Guardian gets detailed for Guild Wars 2

News by Stephany Nunneley-Jackson Former News Editor

Published on Jan. 27, 2011

As promised last week, ArenaNet has released details on the Guardian profession for Guild Wars 2.

Calling it the "devoted fighter who calls upon powerful virtues to smite enemies and protect allies," this profession can dispatch enemies just as easily with a staff as he would a two-handed hammer. He relies on tactical damage, and can pull aggro off members of his party at the risk of his own defenses to achieve victory.

Guardians have passive benefits which he can pass over to his allies, making him an "excellent supportive fighter," when leading an assault or flanking. Virtues used in combat are: Justice, Courage, and Resolve .These passive benefits, when extended to allies will disable the Guard's own own passive ability until the activated virtue has finished recharging.

Justice—Every fifth attack causes burning. Use this skill to make nearby allies' next attacks cause burning. (This disables your Justice for 30 seconds.)
Courage—Every 30 seconds you are granted Aegis, blocking the next attack. Use this skill to apply Aegis to all nearby allies. (This disables your Courage for 120 seconds.)
Resolve—You regenerate health. Use this skill to remove conditions and apply Regeneration to all nearby allies. (This disables your Resolve for 120 seconds.)

There are also special skill types attributed to the Guard:

Spirit Weapons—The guardian can summon spirit weapons to fight at his side for a limited time. Spirit weapons cannot be attacked by enemies and can be commanded to inflict a powerful attack before disappearing. For example, Hammer of Wisdom can be summoned to fight alongside a guardian, then commanded to knock down an enemy and vanish.

Symbols—The guardian places symbols on the ground, where they inflict damage to enemies or deliver a benefit to allies. Symbols persist for a few seconds and then go away. For instance, Symbol of Faith is a hammer attack that leaves a transient symbol on the ground, giving allies the Vigor boon.

Wards—A ward is a marked area on the ground that stops enemies from passing through while allowing allies to move freely. For example, a staff-wielding guardian can create a Line of Warding in front of him that keeps enemies from reaching the allies behind him.

Aegis—Guardians are adept in the use of Aegis, a removable boon that blocks the next attack. Guardians have access to this boon through the virtue of Courage.

Weapons can be a mix of melee and magic. The Guard can choose between the following: