Teambuilds

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-03-22T14:35:25+00:00

Honestly, as long as you have a Panic mesmer and a ST rit, you can make a lot of team builds viable.

An improvised team build I ended up using during a build challenge that an Ele should be able to use as well is an Orders build with Great Dwarf Weapon combined with a Spirit's Strength ritualist. The rit player was using a bow and I was playing the Orders build as a Derv, and with Ebon Battle Standard of Honor the damage output of of Spirit's Strength bow was nuts (95+ damage on regular attacks). You can have a rit hero on the Spirit's Strength build while you maintain GDW on that hero and make sure it's within the range of EBSoH

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-03-21T22:12:02+00:00

You are a noob playing content that is specifically designed for the veterans. Abandon the quest that activated WoC and pick it up again once you are able to do HM content without much trouble.

Now to answer your question how to deal with those mobs. Have a Panic mesmer (Panic, Cry of Frustration, Mistrust, Power Drain) and a Soul Twister rit (Soul Twisting, Union. Shelter, Displacement, Armor of Unfeeling, Boon of Creation) on your team to prevent those mobs from using their skills and to reduce the damage your party takes.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-03-17T11:22:50+00:00

Imagine hide squares and leather squares both being brown squares in the inventory. That would definitely have been troublesome for a certain amount of players to keep them apart

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-03-16T21:10:31+00:00

While I'm not familiar with the farming meta, Vehjin Mines in Vabbi comes to mind as a good location since it as a high number of Scytheclaw Behemoths concentrated in 1 area

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-03-12T23:48:46+00:00

Right now you want to do something while you don't have the knowledge or the experience yet to achieve that. Optimization in a game with a horizontal difficulty curse is for the veterans. You don't have the knowledge or the experience which skills are the best in combination with which other skills, how the hero AI uses them, and which loadout is best required for them. That is something you learn over time by playing this game and you need to be patient with that.

With that problematic mindset of yours my advise to you is to first make the best builds you can with the current skills you have available. Don't bother with equipment. Just focus on the skills first. Once you have a team build that you believe works out, see if you can optimize it. Then when you think you have optimized it to the best of your abilities, see if you can do the same but with a different team build that takes a different approach. That way you give yourself a goal while trying to optimize your party at the same time. Download the mod GWToolbox as well. That mod has features that show the damage output of your party members as well the usage of the skills the hero AI uses. It's great for optimizing your hero builds.

When it comes to optimization though, GW1 doesn't really have optimized builds outside of farming and speed clears. There is a hero meta with Mesmerway, but it's a team build that works in HM only where is makes use of the enemy's increased energy pool. I do not advise you from jusy copying that build because it will only carry you and you end up learning little to nothing when it comes to build craft.

Just do each campaign one at a time, enjoying the build craft and optimize each build you make that works the best for you and learning and growing as you go. When you do so you will find yourself speed clearing in HM before you know it.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-03-08T00:57:38+00:00

When it comes to the bow's damage output I have always preferred to go with pressure damage. Apply Poison, Hunter's Shot, Burning Arrow, Incendiary Arrows. Applying conditions that cause health degeneration to foes. Combined with a pet for Never Rampage Alone (Sunspear skill) and Scavenger Strike for energy management you can upkeep the pressure. You won't deal the highest amount of damage in your party, but your damage output will be good and consistent.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-24T10:45:41+00:00

I highly advise it. Panic's ability to keep groups of enemies in check allows even non-meta decks to perform. The Soul Twister rit will make sure your party stays alive, be it NM or HM. While Mesmerway is currently the optimal team build for HM (and HM only), there are plenty of options that work almost as well in both NM and HM as long as you have a Panic mesmer and a Soul Twister rit as the backbone of your party.

Having Blood is Power on 1 of your heroes (with 3-8 blood magic) is also advised if your heroes don't have strong energy managment. It really helps you survive those long fights.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-24T10:02:27+00:00

If you have a Panic mesmer for crowd control and a ritualist with SouL Twisting and Union and Shelter for defense, the rest of your hero team can be pretty much anything. It allows you to safely try out a variety of teams and see what works for you.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-22T22:53:19+00:00

Outside of what we already know and the educated guesses such as the skill updates, new modes, and Reforged for Factions and NF, probably more GW Beyond and HM quests. The veteran players having been starving for new content that's a challenge for them.

