Guild Wars 2

So I theory Crafted a Build which I wish to pursue once I can achieve the gears required for it and I believe its the best min/max Set for me. Its to gain as much Defense/Vit while Still having The Glass Cannon burst (for small periods) for Maximum Damage.
By utilizing Unsuspecting Foe and the ease of obtaining Fury for Warriors, I figured I could Make a build that would Suit my Taste.

http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/warrior/?8|2.1p.hm|c.1p.h1l.e.1p.hm|1p.71j.1p.71j.1p.71j.1p.71j.1p.71j.1p.71j|2v.0.2v.0.3v.0.2v.0.31j.0.2v.0|a5.p48.k1a.0.f6|2m.1|e

[Healing surge/(Frenzy/Stability Stance/Endure pain)**/Bull Rush/Signet of Stamina/Signet of Rage]

Note: ** Depending on 1v1 or Group or Preference

This build Allows me to avoid getting gear with Precision completely (except for runes) and obtain over 50% crit chance with sword, and 40% with Hammer, but Allows for Instant Crit on Earthshaker (50% unsuspecting foe + 10% crit chance for burst skills), and using shield bash to get the guaranteed third hit with sword (which can hit as high as 5k if it crits) by auto attacking twice into a shield bash and then Final Thrust from Sword auto Attack.(1) Around 40% damage reduction with 23k health, 90%~ crit dmg. If opponent is bleeding, Earthshaker will gain 52% dmg Increase (12% from Berserker Power, 10% from Sigil of impact, 25% for Hammer Trait, and 10% from Attack of Opportunity) Which can result in 7k Earthshakers with ease. Shield Bash would be a guarantee crit (can deal about 3-3.5k crits) and Final Thrust can deal about 5k crit.

(1) = Apparently This does no work the way I had thought it did, but With Shield Bash you can still effectively hit the first two auto attacks during the stun duration which is close enough to final thrusts guaranteed crit dmg. Hopefully Anet can see this as a way to make use of the abilities which warriors are given by not resetting the auto attack chain if u use another weapon ability. Unsuspecting foe should also work on targets that are stunned/knockbacked/blowout, but only works on stun, which imo is a terrible design.

The Build Revolves around Burst Damage in 2-3 hits and then Sustain dmg in between when opponent is not stunned. I would switch 5 from arms into discipline to obtain mobile strikes when I feel immobilize will be an issue. Your main Dps will be during signet of Rages uptime (30 sec window with 18 sec downtime). Its a bit of a Jump in, do as much dmg without dying, and then jump out till Signet of Rage is up Again kind of build.

Note: I would switch Valkyrie Weapons with Cavalier weapons perhaps, although they are much harder to come by. I still don’t know which would be more appealing or effective.

If you feel you wouldn’t mind losing the small dmg burst gain, and would like a longer lasting Build in terms of sustain dps, and group ability, This set up can be easily switched to this:

http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/warrior/?8|2.1g.hm|c.1g.h1l.e.1g.hm|1g.71g.1p.71g.1g.71i.1p.71i.1p.71i.1p.71i|2v.0.2v.0.3v.0.2v.0.31j.0.2v.0|a5.a4.k1a.a1.k6a|1.7|e

[Same Utilites]

You gain 60% boon duration for 95% uptime on Swiftness/Fury/5 stacks of Might, but lose about 1k effective power and about 2.5k hp and 1-2% damage reduction. This will be a bit better for Group fights, giving Leg specialists abilities and the more sustained dmg.
Also its Cheaper to buy (Divinity Runes mad expensive =\)

Tell me what you guys think, or what improvement can be made to make the best overall WvW, Hammer/sword-shield Build.

Edit: Added a Third Build that would theoretically do more dmg in initial burst than other builds mentioned in 5 second period (using lyssa runes) /empowered) just for those who are super rich and wanted to try a fun build that basically runs on the initial burst in zerg warfare and then jumps out to wait for another jump in/burst and cycle.

http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/warrior/?8.0|2.1p.hm|c.1p.h1l.e.1p.h4|1p.7i.1p.7i.1p.7i.1p.7i.1g.7i.1p.7i|2v.0.2v.0.3v.0.3v.0.2v.0.2v.0|a5.a4.k1a.a6.k6a|2e.7|0.0.0.0.0|e

[Same Utilities]

With empowered/lyssa runes (theoretically can obtain up to 18% damage increase, but since Aegis normally falls off real fast ill call it 16%) you can get up to 63% dmg increase on Earthshaker (16% empowered/lyssa runes + 12% berserker power + 25% Hammer Trait + 10% sigil of impact) and Staggering blow + hammershock following (guaranteed crit because of stun) can easily Burst over 14k dmg on 5 targets. Which is Great burst in Zerg fights/group skirmishes. But this build will depend much more heavily on Signet of rages activation to chain with lyssa and its small window of 5~ seconds.

