Guild Wars 2

Lady Warriors and Gentleman Warriors, the promised day has arrived. With just a few buffs to our heals warriors have gone from the laughing stock of PvP to a force to be reckoned with! I present Skull Cracker V 3.0:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fIAQNApeRjkOpwBPGPMxBEkCsoKOKUCmQ9wO2w4A-TsAA1CnICSFkLITQygsBNIYRwEBA

This build is designed to counter the current meta known as “lolz condi spam.” Stat-wise this build has few weaknesses, High attack and armor in addition to a perk that makes our low crit chance jump by 50% when a foe is stunned. Use your utilities wisely, Zerker stance is best used just a fight begins so that you set the tempo for the fight. Don’t waste Signet of Stamina on a few stacks of bleed and poison because Healing Signet with Adrenal Health will take care of it, wait for a big condi spike then laugh as you make it disappear.

Now before someone comes along and claims this is OP, it isn’t. Why it seems so strong is because it is designed specifically to counter the current meta, so if you want to beat it you’ll want to start running something else. A power based spike can still take this build down because 2 of the utilities will be useless against it. Hopefully this build could help shift the meta away from where it currently is (if this was ANets plan it’s genius).

The build is very flexible and you can adjust it to fit your playstyle or your teams needs. I rather like Healing Signet now but if you prefer Surge or Mending all of our heals are decent now. It’s better to actually not Activate Sig of Healing because the passive is so good. You could also go with all Stances and Vigorous Focus if that’s more your style.

Now go fellow Warriors! Rejoice! That mythical goal known as “Viability” has finally arrived!

EDIT: It’s been pointed out there isn’t a significant change and while I feel that the change in Ammy/Utilities were important but also I think it’s good to have solid builds on the front page post patch so new warriors have something to try out/build from.

EDIT 2: Just a note that if you find yourself being kited/out run feel free to replace DotE with Warrior’s Sprint. In fact, if you find anything to not fit the situations you’re facing (hopefully because people are finally building to try and counter) the build is flexible.

Good stuff mate.

IMHO I prefer to put the 10ptd from burst mastery into arms for 10% g and furious

Cough Cough Worthless against good necromancers…

I will just leave this here.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/necromancer/How-to-counter-stun-locking-warriors/first#post2458626

Daecollo.9578:

Cough Cough Worthless against good necromancers…

I will just leave this here.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/necromancer/How-to-counter-stun-locking-warriors/first#post2458626

Thanks Daecollo! I would love to fight a minion necromancer in soldiers gear with melandru runes any day compared to the current FOTM builds. Please post on necro forums more!

Daecollo.9578:

Cough Cough Worthless against good necromancers…

I will just leave this here.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/necromancer/How-to-counter-stun-locking-warriors/first#post2458626

Good necro’s use soldier’s amu, mel runes and run axe? Sweet. I won’t get condi’d to death and can actually kill w/ other classes.

Nice, already two replies that are almost identical to what I said the first time Daecollo posted that thread.

If Warriors scare Necros so much that they turn away from Staff/Scepter condition spam – I’m satisfied, means we changed the meta away from boring AOE condi spam.

Velron.3729:

Nice, already two replies that are almost identical to what I said the first time Daecollo posted that thread.

If Warriors scare Necros so much that they turn away from Staff/Scepter condition spam – I’m satisfied, means we changed the meta away from boring AOE condi spam.

Chill is one of the most powerful conditions in the entire game, even if a necromancer doesn’t spam all their conditions, they still have access to powerful ones.

Nothing really new in that build other than adding healing signet. It’s virtually identical to to build I have been running since the patch that changed skull crack. Except I use Dogged March or Shield Master instead of Missile Deflection. I also prefer Sigil of Fire over Accuracy, personally. I rotate out bersker (endure pain, stomp, berserker stance) depending on map and what classes I am up against. Everything else is 100% identical.

(No offense intended)

Ashanor.5319:

Nothing really new in that build other than adding healing signet. It’s virtually identical to to build I have been running since the patch that changed skull crack. Except I use Dogged March or Shield Master instead of Missile Deflection. I also prefer Sigil of Fire over Accuracy, personally. I rotate out bersker (endure pain, stomp, berserker stance) depending on map and what classes I am up against. Everything else is 100% identical.

(No offense intended)

None taken, that said the old version used Zerker Ammy, this uses soldiers. Before it wasn’t really worth taking but now with the healing changes our sustain is a lot better and you can actually win 1v1’s with soldiers now (useful if you wanna tackle home bunker solo). The soldiers however gives you much lower crit chance, which is offset by Unsuspecting foe but I feel that because you were doing most of the damage while they were stunned the Fire sigil only prots maybe once so I figured just having the extra crit chance was a better investment.

I decided to make a new version post because I thought the Ammy and Heal/Utility changes were fairly significant since it doubles the sustain it had before. I finally feel like a warrior now, not a thief that lacks stealth or a guardian that lacks protection.

