Guild Wars 2

First, thanks all for the tips on mele combat. I spent a few hours practicing and think I’ve gotten okay at it. Since I have only been playing about a week I have tested every class with every race and just about every weapon set I could. I’ve been holding off taking a character past L11 to make sure I want to put the time into the character.

I’m pretty sure I’m going to go with a human guardian with great sword primary weapon set. I like the damage it deals relativity quickly and it seems I can survive/get away easier if I get caught in a mess and can’t tell what’s going on. Given that I have some questions because I don’t really know much about the game once you start earning traits. I’ve pretty much just been running heart quests, joining dynamic quests when I see them, and I dabbled in crafting a bit. So here are a few questions based on how I plan to play/ style of play I prefer.

I am a bit of a loner and like to solo a lot. Will this work out past early levels given my great sword weapon set?

I don’t do PvP because I’m too slow and always get torn up by some person running circles around me slicing me up haha. However I would like to try WvW. Do guardians have to be able to fly around in circles while pressing every attack key without having to look which ones they are pressing?

What do I have to look forward to playing a guardian as opposed to other classes?

What will I probably dislike playing a guardian past L10?

What should I certainly start doing right away with my guardian aside from just running around killing stuff?

What should I focus my weapon and armor upgrades on (I didn’t even know they existed until today lol)?

Also my early impression is that crafting is kind of more work than it is worth. It seems I can find just about any item I want in the trade store at a good price. Is there more to it later that makes it worth doing?

So basically, I want to be able to solo a fair amount, mele combat with ability to egress fairly well when I get into trouble, be able to contribute to a group when needed, and have half a chance to survive in WvW without my head spinning.

Any other cool guardian info anyone want’s to share would be appreciated.

JustTrogdor.7892:

I am a bit of a loner and like to solo a lot. Will this work out past early levels given my great sword weapon set?

Greatsword is a staple in many Guardian builds, and some absolutely swear by it. Whichever build you end up with at level 80, Greatsword continues to be a viable weapon option.

Do guardians have to be able to fly around in circles while pressing every attack key without having to look which ones they are pressing?

There are not many keys to press really: 1 to 9,0, F1 to F3. You will get used to which key (which skill) to use for which situation. I don’t think it will be a case of facerolling the keyboard and pwn players – you will have to be aware what you are doingm if you want to play well and support your allies.

What do I have to look forward to playing a guardian as opposed to other classes?

Great survivability is what set Guardian apart from other professions (classes). Guardian has more damage-mitigation skills than any other profession and provide great support via boons.

What will I probably dislike playing a guardian past L10?

The very limited range option. Also, Guardian doesn’t have many options to move quickly across maps.

What should I certainly start doing right away with my guardian aside from just running around killing stuff?

There are more to leveling than just killing stuff. You should gather every nodes, discover and conquer new areas, points of interest, vista and jumping puzzles. Do some crafting in between if you like. This applies to any profession, not just Guardian.

What should I focus my weapon and armor upgrades on (I didn’t even know they existed until today lol)?

You will be changing weapons and armor pretty frequently as you level. So feel free to slot in whatever runes or sigil you find in your current setup. I would advise not to slot crystal but save them for crafting. At this point while leveling, the upgrades will probably won’t affect how you play significantly.

Also my early impression is that crafting is kind of more work than it is worth. It seems I can find just about any item I want in the trade store at a good price. Is there more to it later that makes it worth doing?

Crafting at this point, is a mean to gain XP, that’s all. As you said, you can probably find anything you want on the TP anyway, and cheaper than if you craft them. At level 400, you will be able to craft exotics, which will be useful if you want a specific stat combination which you can’t find on TP.

Ninja’d but I’m pretty much in agreement with the above poster.

JustTrogdor.7892:

I’ve been holding off taking a character past L11 to make sure I want to put the time into the character.

Some character classes need to be taken to level 30 before really showing their effectiveness (traits). For instance a Mesmer with no traits is one of the squishiest classes in the game, but I can trait my level 80 Mesmer to be the last one standing in dungeons while still doing damage the whole time.

