Willbender - Power Willbender

The community gave this build a rating, making it top-tier: Great

Focused on: Strike damage

Designed for: Open World and Open World General

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Normal

This build was last updated on August 29, 2023 and is up to date for the October 8, 2024 patch.

Overview

Power Willbender is a hyper-mobile, burst strike DPS that applies considerable vulnerability and grants itself capped might and fury while also maintaining some quickness if taking "Feel My Wrath!"

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Skill Bar

Greatsword

Longbow

Utility

Weapon Variants

• Sword/ Focus - higher DPS than Longbow but removes your ranged option.
• Staff - good tagging weapon

Skill Options

Note that Sword of Justice is an incredibly powerful skill when solo and it should not be dropped. Swap out Purging Flames first, then Bane Signet.

• Reversal of Fortune - a moderately effective heal alternative
• Shelter - can be chained with Renewed Focus to cheese certain mechanics
• Signet of Resolve - an easy-to-use, reliable heal.
• Heel Crack - moderate CC on a short cooldown
• Flash Combo - very short cooldown teleport
• "Stand Your Ground!" - useful if even more Stability is needed, very strong in farm zergs.
• "Advance!" - provides on-demand Aegis and Swiftness. Good in zergs or when fighting enemies with predictable attack patterns.
• "Hold the Line!" - Protection for yourself and allies.
• Smite Condition - condi cleanse
• Wall of Reflection - excellent projectile hate
• Sanctuary - projectile hate and extreme CC, though it has a long cooldown
• "Feel My Wrath!" - Quickness and Fury
• Renewed Focus - can be chained with Shelter to cheese certain mechanics

Equipment

Ascended gear is not required. This set uses gear similar to that of its raid variant; as such, it is excellent for general PVE.

DPS Equipment

This set uses equipment similar to typical Power Willbender raid builds and is a great choice for general PVE.

Head
Berserker

Shoulders
Berserker

Chest
Berserker

Hands
Berserker

Legs
Berserker

Feet
Berserker

Backpiece
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Amulet
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Greatsword
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Longbow
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Relic

Other Equipment

Relics

There are many good relics for general play in open world and others that may be specific to this build. Swap based on preference.

• Relic of Cerus - dps
• Relic of the Cavalier - dps/defense; use with Skyscale's Fire Field for stacking boons.
• Relic of Speed - mobility
• Relic of the Adventurer - defense
• Relic of Durability - defense
• Relic of the Zephyrite - defense

Defense

• Invest in a Jade Core for additional HP and access to Jade Protocols.
• Knight's Trinkets - extra defense

Budget

• Rune of Superior Rune of Infiltration
• Rune of Superior Rune of the Pack

Consumables

Budget consumables are acceptable for use in open world.

DPS

• Prioritize Steak Ascended food.
• /
• /

Farming

• Prioritize Steak Ascended food.
• /
• (and variants)

Usage

• Note that to play this build effectively, "Melee Attack Assist" must be turned off in the settings. This is to ensure you can enter enemy hitboxes to maximize the effectiveness of Whirling Wrath and Binding Blade.

DPS

Basics

• Use Rushing Justice to trigger Inspiring Virtue and Holy Reckoning / Restorative Virtues. This is our absolute top priority.
• This build strongly benefits from increasing the total number of hits within the rotation due to Willbender's Master-Tier traits, and this is doubly true if playing in groups and using Restorative Virtues.
• Maintaining high symbol uptime to increase ticking hits/damage and vuln is critical.
• Stay inside the enemy hitbox for Whirling Wrath and Binding Blade.

Opener

This is a basic opener that can easily be performed with no Alacrity or Quickness. Use Rushing Justice off cooldown; use Flowing Resolve or Crashing Courage to maintain Inspiring Virtue. Fill gaps with auto-attacks and Sword of Justice.

1. Open on Longbow
2. Precast Flowing Resolve twice before big fights to trigger Lethal Tempo.
3. Sword of Justice
4. Rushing Justice
5. Hunter's Ward
6. Symbol of Energy
7. True Shot
8. Deflecting Shot
9. Sword of Justice
10. Weapon Swap ⇒ Greatsword
11. Symbol of Resolution
12. Whirling Wrath
13. Sword of Justice
14. Binding Blade
15. Whirling Wrath
16. Symbol of Resolution
17. Weapon Swap

From here, follow a loose priority.

Priorities

Greatsword:

1. Symbol of Resolution
2. Whirling Wrath
3. Binding Blade
4. Leap of Faith
5. Do not interrupt auto-attack chains.

Longbow:

1. True Shot
2. Symbol of Energy
3. Hunter's Ward
4. Deflecting Shot

For good measure, we also include Sword/ Focus:

1. On S/F loops, try to use Zealot's Defense twice before swapping.
2. Ray of Judgment
3. Zealot's Defense
4. Symbol of Blades
5. Do not interrupt auto chains.

Defense

• Roiling Light - our stunbreak
• Crashing Courage - very strong defensive tool
• Shelter + Renewed Focus - defensive swaps to stall for time or cheese mechanics
• Litany of Wrath - impossibly strong heal skill but requires you to keep dealing damage; you cannot hesitate while using this.
• Flowing Resolve - high healing
• Conceited Curate - defensive swap, very high healing

CC

• Heaven's Palm
• Binding Blade
• Deflecting Shot
• Bane Signet (Emergencies)