Vindicator - Power DPS

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

Designed for: Raids and Fractals

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Normal

This build was last updated on July 07, 2024 and is up to date for the October 8, 2024 patch.

Overview

Like Daredevil before it, DPS Vindicator turns its dodge into a powerful strike that buffs its damage but unlike Daredevil, it only needs its endurance to not be full, so it is able to keep a dodge in hand for defence. Greatsword also brings with it Imperial Guard, which makes Vindicator a durable fighter.

Both Swords and Legendary Alliance Stance add relatively minor DPS to the build, which allow Vindicator to bring Legendary Dwarf Stance and/or a Staff and thereby dramatically increase the utility it brings to a group.

Skill Bar

Greatsword

Sword/Sword

Utility

Utility

Variants

• Legendary Dwarf Stance can be used instead of Legendary Alliance Stance, offering very similar DPS and different utility.
• You can also opt to camp Greatsword. This is a small DPS loss, and allows you to bring a utility weapon like Staff in your other set.

Template Code

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Specializations

• Incensed Response would be a good option if you are not permanently at 25 Might.

Equipment

Head
Berserker

Shoulders
Berserker

Chest
Berserker

Hands
Berserker

Legs
Berserker

Feet
Berserker

Backpiece
Dragon

Accessory
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Amulet
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Greatsword
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Sword
Berserker

Sword
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Relic

• Rune of Superior Rune of the Scholar is a tiny DPS loss.
• The backpiece is a tiny DPS gain, but gives you a little bit of extra vitality. It can be swapped to Berserker stats without any noticeable difference.

Consumables

Food

• or ascended versions

Utility

Usage

Rotation Fundamentals

As a revenant, Vindicator wants to constantly swap between two legends to regain the energy needed for their skills.

Vindicator also wants to regularly dodge to maintain two powerful buffs:

• Leviathan Strength gives you a damage buff whenever your endurance is not full.
• Forerunner of Death gives you a damage buff for 10 seconds after dodging, as well as making your dodge deal damage.

To make best use out of these buffs, you want to make sure to dodge before reaching full endurance, and at least every 10 seconds. With Song of Arboreum, you refill enough endurance for a dodge every ~5.7s (assuming permanent Vigor), so you will be dodging a lot!

Be aware that this creates small windows where you don't have enough endurance to dodge attacks. With experience, you can learn to time your dodges around incoming mechanics, but each weapon set also has some active defence that you can use instead:

• On Greatsword, Imperial Guard.
• On Sword, Unrelenting Assault.

Simplified Rotation

The rotation can be greatly simplified from the one below by camping Sword/Sword (or Greatsword). This setup also allows you to bring a Staff in your other set to give access to the potent Surge of the Mists - one of the best CC skills in the game. Alternatively, you could bring Hammer to have a ranged option.

• On Legendary Assassin Stance, you want to activate Impossible Odds as soon as you swap to it, and leave it running.
  • Legend Swap as soon as its available.
• On Legendary Alliance Stance, use Spear of Archemorus as soon as you swap to it.
  • Use Nomad's Advance if you have spare energy.
  • Use Spear of Archemorus a second time when it comes off cooldown, then legend swap.
• If using Sword/Sword, use the following skills off cooldown:
  • Chilling Isolation
  • Shackling Wave
  • Deathstrike
• If using Greatsword, use the following skills off cooldown:
  • Mist Unleashed
  • Phantom's Onslaught
  • Eternity's Requiem
• Use Energy Meld off cooldown, and make sure to Dodge within six seconds.
• Dodge to maintain Forerunner of Death and stop your endurance becoming full.

Video guide by Masel

Rotation

Opener

Start in Legendary Alliance Stance on Greatsword

1. Spear of Archemorus
2. Death Drop
3. Phantom's Onslaught as soon as you land
4. Eternity's Requiem
5. Mist Unleashed
6. Legendary Assassin Stance
7. Weapon Swap

Assassin/Sword Loop

1. Chilling Isolation
2. Impossible Odds - activate during Chilling Isolation, if you are fast enough Eternity's Requiem will still be hitting
3. Shackling Wave
4. Deathstrike
5. Autoattack, use Chilling Isolation as it comes off cooldown, and use Death Drop to prevent yourself reaching full endurance - try to finish the autoattack chains. You should use Chilling Isolation three times and Death Drop twice.
6. Legendary Alliance Stance after your third Chilling Isolation
7. Weapon Swap

Alliance/Greatsword Loop
After the first seven steps, this you are mostly just using skills as they come off cooldown, fitting autoattack chains in the gaps.

1. Mist Unleashed
2. Spear of Archemorus
3. Eternity's Requiem
4. Energy Meld
5. Phantom's Onslaught
6. Mist Unleashed
7. Death Drop
8. Mist Swing ⇒ Mist Slash ⇒ Arcing Mists
9. Mist Unleashed
10. Mist Swing ⇒ Mist Slash ⇒ Arcing Mists
11. Death Drop
12. Mist Unleashed
13. Mist Swing ⇒ Mist Slash ⇒ Arcing Mists
14. Energy Meld
15. Spear of Archemorus
16. Death Drop
17. Phantom's Onslaught
18. Mist Unleashed
19. Eternity's Requiem
20. Legendary Assassin Stance
21. Weapon Swap
22. Return to start of Assassin/Sword Loop

Video example

Video example (sword only)

Video example (greatsword only)

Video example (greatsword only + Jalis)

General tips

• You may wish to dodge twice at the start of the rotation to give yourself more breathing room to avoid reaching full endurance. This will leave you without any ability to dodge for defence though.
  • In this case, you will need to rely on your weapon skills instead: Imperial Guard on Greatsword, and Unrelenting Assault on Sword.
• In extreme cases, you can use Alliance Tactics to access the second Alliance legend and provide support to your group.

Crowd Control

Accessing CC can be difficult on revenants as CC skills cost energy that you should have been spending on damage instead. Nevertheless, each legend has one skill:

• On Legendary Assassin Stance, Jade Winds - this is a very expensive skill and you will usually need to plan ahead if you want the energy to use it.
• On Legendary Alliance Stance, Reaver's Rage.
• On Legendary Dwarf Stance, Forced Engagement.

Staff
On the Greatsword only rotation, you can use Staff as your second weapon set. This doesn't provide any damage, but gives you access to Surge of the Mists, which is one of the best CC skills in the game. In general, the DPS loss isn't worth swapping to Staff in the middle of a fight but there are some cases where this is mitigated:

• Many fractal bosses start with an open defiance bar, so you can start on Staff then immediately swap to Greatsword after using Surge of the Mists and continue your rotation as normal.
  • The same logic applies to bosses that end a phase with a defiance bar, such as Keep Construct or Amala.
• Some bosses will be invulnerable while their breakbars are active. If you pre-emptively swap to Staff after your big DPS skills, you can minimise the DPS downtime.
  • Raid examples: Slothasor, Samarog, Sabir.
• It will always be worth sacrificing damage if it would prevent a wipe.
• It will almost always be worth sacrificing damage if it would save another player's life.