D-Stance Warrior PVP Guide (Intermediate) 
 
Hi, I’m Same (or Warrior) from NA (Kaiator) and I’ve created this guide to show you how to play 
warrior effectively in different scenarios. This guide will not teach you what each individual skill 
does thoroughly, but will help you apply your current knowledge and outplay your opponents. 
 
Caveat 
 
1. Know what your skills do and what chains from each of them. If you have no idea about 
your skills I suggest you read over ​Assa’s guide​ (please note it is a PVE guide but the 
skills breakdown section are still relevant here) 
 
2. Learn about the different types of CC: Staggers, Knock Downs, Stuns, Slows, Snares, Sleeps 
and so on 
 
3. The more you know about other classes and what their skills do, the better you can be at 
warrior (I’ll explain more later) 
 Section 1: Build 
 
Section 1.1 - Crystals 
 
Forceful Cruel Savage Carving​ s ​ witch C
​ arving ​for S
​ alivating ​in Battlegrounds or when you’re not 
using Prime Battle Solution, you will need the mana > right image. 
 
3x Relentless and Resolute ​switch 1x R ​ elentless f​ or G
​ rieving ​in Battlegrounds for the same 
reason above. Some people will disagree with this as they usually don’t run out of mana, but the 
reason I do is because I use a lot of my skills for mobility which doesn’t regen mana. 
 
 
 

Section 1.2 - Jewellery 

 
Carving Earrings x2 / Pumped Rings x2 / Pumped Neck x1 e ​ xactly the same as PVE except for 
earring rolls, where you will roll 4
​ % HP and ​Decreased duration of stun effects by 10%. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Section 1.3 - Weapon Rolls 
 
Energetic etchings on both gloves and weapon ​the same as PVE 
 
Top roll: ​9% Attack Speed 
 
Bottom roll 1: ​Increase damage by 6.9% when attacking knocked-down targets 
This is the controversial roll but I’ll explain why this is super important for my build later 
 
Bottom roll 2: ​Increase damage by 6% 
Bottom roll 3: ​Decreases skill cooldowns by 7.2% 
Bottom roll 4:​ Increases damage by 6.9% when attacking from behind 
 
Gloves + Boots are the same as PVE 
 
Gloves: 5 Pwr, 9 Crit, 2.25% Attack Speed // Boots: 4 Endr, 6% Movement Speed, 2% MP regen 

 
 
You probably roll 4.5% Attack Speed on your weapon for PVP, and that’s fine but I use attack 
speed crystals on my jewelry to make up for that. These crystals are not needed in FWC when 
using your own gear, so switch them out for Greiving Zyrks. 
 

​Swift Vyrks x4 (1% attack speed)  

 
IF YOU HAVE HIGH PING y​ ou may want to roll 4.5% attack speed instead of 6.9% damage on KD 
targets. Speed on warrior is important even if you’re block cancelling and high ping can really 
disable you. Although if you have lower ping or have explored alternatives to high ping ​wink 
wonk t​ hen keep the KD damage. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The short answer is, because I’m a bit of an asshole and I’m currently abusing the overbuff they 
gave to ​Leaping Strike t​ o maximise my kill confirmation. This is reflected in my glyph setup. 
 
If you are not used to using ​Leaping Strike​, get used to it. It’s insanely strong and allows you to 
have almost the same amount of burst damage as a Valk on focused single targets. 
 
Also something I didn’t mention is that I roll ​7.2% CDR i​ n PVP also. This isn’t really for Backstab 
cooldown, or anything like that. It’s for Deadly Gamble. My glyph builds also reflects this. 
Section 1.4 - Glyphs 
 
1v1 glyph build 
 
The only thing to note here is the ​Leaping Strike damage glyph a ​ nd the ​Leaping Strike damage 
powerlink glyph. ​So now you see why I use KD damage roll. 
 