I would run 2 monk + 2 water +2 ruby orbs instead of altruism for runes

Hi Coaxial,
I’ve been running the 2nd build you posted in a thread you posted (ignoring that it said that’d be your last build… guess the warrior itch is too strong?) and having great fun with it in wvwvw. Slowly swapping my knights set to berserker, so can’t wait to see more improvement from that too!
One thing I would say is how vital I’ve found the leg specialist in tactics 10 for immobilizing; slamming the #3 hammer skill to make sure earthshaker land helps prevent it being dodged. I’ll add though that I play from China with a fairly high latency, so perhaps that’s an issue there.
I also didn’t realize you could put shield pash in between the sword swings – great tip to maximize that final slash.
Lastly, while I realize this is very much a ‘smash & grab’ build, I feel you’ll find conditions to be too big of an issue. We seem to have quite similar play styles, and while diving into enemies I sometimes leave with as many red symbols on top of my head as an immune supply camp claimer, and find shake it off to be vital (and my knights still has soldier runes, so FGJ remove them too). Perhaps remove signet of stamina? If you’re getting back to your zerg, you may not have enough time for the endurance regen to fill back up for the extra dodge.

Overall though, I love this build, and have been having great fun jumping into groups of enemies and decimating them; feels far more satisfying than frenzy/100b/whirlwind

This sounds really cool, any videos for the lazy?

AdamHughes.4306:

Hi Coaxial,
I’ve been running the 2nd build you posted in a thread you posted (ignoring that it said that’d be your last build… guess the warrior itch is too strong?) and having great fun with it in wvwvw. Slowly swapping my knights set to berserker, so can’t wait to see more improvement from that too!
One thing I would say is how vital I’ve found the leg specialist in tactics 10 for immobilizing; slamming the #3 hammer skill to make sure earthshaker land helps prevent it being dodged. I’ll add though that I play from China with a fairly high latency, so perhaps that’s an issue there.
I also didn’t realize you could put shield pash in between the sword swings – great tip to maximize that final slash.
Lastly, while I realize this is very much a ‘smash & grab’ build, I feel you’ll find conditions to be too big of an issue. We seem to have quite similar play styles, and while diving into enemies I sometimes leave with as many red symbols on top of my head as an immune supply camp claimer, and find shake it off to be vital (and my knights still has soldier runes, so FGJ remove them too). Perhaps remove signet of stamina? If you’re getting back to your zerg, you may not have enough time for the endurance regen to fill back up for the extra dodge.

Overall though, I love this build, and have been having great fun jumping into groups of enemies and decimating them; feels far more satisfying than frenzy/100b/whirlwind

Thanks, and yes the Warrior Itch is too strong =P. I feel that Signet of Stamina is Mandatory because the increased endurance regen + condition wipe has saved me way too many times while im Escaping. Shake it Off is a nice trade off as well if you wish for an instant condition removal during combat since its not interrupting anything But I feel 1 condition removal every 25 seconds isn’t sufficient in WvW. Perhaps with Mending, it may work decently. And yes, I feel Leg Specialist is Great with Hammer Shock/Hamstring in giving more control over an enemies movement, I just found that using 25 into Arms does allow for Slightly greater dmg output and Defense, but You miss out on longer sustain dmg, and Leg specialist. I have yet to see if the 1k+ effective power and 3k more health is worth the trade off.

Yea the Shield Block doesn’t interrupt the auto attack chain of your main Hand skill if you combo it correctly, which makes it far more reliable to achieve Heavy dmg even with sword. = This isn’t working =( ; Anet please make auto attack chain not reset after using a weapon skill T.T

The Effect of guaranteed Earthshaker to Crit against 5 targets in WvW Feels very satisfying and Effective (sometimes able to down 2-3 people almost instantly after an Earthshaker + Staggering Blow) then going Hundredblade/Frenzy/Whirlwind, Although Whirlwind is Beast move for Warriors.

peter.9024:

I would run 2 monk + 2 water +2 ruby orbs instead of altruism for runes

That is Fine as well, although I find Altruisms tier 1 effect (3 might stacks for 10 seconds = 16 seconds with 60% boon duration, everytime you heal) gives 105 power/condition to 5 other players as well, to be more effective in group combat.
2 Monk/Water and 2 Ruby orbs would give stronger individual damage tho.

Gutts.8791:

This sounds really cool, any videos for the lazy?

Im sorry for not adding a video, as I should. Currently having a hard time getting fraps to work properly, and for internet connection to be solid as College internet connection can get laggy during peek hours when I am free. I will attempt to make a video soon hopefully to go along with this build post.

This looks nice, i think i’’ll try it out if i can get enough gold for divinity runes.

Thats a really nice build but when the thing your fighting isn’t stunned your crit chance drops to 22% .. that’s really bad! your whole build requires your foe to be stunned otherwise it is a low/Midrange DPS tank build. given your attacks crit only 22% of the time

VidGhost.3215:

Thats a really nice build but when the thing your fighting isn’t stunned your crit chance drops to 22% .. that’s really bad! your whole build requires your foe to be stunned otherwise it is a low/Midrange DPS tank build. given your attacks crit only 22% of the time

Signet of rage is 33s of fury on a 48 second cooldown. Giving another 20% crit chance for a good 2/3 of the time, which makes it more about 42% crit chance normally, the second build has 30% crit chance with 48 seconds of buffs from signet of rage, giving it 50% crit chance all the time.

