Guild Wars 2

Hey guys.

I’ve been having some trouble settling on a heavy armor class. I’ve got an Elementalist as my main, and really like it. I have the basic Heart of Thorns game, but haven’t paid for extra character slots and don’t plan to any time soon – so my character slots are limited. I’ve played a Guardian and Warrior up to level 60 and thought both were good. I’ve been recently experimenting with a throwaway Revenant character up to level 20 and am liking that as well. But I don’t have room for all of them – just one.

I think I have basic fight mechanics during the leveling process down more or less.

What I want to ask you guys is -

How would you describe and summarize the role of each of these classes in group PvE content? What is the main role and contribution of the Warrior, the Guardian, and the Revenant?

I’m sort of interested in which ones are favored in groups and why… but I’m not really a min-maxxer, so I’m more interested in what each class brings to the table in a dungeon run or fractal (you can tell me about raids too if you like, but I’m a long way away from raiding).

My own observations so far are:

Guardian – sluggish DPS playstyle that feels slow and heavy, but brings a lot of group buffs and shields and stuff

Warrior – all over the place due to the huge amount of weapons, the banners kind of bore me, but look dead-useful for groups – more of a get-in-their-face and hit hard and fast playstyle

Revenant – kind of a combination of the Thief and the Warrior, lots of tricky stealth-like fighting, good at taking down defiance bars.

Anyway – I’d love to know how you guys would sum these classes up. Thanks.

From a pve perspective:

Guardian: At lvl 80 and when you unlock the dragon hunter elite spec, guardian is amazing. Generally at end game content such as raids or high level fractals, guardians run max dps builds, which means the amount of party support they put out is very minimal. This is because the party support that guardians bring is defensive (protection, aegis, etc) in nature, and most experienced groups can do end game content without them. Although, sometimes you’ll see guardians run hammer builds in raids, where they will lose a bit of dps but will be able to support frontline fighters and the group’s tank with perma-protection. Hammer builds are usually used for beginner raid groups that have inexperienced tanks or healers. Guardians are not really sought out after specifically, but they will always be welcome in end game groups because they can dps really well.

Warriors: Warriors is a jack of all trades sort of class. It does decent dps, has great survivability, and has unparalleled offensive party support. At end game content warriors will be expected to run phalanx strength (PS) builds, which will allow them to generate a crap ton of might (1 PS warrior can maintain 25 stacks of might for his/herself and 4 other people on basically a perma basis) for the party on top of dropping strength and discipline banners. Having a good PS warrior can increase the entire group’s dps by a ton. PS warriors are always in high demand for end game groups.

Revenant: Due to the nerfs revenant took a while ago, they’ve lost their niche in a pve setting. They do lackluster dps, and a lot of other classes can do dps way better; they can generate might for the party, but a PS warrior can do that job so much better and do more dps; they can generate perma fury, but that is sort of redundant since most classes in end game content are running meta builds and have very high crit rate anyways; they can generate perma protection, but a guardian running hammer build can do that too and still do more dps; they have decent breakbar skills, but classes like mesmer, warrior, or guardian can break bars even better; etc etc. Due to this, the demand for revenant is non-existent. If you try to join a raid group on a rev, there’s a good chance you’ll be asked to change classes.

That’s a shame, I kind of liked how the Revenant generally moved in battle. I may still consider it, just for fun. It’s kind of looking like I’ll want to stick with my Warrior I’ve been leveling. Thanks.

Eh … nothing in GW2 actually pushes things close enough to the limit where it actually matters(given enough skill at least :P). Ultimately knowing the encounters and knowing what to do matters more than anything else.

DPS is also not based solely on class or even the build. It will also depend heavily on whether or not you can pull it off or even want to.

Irensaga.6935:

That’s a shame, I kind of liked how the Revenant generally moved in battle. I may still consider it, just for fun. It’s kind of looking like I’ll want to stick with my Warrior I’ve been leveling. Thanks.

All the classes are fine for all the content, even the highest end pvp or raid stuff. It’s just the “meta” isn’t currently favoring them, so the people who don’t really know much … don’t bring them.

If you don’t try and run with random pugs, you won’t really have much issue whatever you pick. We also have a balance patch coming in the next month or two, which will once more shift the meta, and your warrior (or whatever other flavor of the m{onth, eta} class you pick now) might be out…

Khisanth.2948:

Eh … nothing in GW2 actually pushes things close enough to the limit where it actually matters(given enough skill at least :P). Ultimately knowing the encounters and knowing what to do matters more than anything else.

