Judging character strength?

Alwari

Is there a place or a way to determine your character strength besides beating on dummies?
I'm trying to figure out how well my current build performs. For example, should I be able to solo dungeons or world bosses? How many mobs should I be able to take on at once? How much damage should I be able to tank? How much healing should I be doing? I'm trying to figure out how to answer questions like that. Is there a resource out there you folks use, or a way to figure this out for yourself?
Thanks!

static_recharge

These are hard questions to answer with the vast diversity available in this game. Really it comes down to what content you want to do and what your play style is. There's no metrics or guides that everyone uses.

AmoralOne

Just compare yourself to everybody else doing what you are doing. If hes out healing you, hit him up, or figure it out on your own. thats the best way to know how you compare aside from dummies.

As for soloing dungeons, and world bosses, just do it! If you cant, fix it. If you can, good for you

Trial and error, and it never hurts to get into a guild for guidance.

Tonturri

The best build for soloing dungeons may not necessarily be the most DPS heavy build...or, depending on the dungeon, it may be exactly the most DPS heavy build with a single heal.

There is an addon called combat metrics that lets you know how much you're contributing to the group's numbers, but other than that it's more of a...adjust-as-you-go type thing, I think.

fred4

vMA

Nestor

Try all the things you want to do. If you survive, then you are good to go. If you die, tweak something.

If you are a healer, and your group lives you did your job.

If your a tank, and you keep the boss aggro, keep the mobs under control, keep your group buffed and the boss debuffed, you did your job.

tsaescishoeshiner

It depends on what your standards are.

If we're talking good enough to carry weight in veteran dungeons and trials, you should be able to take on like any amount of overland mobs, and solo most basegame world bosses (might take a few tries). You want to build for damage, and use heals or damage shields or armor skills to stay alive while doing as much damage as possible. That being said, I know people who do vet dungeons + trials who struggle with that kind of solo content.

There are a few basegame world bosses that even my vMA-clearing characters struggle with, but the rest have straightforward combat cues and medium damage. Deshaan's a good place, because you can farm Mother's Sorrow while practicing!

Alwari

Can most end game builds solo world bosses or dungeons?

Chilly-McFreeze

Alwari wrote: »

Can most end game builds solo world bosses or dungeons?

Most endgame (PvE) builds are designed to make the most out of group situations. But if you're neck deep into endgame you will be able to solo most stuff skill wise, which is more important than 1-2% more or less dps.

But if you're looking for a pure solo build, those are a tad different to endgame ones as they have to take care of defense a bit more.

fred4

Alwari wrote: »

Can most end game builds solo world bosses or dungeons?

No. You have to design your build for that. If you are a trials-focused DD, you are probably too squishy / specialised. If you are a tank or healer, you probably won't have the damage for soloing to be enjoyable. If you are any type of group build, you probably won't have enough sustain, since you rely on synergies for that.

World bosses and dungeons aren't the end all of PvE. vMA is probably it for solo players. vMA is tuned to keep your on your toes, without being tedious.

Most world bosses are easily soloable, however each area includes one out of 6 that is harder. Try the mag DK type boss in Stonefalls and you'll see what I mean. You can perhaps defeat him with careful attention to mechanics, bashing him at the right moments, but it's easier if you are a little bit tanky for that one. Say you are a templar, stuck in your Jabs channel, bashing can be hard to do at the right moment.

Some DLC world bosses are hard. The Wrothgar Unfinished Dolmen boss is renowned for that. It can be soloed, but you'll want to run a solo build.

vMA is the arbiter for me. If a build works there, it's got a good balance of damage, sustain and tankiness. If you are extremely accomplished that may no longer hold true, since you are burning every mob and boss to the ground so fast, you don't need defenses anymore. If you are not at that level yet then, yeah, vMA lets gauge whether you have a good, balanced build that, incidentally, may also become the basis of a PvP build, at least in terms of sustain and defensive buffs.

Public dungeons are dead easy. Undaunted dungeons vary. Don't even bother with normal mode non-DLC dungeons. Too easy. Vet non-DLC dungeons and normal DLC dungeons are more interesting. Some of them can be soloed. When you can't, it's usually due to a mechanic that requires more than one person to deal with.

Muizer

vMA? I don't know. I've yet to complete it on veteran. I'm a bit disheartened about it because a lot of the time the mechanics make the difference, which means it's more about knowing the choreography than about the kind build and skill you can fall back on in unanticipated situations. I know that's kicking in an open door, but that is why I think the only true challenge of skill and builds is vs other players.