Guild Wars 2

NOTICE: This build is grossly outdated and obsolete for just about every mode of gameplay. This thread exists only for archival purposes.
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What is Healway?

Healway is a WvW build initially designed to allow easy transition from solo and small group roaming to zerg support. This build is ideally for group play, but will allow for success in solo play when needed. The best way to look at what’s presented here is as a guideline, a jumping-off point. Itemization such as trinkets, foods, and weapon choices can be moved around to meet your (or your group’s) needs and preferences.

Again, this build is primarily for WvW. Slapping Zerker gear on over it will make it work in PvE and it’s got some uses in sPvP, but I’m certain there are far better builds for both game types (glass cannons and meditations, for example).

Here’s a quick demonstration of Healway being used for solo roaming. If you are unable to view the first video, you should be able to see this one.

The Build + Variants

Here is a video discussing the build in-depth. (Outdated)

For those of you who like having something to look at on paper, here is an Intothemists layout of the core group play/support build:

http://www.intothemists.com/calc/index.php?build=-7;4NF-40M3kF-90;9;69TT;44;018A289URk65;1CqNYCqNY40FJ;0g;3Vl-sWv1-Z5_B50sVGV350;4F2Coc2Cu;9;9;9;9;84-6J

4/21/2014 — I have a hard time recommending full-on bunker builds for solo/small group (<5) play these days.The following alteration deviates pretty far from the original build. Emphasis is on increased damage, but overall the gearing is still pretty conservative:

http://www.intothemists.com/calc/index.php?build=-7;4NF-40M3JG-90;9;6JTJ;415-18A18-URk65;1CqNYCqNY40FW0-gY10;0Vl-sWv1-Z5_B52sVGV350;4F2Coc2Cu;9;9;9;9;84k3Y

Note: It should be noted that these will not be the strongest setups for EVERY situation, especially if you play competitively. It is up to the player to decide what to change and when to change it in order to play this build to its fullest in any given situation.
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One of the key points of this build is flexibility. The majority of the Major traits can be swapped around and experimented with (i.e. Defender’s Flame can be traded for Purity when engaging Necromancers or for SiN if you just like extra Toughness). Runes and food choices also have some room for experimentation and almost every available weapon can be made to work with this build in some way, shape, or form.

Traits NOT to change: Superior Aria, Pure of Voice, and Absolute Resolution. Indomitable Courage has two viable alternatives: Shielded Mind (which now breaks stuns on up to 5 friendlies) and Elite Focus. If you’re running with your guild or with a zerg, you may want your Tome of Courage to last an extra 10 seconds. Otherwise, SM is also a lot stronger than it used to be. My personal preference is IC for the clutch Stability and additional Aegis per 2 minutes, but it isn’t necessarily the best choice for everyone.

The exception to the “do not change Pure of Voice” rule: running Soldier’s runes and/or Purity can free up enough room to run Battle Presence instead. Battle Presence is a very powerful group support tool which IS affected by your Healing Power and by Absolute Resolution. The passive healing to allies even keeps ticking when Resolve is on cooldown! The only issue is finding enough condition removal for yourself without double condi removal on shout. Supplementing with Lemongrass Poultry Soup can help.

Utilities NOT to change: “Hold the Line!” and “Stand Your Ground!” That said, it’s very easy to trade out “Save Yourselves!” for a Consecration or Meditation depending on the situation and group size. When trading out “SY!”, it’s recommended that you run Purity over Defender’s Flame for the supplementary condition removal. However, SiN is just as viable if you’re comfortable with your ability to avoid death by conditions.

On the rampant condition meta (10/24/13): With the Pure of Voice fix and the continuing strength of the condition meta, I’ve changed my rune recommendation to Soldier’s runes for all styles of play. My recommended food is Lemongrass Poultry Soup, though it is quite expensive. Despite the food recommendation, Mango Pie is still a cheap and viable alternative, especially when fighting Power-based builds whose conditions (if any) have only a minor impact on the outcome of the fight. If you can afford to carry around two different types of food, I suggest doing so.

How does it work, exactly?

