radamant011

Update 1/6:
I have altered my build and finally included a GS build as well for people who like that weapon, thus, this is an updated guide to my build. The old guide can be found in the spoiler at the very bottom of this post.

If you've visited the Guardian forums at all, you may have seen my thread which explains the guardian build I use for all my dungeon runs:
http://www.guildwars...guardian-build/
and now my mesmer build as well:
http://www.guildwars...dungeon-groups/

I have been asked quite a bit what the primary warrior in my group runs though, so today I bring you the warrior build that we currently use for dungeons. This build provides huge dps for both the group and as a primary dps class, it is also very non-glass cannon for the amount of damage it provides. The video guide can be found below


Also you can find this build in action on my youtube page with various dungeons from guardian, mesmer, and/or warrior perspective. More will be coming in the future:
https://www.youtube.com/strife025

Overview:
This build has been tweaked quite a few times to get to something that my group feels is the best DPS build for dungeons. This is a build specific for dungeons, not for WvW or solo play.
It provides huge amounts of sustained damage over the course of boss fights, provides damage benefits to your entire group, gives a huge amount of self healing without sacrificing trait points or damage stats, and gives you very good micro-level mobility and a way to interrupt and remove defiant stacks. These things are all very important for dungeons, which is why I prefer Axe/Mace over Greatsword. Greatsword still has the potential to do similar, and sometimes even more damage then Axe/Mace, but I personally dislike the playstyle and the requirements to hit higher dps (rooted for 3.5s and whirlwind next to a wall for maximum dps).

Build and Equipment:
http://gw2skills.net...G6UgK1D7aTuUhyA

If you don't mind losing 10 in tactics, 30-10-0-0-30 is an option as well, although I personally like the options 10 in tactics brings. The other option to forgo all utility and group benefits to increase your own auto attack damage is to go 30-25-0-0-15, although I don't like it in an organized group at all.

This build is focused on dps, and rightly so, warrior has some of the highest sustained damage in the game while not being made of "glass". While this game has been designed to allow a mix of various classes capable of completing dungeons, it is quite clear that a pseudo-trinity still exists and certain group comps make dungeon runs quick and painless (as proved by my various dungeon videos). One of these parts is a dps class that not only provides good direct damage by themselves, but also contributes to overall group damage while not constantly being downed and taking away total dps, by both losing your own dps, and causing someone else to res you. This is the part that this warrior build provides.

As far as gear goes, a balanced between knights and berserker is based on the below stat comparison on what you lose per 1% of crit damage (credit to Reddit - paradiselight for original stats).
The tradeoff for 1% of crit damage is equal to:

• 5 stat points - upgrade slot of trinkets and backpack
  
• 7 points - Ascended Back Piece
  
• 8.5 stat points - Ascended Rings
  
• 10 stat points- traits (not an equipment, but listed for comparison)
  
• 12 stat points - glove, shoulder and boots
  
• 12.8 stat points - 1H weapons and amulet
  
• 13.33 stat points - Earring
  
• 14 stat points - Backpack (rare version from guild armorsmith)
  
• 14.22 stat points - 2H weapons
  
• 14.4 stat points - Coat
  
• 16 stat points - Ring, helm and legging

This stat breakdown will let you maximize your % crit while balancing for survivability with Knight's pieces. How much toughness you need depends on the group and player. I currently have everything berserker except the helm and leggings, which really at this point you could switch to berserker as well.

This means I do have Ascended Rings and Backpiece, if you do not, going back to Knight's rings slotted with Ruby Jewels is also an option since crafted rings have the worst ratio of crit damage vs stats.

For armor sockets, I chose 4x Ruby Orb + 2x Monk Rune. The Monk Rune is personal preference, the other warrior in my group doesn't use them. But I like the tradeoff of slightly less damage for 15% boon duration on might and fury which hits the entire party and signet of rage on myself.

For weapons, I use Sigil of Accuracy on Axe, Sigil of Perception for Precision stacks on mace, and then Sigil of Battle on my offhand Axe which will give you a constant 6 stacks of might up if you are constantly switching.

As far as crit chance goes:
From my character screen at ~7:00 you can see my 45% base crit.
20% from Fury bumps that to 65%
9% from heightened focus goes to 74%
5% from Sigil of Accuracy goes to 79%
90 precision from banner, 70 precision from food, and 250 precision from 25 stacks bumps that to (410/21) = 19.52% which apparently rounds up to 20% to equal 99%

The MOST important thing that you need to remember in dungeons, is to eat FOOD. Omnomberry Pies/Ghosts give a 66% chance on crit to heal 338 health with this build. With max precision stacks, this build has a 99% chance to crit. This basically means 2/3rds of all your attacks will heal you, and there is NO cooldown on food procs. Compare this to something like adrenal health which requires 15 trait points and heals 360/3s at level 3 adrenaline. In 3s by just eating food, you'll probably heal 3k health, especially when hitting multiple mobs. For a big burst heal, you can switch and use Axe 5 which will rapidly hit all mobs around you (up to 5) 15 times in 3.25s, I have literally healed from like 5k health to full 20k health in the 3.25s just from Axe 5 and Omnomberry Pies. Food is what will give you very good survivability without sacrificing damage.

