Guild Wars 2

Hello guys, I recently picked up a Sword/Torch after hearing alot of good things (Used to be an avid Hammer user), and boy, I must say, it is AMAZING, however, Im a bit stumped as to which way I should trait myself, I have a good idea, but can’t really nail down the specifics, as Im only level 36 and JUST got into it.

Perhaps those out there with more experience on the workings of the weapon combo would share their knowledge, I’d be greatly appreciative!

i’m not the most experience, but i’ll chime in and keep this up top. cause i too wanna learn more about traits.

i’m the opposite actually, went from sworn sword and torch to hammer user now lol. and i definitely do miss it. one of the differentiating factors for me was that #5 doesn’t actually “burn” enemies as condition. but that may have been OP.

i imagine focusing on maybe precision and / or condition dmg (with #4 skill, since you can set multiple enemies on fire)? a few traits come to mind – Fiery Wrath down Zeal Line, also Blinding Exposure, since you have blind with #2, plus a burning blind with VoJ.

what are you using as your second weapon set?

^That’s pretty much the basic gist of it. I’ve run Sword/Torch a lot the 30s/40s but prefer Mace these days. Anyway.

Fiery Wrath is your must-have skill here. You can go all out with the rest of your build and maximize effects that set people on fire or capitalize on people burning if you want to. But keep in mind that Burning stacks in duration, not effect. For long fights against tough opponents this might be nice. For your average run of the mill PVE encounter, a ton of Burning will just mean there’s still a minute of Burning left when the enemy is already dead.

Thinking about it, I put this build together which is how I would build a dedicated Sword/Torch Guardian. It’s just a point of reference, not a dogma.

http://www.guildhead.com/skill-calc#Mmcoc9cm9mm9max0GVMokqMR

Zeal 10 for Fiery Wrath. Zealot’s Speed is nice to have if you have to run away but no synergy here.

Radiance 30 because One-Handed Strength is IMO one of the biggest advantages of not using a Greatsword. Also, since we already established that Burning stacks in duration, Condition Damage is nice to have. Radiant Power at 25 stacks with your Fiery Wrath. What do you know, Burning is a Condition. Radiant Fire at 20 shaves 2.25 seconds off your Torch CDs. If you find you don’t need it, Powerful Blades is just as good of a pick. 15 has my favourite Trait ever. Renewed Justice doesn’t require that you deliver the killing blow on an enemy; if you get XP for the kill, it will reset Justice, giving you another source of Burning. Blind Exposure at 10 synergizes with Renewed Justice and Justice is Blind at 5, giving you a ton of extra Blinds on top of the Blind from Sword, and adds Vulnerability which is another (small) net damage boost in end effect.*

Now, we have invested a lot in Precision. So let’s look for a Trait that benefits from Critical Hits. 20 Honor gives you more HP and Healing which is never a bad thing. It also gives you Empowering Might. The tooltip is misleading. You will gain Might as well every time you Crit. Not only is this awesome in a group fight, it should proc pretty often, especially when you fire off Zealot’s Defense or Cleansing Flame since they are both technically several attaccks. The minor Traits in that line are nothing to phone home about and at 10 you could pick anything (except Writ since you have no Symbols from your main loadout). I’ve worked off the fact that Sword/Torch has no Combo Finishers, so I’d assume you’d mostly load up on Shouts. If you don’t, pick Wrathful Spirit or Pure of Heart instead.

Inspired Justice, a whopping 5 points into Virtue. If any Guardian ever has five points to spare, this is where they should go. In the case of this build, coupled with Renewed Justice, it makes Justice another source of Might for you and everyone around you.

You also end up with 5 points to spend at your leisure. If you dodge a lot, Elusive Power is probably your best pick.

*You could use Searing Flames instead but most PVE critters don’t carry a lot of Boons to strip to begin with.

Schakal, I thank you VERY much for your input and breakdown. It was a tremendous help!!

I really appreciate it!!