As for Daecollo, the build is intended to force Necros/Engis away from conditions, so if this build does actually force them to run a counter to me then that’s fine, we can switch up some of the utilities, conditions Like Chill mean nothing if for the first 8 seconds of a fight they can’t use them, and after than you have signet of stamina to cleanse any Condi spikes. Only necros I have issue with now are minions because they aren’t condi based, and builds like this are the reason some went to minions.

As for putting the extra 10 points in Arms instead I don’t agree with. Burst Mastery not only makes Skull Crack hit harder, but the extra crit damage offers much more than having that 10% to bleeding foes (which forces you to just hope that your crits are lucky enough to apply enough stacks to get a consistent benefit from the trait) and increased condi duration, when the build doesn’t have any condis that are affected by it besides the bleeds. Also because with soldiers we have much lower crit chance you will gain the adren MUCH slower than with Burst Mastery.

BurrTheKing.8571:

Ashanor.5319:

Nothing really new in that build other than adding healing signet. It’s virtually identical to to build I have been running since the patch that changed skull crack. Except I use Dogged March or Shield Master instead of Missile Deflection. I also prefer Sigil of Fire over Accuracy, personally. I rotate out bersker (endure pain, stomp, berserker stance) depending on map and what classes I am up against. Everything else is 100% identical.

(No offense intended)

None taken, that said the old version used Zerker Ammy, this uses soldiers. Before it wasn’t really worth taking but now with the healing changes our sustain is a lot better and you can actually win 1v1’s with soldiers now (useful if you wanna tackle home bunker solo). The soldiers however gives you much lower crit chance, which is offset by Unsuspecting foe but I feel that because you were doing most of the damage while they were stunned the Fire sigil only prots maybe once so I figured just having the extra crit chance was a better investment.

I decided to make a new version post because I thought the Ammy and Heal/Utility changes were fairly significant since it doubles the sustain it had before. I finally feel like a warrior now, not a thief that lacks stealth or a guardian that lacks protection.

But you could also say that it’s best to make sure the enemy is as much downed as possible after a full 100 blades. That might save the game if you manage to land it on a guardian, while maybe another mate comes by and lands something himself too.

I used this build, zerker ammy but high defense:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fIAQNApeRjkOpwtQGPMxBE0DsoK2iTBlQ9wO2w4A-TsAg0CnIMSZkzIjRSjsGNgYZxEBA

That double Defy Pain does wonders at keeping you alive, and you can land more consistent damage out of stuns, too!

(Trying it with Soldier’s amulet -and Balanced Stance instead of Dolyak Signet- , I found myself a bit lacking on the burst side, but I was EXTREMELY resistant to anything)

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fIAQNApeRjkOxutQGPMxBEkCNsKOPUCmg8UKsjNE-TsAA1CnICSFkLITQygsBNQYZxECA

Another possible version. Didn’t test it, but it might work.

Burr not to be an kitten but this has been the standard GS Mace Shield build for a long time, the only difference is the healing choice.

If you’re running GS Mace/Shield then you should have been running Soldiers ammy from the beginning.

The issue I see with that first build is that if you compare them the only stat that is higher on yours is crit chance, which isn’t that significant. Granted it’s only slightly lower but also I used to run Endure pain until I realized that it was only really useful for Burst Thieves/Eles, which you encounter much less often then Condi builds. Having perma Vigor with Signet of Stamina until you need to use it is also a big sustain boost. Having 2 skills with a 60 second CD has also hurt me a lot in the past if you get jumped while their down, with Stamina you at least have a cleanse every 36 seconds.

You’re builds aren’t unviable, I’ve just decided for myself that after running almost every variation of this build I decided running to totally counter the meta is the best way to shift the meta into something new.

@Defektive My old version used all stances and Zerker, which worked fine but the healing changes make it a lot more effective in my view to run Soldiers because it actually makes the sustain feel more noticeable than it did previously. Pre-Patch too me I felt like there as MAAAAYBE 10 more seconds gained by having Soldiers vs Zerker while at the cost of more DPS than I was willing to give, but now with Healing Signet I feel like I’m Wolverine (just went and saw that btw) and just heal up from most things thrown at me from a single enemy. The only class that’s annoying to 1v1 now is Mesmer and it’s mostly because neither of us can kill each other in a timely manor.

Healing Signet works so well with a stun build because while they aren’t attacking while stunned you’re just healing up, that in my mind warranted a update because I haven’t seen a ton of warriors trying that yet. Most still use Healing Surge or Mending – which are both good but Healing signet just makes the most sense.

I agree with Defektive. I have been going back and forth between Soldiers and Berserkers since the patch last month. I even asked him his opinion between the two in game a couple weeks ago and got the Soldier response. Since then I have been using Soldiers the majority of the time and feel that it is the better of the two, even before this last patch.

