Guild Wars 2

Leveling my first character, currently level 40. I’ve dabbled in a bit of everything- sPvP, a dungeon, leveling, as well as WvWvW.

I’m currently using the Rifle/Sword+ war-horn combo and build posted here in the forums. I’m enjoying it, but I’m not feeling much like a warrior with my rifle out more than my blade (speaking in WvWvW situations.)

So I ask, what is WvWvW like at level 80 for warriors. I know there are a lot of options as far as weapon choices, but some don’t seem as viable as others (I’m looking at you Greatsword.) I feel, and I have zero experience at level 80 in WvWvW, that running into battles as melee is suicide, but standing at a distance with my rifle I’m not doing much damage. Does this change? What are my other options? Should i re-roll to a class that can do more damage from a distance like Ranger/Elementalist to be more productive from afar?

This isn’t a QQ or a request for anything to change as far as warriors go, I’m just trying to gain an understanding of what to expect as I get closer to level 80.

Thanks in advance and may the six watch over you.

Greatsword is as viable as any melee, which is to say it’s situational. In the field, during a skirmish there’s usually a constant push and pull between forces until one eventually breaks. When this is happening you tend to get a few people who don’t notice their allies are moving back and you can rush in and take that person out. You just have to be careful that you don’t become that person in the process. This kind of goes for defending a keep as well. If you’re sufficiently tough you can go out the portcullis, hit somebody a few times, and retreat back inside.

As far as ranged goes Warrior may not have the max achievable range but it’s one of the best options for damage. The issue you’re having with rifle is no doubt because of your level and lack of traits and gear. I use a longbow myself and the damage is pretty hefty in bursts. I also feel plenty useful when using a bow. At times I feel like a walking siege weapon.

OnionXI.6735:

Greatsword is as viable as any melee, which is to say it’s situational. In the field, during a skirmish there’s usually a constant push and pull between forces until one eventually breaks. When this is happening you tend to get a few people who don’t notice their allies are moving back and you can rush in and take that person out. You just have to be careful that you don’t become that person in the process. This kind of goes for defending a keep as well. If you’re sufficiently tough you can go out the portcullis, hit somebody a few times, and retreat back inside.

As far as ranged goes Warrior may not have the max achievable range but it’s one of the best options for damage. The issue you’re having with rifle is no doubt because of your level and lack of traits and gear. I use a longbow myself and the damage is pretty hefty in bursts. I also feel plenty useful when using a bow. At times I feel like a walking siege weapon.

Right on! That’s what i wanted to here. Thanks for your time and explanation!

I felt pretty lame with a rifle until I put 20 points in the Arms tree and got the Crack Shot trait. Greatsword (and any form of melee) is, as Onion said, situational. I’ve found that the wimpy range of the longbow outweighs any usefulness it might have; there’s a trait to increase that range, though.

warrior with long bow in WvW is just awesome.
remember to pack a war horn for emergency escapes though.

Arcing and Combustive shot with the longbow help against sieges by a lot. The damage on the runs is quite big and useful and it’s like having half another boiling oil pot.

Rifle has some nice single target bursts.

Melee is a little scarse…

I run GS/Rifle in WvW, using a 20/20/10/0/20 Build which allows me to swap my traits depending on the situation.

Strength Traits:

Death From Above - For clearing out/disrupting Rammers/Gate Monkeys.

Restorative Strength - For Skirmish battles where healing to get out of an immobilize can save your life.

Slashing Power - For Skimish/Breach battles.

Arms Traits:

Rending Strikes - Vulnerability can be very useful when you have multiple people hitting your target(s).

Forceful Greatsword - Reduced cooldowns means more damage and more whirls to escape with (Whirling Attack evades incoming attacks)

Crack Shot - Great for Wall Defense or Skirmishes.

Defense Traits:

Turtles Defense - 200 Toughness makes quite a difference when you have a lot of people focusing you and your heal (Restorative Strength) is down.

Discipline Traits:

Warrior’s Sprint - Movement Speed is always nice when traversing the map or getting those jumping puzzles done just that little bit quicker.

Mobile Strikes - A must have for any greatsword user, helps you stick on targets or get out of a sticky situations.

Heightened Focus - Another good Wall Defense trait as you will rarely be using your burst except for sniping low/downed players.

Sweet Revenge - Has its uses, but I very rarely use it.

The key to this build and many others which are used in WvW is to regularly switch your traits to fit your needs. And it certainly helps to memorize the Roman Numerals of traits so you can switch fast and efficiently if you get out of combat for long enough to change them.

Warrior’s role in WvWvW? Clearly sir you are not familiar with the concept of HULK SMASH!

That reminds me, the Rampage Elite can be very useful when youre trying to make a push or escape to the safety of a keep/tower.

I know a lot of people laugh at Rampage, but I dont think 50k health is a very laughable amount.