The PvP meta in Guild Wars 2 is always changing, here's the best right now

The Structured Player vs. Player arenas of Guild Wars 2 attract a lot of players and have been an enduringly popular game mode.

Over the years, the meta that people use to build and fight has changed – and now, near the end of 2019, it’s a good time to explore those builds. Keep reading to see what people are doing with every class for PvP.

9. Revenant – Herald – Power Shiro

The Herald Power Shiro

The Revenant is the newest class added to GW2 and in PvP the community has settled largely on Shiro (the legend) as a source of direct damage for dueling. As a result, this build, the “Herald – Power Shiro” becomes something of a cross-up between Thief and Warrior by giving melee-range dueling and rapid attacks.

To take advantage of Shiro’s abilities, this build uses Sword/Sword and Staff. To its trait lines, choose “Devastation,” “Invocation,” and “Herald.” From here the build can diverge somewhat, with life steal and increased damage from Devastation and “Call of the Mists” from Invocation to trigger an attack during combat when switching Legends.

Each legend, of course, comes with its own utility skills. Using Shiro will give a lot of duelist capabilities including the hard CC from his elite skill “Jade Winds.” Whereas Glint will provide a bunch of auras that can boost damage, defense or resistance – Glint as a legend has a strong cooperative focus, so its best used in the company of other players.

Build guide: http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Herald_-_Power_Shiro

YouTube guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vi2deqlP94

8. Ranger – Druid – Bunker

The Druid Bunker build

Rangers exist to bring their pets and deliver damage and control to the battlefield. This build uses the Druid powers and traits to become very difficult to kill while using pets and bow to deliver damage.

With the “Druid – Bunker” build we’ll use Longbow for its range and powerful damage and Sword/Warhorn for melee fighting and escape. As for trait lines, take “Wilderness Survival,” “Nature Magic,” and “Druid.” Wilderness Survival gives poisons to attacks and skill use will remove conditions and stack Fury.

With “Signet Stone” in utility this build becomes much tougher to kill and it can be activated for invulnerability; finally, the elite skill should be “Strength of the Pack!” to provide Might and Fury.

Build guide: https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Druid_-_Bunker_Druid

YouTube guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CnjpTWlVjA

7. Engineer – Holosmith - Converter

The Holosmith Converter build

Most people who play PvP and have met an Engineer on the field discover that they are very hard to kill. As a result, this build centers on that by using Holosmith skills and the ability to convert conditions into boons – this means that they stay longer and hit harder.

To start, the “Engineer – Holosmith – Converter” build uses Sword/Shield, this combo provides a nice structure for strikes and a lot of defense. As for trait lines it will use “Inventions,” “Alchemy,” and “Holosmith.” With Inventions there will be shields around turrets, protection granted on condition cleanse and on Alchemy is the elite trait that turns conditions into boons “Purity of Purpose.”

As for utility, this build only uses two turrets – the Healing Turrets and the Thumper Turret (for CC). For more control and defense there is “Hard Light Arena” to trap enemies, “Spectrum Shield” for damage reduction and its elite is “Prime Light Beam” for the high-burst damage and knockback.

Build guide: http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?vdAQJAsenUUBVWhlID2IDcJjFDDLMA8X6Lipj+z/p/G2DHiA-jJRAhAnPAApyAA7PAeCAAA

YouTube guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcN_-M9hUUo

6. Mesmer – Mirage – Chaos Duelist

The Mirage Chaos Duelist build

A Mesmer on the battlefield in PvP means sewing confusion and discord with conditions and clones. The “Mesmer – Mirage – Chaos Duelist” build works because it spends time with Chaos and Duelist. This means the clones hit harder, inflict bleed and there’s a lot more conditions to go around (especially Confusion).

To spread around the conditions, this build uses Scepter/Pistol and Staff as the primary weapons, both of these have multiple skills that hit more than one target. As for trait lines, this build takes “Duelist,” “Chaos,” and “Mirage.” Under Duelist, pistol shots will cause bleeding and clones will be created by dodging; with Chaos there’s a faster Staff skill recharge and boons on Shatter.

Much of the outgoing damage from this build comes from Confusion stacks coupled with shattering clones. Utility skills are also chosen to enhance mobility as much as possible including using “Ambush,” “Blink” and “Jaunt” – the latter of which also spreads AoE Confusion.

Build guide: http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?PiwAsqZlRwkYYsLmJW2P9PNA-z5wWGRWBZmCyPA

YouTube guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGZLXl32mdk

5. Elementalist – Weaver – Fire Weaver

The Fire Weaver PvP build

In PvP Elementalists can output a great deal of massive AoE damage and this build uses that to the hilt by making the Weaver specialization into a strong duelist. Its focus is condition damage and using that to spike down opponents who cannot get out of the way, while also enabling the player to chase them down (or get away).

