Guild Wars 2

When I read the name Gaurdian I think Logan Thackery with a shield holding off a ton of mofo’s from hurting his friends. From playing the Gaurdian I’ve found no one uses a shield, Hammers offer a blanket protection but what the hell does that weapon archetype have to do with protecting any one, you could go full on healer but then you’re more like a healer instead of a protector and why when Druids handle that better.

You can use any offhands to great effect. Shield’s AoE aegis, prot, knockback, projectile defense and heal are nothing to scoff at. You can combine it even with more projectile defense and party blocks without sacrificing any substantial damage. If you have been camping torch as offhand, you have been missing out.

I use a shield … and if other people started, they would know how good it is as well. It is, in fact, a great source of indirect buffs to your damage (through traits) Camping torch is crap unless you have a burning build and the Focus 5 CD is unbearable.

have you not used symbol mender dh with shield and mace, op?

Obtena.7952:

I use a shield … and if other people started, they would know how good it is as well. It is, in fact, a great source of indirect buffs to your damage (through traits) Camping torch is crap unless you have a burning build and the Focus 5 CD is unbearable.

But, but,… metabattle sez shield sux so it can’t be no good! :/

I’d say, right now, all of the Guardians weapons are pretty quality. Each one has a niche and feel nice to use. You’ll see everything in play based on specific build needs. I don’t know if anyone else has as many good options.

Guardian has multiple builds that are both thematic and effective. Burning, Medi, Symbols, Traps, etc. Almost all the utility skills are decent with only Signets and Spirit Weapons trailing.

Overall Guardian is a solid class, and it’s designed to be as such. Solid is a perfect description of Guardian design and theming.

Oldirtbeard.9834:

When I read the name Gaurdian I think Logan Thackery with a shield holding off a ton of mofo’s from hurting his friends. From playing the Gaurdian I’ve found no one uses a shield, Hammers offer a blanket protection but what the hell does that weapon archetype have to do with protecting any one, you could go full on healer but then you’re more like a healer instead of a protector and why when Druids handle that better.

There’s a lot more to support than healing. Applying aegis to your party will soak up as much if not more damage than party heals would recover.

Shield is an amazing pvp weapon, for a support-oriented play style. It’s also great for open world HoT content, you will appreciate the bonus survivability a lot more than the little bit of extra torch damage.

I tried the meta Mace Shield build and I’m melting doing the story in Bloodstone Fen. For some reason I’ve got a hell of a lot more sustainability on my Reaper. Is there anything different I should be going with my build? The gear I’m running is exotic Valk armor, Exotic Zerker Mace/Shield, Ascended Zerker Hammer, Ascended Zerker Jewlry/Back. Sigils Force/Accuracy X 2, runes Flame Legion I think.

Do I need to change my gear to Clerics while keeping my Weps/Jewlry/Back Zerker?

Oldirtbeard.9834:

I tried the meta Mace Shield build and I’m melting doing the story in Bloodstone Fen. For some reason I’ve got a hell of a lot more sustainability on my Reaper. Is there anything different I should be going with my build? The gear I’m running is exotic Valk armor, Exotic Zerker Mace/Shield, Ascended Zerker Hammer, Ascended Zerker Jewlry/Back. Sigils Force/Accuracy X 2, runes Flame Legion I think.

Do I need to change my gear to Clerics while keeping my Weps/Jewlry/Back Zerker?

Shield is a great Support option, there’s just better stuff for solo. I’d say try Focus for it’s extra blocks and blind, or GS for it’s blind/pull/burst.

Group aegis is huge, but you’re only getting 1/5 of it’s effectiveness when you’re alone

I’m going to try this out

http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Dragonhunter_-_Symbolic

I’ll stick with the Mace/Shield Hammer Weps

I’ll slot a bunch of meditations

If it’s good support in PVP it might help me from getting my … handed to me in HoT content, my guild is chill enough to let me run what ever I want in 5 mans so I assume that this will keep me alive, provide healing and perma protection. So hopefully all of those meditations and Mace Skill 2 will keep me from dieing, if not I’m just walking away from this game and playing something old fashioned and up my alley comfort zone wise; well no I could always go Soldiers or Clerics.

In solo play, mace’s slow dps means you end up taking more damage in the long run, making the heals and blocks moot. Try sword and shield instead, sword #2 into #3 melts things and the blind is the same as aegis anyway (better vs multiple enemies).

Don’t bother with defensive stats, full zerker and scholar runes, just use your active defences smartly and remember your F2 is a second heal. Also use Procession of Blades for the great AoE damage.

