Guardian WvW | Small Group Sword/Focus, Greatsword | Roamer Meditation Roamer- Lockdown
Table of Contents
Summary
Hi all, I'm Meri, a roamer from T1 NA. I had a lot of success roaming with a 0-1-6-6-1 build before the patch hits. This new build, which hasn't changed a bit since I crafted it during trait reveals, points me more toward lockdown and full-on burst, considering Honor is no longer as strong a choice as it was before the patch.
Note: This build is designed for SOLO roaming, but can be effective in anything from that to a 20+ man guild raid or a straight blob as a pick team player. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
I would personally say meditation guardian has a low-ish skill floor and a medium-high skill cap. It's nowhere near as easy as some people will complain to you about (maybe it's just a thief, and, well, you close your eyes and beat thieves)- but it's not as hard as some people make it out to be either.
You can only do so much when solo roaming, but ALWAYS remember that as a guardian, you gotta have your team's back. The boons and support you can provide will be detailed later in the guide, and learning how to support effectively is one of the most challenging parts of this new build.
I. Weapons and Skills
-
- Sword Arc½Slash your foe again.Damage: 269Range: 150
- Sword Wave½Send out a cone attack, striking up to three foes.Damage (3x): 504Range: 300
-
- 0Fury: 4 sRetaliation: 5 s
- 0Fury: 4 sRetaliation: 5 s
-
- 0Fury: 4 sRetaliation: 5 s
- 0Fury: 4 sRetaliation: 5 s
-
- 0Fury: 4 sRetaliation: 5 s
- 0Fury: 4 sRetaliation: 5 s
-
- 0Fury: 4 sRetaliation: 5 s
- 0Fury: 4 sRetaliation: 5 s
-
- 0Fury: 4 sRetaliation: 5 s
-
- 0Fury: 4 sRetaliation: 5 s
-
- 0Fury: 4 sRetaliation: 5 s
-
- 0Fury: 4 sRetaliation: 5 s
-
- 0Fury: 4 sRetaliation: 5 s
Weapon and Skill Details
Going with the standard sword/focus greatsword here. The Radiance line I'm taking synergizes well with sword burst and cooldown reduction.
However, I've been known to swap out scepter for sword quite often, depending on the enemy. As a general rule, the enemies to use scepter against are mesmers, engies, and dagger mainhand elementalists. This can and will change based on personal preference.
Build can be adapted as follows.
Scepter/Focus- Greatsword
Sword/Focus- Scepter/Torch or vice versa depending on what you prefer.
Hammer- Greatsword
Traits
Radiance
- Justice is BlindWhen activating Virtue of Justice, nearby foes are blinded
- Inner FireGain fury for 8 seconds when you strike a foe that has 3 or more stacks of burning. This effect has a 10 second cooldown.
- Right-Hand StrengthCritical hit chance with one-handed weapons is increased by 15%. Sword abilities have 20% reduced recharge.
- Healer’s RetributionGain retaliation for 5 seconds when using a heal skill.
- Renewed JusticeVirtue of Justice is renewed when you kill a foe.
- Wrath of JusticeStriking an enemy with justice’s active effect triggers signet of wrath’s active ability.
- Radiant FireGain zealot’s flame when you critically hit an enemy. Burning duration to enemies is increased. Torch abilities recharge 20% faster.
- RetributionGain 10% increased damage while under the effects of retaliation.
- Radiant PowerAttacks against burning foes have a 10% increased chance to critically hit.
- Amplified WrathBurning damage is increased by 15%. Blocking an attack burns the attacker for 2 seconds. This effect has a 1 second internal cooldown.
- Perfect InscriptionsGain light aura for 3 seconds when activating a signet. Signets recharge 20% faster and have 20% increased passive effects.
- Radiant RetaliationRetaliation damage scales from condition damage instead of power.
Valor
- Valorous DefenseGain aegis for 5 seconds when you are struck while below 50% health.
- Strength of the FallenLose 1 condition every 10 seconds. Health degenerates 33% more slowly while downed.
- Smiter’s BoonSmite conditions when you use a healing ability.
