The Current Best PvE Builds for Guild Wars 2

Guild Wars 2 is a popular MMORPG with a variety of classes and builds to choose from. In this post, we’ll be discussing some of the best builds for PvE and instanced content. 

Credit: ArenaNet Guild Wars 2

According to a list by GAMERS DECIDE, some of the top PvE builds in Guild Wars 2 include the Power Mechanist, Condition Mirage - Mesmer, Power Reaper - Necromancer, Power Renegade - Revenant, and Power Deadeye - Thief1.

Another source, UTPLAY, lists the Renegade as an S-tier build for PvE grinding, with other strong options including the Firebrand, Scourge, Soul Beast, Mirage, Spellbreaker, and Deadeye2.

It’s important to note that these are just suggestions and what works best for you may vary depending on your playstyle and preferences. It’s always a good idea to experiment with different builds to find what works best for you. 

DPS: 

There are several classes in Guild Wars 2 that can be built for high DPS. Some of the top DPS builds include the Virtuoso (Mesmer), Bladesworn (Warrior), Spellbreaker (Warrior), Scourge (Necromancer), and Catalyst (Elementalist)1.

The Virtuoso is a mesmer specialization that focuses on ranged damage and crowd control. It has high burst damage and can provide quickness to its allies1.

The Bladesworn is a warrior specialization that focuses on melee damage and mobility. It has high burst damage and can provide might to its allies1.

The Spellbreaker is a warrior specialization that focuses on melee damage and control. It has high sustained damage and can provide boon removal to its enemies1.

The Scourge is a necromancer specialization that focuses on condition damage and support. It has high sustained damage and can provide barrier to its allies1.

The Catalyst is an elementalist specialization that focuses on melee damage and support. It has high burst damage and can provide might to its allies1.

Support: 

In Guild Wars 2, support classes can be divided into two types: those that provide boons and those that provide healing. Boon supports focus on providing buffs to their allies while heal supports focus on healing their teammates1.

Some of the best support classes for PvE content include the Druid-Ranger, Firebrand-Guardian, and Scourge-Necromancer2. The Firebrand (Guardian) is also considered one of the best boon support classes, along with the Catalyst (Elementalist), Mirage (Mesmer), and Renegade (Revenant)1. 

Credit: GW2W

The 2 most important boons requested in instanced content will be Quickness & Alacrity. 

The Renegade (Revenant) is considered one of the best alacrity support builds in Guild Wars 2. This build provides its subgroup with permanent alacrity, 25 stacks of might, and fury while dealing as much power damage as possible1.

Another option for an alacrity support build is the Druid (Ranger). This build provides its subgroup with alacrity, 25 stacks of might from Grace of the Land, healing, frequent condition cleanse, and permanent fury and regeneration2.

The Firebrand (Guardian) is considered one of the best quickness support builds in Guild Wars 2. This build provides permanent quickness and high fury and might uptime to its subgroup. It also brings a massive amount of healing and a wide range of defensive utility including aegis, protection, resistance, resolution, stability, heavy condition cleanse, and projectile destruction1.

Another option for a quickness support build is the Scrapper (Engineer). This build provides good DPS along with 100% quickness and superspeed uptime to five targets. It fills the role of quickness source for its subgroup and can generate some protection with Reconstruction Field2.

If you're looking to make a DPS or support build for PVP or PVE then I highly recommend MetaBattle and Hardstuck. While most build guides will provide you the optimal gear and skills, it's worth noting that you need to find a build that suits your playstyle, is fun, and that you're good at. I typically choose slightly different weapons/stats/passives than what's shown in most build guides because they suit my playstyle better while still being viable.

How To Level to 80 in Guild Wars 2 in 2023

I recently got back into Guild Wars 2 (GW2) after a long hiatus into other games. I put over 2500 hours into the vanilla game pre-Heart of Thorns expansion. However, I haven't experienced leveling a new character until this week as I already had maximum level characters of each class. Here is what I can share with you based on that experience.

Credit: GuildWars2.com

 How to Level in Guild Wars 2

Leveling up is a major part of the game in Guild Wars 2. As a new player, your goal shouldn’t generally be to get to level 80 (the maximum base level) as fast as possible but rather to enjoy and learn the game1. There are several ways to gain experience and level up your character:

1. Map Completion: Exploring the world and discovering new areas is the primary way to level early on. Completing hero challenges and hearts or uncovering vistas or waypoints will grant experience equal to a percentage of your level1.

2. Events: While exploring, orange “Dynamic Events” may be encountered. Completing these rewards a large amount of experience based on your level1.

3. Dungeons: Dungeons are unlocked at level 30 and grant experience equal to 75% of the experience between your current level and the next1.

4. Monster Kills: Killing any enemy grants experience based on the creature’s level and how long it has been alive1.

5. Crafting: Training any crafting profession grants experience for each successful craft, granting far more experience if the player is under level 15 or has a currently active Booster1. I typically level crafting when the adventure guide asks me to. There's some easy to follow crafting leveling guides available online and you can get ~20 character levels by just refining raw materials alone.

6. PvP and WvW: The PvP and World vs. World modes offer tons of rewards for all players, including Tomes of Knowledge which grant one full level regardless of how much XP is needed2.

7. Story: Following the main story will provide you with good XP and good rewards. While I am burned out on the main story myself after doing it 10 times, it is still worth grinding out for the rewards.

8. Adventure Guide: Ensure as you're doing the above items to prioritize the adventure guide. This gives you huge XP simply for playing the game. Press H (or go to achievements however you do) and look at Character Adventure Guide. One of my friends leveled to 80 simply by solely following this.

Remember, leveling in Guild Wars 2 involves more than just mindless grinding and spamming side quests. Instead of staying in one place and slaying as many enemies as possible, the game entices players to explore interesting locations and join big events that only the combined force of the community can complete2. I've been able to level a character to 80 within a day (~6 hours) without putting much effort into it, so take your time, enjoy the game, and happy leveling!