Warrior WvW | Small Group Sword/Warhorn, Longbow | Support The Hunter
Table of Contents
Summary
This is my guide for a build I came up with, as with all my builds, if it is out there I didn't copy your stuff, I stopped reading other peoples builds a long time ago. Anyway, I've been around WvW for awhile, played Thief (garbage), Necro (Great Fun), and now my Warrior which has become my main. I have played on a two servers, but came back to my home on Anvil Rock recently because the higher tiers have more Zerg v Zerg than I care to experience. I originally created a Warrior for the simple fact that I like getting in the thick of it with a hammer and smashing fools. Well that got old quick, I wasn't killing anyone, just kinda hopping around and stunning. Which don't get me wrong is great, especially when you can tank as well as hit like a tank. But needless to say I got bored with it. My biggest problem was closing the distance when I was getting kited around. I knew I needed some range, I tried Rifle but it wasn't fun, then I tried Longbow. Well, that seemed to be my calling. Without further rambling on, I give you "The Hunter"
I. Weapons and Skills
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- Gash½Bleed your foe with a gash.Damage: 202Bleeding: 8 s (340 damage)Range: 130
- Hamstring¼ 15Cripple your foe with a precise slash.Crippled: 1 sDamage: 252Range: 130
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Weapon and Skill Details
Longbow- This build focuses on the use of the Long Bow to reach out and touch the baddies. The way this build is set up is to basically become a ranged damage machine while maintaining what I feel is an insane amount of survivability (more to follow on that).
Sword/Warhorn-This is my personal preference but really compliments the build. As you will see this build focuses on Bleeds and Condition Removal, as well as mobility. This weapon set provides both. So read on.
Healing Surge-Enough said here, you can swap it out but I wouldn't recommend.
For Great Justice-As you will see this build thrives on your Shouts. For Great Justice is a must, 8 seconds of Fury as well as 3 Stacks of might. Plus IT REMOVES A CONDITION!!!!
Shake it Off-Stun break and Condition Removal, also REMOVES A SECOND CONDITION!!!!!!
Fear Me-Basically for those OH S#%T I GOT TWO THIEVES TRYING TO GANK ME moments, plus.......wait for it......it REMOVES A CONDITION!!! See where this is going?
Signet of Rage-Pretty self explanatory
So please move on to Traits and see how this starts to tie together.
II. Traits
Strength
Arms
Defense
Tactics
Trait Details
Arms 30- This is somewhat of a Condition, dare I say, Power Hybrid. More toward the Condition though. Taking 30 in Arms not only ups your Condition Damage but also your Precision. If you have ever played a Condition Necro I think you know where this is going. You are going to want to Bleed the S out of your target, making them have to pull back and waste that heal. Well this tree is how we do that. Taking Deep Cuts makes your Bleeds run longer, Opportunist gives you Fury with Long Bow #5, plus you are getting triple adrenaline with every crit thanks to Furious. Your minors aren't too bad, 33% chance to inflict bleeding on crit, increased crit chance on burst skills, and more damage to bleeding foes.
Tactics 30-The way I did this tree may be up for discussion, but it's what I like and I'll explain why. Your first major trait, Stronger Bow Strings, well you need it to keep that distance while you are stacking bleeds on your target, Quick Breathing I chose because I like to move, I like to remove conditions, and I personally love the Warhorn. Plus you are essentially removing two conditions on Warhorn #4 if one of them happens to be Cripple, Chill, or Immob. Warhorn #5 Helps too with the extra Vigor and Weakness on the baddie as well as removing a condition. As I will explain later, the Warhorn is kinda my either OH S$#T set or my YOU BETTER RUN BUT I'M GONNA CATCH YOU AND GUT YOU set. You'll see how that works further down the page. Finally taking Vigorous Shouts to give not only you, but your allies in range a nice little heal. It is not all that great, but that little of boost of throwing off 2 or 3 Shouts back to back has saved me enough times for me to use this trait regularly.
