I have my usual Guardian with GS/Sword+Focus, but I’m in love with the way Staff/Scepter+Focus resembles a wizard, and I’d like to make a 2nd Guardian with that play style in mind.
I’m not very experienced with the Guardian, so could you please take a look at the build and tell me how I can improve?
By the way, the build is for PvE + Dungeons sometimes.
0/30/0/20/20…. well, I’m not going to hate on it because I sometimes use this trait spread in wvw a lot but unfortunately range is kitten in pve and this build shouldn’t be used in dungeons. Smite isn’t particularly good on anything but the largest targets. It may have some application against hard to hit targets but that’s exceedingly rare in pve. Also signets are frowned upon because they don’t offer group support. Well, judgement kinda does. Staff isn’t a good idea in dungeons either. Personally, I’d take Master of Concentrations and put up wall of reflect and/or purging flames in place of the signets. You may keep judgement if you insist. Empowering Might is better than 2hm because you crit so much with scepter. Don’t bother with perfect inscriptions; going 30 radiance with a one hander makes it a crime to not take right handed strength. Have fun with it farming Living Story or Orr. Or maybe if you pick up interest in wvw, which pretty much accepts guardians in any form.
Also, the standard pve 10/30/0/5/25 dungeon build works with it as well though.
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards,
for there you have been and there you will long to return.
Now it’s a dungeon build. Signets are terrible, don’t use them. You’re missing out on some great (and frankly, much more mage-like utilities) by doing so. If you’re purely ranged you really don’t need Honor 5, since you’re not going to be in the thick of it anyway. Better to put the last points in Virtues to give you either ranged Consecrations (to fit with your ranged magey theme) or something else useful like Shielded Mind or Unscathed Contender.
Eilir Eirasdottir, Guardian, Tarnished Coast
Painbow.6059: Ignore what anyone else who doesn’t agree with me has said because its wrong.
Now it’s a dungeon build. Signets are terrible, don’t use them. You’re missing out on some great (and frankly, much more mage-like utilities) by doing so. If you’re purely ranged you really don’t need Honor 5, since you’re not going to be in the thick of it anyway. Better to put the last points in Virtues to give you either ranged Consecrations (to fit with your ranged magey theme) or something else useful like Shielded Mind or Unscathed Contender.
WoW
Never saw something like this but this got me curious
Although I think its a waste going 30 in Radiance and get all Signet traits with only one signet. Why not smething like this:
The support incrises. Damage might be a bit less but not much, lost Radiant Power but gained Scepter Power and Symbolic Power, also this build will give more vunerability each is much better for the group. Also since most ime you will be at close 600 range, the risk for getting hit is less and so Scholar will be much better than Ruby Orbs and Ruby Orbs should be only an option till you are able to get Scholar.
I might even try this out my self, I’m curious of what this can be capable of.
You’re making a mage guardian and your elite is neither Tome of Courage nor Tome of Wrath? >_>;
The tome elites are arguably the most mage-like in the whole game.
Now it’s a dungeon build. Signets are terrible, don’t use them. You’re missing out on some great (and frankly, much more mage-like utilities) by doing so. If you’re purely ranged you really don’t need Honor 5, since you’re not going to be in the thick of it anyway. Better to put the last points in Virtues to give you either ranged Consecrations (to fit with your ranged magey theme) or something else useful like Shielded Mind or Unscathed Contender.
WoW
Never saw something like this but this got me curious
Although I think its a waste going 30 in Radiance and get all Signet traits with only one signet. Why not smething like this:
The support incrises. Damage might be a bit less but not much, lost Radiant Power but gained Scepter Power and Symbolic Power, also this build will give more vunerability each is much better for the group. Also since most ime you will be at close 600 range, the risk for getting hit is less and so Scholar will be much better than Ruby Orbs and Ruby Orbs should be only an option till you are able to get Scholar.
I might even try this out my self, I’m curious of what this can be capable of.
Leaving the signet traits is a waste, I was just forgetful and didn’t actually look at what Radiance traits were selected. Thanks for pointing that out.
Symbolic Power is totally useless though unless you have either two symbol weapons (i.e. staff and mace) or a Hammer. Even then it’s not great. At that point I would run 20/20/0/0/30 with Blind Exposure and Signet Mastery for the better recharge on the heal.
Edit: Actually, you know what, I’d still always go 10/30 or 15/25 minimum because of Radiant Power. Radiant Power is way better than Scepter Power, especially with Right Hand Strength.
Eilir Eirasdottir, Guardian, Tarnished Coast
Painbow.6059: Ignore what anyone else who doesn’t agree with me has said because its wrong.
I bet it could be fun, I mean scepter feels rather powerful when it hits – it just sucks for fast-moving enemies. Makes me wonder, is it possible to manually aim it with success like say flamethrower auto, or is it a little too ‘into the ground’-prone? If anybody has a lot of experience with it.
Now it’s a dungeon build. Signets are terrible, don’t use them. You’re missing out on some great (and frankly, much more mage-like utilities) by doing so. If you’re purely ranged you really don’t need Honor 5, since you’re not going to be in the thick of it anyway. Better to put the last points in Virtues to give you either ranged Consecrations (to fit with your ranged magey theme) or something else useful like Shielded Mind or Unscathed Contender.
