Guild Wars 2

Anyone mind giving me a straight apples to apples comparison between the two weapons? I know the mace is more of a defensive weapon. It hits hard enough, but it’s attack speed is very slow. It’s a tank’s weapon, and it’s fantastic in that role. But as an open-world PvEer, I’m feeling more and more that killing quicker is infinitely more important than surviving unholy beatings.

For those of you who have run both, how big much of a difference in offense am I looking at in going from mace to sword? What about defense? I’d like “big picture” feedback, so please try to avoid specific builds when replying. Thanks in advance for any and all feedback you can offer.

Sword is definitely a faster weapon than the mace, and the #1 chain finished can hit at least 1 enemy 3 times (each hit having its own chance to crit, so you can crit up to 3 times in 1 hit.) Flashing blade (sword #2) is good for both popping in and getting a few quick hits in before the mobs turn to fight back, and it blinds on hit, and is on a 10 second cooldown or so so it’s good for negating a charged up attack that you would normally have to dodge out of. Lastly sword #3 is good for straight up damage as mobs tend to not run around too much, and against ranged enemies the ranged attack absorb can be pretty awesome at negating some otherwise nasty ranged attacks / combos. Overall I’d say it’s a matter of playstyle choice between the two. Sword is much more reliant on its autoattack for damage, but it does proc VoJ every chain finisher due to the x3 chain finisher. If anything just give it a whirl and see how you like the feel of it compared to mace! =)

depending on how you’re setup, symbols can do a lot of damage, especially since most mobs are rather stationary when you fight them. plus it gives you more staying power and survivability. definitely not as mobile as the sword obviously. both are nice weapons but i am personally more partial to how the mace plays.

i can’t give you a numbers filled scientific comparison of if sword kills faster vs mace, but i’ve seen my mace do some very nice dmg as well. including 1k+ crits on the symbol ticks. mace #3 is fun to use as well, while negating some big hits if timed right and then AoE dmg.

offense: dmg of mace can be very high if not just as, but sword definitely feels faster and more multi-hitting.

defense: mace auto chain heals, symbol for boons + heals, as well as the block. whereas the sword gives you blind which is very useful if timed right and projectile absorption (thuogh i really use sword 3 for dps though)

akamon.2769:

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defense: mace auto chain heals, symbol for boons + heals, as well as the block. whereas the sword gives you blind which is very useful if timed right and projectile absorption (thuogh i really use sword 3 for dps though)

Sword also regen health on critical, regen your stamina, and gives you fury, but as you said it deppends on the traits.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Sword#Guardian

If you want to kill quickly, go sword/torch. I have the vulnerability on blind and +damage to conditioned foes. Blink in to blind and fire breathe away to take down half of their health. I love S/T combo, and I offset with Mace/Focus for healing and survival. It is really nice with a Sigil of Ice on the mace to freeze those around you for a little breathing room.

Sword actually works pretty well in groups too. with the might to allies on crit, you can keep an extra 5 stacks of might on your team with no skills used. That plus Altruistic Healing gives you a heal every second.(the might on crit has a on sec cooldown) I like running this with a shout or two as well. I’m very hard to kill with a friend around.

Thanks for the feedback, guys. Please keep it coming.

Setun.4368:

If anything just give it a whirl and see how you like the feel of it compared to mace! =)

Unfortunately I don’t think trying the sword is going to be fair to the weapon. I’ve been rolling the mace/shield since my days in Queensdale. I have an intimate understanding with the weapon – its timing, it’s situational functionality. I can squeeze every last bit of potential out of the weapon. On top of that, I’ve got an exotic berserker’s mace.

If I just picked up a sword to test it out the best I’d get would be a masterwork. And comparing a masterwork weapon with which I have no familiarity to an exotic weapon I perfectly understand isn’t going to give me a very clear “apples to apples” comparison. It would be like parking the Corvette you’ve been driving for years to test drive a Camaro.

akamon.2769:

depending on how you’re setup, symbols can do a lot of damage, especially since most mobs are rather stationary when you fight them. plus it gives you more staying power and survivability. definitely not as mobile as the sword obviously. both are nice weapons but i am personally more partial to how the mace plays.