- Focus MasteryGain 4 seconds of protection when using a focus ability. Focus abilities have a 20% reduced recharge.
- Courageous ReturnVirtue of courage is fully recharged when you revive an ally or when you rally. This effect has a 30 second internal cooldown.
- Stalwart DefenderGain 180 additional toughness while wielding a shield. Shield abilities have 20% reduced recharge.
- Strength in NumbersNearby allies gain up to 150 bonus toughness, based on your effective level. 600 radius.
- Communal DefensesGrant 5 seconds of aegis to allies when you block an attack.
- Might of the ProtectorGain 2 stacks of might for 15 seconds when you block an attack. This ability has a 1 second internal cooldown.
- Altruistic HealingApplying a boon to allies also heals you.
- Monk’s FocusUsing a meditation skill heals you and grants 4 seconds of fury to allies in a radius. Meditation skills have 20% reduced recharge.
- Retributive ArmorGain up to 250 bonus toughness (based on effective level) when blocking an attack. Gain ferocity based on 13% of your current toughness.
Virtues
- Inspired VirtueVirtues apply the following boons to allies when activated: Justice: 3 stacks of might for 5 seconds. Resolve: 5 seconds of regeneration. Courage: 5 seconds of protection.
- Unscathed ContenderDeal 20% more damage while under the effects of aegis.
- Retaliatory SubconsciousGain 3 seconds of retaliation and 4 seconds of aegis when stunned, dazed, knocked back, pulled, knocked down, sunk, floated, launched, taunted or inflicted with fear.
- Master of ConsecrationsConsecrations last 20% longer and have 20% reduced recharge.
- Virtue of RetributionGain retaliation for 3 seconds when you activate a virtue. Retaliation you applies lasts 25% longer.
- Supreme JusticeVirtue of Justice causes burning with 3 strikes instead of 5. When activating virtue of justice, burning duration is increased by 1 second.
- Absolute ResolutionActivating virtue of resolve removes 3 conditions from nearby allies. Virtue of Resolve’s passive effect is stronger.
- Glacial HeartCritical hits with hammer chill enemies for 3 seconds. Hammer abilities have 20% reduced recharge.
- Power of the VirtuousDeal 1% extra damage for each boon you have. Virtues recharge 15% faster.
- Permeating WrathVirtue of Justice’s passive effect no longer only burns your target, but also burns the area around your target each time it activates.
- Battle PresenceNearby allies gain virtue of resolve’s passive effect.
- Indomitable CourageActivating virtue of courage breaks stun and grants 3 stacks of stability for 4 seconds to affected allies. Virtue of courage’s passive effect triggers every 30 seconds, down from 40.
Trait Details
Valor is the standard three traits you'll see everywhere. Smiter's Boon and Monk's Focus are self-explanatory. If you're in a group, of course make sure only one guard is on Strength in Numbers and the others are all running Communal Defenses. Nothing else to see here, except that Might of the Protector has been nerfed. Smiter's Boon does a good job making us forget about it a little more.
ALTERNATES: Focus Mastery when facing an ele with Shocking Aura (your Smiter's Boon will proc their Shocking Aura, stun you, and put it on full cooldown without healing you), or when roaming with a stealth class (Healing while in stealth and enemies around you will reveal you).
Virtues: This line has been buffed crazily, as all the stats you're losing from the stat removal is 30% Boon Duration. Just by going into the line you get lower Virtue cooldowns than ever before. As for the traits-
-Minors: None of these traits have changed significantly. Boons on virtues have always been a staple of guardian gameplay. As for Virtue of Retribution, NEVER underestimate the crazy damage you'll be putting out with Retaliation with increased power. Last but not least, Power of the Virtuous remains unchanged, giving us another damage modifier.
-Unscathed Contender: This hasn't changed. Benefits well-timed aegis application with a ridiculous damage modifier. If you're not experienced using UC, swap to Retaliatory Subconscious for more defense.
-Absolute Resolution: With the buffs to conditions, this trait is a must-take. You'll find it saves your life in many situations, even against power builds that chill/immobilize you.
