Guild Wars 2

I’m coming up on level 80 my first GW2 character, a norn Guardian (I know, I know, NOOB!). I’m just trying to figure out where to go from here. I know it’s optimal to have multiple sets for different purposes, but I want to focus on group PvE stuff right now with my guild. What would be the best route to take?

P.S. My current weapon rotation is Mace/Torch & GS

I kinda did a healthy mix of both!

I’m wearing Power/Vitality/Toughness armor that I got from doing AC, and runes that let my shouts cleanse a condition (can’t remember the name, sorry). Then I went with Berserker weapons and trinkets so I would still do decent damage.

I generally picked traits that gave more cleanses and boons to allies since that tended to be an issue with my group in dungeons.

As far as weapon rotations go, I usually go with some sort of melee weapon and some sort of range so if I need to dodge away to heal or anything I can still be doing some form of damage or support. I actually carry one of each weapon type with me since each one has its uses, but for general play I usually go with GS/Staff.

If you’re asking for optimal you’re gonna want to aim for berserker in all slots. Though if you’re new to the game you may want to start off with more defensive gear and slowly work your way up.

In PvE, it’s more about learning the encounter and avoiding the hits that drop you down so gear is somewhat a crutch to get you by as surviving relies more on your passive/active defenses: knowing when to pop a blind/Aegis to avoid the killshot vs knowing when to frontload on boons/utility skills to mitigate several attacks.

Carrying multiple gearsets is already a good idea for PvE nowadays, but the upcoming raids may further emphasize that concept.

Ultimately, it’s a matter of would you rather be thrown in the sharks and learn to swim (you’ll learn really fast but might lose a limb or two), or would you rather have training wheels and learn at a slower pace?

Feel free to PM me on the forums or in-game if you have any Guardian specific questions. The class is really fun to play but also very useful one as well.

Rather than trying to be a jack-of-all trades (and master of none) with one set that takes a middle-of-the-road approach, I personally like to have one dsp set (zerk) and one support set (such as cleric or soldier). The ability to swap your gear anytime (ooc), means you can go full dps, full support, or a mix of the two anytime as the situation requires it.

The vast majority of the time (for group pve), I simply use full zerk gear with a sight tweak to my build to provide a little extra group support with my virtues (more aegis, more cleanse). If I anticipate a tough fight, the only thing I usually swap out is my GS for a cleric hammer which is often enough to provide that little bit of extra protection/healing for me and the group to survive.

With the new content and raids however, I anticipate the need to use my support gear a bit more often which is fine as I always feel prepared for anything with these two sets at hand.

First off, thank you everyone for the responses! They have been incredibly helpful.

I think after reading these responses and some other internet postings regarding the matter, I am going to go with full Zerker set at first for full DPS and add in some extra aegis and then try to build up a support set in the background. I agree that multiple sets seems to be the best way to go, I just couldn’t decide where to start, but I think I have a solid idea now! Thanks again everyone!