Healing Signet works so well with a stun build because while they aren’t attacking while stunned you’re just healing up, that in my mind warranted a update because I haven’t seen a ton of warriors trying that yet. Most still use Healing Surge or Mending – which are both good but Healing signet just makes the most sense.

I don’t know about that. I have messed around with healing signet a bit since the patch. While it does feel much better, I am not sure it can be considered a replacement for Healing Surge currently. I’m not saying it is a bad choice however, just I am not sure it is the optimal choice.

On a side note, I got called a “skull crack noob” and harassed by a Necromancer for about 20 minutes today. I must have really made him angry. lol

BurrTheKing.8571:

Granted it’s only slightly lower but also I used to run Endure pain until I realized that it was only really useful for Burst Thieves/Eles, which you encounter much less often then Condi builds.

Well, it’s just that I tend to have a very weak sense of danger, so I often end up keeping enemies occupied alone. The 2nd endure pain often helps me survive long enough to pull out a stomp or things like that.

But I admit I realized I can kill things even with soldier, while being almost unstoppable. I’m just a bit less aggressive.

Main problem is 100b damage is 10-15% lower, I think. That’s the difference between downing a guardian with some luck or not, I guess.

Ashanor.5319:

I agree with Defektive. I have been going back and forth between Soldiers and Berserkers since the patch last month. I even asked him his opinion between the two in game a couple weeks ago and got the Soldier response. Since then I have been using Soldiers the majority of the time and feel that it is the better of the two, even before this last patch.

Healing Signet works so well with a stun build because while they aren’t attacking while stunned you’re just healing up, that in my mind warranted a update because I haven’t seen a ton of warriors trying that yet. Most still use Healing Surge or Mending – which are both good but Healing signet just makes the most sense.

I don’t know about that. I have messed around with healing signet a bit since the patch. While it does feel much better, I am not sure it can be considered a replacement for Healing Surge currently. I’m not saying it is a bad choice however, just I am not sure it is the optimal choice.

In my mind it just makes sense. If they’re stunned they aren’t hitting you, and while you’re hitting them you’re regening whatever damage they’ve done to you. Today I’ve won fights against Rangers, Thieves, Eles, Necros, and other warriors while hardly losing any health. With Reflect Rangers become more cautious, when Thieves stealth they allow me to heal, eles tend to run something similar in concept to this build wich is tough with a steady stream of DPS, but they run only 1-2 skills with stability with long cooldowns. Mesmers and this build tend to take ages to kill one another because they have so many escapes but the shatters are easy to block/evade/dodge that they don’t damage me that much. In team fights tho Mesmers aren’t hard at all because chances are other are making them use their escapes which lets me lock them down.

I’ve been surprising myself by being able to win 2v1s, only issue I have is if there’s a thief in the mix simply because I’m ill equipped for power based damage but like I said they’re much less common than Necros and Engis. I can beat bunker guardians but it takes a while to make them use up all their stability but if you don’t miss a Crack they drop rather quickly.

redslion.9675:

BurrTheKing.8571:

Granted it’s only slightly lower but also I used to run Endure pain until I realized that it was only really useful for Burst Thieves/Eles, which you encounter much less often then Condi builds.

Well, it’s just that I tend to have a very weak sense of danger, so I often end up keeping enemies occupied alone. The 2nd endure pain often helps me survive long enough to pull out a stomp or things like that.

But I admit I realized I can kill things even with soldier, while being almost unstoppable. I’m just a bit less aggressive.

Main problem is 100b damage is 10-15% lower, I think. That’s the difference between downing a guardian with some luck or not, I guess.

I look at M/Sh GS more are, a pressure/control build. I apply constant pressure and cc. I don’t really consider it a burst build. I mean, it can feel like a burst build if you fight a glass cannon with no stunbreaks, but otherwise it feels like pressure/control.

My goal when I fight someone 1v1 is to exhaust all of their resources to escape, then catch them in a serious of stun chains and damage before they come back up. That is why I feel soldiers is the better choice (even before this latest patch). I am more likely to live long enough for that opportunity with the added survivability. That is also why Mesmers are still so tough vs this build, they have so many outs that it is pretty much impossible to keep up.

BurrTheKing.8571:

Ashanor.5319:

I agree with Defektive. I have been going back and forth between Soldiers and Berserkers since the patch last month. I even asked him his opinion between the two in game a couple weeks ago and got the Soldier response. Since then I have been using Soldiers the majority of the time and feel that it is the better of the two, even before this last patch.

Healing Signet works so well with a stun build because while they aren’t attacking while stunned you’re just healing up, that in my mind warranted a update because I haven’t seen a ton of warriors trying that yet. Most still use Healing Surge or Mending – which are both good but Healing signet just makes the most sense.

I don’t know about that. I have messed around with healing signet a bit since the patch. While it does feel much better, I am not sure it can be considered a replacement for Healing Surge currently. I’m not saying it is a bad choice however, just I am not sure it is the optimal choice.

