Wow, people are still playing this? Blast from the past, for me.
I'm still playing.
Analysis of the Warrior class
(Note: all of this applies to Hard Mode. Because real men play Hard Mode!)
First of all, ignore any morons that this class is the worst class. What they probably mean is they played too much CoD with auto-aim and bitch that mass Effect doesn't let you skip battles.
Warriors are the most difficult class to use and master.
You'll feel like you're playing a fighting game (like Street Fighter...) while playing as the warrior. You will be timing attacks, canceling out moves, and performing lots of jump attacks. Make sure that when you make your warrior he's heavy (90+ kg). Make sure he isn't too short, but he does not need to be tall (mine is 180 cm).
Leveling
Fighter: 1-10
Warrior: 11-100
101-200
For highest HPs: Fighter or Mystic.
For highest Attack: Assassin.
For balanced attack/defense and high Stamina: Warrior.
The Warrior class has a weird bug where they gain 5 hp and 15 stamina after level 100. It's odd because they changed the Mystic Archer's stat growth post 100 in Dark Arisen but didn't touch the warrior.
To get the most HPs, you need to level as either a Fighter or a Mystic Knight. Fighter gets 3 defense per level, while Mystic Knight gets 1 defense and 1 magic defense. Fighter is the best choice: thankfully this isn't a huge deal since you need to level the Fighter for some augments anyways.
If you REALLY don't want more HPs, level as an Assassin for 3 attack per level, or stay as a warrior for 2 attack and 2 defense.
Basic Attacks
Warriors ground basic attacks are slow, but decent. The regular light attacks have a nice wide range and are good for smacking groups of enemies. The strong attack is good for slower enemies you want to skewer, but nothing impressive. Their climbing attack is actually fairly decent and is not as worthless as one would think. It's not a Hundred Kisses or a Dire Gouge, but it's better than the Fighter's wimpy swings.
Now, for aerial attacks...
Warriors have the best air attacks in the game.
Their heavy air attack does a very good job of smashing light enemies and will likely stagger them. However, the crown jewel of the Warrior is the light air attack. It executes very quickly, has a fairly wide range, hits low enough to hit enemies on the ground (assuming even level terrain. If they are below you it can miss), and hits excessively high.
Harpies? Psh, smack those bitches out of the air.
Don't want to climb that Cyclops? Just jump up and smack him!
Master the light air attack and you will master the warrior class.
Killing individual enemies is best done with the light air attack. If you have issues hitting them, use either the heavy air attack or Exodus Slash. Speaking of that skill...
Skills
Most of the skills are bad: they are too slow or don't offer anything good for the warrior. Corona doesn't seem to hit a wide enough area and the delay is annoying. Pommel Bash is too short range. Whirlwind is decent but doesn't offer anything beyond high stagger (Which Lash and even Exodus can do better or as well) and it's a bit slow. Rest of the skills are shit. The skill setup I use is the following:
Exodus Slash
Savage/Indomitable/Calamitous Lash
Arc of Might/Deliverance/Obliteration
Exodus slash solves two key issues with the warrior: lack of defensive maneuvers, and lack of quick ground attacks. Exodus slash is basically a backwards step with a wide horizontal swing. Press the button again and your warrior will dash forward slightly, shove the enemy, and then swing at them. This second part has a sort of auto-aim and will target the closet enemy. The first part can be used for dodging attacks as it has invincibility frames. A neat technique you can do is execute the first part, start the second part, but before the swing you can cancel it by jumping. You can also use Exodus Slash to cancel regular light attacks. Exodus Slash, when mastered, is great for killing smaller enemies that you can't hit with the light air attack and dodging attacks. It's not as good as a shield or rolling, but it can work.
X Lash is a charge move. You sit in place, charge your attack for 2-3 seconds, and then smash face. Use it when you need a damage boost but don't have enough time to use an Arc Of X move. Note that you can cancel it by jumping (seeing a pattern?) and you seem to gain more knockdown/stagger resistance.
Arc of X is a powerful move where you charge for 10 seconds and then unleash hell. You can move around while charging it. Go youtube some warrior videos to get an idea of how amazing this skill can be. It's very easy to one-shot most enemies with this, but it should be reserved for bosses. Well placed Arcs can annihilate most of the enemies and is one of the reasons for playing a warrior. Like Lash, you seem to gain knockdown/stagger resistance. Killing an Ogre in
1-2 Arcs is one of the most satisfying feelings in the game.
In terms of fighting enemies:
If it's 3+ times bigger than you, use light air attack, Arc, or Lash depending on the context (moving around, knocked down, charging a attack, etc).
If the enemy is about as big as you but slow, use Lash or Exodus.
If the enemy is faster than you, use the light air attack or Exodus.
For wolf like enemies, use Exodus.
For harpies, use light air attack.
For Saurien, you still want to cut off their tail. A well placed heavy air attack will do nicely.
With the charge skills, there's a augment that reduces damage while charging. Speaking of which...
Augments
Augments are pretty simple for the warrior. I use the following:
Vehemence
Clout
Ditto. They make you hit harder. Vehemence requires Fighter class level 5. They stack, which will give you a total strength boost of 32% (1.1 * 1.2).
Ferocity
Eminence
Ferocity Improves all of your basic, non-skill attacks, while Eminence makes your basic air attacks stronger. Both stack which means your air attacks will take off nice chunks of life from whatever you hit. Eminence requires Strider class level 5. Again, they stack like the strength skills.
Temerity
While charging an attack, you take 50% less damage. I feel that there will be times when an Exodus Slash won't be able to protect you. Sometimes, you'll need to eat a hit. With this perk, you can quickly charge a Lash (yes, even on hard mode) and just exchange hits with whatever is hitting you. A good example are the sword-n-board bandits. They have some attacks that hit hilariously hard and can one shot you. However, with proper armor and this perk, you CAN survive the hit and just smack them back. Most lighter enemies will get sent flying. Since you can pause at almost anytime to heal, you can 'tank" hits.
For the last augment, it's your choice. If you want more defense, take Bastion. If you want to carry more stuff and/or more mobility, Sinew or Leg-Strength. If you use the augment Watchfulness, you'll also reduce damage by half when your weapon is sheathed, which translates to you taking only half damage at all times you are either charging a skill or running around.
Now go and smash shit!
