Click on ‘Show Spoiler’ for more details. Up to date as of 9/10/2018
A few people have been asking me about advice for pugging raids. Therefore, I have decided to make a quick post (ended up becoming not so quick XD) with tips and general advice for how to approach pugs when raiding. By using these tips I have managed to amass over 800 raid kills across all currently released bosses utilizing 19 different characters that run almost 25 different builds.
In this, I will discuss what classes and builds to focus on, how to prepare, what to look for in an lfg group, and how to behave in a group so that they don't hate you and may even invite you to future groups.
I will preface this by saying that I do not necessarily agree with all the statements I will be making below and our raid team will not reflect this. I will be talking from the perspective of a pug. Part 1: What Should I Raid On?
Unfortunately, your favorite build is not necessarily the correct answer here. Since pug groups will not be able to confirm the level of skill of players that join them, pugs will be safe and only look for players that conform to the exact "meta" in order to increase their chances that you will be able to do your job. This means that they will typically want the same types of builds. This is important to them because unlike all other group PvE content in the game, raid bosses are on timers. Having said that, currently every class has at least a viable power and condition dps build. As much as people complain about class balance, it is far better than people claim.
With this in mind, here is a list of five basic archetypes to go for that will make it impossible to be excluded from any pug group on. Show Spoiler
Build Link: https://snowcrows.com/raids/builds/mesmer/chronomancer/support/(There is both a tank and a power set here that chronos can run. The tank set is more safe, but the power set will bring you more damage so pick the build that better suits your needs)
Chronotank is the single rarest class in pugs, a solid 60% of groups look for Chronos in lfg. This is for good reason. Chronomancer is the single hardest class to run effectively in a raid because you have to not only maintain a complex rotation to keep up key buffs for your subgroup, you also will most likely be responsible for both tanking the boss and handling several mechanics for the rest of your team (i.e. claim in Mursaat Overseer). Therefore, if you're willing to put in the time to learn it, a large amount of pug groups will take you. I would recommend keeping as many elements from both the power and tank sets as possible so you can adjust your toughness as needed.
Druid is the second most common class that a pug will look for. Once again this is because druid is not easy to run in raids; however, at least one spot (usually two) is saved specifically for druids because of the strength of their spirit buffs to the group and the ability to maintain permanent fury for their subgroup along with 25 might to the entire squad. You are responsible for keeping half of the squad alive along with maintaining might for the entire squad; therefore, if things go wrong and people are dropping a lot you might take the blame. Don't let this discourage you, druid is not as bad as you might think. You'll notice three druid builds here, so which should you choose? Once again, it's a matter of preference. Healing druid is the safest and probably the one expected from most, but condi druid will deal more damage and also provide an easy swap to condi soulbeast allowing you to have two archetypes covered with only one built character. Power druid is more niche, so I would not recommend it as a starting point. Most pugs at this point are competent and don't get hit by stupid things so if you just spam your CA form, keep up might, and don't forget to utilize the warhorn, you shouldn't run into much trouble. '
Tempest is an exceptionally strong healer and one that has become more popular ever since druid's grace of the land was changed from a buff to providing might for the subgroup. While the druid will still carry a pretty much guaranteed spot because of its might generation ability and spirits, tempest will be the next most common healer people take. The advantage a tempest healer has over druid is it's far better at clearing condis from the group than druid is making it extremely popular in fights such as Matthias and SH that regularly hit you with condis. Tempest also has a slightly niche role as one of the more effective kiters when running a staff because it can entirely self-sustain between shouts and water overloads allowing a tempest to heal the rest of the squad or mission critical allies such as Saul with their water fields. '
The revenant is in an odd spot when it comes to healing, they have different types of potential builds to look into for each of their elite specs. In general, the renegade is probably the better of the two as it provides more damage and a more reliable source of alacrity (effectively replacing a chrono when paired with a firebrand). The herald's strength on the other hand is providing a wider variety of boons and more sustained healing. The herald is also a top pick for the hand kiter on Deimos, which is a highly sought after role for that fight exclusively. Regardless of these advantages, heralds like the other non-druid healers lack the damage buffs that druids can provide. '
Firebrand is a healer that can provide good damage while also supplying a good amount of might, fury, and quickness. This means a firebrand can pair up with a support renegade and take the place of a single chrono and druid pair; however, they still can't replace the sheer utility of a chronotank or the power of spirit buffs that those can provide. Only run this build if you know someone who can supply the revenant and even then don't count on pugs to accept it. '
Scourge Build Link:
Scourge is an excellent healer as well, and like the others presents a unique niche. In this case, scourges are the kings of barrier application. This allows groups with support scourges to spam barrier and gain better survival for attempting more risky strategies such as no green VG. Therefore, there is no logical reason to start with a support scourge. I know it sounds fun, but it's niche is only for more experienced groups that employ strategies a new player won't be ready for.
