Purchase Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds while supporting Snow Crows. Purchase Now

Power Catalyst

Published Jan 5, 2024 Updated Aug 30, 2024
Open World - March 2024 Balance
Vertox ow team
h
Pros +
Provides party boons Defensive options Lots of cleave
Cons -
Low amounts of CC High mastery curve Relies on resource management
Gear
Item Stat

Berserker'sHelm

Berserker'sShoulders

Berserker'sCoat

Berserker'sGloves

Berserker'sLeggings

Berserker'sBoots

Item Stat

Berserker'sBackpiece

Berserker'sAccessory

Berserker'sAccessory

Berserker'sAmulet

Berserker'sRing

Berserker'sRing

Relic

Primary Weapon Set

Berserker's HammerMain Hand

Secondary Weapon Set

Berserker's HammerMain Hand

Other Items

Enrichment

Food

Utility

Jade Bot Core

Traits & Skills
Skills
Skill Notes

can be replaced when needed:

  • for passive Healing.
  • for a pulsing Heal and Condition Removal
  • for a channeled Heal and Condition Removal.
  • for a Blast Finisher that scales Healing by the amount of enemies hit.

can be replaced when needed:

  • for three Blocks and a Stun Break.
  • for additional Defiance Damage.
  • for additional damage and Chill.
  • for mobility.
  • for Condition Removal.
  • for a Block, Daze, three target Pull and three seconds of Invulnerability.
  • provides a three second channeled Block with Barrier at the end of the channel.
Trait Notes

If you're playing in a group and already have full Quickness uptime from allies, take and .

can be swapped to one of two other Arcane Trait Line Grandmaster traits, those being:

  • for additional bonuses when using Arcane skills
    • If taken, default to and
  • for additional utility when Dodging at a moderate DPS loss:
    • : Condition Cleanse and Healing.
    • : Blast Finisher with Cripple/Bleeding.

For the two following traitline suggestions, you'll need additional sources of Boon Duration to be able to fully sustain Quickness on yourself when having no Alacrity.

Instead of Arcane Trait Line, you can run Water Trait Line for better immediate burst damage and a bunch of Healing at a cost of lower self-generated boon uptime (especially Protection) and lower damage prevention capabilities.

Another alternative to Arcane Trait Line is Fire Trait Line, instead going all-out on damage capabilities at a cost of general survivability.

Equipment Notes

can be swapped with any of the 3% perma/7% situational damage bonus sigils, like , and Slaying sigils, at a cost of Vulnerability uptime when there's no external sources of it.

At a moderate DPS loss, can be replaced with:

  • for greatly increased self-Healing simply from dealing damage
  • for up to 12% restored Health on . It's less optimal than , but is the supreme option if you don't have Secrets of the Obscure expansion.

You can change your gear to a mix of Marauder and Dragon's stats, for a major Vitality increase at a moderate DPS loss. Keep in mind to stay around 56% Critical Chance when mixing and matching stats.

Rotation & Extras

Quickly rotate through Attunements to upkeep and generate Energy for your Jade Spheres. A full rotation should take about 20 seconds, or 16 seconds with Alacrity.

Generate tons of boons for , many of which can be shared to a group. Generate boons by:

  • Switching Attunements via and
  • Deploying Jade Spheres via and
  • Use Finishers in the Combo Fields of your Jade Spheres.

Maximize stacks and uptime for even more damage. Gain stacks passively every 15 seconds, using Combos via , and CCing or immobilising an enemy via .

Deploy Jade Spheres two at time since you cannot gain Energy while a sphere is deployed. You need 10 Energy per Jade Spheres, which you gain by striking enemies.

Before tougher encounters, fill up your Energy on easier enemies and cast all 4 of your Hammer Orbs. Then use in and wait about 10 seconds before engaging in .

Cycle between Attunements quickly, never spending more time than needed in any one. Every other Attunements, use Jade Spheres before and after the swap. A suggested flow is:

    • Auto Attack as needed to have enough Energy for Jade Spheres.

In every Attunement use:

  • Hammer 3 and 5 to create a Hammer Orb and Combo Finisher respectively.
  • Hammer 4 in every Attunement except .
  • Hammer 2 and swap to the next Attunement, deploying Jade Spheres as appropriate.

Use these skills in the respective Attunement:

  • In use and Hammer 3 again for .
  • In use (if taken).

Use in to inflict Vulnerability or for Blind.

Use in , as well as off Cooldown.

Cycling through Attunements provides many passive defenses:

  • provides Healing.
  • reduces Strike Damage.
  • reduces Condition Damage.
  • pulses Weakness.

Auras will help negate damage, specifically Magnetic Aura and Frost Aura.

Using in provides you with a personal, high-health tank. Use off Cooldown.

provides a Water Field. Blast / Leap Finishers such as will provide bonus Healing from a Water Field.

is not just a damage skill and a Combo Finisher. It also is a potent Condition Removal.

Use for a Block then Barrier and an Aura.

Even after the nerfs/bug fixes, getting Jade Protocols is more than worth it for both increased survivability and damage, as well as some help with sustaining self boons.

Rotation Notes

Your Hammer Orbs can sometimes suddenly disappear when:

  • Mounting up or using Chairs
  • Equipping bundles other than Conjures
  • Weapon Swapping
    • You lose Hammer Orbs even when swapping between two Hammers
  • Transformations like tonics or certain skills like
    • Combat Tonics and are perfectly fine to use

Mounting up also makes things other than Hammer Orbs disappear, namely:

  • stacks
  • Elementals from
Skill Defiance Damage Source
200 Hammer:
150 Hammer:
200/Charge Alternate Utility
200 Alternate Utility:
150 Alternate Utility:

Comments

No comments here yet.
Login to join the discussion.

Was this build helpful?