Warrior Sword Rework needed

I am really a fan of classic sword and shield warrior in any fantasy games I play. Unfortunately, in GW2, the sword weapon for warrior is extremely clunky, slow and weird at some times. I am playing this game for 2 years and I know meta builds and optimisation and all. But, I like to create my own build and have fun with weapons I chose, which I have success most of the time, except with sword on warrior.

Sword skill 1: Sever Artery, Gash and Hamstring Auto-attack chain that mixes power dammage and condition dammage. Not really bad, I know that this weapon is tied a lot with Arms trait line, which I won't argue, is in huge need of rework too.

Sword skill 2: Savage Leap A nice ranged leap. No condition dammage, only power. Dammage is honestly nice, but the leap sometimes fails to delivers it's dammage, even in short distance.

Sword skill 3: Final thrust that deals nice dammage at ennemies whose health are below 50%. Dammage-wise, it's nice. However, the casting time is really long and even sometimes fails to delivers its dammage.

All off-hands sword skills are in huge need of rework. Everyone here knows that.

Sword Burst skill: Flurry "Immobilize your foes with a flurry of bleeding strikes. Effect increases with adrenaline level." Notes: You cannot move while casting it. More hits at higher adrenaline levels. Minimum casting time (without cancelling it): 2,5 seconds. Based dammage: 729 on 9 hits. (the 9 hits together deals a minimum of 729 dammage, not 729 on each hit.)

Ok. The biggest problem here: You CANNOT move while casting it. Why? Every other classes are extremely fast compared to Warrior and the whole game itself is fast, but Warriors have huge casting time on skills that does tiny dammage and practically nothing else? Even the immobilise isn't really wonderful. Also, using the Burst skill punishes you even further if you have more adrenaline.

Alright, some will mention the bleed stacking in the skill. The bleed isn't a problem, especially if you play a condition dammage based build. But since the Sword have many power based attacks on it, it almost doesn't make sense to use it on a condi build, unless you are running berserker elite spec. A rework of this skill for Core Warrior is greatly needed. My idea could be something that looks like the final attack in the Guardian sword attack chain Sword Wave or the sword skill 2 on mesmer Blurred Frenzy; except a bit higher dammage, along with the usual stacks of bleed. The Berserker variant can stay the same (except moving while casting should be here).

While we're at it, I also like to use Shield even though it is not necessarely meta. I just have one tiny problem with it.

Shield skill 4: Shield Bash is nice the way it is right now.

Shield skill 5: Shield Stance Blocks attacks for 3 seconds on 25 seconds cooldown. Since the game is extremely fast now and everyone else are also more fast than Warrior, I would only suggest to reduce the cooldown to 20 - 18 seconds and reducing the block duration to 1,5 to 2 seconds.

Those are just some ideas here. Feel free to comment.

Swap around Final Thrust and Flurry. Unroot Flurry. Make Final Thrust ALWAYS cause bleed. Give Savage Leap evade frames and Bleed. Change Impale to immediately cause 5 torment stacks to allow Rip to be used reliably. Make Rip unblockable and give some bleeds. Change Riposte to only and always strike at the end of the block cycle. Remove Adrenaline Rush and allow Riposte to give adrenaline with every block. Increase Riposte Power scaling from 1 to 1.5, and give some bleeds. Increase all sword base physical damage by 10-15%.

There, I just made sword Power capable without overshadowing Axe, and fixed Condi being underwhelming.

Id like to see torment on savage leap. More diversity in our single condi weapon, please.

Ps, I like the idea of blocking with shield more frequently. I'd say 18 sec CD with a 2 sec block. Plus, they need to fix the trait so that it gives might on blocks or reflects.

@Opopanax.1803 said:Ps, I like the idea of blocking with shield more frequently. I'd say 18 sec CD with a 2 sec block. Plus, they need to fix the trait so that it gives might on blocks or reflects.

That will be a nerf on the shield of -7.4 % effectiveness. Furthermore, blocking with shield grants might if its traited.Are you trolling the post?

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:Ps, I like the idea of blocking with shield more frequently. I'd say 18 sec CD with a 2 sec block. Plus, they need to fix the trait so that it gives might on blocks or reflects.

For the shield, I threw some exemples here. My main point was to be able to block more frequently (I kind of liked the Shield skill 4 on mesmer for that... maybe a 1,5 seconds block for 13 seconds? I'm no expert here, literally just divided the block duration and the cooldown by 2.)

If you have ideas, I'll gladly check these.

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:Ps, I like the idea of blocking with shield more frequently. I'd say 18 sec CD with a 2 sec block. Plus, they need to fix the trait so that it gives might on blocks or reflects.

A nerf on total block time, yet an increase on frequency to block. Plus 18 sec traited brings it to 14.4 sec CD.

Additionally, reflects do not proc might from the trait. I am asking for might on reflect AND block.

