Guild Wars 2

Hi all,
I’m playing my warrior a lot of with Pug so I cannot rely too much on others on buffs/whatever.
Can you suggest me a good build I can use mostly in PvE – expl dungeons and also low level fractals?
I’m actually playing with Axe-Shield / GS and I like this combination, but maybe it is something better I can do.
I tried to change Shield for Mace as seen in a lot of post, but the missing of shield is felt on my side, so if you can stay with those kind of weapons it is better.

I tried also a condition build (Sw-Axe / Longbow) some times ago and it was fun (but I still not have all exotic pieces for that) anyway I think that it still be good in PVE if I’ve not in group necros else we maximize conditions also without me..

What’s the point of shield in PvE? Just go axe-mace/GS if you want damage. Personally I like axe/warhorn because condition removal is good support that doesn’t rely on crappy healing gear.

Yaki.9563:

What’s the point of shield in PvE? Just go axe-mace/GS if you want damage. Personally I like axe/warhorn because condition removal is good support that doesn’t rely on crappy healing gear.

Shield is incredibly good in so many situations.
Shield block is pretty much an additional Endure Pain anti-spike button that recharges twice as fast.

Or you could use whirlwind or your dodge key.

I like shield exactly for what Red Falcon told..
If you have a look i.e. at this recent open world event, it is difficult to see mobs doing something so it is not difficult to find you short of life. At this point only endure pain is not enough to recover back your life.
With both of them I’m always had time to have my health back at a sustainable point, whereas a lot of other people die.

Moreover shield is handy for all the situation when a boss focus on you and despite you roll away.
Lastly since my crit chance is at about 70% (I’m gathering some equipment) shield sinergyze well with Axe burst if you take the trait that grant you 50% crit chance when hit stun enemies.

Anyway as told I’m open also to new weapon, like I tried Sword/Axe – Bow with a condition build and I find it quite fun to play, but I’m not very good at use the build calculator..

colesy.8490:

Or you could use whirlwind or your dodge key.

Sounds like someone needs to be introduced to the endurace bar and cooldown mechanics.

I’d do GS and longbow. Sometimes you need the range and AoE.

Red Falcon.8257:

colesy.8490:

Or you could use whirlwind or your dodge key.

Sounds like someone needs to be introduced to the endurace bar and cooldown mechanics.

Looks like someone needs to be introduced to PvE. Learn to use your dodges/WWs when you need them instead of burning them senselessly.

I love the shield visually and style wise. In PvP it’s one of your best weapons. In PvE it’s a waste.

Red Falcon.8257:

colesy.8490:

Or you could use whirlwind or your dodge key.

Sounds like someone needs to be introduced to the endurace bar and cooldown mechanics.

I remember you. You posted fail builds filled with misinformation back in the day. And now I see it continues here.

To address the OP if you run with bad pugs you should use 30/25/0/0/15. Shield is bad in PVE except in two occasions (both of which offhand sword are better for) that I can think of, Lupicus and the bee run in TAFU. My recommendation is to use offhand Mace or Sword and learn to play properly without relying on a shield block that is costing you 5% dps.

I recommend either Mace or Warhorn, wave knockdown + vuln is awesome, warhorn can be nice if your party needs vigor and/or extra condition removal (also blast finisher on #5).

The only situation I can think of where shield might be useful is when you’re immobilized and about to get hit by a one-shot attack or big AOE, but most of the time you can get out of that situation with condition removal+dodge or a well-timed GS whirl (or dodging the thing that immobilizes you to begin with).

I don’t like shield for PVE since it does nothing for the party and warrior has many other defensive tools.

I don’t recommend condition builds for PVE, so sword offhand is no good.

Axe offhand is the worst choice IMO.

Darkwave.8341:

Lastly since my crit chance is at about 70% (I’m gathering some equipment) shield sinergyze well with Axe burst if you take the trait that grant you 50% crit chance when hit stun enemies.

I feel that trait is more suited for PVP. But if you were to use it in PVE, you’d be better off using mace offhand.

The shield only has a 1s stun on a single target, mace has 2s wave knockdown. Not only that, the mace attack can hit twice, it’s much better.

Swapping out to GS/Longbow is nice for fights against large #s of trash mobs.

voidwater.2064:

Darkwave.8341:

Lastly since my crit chance is at about 70% (I’m gathering some equipment) shield sinergyze well with Axe burst if you take the trait that grant you 50% crit chance when hit stun enemies.

I feel that trait is more suited for PVP. But if you were to use it in PVE, you’d be better off using mace offhand.

The shield only has a 1s stun on a single target, mace has 2s wave knockdown. Not only that, the mace attack can hit twice, it’s much better.

Just to clarify that Unsuspecting Foe does not work with knockdowns, only stuns.

Not that it matters in PvE, just a note. Unsuspecting foe is valuable in PvP, but in PvE there’s no point stunning trash monsters (just mow them down in droves with HB), and monsters that can benefit from the crit chance bonus are mostly champions, which have defiant and make stunning unreliable.

PvE is essentially about brute forcing, and you already have the ultimate brute force tool for PvE: GS. So I’d recommend something that fills the gap the GS has – range. Thus, longbow.