Focus

## Explanation

The Focus system was added to all Warrior Subpaths in early 2023.

> Focus, a new Warrior stack system, has been released with the first phase being implemented today. Warriors gain Focus as they use Warrior Vita attacks, up to a total of 200 Focus. Currently, the only thing Focus will do is augment your self healing value to scale off of your total vitality and Focus stacks. The more vita the heal gives you, the more mana it costs as a result. Using a self heal also removes 2 Focus on use. If you have 0 Focus, the vita returned will be the same value as the base version of the spell.
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> As part of the 'Focus' stacks that were recently added, Slash now has a new functionality. Using Slash takes 30 Focus in a powerful attack that can hit 5 enemies (Knights & Spellsword) in front of you. See below for a photo of the 5 targets Slash can hit. For Knights and Spellswords, this attack takes 80% of your current vita, while taking 20% for Samurai's. Samurai hits only one target but less vita is taken.
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> As a result of this new powerful attack and focus on using vita attacks, Heroic Stance and Enchant Blade rage Values have been reduced in the world and challenge content for Knights and Spellswords respectively. This will shift damage from swings more towards vita attacks. Samurai damage is unchanged.
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> When using 'Slash', Knight & Spellsword gain the following subpath specific augments:
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> Knight -> Gain Ensure (-6 AC) for 20 seconds on using Slash
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> Spellsword -> Return mana, based on current vitality when Slash is used
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>  -> Can have damage based on Vita or Mana, whichever is higher based on current values (Mana being double that of Vita)
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## Gaining Focus stacks

```
Berserk        = +12 stacks

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Feral Berserk  = +16 stacks

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Whirlwind      = +25 stacks

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Seige          = +10 stacks

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Assault        = +20 stacks

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Slash          = -30 stacks

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Self heal      = -2 stack per cast

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##### **Advanced Tips**

You can pre-fill your Focus to 200 between hunts/respawns by unloading Vitas on either your Mercenary, a Wizard's Fire Pillar, or a Poet's summoned pets, among other things.

Due to the Stack gain, Feral Berserk is now the obvious choice for all Warriors. Remember, Feral Berserk can only be learned in Nagnang, and Slash in KaMing's. Though it is simply 1 Focus per Aether, Two Ferals = one Slash. As for Whirlwind, it's recommended to start as Ming/Ohaeng, and change to Kwi later when Energy Shields, Clemency, Lacuna Mend, Huwon, and other tools are available to you. Though either version awards 25 Focus.

#### **Efficient Usage**

Learning to maintain and expend your Focus efficiently is critical to playing effectively, especially for Knights and Spellswods, both of whom saw significant decreases in Rage power in exchange for the Focus system. Many saw this as a nerf at first, but those able to unlock its' power found it to be massive upgrade, particularly for Knights, who can deal north of twice the damage they could before. It is vital to understand the mechanics and think ahead. Last few mobs of a wave? Unleash all your vitas to build Focus for the next wave.

### **Knight**

Knights likely saw the largest benefit from Focus, but it requires the highest level of skill. The most important thing to remember about Focus is that, while a 30 Focus boosted Slash is the same whether performed at 200 Focus or 30, the same is not true of the Heal bonus. I try to stay around 120 Focus on my Knight. Zerk > Heal > WW > Clemency will be your first rotation to build Focus. Once you acquire Sam San, you will want to throw it in immediately after Zerk, then Heal, then WW and Clemency. Finally, the addition of Siege, which relies partly on Mana, means you should do it with near full mana. Once near 200 Focus, start looking for ideal locations to launch a Slash > Clemency > Slash. I don't recommend dumping more than two or three at a time, because the Heal bonus is really the key of the system that ties it all together. Knights having Clemency, Words of Healing, and passively high Regen , as well as Scourge and Dishearten, make Focus a transformative system for the class.

### Spellsword

Though not quite as important to Knights, Focus is a vital part of effective Spellsword play and synergizes very well with their kit. **todo**

### **Samurai**

Unlike the other 2 subpaths, Samurai Slash is not an AoE, hitting only one target, and provides no seconday benefit. Don't be fooled though; though not as useful, it can still dramatically improve your performance. My recommendation is to largely utilize it for the Heal bonus, using the Huwon-buffed attack to gain most of your focus. It only consumes 20% Vita, enabling lightning fast Slash dumps. Samurai are known as the class with the ability to kill Manor bosses the fastest, and Slash is a big reason why. **todo**