Guild Wars 2

Fellow Brothers of Battle.

I have played a warrior since a few weeks after launch. Though I have done it only in PvE, Dungeons and WvWvW to a degree. Now I want to enjoy all spectrum of entertainment GW2 throws at me so today I will enter the arena of sPvP, and if all goes well I might try a tournament.

However, it is known that PvE/WvWvW is very different then sPvP in terms of builds/tactics and general ettiquete. So I come here asking advice on builds, playstyles, rules of thumbs and the like.

1. What are builds to consider, and contrary to those what builds should be avoided.
2. What is the role of the sPvP warrior?
3.How succesful do you guys who play sPvP find yourself.
4. How is the learning curves for Warriors in sPvP.

And generally give me some tips if they spring to mind. I very much like to hear your advices and warnings. And I am sure others would be glad to follow in my footsteps and lift themselves to the arena.

Regards,
Dokuroizo

Great thread idea. I have done only a little sPvP compared to many hours of WvW. I recommend using a GS build until you get used to fighting other players. When I do sPvP I use a rifle/hammer build because I’m in love with the knockdown/knockbacks on hammer, but I also like to maintain distance when necessary with my rifle. I would love to see other advice for us newer to sPvP =)

Dokuroizo.5348:

1. What are builds to consider, and contrary to those what builds should be avoided.
2. What is the role of the sPvP warrior?
3.How succesful do you guys who play sPvP find yourself.
4. How is the learning curves for Warriors in sPvP.

1. mainly the 100B glass canon burst spec, its really the only warrior spec that makes any significant difference in a team match. however its near to useless in paid tourneys, almost everyone has multiple ways of avoiding your burst completely.

you could also opt for a similar spec but with axe in your main hand, deals good burst as well. then ofc the hammer warrior can be a pain for enemies, especially when youve got healing shouts on top of all your CC. the only issue with that is youre VERY susceptible to blind, since you have long CDs and everything is a single hit.

on a subpar lvl theres the rifle warrior which does good in 8v8 random matches where its easy to hide behind crowds, but 5v5 and tourneys theyre quite useless, easy to kill and easy to avoid their damage. on that same lvl are bleed warriors, only efefctive against anyone dumb enough to have zero condition removals or at least a partner who can do it for them.

2. depends on the build.

100B burst warrior: roam between your nodes and jump in for massive burst to help your bunkers/support thne get out before youre focused down. (roughly the same for axe warriors)

hammer: stay on nodes and provide massive CC to help bunkers/support (and if youre also a shout spec, which you can easily do as a hammer warr, then use those to provide support as well).

any other spec: try to do as much damage and pray your opponents are also using subpar builds or are new to the game.

3. depends on the group comp. classes and builds dont determine the highest ranking teams (except you basically need a mesmer… figures :/), team communication and coordinated movements do.

4. depends on the builds again. its an incredibly small curve to learn 100B burst, the only thing newbies to the spec will do is try blowing everything right away to get quick kills, until they eventually cross the curve and realize how dumb that is. (and again roughly the same for axe).

hammer warriors are a bit tougher only cause youre so easy to kite, but the wide aoe arc of most their attacks helps in large groups, making your role easier to play.

anything else has a small curve only cause they have such a low peek.

Warrior is one of the weakest classes in sPVP in my experience. If i get killed by a warrior in a 1v1 i actually feel a little embarrassed :P

For a beginner the frenzy+bull’s charge+100 blades combo followed by an eviscerate or shield bash + damage will work against most newb players, but any ‘decent’ player will just break stun and avoid the combo. It’s more useful if you’re joining a fight already in progress and catch someone off-guard or that has already used their stun breakers.

A build that focuses on stun locking can also be useful in a team fight to allow your team mates to easily focus on one player, but otherwise it doesn’t offer much.

TBH, my advice would just be try another class if you want to be competitive against more skilled players. The other classes can offer much more in sPVP imo.