Guild Wars 2

Builds/Gear

Now I will discuss the various builds/gear for each role. Like I mentioned in the introduction not every build can’t and will not be mentioned, this is due to the infinite combinations and play styles. So I’ll just start off mentioning three popular for each category. I plan to update these in the future with more builds.

Frontline and Commander

1-Extremely resilient to damage. This allows them to spearhead the assaults and command effectively. They generally use a mix of PVT with knight and or zerker to allow them to do decent damage. Prefer weapon of choice is the hammer and staff. The hammer brings great damage along with many CCs options, plus a blast finisher on short CD. The staff is there for the much needed support.

2-Very similar to the previous build, however this focuses more on DPS and self-preservation. Weapons of choice again are the hammer, for the reasons mentioned above. Secondary weapon depends on the player. Greatsword is a popular choice due to the amount of cleaves damage it brings to the table; however you have to be very cautious with it due to retaliation. GS attacks are all AoE, and fast hitting. So retaliation is a huge weakness, when running it in large scale fights.

Small Group (Aka Havoc Squad)

As I mentioned before this depends on group composition, so there are many builds I could list. So I’ll just list three. DPS, hybrid, and support.

1-This is full blown DPS, your role is just to pump out as much damage as possible. Popular weapon choice is Greatsword with sword/focus. This gives you a high amount of mobility and damage. Also with blinds and blocks to help with survivability.

2-Again we come back to this build. This in my view is the best all-round build, so it makes it an excellent choice for a hybrid build. It brings everything to the table. Sustain, damage, and support. Once again hammer is an excellent choice; so is greatsword.

3-Also known as the Healway build made famous by Chris. This build brings unrivaled amount of support and sustain.

Solo Roamer

1-This is a build that hits hard and also has a bit of sustain to go with it. However if you use this build it has to be with one-handed weapons to take advantage of Right-Hand Strength. Sword/focus and scepter/torch is a great combination. The only drawback is that it somewhat lacks AoE damage.

2-This is the most balanced of the two I mentioned. Still great damage, and sustain. However it gives you some extra condition cleaning and retaliation. Once again greatsword and sword/focus is a great combination.

Closing thoughts

The Guardian is perhaps one of the best professions for WvW. Every major group has Guardians in some form. They excel at bringing support and damage all in one package. While not as strong as other professions in 1vX scenario, they are still a force to be reckoned with. Guardians are the backbone of WvW, and every world needs good players to fill these important roles.

I’ll continue to update this guide in the future with more builds and also with videos. I’ll also try to go more in-depth on certain builds and roles. This guide so far is just an overview to help you get started on your journey as a Guardian in WvW. Feel free to leave comments, questions, and concerns.

Traits: The good, the bad, and the ugly

I’ve seen this many of times. Someone has this great build, prefect stats and great utilities. However their traits are all over the place, and some become less useful than others. So in this section, I’ll break down the traits, and list the ones that actually have some merit in WvW, and also the ones to avoid.

Zeal

Zeal is an offensive line that increases power and condition duration. Minor traits benefit symbols, and major traits favor greatsword, scepter, focus, and spirit weapons.

Binding Jeopardy- This is a very weapon specific trait, it requires you to run hammer and scepter to get the maximum benefit from it. The nice part about this trait is vulnerability is a group wide dps buff, unlike traits like Fiery Wrath, which is just for you. Decent trait to run if you’re using hammer and scepter. (Good)

Fiery Wrath-Not much to say here. It’s one of the best dps multipliers we have; also almost every dps build runs this. (Good)

Protector’s Impact- Generally not used in combat, this isn’t something you keep all the time. You just switch to it when you are coming to a large fall. (Mediocre)

Revenge of the Fallen-This trait is beyond any useable merit, never worth traiting. (Bad)

Shattered Aegis- The damage from this isn’t that significant to warrant its use. If you’re going for some type of max AoE build then maybe. However for the most part, just stay away from it. (Mediocre)

Zealous Blade- If you’re running GS this isn’t a bad trait to take, and also the bit of healing is useful with the right amount of healing power. (Good)

Focused Mastery- Not a bad trait, however it doesn’t do anything to set it apart from other master traits. For this reason I can’t really recommend it. (Mediocre)

Scepter Power- Decent trait if you like running scepter as your main weapon. (Good)

Spirit Weapon Mastery/Eternal Spirit/Wrathful Spirits- Spirit weapons builds generally don’t work. In large scale combat they melt in seconds. Small group and solo they fair better. Spirit weapons are usable so it has some merit. (Mediocre)

Kindled Zeal- Arguably the worst Guardian grandmaster trait. Condition builds are subpar on Guardian, and this doesn’t do anything to change that. (Bad)

Radiance

Radiance is an offensive line that increases precision and condition damage. Minor traits benefit Virtue of Justice and conditions. While major traits favor the use of one handed weapons, swords, spears, torches, signets, and burning.