IMPORTANT 
 
**THE OVERBUFF OF LEAPING STRIKE MEANS THIS GLYPH BUILD COMBINED WITH MY 
WEAPON ROLLS PUSHES LEAPING STRIKE DAMAGE OVER SCYTHE WHEN ​ATTACKING A 
KNOCKED DOWN TARGET​** 
 
I also use these glyphs in Champion’s Skyring - when I explain my mass PVP glyphs you’ll see 
why, but these are a much better fit for 3s. You could change a few things around depending on 
your playstyle, but this works for me. 
 
Leaping Strike damage: ​http://sendvid.com/egjy7jmw  
This is not an optimal rotation to use and I’ll explain this later, but you can see here I was able to 
crit 78K on a full +9 Stormcry Mystic from the FRONT 
 
Proof that Leaping does more damage than Scythe: h ​ ttp://sendvid.com/iu9qozuw 
This rotation is probably one of the best Backstab Combos to use. It leaves 1 Blade Waltz for use 
on the target when they retal, stacking 1 edge and giving you frontal block from insta-retal 
staggers such as Berserker’s retal cyclone cancel 
Mass PVP glyph build 
 
I use this build in open-world PVP, FWC and CS. Similar to the 1v1 glyphs, it focuses on burst 
damage (Leaping Strike), but I’ve also added ​Deadly Gamble duration and cooldown​. 
 
Remember before, how I rolled 7.2% CDR on my weapon, and use double energetics? Well this is 
mostly why: D ​ eadly Gamble​ in mass PVP is what will help you get 80% of your kills. Having this 
uptime as high as possible is very important. I pop DG for team fights, 1v1s where I know I’ll 
need it, or 2v1 / 3v1 fights where I’ll need the extra damage and cooldown reduction to take on 
those targets. I’ll explain more later what I mean by this when I explain warrior mass PVP 
playstyle.  

 
That’s it in terms of builds - please note that this will probably work for A-Stance too, although 
I’d change some glyphs around. D-stance Warrior is infinitely superior so I’d try to learn it. I’ll 
cover a LITTLE bit on block cancelling but you should already be familiar with that technique 
before reading this guide. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Section 2: Fundamentals 

Section 2.1 - Skills 

 
1. Block cancel all skills that do not chain into another skill. For example, ​Combative c ​ hains 
into R
​ ain of Blows​ which chains into S ​ cythe​, so you would only block cancel S ​ cythe​. 
 
2. Understand you may need to keep some skills up for upcoming counter-attacks or peels. 
This means you may want to hold C ​ harging Slash​ or R​ ain of Blows​ to get away or super 
armour certain skills (situational). 
 
3. Always finish a S ​ cythe ​with L
​ eaping Strike​. If you’re not doing this, then you’re wasting 
glyph points and weapon rolls on nothing, and the entire build becomes useless. 
 
Staggers 

 
Combo Attack (2nd) / Combative Strike / Rising Fury (1st) / Aerial Scythe (1st) 
 
Knock Downs 

 
Rising Fury (2nd) / Scythe / Reaping Slash / Aerial Scythe (2nd) / Blade Frenzy 
 
Stuns 

 
Battle Cry / Backstab / Cascade (Only extends stun) / Staggering Counter (A-stance only) / 
Smoke Flanker (Upon successful block) 
 
Pulls 

 
Vortex Slash (10m radius) / Binding Sword (Long range, 4 enemies max) 
 
Resistances 

 
Rain of Blows (Stagger/KD immunity) / Blade Waltz + Torrent of Blows (Frontal Block) 
 
 
Section 2.2 - Backstab 
 
Backstab is your main combo stun, and it’s what will generally allow you to deal the most 
damage in any situation. Maximise the damage output of this by ensuring you ​Scythe a ​ t1
​ 0 
Edge​, and use ​Leaping Strike​ after ​Scythe. 
 
 
Backstab (Stun lock): No awakened skills used + 1 Blade Draw reset 
 

​ C
B ​ C
B BC BC BC BC  
 
Backstab (​ BC)​ C
​ ombative >​ ​Traverse (​ 3 tick max) > ​ ​Blade Draw ​(BC) P
​ oison Blade (​ BC) 
Cascade ​(BC)​ C
​ harging >
​ ​Blade Draw ​> S
​ cythe (​ BC)​ ​Leaping (​ BC) C
​ ombative >​ ​ Rain Of Blows 
 
 
BC = ​Block Cancel -​ ​Block cancelling i​ s performed only in D ​ efensive Stance​. It’s essentially just 
tapping block at the end of skills which do not chain into another skill. This allows you to stack 
edge much faster and fit many more skills within a stun or KD lock combo. 
 
