serbellone
24th March 2005, 23:55
Il war me lo sono giocato per poco più di 30 livelli in beta.....incollo qui di seguito una guida che sembrerebbe confermare un'idea che avevo avuto.....agility ftw :)
Foreword
First and foremost, a little background. I started playing as a warrior in the open beta of WoW here in the United States. Since release of the full version of WoW, I have retained my love of the Warrior class through the thick of it all, tossing aside all the short hands we have dealt with since beta.
Most people were deterred of the thought of the most expensive class to maintain, the least applicable quest rewards (mainly mail, leather and cloth rewards, leaving us warriors to dispose via vendorware), the most likely to die in battle, and arguably the weakest class for PVP due to under powering/oversights by Blizzard. With all that said, being a warrior didn't sound very appealing to most, but I stood by my character, and I am proud of the results I have accomplished with Bludjin.
Now, onto the part you want to read about, the PVP and dueling elements of the Warrior. First of all, stop laughing right now. Warriors CAN be and are a viable PVP class, but you wouldn't know it by fighting a good 90% of Warriors. They very much match their intelligence stat, and have no earthly idea how to use their class in a duel. The ones who do however can stand their ground far more than once thought.
Basics
There are a few ground rules to remember with a Warrior, so here are some Basics:
* A warrior lives and dies on by his gear. You can't expect to be a force to be reckoned with unless you are willing to accept and commit to the fact that second best to a warrior means certain death.
* The auction house is your best friend well into your 50's as a Warrior, and wanes past lvl 56 due to your items being focused in Strathmore and Blackrock mainly.
* Dueling is all about strategy. The only way to learn strategy is to lose to a class, and keep losing until you find what that particular class's weakness is to a Warrior, and likewise. All the strategies I am going to tell you here in a bit are learned from losses and rematches, so don't be afraid to throw down and apply a new strategy if you think it will work for you.
* Lastly, don't expect a Warrior to be unstoppable. There are certain limitations to what we can accomplish due to Blizzard and their belief in what our abilities should be until they are resolved. I will address each of these in the applicable section.
Building a Pure Crit Warrior
Alright, so you made the commitment to a Warrior, and you want to make him into a PVP nightmare. You have two immediate choices: Pure Critical Damage Warrior (like Bludjin, pure offensive warrior type), and then you have a Pure Defensive Shielder (self explanatory, they rely on high stamina, high damage absorption, and spell interruption through shield bash/concussion blow). As I am a Pure Crit Damage Warrior, I will speak from this perspective in this guide.
The first step in a Pure Crit Damage Warrior is allocation of your stats and talent points. As we are entirely about how much damage we can deal in the shortest amount of time, you have to spec it out into what you feel you are going to be using most for your crit rates. First of all, know this. We will never match a rogue for pure Damage Per Second (DPS) output, or a mage for that matter. We will, however, be standing instead of on the floor bleeding due to our talents and abilities, and finally our HP over aforementioned classes. The idea behind this type of warrior is all about dealing damage, so I will share the route I took with my character, Bludjin. He is an Orc, so he automatically had a simple choice with axes as Orcs are racially bonused for it. If you are another race, just look for their specialties in weapons and plan accordingly for what kind of weapon you want to be using.
IMPORTANT: I play both dual wield crit style 1h axes and 2h axe in duels, and even though I crit more with the 1hs, Blizzard has a hefty Miss penalty for duel wielders. In duels, this means you miss MUCH MORE than you would with a 2h, so keep this in mind for your weapon choice when entering a duel.
Stats
Stats are very important in creating this kind of Warrior. I rank the stats in this level of importance from first to last: Agility, Stamina, Strength. Strength last? I must be kidding, right? No. I am completely serious. Our ability to crit goes through the roof with agility, and yes, strength matters, but we make up the lost dmg (which isn't that much of a sacrifice, we are talking about like 30 damage per round lost). The rule of thumb is, aim for 150+ agility if you are building a pure crit.
Not only will you crit more, you will dodge and parry more thanks to the agility you have. Stamina ranks second, even more important than strength for one simple reason: If you aren't alive to strike, you are going to lose. Warriors are designed to soak up damage, and in duels it is no different. Strength is important, yes, but not hard to accomplish at any given level during your Warrior's lifespan. Most items have built in Strength and Stamina, but not Agility, so focus instead on what the others lack. At lvl 60, my warrior has 257 Strength, 182 Agility, and 249 stamina. What this means is I have enough health (about 4k health before all my final gear is in place that is, so end game is more along the lines of 4500+), plenty of fuel for my Critical Strike machine, and enough strength to leave a lasting impression. Remember, as a pure crit warrior, your job is to deal the damage and be alive to see the result, so keep that agility stat happy for maximum damage.
