Guild Wars 2

I have been having fun with Axe/Mace + hammer, but not really sure what build I should be thinking about. Any good builds for this combo?

This if for PvE mostly.

Hammer doesn’t really benefit from many traits that are designed for it. Like Cull the Weak or Merciless Hammer as you can get more steady damage increases from Strength/Discipline.

Hammer is a great weapon though, 30/0/0/10/30 works well with it. I’ve had skills 2, 4, and 5 all hit for around 7.4K which is about 75% of my normal Hundred Blades. It’s definitley more of a secondary weapon in PvE though like if you want to switch to it for quick burst damage via those skills or for trash mob CC then switch back to your Axe/? or Greatsword weapon set

Thanks for the thoughts, and that kind of matches my experience so far. Mostly I keep Axe/Mace up, but when I need additional CC, I switch for hammer 4 and 5.

What I wonder is, if that is worth it, or would I be better served with having Mace/Warhorn might give me a bit more defense and utility.

You might get a little more utility and defense but would lose out on alot of damage. I think the advantages Hammer has over Mace/Warhorn are..

1: Earthshaker is an AoE stun compared to Skull Crack’s single target, however Skull Crack does last a second longer. Earthshaker is also a blast finisher on a short cool down (though I recommend trying not to hit any foes with this when just using it for a finisher),

2: Skill 2 hits hard and causes Weakness. Warhorn gives Vigor and is a blast finisher but I don’t think the weakness lasts as long and it doesn’t do damage.

3: Mace 3 is a 1 second stun, but Hammer has Staggering Blow and Backbreaker. Staggering Blow is an AoE knockback that lasts for about a second, and Backbreaker is a 2 second knock-down and both hit really hard.

The mace does have a block and if you retaliate with it it hits hard, but I think overall Hammer is the better choice. You could definitley try both to see which you like better