One of this build’s biggest selling points is its healing potential. Your healing comes from several sources: Regeneration, Virtue of Resolve, and Selfless Daring. Regen and Protection up-times are relatively high thanks to +30% boon duration from the core build (20% from the suggested solo variant). 100% Retaliation up-time is also relatively easy to maintain.

This build thrives against opponents who hit fast, but not for a lot of damage per tick. Your passive healing abilities and heavy armor covers for a lot of smaller hits and your 100% up-time Retaliation constantly punishes inattentive players. Against hard-hitters like glass cannon Thieves and Warriors, you may find issue. The trick to dealing with such builds is to utilize your blocks, blinds, GS #5, and mobility skills to their fullest to either avoid the big hits or give yourself time to recover from them.

When it comes to zerg support, the pros of a Healway build are fairly obvious. Near-constant dodge roll heals of over 1,000 per tick for up to 5 players, high-duration Stability, Regen, Protection, and Retaliation for allies, and extreme burst healing potential when needed via Tome of Courage backed by high Healing Power.

Variations (Short List)

• Exotics work just as well as Ascended pieces. Don’t let the “gear treadmill” doomsayers fool you. Exotics also allow you to mix and match jewels.
• Rings do not have to be Soldier’s. If you want to run Cleric’s, Zerker’s, or whatever else, go for it. Experiment with what you’ve got.
• Hammer and Mace/Shield are both very strong options for the group variation of this build, depending on the needs of your group and your personal preference.
• The old rune recommendation of 3 Monk/3 Water is still a viable option so long as you run enough condition removal otherwise. Good options include running Purity and Lemongrass Poultry Soup. This prevents you from running SiN for group support or Defender’s Flame for additional damage when solo roaming.
• Running a Boon Duration food for competitive play is worth considering. Boon Dura food is also MF food, which is a worthless stat in combat. That said, a support build with high Boon Dura for stronger Protection and Stability is always viable.
• Other foods, including Mango Pie and Omnomberry Cookies, are good alternatives to Lemongrass Poultry Soup. Mango Pie isn’t quite as group-friendly though.

Whatever bits you may choose to tweak and experiment with, always remember to take into consideration what you’re giving up in order to make those changes.

So, in summation:

What can you do with Healway?: You can solo roam efficiently against one or several opponents at a time, with practice. You can roam with small groups. You can zerg support. You can line-break. You can solo fully-upgraded supply camps. You can cross the map with perma-Swiftness with JUST a Staff. You can PvE in relative comfort.

What can’t you do with Healway?: You can’t solo zergs. You probably can’t take down a combination of Necro+Ele, Necro+Mesmer, Ele+Mesmer, or Necro+Thief without a LOT of practice. You probably can’t solo a fully-upped supply camp that includes mercenaries without a LOT of practice. You can’t outrun Thieves (who can?). You can’t deal massive amounts of damage in short periods of time. That’s not all the game is about, though.

Please leave any comments or questions here in post form. Cheers, and good luck.

Nice to see you restoring your build Christos to inspire future generations of guardians, and annoy all the other classes in WvW

Broken spec is broken! Nerf it to the ground!

All kidding aside, I am amazed you re-posted it Chris, I figured I would have to do it eventually just to annoy you.

Aaaand it’s back up. : ))) good to see this back up, Chris!
assuming no big changes after the patch?

Any chance this build will work with a Greatsword/Hammer build?

I really love the concept of uber sustain (definitely something I wish I had on my Warrior).

Oreoginal.1580:

Any chance this build will work with a Greatsword/Hammer build?

I really love the concept of uber sustain (definitely something I wish I had on my Warrior).

he’s depending a lot on sword mobility watching a couple mins of his videos
perma retalliation is pretty good but he’s missing a ton of extra healing w/o 30 in honor and AH..
personally I think he’s overhealing a bit considering all of his damage mitigation, healing that could be replaced with more dps. looking at his old vids he usually has 2 states, first being he’s 100% hp, 2nd being where he’s focused and is losing HP. he usually just heals up after being focused hard and its back to same old 100%.

Darek.1836:

Oreoginal.1580:

Any chance this build will work with a Greatsword/Hammer build?

