Ever wondered what players are talking about when they yell “cc!” during a GW2 boss fight? The breakbar is a critical part of many Guild Wars 2 boss fights. Learn how the breakbar works, and how to break the breakbar in a boss fight.
What Is a Breakbar?
Guild Wars 2 introduced the breakbar system with the Heart of Thorns expansion pack in 2015. Technically called the Defiance bar, the breakbar appears as a second bar beneath the enemy’s health bar.
The breakbar acts like a second health bar for the enemy. It provides the enemy with more protection when the bar is locked. However, if the bar is broken, the enemy is stunned and players can attack.
How Does the Breakbar Work?
The breakbar has three phases:
BLUE: Crowd control (“cc”) effects applied to the enemy will reduce the breakbar. When the blue bar is at 0% it goes to the next phase.
BROWN: The breakbar has been broken, and the enemy is stunned. The bar will slowly recharge. After it has fully recharged, the breakbar returns to the blue stage.
GRAY: The breakbar is locked, and the boss is immune to cc effects.
How Do You Break a Breakbar?
The only way to break a breakbar is with crowd control effects. When this is the case, you will often see people in map chat and local (say) chat calling out instructions like “cc” or “hold cc.”
Every class has access to cc effects that will work on a breakbar. These include movement effects like Fear or Crippled, and interrupts like Daze and Knockdown. For a full list of cc you can use to break a breakbar, see the official Guild Wars 2 wiki.
