Herald - Hammer Backline

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Part of the current metagame.

Our curator decided this build is in the current metagame regardless of rating. The community gave this build a rating, making it top-tier: Great.

Focused on: Direct damage, Utility.

Designed for:

World vs World

 

Guild vs Guild

Overview

A Power based Herald build for WvW. The utility of Glint, the mobility of Shiro and the damage of allow this build to deal massive damage with great sustain.

Skill Bar

 

 

HammerHealingUtilityElite

StaffHealingUtilityElite

Legend Variants

Jalis

Swap Shiro (Assassin) out for Jalis (Dwarf) to trade damage and boonrip for AoE and group damage reduction.

Specializations

Variants

• constant stability removal with quickness uptime but less DPS.

Variants

• if might isn't an issue

Variants

• and offers more group utility, but less damage.

Variants

Retribution brings powerful incoming damage reduction, at the cost of outgoing damage.

Equipment

6x

Superior Rune of the Scholar

18x

Mighty WvW Infusion

Consumables

• Carrot Soufflé

  Carrot Soufflé

  Nourishment (60 m):

  +200 power for 30s after killing an enemy+70 Ferocity+10% Experience from kills

  Consumable

feast option with additional damage reduction.

• Furious Sharpening Stone

  Furious Sharpening Stone

  Nourishment (30 m):

  Gain Power equal to 3% of your PrecisionGain Ferocity equal to 3% of your Precision+10% Experience from Kills

  Consumable

Variants

Stats

• Assassin's can be used over Berserker's to manipulate crit chance as can precision infusions.
• Use Marauder's if you find you need extra defensive stats.

Sigil

Staff only

Rune

• If 25 Might can't be maintained without it, or for party support.

Food

• Fried Oyster Sandwich

  Fried Oyster Sandwich

  Nourishment (30 m):

  +10% Damage Reduction+70 Power+10 Experience from kills

  Consumable
  defensive option.
• Bowl of Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

  Bowl of Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

  Nourishment (1 h):

  +100 Power+70 Ferocity+10% Experience from Kills

  Consumable
  offensive option.

Usage

General

• This build goal is to maximize damage, while avoiding downtime. It means you should always be cycling through your Hammer and Legend skills to keep the enemy under constant pressure.
• Herald elite spec fulfills an offensive role, providing damage modifiers from and and boonshare access with facets. As well as a defensive role, granting survivability with Glint's heal and extra HP, and mobility with .
• Might and  Fury stacking is a crucial part of ramping up your damage, but most of it happens effortlessly as a result of passive traits and upkeep skills such as, , and .
• Invoking a legend resets energy to 50 and breaks stun among other things. Swapping legends is basically the main resource management tool in the build - swap whenever you're out of CDs, low on energy, or need to break stun.

Hammer

• will be used after all your other Hammer skills are unavailable for single target damage.
• is your bread and butter damage skill, land it as often as possible.
  • Try to not have anyone targeted if casting this skill, as it can bug out and put on a 4s cooldown. Rather, cast it based on where your character is facing, and where the enemy stack is going to be
  • It only hits a maximum of 5 targets across all three pulses, and the pulses often dissappear on non straight flat terrain, so keep that in mind if fighting inside structures.
• deals a ton of damage and evades for its duration, be careful not to get caught behind your group while casting this skill.
  • Functions well for ranged cleave, and to hard pressure the enemy group when coordinated.
  • You can through traps and marks to activate them without taking any damage.
• has a long cast time, so try to predict where the enemies will go or use it on stationary targets like downed players that the enemy will move on to.
• Hammer usage
  • While pushing: ⇒ ⇒ .
  • Ranged spike: ⇒ .
  • Add in the mix if it's convenient.

Staff

• Rapid Swipe

  ½

  Rapid Swipe

  Charge forward, knocking back enemies that cross your path.

  Damage: 339

  Number of Targets: 3

  Range: 130
    
  Forceful Bash

  ½

  Forceful Bash

  Bash your foe with your staff.