Healer’s Retribution- This trait is not worth using, all Guardian healing skills are on a fairly long CD. So a few seconds of retaliation every +20 seconds isn’t going to help. Also Guardian has plenty of other ways to gain retaliation. (Bad)

Signet Mastery- This trait is worth using if you’re running more than one signet. It greatly reduces the CD on Resolve, making it a competitive choice with Shelter. (Good)

Shimmering Defense- An interesting trait. Seven seconds of AoE burning is quite significant. However it suffers from a long CD of 60 seconds, and also needing to be at 25% hp. (Mediocre)

Inner Fire- One of the most underrated traits. Every profession besides thief has access to burning. Against other Guardians, Engineers, and Elementalist. You’ll have close to permanent fury when fighting them. It also works extremely well against longbow Warriors. (Good)

Searing Flames- A somewhat useful trait to help with boon removal. The most effective way to use this is with the Sigil of Nullification. This allows you to remove two boons every ten seconds. (Good)

Blind Exposure- One of the best traits we have to not only increase your damage, but that of the players around you. (Good)

Radiant Fire- Good trait if you like running torch. Torch already has the lowest CD times, and this just helps strengthens that. Also it helps increasing uptime on burning. (Good)

A Fire inside- As I said previously, spirit weapons can work. However they’re not extremely viable. (Mediocre)

Inscribed Removal- This trait is fundamentally flawed. The reason behind signets is to give you a passive buff; this trait forces you to use them. Not a bad trait if you’re running multiple signets and need some condition removers. (Mediocre)

Powerful Blades- Must have if you’re running sword, huge damage increase. (Good)

Right Hand Strength- One of the best grandmaster traits, 15% crit chance is a significant damage increase. However there are two things you must remember. One, it only effects one handed weapons. Second thing is it only effects the main hand weapon. Not your off hand. (Good)

Perfect Inscriptions- If you’re running three or more signets, this is a very solid choice. However signet Guardians are generally outclassed by other specs. Signet guardian is viable; however it’s not the top choice. (Mediocre)

Valor

Valor is a defensive line that increases toughness and critical damage. Minor traits benefit Virtue of Courage and blocking. The major traits favor the use of maces, hammers, shields, meditations, and toughness.

Meditation Mastery- A must have if you plan on running a med build or using more than one med. (Good)

Defender’s Flame- This trait gets overshadowed, however it’s quite good. Guardians have a plethora of blocks, so this allows for even more burning up time. It works especially well with Shelter. (Good)

Strength of the Fallen- Useless trait for the most part. It doesn’t prevent more damage in the downstate. You just lose health slower. (Bad)

Strength in Numbers- Excellent trait, 150 toughness for you and five nearby allies. However it doesn’t stack. So if another Guardian is running it, this frees up a trait spot for you. (Good)

Purity- You can never have too many condition removers in WvW, so a ten second passive remover is always helpful. (Good)

Retributive Armor- Decent traits if you feel like you need a bit more precision. Generally it adds around another 5% CC; however it depends on your toughness. (Good)

Looking forward to you finishign this.
oh and heres my full glass spec
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vUAQNAsdRlsApaodDxcI8DNRY9AgH0fVFi31DIGxGC-z0BBYfCiEIBiKAMzsIaslhFRjVXDT5iIqmUAjqMC-w

Quick question, is the food for your second solo roaming build correct? I know taking camps with it will obviously help, but when fighting someone out in the open it will be a waste.

Bash.7291:

Quick question, is the food for your second solo roaming build correct? I know taking camps with it will obviously help, but when fighting someone out in the open it will be a waste.

Nice catch, that food is more for small group play. It becomes extremely power, due to the kills you can string together. Solo roaming, it can be somewhat effective for camps and 1vX situations. However for the most part you are better off choosing something else. I’ll update that build accordingly.

So why can’t healway guard be a frontliner?

Nick.6972:

So why can’t healway guard be a frontliner?

They can however it depends on a number of different factors. One of the most important of those is a large hp pool. Most healway builds sit around the 14k-17k margins, while frontline builds typically are +18k. This is due to healway relying more on healing power then straight up vitality. In my view, healway is more effective in small groups. One of the biggest weakness of healway is it’s rather vulnerable to burst damage, and has a hard time recovering from them. This is what going to happen in larger zerg fights, you’re going to take a lot of damage in a short period of time. If you’re on CD chances are you’re going to have a very hard time surviving. The other builds have large hp pools and AH to help mitigate that damage better.

So yes, you can use healway as a frontline build, however I feel it excels the best as small group, which is why I put it in that category.

Hey.. thanks for this guide

How would you trait a sceptor/torch guard? That’s what I have been using when I solo or in a small group. I mean which skills should I trait in the build you suggested.

layzoe.6035:

Hey.. thanks for this guide

How would you trait a sceptor/torch guard? That’s what I have been using when I solo or in a small group. I mean which skills should I trait in the build you suggested.

If you’re talking about the 0/30/30/5/5 build, this is what scepter/torch works best with. The only traits that are a must are the Mediation traits in Valor, and also the Grandmaster trait Right-Hand Strength. The adept and master traits can vary, and depend on the player.

