its foes. The skill is currently bugged when used with the Earth traitline perk, Written in Stone, and may be fixed in a future patch as of this writing.
- Skill 3 - Signet of Fire - A core Elementalist Signet skill that passively increases power and when activated inflicts Burning debuffs on the surrounding enemies.
- Elite Skill - Glyph of Elementals - The core Elementalist elite Glyph skill that summons an Elemental based on your current elemental attunement to attack your enemies and can be activated for their special attacks.
Check out this video showcase on YouTube.
2. Condition Weaver
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Who knew that every single Elementalist elite specialization would make it onto this list? The Weaver may be one of the toughest elite specializations to learn and master straight away, the DPS it provides is more than enough of a reward for those willing to put in the training The Condition Weaver is the pinnacle of power of the Elementalist and makes a great choice for every encounter that needs a DPS, not just for raids but also for open world gameplay.
Why Condition Weaver is great
- The Weaver by itself is one of the trickiest professions to master because of how switching elemental attunements work with it specifically, but those that choose to follow the Weaver’s path and really take the time to learn and master it will find a lethal powerhouse.
- The Condition Weaver is actually easy to learn, but what makes it complicated is its complex skill rotation that takes time to master. When it is mastered, however, you can potentially out-DPS the majority of the professions as a beginner.
- The build has just enough mobility to help the user evade any sign of potential danger.
Choose this build if:
- You are a dedicated Weaver-main that has mastered the nuances of the profession and can switch into the correct element combination.
- You want a build with a seamless skill rotation that makes sense despite its complexity.
- You want a much simpler build that uses the hammer instead of other weapons because of the Grand Finale attack.
Full Build Details:
Major Perks and Traits
- Fire - Burning Precision, Burning Rage, Persisting Flames
- Earth - Serrated Stones, Strength of Stone, Written in Stone
- Weaver - Superior Elements, Weaver’s Prowess, Elements of Rage
Equipment
- Armor - Viper’s stats (power, condition damage, precision, expertise)
- Infusion - Malign Agony Infusion (increases condition damage and agony resistance for Fractals of the Mists)
- Runes - Rune of the Trapper (increases condition damage and duration)
- Relics - Relic of the Fractal (inflict Burning and Torment debuffs whenever you inflict more than 6 stacks of Bleeding debuffs)
- Trinkets - Viper’s trinkets
- Weapon set - Viper’s stat two handed hammer with Sigils of Earth (whenever you land a critical hit, inflict Bleeding debuffs) and Torment (whenever you land a critical hit, inflict Torment debuffs)
Consumables
- Food - Cilantro and Cured Meat Flatbread (triggers Life Steal on a crit, increases condition damage, expertise, Karma, Magic and Gold find, and experience gained from all sources)
- Utility - Toxic Focusing Crystal (increases condition damage based on both your power and precision, and experience gained from kills)
Utility Skills
- Heal skill - Signet of Restoration - A core Elementalist healing Signet skill that passively heals you whenever you cast spells and when activated grants a bigger heal.
- Skill 1 - Glyph of Elemental Power - A core Elementalist Glyph skill that imbues your next 5 strikes with debuffs depending on your current elemental attunement and acts as a stun break.
- Skill 2 - Signet of Fire - A core Elementalist Signet skill that passively increases power and when activated inflicts Burning debuffs on the surrounding enemies.
- Skill 3 - Primordial Flash - A Weaver Stance skill that channels the current element fully to inflict damage and a debuff corresponding to its element.
- Elite Skill - Weave Self - The Weaver elite Stance skill that reduces the recharge cost of switching elements while gaining bonuses per different element. When all elements have been attuned, it grants Perfect Weave which grants the combined buffs from all the elements.
Check out this video showcase on YouTube.
1. Condition Mirage
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At the top of the DPS mountain we have the one, the only, Condition Mirage. This pure badass obliterates enemies like no other profession before it while inflicting tons of serious debilitating debuffs and stuns, giving it a one-two punch of not just pure damage but also crowd control.
Why Condi Mirage is great
- The Condi Mirage boasts great amounts of mobility, allowing the player to keep on moving and move out of the range of the enemy’s attacks.
- As it is the current DPS leader, it boasts a staggering amount of sustain damage thanks to its ability to inflict Confusion and Torment debuffs, constant generation of clones to use their Shatter skills, and great utility skills.
- The Condi Mirage build is a superb DPS for any of your PvE needs, whether you are simply playing in the open world of Tyria and farming, stomping across the many mini-dungeons of Fractals of the Mists, or taking down challenging endgame content in Raids and Strike Missions.
Choose this build if:
- You are a dedicated and serious Mesmer/Mirage player who knows the ins and outs of the profession and knows just how seriously complicated it can be to play as.
- You are willing to learn a profession with a steep learning curve.
- You can make up for lost damage in the event your enemy is not quite stationary, and even if it is, you don’t mind the additional challenge.
Full Build Details:
Major Perks and Traits
- Chaos - Method of Madness, Chaotic Potency, Bountiful Disillusionment
- Dueling - Duelist’s Discipline, Blinding DIssipation, Ineptitude
- Mirage - Riddle of Sand, Mirrored Axes, Infinite Horizon
Equipment
- Armor - Viper’s stats (power, condition damage, precision, expertise)
- Infusion - Spiteful Agony Infusion (increases expertise and agony resistance for Fractals of the Mists)
- Runes - Rune of the Trapper (increases condition damage and duration)
- Relics - Relic of the Fractal (inflict Burning and Torment debuffs whenever you inflict more than 6 stacks of Bleeding debuffs)
- Trinkets - Viper’s trinkets
- Weapon set 1 - Viper’s stat main hand axe and off hand pistol with Sigils of Bursting (increases outgoing condition damage) and Energy (upon switching to this weapon set, gain Endurance)
- Weapon set 2 - Viper’s stat two handed staff with Sigils of Bursting and Energy
Consumables
- Food - Salsa-Topped Veggie Flatbread (triggers Life Steal on a crit, increases condition damage, expertise, Karma, Magic and Gold find, and experience gained from all sources)
- Utility - Toxic Focusing Crystal (increases condition damage based on both your power and precision, and experience gained from kills)
Utility Skills
- Heal skill - False Oasis - A Mirage healing Deception skill that pulses healing and when finished will create a Mirage Mirror where the skill was used.
- Skill 1 - Signet of Midnight - A core Mesmer Signet skill that passively improves your Concentration stat and when activated blinds the enemies around you and grants you Stealth.
- Skill 2 - Signet of Domination - A core Mesmer Signet skill that passively improves your condition damage and when activated inflicts Stun on your foe.
- Skill 3 - Crystal Sands - A Mirage Deception skill that launches an area-of-effect that inflicts damage and Confusion debuffs as the shards reach their destination to form a Mirage Mirror.
- Elite Skill - Jaunt - The Mirage elite Deception skill that teleports the user to a location to inflict Confusion debuffs and acts as a Leap combo finisher.
Check out this video showcase on YouTube.
Closing Thoughts
The open world of Guild Wars 2 is ripe with enemies to fell, and with these powerful DPS builds at your disposal, you can have a fun time wiping the floor with them solo or with your buddies. Do remember that there are other fun viable DPS builds out there that could have just as easily made the list, but this is the current standing as of now. Who’s to say your favorite build can’t one day be here after all?
