Best PVP Classes in Guild Wars 2, Ranked (2024)

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Penned by Tyler Locke

Tyler is a psych graduate turned freelance writer and one of the newest additions to the HGG team. They currently write guides for a variety of gam... Read more

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

The Guild Wars 2 PVP meta is always changing with each season and Season 36 is no exception. With the latest update, some classes were knocked down a peg while others cemented their place at the top. As of right now, the Elementalists reign supreme with Catalyst and Tempest as their best specializations. However, what makes this class the best at GW2 PVP and what makes other classes worse?

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What Makes a Good PVP Class?

A few things make a class good at PVP in GW2. First, what role are they and how well do they follow that role? Second, how hard are they to play and is it worth playing? Third, are they countered by another meta class?

For example, Deadeye is a strong ranged DPS capable of roaming and quickly bursting targets. However, they are easily countered by projectile block or by revealing stealth. If classes with those capabilities are meta then Deadeye is going have a hard time being meta as well.

Keeping that in mind, let’s see who the best classes for PVP are right now in Guild Wars 2.

Best GW2 PVP Classes, Weakest to Strongest

Remember, these rankings are always subject to change depending on the current patch of the game and balance changes. We will do our best to keep this list up to date with any major shifts.

While we’re not doing a conventional tier list, we will be covering how good each class and its specializations are at PVP in GW2. By the end, you’ll know how well each class is doing in the current meta.

9/9

Necromancer

Necromancer and its respective elite specs have been under-performing lately compared to other classes, which is why it is ranked so low. That isn’t to say it’s a bad class that can’t PvP. In fact, it’s one of the easiest to play. With high survivability and useful utility, such as Fear, it makes for a decent class for any player.

However, in this current meta, Necromancer falls off somewhat. Core and Scourge aren’t that strong right now, especially Scourge, which is struggling since its biggest counter is simply avoiding standing in its Shades. Likewise, while Harbinger is strong, it is highly countered by projectile block, which is unfortunately what the meta builds bring.

If you still want to use Necromancer in PvP, especially in ranked, Reaper is a good choice at the moment. With Necromancer’s innate survivability and useful utility, Reaper brings tons of AoE damage, Fear, and Chill, which is perfect for team fights. Otherwise, you will definitely feel weak playing Necromancer this season.

8/9

Revenant

While Revenant used to be one of the best PVP classes in GW2, it’s not so much anymore. Vindicator’s damage was nerfed quite a bit, which reduced the kill potential on its more popular builds. Likewise, Herald received a few nerfs a while back, and Renegade just doesn’t perform well in this meta.

However, this doesn’t make Revenant entirely unplayable. Herald and Vindicator are still great roamers and team fighters with high damage but less survivability and somewhat of a higher skill cap. There’s also talk of a Condi Vindicator build that deals great damage and has high sustain.

In this patch, Revenant mains need to play a little safer, and they’ll do just fine. Unless you’re playing Renegade, then you might want to switch to something else, unless you like all your attacks being blocked.

7/9

Ranger

#7 on this list is Ranger, which is doing average overall compared to the other classes. One of its more popular builds, Untamed, received a nerf to its mobility skill, making its roamer playstyle worse. It still does a lot of damage but is somewhat hard to play and very squishy.

On the other hand, Druid is doing very well for itself. It has two decent builds at the moment. One is a tanky build focused on stalling to capture points or waiting for backup, while the other is great for supporting the team and setting up kills. It’s definitely not meta, but it’s still a fun spec to play.

If you like the Druid playstyle, Ranger might rank higher on this list for you. Otherwise, you might feel a bit weak playing Soulbeast or Untamed.

6/9

Engineer

Engineers are doing well this patch. They have two viable builds: Scrapper and Holosmith. These are mainly glass cannon builds meant to deal high damage with little to no defense. The only real defensive tools they have are Superspeed and Invisibility, which they also use to roam around the map.

Despite dealing insane damage, the lack of defensive tools really hurts their ranking. Unlike the Thief, who plays a similar roamer role, Engineers only have one stun break and very few condition cleanses. This makes it incredibly easy for a decent player to focus crowd control on the Engineer and shut them down.

As an Engineer in PvP, you might need to play a little safer and choose the right times to engage to perform well in this patch.

