Guild Wars 2

I was going to post some troll build trying to piece together all the “changes” to guardian but i stopped half way through because Im just straight up confused. Scepter buff isn’t enough to make it better than mace in 90% of the builds. Shield trait buff makes you go to valor which is only good with medi and lets be serious 240 toughness for you or 150 toughness for your party? I’d take the party buff because shield skills don’t warrant the extra CD reduction.

Invigorated Bulwark buff is ok (?) if your running healing symbols with like a mace+X/Hammer symbol build but honestly writ of persistence multiplier is 0.075 so its for the regen? maybe. Protective reviver is good, we rezz quicker, thats always good.

Obvious buffs to medi guard but apparently they are bugged. Sanctuary has always been a skill that i liked the idea of but in practice it falls on its face. A cd reduction is a step in the right direction?

Signet cd reduction is w/e. I get bane signet can do work on break bars but honestly is it worth the loss of power? No it isn’t. No one uses signet of judgement and if they do they sure as hell dont activate it. Atleast i never did, ever.

Trap nerfs. Im not a huge fan of traps anyways and cant say if that was warranted for not. Still, i ask myself…What was the point of these changes to signets/sanctuary/shield? I’m pretty sure you won’t see more shield guardians wielding sanctuary and popping those signets left and right.

Suggestions: Do something better with shield. I still don’t see why strength in numbers + Stalwart Defender haven’t been combined into one with a blanket 200 toughness increase + 20% cd reduction. This at the very least would allow people to take shield for prot uptime, cc for breakbar and help the group out with some extra toughness. Then simply add another trait to that 2nd tier. Shield has a hard enough time being taken in the first place but having the choice of 240 self toughness vs 150 group toughness means it won’t be taken. There’s 2 mentalities here: 1) I want to help my group so i’ll take shield for prot and absorb + cc but I won’t then pick a selfish 240 self toughness over 150 group toughness. 2) I’m dps and want medi traits in this line so I won’t take a shield cause no dps. Although a nice 150 toughness is better than nothing while I build toward monks focus.

Actually, I use Sigil of Judgement active all the time. Given I’m a pve scrub cashew-all—

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQNAR5dlsAhChYjQwUIwPEHxDldDy3UInivYVUDgGoeB-TxRBAB4pbwMlgUq+jGHEAAuCA59AAua/R5ngAMH-e

It’s really fun for HoT. I also manage fine for fractals switching SoJ for Reflect wall sometimes. I don’t pvp or wvw or raid on my guard.

Malchior.1928:

Actually, I use Sigil of Judgement active all the time. Given I’m a pve scrub cashew-all—

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQNAR5dlsAhChYjQwUIwPEHxDldDy3UInivYVUDgGoeB-TxRBAB4pbwMlgUq+jGHEAAuCA59AAua/R5ngAMH-e

It’s really fun for HoT. I also manage fine for fractals switching SoJ for Reflect wall sometimes. I don’t pvp or wvw or raid on my guard.

But why are you popping it? Other classes give easier access to weaken and you don’t have the health pool for retal to be worth it. tbh with your health pool/armor the 10% reduction may not (probably isnt) enough to make a difference between 2-3 hit KO. It’s probably just a fun factor to you perhaps and I understand that because I sometimes use shield for that reason. Also Spirit shield applies weakness to 3 enemies, blocks projectiles and does some dmg but on a long CD.

I think they should merge Stalwart Defender and Strength in Numbers and move Glacial Heart to valor. GH seems really out of place where it is, as the other two traits improve the passives of F1 and F2, and since it gives protection hammer seems to belong in the valor tree with armor-y stuff. So maybe something to improve the F3 passive beyond a 10 second cooldown reduction given by Indomitable Courage?

King Cephalopod.7942:

I think they should merge Stalwart Defender and Strength in Numbers and move Glacial Heart to valor. GH seems really out of place where it is, as the other two traits improve the passives of F1 and F2, and since it gives protection hammer seems to belong in the valor tree with armor-y stuff. So maybe something to improve the F3 passive beyond a 10 second cooldown reduction given by Indomitable Courage?

