Vigilance Guardian

For the Defense discipline, Force Sweep slows the targets it damages by 60% for 10 seconds. For the Vigilance and Focus disciplines, Force Sweep and Vigilant Thrust sunder the targets they damage for 45 seconds. Sundered targets have their armor rating decreased by 20%.

A mandatory utility for DPS Guardian disciplines due to the armor debuff but should never be taken outside of PVP for Guardian tanks.

Force Leap grants Unremitting, granting immunity to movement impairing effects and effects that push or pull you around for 4 seconds.

A highly situational utility that is more useful in PVP, there are a very few select circumstances where it is useful in PVE. The most notable example is Master & Blaster Veteran Mode in the Ravagers operation, where taking Unremitting and Battlefield Command can enable solo tanking Blaster and ignoring its knockback attack via this utility.

For Vigilance and Focus, all area effect damage is reduced by 60% for 15 seconds after Challenging Call is activated. For Defense, all damage is reduced by 30% when stunned.

This utility is mandatory for Vigilance or Focus players as it makes your threat drop an incredibly powerful AoE defensive cooldown. For Defense tanks, it is highly situational for only fights with significant stun potential (e.g., Pirate Captains in Ravagers operation).

Enure removes all cleansable effects when activated.

A situational but frequently useful utility, take whenever having a self-cleanse is a key mechanic. Note that this is usually only the case with very hard hitting DoTs or status effects, or one-shot mechanics (e.g., Death Mark in Veteran Mode Dread Council). Otherwise, I would usually not take this utility in lieu of Through Peace (Focused Defense can be used to heal to full via a DoT).

Reduces the cooldown of Focused Defense by 30 seconds.

Focused Defense is a very powerful self heal and having a 25% shorter cooldown will frequently mean you can get 3 uses per fight instead of 2. I nearly always take this utility.

Force Leap enables your next Dispatch or Whirling Blade to be used against a target with any percentage of health. Lasts up to 15 seconds.

I find this utility helpful to add more DPS via more frequent use of your execute ability. That said, it only really adds significant value in fights where you will be able to periodically leap from boss to adds, where there are multiple bosses, or where bosses have transition or movement phases. This encompasses the majority of fights and so I find it useful. In fights where there is essentially no movement and no use of Force Leap outside of the initial pull, I may not take this utility and take Unyielding Justice in Legendary to get a periodic use of Force Push as a more powerful filler.

Force Leap finishes the cooldown on Force Kick. Also, Saber Reflect lasts 2 seconds longer and for tanks generates high AoE threat.

I nearly always take to improve the utility of Saber Reflect. The cooldown reset on interrupt is also highly useful for a few specific fights like Izax. On Izax Phase 3 (interrupt phase), two Guardians alone can essentially handle all the interrupts due to being to take 3 straight interrupts (Force Kick interrupt -> (dance out of melee range) -> Force Leap interrupt -> Force Kick interrupt).

Increases the range of Blade Storm to 30 meters, but Blade Storm deals reduced damage beyond 10 meters. Additionally, Force Push deals 20% more damage and grants Unyielding Justice, allowing your next Blade Storm to deal full damage regardless of the distance from the target.

This utility’s boost to Force Push makes it a higher priority filler and can increase overall DPS slightly. That said, I usually do not take this utility on any fight where I can use Saber Reflect to boost my DPS and/or mitigate sizable damage.

Consumes all ability charges and applies Force Clarity stacks to you. Each stack increases your next direct single target melee attack by 25% and is consumed whenever you deal damage with these attacks. Recharges 1 ability charge every 30 seconds.

A new offensive cooldown, it can be used in the opener to buff you heaviest hitting ability for +100% damage or used every ~30 seconds to buff an ability damage +25%.

Requires 5 Focus to activate but only consumes 1 Focus. Deals moderate elemental damage and applies a DoT that deals moderate elemental damage over 12 seconds. Resets the cooldown of Blade Barrage via the Zen Strike passive.

Highest damaging ability, Plasma Brand also has a different cooldown (12s / 8 GCDs) from the other big 3 abilities (9s / 6 GCDs) so it will float in the rotation and never be delayed more than 1 GCD.

Deals high weapon damage. Applies a DoT via the Burning Purpose passive.

Highest burst damage ability that deals some additional damage via a DoT. It should generally be used first in an opener or when swapping targets in a short duration burst window. It has the same cooldown as Blade Storm / Scream and Vigilant Thrust so should have a consistent place in the rotation and be used on cooldown.

