Guardian PvE | Dungeon Scepter/Focus, Hammer | Support High Level Fractals Guardian
Table of Contents
Summary
Guardians have the ability to provide effective support in a Fractals of the Mists (FotM) 40+. Along with their strong support function they also have the ability to output considerable damage and provide quick combo finishers. This guide is intended to provide an overview of how the guardian can synergize with and contribute to an effective high level fractals team.
I. Weapons and Skills
Weapon and Skill Details
Weapons
Hammer
This weapon, used correctly, can make a FotM 40+ go extremely smooth.
Hammer 1:Your auto attacks with this weapon are your friend. They provide constant protection and decent damage.
Hammer 2: (Mighty Blow) is a blast finisher that has a cheap recharge of 5 seconds. Use inside of your own symbols for retaliation and keep an eye out for water and fire combo fields to blast your hammer in.
Hammer 3: (Zealot's Embrace) This skill should not be used too often. The only times it is needed is if the party is taking a lot of melee damage you can immobilize many foes in one hit to allow your teammates to have some breathing room. It can also be used as a backup immobilize for bosses like the ones found at the end of the dredge fractal.
Hammer 4: (Banish) Like Hammer 3, this skill should not be used often. It gives you a pretty good knock back that should only be used when you need to get something up against a wall or simply away from your team. It can be used in conjunction with Hammer 3 as well. Just Banish your target and then Zealot's Embrace them.
Hammer 5: (Ring of Warding) This skill is very useful for Line of Site (LoS) pulls. Once you have gained agro, get around a wall and use this skill so that the ring is at the edge of the corner you are pulling around. This will cause your foes to pill-up before spilling into your team making AoE more effective.
Scepter/Focus
This weapon is your primary ranged DPS (obviously!).
Scepter 1: (Orb of Wrath) This skill should always be firing off when your other skills are on cooldown.
Scepter 2: (Smite) Just like Orb of Wrath, this skill should be used on cooldown. Make sure to place it in an area that will hit the most foes or if you are attacking a boss make sure to lay it somewhere that will get the most hits on him (I.E. in front of him if he's running.
Scepter 3: (Chains of Light) I hope this one is pretty obvious...immobilize dem nerds!
Focus 4: (Ray of Judgement) I usually use this on a melee foe when I'm running into a fight to provide a quick blind. Other than that the casting time and travel time of this skill make it tempting to simply ignore.
Focus 5: (Shield of Wrath) This skill is simply awesome. Not only can it save you in a heated fight, it can prevent agony from bosses AND its a blast finisher.
Greatsword
If there is already a guardian in your group running a hammer and then you can swap out to a greatsword if you like. All of the skills are pretty straightforward with the exception of Binding Chains (GS 5). Use Binding Chains to pull in ranged foes so that you can take them down along with the melee bad guys.
Utilities
Most of the time you will run the above options for your utilities bar. The only exceptions will be skills 7-9 and your elite skill.
Unchanging Utilities
Signet of Resolve: (Heal) This is a very strong heal and comes with a free condition remover every 10secs.
Renewed Focus (Elite) Use this skill when you really need your virtues or as a last ditch to stay alive. I usually just use it to get my virtues back online for boss fights.
Changing Utilities
Stand Your Ground: This skill can make a break a team. Learning when to use it is absolutely vital to being a good guardian. In the Harpy Fractal (uncatagorized) you can use this skill when there is no reflects for their charged flying balls of doom. There are many other situations when this is viable.
Hold the Line: Use this skill on recharge! Also it is important for you to use this skill on recharge!
Retreat This shout is good for fights where there isn't a need for reflections. If I ever need a reflection it is usually the first to be swapped out. If you have it make sure to use it before a major attack (like Mossman's double chop).
Wall of Reflection Place this skill on your bar in areas where you will need reflection. Put it in the place of retreat except on Mossman fight, put it in place of "Stand Your Ground."
Shield of the Avenger This skill is used when most foes are primarily ranged. Place it on your bar in the following situations:
- Harpy Fractal (Uncatagorized) - place it and wall in place of "Retreat" and "hold the Line"
- Swampland Fractal (on Bloomhunger) - Keep it and wall up on recharge. Replace "Stand Your Ground" and "Retreat" with these two skills.
II. Traits
Zeal
Radiance
Valor
Honor
Virtues
Trait Details
Valor
30 Trait Points allotted to your Valor traitline. The following are the traits I run and the reasoning behind them:
- Adept: Retributive Armor Basically the precision is needed for some other traits down the road.
- Master: Strength in Numbers is a pretty strong trait and I take it most of the time. The only time you shouldn't have that trait is if someone else has it on. If that is the case then I run Purity (V) to replace it.
- Grandmaster: Altruistic Healing This trait is very useful for staying alive, which is great because as we will see your goal is to take and hold aggro.