Proper power sword damage, when?!Wanted that since day 1 but Anet doesn’t know what they want to do with the weapon and especially the offhand. Stop this hybrid nonesense that nobody follow and make a choice : either condi or power.

or add a option to choose between power and condi already :o?

@Opopanax.1803 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:Ps, I like the idea of blocking with shield more frequently. I'd say 18 sec CD with a 2 sec block. Plus, they need to fix the trait so that it gives might on blocks or reflects.

No, you are missing the point. It will be a nerf the way you want it. Do the math, its a nerf of -7.4% efficiency.

All sword + berserker need a rework. The condi berseker is kitten, too much dependent to alacrity and quickness because half the DPS comes from spamming a maximum of F1 + stack of Furious in berserker mod. berserker mod is over, or you don't have chrono ? You do 10k DPS. Renegade spamming one does better.And i'm agree, sword didn't need the nerf, and F1 need a rework.

From an sPvP perspective, warrior movement skills have always been really buggy. Rush and Bull's Charge will VERY often go in the complete opposite direction, Savage Leap won't connect if the opponent moves in a certain way. It's a very infuriating way to lose a fight, especially as a dueling class where you have to optimize your pressure.

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:Ps, I like the idea of blocking with shield more frequently. I'd say 18 sec CD with a 2 sec block. Plus, they need to fix the trait so that it gives might on blocks or reflects.

You missed.the might on reflect and you are missing the obvious other benefits. Farewell.

@Scar.1793 said:Proper power sword damage, when?!Wanted that since day 1 but Anet doesn’t know what they want to do with the weapon and especially the offhand. Stop this hybrid nonesense that nobody follow and make a choice : either condi or power.

Without another MH condi weapon, warrior should really scrap condi dmg. There are too few options for effective play.

@Opopanax.1803 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:Ps, I like the idea of blocking with shield more frequently. I'd say 18 sec CD with a 2 sec block. Plus, they need to fix the trait so that it gives might on blocks or reflects.

Why would you nerf shield? It does not make any sense! It has been like that for 6 years and it even got a nerf on #4.Shield is fine as it is, the weapon is balanced...

Imo it's not a nerf to have a 2 sec block every 14 seconds instead of a 3 second block every 20 seconds. It gives better gameplay for active defensive options that warrior already lacks. These are my reasons for wanting some changes.

I think they just need to rework the burst to be 1 hit and things will be okay.

well just fyi defender rune works well with sword 5 vs ranged. its not great but its something. too bad they ruined mace 2, it used to function like sword 5.

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:Ps, I like the idea of blocking with shield more frequently. I'd say 18 sec CD with a 2 sec block. Plus, they need to fix the trait so that it gives might on blocks or reflects.

Tis not a nerf but a Rework. You could be able to block more often. I find 3 seconds to be somewhat unnecessary since maybe 1 or 2 seconds might have been just enough. Since the game is extremely fast now, blocking more often would be more efficient. If you believe so hard that this is a nerf, please state a reasonnable cooldown for a 2 seconds block which also scales with Shield Mastery.

@Edge.8724 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:Ps, I like the idea of blocking with shield more frequently. I'd say 18 sec CD with a 2 sec block. Plus, they need to fix the trait so that it gives might on blocks or reflects.

Explain how is this going to help warrior in WvW or PvP?Giving less blocking time to a melee class is not very smart.

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Edge.8724 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:Ps, I like the idea of blocking with shield more frequently. I'd say 18 sec CD with a 2 sec block. Plus, they need to fix the trait so that it gives might on blocks or reflects.

My idea was to be able to block more often with a lower cooldown. I main warrior for several years and a lot of times I found myself not in need of the full 3 seconds in a big cooldown. Once I used the block in pvp, for exemple, I have to avoid all those blinking/teleporting dansing classes that evade everything and just kite me to death. Beeing able to block more often, I could save a few dodges by blocking some hits, which is why I though that a significantly lower cooldown on the skill with a bit less blocking time could have been idea.Or simply a little buff on cooldown without changing the blocking time could be nice.

If this ain't a good idea based on your experiences and/or preferences, I'm not gonna push this any further.

@Edge.8724 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Edge.8724 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:Ps, I like the idea of blocking with shield more frequently. I'd say 18 sec CD with a 2 sec block. Plus, they need to fix the trait so that it gives might on blocks or reflects.

Well of course it is not a good idea, to give the warrior less blocking time, in WvW is a death sentence.The shield was nerfed already and there was no reason behind shield bash nerf.

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Edge.8724 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Edge.8724 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:

@Hitman.5829 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:Ps, I like the idea of blocking with shield more frequently. I'd say 18 sec CD with a 2 sec block. Plus, they need to fix the trait so that it gives might on blocks or reflects.

I agree. The nerf is unexplained.