Suggested profession? - Guild Wars Forums

cosmothehound · Dec 23, 2010, 06:53 PM // 18:53

Getting all of the Guild Wars games for christmas. I played for a few months when the game first came out and ran W/Mo. I'm buying again just to prepare myself for Guild Wars 2.

Classes I do not want to play as

Warrior
Monk
Mesmer(wtf really, more like Mr or Mrs Fabolous)

Which of the remaining classes is the most useful in a PvP team.

Thank you in advance!!!

Acehole2006 · Dec 23, 2010, 07:04 PM // 19:04

Make a Rt, Great fun for PvP and PvE alike. wide range of various builds to play.

cosmothehound · Dec 23, 2010, 07:09 PM // 19:09

I was looking into Rt actually. Looks very fun. Suggested secondary?

Caw521 · Dec 23, 2010, 07:24 PM // 19:24

http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Guide...as_a_ritualist

^ Pretty much all you need to know about rits.

330 Rit/Monks are great for farming stuff utilizing low health, low armor, and Protective Spirit/Spirit Bond/Lifesteals. Also, SoS spirit spammers (as dull as they can be) almost always find a spot in groups. Destructive was Glaive is another overpowered skill that can be used by one rit or groups of rits to cause massive aoe damage.

Edit- suggested secondaries.... I usually run around with a monk or paragon secondary in case I need access to support skills, but you can change it whenever you want to to suit the situation.

Oh, and don't diss mesmers, even though their appearance is meh, they are some of the most influential tide-turners in both PvE and PvP.

LifeInfusion · Dec 23, 2010, 08:14 PM // 20:14

Physicals: Well in GvG it is dominantly triple melee and PVE SCs (speedclears) all require sins. So assassin?
Casters: You ruled out monk, so basically rit. Necros see use in both PVP and PVE, although not as heavily as Ritualists. My problem with Ritualists is that it is MINDNUMBING to play. (I don't care if you're playing ST, SOGM, SoS: they're all basically spirit spam).

Warrior - ruled out by OP: sees use in PVP and PvE (predominantly 100B, Eviscerate / Hammer in PvP)
Ranger - only sees use in PVE as splinter barrager, which is done better by Ritualist/Ranger , used in PvP for Cripshot, Burning arrow, d-shot
Monk - ruled out by OP
Necromancer - SS, SV, MMs, Orders, etc.; sees use in PvP as Blood support
Mesmer - ruled out by OP
Elementalist - bad in HM PVE, PvP sees use for Invoke Lightning, B-surge, and water snares
Assassin - Shadow Form....enough said, PvP: fast dagger chains
Ritualist - Spirit spam (SoS, SOGM, ST), Restoration (Weapon of Warding flaggers in PVP, PVE substitute for monk)
Paragon - only sees use as imba, hardly every seen in PvP anymore
Dervish - Mysticism sucks. Assassins and Warriors use scythes better.

EDIT: You'd be a fool to rule out Mesmers. With all the buffs to them they are borderline overpowered. People are just intent on running Ritualists. I can understand not wanting to play Monk though, it's a thankless and stressful profession especially with PUGs.

Braxton619 · Dec 23, 2010, 08:21 PM // 20:21

I say Assassin. They can dish out heavy damage and use the scythe well. They can also farm tons of areas. If you got decent H/H, your sin won't hardly die either.

Acehole2006 · Dec 23, 2010, 08:31 PM // 20:31

I think scythe sins will be thing of the past soon with updates that are coming. (speculation at this point but im 80% sure).

Regarding secondary to Rt there is so many options so would have to feel it for yourself but i wouldent worry about it to much as you can always change your secondary whenever you want. If you feel you have to make a decision early on before the change can be made i would go Rt/Mo as its easier to protect yourself at low levels until you reach max level 20.

RedDog91 · Dec 23, 2010, 08:39 PM // 20:39

Well, you ruled out warrior which is what I often suggest. Not that warrior is that great, but its the easiest to learn the game with.

