Curse

menelik seth · Jul 23, 2007, 01:01 AM // 01:01

It's 3 am, I'm wondering what insignias I should use, and I could use feedback from other Warriors. Sorry for rambling, but if you read through this: Thanks for being a good sounding board

EDIT: To clarify, this is for a PvE Warrior, not PvP. I failed to mention that earlier so I apologize for the confusion.

Start Rant:

Alrighty, so I just got my fresh Primeval Armor (w00t!) I dyed it, runed it up in all the right places (lol) and now I'm stuck wondering what insignia I should use.

I already have a Radiant set; the 1.5k Glads that I've been using for nearly 2 years now, while showing its age, has proven to be most useful. But at times I find myself in situations where I don't really need the mana, but could use something else. For example; if I use a build that is mostly composed of adrenal skills, the extra mana boost from Radiant is wasted...

So that leaves me deciding between a Health boost (Survivor's Insignia), Armor level boost, or Damage Reduction (Absorption).

At first I thought about using Survivor's; however I felt that the extra HP might not be necessary. For example; If I find myself entering areas with loads of degen (due to hexes/conditions), I usually equip Melandru's Resilience, or just carry Troll Unguent.

Then I realized that while Radiant Armor offers some decent protection against physical damage (+100AL) I could use a bit of a buff in that department. I mean, I'm a warrior; physical damage shouldn't even tickle right?

So I decided that perhaps +AL vs. physical is the best flexible choice for the purposes of my warrior: To Tank physical damage while unleashing a world of hurt. I already have +100AL so I could focus on boosting that higher; at the risk of leaving myself vulnerable to elemental attacks, but that's what Mantras are for.

So now the question is; what would be the best strategy? Here are my favorite options:

Knight's Insignia: Received physical damage -3
Stalwart Insignia: Armor +10 (vs. physical damage)
Sentry's Insignia: Armor +10 (while in a stance)

My first question was:

Well which is better, Damage reduction or Increased AL?

Running a search on the forums I got the general idea that "+AL/HP > Absorption". I read the Wiki's article and I still don't understand why anybody would want to reduce damage taken by 3, when they could boost their AL, and reduce it by far more than that (Unless I'm misunderstanding something).

So that limits my choice between Stalwart's and Sentry. Stalwart is no-frills +10AL vs. physical, always. That could definitely come in handy, especially when stacking with skills like Watch Yourself or Physical Resistance.

On the other hand, Sentry's offers +10AL to both Physical and Elemental on the condition that I remain in stance. This is also attractive because I "almost always" use stances, whether for IAS or Speed Buff etc. So, I'll effectively get an AL boost if I'm attacking (using an IAS) or trying to high-tail it out of there (speed boost). Of course I'm dead in the water if I get hit by a stance canceling blow; but what's a warrior without a backup plan.

So, do I take the direct route and slap on some Stalwart's Insignia?

Or do I dance with the devil and use Sentry's?

Or Is Knight's sorely misunderstood and worth a second look?

Whaddaya think?

/End Rant

Thanks again for reading this, I appreciate it and await your insights.

Take care

jrk247 · Jul 23, 2007, 01:43 AM // 01:43

I used to run Brawlers insignia (+10 while attacking) on my armor but now I'm using +health. You have to think to yourself "What's my weakness?" The warrior already has a high armor level and most anti-warrior builds consist of degen/hexes/armor ignoring skills. + health is the way to go.

But if you want to get a +armor set I'd go with Brawlers or Dreadnoughts.

menelik seth · Jul 23, 2007, 01:59 AM // 01:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrk247

I used to run Brawlers insignia (+10 while attacking) on my armor but now I'm using +health. You have to think to yourself "What's my weakness?" The warrior already has a high armor level and most anti-warrior builds consist of degen/hexes/armor ignoring skills. + health is the way to go.

But if you want to get a +armor set I'd go with Brawlers or Dreadnoughts.

True, but I have a feeling you are thinking in terms of PvP. In PvE it all depends on which areas I'm in, so I'll know before hand which skills to pack. I could be mistaken, but I also believe that the AI will prioritize targets with lower HP; so if my HP is higher it will be more difficult for me to tank, right?

