The key to any non-4dps team is the Warrior. I know this, you know this, your opponent knows this. Why? Well, it's relatively simple: Mortal Strike.
If for some odd reason you don't know what MS is, allow me to explain very quickly. It's an ability that costs the Warrior 35 Rage, however it, in addition to damage, places a debuff onto the target that will cut all healing in half for its full duration. Any healer knows how devastating this is and that is why Warriors are the most CCed class in most 5v5 battles.
Regardless, we're here to talk about how the Warrior can benefit his team. First and foremost, let's talk synergy. The two classes that the Warrior benefits most from in a 5v5 is a Frost Mage and/or a Warlock. Yes, we work well with nearly everyone, however paired with either of these classes we can simply become a 15000HP wrecking-ball.
A Mage can provide us with something no one else can: consistent snares. The only way to shut down a Warrior is to snare him, but on the other hand the one surefire way to get destroyed is to be snared in the face of one. Simply put, Frostbite and Frost Nova will quickly become your best friend in battle. The big benefit here is that not only will you be able to do an amazing amount of damage to a non-moving target, but your Mage pal will be critting 50% of the time and dealing massive damage. Big damage and healing cut in half can only mean one thing: death.
Next to the Mage is the Warlock. DoTs are the big component here, as they will keep a very well healed target in the Execute range for you, and this is invaluable. One of the biggest reasons for not closing out a target in 5v5 is that the MS'd opponent will be getting double, triple healed. MS is great vs. one healer, but as soon as someone helps it becomes much more difficult to start nailing it down. This is where the second component comes in: fear. Between fearing an additional healer off your target and the consistent DPS of the DoTs keeping a target at-or-under 20% means you'll have a much easier time getting that Execute off, and that's a good thing.
Now for how to handle some choice situations. The biggest threat for any Warrior is coming head to head with a 4dps team, and naturally the one and only way to survive a battle like this is to outlast their opening blast. A 4dps team will typically pop every trinket and cooldown they have in attempt to take you out as soon as possible. This is where getting the Gladiator or Honor Shield becomes essential. On top of the increased armor and resilience, you can now hop into Defensive stance, eat 10% less damage as well as Spell Reflect/Shield Block.
So, when you see the SP/Lock/Rogue coming your way, Sword-n-Board up, go Defensive stance and begin Line of Sighting. This is HUGE. You must continually be moving and swinging poles while applying MS to the focus target, otherwise you'll be either dead or completely useless. The Pole Humping 101 article is a decent read here, as well as taking a look at our match vs I Pwned Your Mom about a month ago. A great macro to setup here, as well, is an Intervention button. This is very basic, though it saves lives:
Very simple, yet very effective -- at the beginning of the match set your primary healer as your focus target and if you get into a bind, begin to spam this macro. I cannot tell you how many times I've been focused by 2 or 3 ranged classes, got an Intervention off and completely LOS'd them, followed by getting full healed. This one line of code will win you games, trust me.
Having Outfitter or Item Rack is a must for most battles, as you want to keybind gear sets so that you can effectively swap your Two-Hander in and out of the battle. I personally have the Numpad 7 and 8 bound to DT and Sword-n-Board, so that I can effectively juggle between the two.
Other than this, playing a Warrior in arena requires a lot of attention to what your teammates are doing. If you see that another target other than your own is beginning to drop low, it's typically a good idea to turn, Intercept and apply MS to that target, too. Most top teams rely on the Warrior bouncing from target to target dealing consistent DPS and applying MS in order to keep the healers on their toes, as well as making them conserve mana. A Paladin without mana might as well be dead and when you apply MS, they are forced to Holy Light and that is a good thing.
Also, keep in mind that for the most part at least 3 of your teammates will be ranged, try not to LOS your teammates, as well. Our Mage can often bait Warriors into chasing them behind a pillar or into the cubby and then Frost Nova -> Poly them, taking them out of the fight for a good 15~20 seconds. If you're going to be moving somewhere that will cut you off entirely, such as on the ground in Blades Edge or on the opposite end of the Tomb in Ruins, be sure to tell your Pally/Priest so that they can help you out.
One last piece of great, great, great, great advice: always mark yourself or your warrior with a SKULL! If you have a Priest on your team this will solve the confusion of the age-old conversation "MASS DISPEL!!!" "Where!?" Personally I mark every teammate before the match starts, but as soon as I started marking myself, initially, we noticed immediate results as whenever the Pally I was on would Bubble, MD would follow immediately after. This is game-breaking, people :)
A well played Warrior will more often than not be the key-link in any 5v5 and, playing one, you should recognize this. Always be on your toes, always be watchful of what is going on and keep that MS up!
Good luck for now and expect more Warrior Tactics in the future.
