Low Intensity Tempest Guide: 23k+ DPS - 4 Buttons - Easily Scalable

[@MuklukYoutube]

Tested after SotO Release: - Note that banners and spirits no longer give unique buffs - Transcendent Tempest Grandmaster trait buffed twice since video release and SotO Tested with full boons/condis/cake buff/ AND NO RELIC - The "4 button" version: 21k dps - The "smash all the keys" version: 29k dps Tested after Janthir Release: - Used same instructions as above, and got similar or better results. Still completely viable if you wish to play it!

[@Esty568]

Hi! What kind of relic would you recommend to pick? I am trying this out on my new elementalist.

[@Chocomint_Queen]

With the advent of Weapon Training, is Scepter/Dagger still optimal? Is there a potential Sword or Hammer variant, or maybe another look at Warhorn?

[@Chocomint_Queen]

@@Esty568 The standard relic for condi ele is Relic of the Fractal, but funny enough that actually won't work for us here because we never dip into Earth for bleed. Relic of Fireworks is easy damage boost, since three of our skills (Overload Fire, Phoenix and Flamewall; it checks for 20-second cooldown _before_ cooldown reduction) trigger it, so we can keep it up almost all the time. When fighting many small enemies instead of one big one, Relic of the Afflicted (makes dead enemies explode in condi damage) is an option, though it wouldn't be my first. Relic of the Sunless (causes a condi pool when you use your elite) is _okay,_ but since the elemental is long-lived, it won't get the usage it would from some classes. If you're willing to tweak the build a bit, you can add more shouts and use Relic of the Reaper (chills on shout), or, my personal favourite, run Signet of Restoration instead of Wash the Pain Away, and either Signet of Earth or Air in place of Glyph of Storms, and use Relic of the Astral Ward; every second signet you use clears 2 conditions and gives Resistance in an AoE. It makes you so survivable. If you do this, you'll want to use Tempestuous Aria in place of Harmonious Conduit, since mashing three signets plus aura on your 5 and your F1 means you keep it up most of the time without effort; it does mean Overload Fire loses its Stability, but it's worth it imo. If you're having survivability troubles, you could also swap Transcendent Tempest for Elemental Bastion, so that those auras are also self-heals; you lose out on a decent bit of damage (about 7% all told), but it adds ~1,000 point heals to five of your skills, _so_ TL;DR I think the signet build with Relic of the Astral Ward has better legs than this one and is more flexible for various types of solo content, if you're capable of facerolling eight buttons (4 > 2 > 3 order matters, F1, 6, 7, 8, 0 don't). Might not be true if you're just trying to easymode DPS in a raid or something.

[@orack6355]

@@Chocomint_Queen scepter focus (Masel build) is better, hammer very strong too (MrMystic build), both easy to play, Masel one is just camping fire and spaming skill off cd, doing 40k

[@rudra1743]

i really appreciate videos like these! i "main" ele (its the character i did most of the story on i mean :p) and always feel like i don't do enough, especially focusing on fire/burning as much as i do. i have mental health problems that make remembering and focusing on rotations/cooldowns difficult most of the time, but i still find ele really fun to play. knowing i can play in a way that doesn't feel like i'm weighing people down with what i can't do. thanks so much mukluk!

[@themeltedchocolate]

I'm in the same boat! Rotations are difficult to remember and follow and it's easy to feel like a burden on your team as an ele :(

[@efershadow3780]

Me too, i have difficulty to remember things, specially things with orders,numbers,calculations. When told to people, people would think you're too exaggerate. Is just rotation. Practice more and you'll remember, "as if you think i dont want to remember?"😅. This video really give me hope of trying the hardest class in gw2. TQ Mukluk😘

[@themeltedchocolate]

@@efershadow3780 yeah it's pretty annoying when people assume you're just lazy and can't be bothered to learn. Nope, not the case!

