25 replies to this topic

[Shadowrose]

I used to be a big fan of S/D until I realized the AoE potential of staff.

I felt really vulnerable when using staff at first (only did in foefire because of the aoe opportunities) but lately I use it everywhere. I learned to not walk alone and basically run from any 1v1s because as a glass cannon staff user (yes, I know, but I have fun with that) I don't really stand much of a chance if they play smart.

So my role is pretty much to shield behind my team, nuke points from a safe place as they try to capture them or to bunker (using bloodlust sigil, strength runes and 30/20/0/0/20 + pyromancer's puissance)

Using lots of combo fields to disrupt enemies with mad cc, nuking people for up to 2500 critical hits with each lavafont tick, and up to 3000ish with each meteor hit, I can't say any other weapon combo could be as fun as this one.

what about you?

[Vanillea]

S/D or D/D because I need to be mobile to back-cap or re-cap points. In hot join, I want to win 1vs1 situations so that I can defend/cap points. Also I feel like I should lead the fight when the chances come so anything with initiative abilities are desirable.

[shaolinwind]

Daggers all the way. Cause I like to play squishy with big numbers, and RTL is the only way to survive unless mist form is up.

[AetherMcLoud]

S/D or D/D. I simply can't go without ride the lightning. Also staff is attrocious in 1v1 and you can't tell people to help you in hotjoin like you can in tourneys.

[Mekkakat]

In PvE - Staff

In WvW - Staff

In tPvP - Staff

In sPvP - Staff or D/D (I don't like Scepter or Focus at all)

[Aky]

PvE: S/D
WvW: S/D
tPvP: S/D
sPvP: S/D

Spoiler

On a serious note, though:
S/D or D/D for hot join so you can carry games more effectively.

Staff is a more team dependant weapon, especially when you play it as a squishy nuker.

Edited by Aky, 18 October 2012 - 03:54 PM.

[Shadowrose]

I just love to inflict massive aoe damage. No one survives a frozen field + dat ice comet + lava font + meteor shower.

[Vanillea]

Staff can be really good at 1 vs 1 and can roam decently but the build is quite awkward. Basically you need to get tanky to be able to kite around you aoe and sustain, a lot of dodge and cc and no Blasting Staff

[Shadowrose]

Well I use arcane shield, mist form and cleansing fire. they usually help me keeping me alive.

Combine it with static field or frozen ground + a quick switch to an offhand dagger (If I'm out of combat) and I can get away from some rather sticky situations.

Of course, in hotjoin people are kinda stupid and chase you to the end of the world, while my team 3-caps their nodes... but that's a different story.

[DaPala]

Shadowrose, on 18 October 2012 - 04:03 PM, said:

Of course, in hotjoin people are kinda stupid and chase you to the end of the world, while my team 3-caps their nodes... but that's a different story.

What?
Hotjoin for me is leading 6 of the enemy team around in circles for two minutes, and my team somehow only caps 1 node 7v2

[Rouzeki]

DaPala, on 18 October 2012 - 04:07 PM, said:

What?
Hotjoin for me is leading 6 of the enemy team around in circles for two minutes, and my team somehow only caps 1 node 7v2

This.

[Shadowrose]

Rouzeki, on 18 October 2012 - 04:11 PM, said:

This.

Sadly, that's also true

[Athletic]

Scepter/dagger.

Hot join for me is farming glory, capping points, killing bosses etc as fast as possible.
Sadly I've given up on playing a node defender build (even though I prefer playing it) in hot join due to only zergs running around. You can be as tanky as you want, but stopping a zerg won't work unfortunately.

[chado2011]

D/D.. I find it by far the most enjoyable, but as of yet I'm still scaling the learning curve, and die badly in anything more organized

[kilger]

D/D no question!  Since theres no way you can depend on your team to be competent, count on being up close all the time... unless youre totally dominating in which case it doesnt matter.  Better to pack for the bad days and nothing handles a 1-1 or even 1-2 encounter better than 2 daggers.

[Ashin Dreidon]

I go back and forth between S/D and Staff.  Even though the glory farm nature of sPvP seems unfriendly to staff and defending nodes, I seem to have better luck with it lately than S/D or D/D.  

It seems most hotjoin teams are unable/unwilling to cope with the AoE from staff and just stand in sandstorms trying desperately to heartseeker a kill.  If their initial bursts don't work,  I'm also able to heal enough while a fire elemental destroys all the glass cannon builds out there, since that's what everyone runs.

Edit: I have no illusions about being far weaker in 1v1 than S/D or D/D, so if I'm using staff I am realistic about what skirmishes I can win.  I can't get glory if I'm constantly dead.

Edited by Ashin Dreidon, 19 October 2012 - 04:27 PM.

[Nyth]

I really like staff for a lot of things, but hotjoin is probably not one of them. You simply can't rely on your teammates, and when you can't the staff becomes a lot harder to use properly.

Not saying I haven't used it successfully, but most of those matches were the ones where I could stick with 1-2 other teammates who went in first and took the brunt of the attention; giving me time to whirl up the diesel.

I personally think that S/D is the best option; it has the range, it has some nice on demand burst in fire, it has some nice defensive skills and also decent heal capability.
I personally gravitate towards D/D a little more, it's a bit more offensive. You don't have rock barrier as defense, or water trident for the heal. You also lose some other control like dust devil and blinding flash. But you gain a bit more offensive power across the board.

Edited by Nyth, 19 October 2012 - 05:00 PM.

[blindude]

pve :aura d/d
wvw: staff
tpvp :staff (not bunker)
spvp :s/d full glass canon..Cause i *ing can lol..
elemental surge helps landing your burst if you immediately switch to earth and cast an arcane which as an instand can be done while you are bursting ..(against hotjoin people of course)

[stlfenix47]

spvp: dd
tpvp: dd

dd all the way baby. Best combination of damage, ccs, and survivibility.

[Featherman]

s/d boon build. Nothing like stacking 25 might and then steamrolling.

[DeXyre]

D/D no doubt about it.
Used to run S/D, but the main sources of damage there are generally to easy to get out of.

[Therion]

I don't SPvP much, but when I do I go with D/D. Staff just isn't that great in smaller fights, for the most part, and Scepters are completely nonviable against an even slightly skilled opponent, with how avoidable all of it's burst damage is.

[Coldznap]

Hot Join - Dagger/Dagger aura share for the glory train

[kilger]

Switched to S/D... Just rather get better at it since I can use it both in spvp (training) and wvw where range is king.  With easy strength stacking the damage is similiar though I've changed my traits around for a bit more cripple

[kilger]

Actually I cant seem to make it work in spvp   Back to d/d and kicking butt!

[Drtoph]

Hands down support spec staff.  Your team won't thank you for it and probably will not even realize that you are the reason they are winning 3 v 5's while never having to move off the point, but if you dont need their praise to have fun it is a great way to go.  If you go this route tho you better know how to stay up, finish your own combo fields, and dance in and out of earth and water so that when the opposition decides to focus down the squishy ele, you can stay up long enough for your unorganized team to pick them all off.