Curse

Scaphism · Aug 23, 2005, 08:12 PM // 20:12

@OP

First you need a max damage sword, preferably with +15% while your health is over 50% or while in a stance, or...while enchanted.

Symbol of Wrath is pretty much a waste on your character. It's a slow casting, short duration AOE spell and you can't control if a monster is going to stand in it the whole time.
Since you're already in Smiting, try Strength of Honor. The extra damage it does ignores armor and you'll get even more benefit from attack speed buffs.

Next, you have a couple of decisions to make. You're spread across 4 attribute lines (Swords, Strength, Tactics, and Smiting) but haven't told us which you're focusing on. On top of that we don't know what type of build you want to play. If all you want to do is damage with swords, we can give some advice, but your current attributes are a bit schizophrenic.

Frenzy is absoultely necessary if damage is your main concern, but if you're operating as a tank in PVE it's going to get you killed. If you're not the tank, you should start using it ASAP.

Next: Interrupts. You need to learn to start using them. If you haven't encountered them already, there are some bosses (monk in particular) that are brutally difficult to take down without any interrupts. That, and learning to use interrupts is a valuable skill, so it's time to start. Savage Slash is great, and don't forget you can bring Distracting Blow if you want as well.

Unfortunately for you, swords don't have much in the way of adrenal spikes. Galrath+Final Thrust is a nice finisher, but you have to get there first and using nothing but regular attacks along the way isn't really going to get you there quickly.

Energy is also likely to be an issue, so pick up a zealous sword hilt for your brand new 15-22 sword. It benefits a ton from attack speeds boosts as well, and it should solve any energy problems you might have.

I'd drop Balthazar's Spirit unless you're doing a lot of tanking...but again, if you're tanking, you're not going to be able to deal a ton of damage. That's a tradeoff you wont be able to get around, so make that choice now.

badgob · Aug 23, 2005, 08:19 PM // 20:19

Sorry, I should have mentioned earlier that I hardly do any PvP. My mistake.

My primary role in our group is PvE tank. My focus is on Swordsmanship (16), followed by Tactics (11), then Smiting (8), then Strength (3).

Mandy Memory · Aug 23, 2005, 08:33 PM // 20:33

my sword averages 20+ against other characters....are you fighting warriors or other classes like you shoul be?

Fates · Aug 23, 2005, 08:49 PM // 20:49

Like the previous poster mentioned, you need to decide if you want to tank or deal damage. If you're going to tank, at the very least get yourself a max shield (2 months and you don't have one?). If you want to deal some damage, you need to follow the advice of some previous posters (good info there).

You do need to keep in mind though that this is a team game, with different characters filling different roles. Warriors are really set up to be the tanks, piss people off a little, and hold the mob in one place for the casters to do the big damage. If you want to do lots of damage, you're going to have to roll another toon.

Sciros Darkblade · Aug 23, 2005, 09:10 PM // 21:10

Yeah, warriors are there to take damage and bring in some "support damage." That being said, yeah, the high-level creatures like Aatxes will not take a whole lot of damage from warrior weapons alone. Using +dmg skills will help, but really your best friend is sever/gash if you're using a sword in PVE. With high swordsmanship, sever will drain 120 hp, and gash can mean a huge drop in life against high-level monsters.

Axes I find are better suited to PVP, because a warrior can afford to be less defensive and more aggressive, meaning that adrenaline builds have more survivability. In PVE the tanking warrior has to buff himself a lot mid-combat too often, making something like Sever Artery and energy-based damage bursts preferable for a lot of builds (not all, certainly).

Also, since you are going tactics, it makes sense to stick with swords because tactics is very sword-friendly with Riposte and Deadly Riposte, which are great for solo PVE.

Anyway, I deal like 9-13 damage against Aatxes as well (oh, and I use the +5 energy sword as well), but it's plenty when you consider that bleeding adds another 6 per second and your Elem buddies are (hopefully) doing most of the massive damage anyway.

zehly · Aug 23, 2005, 09:16 PM // 21:16

Do you enjoy playing the game?
Do you feel that you are an effective player?
Do you continously analyze your strategy and look for ways to be more effective?

If you answered yes to those three questions, you are not a "n00b." A n00b is unintelligent (as compared to a newbie--which you might very well be--and newbies are good, because it shows growth in the population--"newbie" is a term of endearment).

