Guild Wars 2

for the guardian, the mace feels like it doesn’t do nearly enough damage, and the attacks feel slow.

i get that its not a pure dps weapon, but for the extra time spent trying to down something, you just can’t block/heal enough as opposed to just running a dps weapon and downing it quickly.

am i missing something when it comes to the mace? i run a boon duration build that focuses on healing over all else, and the mace for being a weapon with multiple heals, i would rather use a staff.. hit more, do more damage, and have more utility. the mace doesn’t seem like it is up to par with anything at all.

Mace is the best one-handed guardian weapon because of block\aoe
symbol\healing from “1” etc. And you can do all of this by run\dodge\stand\jump…

The auto-attack DPS of this weapon is the lowest of all the weapons in every category, except for barely beating the Staff against a single target. In terms of raw survival, this one wins because of the healing from the Symbol and from the third hit in the auto attack. The block isn’t a big deal though. A poor skill compared to something like Mighty Blow since it does less damage and has a 15s cooldown. Only time it’ll shine is when you’re in PvP and you can block a bursty attack or you’re fighting a slow-hard hitting enemy in PvE.

The only advantages it has over the sword are healing and AoE damage. However, for the Mace to do more AoE damage the enemy has to stand in one place for the most of the fight while the Sword can spam the auto attack.

If you’re doing an AH build just use the Hammer. More survival from Protection, more boons, more damage, more control.

Only time a Mace shines is if you’re standing in one place with a bunker build on a capture point, or if you’re running a heal support build. If you’re in situations where you can’t afford to just stand in one place then Hammer wins for survival. If you’re running a non-healing support build, Hammer wins again.

The Mace is actually pretty good. It doesn’t hit as hard as the Sword, but that’s the trade-off for all the utility and healing.
It’s also a bit unfair to compare the Mace to the Staff. Two-handed weapons just offer more than a single one-handed weapon without an off-hand.

the problem is, every other weapons outshines the mace when you start getting into build specifics…. like healing + altruistic healing.

the staff far outshines it. it can’t keep up the healing like a staff can simply because the staff turns into a healing machine with AH on (numbers 2-3-and 4 ALL do large amounts of healing with AH on). 1 skill makes the mace obsolete in healing.

and the staff still outshines it in damage because you dont miss nearly as much and it adds up over time. plus keeping your distance while doing dps is far better than being in it jusrt so you can use your block skill on the mace.

not to mention the damage. the more you do, the less you take over time, that should be taken into consideration for the fact that group support, the staff is better… in solo dps the greatsword is better also because of its crowd control. the hammer is even better at giving protection boons and single target than the mace + offhand is also.

Kracin.6078:

the problem is, every other weapons outshines the mace when you start getting into build specifics…. like healing + altruistic healing.

the staff far outshines it. it can’t keep up the healing like a staff can simply because the staff turns into a healing machine with AH on (numbers 2-3-and 4 ALL do large amounts of healing with AH on). 1 skill makes the mace obsolete in healing.

and the staff still outshines it in damage because you dont miss nearly as much and it adds up over time. plus keeping your distance while doing dps is far better than being in it jusrt so you can use your block skill on the mace.

So I guess healing your group doesn’t matter. Typical AHderp build mentality.

Not to mention that….gasp!….you can switch back and forth between weapons while Empower is on cooldown.

Kracin.6078:

not to mention the damage. the more you do, the less you take over time, that should be taken into consideration for the fact that group support, the staff is better… in solo dps the greatsword is better also because of its crowd control. the hammer is even better at giving protection boons and single target than the mace + offhand is also.

