Greetings, fellow Revenant enthusiast! I‘ve been playing the Renegade elite spec since Path of Fire launched, leveling multiple Revenants in the process. If you want to master this complex martial-mage I‘m here to speed up the journey. We have so much power to harness. Follow my blueprint below to unlock your potential ASAP.
By level 80, you‘ll be an unkillable harbinger of destruction. So let‘s get started!
Leveling Weapons
Your core weapons sets are swords & staff. But to mix things up, I‘ll cover options every 10 levels.
Level 1-10: Sword + Axe
The axe main hand skill Obliteration (5) hits like a truck this early. Take advantage!
Level 11-20: Sword + Mace
Mace skills grant vulnerability too. The CC from skill 5 helps with early story instances.
Level 21-30: Sword + Staff
Staff begins providing much needed defense and healing utilities.
Level 31-40: Sword + Sword
Double swords is maximum DPS. Nothing better for pure solo carnage. My favorite!
Level 41-50: Sword + Hammer
Hammer gains stability on skill 5 for dealing with knockdowns in HoT/PoF zones.
Level 51-60: Sword + Staff
Back to staff for more sustain. Some tier 3 story battles can be challenging.
Level 61-70: Double Sword
Sword main hand skill Darkrazor‘s Daring (3) hits like a truck now. Embrace the damage!
Level 71-80: Sword + Staff/Hammer
Customize for more offense (staff) or defense (hammer) as you prefer.
Hopefully this progression gives you some ideas on weapons to utilize as enemies evolve in difficulty. Always keep sword in the main hand though!
Now let‘s move onto…
Armor Stats
Gearing up your character correctly allows you to slaughter hordes of foes instead of getting crushed. Getting this right early on prevents massive headaches (and repair bills) later.
Here is the armor you should equip every 10 levels while leveling:
| Level | Armor Piece | Stat Combo |
|---|---|---|
| 1-10 | Any | Power/Precision/Toughness |
| 10-20 | Any | Power/Vitality/Toughness |
| 21-30 | Any | Power/Healing Power/Toughness |
| 31-40 | Any | Power/Precision/Vitality |
| 41-50 | Any | Power/Toughness/Vitality |
| 51-60 | Any | Berserker‘s (Power/Precision/Ferocity) |
| 61-70 | Any | Berserker‘s (Power/Precision/Ferocity) |
| 71-80 | Any | Berserker‘s (Power/Precision/Ferocity) |
I always recommend some defensive stats while leveling any class since you lack full access to traits and skills. By midway, prioritizing power for damage takes over. Then late in the leveling process you simply need Berserker‘s gear to flatten everything with extreme prejudice!
Adjust these recommendations if you find yourself struggling. Remember, dead characters deal no damage!
Now onto everyone‘s favorite part of Revenants…
Legends and Stances
The available legends and stances give Revenants immense flexibility. But this can also be overwhelming early on. Here‘s a quick comparison to guide your choices:
Offensive
- Assassin Stance – Huge personal DPS boost. Must slot.
- Dwarf Stance – GrantsResolution and does damage. Must slot.
- Demon Stance – Decent team DPS support. Optional.
Defensive
- Centaur Stance – Energizes and projectile defense.
- Dragon Stance – Stability and condition cleanse in emergencies.
Healing
- Assassin Stance – Some self healing.
- Dwarf Stance – Provides extra healing and removes conditions.
I‘d utilize Assassin and Dwarf stances 90% of the time, swapping Centaur in during intense fights. Demon is skippable while leveling but awesome later when supporting groups.
Mastering your energy usage between stances is key to playing Revenant effectively. This separates good and bad players dramatically. Keep practicing!
Important Skills
With so many weapon sets and utility skills, identifying those that really matter early on is crucial:
Level 1-35
Damage
- Sword 2 and 3 – Quick attacks that stack vulnerability.
- Axe 2 – Spin to win pulls enemies together.
- Staff 3 – Immobilize surround enemies.
Healing
- Enchanted Daggers – Constant regeneration and healing.
- Staff 5 – Large AoE emergency heal.
Utility
- Phase Traversal – Teleport to the target location. Great mobility both offensively and defensively!
- shattered Aversion – Reflect projectiles back at range. Essential.
Level 36-80
Damage
- Sword 2 and 3 – Core skills still effective at higher levels.
- Impossible Odds (elite) – Big hitting no cooldown skill.
Healing
- Dwarven Battle Training – Remove conditions and grant resistance.
- Enchanted Daggers – Regeneration and healing over time.
Utility
- Hypochondria – Stun breaker that also grants stability. Helps avoid CC chains.
- Phase Traversal – Remains strong mobility all game.
I won‘t list every skill progression here. But choose damage first, then defense/healing, then utility in that order. Use my top picks as a starting point.
Now time for everyone‘s favorite part of any RPG…
Traits
Here is the trait path I would follow in general:
Invocation – Improves energy management and reduces legend swap cooldowns.
Retribution – Extra defense through Resolution and Battle Scars mechanics.
Devastation – Raw damage boosts from Power/CritChance/Ferocity.
If dying frequently you can grab more defense like Salvation over Devastation. But you really want those sweet offensive traits ASAP.
By level 80, make sure your final build grabs Elder‘s Respite in Invocation. Having no weapon swap cooldown takes gameplay feel to another level!
Gameplay Tips
I‘ll finish off by dumping some random combat pointers I wish I knew starting out:
- Use skill 5 THEN swap legends for optimum damage from Energy Expulsion Invocation trait.
- Time dodges for big enemy telegraphs, don‘t spam them.
- Enter each fight in Assassin stance already activated.
- Utilize crowd control abilities from Centaur/Demon stances to create openings.
- Bring defensive/healing stances pre-queued when facing veterans/bosses.
- Use sword 3 then immediately swap to staff and skill 5 to animation cancel a burst self heal.
- Stay in close range to keep melee pressure on. Your defense comes from sustain not range.
I have many more tips and tricks in video format on my channel. Visual demonstrations help gameplay mastery!
That covers the key basics. Now get out there and start unleashing havoc across Tyria!
In Summary
Hopefully this guide has prepared you to dominate as a leveling Revenant in Guild Wars 2. We truly are one of the most versatile heavy classes in the game thanks to our legends and array of skills. Mastering this arsenal appropriately requires some learning, but pays back tenfold allowing you to solo roam like an unstoppable god!
Our damage scales extremely well too into the endgame PvE and WvW/PvP spaces. So consider this a long-term investment – even after hitting 80 the journey continues to mastering the Revenant at the highest levels.
Let me know if you have any other questions in comments section below. And be sure to subscribe on YouTube for more Revenant gameplay videos and advanced fight strategies. Just getting started myself after 1500 hours played!
Now get out there, channel the Mists, and wreak utter annihilation across the battlefields of Tyria!