Virtuoso - DPS Virt

The community gave this build a rating, making it second-tier: Good

Focused on: Crowd control, Boon removal and Strike damage

Designed for: WvW Zerg

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Hard

This build was last updated on August 28, 2023 and is up to date for the October 8, 2024 patch.

Overview

A high spike damage power build that uses the combination of Bladesong Harmony and Psychic Riposte to effectively spike targets in zerg fights. Shattered Concentration allows it to also bring strong boon removal since it procs on each blade of Bladesong Harmony.

Skill Bar

Greatsword

Dagger/Focus

Utility

Variants

Weapons

• Focus ⇒ Shield personal survivability but worse CC

Utilities

• Rain of Swords
• Veil
• Illusion of Life

Sword of Decimation should be the first utility swapped out if any changes are made

Elite

• Mass Invisibility
• Signet of Humility

Template Code

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Equipment

Head
Marauder

Shoulders
Marauder

Chest
Marauder

Hands
Marauder

Legs
Dragon

Feet
Marauder

Backpiece
Dragon

Accessory
Dragon

Accessory
Dragon

Amulet
Dragon

Ring
Dragon

Ring
Dragon

Greatsword
Marauder

Sigil

Sigil

Dagger
Marauder

Focus
Marauder

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Relic

Equipment Variants

Relics

• Relic of Speed
• Relic of Isgarren
• Relic of Evasion

Variants

Gear

• Swap Dragon stats to Marauder or Berserker stats if playing Dueling

Usage

General

• Bladesong Harmony and Bladesong Sorrow only require you to face the target to start the cast, you can turn immediately after

Overall Priorities

High

• Damage

Moderate

• Boon Removal

Low

• Boon Application

Surviving

• This build has moderate passive defense
• This build has low mobility skill access
• This builds has high active defenses

Active defense priority

• Mantra of Concentration - for Stunbreaking
• Dodge
• Distortion

Detailed Explanations

Damage

• Most of your burst damage comes from Bladesong Harmony, use it as frequently as possible with as many blades as possible
  • Make sure to have Psychic Riposte procced before casting
  • Try to target enemies in the middle or back of the enemy group to take advantage of the piercing effect on Bladesong Harmony
• Your main source of blades is Psychic Riposte, this means that sometimes you need to move into damage to avoid it and proc the trait
  • Aegis will proc Psychic Riposte so being in party with a Firebrand is very important for Virtuoso
• Try to combine Mind Stab with Mirror Blade and Bladesong Harmony to increase your burst damage
• Signet of the Ether should be considered a DPS cooldown more than a heal, use it to reset Phantasmal Berserker
• Use Sword of Decimation when your group calls for a spike
  • Winds - Winds of Disenchantment
  • Wells - Well of Corruption+Well of Suffering
  • Shades - Desert Shroud
  • Traps - Procession of Blades+Test of Faith

Boon Removal

• A large part of your boon removal comes from proccing Shattered Concentration
  • Use Bladesong Sorrow whenever you have spare blades and can do so without deprioritizing Bladesong Harmony
    • Don't wait for 5 blades for Bladesong Sorrow, even 3 blades from a proc of Psychic Riposte is fine
  • Use Bladesong Dissonance with 1 blade stocked since its number of hits doesn't scale with the number of blades used
• Land Null Field just before your groups spike when possible
  • Try to place it so one edge is on the enemy group and the other edge is in the direction they are moving
  • If possible, hit allies as well as enemies with Null Field, but prioritize enemies

Boon Application

• Use Mantra of Concentration to cover Stability when there is downtime on a push
  • Make sure to recharge Mantra of Concentration as soon as possible if you expend the charges
• Use Time Warp when groups clash. Prioritize your own group for Quickness and Superspeed