Talent Allocation
This build's primary job is to use all of the abilities that you spec towards to create a single goal:
Out think, out match, out duel the opponent. Talents are where you are going to win or lose in a PVP match as a Warrior, and this is where many warriors fall far short. A Pure Crit Warrior only cares about the Arms Tree and the Fury Tree followed closely behind it. Protection is designed for the Pure Defensive Warrior, so it serves no purpose here for you. To know your talents and why you chose them makes you a far better warrior first and foremost, so let's check out my build of what Bludjin turned out to be:
Arms
-2 Deflection (For parry rate),
-3 Improved Rend (this was a personal choice, it is VERY underpowered, so not a necessity)
-2 Improved Charge (vital for your warrior outside of PVP; Worthless for PVP as you can't use it)
-5 Tactical Mastery (Absolutely Vital, you are going to be switching stances in a fight, so get this to translate your rage to other skills and not be at a disadvantage)
-1 Anger Management (See Tactical Mastery, this is absolutely vital)
-2 Improved Overpower(50% increased crit chance? No brainer here, vital)
-3 Deep Wounds (With this, each crit bleeds them DOT style, Bludjin gets on average 100-115 DPS a second with rend and deep wounds active, and this carries on for about 6 rounds, so if you aren't using these, you are leaving 600dps right on the table in a fight)
-2 Impale (directly affects the damage your crits are going to hit on a landed Overpower, max this!)
-1 Sweeping Strikes (Worthless in PVP, but very nice in PvE, I recommend you use it)
-1 Mortal Strike (This is CRITICAL. The crit damage on this is incredible, and it will prevent anyone from healing over 50% life for about 10 seconds while in effect. You must get this.)
Fury
-5 Booming Voice (Most people don't realize the value of this, your battle shout pumps up your damage, you want it to last as long as possible during your fight)
-3 Cruelty(For 3% added crit chance, feel free to max this)
-5 Demoralizing Shout (very nice in a fight vs. a melee, especially a rogue. They are all about DPS, so why not take a good 20% out of their sails in 1 second?)
-1 Piercing Howl (When you can't land a Hamstring, howl. 6 seconds of free 50% movement slowdown, do the math against casters who want range)
-2 Unbridled Wrath (Feel free to max this, I figured 16% of a chance of extra rage happening was acceptable, I was more concerned with my crit rate)
-4 Enrage (This skill is great in a fight, especially someone who lands a lot of crits against you, feel free to max this as it will give you a 40% damage boost for over 10 seconds)
Duel Strategies
I have taken on every class in the game in duels, and I have learned much in doing so. I will give a brief breakdown and generalize a class, then tell you what to do to be very effective against them. Before I do that, I want to give some very good pointers before you duel.
First of all, rage is your meal ticket. As a pure crit build, you are going to want to launch right into your rage abilities, so plan it out that way. Start every battle with a FRESH Battle Shout for extra damage. Blood Rage for the rage for it, cast the shout, and have a seat. People will wait for you. After that, make sure you start the battle in BERSERKER STANCE. There are many reasons for this. The first reason is you now have an extra 3% chance to crit, so why not? Secondly, you have Berserker Rage, a great skill because it makes you fear immune PLUS giving extra rage for 6 seconds while hitting/being hit. Yes, you take more damage, but you are a warrior, that's not your primary concern thanks to your HP. By being in Berserker Rage, you will build up the rage you need to transfer it to other stances. Berserker Stance is your primary rage buildup stance, and it also serves two other purposes: Intercept (More on this later), and Pummel (more on this).
A Warrior must be familiar with their skills in Battle, Defensive, and Berserker as you will be switching to and from stances like a madman, and using each skill tree to your advantage. If you are feeling ridiculously brave, throw up a Blood Rage before the battle for 20 rage to use immediately (most useful for a quick disarm, or a fast pummel on a caster to shut them up). Now for some strategies, a broad overview with more detail provided a bit later.
Against Melees
The idea here is simple. You have to be able to keep yourself inflicting the most damage you can, and keep the damage out of the hands of the man you are fighting. The first idea is to realize without a weapon, a melee fighter is useless. You would be disgusted by how many warriors don't use Disarm routinely. A Rogue hates to be disarmed, as does a Warrior. It's worse for Rogues as they can't deal much damage at all in that state plus their weak armor and HP allows you apply some merciless beat down without fear of counter damage inflicted on you. The second thing to keep in mind is weakening them. Demoralizing Shout is excellent for this, and unavoidable. Overpower is the magic button you want to see light up on your skill bar.
