Welcome to part 3 of my Warden’s Guide series. If you missed the first two parts of this guide you can check them out here: Part 1: Gambit Lines , Part 2: Mastering Masteries
This installment of ”A Warden’s Guide” covers the Potency and Battle Memory mechanic/skills added with Rise of Isengard.
Potency
Potency is a buff that allows the Warden to store the next gambit they execute into “Battle Memory”. Potency is acquired through use of ”Improved Goad” (level 66), “Improved Deft Strike” (level 68) and “Improved Defensive Strike” (Level 70). Potency applies 100% of the time on a successful hit if the warden is traited at least 4 traits deep in any one trait line, 50% of the time if the warden only has 3 traits in any one line slotted and 25% of the time if no line has more than 2 traits equipped (this means you’ve got trait slots that aren’t being utilized at all, this is definitely not recommended!) In addition to the very macho looking flexed arm buff on your bar your warden will also have some visual effects in the form of a curve with a spear in it on either side of the warden (assuming the right UI option is turned on [Enable Avatar Attack Effects]).
Once you have potency your next successful gambit will be stored into your “Battle Memory” and will be available for use when you need or want it without having to rebuild that gambit (1 use only).
Battle Memory
Battle memory is the skill that transforms into whatever gambit you’ve stored away via using potency (much the same way that “Gambit Default” transforms into whatever gambit you’ve built).
A few things to note about Battle Memory:
- The power cost of the stored Gambit is replaced by a morale cost equal to a percentage of the Warden’s health where the % cost is equal to the length of the gambit (5-length is 5% or max morale, 4-length is 4%, etc.)
- Battle Memory will reset the instant that you go out of combat (if you’re still in the potency stage however, potency lasts several seconds before expiring out of combat).
- You may store only one gambit at a time. If you apply potency to yourself again while a gambit is still stored in Battle Memory your next gambit will consume the potency buff but will NOT overwrite the previously stored gambit.
- Once you use the gambit stored in Battle Memory it will revert back to the default empty battle memory state.
A few of my favorite gambits to store in “Battle Memory” and why:
- Reversal: Having a quick corruption removal at the ready can come in handy in several places.
- Wall of Steel (also “The Boot” and “Onslaught“): Having an interrupt at the ready is very useful; and a Parry buff in the specific case of Wall of Steel.
- Aggression: If I’m struggling to get aggro off someone in my fellowship I’ll usually queue up Aggression into battle memory and instantly use it (thus using back to back in about 1 second after the initial use) which will result in leaching a very large amount of threat from the entire fellowship and generally resulting in me having a firm grip on all targets.
- Defiant Challenge: If you slot this gambit/legendary trait (I do!) it can be useful to have it stored away for those times where you need to ensure you get a grip on the target or targets.
- Conviction: A significant threat leach and respectable, group heal over time. If you’re not already keeping this in your rotation often enough to maintain the heal on the group it’s a great idea to store it for times when either the group needs the heal or you need the threat.
This concludes part 3 of my Warden Guide. Coming soon will be Part 4: Dressing for Endgame Success.
January 13, 2012 at 11:30 am
A very nice and concise guide. I’ve a few items to add:
1) Beware of storing junk in BM. The one that I end up with that I wish I hadn’t is Shield mastery. I’m putting up buffs and use defensive strike, then shield mastery. Now the thing is stuck in BM even though it has a 1 min duration.
2) Use BM as a way to increase your DPS. You can store either Warden’s Triumph or Unerring Strike. With Unerring Strike, use it after Mighty Blow and you’ll get the damage bonus twice even though the bleeds only count once.
3) It always seems that [Fi-Sh] mastery is at a premium. A good way to manage this is to open with [Fi Fi] (goad) followed by something that uses [Fi-Sh]. This frees you to use [Fi-Sh] on a different gambit, and use battle memory on your other gambit. In this way you can use Dance of War or War Cry and Conviction more easily. Here’s an example opener:
[Fi Fi] Goad
[Fi Sh] War Cry
On the next 15s rotation:
[Sh Fi] Sh [Fi Sh] Conviction
BM: War Cry
Alternately, this combo works:
[Sh Sh] Defensive Strike
Sh [Fi Sh] Fi Dance of War
When dance of war and defensive strike are almost done:
[Sh Sh] Defensive Strike
BM: Dance of War
[Sh Fi] Sh [Fi Sh] Conviction
You now have conviction in your BM. Using BM as a normal rotation helper is a little against its original purpose as being a reactive skill, but it can really speed up your rotations and helps in maintaining multiple self-buffs.
–Harperella
January 15, 2012 at 1:29 pm
Which cloak is that?
January 16, 2012 at 1:53 pm
I’m a big fan of battle memory and as a solo player find myself using it constantly. I mostly use it for offensive gambits as I tend to go through my available power very quickly, so in an effort to save power I’ll use it for quick succession of Warden’s Triumph or Unerring Strike. Being able to store up a Wall of Steel or a Reversal is very nice as well. Another good use of it is for Dark Before the Dawn as being able to fire off 2 of those in a row is a huge boost to power, of course you’ll need to keep an appropriate eye on your health which takes a hit.
January 17, 2012 at 2:57 am
Actually, morale cost of BM helps a lot when you need that 50% morale to unleash those Dark Before the Dawn. Sometimes, while tanking multiple mobs, I stay full of morale (due to HoT’s) and low on power (spamming morale leechers is not cheap) and must concede damage to myself (controlled by defensive buffs, of course) to hit that 50%.