Guild Wars 2

just like the titles say, i need a build for guard that uses a sword and a shield in SPVP

Defensive Build

Offensive Build

A build that isn’t really good but is fun to play in hot-join

Neither of these will be very effective, but honestly Sword and Shield just aren’t that useful for most builds. I understand that you want to use them. I love their aesthetic and I just got a really nice Shield skin.

That’s not to say that this build are horrible. They’ll just never be as effective as the more popular meta builds.

You don’t really have to go as far as playing a terrible build, you can just take the standard bunker build and slap sword/shield in the 2nd weaponset next to the staff. It’s alright, especially on Khylo it can be a viable alternative against comps that have a lot of stuff that knocks you off the point like engi, mesmer, staff ele or smth.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fVAQNAW8elsApWo97wVI8DRBDRkjNYnFOedRTAA-TJBHwALLDA4iA0b/hBPBAA

For as much as I’d love to use shield, there’s just no reason to take it over a focus, ever. Guardian shield is just plain bad.

Black Box.9312:

For as much as I’d love to use shield, there’s just no reason to take it over a focus, ever. Guardian shield is just plain bad.

Tell that to Tage :P Shield is making a comeback along with virtue bunker nowadays.

I occasionally do use the Shield in my Shout-Bunker build, mostly when group-queuing. If I can rely on my team (and since we’re all kinda new at playing together, I often can’t) to peel, I don’t need to extra survivability from the Focus and the Shield becomes more appealing.

witcher.3197:

Black Box.9312:

For as much as I’d love to use shield, there’s just no reason to take it over a focus, ever. Guardian shield is just plain bad.

Tell that to Tage :P Shield is making a comeback along with virtue bunker nowadays.

A good player can play well with a bad weapon, but that doesn’t make the weapon any less of a bad weapon.

Ynna.8769:

Defensive Build

Offensive Build

A build that isn’t really good but is fun to play in hot-join

Neither of these will be very effective, but honestly Sword and Shield just aren’t that useful for most builds. I understand that you want to use them. I love their aesthetic and I just got a really nice Shield skin.

That’s not to say that this build are horrible. They’ll just never be as effective as the more popular meta builds.

I’m interested on your defensive and offesive builds. If they chage the shield to something useful, I will try them.

witcher.3197:

Black Box.9312:

For as much as I’d love to use shield, there’s just no reason to take it over a focus, ever. Guardian shield is just plain bad.

Tell that to Tage :P Shield is making a comeback along with virtue bunker nowadays.

Tage could probably play with no offhand and still bunker effectively.

Mikau.6920:

Ynna.8769:

Defensive Build

Offensive Build

A build that isn’t really good but is fun to play in hot-join

Neither of these will be very effective, but honestly Sword and Shield just aren’t that useful for most builds. I understand that you want to use them. I love their aesthetic and I just got a really nice Shield skin.

That’s not to say that this build are horrible. They’ll just never be as effective as the more popular meta builds.

I’m interested on your defensive and offesive builds. If they chage the shield to something useful, I will try them.

For the defensive build, I recommend changing the Shield for the Focus. In the offensive build the only option is Torch, so use that.

it may sound weird but Guardian is not the class you want sword/shield on. Our shield is crap and the sword is not effective with shield. Scepter/shield is better but again, the shield is crap.

Charak.9761:

it may sound weird but Guardian is not the class you want sword/shield on. Our shield is crap and the sword is not effective with shield. Scepter/shield is better but again, the shield is crap.

^ I agree scepter + shield is the better choice if you are running with a shield.

What’s up with all the shield hate? :P It has 6 seconds of AOE protection (33% less direct damage) and a projectile absorb(very useful against all these pesky power rangers) /heal/knockback-interrupt.

insaneseagull.7063:

What’s up with all the shield hate? :P It has 6 seconds of AOE protection (33% less direct damage) and a projectile absorb(very useful against all these pesky power rangers) /heal/knockback-interrupt.

I frequently feel I’m the only player who actually likes the Shield, so thanks for your comment.

The Shield isn’t as horrible as people make it out to be, but that doesn’t make it any good. Its skills don’t make it into an unplayable nightmare, but they are substandard.

Shield of Judgment is worse than “Hold the Line!” and utilities have a lower opportunity cost than weapons.

Shield of Absorption has it’s use, but it’s buggy and the cooldown is way to long compared to it’s effect. It’s moderately useful against ranged attacks, but not more so than Wall of Reflection. It locks you down and the secondary effect is hard to time if you want to get the full effect of this skill. The knockback is really useful though, but not enough to justify the whole skill.

Long story short, the Shield is less effective than pretty much all of the alternatives.

Ynna.8769:

insaneseagull.7063:

What’s up with all the shield hate? :P It has 6 seconds of AOE protection (33% less direct damage) and a projectile absorb(very useful against all these pesky power rangers) /heal/knockback-interrupt.

I frequently feel I’m the only player who actually likes the Shield, so thanks for your comment.

