What sort of basic personality does this profession have?

Eric Flannum: To me, the Guardian feels a lot like playing a caster who wears heavy armor. This is in contrast to what you'd typically think of when you think of the Paladin archetype found in many games, which feels like a melee bruiser who also knows a few spells. The Guardian also doesn't feel particularly religious, but he does feel spiritual. What I mean by that is that the Guardian embodies certain ideals without ascribing to any one faith in particular, which is also a bit different than your typical Paladin archetype.

Jeff Grubb: I've been running Guardians in our recent group play tests and found that, early on, I tended to over-extend, to try to make him a Warrior, to run into combat, and I ended up fighting to survive way too much. I quickly picked up on the idea that Guardians have to pace themselves, pick their targets, and keep an eye on the party as a whole. I've been using the Sanctuary skill as a "time out" to allow both the team and me to regain the momentum and carry the battle forward. The Guardian is more of tactician, trying to see the larger picture, whether soloing or in a group.