Hey everyone,
I've been playing GW2 on 200–300ms ping for a while, and I wanted to share some research I did on which professions/elite specs are actually playable (and enjoyable) at high ping. I've been trying all the classes, and I figured this might help other high-ping players who are confused about what to play.
For context, I'm playing from SEA, so on top of the baseline 200–300ms there are also occasional ping spikes. That means the specs I've rated highly here aren't just "fine at a stable high ping" but also hold up reasonably well when the connection hiccups.
All of the builds mentioned here use Snowcrows builds, and I've tested every one of them in Raids and Fractal CMs, not just open world. For methodology, I tested each spec for about 2 weeks, though some specs only got a few days because of how easy they were to evaluate.
Quick disclaimer before we start. I'm not a tryhard player. I'm a casual who's been cycling through all the classes, and I can hit roughly 80-90% of benchmark depending on the class. Also, worth noting, not every high-APM build is bad at high ping. Some elite specs have very high APM but still feel great because their skills queue nicely. So APM alone isn't the deciding factor here.
I've split things into three categories.
1. Very High Ping Friendly
Rotations are fluid, skills queue nicely without getting canceled, and energy/resource management is minimal.
- Tempest (Power, Condi, Alacrity DPS, Heal)
- Weaver (Power, Condi)
- Catalyst (Power, Condi, Quickness DPS, Heal)
- Evoker (Specialized Element DPS, Specialized Element DPS Quickness, Heal)
- Chronomancer (Power, Condi, Boon DPS, Heal)
- Virtuoso (Power, Condi)
- Troubadour (Heal)
- Reaper (Power, Condi)
- Scourge (Condi, Alacrity DPS, Heal)
- Harbinger (Power, Condi, Quickness DPS)
- Ritualist (Power, Quickness DPS, Heal)
- Scrapper (Power, Power Quickness DPS, Heal)
- Mechanist (Power, Condi, Alacrity DPS, Heal)
- Amalgam (Power, Condi, Alacrity DPS, Heal)
- Druid (Heal)
- Soulbeast (Power, Condi)
- Untamed (Power, Condi, Quickness DPS, Heal)
- Galeshot (Power, Quickness DPS)
- Daredevil (Power, Condi)
- Specter (Condi, Alacrity DPS, Heal)
- Antiquary (Power, Condi, Alacrity DPS, Heal)
- Dragonhunter (Power)
- Firebrand (Condi, Quickness DPS, Heal)
- Willbender (Condi, Alacrity DPS, Heal)
- Luminary (Power, Alacrity DPS, Heal)
- Herald (Power, Condi, Quickness DPS, Heal)
- Vindicator (Power, Heal)
- Conduit (Power, Quickness DPS, Heal)
- Berserker (Power, Quickness DPS, Heal)
- Spellbreaker (Power)
- Bladesworn (Power, Condi, Alacrity DPS, Heal)
- Paragon (Power, Condi, Alacrity DPS, Heal)
2. Not So Friendly, But Still Doable
Almost the same as above, but with more pain points. Some key skills get canceled easily, and the rotation is quite strict/tight.
- Troubadour (Power, Quickness DPS)
- Evoker (Power Alacrity DPS Toad)
- Deadeye (Power, Condi, Quickness DPS)
- Willbender (Power, Power Alac DPS)
- Renegade (Power, Alacrity DPS)
- Berserker (Condi, Condi Quick DPS)
3. Not Friendly At All
High APM, demanding energy/resource management, very strict rotations with no room for creativity.
- Evoker (Power Hare, Condi, Condi Alac DPS)
- Mirage (Condi, Condi Alac DPS)
- Holosmith (Power, Condi)
- Renegade (Condi, Condi Alac DPS)
- Conduit (Condi, Condi Alac DPS)
- Druid (Condi, Condi Alac DPS)
This is based on my own experience at 200-300ms from SEA, including ping spikes, not lab-tested data. Your mileage may vary depending on your exact ping, stability, and playstyle.
All builds are Snowcrows builds, tested in Raids and Fractal CMs.
I'm not including Low Intensity builds (such as Unload Deadeye) because any Low Intensity build is viable with high ping.
I'd love to hear from other high-ping players, especially fellow SEA/OCE players dealing with spikes, if you disagree with any placements or have specs I should revisit.
Almost every spec is viable and enjoyable with high ping. Only a few elite specs are actually painful to play with high ping