Inner Fire- Great if you want even more fury up time.

Blind Exposure- Another great trait, just make sure you have the right weapons to get the max benefit from blinds. (gs, sword, focus)

Radiant Fire- Works well if you’re using torch, and it also helps with burning up time.

Powerful Blades- Must have if you’re are also running sword.

Traits: The good, the bad, and the ugly (continued)

Mace of Justice- Great trait if you plan on using mace. A solid damage boost, plus a significant amount of healing power. (Good)

Glacial Heart- This trait is actually somewhat decent now, this is due to the added damage and also being unblockable, if you’re using hammer is definitely a viable trait. (Good)

Honorable Shield- Decent trait if you plan on using the shield. Nice boost in toughness, also it helps with the shield’s painfully long CD times. (Good)

Focused Mind- If you’re running a dps build with meds this is a must have, since Guardians have very few access to Fury this is a great help. (Good)

Altruistic Healing- Very strong Grandmaster trait. However to get the maximum benefit you need to be running in a group of at least five people. If you are solo roaming I wouldn’t recommend using it. (Good)

Monk Focus- Another great trait. This allows dps Guardians to gain the much needed sustain in order to be competitive. This is useful in any situation, unlike AH which is just good for group play. Only catch is you have to use meds to get the benefit. (Good)

Honor

Honor is a supportive line that increases vitality and healing power. Minor traits benefit dodging and endurance. While major traits favor the use of two-handed weapons, shouts, reviving, and symbols as well as providing benefits to nearby allies.

Wrathful Spirit- This is a somewhat useless trait, guardians have a plethora of ways to gain retaliation. You can easily have permanent retaliation without using this trait. (Bad)

Superior Aria- If you are running multiple shouts then this is a must have. (Good)

Writ of Exaltation- If you plan on using a symbol build or using difference weapons with symbols. Then this is a solid choice. Having larger symbols means you have a better chance of getting more ticks on enemies and allies. (Good)

Protective Reviver- Another interesting trait, however it’s a very specific trait. +10 seconds of Aegis, protection, and regeneration for you and the person you revive is very strong. However due to its niche nature I can’t really recommend it. (Mediocre)

Resolute Healer- Great trait, AoE knockback and stops projectiles while you are reviving. (Good)

Pure of Heart- Another decent trait, if you have the healing power for it. Generally in a fight you can apply Aegis five times. So that can easily be a +5000 healing over the course of a fight, maybe even more depending on the length of the fight, and also if any of your allies apply Aegis to you. (Good)

Writ of Persistence- This is best used in conjunction with Writ of Exaltation, if you don’t trait Exaltation I wouldn’t recommend taking it. When it comes to WvW/PvP larger is better than longer, PvE is just the opposite. (Mediocre)

Empowering Might- Decent trait if you have the crit chance for it. I recommend at least 30% CC to keep a steady supply of might on you and allies. (Good)

Two Handed Mastery- If you are using two, two handed weapons then this is a solid choice. However if you’re only using one, then you’re better off traiting something different. (Good)

Writ of the Merciful- A very niche trait, to get the full benefit you need to be running all symbol traits, and also have decent healing power. For this reason I can’t really recommend using it. Even with 1000 healing power and traited symbols, symbols are only going to heal for around 728-1092. (Mediocre)

Pure of Voice- Good trait, if you’re using shouts. However I recommend you have other condition removers. Do not solely rely on this for cleanses. (Good)

Battle Presence- Lackluster for a Grandmaster trait, I wouldn’t go grandmaster for this trait nor would I give up Pure of Voice for it. If you are using it in conjunction with Absolute Resolution, then it becomes a little better. However I still wouldn’t recommend it. (Mediocre)

Virtues

Virtues is a utility line that increases boon duration and Virtue recharge rate. Minor traits benefit virtues and boons. Major traits favor the use of consecrations, retaliation, spirit weapons, and elite skills as well as the specialization of virtues.

Unscathed Contender- A very gimmicky trait, however it can be extremely strong. Generally you’ll have Aegis for your initial burst, after that it drops off. Then sporadically in the fight you’ll get these strong burst again. You can also time your Aegis to take advantage of it. This is a trait where you have to play wisely, and know when to take advantage of a situation. (Mediocre)

Vengeful- Retaliation is one of the Guardian’s primary boons, so anything that increases the duration is never a bad thing. (Good)

Consecrated Ground- This is an ok trait, generally you can just go to where you want to put your Consecration at. However there are times were it can come in handy. For example, you see a teammate about to get pinned; you realize you can’t make it there in time. However thanks to this trait you can create a Sanctuary around them from a distance until you get there. (Mediocre)

Retaliatory Subconscious- A very underwhelming trait. Every profession as access to a trait like this, but Guardians is the worst. The CD time is too long, and all you get is a few seconds of retaliation. (Bad)

Improved Spirit Weapon Duration- Like I mentioned before, spirit weapons are a mixed bag. If you are running them, you should take this trait. (Mediocre)

Master of Consecrations- Must have if you are running any type of Consecration. Not only does it reduce the CD time, but it also improves the duration. (Good)