The Shield isn’t as horrible as people make it out to be, but that doesn’t make it any good. Its skills don’t make it into an unplayable nightmare, but they are substandard.

Shield of Judgment is worse than “Hold the Line!” and utilities have a lower opportunity cost than weapons.

Shield of Absorption has it’s use, but it’s buggy and the cooldown is way to long compared to it’s effect. It’s moderately useful against ranged attacks, but not more so than Wall of Reflection. It locks you down and the secondary effect is hard to time if you want to get the full effect of this skill. The knockback is really useful though, but not enough to justify the whole skill.

Long story short, the Shield is less effective than pretty much all of the alternatives.

It’s true that some utilities works better compared to the shield skills,but hey,if you use the shield,you have a team,you’re on ts,then you can time the shield 5 with ease. And considering the power rangers who uses that rapid fire thing that’s no problem,you’ll learn to block 2,8/3 of that skill :P

Ever since the Rapid Fire “buff” it’s alot easier to counter the whole thing with shield 5
And not to mention that if you use the shield instead of those utilities,you suddenly have freed up 2 slots for some other useful utilities Anyway,I like it,I love it,I’ll use it no matter what.

Oh and the shield trait is also worth a mention :P

Block on fellow shield user

See, I run a Shout-based Altruistic Healing Build in sPvP. If I face a team with a lot of Rangers/Engineers (or a combination of Rangers, Warriors, Engineers, Thieves…) I don’t swap out my Focus for a Shield, I swap out “Stand Your Ground!” for Wall of Reflection and take Master of Consecration in favor of Justice is Blind. Taking the Shield is more of a sacrifice than losing out on a very important utility skill and an extra blind.

And of course communication and a good team makes the Shield better. Communication and a good team makes everything better.

Ynna.8769:

See, I run a Shout-based Altruistic Healing Build in sPvP. If I face a team with a lot of Rangers/Engineers (or a combination of Rangers, Warriors, Engineers, Thieves…) I don’t swap out my Focus for a Shield, I swap out “Stand Your Ground!” for Wall of Reflection and take Master of Consecration in favor of Justice is Blind. Taking the Shield is more of a sacrifice than losing out on a very important utility skill and an extra blind.

And of course communication and a good team makes the Shield better. Communication and a good team makes everything better.

But….but…..shield Shield 4 heals for a nice amount with AH if you hit 3+ players with it ;O Why not take shield AND utilities?…

Ynna.8769:

I swap out “Stand Your Ground!” for Wall of Reflection

No. No no no and no. Don’t. SYG is one of the most important skills a bunker guard has, if not the single most important one.

About Shields
For DPS builds, worst choice. For bunker builds, it’s not a bad thing to have, but a well timed focus #4 can lift heavy condition pressure from the player and you can use focus #5 even while stunned / stomping / ressing.

I imagine that first Offensive build is more of a roamer 1v1. If you want that instant 3x team cleanse you could also go 0/4/6/0/4 w/ rune of the citadel for max fury uptime. Switch scepter for GS for more aoe damage output.
That’s mainly if you’re in group fights and wanted to be more team oriented.

insaneseagull.7063:

Ynna.8769:

See, I run a Shout-based Altruistic Healing Build in sPvP. If I face a team with a lot of Rangers/Engineers (or a combination of Rangers, Warriors, Engineers, Thieves…) I don’t swap out my Focus for a Shield, I swap out “Stand Your Ground!” for Wall of Reflection and take Master of Consecration in favor of Justice is Blind. Taking the Shield is more of a sacrifice than losing out on a very important utility skill and an extra blind.

And of course communication and a good team makes the Shield better. Communication and a good team makes everything better.

But….but…..shield Shield 4 heals for a nice amount with AH if you hit 3+ players with it ;O Why not take shield AND utilities?…

It only heals for a nice amount if you position yourself perfectly during a chaotic teamfight and if your teammates are actually in its cone. And if you take the Shield and Utilities you miss out on the Focus, which is just way better than the Shield. It’s a sad state of affairs, but that’s how it is.

witcher.3197:

Ynna.8769:

I swap out “Stand Your Ground!” for Wall of Reflection

No. No no no and no. Don’t. SYG is one of the most important skills a bunker guard has, if not the single most important one.

Whoops, I meant “Hold the Line!”

insaneseagull.7063:

Block on fellow shield user

It’s ironic because guardian shield doesn’t block! Ba dum tsh

I think guardian have enough possibility to block/absorb projectiles.

And i think the knockback does not synergize well with meleeweapons (and allies). It only works in PvP. And only because there is only 1 gamemode. Point holding…

I would rly like to see shield 5 changed.
No knockback but a blastfinisher. And it could reduce all dmg taken from allies (up to 5) inside by a flat % of dmg. 20% for example.
And the guardian should be able to move (and probably to attack).

Shield 4 could heal allies (what 5 now does) in addition to protection or aegis.
A bigger cone or better small pbaoe would be nice.

The shield would have it´s own niche, in all gamemodes. It could be useful even in PvE where dmg reduction is usually not needed. But sometimes nice to have (fotm 50 for example).