I really love the concept of uber sustain (definitely something I wish I had on my Warrior).

he’s depending a lot on sword mobility watching a couple mins of his videos
perma retalliation is pretty good but he’s missing a ton of extra healing w/o 30 in honor and AH..
personally I think he’s overhealing a bit considering all of his damage mitigation, healing that could be replaced with more dps. looking at his old vids he usually has 2 states, first being he’s 100% hp, 2nd being where he’s focused and is losing HP. he usually just heals up after being focused hard and its back to same old 100%.

First you are saying he is missing a ton of extra healing through not having AH, then you say he is overhealing? which is it?

What are your thoughts on a sword/shield combo instead of sword/focus? I’ve been running a healing power guardian for small to large group WvW that uses sword/shield and staff, but was thinking about swapping out the staff for a gs and doing more solo to small group stuff. The times that I’ve been alone on my current build I’ve found the shield knockback to be incredibly useful for interrupting critical skills such as thief stealth, and has also helped me to win several 1vX fights by using it in combination with smart kiting and cliffs. Plus the shield 5 also has a heal on it to benefit from the healing power, let me know what you think.

Tarsius.3170:

… and annoy all the other classes in WvW

All things considered, this is the entire point of the game — is it not?

akamon.2769:

assuming no big changes after the patch?

No sir, no big changes. We’ve been largely untouched with the exception of the damage nerf via Retal’s 33% reduction in WvW. Nothing that can’t be overcome.

Oreoginal.1580:

Any chance this build will work with a Greatsword/Hammer build?

I really love the concept of uber sustain (definitely something I wish I had on my Warrior).

Hammer works well with this build. It’s a great weapon, especially for WvW and sPvP. It’s slightly better for group play than solo, but it’s definitely not a bad choice. Your periodic Protection lasts about half a second longer and all boons and heals provided by your blast finishers are affected by your own boon duration and Healing Power (which are each very high). Dem water fields + near spammable blast finishers with 1k+ Healing.

Waffler.1257:

What are your thoughts on a sword/shield combo instead of sword/focus? I’ve been running a healing power guardian for small to large group WvW that uses sword/shield and staff, but was thinking about swapping out the staff for a gs and doing more solo to small group stuff. The times that I’ve been alone on my current build I’ve found the shield knockback to be incredibly useful for interrupting critical skills such as thief stealth, and has also helped me to win several 1vX fights by using it in combination with smart kiting and cliffs. Plus the shield 5 also has a heal on it to benefit from the healing power, let me know what you think.

Shield is a powerful option for group play and has its uses for knocking people out of Refuges (stupid Thieves) or off of cliffs. I don’t like the idea of running it without the cooldown reduction trait, though. Its cooldowns are soo long.

That said, I’ll always prefer Focus for 1xX because of the blocks, blinds, Regen, and condition removal that it provides.

Edit: Reinstated the original build video til I have time to produce a new one.

I have been contemplating posting my build here recently, but seems that it is nothing more than a variant on this original build.

Build with exotics only:
http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/guardian/?3.0|2.1c.hy|6.1c.hy|1c.74.1c.74.1c.74.1c.74.1c.71h.1c.71h|1k.68.1k.68.1k.68.1k.68.1k.68.1a.68|0.0.a6.u28b.u29a|4h.8|w.16.18.19.1i|e

Essentially I played something similar to Healway and felt I wanted a bit more damage out of it, so I sacrificed a bit of healing power and boon duration in order to gain crit chance, pairing this up with Empowering Might. Now 18.44% base crit chance may not justify the trait change, however when this is paired with the proc from Runes of the Citadel and Save Yourself! for near permanent Fury, you end up with nearly 40% crit rate, allowing you to stack a significant number of might stacks.

As a note, my typical play style is smaller group (typically 5-8). The boon duration is still reasonable 45% (would have loved to eek out 50% somehow) and dodges still heal for nearly 1000, but I add might stacks to my team and increase my overall damage the longer I am in the fight. Also when I solo or have less than 5 in group I will typically switch staff to greatsword and often switch hold the line to retreat due to the overall lack of mobility with my weapon selections.

I am currently testing some ascended pieces that will drop my buffed healing to ~750, but bring my overall base crit chance to ~30 (50% with fury), I like the results, but the loss of healing is noticeable (more to team than to me personally as I still feel very “tanky”).

