Guild Wars 2

Some complication:
Mace has 2 aoe abilities\ one symbol \heal opportunity \protection boon.
Hammer has 2 aoe abilities \one symbol \immobilize \blowout \ring of warden \one combo finisher ability
Greatsword has 3-4 aoe abilities \might and retaliation boons \one symbol \three combo finisher abilities

Sword doesn`t has aoe\ boons\ symbols \combo finisher ability…
You know that image of a knight in the legends often depicted with a sword and shield, but you can`t enjoy GW2 by playing guardian with sword in hand…this really sux!

I think that most 1h swords in the game are underused. maybe for this reason

I actually find the Sword pretty good. The first attack hits multiple opponents and triggers Virtue of Justice pretty fast. The third one is a pretty decent burst skill (for a Guardian and the teleport is pretty useful as well, since Guardians don’t have too much in terms of mobility.

It’s also pretty unfair to compare two-handed weapons with one-handers.

What I find especially weird is that you want to play like a knight (Sword/Shield) and find problems with the Sword and not the Shield. Not to mention that I wouldn’t really picture a knight with a heavy AoE-based playstyle.

I like the sword for pvp it has a awesome gap closer. Its decent burst dmg too the shield is horrible though i would take focus over it any day i love shields but not on guardians . the torch combos well with sword imo gives you 2 burst skills 1 skill passive burn while your dpsing.

Can we please stop making multiple threads on the same thing? we already have the “sword needs a buff” thread. as far as comparing weapons, Mace does lower damage than sword, and has no gap closer, and dont compare 1h to 2h unless you include the offhand possibilities, which is where the sword becomes pretty good both offensively and defensively.

1H sword has great single target sustained DPS, the advantage of being able to be paired with an offhand and can benefit from one of the best offensive trait guardian has.

It lacks AoE damage because zealots defense is single target and the 3rd attack does not cleave in a front arc like most melee weapons. This, added to the fact that 1H mastery can’t be taken together with AH and Empowering Might, makes the weapon a bad choice for “hard” PvE content like dungeons.
I think It’s in good spot however for PvP and open world play where AH/EM combo is far from needed.

The problem is they make the Two-handed Weapons for most classes too good or basically mandatory to use.

I mean, the saving point of the Guardian Mace is it can hit 3 targets and it has amazing healing output.

ComeAndSee.1356:

The problem is they make the Two-handed Weapons for most classes too good or basically mandatory to use.

Would you mind elaborating on this?

I use the 1h sword all the time. Quick burns good dmg and options from off hand gear. The torch especially shines with the sword, teleporting in and breathing fire on someone. Its all about finding good combos

Ynna.8769:

ComeAndSee.1356:

The problem is they make the Two-handed Weapons for most classes too good or basically mandatory to use.

Would you mind elaborating on this?

Most one-handed weapons are limited to only being able to hit one target at a time while two-handed weapons are “AOE” weapons.

For Guardian’s the Greatsword is your highest single and AOE damage weapon while synergizing well with most builds. Warrior’s are in the same boat with their Greatsword as well, but they have more options available like akimbo Axes.

Wouldn’t you say that part of the “sacrifice” you make by using a two-handed weapon is that you lose out on the flexibility of choosing your off-hand?
And would this be a problem of the two-handers being too useful, or the one-handers not useful enough?

Vargamonth.2047:

1H sword has great single target sustained DPS, the advantage of being able to be paired with an offhand and can benefit from one of the best offensive trait guardian has.

It lacks AoE damage because zealots defense is single target and the 3rd attack does not cleave in a front arc like most melee weapons. This, added to the fact that 1H mastery can’t be taken together with AH and Empowering Might, makes the weapon a bad choice for “hard” PvE content like dungeons.
I think It’s in good spot however for PvP and open world play where AH/EM combo is far from needed.

AH/EM combo is not needed for anything, even if many people use it. Is it good? Perhaps, but not essential for quite a few players out there (Guardian survival is not solely linked to AH or meditations.)

I run a RHS Sword/Torch and Scepter/Focus build that does very well. Each auto-attack in the chain does frontal AoE. You get a ton of attacks that can proc ‘On Crit’ stuff, more than any other weapon we have. The damage is better than GSword if you build right. You get 5 attacks in a single auto-chain which procs VoJ burns faster than any other weapon. Lastly my build gives me as much survivability as AH, I do run an AH build also. There is a lot more benefit to Sword than some people think. Don’t know about viability in upper Fractals and SPvP but for everything else its completely viable.

I agree though that it does lack a finisher, if we could get Flashing Blade as a burst or leap this weapon would be even better.