You can also go the easy route and play hammer. Permanent protection with the Writ of Persistence trait and great dps.

A properly played guardian should be one of the tankiest classes.

In solo play, Meditations with the Monk’s Focus trait is pretty good in terms of survivability. Just a thought since you mentioned using meditations.

I’m not so sure, they heal a bit less than 2k each with Monk’s Focus, but they don’t offer any real value, unless you are pressured by conditions (Bloodstone Fen, for example, where Ele and Mesmer mobs spam burning and confuse on auto).

So, let’s say you use Smite Condition, that’s 2000/16=125 heal per sec. Using more than 1 means you lose the damage boost of Procession of Blades and/or Bane Signet.

Compare that to Writ of Persistence, which gives 100 hps and boosts your damage output and boon uptime.

In group content, Monk’s Focus cannot compete with the trait above it (can’t remember the name), that heals you for each boon you apply.

I would even argue that Shield is the best offhand in non-optimal conditions, in terms of dps or otherwise. For one, it works great with Unscathed Contender. Aegis is too easy to be stripped in non-optimal conditions, so any source of additional Aegis is most welcome. I like to combo my dps cooldowns with Shield 4 just as anyone would with a symbol (for Symbolic Avenger), F1 active (Big Game Hunter) etc. Breakbars are also a problem for the most of the time, and its not broken soon enough. With shield you dont have to rely on others all tht much. A broken foe is more dps too.

I play T4 Fractals almost everyday with my Guard, equiped with full Soldier’s (Hipster build alert) using GS Mace/Shield. Every now and then I switch GS to Hammer, the 4 mini bosses in uncatagorized for example (rabbit, bandit saboteur, charr-like and Ettin). Using Hammer – Mace/Shield with AH and Feel My Wrath gives me alot of defense to eat hit after hit. Therefore being the center of attention while the other teammates can have free hits without the fear getting downed in one blow.

Dont get me wrong, Iam not saying zerk Guards is not viable on T4 Fractals, the above is just my personal playstyle which suits my role as a Guardian just fine.

On Dungeons however, I use my zerk Guard and make more use of active defense: aegis, blindness, reflects ect.

KevinB.9643:

I play T4 Fractals almost everyday with my Guard, equiped with full Soldier’s (Hipster build alert) using GS Mace/Shield. Every now and then I switch GS to Hammer, the 4 mini bosses in uncatagorized for example (rabbit, bandit saboteur, charr-like and Ettin). Using Hammer – Mace/Shield with AH and Feel My Wrath gives me alot of defense to eat hit after hit. Therefore being the center of attention while the other teammates can have free hits without the fear getting downed in one blow.

Dont get me wrong, Iam not saying zerk Guards is not viable on T4 Fractals, the above is just my personal playstyle which suits my role as a Guardian just fine.

On Dungeons however, I use my zerk Guard and make more use of active defense: aegis, blindness, reflects ect.

Glad to hear I’m not the only one that still plays and finds value in the old Pillar Guard (I went clerics for additional team heals but effectively the same role).

I am also getting myself some gear for a dungeon solo build that uses blocks and shield as its backbone. A lot can be said about our traits, but noone can argue that when it comes to on block (and aegis) effects they are great.

Pregnantman.8259:

I am also getting myself some gear for a dungeon solo build that uses blocks and shield as its backbone. A lot can be said about our traits, but noone can argue that when it comes to on block (and aegis) effects they are great.

I think we sacrifice(it is to risky)a bit ot much for some aegis effects.

We need to use invigorated bullwark blocks (by active and close gameplay) to increase healling effect, that migh put us in trouble, Guardian is a squishy class due its health, if bad timed out on a block we might be in trouble…

edit: this is in WvW gameplay im talking, not pve.

I dont know about WvW, but I dont think we give up too much to have aegis or on block traits. In any traitline except Zeal, on block or Aegis traits are strong choices or minor traits that are given inherently. Since all of our traitlines have one or more traits that is concerned about Aegis or blocking (even Unscathed Contender in some aspect), I dont think its necessary to do anything special to boost your blocks, you can just choose the ones in your traitlines as you see fit.

Atm I am experimenting on Zealot armor with Zerker trinkets and weapons, and Retributive Armor is a great fit for that as it gives a whopping 250 toughness and %10 crit damage to minimize the loss of ferocity. AH is still good, but it doesnt scale with healing power much and I already have plenty of sources of heal.