-Indomitable Courage: Medi guard finally gets stability. Now that it's been merged with Shielded Mind, it's a strong trait to take even if you are solo roaming for a guaranteed safe stomp, and becomes increasingly effective in a group.
ALTERNATES:
Glacial Heart if using Hammer and not worried about Conditions (I do not recommend this, but it is a viable alternative).
Retaliatory Subconscious: As detailed above.
Radiance: Valor and Virtues are very common in new meditation builds, so the real debate is usually around the third line to take. I've chosen Radiance, as it provides us with the blinds we need and adds lockdown ability and more passive burning damage. On to the traits-
Minors: Blind on Justice activation, Justice recharges on kill. Keeps the ball rolling, allows easier stomps, makes taking camps a joke. Radiant Power helps compensate for the slightly lower crit chance I took in order to get a decent amount of vitality.
Right-Hand Strength: Benefits both sword and scepter, but an 8s cooldown on Flashing Blade helps you get around the map quickly, and pull off escapes under pressure. Provides you with extremely consistent DPS while in sword/scepter.
Wrath of Justice: This trait is a lynchpin of the build. Radiance had always interested me since I came across this trait, and in practice I've referred to it as "Guardian's Panic Strike." However, you can control when you immobilize, and on a relatively short (30s) cooldown, you can set up some absolutely insane burst that wouldn't be reliable before the patch.
Amplified Wrath: First of all, the other two Grandmaster traits are essentially garbage. Secondly, this helps provide more passive damage through burning and timing blocks. The burning keeps up your 10% critical chance modifier as well as adding a (sometimes more than) annoying burning tick to your enemy.
ALTERNATES:
Honestly, for the purpose of this build, these three traits are pretty much set in stone. However, if you want to move away from Lockdown, Radiant Fire is an EXTREMELY strong trait and works well with a sw/f sc/t variant.
III. Stat Specifics & Effects
Primary Stats
- Health 15305 (+3660)
- Vitality 1366 (+366)
- Armor 2566 (+295)
- Toughness 1295 (+295)
- Attack 3539 (+1550)
- Power 2550 (+1550)
- Critical Hit 40% (+40%)
- Precision 1751 (+751)
Secondary Stats
- Condition Duration 40% (+40%)
- Critical Damage 72% (+72%)
- DMG Taken from Guards and Lords -9% (+-9%)
- DMG to Guards and Lords 5% (+5%)
- Damage 989 (+0%)
- Defense 1271 (+0)
- Experience from Kills 20% (+20%)
- Ferocity 1081 (+1081)
- Swiftness Duration 30% (+30%)
Boons
Conditions
Control
Fields & Finishers
Stat and Effect Details
Once Force of Will moved into a sub-optimal line, I knew I was going to have to spec for some vitality from gear. Therefore, my weapons and two pieces of armor are Valkyrie, giving me a very survivable 15.3k health. This protects me from almost all cheesy one-shots, giving me a chance to recover.
I didn't bother adding much armor. Guardian survives off blocks and blinds. However, I do run Furious Sharpening Stones. They give me a good amount of stat points, and with the amount of crit this build has, we make very good use of the ferocity.
As for food buff, I've chosen Prickly Pear Pies. Although expensive and requiring PvE to make (oh no!) they are worth it. The immobilize duration from Wrath of Justice is increased to 4.2 seconds, giving you ample time to land burst. In addition, they help you keep up burning, which in turn keeps up the 10% crit modifier. This modifier is worth 210 precision, which is more than the 70 Omnomberry Pies offer. Also, did I mention immobilize? And chill? We'll get to that.
Gear setup:
Weapons: Valkyrie
Armor: 2 Assassin/2 Valkyrie/2 Berserker with Pack Runes
Trinkets: Berserker
I don't bother with Traveler runes. Pack provides swiftness when you actually need it, and sword/greatsword gives you mobility out of battle.
Pretty standard stuff. I wanted to hit 40% base crit chance. 40% was enough when running without Right-Hand Strength or Radiant Power in the old meta, not to mention the insane fury uptime. That's the one stat that likely looks rather low compared to the others, but you hardly feel the fact that it's only 40% in game. Power is above 2,500, ferocity is at maximum value capping out at about 222% and there's enough vitality to keep you alive as well.