Anytime you see the word DODGE on your opponent, switch out of whatever stance you are in to Battle Stance and use this skill I immediately. It's a free hit that stands a very good chance to crit, which adds deep wounds on top of it. Thrown in a Rend on top of that, you have a nice boost of 100+ dmg a round. When I fight a fellow melee fighter, this is my typical usage of skills in the order they are used: Start in berserker stance, Berserker Rage, Demoralizing Shout, Disarm, Rend, Mortal Strike, Hamstring, use all Overpower opportunities during this time, and hit them with a huge crit Execute for the finish as they hit 20% health or less. By doing this, what have you done? You have ensured you had a fresh battle shout up for max damage output, you started out in Berserker Stance+ Berserker Rage for the rage you need to switch to Battle Stance for the Demoralizing Shout, you reduced their damage output for the fight by Demoralizing Shout, you made them panic by disarming them and reduced the damage you received while throwing off their game plan, Rended+Deep Wounded for that extra DOT damage, landed that vicious Mortal Strike for huge damage, Hamstringed them in case they wanted to run off (useful against rogues who like to sprint and Vanish, substitute Piercing Howl if you have a hard time landing a Hamstring, otherwise stick with Hamstring as it lasts longer), and saved up at least 20 rage to land that fight ending Execute.
Against Casters
I recommend using Blood Rage when you see Duel Starting in.... for a reason: Instant Pummel. Pummel is your only interruption skill besides Intercept, and the only one that can prevent them from casting a heal or a damaging spell of that class. Pummel DOES NOT STUN, it only stops spells, so save it for something you know is going to be detrimental to you in the biggest way.
Casters love to get the range on Warriors, otherwise they are going to lose. This is your biggest enemy. Range is what you must constantly fight, not their damage. The key to achieving constant in your face pressure? INTERCEPT. Again, you would not believe how many warriors don't use this in battle. You are basically cutting your own throat against any ranged attacker, mages especially, if you aren't using this. It acts just like Charge, but will auto lock where a Mage blinks to, track them down, and stun them for 3 seconds when you hit them. Keep in mind Mages have a very disputable tactic which I feel is ridiculously unjustified, which is Blinking out of STUN. But by and large, remember this: Range is what kills you. Eliminate the rage first and foremost, this is priority No. 1, so as soon as you can, hit them with hamstring. Then any time you feel outdistanced, have that Intercept do all the running down for you. Here's my typical battle orders against a caster, which vary on the class I fight, but I will break these discrepancies down in another section. Blood Rage for 20 rage (IMPORTANT: You need this for immediate Pummel or Hamstring, don't let them cast or run off!), Pummel/Hamstring, Intercept to close distance, Mortal Strike for heal prevention/damage, Pummeling all spells that are a threat (mainly fear, healing, and mass damage spells), and capping it off with an Execute. The focal point of what you are doing is keeping YOU where you want to be, and forcing the caster to get the crap beat out of them while trying to nuke you. Caster range elimination WILL win you duels, and if you don't, you will lose each and every time. Nearly is as important is interrupting their spells. Pummel is best used for spells you know are problematic, and is our ONLY defense against a caster (Defensive warriors have much better caster dueling as they can Shield Bash/Concussion to keep them in stun lock and unable to cast). Use it wisely.
The Pure Crit Warrior Vs. All Classes
Hunter: Hunters, on average, are not that much of a threat to a skilled warrior. Most will trap you in for over 10 seconds to start the fight. Don't let this bother you. Stay in Berserker Rage mode to get free rage for them hitting you while trapped, and shoot him with a gun or a bow for some sort of damage in the meantime. He is going to want to get distance and keep it that way, so play them like you would a caster, INTERCEPT. Secondly, don't worry about his pet. If anything, hit his pet for free rage, then use it for Intercepts and skills when you get in his face. Hamstring him as soon as you close the distance, and keep him that way. A hunter who can't run is a dead one.
Mage: Mages are a warrior's nightmare. At high end levels at this point in the game, a pure crit warrior is maybe a 1/10 chance against a lvl 60 mage. Why? Their mana shield will absorb all your damage, leave them untouched while you get nuked, and unable to kill them while they blink away, not to mention if you Intercept them, they can Blink out of being stunned(*cough bullshit), so your chances are not good. However, they are beatable if you apply the constant pressure, hamstring, and Intercept while landing well timed Pummels. Also, I recommend throwing on Recklessness for your best chance as you will crit with nearly every shot. Other than that, the odds are not in your favor in higher levels unfortunately due to their mana shield and Blink out of stun.
Druid: A good Druid can prove a challenge to you, but only if you let them heal. They can't out damage you, and their defense isn't as good as yours is. Watch out for Faerie Fire, that can alter battles as it drops your armor by a LARGE amount, Pummel that when you see them going for it. Apply a basic Melee strategy to beat them, not terribly difficult.
Rogue: Ahh, my favorite class to fight against. A good warrior will usually take down an even matched rogue if he lands a disarm and keeps them busy with badly damaging Overpower uses.
Rogues are either the constant stun lock type, or Evasioners (they dodge more than anything). Against a stun lock type, take the first stun because you have no choice. After that, show them you mean business by unloading a Disarm, hamstring them, and apply the basic Melee strategy from that point. Evasioners are annoying as they can dodge most of what you throw out, but the good news is Overpower will hurt them over and over thanks to them dodging so much. If you can keep a rogue afraid and unable to sprint off and vanish due to being immobilized, you have won the fight. Also, if you want to be especially cruel/vicious, launch a Retaliation in the middle of the battle. They will be dust in about 3-5 seconds. Good to use for complete embarrassment purposes.
