Lower Level Guardian AA question

[Ironba]

<DIV>Greetings,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>  I am currently a 32nd level Guardian.  I have only spent one of my eight AA.  I placed it into the Bind Wounds ability because I thought it helpful seeing as I solo mostly.  I do not plan to be a Raid MT ever.  I just enjoy the idea of being a two-legged tank.  I love the look of my tower shield and do not really wish to give it up for a buckler.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As I said earleir, I solo mostly but do group up on occasion.  I have heard that Beserkers are better for solo'ing.  But I truly do not wish to be one.  I enjoy the entire idea of being a Guardian and will not change.  In closing, do any of you have a suggestion as to where my AA might be wisely placed?  Thank you all for taking the time to read this.</DIV>

[Judist]

<P>I suggest you go down the STA line, 4-4-8-8 which will give you plenty of extra DPS. Plus it'll help make the buckler a viable option for a shield with 8 in STA-D. If your never gonna be a raid tank then this is great.</P> <P>Then either the STR or INT lines. 4-4-8-8.</P> <P>STR will offer crits and hate (better for grouping alot)<BR>INT will offer haste and parry (great for lasting longer when soloing)</P> <P> </P> <P> </P> <P> </P> <P> </P>

[Ironba]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> BeatinGuts wrote:<BR> <P>I suggest you go down the STA line, 4-4-8-8 which will give you plenty of extra DPS. Plus it'll help make the buckler a viable option for a shield with 8 in STA-D. If your never gonna be a raid tank then this is great.</P> <P>Then either the STR or INT lines. 4-4-8-8.</P> <P>STR will offer crits and hate (better for grouping alot)<BR>INT will offer haste and parry (great for lasting longer when soloing)</P> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE>I understand the reasoning for the build you suggest.  But i truly enjoy the look of a tower shield and the idea of it.  I think I'll head up the STR line first becasue I love my Axe as well.  After STR I'll head up the INT line.  Thank you for your input my friend.  I'm 4-4 in STR now.<BR>

[Terron]

I have most soloed with my guard, who is currently level 62. When grouped you need to emphasize your strengths as a specialist, but when when solo you need to address those weaknesses that will get you killed. Which for a guard is our DPS, The buckler path is probably the best for that, but I too have decided against it. My decision is partly on stylistic grounds and partly because I have a fairly good tower shield (T6 fabled). I went 4-4-4-4-1 in strength and am now working on the slaughtering ones of the EoF abilities aiming for the 10% double attack. The final ability in the strength line is useless in groups or raids, but when solo it kicks in when most needed and can turn close fights around. Its not a must have, but does seem to be useful for a solo guard. <div></div>

[Jackula]

<div></div><div></div>The biggest aid to me as a guardian who quests alot (quest often = solo) is our 25% heal AA (first AA choice for all warriors) and the 76% double attack on autoattacks from the buckler line.  The hardest obstacle youhave to overcome soloing as a guardian is lower dps.  It is very worth it. Got an add and you're likely to die?   Haven't hit it yet?  Use Bind Wounds.  Have hit it already?   Break combat and use Bind Wounds.  You won't be able to use HOs but if it's the difference between living or dying, you can fall back on that "trick".4-4-8 invested into the buckler line after you spend your first AA point will make all your soloing much easier.  I'm not overly keen on the look of many bucklers (EoF brought a few new cool looking ones) but there is nothing that will help your damage output more than investing 4-4-8 into the line.  You won't find a bigger boost to your dps for 16 points than those 16 points will offer.  You of course don't have to use it, but it is the biggest help around for a solo guardian.  A buckler may be smaller, but it offers alot more to your killing power than any tower shield or one hander you're going to find.  I suggest you forget about looks and give it a try.  It was like going from night to day.  There isn't anything you're going to tank while solo or for a group that you can't tank with a buckler.Switching from a tower shield to a buckler (with those 16 AA points) is like peeling one tiny protective piece of plating off the backdoor of a real life tank and exchanging it for a second turret.<div></div><p><span class="date_text"></span><span class="time_text"></span></p><p>Message Edited by countjackula on <span class=date_text>12-28-2006</span> <span class=time_text>02:21 PM</span>

[Oneira]

I agree with the other posters that a viable option is to go down the STA line for better DPS, and switch out your buckler for a tower when the situation requires it.As a 50 Guardian I went down the STA line 4-4-8-8, and now I'm going down the WIS line 4-4-4-4-8.  The final ability in the WIS, which eliminates all minuses from your off and def stance is looking better and better to me.  Off stance with no -def or Def stance with no -crushing, slashing, piercing and ranged seems like it could make  real difference at higher levels when the minuses and plusses to your stance increase.  Plus being on a PvP server, to fight other players from the Off stance for good DPS at no penalty to def is makes a big, big difference.   <div></div>

[TuinalOfTheNexus]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Oneira wrote:<BR>I agree with the other posters that a viable option is to go down the STA line for better DPS, and switch out your buckler for a tower when the situation requires it.<BR><BR>As a 50 Guardian I went down the STA line 4-4-8-8, and now I'm going down the WIS line 4-4-4-4-8.  <BR><BR>The final ability in the WIS, which eliminates all minuses from your off and def stance is looking better and better to me.  Off stance with no -def or Def stance with no -crushing, slashing, piercing and ranged seems like it could make  real difference at higher levels when the minuses and plusses to your stance increase.  Plus being on a PvP server, to fight other players from the Off stance for good DPS at no penalty to def is makes a big, big difference.   <BR> <BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P><BR>I don't play PvP so I can't criticise your reasoning there, but the wis line is generally pretty worthless in PvE. Belly smash is useless against epics, 380 mit is negligible under the new system, and I'm not so sure about the ~20 C/S/P the end line would give you - since we group buff C/S/P, hitting yellows really isn't a problem, and it's rare you fight at orange con at 70. If it's an epic, then you can just shuffle a warden into the MT group for 50 points of C/S/P.</P> <P>As other people have said, the buckler line is the best choice by a mile for a solo Guardian (or really any Guard that isn't a raid MT, and even then there's still a case for it).</P> <P>If you really want to stick with the tower shield, max melee crits in the Str line, and put 4-8 into int for the big haste buff.</P>

[TerabithianWhisperwi]

I'm going str (4,4,5,4,<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> and wis (4,4,4,4,<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />. I chose the wis line for the DPS increase and the end ability of removing penalites to the stances. I solo alot, and cannot rely on buffs to make up the difference, so removing these penalities is pretty sweet for me. I chose the str line for the melee crit boost, the str boost, the axe attack (so so) and the end ability, which grants a significant boost to my offensive output if I'm under 50% health. (again, I solo alot)

[Terron]

I have STR 44448 and the final ability is nice when soloing. I haven't been able to decide whether to go for haste or multi-attack, so I have been going for the EoF Slaughter line aiming for the 10% double attack. The extra damage on various CAs and the extra single target CA mean there is no waste on the way. <div></div>

[Rexorn]

<P>Hello there,</P> <P>My guardian solos a lot as well.  Chose the STR line and the INT line.  Really liking the bonuses to parry and attack speed that the INT line provides.</P> <P>I used to have the buckler line but now INT and a tower shield pretty much negates the need for that.</P> <P>Stay safe,</P>