Guild Wars 2

I’m looking to run a build for PvE solo and dungeon PvE that is pretty durable but can still dish out enough damage to not be worthless.

The only weapon I don’t have available to me is focus; otherwise, I can use pretty much any weapon that would suit the build. I’d prefer hammer be in there somewhere, but it’s fine if not.

My current armor, from my previous build, is: All Sentinel accessories, All beserker armor. I can replace any of these as necessary for a build, though if the sentinel can be made any of use of, that would rock (the price is hefty >_>).

So do you guys know of any still viable altruistic healing builds for solo/dungeon PvE, or if not, do you know something comparable that you might suggest? Thanks!

Ah is useless for dungeons.

Give this a go:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/guardian/Guide-DPS-Guardian-for-PVE/first

Try out-
10/30/0/5/25

After a future update due to nerfs to critical dmg/vigor trait, aim for-
20/25/0/0/25

Enjoy.

AH works if your team knows how to stack, otherwise it’s meh. If your team knows how to stack, then you are best off using hammer with AH. It’s pretty situational because if you are in PUG, it’s likely the won’t stack and run around trying to not die instead of owning stuff.

The trait point allocation suggested above are advanced. You need to know the dungeon, the mobs in it and be capable of dodging with the correct timing. If you can do that, then play them. You’re team will thank you for it. If you can’t, you’re only doing yourself and your team a disservice playing them. If you suck at them, consider something that will give you a bit more passive defenses like 15/15/0/20/20.

Staff’s only purpose is Tagging for loot bags in zerg events.

AH is useless in stacks as well. It is a selfish trait.

If surviving is really an issue, just run a knight’s gear set.

^^ That’s just not answering the OP’s question. AH is the most viable in stacking and gives the a very durable build in that scenario. That’s not debatable. The OP also wants to know comparable builds other than AH. While that’s a vague qualifier, I don’t think his intent was to be fed “DPS or FAIL at PVE” rhetoric with the suggestion to run THE highest DPS and questionably durable Guardian builds.

We’ve been through this before. The builds you gave require the player to be knowledge and skilled enough to be played in a manner to make up for any durability they lack in the stats. If the OP was this kind of player, this thread wouldn’t exist.

if the group is not “optimal” (depending on perspective, obviously), it’s a good idea to be a little more self-sufficient. i’ve tried running without AH in some builds, but i came back to it, because it makes me better at staying alive. sometimes dps just isn’t the answer – or at least, it’s not a good idea to focus solely on that.

Obtena.7952:

^^ That’s just not answering the OP’s question. AH is the most viable in stacking and gives the a very durable build in that scenario. That’s not debatable. The OP also wants to know comparable builds other than AH. While that’s a vague qualifier, I don’t think his intent was to be fed “DPS or FAIL at PVE” rhetoric with the suggestion to run THE highest DPS and questionably durable Guardian builds.

We’ve been through this before. The builds you gave require the player to be knowledge and skilled enough to be played in a manner to make up for any durability they lack in the stats. If the OP was this kind of player, this thread wouldn’t exist.

I never said anything about dps or fail. Those builds I suggested contain both dps and support traits. I have run AH, and I have run this build. Running Obal’s build has actually been easier for me to play because it gives direct/immediate condition removal with virtue of resolve and lower cooldowns on consecrations which includes reflects which are vital in dungeons and all that’s really required. It then leaves room to significantly up the dps. Things die faster and it results in much less of a struggle. The build suggested isn’t actually the highest dps available either. It is a balance of both dps and support. A full dps build would not be running these traits.

It’s also important to understand that dps is also a form of support in this game. You may keep consecrations and resolve in your AH build but you sacrifice so much dps just to get heals from boons for yourself that you are detrimental to your team.

Running AH does nothing for your team. And stacking does not somehow magically change this. It also creates a reliance on something that you don’t need. If you have trouble staying up, I’ll say it again.. Run knight’s gear. This build is not hard to play, don’t insult the skill of the OP.

