First off, I'd like to state I believe elementalist is the highest skill cap profession in the game.
This means that to start and play it and an average level compared to other classes takes a good understanding of the class and its abilities, as well as practice at them in order to get good at rotating specific skills in different orders. Remember that other than certain engineers, we have 2x more skills, thus 2x more chances to hit the wrong skill, than other classes. This makes it innately harder to appropriate move through the 20 skills +5 extra you have. And let me state this also, if you don't use most of your 20 skills in a fight lasting over 30 seconds, you’re not utilizing the potential that I think the class has. Skills are there to be used :)
I'd love to help those who struggle to play an elementalist, as I love mine, and feel strong in my shoes. I recently hit 80 and leveled a decent about doing PVE and WvWvW, as well as some sPvP. I had a very good experience with leveling with a staff, although I did try everything. Elementalists are very easy to think of as glass cannons, but, in my experience and play style; I enjoy a much more balanced approach. Trait builds can vary, but this is the link to what I run:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/en/?fEAQFAWhImIblR5gjEAkCmMUEiHiCWUeMzN5A
Realize that your states are MUCH more dependent on the gear you choose for the most part. By going arcane I focused on a holistic approach to my Elementalist, which I go into further detail about.
I focus on switching attunement frequently. Almost always 2+ are on cool down as I rotate through and use the shorter cool downs as well as mixing in the longer, stronger cool downs.
I also focus on versatility as my strength. I find by utilizing all attunements I have a greater impact on control. There is no skill I don't use consistently out of the 25 we have (5 per attunement, 1 healing, 3 utility, 1 elite). I have a background as a druid in WoW and therefore I think the constant switching of attunements is natural for me. One motto I live by is a dead DPS is no DPS. Live and chip away at strong enemies and outlast them, know when to burst and know when to run.
At 80, as I write this from work, I believe I run about 1900 power, 1400 precision, 1300 toughness and 1300 vitality with my gear in WvW, and some condition damage. Once again, I focus on balance. I won't blow you up in 1 hit, but feel in no means like I am weak or can't kill someone. I have run into a few thieves that b/c of their ability to stay on me and stealth and burst I feel like my only option is to run, but let’s remember paper>rock>scissors>paper. I measure myself against other true 80's when I see them and feel if I play right I can beat most everything. As a note to gear, I only had about 3g and 50k karma to spend. I am in decent gear, nothing better. Save all your karma if you can and utilize the trading post to get some cheaper gear. I run a staff because in WvW the range is nice and the ability to add combo fields constantly I believe is a greater help to my team then damage I can alone put out.
A major strength I feel of mine is my ability to be slippery. By running my build I can switch to water, lay down a geyser for a burst heal, remove a condition, gain rejuv (2 types) go into air, get 25 seconds of swiftness, lay down a stun field, use a push back, go into earth, put on a reflective shield, lay a cripple zone, immobilize someone, and go into fire for some nukes, then state rolling through attunements again. Now, I realize, theory crafting is nice, and not all of those will hit. But per situation, you can change how you handle that for survivability and when you can dish in damage. Try to always think 2 steps ahead of your current move. Set yourself up moving forward in battle. The best advice I can give in the heat of battle is to be Proactive. Not Reactive. Once your enemy controls the tide of battle, this means trouble. Dictate the grounds on which you fight.
Now, this is all play style I prefer. Most people differ from me but I feel as though I’ve seen success as an elementalist. I enjoy being the guy who boosts my entire team. Buffing swiftness to catch an enemy. Laying down the AOE in the middle to add pressure and creating combo fields to help burst enemies. Nothing greater than watching 5-10 people around you having constant combo fields from your abilities.
On a note about quick targeting, because I move so much around the field of battle, I dislike it. I like to see exactly where my fields will land, and I use my mouse to move my camera frequently so in all that fuss my pointer is sometimes not easy to pick up on my screen. Also helps reduce mis clicking mistakes on big cool downs. Another thing to notice is when you lay a “wall†type field, the wall rotate depending on the cardinal direction it is around your person. Seeing the angle I lay this helps me a lot.
Utility skills, if you've looked at my spec you see I run Arcane Blast, Arcane Wave, Mist Form, Glyph of elementalist, and Glyph of Elemental Harmony. I'll explain choices.
First.. Elemental harmony. Easy explanation... Switch into water to heal. The extra rejuv on yourself is huge, and if you can lay down some of you other heals. Use it frequently. 60%= heal time for me, not 20%. Heal often and try to keep yourself capped. In my build water also removes a condition. And… big leap in theory crafting… but I think it smart targets certain conditions. High stacks of bleeds go away before a stack of poison. Crippling and immobilized remove before vulnerability, etc... (Don’t quote me on that).
Arcane skills... Blast is the kill shot we have. At 20 second cool down, it is very low CD and has high damage as well as a combo finishing. Wave is great as well, as you can use it offensively or defensively (hint: try using Arcane Wave in a water combo field, watch the extra AOE healing). Mist form, well, the best escape I can see. Doesn't remove conditions but if you go into water, hit mist form, you can still use your healing ability while escaping.
Glyph of Elementals - I primary use this one for the fire elemental to do some added damage, since my build is more balanced, I can handle surviving and usually the enemies don't realize the fire elemental is rather squishy.
Wrapping it up because I can theory craft forever, I find I can take on 3-4 npc's and live if I properly rotate my attunements. They are much easier to handle if all melee. The elementalist as a glass cannon is not how I play, although the class is well suited for the role, but get used to dying. Personally, when I die I feel 100% as though I misplayed, not as though the class is lacking. I also feel that no class brings more to a group than us and our ability to be versatile depending on the situation.
- Jedgar
PS: copied directly from my post in the Elementalist Guide, in case people missed it there.