Elite Warrior Specialization: The Standard-bearer (Staff)

[RiyazGuerra.9203]

THE STANDARD-BEARER

 

Weapon Design: can use any staff but ideally Anet will begin to produce skins that look similar to a halberd or spear with a banner attached.

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I. What does this build do?

This build will be the support elite spec for the warrior, and will attempt to fulfill this role by mechanics not found on typical support specs such as firebrand or scourge. At the same time, the goal is to not to completely neuter the spec's offensive capability.

 

There is still an Adrenaline Based Burst Skilll (F1).

 

Because different game modes have different needs with respect to support, the build will attempt to provide a set of skills for each mode via selectable (F2, F3, F4) skill sets that populate skills 1 - 5. Switching between loudouts is based on cooldowns and not adrenaline.

 

Yes there are a few new player mechanics and boons that will be introduced, but since this conceivably will come out in the expansion they will have additional resources to allocate to the endeavor.

 

F2: Solo Mission

Default, melee based skills with skill 5 being a generic party boon that primarily serves to buff the PC and a few allies. Designed for PVE, solo play, or small parties.

 

F3: Party Leader

Designed for 5 man or 10 man content. I don't spvp so if you can suggest a need that the spec can fill for spvp, that would be great and I can add it here.

 

F4: Squad Leader

Designed for wvw.

 

Swapping between loadouts should be fluid with minimal cooldown. I would suggest as low as 4 seconds (2 seconds with traits), so you can quickly equip the default skill loadout in case you are attacked and need to better defend yourself.

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II. What the build does not do

This build can't just be another boon spammer build. This leaves the build vulnerable to be eclipsed by another class in the neverending iterations of 'balance'. The goal is to make the warrior class a viable support build that will be desired whether you are in a raid, 2-man spvp, or a wvw zerg. I ask that even if you dislike the skills I came up with, this goal be embraced and if you have an idea for a skill that better fills a particular game mode need, please share it.

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III. The Skillls

 

Healing Skill: Rousing Fortune: Shout. Heal yourself and your allies, increases HP restored when in the presence of more allies.

In the presence of:

No allies: 7000 heal to self

1-5 allies: 8000 heal to self and 1000 heal to allies. Radius: 500, Targets: 5

6-10 allies: 9000 heal to self and 1500 heal to allies. Radius: 600, Targets: 5

11+ allies: 10,000 heal to self and 2000 heal to allies. Radius: 800, Targets: 5

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Elite Skill: Banner of Resilience: Banner. Place a banner that prevents the next fatal damage from killing the player and grants them 5000 health. If an ally's health is less than 25%, grants Regeneration for 10 seconds, Vigor for 10 seconds and Aegis for 4 seconds.

Range: 600

Effective Radius: 600

Targets: 5

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F1. Burst Skill: Staff Uppercut

Consumes Adrenaline, delivers a powerful attack and Knockbacks target. Damage increases when additional bars of Adrenaline are consumed. Targets: 4, Range: 150

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F2: Solo Mission

 

General weapon notes for this loadout: The staff non-leaping-skill-range will be 150 (with exception of skill 3, which will be the close-range-high-dps-skill), greater than the average 2-hander non-leaping-skill which is 130. This advantage can be exploited in certain situations. The warrior staff can also target 4 or 5 targets depending on the skill, which is better than the average 2-hander.

 

Skill 1: Rapid Thrusts: a rapid 4-strike combination

Strike 1: Strike your target. Targets: 4, Range: 150

Strike 2: Strike your target, if the attack hits inflict vulnerability for 2 seconds. Targets: 4, Range: 150

Strike 3: Strike your target, if the attack hits consume 1 stack of stability of your target(s) and gives you 2 stacks of might for 4 seconds. Targets: 4, Range: 150

Strike 4: Final thrust, slight range increase: Range: 160. Extend staff in a final strike, if the attack hits it is a critical hit. Targets: 4, Range: 160

 

Skill 2: Lunging Kick: leaping attack

You use your staff to leap to your foe and deliver a kick to your foes. Evade: 1/2 second. Damage applied at the end of the leap, evade occurs during leap animation. If target foes are weakened, they are knocked down. Targets: 5, Range: 600

 

Skill 3: Whirling Staff: close range burst damage

You twirl your staff in a figure eight motion, delivering 5 rapid strikes in quick succession. Chance to crit for each strike: +25%. Targets: 4, Range: 130

 

Skill 4: Spinning Sweep

You lower your staff and spin, knocking down the enemies around you. Knockdown. Targets: 5, Radius: 150.