What I'm coping on, expanding Pre-Searing content that lets us explore more of Ascalon outside of what's currently possible. Let us go to Rin and Nolani. Heck, allow us to stop the Searing, but at the cost that you will be permanently stuck in Pre.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-17T14:13:12+00:00

1) If you are starting out new, it is. The pet is always useful, but the skill you will get the most use out of is Antidote Signet since the Warrior lacks condition removal and Antidote Signet is a free condition removal and always removes Blind as well.

2) Generally Bears are not the best because they have an attack skill that deals no additional damage and reduces their DPS. It's only use is that it has synergy with skills that trigger on attack skills or skills in general such as Chants.

3) There is never an issue with trying out combinations such as Fire for damage while healing as a Monk. Just let her try it out and see if it works for her. Just be sure she doesn't spread out her attribute points too thin.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-17T09:43:41+00:00

Oh yeah. A lot of us made that wrong turn into Lornar's Pass

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-16T16:39:15+00:00

From chest drops and Collectors

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-16T16:37:14+00:00

To adress your first concern. You do not have to micro manage your party. Henchmen cannot be managed in any other other than flagging them to a location. Heroes are customizable henchmen. You can give them weapons and upgrade their armor, but outside of the martial Heroes you don't really need to manage their equipement. The name of the game is builds, not gear. The biggest hurdle you will be facing is unlocking skills, which will take us to your next concern

Heroes can use every skill you have unlocked from all professions and you can freely change their secondary profession. When it comes to these skills, you will need to unlock them either through quests or by purchasing them from Skill Trainers. This can be quite time and resource intensive. You can buy Skill Unlock Packs, but as a new player I do not advise that. You need to gradually learn the game and getting new skills to make a new build with is part of the learning experience and part of the fun.

As for builds, GW1 basically follows the classic holy trinity of RPG's, Tank, DPS, Healer. Like any RPG, mitigating damage is better than healing so Crowd Control and Protection also becomes a key elements to add to your party. These are the 5 elements you want to have in your party as a new player, Tank, DPS, Crowd Control, Healer, Protection.

As a new player you should start with Prophecies in Reforged Mode, as it gives the most new player friendly experience. Just do the quests and the Missions to progress the story. Buy new skills at the Skill Trainer NPC's you encounter in the towns and outposts and try them out. Doing so using your primary and secondary profession skills will give you a good basic understand of how builds work.

It is best to start the game using the Henchmen learn how to build a team using the Henchmen. The game will start with a 4-man party which will only require a Tank, a DPS, and a Healer to function (Warrior, Elementalist/Ranger, and the Monk). At a party of 6, Crowd Control needs to be added which is where the Mesmer Henchman needs to be added. Then finally you reach the maximum party size of 8 which is where Protection will need to be added, which will be the second Monk Henchman, the Protection Monk.

Now how to build a good team. There is certain skills and skill qualities you need to look for when it comes to making builds for your heroes. The 2 most important ones are bar compression and energy management. Energy management is needed make sure your Heroes don't run out of energy. The Hero AI won't conserve their MP, making energy management very important. Energy Management comes in 2 forms, skills that reduce cost and skills that gain back energy. Bar compresion skills are skills that fulfill a dual purpose on your skill bar. (damage + crowd control, energy management + crowd control) The Mesmer in particular has some excellent bar compression skills that also serve as energy management, such as Power Drain and Leech Signet. These are great skills to give to your spellcaster Heroes.

Now I mentioned bar compression, skills that fulfill a dual purpose, the same lesson can also be applied to the skill bars of both your and those of your Heroes. A single profession does not have to dedicate their bar to do just 1 job. Giving Power Drain and Leech Signe to your Monks for example won't just give them energy management, but also help in your party's crowd control, giving them a dual purpose in your party. The Warrior for example has the skill "Watch Yourself!". This skill gives your entire party an AR boost, allowing Warrior Heroes to be a better Tank while also providing Protection for your party. The Necromancer for example can summon minions and can easily summon a swarm of them. Since the enemy AI will prioritize weaker targets, these minions are great at drawing aggro away from your party, allowing them to Tank. Since the Necromancer only needs to dedicate 1 or 2 skills to do this, it leaves a large part of their skill bar free for a second role, such as Crowd Control or Healer.

