Guild Wars 2

Since the recent nerf of Guard, I have been wondering whether its usefulness is all but gone.

Pros:
* Damage mitigation now 33% (down from 50%) plus might stacks gained simultaneously
* As a shout with Resounding Timbre grants swiftness and regeneration
* As a shout with Superior Rune of Trooper can remove a condition
* Relatively short cool down 30 sec 24 w/ Resounding Timbre

Cons:
* The Damage mitigation is no more than protection but could kill your pet esp.
w/ multiple allies around as it benefits them as well.
* Others skills seem tempting despite a longer cool down. Signet of Stone100%
dmg mitigation same time of 6 sec and constant toughness (180 at lvl 80)
when not activated. Lightening Reflexes, Signet of Renewal, Protect Me (same
cool down and same benefits as shout, protection 4 sec. and taunt) and
Quickening Zephr all provide stun break whereas Guard does not.

Conclusion: Protect Me seems a logical replacement as it is superior in most every way; however, I used to carry both, and the question arises can Protect Me and Guard still work together and even stack, since Guard isn’t actually providing protection, or is it just a better choice to pick something else?

Thoughts please….

I haven’t bothered with it since the nerf. Sad part is I had this skill on my bar for years. I know most people hated it but the previous short cooldown provided perma swiftness, regen, was a very short cooldonwn condi removal, and it gave your pet perma protection which was huge for WvW. Not to mention I could keep my pet stealthed when fighting thieves so they didn’t have a free C&D target.

I honestly wish they had just left it alone, I don’t need a button that instantly kills my pet, they die fast enough already on their own.

This shout rarely leaves my bar and the nerf from 50% to 33% is hardly noticeable to me. In WvW I’ll use Guard 1st and if the pet is taking a lot of damage, then use Protect Me to give both of you Protection and get ready for a pet swap.

Protect Me and Guard do stack, but not additive. You don’t get 66% damage reduction. It’s more like 55% when used together and your pet would also take 33% less damage due to the Protection.

Still useful, but take comfort in the fact that Anet slashed the damage reduction skills for all classes and made them all -33% damage.

I still use this trait quite a bit as its a very reliable way to reach 25 stacks of might without taking MM or needing to burn your elite. Its also not bad to support your allies in a team fight if things get desperate though that requires quite a bit more situational awareness.

It can also let you go toe to toe with a melee warrior for a few seconds if your running sword axe. Which is often enough to bait out there ccs so you can get disengage and then reengage from range if you need to.

I also use it when I have stab up and wanna do a whirling defense right ontop of a dragonhunter. Which unless they pop a cooldown (letting you get out of trap range) will probably kill them.

Guard for me is what takes a little of the risk away from high risk plays. Things you don’t necessarily want to burn signet of stone for. But that you need to do to secure a quick kill as opposed to a long drawn out fight.

This is for a DPS druid perspective though. From a menders druid PoV I could see guard as losing much of its flavor since a menders druids fights are USUALLY gonna be drawn out anyway. (unless the opponent makes a critical error very early in the fight)

Shadelang.3012:

I still use this trait quite a bit as its a very reliable way to reach 25 stacks of might without taking MM or needing to burn your elite. Its also not bad to support your allies in a team fight if things get desperate though that requires quite a bit more situational awareness.

It can also let you go toe to toe with a melee warrior for a few seconds if your running sword axe. Which is often enough to bait out there ccs so you can get disengage and then reengage from range if you need to.

I also use it when I have stab up and wanna do a whirling defense right ontop of a dragonhunter. Which unless they pop a cooldown (letting you get out of trap range) will probably kill them.

Guard for me is what takes a little of the risk away from high risk plays. Things you don’t necessarily want to burn signet of stone for. But that you need to do to secure a quick kill as opposed to a long drawn out fight.

This is for a DPS druid perspective though. From a menders druid PoV I could see guard as losing much of its flavor since a menders druids fights are USUALLY gonna be drawn out anyway. (unless the opponent makes a critical error very early in the fight)

are you having success with a offensive ranger build in spvp?

Ty for feedback, I won’t give up on Guard just yet then…

I think my biggest problem with it is I simply don’t need it for a 1v1-2 and it scales horribly for anything more than that.
They really should have added something to it when they nerfed it. They could have reduced the cooldown, made it a stun break, made it cleanse condi’s from your pet, made it add stability (how kittening nice would it be to have an insta cast stability), made it so your pet gained stacking toughness with every hit, something….

EnderzShadow.2506:

Shadelang.3012:

I still use this trait quite a bit as its a very reliable way to reach 25 stacks of might without taking MM or needing to burn your elite. Its also not bad to support your allies in a team fight if things get desperate though that requires quite a bit more situational awareness.

It can also let you go toe to toe with a melee warrior for a few seconds if your running sword axe. Which is often enough to bait out there ccs so you can get disengage and then reengage from range if you need to.

I also use it when I have stab up and wanna do a whirling defense right ontop of a dragonhunter. Which unless they pop a cooldown (letting you get out of trap range) will probably kill them.

Guard for me is what takes a little of the risk away from high risk plays. Things you don’t necessarily want to burn signet of stone for. But that you need to do to secure a quick kill as opposed to a long drawn out fight.

This is for a DPS druid perspective though. From a menders druid PoV I could see guard as losing much of its flavor since a menders druids fights are USUALLY gonna be drawn out anyway. (unless the opponent makes a critical error very early in the fight)

are you having success with a offensive ranger build in spvp?

Ive reached legendary each season primarily through solo queing with the occasional due que here and there. The built can’t last on point as long but I find it more reliable for securing quick kills. Druid is actually very well designed to support a burst playstyle. (longbow sword/axe in this case)

The first season though I was able to do it without druid entirely. Success on a ranger is what you do with the tools it gives you.

I personaly have more of an impact on the match when I run marauder shout druid over menders defensive/support druid. Guard is a big part of what enables my playstyle to work effectively.

The main reason you would take guard over protect me or signet of stone is that guard applies to allies as well as yourself, and is also a way to stack might. Not to mention if you’re running a tankier pet like a spider, drake, pig, bear, moa, etc your pet won’t be in any REAL danger.

Additionally, guard is NOT a boon, so the only 2 ways they can get rid of that damage reduction is to either A) kill your pet, or you swap your pet, where protection can both be corrupted or removed.

I personally run both protect me and guard so I have the AoE damage reduction, and an AoE stun break + a personally damage reduction and taunt.