Guild Wars 2

Would like to hear your thoughts about the viability of 1h Sword in the current Spvp meta and perhaps any change you expect to come with the new traits.

Imo the 1h Sword is currently outclassed by either Mace and GS.

In light of meditation builds I found that Mace/Focus offers better burst, surviability and dmg. 1h Sword feels weak in comparisson. Thoug the attack speed is faster, AA is a bit weaker. I believe to recall it is not a large gap in actualy DPS but the mace just offers much better skills: Heals, Blocks, Area Denial

The GS Aswell has better burst potential, stronger AA, cleaves, CC and area denial aswell.

I do not see Sword beeing a viable choice under these circumstances, even thoug I see a lot of people run it with meditation builds.
The playstyle feels steady and reactive, not bursty or very offensive.

Sword’s best strengths is its’ underated gap closing abilities. I almost always switch out scepter for sword in Battle of Kyhlo and Forest of Niflhel. It also has synergy with Torch #4, giving a near 100% guarantee proc of the skill’s initial burn on activation effect. Since we’re getting Zealot’s Flame as a trait as well, it’ll make Sword #2 skill that much better. Assuming, of course, you crit with Sword #2 or pop smite condition while using it.

What I can’t stand is Sword’s auto attack. You have to position yourself with the auto so all 3 hits can (maybe) hit multiple targets inatead of (none) just one. It misses more than it lands. The AA also counts as a projectile so it can be reflected… wut!

Sword 3 offers higher single target burst than Scepter’s Smite. It works quite nice when you’re just out of melee range but close enough where all hits lands.

I run the sword with the hammer “meta” build as well as my condi build.

I kind of think the projectile nature of Sword Wave is kind of a karmic joke on the amount of reflection the profession has.

Sword’s autoattack is actually higher DPS than mace. The problem is the fact that the third hit of the chain is a melee-range projectile that doesn’t cleave.

That being said, however, the mobility it offers is really what makes it so appealing. Mace and GS aren’t much good against an enemy on the move.

the worst problem is last hit of sword AA, my god that thing can barely hit anything and it keeps repeating itself if it misses.

it cannot even hit a stationary portal like one in the asura fractals… it keeps repeating itself 3 times … its a bad joke

I use GS and Sword/Focus. There is a ton of mobility there as well as blindness and blocks. Add in a mischievous sigil and you’ll get an additional blind every 9 seconds. Between the blocks from the focus and the blinds from sigil a and weapon skills, I barely take damage from enemies while setting them on fire constantly.

When they try and run I teleport in with the sword and blind them again with the focus. Activate the blocking aura, and switch to GS. Then when they try and run again I leap attack and blind them again. There’s just so much burning DPS goings on as I chase them across the map!

Blinding and burning are the most powerful conditions in the game and the sword/focus GS combo generates a ton of both.

Pros

1: Good for closing gaps (even if said gaps can be easily remade via use of CC & Snare/slows since the guardian lacks them)

2: High auto attack damage

3: Its good at applying burn & blind

Cons

1: The last auto attack can often miss

2: The last auto attack is not counted as a ranged projectile but that’s exactly what it is

3: The last auto can be reflected

4: The number 3 skill doesn’t actually block anything (it absorbs which makes it not work with traits)

5: The cleave on it is extremely small

Over all if they would fix the cons then it would be an awesome weapon, they really hold it back in some areas of the game & with allot of builds tho.

I’d be happy if they turned AA3 into a single target slash that does the same damage (no projectiles) that way no melee range reflection, obstruction, or misses happen. As for the # 3 Id remove the root and make it actually deal 10-15% more damage than the auto attack. almost forgot #2 needs a damage bump so it’s not within the double digits nothing too big but its a freaking joke right now. ( If the funny de from the live stream sees this hell probably make the damage 100 just for me :p)

The sword and I have a love hate relationship. I love it, it hates me.

With the changes coming I won’t be using it nearly as much. The main reasons being the lack of symbol (since the trait changes). What we need is to have the AA changed, and we need to get number 3 changed around.

Possibly adding a symbol to it in some form to benefit from the new traits and make it actually block projectiles (rather then absorb) so that it will work with the older traits. . .

imho in order for sword to actually work it needs a few things

3rd auto attack chain made into something useful which cannot be reflected back in your face

higher damage on AA or a condi (pref cripple/chill/weakness)

skill 2 to have an aoe chill so we can follow up better

skill 3 needs to cast a symbol doesnt matter what it is (could also be the same for scepter’s skill 2)

skill 3 needs to do more than just absorb projectiles but block it to trigger on block effects as a poster here noted.

right now scepter is just better…even mace is better

Oslaf Beinir.5842:

imho in order for sword to actually work it needs a few things

3rd auto attack chain made into something useful which cannot be reflected back in your face

higher damage on AA or a condi (pref cripple/chill/weakness)

skill 2 to have an aoe chill so we can follow up better

skill 3 needs to cast a symbol doesnt matter what it is (could also be the same for scepter’s skill 2)

skill 3 needs to do more than just absorb projectiles but block it to trigger on block effects as a poster here noted.

right now scepter is just better…even mace is better

Definitely agree that the guardian needs either a chill or cripple.