Discipline 10-I went here just for the Inspiring Shouts. Since we use all shouts why not make them do one thing more. Feel free to move this around, but I personally can't do without.
III. Stat Specifics & Effects
Primary Stats
- Health 23962 (+4750)
- Vitality 1391 (+475)
- Armor 2524 (+397)
- Toughness 1313 (+397)
- Attack 2915 (+1049)
- Power 1965 (+1049)
- Critical Hit 70% (+70%)
- Precision 2233 (+1317)
Secondary Stats
- Bleeding Duration 50% (+50%)
- Boon Duration 30% (+30%)
- Burst Recharge 10% (+10%)
- Condition Damage 1031 (+1031)
- Critical Damage 35% (+35%)
- Damage 950 (+0%)
- Defense 1211 (+0)
- Experience from Kills 20% (+20%)
- Ferocity 526 (+526)
Boons
Conditions
Control
Fields & Finishers
Stat and Effect Details
Only thing to say here is that you have no stability. I know that some can't live without it, but if you can get away from the whole "Up in your face" play style you don't need it. I rarely run alone so if I drop someone I can usually kill them before they revive or someone else will. Also since I'm not all up in the middle of the battle and I'm picking people off from a distance I don't really need it. Your Precision sits at 56% with Long bow or 61% with the Sword/Warhorn, but you will ALWAYS have Fury up so go ahead and make that 76% or 81% instead which isn't too shabby.
IV. Food, Armor, Trinkets & Upgrade Items
Food Nourishment
Toughness: 100
Condition Damage: 70
Experience from Kills: 10%
- (30min)
- Toughness: 100
- Condition Damage: 70
- Experience from Kills: 10%
Utility Nourishment
Gain Condition damage equal to 6% of your toughness
Gain Condition damage equal to 4% of your vitality
Experience from Kills: 10%
- (30min)
- Gain Condition damage equal to 6% of your toughness
- Gain Condition damage equal to 4% of your vitality
- Experience from Kills: 10%
Armor & Runes
- Defense: 121
- Precision: 60
- Power: 43
- Condition Damage: 43
- Vitality: 25
- Toughness: 35
- Vitality: 50
- Toughness: 65
- Vitality: 100
- Shouts remove a condition from each affected ally.
- Defense: 121
- Precision: 45
- Power: 32
- Condition Damage: 32
- Vitality: 25
- Toughness: 35
- Vitality: 50
- Toughness: 65
- Vitality: 100
- Shouts remove a condition from each affected ally.
- Defense: 363
- Precision: 134
- Power: 96
- Condition Damage: 96
- Vitality: 25
- Toughness: 35
- Vitality: 50
- Toughness: 65
- Vitality: 100
- Shouts remove a condition from each affected ally.
- Defense: 182
- Precision: 45
- Power: 32
- Condition Damage: 32
- Vitality: 25
- Toughness: 35
- Vitality: 50
- Toughness: 65
- Vitality: 100
- Shouts remove a condition from each affected ally.
- Defense: 242
- Precision: 90
- Power: 64
- Condition Damage: 64
- Vitality: 25
- Toughness: 35
- Vitality: 50
- Toughness: 65
- Vitality: 100
- Shouts remove a condition from each affected ally.
- Defense: 182
- Precision: 45
- Power: 32
- Condition Damage: 32
- Vitality: 25
- Toughness: 35
- Vitality: 50
- Toughness: 65
- Vitality: 100
- Shouts remove a condition from each affected ally.
Armor Stat Totals
- Defense 1211
- Vitality 175
- Toughness 100
- Precision 419
- Power 299
- Condition Damage 299
Rune Bonuses
Superior Rune of the Soldier- Vitality: 25
- Toughness: 35
- Vitality: 50
- Toughness: 65
- Vitality: 100
- Shouts remove a condition from each affected ally.
