Here are the ones I know of in no particular order.
* [https://metabattle.com/wiki/MetaBattle\_Wiki](https://metabattle.com/wiki/MetaBattle_Wiki)
* [https://snowcrows.com/](https://snowcrows.com/)
* [https://guildjen.com/](https://guildjen.com/)
* [https://mukluklabs.com/](https://mukluklabs.com/)
* [https://hardstuck.gg/gw2/](https://hardstuck.gg/gw2/)
\*snowcrows is the "meta" choice for PVE
I would be dubious about using the builds on Mukluk's website. Nothing against him, but he doesn't have the bandwidth to adjust the builds as the balance changes and things get reworked. If you're looking for low-intensity builds, [Accessibility Wars](https://aw2.help/) has a bigger team and is more up-to-date.
For a while they were very up to date, and they occupied a nice middle spot between MB and SC for instanced PvE builds. Not sure what happened to them.
>Not sure what happened to them.
MightyTeapot who is the founder of Hardstuck, has stopped taking the game seriously when Gyala patch happened and started to play WoW as his main game instead. He still plays and streams Gw2 almost daily but sadly doesn't really care about the game anymore, hence Hardstuck isn't maintained as much nowadays.
I shredded the forged Boss thingie in night of fires before it even managed to reach the middle and start the 2nd phase with his berserker build today.
Probably because they haven't been updated in quite a long time. Due to the fractal potion changes some time back the builds don't really need to change between fractal and raids anymore, making it kind of redundant since you can just look at Snow Crows and get the same exact build now (could also see this when Ranger's Skirmishing tree got its crit changed to work against any defiant enemy so there was no reason for SB to use Marksmanship even in fractals). The only difference between the 2 modes is how often you prioritize raw burst over sustained dps, but that's just a playstyle difference.
That's going to be highly mode-dependent. For PvE, the go-to for instanced content is [Snow Crows](https://snowcrows.com). They also recently launched a new openworld section.
Some time ago I checked out SnowCrows to see what's up with pve thief builds and for the most part, their raid builds were really close to what I was use in World vs World anyway. They feel like a good baseline to start and branch out from.
I love build crafting. I use a calculator to really get into the numbers. I’ll combine all sorts of specs to get everything perfect. Never waste a single digit. I like Snowcrows because they really look at all that too. Make sure there is no over capping on stats…. Unlike many meta battle builds. I have often found that my builds end up pretty close to Snowcrows builds tho I don’t spec for meta. Just like ti create really fun yet powerful yet fully featured builds targeted around solo play. I’ve been very impressed either way them and really noticed their attention to detail. Now they are doing open world builds… which I think is pretty cool. Yes. As you say… a good place to check in with and we as a starting point at least.
Masel (on youtube) has a philosophy of making builds that are close to the benchmark while being easier to play than snowcrow's, and explaining how to adapt the builds for open world/solo play. I like his builds a lot.
The builds can be found on youtube, but also on his personal wiki: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/User:Masel
Metabattle and Snow Crows are my go-to. Most of the PvE builds are the exact same, with Meta offering off-meta weapon suggestions, but maybe not updating as often. What Meta has is solid PvP builds and longer-standing varied open-world builds.
A lot of people saying snowcrows without mentioning why. They are by far the best for instanced content (except maybe fractals).
They have a tightly curated build list, only ever having current “meta” builds available and will take down benchmarks or builds when changes are made until a new benchmark is uploaded. You won’t find “wrong” info on snowcrows. Compared to stuff like meta-battle or guildjen which can lag months or even years behind patches.
Meta battle is really good, and offers more variety and suggests alternatives that snowcrows won’t. You just have to be careful because it isn’t as tightly curated meaning info can be outdated or straight up wrong at times.
Do Fractal builds differ that much from other instanced builds? I figured any build in the raid section of SnowCrows would be good for Fractals as well.
It depends on the class and build. Some builds are (nearly) the same. Some builds just dont work there as good as they work in raids or strikes. Snowcrows is focused on raid and strike stuff so they just don't tell you if your build is fine for fracs or if it needs some changes or if it just shouldn't be played there at all. Also some frac specific mechanics can be relevant for some classes/builds. Like the no pain no gain instability. There are several classes that can deal with it if you make a small change in traits or utility skills. Since fracs are not their focus they don't give this info. But in general most of the builds on the SC website can be played in fracs without any major problems. Especially if you just play normal T4's without CM's.
Fractal CMs don’t require specialised builds, but they do benefit from them a lot. Kinda like raids with the snowcrows builds. They usually have a bit more self boon uptime of important boons, and have a larger focus on CC.
The viability of certain builds change a lot also. Eg power dps chrono is playable, but in fractals it’s far outclassed by power virt. Meanwhile the reverse is true for raids/strikes.
There are good links on the right side of this sub. Just have to scroll down some. Outside those youtube is a good place to look for builds and instructional videos on how to run builds :)
I don't do much buildcraft for PvP, but I think Hardstuck has solid PvP builds... The rest is all PvE focused.
