Guild Wars 2

My guardian just hit 80. I’m looking for suggestions for a build that’s good for solo PvE content. I don’t generally PvP but would like to pug a dungeon now and then. Mostly I’d like a solid, survivable combination I can use to see the rest of the world content.

I’ve leveled easily with GS / Sword+Focus but found 75-80 getting increasingly difficult, mostly due to squishiness and knockdowns. I’m running with 25/15/0/20/10 and a grab bag of Berserker’s and Knight’s gear.

I’m sure I can improve what I’ve got and would be grateful for tips on how to optimize. Thanks!

25 in Zeal is way too deep without hammer (and might be too deep even for using hammers). You can try 10/25/0/20/10 to maximize DPS and utility. KD’s should never be a problem for Guardians due “Stand Your Ground!” and our numerous dodges due to Vigorous Precision.

A good way to level is quick dungeon runs (AC1 &3, CoF1 &2, HotW1) since each path gives 70% of your exp bar.

Congrats on hitting 80! Hope you’re in for the long haul when it comes to doing content and having fun

If you’re keen on dungeon diving, there’s currently 2 schools of thought that seem prevalent around here. One is to go full Berserker and “learn to dodge”, which does put out some incredible numbers with your weapon skills, but again, as a full Zerk Guardian, you WILL be kind of squishy, so bear that in mind.

As far as being a solid survivable build is concerned, there are a lot of options, with the PVT/Knight combo being one of the more popular ones with my circle of friends, where you use Zerk weps, PVT armor with Emerald Orbs, and Knight accessories with Ruby jewels. The end result nets you about 3k atk, 3k armor, 15k HP and around 54% crit chance with Truffle Steak and Master Maintenance Oil. It’s not the biggest damage dealer out there, but it does allow you to have some breathing room as you learn the different dungeon encounters and mechanics, so that should you choose to, you can eventually go full Zerk and still be able to tackle these dungeons no problem.

I personally run the PVT hybrid with 0/15/30/20/5 with Blind Exposure in Radiance, Purity, Retributive Armor, and Altruistic Healer in Valor, Empowering Might and Writ of Exaltation in Honor and the 5 points in Virtues for spamming Virtue of Justice and getting might stacks.

Again, there are a lot of options out there, and the best way to see what works for you is to experiment with different gear and trait combinations. Hope you have a good time dungeon diving with your Guardian, and again, grats on getting to 80!

Hi there. Well from what you’re asking I would suggest to have both, Knight and Zerker armor sets and run the one that fits each situation with the following build:
0/15/30/20/5
No, I didn’t invent that build, people around here call it the Paladin build and a lot of guardians that just hit 80 use it (pretty nice for PVE and pugging dungeons). depending on the situation you can be tanky or go for DPS.

The good thing about this build is that you will be running 2 sets of armor and, with a quick respec, you can change your role in a party.

1. Boon Duration / Support-Kinda Tanky (Knight set)

Runes: 2 Superior runes of the Water , 2 Superior runes of the Monk and 2 major runes of Sanctuary (be sure to get one on the helmet, so the rune on your breather would be also cheap). This will give you +40% boon duration +5% from the Virtues line. If you have spare money you can get runes of the Traveler instead of Sanctuary for +5% boon duration.

Skills:
Healing: Signet of resolve
Utilities: Stand your ground, Retreat and Hold the Line.
Elite: Renewed Focus

Traits:
15 Radiance: Blind Exposure (VI) Combined with Justice is Blind and Renewed Justice, this will get you spamming Virtue of justice (thereby, spaming Blind, Burn, Vulnerability and giving yourself Might).

30 Valor: Purity (V) Will be for removing conditions, this will work good alongside Signet of Resolve. Retributive Armor (VI) Will improve your precision from your main stat, toughness. Altruistic Healing (XI) will keep you healing yourself over time and allow you to face tank in some situations.

20 Honor: Superior Aria (II) for shouts recharging faster. Two-handed Mastery (IX) as you will be using 2 handers with this build.

5 Virtues: To get Inspired Virtue that will help you dealing damage with VoJ and give some survivability.

Weapons: Hammer and Staff (Valkyrie) with sigils of Force and Energy. This Weapons will improve healing yourself.

2. Zerker Set, DPS (not full thou)

Runes: 6 Scholar

Skills:
Healing: Shelter
Utilities: Judge’s Intervention, Contemplation of Purity and Smite Condition
Elite: Renewed Focus or Tome of Wrath

Traits:
15 Radiance: Blind Exposure (VI) Combined with Justice is Blind and Renewed Justice, this will get you spamming Virtue of justice (thereby, spaming Blind, Burn, Vulnerability and giving yourself Might).

30 Valor: Meditation Mastery (I). Focused Mind (X). Monk’s Focus (XII) to improve your Meditations and your damage now that you will get Fury everytime you use a Meditation.

