Guild Wars 2

The shield is pretty much the iconic weapon of a guardian yet its been lackluster from launch.

Stalwart Defender should be buffed or changed to make the shield worth using outside of pure support builds. Putting a point in the talent could make your shield ablities deal AoE damage on use or something, anything really.

Just make it worth carrying around outside of that one time you feel like pushing people off cliffs.

Vivi.2805:

The shield is pretty much the iconic weapon of a guardian yet its been lackluster from launch.

Stalwart Defender should be buffed or changed to make the shield worth using outside of pure support builds. Putting a point in the talent could make your shield ablities deal AoE damage on use or something, anything really.

Just make it worth carrying around outside of that one time you feel like pushing people off cliffs.

It gives area Denial, Projectile block and Aoe heals it does have 1 Aoe damage on the skill 4….. it’s got a decent amount of utility it doesn’t need more damage

The shield is probably the last weapon that needs a rework on guardians right now. After repeated buffs, it’s finally in a good spot.

I don’t see why a support weapon should be changed to be worth using in DPS builds; each weapon has its niche. For example, I don’t see why the greatsword should be made more supportive to cater to support builds.

BlaqueFyre.5678:

It gives area Denial, Projectile block and Aoe heals it does have 1 Aoe damage on the skill 4….. it’s got a decent amount of utility it doesn’t need more damage

90% of which is worthless outside of group PvP, I’d like it to be worth using in roaming and solo PvE, as for Shield 4’s damage, its laughable. Maybe make Stalwart Defender double that damage and then it’d be good.

Fashion Mage.3712:

The shield is probably the last weapon that needs a rework on guardians right now. After repeated buffs, it’s finally in a good spot.

I disagree

Fashion Mage.3712:

I don’t see why a support weapon should be changed to be worth using in DPS builds; each weapon has its niche. For example, I don’t see why the greatsword should be made more supportive to cater to support builds.

You say that like having options is bad. The Focus is a support weapon with offensive capabilities.

A decent burn or Blast Finisher on Shield 5 would be plenty enough.

Shield is fine. It isn’t supposed to be a dps weapon. Shield trait is kinda booty.

This post is like, 3 years late.

You should call your internet service provider. Swallows carrying the text in coconuts would’ve arrived faster.

Shield of Judgement does enough damage that it’s a damage boost unless it interrupts an autoattack chain (and most guardian skills are a DPS loss if they break an autoattack chain), and it potentially hits up to five enemies regardless of the number of allies it hits, so it potentially also ups the total damage by hitting multiple opponents. The focus skills can in principle do more damage, but they’re more finicky. Ray of Judgement will generally only be a DPS gain if you’re bouncing it between yourself and a single target, or if it hits at least three enemy targets in a scenario where your autoattack will only hit one. Shield of Wrath can be used as a DPS boost, but only if it’s not broken.

The only offhand skill that’s unequivocally a DPS boost is Zealot’s Flame, and even that could be a DPS loss if you blindly throw Zealot’s Fire when you could be cleaving multiple targets with sword or mace autoattacks.

Shield as it currently stands is fine even for open world PvE stuff. Shield of Judgement gives 20% uptime on Protection on its own, 25% if traited, plus aegis which could be useful if timed correctly, plus enough damage to be worth doing for the sake of damage if you use it between autoattack chains. Shield of Absorption having a knockback, projectile absorption, and a heal means it’s pretty rare that at least one of its effects isn’t useful (it’s the only breakbar reducer on an offhand for guardians, for instance). Oh, it’s also a free bonus to armour, although that bonus is small enough that it probably doesn’t make much difference.

I was using shield in PvP before it received the latest round of buffing – I wasn’t complaining when it did, but on the other hand, I don’t think it’s really in dire need of another round of buffs. Maybe the trait could be buffed since it’s competing with +150 toughness to multiple allies regardless of which weaponset you’re in, but baseline shield is competitive with the other offhands.

The only thing I would change is revert the 240 toughness on the trait back to 180 and swap the Shield and Focus traits. That would help Shield, Focus, and Retributive Armor.

And popping Shield of Absorption does feel like it should be a blast finisher, so I can’t complain about wanting that

Shield is really fine as it is. With the right sigils its ofensive and more healling tha u think

@Ghotistyx

What do you mean? African swallows or European swallows?