I heard that AH + Full Celestial = Frickin Awesome!

need dat crit dmg… ohwait

J Eberle.9312:

Running AH does nothing for your team. And stacking does not somehow magically change this.

And this isn’t what the OP has asked so are you genuinely being helpful or is this just another soapbox attempt.

Obtena.7952:

J Eberle.9312:

Running AH does nothing for your team. And stacking does not somehow magically change this.

And this isn’t what the OP has asked so are you genuinely being helpful or is this just another soapbox attempt.

Well actually..

Tolmos.8395:

So do you guys know of any still viable altruistic healing builds for solo/dungeon PvE, or if not, do you know something comparable that you might suggest? Thanks!

Yep, he’s being helpful. <3

I use AH, because I can’t be bothered changing my traits everytime I want to do a FotM, dungeons, or WvW.

In a full zerk party, nobody will even notice you’re running AH (especially so if you have zerk armor/trinkets). In a non-zerk party, a zerk/DPS guardian will have trouble surviving unless you’re well experienced in that path, timing dodges, utilizing your blinds/traits/skills, etcetc. Considering I lfg most of my dungeon runs, I come across quite of a bit of these guards.

Long reply short, I find it just better to run AH at first and if you find yourself with max HP most of the time, then go with DPS builds like already suggested, having at least 15 in the precision line does a lot for your DPS.

swiftpaw.6397:

Well actually..

Tolmos.8395:

So do you guys know of any still viable altruistic healing builds for solo/dungeon PvE, or if not, do you know something comparable that you might suggest? Thanks!

Yep, he’s being helpful. <3

A full DPS build that depends on a players background for survival is comparable to a AH build? OK. I don’t think that’s the definition of comparable the OP is referring to. Sure you can compare them, but they don’t achieve the same thing. I guess the OP can decide.

Obtena.7952:

swiftpaw.6397:

Well actually..

Tolmos.8395:

So do you guys know of any still viable altruistic healing builds for solo/dungeon PvE, or if not, do you know something comparable that you might suggest? Thanks!

Yep, he’s being helpful. <3

A full DPS build that depends on a players background for survival is comparable to a AH build? OK. I don’t think that’s the definition of comparable the OP is referring to. Sure you can compare them, but they don’t achieve the same thing. I guess the OP can decide.

It’s not a full dps build. This has been explained to you, whether you choose to ignore it or not is up to you.

I’m sure the OP has the ability to understand that 25 points in virtues is not ‘full dps’

Sacrificing 30 trait points for a selfish trait because you’re a bad player rather than being your part of the groups DPS?

Hellz yeah! Sign me the kitten up!

J Eberle.9312:

Obtena.7952:

swiftpaw.6397:

Well actually..

Tolmos.8395:

So do you guys know of any still viable altruistic healing builds for solo/dungeon PvE, or if not, do you know something comparable that you might suggest? Thanks!

Yep, he’s being helpful. <3

A full DPS build that depends on a players background for survival is comparable to a AH build? OK. I don’t think that’s the definition of comparable the OP is referring to. Sure you can compare them, but they don’t achieve the same thing. I guess the OP can decide.

It’s not a full dps build. This has been explained to you, whether you choose to ignore it or not is up to you.

I’m sure the OP has the ability to understand that 25 points in virtues is not ‘full dps’

That’s just semantics … comparing what you presented to AH builds is questionable, whatever name put to it. To me, it’s clear the OP is looking at something that gives him survival above and beyond the stuff that’s part of the base toolset, otherwise he wouldn’t be asking about AH.

Regardless, I’m sure the OP will take what value he wants from the thread. If he’s able to run the builds you presented and get the durability he wants from them, great. He should do that. I’m betting if he’s still talking about AH, that won’t happen and he should transition once he gains more experience and background with the content he’s doing.

The reality is that he should run whatever he wants because it doesn’t matter … PVE balance in GW2 isn’t based on BiS gear or optimized builds.

thomasgjkgwdn.4760:

if the group is not “optimal” (depending on perspective, obviously), it’s a good idea to be a little more self-sufficient. i’ve tried running without AH in some builds, but i came back to it, because it makes me better at staying alive. sometimes dps just isn’t the answer – or at least, it’s not a good idea to focus solely on that.