Depending on whether the team needs more healing vs. damage will determine whether get stacks of power or healing power with my stacking weapon.

I’m a big fan of this build and I’m glad to see it back. It has a lot of variety to it and can easily branch out, I regularly use every guardian weapon with it ’cept torch. Melandru runes + condition reduction food are also an option if you find yourself very alone running from big zergs often.

The 0/0/10/30/30 trait line is very versatile for every scale of fight. No big damage numbers though, so don’t see it often.

I am using this build now for about a month and especially the survivability is amazing (thank you Chris)!

For me I use this build with staff/sword + focus to get to 25 stacks of power, after which I switch to staff/hammer. To cut down on costs I use all cleric trinkets and three PVT Orr armor pieces, but otherwise its the same.

The most fun part of this build is that you can run through an enemy zerg and back without going down. Will keep using this for a long time.

This build is amazing, I just wish I had noticed this sooner.

I’m having a blast with this build in WvW when I solo roam when I just want to have fun and not support others.

I’m able to take on at least 3 other players that is not down leveled, though if any of the opponents are skilled I will most likely not succeed, but that’s how it is!

I was going with a 0/0/10/30/30 build from the beginning, I just needed to change the weapons and gear pieces!

The build got so much variety.

Thanks for bringing this back Chris. I’ve ran this build since January when you originally posted it. In PVE, it is essentially God Mode- the heals from VOR ticking around 225 HP, selfless daring rolling for 1.4k HP, 100% retaliation uptime, and a decent amount of Power for sustained damage to not hit like a paper bag. I use Kralkatorrik Chocolate bars for an additional ~200 healing power that was lost to soldier’s ring.

It’s like I’d have to try to purposefully get downed in dungeons. In fractals, I’ve pugged up to PR 42 with this as an alternative anchor build to the classic AH. The survivability is so good, it’s overkill for most PVE purposes so I recently swap to Zerker gear and trinkets, but keep the trait set up.

For WvW, it’s refreshing to be able to hold your own in a 2v1 situation. Only downside of course is zero burst damage since most of the damage comes from raw sustained power, retaliation, and burns from blocks/VOJ. But of course, we can’t have it both ways.

Thanks for sharing it (again)!

faintsonata.5621:

Thanks for bringing this back Chris. I’ve ran this build since January when you originally posted it. In PVE, it is essentially God Mode- the heals from VOR ticking around 225 HP, selfless daring rolling for 1.4k HP, 100% retaliation uptime, and a decent amount of Power for sustained damage to not hit like a paper bag. I use Kralkatorrik Chocolate bars for an additional ~200 healing power that was lost to soldier’s ring.

It’s like I’d have to try to purposefully get downed in dungeons. In fractals, I’ve pugged up to PR 42 with this as an alternative anchor build to the classic AH. The survivability is so good, it’s overkill for most PVE purposes so I recently swap to Zerker gear and trinkets, but keep the trait set up.

For WvW, it’s refreshing to be able to hold your own in a 2v1 situation. Only downside of course is zero burst damage since most of the damage comes from raw sustained power, retaliation, and burns from blocks/VOJ. But of course, we can’t have it both ways.

Thanks for sharing it (again)!

Glad you’re enjoying it. :> I must agree that I find it to be a bit of a God-mode build in PvE. I don’t personally run it there because monsters are usually predictable enough to play glass cannon, but I remember it making it much easier to survive while doing 100% world completion in areas I wasn’t familiar with. It also tends to make being the last man standing in Orrian temple events in the wee hours of the night a bit more epic. :P

Been playing this setup since i leveld my guardian to 80 months ago and i agree it is God-mode-like build. Now i play with 0/0/30/30/10 cuz of newly changed mace trait and access for AH tho.

Almost the exact same trait set up I’ve been using in WvW lately except I’m running increased retal duration since the 25th patch.

So why 3 water and 3 monk and not 2 of each with 2 major sanctuary? Do you believe 100 healing power is better than 10% boon duration?

Lalnuir.4957:

Almost the exact same trait set up I’ve been using in WvW lately except I’m running increased retal duration since the 25th patch.