Paladins: Ok, as it stands right now, don't duel them. Their abilities are so against you due to overpowering/under balancing that it's not even worth insulting yourself over. They can total immune to all, heal themselves while totally immune, and what can you do about it? Nothing except watch and bleed. Even if you find yourself beating them in the duel, they will simply run off, shield, and completely heal, so at this time I recommend keeping your pride intact until Blizzard decides to fix their obvious unbalancing.
Priests: Priests are difficult. They can completely heal, absorb full damage, and fear you while DOTing you to death. Two things to remember here: Pummel anytime you see purple or green, they are both bad news. If you get feared, here's a trick not too many warriors know of. Simply going into Berserker Rage, and wow, you are now not afraid anymore. This works WHILE IN FEAR, so show them who's the man. In terms of beating a priest, it's along the lines of beating a mage. Be in their face, hamstring/pummel when you can, and land a MORTAL STRIKE. You want that extra damage and the ability to keep them from healing too much. It's tough to beat a priest at this point, so don't feel bad if you are having a hard time.
Shaman: A good Shaman is a threat to a good warrior. Most Shamans are going to rely on their totems for damage, so your first priority is to focus on those. Here is a very good tip for dealing with a Shaman dueler: When you are fighting, you always have auto attack on as a default since you are a melee fighter. But if you leave it on, it will swing every chance it gets, thus leaving the totems free will to hurt you. The solution? Hit whatever key your attack button is (mine is 1, so I hit 1) to STOP your next attack. This allows you to focus on the totem, kill it, then re-engage with the Shaman.
The key to stopping totems is to first LISTEN for the click. The click is the sound a totem makes when it is set, so as soon as you hear that click, turn off your auto attack, and focus on that totem! After you deal with that, most people will just try to direct damage you for disrupting their usual strategy, which you want them to do. Disarm them, pummel when necessary, hamstring to keep the distance in your favor, and finish them off with Mortal Strikes and Executes. If you follow a good plan, you stand a good chance.
Warlocks: Most warriors fear this class most of all, but they shouldn't. Due to recent nerfs, they aren't much more of a threat due to the fear being adjusted. Without fear, all a Warlock is a spell caster who can't kill you faster than you can kill him. Pummel every fear you see coming up, and use Berserker Rage to free yourself of ANY fear that hits you. Between the two, you have eliminated 90% of Warlock strategy right there, and most simply crap their pants and give up at this point. The key to winning here is to erase fear, close the distance, and handle business.
Warriors: Warrior vs. Warrior is an interesting one. It basically comes down to who is smarter with their ability/rage usage at what time in the battle. Who can disarm who better, weaken the other with Sunder Armor, things of this nature will win you a fight vs. a warrior.
Final Words/Key Points of Interest
There are two aspects I saved for last, and these are a Warrior's timed abilities: Retaliation, and Recklessness. These are great ways to save face, rub someone's face in the dirt, and leave a vicious ripping reminder of their loss. These are once in 30 minutes, and if you use one, the other is out of commission as well for 30 minutes. Retaliation is the Anti-Melee remedy. Launch that anytime you feel like being dreadfully harsh for maximum effect, it simply demolishes the other melee into a pulp. Recklessness is something I save for a caster battle I have a good chance of losing. It will usually get you a victory due to nearly every hit critting for 15 seconds, PLUS you are immune to fear, so use it for that purpose if you absolutely have to. The damage this skill can dish out is insane, but so is the damage you take at 20% more, so use it wisely. The last skill I want to cover is absolutely hilarious to use in fights because no one ever expects it from a warrior. What skill might this be? None other than Intimidating Shout! Yes, that's right, run off in fear for over 6 seconds while I laugh at you saying WTF! to yourself. I typically use this to throw someone off, especially if they are winning. You'd be surprised how many people are mentally screwed with by this simple skill, they just don't see it coming. But it also serves a special purpose, it scares off pets, so any annoying pets can be quickly brushed off for you to concentrate on demolition.
The stances you are in directly affect the damage you soak up. For example, you take the most damage in Berserker Stance, so if you know you are going to get hit by a bad spell, switch to Defensive stance and immediately take 10% LESS DAMAGE by that same spell instead of 10% MORE DAMAGE. This also works for DOTs, so feel free to hop into defensive to reduce some of that damage.
Conclusion
So there you have it, a perspective from a Pure Crit Damage Warrior. Remember, when in a duel, have a strategy that fits the class you are fighting, and stick with it. It will take some time to learn exactly when to use the abilities, and you will lose a fair amount before you get the hang of it. I am living proof that a Warrior CAN and DOES win in PVP, I simply had to outline the strategies involved and test them out. I hope this gives the Warriors out there some hope and pride in their class, and I encourage everyone to use my strategies to their own good uses. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you on the battlefield in Kilrogg.