There’s really no reason why you should be dying on a guard at all. I’ve run full zerk DPS-spec hammer guard (15/25/10/20/0) and just facetanked everything in multiple dungeons without ever dodging.

High armor + natural regen + strong heal skills + tons of defensive boons = full AFK mode.

Guanglai Kangyi.4318:

thomasgjkgwdn.4760:

if the group is not “optimal” (depending on perspective, obviously), it’s a good idea to be a little more self-sufficient. i’ve tried running without AH in some builds, but i came back to it, because it makes me better at staying alive. sometimes dps just isn’t the answer – or at least, it’s not a good idea to focus solely on that.

There’s really no reason why you should be dying on a guard at all. I’ve run full zerk DPS-spec hammer guard (15/25/10/20/0) and just facetanked everything in multiple dungeons without ever dodging.

High armor + natural regen + strong heal skills + tons of defensive boons = full AFK mode.

the experience of 1 player is often dependent on the 4 others. so like… when what you’re getting from your team mates isn’t exactly what you need, it’s good to have some additional resources yourself.

that’s my point, restated. there’s no afk’ing ouside of tightly knit/high-performing groups.

(unless you’re full clerics or something, but that’s rather dull, i imagine.)

I assure you Guang only plays with terrible pugs.

You don’t need AH when you run a build that can do this while having all the best support a Guardian can bring to the group
http://youtu.be/jJBbH_Y4Xro

It’s fun when people tell other players what they need, what to wear, what stats and traits to use, etc… without knowing how they do or want to play.

Dear OP … do what you feel is how YOU want to play. Until someone pays your costs to play the game and reimburses you for your time, those are your decisions to make, your prerogative to take. Nothing compares to AH (other than Med heal builds) for a build balanced on your own survival and DPS unless you are capable of survival without relying on it.

Obtena.7952:

It’s fun when people tell other players what they need, what to wear, what stats and traits to use, etc… without knowing how they do or want to play.

Dear OP … do what you feel is how YOU want to play. Until someone pays your costs to play the game, those are YOUR decisions to make.

Same can be said for you Obtena. :/

Dear OP- I have suggested a build that is really not hard to play and will help you immensely. If it’s a real issue, I have also suggested you try out a knight’s set with this build. I wish you all the best and hope you enjoy guardian as much as I do :P

Obtena.7952:

It’s fun when people tell other players what they need, what to wear, what stats and traits to use, etc… without knowing how they do or want to play.
Dear OP … do what you feel is how YOU want to play.

He comes here asking for advice. If he wanted to be bad like you, he wouldn’t be coming here seeking help. So keep saying whatever irrelevant crap you always say. And as always, people will learn to no listen to you.

He got advice. It’s just that some of that advice seemed to ignore what he was looking for. He didn’t ask to not be bad, he asked for a build that give AH-equivalent durability and not useless DPS. Some people took this as an invitation to push the DPS meta. That’s not being honest.

Problem I have with this is that it seems to be systematic with every build-advice thread. Regardless of what conditions people put on their request, they always seem to get the scripted DPS meta mantra. Maybe people should stop assuming that every request for advice is a plea to ‘stop being bad players’. That’s OK though, I don’t mind balancing this out for y’all.

AH build is viable and it’s only comparable equivalent is meditation heals. I get it … you guys have a hate thing for people that don’t run meta. At least you should be more honest about it. Then the OP will really know who to regard as useful info or .. political banter.

Obtena.7952:

That’s OK though, I don’t mind balancing this out for y’all.

Valid point. I suppose the thread can’t be filled with all good advice. That’s where you come in to help meet the quota of bad advice. You sir a man of the people. I applaud you.

Leave AH out of pve.

Truth is, 10/30/0/5/25 seems easier to survive thanks to the stuff from virtues rather than hoping Ah’s heals will save you against boss mechanics. It doesn’t. Nor will your purity trait or that amazing 5% crit from retributive armor.

