Today in this Top 5 will see the best builds for those who want to defend their party and stand in the face of the most dangerous enemies.
Keep in mind that tanks in GW2, while a great addition to any team, are not as necessary as in other MMOs and usually coincide with the support/healer build.
That said, let’s see the builds that can take a lot (or none) of hits before going down.
5. Staff Alacrity Mirage - Mesmer
The Alacrity Mirage's specializations
Staff Alacrity Mirage build details: GuildJen
Starting our Top 5, we have the Alacrity build for the Mirage.
This build is a high-evasion monster, with distortion uptime and can also provide his allies with a variety of boons like Alacrity, Might and Fury.
It can also be a ranged tank and kite some bosses or, with some minor adjustment, become a DPS.
The setup for this build is a full Viper equipment infused with six Perplexity runes, for the sweet 10% received damage reduction from confused enemies. The weapon we'll be using is the Staff, as the build's name suggests, with Demons and Energy Sigils.
What Staff Alacrity Mirage excels in:
- evasion: one of the most evasive builds in the game, the Mirage is almost untouchable;
- boons: most of your skills will buff yourself and your allies with many boons like Aegis, Alacrity and Might;
- kiting: due to its ranged nature, this build is capable of kiting some bosses like Broken King;
- CCs: if evasion is not enough, you can always CC your enemies with daze, confusion and blindness;
- versatility: if your team does not need a tank for an encounter, you can easily switch to full DPS.
Try this build if you like…:
- to feel like an untouchable presence;
- to play as a trickster;
- to debuff your enemies to death.
4. Alacrity Heal Mechanist - Engineer
The Alacrity Mecha's specializations
Alacrity Heal Mechanist build details: GuildJen
Our next build can not only tank bosses, but also give its teammates boons like Alacrity and Protection, as well as passively heal them. The Alacrity Mechanist focuses on its Jade Mech to provide team buffs, so positioning is critical.
The equipment for this build is a full set of Minstrel armor and accessory infused with Dwayna’s runes for the 20% bonus on regeneration applied.
The weapons are a Mace with a Concentration sigil and a Shield with a Transference sigil.
What Alacrity Heal Mechanist excels in:
- support: not only this build can take some punches before going down, but it can also keep their teammates alive with shields and regeneration;
- regeneration: thanks to Dwayna’s runes, its already good regeneration is even 20% more effective;
- boons: while being a ranged build, its mech will stay close to its allies, buffing them with Alacrity, Might, Protection and many others;
- self-sustain: with the use of its Med Kit, the mechanist can survive many deadly situations;
- conditions: even if it is not the main focus of this build, the Alacrity Mechanist can apply many different debuffs like burning, confusion and vulnerability.
Try this build if you like…:
- to be a ranged tank;
- to plan the positioning of your Jade Mech to gain the most of every situation;
- to sustain your allies with regeneration and protect them with barriers.
3. Power Spellbreaker - Warrior
The Power Spellbreaker's specializations
Power Spellbreaker build details: GuildJen
For This next build, we’re gonna need a full set of Berserker equipment infused with six Scholar’s runes, a Greatsword in our first weapon slot and a Dagger and an Axe in our second slot. Sigils will be Accuracy and Force on both the Greatsword and Dagger/Axe.
The Power Spellbreaker is a build that can sustain itself thanks to Full Counter and negates the damage of some bosses’ mechanics with Defiant Stance.
The focus of this build is to always burst the boss when possible to stack up Berserker’s Power and then disable it with Disrupting Stab.
What Power Spellbreaker Excels in:
- burst damage: even if it is a tank, this build can still deal tons of damage, especially in bursts;
- self-sustain: thanks to Full Counter, you can absorb an attack and counterattack all your enemies;
- negating boss mechanics: thanks to Defiant Stance you can negate all incoming damage for a short period of time, cheesing some important mechanics;
- dazing: your Disrupting Stab can interrupt your target’s attack and daze them.
Try this build if you like…:
- to be a self-sustaining powerhouse;
- interrupting enemies and negating the boss’ mechanics;
- to deal a lot of damage as a tanky build.
2. Aegis Quickness Chronomancer - Mesmer
The Quickness Chronomancer's specializations
Aegis Quickness Chronomancer build details: GuildJen
Unlike its Mirage counterpart in position 5, this Chronomancer build relies on blocks and CC rather than evasion and dodges. Able to extend the duration of the buffs on its team, this build is a very resilient tank that can adapt to most situations.
It comes equipped with a full Commander equipment infused with 6 Runes of the Defender. This will allow it to regenerate 5% of its health every time it parries an attack. For the weapons, we’ll need a Sword and Shield, with Concentration and Paralyzation sigils, in our first slot and a Scepter/Focus in our second one, with Concentration and Energy sigils.
What Aegis Quickness Chronomancer Excels in:
- block: the Aegis Chronomancer has many different skills to block and parry enemies’ attacks;
- self-sustain: thanks to the Defender’s runes, it can heal itself every time it parries an attack;
- versatility: due to its block and parry-focused nature, it can adapt to most encounters;
- CCs: should blocks not be enough, it can rely on its many CCs;
- boons: can provide its team with many valuable buffs like Aegis, to survive deadly attacks, and Quickness to speed up the skills’ cooldown.
Try this build if you like…:
- playing like a duelist able to block and parry many attacks;
- to be a resourceful and valuable addition to every team;
- to control the flow of the battle.
1. Aegis Heal Firebrand - Guardian
The Aegis Firebrand's specializations
Aegis Heal Firebrand details: GuildJen
In our final position, we not only have the best tank build, but also a very valuable healer. The Aegis Firebrand can sustain its whole team both by healing and supporting them and by sustaining itself on the front line. This build alone can provide numerous buffs such as Protection, Aegis, Quickness, Fury and Might.
The equipment for this build is a Harrier set with 6 Monk runes and Minstrel accessories, rings and amulet. The weapons, equipped with Concentration and Transference sigils, will be Axe/Shield and Staff.
What Aegis Heal Firebrand Excels in:
- healing: funny enough, this tanky build is one of the most reliable healers too, adding immense value to every team;
- versatility: thanks to its tankiness and support value, it can easily switch from tank to healer;
- utility: due to the firebrands’ nature, it possesses tons of utility in its tomes, able to always use the right skill in every situation;
- boons: this build comes equipped with many useful buffs like Aegis, Quickness and Might;
- protecting: with all the utilities it possesses, it can help its team survive the most lethal attacks.
Try this build if you like…:
- to be the most useful member of your team;
- to protect your allies on the front line and heal those on the back;
- a hard-to-learn but high-rewarding build.
Conclusions
That brings us to the end of our Top 5 Best Tank Builds in GW2.
Always keep in mind that the most important factor to consider when choosing a profession/build is that it must be enjoyable for you: if you don't enjoy it, it won't last long.
Hope I gave you some insight about the tanky builds in GW2!
