Guild Wars 2

So this will be my (as in these are all my opinions and should be treated as such) guide of a heal based support guardian’s build. I would love feedback on what you guys think about any aspect of this and will provide a recommended build. I am no “pro” guardian player but have always had a passion for guardian in both PvE and PvP and think I have enough experience on Guardian to help many people who are confused (especially at this time). I should mention I very rarely run dungeons. I imagine this would work fine in a dungeon but probably highly ineffective in high level FotM. I found playing a heal based Guardian incredibly fun so I would like to share my experience with others seeking a similar role.

Many players find this controversial due to the lack of damage output, but I found it extraordinarily effective in both PvE and WvW, especially when playing with unorganized groups. I recommend opening a build and then reading the “guide” so you understand what I mean. I try not to go into too much unnecessary detail so I leave a lot out if you don’t see the build. Note that I haven’t made a sPvP equivalent build yet as I don’t think it would carry over the same, but I may be wrong. Feel free to adapt it to sPvP and give it a try.

Focus Build
Shield Build
Untested Aegis Healing Build

Unlike prepatch, there are several ways in which you can set up the build now. I’ll list what I would use and what can be interchanged. Remember that this build isn’t designed to be a mass condi clearer or buffer. The main purpose of this build is to heal allies and provide them with what they need to survive. The aegis build is completely experimental and I would love to see someone test it out and tell me if it works.

Weapons & Sigils
Mace/Focus & Staff = Recommended
Mace/Shield & Staff = Optional

I highly recommend energy runes on each set of weapons. The extra dodge rolls provide a lot of burst healing to nearby allies. The water rune on staff is optional and can be replaced with what you want. I recommend a Benevolence rune on at least one weapon.

The biggest issues with shield is the new Honor adept trait Invigorated Bulwark. It synergizes with the focus quite well. You can make a shield work, but the focus is probably the best bet.

Heal
The most obvious choice was chosen. All of the other heal skills are selfish. It can be a very effective team healer if timed right but it severely limits your own survivability.

Skills
You have a little of variety here but I stand by my choices fairly confidently. Truth of the matter is that you are going to need a button to cleanse all conditions off yourself with this build and with meditation mastery being a GM trait, this skill proves to be the best option. Being able to apply protection and regeneration to allies is excellent and needed. Merciful intervention provides a powerful burst heal to nearby allies and some mobility on a decent cooldown. Alternatives for each skill will be listed below.

Contemplation of Purity > Purging Flames (if traited and in an organized group, purging flames is completely viable)
Merciful Intervention > Stand Your Ground! (except if you are an in organized group)

Elite
While the new Signet of Courage was appealing, it is dreadfully disappointing. The passive radius is paltry, the cast time is far too long, and the active has little use when you have so much healing power that you can fully heal most allies with little effort. Stick with Renewed Focus and use it to keep your virtues up.

Traits

Honor
Adept is a given. Master is also a given unless aegis you give allies provide them with heals. If so, it could have some serious play with this build (think valor master trait Communal Defenses coupled with a Virtue of Courage Activation).

All three grandmaster traits could be used. I prefer Writ of Persistence because I found it incredibly effective at keeping a constant hps on frontline allies. Pure of Voice would work well if pick up Stand Your Ground! instead of Merciful Intervention. I tried Force of Will and found it underwhelming. Without healing symbols, you have little use out of the nice bonus healing effectiveness this skill provides. I imagine you could make it work by constantly dodge rolling with the frontline/tanks but dodge rolling when you don’t need it can leave you in some serious trouble.

Valor
Adept is a toss-up between Smiter’s Boon and Focus Mastery. If you choose Smiter’s Boon, you may consider picking up the master trait Stalwart Defender and using a shield (although focus is still recommended). I know many players loathe Guardian’s shield, but in a healing build the fifth skill can provide a nice burst heal and the aoe protection is quite nice.

As for master, the most obvious choice is Strength in Numbers. If you have a shield, Stalwart Defender is probably the best choice, but still a toss-up. Communal Defenses could be effective if Honor master trait Pure of Heart works on allies.

For grandmaster, Monk’s Focus feels like the best choice since we use RF as our elite and 1-2 meditation skills. Altruistic Healing is a possible alternative and this build could use it effectively but I found I have enough healing for myself already and the reduced cooldowns really help out more.

