Welcome to the Great Guide for Open World Core Builds in Guild Wars 2, 2024! We will look into core builds that employ items and strategies available in the core game, proving their efficiency against champion-level mobs from the Heart of Thorns expansion. They might not be S-tier ones but are an excellent start.

• Elementalist: The Celestial Conductor
• Guardian: The Resolute Defender
• Thief: The Critical Assassin
• Necromancer: The Minion Master
• Warrior: The Might Factory
• Ranger: The Versatile Marksman
• Revenant: The Balanced Warrior
• Mesmer: The Illusive Duelist
• Engineer: The Explosive Innovator

↖ Elementalist: The Celestial Conductor

By focusing on the staff and utilizing signet skills with an elemental elite, you can dish out substantial condition damage while your elemental companion takes on the brunt of the enemy assaults.

• Gear: Celestial (obtainable through WvW, check the description for links).
• Playstyle: Utilize signet skills and your elemental elite. Keep alternating between fire and earth for optimal condition damage, and use water attunement to get powerful healing effects. While Fire Elemental has great DPS, Earth Elemental is your go-to when you need extra toughness versus stronger foes.
• Why This Build? Low APM required, perfect for newcomers. It offers a balance of damage and survivability.

↖ Guardian: The Resolute Defender

If you're looking for a power build with strong sword strike damage and defensive capabilities, the Guardian has got you covered. By wielding a great sword and a shield, you can unleash devastating attacks while maintaining solid defenses.

• Gear: Power-focused with sword and shield mixed up together.
• Playstyle: Leverage the resolution boon for damage boosts. Pair your sword strikes with the defensive prowess of shield defense abilities like Litany of Wrath to heal through your damage output.
• Why This Build? A perfect mix of offense and defense. It offers mobility, damage, and the ability to block crucial attacks.

↖ Thief: The Critical Assassin

The thief's double pistol unload spam setup is a force to be reckoned with in the open world. With a focus on berserker stats and invigorating precision trait, this build delivers high damage output while providing self-sustaining capabilities.

• Gear: Full Berserker's.
• Playstyle: Master the double pistol and "unload" combo. Capitalize on the trait "Invigorating Precision" for healing through critical hits. Maintain mobility and continuously deal damage.
• Why This Build? High damage, self-sustaining, and offers multiple escape routes. A burst of adrenaline in every fight.

↖ Necromancer: The Minion Master

Embrace the dark arts with a core necromancer build that revolves around minions and condition damage. By wielding a scepter and dagger paired with a staff, you can unleash a barrage of conditions while your flesh golem tanks incoming threats.

• Gear: Condition-focused with scepter/dagger and staff.
• Playstyle: Command your minions while dealing condition damage. Use the scepter for your primary damage and the staff for utility and control purposes. Add an extra layer of defense by getting into Death Shroud.
• Why This Build? Safe and straightforward. Your minions absorb damage while you whittle down enemies with conditions.

↖ Warrior: The Might Factory

Unleash the fury of the warrior with a sustained beast build that focuses on great sword and ax-shield combinations. By generating might through your attacks, you can heal and gain endurance to outlast your enemies in combat.

• Gear: Greatsword with an ax/shield combo, leaning towards Berserker's gear.
• Playstyle: Heal and generate strength. You can use your Greatsword for big damage and additional damage and defense with the Ax/Shield. Once you do that, it'll be hard to stop you.
• Why This Build? A bulldozer. Overwhelm by might, overpowering enemies with raw force and stamina.

↖ Ranger: The Versatile Marksman

The ranger's great sword/long bow combo is a fearsome choice for those who love huge melee hits with long range dominance. Through successive pet swaps smartly done and occasional DPS cooldowns, this build deals massive damage while keeping enemies at arm's length.

• Gear: Greatsword/Longbow combination.
• Playstyle: Using Longbow for ranged assaults or the Greatsword for up close devastation. Additional DPS boosts from pet swaps.
• Why This Build? It will always move faster than anything else on the battlefield while taking almost everything down in seconds.

↖ Revenant: The Balanced Warrior

Revenant can be harnessed through double swords and staff which focus on continual combat via steady attacks and battle scars. By having a mixture of assassin stance (offense) and dwarf stance (defense), this build provides decent sustain as it deals much damage to enemies.

• Gear: Double swords focused on Assassin/Dwarf stances along with a staff.
• Playstyle: Offensive approach (Assassin stance) and defensive approach (Dwarf Stance). Do not waste energy but get maximum out of it when it comes to your DPS.
• Why This Build? For a consistent flow of damage and survivability. A balanced option for players who want to fight strategically.

↖ Mesmer: The Illusive Duelist

Understand the intricate nature of mesmer's play using great sword/double sword combos that rely heavily on clone tanking and phantasmal DPS. With ample clone generation and escape abilities, this build avoids pursuers and drives enemies into the ground.

• Gear: Greatsword/Double sword combo.
• Playstyle: Use clones and phantasms as a distraction and damage source. Greatsword for range, double swords for melee.
• Why This Build? It is a difficult build to master but very satisfying one. Learn how to trick people and manipulate them all the time in each battle.

↖ Engineer: The Explosive Innovator

Take advantage of engineer's explosive abilities by employing a rifle/grenades combo that deals damage while healing and creating barriers. With power-based approach plus condition infliction to enhance damage output, there are multiple ways to employ this build in combat.

• Gear: Rifle with grenade kit.
• Playstyle: Embrace your arsenal's explosive potential. Fire rifleshots loaded with conditions alongside grenades. Utility skills are used for healing, barriers, escapes.
• Why This Build? Dynamic gameplay style where you create havoc then maintain yourself from getting hit too much.

Remember, these builds are starting points. You can modify them as you grow more accustomed to your role and grasp the intricacies of Guild Wars 2’s fighting system. Want more? Here is a video link that has more insights and strategies you may be interested in watching. So stay wired, adventurers, see you back in Tyria!