In the first build, sword automatically has 10% critchance from trait, so its always 32% minimum with a 33 second window of 50+% crit chance and becomes 100% when opponent is stunned. Between shield bash and Earthshaker, Its possible to stun the opponent long enough to get 2 hits per skill, = 100% crit chance, and most likely will kill your target. The stunned part seems very niche, but since Hammer warriors don’t got sustain dmg through their skills (no hundred/whirlwind/axe auto) when your burst is down, you normally are healing/dodging/applying CC/kiting/chasing. Its a burst build with a given window. More reliable dmg can be obtained using the second build.

The thing i dont understand with crit damage cs crit chance is that having 100% crit chance 100% of the time gets me almost the same DPS but more often. so in the long run i’m doing more damage vs bosses

14-26k HB on 60%cri 100%crit chance 3100 Armore farming cursed shore, i also get 2500 Damage on my single GS swings every time and massive damage on my Rifle all while an effective Effective Power of 4500.

VidGhost.3215:

The thing i dont understand with crit damage cs crit chance is that having 100% crit chance 100% of the time gets me almost the same DPS but more often. so in the long run i’m doing more damage vs bosses

14-26k HB on 60%cri 100%crit chance 3100 Armore farming cursed shore, i also get 2500 Damage on my single GS swings every time and massive damage on my Rifle all while an effective Effective Power of 4500.

This is a WvW Build where sustain Dps is not =/= Burst dps. Dungeons/PvE is different.
Knowing that you got 100% crit chance on a certain skill is alot more reliable and easier to determine how much dmg you can do to a target in clutch situations.
This Build is for AOE dps/CC, with Stun/Knockdown support, and abilities to duel aswell.

Yeah that build would be a Juggernaut at that level that level of attack and defense.
The build would work great for WvW, PvP & higher level fractal’s where HB is useless

But PVE, Dungeon’s and 1-20 level FOTM Sustained DPS with 100% crit looks to be the best for bosses.

VidGhost.3215:

Yeah that build would be a Juggernaut at that level that level of attack and defense.
The build would work great for WvW, PvP & higher level fractal’s where HB is useless

But PVE, Dungeon’s and 1-20 level FOTM Sustained DPS with 100% crit looks to be the best for bosses.

Completely Agree with this. I might make a second build that revolves around 100% crit so that you can have reliable crits for sigil procs and what not. As for WvW, This hammer build has served me well, And I continue to use it because of how much fun it is to smash into a group of enemies and burst them down with 2 attacks and run out before any serious crazy crap happens =P

Hi. What do u think about PVE, how would you change your build for dungeons\fractals? thx.

dmitrycx.7465:

Hi. What do u think about PVE, how would you change your build for dungeons\fractals? thx.

Hmm, For PvE I generally Don’t run Hammer too often as its major use would be for AOE cc. It’s damage really doesn’t compare to GS or axe/x or even longbow in PvE. Hammers real specialty shines in WvW. Since i am Lazy i do actually run the exact same set up even in some dungeons/pve content; but for the purpose of someone who is capable of switching some small stuff around, This is what I would do (i always carry a longbow/rifle in any situation, even in WvW, when there is no choice but to turtle on a tower).

If i don’t change traits for the first build i posted, I believe rifle suits this build better (Longbow is good too, but no 10 points into tactics to grab trait) keeping all gear the same except the food/weapon to increase crit chance:

http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/warrior/?8.0|4.1g.h17|c.1g.h1l.e.1g.hm|1p.71j.1p.71j.1p.71j.1p.71j.1p.71j.1p.71j|2v.0.2v.0.3v.0.2v.0.31j.0.2v.0|a5.p57.k19.0.f6|39.7|0.0.0.0.0|e

If I use the second build without changing traits, I would prefer Longbow (fire field combines better to give might stacks due to boon duration, and can grab trait):

http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/warrior/?8.0|3.1g.h17|c.1g.h1l.e.1g.hm|1g.71g.1p.71g.1g.71i.1p.71i.1p.71i.1p.71i|2v.0.2v.0.3v.0.2v.0.31j.0.2v.0|a5.a5.k19.a4.k65|1.7|0.0.0.0.0|e

And if you don’t like to use a ranged weapon, Both builds can use GS as the secondary or axe/(mace/warhorn/sheild). Personally I think Longbow/GS/Rifle will serve you best in PvE. Hammer can do some decent damage AOE wise and give some CC to offer a bit more survivability in Higher level fractals/Large zerg mobs, But generally Hammer is a subpar PvE weapon. Its Strongest Points are definitely seen in WvW/PvP against real players. If you don’t wish to change your build/weapons, it is still possible to play with the same spec, but It really hinders your team (generally 5 man group) if your not doing major DPS (unless aoe CC is necessary) or giving boons to your team. Either way there are a few skills you must note, that are useless in PvE that WvW requires most of the time.

