Guild Wars 2

Hello Guardian community

I’ve been testintg this PVE build for some time and so far it has worked pretty good for me so I wanted to share it with you and hear your input.

Into the Mist http://intothemists.com/guides/4824-might_stacking_zerker_pug

GW2 Skills http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?fVEQNAR8dlsApXolCxZI8DRR8Ql5Y8iW+BtQVBAmPx/B-ThCBABVcBA+4AKUz+DVq+zZKBxS5HAHoAPOIA5p7JgnAApAqSZE-e

It relies on Might Stacking that comes from: Empowering Might, Superior Runes of Strength , Superior Sigil of Strength, Superior Sigil of Battle and food (Bowl of Orrian Truffle and Meat Stew)

This build has some extra survivability -+Vitality, extra dodges and heal on dodge- compared to the current guardian meta build and synergizes great in a team with a Phalanx Warrior and/or a scepter dagger/focus Elementalist (not that much with Engineers because the use of water fields). Thou you won’t achieve the damage output you get with the meta, you will be able to deal a decent amount of damage and share might with the party.

This Build won’t work pretty well if teaming up with a hammer Guardian because of constatnt Light Fields.

The main idea is to boost the party’s damage and your own damage with the constant Might Stacking. For this reason I recommend it if you usually run dungeons with pick up groups (PUGS) where you can find players that run with non-zerker gear.

It’s not a cheap build to test so I suggest to use it if you usually use the looking for group tool for dungeons. Another option would be to use Superior Runes of the Privateer

You can stack might off combat swapping your Greatsword for Staff and Hammer (description in the Into the Mist Guide) that will give you 22 might stacks before entering combat, pretty easy rotation once you get used to it. I can post a video later showing might stacking and preformance if you’re interested.

Edit: Typos

Empowering might is more of a pvp trait. Traiting into honor is a high dps loss if you’re not hammer with WoPersistence. Shortly put, you’re loosing too much dps for not enough support.

You’ve been on the same tracks that I have, made this one earlier myself based on the 4/5/0/0/5 http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fVAQNAR8dlsApZo9CxVI8DNBARlbREh2GAPAmxQ4B-TFSGABKcEAA4BAAy+DAq+jUKBHS5XCXEAy0NIEATA-w
Can maintain between 19-25 stacks of might on myself as long as the enemy has enough of HP to let me keep critting
Tried swapping your food for Chocolate Omnomberry Cream? +20 boon duration right there

In pugs I usually roll with my hammer/gs guard. If my party lacks the might sorely I usually go all the way to Honor (3/5/0/6/0) to pick up Empowering Might. Empowering Might allows me to give might during the fight of course, but in cases it may not be enough I do rotations.

Before important fights I lay down my Hallowed Ground, use Focus 5, equip Hammer and use 2, swap to Staff for 4, and swap back to Hammer for 2 again (Focus 5 – Hammer 2 – Staff 4 – Hammer 2). This gives the party 21 stacks of might that lasts long enough thanks to Omnomberry Cream, Strength Runes and Hallowed Ground effect (+%85 might duration). Though because of the cooldown of Hallowed Ground, it cant be done for all pre fights, so I casually start with Staff 4 instead. Though if the time is convenient enough I can swap Empowering Might to Two Handed Mastery, which allows me to blast Purging Flames 3 times and have 21 stacks of might again (with +%65 might duration though). This can be tricky as you want to swap to Empowering Might immediately after the rotation ends or channeling Staff 4 (rotation with Purging Flames is Hammer 2 – Focus 5 – Hammer 2 – Staff 4) and Hammer 2 must be cast immediately when you lay down the field and when its off cooldown. I find these rotations very time – might effective, but one could reach the cap easily too.

Well, first of all thanks for the feedback guys.

oxtred.7658:

Shortly put, you’re loosing too much dps for not enough support.

Yes, there’s a dps lost but it’s not that much. You can easily keep 25 might stacks that would be + 875 power in exchange for a max+ 17% damage (all boons from SY) from Radiant Power and Power of the Virtous, +200 Power from Zeal traitline and ocasionally +5% from Zealous Blade that you get in the meta build.

