Warrior 11-20 Progression Guide
By Ralsu
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href="http://vanguard.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=531">The
first ten levels as a Warrior were basic introductions to your
skill set and stances. Levels 11-20 help you work out the dynamics of
grouping and introduces some of the more powerful skill lines a Warrior
has at his disposal. Oh and that rescue you learned at level 10 (
style="font-weight: bold;">Protect I)? You'll get more
opportunities to play with that as you group on your way to level 20.
11-20 Guide
I. Level 11
By now, you have had some time to experiment with the skills you
learned at level 10. If you hop into any group roles that place you as
the tank, remember to use Taunting
Strike I so that you can get more aggro. And rely on Protect I
to help peel mobs that start looking cross-eyed at any squishy
companions.
This is definitely the time to start looking at making the trip to
other continents and hitting way points for fast travel to groups
later. Along the way, you'll bump into some mobs to kill and the
occasional group. Just a few of the group quests around this level
(think bee hive in Qalia or floating island on Kojan) will get you to
level 12 in no time.
II. Levels 12-13
Now you get new skills, with Shield
of Maiming I being the only new spell line. Shield of Maiming
requires you be in the Defensive stance. It deals decent damage and
reduces the damage output of the target for 24 seconds. This skill
makes Defensive stance a little more palatable when in a group with
plenty of damage. Considering that you lose many of your damage-dealing
skills when in Defensive stance, having a new one that both deals
decent damage and lowers the damage you take is a nice benefit for
hitting level 12.
III. Levels 14-15
Four of the five skills learned at this level are the first in a new
line of skills for you, so this is a very defining level. First off is
style="font-weight: bold;">Infuriating Shot I, which deals
so-so damage but adds hate. It can be used in either stance, so it is a
nice option for building hate while in Offensive stance in a group
missing other damage dealers. Shield
Bash I also provides some low damage while adding hate and can
be used in either stance. Keep in mind that it requires you to have a
shield equipped.
Another incentive to use Defensive stance,
style="font-weight: bold;">Stinging Cut I does 150% melee
damage, adds a little hate on impact, and adds a large chunk of hate
over time. Meanwhile, Withdraw I
wipes a lot of the hate generated for all combatants against the target
and causes subsequent attacks to generate much less hate. When used in
Defensive stance, this can give a Warrior one more tool to wipe aggro
from a healer while building up more of his own.
IV. Levels 16-17
The skills learned at level 16 are all part of existing lines, so
you'll be more powerful but your style of play will not change much.
What will change is the nature of some of your quests. You should find
yourself facing more 4-dot and stronger mobs now. This will make
grouping almost necessary and give you a chance to practice your role
as a tank.
Again, consider switching to Defensive stance when your group has
plenty of damage dealers. If you are in a duo or trio, or your group is
made up of mostly healers and tanks, choose Offensive stance to help
kill faster.
V. Levels 18-19![]()
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Level 18 is huge for learning skills, and 6 out of 10 of them start new
lines! This level will certainly change the way you play your Warrior.
style="font-weight: bold;">Grim Determination I allows you to
gain back some energy by attacking a mob. This will be handy when
grouping and taunting has you low on energy.
Myrmidon's Gift causes your
next 3 attacks to be criticals, perfect for trying to fire off a
finisher in Offensive stance. Along the same lines,
style="font-weight: bold;">Obliterate I lets you follow
style="font-weight: bold;">Decimate with another nice damage
skill when in Offensive stance.
Raise Defenses I help you bail
out a teammate if you cannot peel a mob by causing them to receive 25%
less damage for the next 8 seconds. This will give you time to fire off
a couple of taunts and a Taunting Strike at the very least. Another
skill to bail out comrades is Shout
of Defiance I, which adds hate and forces the mob to target you.
Beware: the mob will do 25% more damage for the next 15 seconds, so if
you lose aggro after the 3 attacks forced on you it could cost the life
of a party member.
Finally, Smash I requires a
shield, does heavy damage, and adds 2 seconds of stun. Using it sets
your stance to Defensive. This is one more skill that you can use while
grouping to contribute damage while in Defensive form, and the stun is
a nice bonus for disrupting casters.
VI. Level 20
You've reached level 20! This skills this time are upgrades of previous
lines, so you have more time to adjust to the boatload you learned at
level 18. Group as much as possible and try different combos to see how
well you can protect your group while maximizing damage.
By now, you should be able to travel to a couple of the hubs for
activity on each continent. It's usually pretty easy to get groups for
the Strand of the Ancients and Kalendra's Coven in Qalia if all else
fails.
VII. Soloing
Against Single Mobs
Stick to Offensive form and try to pick on white and yellow 2-dot mobs
or blue to white 3-dot mobs. Throw in a
style="font-weight: bold;">Devastating Blow any time it looks
like the mob is beginning casting animation. Whenever possible, follow
Decimate with Obliterate. If you need a critical so that you can fire
off a finisher in a close fight, lean on Myrmidon's Gift. Also consider
Kick, which seems to have a high crit rate in my testing.
Against Multiple Mobs
If facing 3 or more, you might do well to be in Defensive stance to get
the damage mitigation. Also use Shield of Maiming on the toughest foe
to reduce its damage output for 24 seconds. Also be sure to really burn
endurance on skills such as Savage Cut
and Stinging Cut. If you need to, use Adamant
Foeman to force a block and trigger Smash. Use
style="font-weight: bold;">Riposte whenever possible for a good
damage-to-endurance ratio.
Once you are down to one foe (or two weaker ones), it may be wise to
switch back to Offensive stance so that you can dish out damage
quickly. Keep a hair trigger on skills that stun enemies (
style="font-weight: bold;">Stunning Below, etc). These can buy
you precious seconds without damage and increase your survival rate.
VIII. Grouping
Party Has Plenty of Damage
Assume Defensive stance and practice doing as much damage as possible
while still leaving yourself an emergency pool for taunts and rescues.
Until you are an expert on using the skills available in Defensive
stance, stick to it even against weaker trash mobs. The practice will
pay off when your group is really counting on you for survival in
tougher situations.
Party is Small, Has Little Damage, or
Another Tank
In these situations, you can stay in Offensive stance and serve as a
damage dealer. You can still generate hate with taunts and Taunting
Strike if you are the only tank. The exception to this rule of thumb
would be if the party is assailed by multiple mobs. Then it may be best
to be in Defensive stance so that you can build a lot of hate.
IX. Conclusion
Levels 11-20 as a Warrior should be your time to learn the ropes as a
tank. The difference between Offensive and Defensive stance can make it
seem as though you are playing 2 different characters in one at times.
Use this to your advantage and adapt to your groups. The skills you
pick up on the way from 11 to 20 will make Defensive stance a much more
viable option than it was between levels 8-10. Meanwhile, you can
always revert to Offensive stance to deal damage in a pinch.
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