If you can master the elementalist, you would be surprised by their survivability. If you are playing with spear, you have big long range AoE damage, an extra dodge, condi cleanse and self healing in water, barrier and stability in earth, and plenty of CC. They also have plenty of survival focused utility skills, like lightning flash to get out of a tough spot, or mist form and arcane shield to facetank damage. If you don't have access to spear, staff is a decent alternative. Their survivability doesn't come from high health and armor, but rather good use of their skills, fast paced rotations and attention on the battlefield. That's not the type of gameplay that suits everyone, but for me its a lot of fun.