Staff

General
A staff is a two handed, projectile weapon that can require one of a variety of monk, mesmer, elementalist, necromancer, or ritualist attributes.

Staves are the two-handed alternative to the combination of a right-hand Wand and a left-hand Focus Item. The discussion whether a staff or a wand/focus combo is superior is as old as the game itself. Upgrades and modifiers below briefly discusses the differences between staves and wands.

Inherent stats

 * Ranged weapon, with height affecting amount of damage done
 * Minimum damage range: 2-4
 * Maximum damage range: 11-22 (average approx. 16.66)
 * Damage type: Depends on linked attribute.  Possibilities: Cold, Earth, Fire, Lightning, Chaos, Dark, or Holy.  (See staff types below for details.)
 * Attack interval: 1.75 seconds
 * Range: Recurve Bow range (~1.2 aggro circle radii); equivalent to standard casting range; not affected by height, unlike bows
 * Arc size: Small
 * Projectile flight time: ~0.6 seconds at Shortbow range.
 * Energy +3..10
 * Halves skill recharge of spells (Chance: 10-20%)

Staves with no attribute requirement have been observed with a damage range as high as 7-11 and energy as high as 10, although higher than 6 has not been seen to drop since the early days of Guild Wars.

Upgrades and Modifiers
Staves, unlike wands, always come with an energy bonus included. The max possible energy bonus of all staves is +10 (excluding the energy added by Insightful Staff Heads). The normal max energy plus is slightly less than a focus, which has +12. This disparity is somewhat offset by the fact that one need not meet the attribute requirement of a staff in order to get the full +10 energy from it whereas with a focus not meeting the requirement will drop the energy down to +3 or +6. Furthermore, a staff may come with a number of non-salvagable magical modifiers (with the coming of Nightfall all modifiers are able to be salvaged except 'Halves Spell recharge', which is part of staff itself), just like any other weapon, focus, or shield.

Staves can be upgraded with Swift, Adept, Defensive, Hale, and Insightful Staff Heads and Staff Wrappings of Defense, Shelter, Warding, Enchanting, Fortitude, Mastery, , and  slaying.

Monk Staves

 * Holy Staff (Divine Favor): Fire damage
 * Smiting Staff (Smiting Prayers): Holy damage

Necromancer Staves

 * Accursed Staff (Curses): Dark damage
 * Bone Staff (Death Magic): Cold damage
 * Soul Spire (Soul Reaping): Dark damage

Mesmer Staves

 * Inscribed Staff (Domination Magic): Chaos damage
 * Jeweled Staff (Illusion Magic): Chaos damage
 * Scrying Glass Staff (Inspiration Magic): Chaos damage
 * Arcane Staff (Fast Casting): Chaos damage

Elementalist Staves

 * Air Staff (Air Magic): Lightning damage
 * Earth Staff (Earth Magic): Earth damage
 * Fire Staff (Fire Magic): Fire damage
 * Water Staff (Water Magic): Cold damage
 * Ether Staff5 (Energy Storage): Chaos damage

Universal Staves1

 * Ghostly Staff
 * Shadow Staff

Necromancer Staves

 * Cruel Staff2 {Blood Magic): Dark damage
 * Wicked Staff2 (Curses): Dark damage

Universal Staves1

 * Dead Staff
 * Deldrimor Staff
 * Raven Staff

Monk Staves

 * Divine Staff (Divine Favor): Fire damage
 * Healing Staff3 (Divine Favor): Fire damage
 * Holy Branch (Divine Favor): Fire damage
 * Protective Staff3 (Divine Favor): Fire damage
 * Winged Staff (Smiting Prayers): Holy damage

Necromancer Staves

 * Dark Tendril Staff (Blood Magic): Dark damage
 * Evil Eye Staff (Curses): Dark damage
 * Wailing Staff (Death Magic): Cold damage
 * Wicked Staff2 (Curses): Cold damage

Mesmer Staves

 * Clairvoyant Staff (Domination Magic): Chaos damage
 * Gemstone Staff (Domination Magic): Chaos damage
 * Hypnotic Staff (Illusion Magic): Chaos damage

