Guild Wars 2

I realized earlier this week that I was using “Hold the Line!” in PvE and “Save Yourselves!” would almost certainly be a better choice unless I’m missing something. Here’s the comparison:

Hold the Line!”

Shout
Grant protection and regeneration to allies.

*Protection: 4 s
*Regeneration: 6 s (780 health)
*Range: 600

*Recharge Time: 35
*Skill Cost: 6

Save Yourselves!”

Shout
Draw conditions from nearby allies to yourself. Gain multiple boons for a short duration.

*Fury: 10 s
*Vigor: 10 s
*Might: 10 s
*Protection: 10 s
*Regeneration: 10 s (1300 health)
*Swiftness: 10 s
*Retaliation: 10 s
*Breaks stun
*Range: 600
(NOTE: In PvP and WvW, I believe the duration on these are reduced to 5s).

*Recharge Time: 60
*Skill Cost: 3

Why is “Hold the Line!” considered a higher tier skill than “Save Yourselves!”? Is a 25s less recharge really worth 5 less boons and 4-6 sec. less of regen and protection? I realize “Save Yourselves!” draws conditions to me, but when I’m alone, that’s not going to matter. And in groups, I can certainly just break any conditions I’ve taken to myself after using “Save Yourselves!”, since I know they’re coming.

Is there something I’m missing here? Is “Hold the Line!” somehow vastly superior to “Save Yourselves!” and I just don’t see it?

Unless I’m mistaken the largest difference lies in that Hold the Line applies the boons to allies, interacting with AH. SY only applies the boons to you.

Ah. That is indeed what I was missing. Okay, I can see the substantial difference now. Thanks!

ALSO SY does not cause pure of voice to trigger- known bug

Hold the Line doesn’t either…

/edit: The duration of SY got reduced for PvP only. WvW counts as PvE.

considering all points above, i guess it depends on how you’re playing. if you’re running solo, SY could be a clear choice. though in a group setting, HTL can make a huge difference. one could also argue the benefits of stripping your allies of conditions using SY in a group setting.

all up to you. and i’m actually used to running with both. :pp

akamon.2769:

i’m actually used to running with both. :pp

I run with both as well, works wonders.

According to my experience all shouts remove conditions on you and the ally.

Its only the conversion that works on some/certain/occasionally conditions.

The main thing with pure of voice isnt the conversion, its the conditionremoval on your team.

According to my experience all shouts remove conditions on you and the ally.

In my guild i am taking the role of a shout support guardian with Pure of Voice. It often happens that i activate Hold the Line! and it doesn’t remove that single condition on me or my comrades.

Iavra.8510:

According to my experience all shouts remove conditions on you and the ally.

In my guild i am taking the role of a shout support guardian with Pure of Voice. It often happens that i activate Hold the Line! and it doesn’t remove that single condition on me or my comrades.

Weird, i always get the condition removals to work but the boons are very random and not according to the conversion table.

What i sometimes have issues with is detecting it in wvw, it isnt easy to push the button it at the right time so they dont just get reapplied instantly.

Easiest way to check this out is to go to or and find mobs that apply conditions and test it 20 times in a row. It always work for me there.

It really depends on your build which one in more useful.

For WvW, my guild has several guards, most running AH focused support builds.

This in turn allows me to focus less on group support and more on self support/dps.

I use Stand you ground and Save yourselves to help my regen and allow me to have stability/retaliation, which also gets passed to the group.

Save yourself gives me everything else that I need.

Slot both, why pick only one? There is room for both in many situations.

juno.1840:

Slot both, why pick only one? There is room for both in many situations.

Exactly. They both have Regen and Protection, and even for solo play, extending both is quite a boon.

Note that I usually go for Hold the Line instead when I have to choose due to the low cooldown and the fact that it’s applied on my allies as well (relatively short cooldown to boot). I become too choosy about Save Yourselves due to it’s long cooldown, so I often end up not using it as much, whereas I keep using Hold the Line way more with the way I play. When I have to choose one and I am not traited for Shouts, I almost never choose Save Yourselves at all (60 secs.)

juno.1840:

Slot both, why pick only one? There is room for both in many situations.

Agreed. HtL has such a short CD that with it and SY and the passive Virtue regen you can keep them rolling on you very consistently. I use SY as often as I can not only as a defensive ability but as a buff for burning down targets. In group settings these are both sweet shouts.

I always take “Save Yourselves!” because it also acts as a stun break. Having just “Stand Your Ground!” often isn’t enough. I use “Retreat!”, “Stand Your Ground!”, and “Save Yourselves!” when getting from point A to point B, then flip “Retreat!” with “Hold the Line!” when getting ready to go into battle.