-Bludjin, Lv 60 Warrior
Foreword
First and foremost, a little background. I started playing as a warrior in the open beta of WoW here in the United States. Since release of the full version of WoW, I have retained my love of the Warrior class through the thick of it all, tossing aside all the short hands we have dealt with since beta.
Most people were deterred of the thought of the most expensive class to maintain, the least applicable quest rewards (mainly mail, leather and cloth rewards, leaving us warriors to dispose via vendorware), the most likely to die in battle, and arguably the weakest class for PVP due to under powering/oversights by Blizzard. With all that said, being a warrior didn't sound very appealing to most, but I stood by my character, and I am proud of the results I have accomplished with Bludjin.
Now, onto the part you want to read about, the PVP and dueling elements of the Warrior. First of all, stop laughing right now. Warriors CAN be and are a viable PVP class, but you wouldn't know it by fighting a good 90% of Warriors. They very much match their intelligence stat, and have no earthly idea how to use their class in a duel. The ones who do however can stand their ground far more than once thought.
Basics
There are a few ground rules to remember with a Warrior, so here are some Basics:
* A warrior lives and dies on by his gear. You can't expect to be a force to be reckoned with unless you are willing to accept and commit to the fact that second best to a warrior means certain death.
* The auction house is your best friend well into your 50's as a Warrior, and wanes past lvl 56 due to your items being focused in Strathmore and Blackrock mainly.
* Dueling is all about strategy. The only way to learn strategy is to lose to a class, and keep losing until you find what that particular class's weakness is to a Warrior, and likewise. All the strategies I am going to tell you here in a bit are learned from losses and rematches, so don't be afraid to throw down and apply a new strategy if you think it will work for you.
* Lastly, don't expect a Warrior to be unstoppable. There are certain limitations to what we can accomplish due to Blizzard and their belief in what our abilities should be until they are resolved. I will address each of these in the applicable section.
Building a Pure Crit Warrior
Alright, so you made the commitment to a Warrior, and you want to make him into a PVP nightmare. You have two immediate choices: Pure Critical Damage Warrior (like Bludjin, pure offensive warrior type), and then you have a Pure Defensive Shielder (self explanatory, they rely on high stamina, high damage absorption, and spell interruption through shield bash/concussion blow). As I am a Pure Crit Damage Warrior, I will speak from this perspective in this guide.
The first step in a Pure Crit Damage Warrior is allocation of your stats and talent points. As we are entirely about how much damage we can deal in the shortest amount of time, you have to spec it out into what you feel you are going to be using most for your crit rates. First of all, know this. We will never match a rogue for pure Damage Per Second (DPS) output, or a mage for that matter. We will, however, be standing instead of on the floor bleeding due to our talents and abilities, and finally our HP over aforementioned classes. The idea behind this type of warrior is all about dealing damage, so I will share the route I took with my character, Bludjin. He is an Orc, so he automatically had a simple choice with axes as Orcs are racially bonused for it. If you are another race, just look for their specialties in weapons and plan accordingly for what kind of weapon you want to be using.
IMPORTANT: I play both dual wield crit style 1h axes and 2h axe in duels, and even though I crit more with the 1hs, Blizzard has a hefty Miss penalty for duel wielders. In duels, this means you miss MUCH MORE than you would with a 2h, so keep this in mind for your weapon choice when entering a duel.
Stats
Stats are very important in creating this kind of Warrior. I rank the stats in this level of importance from first to last: Agility, Stamina, Strength. Strength last? I must be kidding, right? No. I am completely serious. Our ability to crit goes through the roof with agility, and yes, strength matters, but we make up the lost dmg (which isn't that much of a sacrifice, we are talking about like 30 damage per round lost). The rule of thumb is, aim for 150+ agility if you are building a pure crit.
Not only will you crit more, you will dodge and parry more thanks to the agility you have. Stamina ranks second, even more important than strength for one simple reason: If you aren't alive to strike, you are going to lose. Warriors are designed to soak up damage, and in duels it is no different. Strength is important, yes, but not hard to accomplish at any given level during your Warrior's lifespan. Most items have built in Strength and Stamina, but not Agility, so focus instead on what the others lack. At lvl 60, my warrior has 257 Strength, 182 Agility, and 249 stamina. What this means is I have enough health (about 4k health before all my final gear is in place that is, so end game is more along the lines of 4500+), plenty of fuel for my Critical Strike machine, and enough strength to leave a lasting impression. Remember, as a pure crit warrior, your job is to deal the damage and be alive to see the result, so keep that agility stat happy for maximum damage.
