Build:Catalyst - D/D DPS

This is a rough draft. Once adequately written, it will progress to the testing stage, where it can be rated by the community. You can help by proposing changes with a comment.

Focused on: Strike damage, Utility and Crowd control

Designed for: WvW Zerg

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Normal

This build was last updated on May 21, 2025.

Overview

A glass cannon spike based melee build that combines several skills to hit at the same time while stacking damage modifiers.

Skill Bar

Dagger/Dagger

Dagger/Dagger

Utility

Variants

Heal

• Arcane Brilliance extra combo finisher, if needed for Elemental Empowerment
• Ether Renewal is a shorter CD heal for Fire Aura via Relic of Fire, but Sunspot ensures you always have the aura for your combo anyway

Utility

• Lightning Flash ⇒ Invigorating Air or Mist Form
  • If you need a stunbreak

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Specializations

Variants

• Persisting Flames if you can't stay in for the Flame Expulsion

Variants

• Energized Elements if Elemental Empowerment can be maintained
• Empowering Auras if Elemental Empowerment can be maintained

Equipment

Head
Marauder

Shoulders
Dragon

Chest
Dragon

Hands
Marauder

Legs
Marauder

Feet
Marauder

Backpiece
Marauder

Accessory
Dragon

Accessory
Marauder

Amulet
Marauder

Ring
Marauder

Ring
Marauder

Dagger
Marauder

Dagger
Marauder

Sigil

Sigil

Dagger
Marauder

Dagger
Marauder

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Relic

Equipment Variants

Relics

• Relic of Speed
• Relic of the Thief

Consumables

• • personal option

Usage

General

• As soon as you get 25 stacks of Sigil of Superior Sigil of Bloodlust and get out of combat, swap back to the Staff without a stacking sigil
• You are much stronger with full stacks of Elemental Empowerment and Empowering Auras
  • Maintain stacks via Elemental Epitome, Vicious Empowerment + Earthen Rush and Evasive Empowerment

Priorities

High

• Spike damage

Moderate

• Sustained damage

Low

• CC

Surviving

• This build has low passive defense
• This build has high mobility skill access
  • Avoid using Lightning Flash for mobility unless necessary to survive
• This build has low active defenses
  • Save Soothing Water for removing Immobilize, Chill or Weakness

Active defense priority

• Dodge

Detailed Explanations

Spike Damage

• Your spike combo is: Convergence ⇒ Fire Attunement ⇒ Relentless Fire + Glyph of Elemental Power ⇒ Burning Speed ⇒ Fire Grab
  • If properly executed Convergence and Burning Speed should land at the same time

Sustained Damage

• Use Ring of Fire ⇒ Drake's Breath then swap to Water Attunement/Earth Attunement
  • Wait for Air Attunement and Fire Attunement to be ready then go for spike combo again
  • Camping Air Attunement for Lightning Whip is fine while waiting for Fire Attunement if you're out of skills in the other attunements

CC

• Earthen Rush is good to land when your group crosses the enemy group
• Earthquake is a decent CC, but very short range
  • Its OK to use to as just a blast for Elemental Empowerment stacks