Elite Focus- A somewhat useful trait. If you’re using either tomes this will increase the duration from 20 seconds to 30, making it a viable choice. However if you’re using Renewed Focus then it’s not worth it, since it only increases it from two seconds to three. This trait now grants stability to tomes in ten seconds intervals, making it a must have if you plan on using tomes. (Good)

Supreme Justice- This trait will increase your damage output, but at a cost. Generally you are constantly going to be activating Justice to get might stacks and blind/vulnerability. However this trait is really for the passive. So it forces you not to use your active as much. (Mediocre)

Absolute Resolution- One of the best traits we have. Not only does it increase your passive healing, it gives you group wide condition removers. (Good)

Indomitable Courage- Another good trait. Stability is easily the most important boon in a WvW/PvP environment. (Good)

Permeating Wrath- This is an ok trait, pretty much you just get more access to AoE burning. I personally would take Supreme Justice over this. (Mediocre)

Shielded Mind- This is a good trait, however it’s overshadowed by Indomitable Courage. The reason why is if you have stability, then you don’t need a stunbreaker. However it does have some advantages. Indomitable Courage is a more proactive approach, while Shielded Mind is a reactive skill. Never underestimate the power of a group wide stunbreaker. (Good)

Newly added traits

Amplified Wrath- This trait increases your burning damage by 33%, which can be a noticeable difference, if you’re running a hybrid or condition build, I would definitely recommend taking this over Kindled Zeal; however it’s still fairly weak for a grandmaster trait. (Mediocre)

Radiant Retaliation- This trait is terrible for a grandmaster. In order to benefit from it, you need to have condition damage of 924 or higher to out scale a power build. I do not recommend this at all. (Bad)

Communal Defenses- This is a somewhat interesting trait, it synergize very well with traits such as; Pure of Heart and Shattered Aegis. Also the number of targets it affects is unlimited, as long as they are in the 360 radius. However, this trait does not affect the Guardian in anyway, so it’s a purely supportive trait. I would recommend this trait; however it suffers from a fairly long CD, and also has to compete with traits such as Altruistic Healing and Monk Focus. (Mediocre)

Force of Will- This is a simple and straightforward trait. At level 80, it’ll give you 300 more vitality (3000 hp). So it’s a decent trait if you feel like your build is lacking hp. (Good)

Purity of Body- Another underwhelming grandmaster trait. 15% endurance regeneration increase is very insignificant. This is due to Vigor and Energy sigils. However, if you’re also running Battle Presence, it’ll affect your allies as well. Nevertheless it’s a subpar trait, and I wouldn’t recommend it. (Bad)

Videos

This section is reserved for gameplay videos. I’ll upload a wide variety of videos, from large group to solo roaming. A majority of the videos will be small group because that’s what I enjoy the most. As for the video quality, I’ll try to stay away from “ownage” content. While it’s fun to feel unstoppable, I want to post videos of good fights. Not ganking lowbies and killing unskilled players. I’ll also try not to edit out bad moments and mistakes; I want people to see it all. So you can learn from my mistakes, and improve.

Gone Camping- This is the first video in the line of many. Just three of us and a camp, Teamspeak was not used in this video. So our coordination isn’t the best. The build I running provides maximum amount of support, however it also does a fairly decent amount of damage. Since there are only three of us, sometimes less. I still need to have good dps output.

6vX- This is actually gameplay from another Guardian in my guild. I’m in the fight/video, just a different party. This just shows the power of support Guardian if played right. Group comp consisted of two guards, thief, warrior, ele, and engie.

The Rock- Doing some small group comp on Anvil Rock BL. In the video I’m playing support type of guard, however I still bring CC and decent damage.

Initial Burst Rotation- This is just a short video showing the initial burst rotation for a triple meds gs and s/f build. First thing is to precast Shield of Wrath. After that switch to GS, and do Leap of Faith. While in Leap of Faith, Judge’s Intervention to target. Once you’re on target you want to activate Smite Condition and Virtue of Justice. Symbol of Wrath, followed by Binding Blade. If the target trys to run or move then you use the pull. If not, you let it tick. Lastly you follow with a Whirling Wrath. Keep in mind you have to adapt to the situation, so the rotation isn’t always going to be the same. This just gives you a basic idea.

[List] Roaming- Roaming with my guild on reset night. We typical run 5-8 players.

Fun on Reset- Another short small group video.

New Ego Roaming- Small group comp gameplay.

I wonder: Is something like this possible with a guardian?
I ask because guardians get a lot of retaliation too...

Steinpilz.5078:

I wonder: Is something like this possible with a guardian?
I ask because guardians get a lot of retaliation too…

Yes, and no. Guardian can easily get close to 100% retaliation, regeneration, and protection uptime. However Mesmer has a number of tools that make that build work better. The main thing is conditions. Mesmer have access to a wide variety of conditions unlike Guardian. So this allows them still to do decent damage if they run bunker like that.

So yes you can make an Immortal Guardian, however you give up any type of offensive pressure.