IV. Food, Armor, Trinkets & Upgrade Items
Food Nourishment
33% chance to steal life on critical
Condition Duration: 40%
Experience from Kills: 10%
- (30min)
- 33% chance to steal life on critical
- Condition Duration: 40%
- Experience from Kills: 10%
Utility Nourishment
Toughness: 100
Ferocity: 10
Experience from Kills: 10%
- (30min)
- Toughness: 100
- Ferocity: 10
- Experience from Kills: 10%
Armor & Runes
- Defense: 127
- Precision: 63
- Power: 45
- Ferocity: 45
- Power: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Power: 50
- 25% chance when struck to grant nearby allies might, fury, and swiftness for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Power: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; +125 Precision
- Toughness: 5
- DMG Taken from Guards and Lords: -1%
- Defense: 127
- Power: 47
- Precision: 34
- Ferocity: 34
- Power: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Power: 50
- 25% chance when struck to grant nearby allies might, fury, and swiftness for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Power: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; +125 Precision
- Toughness: 5
- DMG Taken from Guards and Lords: -1%
- Defense: 381
- Power: 141
- Vitality: 101
- Ferocity: 101
- Power: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Power: 50
- 25% chance when struck to grant nearby allies might, fury, and swiftness for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Power: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; +125 Precision
- Toughness: 5
- DMG Taken from Guards and Lords: -1%
- Defense: 191
- Power: 47
- Precision: 34
- Ferocity: 34
- Power: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Power: 50
- 25% chance when struck to grant nearby allies might, fury, and swiftness for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Power: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; +125 Precision
- Toughness: 5
- DMG Taken from Guards and Lords: -1%
- Defense: 254
- Power: 94
- Vitality: 67
- Ferocity: 67
- Power: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Power: 50
- 25% chance when struck to grant nearby allies might, fury, and swiftness for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Power: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; +125 Precision
- Toughness: 5
- DMG Taken from Guards and Lords: -1%
- Defense: 191
- Precision: 47
- Power: 34
- Ferocity: 34
- Power: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Power: 50
- 25% chance when struck to grant nearby allies might, fury, and swiftness for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Power: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; +125 Precision
- Toughness: 5
- DMG Taken from Guards and Lords: -1%
Armor Stat Totals
- Defense 1271
- Power 583
- Swiftness Duration 30%
- Precision 303
- Ferocity 315
- Vitality 168
- Toughness 30
- DMG Taken from Guards and Lords -6%
Rune Bonuses
Superior Rune of the Pack- Power: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Power: 50
- 25% chance when struck to grant nearby allies might, fury, and swiftness for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Power: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; +125 Precision
Accessories & Jewels
- Power: 5
- DMG to Guards and Lords: 1%
- Toughness: 5
- DMG Taken from Guards and Lords: -1%
- Power: 5
- DMG to Guards and Lords: 1%
- Toughness: 5
- DMG Taken from Guards and Lords: -1%
- Power: 5
- DMG to Guards and Lords: 1%
- Toughness: 5
- DMG Taken from Guards and Lords: -1%
Accessory Totals
- Power:707
- Precision:448
- Ferocity:466
- Vitality:18
- DMG to Guards and Lords:3%
- Toughness:15
- DMG Taken from Guards and Lords:-3%
Weapon Set Sigils
- Weapon Strength: 950-1050
- Power: 125
- Vitality: 90
- Ferocity: 90
- Weapon Strength: 873-927
- Power: 125
- Vitality: 90
- Ferocity: 90
- Power: 5
- DMG to Guards and Lords: 1%
- Power: 5
- DMG to Guards and Lords: 1%
Weapon Set I
Sigil of Superior Air50% chance to cause a lightning strike on a critical hit. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 3 seconds)
Sigil of Superior EnergyYou gain 50% of your endurance when you swap to this weapon while in combat. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 9s)
- Weapon Strength: 1045-1155
- Power: 251
- Vitality: 179
- Ferocity: 179
- Weapon Strength: -
- Power: 5
- DMG to Guards and Lords: 1%
- Power: 5
- DMG to Guards and Lords: 1%
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)
Upgrade Item Details
Sword/Focus: Air/Energy
Sigil of Air scales with power, and can reach hits of over 2k with enough might stacks. Provides a great bit of extra burst which can go a long way.
