Guild Wars 2

I’m just having a hard time with it. I -love- this class more than any other class in the game by far, but I feel so useless no matter what I do.

I run a Greatsword build. I’ve tried Zeal/Radiance and that was too glass-cannon for my taste. I’m trying 5-30-30-0-5 currently, still using the Greatsword and trying to do some supporting. Traits I’m using for Radiance are: II, VI, and XII. Traits I’m using for Valor are: I, VI, and IV. I have Scepter/Shield for my offset. So far it’s offered more survivability and less in the way of damage, but I still feel like I’m not performing well.

I’m having a hard time gearing my character, too. I feel like I’m gimping my damage by stacking Toughness. I feel like I’m losing a buttload of survivability if I were to run Berserker’s gear. I guess, really, I have no idea what to do with my gear at this point. I feel like I’d benefit more from Knight’s gear or Carrion gear instead of Berserker’s or Rampager’s.

I ran Arah Explorable Mode a little while ago. I felt okay using the GS as usual. Then we got to Giganticus Lupicus. I swapped to Staff Main-set, Scepter/Shield Off-set. I used the Spirit Sword to make up for my apparently atrocious ranged damage. It was wipe after wipe after wipe.

I guess I’m just kinda stuck and I don’t know what to do at this point. I almost feel like rerolling to something else out of pure frustration – I really don’t want to do that because that would be a whole lot of dedication for nothing.

Maybe I’m just being too hard on myself. I don’t know.

Any help or suggestions is/are much appreciated.

If you don’t want tank gear or glass cannon gear, consider pwr/tuf/vit gears.

If you’re going to do range damage, know that for most of the professions, long range DPS is lower than melee DPS. This is to compensate for melee having fewer opportunities to attack.

As for Lupi, look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCcaGwD2m1Y
A guardian would have an easier time (if not as fast) because of superior self heal, stability, and the fact that you can block some of the hard hitters.

5 in zeal? There’s your problem. On a serious, note try putting points into virtues, honor and valor, the traits and the utilities tied to them offer more support, you’ll have incredible survivability and will allow you to focus more on attributes that affect damage. I personally run 0/0/30/30/10, I run a mix of berserker and soldier armor.

DangerMickey.2401:

5 in zeal? There’s your problem. On a serious, note try putting points into virtues, honor and valor, the traits and the utilities tied to them offer more support, you’ll have incredible survivability and will allow you to focus more on attributes that affect damage. I personally run 0/0/30/30/10, I run a mix of berserker and soldier armor.

If I were to try this build, what traits would I be using? The numbers don’t really tell me anything.

The problem is that our survival comes from stacking Toughness and relying on that to make our multiple forms of healing more useful.

If you want to not drop dead and deal damage, you need to go Knight’s gear (Pow/Pre/Tuf). I find using full Knights with Beryl Orbs (Pow/Crit-DMG/Vit) is very nice for damage and giving you survival (not tank level, but much higher than glass cannon).

However, I agree with you. Other than being a bunker or dedicated support, Guardian lack a lot of usefulness. Building damage/survival or damage/support or full hybrid isn’t very rewarding (something I’ve focused entirely on for about 1000 hours now) and focusing on all damage gives you decent burst, but you become entirely reliant on your allies to not get focused and drop dead. You basically become a Thief with less burst, mobility, and you lack stealth.

FrenzyCat.9614:

If I were to try this build, what traits would I be using? The numbers don’t really tell me anything.

Valor would end in Altruistic Healing, Honor would be buffing shouts and Empowering Might. The rest is choice. That’s the standard Guardian build that offers tankiness, buffing, and little else.

FrenzyCat.9614:

DangerMickey.2401:

5 in zeal? There’s your problem. On a serious, note try putting points into virtues, honor and valor, the traits and the utilities tied to them offer more support, you’ll have incredible survivability and will allow you to focus more on attributes that affect damage. I personally run 0/0/30/30/10, I run a mix of berserker and soldier armor.

If I were to try this build, what traits would I be using? The numbers don’t really tell me anything.

Valor: V, VI, XII
Honor: II, IX, VIII (I run runes of the soldier for my condition removal but if you don’t want to use them try 3 monks 3 water and Pure of Voice instead of Empowering Might)
Virtues: II
All shouts for the utilities, the heal and elite are changeable

All right. I’ve respecced and I think I’ll start working on gathering materials for a proper armor set later tonight. Thanks for the help, everyone.

Exploit AH (great self-heals without having to gear healing power) and EM (group utility without giving up any damage) for all they are worth. That’s the ezmode build that makes guardians so popular/powerful. Once you know what you’re doing you can gear full berserkers and go to town with the other warriors and guardians in your group (you didn’t bother inviting anyone else did you?). If you want to feel a little more supportive use a hammer and go afk. If you want to maximize personal DPS and might stacks, go great sword.