So why 3 water and 3 monk and not 2 of each with 2 major sanctuary? Do you believe 100 healing power is better than 10% boon duration?

As he said in his post, you may change whatever you like to, this is just what he has been going with. Try to go 2 monk, 2 water and 2 of the other and see how it works!

Am running it with 4 Altruism and 2 Water since I’m not a dungeon runner, works fine.
There is a lot of flexability in this set up which is great if you want to experiment.

Farzo.8410:

As he said in his post, you may change whatever you like to, this is just what he has been going with. Try to go 2 monk, 2 water and 2 of the other and see how it works!

I am aware of that. The rune choice simply made me curious.

Does the build work with Soldier Armor?

Nice to see the build posted back up, personally I have been using my own little variant for the past 3-4 months and its always treated me well, kudos to you!

Wesnoth.1705:

Been playing this setup since i leveld my guardian to 80 months ago and i agree it is God-mode-like build. Now i play with 0/0/30/30/10 cuz of newly changed mace trait and access for AH tho.

You can go 0/0/20/30/20 and you can get mace of justice and absolute resolution (good if you specc battle presence (you don’t need pure of voice if you have soldiers rune)

Short Regen+Battle Presence + Trait that make symbols heal = clutch healing.

Lalnuir.4957:

Almost the exact same trait set up I’ve been using in WvW lately except I’m running increased retal duration since the 25th patch.

So why 3 water and 3 monk and not 2 of each with 2 major sanctuary? Do you believe 100 healing power is better than 10% boon duration?

I have personally found 100 85 Healing Power to be more useful than an extra 10% boon duration, yes. I know a lot of people prefer the extra duration though.

I may eventually change my mind about my preferred runes, but for the moment I’m pretty comfortable with my setup.

mPascoal.4258:

Does the build work with Soldier Armor?

It doesn’t hurt to mix some in, but the Healing Power stacking is what makes this build so powerful in the first place. You’ll be able to face tank for an extra hit or two and hit a bit harder, but your sustainability will take a pretty big hit.

i tried mixing soldier’s with cleric’s a while back. and as i slowly phased out soldier’s and ended up going full cleric’s, my… experience went up quite a few fold i must say.

though partially, i think it depends on your play style, your trait and weapon set up and what you achieve to do that can alter your “success” with a certain stat spread of set up. also, it might have been because i was getting more used to the style of play. but even with full cleric’s i don’t don’t feel it lacks that much more power than if you added some soldier’s in. i ended up keeping some soldier’s in my trinkets for some health buffer. but the higher you can get your healing power, the better i felt. : ))

What’s the benefit of Defender’s Flame over Retributive Armor or Purity? The build doesn’t seem to get any benefit out of opponents’ being on fire, and the damage seems minimal.

Also, thanks for posting the build! I’ve heard a lot about Healway but it’s great to get the info from the original source. :-) I’ll have to craft up a set of cleric’s gear and try it out.

beriah.5168:

What’s the benefit of Defender’s Flame over Retributive Armor or Purity? The build doesn’t seem to get any benefit out of opponents’ being on fire, and the damage seems minimal.

Also, thanks for posting the build! I’ve heard a lot about Healway but it’s great to get the info from the original source. :-) I’ll have to craft up a set of cleric’s gear and try it out.

For starters, Retributive Armor isn’t so viable because Crit Chance is negligible (4%) in the first place. Any more Precision you gain is useless because you could use the trait for Defenders Flame or Purity. If I remember correctly, Chris isn’t concrete on which traits you MUST use (some exceptions such as +25% Retal Duration). Think of Defender’s Flame as another Retal source since Retal doesn’t go off when you block. I switch back and forth, as sometimes I agree that the passive condition removal (which this build lacks) is nice.
I know you probably wanted Chris to answer, but I thought I’d give it a shot too!

beriah.5168:

What’s the benefit of Defender’s Flame over Retributive Armor or Purity? The build doesn’t seem to get any benefit out of opponents’ being on fire, and the damage seems minimal.

The damage is minimal, but it’s there and it hits harder than Retal (in WvW and PvP). I use it when roaming alone or in very small groups because I enjoy what little extra damage it gives me. This build doesn’t have a lot of burst (if any), so being able to chip away at your attackers at all times is very valuable when you’re being focused.