After that I would say Ranger. They are a back-line profession that has high armor against elemental damage, which is good since most high damage sources are elemental damage. The Expertise attribute lowers the cost of their attacks and skills and also provides good utility skills. They can get an animal companion, which if used correctly can add the damage of having another teammate (controversial to most players because effective BeastMaster builds are more difficult to use than most players are willing to put forth the effort for). Then there is always the splinter-barrage build that was mentioned a few posts up. Its decent for AoE damage, but a more versatile interpretation would be Incendiary Arrows+Ignite Arrows+Splinter Weapon.

Paragons can be useful in many ways other than imbagon, which is all what most players thinks they are. Damage from your spear isn't too great, but use 2 attack skills coupled with a shout or chant that can heal or replenish your teammates' energy and your team will live a bit longer. The Imbagon build is used in quite a few speed-clear teams, so when you have to, you can always use it for high-end areas.

Dervishes are O.K. so long as you can manage your skills well. Making an effective Dervish is slightly harder than the other melee classes. A good increase-attack-speed skill combined with Avatar of Grenth can greatly increase your damage output, specially when combined with Chilling Victory. Numbers will fly.

Of course...this is all based on my playstyle. I intentionally play what no one else does because it makes it all the more interesting when you do better than them.
The main cause for profession hate is when there are little-to-no meta builds (builds on pvx website that everyone uses). You'll find most players only play the meta and going outside of it will cause discrimination against you, but in a lot of cases it frees you to make better builds than what meta can offer.

cosmothehound · Dec 23, 2010, 08:46 PM // 20:46

Mesmers don't look meh. They look fabulous which is why I wouldn't want to be one. I've done a little bit of research I wanted to try dervish, but from what I've read they seem to be outclassed in so many ways, and require perfect play to be useful

I think I'll try Rit. Also considering Necro.

LifeInfusion · Dec 23, 2010, 09:20 PM // 21:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acehole2006

I think scythe sins will be thing of the past soon with updates that are coming. (speculation at this point but im 80% sure).

Who cares if they nerf scythe sins? Not all sins use scythes.

Moebius Strike - Death Blossom spam is an easy 40+ armor-ignoring DPS in adjacent range (dual strike).

Even without Moebius, Jagged Strike (useless other than for Lead attack) --> Fox fangs --> Death Blossom is quick enough.

Shadow Form has broken the game quite a few times. Shadow Prison was so broken they nerfed it to oblivion. (Shadow steps in general are broken.)

Critical Agility basically gives you a permanent Flail sans downsides.

Assassin's Promise is abused by every caster (well maybe not Rit since their stuff is pretty imba on its own).

And zealous + daggers = insane energy.

RedDog91 · Dec 23, 2010, 09:21 PM // 21:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmothehound

I've done a little bit of research I wanted to try dervish, but from what I've read they seem to be outclassed in so many ways, and require perfect play to be useful

The best advice I can give is to not listen to debates on whether a profession is good or not. The skill of the profession is based on whether the person playing knows what they are doing...just some professions are more simple minded than others.
The reason I spoke up for the 3 that I did is because I know most people will speak against them when it is in fact the players not being able to play the profession well or play outside of the meta for that profession.

Xenomortis · Dec 23, 2010, 09:37 PM // 21:37

In PvP, the Ranger is one of the more useful professions (you've ruled out the leading 2/3 already).
The Ele and currently the Nec have their uses too.
Assassins and Dervs see more limited use (Assassins are used much more than Dervs though) since the Warrior is really good.

In PvE, things change.

Eles are more questionable towards the end and their best use is a defensive character, used instead of a Monk.
You've ruled out Monks, but they're a quick way to PUG invites whilst the ER Ele is quietly ignored.
The Necromancer is pretty strong - having access to some debilitation and damage buffs and other multipliers that can greatly increase the strength of a physical heavy team. They can also run a Minion Master build that can put out a lot of damage whilst attracting a lot of incoming damage away from their teammates.
Assassins, Dervishes and Warriors are all very strong classes; being melee physicals they are able to deal a lot of damage. Of these three the Assassin and Warrior are on top and since you've ruled out the Warrior, an Assassin is a strong option. The sin also has access to a ridiculous farming skill (Shadow Form).
The Ritualist only really has one trick, but it's a good one. Spirit Spam received a massive buff about a year ago and has become a staple addition to many teams since. Powerful for reasons similar to the Necro Minion Master. Rits can also have a go at MMing but are inferior to Necs.
The Paragon really does only have one trick, but it's able to prop up bad PUG teams - the Imbagon is a powerhouse defense character that's insanely easy to run.
The Mesmer (which you've ruled out) gets some pretty strong disruption options since a recent update. Panic, Psychic Instability and Fevered Dreams are potent skills. They lack damage though and (like the Ele) have to rely on an Assassin's Promise build to push out any significant amount of damage.
The Ranger is by and far the weakest PvE profession.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acehole2006

