Guardian - Radiant Greatsword

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The community gave this build a rating, making it top-tier: Great.

Focused on: Solo content, Events, Direct damage, Control, Survival.

Designed for:

Open World

This build is up to date as of October 5, 2019.

Overview

A Guardian build for open world. This build deals extremely high burst damage and has excellent defensive skills allowing it to stay alive.

Skill Bar

GreatswordHealingUtilityElite

Sword/Focus

Weapon Variants

• Your second weapon set is fairly flexible. Sword/Focus is suggested because it provides a good mix of defense, AoE damage, and mobility. Depending on what you need, you can run Hammer (crowd control), Scepter (ranged and high damage on bosses), and/or Shield (crowd control and projectile defense).
• You can carry a Staff for tagging mobs in open world farming.

Skill Variants

Healing Skills

• - defensive option. You can cancel the animation but keep the block by stowing your weapon during the cast. However, you won't receive any healing if you do this.

Utility Skills

• - grants more retaliation for boss fights where you can't proc much.
• - more crowd control.
• - if you need condition cleanse.
• - if you need to reflect projectiles.
• - alternative projectile defense option.
• - long-lasting swiftness while running.

Elite Skills

• - more damage.

Specializations

Variants

• - if running or .

Honor Variant

When soloing extremely dangerous enemies such as Heart of Thorns hero challenges or Queen's Gauntlet bosses, it's sometimes worth running Honor instead of Virtues. This is a significant damage loss but allows you to dodge more often.

Equipment

Ascended gear and stat infusions are not required; you can use exotic gear with the same stats.

Standard Equipment

The Standard Variant uses similar gear to the Dragonhunter - Power DPS build for fractals and raids. This makes it a good general-purpose gear set.

6x

Superior Rune of the Scholar

Variants

• provides high sustain at the cost of damage.
• Use over if you primarily farm Events.
• is superior to against groups of mobs. It is not recommended for solo content.
• is a powerful option, especially for solo content. If you run these runes, replace with .

Optimal Damage Variant

The Optimal Damage Variant is the best damage gear for this build. It's overkill in most cases and is only recommended for players that prefer the glass cannon playstyle.

6x

Superior Rune of the Flame Legion

18x

Mighty +5 Agony Infusion

Variants

• provides high sustain at the cost of damage.
• is a valid replacement for depending on preference.
• Use over if you primarily farm Events.
• is superior to against groups of mobs. It is not recommended for solo content.
• is a powerful option, especially for solo content. If you run these runes, replace with .

Marauder/Valkyrie Variant

For a tankier option you can run the Marauder Variant. You will lose some damage but gain a moderate boost to health. This variant is recommended for most Open World players.

6x

Superior Rune of the Flame Legion

18x

Mighty +5 Agony Infusion

Variants

• provides high sustain at the cost of damage.
• Use if you primarily farm Events instead of Solo Content.
• is a good alternative to Flame Legion runes for this variant.
• is a powerful option, especially for solo content. If you run these runes, replace with .
• If ascended Valkyrie trinkets are difficult for you to obtain, use exotic or ascended Maruader trinkets instead.

Knights/Valkyrie Variant

This works similar to the Marauder Variant but is for players without access to the Heart of Thorns expansion. Use this if you prefer extra survivability.

6x

Superior Rune of the Flame Legion

18x

Mighty +5 Agony Infusion

Variants

• provides high sustain at the cost of damage.
• Use if you primarily farm Events instead of Solo Content.
• is a good alternative to Flame Legion runes for this variant.
• is a powerful option, especially for solo content. If you run these runes, replace with .

Consumables

Food

• is a fantastic food for farming open world. It's cheap, provides a moderate boost to both damage and survivability, and increases magic find significantly.
• or
  for more damage.
• is the best budget food in most cases.
  is also a good budget option.
• for more dodges.
• for more healing.
• is a great option when you do not need any extra damage or sustain.

Utility

• or
  is your best damage option.
• is a great budget option.

Usage

Damage

• Your main damage skills are , , , , , and . Swap between your weapons using these skills whenever possible, and fill with autoattacks.
  • Never interrupt your autoattack chain as all the damage is loaded in the last hit.
• Retaliation is a massive damage boost so you should try to have it up as much as possible. Your main retaliation sources are , , , and
  • resets off every kill thanks to .
  • In long fights where you can't reset you can consider bringing and traiting .
• If you want more stacks of might; Consider using instead of . Choosing Either of them will not cost you any loss of damage.
• Try to fight enemies in your symbols to get the stacking damage buff from .
• If using , try not to get hit (ง ͠° ͟ل͜ ͡°)ง

Defense

• is a powerful defensive skill.
• , , and blind enemies.
• , and can be used against projectiles.
• Activating gives aegis, protection, retaliation, stability, and a stun break.
• You can run for more active defense.
• is a 3-second invulnerability skill that also refreshes and .
• Remember to always dodge and sidestep attacks if possible. Don't get hit by anything you can move out of.

Sustain

• This build doesn't have much sustained healing unless you have , so avoiding damage is extremely important in long fights.
• Use to heal yourself for each enemy you hit.
• When at extremely low health, activate , then use for an immense amount of self-healing.
• You can activate for an emergency heal and condition cleanse.
• For a big condition cleanse, use while in a light field.

Crowd Control

• Binding Blade

  ¾

  25

  Binding Blade

  Throw blades at your foes, causing damage over time. Bound foes can be pulled to you. The effect ends when a foe moves out of range.

  Damage: 369

  Number of Targets: 5

  Maximum Blade Duration: 10 seconds

  Maximum Leash Range: 600

  Combo Finisher: Whirl
    
  Pull

  ¾

  Pull

  Pull your foes to you.

  Leash Range: 600

  Range: 600
• (as a last resort)