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			Description
Guardian
F1	Virtue of Justice		20	Virtue: Burn foes every few attacks. Activate: You and your allies inflict burning on the next attack.
F2	Virtue of Resolve		30	Virtue: Regenerates health. Activate: Heal yourself and nearby allies.
F3	Virtue of Courage		45	Virtue: Gain aegis periodically. Activate: Grant aegis to yourself and nearby allies.
Dragonhunter
F1	Spear of Justice	0.75¾	20	Virtue: Burn foes every few attacks. Activate: Hurl a spear of light that passes through foes. Enemies struck become tethered and receive conditions periodically.
F1	Hunter's Verdict	0.5½	40	Pull all enemies tethered by the Spear of Justice to you, breaking the link. This ability's recharge is separate from that of Spear of Justice.
F2	Wings of Resolve	1	25	Virtue: Regenerates health. Activate: Leap to a target area, healing allies in the area.
F3	Shield of Courage		45	Virtue: Grants aegis periodically. Activate: Grant aegis to nearby allies and create a shield in front of you that blocks attacks. You are vulnerable from the sides and behind while this shield is active.
Firebrand
F1	Tome of Justice			Virtue: Burn foes every few attacks. Activate: Pull forth a magical tome on the dangers of the blazing heat in Kourna.
F2	Tome of Resolve			Virtue: Regenerate health. Activate: Draw forth an enchanted tome that recounts the trials undergone by the people of Vabbi.
F3	Tome of Courage			Virtue: Gain aegis periodically. Activate: Conjure a mystic tome containing stories about the heroes of Istan.
Willbender
F1	Rushing Justice	0.5½	12	Virtue. Rush toward your target and gain Justice delivering a strike and emanating Willbender Flames.
F2	Flowing Resolve	0.5½	0	Virtue. Remove conditions and gain Flowing Resolve. Rush forward and evade attacks while leaving Willbender Flames in your wake.
F3	Crashing Courage	0.75¾	30	Virtue. Shadowstep a short distance while gaining boons and emanating Willbender Flames from your location. Gain Courage.

Related skills

•   Protector's Strike — Protect allies from the next incoming attack against them, and lash out when attacked, granting boons to nearby allies and fully charging the passive burning effect.
•   Renewed Focus — Meditation. Focus, making yourself invulnerable and recharging your virtues.

Related traits

Zeal

• Zealous Scepter — Gain might when your Virtue skill 1 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 skill 1.
• Renewed Justice — Virtue skill 1 is renewed when you kill a foe.
• Wrath of Justice — Striking an enemy with the damaging effect from Virtue skill 1 casts Lesser Signet of Wrath.
• Amplified Wrath — Burning you inflict deals increased damage. Burning duration applied by the passive effect of Virtue skill 1 is increased.

Valor

• Redemption — Cast Lesser Litany of Wrath when you activate Virtue skill 3.
• Tenacious Defense — Aegis you grant reduces the recharge time of Virtue skill 3 when it blocks an attack.

Honor

• Purity of Body — Your Virtue skill 2 passive also regenerates endurance.

Virtues

• Inspired Virtue — Virtues apply boons to allies when activated. Deal increased strike damage for each boon on you.
• Virtue of Resolution — Gain resolution when you activate a Virtue. Resolution you grant has increased duration.
• Inspiring Virtue — Strike damage dealt is increased after activating a virtue.
• Absolute Resolve — Activating Virtue skill 2 removes conditions from nearby allies. Virtue skill 2's passive effect is stronger.
• Power of the Virtuous — Gain condition damage based on your vitality. Virtues gain reduced recharge.
• Permeating Wrath — The passive effect of Virtue skill 1 triggers more quickly and now burns in an area.
• Battle Presence — Nearby allies gain the passive effect of Virtue skill 2. Willbender: Heal allies when your Resolve effect triggers.
• Indomitable Courage — The active effect of Virtue skill 3 breaks stun and grants stability to nearby allies. Its passive effect gains a shorter interval.

Dragonhunter

• Virtuous Action — The guardian's resolve has further increased, allowing Virtues to be manifested as physical aspects. Gain access to Traps.
• Soaring Devastation — Wings of Resolve delivers an attack upon landing. Movement speed is increased.
• Defender's Dogma — Gain vitality. Blocking an attack causes justice to reach its maximum charge and reduces the cooldown of Spear of Justice.
• Zealot's Aggression — Deal increased strike damage to crippled foes. 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 inflicts vulnerability and increases strike damage dealt. Tether duration is increased.

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. Using Tome skills consumes pages. You regenerate pages every interval.
• Archivist of Whispers — Your Virtues gain additional pages.
• Swift Scholar — Equipping a Virtue grants you quickness. Every third Tome skill grants you pages. Stacks reset when exiting a tome. Quickness can only be gained once per interval

Willbender

• Restorative Virtues — Triggered virtue effects reduce the cooldown of active weapon abilities. Gain vigor when activating Flowing Resolve.
• Holy Reckoning — Triggered virtue effects now grant might to allies in addition to their bonuses. Gain fury when activating Rushing Justice.
• Lethal Tempo — Each time you activate a virtue or your virtue's passives are triggered, gain a damage bonus. Gaining stacks of this boon refreshes other stacks.

Related effects

The virtue skills grant the following passive effects while not being on cooldown and apply the active effects upon skill activation:

Specialization	Virtue skill 1		Virtue skill 2		Virtue skill 3
	Passive	Active	Passive	Active	Passive	Active
Guardian	Virtue of Justice	Justice	Virtue of Resolve or  Resolve (traited)	—	Virtue of Courage	—
Dragonhunter	Virtue of Justice	Justice	Virtue of Resolve or  Resolve (traited)	—	Virtue of Courage	Shield of Courage
Firebrand	Tome of Justice	—	Tome of Resolve	—	Tome of Courage	—
Willbender	—	Justice	—	Flowing Resolve	—	Crashing Courage

Notes

• Base guardian virtues appear in the first through third profession mechanic slot if no elite specialization is equipped, or if no minor adept for an elite specialization is trained.

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