I think scythe sins will be thing of the past soon with updates that are coming. (speculation at this point but im 80% sure).

That's ok. Dagger Assassins are still ridiculous and I see little reason to bother playing with a scythe even now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmothehound

Mesmers don't look meh. They look fabulous which is why I wouldn't want to be one. I've done a little bit of research I wanted to try dervish, but from what I've read they seem to be outclassed in so many ways, and require perfect play to be useful

I think I'll try Rit. Also considering Necro.

Mesmers do have some nice armour options and in the end, vanity is the major driving force in Guild Wars PvE.
The Dervish does not require perfect play to be useful. The Dervish is far from useless.
However, the Dervish is outclassed by it's immediate competitors (the Warrior and Assassin). However, it is still probably the third most powerful profession by dint of being a melee physical - it still has a very high damage output that's very hard for any caster to match (the Nec might have a chance with an MM build, but it would be far less reliable).

If you're intent is to PvP then create a PvP-only character. These can be deleted and re-rolled without losing a time investment since you can use the gear you need to on any PvP char provided it is unlocked (and it's unlocked as soon you obtain it on any char and can be unlocked via a Priest of Balthazar).

If you want to create a PvE character though, it doesn't matter too much. All the professions have uses that can make them stand out. Except the Ranger.
Don't make a PvE Ranger for your first character.

cosmothehound · Dec 23, 2010, 10:18 PM // 22:18

I plan on starting with the PvE. Then I'll move on to PvP. Rit still sounds nice to me. Necro isn't too far behind.

Xenomortis · Dec 23, 2010, 10:20 PM // 22:20

A PvE character is fine to toy around with in PvP (RA and the Competitive Missions), but if you ever wish to proceed further you'll have to make a PvP character.

Crom The Pale · Dec 23, 2010, 10:30 PM // 22:30

If you think your going to spend a fair bit of time playing with Hero's/Hench then don't count out the Ranger.

Rangers give you a good view of the battle, have nice armor and several build variations. However you will find that PUG's only want one build and playing that build over and over can be boring.

Lanier · Dec 23, 2010, 10:31 PM // 22:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xenomortis

A PvE character is fine to toy around with in PvP (RA and the Competitive Missions), but if you ever wish to proceed further you'll have to make a PvP character.

unless you plan on buying all of the equipment you need for the ideal PvP character for your PvE character

cosmothehound · Dec 23, 2010, 10:31 PM // 22:31

I can always make both.

Acehole2006 · Dec 23, 2010, 10:34 PM // 22:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by LifeInfusion

Who cares if they nerf scythe sins? Not all sins use scythes.

Moebius Strike - Death Blossom spam is an easy 40+ armor-ignoring DPS in adjacent range (dual strike).

Even without Moebius, Jagged Strike (useless other than for Lead attack) --> Fox fangs --> Death Blossom is quick enough.

Shadow Form has broken the game quite a few times. Shadow Prison was so broken they nerfed it to oblivion. (Shadow steps in general are broken.)

Critical Agility basically gives you a permanent Flail sans downsides.

Assassin's Promise is abused by every caster (well maybe not Rit since their stuff is pretty imba on its own).

And zealous + daggers = insane energy.

I Think you did not read the post above mine because i was simply replying to some1 else's post when he said scythe sins are cool. When did I once say sins in general are not cool? In future can you please pay attention instead of flaming.

cosmothehound · Dec 23, 2010, 10:49 PM // 22:49

Shouldn't I at least do some PvE to start before I make my PvP char so I have some stuff unlocked?

