Guild Wars 2

Ok, So I’ve read the Stickied guides/ beginner’s text. I know that I get to here the cliche that all weapons are viable, however I’m certain some are more viable than other.

Let me also make sure I have some basics down.

1) We only generate Light fields
2) We have 2 Blast finisher (Hammer, Focus), 1 leap finisher, and 2 whirl finishers (Greatsword for these last 3)

We have two 2Handers that do very good dog (GS and H) and a 3rd that is sort of a utility weapon.

All one handed main weapons have no combat finishers, and as such should either fill a need (scepter) or provide something exceptionally useful (Sword for blindness, extra combo field for Mace)

Are offhand seem to be a bit on the wild side. Shield is like a utility weapon if you are healing, Foci does good Damage, provide a Blind and either give you great blocking and can provide you a blast finisher (though not exactly an on demand finisher)

So If I’m reading/understanding right, this would mean that a Reliable solo/leveling combo would be

Greatsword or Hammer + Scepter or Mace/Focus
Main Hand Conditions
-Range + Damage needed then Scepter (Though Smite is really more of a melee tool)
-Need More Defense + Reasonable Damage then Mace

Everything other weapon combo appears to be role/group dependent.

So is the Greatsword is preferred over the hammer in most cases because of the Blind, and the fact that you cannot pick up the 3 Combo finishers on the Greatsword anywhere else?

Next question, If facing a particular hard hitting boss/champion/elite would
Hammer + Mace/Focus end up being preferable?

Again trying to make sure I understand what I’m reading.

Guardian also has 2 fire fields: Purging Flames and Hallowed Ground.

Smite is too RNG-oriented to be reliable DPS, so usually sword is the preferred 1 handed weapon for a DPS setup. Mace is slightly lower DPS, but more defensive and very useful in places like fractals where you’ll need an extra block and the sustain that the symbol can provide.

Shield is borderline useless. Just run focus, and if you have a dual 1-handed setup, run torch as your other offhand. The 5 skill is okay and can work if your party needs the condi cleanse, but the 4 is a very strong, low cooldown ranged nuke.

And for your final question, people usually run either hammer or mace/focus, but not both. You’ll only really be needing one of the two in any given situation.

Purging flames is a fire field and can be used for just that. Hallowed is the same.

Tome of wrath has a blast also.

Greatsword + 1h/focus builds do more and consistent dps than hammer + x. If you interrupt hammer chain then your dps tanks. The reasoning behind having a weapon to swap to is a dps rotation. Camping gs or hammer is less dps then rotating. You use up your bursty skill and swap between the two. The secondary choices in the sticky show when you should use each.

Shield utility is terrible. It’s a dps loss for both and be done better using utility skills. Torch isn’t as good as focus for dps or utility so it’s only useful if you use both which you only do for pure scepter.

Greatsword builds are preferred over hammer since they do more damage and that’s all that really matters in this game the way it is. Hammer is decent to use if you having a hard time surviving since it gives permanent protection but at a loss of dps and a constant light field to hinder might stacking.

Mace/focus is best for Hammer secondary. You would want a gs instead if you need pulls. Mace will do more damage in a rotation because of writ of persistence. It also gives you a couple of blocks.

Something to keep in mind while leveling is your mobility. Moving around to kills is very beneficial. GS and Sword are great for this. GS obvoiusly for it’s leap, but Swords teleport is also great.

Both have little tricks to get around quickly. You want to avoid getting in combat as it slows you down. for GS you can leap and before it finishes swap to your other set to cancel the leap’s damage preventin you from hitting anything.

Sword’s trick is that you can target something way off in the distance and use the teleport and you won’t get to your target but will move quickly in that direction.

I’ve only just started playing the game but, after a bit of reading, decided that I needed to do more than just turn up to fights with a Greatsword! I don’t regret one bit picking Mace/Focus as my weapons swap and feel it gives me a massive amount of survivability.

Gear, you might argue, is less than suited with using the Mace (Power+Precision) but I personally tried to offset this a touch by picking my Mace and Focus with Toughness+Vitality, although Vitality+Healing might be better stats-wise?

All I can say is that GS feels squishy as hell after rolling with Mace. I aint swapping that to save a couple of seconds travel-time with the Sword teleport!

For PvE, if that’s what you are asking, the consensus for greatest dps involves GS+Hammer rotating (for level cap dungeons). You use the GS #2-5 skills, then switch to Hammer for #1 auto attack for the duration of your swap CD. Of course, you need to have the correct traits and gear set up to maximize this. There are alternatives, especially for specific fights, but for general meta usage, both 2 handers will net you the most dps most of the time.

If we are talking about open world dynamic events. GS for bosses, staff for everything else. The same can be said for leveling, though just as many like using sword/x+whatever. As said previously, sword/x+GS gives you a lot of mobility, which can be useful for leveling up as it gets you across maps much faster and to dynamic events and xp nodes quicker (the fastest way to level up after crafting is to find pois, waypoints, vistas, skills challenges and hearts, all while doing the DEs you come across along the way and gathering resource nodes.) which is a favored method for alt levelers.

PvP and WvW are two entirely different monsters all together, neither of which I bother with on my Guardian.

Black Box.9312:

Smite is too RNG-oriented to be reliable DPS, so usually sword is the preferred 1 handed weapon for a DPS setup.

Depends on the enemy. If its a large hitbox enemy, scepter the best dps weapon for the guardian. But this is assuming you are switching up weapons for different encounters.

For the OP, I also like mace over sword and here is why: Mace dps is nearly identical to sword thanks to the symbol (traited provides vulnerability) damage as well as the strong auto attack. The third auto for mace is a huge cleave plus can hit for 10k if fully buffed. The next best thing mace has to provide is the low cooldown on-demand block, and if hit counters for huge damage as well. The small healing that mace provides is also a good way to help sustain party scholars buffs as well.

Sword is good but the third strike in the auto-chain is hit or miss and using the sword 2 is a dps loss since it hits very low. Sword 3 is very good, but it roots you in place and I just don’t like abilities like that. Sword does have the advantage of mobility though.

Also for offhand choices focus is the preferred weapon but with the recent torch change I am using it more and more, especially in open world PVE where you really dont need more defense that the focus brings.

Third hit in the mace auto chain does not cleave, actually.

Thanks everyone for the info. As I am leveling my first guardian, I had missed the fire fields in the skills as well as the additional blast.

Quick question but do the blast finishers apply to the guardian as well? I mean for instance

Hallowed ground + mighty blow

Would grant area might, does the guardian get that plus group in the area? Or is it only for the group?

It’s a blast so yes all get the might.

Another useful tip for group play is that a whirling finisher (whirling wrath or binding blade) on a light field causes cleansing bolts which can cure conditions to the group. You have to be pretty close to them and its usually a last resort condi cleanse but it works none the less. Light fields are often frowned upon but they do have some niche usefulness.