But you would not need offensive pressure when they kill themselves.

Steinpilz.5078:

But you would not need offensive pressure when they kill themselves.

That’s does not work against a skilled player. Against an unskilled or average player it would fair better. Relying on retaliation and burning for your sole damage output isn’t a great idea. If the person is somewhat competent, they’re not going to kill themselves.

In large group fights if your not running tomb of courage your doing it wrong. even in small groups, the only reason not to run it is if your running solo.

Valinor.9647:

In large group fights if your not running tomb of courage your doing it wrong. even in small groups, the only reason not to run it is if your running solo.

That’s debatable, and depends on the build and group comp. If you’re using Absolute Resolution, Indomitable Courage, or Shielded Mind. Using Renewed Focus will let you have condition removers, healing, and a plethora of boons to include stability. Even a group stun breaker. I agree if you’re not invested into Virtues, then Tome of Courage would be probably be the smarter choice for group comp. However Tome of Courage suffers from a long CD, and it can easily be interrupted if you don’t have stability.

I agree Tome of Courage is an excellent support tool, however saying you must run it in group situations is imprecise.

Oh my God Harbinger you’ve always been my favorite player to follow on the forums! You should post updates of your character again! I noticed you got two more legendaries. Dude, you are just too pro good work!

RF has always felt like a crutch to me. I agree my statement was a little over the top. I feel the burst healing you get from TC far outweighs what you will get out of the activation for virtues.

Mind you its all situational and depends on group comp. especial in smaller havoc sized groups. But im one of those guys that calls his light fields for condi stripping so lets call it difference in play style .

good guide though Harbinger.

Harbinger you mind giving your personal thoughts on weapon choices for the different roles.

Well I’m glad people are enjoying the guide and finding it helpful!

oZii.2864:

Harbinger you mind giving your personal thoughts on weapon choices for the different roles.

This is something I plan to discuss when I also go over utilities.

Harbinger, do you think you could comment on using movement speed runes and not using them? I’ve been using traveler runes for about two months now, and while it does give me a speed advantage most of the time, I feel like I’d rather use other runes now. One of the reasons I made the switch to traveler was because I felt like it was hard connecting with my opponents

mrauls.6519:

Harbinger, do you think you could comment on using movement speed runes and not using them? I’ve been using traveler runes for about two months now, and while it does give me a speed advantage most of the time, I feel like I’d rather use other runes now. One of the reasons I made the switch to traveler was because I felt like it was hard connecting with my opponents

That’s an excellent question.

When come to large scale fights, I wouldn’t recommend using traveler or speed. There are a lot of better runes for that type of environment. Small group stuff they have more of a merit, however you’ll be coordinating your CCs, stuns, and soft CCs with your group. So you shouldn’t really have a problem with sticking to targets. Solo roaming is where they shine the most, allowing you to escape from unfavorable fights. Also helping out with the lack of soft CCs which guards suffer from.

I personally been using Traveler on my main set for quite awhile now. It gives me everything I want in a single package. They are nice, however they’re not mandatory. There are other ways to help stick to targets through other runes, sigils, and food.

Thank you. I’m going to stick w traveler

When the 2 Sigil per 2Hand weapon change comes in. What would you run?

Hammer has Fire now. Staff Energy.
Thought about adding Force to Hammer and another Fire to Staff.

And my Stack weapons will get Fire and Energy on top of them.

Cesip.1962:

When the 2 Sigil per 2Hand weapon change comes in. What would you run?

Hammer has Fire now. Staff Energy.
Thought about adding Force to Hammer and another Fire to Staff.

And my Stack weapons will get Fire and Energy on top of them.

That’s hard to say since we don’t know all the details, Anet stated they are fixing the functionality of some sigils. So we can only speculate. However these are some combo I’d be interested to see how they play out.

Strength and Battle
Ice and Hydromancy
Generosity and Purity
Blood and Leeching
Water and Renewal

Thanks for all of the wonderful info here Harbinger.

Make a sticky out of this guide, it’s great
Just one question. in some of your build you have full offencive infusions on the trinkets. now How do you plan on doing such an impossible task? Rings you can make them infused, but just them and right now as it is it’s a waste of money, and acessores you can’t, and since all ascended are unique and you can’t take 2 of the smae at the same time… yeah impossible

Nice work, though I disagree w/ you on Battle Pressence. =]

mPascoal.4258:

Make a sticky out of this guide, it’s great
Just one question. in some of your build you have full offencive infusions on the trinkets. now How do you plan on doing such an impossible task? Rings you can make them infused, but just them and right now as it is it’s a waste of money, and acessores you can’t, and since all ascended are unique and you can’t take 2 of the smae at the same time… yeah impossible

Well that is true, it really is a waste of money. +5 stat isn’t worth it imo. Also I’ll update the builds a fix the full offensive infusions. Right now it’s not possible, but maybe when 500 Jewelry comes out it could be.

As for the guide, I plan on finishing weapons and utilities this week. However when it comes to sigils/runes, I’m going to wait until after the feature patch. Anet is changing them significantly, so I think it would be in everyone’s best interest to wait.

