How I Made A Build

Learning Peoples:

This is, step by step, how I put together an Ele build for Nurse. Hopefully you'll read this and learn a couple things about building your bar. Remember, you play how you want, but the game is much more fun when you play well.

Okay. Nurse is an Ele/Ranger, not exactly the best combo, so I stuck with a pure Ele build. She showed me a lightning build, it was okay. I decided to build one from the ground up.

Couple things before we get started. The highest amount of attribute points you can put into a line is 12. It makes no sense to have four or more differant attributes on one bar, with your points all spread out like PBJ (peanut butter and jelly), and all your attributes at twos and threes. And you're really going to have to convince me that it isn't worth maxing whatever it is you are trying to do. Focus on one thing, and do it well.

Always ask yourself: With this build, I want to [blank]. Is the blank ... use a sword? Use lightning? Poison things? Raise minions? Have a pet? Take one one goal (or a new skill), and work around that. Much like cooking, just throwing random good tasting things together doesn't mean the final product will be good. Case in point? Brownies with shredded steak in the batter, cooked on a grill. Bletch.

Also, I've seen this a lot; when you equip a weapon, make sure the requirement is met with your attributes, else it doesn't work well. If you have a req 7 sword, and you have 5 in Swordsmanship, you'll do 2-5 points of damage instead of what the sword says. Make sure you meet the requirements.

So, Ele build, focused on lightning. Nurse was in Prophecies, and claimed to have few skills. First stop for me was the Wiki: http://guildwars.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

Click 'quick links' on the lefthand side. Click all Ele skills. Bam. On the righthand side the skills there is listed where you can obtain it. I checked out all Ele skills, under lightning, that were either 'core' or 'prophecies'.

The skills are: Air Attunement, Blinding Flash, Chain Lightning, Conjure Lightning, Enervating Charge, Gale, Lightning Orb, Lightning Strike, Lightning Touch, Shock, Whirlwind, Windborne Speed.

Wow. That's more than 8. I don't like [Blinding Flash] for PvE, blinding one thing is useless when there are seven charging at you. No need for [Conjure Lightning] since you're an Ele, and will be spellcasting. [Gale] fails hard. It only hits one thing, and it causes exhaustion. Don't need [Lightning Touch] or [Shock] because that'll put the Ele in harms way. And [Windborne Speed] is just pointless.

So now we are down to: Air Attunement, Chain Lightning, Enervating Charge, Lightning Orb, Lightning Strike, Whirlwind.

Of course you are going to take Resurrection Signet. And every Ele bar should have Glyph of Lesser Energy.

So the first bar I came up with is: [build prof=Elementalist/Ranger][Air Attunement][Chain Lightning][Enervating Charge][Lightning Orb][Lightning Strike][Whirlwind][Glyph of Lesser Energy][Resurrection Signet][/build]

Pretty good. I mean, if you only have Prophecies and haven't capped an Elite, it's all you got.

But look at [Chain Lightning].

Three second cast time? Causes exhaustion? 10 second recharge? All so you can hit more than 1 bad guy. Sometimes. Boo, I don't like it.

Also, I know that [Elemental Attunement] is pretty close to where we were. So let's make some changes.

Looking at the skills, you see that Eneverating Charge causes weakness, so a quick search on the Wiki brought up a skill listing of everything that causes and is also effected by the condition.

[Stoning] causes knockdown if the target is weakened. It also does some hefty damage. But I'm not going to add one skill for the sake of one skill. Remember steak brownies? What else does the earth line have that could be useful?

I'm leaving [Whirlwind] in because it hits all adjacent foes that are attacking. If a bunch of bad guys come rushing in, you can use it, and run away. It's meant as a defensive skill.

But if everyone around you is knocked down, why not [Aftershock]? Does damage near you, extra damage to foes on the ground.

So the bar evolved into this: [build prof=Elementalist/Ranger][Elemental Attunement][Glyph of Lesser Energy][Lightning Orb][Enervating Charge][Stoning][Whirlwind][Aftershock][Resurrection Signet][/build]

Use skills from left to right. Elemental Attunement keeps energy flowing back into you. No energy means Ele is useless. Glyph of Lesser is the same thing. Use it to keep energy not flowing out. Is the duration or damage worth the recharge time or energy cost? Very important in skill choice.

So, now we get to the damage. Lightning Orb, pretty simple. It hits, does damage, and gives cracked armor. Cracked armor lowers armor by 20, so the rest of the bar hits harder.