20 Honor: Pure of Heart (VI) if you’re having problems with survivability or Resolute Healer (V) for casting Shield of Absorption everytime you revive someone (cooler than what it sounds). Empowering Might (VIII) To get you and your allies Might each time you land a critical, improving your DPS.

5 Virtues: To get Inspired Virtue that will help you dealing damage with VoJ and give some survivability.

Weapons: Great Sword (Zerker) with Sigil of Force and Sword/Focus (Zerker) With Sigil of Accuracy and Battle.

As you see, with a quick change of gear and traits on the go (without going to LA, just with respec) you can have a DPS or a boon duration/tanky guardian. This build Helped me a lot while getting adapted to play this class. Run a lot of Fractals and go for full Zerker ascended trinkets. As you get more comfortable you can go for full Zerker and use the meta build that everybody here will recommend, in the meantime this build is quite fun, has lots of survivability, is not monotone and can deal some decent DPS.

Have fun and see you in the battlefields!

Edit: Typos

Cawnthorpe.2418:

My guardian just hit 80. I’m looking for suggestions for a build that’s good for solo PvE content. I don’t generally PvP but would like to pug a dungeon now and then. Mostly I’d like a solid, survivable combination I can use to see the rest of the world content.

I’ve leveled easily with GS / Sword+Focus but found 75-80 getting increasingly difficult, mostly due to squishiness and knockdowns. I’m running with 25/15/0/20/10 and a grab bag of Berserker’s and Knight’s gear.

I’m sure I can improve what I’ve got and would be grateful for tips on how to optimize. Thanks!

Since you’re already accustomed to those weapons, Brazil’s old build 0/30/0/30/10 with as much berserker stuff as possible will be a good starter build. It offers good damage, gameplay very similar to the meta builds and still retains a bigger HP cushion for errors than the meta. When you feel comfortable with that after some time, switch to the meta.

Oh, and don’t take the paladin build. That one is garbage and just promotes bad play.

CptAurellian.9537:

Cawnthorpe.2418:

My guardian just hit 80. I’m looking for suggestions for a build that’s good for solo PvE content. I don’t generally PvP but would like to pug a dungeon now and then. Mostly I’d like a solid, survivable combination I can use to see the rest of the world content.

I’ve leveled easily with GS / Sword+Focus but found 75-80 getting increasingly difficult, mostly due to squishiness and knockdowns. I’m running with 25/15/0/20/10 and a grab bag of Berserker’s and Knight’s gear.

I’m sure I can improve what I’ve got and would be grateful for tips on how to optimize. Thanks!

Since you’re already accustomed to those weapons, Brazil’s old build 0/30/0/30/10 with as much berserker stuff as possible will be a good starter build. It offers good damage, gameplay very similar to the meta builds and still retains a bigger HP cushion for errors than the meta. When you feel comfortable with that after some time, switch to the meta.

Oh, and don’t take the paladin build. That one is garbage and just promotes bad play.

I won’t even go there, think everybody is sick of the same discussion on every thread about builds, so kudos to you for stating the obvious I guess.

To the OP: If you are used to this game and have played other classes yeah, probably full Zerker with the meta will work. On the other hand, if this is your frist lvl 80 and (as I suspect) and you’re in need of a a solid, survivable combination and you feel the game like getting increasingly difficult, mostly due to squishiness I woould suggest to try the paladin build.

Hammer with 25 / 15 / 0 / 30 / 0 Is pretty enjoyable, focusing on Symbols.
You have 100% protection and retaliation duration (in combat) and constantly heal through symbols aswell.

Thanks to all the people who replied — this is exactly the kind of useful information I was hoping for. Let’s see how I do now.

Hi OP. I hit 80 on my Guardian 5 days ago. I bought a full set of berserker rares off the trading post and upgraded everything with Ruby Orbs. I’m now using a GS/SF, 10/25/0/10/25 build. It works out very well in solo adventuring (I’m going for the “Been There, Done That” achievement) since everything up to veteran level dies at the end of one full rotation.

As for squishiness, I would advise you to get used to dodging and learning from painful mistakes. I find that tankier builds only give you the false impression that you can continually make mistakes, when ultimately you’ll be performing in dungeons and fractals where as few as 2 mistakes can leave you (and possibly the rest of your party) on the ground.

For solo adventuring, I often pick Shelter, “Hold the Line!”, Wall of Reflection, “Retreat!”, and Renewed Focus as my usual skills. I also advise learning to rotate your blinds, dodges, and blocks so you can come out of every fight with more than 90% health in preparation for transition from Ruby Orbs to Scholar Runes. Here’s a list of damage-avoidance sources when using the build I use, in order of priority:

Blinds:
Virtue of Justice
GS3
Focus4
Sword2

Blocks:
Shelter (which blocks everything during the duration of the animation)
Focus5
Retreat!
Virtue of Courage