What's your first character going to be?

[Draegan]

I think the two dominant PvE options are:

rifle + power + utility skills that help you kite
pistol/pistol + condition damage + flamethrower

turrets are a no.

If you're an engineer without grenades you're doing it wrong!

[Falconeer]

I don't think anything can beat Warrior for spike damage.  Sword -> Flurry swap to Greatsword -> Hundred Blades and everything within 130 units is dead.  

That doesn't work in PvP unless you charge them first, as no one stands there to take the full Hundred Blades which roots you. Even with charge, if they are good they can dodge away after they stand up and only get half of it, that's why I'd suggest to cripple them before charging in. At the end of hundred blades, quickly switch to double axes and go with the full burst skill (Eviscerate) which jumps to the enemy that should still be in range since he/she is crippled. Top it all with Whirling Axes which is good cause you can move and chanse them while you are at it. They SHOULD be dead at this point, but reality is way harsher than this. They are only going to be dead if they are poor players, or mobs. That's why, as far as I can tell, Greatsword warriors are pretty much seen as nooblets by default (myself included). I am curious to try a hammer spec, for control. Sounds interesting on paper.

If you were a Thief on the other hand... after triggering Quickness, between Pistol Whip and Heartseeker you would have a dead anything in a matter of three seconds, and you would still be in time to warp back to your Shadowstep location and have a tea with your daughter where she tells you about her grades. If a Warrior has something to object to it, shut them up by stealing and teach them how to do a proper Whirling Axes skill that does double their original damage.

[Threash]

Everyone seems to think guardians are op, i don't get why.

[Ginaz]

I got my thief to 32 last night.  Might see if I can get some runs in on the first dungeon (something Catacombs?) but I'm going to start working on my Norn warrior next who is currently 16.  Those are the 2 classes I've enjoyed the most so far.

[WayAbvPar]

Everyone seems to think guardians are op, i don't get why.

Haven't PVPed with mine yet, but he is almost unkillable in PvE. Only time I get in trouble is when I am outleveled and outnumbered. I can take 3 or 4 mylevel+2s without batting an eye.

[Falconeer]

Yeah, people hate them cause even if they are not unkillable they certainly have a tendency to look like it. On top of that, while chain-knocking back everyone. I don't play a Guardian so I am aware this might be simply a problem of perception, but as I said they look pretty badass on the battlefield and they for sure feel pretty hard to kill. I mean, even their interrupt when downed is powerful. Mass knockback? Whoa.

[Sky]

My level 22 guardian hasn't died yet. Come close a couple times, but that's usually when an strong mob show up by mistake.

[Venkman]

My ele doesn't have that problem, in the I'll-never-get-that-monthly Achievement sorta way

But, I find that there are very few situations I can't get out of no matter what shows up or spawns. I can quickly shift between various types of damage delivered in various DD/cone/AOE ways, and failing all that, usually have some escape mechanism.

Mind you, all this is trial and error. So I get downed a lot and probably die 2-3 times per session.

Which I'm ok with. Because "die" here is no more punitive than an involuntary trip to a waypoint 

[Rasix]

I got my thief to 32 last night.  Might see if I can get some runs in on the first dungeon (something Catacombs?) but I'm going to start working on my Norn warrior next who is currently 16.  Those are the 2 classes I've enjoyed the most so far.

Same.  My warrior is 20 and my thief is 13.  Thief is just fun to watch, especially with dual daggers.  Mesmer and eng just didn't click with me, although I may give the mesmer some more attention later.

Thief is mighty squishy, while the warrior has hit a spot where it seems to be a perfect combination of whirling death and survivability.  For the thief I should probably put some points in Acrobatics or Shadow Arts, but Critical Strikes looks so fun.  

The human area has left me feeling permanently underleveled.  Even with crafting a lot, I can't seem to get on level with the group quests I'm on.

[Nevermore]

Which I'm ok with. Because "die" here is no more punitive than an involuntary trip to a waypoint 

Don't forget repairing your broken armor.

