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What are Guardian's biggest flaws?


Arklite.4013

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PvE issues? Nothing. Power dragon hunter using GS and scepter (or sword)/focus is one of the strongest builds in PvE. Massive AOE damage and probably the highest overall burst. In addition, guardian and ranger are the only 2 classes that use GS in their meta PvE builds. I would give GW2metabattle website a visit for details.

Keeping with PvE, Fire Brand condition build are extremely powerful as well. And guardian is one of the few classes that can successfully play a hybrid power and condi build. Support builds are also highly viable for PvE.

If PvE is you main dish, GS is your most liked weapon, guardian is definitely the class you want to play.

PvP is where the problems are. Fire Brand support is extremely powerful, if you like support. Other than that, guardian dps builds in PvP do not work well due to mobility issues and low HP pool. There is more to it than that, but as a guardian main I would highly recommend not playing any guardian build in PvP for someone just returning to the game.

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since the update it does seem DH has a buff, its not the greatest to play by any means but if you really get good at it and timing your pulls you can beat most classes, though i do struggle vs thief because i run a high offensive build and my defense is Prot which is stripped in .5 seconds from steal , if your looking to try DH in wvw you should give this a try

Valk armor + wepsDiviners TrinketsRune is Trapperpretty solid layout rune of the trapper helps with the much needed time for DH setup for skills like Trueshot and Spear of justice :) easily one of my fav classes even in PvP people dont see trapper rune DH often so it catches alot of people off ............................. INSERT PUN HERE............................ Guard LMFAO im dying....

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Unpopular opinion here.I actually think that DPS guardian is extremely overdependent on traits and not enough on its own mechanics or skills. Guardian has some of the best damage modifiers in the game which result in one of the best power Dps classes for PvE. But the issue is that you essentially have one predetermined play style with trait choices that were essentially pre-selected for you by Anet.This, in combination with low health pool results in a play style that i always found to be very counter-intuitive and suicidal. In many ways guardian feels more like a suicide bomber than "guardian", at least for me personally. It's not an output issue but purely issue of how it feels to play the class

I also think that this is what is partially dragging down nonFB specs in PVP as the general pacing of encounters and dynamic of PvP simply won't let you "cash in" on all of the things that make guardian great in PvE. Also, you are as mobile as car without wheels.

Thank god, this issue is mitigated in PVE by the fact that in PvE guardian is overall in the great spot with wide range of available roles, from DPS to healer and support.

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The low health pool hurts, but in pve I don't have too many issues with it.I think to be perfectly honest, one of the guardians biggest flaws is its almost complete lack of stun/daze. Aside from the daze on FB axe, which you dont even get unless you trait for it, the guardian (in all its diversity) has not a single skill that legitimately stuns an opponent.While we do have other crowd control skills (pull, knockback, launch, etc) I personally feel that the lack of any real stun really counts as a weakness.

P.S. This is coming from a guardian main. I have no complaints really about the class, I honestly don't like playing as anything else.

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Another downside is that DH rotation isn't feeling as nice as say the daredevil.

There's not a lot bad about guardian honestly,it can do everything on one class (support,dps for pve and support for pvp.also hard meta in wvw).

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@otto.5684 said:PvP is where the problems are. Fire Brand support is extremely powerful, if you like support. Other than that, guardian dps builds in PvP do not work well due to mobility issues and low HP pool. There is more to it than that, but as a guardian main I would highly recommend not playing any guardian build in PvP for someone just returning to the game.

I'll expand off this since what otto said is true. For the dps-based guardian specs in pvp/wvw, they are actually in a pretty decent spot, but fall behind the top contenders for similar roles since they can't output quite as much as these other specs.... whether it's dps, burst, CC, boons, mobility, or evades. Our two primary dps-based builds, DH and core guard just fall behind builds/specs like holosmith, soulbeast, mirage and revenant (historically). I've given this a lot of thought and I honestly don't think the solution is to buff DH or core guard much more.

It would be great if instead of buffing guard, we nerfed some of the other classes. For example, one multi-class nerf that could be done would be to heavily reduce access to the protection boon, or make it so that it's nearly impossible to pull off high dps AND have high protection uptime (make the protection-granting traits compete with key damage-related traits). As it stands right now, the entire guardian class has absolutely no way of dealing with a class that can maintain the protection boon due to a lack of boon removal (and no, the pvp nullification sigil doesn't do NEARLY enough to even be noticeable).

There are small QoL or even small numerical buffs that guardian could receive that I think would improve their performance a lot without overtuning them, but we don't need things like flat buffs to damaging/healing skills and traits since that would only further imbalance guard from builds/classes lower than guard on the totem pole.

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@Arcaedus.7290 Regardless of how Anet buff or nerf other builds/classes, there two essential things that guardian power builds need in PvP:

1) Reliable means to have 25% movement speed. Guardian is the only class forced to use Lynx or traveler runes. Every single class with every single build have either the 25% movement speed or swiftness backed into their builds.