In a frontline/zerg build, is it an absolute MUST to run Altruistic Healing?
Is it okay to completely drop the Valor line? (seeing how the traits not that good anyway)

Xyer.6480:

In a frontline/zerg build, is it an absolute MUST to run Altruistic Healing?
Is it okay to completely drop the Valor line? (seeing how the traits not that good anyway)

It’s not a must, however it’s very helpful since you’re always around people. So you’ll get the maximum benefit from it. If you don’t want to use Valor I’d recommend some type of x/x/x/30/x build for frontline.

Silven’s PvP Build thread was up there in the stickies, and I think this one deserves it too.
Typing out all those traits must be painstaking.
It’s a pretty good overall Guardian spec thread really, it’s all the variations people have tried and made good use of in the year that GW2 has been out.
I was pretty sure a friend of mine made the 10/5/30/5/20 himself, at the start of game, when there were Trap Rangers and P/D Thieves. Though it is entirely possible the resourceful players could have come up with the build separately.
I cringed when you mentioned Healway because whenever I come across and read “0/0/10/30/30” there’s a calm voice in my head saying “Bunker”. It’s the Bunker build. A Bunker. Bunker Bunker Bunker… cough That aside, I do appreciate Chris spreading the build around as it’s pretty much the definitive Guardian support. Still strong.

Distracting comments aside, I like this WvW Guide. With any spare time, perhaps you could highlight playstyles, such as main skills in weaponsets, with regards to specific builds? (e.g. using Sword 2 with Focus 5). Or maybe a short sentence for each weapon skill. This would vastly accelerate player experience and handling of the class. Could be an unreasonable thing though, since I’m not the one writing these guides and I am in no position to request anything. It’s pretty comprehensive already.

Though if you mention common combos, you’d also mention when’s the best time to use them and against what classes, then you’d be into discussing dodging and counter pressure, then you’d be discussing the essence of PvP as a whole… This thread would span the word count of a research paper.

I’d like to mention some general tips regarding Guardianship.
1. Remove burn stacking ASAP.
2. Remove condi stacking right after their best combo.
3. Don’t heal into poison.
4. Don’t walk into CC walls (e.g. Line of Warding) when using Shelter.
5. Eliminate extraneous combat information and focus on the useful. Break habits like admiring your damage numbers or watching your character wave a sword. Check enemy position, check your position. Check Stab and blind when trying to CC. Check CDs when trying to go deep. Check group status and team health. Be on top of impending stomps. Be on top of resses.

Another good Trick with guardian is to take wall of reflection and get to the front of your zerg (particularly works well on bridges /chasms)….put your wall of reflection in front of your group to reflect back everything the enemy is throwing your way. You can often use your avengers shield also as you run up there to protect you and your group while you are getting the wall up. Make sure you have taken master of consecrations to make it last longer and regen faster.

I love watching zergs melt themselves….so many people just spam attacks in WvW without even looking if a guardian threw up a wall of reflect…and yet so few guardians use them in WvW!

Wow. Great read. Thanks!

This needs a sticky.

Builds/Gear (continued)

Frontline/Commander

0/0/4/6/4- This is a more defensive type of frontline build. It relies more on support then raw power.

Small Group

5/0/0/5/4- This is a symbol bomber build, and is extremely fun and rewarding to play. Greatsword is a must have, since Symbol of Wrath is our hardest hitting symbol. Other weapons you have to choose from are hammer, staff, and mace. Hammer has the ability to apply symbols the fastest, so it’s a solid choice. Staff is great for more support, and mace for a hybrid of damage/support. Just make sure you have people supporting you when you run this build. You have some sustain, but not as much as a typical build.

0/1/6/1/6- This build has the most utility when it comes to medi builds for small group comp. It gives you a range of different abilities to apply CC, while supporting your group with cleanses and stab (also a plethora of other boons). It also hit extremely hard. This is the very definition of a dps/support build. It can also be used effectively in solo roaming.

Solo Roaming

6/1/6/0/1- This one of my personal favorites, and it’s not seen that often due to the 30 into Zeal. However this build has some of the highest burst potential. You can easily get +15 stacks of vulnerability, and then you also factor the damage multipliers from scepter, symbol, and Fiery Wrath. If you done correctly very few builds will survive your initial burst.

2/6/0/2/4- This build is a bit unorthodox, however people have been asking if there are viable heavy signet builds. It’s true that signet builds aren’t up to the same standards of other builds. Nevertheless there are ways to make them work. This is an example.

Brilliant thread, hope it is stickied soon. Very helpful for all those trying out wvw right now.

Excellent thread. Voted for sticky.

Please update this guide or make a new post showing the direction you’re moving in since the april 15 patch, please :-)

mrauls.6519:

Please update this guide or make a new post showing the direction you’re moving in since the april 15 patch, please :-)

I’m in the process of updating it, however there are a lot of changes. So it’s going to take some time to test everything out.