DPS is also not based solely on class or even the build. It will also depend heavily on whether or not you can pull it off or even want to.

Seconding with my oft-spoken mantra, A dead man contributes zero DPS. A profession that excels in DPS only does so if you can keep it alive.

Working on warrior full-time now, I can agree there are many ways to share might with others as long as you have Phalanx Strength trait equipped. The warrior also has a mad decent array of defiance breakers / CCs in the physical utility skills, shield stuns are impressive, and hammer has 3 controls in the array – one of them being the burst.

However, Warrior can also bring damage to the table, as long as you keep tabs on your condi mitigation and dodges — off-axe is perfect for generating whirl combos, banners generate blast combos, and a trait allows you to receive the double effect of a leap combo. Fields, however, is where he lacks: the only means to generate a field is the longbow burst, and it’s a fire field — maybe useful if you want to line up some area might blasts, but I don’t like a rear-seat warrior (my opinion).

Guardian? While the Guardian can generate respectable DPS, that prof is more on the lines of support (symbols, consecrations, shouts) as well as careful activations of virtues. He has more defensive and supportive capabilities — which is why Warrior has more health — but is kinda a “jack of all trades, master of none” in my perspective, but don’t let that put you off: If you know when and where to use your skills as a Guardian, you’ll make a great accessory to a group.

Revenant? Eh. I rarely see revenants in PvE, and even when they come around it’s usually group-bolstering heralds. Even in group scenarios, they don’t really bring much to the table.

Those are my opinions, though – and you can definitely be successful in your own regard if you put effort into it. But if I had to pick something, I’d side with the Warrior, and get a Guardian built up once your Warrior is done — and compare the two. Should you run a Revenant, I advise you should just be patient and see what the profession has to offer. If that runs your fancy, then go for it.

Revenants lack ranged weapons. They can throw some axes for minor damage, but otherwise are close range.

I play one just for fun of working out how to handle it. Needless to say, I’ve had to avoid a lot of quests.

Personally, I love to see Revenant’s getting a nice gun, or perhaps a flame thrower.

Rev hammer already has >= damage coefficients than warrior and engi rifle …

Axe throwing would be a ranger.

Now hammer revs I cannot really argue against, simply for the fact you’re not using a ranged weapon, but a two-handed, but the way the revenant attacks with the hammer makes it effectively ranged. IIRC it’s the only skillset that is full-range.

Mind you, I do tend to struggle with “staying at ranged” with monsters that love getting in your face but.. you’ve proved a point, Khisanth. It’s just the melee game that seems a little lackluster to me, or I’m not doing things right.

Personally I favor guardian of the heavy armor classes. Good dps, good support, and you can’t faceroll it (which is what warrior feels like to me; a subjective opinion I know), and I can still customize it well (one of my main problems with the legend mechanic of revenant). Warrior is second, and I couldn’t stand revenant long enough to get it to 80. (shrug)

Edit for grammar (oops)

bearshaman.3421:

Personally I favor guardian of the heavy armor classes. Good dps, good support, and you can’t faceroll it (which is what warrior feels like to me; a subjective opinion I know), and I can still customize it well (one of my main problems with the legend mechanic of revenant). Warrior is second, and I could even stand revenant long enough to get it to 80. (shrug)

No worries. It’s a matter of preference. Some people have a class they like to stick with. Warrior may be the one for heavy armor to me, but by all means — if it works for you, don’t give it up. I do run with my guardian from time to time, when group efforts are concerned, and it’s great at bolstering teams — shouts FTW.

Khisanth.2948:

Rev hammer already has >= damage coefficients than warrior and engi rifle …

Axe throwing would be a ranger.

Oh dear. You haven’t played Revenant have you?

Even the Wiki gets the weapons right: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Revenant#Weapons

I don’t really mind to be honest. There is a small squad of trolls on this forum and the Wiki who seem determined to distort information and make life as difficult for any newish players. Like others before me, I try to ignore you.

But Revenant’s lack any ranged skills. They can throw short distances, for little damage.

Hammer is slow, does very little and is the reason I personally, don’t equip my Revenant with one anymore.

By comparison with genuine Ranged Weapons such as the long bow of a Hunter
Rapid Fire (dam (10x) 2400 range 1500))
or Mesmer: Confusing Images (dam (6x) >3000, Range >900) and Phantasmal Dualist (Dam (8x) >2000, Range >1000),
neither heavy armoured, the little Revenant is outclassed and kinda silly.

