Guild Wars 2

Testing continues:

The spirit weapon sword cheerfully tanks a veteran + 1 mob or 3 normal mobs at level 43. I’m finding it also lasts its full duration just fine in many open world events in Orr.

I’m wondering if it’s stats somehow draw on information from the caster – if some builds get weapons with more HP or something. They definitely benefit from Battle Presence – I’ve watched them heal up nicely as soon as I take aggro back from them.

I’ve played Guardian through the BWE’s and since head start until now with +1,000 hours on my main Guardian.

It is very complicated to describe Guardian and its lack of but yet enabled versatility. I think that I have the experience to share it accurately though.

In PvE, the Guardian is sub-average. It doesn’t particularly stand out in any area.
Sure its can heal and tank, but an elementalist can do both of those things and better. So what is the Guardian? Is it really a healing class? Even though it can be out healed by a caster class? Is it really a tank class? Even though it can be out tanked by the light armour class? Is it really a melee class? Even though a thief and/or warrior will destroy it in Melee.

Honestly, I don’t think the Guardian quite knows what it is, and as of such it doesn’t do anything to its best.
Each class is supposed to specialise in something, correct?
The Guardian is supposed to be a support class, or so I have been told.

So in PvE, Open map, does it support well? No. The mobs are easily more OP than its buffs.

In Dungeon environment. Does it support well? Yes and no, It supports BETTER, but not well enough to make a huge difference, not well enough that it is better than just having another DPS class instead.

In the sPvP environment. Does it support well? Most certainly not. It is awful at sPvP unless you are using a non support build. Which makes little sense for a support class.
(Spirit weapon build is effective but noobish and cannot engage multi-targets)

In WvW. Does it support well? Negative. I WvW more than anything else and I have to say that the Guardian in terms of support is underpowered badly.
In actual fact if you play full support in WvW you are next to useless and the best build that I’ve found is a CC fire build. Which really goes against what I think a Guardian was intended to be.
That and a CC fire build is a melee build, and gets its kitten handed to it by any other true melee class.

But I put my hands up in the air and say, dude, I’m a Guardian.
Because it has a couple of skills that are underpowered but still useful in certain circumstances.

Like sanctuary, shield bubble, line of power.
These things can stop a zerg for a few seconds, a stupidly little amount of time for them being in my opinion most useful skills.
And even the shield bubble was nerfed in WvW, because of Q_Q from 5 seconds to 3 seconds.

We have awful elite skills!
Why can’t guardians have a portal like mesmers? But blue and for 5 people only?
We are clearly a partially magical profession, so it makes sense that we should be able to do a support portal like that. And 5 people makes sense because we can only buff 5 people.

What about Ray of Judgement from Guildwars 1?
Boom, Guardians can now do decent AoE without having to be right up in the targets face.

Just want to point something out. Just because you’re running a support build, it doesn’t mean you’re actually a huge benefit to your group. There’s the assumption that as long as you say “I’m running a support build” you’re automatically viable, useful, and your lack of damage and other utility is justified. Most of the time it’s people running AH builds that have a little damage and some support on the side.