The thing I like most about the meta 25 virtues build is that it isn’t built on a single thought of “hurr durr max dps” but also offers more support than AH builds could dream of.

You could conserve 10 points from zeal and put into valor for Strength in Numbers, but that’s the furthest you should go down. It’s also a less selfish trait and if you are all zerker, the extra toughness means quite a bit more.

I am lazy and keep my wvw setup (PTV crap) for open world but when we go into dungeons, I do the standard ol’ zerker meta stuff out of respect for my party members since I believe I can contribute more. Yes I do screw up and end up splat, but I splatted back when I was starting out with ye old Strife build as well and did a lot less contribution overall.

Obtena.7952:

He got advice. It’s just that some of that advice seemed to ignore what he was looking for. He didn’t ask to not be bad, he asked for a build that give AH-equivalent durability and not useless DPS. Some people took this as an invitation to push the DPS meta. That’s not being honest.

Problem I have with this is that it seems to be systematic with every build-advice thread. Regardless of what conditions people put on their request, they always seem to get the scripted DPS meta mantra. Maybe people should stop assuming that every request for advice is a plea to ‘stop being bad players’. That’s OK though, I don’t mind balancing this out for y’all.

AH build is viable and it’s only comparable equivalent is meditation heals. I get it … you guys have a hate thing for people that don’t run meta. At least you should be more honest about it. Then the OP will really know who to regard as useful info or .. political banter.

No I don’t have a hate thing for builds outside of meta.

However, I do have a hate thing for people giving bad advice Obtena. It’s extremely irresponsible and selfish that you would push AH not because it’s good (because it’s not) but because you just hate people recommending meta which for some reason you are struggling to understand. I’ll remind you again that the builds I listed are not full dps builds and are in fact suitable for the OP. Next you’ll be recommending burning builds just to be different.

Just to reiterate, in case you missed the message- AH build is not viable in dungeons.

I’m not pushing AH because you don’t like it or because I have an agenda … I’m advising on it because the OP asked! Unlike others, I’m NOT ignoring the OP’s request, despite my own bias.

Obtena.7952:

I’m not pushing AH because you don’t like it … I’m advising on it because the OP asked!

Let’s look at what he asked then..

Tolmos.8395:

So do you guys know of any still viable altruistic healing builds for solo/dungeon PvE, or if not, do you know something comparable that you might suggest? Thanks!

No, there are no viable AH builds for dungeons. Do I know of something comparable that I could suggest? Yes. Yes, I do.

Try out-
10/30/0/5/25

After a future update due to nerfs to critical dmg/vigor trait, aim for-
20/25/0/0/25

Enjoy.

Obtena.7952:

Unlike others, I’m NOT ignoring the OP’s request, despite my own bias.

No, you are ignoring reality. The reality is that AH is not suitable for dungeons anymore, that ship sailed long ago.

… and I will just iterate again with:

AH works if your team knows how to stack, otherwise it’s meh. If your team knows how to stack, then you are best off using hammer with AH. It’s pretty situational because if you are in PUG, it’s likely the won’t stack and run around trying to not die instead of owning stuff.

The trait point allocation suggested above are advanced. You need to know the dungeon, the mobs in it and be capable of dodging with the correct timing. If you can do that, then play them. You’re team will thank you for it. If you can’t, you’re only doing yourself and your team a disservice playing them. If you suck at them, consider something that will give you a bit more passive defenses like 15/15/0/20/20.

… nothing has changed with content to make AH not suitable anymore. In fact, with higher stat gear, the answer that “ANYTHING” you want to run is even more viable than before.

Obtena.7952:

… and I will just iterate again with:

AH works if your team knows how to stack, otherwise it’s meh. If your team knows how to stack, then you are best off using hammer with AH. It’s pretty situational because if you are in PUG, it’s likely the won’t stack and run around trying to not die instead of owning stuff.

You still haven’t explained how stacking magically makes AH viable.

spoiler It doesn’t.

You apply more protection boon with the hammer symbol when more people are stacked in it. As well with shouts, etc..

You could do the same without AH.. oh and actually be more useful too.