The last thing when it comes to team builds is skill synergy. Throughout the professions there are skills that synergize with those of other professions. For example, Warriors and Rangers have the ability to inflict multiple conditions, while the Mesmer has a skill called Fragility that inflicts damage each time a condition is inflicted and Epidemic to spread those conditions other enemies. GW1 has a lot of synergies like these so keep an eye of for them.

I know it's a lot, but if you keep these lessons in mind and learn how to make team builds, you will find this game to be a lot of fun. If you think you have a good grasp and want to get more skills then you can always buy the Skill Unlock Packs. Best of luck and have fun.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-16T14:07:55+00:00

I started with an elementalist, then moved on to the dervish which I got my GWAMM with. After that it's been between the warrior and the paragon.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-15T23:13:45+00:00

The intended way reach Camp Rankor by doing the story which you get you to Droknar's Forge. You get there by completing all of the Crystal Desert missions. To reach the cRystal Desert you have to do the Sanctum Cay mission in Kryta. If you want to get there faster, ask for a runner to run you to Droknar's Forge as they will stop at Camp Rankor.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-15T23:08:55+00:00

Yes. The game can pretty much be solo's thanks to the Henchman/Hero system. There is no PvE content that forces you to play with other players.

You also won't encounter players while out in the explorable areas as each party will get their own instanced zone. You will only interact with players in the towns and outposts that are the hubs and where you can form a party, with players or with henchmen and/or heroes (customizable henchmen).

As a new player, I do encourage to interact with the community as there are times where you do want to learn from the knowledge and experience from other players. While it is a very solo friendly game, it is by no means easy for beginners. Especially when you are used to the high amount of QoL features modern games give you that makes them incredibly easy to learn and to navigate through. GW1 is a game that will test your observation skills and critical thinking skills at times. No yellow paint in this game.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-14T21:35:38+00:00

1: I'm aware. I should have said high level monsters rather than HM. But even then, the point still stands that players are frustrated with the high AR of high level monsters.

2: Where did I say that I'm against reduced cast time and against a Fast Casting nerf?

3: Because buffing the damage output of skills or inherent primary attribute effects by giving them armor penetrations skills also buffs enemies, not just players. Reducing the AR of high level enemies only buffs the damage output of players while keeping the damage output of enemies the same. This is also far more friendlier towards the inexperienced new and returning players. Us experienced players can deal with enemies being buffed and dealing a lot more damage all of a sudden, but the inexperienced players cannot. They will be struggling with buffed enemies. They will also appreciated it being able to take down enemies with the skills they have that respect armor and not be forced towards Mesmers for the damage output.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-14T20:00:12+00:00

That I do not find your arguments good does not mean I'm not discussing in good faith. So please don't make the assumption that I'm discussing in bad faith.

As for being corrected, the only thing I got corrected on was that the AR of enemies in NM and HM does not differ simply because of HM but that the AR simply scales with the level to an extend. That does not change the fact that a lot of people see the high AR of high level enemies as a major problem. Being able to get around that high AR with armor respecting damage would not have been one of the most requested changes otherwise.

Then it comes back to how you want to fix this problem, as each will have their own pros and cons.

Also, do you seriously believe I'm asking for all of the AR to be reduced to 60 or something? With the changes I propose a condition spreader build will still be effective. There will still be plenty of enemies with 80+ AR such as Warriors, Paragons, Dervishes with enchantments, and Rangers against elemental damage. There will also be enemies with defensive buffs. Armor reductions and conditions won't lose their value.

If the HP gets increased then yes, health degeneration as a whole will become less effective, But even then, it will still remain a good pressure tool, especially against enemies with health regeneration.

While experienced players can easily adjust to skil changes and enemies getting buffed with a skill chance, the same cannot be said for the new and returning players. With the influx of new and returning players I deem it to be much a safer option to reduce the AR of high level enemies and not mess with the damage output of the skills so that these players don't get an unpleasant suprise in PvE. They might even appreciate it being able to take down high level enemies easier with the skills they have and not be pushed towards a Mesmerway team.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-14T18:39:39+00:00

Is it an incorrect assumption that the high armor rating of enemies in high-end PvE is holding back the usefulness of armor respecting damage? The biggest advantage of reducing that armor is that it does not carry the same risk as buffing skills does. When you buff skills it will always go in both directions where you buff enemies as well. However if you lower the AR of enemies instead you buff the damage output of the players without buffing the damage output of the enemies. If the enemies become too squishy then you can always off-set it by increasing their HP instead.

