Curse

fatboyslimerr · May 28, 2006, 02:18 PM // 14:18

Say your running a W/E using swords. Your attributes will look like this (high strength for battle rage)
16 Swords
11 Strength
9 Tactics

My question is, to really pump out the DPS, which is better for being an adrenaline powered spiker,
Battle Rage - for xx number of seconds, you gain double adrenaline on hit and move 25% faster. This ends if you use a non attack skill. When it ends you lose all adrenaline -- you can keep this up constantly pretty much
or
Dragon Slash, if dragon slash hits, target foe takes xx damage and you gain xx strikes of adrenaline (roughly +42 dmg and 4-5 adrenaline)

I'm thinking battle rage is better as it only costs 4 adrenaline and its a speed buff too. Plus swords most powerful and best attack imo is final thrust and battle rage can be used brilliantly with final thrust to quickly regain adrenaline lost from final, where as dragon slash can't.
Any thoughts ?

Rathcail · May 28, 2006, 03:17 PM // 15:17

Same stats what I'm using.
I felt no need to change my skills after Factions was released. Battle Rage works well for me and I'd certainly miss that adrenaline boosting and running speed if I'd change it.

Hidden Prayers · May 28, 2006, 05:28 PM // 17:28

Primal Rage could work well with this.

fatboyslimerr · May 28, 2006, 09:49 PM // 21:49

I don't think primal rage is that good. Firstly because AP doesn't stack so its just 20% not 20% + AP from points in strength, secondly more adrenaline is a lot mroe damaging tha critial hits and I can imagine this being more useful for assassins for increased DPS. I'm tending to agree Battle Rage is better because of speed buff + self sustaining.

Yukito Kunisaki · May 28, 2006, 09:56 PM // 21:56

Battle Rage, if comboed properly, can give you an endless stream of hits...

You don't want to use it with axe but here's an example:

Penetrating Blow, Disrupting Chop, Dismember, Exe. Strike

Once you can execute P. Blow, you can just use each and every attack in succession repeatedly.

For swords, I think it's probably much more dangerous since Final Thrust is a nasty spike and swords don't need a weapon elite making them very flexible...

Sever, Gash, Silver/Galrath Slash, Final Thrust

I'd probably go: Sever, Gash, Galrath, Silverwing to save my adrenaline.

fatboyslimerr · May 28, 2006, 09:59 PM // 21:59

I would only ever use Eviscerate {E} in an axe build, an axe build without it is naked. I did mention earlier this is for a sword warrior, hence the comparsion between dragon slash - a new sword elite and battle rage.
I'm liking battle rage more and more but surely there must be some good points to dragon's slash ??
I would use sever, gash, galrath, final thrust in a super fast spike. I like to take wild blow possibly, since losing all adrenaline isn't really a major issue due to how quickly you gain it back again with battle rage.

Racthoh · May 28, 2006, 10:55 PM // 22:55

By using Dragon Slash, you allow yourself the ability to use an IAS stance for even faster adrenaline gain on top of 5 strikes that Dragon Slash nets. It may take 10 strikes to get Dragon Slash combos going, but it's well worth.

Ultimately I'd just say test both for yourself, see which comes out better for your build.

Jestah · May 28, 2006, 11:30 PM // 23:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yukito Kunisaki

...swords don't need a weapon elite making them very flexible...

It's not that they don't *need* one as much as they don't have one. Well atleast not until recently. Can't say I've tried Dragon Slash but it looks OK, nothing to compare with Eviscerate for adreneline spiking though.

Btw is this build for PvE? If it's for PvP then Battle Rage is a pretty lame elite when you can have Frenzy AND Dragon Slash.