  Damage: 373

  Number of Targets: 3

  Range: 130
    
  Rejuvenating Assault

  1

  Rejuvenating Assault

  Cleave foes around you with your staff, creating healing orbs for you and your allies.

  Damage (2x): 813

  Healing: 165

  Number of Targets: 3

  Combo Finisher: Whirl

  Range: 130
  reliable filler for the melee cleave the chain grants. Synergizes well with and .
• deals great melee damage, with low cooldown, as well as minor healing for allies. Always use it whenever its available for close range pressure.
• is a blast finisher and also cleanses conditions.
• Avoid damage with .
• Use to disrupt enemy players and land damage while evading. Can also be used defensively to reposition yourself.
  • Works greatly with and due to the multiple hits.

Glint (Legendary Dragon Stance)

• Glint's doesn't bring much in this build and will barely see use.
• Upkeeping 4 facets is a large DPS increase (12%) from through , , and . Don't be afraid to reactivate the facets if you see the window.
  • Bear in mind, having 4 facets up purely purpose is to boost your damage, as it restrains your energy. If still struggling with energy management, only use and until you get confortable with it.
• uptime is very important, try to maintain your group's fury.
  • Because of , its passive is one the best sources of  Might in the build.
•  is a cheap stun breaker and one of the few skills in the game that can reveal stealthed targets.
  • To reveal from range: ⇒ (at the end of animation)
  • If you are Blind, you can cast it, to ensure key skills like will connect - in this case will miss instead of your elite.
• will be used mostly for the Might share it provides
• grants good melee damage. Chain it with your offensive skills to benefit from the damage modifier.
  • On melee: ⇒ ⇒ (fill with Hammer skills).
• for the Swiftness uptime.
• is one of strongest damage skills outside of Hammer. Try to use off cooldown, mainly on downed foes.
• 's chain effect Can't find such skill "Infused Light"! Please refer to our skill index. converts all damage you take into healing for 3 seconds. This is your panic button.
  • Keep in mind has a cast time which means you can't activate it while CC'ed
• You can use it along , or to disengage from the enemy pressure and regroup.
• will hardly ever be kept, due to the big energy consumption. Can be casted before swapping legends for some minor Protection share.
• besides the damage aspect, can be used to CC downed opponents out of banner range, and to interrupt rezes. You can also stow weapon or swap legends if you notice landing it won't be valuable.

Shiro (Legendary Assassin Stance)

• Shiro's is decent damage and boonrip at close range. Double tap it.
• is a very large DPS increase, again thanks in part to . It's quite expensive though, so don't maintain it for too long, use it only for bursts.
  • Note that it's only single target damage, but still increases your AoE damage through 
  • Always stop maintaining this skill if you're about to hit 0 energy - turning it off sends it on a 1 second CD while running out of energy results in a 4 second CD.
• is an excellent get away tool that both breaks stuns and removes all movement impairing conditions, also giving 25 endurance (half a dodge).
  • Bear in mind, in some situations you may find yourself in a bad spot, thus be ready to follow up with Staff abilities or Glint's heal.
  • You can About Face ⇒ ⇒ About Face to abuse its mobility function.
• is mostly situational in this build. The Quickness coupled with unblockable attacks can be letal to agaisnt isolated or targeted enemies. Either follow up with hard hitting attacks, like or a  if you wish to interrupt them.
• will be your opener whenever you go into Shiro, to enhance your damage.
  • It's a skill with life steal, which means the damage it deals bypasses any damage mitigation including Protection or even .
  • Safest way to benefit from the healing when you need it, is to use , evasion ability that also hit multiple times.
• won't be used much because it blows pretty much your entire energy pool, leaving you defenseless and with barely anything to capitalize on the CC. This should only be used to set up kills for your teammates, or to interrupt very important channels like . You can stow weapon to cancel it.

Weaknesses

• Skill usage is reliant on energy management
• Potential to be locked into the wrong stance at the wrong time
• Heavy condition pressure

Videos

• YouTube:
  Julian Xxx
• YouTube:
  [KEK] Mann

Related Builds

• Frontline Sustain
• Diviner Renegade