Xenomortis · Dec 23, 2010, 11:11 PM // 23:11

Starting in PvE is advised just to gain some familiarity with the basic game mechanics.
Also have some stuff unlocked to PvP with is useful.

Dec 23, 2010, 06:53 PM // 18:53	#1
cosmothehound Ascalonian Squire Join Date: Dec 2010	Suggested profession? Getting all of the Guild Wars games for christmas. I played for a few months when the game first came out and ran W/Mo. I'm buying again just to prepare myself for Guild Wars 2. Classes I do not want to play as Warrior Monk Mesmer(wtf really, more like Mr or Mrs Fabolous) Which of the remaining classes is the most useful in a PvP team. Thank you in advance!!!

Dec 23, 2010, 08:14 PM // 20:14	#5
LifeInfusion Grotto Attendant Join Date: May 2005 Location: in the midline Profession: E/Mo	Physicals: Well in GvG it is dominantly triple melee and PVE SCs (speedclears) all require sins. So assassin? Casters: You ruled out monk, so basically rit. Necros see use in both PVP and PVE, although not as heavily as Ritualists. My problem with Ritualists is that it is MINDNUMBING to play. (I don't care if you're playing ST, SOGM, SoS: they're all basically spirit spam). Warrior - ruled out by OP: sees use in PVP and PvE (predominantly 100B, Eviscerate / Hammer in PvP) Ranger - only sees use in PVE as splinter barrager, which is done better by Ritualist/Ranger , used in PvP for Cripshot, Burning arrow, d-shot Monk - ruled out by OP Necromancer - SS, SV, MMs, Orders, etc.; sees use in PvP as Blood support Mesmer - ruled out by OP Elementalist - bad in HM PVE, PvP sees use for Invoke Lightning, B-surge, and water snares Assassin - Shadow Form....enough said, PvP: fast dagger chains Ritualist - Spirit spam (SoS, SOGM, ST), Restoration (Weapon of Warding flaggers in PVP, PVE substitute for monk) Paragon - only sees use as imba, hardly every seen in PvP anymore Dervish - Mysticism sucks. Assassins and Warriors use scythes better. EDIT: You'd be a fool to rule out Mesmers. With all the buffs to them they are borderline overpowered. People are just intent on running Ritualists. I can understand not wanting to play Monk though, it's a thankless and stressful profession especially with PUGs. Last edited by LifeInfusion; Dec 23, 2010 at 08:25 PM // 20:25..

Dec 23, 2010, 08:46 PM // 20:46	#9
cosmothehound Ascalonian Squire Join Date: Dec 2010	Mesmers don't look meh. They look fabulous which is why I wouldn't want to be one. I've done a little bit of research I wanted to try dervish, but from what I've read they seem to be outclassed in so many ways, and require perfect play to be useful I think I'll try Rit. Also considering Necro. Last edited by cosmothehound; Dec 23, 2010 at 08:57 PM // 20:57..

Dec 23, 2010, 07:04 PM // 19:04	#2
Acehole2006 Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: United Kingdom Essex Guild: Fight For The Win Profession: Mo/	Make a Rt, Great fun for PvP and PvE alike. wide range of various builds to play.

Dec 23, 2010, 07:09 PM // 19:09	#3
cosmothehound Ascalonian Squire Join Date: Dec 2010	I was looking into Rt actually. Looks very fun. Suggested secondary?

Dec 23, 2010, 07:24 PM // 19:24	#4
Caw521 Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Jul 2009 Profession: R/	http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Guide...as_a_ritualist ^ Pretty much all you need to know about rits. 330 Rit/Monks are great for farming stuff utilizing low health, low armor, and Protective Spirit/Spirit Bond/Lifesteals. Also, SoS spirit spammers (as dull as they can be) almost always find a spot in groups. Destructive was Glaive is another overpowered skill that can be used by one rit or groups of rits to cause massive aoe damage. Edit- suggested secondaries.... I usually run around with a monk or paragon secondary in case I need access to support skills, but you can change it whenever you want to to suit the situation. Oh, and don't diss mesmers, even though their appearance is meh, they are some of the most influential tide-turners in both PvE and PvP.