*Mobility Strikes = dont generally get snared, and if u do just use signet of stamina or another condition cleanser
*Leg Specialist = don’t generally need a snare to catch a mob, as they are always aggroed to you/party
*Spiked Armor = Mobs don’t Crit (atleast not that I know of)
*Death From Above = Generally wont be falling to use that knockback/dmg for use, unless its to get to a place further down that you die without this trait

If you want more information for PvE stuff, or ways to work with different builds I can help =D

great answer, thank you.
i have a question, why valkyrie weapon ? is it because you dont need much chit chance because of unsuspecting foe? but u have this on both builds. So why do you use bers weapon on the one build and valkyrie on the other?

CoaxialMazer.9140:

If you want more information for PvE stuff, or ways to work with different builds I can help =D

heh, caught ya
ok. i started to play about a month ago so i can say i am new to this game, i started with warriro tanky dps dontain build and this was ok. Than i thought that i have to do more damage so i took berserker set and .. began to die well it was more or less ok but i wasnt satisfied with my damage i mean i bacame 2-3 times weaker with much less survivability while my damage didnt increase so much. I thiught its because i could not so often place my HB properly. So than i find this topic

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/warrior/Enough-GS-zerker-Warriors/page/4#post1590793

where there were lots of discussions and i have thought – hell ye, thats what i really need. and make my current warrior.
http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/warrior/?8.0|7.1g.h1.7.1g.h15|c.1c.h1l.e.1c.h4|1g.a7.1g.a7.1g.a7.1g.a7.1g.a7.1g.a7|4v.0.1i.67.1i.67.1i.67.1i.67.1i.67|k5a.u53b.0.0.k56|56.0|0.0.0.0.0|e
but still i am not satisfied with its survivability. so i think i have either change my setup or L2P
so if u can correct my build with Axe\Axe or GS (run the same 20\30\20 but GS traits) i would be definitely thanksful.

The choice between valkyrie and berserker depends on how i achieve 100% crit chance on stun. Can you explain which builds your referring to? The PvE one or the WvW ones?

Golly your sitting on alot of crit chance and trying to use lifesteal to maintain health. After the nerf on crit food gaining health, Its a bit harder to become more tanky using this spec. I had a build in which you essentially depend on dodge/evade and block to be your major defenses and sustained with heal/adrenal regen. It was a sword-shield/GS build that Boasted high dmg and its stats for toughness/vit was low but I died less with that build because it demanded so much mobility/dodge. This allowed me duel and do damage and survive longer than other builds which kinda made me face tank stuff. Hmm I can make a few builds to make you achieve Decently high dps, and still have some strong defense for your build.

This is how I would rework your build. Personally I think GS and axe/axe doesn’t go super well with each other, as say axe/shield, or sword/shield. I feel adrenal regen is quite helpful (360/3 sec is 120/s regen = 3600 sec in 30 seconds, practically a small heal, but its helpful since GS doesn’t use burst skill ever)

http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/warrior/?8.0|7.1g.h15.7.1g.h8|1.1g.h15|1n.71j.1n.71j.1n.71j.1n.71j.1n.71j.1n.71j|2v.0.2v.0.3v.0.2v.0.3v.0.2v.0|a5.p5a.f2.0.k5a|39.1|0.0.0.0.0|e

[Utilities: Healing surge/Stability Stance/(your choice)/Signet of Stamina/Signet of rage]

You still get around 90% crit chance with heightened focus + 25 stack of perception, so you will crit often enough to heal on both weapons + still have 47% damage mitigation.

I will put my old dueling build which worked so well for me in all places = WvW/PvP/PvE and even in dungeons. (always carry a ranged weapon)

Note: I didnt have ascended stuff back then so my build that i show would be what would be the case if i continued to use it and tried to obtain the gear for it.

http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/warrior/?8.0|1.1g.h17|c.1g.h1l.e.1g.h4|1g.71j.1g.71j.1g.71j.1g.71j.1g.71j.1g.71j|2s.0.2s.0.3s.0.2s.0.3s.0.2s.0|k59.0.k29.0.u567|2e.1|0.0.0.0.0|e

[Utilities: Healing surge/Stability Stance/Bull Rush/Signet of Stamina/Signet of Rage]

I switched sweet revenge in the discipline tree for mobility strikes in WvW. It was a high mobility (5 gap closers = Rush/Whirlwind/Savage Leap/Bull Rush/Shield Bash) + swiftness from signet of rage, really steady high dps. Between Whirlwind evade, Shield Block, dodging with endurance regen from signet of stamina, you can mitigate big damage by practicing your timing. I never used burst skills, unless it was furry in WvW to chain it up with Hundred Blades. If your ever in trouble -> pop stability stance, jump away with any number of leaps and use signet of stamina to wipe all conditions =)

thx a lot.
1 i was talking about PVE\dungeons\fractals etc.
2 is it much worth to have ruby orbs instead of divinity runes or with what can i change them because they are hell expansive

Ah ok, Well for both PvE builds there isn’t any unsuspecting foe trait because without hammer its practically useless, so I am trying to obtain a moderate amount of crit chance because the rest of my gears already have alot of investments in crit dmg and tanky stats to cover up the rest of the things I need.

