Curse

Yukito Kunisaki · Apr 21, 2006, 03:47 PM // 15:47

After playing this game since WBE [wayyy back in October of 2K4], many things have changed, with tweaking, rebalancing, etc. etc... Efficiencies have been tried, tested, and proven, and some people are looking for a very fast, straightforward, way to start out a strong warrior of any weapon and perhaps any secondary. Here, I'm gonna try to make this cookie-cutter warrior that I've already tested in PvP (this is a pvp style guide, I'll make a pve one later)

Here some basic rules, that unfortunately, are pretty much a MUST HAVE on any warrior regardless of build for PvP.

16 weapon mastery. Yep, in the unforgiving world of high level pvp, without this much in weapon mastery, your teammates will wish you never joined the party and the enemy team will be glad you did...

Despite the hit to hp, you can easily offset it using Superior Vigor and a +hp Fortitude upgrade to your weapon. In the end, no consequence.

Res Sig. This has been some sort of a wish-wash for me since I've had lots of wins in TA and quite a few in GvG [way back when] and I didn't bring this trinket into the battlefield. In RA and TA, some people will just say noob to you and be done with it but I say, bring this if you can spare it and trust in your monk. If you're the last one standing, which can happen if your teammates drop simultaneously, this won't help you win the battle anyway. If your whole team brings one each, that's wasted. If half your team brings res sigs, your monk obviously needs some lessons in keeping people alive. Just half or a little less should be enough to keep you in winning shape. If you have more than that, you're expecting to die multiple times... not a good mindset to enter battle with.

Apply Deep Wound, always!

Deep wound is your friend. It does 100 dmg to someone with full hp and stops their healing by 20%. Your uncalculated damage bonus for your next hits should be a little under 120% in that case since 20% of their hp is rightfully gone. If you don't bring a way to deep wound your foes into the fight, your damage is too easily negated by enemy defensive factors and your foe will live 20% longer. In those cases, 20% longer is a whole second and that's more than enough time for a monk to do his job properly...

(note* all builds assume you know how to distribute runes*)

On with the skill builds! (x denotes secondary line of choice)

First, the Duelist 'standard'

16 Swordmastery
9 strength
10 X

Seeking Blade / Wild Blow
Sever Artery
Gash
Savage Slash
Frenzy
Sprint
secondary skill of choice: minor heal/anti-condition / hex [preferably elite]
Res Sig or extra 2ndary skill: such as anti-defense hex

Each of these skills have been proven to work well for Sword. I know what some self-proclaimed 'pros' are thinking. Sever/Gash sucks. True, for damage, it's not good, but under 16 Swords, Savage Slash will KILL a monk if they try to remove these conditions and the timing is right. You can replace Savage Slash for Final Thrust if you demand spike damage that badly but in my testing, swords are better for dps, and you can bring a secondary elite for that extra 'oomph' Frenzy and sprint, sprint cancels frenzy when under fire so you can run outta there, 'nuff said. Wild Blow and Seeking Blade are nice boosts to damage when the enemy is hiding behind something like a pansy. More people prefer Wild blow due to it's 'lasting' nature but I like Seeking Blade due to its bonus damage [bonus + crit = more dmg]

On to the Knocklocker!

16 Hammer
9 Strength
10 X

Devastating Hammer {E}
Crushing Blow
Hammer Bash
Wild/Irresistable Blow
Frenzy
Sprint
Secondary strike: usually with a +dmg due to people knocked down
Res sig or anti-defense skill/self heal anti-condition, etc.

Same rules apply here as in the previous. Though most people bring a secondary that REALLY puts the hurt on foes who are down. Aftershock and Holy Strike come to mind. I think Blackout is the worst thing to get hit with after you get knocked down twice however... Irresistable Blow imho is the best of the unavoidable weapon specialty attacks since it knocks them down on block. @ 4s. recharge, that's pretty much a foe regretting he could block...

As elites go, unless you bring Devastating Hammer, you're not considered 'skilled' by most, and as far as facts go, it's true... Don't bring Heavy Blow. Ensign said it best, if Devastating is blocked or weakness removed [it happens], you've just brought a useless skill to the field. If you're fighting foes who are dumb, go ahead and bring heavy blow, but if you like fighting idiots, what's that make you?

Hammer bash, though being the nooby skill, is the best bet.

And now my favorite, the Executioner [most versatile as well I believe]

16 axe
9 strength
10 X

Swift Chop / Wild Blow
Eviscerate {E}
Executioner's Strike
Disrupting Chop
Frenzy
Sprint
anti-defensive secondary skill [my choice is rend enchantments]
Res Sig or anti-dmg skill [my choice is plague touch]

Axe has the toughest time breaking an enemy's defensive measures due to its low minimum damage. But the game makes up for it with the highest damage boost in terms of skill use. Eviscerate {E}, in PvP, if an axe user isn't bringing this skill, his damage is in the toilet. With average damage being the lowest in the game [6 minimum damage? wands/staves have a higher dmg than that I think...] Eviscerate is pretty much FORCED onto his skillbar. Exe Strike is the hardest other strike an executioner has so that HAS to be brought as well. So this weapon is probably the most inflexible in terms of skill use. Swift Chop is my choice, though some say Wild Blow is still the most efficient defense piercing skill. I luv my +dmg. Disrupting Chop... How we love thee. Sometimes I use Fear Me! instead and move the stats around but if you can interrupt a long casting spell [if you're fighting a maniac] or better, a fast protection spell, you've pretty much 'killed' your foe because some builds just can't do their job without that one skill... Dis. Chop an assassin's attack combo and you've owned them... etc. etc.

As far as secondary skills go, you pretty much HAVE to bring an anti-defense measure like an AL dropping hex or something like Rigor Mortis or what not. Again, with axe dps being so low [with spike being the highest in game I think], you need all the help you can get. Your final skill for res sig could be an anti-hex/conditioner if you wish or just put faith in your teammates...
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Now all warriors [and classes for that matter] can be countered. These builds allow the new and the old to deal with a few of the counters that'll be discussed here...

Conditions:

Warriors are affected by conditions more than anyone else in the game. Cripple and blind are more than enough to take you out of the fight for a while... That should give you a hint. Your secondary skill of choice should augment this weakness, if not, you could try for "I WILL SURVIVE", but that's definitely more of the pve side of play and isn't a warrior primary's efficient choice... Your secondary should help ya with this if possible. Plague touch and antidote signet come to mind.

Hexes:

Warriors have no primary skills to deal with them and make them the most troubling hindrance in the game. Hopefully a monk can help ya out with that but otherwise, you're out... Most hex removing skills have either a gigantic cost, or too long a recharge. Not good for us manly men fighters [or womanly women...

] Remove Hex or Smite Hex come to mind.

Strengths...

Warriors are considered to be the 'weakest' threat on the battlefield since their damage doesn't match those of a caster. [which is a good misinterpretation for us since I can easily execute 75% hp worth of damage alongside other smart warriors I've seen on the battle field] As such, they're the last ones standing about 90% of the time, use this to your advantage and attack anyone with softer armor than you. [which is anyone that's not a warrior...

]

If you can add any ideas here for both us newbies and oldies about making that better warrior [such as secondary skill ideas and the like], slap them on here, I'll save this sucker to a text file and probably send it to gamefaqs and such.

Thanks for the read!