Guild Wars 2

Hey guys,

I’ve been toying with the idea of swapping my 1h Sword/Shield setup out for a Mace/Shield setup so that I can better support my allies, but I notice that noone ever talks about the Mace in their builds or in terms of balance, not that I’ve found anyway.

Does anyone use the mace? If so, why, if not, why not?

Thanks for your help

Tons and tons, it’s an amazing weapon. I can’t see anyone trying to ‘tank’ in this game without a mace/shield setup.

I think people might avoid it because it’s an inelegant weapon. The third chain hit has a very long animation and as such the damage is lower than any other 1h weapon, but that’s not the weapon’s purpose. The #2 with a healing suit does a tremendous amount of regeneration and #3 is a lifesaver (literally) when used right.

I went shield/mace in Ascalonian Catacombs and it was awesome, I totally love it. But solo, not so much. xD

i use a mace and a shield,
sword is more aggressive if you like that heavier damadge strikes. but the mace gives really go defending and great way of survivng. i love the mace its my main weapon with Gaurdian

The mace is an excellent defensive tool and I would recommend to try it with a focus off-hand.

However, I often find that it does to little damage (so I hope there is a trait combination for that). The other problem is that its support options require that your allies are very close which isn’t always the case.

Used mace/shield for the first time in AC the other day and it was alright. I enjoyed the mace part especially, but the shield just seems to be so bleh… I don’t know, I primarily use the GS so I think anything else will feel kind of boring.

I’ve read others suggesting to try out mace/focus because it actually works better as support. I’ve picked up a focus but haven’t actually tested it yet anywhere that “counts” (AC, etc.)

Anyone use mace/focus instead?

(edit) haha, TheBlueI.3486 chimes in with mace/focus! I’d like to see more feedback on this!!!

I use mace and sheild some quests i use the 2h Hammer for extra dmg. but Maces are good.

This guy http://www.guildwarsinsider.com/the-vanguard-guardian-leveling-1-40/ over at guildwarsinsider.com loves the mace/focus combination. He’s written a lot about it. Sounds interesting, worth reading.

I use mace/focus in dungeons when I want to get into the melee action. It’s a great healing/defensive set up. I enjoy the blind/heal (#4 focus) and shield of wrath (focus #5) more than I do the shield’s 4 and 5 skills. Shield #5 feels especially useless to me in dungeons, except for certain situations where I need to bump mobs away (but this usually messes up area targeted spells more than it helps the group). For that reason I see mace/focus as the best defensive melee combo in dungeons—especially if you use a rune in the mace that has a chance to chill mobs.

I love the mace but like others I feel the need to pair it with the focus instead of the shield. I want to use a shield because it feels like I should use one but the focus has better skills to pair with the mace IMO

As I said, I like the mace/focus but often feel it doesn’t enough damage.

What’s your opinion on that? Did you use traits to enhance the damage output? What secondary weapon do you use? …

I used Mace/Shield for AC Story and below 35. Switched to Sword/Focus later on, way better imo.

Mace/focus is fantastic when paired with a 2handed weapon, most notably the hammer. The combination will give you great defensive capabilities to switch to when you’re about to get overwhelmed, while still providing your group with a good amount of support. Remember, you can use the focus #5 with the mace #2 symbol to give area retaliation, so the combo w/ a hammer means your group can have retaliation up almost the entire time!

Sure, the mace/focus combo won’t deal the most damage possible, but it’s still fun to use even as a primary when I’m slightly tired of launching enemies with my hammer. =D

It is a pity that our shield has such large CD that makes it’s use not as good as a focus.
3 free blocks (no dmg at all) + blind and condition remover is far better than a long CD bubble and 33% less dmg for a few seconds.

Shields should either have a shorter CD on their skills or add way more armor.

jbozah.8450:

This guy http://www.guildwarsinsider.com/the-vanguard-guardian-leveling-1-40/ over at guildwarsinsider.com loves the mace/focus combination. He’s written a lot about it. Sounds interesting, worth reading.

Thank you for the link – but more specifically, here is the article that talks about defense: http://www.guildwarsinsider.com/the-vanguard-heavy-metal-block-and-roll/

Reihert.1509:

It is a pity that our shield has such large CD that makes it’s use not as good as a focus.
3 free blocks (no dmg at all) + blind and condition remover is far better than a long CD bubble and 33% less dmg for a few seconds.

Shields should either have a shorter CD on their skills or add way more armor.

I used to think that way until I took the 90 toughness trait for shields. There are enough hits you cannot block that this makes all the world of difference for.

I love the mace, with sigil of water, I’m doing a reasonable amount of healing at the point of attack with just the 1 ability. The 2 I really love, especially if allies would stop running away from it.

The debate I’m really having is whether to scrap my shield for a focus. But my shield looks so cool.

I have to try the focus. I’ve been using mace+shield, and it is a beast. As others mentioned, the power 2 regen is nothing to scoff at (it also does a little damage), and the 3 ability can completely block an attack. If used right, it is amazing. Even if you do not get hit, it still gives protection, which is good anyway

Mace is probably my number 1 weapon at end game. The amount of protection and healing that it provides to your team is great. I combine it with a shield and healing power / toughness stats to give great sustain in dungeons and more inate tankiness. Highly recommend.

I prefer Mace/Focus. In bad situations, you can drop your Mace2, then Mace3 and Focus5 to heal back up while blocking 4 hits.

In PvE, mace/shield is always on one of my swaps.

I like Mace+Shield combination, specially to tank veterans or when there too many mobs,.

Usually I go with GS and change to Mace+Shield when need to hold a lot of damage. Did not try it in PvP yet.

Here’s how I play my guardian:

The Greatsword is amazing – it has decent utility, and is an excellent damage dealer. So I always have the GS on me.

My second weapon set I adapt to what I’m fighting, typically going by this logic:

Main:
Sword – For more damage and/or if there are a high number of ranged foes (blind+projectile blocking.)
Mace – Defensive/Support (all its abilities can help allies that are close enough.)
Scepter – Support + Damage
Staff – Support

Offhand:
Shield – When I want a mid-way Offensive/Defensive set. Skills are good for team protection and anti-ranged.
Focus – Defensive. Blind+Condition removal and a 3x Block (which I really think should be on the Shield.)
Torch – Offensive – if I want more damage to go with my Sword/Mace. Also typically always take this with Scepter.

I mix and match for what works best against what I’m fighting. For instance, when fighting Dredge I tend to swap out the focus for the shield or torch, since they’re immune to blind – typically take shield with sword and torch with mace while fighting them.

I don’t see why you would limit yourself to one specific Main/Offhand combination. The Sword + Focus is a lot of wasted ability on blind immune foes, for instance.

I switch between scepter/torch for damage and then when things get tough or I pull a few to many mobs I switch to mace/focus. Mace is definitely a good choice and with focus really helps when the going gets tough.

TeamRaveGreen.6917:

jbozah.8450:

This guy http://www.guildwarsinsider.com/the-vanguard-guardian-leveling-1-40/ over at guildwarsinsider.com loves the mace/focus combination. He’s written a lot about it. Sounds interesting, worth reading.

Thank you for the link – but more specifically, here is the article that talks about defense: http://www.guildwarsinsider.com/the-vanguard-heavy-metal-block-and-roll/

There we go, that’s what I meant to post. Thanks for that.

when tanking I go Mace/Focus with Hammer or Scepter/Shield as secondary