If for some odd reason you don't know what MS is, allow me to explain very quickly. It's an ability that costs the Warrior 35 Rage, however it, in addition to damage, places a debuff onto the target that will cut all healing in half for its full duration. Any healer knows how devastating this is and that is why Warriors are the most CCed class in most 5v5 battles.
Regardless, we're here to talk about how the Warrior can benefit his team. First and foremost, let's talk synergy. The two classes that the Warrior benefits most from in a 5v5 is a Frost Mage and/or a Warlock. Yes, we work well with nearly everyone, however paired with either of these classes we can simply become a 15000HP wrecking-ball.
A Mage can provide us with something no one else can: consistent snares. The only way to shut down a Warrior is to snare him, but on the other hand the one surefire way to get destroyed is to be snared in the face of one. Simply put, Frostbite and Frost Nova will quickly become your best friend in battle. The big benefit here is that not only will you be able to do an amazing amount of damage to a non-moving target, but your Mage pal will be critting 50% of the time and dealing massive damage. Big damage and healing cut in half can only mean one thing: death.
Next to the Mage is the Warlock. DoTs are the big component here, as they will keep a very well healed target in the Execute range for you, and this is invaluable. One of the biggest reasons for not closing out a target in 5v5 is that the MS'd opponent will be getting double, triple healed. MS is great vs. one healer, but as soon as someone helps it becomes much more difficult to start nailing it down. This is where the second component comes in: fear. Between fearing an additional healer off your target and the consistent DPS of the DoTs keeping a target at-or-under 20% means you'll have a much easier time getting that Execute off, and that's a good thing.
Now for how to handle some choice situations. The biggest threat for any Warrior is coming head to head with a 4dps team, and naturally the one and only way to survive a battle like this is to outlast their opening blast. A 4dps team will typically pop every trinket and cooldown they have in attempt to take you out as soon as possible. This is where getting the Gladiator or Honor Shield becomes essential. On top of the increased armor and resilience, you can now hop into Defensive stance, eat 10% less damage as well as Spell Reflect/Shield Block.
So, when you see the SP/Lock/Rogue coming your way, Sword-n-Board up, go Defensive stance and begin Line of Sighting. This is HUGE. You must continually be moving and swinging poles while applying MS to the focus target, otherwise you'll be either dead or completely useless. The Pole Humping 101 article is a decent read here, as well as taking a look at our match vs I Pwned Your Mom about a month ago. A great macro to setup here, as well, is an Intervention button. This is very basic, though it saves lives:
/cast [target=focus] Intervene
Very simple, yet very effective -- at the beginning of the match set your primary healer as your focus target and if you get into a bind, begin to spam this macro. I cannot tell you how many times I've been focused by 2 or 3 ranged classes, got an Intervention off and completely LOS'd them, followed by getting full healed. This one line of code will win you games, trust me.
Having Outfitter or Item Rack is a must for most battles, as you want to keybind gear sets so that you can effectively swap your Two-Hander in and out of the battle. I personally have the Numpad 7 and 8 bound to DT and Sword-n-Board, so that I can effectively juggle between the two.
Other than this, playing a Warrior in arena requires a lot of attention to what your teammates are doing. If you see that another target other than your own is beginning to drop low, it's typically a good idea to turn, Intercept and apply MS to that target, too. Most top teams rely on the Warrior bouncing from target to target dealing consistent DPS and applying MS in order to keep the healers on their toes, as well as making them conserve mana. A Paladin without mana might as well be dead and when you apply MS, they are forced to Holy Light and that is a good thing.
Also, keep in mind that for the most part at least 3 of your teammates will be ranged, try not to LOS your teammates, as well. Our Mage can often bait Warriors into chasing them behind a pillar or into the cubby and then Frost Nova -> Poly them, taking them out of the fight for a good 15~20 seconds. If you're going to be moving somewhere that will cut you off entirely, such as on the ground in Blades Edge or on the opposite end of the Tomb in Ruins, be sure to tell your Pally/Priest so that they can help you out.
One last piece of great, great, great, great advice: always mark yourself or your warrior with a SKULL! If you have a Priest on your team this will solve the confusion of the age-old conversation "MASS DISPEL!!!" "Where!?" Personally I mark every teammate before the match starts, but as soon as I started marking myself, initially, we noticed immediate results as whenever the Pally I was on would Bubble, MD would follow immediately after. This is game-breaking, people :)
A well played Warrior will more often than not be the key-link in any 5v5 and, playing one, you should recognize this. Always be on your toes, always be watchful of what is going on and keep that MS up!
Good luck for now and expect more Warrior Tactics in the future.
Written by: Syrrage on September 23rd, 2007
Notes!
Something will be here soon, I promise.