Virtues
Adept is a no-brainer since we don’t use consecrations and lack damage and it gives us more chances to proc Honor adept trait Invigorated Bulwark. Master and grandmaster are even more obvious.

Conclusion
I know this build has weaknesses. Specifically, it can’t handle conditions very well and any focus is going to be difficult to deal with. However, if left unpressured, it can provide allies with huge burst heals and decent buffs. It also doesn’t pull much attention since you are rarely attacking opponents directly. Notice the mix of Cleric and Magi trinkets and weapons. This is pretty much required now or you will end up with too few hitpoints. Overall, this build can provide a substantial amount of burst healing and consistent healing per second while being moderately self-sustainable. Damage is poor, but keeping your glass cannon allies alive might be the difference between a win or a wipe and this build does that well.

Tell me what you think. Recommendations are requested and I’ll try to respond to any ideas and confusion if something is unclear.

Edit: I know I use a lot of incorrect capitalization. I’m using it to make certain words or phrases stand out so the reader quickly understands I’m referring to a certain skill or trait.

I test it my support build in PVE and i preffer run Radiance now instead Valor, right now the Valor only give us Strengh in Numbers/Stalward defence, and right now both us a little underwhelming.

Now with Radiance you can get a little free 15% critic with Mace who help to proc Vigorus Precission and using Selfless Daring more often , with Justice is Blind and Renewal Justice you can spam blind in pack mobs to help your party. Finally get Perfect Inscriptions using Courage Sigil and Cleric your sigil heal 2K each 10 second and “only” have 144 CD , 36 less second.
In PVE your party have to stack and most of your heals have to be in melee range so 300 range doenst matter to me.

Honor can be good in WvW or PVP where the extra defense can save your life but i found that in PVE right is not worth, maybe if the shield trait would give aegis …

Here is some feedback on your build. I hope it helps you and your dungeon running friends get some smooth casual runs without the pressure of setting world records. I’m not sure how effective your build is in open world content or WvW, so this will only apply to dungeons.

They have done away with stats tied to trait lines, so Guardian game play for party utility is tied to those lines. If you want to keep your glass canon friends upright I think there might be better traits to chose.

Radiance offers effective damage mitigation for trash mobs thru blinds. Keep spamming Virtue of Justice during the fight prevents the mobs from hitting party members. Justice is Blind and Renewed Justice allows refresh when a mob dies. Just target the mob, kill it first and reapply Virtue of Justice.

Aegis is critical to Guardian game play. Most bosses use their big attacks first, so use Aegis at the start of a boss fight. I have “Retreat” on my bar and watch my parties health. If most have low health and no Aegis, I use it. If you notice that the are still not used to the boss tells and don’t have Aegis hit Renewed Focus. It will help you absorb a hit and allow a well timed Aegis to be available. Timing your Aegis is a really important to Guardian game play. It mitigates all physical damage and makes healing unneeded. It is up to other party members to use their damage mitigation, dodges and heal skills as they see fit. Why waste a dodge to heal someone and then run out of dodges? A dead healer is a no healer.

Virtues are very much tied to consecration and are needed for “Wall of Reflection” and “Purging Flames”. Guardians are brought to dungeons for projectile reflection . Not having this on your skill bar on a quick cool down will disappoint fellow players, so keep it on your bar. Once again, no damage is healing that isn’t needed. Greatsword #2 inside a light field like Wall of Reflection will remove conditions.

I would go for Honor and use a Hammer. Writ of Persistence gives a 33% damage reduction and enough minor healing to keep the Scholar Runes proc to your team. Mace also benefits from Honor too.

I wouldn’t personally use Radiance, Honor and Virtues as a complete Guardian build, but it would be a better starting point for a support Guardian.

Healing power scales really badly for the benefit it gives your team, so I would chose better armor. Using armor with a high crit chance will proc Vigorous Precision giving you and everyone else more dodges. As of right now, dodging to provide heals is broken. Anet does not have the best record for fixing things in a timely manner. Don’t hold your breath.

tldr: a blocked 5k hit is greater than a 2k heal

Sadistus.8095:

Here is some feedback on your build.

Love the ideas and will definitely do a bit more work with Radiance to see how things go. I really should have mentioned in the topic that I don’t run dungeons, ever. This was meant more for open world PvE and WvW where large globs of players are unorganized and in constant need of healing. I’ll go back and edit that into the main post. It’s supposed to be a “fun” way to support allies build that is also surprisingly effective but I’m always seeking outside opinions as they open my mind up to things I hadn’t considered.