I’ve got my symbols traited to be bigger, last longer, and inflict Vulnerability. The problem with this, though, is it’s left me with a dismally low critical hit chance and critical damage.

Mace’s 3rd chain healing with the regeneration from 2 and VoR means I can face tank just about anything PvE can throw at me. And I love – LOVE – mace’s 3rd skill. A quick block that inflicts good damage on a short cooldown is fantastic; and it greatly eases the pain of not having a block skill on the shield.

I designed my guardian to be a “tanky” character while still having enough offense to cut through trash mobs in PvE. But I’m realizing more and more that most situations in PvE are better handled with a “just kill it and be done with it” approach. If I switched to a sword, I’d obviously lose a lot of defense (2’s regeneration and 3’s block), but I suspect the added critical chance and the ability to spam VoJ would make open-world PvE so much quicker.

I’m torn between sticking to what I originally wanted my character to be and being practical about what I need out of the profession.

BoomSeal.4058:

Sword actually works pretty well in groups too. with the might to allies on crit, you can keep an extra 5 stacks of might on your team with no skills used. That plus Altruistic Healing gives you a heal every second.(the might on crit has a on sec cooldown) I like running this with a shout or two as well. I’m very hard to kill with a friend around.

I’m in a small guild with family and friends, and I play more than they do. So I spend most of my time playing solo. As such, support isn’t much of a concern for me; I’m looking to find the sweet spot between offense and defense that will allow me to roll PvE as quickly as possible without compromising too much of what I wanted out of the character when I created it (i.e. the shield stays, no matter what).

the 1h sword unfortunately deals less damage than the mace, and the skills it comes with suck atm. They deal less damage while making you more vulnerable to recieving damage by rooting you in place. The skill that teleports you deals less than normal damage, and even autoattack deals less damage than mace. But if you want to make your game harder, then go for it.

Maybe you mean Greatsword? That’s a more viable option and has more of a damage dealer feel to it than the mace.

Irena.1062:

the 1h sword unfortunately deals less damage than the mace, and the skills it comes with suck atm. They deal less damage while making you more vulnerable to recieving damage by rooting you in place. The skill that teleports you deals less than normal damage, and even autoattack deals less damage than mace. But if you want to make your game harder, then go for it.

I believe the sword out DPS the mace by a considerable margin. True each mace attack hits for more damage, but the sword attacks much faster. The sword attacks 4 times to the mace’s every 3 and the swords 3rd attack is guaranteed to attack three times even on single targets which means on single target bosses it actually attacks 6 times for every 3 mace attacks. Although I do agree the swords alternative skills are lacking in a PVE environment.

Irena.1062:

the 1h sword unfortunately deals less damage than the mace, and the skills it comes with suck atm. They deal less damage while making you more vulnerable to recieving damage by rooting you in place. The skill that teleports you deals less than normal damage, and even autoattack deals less damage than mace. But if you want to make your game harder, then go for it.

give this a read if you’re comparing apples to apples damage, skills excluded

http://www.guildwars2guru.com/topic/72921-auto-attack-dps-of-guardian-weapons-at-base-stats/

in terms of solo utility and damage, sword > mace

@OP if you want to play in a party, mace might be better since you’re more suited to it as per your post

i prefer the sword over any 1h weapon for guardian. i use it for pve, wvw, pvp and all dungeons/group activities because of the overall versatility/speed compared to mace

I believe the sword out DPS the mace by a considerable margin. True each mace attack hits for more damage, but the sword attacks much faster. The sword attacks 4 times to the mace’s every 3 and the swords 3rd attack is guaranteed to attack three times even on single targets which means on single target bosses it actually attacks 6 times for every 3 mace attacks. Although I do agree the swords alternative skills are lacking in a PVE environment.

