The Power is a strong Power DPS class and is characterized by its massive burst damage. For this reason, this class is used by many raid bosses and also in fractals. Besides the massive burst damage, the Power can also support his squad and group with additional buffs. These are mainly &B/gDAAA= , &BpWyAAA= or various ghosts like &BtEwAAA=. Especially through &BpWyAAA= the Power provides a strong group DPS increase, because it can distribute this skill to four other players and they will gain a lot of damage for a short time. This class is often used as a replacement for bosses where little or no healing is needed. Except for and healing, the power can provide everything the has to offer.
As you have access to the so-called beastmode. This allows you to merge with your pet and become one with him. This fusion gives you access to additional F skills, which can vary depending on your pet. You will need to differentiate between the type of pets you have and the pets itself. Most pets have individual F1 and F2 skills, while the F3 skill always depends on the type of pet. However, only one type of pet is useful for Power Soulbeast. The &BviiAAA= species, which includes the , the and the . With this type of pet companion you will get access to &BhmfAAA= (a very strong DPS skill) and a stat bonus of 200 Power and 100 ferocity. As a good , you will ideally always want to be fused with your pet, because once you leave this form you will suffer a huge DPS loss and will not be able to fuse with your pet for 10 seconds.
There are many traits and skills that will enhance your pet or give certain bonuses to your pet. Now that you have merged with him, these reinforcements apply to yourself. The most important traits and skills are:
&B2wHAAA=: You receive a massive stat bonus of 150 Power, Precision, Condition Damage, Toughness and Vitality
&B84DAAA=: You do 10% more damage when you are over 90% health.
&BykEAAA=: Among other things, you will receive 300 ferocity
&ByoEAAA=: You get 120 ferocity
&Bu0wAAA=: You get “Atack of Opportunity” for your next attack, which will cause 25% more damage
&BlkxAAA=: Among other things, you cause 40% more damage for a short time!
Basically there are only two variations you can play as Power . or . The allows you to do the best possible damage, since in addition to &BhmfAAA= you also have access to &BhyqAAA=, which is very similar to &BpR4AAA= and causes a lot of damage! However, if you need a little more CC, you can exchange your for the for a small DPS loss to get access to &Bq+yAAA=, which will give you 200 damage!
As mentioned in the introduction, the has access to the unique Ranger Spirits. So if you don’t have a druid in your party, who can provide you with these spirits, you can of course use them to buff your entire party! It can happen that you have to bring a spirit despite having a druid with you, as the druid might have to use his 3rd utility slot for something else! Basically you can bring a ghost without much DPS loss. For this you exchange &BsswAAA= for the respective ghost! If you have to take a second ghost with you, you exchange &BswwAAA=! This should not happen very often or not at all and you should try to find another way for your group, otherwise you will lose a lot of DPS!
Which spirit you have to use when is always dependent on the boss and the group! Basically, your group will always want to have &BtEwAAA= and &BtIwAAA= in most cases! But if you have to choose a ghost, the following applies.
For example, the or the can provide enough by using the &B4YCAAA= trait. The same is true for the using the &BwUCAAA= trait.
The has, like several other classes, access to stances that can give you certain buffs for a few seconds! However, the Power has the unique ability to use the trait &B1AIAAA= to distribute these buffs to its group members! This is one of the main reasons why this build is so strong! The following stances are especially important for you as Power :
As you can see &B1AIAAA= is a very powerful trait and should be used in most situations, as you support your group immensely! However, there is also an alternative to this trait.
&B18IAAA= gives you a 10% damage buff, which can make your burst very strong.
But when should you play with &B1AIAAA= and when should you play with &B18IAAA=:
Basically you should always play with &B1AIAAA= as long as you have at least two additional power classes in your subgroup! If this is not the case, the damage you gain by &B18IAAA= is higher than the damage you get by distributing &BpWyAAA=!
In general, you should be aware that as Power you always have 1150 ! So always make sure that you don’t tank the boss and coordinate with your tank!
As you have, depending on your weapon and pets, many strong movement skills which make it easier for you to get from point A to point B:
With the help of &Bt8wAAA= and &Bl4xAAA= you can either knock opponents away or pull them to you! This can be very useful for many counters like (Orb Push) , (SlubblingĀ Pull) or (Add Pull).
But you should also take care that you don’t attract unwanted opponents with &Bl4xAAA=! Therefore it is best to cast this skill directly in the boss’s hitbox.
