WvW Herald - switching to defense mode

Looking for advice on how to shift into defense mode when your zerg is pressured. I normally run Glint/Jallis, and I'm wondering which is the better option:

1. Swap to Jallis and run F2 for 10% DR on 10 players* + spam Rite of Dwarf for 50% non-condition DR on 5 players.vs
2. Camp Glint but consume facets of Darkness + Strength and switch to Facet of Chaos for 33% DR on 10 players + optionally running Facet of Light for a lolheal on 10 players.

I'm asking because I almost feel like option 2 makes the most sense, but then I would be camping a single legend the whole time, and that doesn't sound right to me. I'm not in a WvW guild so I'm always with a pugmander, and even if we have several FBs, we're obviously not as tight as a guild group, and I want to make sure I'm contributing the most I can.

Incidentally, if someone wants to suggest Option #3 - "keep hitting people with a hammer, you're DPS so keep DPS'ing", that's fair too. Just need some guidance from folks who have played zerg Herald for a while.

*I'm assuming Draconic Echo also effects F2 as it is technically also a facet.

both are good but in different situation

jalis is used for your commander pushes so you need the 5 sec 55% dmg reduction and stability using f2 again to proc it. as usually in the push FB will use protection and stability f3

use glint on defense mode to gain the 33% protection uptime usually your FB will be out so you can cover them up while F3 is on recharge.

Option #4– go Shiro in a PugTag group.

A PUG group is rarely optimized for the push, and it is often more important to have personal mobility/evasion than to stack %DR and bring the perks of Jalis. If you notice a particularly organized pug— one that at least places you into a subgroup with front liners— then yeah, use Jalis. Otherwise you may get more out of Shiro, both DPS-wise and for sustain. (Evading 20 stacked AoEs with Riposting Shadows and using Phase Traversal for positioning will beat whatever Jalis brings when chaos ensues.)

I only use Jalis in a proper subgroup with frontlines.

@Julius Seizure.4985 said:Option #4– go Shiro in a PugTag group.

A PUG group is rarely optimized for the push, and it is often more important to have personal mobility/evasion than to stack %DR and bring the perks of Jalis. If you notice a particularly organized pug— one that at least places you into a subgroup with front liners— then yeah, use Jalis. Otherwise you may get more out of Shiro, both DPS-wise and for sustain. (Evading 20 stacked AoEs with Riposting Shadows and using Phase Traversal for positioning will beat whatever Jalis brings when chaos ensues.)

I only use Jalis in a proper subgroup with frontlines.

What this guy said... Selfish Shiro/Glint survival is better in 99% of the team fights you'll find yourself in. (Unless you're in some organized WvW guild, but if you were in one of those, you'd probably already know the answer to these questions as your raid leader would be telling you what to bring anyways :grimace: )

I would also add that Glint's Protection can be corrupted by the 50 scourges on the other side's zerg, so be careful when you turn it on to pulse... The abundance of Scourges and Breakers in zerg play does make Jalis an enticing choice, but more often than not, you just end up wasting energy unless you're on Teamspeak with your squad or what not.

@narcx.3570 said:

@"Julius Seizure.4985" said:Option #4– go Shiro in a PugTag group.

A PUG group is rarely optimized for the push, and it is often more important to have personal mobility/evasion than to stack %DR and bring the perks of Jalis. If you notice a particularly organized pug— one that at least places you into a subgroup with front liners— then yeah, use Jalis. Otherwise you may get more out of Shiro, both DPS-wise and for sustain. (Evading 20 stacked AoEs with Riposting Shadows and using Phase Traversal for positioning will beat whatever Jalis brings when chaos ensues.)

I only use Jalis in a proper subgroup with frontlines.

I hear you guys, but I "think" the pugs I've been in are run a bit tighter than you're describing. They are often commanders from WvW guilds, they are very picky about which professions/elites they admit into the squad and they almost all insist on you logging in to TS/Discord before getting an invite, so staying on tag is my goal. That said, I've never had a pugmander call out Dwarf, as they usually are only calling out either winds or necro bombs, or maybe veil.

So better than a group of randoms, not as good as an organized guild; I want to do the best I can in such an environment :)

@narcx.3570 said:

@Julius Seizure.4985 said:Option #4– go Shiro in a PugTag group.

A PUG group is rarely optimized for the push, and it is often more important to have personal mobility/evasion than to stack %DR and bring the perks of Jalis. If you notice a particularly organized pug— one that at least places you into a subgroup with front liners— then yeah, use Jalis. Otherwise you may get more out of Shiro, both DPS-wise and for sustain. (Evading 20 stacked AoEs with Riposting Shadows and using Phase Traversal for positioning will beat whatever Jalis brings when chaos ensues.)

I only use Jalis in a proper subgroup with frontlines.

with all the fb pop in regen, protection and stability out while cleanse it is the same problem around 50 scourges. while fb protection get corrupted the rev get up so you still take less dmg

@Turkeyspit.3965 said:

@narcx.3570 said:

@"Julius Seizure.4985" said:Option #4– go Shiro in a PugTag group.

A PUG group is rarely optimized for the push, and it is often more important to have personal mobility/evasion than to stack %DR and bring the perks of Jalis. If you notice a particularly organized pug— one that at least places you into a subgroup with front liners— then yeah, use Jalis. Otherwise you may get more out of Shiro, both DPS-wise and for sustain. (Evading 20 stacked AoEs with Riposting Shadows and using Phase Traversal for positioning will beat whatever Jalis brings when chaos ensues.)

I only use Jalis in a proper subgroup with frontlines.

usually pumander will call for a push than you use your RotGD to reduce dmg on him. our commander usually take me on his group to reduce his dmg even more and heal him and support his stability while his skills on cd (he's FB )