Warriors are limited, no doubt about it.
BUT warriors in 100 b spec DO have great burst and are viable. But perhaps not in the way that people want warriors to be viable.
Additionally, this is the only viable way to play a warrior that i have seen.
I think some other specs are semi-viable like hammer control.
What about the “spartan” build… axe/mace sword/shield with lyssa runes and shouts – (I think the lyssa runes remove conditions on shouts). Is that one not viable? (I’m seriously asking because I don’t know and am curious)
It’s not viable, as you are doing much less damage than you’d be doing with variation of 100b build, but it doesn’t provide much of an advantage either, except for condition removal. Shouts are scaling very badly with healing power, so you won’t be seeing many warriors running them because of that. Maybe only for condition removal, but then again, you could do the same with Signet of Stamina, traited, which also provides a dodge every 6.2 seconds if I remember correctly.
You could go for standard utility bar, being frenzy, BC, and balanced stance(although I prefer using Signet of Stamina over BC, because of path finding issues), so your axe auto attack would hit like a truck with frenzy on, but again, after that, you wouldn’t have anything other than eviscerate to burst your target down. Remember, 100b is a great skill even without frenzy, so having your burst available every 8 secs traited, along with Whirlwind, which can also act like a dodge, and can almost be as good as 100b when your target is positioned by the wall, so there is really no need in replacing your gs with any other weapon set.
I typically like using it along with mace/warhorn, as you don’t need BC on your utility bar, because of mace burst, and constant swiftness with cripple, immobilize and chill removal. These conditions are our biggest bane, so I find using warhorn traited, along with Mobile Strikes from discipline (a must for burst warrior), along with Signet of Stamina and Lyssa Runes really helps against that, and it won’t lower your burst almost at all(well, it will if you prefer using axe instead of mace, which I don’t).
GS/Longbow is a good spec IMO, as it hits like a truck (longbow burst + Arcing Arrow + combo finishers), but if you get focused, and your team is not that organized, you are as good as dead, because you don’t have any form of damage mitigation, other than your dodge and AoE blind on mediocre cooldown, and perhaps your whirlwind. Also, it provides no condition removal, so you better not get into fight against good necro, or anyone that plays a condition spec. Hard to play, but it provides a lot of AoE damage. Try it and see if you like it. You can see Schwahrheit playing this build successfully in paids here: http://www.twitch.tv/blacktruth009
All in all, we are not that weak, but some of our crucial skills are bugged, along with mostly uninnovative traits, where most are based on %, along with some quite awful Grandmaster traits in certain trees. Buffing Mobile Strikes to remove cripple, chilled and immobilize would definitely solve many problems we have, but we would still be pigeonholed into GS, unless some of our other weapons, like hammer and rifle, get some kind of buff. Hammer is awfully slow, predictable, thus easy to dodge, and rifle just hits like a wet noodle, where burst is mostly impossible to land, unless nobody is watching you, and you are playing against not that organized team. It’s easy to interrupt, easy to dodge, and whatnot.
