Guild Wars 2

Think about it, the focus 5 skill is this.

Create a shield to block the next three attacks. If the shield is not destroyed, it explodes and damages nearby foes.

Not only that but the actual animation of the skill is a bunch of floating sheilds.

Now take the sheild 5 skill.

Create a dome around you that pushes foes back and absorbs projectiles.

Doesn’t act like a sheild and looks like a big bubble.

Now, i honestly don’t think swapping them around would cause much issue with each weapon, as the focus 4 skills fits right in with the sheild 5 skills (the focus 4 skills is a ranged attack/heal and the sheild 5 skill is something that pushes people back to range), same with the sheild 4 and focus 5 (the shield 4 blasts a wave infront of you to grant protection and the focus 5 is something that blocks like a shield!).
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So i put it to you Anet, swap them around – it shouldn’t be much work as the skills would be exactly the same so no animation changes are required, no major coding would be needed – it would be simply swap them over.

What do other guardians think?, am i the only 1 who thinks this would not only make more sence, but actully suit the weapons much better aswell?.
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Also, if not then how about simply swapping the shield 4 and 5 with focus 4 and 5?, nothing would actully change other than the fact that the foucs would now look like a shield and the shield would now look like a focus. IMO the focus in general on the guardian is more of a sheild than the actual shield is so it would make sence and look better.

But i’d prefer option 1.

Kinda surprised more guardians haven’t spoken on this, guess i’m the only 1 who thinks it makes sence.

Ahh well, back to using the focus as my shield.

yes, i’m not even a guardian and i agree.

That does make sense.

I agree with the the #5 skill switch, I’ve had a few whispers from people not familiar with guardians asking me why I have shield icons around me although I don’t carry a shield…

While i agree, i secretly believe you just want a combo finisher for your sword and sheild.

everyone loves area might

Well, I may be a lil off, but I think Shield should get both #5 skills and focus should get both #4 skills. Then we’d have a ranged support offhand and a pure defensive offhand instead of two half baked offhands.

They’d have to be rebalanced…but…i dont know.

I’m not sure about arcdash’s more drastic proposal but I’m certainly on board with the OP. I spent time in Gendarran yesterday with sword/shield and scepter/focus set to swap and I’d find myself going to the melee set to shove a foe to range, then swapping to the ranged set to do stuff.

Shield #4 is a shield bash iirc, so I think it suits close-in shield work just fine.

I completely agree with the overall complaint that the shield just doesn’t feel right. I picked guardian partly because I like the idea of running around with a shield, but it wasn’t long before I realized that the item that actually gives the best defense is the FOCUS? It gets a ranged blind AND a triple block! The shield on the other hand just feels awkward with its bubble and 5 sec. protection cone (really, why do wee need that when we already have virtue of courage that gives an AoE aegis?).

This is something I’ve always been whining about. I never understood why the device specifically made for blocking does not have a block while the cowbell/electric horseshoe gets three.

Yeah it doesn’t make sense to have the 5 on focus.

@Rungard, i’d be happy for the might finisher to stay on the focus TBH, i don’t want then switched for that reason. I want them switched because the focus on the guardian is a better shield than the actual guardian shield and the shield is a better focus than the actual guardian focus (if that makes sence).

As Aramanth said (i believe my suggestion was based on a post of his), the shield (which is a device for blocking) has no actual blocking skill and yet the focus (which is a device for magic) has a blocking skill.

The swap from what i can see makes a lot more sence, the 5 skills swapped suits each weapon better (shield 5 would be great with focus 4 – focus 5 would be great with shield 4) and certainly wouldn’t make each more OP or UP.

Anyone from Anet care to comment?, i’d love to know what you think and i’d love to know the reasoning for why they are this way now.

Lest we forget, you have to spec into Zeal (power) for the focus traits. Doesn’t make sense for something always used for personal defense.

100% agree.
And no… no one from Anet will comment.

I saw Anet comment just for close some topic. I’m strongly convinced that Anet doesn’t care about all our suggestion and the forum is just a trick for keep us quiet… but this is just my opinion, and it doesn’t means i am right (honestly i hopethis is wrong). :P

Oh my god I can’t believe people agree with this horrible idea. You’re basing the use of a skill off of it’s animations? Do you really want to unleash an EXTREME block extreme high armor guardian build onto the world? DO YOU?

If you swap those skills…. Just… think about what this would do to pvp….

No don’t do this.

The shield, for the Guardian at least, is meant for group protection, which I think fits with its theme. You get a push+heal out of #5 to go along with the mass protection of #4. The shield traits need improvement, not the skills themselves.

Thinking better on it… the problem is that the 5° shiels skill is low performance and is bugged.

Some times enemy are not push back… and this is bad.
The second problem is that the duration is very short. Thery should create a trait that make it longer.

And third… if some one in under the protection of this skill, he should gain regen.

Leeain.2431:

Thinking better on it… the problem is that the 5° shiels skill is low performance and is bugged.

Some times enemy are not push back… and this is bad.
The second problem is that the duration is very short. Thery should create a trait that make it longer.

And third… if some one in under the protection of this skill, he should gain regen.

yeah that knockback doesnt work as good now. Like i’m trying to knock back invaders from getting into forts and they just walk pass my bubble like nothing.

No thanks, dont switch them. I like the way it currently works and I’ve built around it with my scepter/focus sword/shield setup.

It’s nice to have a block when wielding a scepter aswell as a ranged blind. Switch them around and the setup wont be the same.

It would impact just as many people in a negative way as it would in a possitive way. If you dont like the shield the way it is, use the focus.

@SneakyErvin – i already stated that’s what i do, i use the focus as a shield because it’s a better shield than the shield is.

That’s the problem.

And are people not reading the last part of the post?, it suggests swapping both skills so the focus becomes the shield and the shield becomes the focus, so the only thing to change would be the weapons and not the skills.