That being said I think it should be a trait.

There should also be another trait in the same slot area that gives you the choice of a cripple/chill or torment on blind/burn.

That way physical damage builds & condi builds get some love.

Ragnar the Rock.3174:

Oslaf Beinir.5842:

imho in order for sword to actually work it needs a few things

3rd auto attack chain made into something useful which cannot be reflected back in your face

higher damage on AA or a condi (pref cripple/chill/weakness)

skill 2 to have an aoe chill so we can follow up better

skill 3 needs to cast a symbol doesnt matter what it is (could also be the same for scepter’s skill 2)

skill 3 needs to do more than just absorb projectiles but block it to trigger on block effects as a poster here noted.

right now scepter is just better…even mace is better

Definitely agree that the guardian needs either a chill or cripple.

That being said I think it should be a trait.

There should also be another trait in the same slot area that gives you the choice of a cripple/chill or torment on blind/burn.

That way physical damage builds & condi builds get some love.

“Searing Tendons” – Apply cripple when you burn a foe. 10s ICD.

There. The dumb “cripple doesn’t fit the guardian theme” problem solved.

In the current gamestate, I’m a big sword fan. I consider some of the issues it has minor compared to the more general Guardian drawbacks. It was definitely in heavy rotation when I was rocking my burning spec, which was all about as many hits in as little time as possible. I don’t think it even contends with Mace, though I think it is on par with GS.

After thinking about it, I think Sword will have considerable, increased appeal when the new traits go live. Patience.

Obtena.7952:

In the current gamestate, I’m a big sword fan. I consider some of the issues it has minor compared to the more general Guardian drawbacks. It was definitely in heavy rotation when I was rocking my burning spec, which was all about as many hits in as little time as possible. I don’t think it even contends with Mace, though I think it is on par with GS.

After thinking about it, I think Sword will have considerable, increased appeal when the new traits go live. Patience.

True it is great where it is good, but you have to admit it’s problems tend to be bad.

It really makes me worry however given how much several of the new builds (especially zeal line & burning) are tied to symbols.

Would be great if they changed “Zealots Defense” so that it dropped a symbol when activated.

I can’t understand the dislike of sword. The AA is great, sure the 3rd part is projectiles but so what- it has 300 range and pierces afaik. It’s the highest damage AA on guard coupled with a short cooldown teleport-blind and high damage attack that blocks projectiles. No changes necessary.

data.4093:

I can’t understand the dislike of sword. The AA is great, sure the 3rd part is projectiles but so what- it has 300 range and pierces afaik. It’s the highest damage AA on guard coupled with a short cooldown teleport-blind and high damage attack that blocks projectiles. No changes necessary.

The problem is

1: The last auto attack can often miss enemies

2: the last auto attack works as a ranged attack but does not count as one, thus it can be reflected

3: The number 3 skill projectiles are slow & can be easily avoided by anything outside of melee range

4: Despite saying it’s a block the number 3 skill doesn’t actually block anything it absorbs. This means there are allot of traits it does not interact with.

5: Even if all the attacks hit the number 3 skill is a DPS loss when compared to the auto attack.

6: The auto attack cleave is incredibly small, enemies literally have to be standing on top of each other to hit multiple targets. (this also makes it miss vs strafing enemies.)

So ya it has the possibility for allot of damage & it provides good teleports but it has a good deal of problems that need addressed.

The sword could definitely use some love. It’s decent, but has some very noticeable fallbacks that keep it from being great.

Many of those cons are mentioned above, such as the third skill in the auto chain counting as a projectile, and thus being susceptible to projectile blocks and reflects, as well as having very little cleaving capabilities.

However, what saves the sword from being completely passed off, is the fact that it has high auto attack damage, and can be paired with a focus for a great mix of offensive and defensive capabilities. Sure, you won’t be dishing out the impressive burst damage that you’d get with the greatsword, but you’d certainly be able to take a few more hits as a trade-off.

