Guild Wars 2

I am experimenting with various builds and want to try something…

Strictly based on Armor Rune Sets what set would you say would provide the highest uptime on protection. Do not consider boon duration, traits/spec.

If not spec’d/traited and you were wearing nothing but Runes, which set would give you most effective protection up time.

Sup Runes of the Forge?

If you were to ignore everything else and set up runes purely to extend the duration of protection as much as possible, I believe you would want a setup of:
2x Superior Rune of the Earth (25 Toughness & 20% Protection Duration)
Then 2 sets of the below runes:
2x Superior Rune of the Monk (25 Healing & 15% Boon Duration)
2x Superior Rune of the Water (25 Healing & 15% Boon Duration)
2x Superior Rune of the Traveler (10 to All Stats; 2% Crit Damage & 15% Boon Duration)

What about the Runes generating the Protection boon itself? Rather than simply extending the duration.

Only three Rune sets are capable of providing the Protection Boon themselves.

Earth
Forge
Grove

Forge is a minimum 12-second application versus a 60-second cooldown (maximum 20% uptime), and requires all six Runes to apply it. It also only triggers after falling below 50% HP, meaning you’ll have to be hurt a lot before it kicks in.

Earth and Grove operate the same way as far as applying Protection, but Grove gives a lesser Protection duration boost (which is also glitched to not work in the first place, according to the Wiki page), so you’d go Earth. This gives a minimum 4.8 second application of Protection versus a cooldown of 30 seconds (maximum 16% uptime), and activates 25% of the time you’re hit regardless of HP.

If you’re more likely to take many small hits versus a few big ones clearing out large chunks of your health at a time, Runes of the Earth are likely preferable to Runes of the Forge, despite the technically lower downtime. You can also get two extra runes onto your armor by using Earth, allowing you to get an extra 15% Boon Duration via Water, Monk, or Traveler runes. This brings the duration to 5.4 seconds, a maximum 18% uptime.

If you did end up getting Boon Duration from other sources such as food or trait lines, Runes of the Forge will get a larger benefit. But, given the necessary conditions to apply the Boon, Runes of the Earth may still be superior.

For your experimental builds, are they mainly for dueling?

No dueling, not really my thing. I am trying to negotiate a high protection/glass canon build for my GS/LB build…if it play tests well in SPVP then I will adapt for WvW and try.

Trying to figure out what combination provides highest amount of protection/min. Is better route extending duration or generating more procs…essentially best protection up time without manipulating pets into the scenario.

Obviously WS 15 trait and Nature Magic VI would be in the equation

Also, I do not want food to be an influence. Only traits/spec/runes to generate protection.

If you’re setting up other things for keeping up Protection, then…

With 4 Runes of the Earth and 2 Runes of the Traveler, you’ll have a 35% boost to Protection duration. With 15 in Wilderness Survival, you can dodge at least once every 8.75 seconds for 2.75 seconds of Protection, a 31% uptime. If you can spare a Utility Slot towards Stone Spirit, you can get 4 seconds of Protection every 10 seconds, a 40% uptime. That’s using only 15 of your trait points.

If you invest further and go 30 into Nature Magic for the Boon Duration boost, you end up with 3.25 seconds of Protection from dodging (37% uptime) and 4.75 seconds from Stone Spirit (47.5% uptime), plus the application from Runes of the Earth lasting 6.6 seconds (22% uptime).

All together, that’s 106.5% uptime, giving you a minor buffer if things don’t activate as efficiently as possible. Without anything in Nature Magic, that’s still an 89% uptime. If you put some investment into Vigor and other forms of endurance replenishment as well (Lightning Reflexes, Sigil of Energy, etc.), you can bump it up a little higher thanks to the Protection on Dodge.

EDIT: Just noticed I overlooked you saying Nature Magic VI was a given. If that’s as far as you go into the Nature Magic tree, that’s a 10% boost to Boon Duration, making dodge-granted Protection have a 33% uptime, Earth Runes have a 19% uptime, and Earth Spirit have a 44% uptime. In addition, Nature’s Protection gives 29% uptime. All together, that’s 125% uptime. If you take out the Earth Spirit, that becomes 81% uptime. Granted, that’s with each source activating immediately upon getting off cooldown, which will not happen, so that’s just the unrealistic best case scenario.

(Uptime uptime uptime uptime.)