Not relevant. The OP is asking about AH viability, not effectiveness of symbols. AH is more effective when team stacking with hammer.

Lol at people who still use AH in pve

Actually very relevant. It does nothing for your team, and you yourself don’t need it to stay alive, therefore it’s not viable.

J Eberle.9312:

Actually very relevant. It does nothing for your team, and you yourself don’t need it to stay alive, therefore it’s not viable.

How do you know the OP doesn’t need it to stay alive? Do you know him personally? Have you seen him play? I’m going to give the OP the benefit of the doubt that if he’s asking about AH, it’s not simply to be academic.

Again, it always comes back to just making assumptions based on what you know is possible to do in the game. That’s just not where every player is or cares to be. If the OP wants to run AH or a durability-equivalent build, you have nothing to add if your advice is “Don’t do it”. That’s simply an admission that he shouldn’t play the game unless he’s doing meta.

Obtena.7952:

J Eberle.9312:

Actually very relevant. It does nothing for your team, and you yourself don’t need it to stay alive, therefore it’s not viable.

How do you know the OP doesn’t need it to stay alive? Do you know him personally? have you seen him play? I’m going to give the OP the benefit of the doubt that if he’s asking about AH, it’s not simply to be academic.

If he needs to stay alive he can run a knight’s set. It’s not hard.

And how do you know he does need it?

Oh stop it you :3

J Eberle.9312:

Obtena.7952:

J Eberle.9312:

Actually very relevant. It does nothing for your team, and you yourself don’t need it to stay alive, therefore it’s not viable.

How do you know the OP doesn’t need it to stay alive? Do you know him personally? have you seen him play? I’m going to give the OP the benefit of the doubt that if he’s asking about AH, it’s not simply to be academic.

How do you know he does need it?

Oh stop it you

Because he asked? I mean, do you ask about AH builds because you don’t need them?

Again…I’m going to give the OP the benefit of the doubt that if he’s asking about AH, it’s not simply to be academic.

Obtena.7952:

J Eberle.9312:

Obtena.7952:

J Eberle.9312:

Actually very relevant. It does nothing for your team, and you yourself don’t need it to stay alive, therefore it’s not viable.

How do you know the OP doesn’t need it to stay alive? Do you know him personally? have you seen him play? I’m going to give the OP the benefit of the doubt that if he’s asking about AH, it’s not simply to be academic.

How do you know he does need it?

Oh stop it you

Because he asked? I mean, do you ask about AH builds because you don’t need them?

Again…I’m going to give the OP the benefit of the doubt that if he’s asking about AH, it’s not simply to be academic.

Jeez, I dunno. Maybe because he’s not up to date with dungeons and has no idea what to run? Maybe because AH was the (evil) meta about a year or so ago when no one had a clue about anything?

There are plenty of reasons that have nothing to do with individual skill level.

I’m going to respect the OP’s intelligence and give him the build that is widely used and accepted as the meta because it is vastly superior to AH builds and is easier to play because it does more.

Even the OP indicates he is unsure if AH is useful anymore, and the answer is…
*drum roll *
It’s not.

To answer the original question, just use full zerker with a meta build 20-25-0-0-25 (gs-sf) or 15,25,0,20,10(hammer) for fractals. If you die just keep trying and you will eventually survive perfectly well. Don’t run AH as it is useless to your team and encourages bad play, however it is good if you are just learning to play the class

J Eberle.9312:

Obtena.7952:

J Eberle.9312:

Obtena.7952:

J Eberle.9312:

Actually very relevant. It does nothing for your team, and you yourself don’t need it to stay alive, therefore it’s not viable.

How do you know the OP doesn’t need it to stay alive? Do you know him personally? have you seen him play? I’m going to give the OP the benefit of the doubt that if he’s asking about AH, it’s not simply to be academic.

How do you know he does need it?

Oh stop it you

Because he asked? I mean, do you ask about AH builds because you don’t need them?

Again…I’m going to give the OP the benefit of the doubt that if he’s asking about AH, it’s not simply to be academic.