Accessories & Jewels
Accessory Totals
- Power:580
- Toughness:197
- Ferocity:426
- Precision:358
- Condition Damage:63
Weapon Set Sigils
- Weapon Strength: 905-1000
- Precision: 120
- Power: 85
- Condition Damage: 85
- Weapon Strength: 814-900
- Precision: 120
- Power: 85
- Condition Damage: 85
Weapon Set I
Sigil of Superior Earth60% chance to do a 5s bleed on critical.
Sigil of Superior Accuracy+7% crit chance.
- Weapon Strength: 920-1080
- Precision: 239
- Power: 171
- Condition Damage: 171
- Weapon Strength: -
Weapon Set II
Sigil of Superior Earth60% chance to do a 5s bleed on critical.
Upgrade Item Details
Food-I wanted to make up for the lack of Toughness in this build but still add to what we have so I went with Bowl of Tropical Mousse. +100 Toughness and +70 Cond Dmg. Also to add to the Cond Dmg I went with the Tuning Crystal. You could swap that for Prec which you don't really need, or for Power, your choice
Armor- I was a bit hesitant about sinking the gold into Rampagers Gear just because of the survivability issue. Well I'm here to tell you, if you play this class like a ranged class, use your condition removals when you should, and know even just a little how to WvW, RAMPAGERS ROCKS......MERICA!!! Well even if you don't like it, it helps with adding more to your bleeds, giving you more damage.
Runes-This is where we make our money. Using Soldier Runes adds a bit of Survivability PLUS removes a condition on using a Shout. I don't think this needs explaining. So now you have three Shouts that do their regular awesomeness, heal, gain adrenaline, and remove a condition on use. For the Trinkets I went with Zerker for the Rings and Trinks, give me a bit more of a gain in Direct Damage. I went with Toughness on the Amulet and Cond on the Back Slot, I bit mismatched I know, but trust me when I say it does the job.
Sigils-Superior Sigil of Earth on Bow and Sword, 66% to cause bleed on Crit. You are a bleeding machine already, why not add some more. Throw Superior Sigil of Accuracy on the Warhorn for a boost in Precision, change this around if you like.
V. Basic Gameplay
So, because you are pretty smart I think you can see what we have come up with here. This is a build that can't be stopped by Conditions, has very nice AoE, very nice survivability, unbelievable mobility, and can stack enough bleeds in a short amount of time to make that annoying Mesmer pee his pants and run back to his keep. The idea is simple, get your Fury up from one of your three abilities, usually Signet of Rage, and start stacking some bleeds. Any ability you use has a chance to put a bleed on the baddies, including your awesome AoE burst ability on the Long Bow. If you can get in close and land your burst with the sword, I have seen 14 stacks of bleeding just from lunging at them and then using Flurry. This was just as an opener, not even factoring in what I would have on them already if I opened with Long Bow and then switched weapons. Just remember, you are not a front line fighter anymore, you are in the back field preying on unsuspecting baddies from range. Bleeding them, burning them, and if you are lucky gutting them with your sword.
Main Skill Rotation
The rotation really is what you need to do to get the job done, as no encounter is the same in WvW, adjust as needed, you have three Shouts to clear conditions and heal you, as well as your Warhorn as a back up. As I said before the Sword/WH set has two purposes. The first is to close the distance and destroy your opponent, Hunt them down if you will. If you are out of Adrenaline, throw some Shouts out there or even use your heal, Savage leap, lock them down with Flurry (gaining Fury if you didn't have it up) and Final Thrust if you need it. The second use for this set is to get the hell outa dodge. Making good use of your Warhorn for speed and condition removal as well as Savage leap gets me out of tight spots 99% of the time. Well give this a try if it perks your interest, if not then don't. I'll take any constructive criticism anyone would like to leave, but if you just want to get on and talk about crunching numbers for stats and how "viable" this build is, and blah blah blah just to let everyone know how smart you are, save it for the Official Forums because I really don't care. This is my build, I like it, I'll use it, and maybe someone else could make good use of it too. Cheers and Beers. Good Luck out there.