Oldirtbeard.9834:

When I read the name Gaurdian I think Logan Thackery with a shield holding off a ton of mofo’s from hurting his friends. From playing the Gaurdian I.

What is a Gaurdian??

Might want to get the name correct

Oldirtbeard.9834:

When I read the name Gaurdian I think Logan Thackery with a shield holding off a ton of mofo’s from hurting his friends. From playing the Gaurdian I’ve found no one uses a shield, Hammers offer a blanket protection but what the hell does that weapon archetype have to do with protecting any one, you could go full on healer but then you’re more like a healer instead of a protector and why when Druids handle that better.

Professions are named for their class mechanics. Virtues aid allies. And you are forgetting support is not limited to healing. Every single weapon set has support aspects

LazyDad.2037:

Oldirtbeard.9834:

When I read the name Gaurdian I think Logan Thackery with a shield holding off a ton of mofo’s from hurting his friends. From playing the Gaurdian I.

What is a Gaurdian??

Might want to get the name correct

We are not exactly Guardians either, so i gues Gaurdian looks fine.

“Gaurdian cast block on ally, ally gets bursted by just range auto atacks”

Aeolus.3615:

LazyDad.2037:

Oldirtbeard.9834:

When I read the name Gaurdian I think Logan Thackery with a shield holding off a ton of mofo’s from hurting his friends. From playing the Gaurdian I.

What is a Gaurdian??

Might want to get the name correct

We are not exactly Guardians either, so i gues Gaurdian looks fine.

“Gaurdian cast block on ally, ally gets bursted by just range auto atacks”

‘Gourdian should have used, wall of reflect, shield of absorption, shield of the avenger, sanctuary, or zealot’s defense’

Prot + aegis + heal + cc + stability spam. Go to wvw and you will see what am i talking about

I generally use sword/shield as my primary weapon set. The second weapon just depends on what I get into (carry mace, bow, GS and staff). Armor set is currently marauder with durability runes. I haven’t gone into WvW with the guardian/DH yet but it handles pretty well open world.

McWolfy.5924:

Prot + aegis + heal + cc + stability spam. Go to wvw and you will see what am i talking about

Boon what boons? they are constantly getting ripped off or tranformed to conditions, what server nowadays dont run a pack of necros corrupting boons?

Corrupting boons for the most of the time is single target – except for Well of Corruption and traited Death’s Charge which you can side step or walk out of. Meanwhile, your aegis and prot are almost always AoE. Good luck on Necro to keep those boons removed all the time.

Pregnantman.8259:

Corrupting boons for the most of the time is single target – except for Well of Corruption and traited Death’s Charge which you can side step or walk out of. Meanwhile, your aegis and prot are almost always AoE. Good luck on Necro to keep those boons removed all the time.

I play on a small linked servers, our “blob” is arorund 15-30(on a good day), enemy blob has 60+ with 15+ boon corrupting necros

In the case of having number of enemy necros equal to your blob’s size, you might as well use F1 and jump off a cliff to pull them with you I guess.

Pregnantman.8259:

In the case of having number of enemy necros equal to your blob’s size, you might as well use F1 and jump off a cliff to pull them with you I guess.

(sometimes sanctuary on front of targets) JI+Shield 5, swap to hammer throw another one, used to do a banzai KB thing on hills cata spot, when players gather to close to the cliff.

Oldirtbeard.9834:

I tried the meta Mace Shield build and I’m melting doing the story in Bloodstone Fen. For some reason I’ve got a hell of a lot more sustainability on my Reaper. Is there anything different I should be going with my build? The gear I’m running is exotic Valk armor, Exotic Zerker Mace/Shield, Ascended Zerker Hammer, Ascended Zerker Jewlry/Back. Sigils Force/Accuracy X 2, runes Flame Legion I think.

Do I need to change my gear to Clerics while keeping my Weps/Jewlry/Back Zerker?

Never died once doing that story, and I’m running almost full asc zerk with a few exo soldier pieces(which I intend to replace with more zerk when I get around to it). All that while running GS/LB with mostly traps. Basic principle is kill them before they kill you. And never stand in AoEs.

yea no matter how you twist it you are not a guardian/paladin
youre actually a mystic knight

Amaranthe.3578:

yea no matter how you twist it…

It is called arguments, ideas and interpretations..

Amaranthe.3578:

yea no matter how you twist it you are not a guardian/paladin
youre actually a mystic knight

Your opinion. Not mine.

Amaranthe.3578:

yea no matter how you twist it you are not a guardian/paladin
youre actually a mystic knight

You’re gonna have to explain yourself on that one Broheim.