Guild Wars 2

Warrior

I tried various different Warrior builds, from the Glass Cannon, to the Defensive Warrior for both dungeons, and WvW. The build I found most beneficial gave me the damage of the Glass Cannon, with utility, and buffs for the entire group. I don’t play sPvP because the skill set is slightly different, and the gear I have in the regular world does not get represented well in sPvP.

This build utilized a max adrenaline bar, and requires you not to use your F1 skills for maximum damage.

Str(10) V
Arms (20) V, VII
Tactics (30) V, VI, XI
Disc (10) V

In dungeons I run Banner of Discipline, Frenzy, For Great Justice, and Signet of Rage. When you’re moving or just standing still I hold onto the Banner, using the number “2” ability, which applies Fury, and stacks the duration with our other Fury abilities. I am also using the number “3” ability, which applies Swiftness, and stacks the duration with our other Swiftness buffs.

I cast all buffs constantly, weaving them like you would weave on the old EQ1 Bard.

Using the food that grants 20% increase duration to boons, I can get four buffs up on myself permanently, and on my entire group permanently as long as they stay in my range, while casting them. The four buffs are Fury, Swiftness, Regeneration, and three stacks of Might. On yourself it appears there is a max 2 minute timer that can accumulate on buffs, while on others, it is a max 1 minute that can accumulate on buffs. Still testing this.

The weapons I use are the Greatsword, and the Rifle. I use Frenzy with the rifles Volley and the Greatswords Hundred Blades for fast burning. I havn’t really used any variation of offhand axe, but would think the build works with that combination as well.

In WvW I do virtually the same thing, except I change my skills to Banner of Discipline, Bull’s Charge, Frenzy, and Signet of Rage. I can kill most people one vs one before they get up by knocking them down with Bull’s Charge, triggering Frenzy, and popping Hundred Blades. Those who get up and run, I switch to Rifel, snare them, and kill them. On occasion I get that bunker Guardian, or bunker Elementalist, and the fight lasts a little longer, but they can not handle the damage coming from this build. If I ever feel like I’m taking too much damage in group on group, or large group situations, I switch Frenzy for Endure Pain, and utilize my Rifle, and its bleeds to do my damage on multiple targets because of the Piercing trait.

During Tower & Keep sieges I’ll switch over to three banners, and spread them out so more people benefit from the Regeneration effect I get on my banners, from my build.

In full Exotic gear sporting the Power, Precision, and +Critical Damage, with the same jewelry, and every attunement on the armor, and jewelry sporting the same stats, I’ve hit 16k hits with Hundred Blades, and 8k hits with Volley. Even worse, or until they nerf it, once I stack Vulnerability on a target the Rifle F1 ability “Kill Shot” hits for roughly 16k to as much as 20k.

I will most likely change the armor attunement slots to the Superior Rune of Lyssa.

I like your build, and have recently changed from healing shouts to banners myself for my support build. However, if you are going out of your way to keep permanent might/fury on yourself and allies, what good is signet of rage doing you? If you are traited into banners then you might as well use Battle Standard as your elite. The instant rez can be very handy, plus if you drop it near the back of your group, it will give pulsing fury/might/swiftness to them while you rush back in to melee and keep them buffed with dicipline.

Also, I don’t think frenzy is doing enough work for you. in wvw sure you can use it to burst the hell out of someone but mobs in dungeons have a bajillion hp and you would probably be better off with either another banner, like strength, or shake it off, to help cleanse your party of a condition.

On top of that, Battle Standard looks awesome.

@Yojimbojones

Thanks for the respones, and critique.

I will give your ideas a try, and see how it feels. I’ll have to find someone to carry the extra banner, which I hope isn’t a problem.

Something I’ve learned with banners is you do not use the number “5” ability to drop the banner. It seems bugged, but insead use the green arrow to the left to drop your banner, it drops it instantly, and allows you to go directly into combat as needed.

jkctmc.8754:

@Yojimbojones

Thanks for the respones, and critique.