TheOneMephisto · May 28, 2006, 11:54 PM // 23:54

Well, Final Thrust and Battle Rage work perfectly together. Use Final thrust right as rage is about to end, then use rage again to power up other attacks, and use final again right as rage is ending. If you're using dragon, forget about final thrust. For dragon some nice stuff is for great justice, which makes it give you like 10 adrenaline. Something like sun and moon slash and dragon slash + for great justice allows for constant cycling. All depends on what you want to do.

fatboyslimerr · May 29, 2006, 08:45 AM // 08:45

I agree Battle Rage isn't great for PvP (although it is a speed buff too) because it doesn't IAS. I don't like For Greater Justice because of recharge but I do like the idea of dragon slash + sun and moon (for 2 strikes of adrenaline) + rush/sprint and frenzy. A new PvP (mainly for GvG) build might look like this.
16 Swords
9 Stre -- less strength requires because no battle rage
11 Tactics -- boost tactics for bigger healing sig

1. Sever
2. Gash
3. Galrath
4. Dragon Slash {E}
5. Rush/Sprint
6. Frenzy
7. Healing Signet
-- (No place left for shock though)
8. Res

Alternatively

1. Sun and Moon Slash
2. Galrath Slash
3. Dragon Slash
4. Rush/sprint
5. Frenzy
6. Shock
7. Healing Signet
8. Res

Although this build doesn't include bleed+deep wound combo which I like soo much and is great to use in GvG with say a poison ranger 3+4 = 7 degen, but has damage attacks on par with axe (almost).

Rebirther · Jun 03, 2006, 04:30 PM // 16:30

you know whats interesting?
Dragon Slash + Sun and Moon Slash + For Great Justice. that combo can be repeated as an endless chain for 20seconds -

Stack that with necro casting orders and maybe dark fury (if darkfury, no need to bring foj)

dmg output is quite large and can kill an armour60 caster in the first order's cycle.

Invis X · Jun 03, 2006, 10:31 PM // 22:31

This is the Dragon Slash build I've been running on my warrior, somewhat similar to what Rebirther said.

Swords 16
Strength 13

Berserker Stance(Possibly Frenzy)
Standing Slash
Sun and Moon Slash
Silverwing Slash/Galrath Slash
Draon Slash (e)
For Great Justice
Sprint/Rush
Rez

Basically you start off using Berserker stance to gain adrenaline, once everything is charged begin going through Standing Slash, Sun and Moon Slash, Silverwing Slash, and right before you use Dragons Slash use For Great Justice. From here just go right down the line Standing, Sun and Moon, Silverwing, Dragon until For Great Justic is up. Also you should be able to stay infinitely Rushed while using this to give Standing Slash the extra damage.

sumasage · Jun 05, 2006, 02:21 AM // 02:21

got a few nice builds going here. I run the Invis X's Dragon Slash build for a almost a month now. It just an endless 20 seconds hell of who ever i go up againsts (in PvE). I also thow in there tiger stance instead of berserker stance to speed up attacking and build up the initial up of adren. plus faster atk mean more banging in the 20 secs of FGJ. One thing i dont like the build is it take 5 skills to attack (Tiger stance, moon sun slash, silverwing slash, dragon slash, and FGJ). It is great if i dont need to kd or interrup cuz the last 3 slots are tight when i want to run armor buff, self healing, kd, interrupt, and res. I will have to cap Battle Rage and test it out since it have both speed buff and adren. in one. Let me know if u guys come up with a good build.

fatboyslimerr · Jun 05, 2006, 11:38 AM // 11:38

I've spent awhile now uses dragon slash and I think its very good for PvE, but I haven't tried it in PvP. I've bin using:

Sever
Gash
Sun and Moon
Dragon Slash {E}
Rush
Shock/Armor of Earth/Watch Yourself
Healing Signet
Res

I realise this doesn't have a IAS, but I decided bleed was more important and in an axe build, things like frenzy are used to increase attack speed but also gain adrenaline quicker to use evis/exec. With this build after an initial adrenaline build up, the skills can be spammed pretty quickly so frenzy isn't really needed. I often find I start with dragon slash (after killing a foe) so then sever, gash and sun and moon are all charged, unload these 3 skills, then a few more hits and I can use dragon slash again. Its a pretty good combo and things die really quickly. I'll be trying this in GvG at some point.

One thing I can't decide on though is whether to take gash or galrath/silverwing. Is another +42dmg attack better than deep wound +21 damage ? Imo, gash is better but I might be wrong