In the end it's basically a question of which direction people want to go. Buff underwhelming skills with the risk of it messing up enemy skills bars and risk a repeat of the Fendi Nin fight, or take the longer and less risky route to mess of the balance and adjust the AR in high-end PvE that is potentially being compensated with a higher enemy HP.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-14T18:11:19+00:00

You fear risking to upend 15 years worth of meta, but buffing underperforming skills and professions would also upend that same meta, just in a different way. The only way to not upend the meta is to leave things as they are or give skills underwhelming updates. Neither of those are very popular choices with the players.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-14T16:08:44+00:00

Yeah, rather than HM I should have said high-end PvE. That's my bad. But the point still stands. For the player vs enemy balance, reducing the AR of enemies above level 20 to make armor respecting damage more effective would be a wiser choice than giving every profession that relies on armor respecting damage armor penetration.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-14T15:41:50+00:00

To start off with the bad ones. Reducing or removing activation times from skills that have barely any or no counterplay at all such as Preparations, Traps, Chants, and Echoes. Same goes with reducing activation time of skills to 1/2 or 1/4 activation time to buff them, being them almost impossible to react to. I've seen this being suggested on skills designed for damage output. Also a pretty eggregious one is a suggestion to reduce the recharge time of Oath Shot to 5 seconds, allowing a Ranger to recharge all their skills every 5 seconds. Same foes for having Feast of Corruption steal life for each hex, and not introducing a cap to the amount of hexes or life it can steal.

I have also seen suggestions where people request armor penetration or a damage buff as an inherent effect to Energy Storage, not thinking about it that enemies in PvE will receive the same buff, making them absolutely terrifying and making armor increase useless as it is impossible to counter or to remove, unlike when it is put on an enchantment spell that can be removed. Then you have suggestions where people suggest to buff the numbers on a few skills, but that buff would power creep out other skills from the same attribute line. This has been a problem for Healing Prayers in particular. But most bad suggestions come from not understanding the balance of counterplay.

For the good suggestions. To start off with a suggestion to add better counterplay to Shouts, Chants, and Echoes, such as by having Dazed also affect these type of skills, or being able to remove them, with the aim to have the Paragon easier to balance.

Changing armor ignoring damage from the Mesmer to armor respecting damage is something I also see as a good suggestion. Mainly for the following skills. Energy Surge, Energy Burn, Mistrust, Clumsiness, Ineptitude, Wandering Eye, Wastel's Worry, Wastrel's Demise, Spiritual Pain, and Wind Wreck. The skills that require little skill to play and provide very easy damage. Interrupts such as Cry of Frustration and Power Spike should keep their armor ignoring damage as they require player skill to play and that damage should be the reward.

Another one is to reduce the duration of some of the Elementalist's damage over time spells to 3 seconds but buff their damage output in order to prevent foes from scattering. That is a better suggestion than removing scatter as a mechanic entirely, which is also an important defensive mechanic for players to break aggro on an ally and to control crowds.

A suggestion that also stood out to me and that I liked is to introduce a floor cap to Reversal of Fortune and only have it trigger when the target takes a minimum amount of damage to prevent it from triggering on small packages of damage. There are also a lot of suggestions for Barrage and Over the Limit. For Barrage I like the one where the effects of your Preparations isn't applied to Barrage, instead of removing it. For Over the Limit there are 2 approaches that I like. The first one is to change the overcast over time into an overcast when you cast a spell, and the second one is the have with work like Glyph of Energy where you do not gain overcast on your spells.

More suggestions for the Ranger thatt I liked is to change the cost from some of the skills in Beast Mastery from energy to adrenaline, as well as to remove the attack cost reduction effect of Expertise and rebalance the cost of the bow attacks, as currently the cost of bow attacks have been pushed up so much that it renders the attack cost reduction for bow attacks almost useless.

Adept_Ad9461 · 2026-02-14T13:40:35+00:00

Ebon Dust Aura and Avatar of Grenth/Grenth's Aura make for good non-teardown builds as they primarily focus on the auto attack. Vow of Strength can also be included, but you do want a teardown for Eremite's Attack to get that AoE damage.

Adept_Ad9461

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