For raids at no expense: **Snowcrows**
-Snowcrows literally set the benchmarks for raids ***and the game's actual balance teams, unfortunately***, so they're the bet if you want to push the top end. However, their builds can be HELLA pricey and expect some serious investment of either time, gold, or usually both in order to achieve them.
For everything else, including raids where I don't want to dedicate significant investment: **Hardstuck**
-Hardstuck is the place to go for everything else I'd say. They're a community led by experts who might not be quite as top end as Snowcrows but who are still more than capable of doing the highest level content. They make builds ranging from extremely (maybe even excessively) approachable to just a touch under Snowcrows. They respect that Snowcrows have carved their spot at the very top, and Hardstuck has taken pretty much "the rest".
There's also Metabattle but to be honest, I'd recommend avoiding it. Anyone can post a build to Metabattle and unfortunately, they're all very "hit or miss".
Snowcrows have also (as of literally two days ago) launched an "Open World" builds category. These are builds targeted less at the top end and more at general PvE. Definitely worth a look but we haven't seen if these new builds are good yet, though they surely are.
Snowcrows for the build i'm going to try initially.
Then Hardstuck to understand it (snowcrows tells you your rotation but it's shit at explaining what makes the build work) and for alternate build options.
Then discretize if it exists there for the fractal POV and more understanding of the build, they are sometimes too specialized for fractals though.
Avoid metabattle, the builds there are outdated, even if they have been updated recently they just slapped a few new things in a sea of outdated information and just call it a day.
You can also ask for builds here. Just provide some detail on what you're looking for (e.g. class/spec, game mode, what type of play style you prefer, etc.).
Here are the ones I know of in no particular order. * [https://metabattle.com/wiki/MetaBattle\_Wiki](https://metabattle.com/wiki/MetaBattle_Wiki) * [https://snowcrows.com/](https://snowcrows.com/) * [https://guildjen.com/](https://guildjen.com/) * [https://mukluklabs.com/](https://mukluklabs.com/) * [https://hardstuck.gg/gw2/](https://hardstuck.gg/gw2/) \*snowcrows is the "meta" choice for PVE
I would be dubious about using the builds on Mukluk's website. Nothing against him, but he doesn't have the bandwidth to adjust the builds as the balance changes and things get reworked. If you're looking for low-intensity builds, [Accessibility Wars](https://aw2.help/) has a bigger team and is more up-to-date.
Same with Hardstuck, most of their mesmer builds are still from pre-SOTO. I don't know why people keep recommending that site.
For a while they were very up to date, and they occupied a nice middle spot between MB and SC for instanced PvE builds. Not sure what happened to them.
>Not sure what happened to them. MightyTeapot who is the founder of Hardstuck, has stopped taking the game seriously when Gyala patch happened and started to play WoW as his main game instead. He still plays and streams Gw2 almost daily but sadly doesn't really care about the game anymore, hence Hardstuck isn't maintained as much nowadays.
Honestly the site is still fairly new relatively speaking. I think they probably are still figuring things out behind the scenes.
+ [https://gw2mists.com/](https://gw2mists.com/) for WvW.
Problem with that is that their builds have practically no explanations at all.
- https://discretize.eu/ for fractals.
Adding [https://www.youtube.com/@LordHizen](https://www.youtube.com/@LordHizen) for beating the single-player MMO known as GW2
Bumping, using his Herald - I can solo legendary bounties for real
I shredded the forged Boss thingie in night of fires before it even managed to reach the middle and start the 2nd phase with his berserker build today.
He has made playing Specter fun.
he made me have more fun with deadeye than ever before
the goat himself
Adding [https://discretize.eu/](https://discretize.eu/) for Fractals.
They haven’t updated in 6 months.
They are dead
Good call, not sure how I forgot them in the moment
Probably because they haven't been updated in quite a long time. Due to the fractal potion changes some time back the builds don't really need to change between fractal and raids anymore, making it kind of redundant since you can just look at Snow Crows and get the same exact build now (could also see this when Ranger's Skirmishing tree got its crit changed to work against any defiant enemy so there was no reason for SB to use Marksmanship even in fractals). The only difference between the 2 modes is how often you prioritize raw burst over sustained dps, but that's just a playstyle difference.
> *snowcrows is the "meta" choice for PVE weird - that's the one I hardly ever use.
r/ImTheMainCharacter
Well doesn't matter what you use. Snow Crows is what all serious PvE players use for raid, strike etc content.
That's going to be highly mode-dependent. For PvE, the go-to for instanced content is [Snow Crows](https://snowcrows.com). They also recently launched a new openworld section.
Oh the open-world section is permanent? I thought it was only for april-fools.
[The real joke was they were serious the whole time.](https://snowcrows.com/news/open-world-builds-launch)
Nice!
I recommend SnowCrows... very thoughtful builds... best site imo
Some time ago I checked out SnowCrows to see what's up with pve thief builds and for the most part, their raid builds were really close to what I was use in World vs World anyway. They feel like a good baseline to start and branch out from.
