The Knight of The Blazing Sun RvR Guide:

Part 2

We continue our guide on RvR with The Knight of The Blazing Sun, picking up where we left off in Part 1. In Part 2, we will take a closer look at the three Mastery Paths for the Knight, and some basic strategies as we move into Tier 2.

Overview

So you have played through Tier 1 as a Knight, and you are starting to understand your class. Dealing death and destruction to all who stand before you, while twisting your Auras to help your team mates out while debuffing your enemies. You are moving into Tier 2 and starting to gain the abilities that will allow you to Tank. You will gain new Auras and have to start choosing which ones you want to Twist. With Mastery Points, you are going to have to decide what direction you want your Knight to go. Tier 2 starts getting much more interesting for the Knight.

Mastery Path

Starting at Rank 11, you will start earning Mastery Points every odd level through Tier 2. You have 3 paths to choose from: the Path of Conquest, The Path of Vigilance or The Path of Glory. (I seem to play the Path of Charge in Alone Because No one Ever Follows!) We will look at the benefits of each path, and how they affect the Knight. You spend your Mastery Points by seeing your class trainer. Simply click on Advanced Training to pull up the three paths.

One general rule about Mastery Paths: You want to specialize in one line. Whatever path you choose, you want to do that really well. With so few points gained over Tier 2, you will see little difference as you go up if you spread out the points. Putting all your points into one path will give you the biggest bang for your buck. So whichever line you choose, pump all your points from Tier 2 into it. With that said, let's look at the paths.

The Path of Conquest

The Path Of Conquest covers dealing damage for the Knight. Each point you put into The Path of Conquest increases the effect of the abilities listed under Conquest. You will notice that the main attack, "Precision Strike," and your Aura, "Press The Attack," is covered under Conquest. In Tier 2 you will probably look at replacing "Press The Attack" with "On Your Guard," since "On Your Guard" damages everyone who hits any of your team mates with a melee attack, and so is useful to everyone.  Whereas "Press The Attack" only helps Tanks and Melee DPS.   This path stands out more at higher levels, but don't expect to be a damage dealing god simply because you specced Conquest.   It does cover your bread and butter attack, "Precision Strike," and is the flashiest of the Paths available.  If you choose this path, you can buy the Tactic, "Slice Through," which causes your "Crippling Blow" to hit 2 additional targets with your snare. Don't waste a point buying this Tactic.  It is not a bad tactic, and you might have use for it later, but with the limit to how many Tactics you can have right now, save the points.  This is the Path I would choose for Tier 2, keep your damage high, and worry about utility later.

Tip: It costs you a point to buy any ability or tactic in Mastery Paths. Not only must you fill the Mastery Bar past the ability, but then you must also spend a point to get the ability.

The Path of Vigilance

The Path of Vigilance covers snares and debuffs for the Knight. Each point you put into The Path of Vigilance increases the effect of the abilities listed under Vigilance. You won't see much of a payoff for speccing Vigilance in Tier 2. It increases the Aura, "On Your Guard," but only marginally.  The same can be said for "Stand Strong".  While you do not get huge gains in these two Auras, it does effect 2 of them you have access to in Tier 2.  The other Abilities affected have little use in PvP in Tier 2.  You might use "Shield Rush" on occasion, but you won't be doing much damage with this spec.  This path has more bang for the buck in later Tiers, so I would suggest waiting until Tier 3 or 4 before putting points in this line.  Unless you are happy knowing that you very slightly increased your teams potential, wait on this line, and go for one of the more flashy Paths (like a gobbo mesmerized by a shiny object!).  If you choose this path, you can buy the Tactic, "Coordination," which gives your "Shield Rush" a chance to parry attacks as well as block them. Don't waste a point buying this Tactic; there are far better Tactics out there we will discuss later.

Tip: There is no harm in trying out each of the Paths you can respec at any time for just a few coins.

The Path of Glory

The Path of Glory covers bolstering and supporting the team mates of the Knight. At least that's what they want you to believe.  (Psst!  I have a real life treasure map that I'll be willing to sell ya for a few gold.  Just ignore the Gobbo World logo on the back.  It's real I tell ya!)  To be honest this Path is very similar to the Path of Vigilance, allowing you to debuff your enemies as they attack your group.  Each point you put into The path of Glory increases the effect of the abilities listed under Glory. This path can be very interesting because it affects things that are much harder to see. You can increase your group's healing potential, and decrease the effectiveness of your enemies' heals becoming a real annoyance to your enemies. However this doesn't really show until Tier 3, so again while there are reasons to spec Glory, I would wait until closer to Tier 3 when this Path can really shine. If you choose this path, you can buy the Tactic, "Sunfury," which buffs "Shield of The Sun" and reduces the cooldown on "Vicious Slice". Don't waste a point buying this Tactic, as there are far better Tactics out there we will discuss later. I would stay away from this path in Tier 2. The few points you get in Tier 2 will make such a small impact, that it's not worth it. If you are interested in this path, choose another for Tier 2, then when you get to Tier 3, respec and put your points here.

Strategy

Stay queued up for Scenarios at all times. You have to start being more careful than you did in Tier 1. It does not matter if you are in open RvR or Scenarios, you are expected to start fulfilling your role as a Tank.   Make sure to use your Guard ability, and start communicating with your groups.  You need to know your job now, and do it.  Protect your Healers, and keep your enemies snared and debuffed.  Keep practicing twisting your Auras, you should be able to keep 2 going at all times now, and by the end of Tier 2, you should be able to Twist 3 when needed.