The Champion

Perhaps the most stereotypical “warrior” soul in the class, the Champion will make second generation MMOG players feel right at home. Using many of the same mechanics that players are used to such as an intercept, a healing effectiveness debuff, a hamstring, a cleave and a reactive attack only usable after being dodged or parried

Pros

• Easy class to play for warrior veterans
• Strong at closing the gap between enemies
• High burst damage
• Great soul for fans of big damage numbers
• Plays equally well in PvE or PvP

Cons

• Consistent damage output is lower than other DPS souls in the calling
• Less capable of taking a beating than other warrior souls
• Not as much synergy with other DPS souls that utilize dual wielding or shields

Overview

The Champion is a DPS soul that specializes in close quarters combat and high burst damage. Using 2h weapons, these beasts can put up huge numbers when cooldowns are available. Failing to quickly burn down a target however can leave the Champion feeling hung out to dry as their non-critical, or “white”, damage is slightly underwhelming. Champions have a slew of tools and tricks at their disposal and a player with quick reaction times can easily excel here.

Solo Play

Certainly not the quickest or most consistent soloist in the calling, the Champion is still capable of being a solid centerpiece soul. The trick to playing a heavy Champion build is sticking with it in the early levels and resisting the urge to dump points into other souls, as they grow exponentially in power the deeper into advancement and root trees you go.

Group Play

Far from being a liability, the Champion works well in a group – especially if there is a strong rogue also in the party. Using their strong burst abilities to maximum effectiveness can yield devastating results to enemies with low health. Even though they don’t bring anything to the table in terms of group enhancements, the Champion makes a solid DPS addition to any group.

Pairs Best With

Riftblade

Every DPS soul pairs well with the Riftblade, and the Champion is no exception. The addition of ranged magic-based attacks, consistent DPS and strong AoE makes this a no-brainier. Both souls do well against armored foes with attacks that reduce or ignore armor ratings altogether. 

Beastmaster

The main upside to this pairing is very simple – you get a free pet. For nothing more than selecting the soul you gain a companion pet and some additional damage. Spend a few more points into the tree to enhance survivability and the pairing is pure win.  Another upshot of both the Beastmaster and the Riftblade is that there are no wasted 1h weapon talent points needed to advance through the trees, which maximizes efficiency.