[@nesurame]

It's nice to see an ele build that can be moderately successful by camping 1 element; lots of people complained about being forced thru the attunements but this build seems perfectly acceptable. Some notes from one bad tempest-player: Scepter Air-3 is an instant-cast blind, you can cast that while in air stance. It's not a whole lot of breakbar damage, but it's *something*. Scepter Water-2 applies a ton of vulnerability if your group needs more sources of it The build doesn't use Warhorn, but it's worth noting that Warhorn Earth-4 gives projectile reflect for those really fun bits in fractals where the enemies are just pooping out projectiles during a running segment.

[@Katreyn_]

I had a feeling "LI" Tempest build would be this. I definitely still enjoy condi Tempest a lot. It feels really good dps wise in most situations. And agreeably a lot easier than most ele power builds in comparison.

[@bushy9780]

You can get the "Fire elemental powder" purchased from Jhalles Colagrip(heart vendor) so you can have another Fire elemental. And use the fire elemental mini for bonus points Even balthazar would be jealous.

[@torbenpirwitz1743]

I really like your low intensity build series. Could you maybe make some videos where you use them in actual pugs, to show how the low intensity holds up to actual raiding with mechanics, moving enemies and without expert raiders at your side?

[@rivernovell7742]

if youre interested, check out MrMystic. They dont have builds for all the classes, but his builds are simplified/easier rotations of snowcrows builds. Not quite low intensity, but still fairly easy to use and do a lot of dps. He also showcases each build in actual raid situations too. (edit, they also dont use weapon swaps, so u stick to one wep set and ur all good)

[@AgentRicePooh]

Take this build and go into Kaineng Overlook strike mission, practice, and apply yourself. "Expert raiders" aren't naturally experts, they had to train and learn the fight, so should you

[@bloodthirstyworks]

I have tried many and they all get near the proposed benchmark consistently

[@naturessmurf8740]

These low intensity guides are the best! I only use dh and banners, so these are great for getting used to a new profession either to fill a certain role or to simply have fun on a new playstyle. Thanks muk! My other 12 toons may finally see some use and I may finally see a few dozen birthday presents.

[@myfrestuff3453]

"I'm Mr. Green Christmas. I'm Mr. Sun! I'm Mr. Heat Blister. I'm Mr. 101! They call me Heat Miser. Whatever I touch starts to melt in my clutch. I'm too much!" - Heat Miser in The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)

[@rkbkirin5975]

I see you're a Man of Culture.

[@neviander]

I love how the L. I. elementalist is still a minimum of 4 buttons 🤣

[@jerod4036]

6 if you count the elemental precast, which will need to be cast again if the fight is more than a minute.

[@themeltedchocolate]

And still no respect, no dps, no survivability 😪

[@Jmvars]

@@themeltedchocolate 23k is not "no dps" Survivability is only a problem if you're a moron, your healer's a moron, or you are playing on your own.

[@TribeRib]

Thanks a ton for doing these builds. As someone with bad Carpal Tunnel, these are very helpful.

[@DanielGalllego]

i would recomend earth sigil instead of leser elemental due to toughness pasive, bleeding aplication and the slight cc it provides, feel the burn is also another interesting option due to the aoe might and burning still, i use a core staff ele when i want to play condi ele anyways

[@mr.serperior7002]

it is funny that low intensity ele is still as intense as many other classes

[@healusion8912]

It's lower intensity than scourge , and scourge is lowest of all normal builds 😁

[@themeltedchocolate]

It's a burden xD

[@DucksInMayonnaise]

Yeah that's probably because Elementalist can hardly be played LI at all :P. It's like using only the can opener of your swiss knife.

[@7head7metal7]

I never clicked with elementalist, so this might as well be a build for anyone dipping their toes into this class, without playing Rachmaninoff on the grand piano ^^ Thanks a lot!

[@nohea44]

Just found this video and am loving it. Makes Elementalist easier for this old gamer to play. I have been using it with weaver since I unlocked that elite spec first and in Open World/Core Storyline it has so far been pounding everything! I use the same build except instead of Tempest I am using Weaver at 1-3-2. Constant quickness and by weaving fire and earth my skills on the scepter/focus are a good balance of DPS and Defense.