Vikkela.7261:

You’ve been on the same tracks that I have, made this one earlier myself based on the 4/5/0/0/5 http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fVAQNAR8dlsApZo9CxVI8DNBARlbREh2GAPAmxQ4B-TFSGABKcEAA4BAAy+DAq+jUKBHS5XCXEAy0NIEATA-w
Can maintain between 19-25 stacks of might on myself as long as the enemy has enough of HP to let me keep critting
Tried swapping your food for Chocolate Omnomberry Cream? +20 boon duration right there

That build looks nice, want to give iot a try and compare damage with mine. Thanks for the advice on omnomberry cream, will look into that.

Pregnantman.8259:

Before important fights I lay down my Hallowed Ground, use Focus 5, equip Hammer and use 2, swap to Staff for 4, and swap back to Hammer for 2 again (Focus 5 – Hammer 2 – Staff 4 – Hammer 2). This gives the party 21 stacks of might that lasts long enough thanks to Omnomberry Cream, Strength Runes and Hallowed Ground effect (+%85 might duration). Though because of the cooldown of Hallowed Ground, it cant be done for all pre fights, so I casually start with Staff 4 instead. Though if the time is convenient enough I can swap Empowering Might to Two Handed Mastery, which allows me to blast Purging Flames 3 times and have 21 stacks of might again (with +%65 might duration though). This can be tricky as you want to swap to Empowering Might immediately after the rotation ends or channeling Staff 4 (rotation with Purging Flames is Hammer 2 – Focus 5 – Hammer 2 – Staff 4) and Hammer 2 must be cast immediately when you lay down the field and when its off cooldown. I find these rotations very time – might effective, but one could reach the cap easily too.

Those are some nice rotations for Might Stacking. Thanks for sharing

Please change the title to PvE might stacking.

Amins.3710:

Please change the title to PvE might stacking.

Done

NumenorLord.6539:

Those are some nice rotations for Might Stacking. Thanks for sharing

Also, if you have a Warrior in your party, all their banners skill #5 is a blast finisher, and banner of Discipline additionally has a 8 second basic fury with its #2. Basically everyone in the party can pick up a banner and blast a fire fieldd field but I rarely see anyone doing it

Mainly because stacking might outside of combat is a time loss.

You’re loosing about 35% dps ( loss of a 10% sigil, 10% multiplier, about 5% overall from virtues 25, strenght runes instead of scholar and less power and precision from both traits and runes) for offensive support, wich isn’t the guardian role. This build would work in pugs obviously, but retrait if you plan to play with good players.

Also, since you rely on precision, assassin instead of berserker is the way to go. Especially since this is a pug build and you can lack fury. You’re sitting at 86% crit chance with banner of discipline and fury, that’s low.

oxtred.7658:

Mainly because stacking might outside of combat is a time loss.

We don’t agree on that, it takes 10 seconds top and helps increasing your party damage. If there’s no elementalist, engineer or bow warrior you should might stack with the whole rotation before big fights even if using the meta build.

oxtred.7658:

You’re loosing about 35% dps

Yes you’re gonna lose DPS. But as stated before, this build is for pugging, think about how long are you abble to keep 90% health when you end up in a PUG where no one else is running meta builds. In those parties you’re more likely to die because of the long fights and because some party members will be using range. I’m a meta build user, and I know that after blinds, blocks, heals and stamina are on CD the only choice is to soak damage.

According to my maths the loss is for 37% (with all boons form SY and + 90% health) versus + 875 power you will get with 25 might stacks. I don’t know if the % bonuses are calculated from base power or not but, if calculated from base damage (3510) the meta will give +1298 power, 423 more power and yes it’s a big number but think this is build is looking forward helping increase party DPS and have some extra survivability.

oxtred.7658:

This build would work in pugs obviously, but retrait if you plan to play with good players.

Agreed, most definitely. For speedruns and running with friends keep meta.

oxtred.7658:

Also, since you rely on precision, assassin instead of berserker is the way to go. Especially since this is a pug build and you can lack fury. You’re sitting at 86% crit chance with banner of discipline and fury, that’s low.

Maybe mixing assassin and zerker you can come up with something interesting, but as you can see, the power loss is already big. Empowering Might isn’t the only might source, there’s also Superior Runes of Strength , Superior Sigil of Battle, food and OOC stacking so maybe going for a lot of precision will turn in lower DPS as base power will go down.