GSword’s damage output is lower, single target wise, but it has 4/5 abilities that initiate or finish. I’m assuming that’s why people think it’s a superior weapon.

Blood~

ComeAndSee.1356:

Ynna.8769:

ComeAndSee.1356:

The problem is they make the Two-handed Weapons for most classes too good or basically mandatory to use.

Would you mind elaborating on this?

Most one-handed weapons are limited to only being able to hit one target at a time while two-handed weapons are “AOE” weapons.

For Guardian’s the Greatsword is your highest single and AOE damage weapon while synergizing well with most builds. Warrior’s are in the same boat with their Greatsword as well, but they have more options available like akimbo Axes.

But AoE is not “mandatory”-thus Greatswords nor Hammers aren’t mandatory either (you may prefer them, and that’s OK, but it’s a different thing.)

Focus and shields have effects that are AoE, though of course not huge AoE damage dealers, and the torch can burn enemies for a bit more of AoE damage in specialized situations.

I think where 1hers shine above 2handers are the support they bring sword paired with focus gives a total of 7seconds of block 2blinds and a group regen. put a mace in there you get even more support. use a 2hander you get either retaliation and a blind with greatsword or just protection with a hammer. I think the problem is the game dosnt really need all the support from 1handers they bring to the table. Cause you can kill stuff faster with 2handers and get by. all your shouts and signets or meditations whatever build you use do the same thing as your 1hander abilities. If it were me i would make the skills more offensive base instead of defensive on weapons. like a short quickness or might or something more useful because in reality you have all the defense you need with utilities.

ComeAndSee has a point. I changed my Sword/Focus to Greatsword because AoE is more needed in WvW. The CD reduction trait is also nice because it’s one-for-all. But Sword/Focus is still my favorite setup for PvP.

Sword doesn’t suck. People just need to learn how to use it. I mean, combined with Focus, it makes Warriors cry.

AoE is needed most of the time.
thats why 2 handers are needed most of the time.

sword is good vs 1 target.
and pvp 1vs1.

Avatar.1923:

AoE is needed most of the time.
thats why 2 handers are needed most of the time.

sword is good vs 1 target.
and pvp 1vs1.

To be honest, it all depends on the player and preferred builds. No doubt there are players making swords useful for all game’s content. AoE is not really “needed” if a player has something else in mind he/she wants to achieve.

And of course Hammers and Greatswords can be good too for all game’s content.

Wobels.1679:

I think where 1hers shine above 2handers are the support they bring sword paired with focus gives a total of 7seconds of block 2blinds and a group regen. put a mace in there you get even more support. use a 2hander you get either retaliation and a blind with greatsword or just protection with a hammer. I think the problem is the game dosnt really need all the support from 1handers they bring to the table. Cause you can kill stuff faster with 2handers and get by. all your shouts and signets or meditations whatever build you use do the same thing as your 1hander abilities. If it were me i would make the skills more offensive base instead of defensive on weapons. like a short quickness or might or something more useful because in reality you have all the defense you need with utilities.

But that’s a player playstyle thing, therefore the options. We shouldn’t request people to adapt to the way we think things should be done, if there are other ways to achieve things that may be fun to them (same old “kill it faster is always better”-not everybody believes that, and that’s ok?)

I mean no offense, of course, and you are right to play whichever way you choose.

Star Ace.5207:

Wobels.1679:

I think where 1hers shine above 2handers are the support they bring sword paired with focus gives a total of 7seconds of block 2blinds and a group regen. put a mace in there you get even more support. use a 2hander you get either retaliation and a blind with greatsword or just protection with a hammer. I think the problem is the game dosnt really need all the support from 1handers they bring to the table. Cause you can kill stuff faster with 2handers and get by. all your shouts and signets or meditations whatever build you use do the same thing as your 1hander abilities. If it were me i would make the skills more offensive base instead of defensive on weapons. like a short quickness or might or something more useful because in reality you have all the defense you need with utilities.

But that’s a player playstyle thing, therefore the options. We shouldn’t request people to adapt to the way we think things should be done, if there are other ways to achieve things that may be fun to them (same old “kill it faster is always better”-not everybody believes that, and that’s ok?)

I mean no offense, of course, and you are right to play whichever way you choose.

yea no i totally agree to each their own. I used to run around with a mace and focus cause i liked throwing boons on everyone. was fun then it got boring and switched it up to higher dps less survivability. makes it more challenging but your right it is whatever you wanna do. the only thing i was saying if the 1h weapons had more offensive boons you would probably see them a lot more.

I agree with all your points until I picked up a sword. Then I learned better. It’s a great weapon, it just depends on your build and gear.