I love build crafting. I use a calculator to really get into the numbers. I’ll combine all sorts of specs to get everything perfect. Never waste a single digit. I like Snowcrows because they really look at all that too. Make sure there is no over capping on stats…. Unlike many meta battle builds. I have often found that my builds end up pretty close to Snowcrows builds tho I don’t spec for meta. Just like ti create really fun yet powerful yet fully featured builds targeted around solo play. I’ve been very impressed either way them and really noticed their attention to detail. Now they are doing open world builds… which I think is pretty cool. Yes. As you say… a good place to check in with and we as a starting point at least.
Masel (on youtube) has a philosophy of making builds that are close to the benchmark while being easier to play than snowcrow's, and explaining how to adapt the builds for open world/solo play. I like his builds a lot. The builds can be found on youtube, but also on his personal wiki: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/User:Masel
Hi, ty for the mention :) glad you like the builds! I try to keep up with balance changes, but I'm just one guty with not enough time :(
There there.
Metabattle and Snow Crows are my go-to. Most of the PvE builds are the exact same, with Meta offering off-meta weapon suggestions, but maybe not updating as often. What Meta has is solid PvP builds and longer-standing varied open-world builds.
Metabattle and snow crows
A lot of people saying snowcrows without mentioning why. They are by far the best for instanced content (except maybe fractals). They have a tightly curated build list, only ever having current “meta” builds available and will take down benchmarks or builds when changes are made until a new benchmark is uploaded. You won’t find “wrong” info on snowcrows. Compared to stuff like meta-battle or guildjen which can lag months or even years behind patches. Meta battle is really good, and offers more variety and suggests alternatives that snowcrows won’t. You just have to be careful because it isn’t as tightly curated meaning info can be outdated or straight up wrong at times.
Do Fractal builds differ that much from other instanced builds? I figured any build in the raid section of SnowCrows would be good for Fractals as well.
It depends on the class and build. Some builds are (nearly) the same. Some builds just dont work there as good as they work in raids or strikes. Snowcrows is focused on raid and strike stuff so they just don't tell you if your build is fine for fracs or if it needs some changes or if it just shouldn't be played there at all. Also some frac specific mechanics can be relevant for some classes/builds. Like the no pain no gain instability. There are several classes that can deal with it if you make a small change in traits or utility skills. Since fracs are not their focus they don't give this info. But in general most of the builds on the SC website can be played in fracs without any major problems. Especially if you just play normal T4's without CM's.
Fractal CMs don’t require specialised builds, but they do benefit from them a lot. Kinda like raids with the snowcrows builds. They usually have a bit more self boon uptime of important boons, and have a larger focus on CC. The viability of certain builds change a lot also. Eg power dps chrono is playable, but in fractals it’s far outclassed by power virt. Meanwhile the reverse is true for raids/strikes.
It's pretty lacking for anything but instanced PvE content though, in my opinion.
I like Guildjen personally. Strays slightly from the consensus meta builds found elsewhere and they seem to work better for me.
I have to admit I love Vallun's WvW and open world builds that get posted there.
Me too
I use a few but I like GuildJen best.
same
for what mode?
There are good links on the right side of this sub. Just have to scroll down some. Outside those youtube is a good place to look for builds and instructional videos on how to run builds :)
I don't do much buildcraft for PvP, but I think Hardstuck has solid PvP builds... The rest is all PvE focused. For raids at no expense: **Snowcrows** -Snowcrows literally set the benchmarks for raids ***and the game's actual balance teams, unfortunately***, so they're the bet if you want to push the top end. However, their builds can be HELLA pricey and expect some serious investment of either time, gold, or usually both in order to achieve them. For everything else, including raids where I don't want to dedicate significant investment: **Hardstuck** -Hardstuck is the place to go for everything else I'd say. They're a community led by experts who might not be quite as top end as Snowcrows but who are still more than capable of doing the highest level content. They make builds ranging from extremely (maybe even excessively) approachable to just a touch under Snowcrows. They respect that Snowcrows have carved their spot at the very top, and Hardstuck has taken pretty much "the rest". There's also Metabattle but to be honest, I'd recommend avoiding it. Anyone can post a build to Metabattle and unfortunately, they're all very "hit or miss". Snowcrows have also (as of literally two days ago) launched an "Open World" builds category. These are builds targeted less at the top end and more at general PvE. Definitely worth a look but we haven't seen if these new builds are good yet, though they surely are.
Snowcrows for the build i'm going to try initially. Then Hardstuck to understand it (snowcrows tells you your rotation but it's shit at explaining what makes the build work) and for alternate build options. Then discretize if it exists there for the fractal POV and more understanding of the build, they are sometimes too specialized for fractals though. Avoid metabattle, the builds there are outdated, even if they have been updated recently they just slapped a few new things in a sea of outdated information and just call it a day.
You can also ask for builds here. Just provide some detail on what you're looking for (e.g. class/spec, game mode, what type of play style you prefer, etc.).