 

Skill 5: Battle Cry. Animation: you slam the base of the staff on the ground and yell some nonsense.

Shout. Grants you and your allies Might (4 strikes, 10 seconds), Regeneration (8 seconds), and Vigor (8 seconds) . Inflicts Weakness on foes (8 seconds). Targets: 5, Radius: 600

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F3: Party Leader

 

Skill 1: Supportive Strikes: a series of strikes

Strike 1: Strike your target and inflict Weakness for 2 seconds. Targets: 4, Range: 150

Strike 2: Strike your target. If the attack hits, nearby allies are healed. Targets: 4, Range: 150

Strike 3: Uppercut target using your staff. If your target has Weakness, inflict Stun for a half second. Targets: 4, Range: 150

 

 

Skill 2: Shout. "Watch Yourselves!" (yes a nod to GW1)

New Boon: 'Reinforced': Your Armor attribute is increased by 20%

Grants Reinforced for 10 seconds

Grants Resistance for 6 seconds

If ally health is less than 50% grants Protection for 6 seconds

Radius: 600

Targets: 5

 

Skill 3: Shout. "Crush Them!"

New Condition: 'Fractured': Decrease Target's Armor Attribute by 20%.

Applies Fractured for 15 seconds

All allies within range do an extra 25% damage to target's Defiance Bar with their next attack.

Range: 1200

Targets: 5

 

Skill 4: Shout. "Finish Them!"

New Boon: 'Bloodthirsty': You and your allies do 10% increased damage to foes with less than 33% health.

Grants Bloodthirsty for 10 seconds

Radius: 600

Targets: 5

 

Skill 5: Mark. Neutral Ground

A mark which temporarily neutralizes any enemy mark, traps or ground-targeted AOE. While allies stand in Neutral Ground mark, they receive no damage from the aforementioned for the duration of the mark.

Duration: 3 seconds

Range: 800

Radius: 240

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F4: Squad Leader

 

Skill 1: Staff Barrage: a series of staff-tossing strikes

Strike 1: Throw a spinning staff at your foes. Targets: 4, Range: 900.

Strike 2: Throw a spinning staff with greater force, striking an additional 2 targets. Velocity Increase: 100%, Targets: 6, Range: 900

Strike 3: Throw a spinning staff at your foes, if the attack hits, targets are afflicted with Confusion for 2 seconds. Targets: 4, Range: 900

 

Skill 2: Shout. "Pierce Their Defenses!"

Grants Superspeed for 10 seconds

Grants Vigor for 15 seconds

Grants Stability (4 stacks) for 6 seconds.

Radius: 800

Targets: 5

 

Skill 3. Shout. "Reflect Their Attack!"

New Boon: 'Reflection': You and your allies reflect all projectiles, taking no damage in the process.

Grants Reflection for 2 seconds

Radius: 800

Targets: 5

 

Skill 4: Shout. "Strengthen Your Resolve!"

The duration of all conditions afflicting allies are reduced by 50%.

Radius: 800

Targets: 5

 

Skill 5: Shout. "None Shall Pass!" (Animation: slam end of staff on floor)

All enemy targets within range are dazed for 1 second and all allies interrupt a skill with their next attack.

Radius: 800

Targets: 5

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IV. The Traits

 

Minor Adept: Staff Mastery.

You can now equip a staff. When a staff is equipped, you gain several Staff Loudouts in addition to your Burst Skill.

 

Major Adept: Flexible Loudouts

Cooldown to switch to a different Staff Loudout is decreased to 2 seconds from 4 seconds. Switching to a new loudout grants you Alacrity for 2 seconds.

 

Major Adept: Booming Voice

Shouts that are part of staff skills have 200 increased radius and affect 3 additional targets. Radius: 1000, Targets: 8

 

Major Adept: Staff Expertise

Staff attacks have 25% decreased cooldowns and damage is increased with increased levels of stored Adrenaline.

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Minor Master: Vigilance

You parry attacks when you switch to a different loadout.

 

Major Master: Inclusive Commander

Beneficial shout skills from staff affect ally pets, summons and turrets and do not count toward the max target restrictions.

 

Major Master: Oppressive Tormentor

Harmful shout skills from staff affect enemy pets, summons and turrets and do not count toward the max target restrictions.