Ruby Orbs will do you just fine Until you get super rich and can afford divinity runes, as they are the most stat efficient runes. But Ruby orbs will do just fine as well, just need to adjust stats to your liking. I recommend you try my build in PvP (Just adjust stats to your liking, make sure to use the same weapon set and traits) to practice dodging, and using mobility skills to get used to the mechanics better (that build helped me learn alot).

Can you do an Ultimate Juggernaut Guardian? Now that would be awesome.

VidGhost.3215:

Can you do an Ultimate Juggernaut Guardian? Now that would be awesome.

Haha It would be a bit harder since Guardians have low Dps Traits and low hp naturally. They are far better against conditions, and normally can obtained tons of boons with ease. If I am to make a Juggernaut Guardian he would be more of a tank rather than a Dps Hammer Beast. I have seen some Guardians with full dps specs hitting 4-6k Might Blows, but still being tanky-ish due to signet of judgment + protection boon. I might try doing a Juggernaut build for Guardian that relies heavily on Valkyrie gear and burst dmg with hammer (Juggernaut = Tanky but Large bursts on some small window with Hammer as main weapon.)

I will post my work here and in guardians forum if I happen to make it soon.

New patch inspires me to continue on the road to Hammer builds and other non Frenzy builds. For those who still want to roll a warrior and do something fun, try playing WvW with builds that aren’t affected by Anet’s troll patches which they call fixes.

The once hyped about Roaming warrior builds are now less usefull than AOE/CC or even our stupid Support builds. I can see Warriors in WvW using Longbow’s, and Hammers, or Banner builds because GS and Axe based builds on frenzy are now even less useful. I will try to make more builds that can be used in WvW that still work, and isn’t completely broken or useless due to patches given by anet. Anyone who can Contribute would help keep the whatever left over warriors who are on a threshold of rerolling a different class or leaving all together.

Hi, thanks for your continued contribution to the warrior, I really appreciate it. I have 5 level 80’s myself, but I only ever wanted to play the warrior, and Anet really need to do something about it. Anyway, I re-read your post and I have a some questions/comments about the following:

“If opponent is bleeding, Earthshaker will gain 52% dmg Increase (12% from Berserker Power, 10% from Sigil of impact, 25% for Hammer Trait, and 10% from Attack of Opportunity) Which can result in 7k Earthshakers with ease.”

25% Hammer trait you mean Merciless Hammer right? The description says “Hammer damage is increased by 25% when a foe is disabled. Reduces cooldown of hammer skills by 20%”. Now the way I read that, is that the 25% damage only applies if the foe is already disabled (stunned, dazed or knocked down). Earth Shaker is the move that actually does the disabling, therefore only your next attack after this would do the extra 25% damage, I doubt that the 25% extra counts for a move that does the disable. This is why when I do occasionally use a hammer, I use earth shaker, then use hammer #5 as to chain disable, then use hammer #4 to knock away, then bull’s charge and then any other hammer skill to benefit from Merciless Hammer. From how I interpret it, your build seems to assume that the extra damage applies to foes that are being disabled with the disabling strike (i.e. Earth Shaker). Maybe you know something I don’t, but are you sure you’re correct on this.

Also a comment, I don’t know if you’ve tested this, but Attack Of Oppotunity I don’t think would work very well with a hammer build. At one point I was using this trait with my greatsword, and I must note to you that the bleeds you get from Precise Strikes unfortunately do not last very long. I would use Bull’s Charge and 100 blades straight through to whirlwind and I’d barely get enough stacks of bleeds on the opponent to be able to chase them down and hit them with Eviscerate from the axe. The hammer is so painfully slow that I just can’t see it benefiting from the trait, that plus you have a lot less crit chance than I had anyway (I was running at around 80% I think with food) so it’s gonna take ages for you to make someone bleed (with the hammer).

By the way, please don’t take offense by my post, I don’t mean to criticize. I’m a theorycrafter like yourself and always looking for ways to improve the warrior.

I normally play GS/axe+shield but I occasionally swap to GS/hammer because I like the powerful feel of a hammer, just a shame how slow it is. One thing I want to comment on is the new kick is pretty neat. I’ve used it successfully a few times in WvW now to leap at my foe, knock them back and pefectly set them up for Earth Shaker

Gutts, Earthshker applies the stun BEFORE the damage, so the 25% does apply

Hi Neandramathal, are you absolutely sure about that? Please could you provide a source? I would love to know this is absolute fact. That would be amazing and make me look further into my hammer/GS build.

Gutts.8791:

Hi Neandramathal, are you absolutely sure about that? Please could you provide a source? I would love to know this is absolute fact. That would be amazing and make me look further into my hammer/GS build.

Thank you for keeping the warrior theory crafting still alive =D. Yes stun is applied prior to the damage. This is easy to test by simply going to the PvP Mist and get 50% crit chance and taking unsuspecting foe. This should result in 100% crit on earthshaker and any additional attacks given to the opponent while they are stunned. Normally on a full adrenaline Earthshaker i can pull of a staggeringblow + hammer shock fast enough to guarantee both of them to crit, which normally can do above 12K+ Crit burst in about 2 seconds per a person, which can equate to alot of damage among zerg or group of players. Even if done one a single player, Earthshaker + Backbreaker can easily chain to a strong 13K burst alone and the opponent is still disabled. This is why i think Sigil of impact actually is the best for Hammer, where many argue that sigil of fire is better.

