6 replies to this topic

[lujate]

My main is a GS/Staff Mesmer.  I could not be happier with her, but I am working on an alt for when I want something different.  I have tried D/D Elementalist, D/D-SB Thief and GS Guardian, but all of them just seem bland.  Engineer looks better, but I am not sure even where to start.  Would someone be so kind as to throw me a good build?  It would be for small group PvE almost exclusively.

TIA

[CaptainKirrahe]

You can check out these engie builds on Teldoo's twitch stream.. They are popular PvP Engineer builds, but most of them work quite well in PvE. I use the Condition fighter (with minor tweaks for personal preference) as one of my more common PvE builds. If you don't like these you can always go with a turret build. It can be fun to play around with how you play the engie. You can be condition, turret, or even a bit of a glass cannon if you get the right items. I'd recommend a condition build, personally, though. And be sure to try out the kits, they can be a lot of fun once you learn how to use them properly.


http://www.twitch.tv/teldoo

[Calebrus]

Definitely make sure you try all of the kits extensively.  The two kits that I hated at first have become my favorites.  But more importantly, if you found Thief and Ele to be bland, you're going to hate Engy unless you utilize your kits.

On that note: Thief and Ele bland?  I could see thief being bland if you were spamming skills and wasting initative.  But Ele?  Really?  Ele is even more complex than Engy IMO.  I find Engy more fun, but less complex.

[dragonphlu]

lujate, on 23 November 2012 - 06:01 PM, said:

My main is a GS/Staff Mesmer.  I could not be happier with her, but I am working on an alt for when I want something different.  I have tried D/D Elementalist, D/D-SB Thief and GS Guardian, but all of them just seem bland.  Engineer looks better, but I am not sure even where to start.  Would someone be so kind as to throw me a good build?  It would be for small group PvE almost exclusively.

TIA

Hehe, you're like me. My main is a Mesmer and I have an Engineer alt (well, one of my alts, but he's my first alt). I've played various kits and I agree with the others that you should utilize the kits. I tend to have both flamethrower and elixir gun with traits in Firearm and Alchemy (alittle in Tools). Use your kits based on scenarios and in a way; it's vaguely similar to which phantasms to use or when to shatter your illusions. While it may not be as complicated as mesmer, it's "flashy" in its own way and fun! For starting out, get Grenade/Med kit. Both kits will allow you to get the feel of swapping your weapons with them. Use your weapons, yes, but also use your kits. Grenade kit is great at low levels, but then once you're more comfortable of swapping your kit and weapon, then try with either elixirs or turrets (the latter gives more survivability at low levels). Afterwards, try Flamethrower and/or one of the gadgets and so on. Definitely try out each to find which ones you enjoy using with your playstyle. For weapons, rifle is a nice single-target, heavy damage choice while dual pistols deal more condition damage. The shield has more crowd control and adds more defense. But much like the utilities, experiment which weapons suits your taste. Hope you find the right weapons and kits that you can enjoy!

[lujate]

I have came back around to trying Engineer.  My D/D Elementalist finally "clicked" for me.  I happily leveled her up to 80 and outfitted her with dungeon gear.  Then my guild needed another Soldier, so I reluctantly leveled the Guardian.

I started playing the Engineer yesterday.  She has been a crafting alt, so she was already level 16.  I wanted to use Flamethrower and Elixir Gun.  I have not unlocked Elixir Gun yet, so I am using Grenades.  It seemed fun at first until I realized I could not kill anything.  Even when downleveled to one level above the zone, the Engineer has extreme difficulty taking a regular mob in 1v1.  I lose 1/2 to 3/4 of my HP from a single hit.  I have never played a profession so flimsy.  I hear people complain about Mesmers being slow-starters, but my Mesmer was a killer the moment I unlocked Blurred Frenzy.

Any advice?

Edit:
Please disregard.  I overlooked the obvious fact that crafting alts must be re-geared before sending them into the field.

Edited by lujate, 20 January 2013 - 08:08 PM.

[coglin]

Advice on what? All you said is your having trouble killing mobs. You don't even give the slightest clue as to why. Even at low levels, I was consistently taking on multiple mobs. So without even a hint from you, I am baffled at how you would suggest we solve a problem for you, that you cannot solve yourself. Particularly because you have all of the facts and we have none.

[lujate]

I am sorry for not providing enough details.  The problem turned out to be an ID-10-T operator error.

Thanks for your reply.