Energy hiding

From Guild Wars Wiki

Energy hiding consists mainly of using weapon swaps to switch to a Weapon Set that either gives negative energy or results in zero net energy gain.

Such a weapon swap is used primarily as your main defense versus players whose offensive includes energy denial. Skills such as Debilitating Shot, Energy Burn and "Fear Me!", among others, cannot take away energy that your character does not have available.

The lowest net energy available to a weapon set is -7, with the use of a Brawn Over Brains inscription on your weapon in addition to an Ignorance Is Bliss inscription on a focus that you do not meet the requirement for.

It is not uncommon for players to idle in this slot if they don't need to use skills, which is also why numerous players choose to discard the Ignorance Is Bliss inscription and go with a shield with armor versus an element or type of damage that they're currently facing. This way, they have the +30 health, +8 Armor from the shield assuming they don't meet the requirements, as well as the +10 Armor versus a specific damage type. This swap serves as their defensive and energy hiding swap.

Hiding your energy also has practical uses with skills that cause a player to lose energy (Rebirth, Purge Signet, Ether Lord) or require low energy (Ether Signet), or to improve your energy pool upon resurrection if you expect a death.