Condi soulbeast is the easiest condition damage build in the game to learn. The advantages it has over others are its simple rotation and unique stance share trait, which allows it to boost its dps even higher in group settings. Therefore, I highly recommend this class as the one to start with in raids. Condi soulbeast is extremely reliable in raids having uses on most bosses. Another advantage condi ranger has is that the condi druid build uses mostly the same gear only different traits, utility skills, and pets so you can cover two archetypes in one. '
While formerly the top damaging build in the game, condi holo has taken more of a backseat as all the other builds have been buffed past it post-PoF. However, condi holo still provides excellent cc and the addition of using holoforge has made the rotation a lot more manageable when compared to the past. '
Condi daredevil seems weak, but like soulbeast it becomes extremely strong when running with allies because of venom sharing. It's fun to run, has decent cc, but it comes at the cost of requiring movement so it can be dangerous in fights such as Sabetha and Soulless Horror. '
Condition scourge is the weakest of the dps builds listed here, but it comes with one notable niches that makes it relevant enough to be considered. The skill epidemic allows scourges to pass conditions on an enemy to at least 4 other enemies allowing a condi based squad to deal immense amounts of damage to the boss then passing it to mobs. '
Condition mirage is one of the strongest builds on here and for good reason. Thanks to the phantasm changes, a condition mesmer can deal high damage to bosses with both its phantasms and its shatters. As a result, condi mirage is popular everywhere as a dps pick, especially on mechanic intensive fights such as Matthias where clones can still do damage while you handle mechanics. '
Firebrand may not seem very strong and it's also a difficult rotations, but like some others does come with its share of unique strengths. Firebrand's strength is in the form of the other virtues. It can provide reasonable cc and niche support through the valor and courage tomes that other builds cannot compete with. Still unless you are forced to use it or really want to use it, I would not pick this build personally. '
Condi warrior (and the class in general) is currently in a great spot for raids, like soulbeast it has the ability to easily swap over to another build in banner slave. Condi berserker is also an extremely high damaging build and not extremely difficult to learn. Once you can establish a rhythm for transitioning to berserk state, you will have a fun time running this build '
Condi renegade is the most powerful condi build on the largest bosses. IT's an extremely popular build and as long as you keep in mind that the rotation ties weapons to legends (i.e. whenever you swap legends you swap weapons too), you'll be able to learn this build quite quickly and do very well '
Weaver currently deals the highest damage in the game when considering normal target size; however, it has two trade offs that make it less popular. The first is the traits and weave self both increase toughness to over 1500 which is bad since some fights decide aggro based on the highest toughness. This can force optimized tanks to swap to higher durability gear. The other problem weaver can run into is that all of its attacks are melee range making it less than ideal for fights such as Xera and Cairn where you might have to spend some time ranging. Keep these weaknesses in mind though and you'll have a fun time with it. Currently my favorite build in the game.
Of the banner builds, condition is the one most frequently used and the easiest to learn. It provides great cleave, good cc, and the best damage of the banner sets. If you're interested in raiding, this build is another great place to start '
While condition banners does present the best damage on paper, there are specific bosses where power builds in general outperform condition builds (KC is a very notable example). For these situations, you'll want the core warrior build. It's also easy to learn and provides better cc it just lacks the raw damage output of the condition build outside of those few niche fights. There is a spellbreaker variant for the power build, but that is specifically for Dhuum only because of a need to strip boons from Dhuum quickly.
