Guardian sPvP | Tournament Greatsword, Sword/Focus | Team fighter Itty's Meditation DPS
Table of Contents
Summary
This is the build I run in tPvP with my team, Two Metas Ahead. It does not reinvent the wheel, but works well and I hope to give some good insight on how to play it effectively. Your job is to quickly move between teamfights providing dps, cleave, support through boons and peels, and relieving some pressure from your bunker. Give it a try and enjoy!
-Itty Bitty Bunker
Two Metas Ahead
I. Weapons and Skills
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- Vengeful Strike½Strike your foe again.Damage: 296Range: 130
- Wrathful Strike½Attack with a final, powerful strike that applies might for each foe you strike.Damage: 443Might: 5 sRange: 130
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- Pull¾Pull your foes to you.Leash Range: 600Range: 900
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Weapon and Skill Details
First, your virtues. From traits these will each provide retaliation and either might, regeneration, or protection. These are a big part of how you support your team as a dps guardian.
- Virtue of Justice - This can be used pretty often as it has a short cooldown. Generally you will use it for an on demand burn, a blind to stomp, or because you are going to use your elite which will refresh it anyway. The last one goes for all virtues, use them all before you elite, don't waste that free recharge.
- Virtue of Resolve - You should only use this for condition removal or if you are going to use your elite. The cooldown is pretty long, but used properly the 3 condition removal is great.
- Virtue of Courage - This is the trickiest virtue to use, but generally is used to prevent a burst, or get a stomp. Remember virtues give their bonuses to your allies when you use them, even if it isn't you about to be bursted you can use this to give your teammate aegis, protection, and retaliation.
- Shelter - The block this heal provides will save you more times than you can count, just be careful not to use it accidentally as it cannot be cancelled without triggering the full cooldown.
- Smite Condition - This is your other source of condition removal, it has a much shorter cooldown than Virtue of Resolve but only removes one condition. Try not to waste it on a one bleed or a short weakness. It does have other uses as it is a large chunk of aoe burst, especially if it removes a condition. As with any other meditations you bring it will provide fury and healing.
- Stand Your Ground - The optional skill in the set, if the enemy team is very condition heavy switch it out for Contemplation of Purity. Assuming you don't need CoP, SYG is your main tool for stomping. The aoe stability lets not only you stomp easily, but your bunker so you can cleave.
- Judge's Intervention - Another great way to get where you're needed, but again, your bunker needs to have a target up for you. This is also a great stunbreak during fights as well as helping you stick to your target. However, the main use of JI is to land your burst! It can be used immediately after activating either Whirling Wrath or Zealot's Defense to put you on top of your target.
- Renewed Focus - Use this to prevent burst on yourself, or if you really need your virtues off cooldown. Remember to use them all before activating it!
- Mobility - Greatsword #3 is an excellent way to get around the map in between fights, and does not require a target (it actually works better for this purpose without one). Sword #2 can be used to get to a fight as long as your bunker puts up a target for you. Both are useful in combat for sticking to your target.
- Cleave - While other weapons provide their own benefits and can work well in this build, part of the reason I use these two are their ability to cleave, with either Whirling Wrath or your sword auto-attack. You are generally the second choice to stomp since your bunker can't cleave as well, so when someone goes down pop SYG and cleave while he stomps.
- Strong Anti-Melee - Thieves and Warriors will hate you as you blind, block, retal and blind. Both of your aforementioned mobility skills inflict blind to nearby foes, and your focus #4 blinds on hit as well. Focus #5 is both a block and burst, adding to your already abundant blocks. Greatsword #4 and combo finishers will help keep up retal to keep away those pesky thieves. Drop that symbol on anyone being focused by melee classes!
II. Traits
Zeal
Radiance
Valor
Honor
Virtues
Trait Details
No surprises here, full meditation traits, the necessary condi removal, and some extra damage.
- Zeal - The 10 points here provide an extra 10% damage to burning targets, which most of them should be. The extra power and free symbol are nice bonuses as well.
- Radiance - For merely a 5 point investment this is where the blind on Virtue of Justice comes from, providing an extra way to stomp, as well as enhancing your anti-melee capabilities.
- Valor - The only tree with 30 points in it, the 3 major traits here all improve your meditations. Monk's Focus gives you great sustain, healing for near 2k even with an offensive amulet. Focused Mind provides fury on meditation use, helping your burst provide even more damage. Mediation Mastery is pretty self-explanatory, good things happen when you use your meditations, being able to use them more often is better.
- Honor - Another great bonus for just a 5 point investment, Vigorous Precision will help you keep up your endurance for those life-saving dodges.
- Virtues - The minor traits here are excellent, as well as the cooldown reduction to your virtues. Absolute Resolution provides the condition removal you need, and Vengeful helps you keep up retaliation longer on you and your allies.
