Guild Wars 2

Hi all,

I’ve played since launch and have no character at 80 yet and I’m not in any rush to. However I would like to focus on one character in particular and I’m trying to choose between my Engineer(25), Warrior(26) and Guardian(11).

My goal is a character which is effective in group based WvW (my guild is in there a lot so I wouldn’t go solo roaming) and which is fun and interesting to level in PvE. I want to avoid a class where I’m forever stuck in one build or weapon set and only ever pressing 2-3 buttons.

The engineer appears to have a fair amount of versatility yet feels somewhat disconnected – skills don’t flow. The warrior has been pretty easy to level but it feels lacking in options compared to the Guardian. I need to get him to 25ish for a better comparison but I’ve also been pouring over the forums for insights into the class.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

I’ve got an 80 Engineer and I’m working on a Guardian (level 30). I guess it depends on your play style, but if you’re doing WvW the grenades are awesome for keeping enemies off the walls during sieges. And keeping enemies away when defending.

I’m still trying to get a feel for the guardian and I’m sure they’ve got a ton of uses (specially for helping your friends), but I’d vote for engineer just for the nades and CC. The lack of ranged damage is what bothers me with the guardian in WvW. Then again, my opinion will likely change when I hit level 80. I’m really enjoying leveling my guardian which I didn’t expect.

Those are my 3 mains. I haven’t done a ton of wvw but a little bit and have a small feel for it. Engie is 80, guard is 70, and warrior is 72. I’m sure others will chime in with more input. Engineer is decent for wvw, but at times it seems the only option is for support. Warrior is ok if you are with a pack, but otherwise feels like too much of a glass cannon, you can build him to be more supportish but then lose dps. Guardian is pretty awesome IMO, I’ve gotten myself out of a lot of sticky situations and ambushes with him. It just seems like they have a tool for every situation, and they are fun and very cerebral to play.

It’s a tough call though, all 3 have their moments. I think you really need to cue up to wvw as much as you can and get a feel for what playstyle you like.

I’ve played a Warrior up until 64, and honestly I was bored. I’ve tried Engineer, and I’m just not into it.

I’m currently playing my Guardian, and I’m having a kitten load of fun. The Guardian is one of the top, if not THE top class for solo leveling. Your skills and weapon sets(Mace+Focus/Shield) really make you survive anything this game throws at you. But that’s not to say the Guardian is only for tanking as you can switch up your skills/traits/weapon and go DPS spec. Comparing damage between Guardian and Warrior, I would say the Guardian has better sustained damage AND better survivability, while the Warrior has better burst damage.

BUT, the Guardian isn’t only for solo players. The Guardian is probably the most wanted class in group based gameplay. Dungeons, WvWvW, PvP, Events. Whatever it is for group events, you can always count on a Guardian to make things easier for the group. Guardians shine the most in group gameplay TBH.

I remember playing on my warrior in dungeons, and all I could do was DPS. Sure, I had banners. But the banners have such limited range that in a whole boss fight, I’d say 5% of the time was when my teammates actually had my banners’ buffs on them. It would be awesome if the banners had a bigger range, seeing as you can’t stand in one place for a long time in boss fights, especially those hard hitting ones. You know, unless you’re a Guardian with Aegis, then sure you can stand there and take the big hit

Overall, the Guardian is a really versatile class. But just get that the Guardian will almost always be a Support/Tank in group gameplay, especially in dungeons. While you can go DPS, other classes perform that role a little better. Unless you have another Guardian who’s doing the Support/Tanking, then go ahead with DPS and have fun.

It sounds to me like you might be enjoying your Guardian more than your other two professions, but you are somewhat hesitant to choose him as your main because he is the lowest level and you have a bit of ground to cover to bring him up to your other characters.

Since you don’t seem like you are in any hurry to get to level 80, I would strongly encourage you to play your Guardian. I chose a Guardian as my main and have played him all the way to 80 and enjoyed every minute of it. There are a few problems with it, but nothing so horrible that you won’t enjoy yourself.

As far as WvW is concerned, you will be a little hindered when it comes to your offensive capabilities in larger “zerg” style combat, due to a lack of solid ranged weapons. However, you will definitely be a huge support to your guild and your server just from throwing out support and smacking down any opponents who wander close enough to your group.

TL;DR: Guardian all the way

Thanks for your replies and thoughts! I think, given I’ve hit a ‘bump’ with my engineer and warrior that is causing me to investigate another class that I should do exactly that. And as Animus says, I’m no rush so I can afford the time.

For WvW zergs I don’t mind manning or protecting siege. But my guild is also considering running some small specialist groups to intercept and run interference. Zerg mentality is quick to drop their main objective for what they perceive as ‘easy’ kills even if they chase them all the way across the map

Warriors have a lot of versatility in weapon choices as far as I know, so maybe you need to explore the choices more.

oellph.9450:

My goal is a character which is effective in group based WvW (my guild is in there a lot so I wouldn’t go solo roaming) and which is fun and interesting to level in PvE. I want to avoid a class where I’m forever stuck in one build or weapon set and only ever pressing 2-3 buttons.

“effective in group” – All classes are effective, depends on your play-style

“fun and interesting to level in PvE” – Depends on your preferences

Not “stuck in one build or weapon set” – Aside from Elementalist, all classes are like this too, and it’ll just depend on how you want to play.

See what I’m getting at? You won’t know til you try it out yourself.
Maybe someone will say something you agree with, and it will turn out well, but maybe not too.

DreamOfACure.4382:

Warriors have a lot of versatility in weapon choices as far as I know, so maybe you need to explore the choices more.

It’s true that Warriors have the most choices for weapons, but how many of those weapons are actually useful?

Warrior is a very flexible class actually, no idea why people seem to think they are pigeonholed into certain builds and weapons – they have a lot more viable options than most if not all other classes. All builds have the no frills playstyle in common though and I guess that’s the reason many players get bored easily.

I’d say either engineer or guardian.