Way of the Confused Warrior
Introdution
With the release of HoT, we finally get to see something new aside from going zerk or tank in the past years. Introducing CONDITIONS. Playing pvp and wvw I hear people saying Warriors received the short end of the stick saying that the new specialization has no synergy with the other traits, but I disagree.
This build focuses on a surprise attack. The moment they or you close the distance get ready to kitten on their face…most of em. The bleed, burn and confusion stacks is not something you want to be on the receiving end. Your offence comes from stacking conditions through interrupts and rage skills from berserker trait while healing you with a base of 2000 health every time you break stun which could possibly be every 10 seconds as well as negating damage to reposition or run away while you set up.
Weapon Set
The primary weapon set you will be using is the mace and shield combo followed with a rifle as your secondary choice. The reason for mace and shield is because this is going to be your bread and butter mainly the berserker F1 skill Skull Grinder as it gives enemies blind, bleed, confusion and cripple condition. Also, the reason for this combination is due to the fact of interrupts coming from the following skills: Pommel Smash, Shield Bash and Skull Grinder. This allows you to stack more conditions while locking them down. As for the secondary weapon set you will be using the rifle. This weapon serves to poke and force enemies to close the distance with you as you follow up with the combo, which will be mentioned later in the guide.
Sigils
The following sigils deemed to be excellent choices best suited for engagements, which are: Superior Sigil of Bursting (Mace), Superior Sigil of Doom (Shield), Superior Sigil of Ice (Rifle) and Superior Sigil of Energy (Rifle)
Weapon, Armor and Trinket Stats
The armor set you will be wearing is full Vipers (Power, Condition, Precision and Condition Duration) with a combination of Dire+Rabid (Condition, Vitality, Toughness and Precision) for your trinkets.
Runes
There is only one rune that will maximize your main condition damage (confusion) and that is Superior Rune of Perplexity. Which increases condition damage but mostly confusion duration. It goes well with confusion from your interrupts
Trait Line
The traits you will be utilizing will be Strength, Defence and Berserker. For Strength you will be using the following: Restorative Strength, Body Blow and Distracting Strikes. This is where your damage comes from where you give enemies 4 stacks of confusion per interrupt on top of bleeding.
For Defence you will be using the following: Shield Master, Defy Pain and Rousing Resilience. With the reduce cooldown in your shield skills you can have block more often and well as shield bash. In addition, any projectiles incoming will be reflected back, deadly for rangers. With Defy Pain its self explanatory. Now for the grandmaster trait people say to use Last Stand cause of the 40 second cooldown gaining stability and increase duration for your stances. As of this moment its preference, it was okay when I used it with the build; however, I was more drawn to the 2k heal and 1k armor every time I break stun. In all my fights, I was able to get out of combos periodically due to outrage and headbutt keeping me longer in the fight on top of my block and endure pain. Again its your choice what you feel most comfortable with I just happen to add a bit more sustain aside from my healing signet passive.
Lastly, for Berserker you will be using the following: Last Blaze, Dead or Alive and Taunt. Last blaze will add burn condition every time you use your rage skills, which are outrage and headbutt. I use it to add cover for my confusion stacks, while dealing damage so in case they remove conditions confusion will most likely be the last sitting on their health bar. Dead or Alive gives you a fixed heal when dealt a fatal blow, this might not work sometimes as defy pain will kick in while your in berserk mode and by the time it ends so does your berserk mode. I still choose it because the other two do not work as well with the build. Finally, the amazing TAUNT, I still miss the bleed it had before they changed it, but no matter 2 seconds of enemies attacking you is what connects your combination from start to end.
Food and Utility
I highly recommend using food that increase condition duration and tuning crystals.
The Confused Warrior
Begin with the rifle poking them down. To them it may not seem much initially, but majority of time people want to get up close. As they approach you use your number 4 skill in your rifle to stack vulnerability, which will act as a filler condition to cover your main condition damage as well as increase incoming damage you put on them. While they come at you run away or dodge so you can avoid their first attack. While they begin chasing look at their bar if no block or stability, switch weapon set to mace and shield and follow through with this standard combo:
Headbutt, Outrage, Taunt, Skull Grinder, Shield Bash and Pommel Smash
Hitting the target you gain full adrenaline stunning yourself for 1 second and stunning the enemy for 3 seconds. By using Outrage, you break out of stun healing yourself and gaining armor as well as quickening your combo to follow with taunt as their still stun or may break out of stun. With Taunt it forces enemies to attack you so in case they run away they come back or if its a thief hiding in shadow refugee or stealth they will reappear due to them landing a basic attack on you. Within that 2 second interval you follow through with Skull Grinder stacking additional confusion and conditions to enemy, at this point the enemy will be at 13 confusion stacks and their health will begin to fall rapidly. After skull grinder I follow will shield bash as the enemy will usually use a skill to get out of its current situation. Lastly, followed with pommel smash for the daze for another possible interrupt or them not being able to use any of their skills for 1 sec.
You follow with going back to rifle, but most of the time you may not need to follow up with anything because at the end of your combination they will be running away to distant themselves from you and recover. If you pay close attention to their actions this standard combo will result with the following conditions: 13 Confusion, 14 Bleeding, 3 Burning, Blind, Cripple and Weakness. The only condition that will increase in stack depending on the interrupts you land will be confusion. Majority of the time you will see 9-13 confusion stacks on an enemy and trust me its enough to either down them or get them to 1/4 health.
