Guild Wars 2

I’m currently level 43, and switched over to Sword/Torch (from GS) because I liked the playstyle better, but I’m a bit confused as to what stats to use. I have all this Power/Condition and Power/Precision gear I’m sitting on from GS, but I figured Precision/Condition damage would be best for this build.

So I guess my question is what stats/traits are best for Sword/Torch combo?

nobody uses torch…. The other offhands do a TON more for you

Lysico.4906:

nobody uses torch…. The other offhands do a TON more for you

I beg to differ. I started using scepter/torch in WvW last week and the ease in which I can kill people has greatly increased. I have more damage and I can survive better.

So people do use torches. I am guessing most people just don’t know how to use them effectively.

No, the problem is that torch is quantitatively far worse than every other possible offhand. The prestige is decent. However, the burn will get removed if you have to dodge roll out of stealth, which removes most of its damage. The phantasm, on the other hand, is completely useless. It is on a very long cooldown, meaning it is useless for shatter fodder. The skill it uses is completely useless, giving 3 stacks of confusion for only 3 seconds, because condition duration has no effect on phantasms.

The torch is horrific, and anyone who uses it simply has not thought their weapon choices through enough. In answer to the op, don’t use the torch, use something better.

The Torch is good as part of a secondary, supportive/defensive weapon set. It should never be used as your primary damaging weapon set as other off-hands contribute much more in that regard.

Personally, I use Scepter-Torch as my secondary weapon set in sPvP, switching to it if I need another stealth (after using Decoy and Mass Invisibility). Since I rely on the Staff for most of my DPS and defence, an offensive off-hand is of limited use to me.

With that in mind I would suggest not taking the Torch into account when thinking about stat distributions, it won’t contribute much damage no matter what you do.

As everybody said, Torch is good as support/defense weapon. I use it with a +50% endurance seal, with vitality and healing power stats, nothing fancy, just to support in some situations. The combo to set Chaos Armor on everybody, using “The prestige” is great too. And there is another combo to splash heal on everybody on a elementalist field I think, never check it but can see it sometimes.

Saraneth.6021:

Lysico.4906:

nobody uses torch…. The other offhands do a TON more for you

I beg to differ. I started using scepter/torch in WvW last week and the ease in which I can kill people has greatly increased. I have more damage and I can survive better.

So people do use torches. I am guessing most people just don’t know how to use them effectively.

Better stealth out of that aoe then dodge roll! Oh wait dodge roll breaks stealth and you still take full damage from attacks in stealth.

A smart person will just spam attack 1 in the direction you stealthed. 8/10 times you get hit and you can’t do anything but channel the stealth. Torch is useless compared to everything else.

I use torch in wvw with my shatter build. The prestige is free aoe dmg when I’m running into the zerg to go boom. I wouldn’t touch it in a non-shatter build though, because iMage is less useful than a staff clone. I tend to run full zerker gear with it though.

Remember that players have preferences of what weapons they are comfortable using with their playstyle. Don’t rule out a torch just because of the numbers.

It really does depend on your playstyle. And whether your are going PvP or PvE. I have very generic advice to give as a starting point.

A handy place to start is looking at your trait lines that effect sword and torch skills. Dueling offers your the major trait of Blade Training. This will shorten recharge and increase crit chance. Meanwhile in Domination we have Cleansing Conflagration. This shortens your torch cooldowns and offers a cleanse on ability use. For a first timer, just aim for those and build around that. You can always retrait once you are familiar with the game.

Remember, that is only a starting point. It depends on your playstyle.

Being rather frail at times, you might want to trait half and half in survivability as well. The Sword/Torch combo is a close range setup. There are major traits like Prismatic Understanding which can boost your survivability.

Or, if you are going to consider spamming Blurred Frenzy, crit chance and on crit effects are good considering the fact it hits 8 times.

Alternatively. Exploiting the clones through shatters or “on hit/on death” effects can help you. Using clone generating utility skills will help. However, I find that PvE monsters seem a little too smart to be deceived by clones nowadays.

If you can combo effectively torch gives a blast finisher – only one available to us I think – means you can give AoE chaos shield to everyone Round you- solid for team fights and bosses

but I prefer focus/pistol – focus gives swiftness ( bit bugged as it doesn’t refresh swiftness if you already have it) great for yanking of Walls and grouping enemies for AoE.

Pistol is great for direct dmg as well as applying conditions with sharper images. The cd’s are lower too.

Tl;dr – torch good for prestige and blast finisher for group chaos armour- prefer focus or pistol – usually have someone else who can blast finish my combo fields

I use Sceptre/Torch as my main. I wouldn’t use it if it didn’t produce results. Therefore all arguments to the contrary are negated.

Man, that was so easy.

To answer your original question, since the torch is rarely equipped as a damage weapon, you are better off with power than condition damage. The sword has no condition damage so it doesn’t benefit at all from that stat. Both weapons benefit from Power – and precision is almost always worth having.

To address concerns about the torch – my main weapon is almost always the sword, but i like to switch my offhand based on the situation (I stack knight’s gear btw – power, precision, toughness)

The torch is great in situations where I need the extra condition cleanses (traited) and a quick way to get away from enemies. The best example I can think of is during the skelk waves in AC explorable. You can drop bleed stacks, get the enemy off of you and blind a number of them with the press of one button. The follow up burst is pretty good as well, and, if timed right, sets you up well for a flurry or distortion shatter, giving you several valuable seconds of damage immunity before your prestige is ready again.

Food for thought when running a conditions build. Torch cause AoE blindness, you can trait for confusion on blind, and you can also trait for blind inside glamor. You can build HUGE stacks of AoE confusion in a short time. Torch would be an excellent offhand if they’d buff the phantasm and change the stupid channel on ‘The Prestige’.

Sword/Torch + Staff is extremely underrated for WvW roaming. Most importantly, using the torch 4 makes your enemies drop target if they have you marked. I use this to drop a decoy or mirror images, act like my clones, and knock them off their feet until I shatterbomb them into oblivion. I use a 20/20/0/0/30 spec similar to Osicat’s shatter build with blink, decoy, mirror images, and time warp. Armor set is full carrion’s. Making someone hit themselves for 4k a tick with confusion while you’re relaxing there stealthed from a torch never gets old

In small groups, you can drop chaos storm with staff, switch to torch and blast combo the field with the prestige to give AoE chaos armor as well.

Does the torch still cause an AoE blind upon activation of The Prestige?
If so, when traited as such, you also have AoE confusion – twice if you use Signet of Midnight. And if you use another fun trait, also 1 second of distortion per signet activation for those worried about taking damage while in stealth.

As far as I know, signet of midnight is instant and doesn’t break channels. I’ve done it while reviving people against Alpha in CoE, so it should work with the Prestige channel, but I haven’t tested that specifically. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

Edit: tested the above for fun, and it does work.