I agree that Attack of Opportunity may not be such a good investment for a Hammer warrior, which is why if i wanted to gain more burst i would probably run the lyssa route with empowered, or the boon duration route which gives more sustain dps and allows for leg specialist which makes hammer shock an amazing snare in zerg fights. Only reason for attack of oppurtinity would work decently is due to using sword-Shield more, and keeping hammer as a sort of secret burst weapon for when you think you can land a quick Earthshaker + (staggering blow or Backbreaker), but this forces you to duel with sword and shield for a bit before you can truly burst the opponent down.

I also need to take a look at the new kick leap and see if its mechanics can be made into a sort of build. =P

Nice write up. Reading this thread makes me want to take my hammer out of the closet. All my WvW build seem to revolve around axe/(mace, shield, warhorn) and longbow think it is time to change it up.

Thanks for reading, and enjoying it =), I personally think Hammer is not loved enough by warriors because of its weakness against aegis/blinds/dodge/block compared to other weapons, and because people believe it doesn’t have good DPS. When I started experimenting with traits and gear, I realizied I could achieve Incredible Bursts in a small time, and Still grab some defensive stats to stay in a fight longer than other glassier builds. Earthshaker isn’t the most reliable Burst, but is far better than most other burst skills warrior weapons carry. When Traited right, Hammer has incredible AOEburst dmg combined with AOE CC.

I personally believe that the second hammer build I posted with Boon duration would be the easiest to adapt and learn the build, and provides the best overall sustain dps and CC. The first build is slightly more tanky and Hits a bit harder, but sacrifices some dps uptime due to the lack of constant fury, but is just as great.

Also would like to show how Earthshakers burst does more damage over time versus Eviscerate, (can’t compare killshot due to range factor). Estimates based on WvW gear/players being 80.

Eviscerate

• High single target dps, achieve up to 10-14k against a squishy target
• 300 Range
• Leap Finisher
• Requires full adrenaline to achieve maximum DPS

Earthshaker

• High AOE target dps, achieve up to 6-8k against 1-5 squishy targets
• 600 Range
• Also applies stun for up to 2 seconds
• Blast Finisher
• Requires only 1 bar of adrenaline to use Earthshakers burst dmg, only stun duration is based on Adrenaline, not the damage.

Yes axe does allow for an offhand, which may the difference that makes or break the difference between the two bursts, but with earthshakers stun, you can effectively attack 2 times more (and practically guarantee crit if traited for unsuspecting foe which only costs 10 points into arms) which can easily achieve more damage than Eviscerate, and on more than one target. This to me is frightening to realize, how much damage Earthshaker, and hammer can do in such a small time period. I have jumped into a group/zerg many many times in WvW, and saw Huge numbers on Earthshaker/Staggering Blow/Hammer Shock combo. It might sound crazy, but its possible to hit over 60k damage amongst 5 or more targets within 2-3 second time. They also provide CC, which is amazing in WvW.

I hope to find more amazing ways to make warriors a true melee class that really makes people shiver when they see a bunch of warriors on the front lines running at them, cause sadly many people see warriors as first to kill, since our downed abilities aren’t the best, and our condition removal is iffy.

I took some of your suggestions like sigil of impact which was excellent and its so cheap. I still run glass though the one thing about unsuspecting is that it doesn’t give you damage on your other set unless you run mace or shield for stun.

I have come to love hammer more so than GS. Its probably my favorite weapon I have used on any class. I run GS cause of the mobility but hammer is on my warrior to stay.

oZii.2864:

I took some of your suggestions like sigil of impact which was excellent and its so cheap. I still run glass though the one thing about unsuspecting is that it doesn’t give you damage on your other set unless you run mace or shield for stun.

I have come to love hammer more so than GS. Its probably my favorite weapon I have used on any class. I run GS cause of the mobility but hammer is on my warrior to stay.

Yea Hammer is amazing in WvW, and with unsuspecting foe and sigil of impact, you can get huge bursts of damage. I specifically run sword-shield with hammer, because of how well it works as a defensive/utility set that still has some decent dmg in 1v1 scenarios. Shield Bash also applies stun before its attack so, it also gains benefits from unsuspecting foe giving it a 100% crit chance, and gives enough time for 2 auto attacks from sword chain to give a nice 4-5k guaranteed damage. Hamstring with leg specialist + flurry helps me chase targets that run around too much, and Shield Block has saved me way too many times in WvW.

