Do you want to explore the virtuous path of the Guardian in Guild Wars 2, the resident Golden Child of Tyria's defenders? Are you feeling a bit lost about where to start? Fear not, for this is the new player's guide to mastering the ways of the Guardian. While we'll primarily focus on the core Guardian specialization, we'll also briefly touch on the DragonHunter, Firebrand, and Willbender elite specializations. Let's dive right in!

 

• Core Mechanic
• Pros and Cons
• Trait Lines
• Weapons List
• Weapon Options
• Recommended Builds
• Utility Skills
• Playstyle and Roles
• Leveling Tips
• Gear and Stat Choices
• Elite Specializations

 

 

↖ Core Mechanic

Guardian's unique professional mechanic is their Virtues. These virtues embody the ideals of Justice, Resolve, and Courage, offering distinct combat effects:

• Justice: Burns enemies passively with every few attacks, and its active ability imbues the Guardian and allies with the power to burn foes with their next attack.
• Resolve: Provides passive healing and can be activated to heal for a significant amount on demand.
• Courage: Passively grants a boon called Aegis, which blocks the next attack. When activated, it grants Aegis to the Guardian and nearby allies.

 

These virtues can be further customized with specific trait lines and choices, making the Guardian an incredibly durable and versatile combatant.

 

↖ Pros and Cons

Guardians outstanding support abilities, remarkable healing potential, and a versatile arsenal of weapons and damage capabilities. However, their primary weakness lies in their lack of ranged options and their limited crowd-control capabilities.

• + Exceptional Support Abilities
• + Top-Tier Condition Removal
• + High Healing Capacity
• + Versatile Weaponry
• - Limited Health Pool
• - Burst Damage Deficiency
• - Limited Ranged Abilities
• - Inadequate Crowd Control 

 

↖ Trait Lines

The Guardian has various trait lines that allow for customization based on your playstyle. These include Zeal, Radiance, Honor, Valor, and Virtues. Here's a brief overview:

• Zeal: Focuses on improving strike damage and applying vulnerability, which increases the target's damage taken per stack.
• Radiance: Enhances the Justice virtue, providing burning, improved critical strikes, and increased Resolve uptime.
• Honor: Centers around the Resolve virtue, focusing on healing, dodging, and protection.
• Valor: This is oriented around the Courage virtue, improving damage mitigation through blocking and Aegis.

 

The Virtues trait line enhances all three virtues and provides extra sources of Resolve. The Guardian, by default, combines healing, defense, and offense effectively, making them a versatile choice.

 

↖ Weapons List

Guardians have access to a diverse set of weapons, each with its own unique playstyle and utility:

Weapon	Primary Focus	Key Abilities
Greatsword	AOE Attacks, Healing, Mobility, Crowd Control	Powerful AOE attacks, healing, mobility, symbol
Hammer	Defense, Crowd Control	Defense, moderate damage, protection
Staff	Support, Movement Speed	Healing, swiftness, increased movement speed
Mace	Defense, Support	Regeneration, crowd control
Sword	Offense	Shadow step, strong attacks, Fury
Scepter	Mid-Range Offense	Immobilization, smiting capabilities
Focus	Damage, Defense	Light damage, Aegis
Shield	Defense	Aegis to allies, protective dome
Torch	Damage, Cleansing	Burns enemies, cleanses conditions, cone damage

 

Elite specialization weapons (Longbow, Main Hand Axe, Offhand Sword) are also available if you have the weapon master training from the Secrets of the Obscure expansion or own the corresponding expansion.

 

↖ Weapon Options

Guardians have access to a variety of offensive and defensive weapons and can weapon swap in combat. Here are some of the weapon choices:

• Two-Handed: Greatsword, Hammer, Staff
• Mainhand: Mace, Scepter, Sword
• Offhand: Focus, Shield, Torch

 

Each weapon offers a unique playstyle, and the choice depends on your preferred role and tactics.

 

↖ Recommended Builds

• For beginners: Greatsword paired with Mace/Shield offers a balance between damage and defense.
• As you advance, Greatsword with Sword/Focus maintains pressure on enemies while providing defensive options.

 

↖ Utility Skills

Guardians possess a variety of utility skills balanced for both offense and defense:

• Consecrations: Strong area-of-effect abilities with defensive and supportive capabilities.
• Meditations: Offer cleansing, mobility, and healing in various forms.
• Shouts: Provide positive effects to the Guardian and allies while drawing conditions away from them.
• Signets: Offer strong passive and powerful active abilities, often focused on defense.
• Spirit Weapons: Summon massive weapon effigies for damage, control, and healing.

 

↖ Playstyle and Roles

The Guardian's playstyle can adapt to various roles in different content:

• In the open world, Guardians may not be as durable as some other professions but compensate with Aegis and passive healing. They can handle a wide range of challenges.
• In group content, Guardians are unmatched due to their supportive capabilities and offensive prowess. They excel in melee combat and generate Aegis boons, making them indispensable in organized groups.

 

↖ Leveling Tips

For new Guardians, here are some quick leveling tips:

• Master blocking and Aegis to improve your survivability.
• Maintain symbols for powerful boons.
• Guardians thrive in group settings, so make friends and team up for success.

 

↖ Gear and Stat Choices

Guardians can excel in various roles depending on their gear and stat choices. Some popular options include:

• Celestial: Balanced stats for offensive and defensive play.
• The Grieving: Focus on offensive damage.
• Berserkers: For straightforward offensive focus.
• Viper: For condition damage and support.
• Harrier: A good choice for versatility and support.

 

↖ Elite Specializations

Let's briefly explore the elite specializations for Guardians:

• Dragon Hunter (Heart of Thorns): Focuses on long-range combat with the Longbow, traps, and tethering enemies.
• Firebrand (Path of Fire): Master of conditions and support with tomes, mantras, and quickness.
• Willbender (End of Dragons): A fast and mobile melee fighter with the ability to dash and evade attacks.

 

Previous: EOS Engineer Beginner Guide.

 

Conclusion:

The Guardian is a versatile class, capable of fulfilling multiple roles and excelling in different forms of content. Whether you prefer healing, striking, or supporting, the Guardian has a spot for you in the world of Tyria. With its iconic aesthetics and noble virtues, the Guardian is the true defender of Tyria. So, pick up your weapons, embrace your virtues, and embark on your heroic journey in Guild Wars 2. Good luck, and may your Aegis always protect you!