Viable Guardian build?

[Flagris]

I always thought that melee classes are my favorite ones in ARPGs (think of Diablo 2 Paladin, Titan Quest Defender and so on). At least they should be the easiest.
But in case of Guardian I'm kinda stuck (maybe even suck? ). I have already retrained skills three or four times but I still can't grasp the gist of this class.
It seems to be very gear depending (it's alright though) and I just can't see any viable strategy skill-wise. All his skills seem kinda underpowered.
What aura to use? Are shield skills of any use? Anchor? Sword single-enemy skills? I can't define the main skill area. And I began to have some problems even on 15 level after Green Park Station versus element-striking crowds of monsters or versus tough uniques. Not that my Guardian dies often (in fact, he still did not yet, even once), I just see that the use of health packs slowly rises, I realize that it won't be enough to stay alive by the means of good gear soon (that has yet to be found), and I can't see where to spend my points with profit.
As for attributes I invest in Strength and Stamina only in about 60-40 proportion.

What could masters of sword and shield advise me?

[Bryan]

Vanilla SP Guardians were in a tougher place, true. Given that the class is quite group-oriented, playing alone reveals its biggest weakness; it doesn't deal much damage. Granted, some such issues are more visible early on than later (the way, say, Cabalists start off weak and snowball later), but the class is still relatively slower.

By lv15, the core skillset I'd recommend is this. Invested the minimum, so one can buff skills accordingly.
http://blccdy.ekl-systems.de/hellgate/skilltree4/skilltree.html?class=guardian&preset=10000000100000010030011000000001&lang=en

Shield of Faith and Prayer of Healing for survivability.
Challenge for crowd control.
Anchor and Shield Turn for damage - Shield Bash *could* be used to apply single-target sfx.

In general, the main damage-dealing rotation was Challenge>Anchor>Shield Turn. One could add Sword of Reckoning in the mix, but it might best be avoided if you settle for guns instead of swords (which, if shrapnel builds are still viable in SP, is likely the best option).

By lv30, I'd likely suggest this. Again, minimum points in each skill, buff accordingly.
http://blccdy.ekl-systems.de/hellgate/skilltree4/skilltree.html?class=guardian&preset=10000000320001010032023101000001&lang=en

Denounce and Heavenly Condemnation for single-target taunts - useful for bosses, also a requirement for Provoke.
Shield Wall for survivability.
Shield Charge and Stampede for mobility.

At this point the Guardian becomes more flexible and mobile, so the above rotation can become Shield Charge>Challenge>Anchor>Shield Turn>Stampede, or whatever else suits the situation. Stampede is also generally useful for some AoE damage outside of mobility, so it's strictly superior to, say, the Cabalists' Blink.

In terms of mainhand damage, one can either get swords (splash for crowds, anything for bosses) and focus on Anchor(>Hamper)>Sword of Reckoning, or use guns.
Swords can be buffed through one's Strength, and swords with ignite can chip away bosses' health if raw damage doesn't suffice.
Guns, on the other hand, come with fewer skill investment needs, and 2 specific types of guns can provide very high value.
1. AoE guns, such as Surgecasters, can provide AoE damage for crowds. Coupled with some shield penetration and ignite attack strength they can slowly chip away at the tougher enemies' health too, including Champions and bosses.
2. High Rate of Fire guns, such as Thorn Bolters and Vorpal Slashers, can enable nova builds. Novas are generally a very powerful AoE option, and shrapnel *should* deal enough damage to most bosses if it's as powerful as it was in early MP Hellgate.

For SP, given that it has much higher Critical Chance (/Multiplier) values, it might even be possible to build guns around critical damage. With enough leftover Accuracy, they might just deal enough raw damage for specific encounters. But I haven't revisited SP in a while, so I can't comfortably make that suggestion.

Lastly, I also haven't picked an Aura for the same reason; I don't remember how SP frames Auras. I'd imagine Renewal, Defense, and Deflection are still safe bets, perhaps even Power if one intends to spam skills. But I really can't say with any certainty.

Edit: repaired skill planner links.

[Flagris]

Thanks a lot for such thorough answer but I finally gave up trying to build a Guardian, and now I play as a Blademaster, it is much more fun really

[Bryan]

Perfectly understandable. I remember BMs as less reliable in the endgame, due to their lower defenses, but they should certainly be easier to build. Should also be more fun for the action-minded, whereas Guardians had relatively grittier gameplay.