The dps loss shouldn’t be big if you want to go for Empowering Might in a hammer/gs build. Lets take pugs as a media for comparison, where you may be focused down by mobs because of zerker gear (high damage pulls aggro) instead of having the aggro shared with teammates. Then, moving the 2 points from Zeal to Honor isn’t much of a loss, maybe %5. Using Strength runes instead of Scholar should be around %5 loss as well, give for extra ferocity and lose for being focused out of %90 health. Using Omnomberry Cream instead of max quality food is a dps loss of which I can’t estimate, but lets say its around %5 again. If you decide to use Sigil of Strength instead of Force that is another %5 loss. However, it remains that you will have 13+ might stacks on you while 6-8 stacks on your partymates during most combat, have %10 extra damage while endurance isn’t full which can happen quite often in a pug and better loots (should you care) overall due to consumable.

Is might stacking for a guardian even worth it now with the specialization changes? I feel like it has been nerfed now as I can only sustain maybe 8-15 stacks on my own. We’re not like warriors who can pretty much support a party with a full 25 stacks with phalanx strength, forceful greatsword, strength runes, and strength sigils.

chaplain.9261:

Is might stacking for a guardian even worth it now with the specialization changes? I feel like it has been nerfed now as I can only sustain maybe 8-15 stacks on my own. We’re not like warriors who can pretty much support a party with a full 25 stacks with phalanx strength, forceful greatsword, strength runes, and strength sigils.

It never was worth it. Empowering Might which a lot of “might stacking” guardians used is a strait DPS loss for your team because of how poorly staff performs and even the might from it is pretty weak.

That said, I think we actually received a buff because Honor is a much better PVE line such that we can utilize Empowering might and contribute ~5 stacks without feeling guilty about going into a poor line. You can run a hammer/Mace+torch 11010 build and you lose ~500dps off your potential or about 3% off of the 14k possible with GS rotation.

We certainly can’t and never could match an Ele/Engi/War in might production.

Jerus.4350:

chaplain.9261:

Is might stacking for a guardian even worth it now with the specialization changes? I feel like it has been nerfed now as I can only sustain maybe 8-15 stacks on my own. We’re not like warriors who can pretty much support a party with a full 25 stacks with phalanx strength, forceful greatsword, strength runes, and strength sigils.

It never was worth it. Empowering Might which a lot of “might stacking” guardians used is a strait DPS loss for your team because of how poorly staff performs and even the might from it is pretty weak.

That said, I think we actually received a buff because Honor is a much better PVE line such that we can utilize Empowering might and contribute ~5 stacks without feeling guilty about going into a poor line. You can run a hammer/Mace+torch 11010 build and you lose ~500dps off your potential or about 3% off of the 14k possible with GS rotation.

We certainly can’t and never could match an Ele/Engi/War in might production.

^This. Guardian’s contribution before and now is more in terms of active defenses (blocks, reflects, blinds) Condi cleansing (Purging Flames, VoR) and damage, now with a nice addition of Feel my wrath (party Quickness and Fury every 30 sec) and Symbolic Avenger.

Wow nice to see an old thread revived, but Might stacking Guard it was never meant to be unless you pugged a lot and got yourself in some “not so good” groups.

Play a Phalanx Strength Warrior with Strength Runes and you’ll see just what a waste this build is. Group stacking might is brainless on a PS warrior. Ele can stack it longer with fire fields but that requires a tiny bit of coordination. PS Warrior just magically gives full might to PUGs. I’ve had people comment on it halfway through the run. They either say “Wow, I never melt stuff like this!” or “OMG, where is all this Might coming from?” lol

Well. This ain’t bad at all now with a couple of twist. An Hammer + M/T build with Zeal/Radiance/Honor is only shy of 3-5% DPS compare to the GS + M/T Zeal/Radiance/Virtue build. It’s the second best dps build for the guardian and allow you to keep a decent amount of might. Not as good as Warrior for sure, but for pug, it’s a plus. Especially since now, Phalanx Warrior with only rune of strength have a bit of difficulty to keep 25 stack of might.

Thaddeus.4891:

Especially since now, Phalanx Warrior with only rune of strength have a bit of difficulty to keep 25 stack of might.

That’s not true. I PUG primarily on my PS warrior with food 25 might is always on.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Fried_Golden_Dumpling
or
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Plate_of_Roasted_Cactus

It’s true without food I’m only at 20-22 might.

So I wasn’t clear enough? ‘’with rune only’‘. Didn’t read that?

I sort of didn’t understand that part because the PS meta build uses more than just Rune of Strength to get 25 might. ( I see what you are saying now)

I still think it’s a waste of time and rune money to go after Might stacking on a guardian for the purpose of supplementing PUGs…

Oh no your right on that. You should never run Rune of Strength on a guardian. That’s a waste.