Guild Wars 2

Guardian feels so bloody slow that i feel like this rune is mandatory.

Hello there.
I hope you keep in mind that only 1 speed-modifier effect can be active at the same time.
As such, Swiftness will override Traveler’s bonus movement speed.
Naturally that means Traveler is a poor choice in PvE(staff? who wants some swiftness? ) and WvW zerging, and you don’t even get the option in PvP.
That narrows down it to the WvW roaming. And right there, it is definitely somewhat decent. But once again, it is quite possible to have a very serious swiftness uptime rendering that said rune somewhat useless. I for example, don’t use staff for roaming, but one should understand that it’s entirely possible to swap it in, lay down the symbol, and then swap it out without stopping at all. Utilizing Greatsword Leap together with Sword Blink together with Staff symbol while actually using Scepter/Hammer in combat is entirely possible, and Staff Symbol gives you quite the swiftness uptime.
And then there is Bowl of Seaweed Salad, 10% damage while moving(which is what guardian does with all weapon skills but Sword #3?), and of course it happens to be an another amazing source of swiftness uptime, at least after you solo a wvw camp.
TL;DR Guardian has close to 100% Swiftness uptime even while roaming in WvW if you swap staff on-the-go. That means that you can utilize your rune set to actually empower your combat abilities(Lyssa cough cough)
Also, rocking off permanent Swiftness with Greatsword Leap of Faith, JI and sword Flashing Blade(at least in WvW there are plenty creatures to use JI and sword blink for movement) is as fast as Guardian’s get. Requires weapon juggling, but the end result is barely slower than the famous swordhorn/GS warrior mobility, provided you have the critters and monsters to actually use your blinks.

Lifestealer.4910:

Guardian feels so bloody slow that i feel like this rune is mandatory.

I feel you. Since binding the runes to my armor I’ve yet to remove them. Ever since I put them on people have been telling me I’m so fast. Someone even said I move like a thief (lol i wish)

I bought a set the instant they came available and haven’t used anything else except for runes of speed since.

Evalia.7103:

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This is just my opinion, but I got so kitten stick and tired of that style of gameplay.

With the runes …

1. I don’t need to tailor my build around swiftness upkeep anymore
2. I don’t need to take my staff
3. I can use my blinks and leaps more efficiently
4. I can stick to players who don’t have builds built for mobility

You’re right that in WvW you’re going to have swiftness up a lot, but the runes pay off quickly for all those moments that you don’t. Having to switch to staff in the middle of a battle just to keep up with someone is lame.

I’m faster than short bow thieves and double dagger elementalists now /s

I just swapped to the Traveler runes this past weekend and honestly can’t understand why I didn’t do it sooner. It is like wearing rocket boots.

I only WvW so take it for what it is but I’ll never go back. The new not so improved symbol of swiftness is weak. Traveler or go home. Just my $0.02 worth.

i like traveler runes a lot, i can’t stand the slow motion speed of my guardian.

You can make an asura och sylvari which will give you the illusion of being faster than you actually are :P

I prefer speed runes with guards low vitality

I absolutely can’t stand running without speed runes anymore. I don’t care what kind of utility I get out of anything else for WvW, speed runes improve the feel of the class dramatically.

so is it all preference?.. or is there a reason why speed runes is cheaper than the traveler one?

I use Speed runes also, I mainly WvW and without those felt myself lagging behind alot. Made a heck of a difference. Thinking of changing to Travellers but waiting until after the 15th.

I only run with travelers runes….love them. and tbh, I didn’t notice much of a damage decrease on my guard.

Travelers provides slightly more damage and utility over Speed. If you don’t care about the extra 1600 HP go Travelers. Else, go Speed because they are cheap.

best rune, especially for solo-roam