Newbie here! Can someone answer a few questions pls

[Droughboi.2945]

Hi everyone! I'm pretty new to most things in GW2, so I was hoping someone could provide some guidance. I made a Firebrand yesterday and I absolutely love it! But I have absolutely no clue wtf I'm doing with builds. I really, really like Greatsword, and Sword/Shield. Are there viable builds that include that weapon set? I kinda want to be a tanky dps. If someone could also kindly explain why certain weapons are.... ineffective that would be great too. I'd even be satisfied with just being directed toward a reputable link or guide that has what im looking for.

Oh and I'm primarily a PvE player for now until I get the hang of things.

Thanks all.

[Khailyn.6248]

http://metabattle.com/wiki/Guardian

If you ask others they are going to say, in open world you can play anything you like, any stat, any build. In instanced areas of the game youll want to be as high damage as possible, which is where the above link comes in. Now, Firebrand while an interesting spec lends itself more toward condition damage as it has more burning effects, and its signature weapon (optional to use) causes conditions such as bleeding. Greatsword and sword are more power weapons and so lean more towards Dragonhunter and Core Guardian. Obviously if you unlocked the elite spec you arent level 1. I dont have much experience with Firebrand specifically, but you may be able to make sword/shield work with the Radiance line (radiant power,, amplified wrath) and Zeal (symbolic power). GL

[Droughboi.2945]

Thanks for your insight, I appreciate it a lot. I didn't even know that site existed lol.

[Shonesto.2510]

If you're a fan of greatsword and sword, you should really give Dragonhunter a try. If you don't have the points for it, Path of Fire HP trains are pretty common and quick and there are still HoT ones as well.

[Asum.4960]

If you are looking for effective PvE engame proof builds, I absolutely recommend QT over Metabattle (which tends to be outdated).

For Firebrand: https://qtfy.eu/guildwars/guardian/condi-fb-build-guide/

For builds with Greatsword, as mentioned, DH will be a better choice (https://qtfy.eu/guildwars/guardian/power-dh-quick-guide/).

That said, for open world, you can absolutely run around as a Sword/Shield condi Firebrand!

[ReaverKane.7598]

I main Guardian, and yeah it's really fun!Like others said, for general PvE, and lower tier fractals (T1) anything goes, really. But has difficulty goes up, you need to pay more attention to your build.If you like Greatsword, i'd advise you to play as DragonHunter (if you can), it has a better synergy with Greatsword.Sword/shield works nice in open world, but has less uses in end-game pve. In PvP it can be used in some niche builds.

Anyway, for the most part, i'd advise you to look at Meta Battle, and QT, look at what they say there, and adapt that to your own style. (Those builds are for speed running, and trust me, it's better to have a slightly different build from them, and do decent damage, than having their build, but not being able to follow their rotation, and ending up being useless).

Do train yourself to dodge, and to move around when fighting, in GW2 positioning yourself correctly and dodging can be the difference between a successful fight or a wipe.

[Unknown.3976]

DPS Raid builds typically have very poor sustain, becuz it's assumed that there are healers to keep u healthy. But when u're running fractals or open world, you could find urself dying alot if u're have no means to sustain urself, so bear that in mind when using QT guides, raid meta is not the end-all, be-all. Adjust the meta builds to suit ur needs, u don't have to follow them to a tee.

[stone cold.8609]

Welcome to the Guardian profession! GS + Sw/Sh works very well with FB for PvE. I'm running this set up currently (with swap to scepter when situation calls for it) and it works very well for me:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQNAR8ensADFBjtCBGCBkCjl7BrqAEASX7j0UaM1KD0uKUA-jBSBQBU4iAwIlgXRZAlU/BP6GAwTAQkK9ox+DAA-e

This is essentially the power retaliation build with the substitution of the FB elite for DH. I run solo much of the time and wanted a build that could self stack high levels of might and keep the retaliation up near full time, which is the key to its DPS. I found that the FB mantras and heal were better at this than when I ran the DH elite. Defensively, besides dodging, learning how to rotate your aegis is another key to survival. Again, I found that the FB heal made this easier than the other options. Also, this build comes with 65% crit chance from traits, so you won't need a lot of precision in the build, which means that you could substitute Valkyries stats (Power Vitality Ferocity) for some of the Berserkers items to bulk up your health even more for a more tanky feel without sacrificing too much DPS.

Good luck!