[@zenon9504]

I want to point out that you can set the two Summon Elemental skills to autocast as well.

[@gailbrookhart1777]

I've done this! One thing that I found and it may or may not still be the case so here goes... I found I had to set them both in each of the four individual attunements. They didn't set for all four with just one remap.

[@didoma73]

which 2 summon elemental skills? only the elite has an attack skill

[@TheWolfLucifersAngel]

Mr Mystic Legacy 😇

[@1Jamesinator]

Beautiful. I may see about working some of this into my regular catalyst that I'm using. See if I can increase my effectiveness.

[@ruisen2000]

If you don't have vipers or gold, you can use grieving for this build instead, since you never go into earth anyway. Grieving items are much cheaper to get, just slap on a sigil of smoldering to replace torment sigil.

[@rkbkirin5975]

Great job Mukluk! I play a support Tempest in PvP/WvW and I'm still going to use up a tab for this LI build. I'm more than happy to give my full attention for PvP/WvW but I just don't get interested or have that much fun in PvE/AI mob fights, so I'd rather relax during them. This will be a great build to try.

[@slip1419]

Thanks for these! For additional CC, you can summon your Elemental out of Air. It gets a command skill when summoned which also has a CC - looks like about 150 breakbar damage.

[@jerod4036]

Hey Muk, there is a new condi catalyst build where you can camp fire attunement. I've seen someone get a benchmark of 30k with it. I just started raiding last week and I've been able to hit 20k dps pretty easily in actual raids with this build as opposed to floundering about trying to do that muking difficult SC build rotation. It's simple to do and it is probably around 30-40 APM, which by elementalist standards is very easy.

[@didoma73]

Thanks for the very helpful walkthrough!

[@didoma73]

what would a HI tempest rotation look like?

[@senescheal3813]

Good day Mr Mukluk, is there an official way one could submit some ideas for LI builds? our crew of newbie raiders uses a couple that others might find useful.

[@MuklukYoutube]

Dm me on discord is best!

[@derricktucker1533]

Don't use Viper's gear! Use Sinister instead, you don't need all that expertise with Balthazar runes :) I use Viper's rings and accessories, and Sinister everything else (with +15% burn duration food) and 4 +5 expertise infusions, that allows me to hit 100% perfectly, while giving me a lot more condi damage, power, and precision (crits apply burns too!). Also, if you are wondering about the Torment sigil, it provides ~800 added dps over the course of the fight, so if that isn't that important to you, you can skip it and save a bunch of gold.

[@sunblade704]

Damn, wasn't sure if a LI ele was even feasible but sounds good 👍

[@efeu5541]

I just tested this in the Aspenwood meta event. Easiest thing ever, just press all the fiery buttons, Top 1 DPS 27.3k/s lel

[@manmataya]

This build guide is... lit...

[@Morvagor82]

Just saw a video with an earth-only tempest dealing bleeding damage (Earth 2-1-1, Arcane 1-1-1, Tempest 3-2-1). Easy to play, tough and up to 3 elementals on your side. Not the best damage but less intense due to staying in only one element.

[@PolarTitan]

Quick question: why sigil of torment? Sigil of smoldering increases burning duration and other sigils give buffs like 5% damage increase.

[@derricktucker1533]

it provides ~800 added dps over the course of the fight, so if that isn't that important to you, you can skip it and save a bunch of gold.

[@zephyroswest3823]

I know you recommended against it, but what *would* you recommend for the Arcane traits if I was dead set on squeezing out that extra damage? My guess would be Arcane 1-3-3, because I'm not sure what else would be better, but I would be glad to be corrected here. tysm for the guide anyway, it's been very helpful so far!

[@TohnR]

Low intensity and elementalist in the same sentence ??!

[@Liisjak]

What about a dagger offhand? You've got a high damaging fire field and your scepter has 2 blast finishers.

