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This is an incredibly fun and rewarding class for those interested in a great interpretation of the classical Mage archetype. Unlike other classes, The Elementalist does not switch between weapons but instead rotates between the 4 elements: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Each of the elements has its own set of skills, revolving around an appropriate theme.
Water focuses on healing and freezing, Air provides swiftness and crowd control, Earth is used for protection and utility, while Fire is the most damaging out of the four. Mastering the elements can be a daunting order, especially considering that every available weapon has its own unique elemental skills. But with enough practice, utilizing the powers based on the situation becomes natural and easygoing.
The Elementalist has 3 Elite Specializations, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. The best builds change with almost every update, changing a few traits and trinkets, but for the most part, they revolve around a certain idea and perks.
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Core Elementalist
Available with the base game
The baseline Elementalist is the mighty foundation for every other Elite Specialization. While the current meta barely sees any vanilla builds, it is still a lovely starting point for beginners and can be utilized to great effect in multiple late-game modes.
The Dagger/Dagger build is one of the most popular PvP and WvW builds, excelling at maneuverability and high burst damage. It is a rather dangerous one, as with the low health pool, Elementalists can be quickly burst down by multiple enemies. That said, it is a challenging but very fun and engaging playstyle that has been loved by players for a long time.
The Staff is another great choice for this tree, providing the much-needed range, and abilities having massive AOE. From great heals for the party to raining down fire meteors upon unsuspecting enemies, it is a very powerful and versatile tool.
Tempest
Available with the Heart of Thorns Expansion
The Tempest Elite Specialization was introduced with the Heart of Thorns expansion. It capitalized on a lot of the base class ideas, focusing even more on the power of channeling elements. Aside from new skills and traits, this class introduced the Overload mechanic, allowing players to embody the attuned element, bringing forth powerful effects at the cost of increasing the element’s cooldown.
Tempest is still popular in end-game content, due to the fact that it is still a very strong Support class and has great damage variants. With access to an array of boons and shouts, they can empower their teammates while keeping them relatively healthy even in tougher battle scenarios.
Dagger/Warhorn with Staff is a very strong loadout, giving the player all the necessary tools to swiftly move around the battlefield and bolster their allies. With one of the available boons being Alacrity, it is a very sought-after party member in raids and fractals, making the Tempest always have a spot in LFG groups.
Weaver
Available with the Path of Fire Expansion
Weaver was introduced with the Path of Fire expansion. This Elite Specialization made the already complex class even more difficult and demanding, with some players finding it great while some could be put off by the increased difficulty. The Weaver is capable of wielding two elements at once, creating completely new skills out of the combinations.
At its peak, this was a feared class in the Guild Wars 2 PvP scene, being an absolute menace on the battlegrounds, quickly rotating around the map and crushing almost any duel. Weavers are still quite powerful in any kind of group and pvp content, but mastering the class takes time and dedication.
The Sword/Dagger remains one of the strongest weapon combinations, capable of quickly demolishing most enemies in the way. The downside is that this build has effectively no range, requiring the squishy mage to get up close and personal. It is somewhat mitigated by the very high mobility which helps a lot with dodging enemy attacks and the hazardous environment alike.
Catalyst
Available with the End of Dragons expansion
Catalyst is the latest Elite Specialization introduced with the End of Dragons expansion. The class adds a lot of mechanics, as well as the Hammer as a wieldable weapon. With the Jade Sphere system, the Catalyst can grant itself powerful boons, as well as create areas that empower the abilities cast in the same element.
The Catalyst rotation and mechanics can be very challenging and limiting, requiring the player to essentially stand in one place if they want to deal maximum damage, severely limiting the range and maneuverability. However, should anyone learn the mechanics and rotations, it is a very powerful class, rewarding resilient players with one of the highest damage outputs in the game.
The Hammer is still the most effective weapon for the class, providing devastating damage while keeping the user relatively safe with many defensive boons and abilities. There are variations of the build that also provide Quickness to the party without sacrificing too much damage, which is always a nice addition.
Leveling
As the player begins their epic journey to the level 80 cap, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Experiment with new weapons, utility skills, and elite skills to get a better feel for the character. Understanding the kit and the available tools lets you have much better control when finetuning your character.
- Utilize the Combo Fields and Finishers. There are many possible combinations for the Elementalist, with different setups and effects to discover.
- Read the description of the abilities, oftentimes there are hidden mechanics that aren’t obvious by simply trying them out.
- Get a feel for positioning. This is a notoriously squishy class, and being able to correctly move and dodge attacks is absolutely key to survival and thriving.
- Practice teamwork timing. In the Open World, there will be many chances to try and join a group of players that are currently fighting a monster. Pay attention to how your skills affect their projectiles and attacks, and don’t be shy to grant a boon or two.
- Have fun! Enjoy, and don’t be too demanding of yourself. This is a complex character, but nothing too difficult with just a little patience.
Once a player is ready to tackle the more difficult challenges in the game, it is a good idea to find the current strong build for their class through the many available resources online. No matter the class or specialization, someone crafty has absolutely found a way to make it work, no matter the situation!
With the Elementalist, everything revolves around understanding the class and simply practicing. At the end of the day, it is a very fun, rewarding, and entertaining class that never feels stale.
