User:Masel
Hey Folks,
This is my new guide hub! Here, you will find all the videos from my youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@MaselMMO/) and more information. The goal of this page is to provide a basic understanding of PvE combat and easy allrounder builds for PvE that allow you to do all content well with one gearset, so that you can save time and money!
I want to thank Dak393 for a lot of help with formatting of the tables and stuff. Check out his guides too, they're awesome!
Note that for the builds, I assume that you own all major expansions to the game, 
Heart of Thorns, 
Path of Fire, 
End of Dragons and/or 
Secrets of the Obscure. Making builds for Core/Free to play is a lot of extra effort, and I am only one person... If you need some help with a build without a particular Expansion, you can ask me on YouTube!
Introduction and Build Philosophy[edit]
As is the case in many MMOs, GW2's combat system offers many layers of complexity when it comes to dealing damage. There is always an ideal way to deal damage, but that usually is quite difficult to find and execute, especially in actual ingame content with external "disturbances". Luckily, all elite specializations offer ways to get relatively close to the "benchmark", but with much lower amounts of effort. In my build guides, I'd like to show you how one could do that! If you're relatively new to the game and want to get a crash course on DPS basics, here's a link to a write-up on that:
Link to a Write-Up on DPS Build Basics
In the second part, I adjust these simplified DPS Builds to make them suitable for general open world gameplay, with a particular focus on cost efficiency. Open world builds for GW2 - especially the ones using gear optimized for solo content - are somewhat controversial: some players will tell you that they aren't needed at all because open world is trivial, some will tell you the opposite. My take on it is that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I do think that using a full set of Ascended gear optimized for solo gameplay isn't needed and not justified given the cost, but there's nothing wrong with making a build more laid-back and survivable. The builds provided below use the DPS gear as a default and include cheap adjustments to traits, skills, food and gear to make them more suitable for general open world gameplay. For a more detailed outline on the aspects I focus on when making open world builds, see the link below:
Link to a Write-Up on Open World Basics
Build Page Links[edit]
Note that I cannot update the videos linked for every patch due to time constraints on my end. I prioritize the written guides, as they are easier to update for smaller updates. I try to update the videos whenever necessary.