Age · Aug 23, 2005, 09:30 PM // 21:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by salja Wachi

lol ok i am coming to you from a necro that loves to eat up warriors. sword has no knockdown or interrupts at all. that means that 1v1 i will eat up a sword wieldind warrior no problem (so will most other casters) in order to be very effective as a warrior you need to have knockdowns and interrupts. if you are lacking these then any caster worth his salt will lay waste to you.

that is why i said chance to axe or hammer.

Desparate blow is good with sword although the warrior will get knocked down it will cuase more damage to the caster although i haven't done this i the arenas as I switched my PVP Warrior to Hammer from sword.My PVE Warrior is still useing sword though.Server artery and gash still are good skills both from pre yes those pre skills are still good.

Mhydrian · Aug 23, 2005, 10:21 PM // 22:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by salja Wachi

lol first of all change from sword to axe or hammer.

second of all you are finding out that warriors are easily countered and made if not useless then pretty close to useless.

I second that warriors are complete trash in PVP. Easy to negate, using distance or 75% stances, or hexes, weakness, blindess.....basically w warrior sucks period

Warskull · Aug 23, 2005, 11:18 PM // 23:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by badgob

99% of what I do is PvE (yes, that's right, I dont PvP very often!), and I used to do axe stuff, but thought the higher minimum damage would be a good trade. Perhaps not? I cant see trading the shield for a hammer, and the axe, while doing more damage (sometimes) seems too unpredictable.

The axe is actually fairly predicatable, you use your axe attacks for your damage output and you can fairly well predict how much damage they will do. Taking the sword if fine, but if you do I highly suggest dropping balthazar's spirit and possibly dropping smiting. The sword just doesn't have the adrenaline based damage potential the axe does. Warrior who output heavy damage do not do it by normal attacks, they do it using attack skills. If you run a sword your best bet at boosting your damage is pure strike and seeking blade. These will eat up your energy if you aren't careful though.

Santanus_Perro · Aug 23, 2005, 11:34 PM // 23:34

If you are a tank, go sword, tactics, healing prayers
If you want to do damage with sword, go sword, strength, smiting prayers
Get two 16 armor shields, one that requires tactics, one that requires strength. Use the shield based on if you are tanking or going max damage.
Make sure you get the best vigor and absorption runes you can to offset the -75 hp for the superior sword rune and the amount of damage you take. Two other runes to have would be minor strength and tactics.

I personally like the sword for PvE unless I know I am dealing with monsters that don't bleed, then I go hammer. For PvP, I always go hammer. Several hammer knockdown skills, plus bane signet, plus holy strike, and maybe balthazar's spirit if I know I am playing 4v4 and not getting any buffs from others for adrenaline.

Kamel407 · Aug 23, 2005, 11:36 PM // 23:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by badgob

Sorry, I should have mentioned earlier that I hardly do any PvP. My mistake.

My primary role in our group is PvE tank. My focus is on Swordsmanship (16), followed by Tactics (11), then Smiting (8), then Strength (3).

Hey Bud,

I am a NooB and I scanned this thread but perhaps this will help

If you're a W/Mo Smiting Slasher (I like to call it) then you are focusing on Swordsmanship, Smiting, and Tactics, with leftovers in Strength

That is exactly what I am playing, and here are the skills I use as a Smiting Tank, which is great against physical monsters

Strength of Honor (this is great because it adds +10 damage to each attack I successfully hit, no matter what weapon, I use Sword as primary)

Flurry (33% faster attack with 25% less damage) the SoH skill above makes up for the damage loss easily

Sever Attack (standard sword skill)
Gash (standard Sever Attack followup)
Final Thrust (standard sword skill especially below 50% health) I did 150dmg in Hell's Precipice against a ghost with this in a single swipe

ELITE SLOT - I switch between Hundred Blades and Gladiator's Defense depending if I'm going for a boss or if I'm with henchmen (this can be replaced with Healing Breeze if no Elites are available)

Healing Signet (Tactics self heal)

Symbol of Wrath (5 energy instead of 25 from Zealots since I stance a lot with my Crimson Carapace Shield)

This does very well for me as a tank in groups
Try it out and see what you think