User:Amantis/R/W Lightning Hammer

RANDOM ARENA/ALLIANCE BATTLES The Lightning Hammer PvP build focuses on the stance renewing ability of "On Your Knees!" combined with a powerful ranger stance that increases attack speed and evades attacks. With high elemental armor and near constant physical evasion, this build is highly resistant to most damage.

Variants

 * For the Optional Slot:
 * Dryder's Defenses can give you an additional 10 seconds of evasion, as well as very strong armor increase versus elemental damage. Whirling Defense is also useful and long lasting. Remember that you have +10 armor and possibly +15% damage while in a stance.
 * Storm Chaser is useful to chase down fleeing foes, to quickly engage in melee range, to regain energy, and to escape if necessary.
 * Antidote Signet can remove blindness.
 * Distracting Blow can be a useful interrupt.
 * Nature's Renewal is useful if your team uses few enchantments and hexes.
 * For Alliance Battles, Storm Chaser is a must, but the res signet can be replaced with any of the above option skills, Dodge for running to capture control points, or Healing Spring for large, concentrated battles.

Equipment
Armor: Weapons: Suggested Weapon Mods: Similar Green/Unique Hammers:
 * Sentry's Armor for additional armor while in a stance.
 * Any max damage customized hammer with either +15% damage while in a stance or +15% damage always, energy -5. Energy will likely never be a problem with either build unless you encounter very heavy energy denial.
 * Sundering Hammer of Fortitude for the Lightning Hammer build.
 * Furious Hammer of Fortitude for the Crazed Carpenter/Shakey Tanker builds.
 * It's often beneficial to bring along an extra hammer with an elemental damage mod such as an icy hammer haft to help damage Warriors.
 * Kanaxai's Mallet
 * Vera
 * Victo's Maul

Usage

 * Open with Lightning Reflexes only after you are in melee range, as its duration is short.
 * Spam Irresistible Blow whenever it's recharged. With 13 expertise you can easily manage your energy and deal consistent extra damage.
 * If your attacks are not interfered with, you should be able to use Devastating Hammer before Lightning Reflexes ends.
 * Immediately use Crushing Blow to cause deep wound and extra damage.
 * Immediately use "On Your Knees!" to recharge Lightning Reflexes. Then reactivate it as soon as it times out.
 * Use Troll Unguent only as necessary, as the 3 second delay will cause your stance to end before you can renew it.

Counters

 * On hit hexes such as Empathy or Spiteful Spirit work, but are less useful than they seem. The high damage and slow attack speed of hammers allow the Lightning Hammer build to out damage any individual hex of that type though this may have a greater impact on the Crazed Carpenter build as it tends to hit multiple enemies with Crude Swing.
 * Blindness and Weakness
 * Heavy life degeneration.
 * Adrenaline drain or prevention.
 * Defensive stances, though Irresistible Blow can cause damage through them for the Lightning Hammer build and the AoE damage from Earth Shaker and Yeti Smash will still connect with adjacent targets for the Crazed Carpenter.
 * Damage reducing hexes such as Faintheartedness or Spirit of Failure
 * Anti-evasion skills such as Rigor Mortis, Griffon's Sweep, Warrior's Cunning, or Unseen Fury.