Hammer and GS, i feel gives more mobility, but loses a bit of utility/defense in return. GS also gives more AOE damage, which is great as well, especially if your specced for massive dps, and grab endure pain and stability stance to completely aoe everything in a group/zerg =P. I will be making a video soon of my Hammer build in Action =D

Edit: Also would like to note that using Axe-Shield is a great combination as well with Hammer because of the humongous Burst you can do with Shield Bash → Eviscerate. It would do more damage in a 1v1, but I feel the lack of mobility on both sets, would hamper the builds damage a bit too much.

yes someone would have to build some of tPvP WVW and hammer, I feel that this build is not a good dps with this or am I doing something wrong at least tPvP, I 1.k5 around 2k damage per hit

Elmister.8504:

yes someone would have to build some of tPvP WVW and hammer, I feel that this build is not a good dps with this or am I doing something wrong at least tPvP, I 1.k5 around 2k damage per hit

These builds are specifically for WvW, and the PvP version would be more like this:

Weapons: Hammer/Sword-Shield
Armor Runes: Divinity (6)
Weapon Sigils: Sigil Of Fire → Hammer / Sigil of Hydromancy and Bloodlust → Sword-Shield
Amulet/Jewel: Valkryie Amulet/Berserkers Jewel

Traits:
10 : Berserker’s Power
20: Unsuspecting foe + Blademaster
20: Embrace the Pain + Merciless Hammer
0:
20: Signet Mastery + Mobile Strikes

With this you have a base 20% crit chance which becomes 40% with Fury. You get an additional 10% with sword, so that shield bash + sword auto x 2 will be all crits 100%, and since Earthshaker is a burst skill, you get 10% crit chance from critical burst, making all Earthshakers give 100% crit chance, and 90% crit chance for all additional attacks using the hammer when the target is stunned.

The use of The Juggernaut build is for Huge Damage Spikes when the opponent is disabled by Stun from Earthshaker + whatever attacks you pull off during the Stunned period. This build is better suited for WvW, where the higher stat allowed by PvE gear and the ability to more finely tune your stats to an optimal state is allowed.

If you prefer to see other Hammer PvP builds, I highly Recommend Defektives Hammer Build.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/warrior/Defektive-s-PvP-Hammer-Build-SkillCap-Edition-1/first

The key is to understand that, Hammers Damage is a Burst Mechanism that Chains from Earthshaker and that after you use your Cooldowns, its better to switch to your other weapon set to keep up the dps/chase/defense. It is Possible to hit Very High Burst damages in a small amount of time spanning 2-4 seconds with Hammer.

very good you made me understand a lot I did not understand was
how to use the Hammer right, still not understand a thing because of the sword / shield instead of something else, such as ax / ax or GS
I think it’s the best build for WVW for war right?
however it is not a good build for tPvP right? what would be good for tPvP? sPvP?
and ax / ax?

I see in some videos that F1 has not hammer the target, as has my change that?

another thing I did not understand how I get fury? using the elite?

Elmister.8504:

very good you made me understand a lot I did not understand was
how to use the Hammer right, still not understand a thing because of the sword / shield instead of something else, such as ax / ax or GS
I think it’s the best build for WVW for war right?
however it is not a good build for tPvP right? what would be good for tPvP? sPvP?
and ax / ax?

Currently there isn’t any builds that I know of that works really well in tPvP or sPvP, but in sPvP, you can do almost anything to experiment what you think works for you. You do not need to use sword-shield, but it is the weapon set i recommend. GS works great as well. Axe/Axe doesn’t work too well in general as it is too easy to kite. I wouldn’t call my build the best for WvW, but I think it stands quite strong against many other builds.

Elmister.8504:

I see in some videos that F1 has not hammer the target, as has my change that?

Im not sure what you are asking, but if its the targeting for Earthshaker, than you can switch it on and off in the options menu.

Elmister.8504:

another thing I did not understand how I get fury? using the elite?

Yes you obtain fury through Signet of rage, or if you decide to run different utilities, you can also get it from For Great Justice.

I tested the tPvP and it was great, but I’m just using the hammer can barely use the “second” weapon, sometimes dumb to GS hundred blades account for only

rather the target of Earthshaker, I see in some videos the person loose without the direct target

using rune rage is good?

Rune of Rage isn’t too good, compared to the overall stats you get from divinity. You can even use runes of Lyssa. Earthshaker is a bit harder to land if terrain is different heights, but it is easy to land if you know how many times the enemy has dodged once you attack.

yes I will test the runes that told me I could not even put off the “target” of skill

and I was thinking of changing to GS ax / shield? is better?

As my intention is to turn the war commander, I think hammer + X / shield is the best? however use sword or ax?

Just wanted say this build is fun, but it wasnt really my style, i think im too use to the quick autoattacks of my axe. and just for kicks, i had a rifle with sigil of intelligence so after a little rotation with the hammer, i would throw in a kill shot and get some adrenaline back with volleyshot to start my hammer rotation again.

Loading.4503:

Just wanted say this build is fun, but it wasnt really my style, i think im too use to the quick autoattacks of my axe. and just for kicks, i had a rifle with sigil of intelligence so after a little rotation with the hammer, i would throw in a kill shot and get some adrenaline back with volleyshot to start my hammer rotation again.

Hammer and Rifle is a good combination, and I’m glad you found my build fun =D.
It is a preference based build on Hammer, but the idea of being able to sit on more tanky stats and still get burst damage drew me to this build/weapon set. Hammer felt more like what Warriors should be using and was a bit more mobile than I expected. Axe is amazing, and spoils you with attack speed, but I couldn’t love its burst as much as Hammers, and its mobility is rather low.