Just to let you know mace dps>sword dps but sword dot>mace dot. So over time to the same target you could deal more damage but unless that target is a dungeon boss that’s not likely as with the mace most targets don’t live long enough for sword damage to be better.

Mace is better for support, sword is better for roaming. Chose whichever fits your needs, but carry both.

I cary both M/S and S/T. S/T for aoe od weak opponents and the mobility sword #2 gives and switch to M/S for veteran mobs and larger packs. I also keep a staff in inventory for when I need it but it’s not equipped.

Irena.1062:

the 1h sword unfortunately deals less damage than the mace, and the skills it comes with suck atm. They deal less damage while making you more vulnerable to recieving damage by rooting you in place. The skill that teleports you deals less than normal damage, and even autoattack deals less damage than mace. But if you want to make your game harder, then go for it.

And this kids is a fine example of why you shouldn’t drink and post…

1h sword has less damage than mace? Are we talking “per hit”? If so, yeah, probably. DPS? AHAHAH, no. Sword is the highest DPS weapon a Guardian has. AND it has the invaluable blink (with an added blind to top it off). The only downside of the weapon, and the reason people tend to pick Greatsword over Sword for PvE, is that it’s very single target.

Meanwhile Mace is actually probably the lowest DPS weapon a Guardian has, and, IMO, the worse weapon in general. If you want survivability take a Hammer.

Irena.1062:

I believe the sword out DPS the mace by a considerable margin. True each mace attack hits for more damage, but the sword attacks much faster. The sword attacks 4 times to the mace’s every 3 and the swords 3rd attack is guaranteed to attack three times even on single targets which means on single target bosses it actually attacks 6 times for every 3 mace attacks. Although I do agree the swords alternative skills are lacking in a PVE environment.

Just to let you know mace dps>sword dps but sword dot>mace dot. So over time to the same target you could deal more damage but unless that target is a dungeon boss that’s not likely as with the mace most targets don’t live long enough for sword damage to be better.

impossible. check the link i posted. the sword dps > mace dps. i don’t understand what you mean by dps vs dot because the sword does not have any form of dot….

as far as any type of foe, sword will kill it faster. just time it with a stopwatch if you don’t believe me. i’ve got almost 1500 hours alone on both my guards and i can tell you in very few situations will the mace outdo the sword’s damage

Well then why does mace kill things faster than sword ALL the time for me?

Irena.1062:

Well then why does mace kill things faster than sword ALL the time for me?

Because you’re doing something horribly wrong with the sword.

Are you perchance using an exotic mace and a green sword and just auto-attacking with the sword?

Irena.1062:

Just to let you know mace dps>sword dps but sword dot>mace dot. So over time to the same target you could deal more damage but unless that target is a dungeon boss that’s not likely as with the mace most targets don’t live long enough for sword damage to be better.

You’re using terms incorrectly, here. DPS and DoT are both terms, true, but here is what each one means

DPS = Damage per second

DoT = damage over time.

Typically DoT refers to condition damage such as bleed, poison, burn, etc.

What you mean to say is that Mace damage does more damage per hit, AKA more spike damage, but sword has a higher DPS, or damage per second.

This is just to avoid confusion, mainly. People who play other MMOs will look at DPS and think a fast attacking weapon, whereas if you say sword DoT is higher, people will think that guardian sword does bleeds, poisons, burns.

Thanks for all the feedback. I re-spec’d my traits and played around with the sword (albeit a masterwork). In the end, though, I decided to keep my mace. I’m going to trade my Soldier’s armor for some Knight’s and my sapphire trinkets for beryl to see how of an offensives boost I can squeeze out of that.

I think the worst part about abandoning swords is there were some kitten nice looking sword skins while I find most mace skins are thoroughly unappealing. And the dream of running Bolt with the Flameseeker Prophecies…