Barrier

In-game screenshot of Barrier's effect on a health orb.

Barrier is a combat mechanic introduced in the Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire expansion. It creates a health barrier that takes damage prior to the health bar. Barrier disappears 5 seconds after being applied. Applying a barrier while one is already active will add to it, but the previously-existing barrier will still disappear 5 seconds after it was originally applied. The amount of barrier generated is based on the source's healing power, and is capped at 50% of the recipient's maximum health.

Similar to healing, the barrier total a skill applies can be calculated using the following formula, where Coefficient and Base Value are parameters of the skill:

(Coefficient * Healing Power) + Base Value

It is not affected by outgoing healing modifiers.

Related skills

Weapon skills that grant barrier

•   Call of Valor — Warhorn
•   Shock Shield — Hammer
•   Lava Skin — Sword, when attuned to fire and earth
•   Molten Burst — Trident, when attuned to fire and earth

Bundle skills that grant barrier

•   Magnetic Shield — Magnetic Shield (bundle)
•   Stone Sheath — Magnetic Shield (bundle)

Healing skills that grant barrier

•   Sand Flare — Punishment

Utility skills that grant barrier

•   Bulwark Gyro — Well
•   "Protect Me!" — Command
•   Stone Resonance — Stance
•   Sand Swell — Punishment
•   Serpent Siphon — Punishment

Profession mechanic skills that grant barrier

•   Desert Shroud — Shade, Shroud
•   Sand Cascade — Shade

Mount Engage skills that grant barrier

•   Pounce upgraded with Bolster Allies

Bundle skills that deals bonus damage while having barrier

•   Crippling Shield — Magnetic Shield (bundle)

Related traits

Traits that grant barrier

• Resilient Spirit (Salvation) — Periodically gain barrier for each unique boon you have.
• Blast Shield (Explosives) — Explosive Entrance grants barrier. Gain vitality based on a percentage of your power.
• System Shocker (Scrapper) — Disabling a foe grants you barrier. Your function gyro dazes foes when cast. Disables include stun, daze, knockback, pull, knockdown, sink, float, launch, taunt, and fear.
• Impact Savant (Scrapper) — A percentage of the strike damage you deal is converted into barrier. Your vitality is reduced.
• Crystal Configuration: Eclipse (Holosmith) — Corona Burst grants a barrier for each target struck.
• Elemental Refreshment (Weaver) — Gain barrier when using Dual Attack abilities.
• Bolstered Elements (Weaver) — Gain barrier when activating a Stance. Activate Lesser Stone Resonance when struck while below the health threshold.
• Invigorating Strikes (Weaver) — Gain vigor when using a Dual Attack. Dodge rolling grants a barrier.
• Blood Bank (Blood Magic) — Gaining health grants a proportionate amount of barrier. Conversion amount increases while at full health. Regeneration effects do not trigger this trait.
• Desert Empowerment (Scourge) — Manifest Sand Shade grants a barrier to allies near it.

Trait skills that grant barrier

•   Call of the Dwarf (Song of the Mists) — Strike enemies around you, inflicting weakness, gaining barrier, and gaining additional barrier per target hit.
•   Elixir E (Emergency Elixir) — Elixir. Gain barrier and protection.
•   Lesser Stone Resonance (Bolstered Elements) — Stance. Enter an earthen state, gaining barrier periodically over the course of the stance.
•   Sandstorm Shroud (Herald of Sorrow) — Shade. Enter the final shroud, gaining a powerful barrier and priming the shroud for a powerful detonation that damages enemies and bolsters allies. Targets can only be affected by this skill once per activation.

Traits that improve barrier

• Adaptive Armor (Scrapper) — Barriers you receive are stronger. Reduce incoming condition damage while you have barrier.
• Abrasive Grit (Scourge) — Sand Flare now also grants barrier to nearby allies. Granting an ally a barrier removes conditions afflicting them. This effect only occurs with barrier from scourge skills and traits.

Related equipment

Upgrade components that grant barrier

Runes

•   Superior Rune of the Rebirth — (6) When suffering a lethal blow.
•   Superior Rune of the Scourge — (6) When struck below 75% health.
•   Superior Rune of the Weaver — (6) When using a stance skill.
•   Superior Rune of Sanctuary — (6) When receiving any heal.

Notes

• Damage dealt to enemy barriers appears as yellow damage numbers.
• Barrier applied to allies appears as light-blue "healing" numbers.
• Barrier will not reduce fall damage.

Version history

Patch	Changes
October 01, 2019	Updated the visual effects of this effect to be less profession specific.
August 28, 2018	Barrier is now displayed in light-blue text when applied. Additionally, granting and receiving barrier is now displayed in the combat log.
December 12, 2017	The application of the barrier effect no longer resets the delay or decay of existing barriers. Barrier no longer decays over time; each application now disappears after 5 seconds, and all skills that grant barrier now give 15% more barrier.
November 07, 2017	The duration before decay begins has been increased from 1 second to 2 seconds. The time for the barrier to decay has been reduced from 4 seconds to 3 seconds.
September 22, 2017	Path of Fire release: Barrier has been added to the game.

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Effects (stacking)