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  1. #1
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    How to get happy as a supporter?

    Well after a long break I tried GW2 again but after a few days I got the same feeling I got before leaving it in the first place.

    I play a guardian with a Staff / Scepter & Focus combo, in a clerics armor and with consecration spells, because the shouts have a too low radius for my taste.

    The problem now is that this is actually the way I would like to play my guardian, but I feel completly useless... In PvE I´m just a burden for my group since "DMG bigger then everything else" and in PvP or WvW it also feels like I would be a better help if I would use my staff only before battles and then use some kind of DMG weapon with damage focused armor.

    Is the only way to have fun with my guardian to play him like everybody else out there or am I missing something completly as a supporter?

    P.S.: little add. I´m not afraid to do dmg besides supporting but i just dont want to focus on pure dmg and "a little bit of support".

  2. #2
    Deleted
    I hear ya. I'm pretty sad that support is so... useless in GW2. In any other MMO I always ended up playing the priest/supporter. I enjoy being the supportive one of the group.

    My boyfriend plays a supportive guardian. He uses that build mostly in high level Fractals. I've found it very useful there. Other than that, he doesn't use it that much. It's a pretty solid build though, it took three people to kill him in pvp... but it doesn't work for damage, no. So as long as everyone can keep his ass safe, you're not needed as a support.

  3. #3
    Deleted
    *sigh* maybe I´m gonna level up another character, which I think, I would enjoy as damage dealer and then focus on another MMO as my main MMO while playing here and there a little bit GW 2 with the people I like.

    Thanks for your answer Silver :3

  4. #4
    Merely a Setback PACOX's Avatar
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    Support characters work best in pvp. A support character in PVE is someone who can maintain offensives boons like Might/fury or maintain defensive conditions like blinds/vulnerability. A guardian can do both. You'll have to drop the shield and scepter for a hammer.greatsword, but you can definitely fill that role without hurting your group. Guardians are also loved for their condition removals ie traiting condi removal when you use a shout, which also amounts to boons for your group.

  5. #5
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by pacox View Post
    Support characters work best in pvp. A support character in PVE is someone who can maintain offensives boons like Might/fury or maintain defensive conditions like blinds/vulnerability.
    Yeah but that would mean I have to play the Guardian the way I dont want him to be in the first place. Its not a supportive playstyle I like, its just a normal damage playstyle with some side benefits like boons and debuffs. The whole Clerics armor doesnt make any sense and I would have like to be him not in melee range.

    Looks like I hade false hopes about the opportunitys in this game (like a Cleric Guardian NOT in melee range :/ )

  6. #6
    All support characters are normal damage playstyle with 'side benefits' but those side benefits can be pretty huge. Hammer guardians can provide permanent Protection and healing to anyone who sits inside your huge symbols, blast it on their own for area Retaliation, and put out very solid damage.

    And yes, guardians are a heavy class. They're supposed to be up close and personal, even with their ranged weapons.
    If you are particularly bold, you could use a Shiny Ditto. Do keep in mind though, this will infuriate your opponents due to Ditto's beauty. Please do not use Shiny Ditto. You have been warned.

  7. #7
    Deleted
    Thank you for your help.

    I tried it now with a melee support build. I live longer, i do more dmg (& kill more) and even give more offensive support to my allies.
    Feels similar to the Skald from DAoC... but this is not what I want to play

    Looks like I have to reroll cause I WANT to use a staff as a main weapon.

    Right now I´m torn between this Ele Build and this Mesmer Build. I fear that a Power equip will not work with the Staff Mesmer.

  8. #8
    And yes, guardians are a heavy class. They're supposed to be up close and personal, even with their ranged weapons.
    This is a common misconception about heavy's in this game. Heavy type armor in this game offer minimal better defenses to the point where you won't see a difference. Guardian can get up close and personal and take a hit because they can be built to do that, but so can every other melee spec that is not heavy.

    -Mesmers evade and block
    -Rangers evade (but nobody melee rangers in pve)
    -Necros have leeching and higher base HP and death shroud

    Though nobody is going to stay in melee forever. Not even guardians or warriors. So lets not go into heavy's = up close and personal because that's just not true it all comes down to specs.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Looks like I have to reroll cause I WANT to use a staff as a main weapon.
    Because staff isn't designed to be a main weapon. It is a support weapon. The support it offers is CC, might and heals. Can you use this? Yes there are some guardian builds that do this in PvE but you won't stay in staff for long.