If you’re using a Staff or Mace, the damage difference is not shortening the fight by any significant amount.

hmm i want to say depends how you spec for your build, and how you play with the mace. i have a build that utilizes the mace. and i frigging love it. i’m not even specced for high dmg, and it still hits hard enough. sure there are better DPS weapons out there, but when i play this build, the idea is to last longer, but still hit hard and it can do that still. alogn with all the added utility.

the staff can’t even be compared to the mace. they’re completely different. staff heals? perhaps, but that requires you to stay in one spot, being vulnerable. unless if you have stability, can be easily interrupted by anyone who knows what that move is. don’t get me wrong, i love the staff as well. i just wouldn’t compared it to the mace.

another thing is you’re forgetting to take into account when you’re using the mace, you get an offhand. both shield and focus work well. the torch just doesn’t seem to match. and you can get creative and have fun. i’ve read somewhere people like hiding the focus block (which does very nice AoE dmg if not destroyed) inside the mace block to ensure it goes off. and throws people off Guard as well.

check out Oozo’s videos for some nice mace gameplay. he plays very offensively, and still support. DPS support if you will.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/guardian/AD-Guardian-WvW-Movies/first#post1387758

Mace is an acquired taste, but once you get to like it-if you ever do-you’ll find it unsurpassed in what it does. To be honest, as much as I wanted to find the ultimate sword/shield build, my “best” build for my playstyle is mace/shield with staff. Only reason I am not using it at the moment is because I am trying new things, but otherwise, mace is probably my “best” weapon (a pity The Moot is so lackluster, and therefore not worth the pain for this particular player.)

You don’t have to like mace, and that’s OK. It does fine PvE DPS if you trait for it, but you may be sacrificing in other areas in order to achieve this (for instance, 25 in zeal, and Writ of Persistence.) I don’t think of it as a “DPS weapon”, but more as damage over time. It does effective damage, but doesn’t put out huge numbers, and does keep you alive quite nicely (as well as being nice for your allies, for the most part.) It’s not for everybody, especially those who would prefer big damage numbers over anything else.

As a former mace wielder I must say I love it. Mace/Focus can make you a veritable tank on it’s own. Lots of block and lots of heals, not to mention the healing is a short range AoE burst.

You will not get big damage, but you will last a darn lot longer than anyone with a great sword.

Mace is good tanking weapon when traited, you can face tank Kohler with Mace/shield ,
the problem is that there is no tanking content…

very few dungeons favor face tanking (for example AC humanoids can be facetanked easily, but if you try to face tank colosus rumbulus or the other rodent, their breath will one shot you; doesn’t matter what you do)

fractals also, are all about range or whack and dodge

I don’t use mace much, but it seems much better suited for PvE than WvW.

Lalangamena.3694:

Mace is good tanking weapon when traited, you can face tank Kohler with Mace/shield ,
the problem is that there is no tanking content…

very few dungeons favor face tanking (for example AC humanoids can be facetanked easily, but if you try to face tank colosus rumbulus or the other rodent, their breath will one shot you; doesn’t matter what you do)

fractals also, are all about range or whack and dodge

If it’s the graveling boss you’re worried about, just dodge into it when it shrieks. Even in other MMOs the tanks also need to dodge instajib moves from time to time.

Facetanking still works in most trash and ad encounters.

Mace #1, Second hit should be a 2 second Chill and the damage should be reduced. This would allow you to get oof the 3rd heal proc regularly.

Outside of that, mace is a solid weapon.

The mace is a great weapon. It’s auto-attack is a little slow, but you can hit up to 3 targets.

#2. Is one of the best heals in game. It scales very pleasantly with AH, Writ, and +Healing. Also, it does reasonable damage to enemies.

#3. This is a clutch ability in PvE and PvP if you line it up perfectly against big hits.

I don’t see a place for using the mace. I feel it’s the weakest weapon we have. No one I know uses it for the damage. It’s a hard case to take it for heals (we have LOTS of intrinsic healing already). If you like the overall defensive nature, your downplaying focus/shield offhands and defensive traits/skills you are probably wielding anyways. I just don’t really get what you gain from it over other more balanced options. It’s only application is a super tank, symbol build to carry a gimp team in PVE.

As a support guardian, i’m using Mace/Shield in our raids. Channeling Mace #3 before entering the fight + Shield #4 afterward gives nice protection boons. I’m usually laying a symbol afterwards and switch to GS to do my share of damage.

The mace is a defensive weapon and is incredibly effective when trying to keep targets in place as the amount of healing and block it provides lets you stand toe to toe against hard hitting enemies. The protector’s strike is amazing and the symbol has an extremely low cool down. I’ll probably stick to using something else that does more damage in dungeons but it does a have a place against single targets and bosses.

