Guild Wars 2

Hi there. I am currently lvling my warrior, and I want some advice, except “omg quit warr, it sucks now, don lvl warr…etc” is there someone that can give me some advice on builds, sets etc with wvw and pvp?

I have played every core class (except revenant) and I wanted to try warrior. It seems he is a very difficult class to play, with so few tools to work (some of the tools does not work as it seems). I usually enjoy engi or ele since they destroyed the core ranger. I have a thing for bows and arrows so I desire a class that “can” (not strictly “will”) use it.

Although i like power builds and bow-gs-rifle trio, I desire to learn some tricks from you guys. What do you think in this very hard times a warrior can survive with? I have no HoT, and will not get it until I see an elite that I desire. So I am limited with core options for warrior.

And last but not least, please only give advice on builds, playing tricks, different combos or things to be aware of (There can always be something new to learn, no mater how much I play-ed). And no “warr sucks, do not play, roll guard/revenant…etc” please.

There are a few major things that Warrior players have to get good that that benefit you no matter what class you play but are more important for War.

Skill Canceling: Skills like Backbreaker, Pin Down, and Kill Shot have long activation times. To bait out dodges, bind Sheath Weapon to anything you can easily reach. Start using a long activation skill, and sheath just before the attack launches. It’ll go on a short CD (even shorter with perfect timing) and you can use it again. It cause really throw your enemy off and can also bait stun breaks/stability.

Wait for the Dodge and Count Dodges: War skills are slow, avoid throwing out the slowest and hardest hitting skills unless you’re sure they’ll connect. Use these skills right after a dodge or when you know they have no more endurance. Skill Canceling helps here as well.

Know your Enemy: More so than other classes, Warrior has to know about their enemy to be effective. If you blow that major attack you’re gonna be up a creek without a paddle. Knowing what tools your enemy has lets you know when they’re out of stun breaks and when you’re free to start pushing back.

These three things help all classes, but you have to master them on Warrior to do anything resembling good.

One quick thing about Stances. They have a reputation of being easy-mode skills, and while they aren’t hard to use per-say they aren’t as easy as non-Warrior players paint them to be. Knowing when to use Berserker Stance is the difference between having no condis and using them once the enemy already has some on you. This ties into “Know your Enemy.” Endure Pain is also not that useful if you only use it after that Backstab or True Shot hits you. You don’t have to use it as a stun break only, if you know a big hit is coming, use it.

For some context, I’ve played Warrior since launch and I STILL fail to follow some of these rules. A lot of it depends about if I’m really focusing on winning or just playing/smack talking. When I follow the rules, I can win most 1v1s unless the build I’m facing hardcounters me (Diamond Skin Ele while on Hybrind/Condi builds).

Now, Warrior/Berserker still lacks a really useful role currently. That’s basically undeniable. Every time someone says otherwise and I ask them to give a example I either get majorly outdated answers or answers like “They can roam” (Thief does this better, even if they’re hurting atm too) or “They got so much Stability” (True, but this is only so useful when other classes have ways to stomp that don’t need Stability or they have enough for doing that). The class needs help, but you can still do OK.

When people ask advices i always show http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/ this web page.
A person can learn a lot about what his class is capable off and how far it can go in one direction as well as how balanced the class can be.

While im not going to give you builds that you should strictly follow (you should make up some of your self) i will give you some tips and tricks as well as tell you about some warriors “mechanics”

1)The class it self is overall raw, rigid, simple and relies on some very strong passive abilities that no other class has. Things like having the highest health and armor in the game at the same time, very good self “passive” regen. However the raw and rigid also applies to almost all of your weapon and most utility skills. What i mean is that most skills dont change much in the enviroment, they dont leave a combo fields for other players to interact with, they dont grant boons to your self or others either.

2) Healing signet is the best skill you have when it comes to raw healing power with the right set up. However this doesn’t mean it will keep you alive all the time.
The skill gives you a extremely strong regeneration, and combined with adrenal healing trait it can be a extreme good thing for your survivability. If you THINK you are under pressure and need to activate the skill, simply back off from the danger for a few seconds and you will get your health back fairly quickly.

3)Banners help a lot in group fights. If you are within a group of players that is fighting a champion make sure you have at least 1 banner. You should also the ability to grant Fury buff to everyone with the banner of discipline whenever you can.
If the battle is long and in a small area such as silverwaste fort defense you could also add the trait that grants traits regeneration for everyone.

4) Traits are fairly simple as well. While all classes have traits filed in such a way where 1 trait is specialized for raw dps, another for critical hits and conditions, the 3rd one is for pure defense, the 4th one is about utility and survivability and the 5th one is about enhancing your overall performance. That being said, most warrior traits enhance its raw and rigid skills with..well..more raw and rigid abilities.
Dmg weapons deal more dmg, cc weapons do more cc, pasive regen becomes more stronger, you can become faster in moving or have a shorter weapon swap cd… honestly the only trait that adds something extra is tactics and discipline.

5) As for tricks, there arent that many that a warrior can do considering its passive and raw and rigid nature…

6) The build i am using is a well balanced build (toughness and vitality) and heavy dmg, it uses defense,tactics and berserker traits and i am able to endure a ton of damage with greatsword – Sword/shield. Im also able to endure 2 one shot hits, and also able to use vengance 100% all the time

Others are better qualified to comment on pvp (though I might make some suggestions), but what will you want to do most in wvw: roam, havoc, zerg bust, zerg?

Also,, are you open to anything or would you really prefer to run a bow? (It can be done, just looking for clarification).

Thank you guys. I am especially love using the environment (for the obstruction) and know your enemy part is a must for me (except revenant.). And I use the editor all the time. But I did those without giving enough importance. All the info you gave is really helpful.

I already have an archer build (a meh one) but it is not a must for me to use bow all the time.

This is the most helpful forum part by the way.