Guild Wars 2

Finally the warrior forums are up and I am here to dispense with the wisdom! Yojack’s Min/Max thread has been a staple of gaming forums since Wow beta and most recently this was a 160k view thread on swtor. Hello to all who remember me and to those who added to a very informative and successful thread!

On to the warrior goodness:

First my current build, Yojack Build 2012:

Cut and paste to your web browser for best results:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fIEQNBkYDbE0p6t5R5hJOggPUFXGJRAmeUGsRaA;T0Ag1CqoyyklILbWuskZtwYgxBjNBPMA
or

http://www.gw2db.com/skills/calc/warrior#2|15|10|919|65|226|246|0|0|0|0|25|1525|1519|0|15|1895|0|0|30|1057|1507|1056|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|28037|28016|53498|53498|53498|53498|53498|26058|48792|0|0|0|0|

Sword/warhorn + Rifle (zomg not greatsword? wtf yojack?)

Great heals, perma sprint, perma fury, perma might and condition removal like you cant believe! Oh yeah and rocking 98% crit full time.

Gear options I went full rampagers on everything which is power + precision + condition damage. Critting every attack gets extra bleeds, and extra health from lifesteal sigil on weapons. This build is definately viable both pve and wvw and imo the best overall choice for survivability, group play and utility while still just being a BEAST one vs one =)

Please ask any questions you may have and I will answer as soon as possible (in queue for eb lol)

Please cut and paste the following link into your web browser for best results

http://gw2skills.net/editor/en/?fIEQNBkYD7k0hogbeQ5BmIDA4DWdZk0UpHlxWaA;T0Ag1CqoyyklILbWuskZtwYgxBjNBPMA

My god, just use another skill calc

http://www.gw2db.com/skills/calc/warrior

http://www.gw2db.com/skills/calc/warrior#2|15|60|919|65|16754|246|0|0|0|0|25|1525|1523|0|15|1084|0|0|30|1057|1507|1056|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|28037|28016|53498|53498|53498|53498|53498|26058|48792|0|0|0|0|

Thanks Shodan

Loving the build man, just been using it for the last 19 minutes, I never knew the blank traits page was so pretty. :p

Big key to this build is strafing and dodging of course, but also keep spamming your #5 warhorn ability. It is very underrated for defensive utility and survivability. Melee most of the time of course and switch to rifle and machine gun them as they run

Embrace the Pain is better than Turtle Defense for this build imo.
As you get more regen/dmg for max adrenalin and more CC for the Fear-Shout your top priority should be either get adrenalin as fast as possible or just hold it and don’t release strikes.
Besides the insane amount of condition remover, snare&co shouldn’t be a problem so Turtle Defense is even more… not useless… but misplaced here.

i actually jump back and forth between the two, but ultimately for those wvw battles where you live by the skin of your teeth and had full adrenaline anyway, turtle defense won out. For the record I love suggestions and the build is meant to tweak for taste. Thanks for the input.

(in response to spartacus who asked about using knights gear vs rampagers)

Yeah, the knights vs rampagers was a tough decision. With conditions not effected by toughness, I like the idea of speccing for defense but gearing for dps. Again tweak for taste, but I am surviving just fine in wvwvw and not losing any one vs one’s and I usually let that decide whether I feel to glassy persay.

Is this the Yojack from the SWTOR Trooper build?

This build looks funny to play and different.
Thank you for sharing!

Yes Eliteseraph, I was that yojack

Is this intended to be used in Keep/Tower sieges only?

I run a similar weapon setup (Bow instead of Rifle) but much different stat placement. I only ask because this is a really weak stat allocation for your weapon choices, in the real world™.

Yojack.7082:

Yes Eliteseraph, I was that yojack

Nice! I used your Trooper build for a long time. I don’t doubt you’ll come up with something super effective for GW2 as well.

Ympulse, the point of my threads is to start discussion and improve the gameplay of anyone who wants to read. When you say “really weak stat allocation”, would you mind expressing in more detail what you mean. Rifle and swords both rely on condition damage as well as normal. This build is a very well rounded build with lots of crit, cond damage and power supplied by stacks of might. Meanwhile it is very hardy and can take quite a bit of damage thrown at it especially because of the condition removal. This build in the hands of a skilled player is close to godly 1 vs 1. 100% end regen gives tons of dodges, regeneration and lifesteal, shout heals, perma sprint for strafing and getting behind people. Trust me, try this build and you will fall in love like I have

Lifesteal? I didn’t think warriors had any of that.

