Guild Wars 2

caporal moktahr.3408:

To Cat Has Ducks
This could be a solution , keeping core mechanics universal for all classes (move speed , weapon swap , dodge rate for example) while making quality of life changes : reducing weapon swap CD / increasing base movespeed.

I am speaking only from a warrior perspective, that’s why I did’nt thought about the guardian. Is guardian very reliant on weapon swap combos ?

Personnaly I fear that the changes you want to introduce could never happen ,they would bring too much to the fray. Whereas tweaking Fast Hand’s a little could open opportunities for new warrior builds without being a direct buff to the existing ones.
At least in pvp.

If Guardians had the option of switching hell yeah. For example, if we ever want to use a sigil of battle, we’d need to have one on each weapon to make it worth a kitten . Meanwhile you guys only need 1 with your 5 second cool down.

I would love to have the option, since I could more easily swap to a weapon for a one or two abilities, rather than being stuck auto attacking waiting for the kitten 10 sec CD to allow me to switch back to my heavier hitter.

The amount of options with this skill would be amazing…. You guys need to understand that this is a freaking powerhouse of a trait. And you all should be glad you even have the option of being “forced” to use it. Guardian dps in general would be much higher with this bad boy, as well as our sustain. being able to swap to what we need quicker.

Look in this thread for hammer the details:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/guardian/Fractals-LF-high-lvl-build

Here are some meta builds for dungeons and high level fractals:

Classic meta Sword/Focus + GS DPS guard fractal/dungeon meta. It still brings all the utility you’d expect from a guard but with a nice punch.

http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?fUEQNAsdRlUg6CHFyMEfIFSODRCBtZAQHUVh4BrAGB-jwxAYfBRiAIVIQJvioxWcLiGruGT5SEVDA-e

other variant of this build(just moves 5 kill points into radiance):
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fUEQNAsdRlUg6CHFyMEfIFSmCRCBteAQHk/UVIewKgRA-jwxAYfBRiAIVIQJvioxWcLiGruGT5SEVDA-e

Classic Hammer build for high level fractals. Good for pugging, or if your group needs perma protection. My groups runs two guards and one of us runs this build.(Generally the other guard )

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fUEQJARSlUg6CHFyMEfIFSmCRCBtPAQ1HiHMFYkHB-jgxAY/ARFCUyrIasF3ioxqrxUuER1A-e

EDIT: And ignore Kilandros. Guardians are always used in high level fractals. Hell DnT brings two a lot in their high level runs.

caporal moktahr.3408:

To Cat Has Ducks :
I knew some people would think this would be strong , that’s why in the first time we were asking for reduce general CD , Keep Fast Hand’s in a weaker Version. Just like it is said in the first post.

Why not give all classes the weaker version. As well as 25% move speed buff. Then remove the traits to increase swapping and speed movement. Thus making us all equal without having to trait for it. I would personally love this… Guards are A out on both of those. But I know warrs are just looking for a buff. So I shall stop posting. I think every class can pick out a must have trait to do this to by the way.

Anicetus.1253:

Just took us eleven guys joining until we found the first who read the lfg.

Just put “looking for necro” and see how fast that baby fills up.

It’s like a 30 second cooldown. That trait blows and would only be useful if it was a minor trait that happened to be placed in a good trait line. Don’t run it. My 2 cents.

Ethics.4519:

Anicetus.1253:

Cat Has Ducks.1982:

Just giving my experiences here. When I’m running arah, I sometimes have to pug for the last spot. And if a necro joins. First questions “You switching you class?” If Answer is “no” then they get booted.

And @Ropechec Guards bring Reflects,Aegis blocks, team stability, blinds, Perma Protection if need be, Condi removal if need be, and kittenery.

Would you kick me from your arah run if i came as necro? I mean, would you really kick me? From an arah run?

From what I know of Chuck, yes.

Out of principle I’d have to. I’m a man of principles by the way.

I’m confused what the hell people are arguing about.

Dand.8231:

Cat Has Ducks.1982:

Holy crap you guys never cease to amaze me. So one of the warriors strongest traits, you want switched to a built in feature for warriors? These are the kinds of threads that make people roll eyes at warriors.