WoW
Never saw something like this but this got me curious
Although I think its a waste going 30 in Radiance and get all Signet traits with only one signet. Why not smething like this:
The support incrises. Damage might be a bit less but not much, lost Radiant Power but gained Scepter Power and Symbolic Power, also this build will give more vunerability each is much better for the group. Also since most ime you will be at close 600 range, the risk for getting hit is less and so Scholar will be much better than Ruby Orbs and Ruby Orbs should be only an option till you are able to get Scholar.
I might even try this out my self, I’m curious of what this can be capable of.
Leaving the signet traits is a waste, I was just forgetful and didn’t actually look at what Radiance traits were selected. Thanks for pointing that out.
Symbolic Power is totally useless though unless you have either two symbol weapons (i.e. staff and mace) or a Hammer. Even then it’s not great. At that point I would run 20/20/0/0/30 with Blind Exposure and Signet Mastery for the better recharge on the heal.
Edit: Actually, you know what, I’d still always go 10/30 or 15/25 minimum because of Radiant Power. Radiant Power is way better than Scepter Power, especially with Right Hand Strength.
But Radiance Trait line has really low quality main trait for what he wants. Also Signet heal is not that great with this build because he is to squishy Shelter is shorter CD and blocks which saved my live many times. He can stay in range but how about when he stacks? To stay in Radiance I think he would be better with a Torch rather than a Focus and that way go with the Torch trait which is better than the rest of the main traits.
But that up to him to dicide, both ways work quite well IMO (Symbolic Power would work here because for staff the Symbol would be one of the main ways to do damage)
If I were him I would go 25/15/0/0/30 Staff/ScepterFocus or as you said 15/25/0/0/30 and go with Staff/ScepterTorch or Focus.
Personally I never though of the Guardian for a Mage style, but it might work. Personally I have gone with the Guard because I love Sword and GS and since at the time I like more the GS skills of Guard than with the one of Warrior (I have one at 80 now but I don’t feel like doing everything again to stay good on him so I will problably just farm CoF with him as soon as I equip it properly)
25 Radiance is always going to do more damage than 25 Zeal for a scepter/staff buld. It’s not rocket science. Think about it: Symbolic Power ONLY applies to symbols. You ONLY have a symbol on one weapon. In order to take it and still keep 30 Virtues, you can’t have both Symbolic Power and Radiant Power. You can still take Scepter Power. If you do 25 Zeal, you have +10% Scepter damage, and when you’re on Staff you have +10% damage to Symbol of Swiftness.
If you go 25 Radiance you have +10% damage to Scepter, and +10% damage to Focus, and +10% damage to everything on the Staff, not just Symbol of Swiftness. In case you weren’t counting, that’s a lot more damage, and all the time.
Eilir Eirasdottir, Guardian, Tarnished Coast
Painbow.6059: Ignore what anyone else who doesn’t agree with me has said because its wrong.
25 Radiance is always going to do more damage than 25 Zeal for a scepter/staff buld. It’s not rocket science. Think about it: Symbolic Power ONLY applies to symbols. You ONLY have a symbol on one weapon. In order to take it and still keep 30 Virtues, you can’t have both Symbolic Power and Radiant Power. You can still take Scepter Power. If you do 25 Zeal, you have +10% Scepter damage, and when you’re on Staff you have +10% damage to Symbol of Swiftness.
If you go 25 Radiance you have +10% damage to Scepter, and +10% damage to Focus, and +10% damage to everything on the Staff, not just Symbol of Swiftness. In case you weren’t counting, that’s a lot more damage, and all the time.
Please I know really well what Radiant Power does, but you still have to see in oder to get that trait, another 5 that where spent at 20 Radiance are just a waste since Radiance don’t have good traits, unless as I said you use a Torch or something. And since Shleter is a superior heal skill IMO there will be no signet to trait on, so in order to make those points more useful you will have to go with a bad heal for a squishy character (Signet promotes late use of the heal skill since i heals you so much but sometimes later is just to late, and block from Shelter are really helpful most of the times). I know Radiant Power is really good, I use it on PvP, is one of the best damage modifiers we have but you also have to see that Zeal as more viable main options for traits than Radiance for this type of build. Beside Radiance 6, you don’t have anything that good unless you take 1 or 2 signets.
Also as I said bth options are viable, the damage difference won’t be that big (, it’s up to personal taste
Glad we helped
At the end I think it will come down to this
15/25/0/0/30 for more damage
25/15/0/0/30 for more synergie and options of viable traits to change on the go depending on the situation.
It’s up to you I think both are good options but as I said if I ever try this it will be with 25/15/0/0/30
The problem I see now is how are you going to make a Guard look like a Mage. From all Heavy armors I think the most “neutral” and I mean doesn’t look like a plate are the cultural from Sylvari…
Yeah, the armor choices are a little bit tricky, and I’ll have to look at different racial armor to see how it’ll look, but hopefully I’ll find something good.
As for the build, I believe I’ll be going 25/15/0/0/30.
It’s hard but not impossible. I’ve been trying to make my guardian look like a mage (or perhaps more like a GW1 monk?). It’s a work in progress but so far I think it looks pretty good for something mage-y. Still trying to figure out which boots, and gloves (if any) would look nice on her.
