if you put 10 points in discipline you may pick the trait that reads: increases your run speed while wielding melee weapons. this will make you slightly faster.
as suggested above, using sword/horn while exploring is awesome to minimize travelspeed and leap around with sword 2.
when fighting pve though, warrior is not meant to be fast. i play mine with hammer (for the cc) and a defensive build, while my offset is axe/shield in order to use eviscerate againtst bosses.
you can do an alternative dps build to feel like you’re playing a rogue, but that is BORING, and the warrior will crumble to dust at 1st sign of real trouble. that goes against the 1st rule of DPS which is staying alive.
this game actually allows you to play the warrior class without the need of a healer friend (like on all other mmos). you better embrace that and not be a dps kitten. more importantly, warrior is a massive team player. all you need to do is cc everyone with your hammer or tank with a shield while your dedicated DPS team obliterates everything.
you can shake off their conditions, buff their dmg and even -kittening- heal them later on. thief is just ok dps and meh mobility. as you said, paper thin.
