When you need a powerhouse to deliver maximum damage for the team, most Guild Wars 2 classes are effective because most professions have a DPS build they may use when needed. However, not all DPS builds are the same, nor do they deal damage in quick bursts. Today, we'll look at the best DPS professions according to the most recent patch (February 2023) and see if they're viable for your next playthrough.
10. Holosmith
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The Holosmith is the elite specialization of the Engineer introduced in the Path of Fire expansion and gives them the ability to enter a new mode called the Photon Forge. When Photon Forge is used, it replaces their weapon skills while accumulating Heat, a unique mechanic of theirs, where the more heat generated, the greater the risk of overheating. It is a worthy trade-off for being able to unleash tons of burst damage.
Why this class is one of the best DPS
The Holosmith has seen more usage lately and has proven to be capable of dealing great amounts of DPS.
The skill rotation used by Holosmiths tends to revolve around managing Heat accumulated while in Photon Forge, turning it off, and using Exceed skills while at the height of Heat levels.
The Holosmith has slowly garnered a following and is almost similar to the Mechanist, the Engineer’s other elite specialization minus the nerfs.
How to build this DPS class:
There are three methods of building a DPS Holosmith, these are:
When the bond between a core Ranger and their pets grows, they can become the powerful elite specialization, the Soulbeast. They can merge with their pets to gain additional stat bonuses and have access to new F1-3 skills based on their merged pet. Soulbeasts are known to be lethal from any range
Why this class is one of the best DPS
Soulbeasts can pump out tons of damage, both normal and condition damage from long range, and keep themselves alive.
The profession can make itself useful to the team thanks to it having access to the powerful skills of core Ranger.
The Soulbeast doesn’t have to worry about their pets getting them and their teammates killed due to their A.I. because you can simply stay merged for the entire fight.
How to build this DPS class:
There are three useful builds for Soulbeasts if you want to go DPS namely:
The Weaver is the second elite specialization of the core Elementalist and has proven itself to be a powerful DPS class in the game. It gains the ability to utilize two elements at once and perform devastating Dual Attacks, combining them for powerful effects. The only reason the Weaver isn’t higher up on the list is due to the immense skill needed to pull off the complicated rotations, making it not beginner friendly.
Why this class is one of the best DPS
The Weaver has seen tons of play in Raids and for good reason: It shows respectable amounts of damage done by skilled players able to do hard-to-pull-off rotations.
They are can do nearly the same amount of damage as a Catalyst but still have a fairly complex skill rotation that takes some getting used to and tons of practice.
The Weaver has multiple opportunities to use evades and mobility, making them fairly elusive in fights.
How to build this DPS class
If you want to be a DPS Weaver, you can either go pure power or condition damage. There are two builds you can try:
The Vindicator is the elite specialization of the Revenant introduced during the End of Dragons expansion that gives them a DPS unit that can also function as a great utility thanks to its new Legendary Alliance Stance. They can switch freely between two special legends while in the Stance which changes how their utility skills function. The Vindicator’s dodge is replaced by a high jump that damages foes on the way down.
Why this class is one of the best DPS
The Vindicator’s greatsword can deal tons of damage by itself but you need proper positioning to inflict more damage on your GS 5 skill.
The Vindicator can unleash tons of burst damage by itself and combo it with their dodges that deal damage.
You can have on-hand Stability buffs depending if you use the Legendary Dwarf Stance over the Assassin Stance and protect yourself from the enemy’s crowd control effects.
How to build this DPS class
The Vindicator has one build but has a different version that uses different perks and traits. The builds are:
The Mirage is the mighty elite specialization of core Mesmer that trained under the scorching desert sands of Elona to master its newfound ability to turn their dodges into Mirage Cloaks. They can gather Mirage Mirrors to trigger powerful ambush skills that cause massive damage and inflict debilitating debuffs on their foes. They have been a powerful force to be reckoned with in many instanced encounters and have been reliable DPS units.
Why this class is one of the best DPS
The Mirage has numerous abilities it can use to evade damage and survive even the most lethal hits thanks to its Distortion shatter ability.
For certain encounters, the Confusion debuffs it pumps out can destroy enemies rapidly.
Mirage builds tend to focus not just on being a DPS unit, but also take more utility roles to be helpful to the team which is always the best thing a DPS can do.
How to build this DPS class
There are two builds that are similar to each other but have different traits used. The DPS builds for Mirage are:
The Catalyst is the third elite specialization of the core Elementalist and is a powerful bruiser that wields its mighty hammer with relative ease. With its Jade Sphere, the Catalyst temporarily summons Great Celestials as area-of-effect spells that can inflict damage and provide buffs for allies based on your elemental attunement. The profession specializes in getting up close and personal with foes which are unlike its other elite specializations that would rather stay away from range.
Why this class is one of the best DPS
The Catalyst can be a simple profession to use with a steep learning curve that few can master. Those who stick with it and learn can play one of the strongest professions in the game.
