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TheEnd of Dragonsexpansion forGuild Wars 2has been a huge success. Beyond returning to the continent of Cantha for the first time sinceGuild Wars 1,End of Dragonsalso added a new Elite specialization to each of the nine professions. InGuild Wars 2, Elite specializations add a unique spin to the class with a new core mechanic, as well as new skills and an exclusive weapon proficiency.
TheBladeswornis the newWarriorElite specialization inEnd of Dragons. Though it gains the ability to usepistolsasoffhandweapons, the core mechanic of the Bladesworn is theGunsaber–a cross between a greatsword and a pistol. Thesegunblades samurai slash and shoot across the battlefield, causing deadlyExplosionsto defeat foes at close- and mid-range. Its ultimate ability is theDragon Slash–powerfuliaijutsu-style attacks that demolish enemies in a single blow.
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Best Specialization Builds For The Bladesworn
The Bladesworn trades the Adrenaline of the Warrior profession forFlowandCharges.Flowis gainedgradually over time in combat, and from anything that would normally grant Adrenaline.
Instead of normalBurstskills, Bladesworn enterDragon Triggermode and beginconverting Flow to Charges, to a maximum of 10,as long as they don’t move. At any point, theBladesworn can executeone of three Dragon Slash abilitiesto end the Dragon Trigger state, dealing more damage with more charges.
The three Dragon Slash techniques areForce,Boost, andReach.Forcedeals themost damage, but only strikes nearby enemies.Boostcauses the Bladesworn torush forwardbefore slashing, whileReachlaunches alower-damage piercing projectilewithout moving.
While in Dragon Trigger state, the Bladesworn can useTriggerguardorFlicker Stepto block the next attack or teleport aroundwithout ending Dragon Trigger. Mastering Flow and Dragon Trigger is adifficult-but-rewarding mechanic for the otherwise-straightforward Warriorprofession.
This build focuses onmaximizing the damage potential of Dragon Slash. The minor traits of the Bladesworn support this, with Dragonscale Defense granting Stability when entering Dragon Trigger, andGuns and Glorygiving a largeFerocitybuff when hitting withExplosions.
For major traits for theEnd of DragonsElite specialization, Bladesworn should chooseUnseen Sword, which deals damage to nearby foes and gains increased Flow when swapping between their weapon set and the Gunsaber.
Fierce as Firegives a1% damage buffeach time ammunition is spent from a stackingAmmo skill. Lastly, theUnyielding Dragontrait grantsMightwhen convertingFlow to Charges, and makes Dragon Slashunblockable, ignore Blind, and stun targets.
TheArmsspecialization complements the Bladesworn well with its improvements to criticals and Burst skills. The minor traits grant Fury for a short time after using a Dragon Slash, adds a Condition Damage buff to the Fury buff, and gives a chance to bleed on critical hits.
For major traits,Signet Masteryis a powerful pick, as it givesSignetskills areduced cooldownand a stackingFerocitywhen using a Signet skill.Sundering Burstcauses Dragon Slash to inflictVulnerability, with even more stacks on a critical hit, and with theBurst Precisiontrait,Dragon Slashhas a100% critical hit rate.
Meanwhile, theStrengthspecialization gives multiple ways to stackMightand give additional damage buffs. The minor traits causedodge rollsto deal damage and grantMight, cause Might stacks to grant additional power, and restores Endurance when hitting with Dragon Slash.
For major traits,Restorative StrengthgivesMightstacks when using aHealingskill.Great Fortitudeconverts10%of the Bladesworn’sPowerintoVitalityandFerocity.
Lastly,Berserker’s Powergives adamage buffwhen using Dragon Slash–themore charges spent, the larger the buff.
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Best Equipment And Stats For The Bladesworn
Weapon selection is easier for Bladesworn than other Warriorssince theGunsaber replaces their second weapon set. Gunsaber weapon skills all causeExplosions, haveAmmo, or both, allowing them to triggerFierce as Fire andGuns and Gloryfor more damage and Ferocity buffs.
The Bladesworn will use these abilities on cooldown while swapping to their secondary weapon set,using a buffed-up Dragon Trigger whenever possible.
For their weapon set, theaxeandpistolcombo is a solid choice. Mainhand axes inflict Vulnerability and grant Fury, and have thehighest damageof all one-handed weapons.
The offhand pistol has theDragon’s Roarability; a powerful close-range AoE Explosion, as well asGunstinger, an engagement skill that blocks an attack, deals damage, inflicts vulnerability, andreloads ammo for Dragon’s Roar.
A Bladesworn’sequipment should stack as muchPoweras possibleto maximize the benefit ofGreat Fortitude.Ferocityis a close second in importance, with a healthy amount ofPrecisionto help non-Dragon Slash attacks critically hit.
Because of this, a Bladesworn should equip the aptly-namedDragongear, which also comes with some Vitality for survivability. While fully buffed up, a Bladesworn’s critical damage can reach near300%and can deliverDragon Slashesthatexceed six figures of damage.
Unfortunately, not having a second weapon set means Bladeswornonly get two Sigils. Luckily, theGunsaberalsobenefits from the Sigilson their weapon set. For this reason, theSuperior Sigil of ForceandSuperior Sigil of Mightare solid picks, as it increases strike damage by 5% grant Might on critical hits respectively.
For the Bladesworn’s armorRuneset, theSuperior Rune of Strengthis a perfect choice. Not only does it give a hefty dose ofPower, but it also increasesMightduration by50%and strike damage by 5% while benefiting from Might–a near-constant thanks to the many ways this build generates Might.
Best Skills for the Bladesworn
Thenew Bladesworn Elite specialization gains accessto a new type of skill:Armaments. These skills are similar to gadgets, and allow them to generate barriers and traps, reload ammunition to Ammo skills, or grant buffs.
Many of them are also Ammo skills themselves, granting synergy withFierce as Fire. However, the Gunsaber, Dragon Trigger, and pistol skills grantenough other ways to trigger this, meaning skill selection can focus on maximizing the benefit ofSignet Mastery.
ForUtilityskills, theSignet of Furyis a must-pick, as it grants additionalPrecision,Ferocity, andFlowgeneration on use.Signet of Mightgives a massive stack ofMightand makes attacks unblockable for a time.
Lastly, theSignet of Staminarounds out the Utility skills with a burst of Endurance andcondition removal. Though not in the main bar, theDolyak Signetprovides Stability against Control effects and gives a small heal, making it usefulagainst certain foesor inPvP, so players can swap it in for one of the other Signets in those cases.
TheSignet of Rageis a perfect choice to round out the Bladesworn’s kit with its passive Flow generation and its active, long-durationFury,Might, andSwiftnessbuffs. With its reduced cooldown and increased Might duration, the buffs from the Signet can stay up much longer than most Warriors.
Combat Stimulantis the Bladesworn-exclusiveArmament Healing skill, and is powerful enough tochoose over Healing Signet. It is anAmmo skillwith 2 charges that give a small initial heal and alarger heal after a 5-second delay.
If used during this time, the Bladesworn getsQuickness,Fury, andVigorfor 10 seconds at the cost of losing one delayed heal. Each of these charges also triggersFierce as Fireand grants 5 stacks ofMightthanks toRestorative Strength.
The Bladesworn is a devastating combatant in close- and mid-range. Though it may not provide as muchsupport or survivability as other Soldier professions, the Bladesworn has high burst damage with Dragon Slash while boasting a high Health pool.
Though lining up these devastating attacks can take some practice, the Bladesworn can make short work of any foe once they master the art of the Gunsaber.
Guild Wars 2: End of Dragonsis available now on PC.
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