You may want to land combative first before B ​ ackstab ​to ensure backstab lands, but if you’re 
backstabbing from a distance it’s fine, just ensure you’re certain they don’t have many/any 
iframes left or stun blocking buffs such as ​GS o ​ rT
​ enacity​. 
 
 
Backstab (Stun lock): Awakened skills used + no Blade Draw reset 

​BC ​ C
B ​ C
B BC BC BC ​BC   
 
Backstab (​ BC)​ B​ lade Waltz ​> B
​ lade Draw ​(BC) C ​ harging ​(BC) P ​ oison Blade (​ BC) C ​ ascade (​ BC) 
Combative ​> ​Rain of Blows > ​ ​Scythe (​ BC)​ ​Leaping >​ B
​ lade Waltz ​(BC)​ ​Combative 
 
Generally, Aerial Scythe is not used in duels since it’s super overpowered. However, if you’re trying 
to kill someone, I would replace ​Scythe​ with ​Aerial Scythe i​ n this combo, and finish with ​Blade 
Frenzy​ as soon as the A ​ erial Scythe ​ends. 
 
A few things to remember: 
There are so many variations of combos you can do, if you can remember to do these few things 
it’ll improve your PVP gameplay significantly 
 
1. Save ​Rain of Blows O ​ R ​Blade Waltz a​ fter you ​Scythe > Leaping Strike a ​ t the end of your 
Backstab combo to ensure the enemy does not retal and catch you 
 
2. Always remember to follow up S ​ cythe​ with L ​ eaping Strike ​for maximum damage 
 
3. Try to S
​ cythe ​from behind, but don’t worry much about ​Leaping Strike​. It barely crits 
even less than ​Scythe​ but the white damage scales really well. 
 
Section 2.3 - KD Locking 
 
Knock Downs 

 
Rising Fury (2nd) / Scythe / Reaping Slash / Aerial Scythe (2nd) / Blade Frenzy 
 
KD locking (or knock down chains) are essentially just using skills on the enemy that knock 
down to keep them on the floor. This is done by using an initial knock down where the opponent 
will use Retaliate. After this, they are left vulnerable to another knock down where they will no 
longer be able to retal. 
 
The most common knock down for warriors is R ​ ising Fury. ​You can follow this up with ​Blade 
Draw​ to stack edge and deal damage, however if you’re quick enough you can do this combo, 
which allows you to fit a L​ eaping Strike​ in there, adding additional pressure and damage. 

​BC

Rising Fury (​ BC)​ L

​ eaping Strike ​> ​Traverse >
​ ​Blade Draw 
 
Against some matchups, this is not optimal. Against healers and possibly 2 other classes this is 
viable, however zerks, slayers, brawlers and other classes may be able to stagger you out of this, 
so avoid using it when fighting classes that can insta retal. 
Knock Down chain 

 
Remember there are so many variations of Knock Down chains you can do, this is just an 
example. Just remember to be mixing up R ​ ising Fury, Reaping Slash ​and ​Scythe. 
 
If you’re at 10 edge, you always want to use ​Scythe t​ o KD to maximise damage. If ​Rising Fury​ is 
up, use this instead of ​Reaping Slash.​ Typically, it’s best to hold ​Reaping Slash​ as it’s a really 
easy way to catch someone with ​Combative > ​ R
​ eaping Slash​ for an initial KD. 
 
A few things to remember: 
There are so many variations of combos you can do, if you can remember to do these few things 
it’ll improve your PVP gameplay significantly 
 
1. Try to practise KD chains, and rely on them as much as possible. Being able to hold 
Backstab​ in any scenario can add a lot of pressure on an opponent, causing them to play 
defensively knowing you may B ​ ackstab​ at any time. 
 