When I say “weak stat allocation” my main concern here is that you’re trying to do everything without maximizing your potential in what would assumedly be your role in WvW, which is total throughput damage.

Your build, while hardy, is not going to hold up against 3 or more focusing you (hell, I’ve yet to find a build that can, assuming your opponents are worth their salt.)

I personally would focus my stat allocation to the following, in descending order; Condition Damage > Vitality > Power > Toughness > All others. (Your build puts power above Cond Dam, unless I’m reading those links wrong.) This maximizes your throughput damage, as we all know that Time on Target (ToT) for melee classes in WvW is infinitesimally small, unless you have numerical advantage on your side.

Of course, we can theorycraft on what is the best in a 1v1 scenario all day, but that happens so rarely (in my experience, at least) that it’s a moot point to argue. My main concern with your build (and other warriors using it, since it’s a better build than most can come up with without serious number crunching) is that it’s throughput damage in play is much lower than it could be, given 2-3 seconds ToT (which is my ballpark guesstimated average, since I don’t really stopwatch in the middle of WvW)

To give you an idea of what I’m going on about, using a Condition Damage-focused stat build, I’m able to consistently down players with only 4 Seconds ToT with 4 Sword Swings and half of the Sword Burst being used.

I’ll post a build later, when it isn’t 5 in the morning.

ive been running with this since level 10 haha love the WH playstyle!!! its so unique!

Have you considered swapping sigils of blood with sigils of earth? Would be a waste not to make use of condition damage gear and nearly 100% crit rate. What I haven’t been able to pin down is whether having sigil of blood on mainhand and sigil of earth on offhand would cause the both to ’cannibalise’ each other (only one of them triggering at once). On test golems in the mists both trigger with steady weapons, but the point is how well do they synergise exactly and if there are any trade-offs. Have you been able to figure that out?

Used your trooper build in swtor , glad to see you in GW2 !

Been using sword/shield+bow for condition damage (fire, bleed, combo fire aura). The build you posted is a refreshing change of pace. Thanks!

<-is a fan! Thanks man!

hmm I’ll give this a try later on. I’ve been runing a very similar build but with only 20 in arms with that and all the points in defence over in disciplin instead. Mine also focused on baners instead of shouts more often than not. looks like it would play very similarly but mine was more focused on group support but also had a rather glaring weakness to lots of cripples which the warhorn would help mitigate. Will miss the near perminant uptime on signet of rage however, sig CD reduction in disc + tactics boon duration and an omnomberry cream had the duration almost = the cd.

Still with warhorn can probably afford to give up the banner as aside from the regen comeing off it the bigest boon was the group swiftness that warhorn also provides with a fairly close uptime parity and the shouts probably would match the HPS of the regen too.

Sigil of earth is great and temptng for sure, but with heals being at such a premium in this game (heal yourself or dont get healed etc) I really like the extra health gained from sigil of blood. With the two other regens ticking this sigil is like another 300+ health every three secs while attacking. Plus it is lifesteal which means you are doing that extra damage every 3 secs as well.

There are plenty of things wrong with banners right now to keep me from using them. Long cd’s being the first, and people grabbing them and running off with them is the second and biggest issue I have right now.

Definitely going to give this build a try.

If you are going to play this type of ranged crit+bleed playstyle why don’t you just go Ranger. Ranger shortbow was basically made for this playstyle and is much more effective at it. I tried both.

I used to use warhorn, but found that warhorn is really meant for roamers who need the extra speed. Shield for the block is absolutely indispensable to counter burst. The stun is nice too.

Geff.1930:

If you are going to play this type of ranged crit+bleed playstyle why don’t you just go Ranger. Ranger shortbow was basically made for this playstyle and is much more effective at it. I tried both.

Except that Ranger is in medium armor, and does not have the same health pool as a Warrior, and is helpless in melee against a melee class.

SAME PLAYSTYLE I ASSURE YOU.

I used to use warhorn, but found that warhorn is really meant for roamers who need the extra speed. Shield for the block is absolutely indispensable to counter burst. The stun is nice too.

Except that the Warhorn also removes Snares and imobilizes, as well as inflicting a long-lasting weakness on ALL enemies in a huge area.