5/9

Thief

Thief, my beloved. This class, with all its specializations, is a very fun to play in PVP. As of right now, Daredevil and Deadeye are its most viable builds. When utilizing the Shortbow, these specializations are great roamer assassins, using their high mobility and damage to take out targets and control the map. Unlike Engineers, they have multiple stun breaks and cleanses, making them harder to pin down.

However, in the current meta, you might run into a bit of trouble, which brings Thieves a little lower in the rankings. With a lot of projectile block from classes like Elementalist, builds like Deadeye might find themselves countered and somewhat useless. Likewise, Engineers or Warriors can easily run skills that reveal stealthed players, which counters a lot of the Thief’s burst.

Despite this, Thief is still good, especially when playing Daredevil. Just be careful when facing other classes that can easily make your life hell. To get some build ideas, check out our guide on the best Thief builds.

4/9

Mesmer

Starting off the higher ranking of this list is the Mesmer. Mesmer would actually be ranked lower if it wasn’t for Chronomancer. With tons of invulnerability and Aegis, Chronomancer has a “bunker” playstyle, which mainly supports their team in small fights or at stall points.

While Chronomancers don’t do insane damage, they have enough defense to 1v2 (or even 1v3) and survive until help comes. Additionally, they can have 100% Alacrity uptime, making sure their defensive skills are always up. With all of this combined, they are incredibly tough to kill, and one might say a little overpowered.

If the bunker playstyle isn’t really for you, Mesmer also has Virtuoso, which is doing okay in this meta. With Elementalists and their projectile blocks/reflects being meta, Virtuoso’s unblockable skills will serve you well. You might surprise a few unsuspecting players who think they can block everything.

3/9

Guardian

Next in the top three, we have the Guardian. Much like the Mesmer, Guardian has a single build that is incredibly strong, and better yet, it’s Core Guardian. Keeping the similarities going, Core Guardian is quite possibly the best PVP support class in GW2 at the moment. It has everything you need and is very easy to play.

Unlike Chronomancer, Core Guardian isn’t a bunker support and prefers to be with their team. This build easily provides defensive boons like Protection and Aegis while also having team-wide cleanses and healing. It even has a ranged revive to save downed teammates.

If you like playing supports or are a free-to-play player, Guardian is a great choice to start PvPing. Plus, when you get more comfortable playing, you have options like Willbender to try other roles.

2/9

Warrior

For the second-best PVP class in GW2, we have the Warrior. Right now, the Warrior is considered the best duelist you can play. They have great 1v1 potential thanks to their excellent crowd control, survivability, and innate damage output. Warriors have two main builds they can choose from: Defense Spellbreaker and Defense Berserker.

Both of these builds utilize the Defense and Discipline specs to have tons of defense and sustain, perfect for dueling or 1v1s. Outside of 1v1s, your team fighting is just as strong. You have plenty of CC to lock down enemies for the team and plenty of stun breaks to avoid being locked down yourself.

All in all, Warrior is a very solid class in this meta. It’s not entirely overpowered, but it’s not weak enough to be outperformed by other classes. If you love the bruiser/duelist playstyle, Warrior is a great choice.

1/9

Elementalist

Finally, we have what is widely considered the current best class for PVP in GW2, the Elementalist. While it was rightfully nerfed, it still has, without a doubt, some of the strongest PVP builds in the game. It can fulfill multiple roles from duelist to support and play them better than most classes.

Its strongest build at the moment is Fresh Air Catalyst. This build has loads of burst damage thanks to being able to spam Air Attunement with the Fresh Air trait. It also has plenty of survivability with boons and constant healing from Signets. Due to this, it’s incredibly easy to play with a low-risk, high-reward playstyle.

Elementalist also has what people call the Auramancer Tempest build. With this build, you focus on providing multiple auras to your team that protect allies or make enemy’s lives hell. Tempest also has access to crowd control, direct healing, cleanses, and damage reduction. It basically has everything a support could want.

Both of these builds also have access to tons of projectile denial, including projectile reflects. So not only are they strong, but they also make other classes weaker by default. If you want a class that excels in most situations, the Elementalist is the best choice. Just don’t be surprised when they nerf it…again.

Join the High Ground!

And that wraps up the best PVP classes in Guild Wars 2. While this is bound to change with the next season, you’ll be seeing a lot of Eles and Warriors in the meantime.

Was there a class you think is better or weaker than we ranked? Leave a comment down below and don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly newsletter!

And as always, take the High Ground!