Skills which you will be using a majority of the time:

• Healing Signet provides excellent healing over time with a short cooldown for burst heals
  
• For Great Justice is one of the best skills for dungeons, increasing the damage of your entire party with 100% uptime on at least 3 stacks of might with 0 cast time to take away from your direct damage
  
• Every class should always have at least 1 stun break and a way to remove conditions, Shake it Off provides that for warrior. Further condition removal comes from teammates, because dungeons are a teamwork based activity.
  
• Banners are huge benefits to the group, it has near 100% uptime with the trait, provides swiftness for running through trash mobs, and provides overall damage and survivability to your group.
  
• Signet of Rage with near 100% uptime on fury, 5 stacks of might, and swiftness should be obvious. Along with For Great Justice, you always have Fury up which is one of the most important boons for a dps role.

These skills are not set in stone though. Sometimes you may want to switch to Balanced Stance when fighting a boss that knockdown's alot, I also always use it in the Harpy Fractal. Something like Endure Pain and switching to Shield offhand is good when running through trash to increase your invuln time.

Mechanics:
This is where I get into the Axe/Mace vs GS discussion.

I personally don't like GS for dungeons. It has overall slower auto attacks then axe for similar damage, 100 Blades roots you in place, the burst skill is pretty bad, and the other skills are more situational and don't provide any party utility.

Axe/Mace provides 8% vulnerability which can be front-loaded which improves damage for your entire party, has a skill to both interrupt and remove defiant stacks which is huge, and you are extremely mobile because everything can be cast on the move. Faster auto attacks without being rooted using 100B is also very good for a crit heal build like this one.

GS does still do comparable damage and sometimes more damage, and I run with DPS warriors who like it, but this build is about my preference which is Axe/Mace and the utility and benefit it brings to a dedicated group.

For offhand, Axe is very good for this build. It provides maximum DPS because it allows you to swap weapons without being interrupted, giving you 5 stacks of adrenaline and 1 stack of might per swap, plus another 3 might stacks when switching to your Axe with Sigil of Battle. Combined with the lower burst cost trait, you will instantly be back to 15/30 adrenaline stacks immediately after using Eviscerate.

If you are in a PuG and find yourself needing more range, you can still take Longbow for your swap. First it has more direct damage then Rifle which benefits from a crit/damage build. It also has many quick cast multi-hit moves which are great for both building adrenaline, and healing with omnomberry pies/ghosts.

If you are using Axe/Mace + Longbow, I have tested that it's actually slightly higher dps to stay with Axe and only switch to Longbow if you need healing from the multi hitting attacks or need to back off a bit to heal up. This is why using a 1-hander on the off-hand on swap offers the absolute highest dps. If you do need to switch to Longbow though, fast hands means you don't have to be stuck with longbow for long and bow 2+3 still offers good burst dps during those 5 seconds.

Conclusion:
Hopefully this guide helps to show what a Warrior can bring to a dungeon group. Their sustained damage, high damage traits, and offensive boons is a huge benefit for the ability of a group to quickly and efficiently clear dungeons. They are basically the direct counterpart to what a Guardian can bring for group survivability. Don't let the lack of a pure trinity and random uneducated dungeon runners let you think that classes and roles don't exist. If you want to run dungeons easily without pulling your hair out, there are still optimal classes and roles just like any MMO. The pseudo trinity is still tank/dps/support as it currently stands, and this warrior build is the prime example of the dps role in a group. It provides both excellent direct damage, and damage for your entire group without sacrificing cast-times to give this support, which is something many people severely underestimate. This trinity is much looser then most other MMOs, but it still exists in GW2. If you think otherwise, you probably haven't run dungeons in an efficient, team-work based group before.

Thanks for reading, and good luck out there.

Build for Using GS for DPS role:
I get alot of questions regarding Greatsword and if it can be used with the above build, which is a "no". So I have included what the dps warriors who use Greatsword in the groups I run use. It's pretty much a typical GS dps build to maximize damage, it can vary a bit between player to player, but the core remains the same:
http://gw2skills.net...A68gKmaSVotUhyA

This build is also in my above video, a link to fast forward to the Greatsword section can be found at the start.