I personally think both the sword and mace need to be buffed somewhat though. The scepter out-damages them both, and it’s a ranged weapon. >_>

I used sword/focus greatsword on my medi guard build all the way to champion paragon, it really is a strong weapon in the current state of PvP. Going 2/6/6 for powerful blades and right hand strength puts out a lot of damage, I’d rather have the flat 10% over 20% just when aegis is up. The extra blind and gap closer makes you even more dangerous to thieves and power rangers, and if you rotate it right you can get off two huge bursts with zealots defense and whirling wrath.
With the trait rework though we are losing powerful blades unless they make it baseline, and that is a big hit to sword, it won’t be able to keep up with other choices after that.

Ragnar the Rock.3174:

The problem is

1: The last auto attack can often miss enemies

2: the last auto attack works as a ranged attack but does not count as one, thus it can be reflected

3: The number 3 skill projectiles are slow & can be easily avoided by anything outside of melee range

4: Despite saying it’s a block the number 3 skill doesn’t actually block anything it absorbs. This means there are allot of traits it does not interact with.

5: Even if all the attacks hit the number 3 skill is a DPS loss when compared to the auto attack.

6: The auto attack cleave is incredibly small, enemies literally have to be standing on top of each other to hit multiple targets. (this also makes it miss vs strafing enemies.

The first 2 attacks in the chain are like anything else, they have a normal arc. The last one is a 300 range, piercing, projectile attack. It’s more like a cone then an arc, this is probably to balance the fact that it has better range and damage(if it had a large arc then you couldn’t hit 1 person with all 3 projectiles unless on top of them). Zealot’s defense projectiles do suck if you’re chasing someone, you really want to use it on CC’d enemies or to block ranged attacks. And you wouldn’t want to use it if there are 2 enemies next to each other because it doesn’t pierce. I’m sure they could do something to guardian sword but it doesn’t seem to be in a terrible spot.

data.4093:

Ragnar the Rock.3174:

The problem is

1: The last auto attack can often miss enemies

2: the last auto attack works as a ranged attack but does not count as one, thus it can be reflected

3: The number 3 skill projectiles are slow & can be easily avoided by anything outside of melee range

4: Despite saying it’s a block the number 3 skill doesn’t actually block anything it absorbs. This means there are allot of traits it does not interact with.

5: Even if all the attacks hit the number 3 skill is a DPS loss when compared to the auto attack.

6: The auto attack cleave is incredibly small, enemies literally have to be standing on top of each other to hit multiple targets. (this also makes it miss vs strafing enemies.

The first 2 attacks in the chain are like anything else, they have a normal arc. The last one is a 300 range, piercing, projectile attack. It’s more like a cone then an arc, this is probably to balance the fact that it has better range and damage(if it had a large arc then you couldn’t hit 1 person with all 3 projectiles unless on top of them). Zealot’s defense projectiles do suck if you’re chasing someone, you really want to use it on CC’d enemies or to block ranged attacks. And you wouldn’t want to use it if there are 2 enemies next to each other because it doesn’t pierce. I’m sure they could do something to guardian sword but it doesn’t seem to be in a terrible spot.

The issue is that many of us don’t want it to be a projectile attack. For whatever reason, most of the guardian’s melee weapons were designed with the idea of using projectile-based attacks from melee range, which does nothing but hinder the class considerably against foes with personal projectile reflection. It would be more beneficial to scrap the triple hit on a single target in favor of a single hit on 3 targets IMO, because then it would at least be a reliable melee weapon.

Ragnar the Rock.3174:

Obtena.7952:

In the current gamestate, I’m a big sword fan. I consider some of the issues it has minor compared to the more general Guardian drawbacks. It was definitely in heavy rotation when I was rocking my burning spec, which was all about as many hits in as little time as possible. I don’t think it even contends with Mace, though I think it is on par with GS.

After thinking about it, I think Sword will have considerable, increased appeal when the new traits go live. Patience.

True it is great where it is good, but you have to admit it’s problems tend to be bad.

It really makes me worry however given how much several of the new builds (especially zeal line & burning) are tied to symbols.

Would be great if they changed “Zealots Defense” so that it dropped a symbol when activated.

As problematic as sword is, it’s STILL one of the best PVP weapons. Yes, it suffers from some weird effects. I don’t think it will suffer from lacking a symbol in PVP because people will avoid symbols anyways. In PVE, for SURE sword is going to take a big hit in popularity because of losing it’s 10% multiplier and missing out on symbol multiplier.

I do think some minor changes could benefit the sword but I don’t think it will have a significant impact on how it works or ranks unless those changes affect the concept of the weapon.

Obtena.7952:

Ragnar the Rock.3174:

Obtena.7952:

In the current gamestate, I’m a big sword fan. I consider some of the issues it has minor compared to the more general Guardian drawbacks. It was definitely in heavy rotation when I was rocking my burning spec, which was all about as many hits in as little time as possible. I don’t think it even contends with Mace, though I think it is on par with GS.