[Spiff]

Engineer didn't click at all for me 'till I started focusing on kits (apart from elixir B, that is just too great not to take it).
One the of main advantages is they have almost no swap-cooldown (about as much as it takes to fire a single skill) and you can get some decent buffs from kit-swapping if you trait that way.

If I'm in a full-on fight it's almost no auto-attacks, just: skill, skill, swap, skill, swap, skill, skill ...
On it's own my engineer does ok, but it shines in support, sooo many options.

Mostly flamethrower (just too much fun not to use), grenades (for the fields, I don't stay in it 'cause spamming #1 drains my will to live) and elixir gun which isn't that hot on it's own but pretty good for support.
Can get hectic juggling all those skills though; it's a little like being an elementalist on crack, with a shield ... and a flamethrower.

Pistol + shield for main weapons.
I don't get the love dual pistols are getting; shield gives a decent length range-reflect/pushback (also a blast finisher if you release) and a 'captain America' style shield throw/daze (hits twice if you keep the target in it's path for the return); whereas the #4 fire-skill on pistols is pretty pointless if you have a flamethrower and the glue-field is nice, but again I can do almost the same with the elixir gun.

[Venkman]

Don't forget repairing your broken armor.

Hehe yea. Question: armor only breaks on death right, not downed state?

[sachiel]

Don't forget repairing your broken armor.

Hehe yea. Question: armor only breaks on death right, not downed state?

Yeah, mob death.  If you fall off a cliff, you don't take a durability hit UNLESS you were in combat when you dove off.

[Sky]

I've really been enjoying my warrior the last couple days. I still want to have 4 more swap spots (for axe/axe and sword/horn) but I've been running with greatsword/bow. Gather mobs with bow 1, then bow 3 aoe, bow 2, swap, greatsword 2, then whatever the flow dictates. I found it easier just to round up enemies because taking them on individually was too laborious.

Power/precision gear, precision trait, signets for them, too. I always forget to activate the non-weapon things, so at lower levels it's just easier for me to leave the signets on.

Greatsword 2 is probably going to get nerfed, with a crafted greatsword at level 11 I was hitting over 2k on a crit (though I can't move for the duration, nor can the mob, so it's a bit limited). CD is like 10s or something, it's nuts. And with greatsword, it's effectively an aoe.

[Threash]

I've really been enjoying my warrior the last couple days. I still want to have 4 more swap spots (for axe/axe and sword/horn) but I've been running with greatsword/bow. Gather mobs with bow 1, then bow 3 aoe, bow 2, swap, greatsword 2, then whatever the flow dictates. I found it easier just to round up enemies because taking them on individually was too laborious.

Power/precision gear, precision trait, signets for them, too. I always forget to activate the non-weapon things, so at lower levels it's just easier for me to leave the signets on.

Greatsword 2 is probably going to get nerfed, with a crafted greatsword at level 11 I was hitting over 2k on a crit (though I can't move for the duration, nor can the mob, so it's a bit limited). CD is like 10s or something, it's nuts. And with greatsword, it's effectively an aoe.

Throw bolas + 100 blades is damn near a kill every time i use it in spvp.  Every beta weekend and stress test i expected it to be nerfed and it hasn't been.  Apparently the fact that it's one of the few abilities you must remain immobile to use and it takes about 5 seconds to do its full damage is balance enough.

[Falconeer]

Greatsword 2 is probably going to get nerfed, with a crafted greatsword at level 11 I was hitting over 2k on a crit (though I can't move for the duration, nor can the mob, so it's a bit limited). CD is like 10s or something, it's nuts. And with greatsword, it's effectively an aoe.

The mob can move away, they just don't. Tested in PvP. Hundred Blades is totally ineffective without some crowd control just before it. That's why thieves' Pistol Whip is so annoying and in my opinion stronger. First, it stuns you. Second, like all the other thief's skills it doesn't have a cooldown if I remember correctly (Initiative doesn't really count as a cooldown).

[Threash]

It also does about a third of the damage of hundred blades.