    Right now I´m torn between this Ele Build and this Mesmer Build. I fear that a Power equip will not work with the Staff Mesmer.
    Are you trying to PvE with that mesmer build?
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  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by zito View Post
    -Rangers evade (but nobody melee rangers in pve)

    Though nobody is going to stay in melee forever. Not even guardians or warriors. So lets not go into heavy's = up close and personal because that's just not true it all comes down to specs.
    If you're not in melee as a ranger you're simply not a good ranger and deserve a hard kick in the nuts.

    The staff ele build you linked is horrible. Cleansing wave is not worth the 10points since staff ele relies on Fire attunement to deal damage. So you're swapping to water to remove a condition and then you can't do anything for 10s.

    There's two better alternatives
    1. http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vEAQFAW...AEUwoQHiHWcBEA if you need vulnerability
    2. http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vEAQFAW...HDQQBjCdIUYBEA for more DPS

    You're trying to use one build for all content which simply won't work.
    In most cases, I understand the other side's viewpoint and how they came to it, but cannot tolerate their stubbornness to not see mine (the right one).

  10. #10
    Oh yea forgot about GS ranger

    He also has no blast finishers for that ele build so that fury on blast finisher trait is wasted.
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  11. #11
    Not GS, people use sword/wh.
    And if you cared to read you'd notice that it also makes firefields last longer so it's not wasted at all.
    In most cases, I understand the other side's viewpoint and how they came to it, but cannot tolerate their stubbornness to not see mine (the right one).

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Meledelion View Post
    Not GS, people use sword/wh.
    And if you cared to read you'd notice that it also makes firefields last longer so it's not wasted at all.
    So burning retreat and lava font? Not worth it if you are going to ignore the other half of the trait which is blast finisher = group fury
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  13. #13
    You do realise that lava font is the highest DPS skill in the game if you exclude FGS rush trick right?
    He can easily take 2 Blast finishers, arcane brilliance and arcane wave. You have a third one namely Eruption (earth 2) which you can start out with.
    If you add all that up you have 50s of Fury before you run out of Blast finishers (for 10s), but sure it's not worth it...
    In most cases, I understand the other side's viewpoint and how they came to it, but cannot tolerate their stubbornness to not see mine (the right one).

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Meledelion View Post
    You do realise that lava font is the highest DPS skill in the game if you exclude FGS rush trick right?
    He can easily take 2 Blast finishers, arcane brilliance and arcane wave. You have a third one namely Eruption (earth 2) which you can start out with.
    If you add all that up you have 50s of Fury before you run out of Blast finishers (for 10s), but sure it's not worth it...
    Yes he can add blast finishers, but I was going off his spec where he picked up the trait with zero blast finishers so the 2 sec extra field for one skill is wasted but if he adds some blast finishers it would go much better.

    Seriously mel calm down.
    Pokemon FC: 4425-2708-3610

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  15. #15
    Banned Lazuli's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Meledelion View Post
    You do realise that lava font is the highest DPS skill in the game if you exclude FGS rush trick right?
    He can easily take 2 Blast finishers, arcane brilliance and arcane wave. You have a third one namely Eruption (earth 2) which you can start out with.
    If you add all that up you have 50s of Fury before you run out of Blast finishers (for 10s), but sure it's not worth it...
    You mean the bug where you can interrupt rush with teleport and cause its whole damage + massive burst in like a split second? First time I ran into this was in hotjoin when I was just doing my daily.. I was like what. the. fuck. just . happened.????

    They did mention it is getting fixed in the up coming update I believe.

    So fuckin crazy how different people build in hotjoin vs team arena.

  16. #16
    @Zito
    I didn't look at his utility skills since I assume people have brains and are smart enough to put in the correct options (there's only 4 anyway)


    @Lazuli
    No, the trick is to just use FGS 4 without a target into a wall which does basically the same thing but is considered "legit" by a-net.

    The glitch is if you use rush and then a teleport skill you'll stop rushing forward which has the same effect but normally you should keep rushing forward after teleporting.

    They have the same effect but one isn't OK'd by a-net.
    In most cases, I understand the other side's viewpoint and how they came to it, but cannot tolerate their stubbornness to not see mine (the right one).

