Attempt at a PvP W/A build

[Xenophon Ualtar]

This is my first attempt at making a build to use in PvP. I think that it is somewhat unique so I am looking for some feedback.


So here is a rough idea of what I want to try for a W/A build. It is very hard to add all that I am supposed to do onto my skill bar. I want to be able to knockdown people and make their lives annoying. I also got very annoyed at people running way behind their lines to escape me. Looking over the Assassin skills I noticed some that would help me to finish off almost dead people that try to slip away.

Attribute distribution

Hammer mastery 16 (12+4)
Shadow Arts 10
Strength the rest
Need to find a good furious hammer

Skills

1. Crushing Blow - Deep Wound on KD Foe
2. Devastating Hammer - KD
3. Hammer Bash - KD
4. Bull's Strike - + Damage and KD to moving foe
5. Dark Escape - move 25% faster take half damage ends if strike foe
6. Return - Teleport to target ally
7. Shadow Refuge - Health regen and health gained if attacking when it ends
8. Res Sig - gotta have it


The idea behind the build

So the main idea behind this is to take on casters. I would use Devastating Hammer, Crushing Blow, Hammer Bash as soon as I have the adrenaline.

Dark Escape and Bull's Strike are to use on the people with low health that are try to escape from me. Usually they are 1-2 hits away from dying so if I can knock them down and get one more hit after that on them then I can probably kill them. The great thing about Bull's Strike is that it is an energy skill not a adrenale skill.

This will often put me way behind enemy lines so I will use return to poof back to one of our casters so I can start fighting again sooner. This would be even more usefull if we had another warrior that I could poof to. I can also use the poofing ability to jump back to help the monks out if they are under attack.

Shadow refuge is of course my self heal. It would do 8 regen for 4 seconds and then heal me for 60 health at that level of attribute points. The recharge time is twice that of Healing Signet but the cast time is only one second versus 2 for Healing Sig. Also there is no armor penalty.

[Winstar]

I really like W/a's and your build is pretty much the same basic idea to one I use (and many others, not taking credit for it) but I generally only use deaths charge for the surprise step to the target when your adren is charged. I think Heal Sig is better than refuge. You get more health out of it by far and you won't always get the extra health out of refuge, just be smart about its use and the armour penalty doesn't become an issue. Instead of putting points into shadow (since you don't really need it for deaths charge) put them into strength and tactics. Use Rush or Sprint instead of dark escape. I never find that Hammer Bash does enough damage for the spike, and I prefer go with heavy or fierce blow instead. Bulls strike is really good generally but i don't know if you need it or not here. You might also try and fit irresistable blow in there and squeeze out something else.

hammer 16
str 11
tac 9
shadow rest

devestating
crushing
fierce blow/heavy blow
frenzy
deaths charge
rush
heal sig
res sig

cheers

[sgtclarity]

It's a pretty standard build, what I would suggest is throwing out SR, because the regen is pretty crappy, and putting in Death's Charge. Dark Escape + Death's are great helper skills to get a bull's strike in on a running caster. Hammer bash is ok, but if you're using Devastating, why not use Heavy Blow? One last thing, Return is pretty unnecessary, imo you should put in a DPS skill such as protector's strike or mighty blow in for it.

[SparhawkJC]

Main reason to use Heavy Blow over Heavy is so if weakness gets removed you can still knock your target down. I like Winstar's build.

[sgtclarity]

Main reason to use Heavy Blow over Devestating is so if weakness gets removed you can still knock your target down. I like Winstar's build.

Why would you use a normal skill over an elite?

[SparhawkJC]

bah stupid me, meant hammer bash over heavy blow.

[Winstar]

Another reason to prefer Fierce to Heavy or Bash is that it does more damage, and still gives a damage bonus even if weakness is removed and most importantly it doesn't drain your adrenaline which means that after the spike is completed, you should be close to ready to spike again instead of having to start from ground 0.

[juggalomike]

can u use an axe in place of hammer in W/A?

[Winstar]

yes,

Evis (e)
Rake/Bulls/penetrating/distracting whatever you like here
Exe
Frenzy
Deaths
Heal Sig
Sprint
Res Sig

[ump]

My simplified warrior checklist:

1) Choose your weapon: Hammer, check.
2) Choose your 3 attack skills that works reasonably well together: Devastating Hammer, Crushing Blow, Hammer Bash, check
3) Deep wounds: Crushing Blow, check
4) Increased attack speed: missing (adding Frenzy might help)
5) Increased movement/snare: Bull's Strike, check
6) Rez: Rez signet, check

I'd try to figure out a way to add an increased attack speed. This might give you the extra hits to deal enough damage before they run away if you are only a few hits short anyways.