Elementalist WvW | Large Group Dagger/Dagger | Assaulter Balanced D/D version #1
Table of Contents
Summary
D/D elementalist can be really useful in organized WvW group. D/D provide great and stable dps and great burst on demand and as D/D ele you have great survivability. But remember key aspect is proper movement !
This guide will provide basic info about balanced D/D ele with Signet of restoration.
I. Weapons and Skills
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- 0Fury: 2 sSwiftness: 5 sRegeneration: 9 sVigor: 9 s
- 0Fury: 2 sSwiftness: 5 sRegeneration: 9 sVigor: 9 s
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- 0Fury: 2 sSwiftness: 5 sRegeneration: 9 sVigor: 9 s
- 0Fury: 2 sSwiftness: 5 sRegeneration: 9 sVigor: 9 s
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- 0Fury: 2 sSwiftness: 5 sRegeneration: 9 sVigor: 9 s
- 0Fury: 2 sSwiftness: 5 sRegeneration: 9 sVigor: 9 s
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- 0Fury: 2 sSwiftness: 5 sRegeneration: 9 sVigor: 9 s
- 0Fury: 2 sSwiftness: 5 sRegeneration: 9 sVigor: 9 s
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- 0Fury: 2 sSwiftness: 5 sRegeneration: 9 sVigor: 9 s
- 0Fury: 2 sSwiftness: 5 sRegeneration: 9 sVigor: 9 s
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- 0Fury: 2 sSwiftness: 5 sRegeneration: 9 sVigor: 9 s
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- 0Fury: 2 sSwiftness: 5 sRegeneration: 9 sVigor: 9 s
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- 0Fury: 2 sSwiftness: 5 sRegeneration: 9 sVigor: 9 s
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- 0Fury: 2 sSwiftness: 5 sRegeneration: 9 sVigor: 9 s
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- 0Fury: 2 sSwiftness: 5 sRegeneration: 9 sVigor: 9 s
Weapon and Skill Details
This guide is focused on D/D elementalist so best advantage is really great combination skills on D/D, you have a lot of skills good for survivability and also you are able provide great and stable damage in close range.
In short to the other weapons. S/D is useless in WvW you can not properly aim your skill in open field. Staff is great for support ele but it is another chapter.
Weapons skills:
Fire
#1 solid AOE dmg
#2 dmg and long burning, low cd
#3 short-range gap closer, great dmg and short burning, could be used in combo with lighting flash
#4 some dmg and burning, FIRE field
#5 great dmg to burned enemies but need to be aimed properly, could be used in combo with lighting flash
Water
#1 nothing extra dmg, but stacs vulnerability
#2 heals and good dmg on close range
#3 chill with low cd
#4 aura, good defensive skill
#5 solid AOE heal nd condition cleanse
Air
#1 AOE, providing nice dmg
#2 weakness with low cd
#3 shock aura, stuns melee enemies if they attack you, can save your ass 
#4 nice mobility skills but long cd if you miss
#5 CC with long cd, could be used in combo with lighting flash, if you are out of endurance it can be used like small dodge.
Earth
#1 nothing extra dmg, but stacs bleeds
#2 solid dmg, low cd
#3 great root, gap closer, leap
#4 Knockdown and BLAST, could be used in combo with lighting flash
#5 awesome dmg but long cast, BLAST, could be used in combo with lighting flash
Healing skils
Signet of restoration - Passive heal, grants heal everytime you cast spell. Don't activate it.
Utility
Cantrips - Cantrips provides surveability for D/D ele.
Mist Form provides 3.5 seconds of invulnerability, it's stun break, Can be used for safe stomp.
Lightning Flash - best utility in my opinion, allows an Elementalist to get out of bad situations, gap close and can be used in combinations with other skill like churning earth, earthquake, bugning speed or firegrab.
Armor of Earth provides stability and protection, it's good skill but long cd.
Elite
There isn't best option like in case of staff eles. Glyph of elemental is useless in my opinion. Conjure greatsword can be good for example for your necro friend (conjure greatsword provides good condi/direct dmg). Tornado can be used in some special cases (a lot of downed enemies etc.)
