Guild Wars 2

Hey guys,

Back with some more testing done on my last set-up. And i’m finding myself bothered a bit by the survivability up-time compared to the dmg i do.

I do great dmg, huge crits, and its a hit and run build. But even the dmg mitigation through meditations healing isnt always enough. So i decided to try something a little different and i wanted some opinions.

Old Build:http://www.gw2db.com/skills/calc/guardian#7|0|3527|1311|12641|12643|3411|10|906|0|0|0|0|0|0|30|1389|2175|1396|30|866|1400|2274|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|

Old Stats:

• Power = 2,116 / Attack = 3,216
• Precision = 1,433 / Crit % = 30% (Crit Dmg = 93%)
• Toughness = 1,344 / Armor = 2,555
• Vit = 1,537 / HP = 16,905

Now im my change includes no longer using shouts but turning to signets instead for Signet of Judgments 10% dmg reduction with its quick CD and reactionary retaliation as well as to shave off 8sec off Signet Heal CD. Also switch around some rune slots/trinkets to add more armor.

New Build: http://www.gw2db.com/skills/calc/guardian#7|0|3527|3406|12641|12643|3411|0|0|0|0|10|1828|0|0|30|1389|2175|1396|30|2275|1400|2274|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|

New Stats:

• Power = 1,974 / Attack = 3,074
• Precision = 1,493 / Crit % = 33% (Crit Dmg = 65%)
• Toughness = 1,651 / Armor = 2,862
• Vitality = 1,535 / HP = 16,885

As much as i love the huge dmg from before, i dont want to be reduced down to a HP % where i have to run in order to prevent myself from dying and reset hp as fast as i’m being forced to do now.

I tried to equal out my Crit % to Crit Dmg to a more 1:2 ratio instead of the 1:3 it was at before and boost my armor as high as i could. (Could probably still do high but im still trying to save the best dmg i possibly can)

Just wanted to know how you guys felt about toughness and whether or not if theres certain threshold you can reach to really feel the difference.

- Tzenjin

P.S. – Havent tested these stats yet, only theorycrafting. So im flying a little blind and im hoping someone closer towards these stats has some insight they could provide. Thanks guys.

I notice in the numbers above, that you have arround 30% crit rate. With this crit chance, the difference between 93% crit dmg and 65% becomes less significant. Best results are achieved arround 50%~ crit rate.

Other than that, I guess you’ll have to try out the build yourself.. because all this theory crafting can be very deceptive.

Side note: If you stack a lot of toughness, some bosses will stick to you like glue.. which does not help your personal survivability.

Personally, I prefer to equip traits purely based on their usefulness, not for the base stats they improve. So I could go all the way in Valor (Crit dmg/Toughness) and Honor (Vitality/Healing) but stack Power, precision and Crit Dmg on all of my gear. That way I have a pretty good mix. People tend to put the same stats on armor as they do in their traitlines, which is not always the best option imo.

Already there

I took up all the added stat values of trinkets, armor, orbs, and runes and saw how much i could stack in each. I been currently stacking a little more on top of my build already with armor and off-stacking more needed stats that i need to make up for with Trinkets and jewels.

I could argue that the blend of Power/Vit/Tough serves best towards survivability and dmg, but im trying to explore all the combinations and find a balance point. It’s taking time and the scale im adjusting at is very small sometimes.

My main battle as of right now is the trade off between stats and crit dmg % at the base level. In battle i can bump my crit past 50% so staying inbetween the ranges of 30%-40% crit is completely fine, for me. With my survivability and superior sigil of perception (stacks precision) my normal crit is usuall 38%-42% before food. (16-25stacks)

- Tzenjin