In my mind it just makes sense. If they’re stunned they aren’t hitting you, and while you’re hitting them you’re regening whatever damage they’ve done to you. Today I’ve won fights against Rangers, Thieves, Eles, Necros, and other warriors while hardly losing any health. With Reflect Rangers become more cautious, when Thieves stealth they allow me to heal, eles tend to run something similar in concept to this build wich is tough with a steady stream of DPS, but they run only 1-2 skills with stability with long cooldowns. Mesmers and this build tend to take ages to kill one another because they have so many escapes but the shatters are easy to block/evade/dodge that they don’t damage me that much. In team fights tho Mesmers aren’t hard at all because chances are other are making them use their escapes which lets me lock them down.

I’ve been surprising myself by being able to win 2v1s, only issue I have is if there’s a thief in the mix simply because I’m ill equipped for power based damage but like I said they’re much less common than Necros and Engis. I can beat bunker guardians but it takes a while to make them use up all their stability but if you don’t miss a Crack they drop rather quickly.

Yes, but they could have just been bad players that you outplayed. It doesn’t necessarily mean Heal Sig is the better choice. I’m not going to do the math, but I would assume Healing Surge would come out ahead in the majority of situations. I could be wrong though. Where is that math thread when you need it?

Ashanor.5319:

redslion.9675:

BurrTheKing.8571:

Granted it’s only slightly lower but also I used to run Endure pain until I realized that it was only really useful for Burst Thieves/Eles, which you encounter much less often then Condi builds.

Well, it’s just that I tend to have a very weak sense of danger, so I often end up keeping enemies occupied alone. The 2nd endure pain often helps me survive long enough to pull out a stomp or things like that.

But I admit I realized I can kill things even with soldier, while being almost unstoppable. I’m just a bit less aggressive.

Main problem is 100b damage is 10-15% lower, I think. That’s the difference between downing a guardian with some luck or not, I guess.

I look at M/Sh GS more are, a pressure/control build. I apply constant pressure and cc. I don’t really consider it a burst build. I mean, it can feel like a burst build if you fight a glass cannon with no stunbreaks, but otherwise it feels like pressure/control.

My goal when I fight someone 1v1 is to exhaust all of their resources to escape, then catch them in a serious of stun chains and damage before they come back up. That is why I feel soldiers is the better choice (even before this latest patch). I am more likely to live long enough for that opportunity with the added survivability. That is also why Mesmers are still so tough vs this build, they have so many outs that it is pretty much impossible to keep up.

It’s definitely a control build but it also has a steady stream of DPS. I feel a little bit like the Mesmer of Melee classes now. We apply a steady steam of damage with a good amount of survival. In a team fight though a Skull Crack + 100b could be considered a bit of a burst because you can deal 10K+ damage with it. Even in un-coordinated teams if I call a target they know a stun is coming and chances are that guy is going down.

BurrTheKing.8571:

Ashanor.5319:

redslion.9675:

BurrTheKing.8571:

Granted it’s only slightly lower but also I used to run Endure pain until I realized that it was only really useful for Burst Thieves/Eles, which you encounter much less often then Condi builds.

Well, it’s just that I tend to have a very weak sense of danger, so I often end up keeping enemies occupied alone. The 2nd endure pain often helps me survive long enough to pull out a stomp or things like that.

But I admit I realized I can kill things even with soldier, while being almost unstoppable. I’m just a bit less aggressive.

Main problem is 100b damage is 10-15% lower, I think. That’s the difference between downing a guardian with some luck or not, I guess.

I look at M/Sh GS more are, a pressure/control build. I apply constant pressure and cc. I don’t really consider it a burst build. I mean, it can feel like a burst build if you fight a glass cannon with no stunbreaks, but otherwise it feels like pressure/control.

My goal when I fight someone 1v1 is to exhaust all of their resources to escape, then catch them in a serious of stun chains and damage before they come back up. That is why I feel soldiers is the better choice (even before this latest patch). I am more likely to live long enough for that opportunity with the added survivability. That is also why Mesmers are still so tough vs this build, they have so many outs that it is pretty much impossible to keep up.

It’s definitely a control build but it also has a steady stream of DPS. I feel a little bit like the Mesmer of Melee classes now. We apply a steady steam of damage with a good amount of survival. In a team fight though a Skull Crack + 100b could be considered a bit of a burst because you can deal 10K+ damage with it. Even in un-coordinated teams if I call a target they know a stun is coming and chances are that guy is going down.

Well, yes, when I said pressure that implies a steady stream of DPS.

What do you guys think of running hammer instead of greatsword for even more cc lock, or rifle for ranged option?

Quick Mouse.7635:

What do you guys think of running hammer instead of greatsword for even more cc lock, or rifle for ranged option?