Elmister.8504:

As my intention is to turn the war commander, I think hammer + X / shield is the best? however use sword or ax?

Im not sure what you mean by this, but sword/shield is more utility/defense, while axe gives more damage but less mobility and utility.

Elmister.8504:

yes I will test the runes that told me I could not even put off the “target” of skill

and I was thinking of changing to GS ax / shield? is better?

Im not sure what put off the target skill is, but GS/Axe-Shield is a better dueling build that is more focused on damage rather than AOE damage and CC. It does hold good burst though.

I’m using hammer + GS, do you think hammer + sword / shield is more applicable in WVW? and a commander?
the sword / shield would be more for defense? since the damage and mobility of GS is great I lose much mobility using sword / shield?

Elmister.8504:

I’m using hammer + GS, do you think hammer + sword / shield is more applicable in WVW? and a commander?
the sword / shield would be more for defense? since the damage and mobility of GS is great I lose much mobility using sword / shield?

Being a commander doesn’t really force you to use any weapon set. Sword-shield has some decent mobility as well, but not as good as GS. Both are good sets, and are up to you. I personally like sword-shield more because of the 3s block, shield bash and savage leap give such good utility and defense. I also like flurry for the 4s immobilize, which sometimes is amazing. Sword/Shield still gives decent mobility, but lots of utility. Its up to you, I like sword/shield, but GS is great for AOE damage and mobility. Its up to you to use what you feel fits you better.

still think sword and shield is more useful, but difficult to choose this

Sword shield is good for mobility sword does decent damage compared to other weapons that warriors can use its at the bottom. I have no problem with mobility with GS and Hammer. The burst skill from hammer is movement skill and lets you get away with 600 range. Its not sword leap fast but it works alot of times you can rotate camera earth shaker behind you to interrupt those following swap to GS and make a clean getaway

i was playing around with buildcraft to get my warrior out of his G/S pve shackles and into wvw so i played around with your builds.

I really liked the second boon increased build you posted. I made a minor tweak taking 5 out of discipline (losing immobilize breaker but i normally run wvw with larger guild groups where group condition removals are more available) and sticking it in defense. End result is 5% less crit damage & .5% burst on the earthshaker but an extra 92 power, 50 toughness and 50 healing power. Probably going to stick to this until I get more used to earthshaking everything.

I also subbed out some of the utilities running endure pain, fear me and sig of stamina as again i was more into group fighting than 1v1s, but it feels great so far.

Space.8053:

i was playing around with buildcraft to get my warrior out of his G/S pve shackles and into wvw so i played around with your builds.

I really liked the second boon increased build you posted. I made a minor tweak taking 5 out of discipline (losing immobilize breaker but i normally run wvw with larger guild groups where group condition removals are more available) and sticking it in defense. End result is 5% less crit damage & .5% burst on the earthshaker but an extra 92 power, 50 toughness and 50 healing power. Probably going to stick to this until I get more used to earthshaking everything.

I also subbed out some of the utilities running endure pain, fear me and sig of stamina as again i was more into group fighting than 1v1s, but it feels great so far.

I am glad this Build is working for you =D, and switching traits to better suit your preference is also a part of character building. The boon duration is definitely to more well rounded and most recommended build. I run the Lyssa build now, due to the extreme bursts I can pump out when I pop Signet of rage. I love the ability to be semi-tanky and durable while bringing out massive bursts from no where, and still have some good support for my team through Aoe CC and Damage.

CoaxialMazer.9140:

I am glad this Build is working for you =D, and switching traits to better suit your preference is also a part of character building. The boon duration is definitely to more well rounded and most recommended build. I run the Lyssa build now, due to the extreme bursts I can pump out when I pop Signet of rage. I love the ability to be semi-tanky and durable while bringing out massive bursts from no where, and still have some good support for my team through Aoe CC and Damage.

tested it out in wvw and it works a treat for a lot of situations. I had to mix and match trinkets due to not wanting to splash out on laurels – see below.

http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/warrior/?8.0|2.1g.hm|c.1g.h1l.e.1g.hm|1g.71g.1p.71g.1g.71h.1p.71h.1p.a7.1p.a7|1i.61.1i.61.1i.61.1i.61.1n.67.1i.61|a5.a4.p1a.a1.f6|2.8|0.0.0.0.0|e

loss of toughness from the jewel substitutes might be an issue, plus i’m on a budget so slightly worse food buffs but still just about allows a full upkeep of SoR boons.

Tested the second build (the cheap one with boon duration) and it’s A TON of fun. Fantastic build, thanks a lot.

I adapted it slightly to my tastes by going 10/15/20/10/15.
Why :
- 15 in Arms for +10% crit chance on burst, it allows other consumables (sharpening stone) and a slight precision decrease while still having 100% crit chance on burst.
- 20 in defense for massive hammer spikes and passive regen with adrenaline.
I found these more useful than adre on hit and immo break on bull charge only.

Also, I play Death From above as my trait in Strength as it is so, so, so much fun in WvW