Guild Wars 2

So just wondering how good is sword offhand for WvW roaming compared to Focus?

I like to use the OH sword, it has a decent phantasm and a block/daze is always good. Only problem is the speed really so I use centaur runes and it doesn’t feel too bad.

Focus obviously is good for utility with the swiftness, cripple and pull but in roaming and 1v1 or small group i find the warden doesn’t really hit (though if it does manage to hit, it hits hard) so i tend to use the other OH weapons more.

It’s up to you, in my opinion they can all be used well..

I like to use Focus in WvW, since I can get perma swiftness with Centaur runes + Temporal Curtain. Also good for pulling foes off cliffs. And Warden is.. well… an OK Phantasm. I really prefer Sword offhand in all other places than WvW, but in WvW Focus just gives so much utility to pass by.

It would be better if s/s didn’t mean that you’ll rely on two leaps, which is probably one of the most broken mechanics in the game.

I make use of focus, torch, pistol, and sword OH’s. I simply switch as the situation warrants it.

Nordic Natedog.4360:

I make use of focus, torch, pistol, and sword OH’s. I simply switch as the situation warrants it.

Same here. I carry them all around, even though Sword is my default OH because it can handle itself well in most situations. But for many tasks, a specialized offhand works better.

Focus when you’re running and trying to find some1 to kill. Switch to sword when you find some1 and it works nicely but i wouldn’t run it against another mesmer (block is mostly triggered by illusions and you miss on great damage), pistol is better for that.

Pistol is superior to Sword. Magic Bullet helps with runners, Swordsman is problematic on uneven terrain.

I think OH sword is akittenng for blocking a thief’s backstab and counter attacking, with high offense and a shatter build it usually means instant down for glasscannon thieves. But i still prefer the focus for the swiftness and the aoe pull. The Iwarden hits pretty hard aswell, IF it hits. I have a roaming video using the focus in my signature if you’re interested.
TL;DR: sword is higher damage, focus is more utility

Gaidax.7835:

Pistol is superior to Sword. Magic Bullet helps with runners, Swordsman is problematic on uneven terrain.

OTOH, Swordsman works better for raw damage, summoning counts as a leap-finisher (this is way underrated) and the block and it’s line interrupt are quite powerful. Magic Bullet isn’t weak either, but they’re very different.

I’m assuming you always run sword mainhand. I run multiple offhands based on what I’m doing, or even my mood. By far, my most used offhand is sword though. Both of the offhand sword abilities summon illusions. Thus, with Blade Training, and Illusionists Celerity (2 traits I have in every build I run), I have a 40% reduction in cooldown on both of those abilities. That gives me a 2s block every 9s to go along with 2s evade every 8s. That is an enormous amount of defense. Plus, swordsman hits like a truck and chases targets all over the place. He’s great in a phantasm build or kittenter fodder after his initial leap.

For speed, I have air runes. Also, I typically have GS or Staff in my mainhand, so I just keep my hero panel “docked” way over on the left of my screen so I only see inventory items. If I need speed I just hit H, then double click focus to replace my GS/Staff, hit 4, then double click GS/S to re-equip, then H to close the hero panel. It takes maybe a second to do once you’re used to it. If I’m roaming a long distance I’ll just equip focus until I get where I’m going.

According to the wiki, Illusionary Riposte isn’t affected by Illusionists Celerity (bug). If it was fixed, we could change this.
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Illusionary_Riposte

I’ve never tested it, but that’s probably right. Traits in this game are so bugged, there’s no telling what works. Thanks for the heads up.