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Guardians have a modest array of weapons at their disposal. These weapons can be roughly described based on their slant towards defense, offense, control, or support. I will attempt to describe each weapon and its potential in exhaustive detail below.
There's little point in an introduction or other fluff for a guide dealing in such specific matters, so we'll just dig in.
Guide by Naido
Banner (see above) by Demosthenes
----------------Table of Contents----------------
I.
Greatsword Analysis
II.
Hammer Analysis
III.
Staff Analysis
IV.
Mace Analysis
V.
Longsword Analysis
VI.
Scepter Analysis
VII.
Shield Analysis
VIII.
Focus Analysis
IX.
Torch Analysis
X.
References and Contact Information
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Greatswords are an aggressive weapon that emphasize closing the gap between yourself and your target, with skills such as Leap of Faith (4) and Binding Blade (5). It is noteworthy that Binding Blade (5) is one of the game's few pull attacks. Whirling Wrath (3) is great for AoE, but it should be used at melee range to hit your targets as consistently as possible. It is worth noting that casting Binding Blade (5) on targets near the maximum range of the skill takes practice, in part due to its sluggish casting speed. This quirk is particularly lamentable because 90% of the time, the enemies worth using it on are the ones that are in the "gray zone" already. The Binding Blade (5) debuff on targets will also disappear once the targets are 600 range away from the Guardian. Fortunately, the greatsword has great internal synergy due to its vast melee-AoE damage and the balling power of Binding Blade (5).
- Wrathful Strike (1) builds Might for each foe hit, so take advantage of multiple adjacent foes to build stacks.
- Use Binding Blade (5) to bring your enemies next to you before using Whirling Wrath (3).
- Use Leap of Faith (4) to close to gap between multiple ranged foes and yourself for a (5) (5) (3) combo.
- If you have time, place a Symbol of Wrath (2) in the middle of your (5) (5) (3) combo to rack up AoE damage.
- Start casting Binding Blade (5) before your enemies begin to run away. Mastering this ability is all about timing.
The damage dealt by a greatsword Guardian is quite impressive; this weapon can slice through packs of mobs very quickly, as all of its skills focus on AoE. The CC offered by the greatsword isn't as helpful in PvE solo play as it in PvP modes, where most mobs will run up to you and stay there on their own. That being said, it can ball ranged foes up nicely for the greatsword's other attacks. You can cast Binding Blade (5) solely for the DoT effect if the foes are willing to come to you.
In SPvP, where control points create natural hotbeds of enemy activity, the short-range AoE offered by the greatsword is almost just as relevant as it is in solo PvE. The ability to pull in multiple foes with binding blade can also clinch an AoE-victory for your team in a large fight, though these fights are infrequent. Unfortunately, with only Binding Blade (5) to prevent your foes from escaping your reach, landing auto-attacks can be difficult. If you intend to use the greatsword often in this mode, you might consider bringing another form of crowd-control.
Unfortunately, more than one of these skills immobilize the caster while casting, making the greatsword an awkward weapon to use in highly-mobile WvWvW. I could imagine a Longsword/Shield and Greatsword combo with Renewed Focus working well in an open-field combat situation for jumping into swathes of opponents and catching them off guard, but even that purpose might be better served by a hammer, which could pin down those enemies for much longer and make them easy prey for your group. The retaliation buff for your allies from Symbol of Wrath (2) is somewhat relevant in WvWvW, though it is has a lengthy cooldown for a symbol.
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Hammers seem diametrically opposed to greatswords in the hands of a Guardian. The terminal strike of the auto-attack chain creates a symbol that grants Protection. Hammer Guardians can knock a single foe back as well as immobilize multiple enemy targets in a line. Most importantly, the hammer has a ward spell which prevents enemy movement across the ring.
- Symbol of Protection (1) has a relatively long cast time, but the Protection boon is very strong.
- Use Symbol of Protection (1) and Mighty Blow (2) to punish enemies caught inside Ring of Warding (5).
- Use Banish (4), followed by Zealot's Embrace (3), and lastly Ring of Warding (5) to keep melee foes away from you.
- The (4) (3) (5) combo can also be used to keep opponents off of points in SPvP.
