User:Edru viransu/PvP Warrior Guide

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Introduction
Warriors perform a variety of different roles in PvP combat, but almost all of them are mainly focused around dealing damage to the enemy team.

There are five main types of warrior builds:


 * 1) Hammer warriors focus on pressure and spike assistance with the combination of the high damage of hammers and knockdowns.
 * 2) Axe warriors have powerful spiking power and are often used in mixed spikes or adrenaline spikes, as well as in other teams, in which their ability to powerfully spike alone often creates powerful pressure.
 * 3) Sword warriors are mainly used for condition pressure or splitting, although Dragon Slash warriors focus on pressure through a combination of condition pressure from repeated use of Sever Artery and Gash and quickly repeated fast spikes.
 * 4) Linebacker warriors are a somewhat unorthodox type of build, in that they are mostly defensive characters, who use knockdowns to disrupt enemy warriors. Linebackers were made famous by the guild Idiot Savants [iQ].
 * 5) "Fear Me!" warriors are another special type of warrior build, in that they also aren't generally focused on dealing damage. They are instead focused on using the shout "Fear Me!" as often as possible for powerful AoE energy denial.

Build guidelines for a Hammer Warrior
Hammer warrior builds are powerful pressure due to their frequent knockdowns and strong damage.

A typical hammer warrior build includes an elite knockdown(such as Earth Shaker, Back Breaker, or Devastating Hammer), Crushing Blow for deep wound, an IAS(often Flail, a speed boost, 2 to 3 more attacks, and a utility skill(often Enraging Charge). Hammer warriors rarely use a self-heal.

A basic outline of a hammer build could look like this: [build prof=w/any hammer=12+1+1 str=12+1][Hammer Bash][Crushing Blow][Bull's Strike][Flail][Rush][optional][optional][resurrection signet][/build] In most builds, Hammer Bash will be replaced with an elite knockdown. The three main hammer elites are:
 * Backbreaker
 * Earth Shaker
 * Devastating Hammer

This basic build has the key portions of a hammer build: knockdowns, deep wound from Crushing Blow, IAS, and a speed boost. It has two optional slots that are often filled with either a utility skill such as Enraging Charge or Disrupting dagger and another knockdown or damaging attack skill.

Devastating Hammer is the fastest charging unconditional elite knockdown. It also inflicts the weakness condition, which can be a good thing, in that it allows you to follow with weakness-dependent attacks such as Fierce Blow and Heavy Blow, but it can also be a drawback, due to skills like Restore Condition that become stronger heals for each condition on someone.

Example build: [build prof=w/any hammer=12+1+1 str=12+1][Devastating Hammer][Crushing Blow][Mighty Blow][Bull's Strike][Flail][Rush][enraging charge][resurrection signet][/build]

Earth Shaker is only slightly slower to charge than Devastating Hammer and doesn't inflict weakness, but has the potential to knock down multiple enemies.

Example build: [build prof=w/e hammer=12+1+1 str=12+1 air=3][Earth Shaker][Crushing Blow][Shock][Bull's Strike][Flail][Rush][enraging charge][resurrection signet][/build]

Backbreaker is unparalleled as a knockdown, due to its four second knockdown and additional damage. However, it's high adrenaline cost nearly necessitates Enraging Charge.

Example build: [build prof=w/any hammer=12+1+1 str=12+1][Backbreaker][Crushing Blow][Mighty Blow][Bull's Strike][Flail][Rush][enraging charge][resurrection signet][/build]

Build guidelines for an Axe Warrior
Axe warriors are almost entirely focused on damage and utility. The majority of their damage ability comes from the strong spiking power of axes and axe attack skills. Most axe builds will include a deep wound skill, a strong damage attack skill, Bull's Strike, an IAS, and a speed boost, filling the rest of their skillbar with utility skills(such as Shock, Healing Signet, or Mending Touch) and attack skills.

An basic outline of an axe build could look like this: [build prof=w/any axe=12+1+1 str=12+1][Dismember][Executioner's Strike][Bull's Strike][Frenzy][Rush][optional][optional][resurrection signet][/build] It has a powerful spike with Dismember and Executioner's Strike, a snare in the form of Bull's Strike, IAS, and a speed boost.

There are two main axe elites to consider for an axe warrior in PvP: Cleave can be used to create a very high DPS build, while still retaining more room for utility than a Dragon Slash sword(another very high DPS build). It does more DPS than Eviscerate builds, but has less spiking ability, possibly making Eviscerate better for pressuring.
 * Eviscerate
 * Cleave

Example build: [build prof=w/any axe=12+1+1 str=8 tac=10+1][Cleave][Dismember][Agonizing Chop][Bull's Strike][Frenzy][Rush][Healing Signet][resurrection signet][/build] Eviscerate, while inferior to Cleave in terms of raw DPS, has incredible spiking ability, possibly allowing it to pressure more effectively than Cleave.