Forgive me, I don’t play much WvW.
Why knights gear and possibly zerker on your 0/0/30/30/10 build? Surely keeping yourself alive is the priority, not adding a minuscule amount of dps? Wouldn’t full pvt or sentinel simply be better for that?

fadeaway.2807:

Forgive me, I don’t play much WvW.
Why knights gear and possibly zerker on your 0/0/30/30/10 build? Surely keeping yourself alive is the priority, not adding a minuscule amount of dps? Wouldn’t full pvt or sentinel simply be better for that?

The best defense is a good offense, you still need damage output. GW2 favors offense over defense. Stacking huge amounts of toughness and vitality will only get you so far. Every build I post, even tanky/support builds will have some type of damage output. Would you be tankier if you went full Sentinel? Yes ofc, however there comes a point where you can start investing into other stats to get more out of your build. Main points of the Knight/Zerker gear is help with dps output. Also help with Vigorous Precision, and any other type of thing that requires decent CC to achieve (Sigils and Empowering Might).

Weapons and Utilities

Now that you have your traits, and build. Let’s talk about weapons and utilities. The nice thing about Guardian is every weapon is viable; one is not better than the other. They all serve are role, and excel at them. So I’ll talk about weapons, their strengths and weaknesses, and how they should be used. After that I’ll do the same with utilities.

Two-Handed

Hammer- Extremely well rounded, and can be used in any situation. It has great damage output with Mighty Blow being on such a short CD, and it’s also a blast finisher! The auto attack has ability to cleave, and grants protection. This is one of the strongest boons. Lastly it brings the most CC out of any weapon we have. The hammer is great because it’s always useful, doesn’t matter what build you run. The only weakness to the hammer is it’s somewhat slow compared to others. So it’s imperative that you land your hits.

Greatsword- Widely view as the most used weapon in both WvW and PvP, however there is a reason for this. When it comes to DPS, greatsword is king. Every skill on the GS has cleaving and AoE damage. Combined with the fast attacks, it does monstrous damage. It also has great mobility and a small CC aspect. However there are two glaring weaknesses it has. First is predictability. GS is a very easy weapon to read, and your attacks can easily be avoided. Second is retaliation, since the GS has all AoE skills and they are all fast hitting. You can easily take a lot of damage from retaliation, so you need to be careful when using it. Overall the GS is still top for dps.

Staff- This is the pinnacle when it comes to support. Empower is arguably one of the best skills in the game. With the ability to increase group dps output and a solid heal. Also factor in CC ability with swiftness and another AoE heal. That being said this is not really a weapon you want to use for long periods of time. Generally you want to use Empower, Line of Warding, and Symbol of Swiftness. Once these skills are on CD, immediately switch weapons. Don’t not sit there spamming Wave of Wrath. Also I wouldn’t advise using it in solo roaming or 1v1. This is a support tool, not really a weapon. You’re only gimping yourself if use it in these situations.

One-handed (Main hand)

Sword- When it comes to single target dps, sword is your best bet! The auto attack provides great sustain damage. Flashing blade is great for mobility and damage mitigation. Zealot’s Defense is also a solid skill that can be used both defensively and offensively. The main weakness of sword is that Zealot’s Defense is rooted, and also it has no type of symbols. This makes sword only useful for single target.

Scepter- The only true range weapon we have, and it’s a very powerful tool. Scepter’s auto-attack hits extremely hard, however the drawback is it’s slow. Smite is also excellent when it comes to burst damage, both single target and AoE. Lastly you have Chains of Light which is great from immobilize and vulnerability. As mentioned before the huge weakness of scepter is the speed, it’s an extremely slow weapon and it’s easy to miss. To make up for this, think of it as a melee weapon with the option to use it at range. This will make you much more successful in using it.

Mace- This is support/dps weapon. The auto-attack hits hard with the ability to heal, however it also has a drawback of being slow. Symbol of faith is a fast applying symbol with regen and moderate damage. Lastly you have Protector’s Strike, which is amazing. It has the ability to block and do insanely amount of AoE damage. If not then you get the very important boon, protection. The only weaknesses mace faces is it’s a slow and static weapon. Not real mobile and it relies on the enemies coming to you. So I wouldn’t recommend it against ranged classes.

One-handed (Off hand)

Focus- The most used off hand, and for good reason. It’s the perfect balance between survivability and damage. Ray of Judgment gives you blind, regen, and condition clearing all in one package. However Shield of Wrath is the main reason people use it. It gives you the ability to either mitigate a huge amount of damage or the ability to do insane amount of AoE damage, and it’s also a blast finisher to boot! The only real drawback of the focus is the skills have long CDs.

Shield- This is a great weapon when it comes to support and defense. Shield naturally adds toughness which is nice. Shield of Judgment does moderate damage; however it applies protection to you and five allies. So it’s a great skill. Shield of Absorption is also amazing, when used right. It’s great for stomps and rezzing. Thanks to the knock back and shield to stop range attacks. It also has a small heal as an added bonus. The main drawback of the shield is the very long CD times. However this is to be expected when it has such strong skills. This can also be lessened by traiting, Honorable Shield.