The profession has access to many boons that it can provide passively while doing its skill rotations, making it a wonderful addition to the team’s utility as well as DPS.
When you have spheres around you from successfully using your hammer 3 skill on 4 elements, you temporarily have increased stats that can further increase your overall DPS. Using smart usage of the Grand Finale hammer 3 attack when you have multiple spheres on you can deal heavy damage on foes.
How to build this DPS class:
There are three specific builds for DPS Catalyst, although they may feel similar to one another. Their skill rotations and selected skills differ.
The Scourge is one of the core Necromancer’s elite specializations that has grown in popularity over the years. Despite the nerfs it has received, it is still a viable DPS contender. Aside from the multitude of ways it can inflict debilitating debuffs on enemies and melt them with condition damage, it brings to the table tons of support when certain traits, perks, and skills are used together. There is a reason it has stayed on top for so long in the meta after all.
Why this class is one of the best DPS
The Scourge can consistently pump out tons of condition damage and do so reliably.
The profession has tons of sustain thanks to the barriers it can apply to itself and its teammates, allowing you to fair better against difficult encounters.
Even if the profession has been nerfed a bit, it retains its stranglehold on the list of DPS purely because of how good it is when you know how to build it properly.
The Scourge can apparently scale very well with itself, and the more Scourges you have, the more unkillable you and your team becomes.
It is a fully ranged DPS making it capable of surviving longer by staying out of harm's way.
How to build this DPS class:
There are three builds you can try to make a DPS Scourge, although they can be similar to one another.
The core Warrior is a mighty enough core profession on its own, but its elite specializations sit atop the DPS mountain for good reason. The Spellbreaker gains the Full Counter skill on its F2 to block nearly all blows, and deliver a devastating counterattack. The tradeoff is having a smaller adrenaline bar and a weaker Burst attack on all weapons, but their ability to perform tons of boon strips, crowd control, and absorbing attacks makes up for it.
Why this class is one of the best DPS
Spellbreakers are Warriors, first and foremost. They retain their insane ability to dish out DPS easily and have been doing so since the very beginning.
Thanks to its Full Counter ability, Spellbreakers can be very tanky despite using possibly all Berserker stat gear and putting little to no defensive stats on them.
Their ability to remove boons on enemies makes them not just pure DPS monsters, but a great source of utility as well. Stripping boons off of enemies powers up the Spellbreaker when certain builds are used and make them even stronger.
How to build this DPS class
There are two ways to build DPS Spellbreakers, the Hammer route or Greatsword. The builds are as follows:
If you want to see big, meaty, chunks of damage on your screen, look no further than the Bladesworn. Unlike the Spellbreaker, you can afford to be more aggressive as a Bladesworn to deal more damage. Your bread and butter, as always, lies in hitting a successful Dragon Slash attack while following up with additional strikes with your weapons and skills.
Why this class is one of the best DPS
The Bladesworn’s Dragon Slash attack alone does so much damage when charged to the max and followed up upon.
Using some builds, the Bladesworn can provide additional Quickness buffs for its teammates, making it an unselfish profession.
It can easily block incoming damage with its skills in Dragon Trigger Stance and move out of the way with its blink skill while charging Dragon Slash and its variants.
How to build this DPS class
There are two ways to play the DPS Bladesworn: as a pure DPS or as a DPS that can also provide Quickness buffs for its allies, as seen in the builds below.
The Virtuoso may seem surprising at the top of the DPS list, and normally you would be right. Looks can be deceiving, however, as the Virtuoso can dish out tons of damage from afar, from the relative safety of various encounters, while others have to go within an enemy’s striking distance. The profession tops the list not just because of the damage it can deal but also because of the utility it brings to encounters, making it one of the best DPS classes.
Why this class is one of the best DPS
Most of the damage the Virtuoso can deal is done from mid to long-range, making it able to survive much easier against aggressive enemies.
It has varying builds, allowing it to use power or condition damage to contend with foes.
They can be tricky to play, but when practiced and eventually mastered, you can keep up and even surpass the DPS of others as long as you do your skill rotations properly.
Aside from being sought after for their potential DPS, they can also provide additional utility such as the usage of portals, boon removal, crowd control, and so much more. A DPS that can provide more than just damage is always going to be preferred more than units that just do straight damage because it will be able to help the team more.
How to build this DPS class:
There are two powerful Virtuoso builds that can help elevate your DPS while being simple to use.
The best DPS units in Guild Wars 2 as seen in our list need to do more than just pure DPS because they are part of a team. If the team is lacking utility and you, as the DPS, can provide it, you will always be chosen to be a part of the team instead of the DPS who can only do double the amount of damage. Don’t get it wrong, having high amounts of DPS is still much better than doing mediocre damage and will get you more opportunities to be part of group content. Do you agree with our list? Did your favorite professions make the cut? Do let us know down in the comments and we will be sure to update our list when the next balance patch comes out.
Whether he is resting in Pelican Town, looping against the Entity or running from zeds in Kentucky, Don offers his tales from his gaming adventures. Just don't give him another gacha game.
