In this guide, we will provide an up-to-date tier list for the best open-world PvE builds in Guild Wars 2. Open world builds are essential for maximizing damage output, self-healing, and sustainability in various open world content, including dungeons, side-story events, and champion encounters. These builds will allow you to tackle challenging content solo or dominate groups of enemies effortlessly. We will rank the builds based on their DPS potential and ease of use. Let's dive into the different professions and their respective builds.

 

• Guardian Specs
• Necromancer Specs
• Elementalist Specs
• Warrior Specs
• Ranger Specs
• Thief Specs
• Engineer Specs
• Mesmer Specs
• Revenant Specs

 

↖ Guardian Specs

• Dragonhunter: Dragonhunter is a powerful DPS specialization for endgame content like raids and fractals. However, in open world PvE, it needs the ability to generate its own boons or heal itself, making it less viable. Dragonhunter is considered F-tier for open world PvE.
• Firebrand: Previously a strong pick, Firebrand has been nerfed and limited in terms of its time usage and damage output. It has become weaker than before, resulting in its placement in the D-tier.
• Willbender: Willbender is the top Guardian spec for solo play in open world PvE. It excels at delivering heavy condition bursts and provides access to alacrity, allowing for faster skill recharges and healing. With recent buffs, it has become less complicated and more engaging to use. Willbender is placed in the A-tier.

 

↖ Necromancer Specs

• Reaper: Reaper has received significant buffs in recent balance patches, making it extremely powerful in open world PvE. It boasts high DPS, life force regeneration, and ease of use. Simply slot in Reaper and spam three buttons to unleash devastating attacks. Reaper is placed in the legendary tier.
• Scourge: Scourge remains a solid choice, with the ability to fight at range and hit multiple targets simultaneously. However, it became squishier after a nerf to the curses trait. Despite this, Scourge is still a reliable option and sits in the B-tier.
• Harbinger: With the latest balance patch, Harbinger has become a strong spec. It offers high DPS and simplified management of blight stacks. Maintaining 25 stacks of blight through mini-range combat and cooldown usage of elixirs increases the damage and provides passive healing. Harbinger is placed in the S-tier.

 

↖ Elementalist Specs

• Tempest: Tempest is a forgiving Ele spec with strong healing capabilities and passive defence. However, its burst window is slow, making it less effective for killing mobs quickly. Due to these limitations, Tempest is considered a C-tier.
• Weaver: Weaver offers the highest damage output among all Ele specs and excels at cleaving mobs. It also provides decent passive healing as long as you keep attacking. Weaver is placed in the A-tier.
• Catalyst: Catalyst is the best A-list pick for open world PvE. It combines high damage output, passive healing, and strong defensive abilities like barriers. Catalyst can overcome challenging content but requires attention to rotation and floating chords. The catalyst is placed in the S-tier.

 

↖ Warrior Specs

• Berserker: After reworks and buffs, Berserker now deals decent burning damage, generates boons, and heals itself. It can also become immune to incoming damage for a short duration. Berserker is placed in the B-tier.
• Spellbreaker: Spellbreaker is a fun and engaging spec that deals decent melee damage and removes boons from foes. Like Berserker, it can generate boons and heal while attacking. Spellbreaker is placed in the B-tier.
• Blitz one: Blitz one is a personal favourite spec with excellent damage and the ability to kill groups of mobs in a single attack. It also converts a portion of its damage to healing and removes conditions. However, it requires precise timing due to its unique Dragon Slash mechanic, making it less beginner-friendly. Blitz one is placed in the S-tier.

 

↖ Ranger Specs

• Druid: Druid is a dedicated healing spec typically used in endgame content as a boon support. It can be modified to use a shortbow for self-healing, but the damage output is significantly reduced. Druid is placed in the D-tier.
• Soulbeast: Soulbeast is a good spec that merges with pets to gain bonus stats, quickness, and might. It provides decent damage and passive healing. Soulbeast is placed in the B-tier.
• Untamed: Untamed is the strongest Ranger pick for open world PvE. It has the highest damage output, generates all boons to itself permanently, and refreshes skill cooldowns. However, it is the most challenging spec to use, making it less accessible to new players. Untamed is placed in the A-tier.

 

↖ Thief Specs

• Daredevil: Similar to Dragonhunter and Daredevil, this spec focuses on pure damage but lacks self-healing and boon generation. Daredevil is placed in the F-tier.
• Deadeye: Deadeye is a single-target spec that deals good damage and generates boons by attacking marked targets. It requires careful management of malice to maintain boon uptime. However, its overall damage output is lower compared to other specs. Deadeye is placed in the C-tier.
• Specter: Specter is the best thief pick, boasting the most serious damage and the ability to cleave groups of mobs while in Shroud form. It is easy to use, with only three weapon skills needed for damage, healing, boon generation, and barriers. Although it has high damage, it falls short compared to other specs. Specter is placed in the A-tier due to its simplicity.

 

↖ Engineer Specs

• Scrapple: While Scrapple can cleave groups of mobs with a hammer, recent nerfs have reduced its passive healing, making it squishy. Scrapple is placed in the D-tier.
• Holosmith: Holosmith received a significant damage buff, resulting in high damage output and decent self-healing. However, it is a challenging spec to use due to the risk of overheating, which increases vulnerability and disables Photon Forge temporarily. Holosmith is placed in the B-tier.
• Mechanist: Mechanist is one of the easiest and strongest specs for open world PvE. It offers high damage output, healing, condition removal, stun breaks, and access to permanent quickness and alacrity. Mechanist is placed in the legendary tier.

 

↖ Mesmer Specs

• Chromamancer: Chromamancer, similar to Dragonhunter and Daredevil, focuses on damage or full boon support. It cannot generate its own boons effectively, making it unsuitable for open world PvE. Chromamancer is placed in the F-tier.
• Mirage: Mirage is one of the easiest Mesmer specs, relying on spamming dodge to cast ambush attacks for damage, boons, and clone generation. It is perfect for soloing endgame content. Mirage is placed in the legendary tier.
• Virtuoso: Virtuoso focuses on bleeding damage but needs to sacrifice DPS to generate boons effectively. It can convert a small portion of its condition damage to healing. Virtuoso is placed in the D-tier.

 

↖ Revenant Specs

Herald, Renegade, and Vindicator are all excellent choices for open world PvE. These Revenant specs share the same trait lines and armours, offering high damage output, boon generation, passive healing, barriers, and damage reduction. They are forgiving specs, suitable for players of all skill levels. Herald, Renegade, and Vindicator are placed in the legendary tier.