At least not on their own, anyway. Now, with a partner that can stun or immobilize regularly, the greatsword attacks become VERY good. I’d also like to point out that Greatsword is downright amazing in PvE, but even there it has some issues. I’ll elaborate a bit to explain the point I’m trying to make.
The auto attack is fine as it is. You can use it while moving and it does decent damage.
Whirlwind attack and Blade Trail are also fine as is. You choose the way you want to attack or throw, and they work with predictable results. Both are ‘skill shots’ if used correctly, and I like the added depth of them.
But both Hundred Blades and Rush have issues. Hundred blades is a VERY powerful attack, but in a PvP environment combining a channeled attack with it being cancelled if you move makes it VERY difficult to use effectively. Should a warrior have to use a utility slot for Bolas, just to make this attack useful, especially when Hundred Blades could potentially be activated every 6.4 seconds? Traits and utility slots should create powerful combos and synergy. not be required in order to make an attack actually useful once out of every 3 cooldowns.
Rush seems like it should be an ideal skill to use in the high-mobility environment of pvp. However, the problem is that it has a very hard time actually connecting with the attack after the charge. WoW had a similar issue for the longest time with their charge attacks. Something to do with latency and how the client/server code determines positioning.
What happens is that you activate Rush, and you do in fact charge towards your target. However, if the target is moving at all, by the time the animation for the attack activates, the spot you attack is NOT the spot where the target is, even against slowed or crippled targets. This results in both a missed attack, and placing you out of your intended position with the target in front of you within melee range.
Melee already suffers a bit of a disadvantage in WvW, where walls and towers make non-ranged combat extremely limited. But additionally, IMO, greatsword has two of it’s five attacks that are virtually useless in the high-mobility environment of PvP.
I’m all for the chess match of attack and counter, and GW2 does that amazingly well! But I’d prefer it if those two attacks were not self-sabotaging.
I play a female Asura warrior. So it’s entirely possible my experiences could stem from animations or ‘hit boxes’ of that race being smaller. If someone with more in-deptch knowedge of the inner workings of how range and such works in this regard, I’d greatly appreciate their input.
P.S.: The above is purely my opinion. It is not meant to be taken as fact, and is merely my feelings and perception of the game based on my own personal experience. I welcome discussion and debate. I don’t mind if you disagree, but please back up your statements with at least some intelligent arguments.
(edited by Eliteseraph.4970)