Virtue

This article is about the guardian's special abilities. For the guardian general specialization, see Virtues.

Virtues are the profession mechanic for the guardian profession. They occupy the F1-F3 slots of the mechanic bar. These abilities apply continuous passive benefits to the guardian as that character adventures, or they can be activated as something similar to shouts, granting an immediate benefit to all nearby allies. Activating one of these virtues will disable its passive effect until that ability recharges once again. Each virtue has its own recharge so may be used independently of the others. Functionality for these skills unlock as players level. Virtue of Courage unlocks at level 17.

List of virtues

Skill	Recharge	Description
Virtue of Justice	20	Burn foes every few attacks. Activate: You and your allies inflict burning on the next attack.
Virtue of Resolve	30	Regenerates health. Activate: Heal yourself and nearby allies.
Virtue of Courage	45	Grants aegis every few seconds. Activate: Grant aegis to yourself and nearby allies.
Dragonhunter's Virtues
Spear of Justice	20	Burn foes every few attacks. Activate: Hurl a spear of light that passes through foes. Enemies struck become tethered and receive conditions periodically.
Wings of Resolve	30	Regenerates health. Activate: Leap to a target area, healing allies in the area.
Shield of Courage	60	Grants aegis every few seconds. Activate: Create a shield in front of you that blocks attacks for you and allies.
Firebrand's Virtues
Tome of Justice	30	Burn foes every few attacks. Activate: Pull forth a magical tome on the dangers of the blazing heat in Kourna. Each tome skill use consumes a page.
Tome of Resolve	40	Regenerates health. Activate: Draw forth an enchanted tome that recounts the trials undergone by the people of Vabbi. Each tome skill use consumes a page.
Tome of Courage	50	Grants aegis periodically. Activate:Conjure a mystic tome containing stories about the heroes of Istan. Each tome skill use consumes a page.

Related skills

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   Renewed Focus — Focus, making yourself invulnerable and recharging your virtues.

Related traits

Zeal

•  Zealous Scepter — Gain might when your justice passive effect triggers; gain more might while wielding a scepter.

Radiance

•  Justice is Blind — Gain a light aura and blind nearby foes when you activate Virtue of Justice.
•  Renewed Justice — Virtue of Justice is renewed when you kill a foe.
•  Wrath of Justice — Striking an enemy with Virtue of Justice's damaging effect casts Lesser Signet of Wrath.

Valor

•  Courageous Return — Virtue of Courage is recharged when you revive an ally or rally yourself.

Honor

•  Purity of Body — Your Virtue of Resolve passive effect also regenerates endurance.

Virtues

•  Inspired Virtue — Virtues now also apply the following boons to allies when activated:
  Justice: might
  Resolve: regeneration
  Courage: protection
•  Virtue of Retribution — Gain retaliation when you activate a virtue. Retaliation you apply lasts longer.
•  Absolute Resolution — Activating Virtue of Resolve removes conditions from nearby allies. Virtue of Resolve's passive effect is stronger.
•  Power of the Virtuous — Deal increased damage for each boon you have. Virtues gain reduced recharge.
•  Permeating Wrath — Virtue of Justice's passive effect no longer only burns your target, but also burns the area around your target each time it activates. Virtue of Justice causes burning more frequently.
•  Battle Presence — Nearby allies gain Virtue of Resolve's passive effect.
•  Indomitable Courage — Virtue of Courage's active breaks stun and grants stability to nearby allies. Virtue of Courage's passive gains a shorter interval.

Dragonhunter

•  Virtuous Action — The guardian's resolve has further increased, allowing virtues to be manifested as physical aspects.
•  Soaring Devastation — Wings of Resolve delivers an attack upon landing.
•  Defender's Dogma — Blocking an attack causes Justice to reach its maximum charge and reduces the cooldown of Spear of Justice by 3 seconds.
•  Zealot's Aggression — Deal extra damage to crippled enemies. Justice's passive effect cripples enemies.
•  Bulwark — Shield of Courage gains increased radius and duration.
•  Big Game Hunter — Striking an enemy tethered by your Spear of Justice causes vulnerability and increases damage dealt.

Firebrand

•  Purity of Word — Gain knowledge of Elonian lore, igniting a fierce drive to purge corruption and manifesting your Virtues as mystic tomes. Gain access to Mantras.
•  Archivist of Whispers — Your Virtues gain additional pages.
•  Swift Scholar — Equipping or stowing a Virtue grants you quickness.
•  Legendary Lore — Tome skills gain bonuses from scribbling in the margins by ancient bards.
•  Loremaster — Tome skills gain reduced recharge. Retain Virtues passives while they are on cooldown.

Trivia

• The guardian's virtue mechanic went through a long iteration process. At one point, it was a shield around the guardian that absorbed damage; at another, it was a mechanic similar to the thief's initiative and called resolve, and although scrapped it became the basis of the thief's said mechanic. Months later, a concept of sacrificing a passive effect for a greater power was introduced and became the virtue system.

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Skill types and profession mechanics