Build Pros and Cons
The bright side of the using the build is definitely the damage you will see landing your conditions. In addition, with less warriors roaming especially in my server its unexpected for enemies to think of what I could do to them unlike everyone else that are rolling reapers, scrappers, chronomancers, revenant, druids and etc. Based on my conducted fights you can stand toe-to-toe with stronger classes that are rising in popularity. However, do not be naive in thinking builds is what wins most fights, I believe a player skills makes a huge difference.
The downside of using this build is the reliance of landing the combo chain. In addition, if you have noticed your mobility is lacking. Your movement speed is on the same boat as that of a Guardian. With condition as your main damage, the factors that can ruin your combo are: block, blind, stability, condition removal or transfer and immunity.
Out of the classes I have faced my chances of winning against the top three competitors is 25% against a GOOD revenant, dragonhunter and chronomancer Against a good reaper, scrapper, and everyone else its 50 – 75% chance.
Side Note
Whether you choose to entertain yourself in implementing this build, I can guarantee that you will be recognized as the few warriors out there that are running berserker trait and that can put up a fight. People say warriors got the worse or useless specialization, but I definitely disagree. Below are a few tips regarding classes I have faced based on my OBSERVATION and how to fight them using the build. Some cases it may not always be like that, but hell what do expect warrior did not get the sexiest of traits and skills from the expansion. Plus my observation.
Against Revenant
They open up using hammer for range, of course against your rifle damage its inferior compared to theirs. So you either continue poking them with rifle as you slowly run towards before switching to mace/shield OR you dodge and walk back while shooting and having them come to you. I have noticed that they never stay to long in hammer even though I have seen it dish out nice damage. Most of the time they will come at you with sword to do that dashing attack. Once they come in range pay attention to that attack skill. The moment its activated go into mace/shield and use shield stance to block those attacks or dodge twice. After counting 2 or 3 seconds that skill should be finished giving you an OPENING to follow with your standard combo as mentioned above. Once they eat your hits they will most likely drop their shield stance which heals them for incoming damage. However, by the time their out of it their health will drop fast as I barely see any revenants with condition removal. Most of their combination stance I have faced is Shiro/Glint.
Against Dragonhunter
Definitely hard class to face, especially those traps, blinds and blocks. I have seen some success in going rifle first to remove block. After that they will pull me into their traps to burst me down. I remain in rifle once I get pulled in order to knock them back away from their traps. During the same time I will activate endure pain and berserker stance to negate damage, gain health and armor, be immune to blind and burn while building adrenaline. If successful and you knock them back dodge towards them switching to mace and shield and follow up with your standard combo. From here I notice them panic in dropping their healing skill and elite skill. After that you have to repeat the same strategy again or implement something similar to avoid their second wave of traps. These hunters will always stay on top of their traps.
Against Chronomancers
Definitely a hard class to face. Stealth is annoying enough, but EVADE. Most of my successes have been withstand the initial wave of their combo of stun and conditions by using beserker stance and enduring pain or just using shield stance while I move towards them. From here they will come at you looking like a distorted character, be careful as you do not want to use your combo just yet. Count about 3 seconds then open up on them even if you miss I find it that my headbutt will hit one of their clones since the mesmer and his/her clones clump up to shatter themselves on you. Even if you miss the stun on them you have full adrenaline and taunt ready. You can either take the risk of predicting where the mesmer is and use taunt to break them out of stealth or when they reappear dodge towards them avoid incoming damage then use taunt and follow through with your combo. My battles with these guys have made me take the blunt of their damage for a good 8 seconds or more until its my turn to make my move. I can guarantee that your health will be 1/4 or you will be down with him/her in the same position as you as you fight for your life. However, most of the time the win is in their favour.
Against Reapers
First scenario, they come at you and transform into their reaper shroud. In this form they will have stability for a few seconds, I suggest you avoid them by crippling/chilling them and running away or using your shield stance to block incoming damage while their in that form. Once it goes down you can begin your assault; however, I wait a few extra seconds because I always find it they switch back to their normal forms once the skills goes on cooldown and to avoid having their shroud health be eaten away. Once they switch back I open up with my combo. Their health will drop but do not be naive that you have won the fight cause some of them carry that transfer condition skill and that is where you will get kittened up. I can not tell if they have it or not but its become a habit for me when fighting reapers to dodge or have shield stance ready right after my combo. You will probably burn dodge for no reason and even shield stance. But I come out fine trusting my gut. Second scenario, the standard condition wells type. I treat it the same way I will stop and run back so they can waste their wells. After that I will re-engage and do my thing. However, you can do the opposite and go straight to them being immune to their wells by activating berserker stance and getting in front of their face.
Against Druids/Rangers
In their ranger form I do not have a problem dealing with them in closing the distance. However, once they realize the conditions on themselves they will heal out of it mainly in their celestial form. I strongly advise you do not waste your combination against that form as they will just remove and heal it all away. At this point I just endure as much as I can by dodging, negating damage from skills and utility or knocking them back. I wait until their celestial form goes down and repeat my combo again.
Against Thieves
I just bait them. When I see thief from a far I run back while checking my behind camera view. If I see them use that shadow step skill I will run back to that spot and negate as much damage as I can till it disappears and goes on cooldown or I will fight him on that spot. If your near a wall or corner lead him/her towards there cause their objective is to BACKSTAB you, fighting them in an open field is still dangerous especially against REALLY PRO ones. Whatever you choose to do get ready to drop endure pain as well as berserker stance to break stun negate damage and avoid incoming conditions mainly blind. Their initial attack is always that stun thing. After your free open with your headbutt or if you miss just basic attack with some of your attack skills while you wait to build adrenaline based on your active berserker stance. When ready go into taunt and follow with your attacks.
Build Editor Link:
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