Example build: [build prof=w/any axe=12+1+1 str=12+1 air=3][Eviscerate][Executioner's Strike][Agonizing Chop][Bull's Strike][Frenzy][Rush][Shock][resurrection signet][/build]

Build guidelines for a Sword Warrior
Sword warriors are often built for split ability and self-sufficiency or to utilize elites from Strength or Tactics or a secondary profession, due to the weakness of most sword elites and the fairly strong sword non-elites.

A typical sword warrior includes a bleeding skill, Gash to inflict a deep wound, another attack skill, an IAS, and a speed boost.

A basic outline of a sword build could look like this: [build prof=w/any sword=12+1+1 str=12+1][Sever Artery][Gash][Final Thrust][Frenzy][Rush][optional][optional][resurrection signet][/build]

One optional slot will usually be occupied by an elite, and the other by either a utility skill, a self-heal, or another attack skill.

Popular elites for sword warriors include: Dragon Slash can allow nearly constant spamming of attack skills.
 * Dragon Slash
 * Crippling Slash
 * "Charge!"
 * "You're All Alone!"
 * Bull's Charge

An example build: [build prof=w/any sword=12+1+1 str=12+1][Sever Artery][Gash][Sun and Moon Slash][Dragon Slash][Bull's Strike][Frenzy][Rush][resurrection signet][/build] Crippling Slash is a strong snare that covers itself and is fairly spammable.

An example build: [build prof=w/any sword=12+1+1 str=8 tactics=10+1][Crippling Slash][Gash][Sun and Moon Slash][Healing Signet][Bull's Strike][Frenzy][Rush][resurrection signet][/build] "Charge!" provides a speed boost to yourself and your teammates, providing a good deal of mobility(particularly for allied warriors).

An example build: [build prof=w/me sword=12+1+1 str=6 tactics=11+1][Sever Artery][Gash][Final Thrust][Healing Signet]["Charge!"][Frenzy][Hex Breaker][resurrection signet][/build] "You're All Alone!" is a powerful ranged snare, making it very useful for ganking builds in Guild versus Guild.

An example build: [build prof=w/a sword=12+1+1 str=8 tactics=10+1][Sever Artery][Gash][Final Thrust][Healing Signet]["You're All Alone!"][Frenzy][Dash][Signet of Malice][/build] Bull's Charge is powerful in teams with either a lot of melee attackers or AoE damage. In addition, it serves to compress the skillbars of a warrior.

An example build: [build prof=w/mo sword=12+1+1 str=8 tactics=10+1 protection=2][Sever Artery][Gash][Final Thrust][Healing Signet][Bull's Charge][Frenzy][Mending Touch][resurrection signet][/build]

Build guidelines for a Linebacker
Linebackers are focused almost entirely on defense by disrupting enemy warriors. They are powerful defensive characters that are not without some offensive ability. Most linebacker builds use hammers and include several knockdowns, a speed boost, and possibly a deep wound. The archetypal linebacker build is: [build prof=w/e hammer=12+1+1 str=12+1 air=3][Devastating Hammer][Hammer Bash][Counter Blow][Bull's Strike][Shock][Rush][Crushing Blow][resurrection signet][/build] Other knockdown elites can be substituted for Devastating Hammer, particularly Earth Shaker.

Build guidelines for a "Fear Me!" warrior
"Fear Me!" builds are powerful energy denial, due to their constant spamming of the shout "Fear Me!" which denies energy in a wide area.

The most common FM warrior uses the elite skill Steady Stance, along with Desperation Blow and Drunken Blow to provide the energy and adrenaline for this spam.

A basic outline of a FM build could look like this: [build prof=w/d tact=12+1+1 scy=12][steady stance][desperation blow][drunken blow][watch yourself][fear me][rending touch][healing signet][resurrection signet][/build]

This basic build has the key portions of a FM build: High damage, party support, random conditions, and energy denial. Watch Yourself aids the party by reducing the damage it takes by about 25%.

Making a build
The first step in making a PvP Warrior build is to consider what you want the build to do. If you are intending to focus primarily on pure damage-dealing, a normal sword, axe, or hammer warrior is what you will want to use. If you are intending for your warrior to perform a more defensive role, a linebacker is the ideal choice. Fear Me warriors are used when you want energy-denial.

Choosing a weapon
Choosing a weapon for damage-focused warrior builds is a complicated issue. Swords are often chosen when it is necessary for a warrior to be able to leave his team or to utilize a utility elite or other elites that are not linked to a weapon. In addition, Dragon Slash builds can provide considerable pressure. Swords also are useful for condition pressure teams. Axes are also not very reliant on an axe elite, but their main strength is their incredible spiking ability and powerful criticals. Hammers allow powerful pressure through plentiful knockdowns and high damage. For linebackers, hammers are the best choice, as they provide several knockdowns unavailable to other weapons. For "Fear Me!" warriors, the choice of weapon is usually dependent on what method you are using to provide the adrenaline for "Fear Me!" spam.

Choosing attack skills
discuss various attack skills for each weapon/type of warrior

Choosing an IAS
discuss pros and cons of different IASes( and cancel stances)

Choosing utility skills
discuss things like enraging charge, ddagger, shock, heal sig, mtouch, etc.