Weaver is currently the strongest damage dealing class in the game. While a thief can deal more damage on paper, it doesn't account for cleave. Elementalists are king when it comes to cleave damage which makes them great in fights where the boss summons adds such as Sabetha, Sloth, and Xera. However, this comes at the cost of being extremely difficult to run, take serious time to practice this build and know the ins and outs of all three dps builds before running this one seriously '
DH is the soulbeast of power builds. The primary advantage a DH carries over other power builds is its ease of use. Another great class to start with that's great for a myriad of bosses because of its ability to deal effective damage at both melee and range along with providing a respectable amount of cc. '
Staff daredevil is the single easiest build in the game. The rotation is using only 2 skills, auto attacking, and dodging for the buff. It also provides a strong amount of cc, decent cleave, and the best dps in the game behind only its counterpart… '
Like daredevil, deadeye is a very easy power build to learn and it does an extreme amount of dps. Unlike daredevil, deadeye lacks notable cleave, but makes up for it with the ability to swap to a rifle on your second set. Keeping a rifle handy will let you handle boss mechanics such as Xera crystals, Gorseval orbs, and Samarog spears quickly and safely. It also provides the thief with their only range option for tactics such as range strat Deimos (which is extremely common in pugs). Therefore, I recommend all thieves make a staff, 2 daggers, and a rifle in order to take advantage of all 3 weapon sets where necessary. '
An easy build in theory, the spellbreaker carries a lot of tricky nuances that you will have to know. On top of needing to know when to use Full Counter and other abilities of its type, spellbreakers can carry different weapons depending on group need such as maces for better cc. Once you have a grasp of it though, spellbreaker is fairly reliable and fun to play. '
Holosmith has one main advantage over everyone else. The cc it brings is amazing. Holosmith is the single most common dps class I see and it typically does the best damage of everyone in actual raid scenarios. Another build I highly recommend. '
A new addition to dps builds, power soulbeast came out of nowhere with extremely good damage and a lot of cc. However, all that cc does come with a price, those cc skills are utilized constantly in order to trigger a damage boosting trait which means the cc of a power soulbeast is not as strong in practice as it is on paper. Please be willing to sacrifice some dps for the good of quick ccing when running this. '
If you enjoy skill intensive builds, this is the one for you. While providing good damage and cc, it also provides the hardest rotation to learn of all the power classes. Use at your own risk. '
Finally after 3 years, power reaper has broken the 30k mark and is viable on paper. However, before you excitedly hurry off and sharpen your scythe, keep in mind that part of why power reaper got to this state is that it has a trait that gives increased damage above 50% life force. This means taking damage reduces the time you can stay in shroud and take advantage of this, which doesn't show up on paper. On the other hand, fights such as Sabetha, trio, and Xera provide large amounts of mobs to give you extra life force which means you can stay in shroud for longer than normal.
Part 2: How Should I Prepare For Pug Raiding
Preparing for a pug raid is not very complicated. There are only three things to do before you join an LFG. Show Spoiler
Know your class and have them geared
See above. '
Have voice chat
A very large percentage of groups will use some form of voice communication for raids. So make sure you have both Discord and Teamspeak downloaded and set up. I have never seen a group use any other form of voice communication. When you join always check the squad message for any link to their voice chat and enter it. It doesn't matter how good you are at an encounter, it is always easier to coordinate through voice chat and groups will be much less forgiving if you mess up and aren't in chat with them.
PLEASE DO THIS. I cannot tell you how annoying it is as someone who has run pug raids when people join as the wrong class, aren't experienced with the encounter when we ask for it, or not following some other part of the message. Ignore this tip enough and you will be blackballed. I know several people that will block toxic, stupid, or otherwise annoying players and absolutely refuse to raid with them. Furthermore, they will ask the commander to kick said player immediately saying they are toxic and have them blocked. Please don't be this guy it is very hard to get out of it.