After thinking about it, I think Sword will have considerable, increased appeal when the new traits go live. Patience.

True it is great where it is good, but you have to admit it’s problems tend to be bad.

It really makes me worry however given how much several of the new builds (especially zeal line & burning) are tied to symbols.

Would be great if they changed “Zealots Defense” so that it dropped a symbol when activated.

As problematic as sword is, it’s STILL one of the best PVP weapons. Yes, it suffers from some weird effects. I don’t think it will suffer from lacking a symbol in PVP because people will avoid symbols anyways. In PVE, for SURE sword is going to take a big hit in popularity because of losing it’s 10% multiplier and missing out on symbol multiplier.

I do think some minor changes could benefit the sword but I don’t think it will have a significant impact on how it works or ranks unless those changes affect the concept of the weapon.

As far as zealots defense goes I think they should change it to the following.

Zealots Defense: Sear a symbol of wrath into the ground in front of you then block ALL attacks for the next 1 & 1/2 seconds.

This would maintain the damage output & defense while adding a symbol to it. The only thing you would lose is ranged which tends to miss anyway.

As for the last auto attack. They really should just make it a triple melee attack with some cleave like the warrior 1h axe.
Again you would lose the ranged, but it tends to miss anyway.

Ragnar the Rock.3174:

Obtena.7952:

Ragnar the Rock.3174:

Obtena.7952:

In the current gamestate, I’m a big sword fan. I consider some of the issues it has minor compared to the more general Guardian drawbacks. It was definitely in heavy rotation when I was rocking my burning spec, which was all about as many hits in as little time as possible. I don’t think it even contends with Mace, though I think it is on par with GS.

After thinking about it, I think Sword will have considerable, increased appeal when the new traits go live. Patience.

True it is great where it is good, but you have to admit it’s problems tend to be bad.

It really makes me worry however given how much several of the new builds (especially zeal line & burning) are tied to symbols.

Would be great if they changed “Zealots Defense” so that it dropped a symbol when activated.

As problematic as sword is, it’s STILL one of the best PVP weapons. Yes, it suffers from some weird effects. I don’t think it will suffer from lacking a symbol in PVP because people will avoid symbols anyways. In PVE, for SURE sword is going to take a big hit in popularity because of losing it’s 10% multiplier and missing out on symbol multiplier.

I do think some minor changes could benefit the sword but I don’t think it will have a significant impact on how it works or ranks unless those changes affect the concept of the weapon.

As far as zealots defense goes I think they should change it to the following.

Zealots Defense: Sear a symbol of wrath into the ground in front of you then block ALL attacks for the next 1 & 1/2 seconds.

This would maintain the damage output & defense while adding a symbol to it. The only thing you would lose is ranged which tends to miss anyway.

As for the last auto attack. They really should just make it a triple melee attack with some cleave like the warrior 1h axe.
Again you would lose the ranged, but it tends to miss anyway.

Miss is little compared to those point blank obstructed and reflects… the point of projectiles is to be used from a distance not while hugging the target, that’s why close combat and melee weapons exist…

Why not make the 3rd chain skill for sword be the double lightsaber slash from some of the alpha videos? That would solve the issues of cleaving, arc, projectiles, and it’d look pretty boss too.

There’s two things that zealots defense needs. One, it needs to allow slow movement rather than rooting you. And two, it needs to hit up to five targets in a line.

As for sword needing a symbol, I could see putting it on flashing blades, honestly. Teleport to your target and sear a symbol on the ground that pulses blind.

Toast.1495:

Why not make the 3rd chain skill for sword be the double lightsaber slash from some of the alpha videos? That would solve the issues of cleaving, arc, projectiles, and it’d look pretty boss too.

There’s two things that zealots defense needs. One, it needs to allow slow movement rather than rooting you. And two, it needs to hit up to five targets in a line.

As for sword needing a symbol, I could see putting it on flashing blades, honestly. Teleport to your target and sear a symbol on the ground that pulses blind.

Oh yes, please! I really want to use the sword, but until yet without a symbol it doesn’t fit into my symbol orientated build. If it gets a symbol, i would even think about changing my mace/shield + staff to mace/shield + sword/focus.

Toast.1495:

As for sword needing a symbol, I could see putting it on flashing blades, honestly. Teleport to your target and sear a symbol on the ground that pulses blind.

The problem with this idea is that having a skill that serves as a gap closer, and a symbol that pulses with aoe damage and that applies multiple blinds within the symbol’s radius, would make it too strong. To balance it out ANet would be forced to increase the cooldown for the skill by quite a fair margin.

If flashing blade has too long a cooldown, it loses it’s role as a reliable gap closer and it makes sword guardians even more easy to kite than they already are.