I will give your ideas a try, and see how it feels. I’ll have to find someone to carry the extra banner, which I hope isn’t a problem.

Something I’ve learned with banners is you do not use the number “5” ability to drop the banner. It seems bugged, but insead use the green arrow to the left to drop your banner, it drops it instantly, and allows you to go directly into combat as needed.

5 will drop the banner for me. The trade off is you can drop it instantly by clicking the green arrow (or better yet, clicking your weapon swap key, ` by default) but if you click 5, you have a short cast time, and it will produce a blast finisher. Handy if you are conviently standing in a combo field when you are ready to drop it.

This is something everyone should know about banners, because if you have someone in the back who can produce a water field (eng, ele, ranger) then they can pick up and slam down the banner in addition to their field to get an extra 1-2k area healing out of it. They also blast when they land.

@Yojimbojones

I did not know that. Thanks.

You know something I wish they would do with banners, but many might not agree with me.

I think when we cast a banner, it immediatly goes to our back, and the buffs provided go to the “F” bar, priority goes to the first banner.

So F1 is always our weapon skill burst, F2 always becomes the Swiftness buff banners provide, F3 becomes a castable regen some banners provide, or the regen from traits, if you’re spec’d that way, and F4 becomes the castable buff, like Fury from Banner of Disc.

If I didn’t have to pick up, and move multiple banners, I’d probably use multiples if they automatically went to my back.

But that is a pipe dream, that probably would never work.

@Yojimbojones

Have you tried to build a defensive + condition build yet? I’m wondering what I can create with this, using both bleeds, and burns as primary damage, with the survivability to out last my target(s).

@ jkctmc.8754
(it’s only us talking in this thread anyways LOL)

Your idea of the banner being attached to us is interesting, and has alot of flavor, but seems too much like an “all upside” kind of ability. I think banners are fine as they are now. Clunky, for sure. And randos picking them up in WvW is annoying but otherwise they work pretty well.

Defensive + condition build? I’ve definatly used 30 in tactics for healing shouts and quick breathing fore sword + warhorn with longbow in 2nd slot. Bleeds work well in dungeons because mobs live long enough for you to see return on your high condition damage, this is especially true on high HP bosses (all of them). I liked that build okay. Right now I’m running 10/0/30/30/0 with a hammer and longbow and like it alot. Hammer is great for controlling trashmobs (aoe immobilize/cripple on 10 sec cooldown, aoe pushback, aoe STUN? yes please!) and while not that great against bosses the damage is still decent.

I just can’t get the feel of the hammer. I’ll play with one for a week, and see if I can cure that issue.

An interesting build. I run a tanky hammer build with a banner, 10/0/30/30/0 in dungeons. The perma-regen is very nice, especially for Mesmers since it also gives them what is essentially permanent protection with their Illusory Membrane minor trait. But WvW…I’ve gone back and forth between a banner for speed with a mace/shield offhand. Or no banner, but sword/warhorn offhand. It’s a real tradeoff (which is kind of cool in a way) – with banner, and I can equip something I’d use in combat offhand rather than a horn for movement and nothing else; but that ties up a utility slot, which usually means I lose Endure Pain or stability.

@Stanholo

Yeah, I’m still not sure how I feel about carrying a banner in WvWvW. It does allow me to carry the weapons I want though, which is a major bonus.

I think for the carrying banner thing it would need to be a trait so there is a cost for the added convenience. Make it so the trait causes banners to be summoned on your back, F2 would become the banner unique ability, F3 the swiftness and F4 drops the banner to the ground. There is no need for the spammable attack as you’d have your weapons and there are plenty of gap closers so the charge is somewhat redundant as well. If droped the banner now funtions like normal and can be picked up as a bundle but not back onto your back. In the case of multipul banners you can only carry one on your back, Either the new one replaces the old one (which falls to the ground as normal) or the new one summons like they do currently and you have to first drop your back banner if you want to replace it with the new one.

I like that idea Merendel.