Jeez, I dunno. Maybe because he’s not up to date with dungeons and has no idea what to run? Maybe because AH was the (evil) meta about a year or so ago when no one had a clue about anything?

There are plenty of reasons that have nothing to do with individual skill level.

I’m going to respect the OP’s intelligence and give him the build that is widely used and accepted as the meta because it is vastly superior to AH builds and is easier to play because it does more.

That’s fair. I’m respecting the Op’s intelligence by not second guessing him. He’s asking if AH is viable, there are situations where it is, there are others where it is not. Viable != Best. He didn’t ask for best build, he asked for comparable to AH durability with not useless DPS. As much as you love the meta, it’s not this.

It might shock you to find this out but despite the existence of a meta, people actually consciously don’t run it for plenty of reasons not related to skill level as well. You should have found this out simply playing the game at this point. Whether a build is easier or not is based on the individual.

Obtena.7952:

J Eberle.9312:

Obtena.7952:

J Eberle.9312:

Obtena.7952:

J Eberle.9312:

Actually very relevant. It does nothing for your team, and you yourself don’t need it to stay alive, therefore it’s not viable.

How do you know the OP doesn’t need it to stay alive? Do you know him personally? have you seen him play? I’m going to give the OP the benefit of the doubt that if he’s asking about AH, it’s not simply to be academic.

How do you know he does need it?

Oh stop it you

Because he asked? I mean, do you ask about AH builds because you don’t need them?

Again…I’m going to give the OP the benefit of the doubt that if he’s asking about AH, it’s not simply to be academic.

Jeez, I dunno. Maybe because he’s not up to date with dungeons and has no idea what to run? Maybe because AH was the (evil) meta about a year or so ago when no one had a clue about anything?

There are plenty of reasons that have nothing to do with individual skill level.

I’m going to respect the OP’s intelligence and give him the build that is widely used and accepted as the meta because it is vastly superior to AH builds and is easier to play because it does more.

That’s fair. I’m respecting the Op’s intelligence by not second guessing him. It might shock you to find this out but despite the existence of a meta, people actually consciously don’t run it for plenty of reasons not related to skill level as well. Whether a build is easier or not is based on the individual.

You are making the assumption that the meta builds require a certain individual to be able to play them. They’re popular partly because they’re not hard to play and partly because they work really well.

Anyways, get your last word in but at the end of the day it’s going to come down to the substance of the conversations that will help the OP decide. I can’t say that ‘stacking makes AH viable’ and ‘well maybe he’s an individual with special circumstances’ are really winning talking points.

J Eberle.9312:

You are making the assumption that the meta builds require a certain individual to be able to play them. They don’t.

I most certainly KNOW they do (I know plenty of people that can’t play meta) so it’s no assumption …. but that’s not even the most compelling argument here.

For me, the argument isn’t only about capability to play the meta, it’s about the reality that not everyone WANTS to play the meta. Based on these two things, I think it’s safe to say that if someone is asking about a non-meta build, they are probably in one or both of those categories. I feel that suggesting someone ignore how they want to play because meta exists is ridiculous.

We have already discussed why the OP may have mentioned AH, I’m not interested in going around in circles with you trying to make square shaped pieces fit into circular rings.

You two look like kids argueing about wich is better, Coca-cola or Pepsi.
I must say, AH is not optimal, but I use it. Now I use it because my main focus is WvW, Zerg and Roaming and so most dgns I do is just AC and CoF, the 2 most easy dgns in the game and switching traits just to do 2 dgns don’t seem worth for me. I know it’s not optimal, but no one asures me that my other team mates also run the meta for their classes so as i don’t judge anyone, anyone shouldn’t judge me too. But I’m not a jerk and if I go do hard pve like fractals high lvl (not there yet) I will change for the meta in that area since I know anyone there will also do the same.

Now if you are only a PvE player you shouldn’t use AH in any situation. You are better with the meta.