Well, a problem with both hammer and rifle in these type of builds is it leaves you with a lot less mobility. Hammer is also more susceptible to blind. I think M/Sh GS really just gets the job done best among these type of builds, but I do occasionally run other weapon sets. My preferred rifle build was destroyed in last months patch, and I haven’t really found one I liked since then. If you are fine with not having escape options, you could probably make rifle work, but in reality it probably isn’t that great in this type of build.

Ashanor.5319:

Quick Mouse.7635:

What do you guys think of running hammer instead of greatsword for even more cc lock, or rifle for ranged option?

Well, a problem with both hammer and rifle in these type of builds is it leaves you with a lot less mobility. Hammer is also more susceptible to blind. I think M/Sh GS really just gets the job done best among these type of builds, but I do occasionally run other weapon sets. My preferred rifle build was destroyed in last months patch, and I haven’t really found one I liked since then. If you are fine with not having escape options, you could probably make rifle work, but in reality it probably isn’t that great in this type of build.

Hmm that’s a good point. WTB hammer builds from gw1
Also, what about using more physical utilities like bull’s rush or stomp?

Quick Mouse.7635:

Ashanor.5319:

Quick Mouse.7635:

What do you guys think of running hammer instead of greatsword for even more cc lock, or rifle for ranged option?

Well, a problem with both hammer and rifle in these type of builds is it leaves you with a lot less mobility. Hammer is also more susceptible to blind. I think M/Sh GS really just gets the job done best among these type of builds, but I do occasionally run other weapon sets. My preferred rifle build was destroyed in last months patch, and I haven’t really found one I liked since then. If you are fine with not having escape options, you could probably make rifle work, but in reality it probably isn’t that great in this type of build.

Hmm that’s a good point. WTB hammer builds from gw1
Also, what about using more physical utilities like bull’s rush or stomp?

I use stomp on occasion, but mostly when messing around on Skyhammer map. lol Bull’s Rush isn’t horrible and can be fun when chaining cc. It isn’t a horrible option, but I prefer endure pain or berserker stance in that optional spot. The other spots are even more difficult to give up really. Doylak is mostly used for the Stability, but the free 180 toughness is helpful as well. Signet of Stamina is pretty self explanatory, with it’s endurance regen and a condition clear if really needed. Signet of Rage is also pretty self explanatory. There is also the option of possibly taking Warrior’s Sprint instead of Signet CD reduction, and running Balanced Stance instead of Doylak, but I like that extra toughness when I don’t need stability. If I could afford to get sure-footed in the build, I would be more apt to possibly lose that toughness, but it’s really not feasible to get sure footed.

I prefer Dogged March or Shield Master in the first spot and Cleansing Ire is practically required in the second. In order to get Sure-Footed you would need 30 in Defense which means dropping Forceful Greatsword in 20 Arms or Burst Mastery at 30 Discipline, unless you are willing to give up the first tier in Defense for it. Personally I don’t want to make that trade off, and even if you did go 30 Defense the do you really want to put a tier 1 trait in a tier 3 spot?

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fIAQNApeSjgOpu1OyQQxBE0DNsK2CjCjgIUKoj5A-TsAgzCtI8S5lzLjXyusdNUYpw8DA

I hope the nerf it, thiefs have rly no chance against this and they are already weak.

Black Teagan.9215:

I hope the nerf it, thiefs have rly no chance against this and they are already weak.

Is this a joke? You can’t be serious. Mesmer and Thief are THE STRONGEST classes against this build. It’s not the fault of a Warrior that you don’t know how to use your outs and your blinds. Here, I got a challenge for you, Mr. Thief. Go make a warrior and use this spec. Join hotjoin until you find a Thief with half a brain (no, glass cannon d/d is not a thief with half a brain), now try to kill him. Enjoy getting rolled.

Black Teagan.9215:

I hope the nerf it, thiefs have rly no chance against this and they are already weak.

if you hang around when you run out of tricks and get caught in cc, well ya its gonna hurt. One trick pony builds are very strong when the warrior is an add to a fight.

Watch for the skull crack, Dont stand in 100b, very worse case run away reset the fight, practice emoting, then come back.

When you come back, backstab then press 2 over and over and over. Dont worry it hits harder every time, and closes the gap for you.

Now in the old days you would win automatically, now you need to avoid the warriors cc. so instead of pressing 2 over and over and over, poof after you hit the warrior, and if at anytime you get low hps reset the fight.

Black Teagan.9215:

I hope the nerf it, thiefs have rly no chance against this and they are already weak.

Notable counters: Blind Spam, Evade Spam, Burst after forcing us to use our stun break, teleports, stealth spam. The build can still beat a good thief but you can’t miss a stun or you’re probably screwed or you’ll just fight forever. I find that certain Thief, Mesmer, and Ele builds that are similarly tough are so equally matched that it comes down to who messes up first. That’s a pretty good sign, it means that after a year of balancing things are starting to come down to who’s the better player and not who has the most OP build.