JustTrogdor.7892:

I am a bit of a loner and like to solo a lot. Will this work out past early levels given my great sword weapon set?

That’s how I leveled. As I mentioned in the other post, walk into the middle of some mobs, 5-5-4-3-2 and use other skills if the stuff you’re slashing isn’t dead yet. My Guardian is now at level 80 and I still do that.

JustTrogdor.7892:

However I would like to try WvW. Do guardians have to be able to fly around in circles while pressing every attack key without having to look which ones they are pressing?

It will come with experience. Find a combination of skills that you like (it may even be one skill) and think of when you’ll want to use it. Then practice that combination a few times. When you’re comfortable with that combination, try another one. (Like that 5-5-4-3-2 Greatsword combo I do against weak enemies.)

My “Get the !@#$ out of there” sequence for my guardian is something along the lines of:
1. http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Virtue_of_Justice
2. http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Virtue_of_Resolve
3. http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/%22Stand_Your_Ground!%22
4. http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Renewed_Focus
(Those are steps, not the keys I use.)

If it feels really awkward to activate skills, then you can consider changing your controls. For instance, I have the following keys remapped from default:
Z – Heal
X – Utility skill 1
C – Utility skill 2
V – Utility skill 3
Therefore I’m not reaching over to 6,7,8 when I want to fire off shouts and things. This obviously isn’t the only way – I’ve seen some combinations with SHIFT, XBOX 360 controllers, etc.

JustTrogdor.7892:

What do I have to look forward to playing a guardian as opposed to other classes?
(…)
What should I focus my weapon and armor upgrades on (I didn’t even know they existed until today lol)?

For solo play, the Guardian is much more “forgiving”. I think you must’ve already found that out that you have a few more options to save yourself from being squished than say… a low level Elementalist running with daggers. My Guardian stayed pretty much the same experience (for solo) between level 15 and level 80. It does however get a lot more group support skills – these skills aren’t that powerful on just yourself but they’re life-savers for groups. My Mesmer’s best friend is a support character (like the Guardian in my guild) when I’m trying to go all-out attack.

You’ll very likely dislike the Guardian’s ranged and underwater options. If you’re reduced to fighting ranged you’ll be bored out of your mind firing off those scepter shots. The Guardian’s ranged and underwater attacks are essentially there just to give you something to do while all your “support” skills are recharging. If you’re at range with a group, you’re better off spamming off all your support stuff (shouts, condition removal, projectile reflect, might, etc) to help your friends do more damage. If you’re the main damage dealer at range, expect it to be a long fight!

The weak ranged damage applies to WvW as well, but Guardian counters that by having some of the best skills to block projectiles in the game. You can also fight melee in WvW to avoid the weak ranged altogether – my favourite is annoying the !@#$ out of my opponents by knocking them down and immobilizing them with a hammer / staff combo.

As for speed boosts, the Guardian is still “faster” than a Mesmer on land so it isn’t that bad.

You can just ignore crafting as you like – you’ll find most Masterwork (green) items sell for cheaper than the stuff required to craft them, with some exceptions like Strong chest pieces. As for what to upgrade first, check this wiki page:
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Equipment
Note how the strongest bonuses come from weapons, chest armour, leg armour, and your Amulet. Upgrade those first. You end up throwing out your gear quickly while leveling, so I usually just got the cheapest stuff with no regard for what kind of bonuses until level 80.

JustTrogdor.7892:

So basically, I want…

It sounds like you’ll have fun with your guardian then, since you’ve just listed its strong points! As for the WvW part, it doesn’t matter what class you play – your head will spin if you’re caught up in a laggy battle anyway :P

I am a bit of a loner and like to solo a lot. Will this work out past early levels given my great sword weapon set?

- If you do not run into enemies that are levels above you and keep your armor up-to-date this should be no problem.

I don’t do PvP because I’m too slow and always get torn up by some person running circles around me slicing me up haha. However I would like to try WvW. Do guardians have to be able to fly around in circles while pressing every attack key without having to look which ones they are pressing?

