Basically there rare 2 types of builds: gimmicks and balanced builds, with of course some builds being somewhere in between. This little post will clarify the difference, as well as help you choose which kind of build to make.

1) Gimmicks
A gimmick build is a build that is powerful (or even overpowered) if the situation is right, but is of little use once the situation turns bad. Most gimmicks are also very easy to use. Gimmicks usually revolve around 1 or 2 skills, and give a character 1 thing they can do.

Examples of gimmicks are:
-solo builds in areas designed for more players (permaform...)
-the blindbot D/P build
-EoE bombs
-sabway and discordway
-touch ranger
-teams wich feature 8 players of the same profession or even with the same build.
...

the term "gimmick" is often used as a negative term to insult a build for being easy to use. Yet gimmicks (in my opinion) aren't a negative thing. They're an intelligent use of skills to create an easy to use build with a purpose.

The downside of gimmick builds is that they often rely on a single skill to work. This means that if this skill is stopped, that the build fails. An example would be the 55hp tank fighting a mesmer with conjure nightmare, conjure phantasm and disenchantment. Or just simply against a ranger who interrupts protective spirit. The tank would quickly die.

I strongly advise new players to use gimmick builds because they are easy to use, and 1 gimmick build can rapidly give you enough factions to acquire a lot of skills and equipment needed in pvp

2) Balanced builds
A balanced build is a build that can perform multiple tasks, and is usually more difficult to use optimally. The individual tasks are usually less powerful than gimmicks that focus on that one task, but the versitility of these builds compensates for this shortcoming.

Let's go over 2 balanced builds to clarify this.



The left build is from our own guild: it's Animal's general PvE build.
The right one is the well known "balanced magbane ranger".

Animal's build first:
his build features:
1) Good damage aimed at groups of ennemies (splinter volley and summon ruby djinn)
2) interrupts (BHA, BHA's daze effect and Savage shot, and (less) vanguard assassin)
3) Flesh puppets to fool AI and mitigate damage (asuran summon and vanguard assassin)
4) Good damage towards strong individual foes (Pain inverter).

then the magbane build:
1) pressure on the ennemy team (poison and IAS by lightning reflexes)
2) interrupts (magbane and d-shot)
3) hex removal (remove hex)
4) energy denial (debilitating shot)
5) self protection and meelee interrupt cover for rez and apply poison (lightning reflexes and natural stride)

Combining these different tasks and choosing which task to perform when is annoying, but if one of the skills were to drop out or be nerfed, the builds would still work. Also the main task of the build and the accents the player puts on them can be altered if the situation changes.

These builds should be used by more experienced players. They require a knowlage of game mechanics and experience with ennemy behavior to use at full potential. This is also the reason some elitist pricks in PvP hate all gimmicks xD

The power of these balanced builds is completely decided by the skill and insight of the player using them. If animal would start using splinter volley on bosses who are alone, or started using BHA on ennemy warriors, his build would soon be as useful as Grrey in a "responsable young drivers" meeting.