Most skills in Guild Wars 2 have a yellow cast bar and are finished when that bar is completed. There is no further damage after this bar is finished. This is not the case with two attacks, and you will need some practice until you get the timing right. With &Bt0wAAA= and &BhmfAAA=, both skills will continue to do damage for a short period of time after the cast bar is finished, so don’t attack too soon.
Furthermore there are a lot of animations which you can abort quite fast by simple auto-attacks! So always make sure that you cast these skills to the end!
The latter has a very special characteristic! As soon as the cast bar of &BrUwAAA= is finished and flashes you can be sure that it is finished! If it hasn’t and you attack the opponent too early with another attack, &BrUwAAA= will be interrupted and the barrage of this skill will be stopped abruptly! A good explanation can be found in the benchmark video from Nightmare!
&Bqp8AAA= extends your boons on yourself and thus grants a better Boon Uptime and has a strong Self Heal! Therefore you always have to decide from encounter to encounter! If you need Condition Cleanse you should play with &BpSvAAA=! If not, &Bqp8AAA=! Otherwise: If you have to take a spirit or a stance with you, always remove &BsswAAA= first ! If you have to give up another utility skill, exchange &BswwAAA= !
Trait Variations
If you play with longbow you can play &B8oDAAA= instead of &BxcEAAA= for a better Scholar Uptime! If your group doesn’t need a &B/gDAAA= and your phases or downtimes fit, that your &BswwAAA= is always ready when you need it you &B/gDAAA= against &BzYHAAA=, and exchange &BzMEAAA= for &By0EAAA=! This is a slight DPS increase on the golem and longer fights!
Weapon Choice
Basically there are two important questions that most players ask themselves! Greatsword or longbow? Sword or dagger?
Let’s start with the question greatsword or longbow.
In general the greatsword has a higher damage over time and is therefore superior to the longbow in longer fights with longer phases! Additionally it also allows a good AoE Cleave!
The longbow on the other hand is characterized by very strong burst damage and is therefore very strong in shorter phases! Compared to the Greatsword it has hardly any clear, because all skills except &Bt0wAAA= are single target!
Therefore the rule of thumb is: short phases longbow (under 60 seconds), longer phases greatsword (over 60 seconds).
Sword or dagger?
This is a somewhat more complicated topic.
While in general Dagger prioritizes longer phases because it has better damage over a long time, the Sword prioritizes shorter phases because it has better burst damage. However, this always depends heavily on the boss’ phase times! The dagger is more effective in very short phases because of its higher attack rate. By combining the higher attack rate and &BpWyAAA= you gain damage and are superior to the sword.
The basic concept is as follows:
This breakpoint can always vary from boss to boss. Therefore you should test what is best for you and your group! But you are always on the safe side if you play Dagger!
You’ll play with
Alternatively: for more CC
Be careful during teleportation fields with your immobilizing abilities such as &BrUwAAA=, &BhmfAAA=, and &Bl8xAAA=.
&BtEwAAA= can be swapped with &BswwAAA= to help the . This way they can use &BvB2AAA= and the squad will still have all the spirits.
If extra damage is needed you can play with the . If extra damage is required, you should hold off &Bt8wAAA=.
You can knockback seekers with &Bt8wAAA=. Also, be careful not to hit seekers with a &Bl4xAAA=–.
You’ll play with
Alternatively: for more CC
During the , abilities that hit often should be used with caution, otherwise you will kill yourself. These include &BrUwAAA=, &Bt0wAAA= and &Bl8xAAA=.
If more damage is needed, you can play with the . For even more, you can delay &Bt8wAAA=.
With &Bl4xAAA= you can the little spirits.
In the split phases the orbs can be destroyed with the longbow. If one of the souls gets too close to , you can cast &BswwAAA= causing .
You’ll play with
Don’t hold back your damage on the inbetween bosses. But make sure you don’t use anything in the initial of the intbetween bosses.
With &Biu0AAA= you can jump directly to the boss.
Do not use your burst if is about to disappear.
With &Bl4xAAA= you can create adds.
You can destroy the towers of Karde with your longbow.
You’ll play with
Alternatively: for more CC
Do not use your burst if gets another shortly.
Beware of immobilizing abilities such as &BrUwAAA=, &BhmfAAA= and &Bl8xAAA= when the boss uses Tantrum.