2. Use ​Leaping Strike >
​ ​Scythe ​(BC) to close in on an opponent. You can also use ​Charging 
Slash, ​or even ​Combative >
​ ​Rain of Blows​ since ROB is a super amour. Just don’t overdo 
it and blow your cooldowns on chasing someone. 
 
 
 
Section 2.4 - Stagger Locking 
 
Staggers 

 
Combo Attack (2nd) / Combative Strike / Rising Fury (1st) / Aerial Scythe (1st) 

 
This technique is quite hard to master, and requires very good stagger timing to pull off. 
Essentially, I’m timing my A ​ uto Attack (2nd hit) ​the moment the opponent gets up from the 
ground without using retal. This is useful when you know the enemy does not have retal, and 
you could finish them off with a B ​ ackstab ​chain. 
 
Alternatively, you can pull them off the ground with V ​ ortex Slash​, but this looks cooler. I also 
tend to use V​ ortex Slash ​to catch opponents when standing. 
 
Stagger Lock chains into Knock Downs 
 

​
Combative ​>​ Rising Fury / Combative ​>​ Reaping Slash / Auto Attack (2nd hit) ​> R
​ ising Fury

Special thanks to xKitoMusic for being my punching bag xo go subscribe almost 2M: y​ outube.com/c/xkitomusic 
 Section 3: One tip against every class 
 
Priest 
 
Always keep a mental note of their cooldowns, specifically K ​ aia Shield​, ​Guardian Sanctuary a
​ nd 
Retaliate​. As a Warrior, it is usually your priority to focus down healers, so learn the ins and outs 
of their kit. 
 
You can use B ​ inding Sword​ when a Priest double buffs ​(Kaia + GS)​ to bring them closer. Note I 
did this after I saw them use ​Backstep t​ o avoid it being iframed. This pull can also cancel their 
Plague/Sleep​ or any lock-on, which will relieve a lot of pressure from your team and allow you to 
counter effectively. 
 
Remember that C ​ leanse ​is a super armour, but also a small animation lock. You can take 
advantage of this and catch a healer out with a stagger or KD. 
Mystic 
 
Most Mystics will J
​ aunt​ away after ​Retal​, but it’s usually fairly easy to predict in which direction 
they will move. Save your C​ harging Slash​ for this and catch them again with a stagger or KD as 
they summon their ​Thrall of Life.​ Watch out for ​Corruption Ring​ as some experienced Mystics 
may use this to bait B ​ etal. 
​ ackstab​ after R

Sorcerer 
 
For Sorcs that like to camp in their traps, use B​ lade Waltz ​or T
​ orrent of Blows ​to break it. You 
can use ​Rain of Blows​ to break the KD trap too. ​Backstab​ a Sorc sitting in their trap and hold 
Block t​ he moment you ​Backstab w ​ hich will break it and you can chain B ​ lade Draw ​from it. 
 
Reaper 
 
Reapers have 3 main iframes, one of which is R ​ etribution​. With the awakening buff, it’s very 
overpowered, but leaves them wide open if you do not hit them while they cast this skill. This 
allows you to ​Retal ​and counter quickly, or cancel your skill animation with B​ lock a
​ nd land a 
different skill while they’re in animation lock. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Archer 
 
You can B
​ lock ​their traps if you’re careful enough. It takes practise but can come in handy. 
Generally, Warriors find this matchup really easy. Only other thing to note is the cooldown of 
Tenacity​, which will block all stuns for 5 seconds. 
Berserker  

Mocking Shout ​(Stun/Stagger/KD immunity) is the main thing to watch out for. It’s best to kite 
when they use this skill. If they’re attacking your team and you cannot peel them off because of 
Mocking​, then use ​Binding Sword​ to relieve a lot of pressure and create distance. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brawler 

Like every other block class, you win the 1v1 matchup because you can ​Backstab​ through block. 
However, you can also ​Combative Strike a ​ t the right angle to get through their block too. 
 
 Section 4: Playstyle (WIP) 
 
Section 4.1 - Mass PVP Playstyles 
- FWC 
- Open World
 
Section 4.2 - Champion’s Skyring (3v3) Playstyle 
- TBC