Guild Wars 2

Hi all, i recently created a new guardian, i always loved tank builds but in the old gw2 setting mobs hit to slow and damage was easy avoidable.
But now, speccialy in HoT maps, mobs hit fast and hard.

Im curious if people tried retaliation builds and if it is viable, i really hope someone can tell me if it is. The build is for pve only.

Thanks in advance!

Bogus

Funny enough i got really bored a few weeks back and decided to make an unkillable tank guard for HOT maps. This is what i came up with.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQNAR5dn8cCddi97AmCBkdil7hCLG6hmQ+9r//vqACg0F-TRDBQBJwEnEUCCgLAgRUi5AzDHUlC+t/gK0NshDCAUUeIQ1VYwDAoDHBASBA4YA-e

The idea is to mostly camp Greatsword since every hit heals you. Bear in mind every bit of damage you do WHILE WIELDING a GS also heals you except for retaliation (kitten). Anyway with this build i was literally face tanking ceverything even champion mobs at group events. Of course it kills things slower but you will kill them and you will be virtually unkillable. All your healing comes from Dodge rolls, Aegis and mace 2 and of course F2.

You have permanent swiftness if you take the food i linked. Camping GS (leap in light field) will give you retaliation (also Save Yourselves). Retaliation ticks for 368 damage per hit not 100 as posted by someone above.

I took procession of blades since remember it hits each mob 10 times and if you use it while wielding GS thats 330hp heal per mob if you hit that mob 10 times.

Save Yourselves CD was reduced a lot in last patch and is very strong now in open world. Especially with boon duration food. With my setup i have almost 15 seconds of all those boons on a 40 sec CD. (including protection).

If for any reason i get low i switch to mace/focus set to heal up.

Your dodge rolls heal for 504hp and Aegis heals for 833hp. For fun i used all cleric accessories and i was healing over 1k per dodge and 1k for aegis.

You can stroll through packs of Pocket Raptors and they kill themselves with retal plus using Whirling Wrath.

Don’t worry about the lower HP, your healing and toughness is so high it doesnt matter.

Anyway this is not an optimal build by any means but for HOT maps, it makes OPEN world pve a breeze.

Virtues & Leap inside light fields pretty much gives you all the retal you can ask for. Grabbing any more retal and you’re sacrificing viability for something that wouldn’t increase performance any.

Even with Radiant Retaliation, you receive very small retal damage increases. I would only consider it if there’s a foe who hits rapidly like, 10 hits per 3 seconds or something.

I don’t know any pve bunk builds nor do I pve but, that’s just my 2 cents.

Retalation is useless, average 100 dmg per tick. And whats funny guardian have so many retalation options. Useless traits combined with retalation = Good spot.

Like open-world pve? Everything’s viable. I can’t give a build based on maximizing retal off the top of my head, but I figure it would either be soldier’s without taking radiant retaliation (perfect inscriptions and Signet of Judgement comes to mind) or dire with radiant retaliation. A retal build will not in any way be great, but if you just want fun maximizing retal damage/uptime you can make it work.

So, here’s two stupid builds that deal with Retaliation. They’re not really anything, but at least there’s form of concept.

Power Signets

Condi Radiant Retal

Is it a good idea that the Devs make Retaliation scale of toughness instead of something else and that the trait Shattered Aegis scales off toughness as well?

It would make retaliation more usefull and dangerous while not being overpowered.

Oh and thanks for all the reply’s!

meh it is weak :P

Spartacus! Thanks a lot dude! I will try it for sure when im 80! cant wait!
Cheers!

Bogus.1598:

Spartacus! Thanks a lot dude! I will try it for sure when im 80! cant wait!
Cheers!

Durability runes are expensive (you need aurillium ore) and to be honest not really needed. They are great to have but you can use anything else that has boon duration like water runes or monk runes . So dont worry if you dont have the Aurillium to buy them.

Im using this build in HOT and i can walk through any content. Its fun to see those retaliation numbers and having high protection boon uptime along with the 2920 armor means i hardly take any damage. Oh and also symbol damage while wielding GS also heals so its constant small heals coming in when using a greatsword.

Have fun

Bogus.1598:

Is it a good idea that the Devs make Retaliation scale of toughness instead of something else and that the trait Shattered Aegis scales off toughness as well?

It would make retaliation more usefull and dangerous while not being overpowered.

Oh and thanks for all the reply’s!

I’d be tempted to say no. Soldier’s is the original tank set, and the only set tankier with pure toughness primary is nomad’s. Shattered aegis is straight up an attack, so it should stay power. Just need a redesign, as it (like a few guard traits) seems to be about turning defense into offense or the reverse (greatsword trait) which, while cool in concept doesn’t seem to work effectively in practice.

There are some other ideas I’d rather use to improve Retal. One of them is to have Radiant Retal scale from both Power and Condition Damage at the same time, using the original Power’s numbers. That way you can get good effect for both power and condi focused, with max power coming from Hybrid stats (which makes sense)

Other options might be adding a limit to the frequency you can take damage from Retal, similar to what they recently did with Stability. This would help lessen the suicidal tendencies that Flamethrower users feel while removing the 33% damage reduction in pvp and wvw, and improving the threat in general.

Ghotistyx.6942:

There are some other ideas I’d rather use to improve Retal. One of them is to have Radiant Retal scale from both Power and Condition Damage at the same time, using the original Power’s numbers. That way you can get good effect for both power and condi focused, with max power coming from Hybrid stats (which makes sense)

Other options might be adding a limit to the frequency you can take damage from Retal, similar to what they recently did with Stability. This would help lessen the suicidal tendencies that Flamethrower users feel while removing the 33% damage reduction in pvp and wvw, and improving the threat in general.

I would change the trait to increase retal damages by 35%, but only the Retal Guardian’s apply via Aegis. Does not effect players. There are 4 specific items that applies Aegis on Guardians so, this wouldn’t be over powered as we have to activate it per the situation.

I’m thinking, this would help Spirit Weapons a lot as this would effect them as well too, assuming Aegis will proc retal on them. Since they’re Guardian owned, retal buff would apply.

It’s a sacrifice for taking Zeal & Radiant Retaliation both, but maybe Wrathful Spirit can finally be utilized and the Zeal tree line gets some love for once.

The thing is if u let retal damage scale of toughness and not power it will never be overpowered, since if u dont go zerk stats, your damage will definatly take a hit, so you wont be too dangerous. But if u are getting hit, then you are dangerous, it would give a new build and play style that u can transfer to ALL classes that want to build with retaliation. There becomes a lot viable that way and i think a lot of people would like the idea that they can build their char tanky with high retal damage.
I hope a dev would react about this idea.

I’ve never paid attention but doesn’t Conditions bypass Retaliation as it does Toughness?

Conditions aren’t attacks. But, conditions are applied by attacks.

just take lots of heals and condition removes, done. i always have survived with them in hot