Torch- When it comes to pure dps, nothing comes close to torch, not even focus. Zealot’s Flame has the ability to apply AoE burning and does huge single target burst. Cleansing Flame is great for AoE damage and removing condition from allies. The main reason why torch excels at dps, is the short CD times compared to the other off hands. The only weakness to torch is it’s a pure offensive weapon, so there is zero type of defense and survivability.

Combinations

Now that you have an overview on weapons and how to use them. Lets talk about some popular weapon combinations. Keep in mind; these are just a few of the many different combinations you can run.

Hammer and Greatsword- When it comes to AoE and CC, this will give you the best bang you for buck. The amount of AoE and CC is unrivaled.

Staff and Mace/Shield- This is pure support, you damage will be lower, however this is made up for that amount of heals and support abilities you bring.

Staff and Hammer- This is one of my favorite combos, it brings great support. With the ability to do decent damage and a lot of CC to boot!

Greatsword and Sword/Focus- This is the staple for most dps builds. It gives you great AoE and single target damage. Also great mobility, with the options of blinds and blocks.

Staff and Scepter/Torch- This is a ranged guardian. It allows you to support your allies, yet you can still bring damage from afar.

Sword/Focus and Mace/Torch- If you want burst, this is the set up for you! Shield of Wrath, Protector’s Strike, and Zealot’s Flame allows you to have amazing spike potential. However I recommend you run 30 into Radiance to take advantage of Right Hand Strength.

Hammer and Scepter/Focus- This is a lock down setup best used for setting up burst for you and your team. I also recommend you run it with Binding Jeopardy to get the most of it.

Hammer and Mace/Focus- This is a combination best used with a symbol builds, it gives you the ability to apply symbols the fastest.

Utilities

Now that we have the build, gear, weapons, and traits. Let’s look at the utilities available to Guardian; all the utilities are extremely useful depending on the situation.

Healing skills

A healing skill is a skill that occupies the sixth skill slot on the skill bar. All healing skills restore health via healing; some grant additional benefits.

Litany of Wrath- This has the potential to be our largest heal, it’s only limited by the amount of damage you do. For this reason it’s a very tricky skill to master, however if you use it in the right situation the reward will be great. The only thing I’d recommend is taking Meditation traits when running it to get the full benefits. If you’re not running Med traits, I wouldn’t use it.

Shelter- Arguably the best Guardian healing skill for WvW. Fairly short CD with a decent heal to go along with it. However what makes this so invaluable is the amount of damage you can mitigate. Very few skills can interrupt this heal, so you’re guaranteed a heal and to block a plethora of incoming damage. It also synergies very well with a number of Guardian traits such as, Might of the Protector and Defender’s Flame.

Signet of Resolve- This is one of the larger heals we have, it heals for a great amount. It also has a great passive effect of removing a condition every ten second. However Resolve has two main weaknesses. It has a fairly long CD; however that can be fixed with a trait. Also it can easily be interrupted. That being said, it’s a solid heal even better with the proper traits. You just have to be careful when you use it.

Healing Breeze- Seen as the “weakest” healing skill. It has a fairly long CD with no way to reduce it. It can also be difficult to get allies in your cone to heal them. Lastly it has about a three second cast time, so it can easily be interrupted. If you’re going for full support, and your allies understand they have to be in the cone to get benefits, then yes it’s viable. However I’d still recommend other healing skills before this one.

Consecrations

Consecrations are a type of utility skill exclusive to guardians, involving the placement of helpful effects on the ground.

Hallowed Ground- This is an extremely powerful skill that granted stability and 20% boon duration to anyone in it, it’s also a fire field for an added bonus. However it suffers from two man problems. One, it’s a static skill; you have to remain infield to get the benefits. Also it has a very long CD, even when traited. However I still highly recommend this skill. It shines in holding a specific area such as the lord’s room, and also choke points.

Purging Flames- This is an amazing skill, it has so many uses. First, it removes three conditions from yourself, and allies around you. Second it reduces condition duration by 33% if you remain in the field. Lastly it applies burning to enemies when you cast it. Top it all off with it being a fire field, and having a fairly short CD. This is an excellent skill that’s useful in any situation and build.

Sanctuary- This skill has some merit, however it’s more useful in PvP then WvW due to the amount of players. It has a long CD, even when traited. Also the bubble is fairly small. However the biggest problem is stability. If the enemies have stability they can simply enter. The skill is mainly used for holding a choke or trying to revive/stomp someone. It’s a solid skill; however I believe there are more powerful skills to use. Sanctuary mainly comes down to if the opposing players have stability or not. Majority of the time they will, which in turns makes the skill not as useful.

Wall of Reflection- This is situational skill, but it’s very powerful. It has an amazing 33% uptime when traited. If placed in the right situation it can have devastating results on opposing players. Placing it right in front of key areas can easily shut down enemy offensives. This skill is both offensive and defensive which makes it great. Overall it’s a great skill, however as I stated before it’s very situational. So I wouldn’t keep it on my bar the whole time, just when you need it.