Guild Wars 2

Hey guys, I’m a torch user, so I had a question. For my main hand should I use a Mace for the extra defense and healing, or should I get the sword for the mobility and the ranged poke?

The Sword is predominantly a single target weapon(I know about the third auto attack), but the damage is good in my opinion. I like the sword allot, but I use it for Open World questing only. The heals that I get from my mace in dungeons is way more valuable to the group in my opinion. If you are a support guardian then mace is a much better choice in groups. However, I would not couple it with a torch if you are trying for support. Obviously if you are asking about coupling it with a torch then you are trying for damage so in that case sword and torch are a great damage combo. I combine that with a great sword myself when I am going for damage. I hope this helps.

Unless you are running 10/30/30 you actually lose damage by going GS/Sword. If you’re going for weapon swapping in combat your average DPS between the two weapons needs to be higher than the DPS for just GS. 1HS actually only hits for 6 DPS more than GS in terms of the auto chain and doesn’t get any extra from any skills, unlike GS which has symbol and whirl. Sword auto does get one advantage over GS and that is Right-Handed Strength, so you pretty much need that trait to make sword useful. Even then it’s still weaker in terms of overall DPS than the greatsword, but it’s useful in PvP because it has better mobility. For PvE though I would use a mace (for defense) or scepter (for offense) since the 1HS offers relatively little over the GS.

Incidentally, scepter deals more than sword too, so DPS-wise that is a better choice even if you are 10/30/30.

Guanglai Kangyi.4318:

Unless you are running 10/30/30 you actually lose damage by going GS/Sword. If you’re going for weapon swapping in combat your average DPS between the two weapons needs to be higher than the DPS for just GS. 1HS actually only hits for 6 DPS more than GS in terms of the auto chain and doesn’t get any extra from any skills, unlike GS which has symbol and whirl. Sword auto does get one advantage over GS and that is Right-Handed Strength, so you pretty much need that trait to make sword useful. Even then it’s still weaker in terms of overall DPS than the greatsword, but it’s useful in PvP because it has better mobility. For PvE though I would use a mace (for defense) or scepter (for offense) since the 1HS offers relatively little over the GS.

Incidentally, scepter deals more than sword too, so DPS-wise that is a better choice even if you are 10/30/30.

Just curious, does this include passive Justice proccing on every autoattack chain for the 1h Sword, as well as the potential for more frequent on hit/crit sigil procs? The fact that the sword’s autoattack hits 5 times per chain is a big factor in its damage output, since you can count on bonus damage from things like Sigils of Fire activating basically on cooldown (so long as you have a respectable crit rate).

Also worth mentioning, the Sword’s autoattack has a slightly larger AoE range than the GS and most other melee weapons across classes. Besides the 3rd step being a 300-range conal attack, the first two swings are 150 range, as opposed to the standard 130. While the GS’s 2-5 skills make it a better AoE weapon overall, if you’re just using the autoattack, the 1h Sword actually surpasses it for attacking groups of foes.

As it was stated above, though, which you choose between Mace and Sword comes down to your build’s purpose. Mace all the way for a defensive/supportive build, and 1h Sword for more aggressive styles. I personally use Sword/Focus, since if you have at least 15 points in Radiance and preferably 5 in both Honor and Virtues, the offensive and defensive power you gain is truly exceptional, allowing you to wade into groups of 5+ enemies and rapidly kill them all, literally without taking a single hit.

sword autoattack > GS autoattack when facing grp of foes

does not compute.

GS autoattack is AoE at any stage.
3rd chain strike gives might stack per struck opponent.
If you’re reliant on Autoattack chain for Sigil of Fire activation, then what is the rest of the hotbar for?

Symbol > Whirling is a multihit skill capable of triggering the sigil effect just fine.

redknight.8036:

sword autoattack > GS autoattack when facing grp of foes

does not compute.

GS autoattack is AoE at any stage.
3rd chain strike gives might stack per struck opponent.
If you’re reliant on Autoattack chain for Sigil of Fire activation, then what is the rest of the hotbar for?

Symbol > Whirling is a multihit skill capable of triggering the sigil effect just fine.

Sword is AoE at any stage too – try it on a group of enemies if you don’t believe me. Steps 1 and 2 in the chain have 150 range, which is larger than the GS’s 130, and they are very capable of hitting multiple foes. Step 3 has 300 range and can also hit multiple foes. The few short-duration stacks of Might the GS can put up will help, but are offset by the passive Justice activation that the sword will trigger every single chain.

Whirling Wrath can trigger the Sigil of Fire, sure, but it has a cooldown longer than the Sigil’s, unlike the Sword autoattack, and you will not always land the same number of hits with it due to the random directions of the projectiles. The sword completes its full autoattack chain in 2 seconds, and it won’t miss so long as you’re in range.

Like I said up above, GS skills 2-5 make the GS a better AoE weapon overall, and I won’t try to argue that. But if we’re talking about their autoattacks, the 1h Sword’s is superior due to its reach and 5 hits, and will lead to more consistent on-crit procs than the GS can secure with its autoattack and Whirling Wrath.

We might want to wrap this discussion up, though, since it’s drifting from the OP’s question, and I don’t want to hijack the thread. Maybe PM me if you’d like to keep talking about it.

Sword is great for proccing Virtue of Justice due to fast attack speed and #3 skill.
Mace makes you much more survivable, but deals less damage than 1h sword.
Torch is only useful if you’re building around the burning it throws out. And the #5 skill on torch is quite lackluster.
If you are going straight damage (not condition) then lose the torch and pick up a focus or shield. That will boost your survivability and then you can use the sword for more damage instead of the mace.
As for GS, I can’t speak too intelligently on it since I don’t use it.

You already know your options, so we can’t really decide for you.

Mace will give more healing and defense
Sword will let you reach your target faster, and defend against ranged enemies better.

Figure out which style you prefer and pick.

Use both, switch appropriately. There will be times where having a mace in your mainhand will make all the difference, and times when you’ll want the mobility and blind of Sword.