Guild Wars 2

Hey guys,

Trying to decide here – which weapon option is the highest damage? (not per hit, but overall with utility slightly included)

The way I see it, 1h weapons have almost as much damage as 2h weapons.

So, which is the best option, assuming lvl 80 exotic, for the highest possible DPS?

Sword + Torch vs Greatsword vs Hammer.

I dont think any other combination competes on damage.

2h has about 150 more attacks than 1h+oh but one less sigil slot. Hammer has probably the highest sustained damage thanks to Symbol of Protection from the 3rd hit of its chain attacks.

If we calculate only the stats, 1h+oh will probably trump 2h because of the extra sigil. 5% damage (or 5% crit if your c.damage is high enough) is better than 150 attacks.

- Sword + Torch has the highest single target damage.
- Hammer does about the same as Sword if you use Justice for its passive, and more if you use Justice for its active.

You’re playing the wrong profession if you’re interested in maximizing dps potential though.

Don’t forget that you can take Right-Hand Strength for an additional flat 15% crit on sword. Sword is actually excellent sustained damage on a single target, because of the synergy between a fast attack speed, Sword Wave and passive Virtue of Justice. Torch #4 can add significant damage as well through Burning, or activate it for a high damage 1200 ranged spike of damage. Torch 5 synergizes well with Virtue of Justice too.

Honestly, part of Sword/Torch’s excellent damage depends on Passive VoJ + traits.

Greatsword, on the other hand, is solid single target damage, but shines against groups. Nearly every ability in Greatsword is tailored to group combat. Hammer’s sustained damage is also very high, as Trungalung said, and this is partly because you can beef up Symbol of Protection and Hammer #2 (Mighty Blow) through Symbol traits and 20% faster recharge.

As far as pure numerical superiority, it’s hard to say. Combat is so fluid that you’re rarely standing in one place and mashing out a rotation, especially in melee. All three weapons actually do a lot of damage, potentially.

Also, you want to take into consideration Weapon Swap. Dragging a mob into melee with Scepter Auto, and then dropping Smite, and then immediately swapping to Sword/Torch or Greatsword or Hammer results in a big flow of damage over a relatively short period of time.