Phobos.2879:

Any thoughts on [vit/heal/condi] with this build?

I’d say off the start it would be ineffective due to the lack of burning application and toughness, but I’ll see what I can do to throw a test build up. I assume I would need to change one of the trait lines to Radiance for that.

That would be a good idea to check Radiance. It’s the line that has fire damage multipliers. Take Radiant Fire and Amplified Wrath for increased damage. Using Knight’s Armor will give you the toughness and precision you need to proc both Vigorous Precision and Radiant fire. Torch has become a very useful weapon in this patch. Torch #4 brings the burns and #5 cures conditions on allies, plus damage. Viola! Burning is now in the mix!

I’m glad that i’m not the only one who enjoys a healing/supporty role for their guardian in WvW ..

I run with an organized group in WvW (Not many like my healing interestes lol but that’s besid the point :P )I made my own build for healing and been using it pre-patch. I modified it for this patch though.

while i may disagree with some of the choices you made, i still resepect the flow of logic and focus you have in the build. Having said that, I’d recommend revisiting the gear choices on the build. Since this guardian would be a Frontline healer (ie not healing from a far but rather in the mids of battle) then more suvivablity is required. I recommed an armor of no less 3100 and Health of no less than 17,000 . Also i recommend opting for more spread out condi cleansing (maybe via shouts) instead of a single big condi cleanse. The reason being is that condis are becoming the meta again with the big changes that were brought by the patch which means there will be faster condi Reapplication which would require spread out condi cleansing.

I have more thoughts but I don’t type on the forums here often. If you’d like to get into the nitty gritty discussions of guardians as healer/support in WvW, feel free to reach me in game: x Indigo x

You dont need heal in pve. Heal/buff is a must be in wvw btw

Heal / support is valid still post-patch. Just takes a bit of work to get right and adjust to the crazy burst that is running amuck in WvW today (to include broken build, traits that are being abused). It is like re-learning the game day one all over again.

However, what I’m finding out is that the supporting role Guardian is just ignored and focused is switched to others who melt which leaves the Guardian the last man standing. No much fun regardless of how many you face tank.

WvW is now all about speed until mother makes some changes.

What I’m currently running that is working for in me in high level fractals is a aoe heal, regen and protection signet build.

Mace/shield and Hammer
Signet of Resolve, hollowed ground, signet of judgement, signet of mercy, and signet of courage with Magi armor and Water Runes.

Radiance II – III – II
Honor I – II – II
Virtues II – II – II

It is surprising good for healing allies in melee range of you while gave tanking MOST bosses in fractals. Only ones you really can’t are the dredge fractal final bosses cause mechanics and Grawl Shaman cause fire burns. <.<

Most warriors are face taking right next to me.

(My signet of courage is a 2k heal every 10s too)

My full support WvW build:

http://dulfy.net/gw2traits#build=AgIEqAN0Beg~

I run Mace/Shield and Staff. Utilities are: Stand Your Ground, Hold the Line and Wall of Reflection. Elite is Signet of Courage but I switch to the other elite during burn phases or to grant Quickness to siege operators.

Grandmaster Traits are: Battle Presence, Writ of Persistence and Altruistic Healing.

Traits by line:

Honor: Protective Reviver, Pure of Heart and Writ of Persistence

Valor: Strength of the Fallen, Communal Defenses, Altruistic Healing

Virtues: Master of Consecrations, Absolute Resolution, Battle Presence

This build has tons of survivability, support and sustain. Special features include:

—Mobile heals constantly ticking thanks to Battle Presence, Selfless Daring and Signet of Courage
—Area heals, Swiftness and Regen with Staff 3 and Mace 2 symbols which are stackable
—Tons of Protection and Regen for allies
—Blocking attacks grants Aegis to allies and when the enemy pops Aegis it heals your allies thanks to Communal Defenses and Pure of Heart
—Projectile Reflection with Wall of Reflection and Projectile absorption with Shield 5
—Double knockbacks when rezzing allies thanks to Protective Reviver and Shield 5
—Incredible survivability with Altruistic Healing and Empower.

I am often the last one standing and usually I’m rezzing the commander. Just love this build. This is the Support Guardian I’ve been wanting to play. We’ll see how it shakes out once things settle. I suspect Altruistic Healing is super strong right now due to the unlimited cap on boons granted to allies.