Brawler's is an interesting choice (again I get the sneaky suspicion you are a PvP player

) but it wouldn't work in PvE where there's a lot of running around, tanking, possible last ditch escape efforts etc.

I considered Dreadnought's. It would boost my AL vs. Elemental dmg from 80AL to 90AL. But that still leaves me with only 100AL vs physical; while that's not bad, it's tempting to bump that up to 110AL (or 110AL physical, 90AL Elemental if I can maintain stances). I figure if I need serious protection vs. elemental dmg, I can use Elemental resistance; and still have AL to spare vs. physical...

Keep in mind I'm thinking in terms of PvE, where I'll be questing all over the place, capping elites, pugging etc. Thanks for your insights, they've given me food for thought.

jrk247 · Jul 23, 2007, 02:47 AM // 02:47

+ Health is good for PvE and PvP. And in EotN cracked armor will destroy your armor level so + health will definitely be the way to go. But w/e I can't tell you what to get if you want +armor go for it. As for the examples you posted, Kight's sucks (only good vs. physical and even then it's a waste) same with Stalwart's (unless you are a caster it's not worth it) and senetry's is bad because stances can be removed. And if armor is a problem pack in [skill]"Watch Yourself!"[/skill] because it is PvE afterall, no PvE warrior build should not have that skill.

And warriors don't "tank" anymore. They are there to absorb damage and deal damage. Having + health will make your monks job easier and will allow you to take spiking damage. I assume you are talking about HM PvE because if you aren't it doesn't really matter what insignia you have for normal PvE. As you have shown by wearing radiant armor this whole time.

Stormlord Alex · Jul 23, 2007, 10:01 AM // 10:01

For PvE *only*, +armour is the way to go, pretty much.

You should ALWAYS be in Flail/Frenzy/Rush/Enraging Charge... So Sentry's roXx

Racthoh · Jul 23, 2007, 02:47 PM // 14:47

Knight's is bad, never consider using it. They made that insigina pretty worthless about a year ago.

I find the only thing killing my warrior recently are bosses, armour ignoring damage, and degen. Wanding/melee attacks are cancelled by a Seed of Life, attack skills and spells (dealing 70+ damage is most cases, armour ignoring or not) caught by a prot spirit. This is concerning hard mode mind you since I don't think you can really go wrong with any decision for normal. Really the only time you should be dying is if something sneaks into the back line and ganks your healer(s); rarely is your self-heal going to be enough to keep you going regardless of how much health or armour you have.

Brawlers: The only time you won't be attacking is if you're hexed with something like Spiteful Spirit (fear the Shadow Beasts that auto-attack for 1 damage) or Empathy. In which case, there are hexes, which means there is degen, so a high armour level doesn't matter anyway.

Sentry's: The only time you won't be in stance is when there is a Wild Blow/Throw present which is fairly rare. Another instance would be the last enemy in the group who has a block stance so you can't build adrenaline for Flail. In which case you could have nothing on because it's the last enemy of the group so there is no danger to the party. Or when you're faced against Soothing Images/Spirit Shackles which guess what... means you'll be up against degen again!

Survivor: Cancels out some of the health loss from your superior weapon rune that you use for smashing face. Helps against degen, helps after you party wipe because someone decided to move too closely and let the enemy group harass your backline. If you PUG or H/H often AKA situations where you know you'll probably be wiping a few times and building DP then consider this set.

Optimal setup: Brawler's on armour and +5 armor on weapon, carry a spare helmet with a minor weapon rune in case DP starts to build along with a set of +30 health weapons in your backpack. The only reason a warrior in my party isn't attack better be because he is running to the next enemy or has a stack of hexes a mile high.

menelik seth · Jul 23, 2007, 08:49 PM // 20:49

Thanks for the insights guys, so much to think about.

Okay so Knight's is to be avoided like the plague, got it

jrk247; +HP does sound indeed sound tempting. I use them on my ele (along with Runes of Vitae) to boost his over all HP, so far it works for me like a charm. I also have a +HP set for my Ranger so I swap to it +HP when the dp gets obscene. I have a whole bunch of Survivor Insignia in storage so what I'll do is try the armor out with AL, and get a feel for it. Then swap out for HP and see how that feels...

