The swordmaster build focuses mainly on buffing the party with a 10% extra damage while maintaining aggro on the mobs around. This is the building I’m running at the moment and it has taken me all the way up to mutations level 8.
Since the game is based on DPS and basically it is a DPS race having the extra 10% damage buff for the whole party whether you are holding the shield and blocking or you’re attacking it can be a great benefit and a great time reduction in running dungeons or any other PVE content.
Dodging Works better than blocking in most cases.. so manage your stamina well.
As a tank you will need to have a full warded gear for the dungeons. Your tanking weapons slotted with Cut Pristine Carnelian Gems. Most tanks use Sword & Shield and a secondary weapon which either fits their playstyle or does more damage for the specific dungeon. Never the less there is one weapons which is good for all dungeons regardless of damage out put. It is that good because of the crowed control and healing it provides and that’s the Warhammer. For this build we will use Sward & shield and a Warhammer.
For tanking it is best to have the following perks on the sword weapon:
Refreshing Move – Light and Heavy attacks reduce your active weapon cooldowns by 2.9%. (0.2s cooldown.)
Bane – Deal more damage against the specific enemy type
Enchanted – Light and Heavy attacks deal +9.8% damage. OR Lifesteal – Heal for 5.2% of the damage you deal. (Does not trigger off persistent damage or DoT effects.)
Refreshing Move is a must!. The sooner you can re use your skills ( heal / taunt) the easier the tanking becomes.
For the Warhammer is best to have these perks:
Sundering Shockwave – Shockwave inflicts Rend, reducing the target’s armor by 14% for 10s.
Bane – Deal more damage against the specific enemy type
Enchanted – Light and Heavy attacks deal +9.8% damage. OR Lifesteal – Heal for 5.2% of the damage you deal. (Does not trigger off persistent damage or DoT effects.)
Sundering shockwave is better than refreshing move for the hammer as it has its own cooldown reducers. The hammer is more for the utility and crowd control than damage.
Sword & Shield
(Swordmaster Path)
The main skills we will be utilizing in this build are:
Reverse Stab — A stab attack that deals 175% weapon damage.
This is your primary cooldown reduction tool. This should be used only after your other two abilities are on cooldown. It will also do high damage to your target.
Shield Rush – Rush forward 5m, staggering and pushing back foes. This attack deals 100% weapon damage.
This ability will apply a weaken to your targets to make them deal less damage, and it will apply a fortify with its perk.
Improved Rush — On a successful hit, all enemies within 5m are weakened 10% for 10s.
Shield rush is a good opener in many mobs especially when combined with Fortifying Shield Rush perk allowing us to aggro multiple enemies, apply weaken ( outgoing damage is reduced by -10%.) and with Fortifying shield rush apply fortify (Your armor is increased by 20%.) to ourselves.
Fill the rest of the skill on the build as indicated on the photo above.
This weapon will also require to be slotted with Cut Pristine Carnelian Gems for tanking.
Warhammer
(Crowd Crusher Path)
For our secondary weapon we will be picking the following skills:
Clear Out – A wide swing that knocks back 4m and deals 100% weapon damage.
Power Cleaner – Hitting a target with Clear Out grants fortify, increasing armor by 20% for 4s to all friendlies within 6m
Clean and Refreshed – Clear Out’s cooldown is reduced by 5% per enemy hit with the ability.
A skill not used by many. Clear out will provide us with a way:
- To get out of corners IF pushed in one due to collision.
- Some breathing room for our healer
- Heal us ( the more mobs the better)
- An Interrupt when needed
- Fortify for us and the al friendlies 6m away.
Shockwave – Slam your war hammer into the ground, causing a 3m radius earthquake that deals 60% weapon damage, staggering and stunning all impacted targets for 2s
Frailty – The trauma of the attack causes weaken, decreasing the damage dealt from the target’s attacks by 10% for 10s.
Meteoric Crater – Expands the range Shockwave to a 4m radius.
This is the taunt ability plus a stun applying weaken and with sundering wave on the weapon Rend – (Your armor is reduced by 20%.)
Warhammer
(Juggernaut Path)
Wrecking Ball – Strike the ground with your war hammer, dealing 90% weapon damage and knocking down your target.
Safety Measures – On a successful hit, gain fortify, granting 20% damage resistance for 7s.
Breathing Room – Expands the range of Wrecking Ball to a 1.5m radius.
An knockdown with good damage and a stack of fortify for us.
With this third skill the Warhammer provides us with 2 fortifies, heal , and 3 crowd control skills (stun, knockback, knockdown).
Fill in the rest of the passive skills according to the images below.
Attributes
As a tank you will need to have 300 constitution ( with the new patch) and the rest in strength to keep some damage up. At max level and with some buff food you should be able to get
Strength 210+
Constitution 260 + food(40) = 300
Try and use single attribute gear and weapons.
Conclusion
A solid setup for any PVE activity as a tank. Lots of armour (playing with heavy), Self heal and full crowd control with 3 cc skills on the Warhammer. and 1 on the sword. The sword outputs more damage with the extra perks and he 10% damage form leadership buff. Adding 10% to all member is a great way to reduce the time fights take and finish the run a bit faster. This build you can run with medium or light but it requires some experience. Additionally you can use a variety of secondary weapon other than the Warhammer. A much better option for me is the Great Sword.
With out getting in many details here is a Great Sword build you could use over the warhammer.
