What is the Best Solo Class in Guild Wars 2?

The quest for the ultimate solo class in Guild Wars 2 (GW2) is a common one, especially for players who enjoy exploring the vast world of Tyria at their own pace. While the game is designed to be incredibly solo-friendly, certain professions excel at independent gameplay, offering a blend of survivability, damage, and utility that makes them stand out from the crowd. After reviewing a wide range of community opinions and gameplay data, it’s clear that the Necromancer is often cited as the top choice for solo players, particularly for those new to the game. However, the landscape changes slightly depending on personal preferences and playstyle. Let’s delve deeper into what makes the Necromancer and other professions contenders for the title of best solo class in GW2.

Why the Necromancer Reigns Supreme for Solo Play

The Necromancer’s appeal to solo players stems from its unique mechanics and strong toolkit that offers unparalleled self-sufficiency. Here’s why it’s often considered the top solo class:

• High Survivability: Necromancers have excellent health pools and access to Death Shroud, a unique mechanic that provides a second health bar and allows them to survive even when taking a lot of damage. This essentially gives them multiple lives, making them incredibly forgiving for solo play.
• Minion Support: Necromancers can summon minions to fight alongside them. These minions can draw aggro from enemies, allowing the player to deal damage safely from a distance. While not the strongest DPS dealers, they significantly enhance survival in solo scenarios.
• Easy to Learn, Hard to Master: The Necromancer’s core mechanics are straightforward, making it beginner-friendly, but its specialization options add depth and complexity. You can tailor your Necromancer to be a powerful direct damage dealer, a condition damage powerhouse, or a minion master, depending on your preference.
• Excellent Self-Healing: Necromancers have access to multiple healing skills and traits, allowing them to recover quickly from damage taken, essential for extended solo encounters. Life Force Leech is an integral part of the class’s identity and a potent tool for sustaining themselves in battle.
• Versatility: Whether you prefer to fight at range or get up close and personal, the Necromancer has viable build options. This flexibility allows you to adapt your playstyle as needed for different solo content.

While the Necromancer often gets top billing, other classes also provide excellent options for solo play.

Other Contenders for Best Solo Class

While the Necromancer is a strong contender, here are other professions that are well-suited for solo play:

Ranger

Rangers are renowned for their pet mechanics which provide a companion to draw aggro and deal damage, allowing the player to safely attack from a distance. Their high sustain and healing potential make them a solid option for beginners. The Untamed elite specialization is a powerhouse for solo play, providing great damage, sustain, and crowd control.

Mesmer

Mesmers are a complex class focused on illusions and deception. Their ability to create clones and phantasms allows them to engage enemies from multiple angles and avoid direct attacks. Chronomancer and Virtuoso specializations offer unique solo capabilities, with time manipulation and condition damage, respectively. However, Mesmers can have a slightly higher skill floor.

Thief

Thieves are incredibly mobile and deal high damage, making them excellent for solo gameplay. With powerful burst damage, condition cleansing, and dodges, Thieves can quickly dispatch enemies and escape from dangerous situations. Daredevil’s increased mobility, damage, and self-healing make it a favorite for solo players.

Revenant

Revenants have a unique play style revolving around using different legends and their associated skill sets. They are durable and can deal solid damage, making them effective for solo play. The Vindicator specialization is particularly strong for solo content due to its survivability and damage.

Engineer

Engineers are a versatile class with a wide array of tools and gadgets. Their various turrets and utility skills make them excellent for controlling combat flow and dealing consistent damage from a safe distance. The Mechanist specialization provides a pet companion, boosting both damage and sustain.

Guardian

Guardians are a sturdy, defensive class that excels at protecting themselves and allies. Their access to powerful blocks, aegis, and healing makes them incredibly resilient. While they might not have the highest DPS, they are very well equipped to handle most solo encounters safely. Firebrand is a strong option offering more flexibility for solo situations.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Soloing in Guild Wars 2

Here are some common questions about playing solo in GW2:

1. Can I solo all of Guild Wars 2?

Yes, you can experience most of the core GW2 content solo. The game is designed with solo play in mind. While some content, like raids, requires groups, the open world, story missions, and many other activities can easily be completed alone.

2. Which class is the easiest to learn for soloing?

The Ranger is often cited as one of the easiest classes to learn, due to its simple pet mechanic and ability to engage enemies from a safe distance. The Guardian and Warrior are also good beginner-friendly options.

3. Which class has the highest solo DPS?

While DPS can vary greatly depending on builds and individual player skill, the Thief and Ranger, along with some specific Necromancer and Elementalist builds, often rank among the top for solo DPS output.

4. What is the tankiest class for solo play?

The Guardian with its high health, access to blocks, and healing skills is considered the tankiest, alongside Revenant’s Vindicator specialization.

5. Which class has the best self-healing?

The Necromancer is often praised for its self-healing capabilities, especially through its Life Force mechanics. Rangers with Druid and Engineers with Mechanist are also excellent self-healers.

6. Are there any racial benefits for solo play?

No. While races have their own unique skills, they are not particularly impactful in solo play and most racial skills are rarely used due to other better options. Race selection in Guild Wars 2 is purely cosmetic.

7. Does gear matter for solo play?

Yes, having appropriate gear is important for solo play. It is best to equip gear with stats that complement your class and build for the best experience.

8. What are the best types of solo content in GW2?

The open world, story missions, map completion, personal story, and heart quests are all easily achievable solo. You can also explore jumping puzzles and complete dynamic events on your own.

9. Can I change my class later in the game?

You cannot change your class directly but you can create as many characters as you have character slots and try out different professions.

10. What about expansions? Do they change solo class rankings?

Expansions introduce elite specializations which can greatly impact class performance in solo play. For instance, the Untamed Ranger or Vindicator Revenant are powerful additions to their respective classes for solo content.

11. Which profession is the most fun to play solo?

This is subjective and depends on your preferences. Mesmer is popular for its unique playstyle and illusion mechanics, and Engineer for its gadget variety. The class you find most fun will enhance your enjoyment of solo play.

12. How does the game reward solo players?

You gain experience, level up, acquire loot, progress through the story, and explore the world while playing solo. GW2 is very generous with solo players’ progression and rewards.

13. Do I need a group to get rich in GW2?

While some gold farming methods benefit from groups, you can generate significant income through solo methods such as completing daily achievements, map events, and trading in crafting materials.

14. What’s the most easy legendary item to obtain?

The amulet is often seen as one of the easier legendary items to obtain in PvE due to its simple and engaging gameplay requirements. However, its long crafting journey may take several weeks.

15. Is Guild Wars 2 a skill-based game?

Yes, Guild Wars 2 is very skill-based. While it’s easy to pick up, learning how to use the class mechanics, build synergy, and enemy behaviors are key to mastering the game in both solo and group play.

In conclusion, while the Necromancer offers an excellent solo experience thanks to its versatility, survivability, and self-healing, many other classes such as the Ranger, Thief, and Revenant are also viable and enjoyable options for players who prefer to explore Tyria on their own. Choose a class that fits your playstyle and preferences, and you will find that Guild Wars 2 is a highly rewarding and engaging experience for solo players.