Stormlord Alex ya since I have yet to use +AL mods on any of my chars I think I'll give it a try with my warrior first; then see how +HP plays out.

Racthoh; Thanks for the insights! The way you put it, it does make sense to use brawlers in PvE. I was concerned that suppose I was under heavy fire and wanted to stop fighting to activate Troll Unguent or Heal Sig; my AL would drop by 10, leaving me rather vulnerable. However, I suppose I could always compensate by activating Endure Pain or Watch Yourself! etc.

And I was referring to Normal PvE but thanks for all the Hard Mode insights, I plan to work on my vanquisher title using the Warrior

I'll experiment with both +AL and +HP and just go with whichever leaves me swinging my axe longer...

Racthoh · Jul 23, 2007, 09:59 PM // 21:59

You'd want to be careful with Healing Signet. If you're using it when you're under focus fire the loss of 10 from brawlers shouldn't be your biggest concern; that -40 should be. Get in the habit of using it when you're not getting smacked around and the loss of armour shouldn't even be a concern (from the insignia and the -40).

Concerning Unguent, I would leave that skill to the rangers to use. 3 seconds to activated and you'll be waiting 10 seconds to get the whole heal. It's hard to justify allocating attribute points into a line that has limited appeal to a melee character. Not to mention the 10 energy is a little tough on a warrior, especially if you plan on using any energy attacks. And since you mentioned Watch Yourself! and Endure Pain, your attribute spread is already a little iffy.

Really your self-heal should be reserved for when the enemy breaks off into your backline. If all things are going to plan, the damage is focussed and it's much easier for the monks to keep the party up; your finger would never hover over your self heal button.

EDIT: Ignore the energy part on troll unguent, I'm an idiot when it comes to rangers. ><

Stormlord Alex · Jul 23, 2007, 10:18 PM // 22:18

Last I checked, Troll was 5 energy

Buy, yeah - Troll Unguent is of limited use to a warrior. There's really not much of interest in Wilderness, 'specially when Warriors get kick-ass stuff in their own lines, like Flail or Watch Yourself!

menelik seth · Jul 23, 2007, 11:03 PM // 23:03

Hey again Racthoh,

Ya, no I was just speaking in general terms: Heal Sig if I'm using Tactics; Endure Pain if I'm using Strength (I either use one or the other, depending on my build). And yea, HS only when I'm out of the way, so again Brawlers does make sense.

I actually just applied Brawlers Insignia, and I'm taking it out for a test run. I was wondering (on a side note) what your opinion is regarding -10AL weps. I stumbled upon a +15%dmg -10AL while attacking Axe that has a +5AL mod. Is it worth using or should I just sell it?

On a side note; Troll Unguent is only 5e, and I only use it to counter degen while the monks are busy healing other players. The 3 sec cast time does make it a chore to use; but with the right timing it's not too bad (+7 regen with 8 WS). It's not really a main heal though; Endure Pain/Heal Sig would be that depending on the build. And then I either use it as a quick bandaid to help give the monks a chance to heal me (Endure Pain) or as a recovery while the nasties are busy elsewhere (Heal Sig).

Most of the time the "heals" are used in last minute desperation; say it all goes south, and I'm left running for my life while being wanded/degenned to death. Endure pain/Heal Signet + trolls can really be a savior in such situations... enough to survive, break aggro, then rez the monks.

Thanks for the insights man.

Age · Jul 23, 2007, 11:27 PM // 23:27

I would use Radiant,Survivor or Dreadnoughts.I wouldn't use endure pain unless running as it is a bad skill especially when you hit your healing signet.This is when your health drops anyway those are the insignias I would use I may use knight in a very physical place.

Racthoh · Jul 23, 2007, 11:41 PM // 23:41

It shows that although my ranger is two years old, there is a reason he is only level 19.

15/-10 I would only play on a paragon or a ranger simply because they can attack from a range out of harms way. I could never think of a justified reason to run it on a frontline character.