Stick and Move which is 25 into strength only provides a 3% increase in damage when under 100% endurance, so I prefer the quickness instead. The other option is a 20-30-0-0-20 build if you prefer signet cooldown instead of 10 in tactics for those traits.

All the gear, using food, etc. is the same, except for using a Berserker Greatsword which I currently have Sigil of Accuracy in. You should reach ~95% crit chance with food/banner/30 adrenaline without perception stacks I believe since you are taking 30 into arms.

The playstyle for Greatsword is a bit different, your primary goal is to get your 3.5 second 100B off to maximize dps, then to use Whirlwind through a mob, and GS4 + 5 to throw your sword then quickly get back to the mob to maximize dps. Whirlwind is an evade frame attack as well, meaning just like dodge, you will be invulnerable while doing the animation. This will be your 3rd dodge instead of burst skills to replenish 50% Adrenaline like with Axe/Mace.

Unlike my Axe/Mace build, you will not be using Burst Skills or switching weapons very much. To me, it's a bit less fluid and active playstyle, which is why I don't like it very much. But as you can see from my DPS part 2 video found in my playlist, it does have the potential for very good damage.

Hopefully this helps allieviate some of the Greatsword questions. Thanks.

If you've visited the Guardian forums at all, you may have seen my thread which explains the guardian build I use for all my dungeon runs:
http://www.guildwars...guardian-build/

I have been asked quite a bit what the primary warrior in my group runs though, so today I bring you the warrior build that we use for all dungeons. This build provides huge dps for both the group and as a primary dps class, it is also very non-glass cannon for the amount of damage it provides. The video guide can be found below (edit to build not found in video, dual wield is slightly better then axe mastery for my build/stats, so exchange that trait accordingly, thanks to paradiselight):


Also you can find this build in action on my youtube page with various dungeons from guardian and/or warrior perspective. More will be coming in the future:
http://www.youtube.com/user/strife025

Overview:
This build has been tweaked quite a few times to get to something that my group feels is the best DPS build for dungeons. This is a build specific for dungeons, not for WvW or solo play.
It provides huge amounts of sustained damage over the course of boss fights, provides damage benefits to your entire group, gives a huge amount of self healing without sacrificing trait points or damage stats, and gives you very good micro-level mobility and a way to interrupt and remove defiant stacks. These things are all very important for dungeons, and frankly, GS doesn't provide alot of these things.
Alot of people love Greatsword for obvious reasons, it provides good mobility while running around CS and you can get 20+ stacks of might on your own, but this does not mean it's always good for dungeons.

Build and Equipment:
http://gw2skills.net...iiGS9wu2kLpIsyA

This build is focused on dps, and rightly so, warrior has some of the highest sustained damage in the game while not being made of "glass". While this game has been designed to allow a mix of various classes capable of completing dungeons, it is quite clear that a pseudo-trinity still exists and certain group comps make dungeon runs quick and painless (as proved by my various dungeon videos). One of these parts is a dps class that not only provides good direct damage by themselves, but also contributes to overall group damage while not constantly being downed and taking away total dps, by both losing your own dps, and causing someone else to res you. This is the part that this warrior build provides.

As far as gear goes, a balanced between knights and berserker is based on the below stat comparison on what you lose per 1% of crit damage (credit to Reddit - paradiselight).
The tradeoff for 1% of crit damage is equal to:

• 5 stat points - upgrade slot of trinkets and backpack
  
• 7 points - Ascended Back Piece
  
• 8.5 stat points - Ascended Rings
  
• 10 stat points- traits (not an equipment, but listed for comparison)
  
• 12 stat points - glove, shoulder and boots
  
• 12.8 stat points - 1H weapons and amulet
  
• 13.33 stat points - Earring
  
• 14 stat points - Backpack (rare version from guild armorsmith)
  
• 14.22 stat points - 2H weapons
  
• 14.4 stat points - Coat
  
• 16 stat points - Ring, helm and legging

What this means, is that my coat, ring, helm, and legs are knight pieces, and everything else (including jewels in knight rings) are berserker stats. This lets you balance some survivability with damage by losing the least amount of stats possible.

Edit for Fractals:
My rings are now Berserker stats (Crystalline and Red Ring of Death). I did not add anymore knight pieces to offset this since I find I still have the same survivability but more damage. The ratio for Ascended rings are very good and you only lose 8.6 stat points per crit damage % which is the second highest ratio outside of jewels.
/end Edit

For armor sockets, I chose 4x Ruby Orb + 2x Monk Rune. The Monk Rune is personal preference, the other warrior in my group doesn't use them. But I like the tradeoff of slightly less damage for 15% boon duration on might and fury which hits the entire party and signet of rage on myself.