Actually, that’s not what everyone here is saying. Ok, well, some are. But others feel it might need the same treatment as Thief initiative, or Elemental Attunement.

In other words, Warriors are so highly dependent on it, it stops becoming a CHOICE. The same thing happened with Ele’s all going into Arcane. The fix isn’t to simply give it to all Warriors for free, it’s to provide alternative choices, and reduce the impact of that trait as a choice. In other words, spreading the love.

Or fix #2. Remove it completely? Let you boys find another “must have trait”. And enjoy 10 second weapon swaps like the rest of us. Then continue to complain about what new trait is a must have.

Ethics.4519:

Just wait till my necro hits 80 (my last profession to get there). I might have to switch from mesmer mid-run ;-)

I don’t discriminate on my kicking

Just giving my experiences here. When I’m running arah, I sometimes have to pug for the last spot. And if a necro joins. First questions “You switching you class?” If Answer is “no” then they get booted.

And @Ropechec Guards bring Reflects,Aegis blocks, team stability, blinds, Perma Protection if need be, Condi removal if need be, and kittenery.

If they screw up our access to vigor, I will be kitten ed beyond measure.

Holy crap you guys never cease to amaze me. So one of the warriors strongest traits, you want switched to a built in feature for warriors? These are the kinds of threads that make people roll eyes at warriors.

a t s e.9614:

Not really , my first p4 run took 7 friggin hours . We were all clueless and spent 2 hours on the first boss . You probably should watch some videos .

My assumption was that someone knew what they were doing. If everyone is clueless, even AC can be difficult. That spider boss could nuke so many nubs if they weren’t aware of how that poison bomb worked.

Berner.7289:

JonPeters.5630:

The change to sword damage from 5% to 10%. I’ve seen a lot of talk that maybe it is not really needed. The fact was this was a lackluster trait and this is a lackluster change to it. I would love to do the right thing here and have a change that MH sword wants rather than just 5% more damage.

Thoughts?

Jon

Wow, the only change to Guardians that I actually agreed with, and now they’re reconsidering it….

This is really depressing.

I’m right there with you! If they back out on the 10% damage modifier, I will be really sad.. I was so pumped for it.

If they added chill to our hammer number 2, I’d be in love with anet. That would open the world of WvW builds to a whole new level. As well as bring some more utility to a middle of the road weapon in PVE.

For P1. The only thing that is challenging for new people is the 2nd mob skip. I’d recommend watching a video on it. What class you run? I can give pointers for it. Other than that, just follow the group and do what they do.

P4 is just longer, not difficult either. More bosses to kill.

etrigan.4213:

Xavier.2176:

The game mode is seriously flawed when it takes hours of hard work to get a keep to Fortified status and sieged up, but it only takes 3 minutes to lose it…

And this pretty much sums up the problem of sieging and fortifying anything against a server that has superior coverage….

I don’t know the fix, but I do know there needs to be one.

I doubt you know the feels being in FA in silver league.

I am going to through out some info, since you are a new player. If you run scepter or staff as your main weapon in a dungeon, experience groups will dislike you very much. The DPS loss is way too huge. Scepter won’t go through multiple targets like a cleave will. Scepter#2 can hit multiple targets, but that doesn’t make up for you main attack only hitting one thing.

Also guardians thrive by being close to their teammates in melee range, so you can block, blind, and throw up reflects when needed. Being in the rear with the gear won’t allow you to help your teammates. Guardian work is dirty and in the trenches. You have to learn to mitigate damage actively for you and your team. At times this can be stressful. Like blocking kicks and slaps during Lupicus for your Melee team(during timewarp and feedback). If you miss either of those blocks, 3/5 of your team will likely be downed with little hope of recovery.

As for the torch, I only use it in one situation. Arah Path 1, for the third boss shaggroth(spellcheck). With torch#4, Virtue of Justice, and Purging Flame, I can keep him on fire permanently.

Here is a video of me and my friends doing Lupicus. Watch for when i throw my blocks.