- Adept: Superior Aria This skill should be pretty self explanatory. You will have shouts on your bar most of the time and well...duh.
- Master: Empowering Might This is the very reason you need crits in your build. Every time you crit there is a chance this guy will go off. When he goes off, Altruistic Healing goes off. Nuff Said
- Adept Master of Consecrations There are plenty of times where you will use Wall of Reflection in fractals and many of those times it will be vital to have it off cooldown ASAP.
- Master Indomitable Courage or Improved Spirit Weapon Duration Indomitable Courage acts like a a 3 sec "Stand Your Ground" granting stability to your party. Trade out Indomitable Courage for Improved Spirit Weapon Duration before fights that you need to be using Shield of the Avenger in. Another option is Absolute Resolution, which is great party-wide condition removal.
III. Stat Specifics & Effects
Primary Stats
- Health 15395 (+3750)
- Vitality 1291 (+375)
- Armor 2946 (+819)
- Toughness 1735 (+819)
- Attack 3094 (+1231)
- Power 2147 (+1231)
- Critical Hit 50% (+50%)
- Precision 1972 (+1056)
Secondary Stats
- Agony Resistance 30 (+30)
- Boon Duration 20% (+20%)
- Critical Damage 62% (+62%)
- Damage 947 (+0%)
- Defense 1211 (+0)
- Ferocity 936 (+936)
- Healing Power 200 (+200)
- Virtue Recharge Rate 20% (+20%)
Boons
Conditions
Control
Fields & Finishers
Stat and Effect Details
The main thing to notice here is your toughness and how you should use it. Your toughness will be higher than other people in your party (assuming they are good players and running DPS/Zerker). This makes it so most mobs and bosses will stick to you. This is very important because you can hold the aggro while your DPS (hopefully some warriors, an ele, or a mesmer) can kill ALL THE THINGS!
IV. Food, Armor, Trinkets & Upgrade Items
Food Nourishment
Utility Nourishment
Armor & Runes
- Defense: 121
- Toughness: 60
- Power: 43
- Precision: 43
- Vitality: 25
- Toughness: 35
- Vitality: 50
- Toughness: 65
- Vitality: 100
- Shouts remove a condition from each affected ally.
- Defense: 121
- Toughness: 45
- Power: 32
- Precision: 32
- Vitality: 25
- Toughness: 35
- Vitality: 50
- Toughness: 65
- Vitality: 100
- Shouts remove a condition from each affected ally.
- Defense: 363
- Toughness: 134
- Power: 96
- Precision: 96
- Vitality: 25
- Toughness: 35
- Vitality: 50
- Toughness: 65
- Vitality: 100
- Shouts remove a condition from each affected ally.
- Defense: 182
- Toughness: 45
- Power: 32
- Precision: 32
- Vitality: 25
- Toughness: 35
- Vitality: 50
- Toughness: 65
- Vitality: 100
- Shouts remove a condition from each affected ally.
- Defense: 242
- Toughness: 90
- Power: 64
- Precision: 64
- Vitality: 25
- Toughness: 35
- Vitality: 50
- Toughness: 65
- Vitality: 100
- Shouts remove a condition from each affected ally.
- Defense: 182
- Toughness: 45
- Power: 32
- Precision: 32
- Vitality: 25
- Toughness: 35
- Vitality: 50
- Toughness: 65
- Vitality: 100
- Shouts remove a condition from each affected ally.
Armor Stat Totals
- Defense 1211
- Vitality 175
- Toughness 519
- Power 299
- Precision 299
Rune Bonuses
Superior Rune of the Soldier- Vitality: 25
- Toughness: 35
- Vitality: 50
- Toughness: 65
- Vitality: 100
- Shouts remove a condition from each affected ally.
Accessories & Jewels
- Agony Resistance: 5
- Agony Resistance: 5
- Agony Resistance: 5
- Agony Resistance: 5
- Agony Resistance: 5
- Agony Resistance: 5
Accessory Totals
- Power:692
- Precision:466
- Ferocity:466
- Agony Resistance:30
Weapon Set Sigils
- Weapon Strength: 895-1010
- Power: 120
- Precision: 85
- Ferocity: 85
- Weapon Strength: 832-883
- Power: 120
- Precision: 85
- Ferocity: 85
Weapon Set I
Sigil of Superior HydromancyYou freeze nearby foes for 2s when you swap to this weapon while in combat. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 9s)
Superior Sigil of PerceptionGain +10 Precision each time you kill a foe. (Max 25 stacks; ends on down.)
- Weapon Strength: 985-1111
- Power: 239
- Precision: 171
- Ferocity: 171
- Weapon Strength: -
Weapon Set II
Sigil of Superior Fire50% chance to cause flame blast on critical hit causing AoE damage. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 5s)