I kind of hate the fact that everyone is playing this cause someone had to post this build….. I not insinuating its your fault but really if people keep posting quote on quote meta builds we are going to have an abundance of players playing the same builds and people will ask for nerfs time and time again swaying the classes potential negatively. This class is so close to viability once necros and condis in general are toned down I believe we are finally going to have a spot on team because of our cc capabilities. The point I am trying to make is posting builds like this is going to make it worse for the general health of the class I mean look at necros, since everyone is running the same build everyone is looking for changes that will over nerf the class through extra unnecessary changes, which I believe is going to really sway anets direction with the class.

Try this, you are are already stuned and Shadowstep on CD and special if two of them attack you.

Black Teagan.9215:

Try this, you are are already stuned and Shadowstep on CD and special if two of them attack you.

Sooo… you want to survive a 2v1.

Warriors die against 2 thieves, too. And against one, just spamk evades with daggers, or use shadow return with s/d.

redslion.9675:

Black Teagan.9215:

Try this, you are are already stuned and Shadowstep on CD and special if two of them attack you.

Sooo… you want to survive a 2v1.

Warriors die against 2 thieves, too. And against one, just spamk evades with daggers, or use shadow return with s/d.

Who said, that I cant fight and win against two persons?
But two CC Warrior are a big problem for me

Black Teagan.9215:

redslion.9675:

Black Teagan.9215:

Try this, you are are already stuned and Shadowstep on CD and special if two of them attack you.

Sooo… you want to survive a 2v1.

Warriors die against 2 thieves, too. And against one, just spamk evades with daggers, or use shadow return with s/d.

Who said, that I cant fight and win against two persons?
But two CC Warrior are a big problem for me

2 of any class should be a problem for any non-bunker if the 2 are both decent players. It’s not like thieves are intended to be able to consistently win 2v1s.

this build is pretty fun

The build I posted was made for solo queue, where I might need to do many different things, so I can do a bit of everything (like killing bunkers faster, or hunting down glass cannons, while holding a point for some time if needed). Probably the soldier build is a bit more specialized and focused.

I’ve been playing a version of this build for the last couple of weeks and while I wouldn’t say that the build itself is necessarily overpowered (lacking an effective counter) it does a fantastic job of countering the meta builds.

From the point of view of a necro or engi or ranger running no stunbreaks this build is very difficult to deal with.

So first of all I’m really new to PvP since I only used to play WvW and I don’t really know a lot of people that do PvP. But for a week now I started to play it and also used the skull crack build. I really liked the build and the concept of PvP as well so I guess I’ll be playing it more and more. I’m curious though, has anyone tried using Sword/Sword instead of the the Greatsword with this build?
I thought about swapping Forceful Greatsword for Blademaster and with Sword 3 you’d also be able to do nice damage plus 3 blocks with the missile deflect seems pretty cool as well.
I’d probably miss my GS 3 evade and the AoE of it but well you can’t have everything.
Just wanted to know the thoughts of some of the more experienced players about that.

doc phil.8015:

So first of all I’m really new to PvP since I only used to play WvW and I don’t really know a lot of people that do PvP. But for a week now I started to play it and also used the skull crack build. I really liked the build and the concept of PvP as well so I guess I’ll be playing it more and more. I’m curious though, has anyone tried using Sword/Sword instead of the the Greatsword with this build?
I thought about swapping Forceful Greatsword for Blademaster and with Sword 3 you’d also be able to do nice damage plus 3 blocks with the missile deflect seems pretty cool as well.
I’d probably miss my GS 3 evade and the AoE of it but well you can’t have everything.
Just wanted to know the thoughts of some of the more experienced players about that.

in my mind what makes GS better than S/S is the Forceful GS trait. After you stun them and use 100b you will gain a ton of Might and the next few attacks will hit much harder. I haven’t tested mind you but I feel S/S DPS would be much lower. Not to mention Whirlwind Attack is a life saver.

Healing signet says it heals 407 but in reality it’s healing 382 (or something around there). Bugged tooltip?

Black Teagan.9215:

I hope the nerf it, thiefs have rly no chance against this and they are already weak.

Very funny day when a Thief complains about being weak when they have some of the cheapest builds around. You don’t even have to try as a Thief to kill a Warrior. Just use your Black Powder and stand in it. You have basically just destroyed the effectiveness of this build with one skill.

Vanthian.9267:

Black Teagan.9215:

I hope the nerf it, thiefs have rly no chance against this and they are already weak.

Very funny day when a Thief complains about being weak when they have some of the cheapest builds around. You don’t even have to try as a Thief to kill a Warrior. Just use your Black Powder and stand in it. You have basically just destroyed the effectiveness of this build with one skill.

Although the warrior can just back up and then they have to come out of their black powder. So they’ll HS out, use the backstab, drop another black powder, and the warrior will back up again. If the warrior gets a stun in, the thief has to use a stun breaker… basically, it’s a drawn out battle between the two that relies on someone making more mistakes than the other.