Shield? Useless in PVE? We talking about the same game? The one where you drop Test of Faith and knock enemies out of it, then watch them walk right back in? The one where you sling aegis to your team and watch Shattered Aegis and Pure of Heart work their magic?

I’ve not found it to be useless… not at all.

4th skill you give a reliable Prot and an Aegis in a large cone to ensure you can buff your allies. Something that isnt really mentioned is that the Aegis application can be used as a dps buff with Unscathed Contender before some combos – especially for a short period of time you know you dont need block (after breakbar etc). Aegis and Prot are both on a ranged, short cast time weapon skill. On every other case where you want either of these boons you have to camp hammer auto, block something with mace, slot shouts or blow F3. With shield you have very little opportunity cost for these boons.

5th skill is a mobile projectile dome that can absorb projectiles from all angles – including from above for stuff like barrage etc. Wall of Reflection is good, but its not always enough. It is also a good CC when you need it and a small heal on top.

If anything Torch needs a bit more help so its utility is less clunky to use, and a bit less altruistic. Reducing the cast time for 5th skill was a good change, it just needs some more tweaking with 5 (something to benefit self) and making the 4th skill projectile more reliable.

The supportive nature of the Torch’s #5 skill is fine. What isn’t fine is the fact that it’s close-ranged and it provides no self-cleansing. Either it should get a range boost or it should remove a few conditions from the user; I’d advocate for the former since the weapon is supposed to be ranged.

Fashion Mage.3712:

The supportive nature of the Torch’s #5 skill is fine. What isn’t fine is the fact that it’s close-ranged and it provides no self-cleansing. Either it should get a range boost or it should remove a few conditions from the user; I’d advocate for the former since the weapon is supposed to be ranged.

I’d be down with torch 5 applying burning as an alternative as well, though a self cleans would be nicer.

Why not both burning and self cleanse?

Torch 5 already provides 10 stacks of burning to 5 targets when fully supported.

I have to agree with all others who wrote this: this posting is late. The shield was reworked about half a year or so ago, and since then it’s actually in a useful state.

The very only thing speaking against shield is, that the trait for it has to compete with strength in numbers and communal defences. For me personally and how i play, it would be perfect if stallwart defender and smite condition would switch place. That way i could quickly switch between focus and shield, while always having the option to use strength in numbers, smite condition or communal defenses. But i guess i might be a long in this preference.

Ghotistyx.6942:

Torch 5 already provides 10 stacks of burning to 5 targets when fully supported.

Should be even more with Permeating Wrath. I sometimes use it in my build with pugs, and it usually tops me at might with Zealous Scepter, stacks a lot of Cripple with Zealot’s Aggression and a hefty amount of Vulnurability if I use Dulled Senses.

Dont get me wrong; Torch 5 is good for F1 procs and 4th skill is good damage, the weapon just needs some polish in its practical use, and have a more refined role than damage/burning like our other offhands.

Pregnantman.8259:

Should be even more with Permeating Wrath. I sometimes use it in my build with pugs, and it usually tops me at might with Zealous Scepter, stacks a lot of Cripple with Zealot’s Aggression and a hefty amount of Vulnurability if I use Dulled Senses.

Dont get me wrong; Torch 5 is good for F1 procs and 4th skill is good damage, the weapon just needs some polish in its practical use, and have a more refined role than damage/burning like our other offhands.

It hits 3 targets 10 times. With PW that’s 10 stacks to 5 targets. Cleansing Flame was designed to burn in conjunction with VoJ passive, so improving that with PW will make it very useful to a burn guard. The cleansing portion is something that could be looked at, but its difficult to determine where to go. A self+ally cleanse of 3 is very frequent and strong with a 12s cd, but if its dropped to 2 or 1 (to make the rate more fitting to other cleansing skills), then the 9 ally only condition cleanse is probably better. Torch really just needs QoL adjustments rather than large overhauls.

It is a bit crazy that the one person that the guardian can’t cleanse conditions from with torch is themselves.

Could tie the self-cleans to Zealot’s Fire instead of Cleansing Flame, however, on the justification that Zealot’s Fire is when the guardian uses it on themself. This would also add an additional dilemma to using Zealot’s Flame – do you throw the fireball, or do you let it burn out to remove that final condition?

Shield is a lot better than it used to be. Works great with the sceptre, which has also been improved.