Thats a good idea

King Cephalopod.7942:

I think they should merge Stalwart Defender and Strength in Numbers and move Glacial Heart to valor. GH seems really out of place where it is, as the other two traits improve the passives of F1 and F2, and since it gives protection hammer seems to belong in the valor tree with armor-y stuff. So maybe something to improve the F3 passive beyond a 10 second cooldown reduction given by Indomitable Courage?

Let it goooo, let it gooooo!

GH will never be moved back to Valor as long as they don’t move one of the other two weapon traits which I personally think is unlikely. Even then, I’d prefer switching GH with Honorable Staff.

Stalwart Defender should probably be switched with Focus Mastery. Wouldn’t make it sexier but at least would make more sense than the current set up when looking at the traitline as a whole.

Animosity.5968:

But why are you popping it?

1 word: stunbreak. The weakness and retal is just icing.

Malchior.1928:

Animosity.5968:

But why are you popping it?

1 word: stunbreak. The weakness and retal is just icing.

Shield of avenger command stun breaks too. So does SyG (bonus stability), SY (bonus everything but long CD), CoP (all condi’s gone too) and JI (tele + burn dps). Still more power to you for using it.

Animosity.5968:

Shield of avenger command stun breaks too. So does SyG (bonus stability), SY (bonus everything but long CD), CoP (all condi’s gone too) and JI (tele + burn dps). Still more power to you for using it.

Sure, but overall the 12% damage reduction, retal, weakness, and stunbreak on a now 20 second cooldown make it quite a good deal for a full zerk guard with less than 12k hp.

Malchior.1928:

Animosity.5968:

Shield of avenger command stun breaks too. So does SyG (bonus stability), SY (bonus everything but long CD), CoP (all condi’s gone too) and JI (tele + burn dps). Still more power to you for using it.

Sure, but overall the 12% damage reduction, retal, weakness, and stunbreak on a now 20 second cooldown make it quite a good deal for a full zerk guard with less than 12k hp.

Get your zerker armor and throw it out and go make yourself a set of marauders armor

ThrottleFox.2735:

Get your zerker armor and throw it out and go make yourself a set of marauders armor

DPS loss not worth it. Kill or be killed.

King Cephalopod.7942:

I think they should merge Stalwart Defender and Strength in Numbers and move Glacial Heart to valor. GH seems really out of place where it is, as the other two traits improve the passives of F1 and F2, and since it gives protection hammer seems to belong in the valor tree with armor-y stuff. So maybe something to improve the F3 passive beyond a 10 second cooldown reduction given by Indomitable Courage?

Also, the group should get the 250 toughness from shield if in range and 150 otherwise. Now that would be decent. They also need to find a way for guardians to get that 300 vitality we used to get from traits playing the old bunker specs without wrecking builds. Force of Will is ludicrously weak for a grandmaster trait. That honestly should be adept or a first tier master trait somewehere.

How is Force of Will ludicrously weak for a grandmaster trait? 3k health and +1% healing per 100 vitality is incredibly strong.

that healing can be bumped to 10% per 100 vita and it still wouldn’t outdo a druid’s healing

Darknicrofia.2604:

that healing can be bumped to 10% per 100 vita and it still wouldn’t outdo a druid’s healing

Clarification on “Outgoing healing increased 1% per 100 Vitality”; does that percentage effect the total healing (example: a heal for 1,000 with +10% becomes 1,100) or just boost your healing power (example: healing power 1,000 with 10% becomes 1,100 healing power).

If it modifies final healing then 10% per 100 vitality would be insane. With just Carrion Amulet it would give +120-220% healing output (unsure if Force of Will factors in base Vitality). So with zero healing power Wings of Resolve would heal for 8-12k.

your self heal doesn’t get buffed, it only affects how much you heal your allies by I believe.

Darknicrofia.2604:

your self heal doesn’t get buffed, it only affects how much you heal your allies by I believe.

I’ll test it tonight when I get home and figure if the 1% is good enough.