But I do agree, d/p thief can be a bit more problematic with this build due to no real ranged attacks (though the GS toss can sometimes hit a bit hard).

Yamsandjams.3267:

Vanthian.9267:

Black Teagan.9215:

I hope the nerf it, thiefs have rly no chance against this and they are already weak.

Very funny day when a Thief complains about being weak when they have some of the cheapest builds around. You don’t even have to try as a Thief to kill a Warrior. Just use your Black Powder and stand in it. You have basically just destroyed the effectiveness of this build with one skill.

Although the warrior can just back up and then they have to come out of their black powder. So they’ll HS out, use the backstab, drop another black powder, and the warrior will back up again. If the warrior gets a stun in, the thief has to use a stun breaker… basically, it’s a drawn out battle between the two that relies on someone making more mistakes than the other.

But I do agree, d/p thief can be a bit more problematic with this build due to no real ranged attacks (though the GS toss can sometimes hit a bit hard).

If you start with Zerker Stance you can charge the powder and they will be caught off guard. you can at the least make them waste a stun break and with that build taking just a few hits half way kills them. Optimal thing to do is Shield Bash into the Powder, which most of the time hits before the blind. They stun break, then do the Zerker stance and you can destroy them. Not really worth it though because the timing on backstab is so obvious that it’s better to let someone else handle them while you block/evade.

BurrTheKing.8571:

Yamsandjams.3267:

Vanthian.9267:

Black Teagan.9215:

I hope the nerf it, thiefs have rly no chance against this and they are already weak.

Very funny day when a Thief complains about being weak when they have some of the cheapest builds around. You don’t even have to try as a Thief to kill a Warrior. Just use your Black Powder and stand in it. You have basically just destroyed the effectiveness of this build with one skill.

Although the warrior can just back up and then they have to come out of their black powder. So they’ll HS out, use the backstab, drop another black powder, and the warrior will back up again. If the warrior gets a stun in, the thief has to use a stun breaker… basically, it’s a drawn out battle between the two that relies on someone making more mistakes than the other.

But I do agree, d/p thief can be a bit more problematic with this build due to no real ranged attacks (though the GS toss can sometimes hit a bit hard).

If you start with Zerker Stance you can charge the powder and they will be caught off guard. you can at the least make them waste a stun break and with that build taking just a few hits half way kills them. Optimal thing to do is Shield Bash into the Powder, which most of the time hits before the blind. They stun break, then do the Zerker stance and you can destroy them. Not really worth it though because the timing on backstab is so obvious that it’s better to let someone else handle them while you block/evade.

I’m about to release a tutorial regarding how to fight thiefs as a CC build. Complete with voice over play by play.

BurrTheKing.8571:

Yamsandjams.3267:

Vanthian.9267:

Black Teagan.9215:

I hope the nerf it, thiefs have rly no chance against this and they are already weak.

Very funny day when a Thief complains about being weak when they have some of the cheapest builds around. You don’t even have to try as a Thief to kill a Warrior. Just use your Black Powder and stand in it. You have basically just destroyed the effectiveness of this build with one skill.

Although the warrior can just back up and then they have to come out of their black powder. So they’ll HS out, use the backstab, drop another black powder, and the warrior will back up again. If the warrior gets a stun in, the thief has to use a stun breaker… basically, it’s a drawn out battle between the two that relies on someone making more mistakes than the other.

But I do agree, d/p thief can be a bit more problematic with this build due to no real ranged attacks (though the GS toss can sometimes hit a bit hard).

If you start with Zerker Stance you can charge the powder and they will be caught off guard. you can at the least make them waste a stun break and with that build taking just a few hits half way kills them. Optimal thing to do is Shield Bash into the Powder, which most of the time hits before the blind. They stun break, then do the Zerker stance and you can destroy them. Not really worth it though because the timing on backstab is so obvious that it’s better to let someone else handle them while you block/evade.

Yes, this will sometimes work, but you have to admit that fighting a GOOD blind spammer thief is an uphill battle you are likely to lose in many cases.

I have to agree, this weapon combo has always been around since even pre mace stun buff. The variations are endless. The counter meta thing been there forever, its just that some people prefer zerker dps because if a random guardian comes along and decides to pop stability for 4 of his teammates you’re not going to do much until the buff is gone.

If people think the bull charge→HB→eviserate etc blah blah is too easy to read this is even worse because its long to setup.

Ashanor.5319:

BurrTheKing.8571:

Yamsandjams.3267:

Vanthian.9267:

Black Teagan.9215:

I hope the nerf it, thiefs have rly no chance against this and they are already weak.

Very funny day when a Thief complains about being weak when they have some of the cheapest builds around. You don’t even have to try as a Thief to kill a Warrior. Just use your Black Powder and stand in it. You have basically just destroyed the effectiveness of this build with one skill.

