Guide:Elementalist

Elementalists serve a variety of purposes. In general PvE, they focus mainly on using the various area of effect skills to deal damage to multiple monsters at once (Commonly referred to as 'nuking'). In more specialised PvE roles, where 'nuking' is ineffective, they focus on using high-powered spells to take out single targets such as bosses or foes with a high armor level. In PvP, outside of caster spiking teams, they serve more as utility, by running flags or relics, or by snaring.

Attributes

Energy Storage

"For each rank of Energy Storage, your maximum energy increases by 3. Several skills, related to gaining Health or Energy, become more effective with a higher Energy Storage."

Energy Storage is a passive attribute. It gives you access to a much larger energy pool, and a few skills related to Health and Energy, making it useful on any Elementalist. Some very useful energy management skills such as Glyph of Lesser Energy, Elemental Attunement and Ether Prodigy are tied to the Energy Storage attribute.

Air Magic

"No inherent effect. Many Elementalist skills, especially spells which deal lightning damage to and debilitate a single enemy, become more effective with higher Air Magic."

Air Magic is the best attribute for spike damage, making effective mostly in PvP, where taking out and/or debilitating single targets is important. Many Air Magic damage skills also have 25% armor penetration, meaning high armor level foes, such as warriors, can still be killed with relative ease. Additionally, some Air Magic skills can cause blindness, weakness and knockdowns, which are useful in PvP. Because it lacks damage over time, protective skills that reduce the effectiveness of spike damage, such as Protective Spirit, will vastly reduce the effectiveness of Air Magic skills.

Since Air Magic skills focus mainly on damaging single targets, it is a less popular attribute in PvE, where you will often fight many enemies at once. It is still very useful for fighting bosses and foes with a high armor level, where a 'nuker' is inappropriate because of dampened damage output. An example of this would be at the Tyrian mission 'Hell's Precipice' where the Titans are resistant to Fire Magic, the most commonly used attribute for nukers.

Earth Magic

"No inherent effect. Many Elementalist skills, especially spells which protect you or your allies or deal earth damage, become more effective with higher Earth Magic."

Earth Magic is most commonly used defensively for party support in the form wards. The large amount of defensive skills available also make it possible for an Elementalist to take the role of a party's tank in PvE.

Fire Magic

"No inherent effect. Many Elementalist skills, especially spells that burn your foes or deal fire damage in large areas, become more effective with higher Fire Magic."

Fire magic is the most commonly used attribute for elementalist in PvE due to the large amount of damage over time Area of effect skills, which can deal a devestating amount of damage to large mobs that group together. Most fire magic skills will cause burning for a short duration, or induce burning upon certain conditions being met. Other fire magic skills can cause knockdowns. Most fire magic skills are AoE, as such they are easily counterd by moving away, however this isn't to much of a problem in normal mode PvE where the AI will stay in one place.

While fire magic isn't the best choice for dealing with individual targets, it has devastating power when used on mobs. The most common form of a "pyromancer" (elementalist whose attributes are primarily in fire) is the "nuker", the nuker uses skills such as Meteor Shower and Fire Storm to cause a large amount of damage over X seconds, and in the case of meteor shower even knockdown enemies, making it harder to escape.

Water Magic

"No inherent effect. Many Elementalist skills, especially spells which deal cold damage or slow and hinder your foes, become more effective with higher Water Magic."

Water magic is the best attribute for snaring opponents with most skills causing reduced movement speed, while not as popular as the other attributes, it is used by some meele players to hinder their foes and prevent kiting. Some water magic skills increase enemies miss rate, increase your own chance to block, and others can even greatly increase your defensive capabilities with additional armor and prevent burning. However water magic prevents damaging capability when compared to the other elementalist attributes.

This is the most commonly found elementalist non-primary attribute in PvP along with Air Magic for blinding and Earth Magic for wards.

Types of Elementalists

Nuker

The Nuker is played nearly exclusively in PvE and uses hard hitting fire damage spells such as Searing Flames, Savannah Heat and Meteor Shower to quickly wipe enemy mobs down.

Flag Runner

Flag Runners are used excusively in GvG to provide party support and capture the flag stand when it falls in the opposite team's hands. Skill bar is usualy composed of a speed boost, condition and hex removal and various other skills mainly from the monk line.

Blindbot

The Blindbot uses Air Magic skills circled around blinding along with good energy management in order to keep the enemy blinded as much as posible.

Skills

Nuking

Since the goal of nuking is to do large amounts of AoE damage, most nukers use Fire Magic. The Earth Magic line has some potentially damaging AoE skills, while Water Magic has several AoE skills that can also snare targets.

Fire Magic

• Savannah Heat

A low-energy, large area of effect spell; Savannah Heat is one of the more popular nuking elites due to its escalating damage.

• Searing Heat
• Teinai's Heat

These duplicate skills can be used together for area damage over time, as well inflicting Burning upon ending.

• Searing Flames

Searing Flames is easy to use due to its ability to target a foe and inflict AoE Burning or damage, as well as quick recharge. Searing Flames builds work better when several Elementalists can spam it, inflict more area damage in a short amount of time.

• Liquid Flame

Useful for casting between major nuke spells, Liquid Flame has a large area of effect and its condition is easily met, as nearly every for will be attacking or casting spells.

• Meteor Shower

A core spell for many nuke builds, Meteor Shower provides several high-damage intervals and knockdown, easily neutralising clusters of enemies. On the other hand, Meteor Shower has a very high energy cost, long recharge and long casting time, and causes exhaustion. Several utility skills can be used to reduce these penalties, such as Assassin's Promise, Glyph of Renewal, Echo and Glyph of Sacrifice.

• Meteor

An alternative to Meteor Shower, often used as a quick AoE damage and knockdown skill rather than constant damage. Has lower energy cost and casting time, but still causes exhaustion.

• Fireball

Useful as a quick area damage spell between nukes. Has fast recharge, low cost and high damage.

• Incendiary Bonds

The delayed damage is useful for setting up spike damage for other nuke spells, such as Fireball or Meteor Shower.

• Rodgort's Invocation

Despite its cost, Rodgort's Invocation hits very hard and has a large area of effect, as well inflicting Burning. The short recharge makes this skill easily spammable as long as energy is properly maintained with other skills, such as Mind Blast or Glowing Gaze.

• Mark of Rodgort

As an AoE hex, Mark of Rodgort is invaluable for a fire nuker. Mark of Rodgort allows sustained burning on numerous foes, quickly degenerating health and providing the condition for Glowing Gaze energy management.

• Glowing Gaze

While only targeting a single foe, Glowing Gaze is essential for energy management, especially combined with Mark of Rodgort to meet the Burning requirement. Due to the high cost of nuke spells, Glowing Gaze is necessary to keep energy levels up.

No Attribute

• Glyph of Elemental Power

Glyph of Elemental Power is useful for providing additional damage to nuking spells.

• Glyph of Sacrifice

Due to the long casting times of nuke spells like Meteor Shower, the instant activation ability of Glyph of Sacrifice allows a nuker to quickly unleash their high-damage skills. However, the additional recharge time is a liability without recharge reduction skills.