2) Core, VoC must get buffed. One aegis every 45 secs was not good in 2012. And before anyone mentions virtues, not all builds use virtues and SoC and ToC can also can use virtues and they are insanely better.

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Mobility and low HP. You can do great DPS numbers on a Guard, but you have fewer weapon options than say a Warrior. You pretty much have Power DH, Condi FB, or support FB to run. There may be variations of those, but that is pretty much it. The weapon choices are more or less the same. GS + swrd/focus or scepter/focus with one of them as an axe/torch if you run FB. DH Longbow doesn't really see play. Staff is used mainly for pre-buffing and OW tagging. Hammer needs serious rework.

You posted a similar thread on the Warrior forum. Berserker GS, Guardian GS, Ranger GS, and Reaper GS are all fun builds that play differently. I play them all and they all have pros and cons. Why don't you watch some recent gameplay videos of these builds and see if any look like your style? There is also nothing stopping you from playing each of them as well.

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Low HP pool forcing you to invest in vitality no matter the build in non PvE gamemodes. If guardian had mid tier HP it would be in a much healthier spot in the long run, but until then most builds are ass unless you go Force of Will or Righetous Instincts for the stats they give

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I played my guardian up to level 80 and just never warmed up to him. He seems almost as squishy as my elementalist. I prefer my necro/minion master or my ranger/archer with pets. The guardian spent too much time getting whacked, while waiting for skills to recharge.

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@Tukaram.8256 said:I played my guardian up to level 80 and just never warmed up to him. He seems almost as squishy as my elementalist. I prefer my necro/minion master or my ranger/archer with pets. The guardian spent too much time getting whacked, while waiting for skills to recharge.

Stating that you only like builds that enable you to stand still doesn't point out class flaws.guardian is a very tanky open world spec with good sustain bad ele has even more sustain. Low hp in PvP modes is totally true but for pve, simply no.

Giving guardian mid range hp would make firebrand very broken though and while I get bad feel similar about my DH if I go casually PvP I know that I could always play firebrand and be fully meta. Therefore low hp might be true but not a class problem because the class has a very viable very sustainable PvP build.

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@jan.7915 said:

@Tukaram.8256 said:I played my guardian up to level 80 and just never warmed up to him. He seems almost as squishy as my elementalist. I prefer my necro/minion master or my ranger/archer with pets. The guardian spent too much time getting whacked, while waiting for skills to recharge.

Stating that you only like builds that enable you to stand still doesn't point out class flaws...

Did I say it was a flawed class? No. He asked what is wrong with Guardian, and to me I dislike the low HP and long recharge time. Does not make it flawed, but does make it something I do not want to play as much. And while waiting for skill recharge I sure can't stand still ha ha Don't try and make up crap out of other people's words

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@Tukaram.8256 said:Did I say it was a flawed class? No. He asked what is wrong with Guardian, and to me I dislike the low HP and long recharge time. Does not make it flawed, but does make it something I do not want to play as much. And while waiting for skill recharge I sure can't stand still ha ha Don't try and make up kitten out of other people's words

I don't have those big recharge time you are mentioning. Maybe try another build?In fact, recharge are pretty low except some utilities but it's true for all professions.

Low HP is effectively an issue, as without vitality, you can get downed in one strong hit.That aside, you can heal very fast, litany of wrath is awesome!

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@Tukaram.8256 said:

@jan.7915 said:

@Tukaram.8256 said:I played my guardian up to level 80 and just never warmed up to him. He seems almost as squishy as my elementalist. I prefer my necro/minion master or my ranger/archer with pets. The guardian spent too much time getting whacked, while waiting for skills to recharge.

Stating that you only like builds that enable you to stand still doesn't point out class flaws...

Did I say it was a flawed class? No. He asked what is wrong with Guardian, and to me I dislike the low HP and long recharge time. Does not make it flawed, but does make it something I do not want to play as much. And while waiting for skill recharge I sure can't stand still ha ha Don't try and make up kitten out of other people's words

You want a build to stand still bad have pets tank while having enough hp to survive many mistakes in a row. That's fair for open world but guardian is super tanky, focus 5, aegis,f2, litany..

Recharge time on what is long?

@Aigleborgne.2981 getting down with one strong hit, you mean open world?that rarely happens to me and I am poor therefore don't have a marauder set for open world,yet.

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Low Teir HP. (it should really be Mid tier HP)Aegis is completely useless now due to unblockable attacks that go thru it and destory it without activating your traits.Many attacks are too slow and VERY predictable.The lack of no barrier within the class despite being the "defensive" / "tank" class in the game.The only class without any evade/dodge on its skills. (meanwhile ranger has access to 14 of them)Dragonhunter itself has not been properly updated or reworked in 3 years.Dragonhunter traps don't work on stationary things making them useless on many bosses that don't move or objects.

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