when to hammer, when to bow...or
When you get conditions you want to cleanse it with the longbow burst skill. Reason: If your hammer/gs burst misses (enemy dodges or you get blinded etc.) you won’t get the cleanse. LB burst always cleanses conditions even if you hit nothing. That’s the main reason everyone takes LB in spvp, the fire field from LB f1 also covers a large area, ideal for fighting on a capture point.
In Wvw however, no one will keep standing in your fire field. LB won’t be an effective weapon there, some warriors use it for the immobilize to set up burst (GS 2 or Axe Burst) but it is much weaker than in spvp. WvW allows much higher stats with ascended gear, buff food and applied strenght/fortitude, you can deal a lot more dmg than the same build in spvp.
When you get conditions you want to cleanse it with the longbow burst skill. Reason: If your hammer/gs burst misses (enemy dodges or you get blinded etc.) you won’t get the cleanse. LB burst always cleanses conditions even if you hit nothing. That’s the main reason everyone takes LB in spvp, the fire field from LB f1 also covers a large area, ideal for fighting on a capture point.
In Wvw however, no one will keep standing in your fire field. LB won’t be an effective weapon there, some warriors use it for the immobilize to set up burst (GS 2 or Axe Burst) but it is much weaker than in spvp. WvW allows much higher stats with ascended gear, buff food and applied strenght/fortitude, you can deal a lot more dmg than the same build in spvp.
how do you close that gap with hammer/bow tho? just kinda waltz?
how do you close that gap with hammer/bow tho? just kinda waltz?
Use LoS (Line of Sight) to avoid getting hit at range, walk close to walls etc. In pvp you should always fight on top of a capture point, this way the enemy has to stay there too or they lose it. For WvW, well… you already got the reason why most peole use greatsword there instead of bow.
As you’ve probably discovered, mobility is of utmost importance for a warrior – it’s your only way to engage and disengage decently, since you don’t have access to stealth or teleport. Most PvP / WvW builds thus usually include a weapon that gives you mobility skills, i.e. a GS or a sword. The hammer, to a certain extent, can be acceptable, because of its burst skill which can be used for mobility as well (it’s a bit awkward though).
Aside from mobility, you also need Fast Hands, because the adrenaline mechanics is lacking without it. Without Fast Hands, your adrenaline does not build up fast enough, and your limited skills pool (5 weapon skills, no F available with adrenaline) soon goes on CDs, leading you to AA as last option.
So, a warrior is usually locked into having a mobility weapon and 3 points in Discipline. To make the best out of this constraint, you must rely on weapons synergy. If you can weapon swap every 5s, this means you gain access to special rotations between your equipped weapons. In short, in power builds, this means you should have a weapon which is able to prepare a burst for the other one. If you got a GS, then a hammer or a mace work great (long stun), and a sword or a longbow as well (long immobilize). Also, if possible in your weapon set, try to sneak in a block.
You can choose not to run a mobility weapon, but then you’ll be easily kitable. In PvP, where players must contest nodes thus get close to you, this might be an option. In WvW, much less so.
Now, a few tips about the GS:
- Abuse the camera a lot with a GS, get behind the opponent using mobility skills frequently (GS #3 and GS #5), so as to force him to change his field of vision.
- Train using GS #3 only for its evade, not for its damage. Then use it for both.
- Know your combo to land GS #2 (make sure the stun/immobilization is applied before, and that you can swap to GS).
- Use GS #5 when the ground is flat and that there’s no obstacle on the path to your target. Practice using GS #3 immediately followed by GS #5 as a combo.
HTH.