The Avvar Skywatcher is actually not that bad!
Let me start by saying that this is one of the most gear dependant classes in the game at the moment, please take that into consideration. This build focuses mainly on Area Of Effect damage and plays differently than the katari and the reaver which is what I was going for. Trying to play this class like any of the other warriors will yield lackluster results. Also this class is seriously frail, threatening feels like perilous and anything and everything can and will kill you fast.
Abilities
Korth’s Might Upgraded with Elemental Affinity. this is the move you use in between cooldowns for you next major AOE attack. Also has no cooldown if used when charged with an element.
Lady’s Wrath upgraded with lasting storm. This move is sooo good and my favorite on the avvar. With the upgrade it basically has no downtime (like 2 seconds) and cost a measly 35 stamina. Significantly boost your dps as it ticks away at enemies in the mere presence of it!
Crushing Leap upgraded with Scorched Earth. This is your go to kill move. The radius is honestly massive and the damage is pretty good. Will outright kill most groups of archers(on threatening). Also the leap goes pretty far. Don’t be afraid to lunge at groups of enemies with this.
Hakkon's Charge upgraded with Swift Winds. this move can easily replace Chilling tremor specially if you are looking for a little more defense on a class that desperately needs it. This move works similar to charging bull except it has an added hit at the end that gives a nice chunk of guard and does decent damage. Use this move to better position yourself around enemies, knockdown enemies and generally build a little much needed guard all while gaining an ice elemental trigger.
Or
Chilling tremor upgraded with Freezing Quake. I went with this skill because it fits the theme of what I was going for (AOE devastation) but its honestly a pretty good attack, its aoe is massive and the damage isn’t bad at all very good for finishing up a group of enemies that have you surrounded or that didn’t die to crushing leap.
The Passives
This class is seriously lacking in passives compared to pretty much every other warrior, with no flow of battle, unyielding, fervor or turn the bolt to name a few. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a few decent ones tucked in there, these are the ones I found to be pretty useful (I’m not gonna go over mandatory ones that you have to go through to get some of his abilities)
Furious Blows is a new passive and exclusive to the avvar. Upon landing a critical hit you get a speed boost of 50% for 8 seconds. This definitely comes in handy when trying to get into the next group of enemies. Stormbringer is another one I like, even though this is a subpar for mages its actually decent on the avvar does a surprising amount of damage. Bear mauls the wolves is pretty self explanatory and this class needs all the defense it can get! Plus it gets you right next to Chilled defense with gives you 25% damage resistance around chilled or frozen targets. That’s pretty much it for passives, you will have a spare few points upon reaching level 20 go ahead and experiment! try some other passives or even new abilities and see what you like.
The Gear
Sulevins blade or Maul of the dragon are the preferred weapons for this build but honestly the weapon is probably the least important piece of gear, the slayer or even sundering would do you just fine.
Superb Stamina Amulet is absolutely necessary on this build since you want to spam abilities as often as possible. Can be substituted with enhanced stamina amulet.
Superb Heal on kill ring the most crucial piece of gear for the avvar in my opinion, I can’t stress enough this class is made of PAPER and WILL go down with just a few hits. Until bioware remedies this with a buff of some sorts HoK is critical for this class. Use two if possible.
Superb Belt of Health yes I know this is the best belt for basically every kit in the game, but when you’re as frail as a rogue and fight like a warrior this belts usefulness can’t be understated. Use the enhanced one if you have it but don’t have this one.
Also don't forget to equip some Armor upgrades as well, specifically +HP ones or better yet high constitution arms.
Strategy
With the recent buffs to the elemental passives from using Korth's Might after you gain an elemental charge, its more important than ever to make sure you have as many "on" as possible.
Learning to get a proper loop on your abilities is a must on the Avvar and creates a nice "flow of battle" if you will. You should almost always start off any encounter by first using Lady's Wrath as this will give you some nice AoE damage over time for a good while, this will give you a lightning trigger on Korth's Might use it as soon as you get it for some more nice AoE damage. next use Crushing Leap and severely damage the mob of enemies around you all while they are still taking damage from Lady's Wrath. Using Crushing Leap will give you a fire trigger use that on anyone that is around you for a nice 50% damage bonus for the next 24 seconds. Hakkon charge into any nearby enemies and proceed to use the ice trigger on Korth's might on them for 35% damage resistance for the next 24 seconds which is very handy for this class. If you went with Chilling Tremor use it when you are surrounded by enemies since it has a massive AoE.
Remember to use Lady's Wrath as often as possible and use your other two abilities as the situation calls for it. if its a large group of enemies crushing leap them or chilling tremor, if you need to close the distance and you have Hakkon's charge use that instead. Just make sure to use whatever elemental trigger you have charged up as often as possible.
Don't forget this class is seriously squishy, play smart, ambush tactics go a long way in keeping you alive. use pillars, walls, corridors anything you can to close the gap on your enemies or make them come to you. When you do strike make sure to hit as many people as possible with your insanely big AoE attacks. If you have a keeper or Virtuoso in the party get some barrier and really cut loose!
I have uploaded a few 30 second clips of my avvar in some pugs just so you guys can check out how this class deals with a few mobs. This class most definitely appreciates barrier! So be mindful of your team composition.
quick 30 second example of how to looping abilities on the avvar looks like. perilous gameplay.
little 30 second clips of threatening!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkd69f0o49g
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