II. Traits
Fire Magic
Air Magic
Earth Magic
Water Magic
Arcana
Trait Details
For the D/D ele is 0/0/0/20/30 distribution pretty much mandatory, last 20 points can be spend everywhere, but best option is 0/10/0/30/30 or 0/0/20/20/30.
#AIR
Zephyr's boon - auras grant swiftness and fury when applied.
#WATER
Cantrip Mastery:
Provides cooldown reduction for the cantrips.
Soothing Disruption:
Provides regen and vigor which is important for surviving.
Cleansing Water:
Provides condition cleanse on your cantrips, water swap.
#ARCANA
Renewing stamina:
Trait for another vigor, in combination with cantrip skills, you are able to have 100% uptime for vigor.
Elemental Attunement:
Provides boons when you attuned to element, most important are earth - protection, water - regen
Evasive Arcana:
at least for me it's mandatory for D/D ele, create spell at end of the dodge, internal cd is 10s for every element. In earth you have another BLAST, In water you have solid heal and condi removal, In fire you have burning for at least 5sec, In air you have another blind (awesome mainly for duels).
Minor traits
Important minor trait provides you: heal when you attuned to water.
III. Stat Specifics & Effects
Primary Stats
- Health 18635 (+6990)
- Vitality 1615 (+699)
- Armor 2550 (+714)
- Toughness 1630 (+714)
- Attack 2817 (+920)
- Power 1836 (+920)
- Critical Hit 28% (+28%)
- Precision 1508 (+592)
Secondary Stats
- Attunement Recharge Rate 30% (+30%)
- Boon Duration 45% (+45%)
- Condition Damage 311 (+311)
- Condition Duration 10% (+10%)
- Condition Duration (self) -40% (+-40%)
- Critical Damage 47% (+47%)
- Damage 981 (+0%)
- Defense 920 (+0)
- Experience from Kills 20% (+20%)
- Ferocity 718 (+718)
- Healing Power 611 (+611)
- Movement Speed 25% (+25%)
Boons
Conditions
Control
Fields & Finishers
IV. Food, Armor, Trinkets & Upgrade Items
Food Nourishment
Condition Duration (self): -40%
Vitality: 70
Experience from Kills: 10%
- (30min)
- Condition Duration (self): -40%
- Vitality: 70
- Experience from Kills: 10%
Utility Nourishment
Gain power equal to 6% of your toughness
Gain power equal to 4% of your vitality
Experience from Kills: 10%
- (30min)
- Gain power equal to 6% of your toughness
- Gain power equal to 4% of your vitality
- Experience from Kills: 10%
Armor & Runes
- Defense: 73
- Power: 28
- Precision: 28
- Toughness: 28
- Vitality: 28
- Condition Damage: 28
- Healing Power: 28
- Ferocity: 28
- +8 to All Stats
- Boon Duration: 5%
- +12 to All Stats
- +10% Boon Duration; +10% Condition Duration
- +16 to All Stats
- Movement Speed: 25%
- Defense: 73
- Power: 21
- Precision: 21
- Toughness: 21
- Vitality: 21
- Condition Damage: 21
- Healing Power: 21
- Ferocity: 21
- +8 to All Stats
- Boon Duration: 5%
- +12 to All Stats
- +10% Boon Duration; +10% Condition Duration
- +16 to All Stats
- Movement Speed: 25%
- Defense: 314
- +8 to All Stats
- Boon Duration: 5%
- +12 to All Stats
- +10% Boon Duration; +10% Condition Duration
- +16 to All Stats
- Movement Speed: 25%
- Defense: 133
- +8 to All Stats
- Boon Duration: 5%
- +12 to All Stats
- +10% Boon Duration; +10% Condition Duration
- +16 to All Stats
- Movement Speed: 25%
- Defense: 194
- Power: 42
- Precision: 42
- Toughness: 42
- Vitality: 42
- Condition Damage: 42
- Healing Power: 42
- Ferocity: 42
- +8 to All Stats
- Boon Duration: 5%
- +12 to All Stats
- +10% Boon Duration; +10% Condition Duration
- +16 to All Stats
- Movement Speed: 25%
- Defense: 133
- Power: 21
- Precision: 21
- Toughness: 21
- Vitality: 21
- Condition Damage: 21
- Healing Power: 21
- Ferocity: 21
- +8 to All Stats
- Boon Duration: 5%
- +12 to All Stats
- +10% Boon Duration; +10% Condition Duration