Ritualist Staves

 * Channeling Staff (Channeling Magic): Cold, Earth, Fire, or Lightning damage
 * Communing Staff2 (Communing): Dark damage
 * Conjuring Staff (Spawning Power): Cold, Earth, Fire, or Lightning damage
 * Eerie Staff (Communing): Cold, Earth, Fire, or Lightning damage
 * Restoration Staff4 (Spawning Power): Lightning Damage
 * Spawning Staff2 (Spawning Power): Lightning damage
 * Writhing Staff (unconfirmed) (Restoration Magic):
 * (Universal Staves) (Restoration Magic): Earth and Lightning damage have been confirmed

Universal Staves1

 * Amber Staff
 * Bo Staff
 * Celestial Staff
 * Cockatrice Staff
 * Dragon Staff
 * Forbidden Staff
 * Jade Staff
 * Lotus Staff2
 * Outcast Staff
 * Plagueborn Staff
 * Platinum Staff
 * Zodiac Staff

Monk Staves

 * Divine Staff (Healing Prayers) : Holy damage
 * Protective Staff (Divine Favor or Protection Prayers): Fire damage or Holy damage depending on respective attribute
 * Sacred Staff (Divine Favor): Fire damage

Necromancer Staves

 * Boneclaw Staff (Death Magic): Cold damage
 * Spinal Staff (Blood Magic): Dark damage
 * Unholy Staff (Curses): Dark damage

Mesmer Staves

 * Clairvoyant Staff (Domination Magic): Chaos damage
 * Ensorcelling Staff (Domination Magic): Chaos damage
 * Hypnotic Staff (Illusion Magic): Chaos damage
 * Illusory Staff (Illusion Magic): Chaos damage

Elementalist Staves

 * Portal Staff (Energy Storage): Cold, Earth, Fire, or Lightning damage
 * Pyrewood Staff (Fire Magic): Fire damage
 * Tempest Staff (Air Magic): Lightning damage
 * Tidal Staff (Water Magic): Cold damage

Universal Staves

 * Staff of the Forgotten (Unique)
 * Tormented Staff

Necromancer Staves

 * Crescent Staff (Death Magic): Cold damage

Mesmer Staves

 * Aureate Staff (Fast Casting): Chaos damage
 * Dragon Spire Staff (Inspiration Magic): Chaos damage
 * Fuchsia Staff (Illusion Magic): Chaos damage

Elementalist Staves

 * Dolyak Prod Staff (Air Magic): Lightning damage
 * Goldtouched Staff (Energy Storage): Cold, Earth, Fire or Lightning damage

Ritualist Staves

 * Primitive Staff (Communing): Cold, Earth, Fire, or Lightning damage
 * Red Asuraline Staff (Spawning Power): Lightning

Universal Staves

 * Ancient Moss Staff - Primary casting attributes
 * Astral Staff - Primary casting attributes
 * Asuran Staff4 - crafted skin, all caster attributes
 * Bone Dragon Staff - all caster attributes
 * Charrslayer Staff4 - crafted skin, all caster attributes
 * Chrysocola Staff - Primary casting attributes
 * Cobalt Staff - Primary casting attributes
 * Crystal Flame Staff - Primary casting attributes
 * Destroyer Staff4 - crafted skin, all caster attributes
 * Droknar's Staff (Unique)
 * Embercrest Staff - Primary casting attributes
 * Goldhorn Staff - Primary casting attributes
 * Icicle Staff - Primary casting attributes
 * Insectoid Staff - Primary casting attributes
 * Moldavite Staff - Primary casting attributes
 * Norn Staff4 - crafted skin, all caster attributes
 * Onyx Staff (PvE version) - Primary casting attributes
 * Platinum Staff - Primary casting attributes
 * Raven Staff - crafted skin and drops as inscribable golds
 * Suntouched Staff - Primary casting attributes
 * Turquoise Staff - Primary casting attributes

Universal Staves

 * Charr Staff
 * Mursaat Staff
 * Tengu Staff
 * Undead Staff