Part 3: How To Behave in a Pug Raid
You don't have to be Mary Poppins or Atticus Finch, but you also don't want to be that toxic person who inspires somebody else to write about you on reddit. There are a few simple things to keep in mind when raiding in a pug. Show Spoiler
You don't have to talk, but you can't be completely silent either
When you join a discord or ts the group doesn't expect you to talk in it. They just want to make sure you are listening and can coordinate through it. However, if people address you directly about a mechanic or something else, respond back. You can just type, but make sure you don't stay silent, that will get you kicked and if you do it enough, people may start to recognize you for it. '
BE PATIENT
No group is perfect. Early on you will probably wipe a lot and that is ok. Take every opportunity you get to learn the mechanics and be more polished. Never let up until '/GG' is called or the boss is dead because you get magnetite shards/gaeting crystals for near kills and it will only help you improve. Groups can also sometimes take up to an hour to get a kill, it happens in our groups too so never join a pug expecting a kill on the first, second, or even third try. As long as the group is performing the mechanics consistently and dealing enough dps they have a shot at killing the boss. '
Volunteer to handle mechanics
Fights like Sabetha, Sloth, and Mursaat Overseer have mechanics that a single player will need to take responsibility for and handle. When a commander asks the group "Who wants to handle x?" the most common answer is silence. Therefore, I personally try to volunteer to handle it if necessary. These mechanics are usually fairly simple and can definitely be learned quickly so don't be afraid and step up. Groups are much less likely to have a problem with you if you volunteer. '
BE HONEST
Probably the most important thing to do when raiding with a pug is to be honest about your experience with bosses. If you join a Keep Construct group as a druid and are asked to push the orb, what do you do if you've never done it? The answer is simple, just let them know you've never done it before. You can still volunteer to give it a try. Most groups would be happy to explain it to you and are often more patient with you if you mess up as long as you improve.
Part 4: Closing
I hope this helps you feel more prepared and confident for raiding with pugs. If there are any questions you may have, please comment on this post and I will update the FAQ with the answer. You can also find me in game (my character names are in the signature below) or on the guild's discord. FAQ
Q1: When is the best time to pug raid?
The best time to pug raid is the first 24 hours after raids reset (can check when this is by going to the missions tab on the guild panel. Missions share their reset time with raids). This is when many static groups and main accounts (the ones who will get kills more than others) will be raiding as well. If one of those members happens to be absent due to their mother's birthday or some other event, you will want to be the person that fills their spot. I have had a group clear 4 wings in one shot before by pugging with these groups.
Q2: What does "experienced" really mean?
A lot of groups will have "exp" somewhere in their LFG post. This doesn't always mean that you need to have killed the boss. If you've had 10+ runs where your group got a boss to below 10%, but still didn't get the kill (yes that did happen to me) does that mean you don't know the boss? Of course not. Simply be willing to be honest with the group. If they ask for kill proof that you don't have or an LI count you don't have, but are close to, just pm the commander, explain your situation, and ask them if you can join. Many groups can get stuck in LFG for a long time so they may be lax with their "requirements" (they're really more like guidelines). However, you need to keep in mind that they do have the right to say no and kick you from the group if you don't meet their stated requirements.
Q3: Which Bosses Should I Look For?
Start with the bosses you have experience with. It's also not a bad idea to join training runs in LFG, you likely won't get a kill, but if they get through all the mechanics and you can consistently do them successfully you might be able to join the more experienced groups for that boss. Another thing to keep in mind is that groups may even be willing to teach you bosses you didn't join for (i.e. a Gors group might teach you Sabetha after a kill if it was done quickly enough). I learned how to complete most every raid encounter following a kill of one I knew. If this ends up happening to you just be honest and tell them that you don't know the fight and while they get the group together and coordinate mechanics, skim through video guides so they will have an easier time explaining it to you. Many groups won't mind teaching you the boss if you're honest and have performed well already and they will often take the boss down very far (below 40% more often than not) which makes it even easier to learn mechanics because you can see what it looks like when done well.
Hokk Officer replied
456 weeks ago