It attacks fastest so against single targets it will proc Virtue of Justice fastest. It does also have limited AoE. If you find you need more AoE, torch handles that nicely. It can get a higher crit rate than any of your 2handers, so it’s a better choice for on-crit traits like Empowering Might.

I generally roll with sword/torch and GS. In pve at least, the sword is what I use 95% of the time. There’s really nothing wrong with it as is.

Don’t forget that Sword has an AOE blind on 10 sec cooldown, which is a great defensive utility! The only thing I would like to change is the Zealot’s Defense, I find it too situational (as in – its almost always the wrong choice). For instance, it could get a real block (like 1 sec) in addition to the ranged block it has now; or, it could be usable while moving and the attack area would be wider.

I wouldn’t mind if Sword got a slight damage boost to make it on-par with the GS

Avatar.1923:

AoE is needed most of the time.
thats why 2 handers are needed most of the time.

sword is good vs 1 target.
and pvp 1vs1.

Sword takes some positioning but each attack in the chain can hit multiple targets in front of you, seems it has a tighter range than GSword’s auto iirc though.

I see it more as AoE is acceptable in situations where you are not in danger of dropping due to x number of mobs attacking you. Generally in challenging situations where damage or mechanics will floor ya quickly its much better to focus down single targets. Also as the community gets to know the content better AoE can be brought in more effectively and can become a luxury. ANet has made a statment about AoE and we’ll see some changes to this, it’ll be interesting.

Damage of Sword/Torch vs GSword… My testing has shown, with optimal builds but the same gear, Sword is higher damage output than GSword. Now this is only single target and doesn’t take into account what each loadout does for the group.

Blood~

Don’t know what you’re talking about.

Star Ace.5207:

Vargamonth.2047:

1H sword has great single target sustained DPS, the advantage of being able to be paired with an offhand and can benefit from one of the best offensive trait guardian has.

It lacks AoE damage because zealots defense is single target and the 3rd attack does not cleave in a front arc like most melee weapons. This, added to the fact that 1H mastery can’t be taken together with AH and Empowering Might, makes the weapon a bad choice for “hard” PvE content like dungeons.
I think It’s in good spot however for PvP and open world play where AH/EM combo is far from needed.

AH/EM combo is not needed for anything, even if many people use it. Is it good? Perhaps, but not essential for quite a few players out there (Guardian survival is not solely linked to AH or meditations.)

Nothing is mandatory in this game, but I find anything besides AH/EM lackluster on a dungeon enviroment.

If you go towards DPS, EM is almost a must unless your group sits on 25 might stacks without it. Then Zeal is a pretty bad line besides “10% against burning foes” and Radiance is tied to Condition Damage, which is crap in this enviroment.
Radiance could be a good option for 1H weapons, like 1H sword, granting you A LOT of crit chance, which has a great sinergy with EM, and a good damage boost from 25 minor. The counterpart is that you end up with a really high crit chance but with zero natural crit damage (cause almost every other line gives you better things than Valor at this point) so berserker/valkirie gear becomes almost a must and you lose the ability to draw aggro based on thoughness which is present in almost every AH/EM build.
The final build probably ends with better damage output than a AH/EM one, but with great loss in both control and survability.
You keep some interesting capabilities every guardian has, like WoR, stability sources, aegis and protection, so you still can be a godsend for some encounters. Besides that, I think it’s a wannabe warrior build.

If you go towards more defensive support, Hammer with Writ of Merciful or Battle Presence is probably the best source of healing and protection you can get, and it’s still viable with AH/EM.
You can give up EM in order to get both, but that would hurt badly the character both in offense and defense.
You also can give up Writ of Merciful and go Mace/Shield for better healing output, but this way you are going to lose damage and probably need Hold the Line to keep protection up.
You can even go Mace / Shield / Hold the Line without AH/EM at all, but then I feel again you are trying to do something that other class is most suited for, the elementalis this time, and that only your guardian utilities, availble for any guardian build, are going to keep you in good spot.

I don’t know, I think that AH/EM is just too powerful and the only trait combo that can make the guardian shine over other characters besides regular utilities.

I really want to play without AH/EM. So much so that I’ve gone lengths with different gear and builds to try and find something else viable. While I’ve found a number of builds that are certainly useful, it’s hard for me to argue at this point that AH/EM isn’t the best way to go for a WvW Guardian. Which saddens me because I have more fun with ground targeted consecrations, but I just feel so much more useful to my group with AH/EM and a shout based build.

Back on topic, if you think 1h sword sucks, try it with either a focus or a shield and GS for your swap. You can close distances scary fast with the GS leap and sword teleport. Not to mention both are aoe blinds. Combined with the virtue that makes justice cause blindness and renew each time you kill a foe, your enemies will be seeing a lot of, “Miss”

It occurs to me at this point that people that start “X sucks” threads aren’t even playing the game. What other conclusion can one draw from such a thread as this?