Next is Enervating Charge and Stoning. Both will do more damage because of the cracked armor, and now the bad guy is weakened and knocked down. You've probably hit for more than 200 damage, too. Not a bad way to take something out of the fight.

By the time you get through the cycle, Lightning Orb should be recharged again. By the time Lightning Orb is cast, Enervating Charge is ready to go, etc, etc. Rinse and repeat.

But Scion, I've 8 slots. Why would I only use three to attack with? Because those three skills can be used over and over. No need for more. Use the other slots to help you stay alive. Look at the first bar. It had more attack spells, but you wouldn't need to use them all. They'd be there . . . just to be there. Boo.

So we turn to Whirlwind and Aftershock. If the fit hits the shan, and you are taking a licking, just hit one then the other.

Any warrior or dervish or assassin hitting you will be knocked down, then slammed with Aftershock. Don't run up to people and hit the two, because they need to be attacking in order to be knocked down. Don't use aftershock without using Whirlwind first, because that extra damage is why you brought it.

When whatever was hitting you is now knocked down and hit with over 200 damage, run your butt away and start the cycle over. Or, wow, get this. If something is hitting you, use the three damage spells on them, while they knocked down. Don't play fair, knock them down, hit em with aftershock, then cracked armor, weakness, and knockdown again. And prolly dead.

So, bam, there is a pretty solid Ele skillbar. It has energy management, does damage, will help keep the caster alive, and only uses three attributes (lightning, earth, energy management).

Last thing, if you are level 7 and don't have that many skill points, just stick with one attribute line. Even if you only use 1 skill. No reason you can't use [Glyph of Lesser Energy][Fireball][Phoenix][Immolate][No Skill][No Skill][No Skill][Resurrection Signet] with all points in fire. Just hang back, cast your spells, let your energy recharge before the next fight.

That's it. I could rant forever. Here ends the lesson.

Scion

the ele spiker build which you made is almost the one I had
but problem with air spiker is energy not a much Area of Effect
to make things more interesting I added Lightning Javelin instead of whrilwind
Lightning Javelin can be used as a quick spiker and acts also as an interrupt

I am planing to make an air spiker build for Eye of the North use
thanks to Destoryers Fire magic doesn't do enough damage
I came up with a couple of ideas just need to test them out for energy
and how well it's does for area of effect damage

Air Magic is really good idea but mainly for PvP use
not a wide range of Area of Effect damage
consumes alots of energy cant re-cover fast enough in PvE
your evolved build looks like in works better in PvP than in PvE

Jay

I remember my first Ranger just did no damage at all. I didn't get it, I couldn't kill anything once I got to Lion's Arch. I took every skill off my bar (which still had Lava Front and Fire Storm), actually sat and read the descriptions of what I had, and found the synergy between Kindle Arrow, Conjure Flame, and Double Shot. Actually watched my pet to damage and realized that without an investment in Beast Mastery it's a waste. That high req weapons don't mean more damage.

I'm not trying to sell the next great PvE nuker build (and BTW go /R and bring Winter to kill Destroyers, or go crazy and bring Greater Conflagration, too), it's about the process of taking what you have available to you and setting yourself up for success, not just flailing and crying and wondering how this game can be so cheap while that one Grawl Monk boss heals himself faster than you can do damage to him.

This post is about the process of taking fifteen or twenty minutes, checking out the local skill trainer or new couple skills you got after a quest, and developing yourself proper. I will put down Scale Fins to Ectos that this build is easier to use (left to right on recharge), more fun to play (who doesn't like killing things and knocking them down?), and just works better than what most new folk are running.

I understand the point of that Scion
the older skills in Guild War is usable all the way though out the game
for instance I will still using firestorm but how badly people say it is a worthless skill
but with the right combination of skills it works wonders

the build you made works well too if there is 1 - 2 mobs it works wonders with air magic
but if there is 5+ mob air magic would have problems
as for chain lightning skill with the right elite skill it works very well as a nuker
that skill is called Glyph of Energy but there is a big problem getting that elite skill

As for the level 7 build beginner build ask in flare for a quick damage
it is a really useful skill + low energy cost
glyph of lesser energy to cast Fireball and Phoenix
immolate + flare for quick damage

Jay

Thanks for posting up these skills sets and ideas on going about making a successful bar..
I found it very interesting and useful for my Elementalist.

Just keep in mind.. There is no "Right way". Thanks for the opinions guys!

James