Do you ever WvW?
If not, then blue is a cool color I suppose…. Don’t really see it much. Transmute ftw? But don’t use it as is for dungeons. Just my 2 cents.

bigmonto.4215:

The OP only asks about dps.

Warrior GS win solo simply because warriors self buff might and fury much better. In a group where everyone is Max buffed, Guardian will win.

If he only asks about DPS, then you must assume equal buffs. In PVE coordinated dungeons, the buffs are constant when you need em. Warrior DPS is front loaded, but over time guard dps pulls away.

Having said that, neither classes stay on GS for their AA. Guards switch to sword, and warriors to axe for auto’s.(THIS IS ONLY FOR PVE). So its almost a non issue tbh.

I watched the first two encounters, and it was pure nub city in there. Condi warriors are a force, that cheese build is for noob stomping.

Xavi.6591:

Hi Obal,

What traits for 15/15/0/20/20?

http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?fUEQJARSlUg6CHFyMEfIFSmCRCBtPAQ1HiHMFYkHB-jgxAY/ARFCUyrIasF3ioxqrxUuER1A-e

Those

Grimdark.1328:

And getting to the point – so this support build is not much of use? I guess the problem is just that other classes are better supports – am I right?

Guardians bring the ability to completely block an attack for your entire party. Twice in rapid succession if need be. This is more powerful than you understand at the moment. In addition to that, guardians can also reflect for 10 seconds! In arah and fractals this is amazing on so many levels. Then add in team condi removal through purgin flames, and team stability with stand your grand(and hallowed ground)…. The support is amazing. May not be needed at every instance of every dungeon, but those skills alone make guard support powerful.

The reason we build for DPS, is so we can bring the support I mentioned, while helping to make the enemy melt so we won’t have to block many more than a couple of hits. PVE is based around getting things killed quick, since dead things won’t kill your buddies.

For tanking, you should try out WvW zerging. There you can tank/heal like a beast. In fact that’s the guard zerg meta. Tanky like a mofo. PvP also allows you to be tanky, though bunkering isn’t tanking for anyone, as much as just being a rock on a point that is hard to move.

As for the staff question…. Not sure what you mean by it being the popular choice as a secondary. It does give 12 stacks of might, and that’s its only merit in a dps situation. The build I posted doesn’t rely on a staff.(though I will sometimes use staff#4, then switch it off for my GS, then enter into combat so I won’t be stuck with a staff but still give might to start).
Oh I get what you mean by staff being popular. That’s in AH builds. Staff will heal you quite a bit using staff#4 when running a AH build. They are the bread and butter of AH builds. You see a lot of this in WvW. Which I think you may like.

EDIT: I forgot about blind spams! Can make clearing areas so much nicer.
And that hammer build gives protection for every third auto attack. That reduces incoming damage for your party by 33%. And you can give that permanently! That is amazing support. FYI, I love playing guardian. If you can’t tell. Any more questions, I’ll be glad to answer.

What if player A hits while having Focus#5 up? Then takes no damage, and still delivers his burst since one aegis can’t knock off all of Focus#5. O_o

The old meta, called for guardians to be tankier and be what is called “the anchor”. Though altrustic healing(AH), has never been popular in the anchor meta(or PVE in general), because it is quite a selfish trait line, while not adding much but some extra healing to yourself.

If you are afraid of the squishiness of your guard. Run Knight Armor with zerker trinkets. The added toughness will allow you to take 1 or 2 more hits from trash mobs. I recommend using one of the builds I posted, as it trains you to use the things that make guardians so beautiful, while still being deadly with your weapons.

I use to run a 0/30/0/30/10 build when I was new which will give you more health while bringing the utility you need, just with less dps. May want to start there, since you still get your blind spams, superior aria, and master of consecrations.

This thread has inspired me to never skip a cutscene in a dungeon again. I shall watch em all! Party members be kitten ed!

Anicetus.1253:

What i don’t know yet: the most optimal rotation. Even though it seems like gs 2, 4, 3, 5, 111, 2, swap, autoattacks for 4 chains + one ray of judgement or 5 auto chains and swapping back.