Secondly, WvW (which this build is for) is all about your ability to move between points, either defending or attacking. If you’re standing on a keep wall in the middle of your team’s controlled area because “lol defense” you’re doing it wrong.

Also, not having haste in WvW is like pulling your fingernails out with pliers.

First of all Ranger shortbow spec has higher dps output in a crit+condition build than rifle.

1.) Like x2 attack speed of rifle.
2.) Ability to poison taking further advantage of the high condition damage.
3.) Sharpening Blade utility skill for even more bleed stacks per attack. Assuming you are flanking and you crit you will stack x3 bleed per attack booting an amazing attack speed.

Ranger is less tanky, that I will grant, but they have more escapeability. On shortbow alone you have quick shot which is a free no endurance cost dodge + swiftness + damage (note: this skill does not require you to face your target). Cripple. 1 second inescapable stun +daze. if you have longbow alt you have 1 additional swiftness ability, Another cripple ability and a knockback.

If you are talking about WvW Warrior Longbow is by far way better than Rifle for pushing enemy lines. Rifle in general is not a weapon I would ever main as a warrior and alt slots are always better filled with X+Shield (in sPvP) and X+Warhorn (in WvW)

Seems like a build well worth trying out. Of course, anyone can modify it a bit, for their own taste and style.

What I would like to point is that GW2 is a bit different from the MMO’s we’re all used to. To a lot of aspects of the game we need to keep an open mind and adapt. Who would think that maybe a warior with a warhorn can be more deadly than a warior with a big sword or a big hammer.

Try not to treat GW as a typical MMO and maybe we all could benefit from that.

The key to a good mmo is having great class balance and choice so that there isn’t really a must spec cookie cutter imo. That being said some builds are just always going to be better then others.

Rifle vs Longbow for wvw:

Each has its merits, but rifle has such better burst for once an enemy starts to run from you or kite. Aoe its the longbow hands down for sure and on keep defense etc. Ultimately when i need to drop someone at 25% from ranged….the rifle does it better and so I stick with rifle. Cripple and knock back + burst (volley) I use much more often then sitting on the wall and just aoeing the door. Best news yet…..carry both and switch out bow for keep defense, but for the Yojack build….its rifle ftw.

In response to a private message, I love longbows and did pve the first 20 levels with it. Until I realized that melee aoe is far superior for pve/leveling. Longbow is best used as a wvw keep defense/ keep taking weapon. I would still rather have my rifle out for oil/cannon/arrow cart destroying though

Ympulse….no swiftness in wvw lol, its more like sticking pliers up your nose while standing in line at DMV…..

Similiar to the sword/shield build I have been rolling with.

http://www.gw2db.com/skills/calc/warrior#2|9|10|65|919|188|1890|0|0|0|0|20|1525|1523|0|20|1541|1535|0|30|1057|1510|1056|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|

Nothing to add here other than I’m thrilled to have picked the same class as Yojack, and I have this thread bookmarked.

If I’ve learned anything about Yojack is that his builds tend towards the practical and actually work, versus other folks who spend a little bit too much time on theory and spreadsheets.

I’ve never touched the warhorn, but I’ve really been looking for a reason to try. Looks like I just found it!

Cheers!

I have been wanting to try out build using horn as I do PVE. I am only level 40 atm. How would you recommend spreading the first 30 points in this build?

I am actually surprised you have no +healing gear, the heals are pretty craptastic without it. Thoughts?

Also, what besides the auto attack on a one handed sword gives you condition damage? Rifle has no condition damage I know of. So you put a lot of emphasis on condition damage yet you have very little attacks that cause condition damage. I am still learning so feel free to tell me I am wrong.

Other then your ability to move around the map quickly this build comes up short for me. No aoe damage for the zergs you will always encounter in WvW. Mediocre single target dps, and heals that are….well….mediocre with no + healing gear.

Help me understand how this build is good besides 1v1?

Flurry, the burst skill, is perfect for building bleeds.

The one skill on the Sword (the first two swings) The burst skill, the Rifle autoattack, and ANY crits have a 33% chance to bleed.

YOJACK!!!! I used to use your Rogue Stunlock build in WoW vanilla :-)

Yojack, could you post some images of your stats and the armor you have on from what they look like in sPVP and Pve

What runes for armor do you use?