 

Major Master: Brutal Uppercut

Staff Uppercut (F1 Burst Skill) is upgraded into Staff Uppercut Combo. The first strike is a near instantaneous jab to the gut that applies 25 strikes of Vulnerability for 1 second. The second strike is the uppercut which consumes Adrenaline, delivers a powerful attack and Knockbacks target.

Damage increases when additional bars of Adrenaline are consumed. Targets: 4, Range: 150

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Minor Grandmaster: Effect: Crowd Pleaser: The 'Crowd Pleaser' effect strengthens in the presence of a greater number of allies (pets, summons and turrets excluded).

Level 1: 0 to 4 allies: boons and conditions you apply are 5% longer

Level 2: 5 to 10 allies: boons and conditions you apply are 10% longer

Level 3: 11 to 20 allies: boons and conditions you apply are 20% longer

Level 4: 21+ allies: boons and conditions you apply are 25% longer

**Note: If the effect is consumed it will regenerate in 1 minute.

 

Major Grandmaster: Inspirational Leader

You grant +120 Vitality, +120 Toughness and +120 Concentration (translates into +8% boon duration) to all allies in your presence.

Using a Burst skill consumes the 'Crowd Pleaser' effect and grants Alacrity to you and your allies for 2 seconds.

Targets: 10

Radius: 800

 

Major Grandmaster: Demagoguery

You grant +120 Power, +120 Condition Damage and +120 Ferocity to all allies in your presence.

Using a Burst skill consumes the 'Crowd Pleaser' effect and afflicts foes with Chilled for 3 seconds.

Targets: 10

Radius: 800

 

Major Grandmaster: Rabble Rouser

For only pets, summons and turrets in your presence you grant +500 Vitality, +300 Toughness, +200 Power, +200 Condition Damage, +200 Precision.

Using a Burst skill consumes the 'Crowd Pleaser' effect and grants ally pets, summons and turrets Regeneration (8 seconds) and a new boon, Primal Frenzy (6 seconds), which grants the recipient a +33% chance to critical hit.

Targets: 20

Radius: 1000

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Okay, that's my take on a support staff elite spec for warrior. Thoughts, comments, criticisms welcomed.

 

**edited for typos

[Psycoprophet.8107]

This seems pretty cool.

[Kodama.6453]

I have some input.

 

Your utility skills are breaking the fundamental design philosophy of elite specs.

All elite specs are introducing a new utility skill category to their class, your utility skills are reusing 2 skills types warrior already has (shout and banner).

I know why you did it, you want this elite spec to have synergy with the baseline supportive features of warrior. But this is not the way to do it. You should take a look at the utility skill types the game has and look what might potentially fit the thematic you are aiming for.

 

Also the class mechanic seems a bit troubling. Do I understand it right that these skills are linked to your staff? How does that mechanic work without using a staff?

And don't you think it is a bit much to add 3 complete weapon sets to warrior?

[RiyazGuerra.9203]

> @"Kodama.6453" said:

> All elite specs are introducing a new utility skill category to their class, your utility skills are reusing 2 skills types warrior already has (shout and banner).

> I know why you did it, you want this elite spec to have synergy with the baseline supportive features of warrior.

 

Absolutely. This way if you want to run a healing Standard-bearer you would pick up Vigorous Shouts in Tactics in addition to [Roaring Reveille](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Roaring_Reveille) for more warhorn targets and additional buffs or [soldier's Comfort](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Soldier%27s_Comfort) for more healing, and [shrug It Off!](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Shrug_It_Off://) for additional cleanse and healing. You have the option of running Sword/Axe/Mace + Warhorn and Staff as your two weapon sets, and lots of healing with alll the shouts you have on your staff.

 

>But this is not the way to do it. You should take a look at the utility skill types the game has and look what might potentially fit the thematic you are aiming for.

I respectfully disagree there ;-)

 

> Also the class mechanic seems a bit troubling. Do I understand it right that these skills are linked to your staff? How does that mechanic work without using a staff?

Yes you need the staff equipped in order to use the skills I listed. Conceivably there would also be skills for slots 7-9 but oftentimes these skills are an afterthought and the real appeal of the spec are the weapons skills as well as any new mechanics that are introduced.

 

> And don't you think it is a bit much to add 3 complete weapon sets to warrior?

I don't see this as any different than legendary stances for the revenant. I would think players would appreciate the volume of options this would present.

 

 

 

 

 

[RiyazGuerra.9203]

> @"Psycoprophet.8107" said:

> This seems pretty cool.

 

Thanks!