That is the second rotation I see. The one I listed was from guang, the crazy theory craft one. Has anyone put some good testing down with these rotations? And will the blinds increase dps if we already have warriors applying tons of vuln already?

I usually go with the sword AA, then ray of judgement mixed in there only if I want to insure perma blind on a mob.(like abominations before lupi if I think my pug group isn’t reliable to burst em quickly). All I know is, when in doubt. I just do WW → Symbol →AA →> WW —> Sword —> AA for 10 seconds. If Vuln applications are in doubt, then I will add in all moves that cause blinds.

If I read everyone’s opinions correctly who are opposed to the AH damage build. Its just label it as “Non optimal, play how I want build”, and no one will bother you. We just don’t want this information spreading like the plague, advertising it as a good build.

I’m confused. So are you agreeing with the meta Sword/foucs + GS rotation of:

WW → Symbol → AA until WW is ready → WW → Swap to Sword → AA for 10-13s(this I have seen debated) → Swap to GS → Repeat.

There are slight variations of this, but its generally around that kind of rotation.

I think it will turn into a new meta. Call it the sacrificial lamb. This guys job is to aggro everything to a corner and die there, while the rest of the team progresses on our merry way. Luckily my group has a perfect candidate for this job. So bring it on!

Digivolution.8029:

Cat Has Ducks.1982:

Let me show you:

“VERY EXPERIENCED ONLY. Zerker Gear. Melee all bosses. Will be quizzed on join. P1”.

Generally easier with a friend so you can boot people. Key thing is put path at the end so they must read to find it.

Oh pretty good. Gonna use this to show people I’m serious thanks lol

No problem. Nice aggressive posts set the tone for the group

Let me show you:

“VERY EXPERIENCED ONLY. Zerker Gear. Melee all bosses. Will be quizzed on join. P1”.

Generally easier with a friend so you can boot people. Key thing is put path at the end so they must read to find it.

If they made hammer #2 add chill, that would be so freaking pro!

Sounds like you need to step up your description. Or get a group of arah runners together to make your life not suck.

Greatest supporting traits:
Master of Consecrations! (Virtues VI)<— Wall of Reflect, Purging Flames CD reductions is pro
Blind Exposure (Radiance VI) + Renewed Justice!<—- Blind Spams.
Superior Aria (Honor II) <—- More aegis blocking!<—- Can’t stress that enough

I urge any new guardian who is thinking of running a “play how you want type build”, to at least include those, and give your team something if it isn’t going to be high end dps.

Classic meta Sword/Focus + GS DPS guard fractal/dungeon meta. It still brings all the utility you’d expect from a guard but with a nice punch.

http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?fUEQNAsdRlUg6CHFyMEfIFSODRCBtZAQHUVh4BrAGB-jwxAYfBRiAIVIQJvioxWcLiGruGT5SEVDA-e

other variant of this build(just moves 5 kill points into radiance):
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fUEQNAsdRlUg6CHFyMEfIFSmCRCBteAQHk/UVIewKgRA-jwxAYfBRiAIVIQJvioxWcLiGruGT5SEVDA-e

Classic Hammer build for high level fractals. Good for pugging, or if your group needs perma protection. My groups runs two guards and one of us runs this build.(Generally the other guard )

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fUEQJARSlUg6CHFyMEfIFSmCRCBtPAQ1HiHMFYkHB-jgxAY/ARFCUyrIasF3ioxqrxUuER1A-e

Casmurro.9046:

Its only the full signet warriors that get hate? What about the full signet guardians rangers thieves etc, is it ok for a thief to go full signet but not for a warrior?

So you are saying you don’t want my full cleric signet guardian?

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fUEQNAreWlYgKCnESIEgNFRuAbBVP4H9031jFKRGC-jACBoNCiUDgE1BKLqIaslNFRjVvATpiIq2loIa1A-e

Straegen.2938:

Ooph… 1v1 Guardian builds go into a fight with both hands tied behind their back. Any similarly skilled player in a 1v1 designed class is going to go through you like White Castle with Tequila chasers.