- +16 to All Stats
- Movement Speed: 25%
Armor Stat Totals
- Defense 920
- Power 146
- Precision 148
- Toughness 148
- Vitality 148
- Condition Damage 148
- Healing Power 148
- Ferocity 148
- Boon Duration 15%
- Condition Duration 10%
- Movement Speed 25%
Rune Bonuses
Superior Rune of the Traveler- +8 to All Stats
- Boon Duration: 5%
- +12 to All Stats
- +10% Boon Duration; +10% Condition Duration
- +16 to All Stats
- Movement Speed: 25%
Accessories & Jewels
Accessory Totals
- Power:473
- Toughness:390
- Ferocity:414
- Precision:203
- Vitality:125
- Condition Damage:107
- Healing Power:107
Weapon Set Sigils
- Weapon Strength: 923-981
- Power: 56
- Precision: 56
- Toughness: 56
- Vitality: 56
- Condition Damage: 56
- Healing Power: 56
- Ferocity: 56
- Weapon Strength: 924-981
- Toughness: 120
- Power: 85
- Precision: 85
Weapon Set I
Sigil of Superior BloodlustYou gain +10 power each time you kill a foe. (max 25 stacks and ends on down or weapon change)
Sigil of Superior EnergyYou gain 50% of your endurance when you swap to this weapon while in combat. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 9s)
- Weapon Strength: -
Water Weapon I
Upgrade Item Details
Combination Celestial/Soldier/knight parts is best choice, because it provides great critical damage and good combination of other stats.
Runes - there is more then one choice, you can choose traveler or divinity or runes for longer boon duration (2x monk, water, traveler)
Sigils - Best choice is Superior sigil of Bloodlust and Superior sigil of energy (for more dodges), you should consider swapping that dagger with stack sigil for another with a Superior Sigil of Force. in case you have the money for the extra dagger...
Food - in my opinion for large groups is mandatory food with -36% or -40% condition duration, but if your movement is really good you could use food for more dmg.
V. Basic Gameplay
Like every class, the first goal is to survive, second goal is to deal a lot of dmg. As D/D ele you have two options you can running with the meele train if you have melee party but must be really careful or you can running around melee train with harrasment group. For both options is key proper movement and properly using dodge, don't spam it like a boss.
Let's say fire skills provide you great burst, water provides you heals and chill, air provides you good and stable dmg mainly from #1, earth provides you protection, few conditions, and CCs.
Don't stay in water and earth elements more than is really needed.
Before burst you should use aura, you will get fury for your burst.
Main Skill Rotation
Some basic combos:
Drake's breath -> firegrab
frozen burst -> burning speed
Magnetic grasp -> burning speed
ride the lighting -> Updraft
Updraft -> burning speed
after burning speed you can continue:
burning speed -> Firegrab
burning speed -> ring of fire -> firegrab
drake's breath -> burning speed -> ring of fire -> firegrab
after burst combo you can switch to water for chill and then you can continue with air, if you dont have ready burst combo and you want to deal max dps so stay in air for lighting wisp.
Combos with LF
Lightning flash -> Burning speed
Lightning flash -> Firegrab
Lightning flash -> Earthquake
Lightning flash -> Churning earth
Updraft -> Lightning flash
Stomp combo
stomp -> Armor of earth
stomp -> Mist form
Healing burst combo
Switch to water -> dodge -> Cleansing wave
Might stack
if you are in combat:
Ring of fire -> switch to earth -> dodge -> earthquake -> churning earth
Water field in large raid
you should use only 2 blast to water field, earthquake and dodge in earth, don't use churning earth