TLDR
My attempt to keep close to the meta while giving back “some” self survival via regen/shout and dodge heals:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fUAQNAsdRlUgyC3FSIEfIFRWBRazAgHsSR8uH+BMC-jgBBYfCiUBBKzsIasFXFRjVXDT5iIqWKgIWGB-e

Trying to pull opinions out of it and just supply mechanics and facts…

Survival mechanics on guardian:

Altruistic Healing

• Group oriented.
• Only heals self, requires frequent application of boons on multiple allies to be effective.
• Hammer and Mace symbols innately work well with this but require group members be in range of symbols and to utilize them.
• Empowering Might and higher crit chance helps augment this, and opens up more mobility and range of group members up to a radius of 240 (still somewhat small, about as big as traited symbol radius but moves as you move).
• Does not give more or less support to allies, but enhances self gain from supporting allies with boons.
• Does not need a lot of healing power to make it effective.

Monk’s Focus

• Solo oriented.
• Gain self heals from utilization of meditation utilities.
• Removes almost all group utility skills and replaces them with more offensive oriented abilities to be effective.
• More often used to be mobile in combat due to teleports available and to recover from burst damage received.
• Does not need a lot of healing power to make it effective.

Writ of the Merciful

• Symbols heal self and allies per tick
• Limited effectiveness based on weapons frequency of symbol application.
• Scales decent with healing power, but fairly weak without it.
• Layers well with multiple healing sources/traits.

Selfless Daring

• Heals self and surrounding allies on dodge roles
• Synergies well with higher crit chance due to gaining Vigorous Precision in the same tree (high uptime of Vigor boon).
• Scales well with healing power, depending on if pve or pvp/wvw, but decent without it.

Virtue of Resolve

• Basic form of self survival for guardian.
• Can be traited to tick on allies at heavy investment of trait points.
• Scales poor with healing power and still fairly weak without it.
• Long cooldown if used actively instead of left passive.
• Traits provide it with more group utility if used actively, such as: regeneration, condition cleanse, retaliation.
• Layers well with multiple healing sources/traits.

Regeneration

• Available to guardians in high to moderate frequency via weapons or shouts/virtues.
• Scales well with healing power, but fairly weak without it.
• Not unique to the guardian, and others may apply more frequently or with better ticks, depending on gear/traits.
• Layers well with multiple healing sources/traits.

With all of the above supplied, you can attempt to pick and choose which ones you may be able to integrate into your own build with consideration to play style.

Keep in mind that considering current game play mechanics, healing is meant to be self oriented and survival is meant to be gained through active gameplay. Anything else is purposefully inferior though intent of game designers.

Higher damage, and shorter fight times is beneficial to all players in terms of survival and general ease of playing, due to limited resources such as dodges, control effects, and active self heals.

Group utility and boons are typically a much better way to assist each other over healing because players can stack boons to a much higher rate and frequency and achieve much higher stats and damage than when alone. So take into consideration what you can bring to a group to help play as a whole.

Typically guardian group utility is seen as condition removal, stability, projectile reflects, blocks, retaliation, and some heals. To a lesser extent we can provide decent might stacking as well.

So bring which ever group utility you deem needed in the area of play that you are in.

The current PvE meta tries to supply the most group utility while maintaining optimal damage. Self survival is gained through shorter fights and better group play. Results may be dependent on the effectiveness of the group as a whole.

AH is often seen as negative because it in itself brings less to the group and more to the guardian. It also soaks up a lot of trait points so you lose availability to other traits that could increase damage or group utility. Although it can be said that dead dps is no dps.

A bit long, but I hope the information helps you make your own decisions.

“Although it can be said that dead dps is no dps.”

lol

So am I doing double dps when I don’t die on my dps spec?

@ OP:

Is it viable? yes. Will it do anything for the party? no. It’s a selfish trait that helps no one but yourself and should not be run outside of WvW(or arguably WE if you need the extra healing).

But please, do NOT run it in dungeons/Fractals. You are LITERALLY wasting traits by going down that tree. You could VASTLY improve your own performance, as well as group performance by following one of the more “meta” builds(ie: blinding, dps, consecration utility).

somsom.5201:

So am I doing double dps when I don’t die on my dps spec?

1 * 1 = 1
1 * 0 = 0