- Usually people attack as zerg. If you’re in the zerg you should be fine.

What do I have to look forward to playing a guardian as opposed to other classes?

The guardian can have a lot of armor but has hardly any health. It’s wise to always keep your armor’s defense at high numbers (you notice when it is low when you get too much damage from enemies of the same level as you).

What will I probably dislike playing a guardian past L10?

- I don’t know what you will dislike but what I dislike is that the guardian has hardly any health and his attacks are slow.

What should I certainly start doing right away with my guardian aside from just running around killing stuff?

Basically exploring. When you explore the world you level up quite fast. When you reach level 11 read through the traits what they do and decide which one to choose. So basically the same thing you do with others too.

What should I focus my weapon and armor upgrades on (I didn’t even know they existed until today lol)?

1. damage; 2. toughness; 3. vitality; crit chance (optional), crit (optional)
sigill’s and runes depend on your opinion. I’d always advise the superior rune of divinity.

Also my early impression is that crafting is kind of more work than it is worth. It seems I can find just about any item I want in the trade store at a good price. Is there more to it later that makes it worth doing?

Except chef and artificer all jobs only have the benefit of either runes, sigills, bags or high end items (exotics, rares) and or higher objectives (e.g. legendaries)

Thanks all for your detailed answers to my questions. I went ahead and rerolled a new guardian. The first one I didn’t like the name because I just threw it together to test it.

I played quite a bit yesterday and leveled him up to 12 rather quickly. I am defiantly seeing the durability with guardian as I only died twice in about 8 hours of play time. The first time I fell of a cliff trying to mine some ore and landed in the middle of some bears. Haha The second time I was in some cave with another person and he pulled a bunch of mobs and then ran off and left me there. That wasn’t very cool.

The great sword seems to be my best friend. Whirling Wrath is like a mob blender. The only issue I have is fighting ranged mobs like centaurs with bows. It seems like after I clean up the melee mobs I’m running around in circles chasing them. I could switch to a ranged weapon set I suppose but I’m a little too slow on the keys to do so.

I am not sure about the virtue skills though. I notice when I activate them the icons stay on the right. Does that mean they are boons and will work as long as they are there? It seems odd because even when I die I don’t have to reactivate them. For example it says Virtue of Courage is good for like 9 hours. Or am I missing something I should be doing?

As far as not much health I have mixed armor, weapons and upgrades with about a 50/50 split between vitality and toughness so I think that might work fairly well. Any other combinations you might suggest to keep survivability high and damage maxed are appreciated.

I am getting much better with strafing and dodging. I ran circles around some slow earth elemental boss, I think it was, and I don’t think it hit me once. I have found setting my primary attack to the ‘shift’ key works fairly well because it is right there for my pinky finger to hit incase auto attack drops for some reason.

As mentioned by others I see pretty good results by going into a battle in this order hit first with Binding Blade, jump into the mix with Leap of Faith, mash Symbol of Wrath, and then Whirling Wrath to clean up the left overs. For example I have jumped into a pack of 3 wolves all a level above me using this sequence and they are all usually dead by the end of Whirling Wrath.

As far as crafting I recant my original assessment. I didn’t realize you could send crafting items directly to the collections in the bank without having to go to the bank so I was just dropping them when my bags got full. Once I figured that out I found that leather working works well because it seems those crafting items drop regularly. So I spent maybe 10 minutes crafting and jumped almost half a level. Then I sold the items at the TP using the instant sell for some decent money.

So anyway, that is how I have been running my new build. Thanks again for all the info and I have been trying to use all of your suggestions. If I am missing something obvious please let me know. I’ve been having a lot of fun with this because I’ve always played ranged characters on other MMOs and this is the first time I’ve had an lucky playing a mele character.

I have been amazed at the size of the map in Queensland. It seems just when I think I have found everything more stuff pops up on my map. I think I am about 80% done at this point.

Trogdor I had a very similar experience with falling off a cliff while trying to complete a quest in Norn territories…the minotaurs I landed on didn’t seem inclined to be too helpful