To make the magic happen this build uses Sword/Scepter for close-to-medium range engagements. As for traits, the lines chosen should be: “Fire,” “Arcane,” and “Weaver.” The Fire traits will be used to give increased Burning duration, fire aura uptime, and might gain on fire use. The Arcane line adds yet more Burning and under Weaver there’s some survivability with “Lesser Stone Resonance” which turns the caster to stone when critically injured.

For utility, this build uses “Twist of Fate” to evade, “Glyph of Elemental Power” and “Primordial Stance” for increased condition damage setups and “Weave Self” as an ultimate to deliver some extra battlefield control.

Build guide: https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Weaver_-_Fire_Weaver

YouTube guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHAUtKyLdwc

4. Necromancer – Core – Terrormancer

The Necromancer Terrormancer build

This Necromancer build focuses heavily on condition damage and boon removal, in PvP it acts as a sort of extreme attrition against the enemy by supplying a lot of condition damage very fast. Using the Terror trait a Terrormancer can spread the Fear condition (which acts as a powerful CC) and this causes it to also inflict damage.

For this “Necromancer - Terrormancer” build there will be a swap between Staff, for its area denial, and Scepter/Warhorn for condition output. To get themselves going, this build uses the trait lines: “Spite,” “Curses,” and “Soul Reaping.” The all-important Terror is in Curses and “Fear of Death” under Soul Reaping increases the duration of Fear.

Most of the condition pressure will come from boon corruption – Stability turns into Fear and Might into Weakness. All this coupled with combos from Necromancer Shroud burst rotations will burn enemies down.

A related build to this one is the “Necromancer - Blood Terrormancer.”

Build guide: https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Necromancer_-_Core_Terrormancer

YouTube guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5DJHRR-D8k

3. Guardian – Core – Radiant Greatsword

The Guardian Radiant Greatsword build

In PvP Guardians exist in a space where they can take a lot of damage but also spread boons to themselves and allies, as a result many builds use this boon generation ability to grant Might and use Retaliation in fights to weaken enemies. The current best build is a core Guardian that uses greatsword.

The “Guardian – Radiant Greatsword” build takes advantage of this by using greatsword as a high direct-damage and burst build coupled with shield and focus to turn incoming damage back on attackers. As for trait lines, this build goes with “Radiance,” “Valor,” and “Virtues.” The build focuses on Retaliation and Might as its primary boons and mobility and healing as utilities with lots of condition cleanse and “Judge’s Intervention” for extra mobility.

See “Guardian – Radiant Hammer” for a very similar build.

Build guide: https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Guardian_-_Radiant_Greatsword_(PvP)

YouTube guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9iokyuysr8

2. Warrior – Spellbreaker – Strength Dagger

The Spellbreaker Strength Dagger build

Warriors in GW2 have always been part of the backbone of PvP fights, acting as high-damage bulwarks who can dice it up as duelists over control points. In the most recent meta, the Spellbreaker specialization has become a strong contender using the dagger for its high attack rate and boon removal, coupled with the greatsword, which is one of the oldest standby weapons for its high mobility.

The “Spellbreaker – Strength Dagger” build puts together a lot of utility, with high direct damage, boon removal and high mobility to make a strong all-rounder Warrior. To get this, the build uses the trait lines “Strength,” “Discipline,” and, of course, “Spellbreaker.” With the Strength traits Stomp CC is used, extra greatsword damage and health on Might. Under Discipline there’s condition removal, and extra adrenaline on Burst skills. And under Spellbreaker, the elite “Magebane Tether” makes it harder for targets to escape.

Build guide: https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Spellbreaker_-_Strength_Dagger

YouTube guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em0jCgpUV7w

1. Thief – Daredevil – Sword/Dagger Condition

The Daredevil Sword/Dagger Condition build

Thieves are the fast-moving, lightning striking scouts of the battlefield and this build takes that into account using the Sword/Dagger combo (and Shortbow) for high mobility. Although builds can vary on approach, there’s a certain core to explore for this approach.

Although it is possible to make this build without going Daredevil, this specialization does give an extra dodge which is very useful. For trait lines, this build goes with “Deadly Arts,” “Trickery” and “Daredevil” (or alternatively “Acrobatics”). With Deadly Arts, attacks will deliver a lot more poison and with Trickery it’s possible to boon strip with Mug, throw caltrops on dodge, and inflict Confusion on when stealing.

To pack as much poison punch as possible, this build uses “Spider Venom,” which adds a great deal of poison to attacks for 24 seconds. Additionally, “Shadowstep” to add extra mobility, as this works very similarly to Sword’s “Infiltrator Strike.” And finally, for those situations when the Thief is surrounded there is “Dagger Storm” for AoE damage and bleeding; but this could be swapped out for “Basilisk Venom,” which works as a powerful single-target CC.

Build guide: http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Daredevil_-_S/D_Condition

YouTube guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czRBWE-4l5Y

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