Deals moderate kinetic damage. 30m range. Applies a DoT via the Burning Blade passive. Receives up to 100% critical chance via stacks of Force Rush via use of Plasma Brand, Overhead Slash, Vigilant Thrust or Whirling Blade.

High damage ability that should be used on cooldown. It should always be a critical hit due to its buff via the Force Rush passive ability.

Deals high energy damage to up to 8 enemies with 5 meters of the player. Spreads DoTs via the Burning Storm passive.

The last of the Big 4 abilities, this provides very high burst AoE damage and DoT spreading. However, it is still a rotational ability in single target DPS encounters. As such, it provides Vigilance with the capability to deal very high AoE damage without sacrificing any single target sustained damage. As it shares a cooldown with 2 of the other 3 key abilities, it should always be used on cooldown.

Deals high weapon damage.

High damage and free filler. It should be procced every 9s / 6 GCDs by the use of Plasma Brand, so it can be delayed for any higher priority ability so long as it is used prior to the next use of Plasma Brand.

Deals high weapon damage and slows movement speed of target by 50% for 3 seconds. Normally only usable on targets at or below 30% of max health.

High damage filler when it procs, it is not a high priority outside of the execute phase given the cooldown on it proccing again. Priority should be given to avoid its proc being wasted, otherwise can be delayed as/if needed.

Deals moderate weapon damage, generates 5 Focus, and causes the target to become Sundered (-20% armor for 45 seconds).

Main energy building ability, care should be taken to use on cooldown as often as possible without (1) delaying a key rotational ability; or (2) capping energy.

Deals moderate energy damage and knocks the target back several meters and stuns them. Force Push immediately finishes the cooldown on Force Leap. No energy cost. 10m range.

A low priority filler with a long cooldown. Force Push is only optimal as a filler to replace a use of Slash when taking the Unyielding Justice Legendary utility.

Deals moderate damage and generates 3 Focus. 30m range.

A ranged ability and energy generating ability. Use when needed as a filler. If swapping targets and Sundering Strike is on cooldown, using Saber Throw while running in or before leaping is optimal to apply the Sundered debuff to reduce the target’s armor by 20%.

Leaps to target and deals low damage. Immobilizes target for 2 seconds and interrupts its current action. Builds 4 Focus. Cannot be used against enemies in cover. 10-30m range.

Used for movement and to add a second interrupt.

Hits up to 8 enemies within 5 meters in front of you for low weapon damage.

Your spammable AoE conal ability, only use in AoE situations.

Deals low weapon damage and generates 2 Focus.

Your basic filler, only use when you are low on energy and need it for abilities. You generally should not use often in this discipline.

Deals moderate weapon damage.

Your spammable filler, you should use to spend excess energy but takes bottom priority otherwise.

Generates 6 Focus. Off-GCD ability. 45 second cooldown.

Your only energy cooldown ability.

Reflects single target ranged/force/tech abilities for 5s with Utility. Also works great to build AoE threat. Is best used for really heavy damage mechanics (e.g., Terror’s Scream) that would otherwise one-shot you. Be really careful about knowing when it will work so you don’t waste it (e.g., the Huge Grenade in HM S&V Titan 6 can’t be reflected since it’s AOE damage). 1 minute cooldown, so you can use many times during a fight.

Increases Defense by 50% and Force/Tech damage reduction by 25% for 12 seconds. It also provides a second buff, Blade Turning, that increases Melee/Ranged Defense by 100% for 2s. This cooldown is best used during damage phases that can be dodged, as it should cause you to dodge most attacks for its cooldown. The 25% damage reduction is icing on the cake, but optimal use focuses on the 50%/100% Defense boost. 2:30 cooldown.

Your “oh s**t” button, this provides a temporary self-heal and provides +15% damage reduction for 20s. Use it during heavy damage phases. 1 minute cooldown.

Usable when below 70% health, cooldown grants 12 charges that will be used one at a time to provide a small heal as damage is taken. Best used during damage phase with lots of small damage (e.g., the Tank challenge during HM Dread Palace Raptus). 10 second duration, 1:30 cooldown (2:00 without Utility).

Your threat drop reduces AOE damage by 60% for 15 seconds. This cooldown is best used during heavy AOE damage phases. 45s cooldown.

Increases defense by 100% during ability. The timing of the buff is difficult to manage during a fight, but when timed appropriately can be used to ignore various mechanics. With Saber Reflect, this makes Guardians extraordinarily strong at avoiding large one-off damage mechanics. 45s cooldown.

Your gap closer, Force Leap also provides +20% damage reduction for 4 seconds for Vigilance Guardians.