Guild Wars 2

Ok, so I have been using the GS to level, and its all wonderful, love the DPS on this bad boy, BUT every once in awhile I do that thing where you bite off a little more than you can chew… and every time I die, without even feeling like I had a chance. So what I came here to ask is, is there a secondary weapon that I can switch to that will (through skills etc) almost instantly help me fair better in a fight gone bad? I have tried staff and hammer, hammer did decent but just wasn’t enough IMO. Thinking about trying mace/shield next, thoughts?

~Gintokikun

Sword/Focus. 2 blocks bursty single target, auto attack with some AoE, and a cone blind.

Alrighty, I will give Sword/Focus a shot… Is it true that sword can put out more DPS than GS, i find that really hard to believe

I don’t know if that’s the case but Sword paired with Focus will keep you alive longer. At the very least long enough for your CDs to be back up and roll ’em again.

awesome, thanks i will give it a shot!

Yes it can, but it really depends on your situation and spec. Sword has potentially very high damage, but the damage is mostly sustained. Sword and Greatsword have the same attack speed. Greatsword deals a bit more damage in its first two strikes, but Sword’s third strike hits harder. Sword also triggers Virtue of Justice far more frequently—once every attack chain, in fact. Plus Sword benefits tremendously from Right-Hand Strength.

So, if you take into consideration Virtue of Justice triggers and Condition Damage, Sword deals arguably the most damage against a single target. The effect is more evident if you have Right-Hand Strength.

Greatsword, however, excels against multiple targets. The Might boon is more valuable if you strike multiple targets, and Greatsword is also probably better for “frontloading” damage with Symbol of Wrath and Binding Blade.

Sword damage is very high, but against single targets. However, debating Sword v Greatsword damage kind of misses the point. I caution against picking one weapon over the other purely because of their damage capacity. The choice between Sword and Greatsword should be made on the basis of tactics, rather than numbers. Greatsword is aggressive, comes with three combo finishers, a symbol and skills that scale up against multiple enemies. Sword is mobile, excels at single target damage and pressure, and being a one-handed weapon, offers versatility in off-hand choice.

Keep that in mind before you compare the two in terms of damage.

Thanks Eveningstar will keep that in mind

If you want to really survive a sticky spot, nothing will serve you better than mace/focus imo. Blinds, blocks, condition removal, and healing packaged together nicely.