[kildorn]

IIRC, the stun is half of a second as well. Pistol Whip is pretty awesome, but it's really easy to get out of most of the damage. It's bola + hundred blades that basically says "is your CC break up? Y/N"

[Nightblade]

The mob can move away, they just don't. Tested in PvP. Hundred Blades is totally ineffective without some crowd control just before it. That's why thieves' Pistol Whip is so annoying and in my opinion stronger. First, it stuns you. Second, like all the other thief's skills it doesn't have a cooldown if I remember correctly (Initiative doesn't really count as a cooldown).

Pistol whip only stuns you for a quarter of a second, so no, not really.

[Kageru]

Guardian suits me really well, and who doesn't like 12' tool armored female vikings?

Thieves have cool looking moves and long leather coats.. that's about enough by itself (given I hate pets so the other leather classes are out).

[Threash]

Engineers wear the same armor without pets.

[Kageru]

I classify turrets as pets. Though I imagine there are engineer builds without deployables.

... less sexy moves though.

[Sky]

Yesterday I got my first 10pt trait skill with my warrior, that grants 40 precision per signet...and I run with all signets because I'm crappy at remembering those extra skills, so I like the passives. Put me over 100% crit and my already good dps went through the roof (in power/precision gear with a couple vitality pieces and precision mastercraft weapons). At level 20, that's just sick damage, stuff that was challenging for my thief and guardian I just burn through.

A bit flimsier, but feels almost more like a traditional thief than a warrior. One guy I was playing with for a bit saturday thought I was a ranger and offered me some ranger gear for saving his bacon a couple times :) Really enjoying the class a lot, though I still wish there were easier ways to bring forward the variety of weapons.

[Miasma]

That will fade as you get higher in levels since it is a static 40.  It means low level warriors crit like crazy but its effect on a level 80 is no where near as large.

[ffc]

I went nuts with making alts and the finesse I use with a ranger or mesmer for multi-mob areas involving a veteran or two go out the window with the warrior who barrels in with banner swiftness, jams 1-5 with any weapon, eats all the food on the campfire and sprints off to the next area.

[Sky]

That will fade as you get higher in levels since it is a static 40.  It means low level warriors crit like crazy but its effect on a level 80 is no where near as large.

Yep, that's when I'll respec. Still, it's a lot of awesome levels coming up. Especially when I get the next one that grants might on crit.

[murdoc]

That will fade as you get higher in levels since it is a static 40.  It means low level warriors crit like crazy but its effect on a level 80 is no where near as large.

Yep, that's when I'll respec. Still, it's a lot of awesome levels coming up. Especially when I get the next one that grants might on crit.

I was running pretty close to 100% crit at level 30ish - now at 42 it's down to around 70%. When I completely remove all my signets but one I was down to 40%.

[Lantyssa]

Ingmar totally has a crush on Eir Whatsherface. I am glad to have it reaffirmed he likes giant women. 

Stegalkin.

You should get an outfit like hers for a little fun on your next anniversary. ;)

[Sjofn]

I wouldn't even need to dye my hair or nothin'!

[WayAbvPar]

I just created a beefy Norn elementalist, and she is HOT. Not crazy about her voice actor though.

[Fordel]

The Norn lady voice actress is one slip up away from reading stage directions instead of just her lines. 

[Ingmar]

Almost all of them are like that. It's like Nolan North, the Norn dude, and then the cast of the Fantasticks from your local high school. And the Norn dude is really no great shakes.

[Sjofn]

The asura chick's voice isn't too horrific. The sylvari lady is extremely terrible. Sylvari dude is tolerable. Norn lady is pretty blah, but I don't think she's actually worse than the Norn dude (some of his line deliveries are hrrbl). Human dude is (obvs) fine. I have already forgotten what the lady human sounds like, which means she was probably adequate.

[Rasix]

Lady human is done by a voice actress that does a lot of work for South Park.  She's OK.  Pretty bland.  The writing and plot are all Star Wars 1-3 levels of bad.  No voice acting can save it. 

[Maledict]

Draegan , how are you finding your Mesmer at the higher levels? Really stumped for a build to choose considering you can go so many different ways.