Dec 23, 2010, 08:21 PM // 20:21	#6
Braxton619 Desert Nomad Join Date: Jul 2008 Profession: A/W	I say Assassin. They can dish out heavy damage and use the scythe well. They can also farm tons of areas. If you got decent H/H, your sin won't hardly die either.

Dec 23, 2010, 08:31 PM // 20:31	#7
Acehole2006 Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: United Kingdom Essex Guild: Fight For The Win Profession: Mo/	I think scythe sins will be thing of the past soon with updates that are coming. (speculation at this point but im 80% sure). Regarding secondary to Rt there is so many options so would have to feel it for yourself but i wouldent worry about it to much as you can always change your secondary whenever you want. If you feel you have to make a decision early on before the change can be made i would go Rt/Mo as its easier to protect yourself at low levels until you reach max level 20.

Dec 23, 2010, 08:39 PM // 20:39	#8
RedDog91 Desert Nomad Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Farming for Nick gifts Profession: R/	Well, you ruled out warrior which is what I often suggest. Not that warrior is that great, but its the easiest to learn the game with. After that I would say Ranger. They are a back-line profession that has high armor against elemental damage, which is good since most high damage sources are elemental damage. The Expertise attribute lowers the cost of their attacks and skills and also provides good utility skills. They can get an animal companion, which if used correctly can add the damage of having another teammate (controversial to most players because effective BeastMaster builds are more difficult to use than most players are willing to put forth the effort for). Then there is always the splinter-barrage build that was mentioned a few posts up. Its decent for AoE damage, but a more versatile interpretation would be Incendiary Arrows+Ignite Arrows+Splinter Weapon. Paragons can be useful in many ways other than imbagon, which is all what most players thinks they are. Damage from your spear isn't too great, but use 2 attack skills coupled with a shout or chant that can heal or replenish your teammates' energy and your team will live a bit longer. The Imbagon build is used in quite a few speed-clear teams, so when you have to, you can always use it for high-end areas. Dervishes are O.K. so long as you can manage your skills well. Making an effective Dervish is slightly harder than the other melee classes. A good increase-attack-speed skill combined with Avatar of Grenth can greatly increase your damage output, specially when combined with Chilling Victory. Numbers will fly. Of course...this is all based on my playstyle. I intentionally play what no one else does because it makes it all the more interesting when you do better than them. The main cause for profession hate is when there are little-to-no meta builds (builds on pvx website that everyone uses). You'll find most players only play the meta and going outside of it will cause discrimination against you, but in a lot of cases it frees you to make better builds than what meta can offer.

Dec 23, 2010, 10:18 PM // 22:18	#13
cosmothehound Ascalonian Squire Join Date: Dec 2010	I plan on starting with the PvE. Then I'll move on to PvP. Rit still sounds nice to me. Necro isn't too far behind.

Dec 23, 2010, 10:20 PM // 22:20	#14
Xenomortis Tea Powered Join Date: May 2008 Location: UK Profession: N/	A PvE character is fine to toy around with in PvP (RA and the Competitive Missions), but if you ever wish to proceed further you'll have to make a PvP character.

Dec 23, 2010, 10:30 PM // 22:30	#15
Crom The Pale Furnace Stoker Join Date: Nov 2006 Guild: Ageis Ascending Profession: W/	If you think your going to spend a fair bit of time playing with Hero's/Hench then don't count out the Ranger. Rangers give you a good view of the battle, have nice armor and several build variations. However you will find that PUG's only want one build and playing that build over and over can be boring.

Dec 23, 2010, 10:31 PM // 22:31	#17
cosmothehound Ascalonian Squire Join Date: Dec 2010	I can always make both.

Dec 23, 2010, 10:49 PM // 22:49	#19
cosmothehound Ascalonian Squire Join Date: Dec 2010	Shouldn't I at least do some PvE to start before I make my PvP char so I have some stuff unlocked?

Dec 23, 2010, 11:11 PM // 23:11	#20
Xenomortis Tea Powered Join Date: May 2008 Location: UK Profession: N/	Starting in PvE is advised just to gain some familiarity with the basic game mechanics. Also have some stuff unlocked to PvP with is useful.