Revenant’s skill of charging into battle is also of little real use. It does very little real damage and because of failures in programming, more often than not, NPCs stand back and don’t rush forward to join the beleaguered Revenant and he gets pummelled. (Even fellow Revenant, Rytlock!)

I’m sure you have a lot to contribute, but contradicting with inaccurate information based upon your own ignorance is unhelpful to the questioner and to others.

Damage coefficients are from the official API. I am to believe that you are more accurate?

Khisanth.2948:

Damage coefficients are from the official API. I am to believe that you are more accurate?

Evidently.

The comparisons are for different character classes, each lev 80, on the same account.

I am also bound to point out, again, that the Rev Hammer is slow, inaccurate and of limited effectiveness.

Spacial.1683:

Khisanth.2948:

Rev hammer already has >= damage coefficients than warrior and engi rifle …

Axe throwing would be a ranger.

Oh dear. You haven’t played Revenant have you?

Even the Wiki gets the weapons right: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Revenant#Weapons

I don’t really mind to be honest. There is a small squad of trolls on this forum and the Wiki who seem determined to distort information and make life as difficult for any newish players. Like others before me, I try to ignore you.

But Revenant’s lack any ranged skills. They can throw short distances, for little damage.

Hammer is slow, does very little and is the reason I personally, don’t equip my Revenant with one anymore.

By comparison with genuine Ranged Weapons such as the long bow of a Hunter
Rapid Fire (dam (10x) 2400 range 1500))
or Mesmer: Confusing Images (dam (6x) >3000, Range >900) and Phantasmal Dualist (Dam (8x) >2000, Range >1000),
neither heavy armoured, the little Revenant is outclassed and kinda silly.

Revenant’s skill of charging into battle is also of little real use. It does very little real damage and because of failures in programming, more often than not, NPCs stand back and don’t rush forward to join the beleaguered Revenant and he gets pummelled. (Even fellow Revenant, Rytlock!)

I’m sure you have a lot to contribute, but contradicting with inaccurate information based upon your own ignorance is unhelpful to the questioner and to others.

Good lord, are you being serious? Longbow on ranger hits like a wet noodle these days. Most rangers drop it for staff to be competitive, or use it for the nostalgic feeling.

Rev Hammer, even after the nerfs, destroys all other range weapons, especially longbow in terms of damage. CoR alone, which is AoE, 1200 range and hits for an obscene amount of damage. PS has an evade, 1200 range and decent damage. Both of those have lower cooldowns than rapid fire on longbow. DtH is slow, but breaks bars good if you can get it off. FotM is a great long cooldown skill for places like WvW or when mobs are spamming range.

The only thing a ranger longbow has over the rev hammer is the AA. Rev’s AA is slow, though decent, not great, damage.

Then if you factor in using quickness (eg. shiro IO for one), hammer can be devastating, especially CoM from 1200 range. Hammer is NOT a melee weapon on a rev.

mulzi.8273:

Good lord, are you being serious? Longbow on ranger hits like a wet noodle these days. Most rangers drop it for staff to be competitive, or use it for the nostalgic feeling.

………………………………………………………………………

The only thing a ranger longbow has over the rev hammer is the AA. Rev’s AA is slow, though decent, not great, damage.

Try again.

Rev Hammer: 0.95 coefficient / 1.25 second (base AA)
Ranger Longbow: 0.9, 0.8, or 0.7 coefficient / 1.00 seconds (base AA)

That puts hammer at 0.76 coefficient per second damage output, vs 0.9, ranger wins the AA battle at long range, but the rev (barely) wins at point-blank range.

You should also consider:
rapid fire: 10 × 0.375 coefficient / 2.5 seconds (no aftercast info available), 10 second cd
which is 1.5 coefficient per second output, lets say ~ 1.36 in practice with aftercast

barrage: 10 × 0.4 / 2.75 seconds, 30 second cd
which is 1.45 coefficient per second output for fixed-in-place aoe effect

vs

Coalescence of Ruin: 1.25, 1.75, 2.25 coefficent / .75 seconds (no aftercast), 4 second cd
which with aftercast is approximately the same.

Drop the Hammer: 1.5 coefficient / 1.75 seconds (no aftercast), 15 second cd
which means around 0.8 coefficient per second or so.

On that front, absent traits or whatevs, the output of Coalescence of Ruin makes up a lot of the difference that the weaker AA brings to the table.