That said, I almost never use it when running in groups/zergs. I’ll usually throw on Strength in Numbers or even Purity instead, depending on how I decide to play. If “SY!” stays on my bar during group or zerg play, I may throw on Purity to counteract the condition bombs I’ll inevitably be dropping on myself. Purity is also really helpful when fighting Necros and certain Mesmer builds. It’s usually worth trading out DF for such fights.

Meditation Mastery is obviously the way to go if you decide to run Contemplation of Purity or Judge’s Intervention. I know that CoP is popular for competitive play.

The reason I don’t recommend Retributive Armor right out of the box is that the crit chance with this build is so low to begin with. The extra 3-4% you get from RA just isn’t enough compared to the guaranteed damage you get from Defender’s Flame or competitive utility of SiN or Purity.

If you’re going for some kind of off-shoot with increased damage via Crit, then RA might be a good choice paired with Maintenance Oil and/or some mixed-in zerker pieces. Maybe different runes. I’m not sure how well that’d go though. Anyway, there’s a good bit of flexibility with the traits. Those given are merely what I suggest starting with.

I recently got my guardian up to lvl 80, and I’m thinking of running this build in WvW (or at least something very close to it). Thanks for putting it back online btw

What do you guys think of the runes of Lyssa ? Allows you to get a little more crit (I’m thinking of using the trait Retributive armor as well, with some emerald jewels on the trinkets), and the random boon every 10 secs + the elite dispelling conditions and adding all boons look interesting.

Aedh.2631:

I recently got my guardian up to lvl 80, and I’m thinking of running this build in WvW (or at least something very close to it). Thanks for putting it back online btw

What do you guys think of the runes of Lyssa ? Allows you to get a little more crit (I’m thinking of using the trait Retributive armor as well, with some emerald jewels on the trinkets), and the random boon every 10 secs + the elite dispelling conditions and adding all boons look interesting.

Unfortunately it’s a random boon every time you use skill #6, not everytime you apply healing to yourself – so the 10 second CD is somewhat pointless ( probably to counter channelled healing skills ).

Note the 6th rune effect is bugged when using Tomes, so it’s best with Renewed Focus

I see, not as good as I thought then. Thanks for your input.

This is definitely a very strong and fun build. I look forward to the new videos =).

Like christos said you can put variety into it.

I run 0/20/30/20 because I really like strength in numbers. I also run it with soldier runes and use soldier’s shoulder/gloves/boots. The extra hp gives me a little more staying power when I’m trying to revive someone or get a stomp. And I love the ridiculous condi cleanses. Its like giving condi builds the middle finger.

Ditto the 0-0-20-30-20 variant.
Christos was dead right in the flexability of Healway.
/props

Someone recently asked me, “Why such a personalized name for your build? You can’t even get a guide stickied like that,” referring to the fact that mods don’t like to sticky build that have “names to them” as opposed to naming the build after a particular part of the build (i.e. AH/EM). Or at least that’s what I’ve heard.

Anyway, it’s because there’s nothing…truly absolute about it. AH builds all have one thing in common: AH. Healway variants really only have three absolutes: 30 in Honor, 20 in Virtues, and Absolute Resolution. While I don’t recommend having less than 25 in Virtues and 5 in Radiance, there is always some room for stylistic choices with some of those less important points. Not even Pure of Voice is an absolute with this build. Battle Presence is just as viable with some moving-around of certain parts of the build.

What about the Cleric’s gear? I guess that could be a thing, but I know a lot of people who like to sub in Soldier’s pieces. I do it with my rings, which isn’t a huge deal, but some players enjoy the feeling of throwing on several extra pieces of Soldier’s armor and/or weapons as well. At the end of the day, I’ve always considered Healway a sort of “gateway build.” It has the ability to warp into so many variations of itself to accomplish so many different things to varying degrees of efficiency.

Roaming alone? There’s a variant for that. Small havoc group? There’s a variant for that. Running with the zerg? There’s a variant for that. Competitive play? Variant. Dungeons? Variant. Casual sPvP? Variant. I’m sure you see where I’m going with this.

