Nuker
A nuker is a build that specializes in dealing ranged area of effect (AoE) damage. The role is similar to a spiker; the key difference being that nukers hit several foes at once. Nukers are useful in most areas of PvE. They're rarely used in PvP, since human foes avoid standing close to each other, but can be used to capture shrines in Fort Aspenwood, Jade Quarry and Alliance Battles. In PvE, nukers are usually combined with some form of crowd control, such as pulling, tanking, corner blocking, or snaring, to ensure that as many foes as possible are within the area of effect.
The term was originally associated with elementalists, but many other professions can fulfill the same role:
- Barrage rangers, often combined with Splinter Weapon.
- Smiting Prayers based builds, centered around Ray of Judgment.
- The Curses attribute offers several damaging skills, including Feast of Corruption or Spiteful Spirit.
- Several Domination Magic skills deal AoE damage and they are often combined with Panic for additional crowd control. Signet-builds based on Keystone Signet are also effective.
The term can also be applied to melee-ranged attackers:
- PBAoE-builds based on Destructive Was Glaive.
- or : Using Hundred Blades and Whirlwind Attack to trigger Mark of Pain. Dervishes can use Vow of Strength and Eremite's Attack.
Weaknesses[edit]
Potent AoE-spells are balanced by high energy costs, overcast, and/or long activation times. While energy management and Glyph of Sacrifice can mitigate these issues, few nuking builds are capable of delivering sustained damage without pause.
Nukers are generally less efficient when fighting smaller groups. This is especially true for builds centered on Mark of Pain or Splinter Weapon, since these skills are incapable of damaging single foes.
Primary spells[edit]
Icon | Name | Description | Prof. | Attribute | Campaign | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Breath of Fire | Spell. Deals 10...34...40 fire damage each second (5 seconds). Hits foes adjacent to target's initial location. | 10 | 5 | 2 | 10 | Fire Magic | Factions | |||
Churning Earth | Spell. Deals 10...34...40 earth damage each second (5 seconds). Hits foes near target's initial location. Causes knock-down to foes moving faster than normal. | 15 | 2 | 30 | Earth Magic | Factions | ||||
Double Dragon | Elite Enchantment Spell. (8 seconds.) Enchants you and target ally. Adjacent foes take 5...25...30 fire damage each second. Skills that target a foe also inflict Burning (0...2...3 second[s]). | 10 | 1 | 20 | Fire Magic | Factions | ||||
Fire Storm | Spell. Deals 5...29...35 fire damage each second (10 seconds). Hits foes adjacent to target's initial location. | 10 | 2 | 20 | Fire Magic | Core | ||||
Fireball | Spell. Projectile: deals 7...91...112 fire damage to target and adjacent foes. | 10 | 1½ | 7 | Fire Magic | Core | ||||
Flame Burst | Spell. Deals 15...99...120 fire damage to all foes near you. | 15 | ¾ | 5 | Fire Magic | Prophecies | ||||
Inferno | Spell. Deals 30...114...135 fire damage to foes adjacent to you. | 10 | ¾ | 10 | Fire Magic | Core | ||||
Liquid Flame | Spell. Deals 7...91...112 fire damage. Deals 7...91...112 fire damage to nearby foes if target was attacking or casting. | 10 | 1 | 15 | Fire Magic | Nightfall | ||||
Meteor Shower | Spell. Deals 7...91...112 fire damage and causes knock-down every 3 seconds (9 seconds). Hits foes adjacent to target's initial location. | 10 | 25 | 5 | 60 | Fire Magic | Prophecies | |||
Mind Burn | Elite Spell. Deals 15...51...60 fire damage. If you have more energy than target foe, deals 15...51...60 more fire damage and inflicts Burning (1...8...10 second[s]). Also hits adjacent foes. | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5 | Fire Magic | Core | |||
Phoenix | Spell. Projectile: deals 10...50...60 fire damage to target and nearby foes. Heals allies for 20...68...80 if you are Overcast. | 10 | 1½ | 7 | Fire Magic | Prophecies | ||||
Rodgort's Invocation | Spell. Deals 15...99...120 fire damage. Also affects foes near your target. Inflicts Burning condition (1...3...3 second[s]). | 25 | 2 | 8 | Fire Magic | Prophecies | ||||
Sandstorm | Elite Spell. Deals 10...26...30 earth damage each second (10 seconds). Hits foes near target foe's initial location. Hits attacking foes for 10...26...30 more earth damage each second. | 15 | 2 | 25 | Earth Magic | Nightfall | ||||
Savannah Heat | Elite Spell. Deals 5...17...20 fire damage for each second since casting this spell (5 seconds). Hits foes near target's initial location. | 5 | 2 | 25 | Fire Magic | Nightfall | ||||
Searing Flames | Elite Spell. Hits foes near your target. Deals 10...82...100 fire damage to foes already Burning. Inflicts Burning condition (1...6...7 seconds) to foes not Burning. | 15 | 1 | 2 | Fire Magic | Nightfall | ||||
Searing Heat | Spell. Deals 10...34...40 fire damage each second (5 seconds). Hits foes near target's initial location. End effect: inflicts Burning condition (3 seconds). | 15 | 2 | 25 | Fire Magic | Prophecies | ||||
Star Burst | Elite Touch Spell. Deals 7...91...112 fire damage. Inflicts Burning (1...3...4 seconds). [sic] Gain 2 Energy for each foe struck. Also hits foes in the area. | 5 | ¾ | 7 | Fire Magic | Factions | ||||
Unsteady Ground | Elite Spell. Deals 10...34...40 earth damage each second (5 seconds) and causes knock-down to attacking foes. Hits foes near target's initial location. | 10 | 2 | 15 | Earth Magic | Factions |
See also[edit]
Team roles (edit) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Type | General team roles | Specific team roles | Hero team roles | |
Damage | Spiker • Nuker | Bomber • Dagger spammer • Touch ranger • Starburster • Trapper | — | |
Pressure | Lineback | Barrager • Beast master • Cripshot Ranger • Pressure Ranger | — | |
Support | Healer • Protection | Battery • Bonder • Flag runner • Hybrid monk • Imbagon • Infuser • Orders | — | |
Control | Shutdown • Tank | Minion master • Perma • Spirit spammer | Mesmer Midline | |
Utility | Caller • Toolbox | Gimmick | — |