Obtena.7952:

I don’t see a place for using the mace. I feel it’s the weakest weapon we have. No one I know uses it for the damage. It’s a hard case to take it for heals (we have LOTS of intrinsic healing already). If you like the overall defensive nature, your downplaying focus/shield offhands and defensive traits/skills you are probably wielding anyways. I just don’t really get what you gain from it over other more balanced options. It’s only application is a super tank, symbol build to carry a gimp team in PVE.

If you’re a support build in WvW, Mace Symbol + passives / regens will tick for over 800ps.

You greatly underestimate this weapon.

^^ as I suspected, the Mace just makes you a heal totem. To me, that’s a serious problem. I think it crosses the line between having a place in an arsenal and dictating what kind of build you make with it. If you aren’t specing healing power, it’s pretty trash. That’s all it’s good for. Maybe if there was a more offensive offhand, it would offset that issue.

But to call it “Trash” because you don’t want to spec for it’s use, is a bit…. yeah.

That’s like calling the Staff a “Trash” weapon because you’re trying to DPS with it… uh… the coeffecients just aren’t the best for dps.

They are support focused weapons. You need to gear/trait accordinly for it, to make it optimal.

I’m nto sure i’m seeing the issue here.

Weapons like mace it moves guardians away from support role into allowing teams to be dependent on them, like the difference between walking with a cane and riding a motorized scooter. There is no holy trinity in this game. The mace is EXACTLY the kind of weapon that you would use ONLY if you were a healer in a holy trinity setting. That’s why I think its trash.

That’s not true either.

Check out Oozo’s video’s for uses of the Mace in roles other than support.

i have the link to Oozo’s videos somewhere up top. one of the most fun Guardians to watch. support based, but also does a truck ton of DPS. and he uses it in most situations and is able to shine and take folk down.

tbh, the mace (along with hammer) have that “slower, tanky” feel to them. and for some, it may be hard to get the 3rd hit off to proc the healing or symbol. so iw ouldn’t say it’s a reliable source of healing or protection. as in, it’s not 100% but if you do it right, can we say it’s pretty darn effective? and while playing the mace, by no means do i feel it hits weak at all. and it’s extremely fun with either shield or focus.

have to say i love it.

mace is terribad. people who defend it clearly do not realize they can support the team in more effective ways such as , actually killing stuff faster by DPSing better and using pro utilitys which are superior to any weapon skill on mace

to each their own. who says mace users strictly kill slowly? ; ))

Obtena.7952:

Weapons like mace it moves guardians away from support role into allowing teams to be dependent on them, like the difference between walking with a cane and riding a motorized scooter. There is no holy trinity in this game. The mace is EXACTLY the kind of weapon that you would use ONLY if you were a healer in a holy trinity setting. That’s why I think its trash.

There’s no trinity, but there’s no DPS role either (fact), so other weapons that are not full DPS-focused are also valid. That you like your weapons to be more damaging than supportive doesn’t mean that the latter are not perfectly viable.

I’ve had mace do lots of damage in specialized builds, and I bet I would have done even more with a Berserker’s Mace, so I am sure people are just biased against it vs Hammer and/or Greatsword (“math” will favor those two, but you can do good damage over time with mace.)

JJBigs.8456:

mace is terribad. people who defend it clearly do not realize they can support the team in more effective ways such as , actually killing stuff faster by DPSing better and using pro utilitys which are superior to any weapon skill on mace

What are “pro utilitys?”

Not everybody plays with the mindset that killing things faster is better. That’s a playstyle consideration-the way you prefer to play must not be the way I play, and that you enjoy it better doesn’t mean it’s best for everyone.

I have used all Guardian weapons for a length of time… I surely have an idea of what kills faster, etc. I know that Hammer is supposed to provide “better support” while providing more DPS, but I do not share that view (I like Hammer too, BTW.)

And as aforementioned, the Mace can be used offensively, despite their healing symbol.

Clearly my complaint about the mace isn’t registering. I’m complaining that weapons like the mace are pushing too far against the philosophy that there is no Holy trinity in this game. I think the mace is too focused on healing and those heals are easily transferred to your team, allowing complacency. That’s a matter of opinion but I don’t think that’s a good thing for the game.