For the sake of monks, let them know you have Endure Pain and setup a system that will inform them when it's wearing off. Too many times have I monked about to drop a heal on a warrior and they just drop instantly.

samcobra · Jul 24, 2007, 12:06 AM // 00:06

use sentinel's. you'll often run 13 strength and 14 weapon, so sentinel's is the insignia of choice IMO

menelik seth · Jul 24, 2007, 12:10 AM // 00:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racthoh

It shows that although my ranger is two years old, there is a reason he is only level 19.

15/-10 I would only play on a paragon or a ranger simply because they can attack from a range out of harms way. I could never think of a justified reason to run it on a frontline character.

For the sake of monks, let them know you have Endure Pain and setup a system that will inform them when it's wearing off. Too many times have I monked about to drop a heal on a warrior and they just drop instantly.

LOL sorry, you lost me at the part about the "dropping instantly" while you were about to drop a heal on them O_o does healing actually kill a warrior who has endure pain on him... or are you referring to the health drastically dropping as it ends, and startling the daylights out of u

I'll try to get rid of this lovely Sephis ASAP *sniff* I just wish it was inscribable, I love this skin...

blue.rellik · Jul 24, 2007, 07:25 AM // 07:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by samcobra

use sentinel's. you'll often run 13 strength and 14 weapon, so sentinel's is the insignia of choice IMO

Uh what? Strength is the worst primary attribute in the game. Tactics roxors Strength any day. I keep Strength at 10 at most (to meet the breakpoint for Enraging charge) otherwise I keep it at 9 and everything into tactics

Also in PvE 16 weaponmastery = must. 15 maybe, anything less is no

Racthoh · Jul 24, 2007, 08:46 AM // 08:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by menelik seth

LOL sorry, you lost me at the part about the "dropping instantly" while you were about to drop a heal on them O_o does healing actually kill a warrior who has endure pain on him... or are you referring to the health drastically dropping as it ends, and startling the daylights out of u

*Just* before the heal lands, they drop.

Blkout · Jul 26, 2007, 08:49 AM // 08:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by menelik seth

I already have a Radiant set; the 1.5k Glads that I've been using for nearly 2 years now, while showing its age, has proven to be most useful. But at times I find myself in situations where I don't really need the mana, but could use something else. For example; if I use a build that is mostly composed of adrenal skills, the extra mana boost from Radiant is wasted...

Guild Wars doesn't have "mana", it has energy. Saying "mana" is about as annoying as using the term "Godly" when describing items.

Vesnik · Jul 26, 2007, 08:36 PM // 20:36

I was curious about this also. I bought guild wars when it first came out, and quit for two years and am now back playing.

Almost level 20, i went ahead and bought a 5k+mats +80 armor and was wondering which runes/insignias were good to use.

i use axes, so obviously an axe run is going to be used, i can stand for the -75 hp so i'll go with the superior one on the helmet or something (with the other axe +1). I was thinking going +30 on axe and +30 on shield to make up for the -75, and then going with armor ones on the other pieces of armor.

the ones i saw worth using:
armor +10 vs physical
armor +10 while attacking
armor +10 while holding an item
armor +10 while in stance

alot of people are saying +10 while attacking, wouldn't +10 while holding an item be better? that way when thrown attacks hit me on the run to them it'll apply then also? or am i not understand how it works.

is there a better way to go about doing this? or should i go another way all together.

Stormlord Alex · Jul 26, 2007, 08:49 PM // 20:49

+10 vs Physical isn't too great on a warrior, we already have huge physical defense.

+10 while holding an item is even worse - items in GW are NOT the weapons you have equipped, they're either stuff like the Tome of the Fallen that you need to hold for a quest or mission; or Urns created through Ashes spells. Both scenarios are useless for a warrior, while holding a 'bundle' item you cannot attack.

Overall, +10 in stance or +10 while attacking are best for a Warrior PvE-wise, as you should always be in a (offensive...) stance, such as Flail or Frenzy, and/or you should always be attacking (unless you just got hit by a thousand anti-melee hexes).