[@duncanrobertson6472]

Focus 4 is a fire field and does more damage

[@Liisjak]

@@duncanrobertson6472 Dagger 4 does way more damage lol. The only benefit of focus is that it gives a fire aura.

[@duncanrobertson6472]

​@@Liisjak You realize focus 4's damage and burning hits every second right? You have to multiply the tooltip damage by the number of times it hits. It also gets more benefit from the trait persisting flames.

[@chester1882]

Pyromaniac mukluk? I thought that was Scrapper Muk with a flamethrower kit. YEEEE AMERICA!

[@kuroibara2530]

I... Have zero clue what game this is. Thanks for the guide none the less!

[@MuklukYoutube]

Bahahaha! Guild Wars 2, youtube recommendations can be funny sometimes.

[@Alphenis]

How much would it change now that there are buffs planned for august 23 to Staff, Scepter, Dagger and the fire shout ? The DPS will definitively increase (at least to 25k for the 4 button version simply because Transcendent Tempest goes from +7% to +15%), but would another weapon combo dethrone Scepter + Focus ?

[@MuklukYoutube]

The phoenix cooldown is also getting halved, which would be another boost.

[@derricktucker1533]

Staff condi tempest is fine (actually staff condi weaver is better), but it still does not compete with scepter/focus.

[@ruisen2000]

I find warhorn to be 1-2k DPS above focus for offhand, and you press 1 less button unless your party is low on might

[@Tracker947]

What makes it do more dps with less buttons?

[@corporalcookie5299]

@@Tracker947 warhorn 5 lasts longer

[@Tracker947]

@@corporalcookie5299 kewl, ty

[@ruisen2000]

@@Tracker947 because Warhorn 4 is not a DPS skill, you only need it if your raid needs boon support.

[@taylorgarrett793]

one thing i wanna add, fire spectre 3 is also a one condi cleanse , and if ya know ya gonna need cc then using the air elemental elite is a good choice as it can do a 1 sec stun, but ya lose dps ofc

[@kaltaron1284]

That took me a second to understand. Sceptre not Spectre. Weapon vs. elite spec.

[@NaoyaYami]

@@kaltaron1284 SCEPTER. I know British spelling is sceptre but game uses US English (with no way to change to UK English AFAIK).

[@kaltaron1284]

@@NaoyaYami I wasn't too sure which one the game uses so I went with B.E. as the OP.

[@kiurizenful]

ty for the vid, any low intensity healer or support build?

[@MuklukYoutube]

I've found some boon-dps builds I was able to make LI and still viable with videos coming soon, I haven't yet found any healer supports I could make LI that i've been satisfied. If I find one I'll let ya'll know

[@trelic8545]

ok but i die if i get breathed on so i get 0 dps from this build. how to fix

[@chiragyadav6816]

This is not an open world build, check Lord Hizen for open world

[@nortyfiner]

Really liking these LI build videos. As a suggestion, maybe you should put them in their own playlist.

[@MuklukYoutube]

They are in their own playlist and they have their own webpage as well: mukluklabs.com/gw2-builds/#LiBuilds kzbin.info/aero/PLYXBmGBTfXeQmrxn7o6nLa9jUYp9sfzQW

[@Asderuki]

Hueh and I have full berserk ascended build... Nothing that cant be changed in mystic well >:D

[@kaltaron1284]

They said it could not be done! And to be honest it's still kind of true compared to the other LI builds but I guess a good start to play elementalist and have some fun.

[@NaoyaYami]

I'm most happy about it being burning-focused ele. My only elementalist on my acc is Charr named Asgorg Pyrestorm with Flame Legion background. Of course I will only play burning ele on it.

[@pecros]

Maybe I'll finally swap from Norn Warrior to Norn Elementalist thanks to you!

[@tropiq]

muscle wizard casts fist

[@NaoyaYami]

​@@tropiq Throw Rock. Earth Wall (just grab and pick up a chunk of ground). Meteor (throw bigger rock).

