Update 2.1 – Guardian Class Changes

When we first started to look at the Guardian we went through feedback from the community and compiled lists of what the players did and did not like. We decided to do it a bit differently this time around by not introducing any big changes to the Guardian's playstyle.

One thing we saw from the feedback gathered was that the Juggernaut feat tree was clearly inferior to that of the Tempest in the eyes of the community. While these trees still are centered on different weapons, we wanted the Juggernaut tree to be a more viable choice for Guardians. The tree should be able to have a similar threat potential in groups as a Tempest, and it should also offer a viable build for PvP.

Stratagems, Tactics and Maneuvers have undergone a change. We decided to reduce the amount of these abilities, while making the remaining abilities more interesting.


Bloody Vengeance

Bloody Vengeance has been changed into an innate combo. Since the combo was designed for both types of weapons we chose to move it out from the feat trees. The modifications to the cooldown and increase to damage from the Vengeance counter have been adjusted, and it will now also consume the entire counter when used.



Juggernaut

New Feats:

• Shield Mastery and Improved Shield Mastery. Shield Mastery grants the player two new combos, Shield Strike and Shield Slam, while the Improved Shield Mastery improves these. Shield Strike is a one-step stun combo. This is improved by lowering the cooldown of the combo. Shield Slam is a combo that does low damage, while generating a high amount of threat. This is improved by further increasing the threat produced.
• Call to Arms – Grants the guardian a higher amount of hate generated when active, while the team gains a boost to their damage.
• Savage Strikes - This feat increases the Guardian’s Combat Rating.
• Enraged Spirit. Augments the weapon damage bonus granted by the guardian's Wrath stack. The initial effect is increased by +20% for each point invested in the feat.
• Brutal Overreach – This feat grants an ability that gives your Overreach combos higher damage, and a higher chance of hitting critically for a short time.
• Retribution - This feat gives the Guardian a chance to increase the Vengeance stack when being hit.
• Ability - Powerhouse - This ability increases the guardian's Weapon Damage and Critical Rating. While this effect is active the guardian's critical hits will also increase his Critical Bonus Damage for a short time.

Feat Changes:

• Savage Counterstrike - Increase to the retaliatory damage of Counterstrike has been changed to 5/10/15/20/25 %. Up from 2/4/6/8/10.
• Battle Cry and Ardent Battle - The stamina regain effect from this ability will now tick 4 times. Up from 3.
• Cry of Havoc - This ability now gives an increased amount of threat when additional ranks are feated.
• Morale Boost - Increased the team effect of stamina drained by Plexus Strike.
• Brutal Blows - The Critical Chance has been increased to 10%. Up from 2.5%. Now also includes the Dulling Blow and Overreach combo lines.
• Stand Your Ground - The Stand Your Ground ability now allows guardians to knock back full plate targets, while also making them immune to such knock backs for a short period of time. The snare component has been removed.
• Improved Dulling Blow - The duration of the Evade Chance effect has been increased to match the debuff effect of the Dulling Blow combo.
• Titanic Smash have been moved out of the final 11 point feat line, and been changed to a high damage combo, with increased chance of performing critical Hits.
• Strike and Guard – Increased the Damage Deflection of Strike and Guard to 6/10/14/18/24 %. Up from 3/4/5/6/8. Slightly increased damage of the Combo Finisher.
• Juggernaut - Juggernaut is now a purely defensive ability. While active it grants the user CC resistances, Armor, Protection, and a small amount of health.

Feats Removed:

• Bloody Vengeance - Bloody Vengeance has been changed to an innate combo.
• Forced March
• Drive them Back
• Sacrifice
• Bleeding Counterstrike
• Bleeding Dulling Blow

Tempest

New Feats:

• Ability - Intimidating Shout – Grants the guardian the ability to unleash an intimidating shout, inflicting Traumatic Wounds to the closest four enemies.
• Precise Attacks - This feat increases the Guardian’s Armor Penetration.
• Fortitude - This feat increases the guardians combat rating by a percentage of his constitution.
• Subterfuge - When dropping below 30% health, the guardian gains an increased evade and immunity chance for 10 seconds. This Effect is limited to once every 40 seconds.

Feat Changes:

• Revenge – Damage gained increased to 5/10/15/20/25%.
• Up from 3/6/9/12/15%.
• Disarming Aggression - Damage gained increased to 4/8/12%.
• Up from 3/6/9%. Hate Reduction in Frenzy stance increased to 10/20/30%.
• Up from 10/18/25%.
• Sweep the Field - Feat changed to be 2 points. Down from 3. This combo now increases the distance the Stagger combo line knock back a target.
• Skewer - Further ranks of this feat will now increase the duration of the Skewered effect.
• Riposte – Riposte is now a 1-point Feat and has been moved out of the Lightning Reflexes feat-line. A particle effect is now played when the Guardian evades indicating when riposte will do greatly increased damage.
• Defiance - Defiance will now do 2 ticks for 5% of the Guardian's health. Up from 4 ticks of 2%.
• Vengeance is Mine – This feat will now also grant a 10% chance per rank of triggering the Vengeance effect whenever the guardian does a critical hit.
• Lightning Reflexes now grants an ability that greatly increases the guardians Evade Chance for a short while. In addition when this effect ends the guardian will receive a damage bonus based on the number of times evaded.

Feats Removed:

• Bleeding Revenge
• Eye for an Eye
• Combat Mastery Stratagem

Combo Changes

• Overreach - Two new ranks of Overreach are now given out at levels 44 and 68.
• Bloody Vengeance - Bloody Vengeance is now innate at level 50, and still usable by both weapon types. The animations have changed so that pole arm and sword and shield will be closer to each other in damage. Bloody Vengeance will now consume the guardian's Vengeance Stack. Gains from the Vengeance stack have been reduced.
• Storm Strike - Storm Strike has had it's cooldown lowered, and now also has an increased chance of critically hitting the target.
• Riposte - When the guardian has the combo Riposte trained he will now see a particle effect played when he evades.
• Counterstrike - The retaliatory damage done by Counterstrike has been increased. Additionally any targets that were not hit by the original combo will still be hit by a lower amount of retaliatory damage when hitting the guardian.
• Guard - The amount of Armor gained while the Guarded effect is active has been slightly lowered when using lower ranks of this combo.
• Disable - Disable will now in addition increase the guardians Fatality Chance for a short time after being used.
• Dulling Blow - Dulling Blow now decreases the targets Hit Rating instead of Combat Rating.
• Plexus Strike - Increased the stamina drained.
• Guard Destroyer III – Fixed the 'on hit' effect of Guard Destroyer III.
• Strike and Guard - Removed the Stun from this combo. The stun is now utilized by the combo Shield Strike. Increased the Damage Deflection gained when the effect from this combo is active.

Ability Changes

• Stratagems have been removed from the Game.
• Tactics are now long term abilities that give +mitigation/+hate/+damage.
• Maneuvers are now long term abilities that give +evade/+cc resistance/+protection.