Although the warrior can just back up and then they have to come out of their black powder. So they’ll HS out, use the backstab, drop another black powder, and the warrior will back up again. If the warrior gets a stun in, the thief has to use a stun breaker… basically, it’s a drawn out battle between the two that relies on someone making more mistakes than the other.

But I do agree, d/p thief can be a bit more problematic with this build due to no real ranged attacks (though the GS toss can sometimes hit a bit hard).

If you start with Zerker Stance you can charge the powder and they will be caught off guard. you can at the least make them waste a stun break and with that build taking just a few hits half way kills them. Optimal thing to do is Shield Bash into the Powder, which most of the time hits before the blind. They stun break, then do the Zerker stance and you can destroy them. Not really worth it though because the timing on backstab is so obvious that it’s better to let someone else handle them while you block/evade.

Yes, this will sometimes work, but you have to admit that fighting a GOOD blind spammer thief is an uphill battle you are likely to lose in many cases.

I tend to find that in a 1v1 against a good, non predictable thief that it becomes a stalemate where it just becomes pointless. Only build I struggle with is selfish Mesmers that have Sig of Illusions and other offensive utilities rather than the Illusion of Life and Portal USEFUL Mesmers use. I actually had some Mesmer saying I’m trash because I wouldn’t spend 5 minutes fighting a build I’m not even designed to fight. If I had Endure Pain and Bulls Charge I’d be able to make him waste all his stun breaks but with the Utilities in this build a Phat Spam Mesmer will just eventually overwhelm you because 2 of your utilities aren’t effective because at the most they’ll apply some low damage confusion. It’s amazing how dense some players are, I find myself wondering how they even managed to install the game without deleting c //windows/system32.

Also had a blind spam thief accuse me of running away too much when literally all he did was Powder – Shot – HS- Fail Backstab (because I can feel it coming at this point because they always do it a few seconds after the HS stealth because of it’s short length) and then stealthed and ran away every time I got him low. It’s actually kinda funny how many people in hotjoins are becoming bitter over the fact that we aren’t free kills anymore.

Forestgreen.7981:

I have to agree, this weapon combo has always been around since even pre mace stun buff. The variations are endless. The counter meta thing been there forever, its just that some people prefer zerker dps because if a random guardian comes along and decides to pop stability for 4 of his teammates you’re not going to do much until the buff is gone.

If people think the bull charge->HB->eviserate etc blah blah is too easy to read this is even worse because its long to setup.

But you can do it again quickly, and you are protected by something more than toilet paper.

Seriously, I saw a warrior with that old build. I didn’t even need to dodge. I could just stand still and soak all his damage. In my opinion, that build has always been kinda weak.

redslion.9675:

Forestgreen.7981:

I have to agree, this weapon combo has always been around since even pre mace stun buff. The variations are endless. The counter meta thing been there forever, its just that some people prefer zerker dps because if a random guardian comes along and decides to pop stability for 4 of his teammates you’re not going to do much until the buff is gone.

If people think the bull charge->HB->eviserate etc blah blah is too easy to read this is even worse because its long to setup.

But you can do it again quickly, and you are protected by something more than toilet paper.

Seriously, I saw a warrior with that old build. I didn’t even need to dodge. I could just stand still and soak all his damage. In my opinion, that build has always been kinda weak.

I have noticed that build isn’t as good anymore, since then I’ve switched to GS+LB running 5 signets. As troll as it seems, wow does it hurt since I got around 95% crit chance or something with fury.

Forestgreen.7981:

redslion.9675:

Forestgreen.7981:

I have to agree, this weapon combo has always been around since even pre mace stun buff. The variations are endless. The counter meta thing been there forever, its just that some people prefer zerker dps because if a random guardian comes along and decides to pop stability for 4 of his teammates you’re not going to do much until the buff is gone.

If people think the bull charge->HB->eviserate etc blah blah is too easy to read this is even worse because its long to setup.

But you can do it again quickly, and you are protected by something more than toilet paper.

Seriously, I saw a warrior with that old build. I didn’t even need to dodge. I could just stand still and soak all his damage. In my opinion, that build has always been kinda weak.

I have noticed that build isn’t as good anymore, since then I’ve switched to GS+LB running 5 signets. As troll as it seems, wow does it hurt since I got around 95% crit chance or something with fury.

I would say in a 1v1 you can play on players expectations and throw them off. For example, you could stick in GS then suddenly switch to Mace and instantly Skull Crack and just auto attack. Good players won’t expect a Crack right after switching because you can’t switch back to GS. Sometimes they also wait until you start 100b then break in order to capitalize on you being rooted, so you could go Whirlwind → Blade trail instead. You can use warriors predictability to throw people for a loop by not doing what they expect you to.

I goofed off with a Evis build the other day and did well by just randomly using it because everyone saves their dodge/stun breakers for the Bulls or Shield Bash. You run the risk of it not criting but the unpredictability is a good tradeoff. You can also just swap weapons mid Evis leap to mess with them even more (Same with hammer).