Talent Allocation
This build's primary job is to use all of the abilities that you spec towards to create a single goal:
Out think, out match, out duel the opponent. Talents are where you are going to win or lose in a PVP match as a Warrior, and this is where many warriors fall far short. A Pure Crit Warrior only cares about the Arms Tree and the Fury Tree followed closely behind it. Protection is designed for the Pure Defensive Warrior, so it serves no purpose here for you. To know your talents and why you chose them makes you a far better warrior first and foremost, so let's check out my build of what Bludjin turned out to be:
Arms
-2 Deflection (For parry rate),
-3 Improved Rend (this was a personal choice, it is VERY underpowered, so not a necessity)
-2 Improved Charge (vital for your warrior outside of PVP; Worthless for PVP as you can't use it)
-5 Tactical Mastery (Absolutely Vital, you are going to be switching stances in a fight, so get this to translate your rage to other skills and not be at a disadvantage)
-1 Anger Management (See Tactical Mastery, this is absolutely vital)
-2 Improved Overpower(50% increased crit chance? No brainer here, vital)
-3 Deep Wounds (With this, each crit bleeds them DOT style, Bludjin gets on average 100-115 DPS a second with rend and deep wounds active, and this carries on for about 6 rounds, so if you aren't using these, you are leaving 600dps right on the table in a fight)
-2 Impale (directly affects the damage your crits are going to hit on a landed Overpower, max this!)
-1 Sweeping Strikes (Worthless in PVP, but very nice in PvE, I recommend you use it)
-1 Mortal Strike (This is CRITICAL. The crit damage on this is incredible, and it will prevent anyone from healing over 50% life for about 10 seconds while in effect. You must get this.)
Fury
-5 Booming Voice (Most people don't realize the value of this, your battle shout pumps up your damage, you want it to last as long as possible during your fight)
-3 Cruelty(For 3% added crit chance, feel free to max this)
-5 Demoralizing Shout (very nice in a fight vs. a melee, especially a rogue. They are all about DPS, so why not take a good 20% out of their sails in 1 second?)
-1 Piercing Howl (When you can't land a Hamstring, howl. 6 seconds of free 50% movement slowdown, do the math against casters who want range)
-2 Unbridled Wrath (Feel free to max this, I figured 16% of a chance of extra rage happening was acceptable, I was more concerned with my crit rate)
-4 Enrage (This skill is great in a fight, especially someone who lands a lot of crits against you, feel free to max this as it will give you a 40% damage boost for over 10 seconds)
Duel Strategies
I have taken on every class in the game in duels, and I have learned much in doing so. I will give a brief breakdown and generalize a class, then tell you what to do to be very effective against them. Before I do that, I want to give some very good pointers before you duel.
First of all, rage is your meal ticket. As a pure crit build, you are going to want to launch right into your rage abilities, so plan it out that way. Start every battle with a FRESH Battle Shout for extra damage. Blood Rage for the rage for it, cast the shout, and have a seat. People will wait for you. After that, make sure you start the battle in BERSERKER STANCE. There are many reasons for this. The first reason is you now have an extra 3% chance to crit, so why not? Secondly, you have Berserker Rage, a great skill because it makes you fear immune PLUS giving extra rage for 6 seconds while hitting/being hit. Yes, you take more damage, but you are a warrior, that's not your primary concern thanks to your HP. By being in Berserker Rage, you will build up the rage you need to transfer it to other stances. Berserker Stance is your primary rage buildup stance, and it also serves two other purposes: Intercept (More on this later), and Pummel (more on this).
A Warrior must be familiar with their skills in Battle, Defensive, and Berserker as you will be switching to and from stances like a madman, and using each skill tree to your advantage. If you are feeling ridiculously brave, throw up a Blood Rage before the battle for 20 rage to use immediately (most useful for a quick disarm, or a fast pummel on a caster to shut them up). Now for some strategies, a broad overview with more detail provided a bit later.
Against Melees
The idea here is simple. You have to be able to keep yourself inflicting the most damage you can, and keep the damage out of the hands of the man you are fighting. The first idea is to realize without a weapon, a melee fighter is useless. You would be disgusted by how many warriors don't use Disarm routinely. A Rogue hates to be disarmed, as does a Warrior. It's worse for Rogues as they can't deal much damage at all in that state plus their weak armor and HP allows you apply some merciless beat down without fear of counter damage inflicted on you. The second thing to keep in mind is weakening them. Demoralizing Shout is excellent for this, and unavoidable. Overpower is the magic button you want to see light up on your skill bar.
Anytime you see the word DODGE on your opponent, switch out of whatever stance you are in to Battle Stance and use this skill I immediately. It's a free hit that stands a very good chance to crit, which adds deep wounds on top of it. Thrown in a Rend on top of that, you have a nice boost of 100+ dmg a round. When I fight a fellow melee fighter, this is my typical usage of skills in the order they are used: Start in berserker stance, Berserker Rage, Demoralizing Shout, Disarm, Rend, Mortal Strike, Hamstring, use all Overpower opportunities during this time, and hit them with a huge crit Execute for the finish as they hit 20% health or less. By doing this, what have you done? You have ensured you had a fresh battle shout up for max damage output, you started out in Berserker Stance+ Berserker Rage for the rage you need to switch to Battle Stance for the Demoralizing Shout, you reduced their damage output for the fight by Demoralizing Shout, you made them panic by disarming them and reduced the damage you received while throwing off their game plan, Rended+Deep Wounded for that extra DOT damage, landed that vicious Mortal Strike for huge damage, Hamstringed them in case they wanted to run off (useful against rogues who like to sprint and Vanish, substitute Piercing Howl if you have a hard time landing a Hamstring, otherwise stick with Hamstring as it lasts longer), and saved up at least 20 rage to land that fight ending Execute.
