Guild Wars 2

Hello all! Returning player looking to try out a new profession. I’ve always enjoyed using shields in MMOs because I love the sword and board look. I’ve looked on metabattle and I do notice that shields don’t seem to be that great. I think I saw one suggested build on the site mention a shield.

While using what’s currently the “best” is sometimes fun for me I also enjoy just using what I find fun or what I think looks cool. I’m big in to WvWvW. I’m on Jade Quarry so I’m mostly one of the numbers in a big blob. However I actually enjoy that. I just want to feel/look like a kitten while doing it and being a beefed up character with plate gear and a sword/axe and shield would do that for me.

So any suggestions to help me out? Are there any decent builds for Warrior or Guardian using a shield so I wouldn’t be completely useless at least?

Well, as you said, shields aren’t always the best choice… but if I had to pick one, I’d take the warrior, because the guardian shield skills are kinda boring imo.

Guardian shields sadly are poor due to skills 5 being nearly useless. I use it because I like shields and I love the shield skins.

As for Warrior, there are viable builds out there. I use mace/shield for reflects on the shields and interrupts. It’s not an optimal build or a dps build, but I enjoy it thoroughly and he is very brick like for our few guild instance runs.

Worth browsing the profession forums, I’ve seen people show off their builds for shields in there.

Engineer

Thanathos.2063:

Well, as you said, shields aren’t always the best choice… but if I had to pick one, I’d take the warrior, because the guardian shield skills are kinda boring imo.

Yeah I fully understand they aren’t the best choice. If I was on a server though where in WvW I wouldn’t just be a body in a blob I would probably think differently. But when I’m one person in a blob of 50 I just want to have fun and look cool.

Anyone you see wearing a shield in GW2 is doing so because they like the aestheic.

I’ll probably just try out a Warrior then. Luckily I have a 62 warrior from back when I first played so I don’t have much more leveling to do

A buddy of mine runs sword and board condition warrior, he seems to do ok (wvw), I’ve seen him use the reflect on block very nicely despite sword/sword being better imo. My gf runs sword and board mediation guardian when she’s on her guard, she loves ports and the aoe interrupt/knockback (think she took the trait as well). (I haven’t played it myself, is it broken that everyone hates it?)

Engineer pistol shield is fun, not quite sword and board but its a shield.

Mesmer seems to be getting shield with the first specialization, maybe sword and board illusion mage would be cool…

Let’s look at your options here.For Warrior, you got Shield Bash and Shield Stance. When you use the first one, you rush and stun a single foe. The second one locks all attacks for 3 seconds. In my opinion, very single player based. Guardian has Shield of Judgment, which damages up to 5 foes and gives protection to both you and up to 5 allies, and Shield of Absorption. When used the first time, it knocks back foes and blocks projectiles n a large area for 4 seconds. If you use it a second time, you will heal up to five allies. More team based if you ask me.

It’s not broken Snow, it’s just that as uses go it’s not overly effective compared to other skills. The bubble doesn’t really last long enough to have any real use as a group mechanic either. It needs a bit of buffing. It’s been tweaked before, but so slight as to be neglibile (I think CD was reduced by 5econds)

The key thing is your gf enjoys it. That’s more important really than its effectiveness

Engineer Shield/Pistol is a popular one

im using a Shield on both my Guardian and Warrior
I find this works best on more tanky builds since the Shield is a defensive weapon mostly

This is my Warrior build
http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=-s;4NKkN0Z4NL-60;9;4J-JT-38;214-26B;1S;07_;1nDvgnDvgc-FW0-gYO0;1vV0X5Y8ZG4L51sVGs0V;9;9;9;9;9;9;0V3k3M

its tanky and focuses more on surviving but it is more than capable of dealing good damage as well
it has decent might buff on it and if you can manage to unleash a barrage of attacks on a blocking enemy then more power to you.. literally :P
one of my favorite things though is that when im blocking with shield or spear underwater.. all projectile attacks will deflect back at the user ^^ much fun if you can nail a big attack with that
specially if you manage to deflect a shadowstep attack or ranged pull which will shadow step you to the enemy instead or pull them to you which is fun

but yeah basically its a tank that hits pretty hard
and I can use this build effectively absolutely anywhere

the only 1 weakness of this build is conditions..
a high stack of bleeds will wreck me pretty easy but I do still have a shake it off condi removal in the traits so its not totally defenseless but you can’t control it and it has a 30 second cooldown but its still really useful and is very useful

Ultimately, it all comes down to what you have in mind. If you want a more physical sword & shield fighter, Warrior is your best bet. If you want a more paladin-like spellsword, Guardian is the class for you.

Don’t try to aim for what’s better. It never is better enough to beat what’s fun.

Now you guys are making me think about making a guardian…Maybe i’ll make a guardian, go sword/board and then go staff as my other weapon since staff is what people really like for guardians in WvWvW. Just so I could switch if I felt like I must.

Guardians can be really ace to play. I enjoy my mace/shield with GS or staff Guardian hugely, although the hammer was so much fun to level with. Plus he looks pretty cool!

Thanks Randulf, tbh I don’t even consider the bubble a feature, never seen it at work, it was the knock back that made me happy she had my back when I got myself into some mess while roaming…

If it helps, my buddy with sword shield was a pug zerg commander, and he was pretty tanky. Not optimal but he spent hours on his roman look. Shields definitely have some pretty awesome skins

Snow.2048:

Thanks Randulf, tbh I don’t even consider the bubble a feature, never seen it at work, it was the knock back that made me happy she had my back when I got myself into some mess while roaming…

If it helps, my buddy with sword shield was a pug zerg commander, and he was pretty tanky. Not optimal but he spent hours on his roman look. Shields definitely have some pretty awesome skins

Personally I think the shields have prob the best range of looks in the game. Brahams Shield, The Tower Shield, the Jade Shield, Flameseeker, Mad Moon, just to name some of my favs.

The Tower Shield makes for some very classic, well armoured looking characters

Mace shield not good for SPvP on Warrior. Just fyi

I gave the Lovestruck one to my gf for valentines when they came out, thought it looked pretty neat. I like the priory, kodan, dragon jade as well and dead stop the best myself I think. I love the idea of flameseeker prophecies, but the skin itself I’m not fond of personally (most legendaries I’m not big on though)

I find on a warrior using axe/shield and axe/sword with the correct sigils works nicely. With might on block and the right traits/sigils you can keep decent might as well as reflect/block and constant eviscerate when up. Mix it with a bit of shout heals and you get rather beastly. Granted its not the best dps you can get as a war but its still quite fun in the right circumstances.

Which is the might on block with a Warrior? I know the Guardian trait

Discipline I is the warrior

Snow.2048:

Discipline I is the warrior

Thanks. Seem to have overlooked that particular one somehow

Randulf.7614:

The key thing is your gf enjoys it. That’s more important really than its effectiveness

Tee hee

Oxidia.8103:

Randulf.7614:

The key thing is your gf enjoys it. That’s more important really than its effectiveness

Tee hee

rofl…yeah ok…whoops!

Warrior, Guardian shield skill are bad.