  17. #17
    Merely a Setback PACOX's Avatar
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    If you want to play support you're just going to have to accept that scepter isn't a support weapon. Guardians are largely a melee to medium range class. Staff does give you the option to support in WVW. You can do quite a but of raid heals/buffs and CC (line of warding). You will be a cleric guardian at medium range. I've done it before. Not my playstyle but it is viable.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Meledelion View Post
    You're trying to use one build for all content which simply won't work.
    Well its true since I play everything a game has offer to me. In a month it shouldnt be a problem anymore since they said you can respec anytime and so.

    So my focus is mainly on WvW, PvE and Dungeons. PvP depends on my mood. If I would have choose one of those I would say its WvW support.

    It is not my goal to be the highest dpser in the group. I still want to have my supportive site (even if its not that much as i wished it would be). I also dont want to stay on fire attument the whole day because I think that would be extremly boring.

    If a random and I go through the WvW map I want to be a helping hand to him without being useless. Thats why I thought stuff like Cleansing Wave would be a good idea.

    Now there is also a question about the gear... Healing Power makes 0 sense as Staff Ele even in WvW (it just doesnt help much) or do I miss something? What stats should I focus on when I dont want to be in pure berserker gear?

    @Zito well it would be for everything :3 but the mesmer idea somehow died for me because it would mean I have to use a GS with him or go on contidions what are quite weak in PvE.

    Thank you all for your advices.

  19. #19
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    Question, why do you like to play a pure ''support'' build? Like what is your thrive to do so?

    The goal in PvE is killing things. Everyone is trying to maximize their or their group's damage output and staying alive which they can do with their own abilities or dodging (for the most part anyway). A staff does terrible damage but has it's uses by giving you and your allies a high amount of Might stacks. Scepter and focus has nothing support-wise besides an immobilize which I wouldn't really consider a ''support'' skill either and a tiny regeneration which you can't really control. You aren't increasing your group's damage output by anything but Empowering Might and doing very low damage yourself meanwhile.

    Now we have that out of the way, I consider myself a ''support'' Guardian as well but I do it in a completely different way. I pretty much always use a Greatsword not only because it's one of the strongest weapons, but also because Binding Blade allows me to group up mobs so me and the rest of my group is able to cleave/AoE them down. This by itself allows me to increase my group's damage by an absolute ton if mobs are otherwise out of range. All of this is in full berserker gear for again, maximum damage output.

    For the following I can't take full credit, as it's a somewhat altered version of my WoW guildie's build. But this is what you are probably interested in. For my traits I wll be blinding mobs every time I use Virtue of Justice, Virtue of Justice is reset every time I kill a mob, and Virtue of Justice applies 3 stacks of might when used. This means I will be stacking tons of might for me and my group along with constantly blinding mobs around me to help me and my group stay alive. I also grant might to myself and allies whenever I crit which is just awesome in berserker gear. Again following the same strategy as my last paragraph, I'm maximizing my damage output (for the most part, more on that later) while also increasing my group's damage. My utility skills are almost always shouts to either increase me or my groups damage output or help me or my group survive. The range isn't an issue because people should either be stacked up on me or nearby in dungeons or fractals. The only thing I often swap out is my defensive shout Save Yourselves for Wall of Reflection wherever needed. A Guardian who just wants to do maximum personal DPS will be using a build that runs with a one-handed sword and very specific traits to support that weapon. I chose a path where I sacrifice a small bit of my own DPS to increase my groups DPS. Anyway the whole point I was trying to make was that you can be doing proper damage while supporting at the same time.

    With all of that out of the way, I think your definition of ''support'' needs to be adjusted. You aren't supporting well if you are standing at the side and cheering people on. You are supporting well if you are helping your group. Standing at the back and waving your staff back and forth isn't helping anyone besides the Empowering Might you cast every 20 seconds.

    If it wasn't clear yet, this only applies to dungeons, fractals and general PvE. I have very little experience in WvW or even PvP in general. But if you are interested in giving your Guardian one more chance feel free to PM me and I'll share the build I'm using with you.
    Last edited by mmoc973e6c390d; 2014-03-24 at 11:17 PM.

  20. #20
    This is GW2. Where DPS is king. Like no joke....the whole game is basically, go big damage or go home. It's a result of the combat system and design Anet chose to go with.

    The only times where big damage isn't warranted is if you are a bunker in PvP......or you fill one of the tiny niche support roles in dungeons (might stacking basically), but even then you're expected to bring decent DPS.

    While I enjoyed the idea that an MMO was trying to break away from the holy trinity, at times I still feel like the game would have worked out better with at least some form of the holy trinity. Oh well, some experiments have to fail to further future progress I guess.

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