For weapons, I use Sigil of Accuracy on Axe, Sigil of Perception for Precision stacks on mace, and then Sigil of Leeching (it has been discovered that this is currently not working, use Sigil of Battle instead especially since you switch weapons alot with this build) on longbow for a 1k burst heal every 10 seconds which does 1k damage as well.

With your banner out, eating food, and fury (which you have up 100% of the time) your base crit is ~73%.
With 3 stacks of adrenaline you will hit 82%.
With 25 stacks of precision from Sigil of Perception you will hit 93% crit chance, with your banner out you will have 114% crit damage with axe, and 104% with longbow.

The MOST important thing that you need to remember in dungeons, is to eat FOOD. Omnomberry Pies/Ghosts give a 66% chance on crit to heal 338 health with this build. With max precision stacks, this build has a 93% chance to crit. This basically means almost 2/3rds of all your attacks will heal you, and there is NO cooldown on food procs. Compare this to something like adrenal health which requires 15 trait points and heals 360/3s at level 3 adrenaline. In 3s by just eating food, you'll probably heal 3k health, especially when hitting multiple mobs or switching to longbow for multi-hitting attacks. Food is literally what will give you very good survivability without sacrificing damage.

Skills should be obvious

• Healing Signet provides excellent healing over time with a short cooldown for burst heals
  
• For Great Justice is one of the best skills for dungeons, increasing the damage of your entire party with 100% uptime on at least 3 stacks of might with 0 cast time to take away from your direct damage
  
• Every class should always have at least 1 stun break and a way to remove conditions, Shake it Off provides that for warrior. Further condition removal comes from teammates, because dungeons are a teamwork based activity.
  
• Banners are huge benefits to the group, it has near 100% uptime with the trait, provides swiftness for running through trash mobs, and provides overall damage and survivability to your group.
  
• Signet of Rage with near 100% uptime on fury, 5 stacks of might, and swiftness should be obvious. Along with For Great Justice, you always have Fury up which is one of the most important boons for a dps role.

Mechanics:
This is where I get into the Axe/Mace vs GS discussion.

I personally don't like GS for dungeons. It has overall slower auto attacks then axe for similar damage, 100 Blades roots you in place, the burst skill is pretty bad, and the other skills are more situational and don't provide any party utility.

Axe/Mace provides 8% vulnerability which can be front-loaded which improves damage for your entire party, has a skill to both interrupt and remove defiant stacks which is huge, and you are extremely mobile because everything can be cast on the move. Faster auto attacks without being rooted using 100B is also very good for a crit heal build like this one.

I personally find very little upside to taking GS into dungeons for an organized group, I consider it more of a solo play weapon and has good mobility for running around and farming in CS. I can see how it ultimately depends on playstyle though, GS does still do comparable damage and I run with DPS warriors who like it, but this build is about my preference which is Axe/Mace and the utility and benefit it brings to a dedicated group.

For offhand, Longbow is very good for this build. First it has more direct damage then Rifle which benefits from a crit/damage build. It also has many quick cast multi-hit moves which are great for both building adrenaline, and healing with omnomberry pies/ghosts. Typical rotation for me varies between multiple mobs
or a single mob like a champion or a boss.

If you are in a dungeon or fight where you know you won't need to switch to longbow, the highest dps is offered by using a 2nd one hand weapon in your off-hand slot on your swap. Something like Axe/Axe, Axe/Warhorn, or Axe/Shield can be beneficial and will give you 5 stacks of adrenaline and 1 (or 4 with Sigil of Battle) stacks of might on swap without losing any dps.

If you are using Axe/Mace + Longbow, I have tested that it's actually slightly higher dps to stay with Axe and only switch to Longbow if you need healing from the multi hitting attacks or need to back off a bit to heal up. This is why using a 1-hander on the off-hand on swap offers the absolute highest dps. If you do need to switch to Longbow though, fast hands means you don't have to be stuck with longbow for long and bow 2+3 still offers good burst dps during those 5 seconds.

Conclusion:
Hopefully this guide helps to show what a Warrior can bring to a dungeon group. Their sustained damage, high damage traits, and offensive boons is a huge benefit for the ability of a group to quickly and efficiently clear dungeons. They are basically the direct counterpart to what a Guardian can bring for group survivability. Don't let the lack of a pure trinity and random uneducated dungeon runners let you think that classes and roles don't exist. If you want to run dungeons easily without pulling your hair out, there are still optimal classes and roles just like any MMO. The pseudo trinity is still tank/dps/support as it currently stands, and this warrior build is the prime example of the dps role in a group. It provides both excellent direct damage, and damage for your entire group without sacrificing cast-times to give this support, which is something many people severely underestimate. This trinity is much looser then most other MMOs, but it still exists in GW2. If you think otherwise, you probably haven't run dungeons in an efficient, team-work based group before.

Thanks for reading, and good luck out there.