- Don't use Banish (4) after Ring of Warding (5) if you're trying to keep enemies away from you; the enemy will fly into the ring and bounce back inside.
The hammer offers solo Guardians an effective way to handle packs of mobs, damage included, and Zealot's Embrace (3) + Ring of Warding (5) can be used to keep your enemies away from you while you catch your breath with Virtue of Resolve. Against single targets, all of that AoE power feels wasted, though. While not particularly versatile, the hammer's exceptional AoE control and damage abilities are worth bringing.
In SPvP, the hammer is beyond powerful; it is capable of keeping single foes -- or even small groups, with good aim -- off a point for twice as long as necessary to neutralize it. Combine that with Banish (4), which lets the Guardian expel a single foe from the point, and you have a weapon that seems to have been tailored specifically for point control. I highly recommend the hammer as a control weapon to complement some other weapon set.
The outlook for a hammer in WvWvW isn't as rosy, however, since it is a melee, short-range control weapon. Two of its skills, however, can be used to prevent group of foes from crossing a choke. Even Banish (4) can be used to remove annoyingly disruptive melees from your group on the off-chance that there are any. Additionally, if the Guardian can wade his way toward a keep door, he can swing at it a few times to drop a Symbol of Protection (1) that will assist the players manning the battering rams. A frustrating weapon to use, maybe, since auto-attacking is usually out of the question, but it isn't the worst option.
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The staff is a utility weapon, plain and simple. Its auto-attack is a mid-range AoE, it has a short-cooldown symbol that grants swiftness, and a ward spell. Staves also offer instant AoE healing from Orb of Light (2) and "instant" AoE healing at the end of the channel of Empower (4).
- Wave of Wrath (1) is easy to hit enemies with; make sure you always have it active in combat. Death by a thousand papercuts!
- The trajectory of Orb of Light (2) can be difficult to master, especially since the orb will dissipate if it hits an object or even the ground. Areas of variable slope make this ability notoriously unreliable.
- The most reliable way to utilize Orb of Light (2) is to tap it twice to immediately detonate it, transforming the ability into a much more consistent PBAoE.
- Drop Symbol of Swiftness (3) before you need to start moving to squeeze a few extra seconds of swiftness out of it. This is especially relevant in SPvP just before the game starts (cast at ~5 seconds to start) and when your team is about to finish capturing a point and is going to move on to the next one.
- Begin channeling Empower (4) just before a fight starts to build stacks of Might and heal initial damage dealt to you or your team, while also increasing the odds of successfully completing the entire channel.
- Channeling Empower (4) during any PvP mode makes the Guardian a crowd-control magnet, so watch out! Bring some form of stability if you need to ensure this ability can complete its channel.
- Line of Warding (5) is great to throw ahead of runners, keep enemies off of points, stop enemies at a choke, frustrate idiots...the possibilities are endless!
Staves fall short in solo play, due mostly to the AoE-support and utility role they fill. The auto-attack, while having a sizable AoE, does a relatively small amount of damage to each target. Thus, killing a single target is aggravatingly slow and will leave most Guardians wondering, "Why am I using this weapon?" I suppose it's a decent weapon for traveling, though, with Symbol of Swiftness (3); Orb of Light (2) can be double-tapped to self-heal while running away. Line of Warding (5) is great for preventing monsters from following you, because they will almost always run into it more than once. With these traits combined, the staff can have a purpose in solo combat -- as long as that purpose is to get out of it!
In SPvP or small group settings, the staff has some relevance. While it is far from strong without a large group, having allies to affect and enemies to deflect gives the staff purpose. With one to three allies around, the staff works essentially the same way as it does in WvWvW, except that it will be less impactful.
The staff is almost certainly the best weapon for a Guardian in WvWvW, due to the nature of its powerful control ability, Line of Warding (5). The wall was changed in BWE2 to have a casting range instead of placing the wall right in front of the Guardian; this makes the staff even more potent in WvWvW, though it was a Guardian's best option to begin with. Orb of Light (2) is also an excellent healing ability to support the players next to the door, as it is a ranged skill-shot. Empower (4) grants allies might during the channel and (while this might be a bug) the heal does not have an AoE cap. With literally every ability the staff has being stellar in such a large group, it would be insane to choose another weapon over this one without some other specific strategy in mind.
