Guild Wars 2

After a long search and lots of tests during farming runs for better dps builds, while keeping some of the stuff that makes a guard, a guard, this is the final build I decided to settle upon that retains the highest amount of damage while keeping the strengths of a guard, mainly, the consecration and some (limited) form of cond removal for a group that should ideally have none slotted on their bar except for the guard, and sometimes a mesmer.
http://intothemists.com/guides/422-the_virtuan_dps_guardian_build_for_speedclear_groups

For fractals I tend to replace one of the two preselected consecration in the link for a Wall, and the shout with SoA, most of the time keeping Purging Flame as my fire field for might stacking and the bonus cond removal. (Hallowed Ground is incredibly useful for some of the dredge trash fights though. But then I’d just use SoA and have both purging and HG.)
This is a great alternative to the classic 30 Honor cookie cutter build for cond removal, has higher DPS, keeps decent support, particularly, support that can be used even when you don’t slot a full bar of shouts (and in the more interesting fractals you won’t have access to 3 shouts since you will almost always have WoR and SoA..).

The virtue trait line has interesting traits that can be hot swapped depending on your level of confidence with the group, group composition or situation. Replacing Absolute Resolution with Indomitable Courage for Lupicus if your group isn’t well versed in speed killing it can help a lot if they move around too much and create ton of bubbles. For something like the dredge fractal you could replace Unscathed Contender for Shielded Mind and swap back to Unscathed for the end boss. With well placed smites you should have some of the highest ranged dps of the game too (although I think that title goes to ranger. Maybe.).

If you fit either target groups (might stacking through fire fields, or just running a lot of fractals and finding yourself without much shouts in your bar, or even just wanting to try something without the shout cookie cutter for once) this build will grow on you pretty fast.

Nice write up.
Right after changing to this from a cookie cutter shout build, there are a few things I believe a lot of people need to get used to.
First one is the lack of vigorous precision, no longer being able to spam dodge all day and still have a full bar when you need it. Having said that, asking warriors to blast firefields with warhorns will give everyone vigor.
The other one is the lack of a spammable stunbreaker (eg SYG). Only one with long cooldown (traited courage). With HG stunbreakers shouldn’t be necessary but if things don’t go according to plan (eg destroyer firy blast lolz) things can get ugly real quick.

tldr amazing build but require planning and practice

saw this on reddit and definitely intrigued in trying it. sounds amazing and i do quite enjoy consecrations quite a bit. agreed, will probs have to get used to not having a ton of vigor and the handy stunbreaks, although makes for some fun gameplay i am sure. and will just “force” one to practice more and not rely on certain mechanics – which helps make a player grow imo!

and i guess if you keep purging flames for most fights, for Guards who plan to use this, might be useful to let your party members know they can cleanse more than one condition if they walk in and out, yes? and if they actually adhere to that or can pull it off, that’s up to themselves.

Good reasoning, but pretty negative down talk to your audience. Although I guess that could work in a “only great players use this build, otherwise go back to your training wheels” type of coercion. Works for some I guess.

I don’t PvE too often, so my only question is, Why Sigil of Night. Is it always considered night in some dungeons? or is it night enough for when you are doing dungeons that you gain the full benefit?

Wouldn’t force be the nice in between for 5% all the time instead of 10% sometimes and 0% the rest of the time? I’m sure there is a gimick there that helps make the reason for you to select night, I just don’t know it.

CMF.5461:

Good reasoning, but pretty negative down talk to your audience. Although I guess that could work in a “only great players use this build, otherwise go back to your training wheels” type of coercion. Works for some I guess.

Nope, that’s really a warning. I’ve seen plenty of people faceplant during their first runs on a true dps guard build, not necessarily that one, but since that one doesn’t have vigor it won’t help if you are used to wasting dodges. I really don’t want players to take this build and expect it to play like AH. It’s a warning for them to be careful, not an attempt to discourage them or be elitist.

I don’t PvE too often, so my only question is, Why Sigil of Night. Is it always considered night in some dungeons? or is it night enough for when you are doing dungeons that you gain the full benefit?

Wouldn’t force be the nice in between for 5% all the time instead of 10% sometimes and 0% the rest of the time? I’m sure there is a gimick there that helps make the reason for you to select night, I just don’t know it.

Yes, it’s always night in the dungeons I care the most for. I used to have spare weapons and min max dungeons like arah, and still do from time to time, but really night covers CoE, SE, AC, TA, CoF, the Dredge, Grawl, Snowblind, Swamp, Solid Ocean fractals.. all of these are always night. You can test it with ghastly weapons, they only glow when the game engine considers it’s night.

The day dungeons are : Arah, CM, HotW, the Cliffside, Urban Battleground, Uncategorized, Aquatic Ruins fractals. Which is why I recommend Force on underwater weapons since the only two underwater dungeons are day (HotW, Aquatic Ruins). For fractals you really can get away with just using night and not minmaxing the couple day fracs.

Chances are if you really need to farm one of the days dungeon a lot you should just pick up a “Slaying” sigil on a spare set of weapons. Undead slaying for Arah, justice for CM, wrath for HotW.

Very cool info about the testing for night and how some dungeons are always night time. Good to know.

@CMF – i’ve read some Guards (or players in general) will carry two of the same weapon, one with force and one with night, to switch accordingly according to time of day. to really maximize the dmg they output and min/max. ; ))

though if you frequent certain dungeons that are always night, definitely could be worth it.

For single handed weapons you can stack Force AND Night if you can afford the loss of utility

Thanks for the writeup!
I was using Brazil’s 0/30/0/30/10 dps guardian built but im certainly intrigued by the built u posted. But im going to tryout 10/30/0/5/25 built instead as i know i certainly waste dodges while using Brazil’s built, that way i still get the vigor which think is more valuable then the 3rd major slot in Virtues line.