For more damage you can play and delay &Bt8wAAA=. For even more damage you can replace the &BswwAAA= with &BrwwAAA=.
&Bl4xAAA= should be used so that it s SlublingsĀ and the boss at the same time.
Use &Biu0AAA= to cover greater distances.
You can provide additional condi cleanse for the group by taking &BskwAAA= or &BlcxAAA= with you. For the &BlcxAAA= you must use &B1AIAAA=.
You’ll play with
Alternatively: for more CC
Using &B1AIAAA= along with &BpWyAAA= can significantly increase the damage in this battle. &BpWyAAA= can also be used once at the beginning of the phases and then during the burst phase.
You can provide additional condi cleanse for the group by taking &BskwAAA= or &BlcxAAA= with you. For the &BlcxAAA= you must use &B1AIAAA=.
Abilities that hit multiple targets should be used to hit the boss and statues. This includes &BrUwAAA= and &Bl8xAAA=.
For more damage you can play and delay &Bt8wAAA=.
You’ll play with
You can use your longbow to stand on one of the event isle buttons, dealing acceptable damage while other classes can stand at the shard without ranged combat.
You can provide additional condi cleanse for the party by taking &BskwAAA= or &BlcxAAA= with you. For the &BlcxAAA= you must use &B1AIAAA=.
&Bl4xAAA= should be used to hit the boss and adds.
Do not use your good DPS skills during as it negates 80% of the damage. This includes, for example &BrUwAAA=, &Bl8xAAA=, &Bt0wAAA=, &BhmfAAA=, &BhyqAAA=.
You’ll play with
This boss is a DPS golem and therefore you can simply play your golem rotation
You can precast &BrUwAAA=.
You can also precast &BswwAAA= , but it should not touch the of the boss.
You’ll play with
Alternatively: for more CC
Pay attention with &BrUwAAA= and &Bl8xAAA=. These skills should not be used shortly before a . Also, you will not be able to move while using these skills, so shock waves will cause the skill to break.
With &Bt8wAAA= you can push Rigom under . Furthermore you can move him again after Guldhem has died with &Bl4xAAA=–.
At the end of split phases, neither &BlkxAAA= nor &BpWyAAA= should be used.
For more damage you can play and delay &Bt8wAAA=. For even more damage, you can replace &BswwAAA= with &BrwwAAA=.
You’ll play with
The start of the rotation should be delayed by a few seconds after the four chains are destroyed, so that the complete burst falls under the effect of &BlCVAAA=.
Do not hold back damage on the intermediate bosses.
Be careful during the attack or black-spawns with your immobilizing abilities such as &BrUwAAA=, &BhmfAAA=, and &Bl8xAAA=.
Use &Biu0AAA= to cover greater distances, e.g. if you should be knocked back.
Use &BpWyAAA= together with &B1AIAAA= to massively increase the damage of the group during &BlCVAAA=.
You’ll play with
Be careful during Death Mark with immobilizing abilities such as &BrUwAAA=, &BhmfAAA=, and &Bl8xAAA=.
Use &BskwAAA= just before the &BlK8AAA= at the position of the group to remove the .
Use &Biu0AAA= to cover greater distances. This is especially useful when you get mechanics such as bombs.
You’ll play with
You should not play this class here, since &BpWyAAA= will have no effect.
You’ll play with
Alternatively: for more CC
It is strongly recommended that you play with &B1AIAAA= and &BpWyAAA= as this will greatly increase the group DPS and speed up the phases.
For more damage you can play and delay &Bt8wAAA=.
You should not go into the lamp, as you are more effective in the group.
For the Destroyer: the small Destroyers should be cleaved with &BrUwAAA= and &Bl8xAAA=. But don’t use these abilities until you know in which direction the boss is tanked.
Be careful not to use &BrUwAAA= and &Bl8xAAA= just before a fire wave from or the destroyer, as this will interrupt the abilities.
Use &Biu0AAA= to travel greater distances.
You can use &Bt8wAAA= to blow away the Magma ElementalsĀ that protect the slublings and &Bl4xAAA= to sweep them away. This should only be done if the group does not intend to them into .
You’ll play with
You can precast &BrUwAAA= behind a pillar.
UseĀ &Bqp8AAA= in the split phases to extend your boons.
Reflect the hand’s projectiles with &Bl8xAAA=
You can hit two hands at the same time with &BrUwAAA=