Against Casters
I recommend using Blood Rage when you see Duel Starting in.... for a reason: Instant Pummel. Pummel is your only interruption skill besides Intercept, and the only one that can prevent them from casting a heal or a damaging spell of that class. Pummel DOES NOT STUN, it only stops spells, so save it for something you know is going to be detrimental to you in the biggest way.
Casters love to get the range on Warriors, otherwise they are going to lose. This is your biggest enemy. Range is what you must constantly fight, not their damage. The key to achieving constant in your face pressure? INTERCEPT. Again, you would not believe how many warriors don't use this in battle. You are basically cutting your own throat against any ranged attacker, mages especially, if you aren't using this. It acts just like Charge, but will auto lock where a Mage blinks to, track them down, and stun them for 3 seconds when you hit them. Keep in mind Mages have a very disputable tactic which I feel is ridiculously unjustified, which is Blinking out of STUN. But by and large, remember this: Range is what kills you. Eliminate the rage first and foremost, this is priority No. 1, so as soon as you can, hit them with hamstring. Then any time you feel outdistanced, have that Intercept do all the running down for you. Here's my typical battle orders against a caster, which vary on the class I fight, but I will break these discrepancies down in another section. Blood Rage for 20 rage (IMPORTANT: You need this for immediate Pummel or Hamstring, don't let them cast or run off!), Pummel/Hamstring, Intercept to close distance, Mortal Strike for heal prevention/damage, Pummeling all spells that are a threat (mainly fear, healing, and mass damage spells), and capping it off with an Execute. The focal point of what you are doing is keeping YOU where you want to be, and forcing the caster to get the crap beat out of them while trying to nuke you. Caster range elimination WILL win you duels, and if you don't, you will lose each and every time. Nearly is as important is interrupting their spells. Pummel is best used for spells you know are problematic, and is our ONLY defense against a caster (Defensive warriors have much better caster dueling as they can Shield Bash/Concussion to keep them in stun lock and unable to cast). Use it wisely.
The Pure Crit Warrior Vs. All Classes
Hunter: Hunters, on average, are not that much of a threat to a skilled warrior. Most will trap you in for over 10 seconds to start the fight. Don't let this bother you. Stay in Berserker Rage mode to get free rage for them hitting you while trapped, and shoot him with a gun or a bow for some sort of damage in the meantime. He is going to want to get distance and keep it that way, so play them like you would a caster, INTERCEPT. Secondly, don't worry about his pet. If anything, hit his pet for free rage, then use it for Intercepts and skills when you get in his face. Hamstring him as soon as you close the distance, and keep him that way. A hunter who can't run is a dead one.
Mage: Mages are a warrior's nightmare. At high end levels at this point in the game, a pure crit warrior is maybe a 1/10 chance against a lvl 60 mage. Why? Their mana shield will absorb all your damage, leave them untouched while you get nuked, and unable to kill them while they blink away, not to mention if you Intercept them, they can Blink out of being stunned(*cough bullshit), so your chances are not good. However, they are beatable if you apply the constant pressure, hamstring, and Intercept while landing well timed Pummels. Also, I recommend throwing on Recklessness for your best chance as you will crit with nearly every shot. Other than that, the odds are not in your favor in higher levels unfortunately due to their mana shield and Blink out of stun.
Druid: A good Druid can prove a challenge to you, but only if you let them heal. They can't out damage you, and their defense isn't as good as yours is. Watch out for Faerie Fire, that can alter battles as it drops your armor by a LARGE amount, Pummel that when you see them going for it. Apply a basic Melee strategy to beat them, not terribly difficult.
Rogue: Ahh, my favorite class to fight against. A good warrior will usually take down an even matched rogue if he lands a disarm and keeps them busy with badly damaging Overpower uses.
Rogues are either the constant stun lock type, or Evasioners (they dodge more than anything). Against a stun lock type, take the first stun because you have no choice. After that, show them you mean business by unloading a Disarm, hamstring them, and apply the basic Melee strategy from that point. Evasioners are annoying as they can dodge most of what you throw out, but the good news is Overpower will hurt them over and over thanks to them dodging so much. If you can keep a rogue afraid and unable to sprint off and vanish due to being immobilized, you have won the fight. Also, if you want to be especially cruel/vicious, launch a Retaliation in the middle of the battle. They will be dust in about 3-5 seconds. Good to use for complete embarrassment purposes.