[@arkanaloth2617]

Excellent! I KNEW an LI ele build would be tempest, weaver is just too blasted complicated for a good li build.

[@DucksInMayonnaise]

On the contrary, you should also consider Weaver. I know, we see Weaver switching attunements at every eye blink, but if you stick to one attunement all the time as an LI, Weaver can give you EXCELLENT advantages over Tempest, especially in Viper's. With Master Fortitude's trait giving you a much needed 5% of condi and 5% of power converted as vitality. Elemental Polyphony gives you + 240 power if you're attuned twice to fire. Bolstered Elements and Woven stride traits also gives you a great defense backup. You won't benefit from any dual attack abilities traits, but only Elemental Refreshment is mandatory. You can also equip all weapons than this build suggest in Weaver.

[@arkanaloth2617]

@@DucksInMayonnaise I *literally* cannot play weaver. tried... the 1/2 attunement setup throws in a level of complexity that is just beyond me. Can't do it, I was an art major for a reason, LOL! I decided to stick with fresh air tempest and still use it to this day. Sometimes I'll dabble in catalyst but if it's clearly going to be a nasty fight it's right back to FA Tempest.

[@derricktucker1533]

@@arkanaloth2617 FA tempest is higher intensity than fire camp condi tempest. Also, FA tempest does really poor damage right now (it got buffed a bit but still kinda low) unless you are playing against a huge hitbox like Conjured Amalgamate. I played FA pretty much exclusively for years, but once I discovered the beauty (and simplicity) of scepter/focus fire tempest, I have not looked back. Try it!

[@michaell7877]

Wow, nice vid. A lot of info.

[@DucksInMayonnaise]

Why not use trailblazer instead of vipers on a LI build of a low hp low defense character ? At best, I'd consider using Celestial Trinkets with Viper equipment and weapons to not be constantly 1HKO. Celestial is nice to give you a slight boost to crits, healing, HP, absorb damage and makes your boons last longer altogether at the cost of some DPS yes, but at least it stays somewhat DPS friendly while being fun to play. Using only Viper's on an LI Ele build... SPELLS (Ha!)... disaster with LI players only gathering dust again on their Elementalist out of frustration of constantly dying.

[@varens7702]

Its's probably because it's really hard to do any viable LI ele build with not bad dmg so it was used to get at least some minor dmg (compared to other LI builds)

[@themeltedchocolate]

But... but I just finished crafting ascended berserker for tempest! Back to crafting I guess hahahaha

[@daze4135]

Science said it couldn't be done!

[@RavinationX]

As always very interesting to see L.I. builds especially on an ele. But the real challenge, L.I. weaver when? XD (Just a joke.. just in case people take me literally. I know weaver is not a L.I. class at all as it's my main xP)

[@Tracker947]

The big problem I find when trying to do anything low intensity on any Ele class is that if I don't push buttons I get exploded instantly

[@TheHyBriD3I6]

I have a shakeing brain

[@rainbowturtle]

Elementalist honestly is a little hyped up in terms of difficulty, kind of like how raids are. Sure, its a bit tough at the start, but once you know all your skill names and have a rotation to work with it can often just be a case of muscle memory, like an easier builds such as power soulbeast, since you dont go into every element all the time (on most builds, condi weaver is the one exception). This build isn't bad, especially if you need the LI aspect to it, but I'd highly recommend learning another build *if you can*, as elementalist is one of the classes I expect people to look for a lower intensity build even if they can do something more complicated.

[@nate998877]

I believe this is blasphemy.

[@manmataya]

and i am plucked and scandalized

[@Adamzychu]

Lmao at this point you could just pick some of the easier classes and do the 'proper' rotation of similar complexity to "low intensity" ele ;D

[@juliasophical]

Not really. Even the full 11 button version of a "campfire elementalist" involves just hitting every key off cooldown, which makes its complexity very low and "rotation" non-existent: you can play it by rolling your fist back and forth across the keyboard.