Nuker

A nuker is a type of build that emphasizes the use of high damage, area of effect (AoE) spells. Because many of these skills are based in Earth Magic, Fire Magic and Water Magic, nukers are closely associated with elementalists.

Nukers subtypes include:
 * Starbursters
 * Saccers
 * Minion Bombers
 * Glaivers
 * Smiters
 * Barragers

Weaknesses
The biggest weaknesses of nuker builds are: high energy costs plus exhaustion, long activation times, and a dependency on a single attribute; each of these can be mitigated.
 * Energy costs can be reduced by Glyph of Lesser Energy and/or elementalist enchantments: Fire Attunement and/or Elemental Attunement.
 * Activation times can be eliminated using Glyph of Sacrifice (although this increases recharge times substantially.
 * Builds based around Master of Magic are able to use all elemental skills and also help with energy management.

Other professions
Although most people think of nukers as elementalists, the term is sometimes applied to:
 * Necromancers with Contagion and/or Feast of Corruption-based builds.
 * Ritualists with Rupture Soul and/or Destructive Was Glaive-based builds.
 * Mesmers using Cry of Pain and/or Panic+Wastrel's Worry/Wastrel's Demise-based builds.
 * Dervishes using Avatars in conjuction with any number of teardowns and/or feeders-based builds.
 * Barrage rangers and/or any attacker using Splinter Weapon-based builds.

Comparison of common elementalist nuking spells
Burning durations and damage is based on an attribute rank of 12 Fire Magic and 12 Earth Magic. Figures are rounded to one decimal place.

Nukes from other professions
Durations and damage are based on appropriate attribute rank of 12 or Deldrimor rank of 10.