Attack speed

From Guild Wars Wiki

Attack speed is a measurement of how long it takes to attack with a weapon. Skills can either increases your own or an ally's attack speed (IAS), or decrease an enemy's attack speed (DAS).

The activation time of an attack skill is equal to the attack speed, except when the attack skill has an activation time listed. Attack speeds are measured in seconds between attacks.

Changes in attack speeds are capped at 133% total for IAS (100% being your normal attack speed) and 50% total for DAS from normal.

1 Weapon attack speeds
2 Overview of attack speed influences
3 Attack speed influences by profession

[edit] Weapon attack speeds

All values are listed as seconds between attacks.

Weapon	Normal attack speed	25% IAS²	33% IAS²	30% DAS³	50% DAS³
Axe, Daggers¹, Sword	1.33	0.99	0.89	1.73	1.99
Spear	1.50	1.13	1.00	1.95	2.25
Hammer, Staff, Wand, Scythe	1.75	1.31	1.17	2.27	2.62
Pets, Shortbow, Flatbow	2.00	1.50	1.33	2.60	3.00
Longbow, Recurve Bow	2.40	1.80	1.60	3.12	3.60
Hornbow	2.70	2.03	1.80	3.51	4.05

¹Daggers can attack faster due to double strikes. See below.

²IAS for Increased Attack Speed

³DAS for Decreased Attack Speed

[edit] Overview of attack speed influences

Many stances improve attack speed. Most of these stances have drawbacks of one sort or another.
Pet skills in the Beast Mastery line can boost the attack speed of a pet, or of a pet and his master.
A few miscellaneous skills influence attack speed.
Certain attack skills (such as Ranger interrupts) activate faster than the normal attack speed. These skills tend to have a long aftercast to prevent the skills from being quickly spammed at a foe.
A few attack skills (such as Mighty Throw) have slower activation times than the normal attack rate.
Some hex spells can reduce attack speed.
Some environmental effects can influence attack speed. For example, the Battle Cry shrine of Hero Battles increases attack speed.

[edit] Attack speed influences by profession

[edit] Warrior

"I Will Avenge You!" is a shout that increases attack speed by 25%, lasting 10 seconds for each dead ally in range. It is the titular skill of the IWAY build.
Berserker Stance increases attack speed by 33% and increases adrenaline gain by 50%, but ends when a skill is used.
Burst of Aggression is a stance that increases attack speed by 33% with the drawback of all adrenaline being lost when the stance ends. Losing all adrenaline is meaningless for characters that don't use adrenaline skills.
Dwarven Battle Stance increases attack speed by 33% while wielding a hammer and also causes hammer attacks to interrupt the target.
Flail is a stance increasing attack speed by 33% with the drawback of reducing movement speed. Flail is effective in conjunction with spear and hammer attacks.
Flurry is a stance increasing attack speed by 33% with the drawback of reducing attack damage. Flurry is a popular choice for IW mesmers, but otherwise isn't used often.
Frenzy is a stance increasing attack speed by 33%. It is a popular IAS for PvP warriors, despite the serious drawback of doubling damage to the warrior when active. Experienced warriors will therefore carry another stance to cancel Frenzy when they become the targets of attacks. PvP teams will often keep an eye on warriors, waiting for them to Frenzy before calling a quick spike on the warrior.
Soldier's Stance increases attack speed by 33% while under the effect of a shout.
Tiger Stance increases attack speed by 33%, with drawbacks of a long recharge time and ending if the user fails to hit.

[edit] Ranger

Call of Haste is a shout that increases pet attack speed by 25%.
Heket's Rampage is a stance that increases attack speed by 33% but ends when an attack skill is used.
Lightning Reflexes is a stance that increases attack speed by 33% and gives a 75% chance to block, at the cost of a long recharge.
Rampage as One is a skill that increases attack speed by 33% for both a pet and its owner, but the pet must be alive to use the skill.
Tiger's Fury and Bestial Fury are stances that increase attack speed by 25% but disable non-attack skills for 5 seconds.
Rapid Fire is a preparation that increases attack speed by 33% for bow attacks only.
Never Rampage Alone is a Sunspear (PVE only) skill that increases attack speed by 25% for both a pet and its owner, but the pet must be alive. Also provides health regeneration.

[edit] Monk

Monks have no skills for increasing or decreasing attack speed.

[edit] Necromancer

Faintheartedness is a hex that reduces attack speed by 50% and causes health degeneration on the target.
Reckless Haste is a hex that actually increases the hexed foe's attack speed by 25%, but also gives the foe a chance to miss with their attacks.
Shadow of Fear and Meekness are area of effect hexes that reduce attack speed by 50%. Meekness has a much wider range, but requires a health sacrifice to use.
Meekness target foe and all nearby foes attack 50% slower, at the cost of a 17% health sacrifice.

[edit] Mesmer

Sum of All Fears is a hex that reduces movement, attack and casting speed by 20%.

[edit] Elementalist

Elementalists have no skills for increasing or decreasing attack speed.

[edit] Assassin

The Dagger Mastery attribute indirectly increases attack rate via increasing the chance that an assassin will double strike. Dual Attack dagger skills always hit twice, also indirectly increasing attack rate. Dagger skill chains augmented with an attack speed increase from another profession can be devastating.
Locust's Fury increases the chance that an assassin will double strike when using daggers.
Critical Agility is an enchantment that increases attack speed, but is a PvE only skill.

[edit] Ritualist

Weapon of Aggression is a Ritualist Weapon Spell that increases attack speed but can only target the caster.

[edit] Paragon

Aggressive Refrain is a self-affecting echo that increases attack speed by 25% and is reapplied whenever a chant or shout ends on you.
Soldier's Fury is an echo that increases attack speed by 33% while the target is under the effects of a chant or shout.

[edit] Dervish

Heart of Fury is an enchantment that increases attack speed by 33% and sets foes on fire when it ends.
Whirling Charge is a stance that increases attack speed and movement speed by 25% but ends if you are not enchanted.
Pious Fury is a stance that allows you to attack 33% faster at the cost of an enchantment.