III. Stat Specifics & Effects
Primary Stats
- Health 13895 (+2250)
- Vitality 1141 (+225)
- Armor 2427 (+300)
- Toughness 1216 (+300)
- Attack 3316 (+1300)
- Power 2216 (+1300)
- Critical Hit 45% (+45%)
- Precision 1866 (+950)
Secondary Stats
- Boon Duration 20% (+20%)
- Condition Damage 50 (+50)
- Condition Duration 10% (+10%)
- Critical Damage 80% (+80%)
- Damage 1100 (+0%)
- Defense 1211 (+0)
- Ferocity 1200 (+1200)
- Healing Power 50 (+50)
- Movement Speed 25% (+25%)
- Retaliation Duration 25% (+25%)
- Swiftness Duration 30% (+30%)
- Virtue Recharge Rate 20% (+20%)
Boons
Conditions
Control
Fields & Finishers
IV. Runes, Sigils, Accessories & Jewels
Armor & Runes
- Vitality: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Vitality: 50
- 25% chance when struck to gain swiftness for 15 seconds. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)
- Vitality: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; +25% Movement Speed
- Vitality: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Vitality: 50
- 25% chance when struck to gain swiftness for 15 seconds. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)
- Vitality: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; +25% Movement Speed
- Vitality: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Vitality: 50
- 25% chance when struck to gain swiftness for 15 seconds. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)
- Vitality: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; +25% Movement Speed
- Vitality: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Vitality: 50
- 25% chance when struck to gain swiftness for 15 seconds. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)
- Vitality: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; +25% Movement Speed
- Vitality: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Vitality: 50
- 25% chance when struck to gain swiftness for 15 seconds. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)
- Vitality: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; +25% Movement Speed
- Vitality: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Vitality: 50
- 25% chance when struck to gain swiftness for 15 seconds. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)
- Vitality: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; +25% Movement Speed
Rune Stat Totals
- Vitality 175
- Swiftness Duration 30%
- Movement Speed 25%
Rune Bonuses
PvP Rune of Speed- Vitality: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Vitality: 50
- 25% chance when struck to gain swiftness for 15 seconds. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)
- Vitality: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; +25% Movement Speed
Accessories & Jewels
- Power: 0
- Precision: 0
- Ferocity: 0
- Vitality: 0
Accessory Totals
- Power:1200
- Precision:900
- Ferocity:900
- Vitality:0
Weapon Set Sigils
- Weapon Strength: 995-1100
- Weapon Strength: -
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)
- Weapon Strength: 905-1000
- Weapon Strength: 832-883
Weapon Set II
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)
Sigil of Superior Force+5% damage.
Upgrade Item Details
The 6 piece bonus for the speed runes is not correct here, instead of 5% extra move speed while under the effects of swiftness they give a permanent 25% speed increase (does not stack with swiftness). With your limited swiftness as a guardian these (paired with your mobility skills) help you get to the fights in a reasonable time. The extra vitality also provides you a little extra protection against burst or a way to stay in a fight a little bit longer.
The hydromancy sigils are incredibly helpful in staying with a target. When chaining a target switch weapons to chill them and use either Whirling Wrath or Zealot's Defense. The chill will allow you to get a lot more damage out of these relatively avoidable moves than you otherwise would. They also put out some extra damage (about 1k if it crits).
V. Basic Gameplay
You are mainly a teamfighter, but can be effective in a large number of 1v1s if you play the build well. As a result you will usually either be going to the midfight or capping home if you don't have a real homepoint defender.
In the teamfight you have a couple of jobs to make sure things go smoothly:
- Burst - Your mobility skills allow you to easily get to the squishy backline targets that your team needs shut down. Get your burst off, and either get back to safety or chase them back into the fight if they run towards their bunker. It can be tempting to overextend once you're over there but try to know when to back out to get some support.
- Sustained Damage on Point - Your auto-attacks, symbols, and more provide excellent sustained damage. If there are good targets on or near point this is what you do in between bursts.
- Peel - You don't have a ton of cc to work with here so you aren't always the best choice for this. Regardless, you will have to do it. Binding Blade can help pull attackers off a teammate, but has a fairly long cooldown and isn't the most reliable move. Usually you will give boons to your ally while putting as much pressure on their attackers as you can, blinding them at every opportunity.
- Cleave/Stomp - If an enemy goes down you have great ways to help finish them off. If you need to cleave both weapon sets are effective, although the best thing you can do is use Whirling Wrath, switch weapons for the sigil proc, then either use Zealot's Defense if you can finish the target or down the resser, or auto-attack if you need more cleave. If you aren't stomping you can use any of your blinds to help your teammate get the stomp. Stand Your Ground, Virtue of Justice, and Virtue of Courage can all be used either to help a teammate stomp, or stomp yourself. If you are stomping yourself you can also use Shield of Wrath on the focus to help ensure a stomp.
Main Skill Rotation
Both rotations here are very bare-bones, adjust them based on the situation and cooldowns! This the basic burst if you are starting with greatsword. Activate Virtue of Justice, start Whirling Wrath and immediately teleport to your target with Judge's Intervention. Once it has done it's damage, switch weapons to trigger the hydromancy sigil, and activate Shield of Wrath. Assuming there's still a target in front of you activate Zealot's Defense and Smite Condition to pump out more damage. You will perform many variations on this rotation depending on circumstances but this is the most basic way.
Other Rotation
Same idea here, pop Shield of Wrath so it will explode during your burst, activate Virtue of Justice and teleport in while using Zealot's Defense. Once it lands switch weapons and finish your burst on the chilled target. I find this order more effective in bursting a single target but not as effective for aoe. As with the first rotation, it is very bare-bones and you will need to add or remove skills based on the situation.