If you believe sword is a terrible weapon, you simply have no idea how to make a build on your guardian.

At PvE and WvWvW AOE is mainstream of all tactics and fights. Sword doesn`t have aoe ability also burst"3" can`t use while moving….

It doesn’t suck. It’s simply boring and niche, but in that niche it does well.

Boring because all you do is spam ‘1’ and hit ‘2’ when you’re out of range. Hitting 3 is a bad idea almost always since it hits for about auto-attack damage and it puts you out of melee range (since you’re immobilized). The off-hands have long cooldowns (the exception being the Torch) and don’t have very powerful effects except in specific situations, meaning you’ll still stick to ‘1’ and ‘2’ for most of the fights. There’s really not a high skill cap on this at all.

Niche because it lacks control, support, and AoE. (Please don’t bring up Torch 5; the DPS on that skill is low compared to just spamming ‘1’ with the sword and never worth using unless you’re hitting 4-5 enemies.) What it does have is high single target damage and a short cooldown gap closer, so in any 1v1 scenario it is just as effective as a Greatsword or Hammer.

What Alarox said.

The offhand also doesn’t give any control at all, except maybe for Shield of Absorption and it’s 40s cooldown, so offhands make poor 1v1s or few vs few choices.

Even if you don’t consider 1v1 or few vs few PvP, for example, in WvW, if you’re using a 1H & OH you’re just “another guy attacking” someone.
When someone’s about to escape or deal some damage, you have nothing (with the exception stated above) to prevent or help this situation, and you’re relying that your teammates will do something about it.

The Sword & Offhand is awesome if paired with a Greatsword, but because the Greatsword is awesome by itself and Sword is just another weaker version of it that you can use when your GS cooldowns are down for more target pressure.
The problem is that the Sword by itself (with an offhand) isn’t a solid option like any other 2 hander.

You might think it’s good for Empowering Might? Same mechanic of Virtue of Justice, but since it has an internal cooldown, it’s not really that effective depending on how much crit % you run with a Greatsword.
What about support? Focus has Blind/Regen and block, Shield has pushback, protection and heal? Well you can pair your Greatsword with a Staff and still enjoy most if not all of your enhancing traits!
Line of Warding, awesome Might for 10 secs+, AoE heals, AoE Swiftness, slow ranged damage that can be used for healing and wall-bypassing wide arc attack? Sounds a little more useful for support than a Focus or Shield if you ask me…

And I’m sorry if you think they’re fine “because I kill lots with it”.
You’re just gimping yourself and you could’ve perform much better in all nearly scenarios with a Greatsword.

And don’t get me wrong, I love Swords (and Shields).
I personally made my Guardian just because I love the looks of that a Heavy Armored class with a Sword and Shield in hand. The Sword’s flashiness is also awesome, but I just don’t find it comparable to a Greatsword/other 2Hander for most or all parts of the game.

I change my Traits quite often, picking Empowering Might (I don’t run this usually), Battle Presence, Right Handed Strength (I don’t play AH), and think “Hmm, so I get this great passive support, let me play!” and when I die or fail a hard event because I think “I didn’t damaged or pulled enough mobs of the NPC, or my healing lacked” I go back to my Power/Health symbol healing & everything AoE Greatsword/Staff combo.

I just want Swords (and Shields) to be as great as these two weapons (can’t speak about the hammer because I don’t use it too much).
Then I’ll be able to look cool while still being awesome on top. For now I’m just awesome =(

I am also one of those Guardians who originally wanted to run around with sword and shield (heck, I even originally wanted scepter as my weapon swap!) and due to the way they work and the way I like to play, they just aren’t compatible.
I do like shield but I won’t dispute that it doesn’t entirely “play well” with the other main hand weapons if you get what I mean.

Deathmond.7328:

At PvE and WvWvW AOE is mainstream of all tactics and fights. Sword doesn`t have aoe ability also burst"3" can`t use while moving….

The fact that sword doesn’t have amazing AoE doesn’t make sword a weak weapon.

Sword has great damage and perfectly reasonable utility when paired with 1 of any of the 3 offhands; even moreso when you swap to a 2nd offhand. Sword is clearly not as strong by itself when compared to 2H weapons and that’s likely consciously done to ensure a good balance for various weapon combination implementations

i found out that “Sword Wave” counted as projectile.
if you spam 1 on reflect projectile mobs, or field, you will hit your self, although good thing is, sword is weak so you wont get killed by your self.