Draylore: I would put first 10 points in arms and just do the signet/+ precision thing for leveling. it is by far the best for leveling as it will give you almost 100% crit early on with diminishing returns making it stop being effective around 60 or so. Until then choose the weapons of your choice and just rock out. Pve is a great way to get a feel for all your weapons so just use the best drop you find at the time imo.

Herbie: First + healing gear would only be advisable for a pve tank for dungeon runs imo. Other then that, there is way more value in the other stats and adds. Rifles auto attack gives a bleed not to mention sword 2 out of 3 auto attacks does bleeds as well. The playstyle isnt for everyone Herbie and I would ask you to maybe expand your thinking a little other then the small window its focused on right now. This is an amazingly good overall build, not the highest dps, not the best healer etc as you have said, but this isnt world of warcraft where min/maxing for dps for a raid boss is critical. This is WvW where the battle is constanly changing and being able to have perma swiftness, great survivibility with condition removal as well as just being able to sprint the hell out of the zerg while removing snares is prettykittencrucial imo.

Ben hamann, old school!! Sup playa!

I can post some pics later but only self buffed I am at:

2961 attack power
98% crit (with sword and horn, 83% with rifle)
2427 armor
23172 health
and a constant regen of about 175/sec (adrenal regen + signet)

This is all standing in lions arch with no bonuses from wvw etc.

Check link above bamfbear but I am running 6x runes of the soldier for better vit and toughness but mostly for the condition removal from shouts.

I am a very open minded player and haven’t played wow in 5 years but thanks for the assumption. Again I say, other than movement, I don’t see what you bring to the table here. You spec for shouts to heal, reduce cool down ect but don;t have +healing so the heal to your nearby allies is negligable. Your single target damage isn’t helping win the day for zerg on zerg. this is a 1v1 set up with mobility, nothing wrong with that but 1v1 is rare in this from what I see so far.

I can see the fun in it, but the function, not so much.

Shouts heal for only 1100 with no investment in healing, which is underwhelming. For support I much prefer to use the warhorn with quick breathing, which between the snare removal and condition→boon conversion I find causes people to avoid taking far less damage than the shouts would have healed. I love seeing vulnerability on allies, as the warhorn turns it into free protection.

Thanks for posting!

First, I don’t spec to reduce my shout cooldown, I reduce the warhorn cooldown. As I said in original post, warhorn is very underrated especially for wvw. Sorry wasn’t trying to offend you herbie but again from your comments I just see a very narrow viewpoint. If you think this build is only good as 1vs1, then I suggest just reading a different thread because obviously you don’t need any help building a spec good for you. Thanks for posting though =)

really like your build here Yojack

but, for now i use GS instead of long range weapons,well…not because it has a 100HB or something,i just love to play with style (i’ll go for axes if i wanted to see mobs health depleted :p )

on the other hand,i realized that swift in the build are permament if we so wishes it..i used it often for exploring,hehehehe…but can you gave me any tips about how do i supposed to utilize swift inside of a combat?

is it purely for kiting or with more swift = “dodging” ??or both?

my build is :
0/25/15/30/0

but in the Arms i take Rending Strike (i was going for Deep Strike tho) and Forceful GS..

ooh and more thing..the Empowered,does passive signet counts as boons that can be added to the damage?

thanks man

EDIT:in dungeons i used bows instead of GS :p

Swiftness is for kiting and getting behind the enemy so they cant attack you etc (known as kiting, strafing etc). The perma swiftness is amazing for this as good game play has you in the right position as much as possible. Spamming warhorn “5” gives you 13 seconds of 100% better regen on endurance, which equals double the amount of dodges normally possible in the same amount of a given time. Over a 20 second fight you would be able to dodge say 6 times vs 3 (not exact math here but you get why skilled players <3 warhorn)

Passive signets do NOT count as boons so no damage increase there sorry.

Yojack.7082:

Swiftness is for kiting and getting behind the enemy so they cant attack you etc (known as kiting, strafing etc). The perma swiftness is amazing for this as good game play has you in the right position as much as possible. Spamming warhorn “5” gives you 13 seconds of 100% better regen on endurance, which equals double the amount of dodges normally possible in the same amount of a given time. Over a 20 second fight you would be able to dodge say 6 times vs 3 (not exact math here but you get why skilled players <3 warhorn)

Passive signets do NOT count as boons so no damage increase there sorry.

okay then…thanks so much for sharing this build