The class is just amazing with 2+ other players. Sure 1v1 can be done, but should it? That said as someone pointed out the torch is a surprisingly good weapon 1v1 and scepter is probably the most damaging.

I love when people think like this. It makes my kills that much more satisfying

Main things to do IMO, is aegis blocking for teammates through things like timewarp or feed back if dodging outside of the bubble means death IE lupi P2.

Examples of when to save aegis to make timewarp super effective.

-During Abomination Boss Arah P2. Block his jumps during timewarp so your teammates won’t have to dodge, and they can power right through. If you don’t have a mesmer, then keep an eye out for when teammates may need that aegis pop
-Lupi Phase 1 melee, if a timewarp is popped during this phase, block his kick so your team can continue melee’ing.
-Pretty much anytime when you can spare your team a dodge during critical moments is key. Which is why I keep bringing up timewarp.
-Being on VOIP with yoru group makes this super easy to call out.

Aside from Timewarp, or boss specific examples, you should use aegis to help teammates avoid a tough blow. I rarely(pretty much never) use aegis as a means to save only myself(doesn’t mean you can’t).

Wall of reflect is one of our strongest skills, so know when to have it equipped. Which is a lot of places in arah, and in fractals. Get use to the skill, because it is amazing….

I realized I have a crap ton more to say, but I don’t have time to finish, so I’ll come back and edit. But parting words for now, take guardian role seriously because I sure as hell do

So just a recap. Flamethrower is new Engie Meta. Boom!

If they changed RF to a block, I would rage so freaking hard. My WvW build thrives off using it to tank 7-10 hits from a giant mob. As well as I use RF to escape Lupi bubbles if I get sloppy soloing him. As well as I use it to run through TA forward elite guard bubbles(this one is just fun). Changing it to a block would be a HUGE nerf…..

CryxTryx.9208:

All of these players are skilled dungeon players and with this thread they are basically saying they can complete any of the content with any character como, any build.

So while straight damage builds may be the best, you have all the options you want.

This was known though. We just knew it would take way longer. As shown in the video. So it just confirms what we knew. You can play how you want, but it takes a lot longer to finish material. This is why certain groups require zerker gear, so they can finish content quicker. Find like minded folk, and enjoy the game

Ethics.4519:

If you do it right, then the whole dungeon becomes less of a nightmare. It has surpassed COE as my favorite dungeon, but only with competent groups that know what they are doing.

Oh yeah. Truest words spoken here. I started my arah career by watching Strife’s videos followed by slogging through days upon days of pugging. Then I started adding like minded folk to get my arah farming going. And I really love this dungeon. It is fun as hell.

Now that I got my 5 man Arah group locked in, it has become that much better <3

Yes, its like a 25% dps increase. So go for duration rather than size.

My group and I still haven’t ran it O_o

I run energy on both my weapons. I like having more dodges to evade more attacks, and get a little bit of healing on top of that. Bloodlust seems like a fine choice. I use perception for my build, but that is because my crit chance is really low. Yours is fine where its at.

a t s e.9614:

I stopped to main thief in PvE first time i saw the numbers of 100b .

I can’ tell if that line is meant as a “Common CoF Warrior PUG answer” type joke, or that is really what swayed you.

That’s what i’d suggest roaming with no speed increase runes. And with 2 handed mastery you should have perma swiftness. You just really have to know your roll. Soaking up attention, and using your symbols + retaliation can really do some nice work on people trying to burst you.

Having said that, if you have a person in your group with good AOE bombs, doing staff #3 under you, then staff#4 to heal and give might, then have your AOE friend target you and drop a bomb there. People love to attack guards while they are healing, so with retaliation+symbol+AOE bomb = attacker getting nuked. Great way to set traps. But yeah, your build looks fine to me. Maybe a little low on HP, but doable.

We will have enough players for sure. I got enough on the bench, that we will be good. But if a few of the guys can’t make it, then a ele healer will work lol

Your numbers look nice. What is your switch weapon going to be?

Emanuel.9781:

I actually have a full PVT set on my warrior aswell. I’d gladly be the tank.

We all going to be the tank in this scenario lol. But sounds good!