Yes, you can make a build to prove you can make the mace do alot of damage. Those would be an exception to any trend, not setting it. I believe the reason why you don’t see mace damage trending is simply as I have stated.

@Obtena: That does make sense. I don’t think it’s as much an issue as you say, because support is just less enjoyable and less measurable in this game. The Mace isn’t going to save anyone who’s playing badly. I also think there need to be weapons that focus on support, for the people who enjoy that. The Mace is such a weapon. It just happens to do most of it’s supporting with healing.

The mace is a great weapon for tanking and is very nice to use in a healing build. When you’ve got the extra boost for virtue of justice and you use your mace skills right, you become a very hard target to kill. Though I must say that, when using the mace in PVE, I need a lot of time killing enemies.

From the test i have done, im running a support build that i thought i made until i saw that someone made an even better one “altruistic healing”. I was playing sword and shield / hammer and i just changed for the mace. Im wearing all knight gear with emerald orb and knight jewelry.

For me the mace is better and here is why. The sword in my build is just a bit faster to get a kill, like 1-2 seconds compared to the mace BUT im losing alot by having the sword.

1- The mace last auto attack chain heal everyone around me for 500 hp without healing gear which is quite better.

2- The last chain of the sword “sword wave” miss quite often in aoe. What i mean by that is if i get 3 people in front of me in an arc (which happen often) first and second chain hit everything but the third hit only damage the one i was attacking so im losing a bit of aoe there.

3- Sword teleport is nice but not really a damaging ability and blind doesnt work on bosses

4- The range attack (3) on the sword is nice and cool looking but the blocking arrow part can be tricky in dungeon because of the short range. So if i wanna block a projectile with it, i often need to do it without touching the enemy, like in the emptyness just to get the block. The blocking part became more or less useful, using the attack mostly for damage purpose and since its attack so fast, i barely get 2 stack of empowering might even if they all crit because of the 1 second internal cooldown. I thought at first it would net me alot of healing and might stack but i was wrong.

5- The 3 buttons of the mace are aoe. The full chain can hit everyone, the second is a circle on the ground and the third one when you block you spin around for heavy damage.

6-The ground target is a nice aoe + it give regen to allies which then trigger Altruistic healing. So i get my 150 (i think) regen tick + 76 from AH on me + 76 for each ally standing in the circle. So its great healing although a long cast time.

7- third is guaranteed block from whatever is happening, just like an aegis. If the block is not consumed, it give protection to everyone around me ( 76 *5 if everyone receive it as healing from AH). If i block it i then spin for 1,5k-2k (on a crit and with near 45% without fury, this happen alot).

So yeah on a level 80 enemy, using only 1 to 3 abilities on both weapon + F1 to burn and get might, over 10 battles each weapons (to make sure no lucky crits), the sword pull ahead with 1-2 seconds faster kill with my build BUT for all the mace bring, all the healing, regen , automatic block, i prefer being a tad slower on the kill ( IN PVE) but having way more survivability.

Of course i dont think no one in a burst build would use the mace. Its a support weapon. Thats why when i want to kill something faster, i use the Hammer instead which is 5-6 seconds faster.

Imo i would perfer the auto of mace to apply the symbol and the #2 skill to be the uppercut aoe heal but thats just me:)

that would make it relatively similar to the hammer chains symbol drop. i love having symbol on demand with mace #2, and it’s on a pretty short CD as well. : ))

My guardian is level 25 and I used mace and focus up to this point. Im finding now that mobs are hitting really fast and the mace is to slow. I should have used something else all that time honestly. I dont have alot of traits to skill yet and the heals from mace cant keep up with the damage output of most mobs plus im not doing enough damage to them. Im actually finding that scepter does alot more damage for pve. the damage seems consistent and faster then the mace so you can get those fast swinging mobs down faster. However the scepter sucks for support. It does work good though solo pve.

If there is an event and multiple people around me i switch to mace / focus and use my shouts. I wish I tried scepter sooner for solo pve.

The mace is really more of a party weapon, with everything it will do for your allies. Like Staff, it’s meant to be switched in and out of, and you should keep a Greatsword or another solo-friendly weapon on hand in your other weapon set.

You know something guys….
My main is a guardian since release, and I just remembered that we can use the mace.

God.