The Knight of The Blazing Sun: RvR Guide

Part 1

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In this guide, we will be taking a look at the Knight of The Blazing Sun in PvP.  There is already a lot of great information on the Knight of The Blazing Sun, but we are going to look at the Knight through purely PvP eyes.  We will be discussing viable builds and tips and tricks to playing a Knight to their fullest.

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Let me start by saying that this is a guide, not a rule set.  We will discuss several different play styles, both optimal builds, and others not quite so optimal.  This will help guide you in the right direction for your desired play style.  With the introduction of the two new classes, many people will try the Knight as the new flavor of the month.  But, is the Knight the right class for you?  We will try to help you make that decision before you put forth a lot of effort into playing a class you won't like. Let's face it; if you aren't having fun playing the class, what's the point? You might as well try teaching a Snotling how to play chess!

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Class Overview

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Death Incarnate

The Knight of the Blazing Sun is the Empire's new Tank.  The Knight is not a flashy class; well, I mean sure she looks flashy.  With all her cool armor, and that great feathered helm, she looks like hell on wheels.  If that is what you want to play…. look somewhere else.  You are a Tank, pure and simple.  You are a very good Tank, but what makes you shine is what you can do for your team mates and the debuffs you do against your enemies.  You won't have the highest damage output, you can't heal, but you can decide a battle if played smart.  It takes a lot of work to play a Knight to their fullest potential.  If you are not ready to give 100% of your attention to what you are doing, you will be mediocre at best.  Your fingers will get quite a work out as you twist your Auras (more on this in a bit) and have to move and attack at the same time.  The Knight requires more skill and buttons than any other Order class.  So be prepared, if you can't give that kind of commitment, play another class.

Oh, you're still here?  So I guess I can't scare you off that easy.  Fine, you want to work your butt off to help your team mates and hinder your enemies in ways that you will never be recognized for and can't see on a Scenario summary window.  Oh, ok then, let's get started.

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Auras & Twisting

The thing that sets the Knight apart from other Tanks fighting for Order is their Auras.  I'm not talking about your mood swing kind of Auras, like a Dwarf getting angry over an empty mug or an Elf smiling at a rainbow.  Auras give the Knight the ability to boost group members' abilities while debuffing your enemies.  They start off small and easy, but will quickly become powerful and hard to maintain. 

You get your first Aura (Press the Attack) at level 2, which increases Strength to you and your group by 3 points, and takes 3 points away from all enemies within 150 feet (don't worry, they get better as you level).  Your next Aura comes at level 4 (Stand Strong!)  and increases Toughness.  This is where you will first be introduced to Twisting.

Twisting is when you activate one ability, and then activate another on top of the first, giving you the benefits of both.  So you have to activate Press the Attack, (which lasts for 12 seconds once you turn the ability off, and has a 5 second cool down before you can activate another Aura) then activate Stand Strong 5 seconds later.  You then repeat this by activating Press the Attack again, and continuing to repeat this over and over again.  It sounds very difficult, but once you practice it a bit it will become second nature.  If you can't at least twist 2 Auras, you shouldn't be playing a Knight, you will just gimp yourself.

You get your 3rd Aura at 6th level (Gather Your Resolve) which increases your resists.  A good player can twist three Auras and keep them going at all times (I told you it is a lot of work to play a Knight).  As you level, you will gain more than these, so you will have to decide which three you want to twist depending on your situation, but to start with, just practice, practice, practice! 

Tip: You will see many Knights running around with only one Aura going.  Don't be that Knight!  Learn to Twist, and you will stand out among the sea of Knights who are only playing for the flavor of the month.

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Tier 1

Tier 1 for a Knight in PvP is great fun.  You are a damage dealing god, capable of dealing death and keeping yourself and your team pushing forward through the worst of fights.  You can take a ton of hits, and you hit almost as hard as a Melee DPS class.  Use a Great Weapon until level 8 as that it does more damage, and you can't truly tank until level 10 anyway.  So you might as well do as much damage as possible until then.  At level 8 you get a nice shield ability, "Shield Rush", that increases your blocking, so switch to Sword and Board around this time.  You can of course try out both ways, and in fact, you should.  Tier 1 is for playing around and trying new things, so play!  Everyone loves playing a Knight in Tier 1.  There is nothing not to love.

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Big Ass Sword

Use your Renown Points to increase your Toughness, and make sure to buy the tactic that gives you 5% bonus to your XP during PvP.  You can completely ignore the extra gold tactic; you should have no problem with always having more than enough gold on hand.  Toughness decreases all incoming damage, and staying alive is priority number one.  You don't have the abilities to really perform your job as a Tank until level 10 when you get Guard and Hold the Line.  So until then, Twist your Auras, and try to kill anyone who moves on your healers. Use gear that increases Wounds, Toughness, Weapon Skill, and Strength in that order.  This isn't necessarily the order of most important stats (though some argue it is) but in order of what is the hardest to find. 

In combat, use "Precision Strike" and "Blazing Blade" as often as possible.  These are your two meat and potato attacks, unless you're a dwarf, in which it's your meat and meat attacks!.  "Blazing Blade" is a nice DOT that can be stacked up to three times on each target.  So hit them with three of these, and then switch to "Precision Strike" to finish them off.  Use your snare (Crippling Blow) to keep those pesky Healers from running away.   Keep your Auras Twisting, and use your Guard ability on Healers as soon as you get it at level 10.  Use "Shield Rush" against any Melee DPS class that is a higher level than you are.  The extra blocking it gives can save your ass.   

Stay queued up for Scenarios at all times, and adventure out into the RvR lakes. This is a great time to be a Knight, you are strong and can hit hard.  Your enemies are green and haven't read our guide, so you have room to experiment and try different strategies out.  Enjoy it, it won't last for long! 

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Summary

That's it for Part 1; in Part 2 we will look at Tier 2, and start to examine the different Mastery Paths and what it really means to Tank. Stay tuned to Ten Ton Hammer for more class guides, and Part 2 of the Knight of The Blazing Sun Guide.