Power Dragonhunter

February 2023

Power Dragonhunter can provide very good burst DPS and Vulnerability while possessing multiple options allowing you to mitigate incoming damage. The equipment for this build is easy to obtain, and the basics of Power Dragonhunter is easy to pick up, making it a popular choice in instanced content such as Strikes and Raids. However, mastering this build will take some time since you need to cancel the aftercasts of certain skills such as Symbol of Resolution and Zealot's Defense. Players should pay special attention to learn boss timing to use the build’s burst windows properly to reach the build’s maximum potential.

Sword variant will use Sword+Focus in one weapon set giving the player access to weapon skills such as Symbol of Blades which, in addition to the mobility, can provide Fury to the subgroup. Shield of Wrath is mainly a burst DPS skill however it can also be used to block attacks if needed increasing survivability of the build.

Longbow variant will use Longbow in one weaponset giving the player access to ranged longbow skills. It can provide Vigor with Symbol of Energy to the subgroup and Deflecting Shot is a nice boost to the utility of the build as it can be used as a knockback tool as well as being a decent crowd control skill.

Both variants are very similar in terms of overall DPS and their bursty DPS profile. Optimal selection will depend mostly on the encounter and the needs of your squad while it can be said that both builds will perform equally well under most circumstances.

Build Fundamentals

You want to remember that all high damage skills should be combined with Spear of Justice to increase your burst damage via Big Game Hunter.

High uptime of Resolution is crucial as you get a 25% critical chance from Righteous Instincts. That’s why having multiple Power Dragonhunters in the same party is ideal as they will benefit from Resolution from Symbol of Resolution. If you don’t have other DHs in your group, make sure you are in the subgroup with other classes that can provide you some extra Resolution, most common will be Firebrands with Mantra of Solace, Catalysts with Deploy Jade Sphere, or Alacrity Mesmer with Chaos Storm.

If you further struggle with Resolution and in a fight where you are attacked, you can more consciously use Greatsword and give yourself Light Aura by leaping with Leap of Faith into Symbol of Resolution or other Light fields.

Important Notes

Spear of Justice cooldown can be reset by killing enemies due to Renewed Justice. Make sure to not waste it by using it while your high damaging skills are on cooldown. Build your combos around Spear of Justice, if it’s active and you have excess charges of  Sword of Justice , use it instead Auto-attack chains.

If there are multiple targets around, you can use Binding Blade inside the hitbox to hit a single target up to 5 times.

Hunter's Verdict will increase your damage by 15% while the tether is active, and Bane Signet will increase your power while not used, that’s why you should avoid using signet and breaking the tether unless you really need CC.

Sustain and mobility

Leap of Faith is a good movement skill if you find yourself in the need of it, and so is Wings of Resolve, but keep in mind it will also heal your party and yourself and will cleanse conditions from yourself which might come in handy in some encounters. Leap of Faith can also be used to create Light Aura when used in Light field to help with Resolution uptime a bit.

Use Shield of Courage to block attacks or to share Aegis with your party. This is particularly useful in situations, where normal Aegis is unreliable because can be stripped by environmental attacks, that’s because Shield of Courage will grant Aegis at set intervals.

To heal up quickly after taking damage or to counter high damage pressure use Litany of Wrath.

Crowd Control

• Binding Blade Pull
• Bane Signet
• Dragon's Maw
• Spear of Justice Hunter's Verdict
• Longbow:
  • Deflecting Shot
  • Hunter's Ward

Alternatives

Utility Skills

You can replace Sword of Justice with:

• "Stand Your Ground!" for squad-wide Stability and Resolution.
• "Advance!" for Swiftness and more Aegis.
• Hammer of Wisdom / Sanctuary for more CC.
• Wall of Reflection for projectile reflects.

You can replace "Feel My Wrath!" with Dragon's Maw if need CC and your group is not benefitting from extra Quickness or Fury.

Traits

You can swap Righteous Instincts for Perfect Inscriptions if you need to use your Bane Signet for CC. If you swap to Righteous Instincts you will need to:

• Change Superior Sigil of Impact to Superior Sigil of Accuracy
• Change your food to Bowl of Curry Butternut Squash Soup