The way I look at it, many of these variants (even the very slight ones) technically aren’t even “Healway.” At least, not in a mechanical sense — different traits or runes, perhaps? Maybe a Zerker variant for PvE or sPvP? No, not technically Healway. Instead, I base it on what feels like Healway. There’s a particular feel to the build and its reliance on constant streams of healing for up-keep and its particularly active playstyle.

All of that said, I’ve got a question for you lovelies: What would YOU have named the Healway build? I’m looking for something mechanically correct, much like AH.

:)

Christos de Soufre.3802:

All of that said, I’ve got a question for you lovelies: What would YOU have named the Healway build? I’m looking for something mechanically correct, much like AH.

:)

I would call it….

Inside, Looking Out

Why? Because much like this name beng the title of a song by The Animals, it can be found on the album entitled Absolute Animals. Absolute being one thing this build must have and that is “healing” traits and gear. The rest, of course, is up to the player. Thus the “Looking Out” part.

Anyway – Healway Guardian is good enough (just one mans opinion). When it is spoken I know the primary build people are discussing.

would this work as a PvE support build for dungeons and general PvE content? I’m currently leveling in a glass cannon dps build and whilst I enjoy it, its not what I came to do with the Guard. I really want to be a support class as I miss being a dedicated healer, and so I am looking for something to substitute that role.

How about the Honored Virtous build. Yes, simplisitic, but to the point of the two traits it is invested heavily in.

it’s healway if it has 30 honor and 20 virtues for absolute resolution. why, because you would have access to a more potent battle presence, which always ticks for you and your 4 allies while youre alive indefinitely. indefinite heals = healway.

I think just honour/virtues (hv?) build. I was never a fan of adding “way” to build names, haha. There was.. so much of that in Guild Wars 1. IWAY is to naming builds the same way Watergate is to naming scandals.

Loving the responses so far. And yeah, it was really just the first thing that came to mind. Spend enough time (7 years+) playing GW1 and the suffix just starts sticking to everything.

Davi.4920:

would this work as a PvE support build for dungeons and general PvE content? I’m currently leveling in a glass cannon dps build and whilst I enjoy it, its not what I came to do with the Guard. I really want to be a support class as I miss being a dedicated healer, and so I am looking for something to substitute that role.

If you’re looking for a support build for dungeons, this will work. You might want to sub in some extra Soldier’s or Zerker’s pieces just to churn out a little more damage, but you’ll be spewing heals and boons all over your group. You’re also effectively immortal except in high level fractals and a few particular dungeons.

I would give my name for the build but anet would censor it… :/

Bash.7291:

I would give my name for the build but anet would censor it… :/

Embrace it, Alex. Open yourself to Healway.

Prepare to be assimilated.

yeah…. no, im happy with my build atm, though honestly im rather sick of t1 anymore. nothing but OMG COMMANDER MUST ZERGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

heh, in that case, Chris, Bash wanna s/tPvP some? would love to play on the SAME side for once. ; )))

tbh, i love the name – Healway. and i think in the Guardian gw2 community, it’s stuck. forever. haha.

hmm, not very creative, but a “HP build” could suffice. for me at least, one of the key aspects, other than going deep into Honor and Virtues was the high healing. i have a build that actually only has 5 in Virtues, 30 in Honor, and utilizes similar mechanics such as dodge healing, dmg mitigation to outlast and stay standing in a fight (except when i play against Bash ; )) ). and it could only do so with invested Healing Power.

if not, along the same lines as Lonewolf mentioned, Honored Virtues or Virtuous Honor. HV of VH for short.

but again, the Healway is the Healway.

I see what you are doing… you are trying to rebrand!

“A powerful guardian build that has been a staple in the community. Feared by the other professions. Now its back and better then ever! Healway no more! Now, we give you XXXXXXXXX!!!!”

aka “New and Improved,” right Blasino?

It’ll stay “Healway.” I was just sort of curious about what people could come up with.

:)

For PvE that set of weapons works just fine? Or would you recomend a Hammer or Mace with this build? Since in the video you only refer scepter as weapon we should carry with us. I really like this weapon set up, I’ve been looking for a good 1h Sword build since I got to lvl 80

I say rebrand it to:

HELLWAY

no more Mr. nice guardian…