Paladins: Ok, as it stands right now, don't duel them. Their abilities are so against you due to overpowering/under balancing that it's not even worth insulting yourself over. They can total immune to all, heal themselves while totally immune, and what can you do about it? Nothing except watch and bleed. Even if you find yourself beating them in the duel, they will simply run off, shield, and completely heal, so at this time I recommend keeping your pride intact until Blizzard decides to fix their obvious unbalancing.
Priests: Priests are difficult. They can completely heal, absorb full damage, and fear you while DOTing you to death. Two things to remember here: Pummel anytime you see purple or green, they are both bad news. If you get feared, here's a trick not too many warriors know of. Simply going into Berserker Rage, and wow, you are now not afraid anymore. This works WHILE IN FEAR, so show them who's the man. In terms of beating a priest, it's along the lines of beating a mage. Be in their face, hamstring/pummel when you can, and land a MORTAL STRIKE. You want that extra damage and the ability to keep them from healing too much. It's tough to beat a priest at this point, so don't feel bad if you are having a hard time.
Shaman: A good Shaman is a threat to a good warrior. Most Shamans are going to rely on their totems for damage, so your first priority is to focus on those. Here is a very good tip for dealing with a Shaman dueler: When you are fighting, you always have auto attack on as a default since you are a melee fighter. But if you leave it on, it will swing every chance it gets, thus leaving the totems free will to hurt you. The solution? Hit whatever key your attack button is (mine is 1, so I hit 1) to STOP your next attack. This allows you to focus on the totem, kill it, then re-engage with the Shaman.
The key to stopping totems is to first LISTEN for the click. The click is the sound a totem makes when it is set, so as soon as you hear that click, turn off your auto attack, and focus on that totem! After you deal with that, most people will just try to direct damage you for disrupting their usual strategy, which you want them to do. Disarm them, pummel when necessary, hamstring to keep the distance in your favor, and finish them off with Mortal Strikes and Executes. If you follow a good plan, you stand a good chance.
Warlocks: Most warriors fear this class most of all, but they shouldn't. Due to recent nerfs, they aren't much more of a threat due to the fear being adjusted. Without fear, all a Warlock is a spell caster who can't kill you faster than you can kill him. Pummel every fear you see coming up, and use Berserker Rage to free yourself of ANY fear that hits you. Between the two, you have eliminated 90% of Warlock strategy right there, and most simply crap their pants and give up at this point. The key to winning here is to erase fear, close the distance, and handle business.
Warriors: Warrior vs. Warrior is an interesting one. It basically comes down to who is smarter with their ability/rage usage at what time in the battle. Who can disarm who better, weaken the other with Sunder Armor, things of this nature will win you a fight vs. a warrior.
Final Words/Key Points of Interest
There are two aspects I saved for last, and these are a Warrior's timed abilities: Retaliation, and Recklessness. These are great ways to save face, rub someone's face in the dirt, and leave a vicious ripping reminder of their loss. These are once in 30 minutes, and if you use one, the other is out of commission as well for 30 minutes. Retaliation is the Anti-Melee remedy. Launch that anytime you feel like being dreadfully harsh for maximum effect, it simply demolishes the other melee into a pulp. Recklessness is something I save for a caster battle I have a good chance of losing. It will usually get you a victory due to nearly every hit critting for 15 seconds, PLUS you are immune to fear, so use it for that purpose if you absolutely have to. The damage this skill can dish out is insane, but so is the damage you take at 20% more, so use it wisely. The last skill I want to cover is absolutely hilarious to use in fights because no one ever expects it from a warrior. What skill might this be? None other than Intimidating Shout! Yes, that's right, run off in fear for over 6 seconds while I laugh at you saying WTF! to yourself. I typically use this to throw someone off, especially if they are winning. You'd be surprised how many people are mentally screwed with by this simple skill, they just don't see it coming. But it also serves a special purpose, it scares off pets, so any annoying pets can be quickly brushed off for you to concentrate on demolition.
The stances you are in directly affect the damage you soak up. For example, you take the most damage in Berserker Stance, so if you know you are going to get hit by a bad spell, switch to Defensive stance and immediately take 10% LESS DAMAGE by that same spell instead of 10% MORE DAMAGE. This also works for DOTs, so feel free to hop into defensive to reduce some of that damage.
Conclusion
So there you have it, a perspective from a Pure Crit Damage Warrior. Remember, when in a duel, have a strategy that fits the class you are fighting, and stick with it. It will take some time to learn exactly when to use the abilities, and you will lose a fair amount before you get the hang of it. I am living proof that a Warrior CAN and DOES win in PVP, I simply had to outline the strategies involved and test them out. I hope this gives the Warriors out there some hope and pride in their class, and I encourage everyone to use my strategies to their own good uses. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you on the battlefield in Kilrogg.
-Bludjin, Lv 60 Warrior
