Well we know Strength Runes are the popular Rune at the moment. We know that Hoelbrak is a good option for Might Stacks with some dps loss compared with Strength Runes.
What about Runes of the Pack as a relatively cheap DPS rune option.
This is probably more applicable to WvW/sPvP Fury isn’t something difficult to maintain in PvE groups.
The Runes fury uptime could allow you to take another trait instead of your Fury trait or augment your Fury uptime.
Pack Runes vs Strength Runes
Pack runes give some of the best raw stats of any rune in the game with 175 power and 125 precision (5.95% critical chance). The 4 piece bonus effectively boosts your critical chance by another 10% (50% fury uptime), gives you 17.5 power (50% uptime on one stack of might) and gives you 65% swiftness uptime.
Generic Build 1: Pack Runes: assumes 50% fury uptime (10% critical chance) + ½ stack of might
2117.5 Power
66% critical chance
185% critical damage
1 damage multiplier = 3305.42 effective power
Generic Build 1: Strength Runes: assumes 2 stacks of might from strength rune procs
2170 Power
50% critical chance
185% critical damage
1.07 damage multiplier= 3308.71 effective power
While strength runes have a slight edge in effective power, pack runes will have a much lower standard deviation of damage since the critical chance is much higher (the gap between your highest hits and smallest hits will be lower). Pack runes also provide group support, as the 4 piece bonus applies to up to 4 allies in a 600 radius. Two players can maintain 1 stack of might, 100% fury, and 130% swiftness uptime on each other with no other investment in boon duration. This effectively means that Pack runes are giving 25.95% critical chance, 210 power, and permanent swiftness if they are used with a partner.
Some Class specific notes to consider:
Pack runes are particularly attractive to Mesmers, whose phantasms don’t benefit from might stacks or damage multipliers on the caster and their only skills that really benefit from strength runes are auto attacks, which don’t have very high damage multipliers. Phantasms do benefit from the base 5.95% critical chance and 175 power from the runes though, and Mesmers always appreciate swiftness.
Elementalists with 6 Arcana can trade Zephyr’s Boon for Pack runes and still maintain 100% swiftness uptime through Air Attunement and Updraft, with the swiftness from Pack runes being extra. Pack runes combined with Arcane Fury maintain 90% fury uptime if you are 6 in Arcana (65% from Pack runes and 25% from Arcane Fury). Zephyr’s boon, by comparison, gives 42.25% fury uptime from Shocking and Frost aura, plus 25% from Arcane Fury for a total of 67.25%.
Trickery Thieves can trade Furious Retaliation (6.67% effective critical chance) for Side Strike (7% critical chance when hitting a foe from behind or the side) since they can maintain 100% fury uptime with Pack Runes + Thrill of the Crime.
For Guardians Pack Runes I think they are a better option than Strength. With Meditations traited and Focused Mind traited, you can get over 100% fury uptime with 4 in Virtues. If you ran DPS Shout build or shouts in general with 4 Virtues and Save Yourself, you maintain 85% uptime on fury.
The reason people like strength is mostly for the might duration and stacking might from other sources. So your EP ratios arent really fair at all. And guardians need traveler or speed runes, so pack are meh as they require you getting hit (thus reducing your speed) to proc the swiftness
The reason people like strength is mostly for the might duration and stacking might from other sources. So your EP ratios arent really fair at all. And guardians need traveler or speed runes, so pack are meh as they require you getting hit (thus reducing your speed) to proc the swiftness
It’s based off some realistic scenarios, not everyone is stacking like a Ele or Engi. For Guardians I would take pack over speed I have both sets in armor and run pack most times. I don’t think Guardians need traveler(or any rune for that matter) it depends on what you want to run. The various builds linked in on the guard forums don’t say traveler or speed is necessary Chris(made healway popular) has mentioned he isn’t a fan of speed or traveler over a more focused rune set.