Sigil of Energy, with the increased dps and burst, just became the best sigil in the game. Dodge rolls are much more valuable without Vigor on crit from Honor (plus the fact that Vigor got nerfed anyway). Energy sigils. Learn to love them.
Greatsword: Hydromancy/Rage
I know people will tell you to use fire/air on GS for extra burst. However, Hydromancy has been a mainstay of my play for an extremely long period of time. If you can prioritize landing the swap, it can crit for up to 3k as well as apply chill for 2.8 seconds. Chill is, excuse the language, annoying as all hell, and can provide you an extra window to land attacks.
As for Rage, this is just personal preference. It helps in solo roaming but is probably unnecessary for duels. The point of Rage is to burst down your enemy so quick that they can't even pop their "oh shit" skills, or even if they manage to hit one, get them so low they have to panic. Especially with the 4.2 second immob, potential 2.8 second immob from scepter if you take it, and 2.8 second chill from Hydromancy, Rage may soon be phased out in favor of another energy sigil, air/fire sigils, or leeching sigil.
V. Basic Gameplay
This build, like most meditation builds, is designed to be very offensive and bursty; however, part of what makes a guardian a good guardian is the ability to switch from offense to defense on a dime, or better, to combine them in the same rotation. That said, there is no specific rotation that wins fights as a meditation guardian. I’ll provide a few basic rotations in the section below but it’s a lot of “live and learn,” and always will be.
Your burst skills are
Smite Condition
Judge’s Intervention
Zealot’s Defense
Ray of Judgment
Shield of Wrath
Literally every single Greatsword skill
Virtue of Justice
Your defensive skills are
Smite Condition
Judge’s Intervention
Zealot’s Defense
Ray of Judgment
Shield of Wrath
All three Virtues
Contemplation of Purity
Renewed Focus
Lots of skills appear on both lists, which brings me back to the point that you need to be able to turn on a dime, or for the ultimate fluid gameplay, play both offensively and defensively at the same time.
Main Skill Rotation
Above is a simple "all-in" burst rotation, opening with sword, immobilizing the enemy, and swapping to greatsword to burst while immobilized/chilled. You can open with greatsword, open with scepter 3 and save your Signet of Wrath for later, etc. It's all done on the fly. Don't forget to use Smite Condition whenever you can.
Ray of Judgment
Ray of Judgment burst. The goal here is to bounce your Ray of Judgment in your enemy's face like a shotgun. Pop Virtue of Justice right before you use Judge's Intervention. Ray of Judgment can hit for over 1k on a crit, and with the bounces, you'll have your enemy blinded, immobilized, and vulnerable to combos with other skills. In addition, you'll have 6 seconds of regeneration just to begin. However- remember that Ray of Judgment can be an effective condition cleanse if you can land it. It's a much more important skill than some think. It can be extremely useful in a guard vs guard fight, giving you more sustain while helping disable your opponent's attacks and being one of the most effective "hit-trading" skills out there. Never underestimate it.
Greatsword-only
As always, use Smite Condition for extra damage if a condition is applied to you, or if the 1.5-2k crit from no conditions will get the enemy down.
Sword-only
Add Smite Condition as necessary, of course.
Map Movement
Both Flashing Blade and Judge's Intervention require a target. This includes Rabbits, Snow Owls, and evil hostile creatures such as Polar Bears and enemy walls. Flashing Blade is up every 8 seconds, making you extremely fast even without Traveler runes.
Fun fact: Judge's Intervention can help you completely avoid fall damage if you teleport to a target right as you hit the ground.
Just watch out for "No Valid Path." Bane of guardians everywhere. However, learn when to use your movement skills, learn the appropriate spots, and you can nike away when in trouble.
Comments
Devourerofmemes @ 01:00 AM, Tue June 30 2015
Reply