Banner Warrior - GW2 | Discretize [dT]

Build

Spellbreaker

The Banner Warrior is the support build for warriors in fractals. It provides a lot less DPS compared to Berserker. In PuGs however, where CC or Might is the limiting factor it can be beneficial to bring Banner Warrior over Berserker.

Besides providing the group with strong unique damage buffs ( Banner of Strength , Banner of Discipline and Empower Allies ) and having excellent defiance bar damage with the Mace/Mace set, the build also has a medium burst damage potential on both small and large hitboxes for a support role.

If enemy boons are present and for some reason you are still not playing the Renegade + Firebrand composition, the Spellbreaker specialization can be played to reliably remove boons with Breaching Strike and Dispelling Force . Another advantage of this variation is the strong on-demand projectile destruction with Winds of Disenchantment .

Furthermore, the build is able to use damage modifying sigils like Superior Sigil of Impact as well as slaying potions such as Powerful Potion of Slaying Scarlet's Armies . As a support warrior, your focus is first and foremost providing the group with aforementioned damage buffs and removing boons, secondly breaking the defiance bar while following your optimized damage rotation.

Equipment

Build

Strength

Tactics

Discipline

Might Sharing Variant

If you’re running without a Druid or Renegade (for whatever unlogical reason), you need to provide Might (and Fury to some degree) for the party. This is achieved with the following changes to the build:

6x Superior Rune of Strength instead of Superior Rune of the Scholar
Fried Golden Dumpling instead of Bowl of Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
"For Great Justice!" instead of Kick

Everything else stays the same.

Details

Skill usage

Pre-fight:
- Use Call of Valor and Charge on warhorn () to blast a fire field for Might.
- Place Banner of Discipline and Banner of Strength into to the boss
- Use "To the Limit!" to charge up Adrenaline immediately before the fight starts
Breaking defiance bars:
- If there is a defiance bar present immediately at the start of the fight, start on your Mace/Mace set - otherwise swap to it when necessary
- With Superior Sigil of Paralyzation , you will deal over 940 defiance bar damage with the following skill order:
  - Tremor , you can precast it and cancel the aftercast animation
  - Pommel Bash
  - Skull Crack
  - Kick
- This also grants 1-3 stacks of Berserker's Power , Superior Sigil of Severance and Peak Performance
DPS:
- Camp Axe/Axe if there is no CC needed
- Damage modifiers:
  - Make sure to use Eviscerate when you are at full adrenaline to gain three stacks of Berserker's Power
  - Trigger Peak Performance by using Kick . Adds 20% damage but keep in mind that it does not stack
- Use Whirling Axe while all modifiers are up
- Use Cyclone Axe , Throw Axe and Dual Strike off recharge
- Don’t cancel the third hit of your auto-attack chain as it does more damage than the first two combined
Keep in mind that Crushing Blow inflicts 15x Vulnerability if your party is running low on it

If the Mistlock Singularity is easily accessible and close to the encounter:

for very short encounters (< 50 seconds) pre cast Banner of Discipline Banner of Strength Banner of Tactics or Banner of Defense and Battle Standard and use Bull's Charge and Signet of Fury instead of the usual Banner of Discipline and Banner of Strength . Activate Signet of Fury during burst phase (e.g. right before using Whirling Axe )
for longer encounters (>50 seconds) use e.g. Hounds of Balthazar before picking up the Mistlock Singularity

Several Warrior skills involving movement and or leaps such as Rush , Whirlwind Attack Breaching Strike Aura Slicer Eviscerate Kick and Savage Leap cannot be canceled by stow/draw weapons but by using weapon swap.

Spellbreaker Variant

With enemy boons present (Mistlock Instability: No Pain, No Gain, Swampland, Molten Boss, Twilight Oasis) and no Domination Chronomancer or Mallyx Renegade you will have to take the Spellbreaker specialization instead of Discipline.

Spellbreaker

You should also take Winds of Disenchantment where necessary. You can consider Superior Sigil of Absorption for additional party Might.

Gear-wise you are losing Power, Precision, and Ferocity from Discipline’s trait Doubled Standards . To make up for this we are recommending to use our Gear-optimiser on the website if you want to max out crit cap.

Everything else stays the same.

Guide

Spellbreaker variant

Evolve your rotation around your highest burst damage skills: Whirling Axe and Hundred Blades
- Before using high burst damage skills:
  - Trigger Peak Performance by using Kick . Adds 20% damage but keep in mind that it does not stack.
  - Have 1-3 stacks of Berserker's Power . Remember that Full Counter counts as a burst skill. Each stack adds another 7% up to 21% total (with 3 stacks).
  - Trigger Magebane Tether which goes hand in hand with Berserker's Power and adds another 10% damage
  - Have 1-5 stacks of Attacker's Insight adding 45 Power and Ferocity per stack
- On Greatsword:
  - Don’t cancel your auto-attack as the third hit deals the most damage
  - Whirlwind Attack is a DPS increase, especially against a wall
  - Bladetrail is worth using between auto-attack chains
- On Dagger/Axe:
  - Use Disrupting Stab preferably while the target is using a skill
  - Dual Strike is a DPS increase
- Use Winds of Disenchantment when there are multiple targets with boons (e.g. MAMA and Assault Knight at 25%), you are not at the target to remove boons in time (e.g. Artsariiv after the split 66% and 33%) or to destroy projectiles (e.g. Imbued Shaman initial Lava Elemental spawn at 75% and final 25%)
Full Counter (to trigger Berserker's Power ):
- Full Counter block aspect acts similar to Aegis. Thus any attack you would be able to block with Aegis successfully activates Full Counter .

	Please use this instead of Kick for situations where you should not Knockback foes (especially trash mobs).
	A niche skill if you expect people do go down from incoming damage. Also a good precast to provide more Might.
	A nice Might boost for the party after intermediate phases (e.g. orbs at Ensolyss).
	Meme DPS.

Seismic Leap	260 damage (while on Mace set)
Throw Boulder	200 damage
Kick	150 damage
Uppercut	100 damage

Kick	150 damage
Skull Crack	390 damage
Tremor	300 damage
Pommel Bash	100 damage