Enyo’s MI/Exec 1-Shot PvP Guide (Mod 12b)

Understanding How PvP Works

Generally most MMO's have some sort of PvP System. As well, PvP follows the same general run through; kill off the enemy player or players before they kill you off - and yes, that includes trying to not die. What good are we if we're dead?

In Neverwinter we have what's called Domination PvP. Basically you have Team 1 and Team 2 which can consist of 1-5 Players per team, and yes that means you can either Solo PvP or PvP as a Team. Your goal in Domination PvP is to Capture Bases 1, 2 & 3. Each Base your team owns gives you 1 Point per second per base. The goal is to be the first team to reach 1000 Points - and that's the most important thing. You can have the most Kills, Highest Points, be #1 on the Rankings - and it means nothing if your team does not reach 1000 Points first. Meaning, if you're running as a team - you have to have your act together. Solo PvP Queue is a bit different, but I'm not here to go over specifics.

Extra Information - As Quoted From Here

PvP Visible Buff - There is a visible buff that is applied to all players upon entering PvP. This buff grants each player the following modifiers:

• 60% Armor Penetration Reduction
• 40% Critical Severity Reduction
• 40% Damage Reduction
• 50% Reduction in healing from all sources - this includes Life Steal, Heals Over Time, & Direct Heals.
  • This reduction only kicks in if you have been hit within the last 10 seconds to ensure out-of-combat is not affected
    

Crowd-Control Diminishing Returns - Any powers that have a control element will proc a 15 second diminishing returns effect on the target that will reduce the overall effectiveness of any additional control effects applied to that same target. This effect can stack up to 4 times with each stack further reducing the duration of control effects by 25%, eventually rendering them ineffective. Each stack is independent meaning that each time a player is hit they gain a separate stack that starts its own timer. If at any time you have all 4 stacks then you will be immune to control effects for the length of your oldest stack.

Solo PvP Queue is only available for Level 70 Domination Queue.

Potion & Food Usage - Almost all items that give 5+ minute buffs are grouped into one of 7 categories as listed below. A player can have at most 1 active buff from each category.

• Potion: Includes alchemy potions, and most misc. game potions.
• Elixir: Includes the invocation potions, and a few other "super" potions that are hard/expensive to get but have big effects (e.g., Elixir of Heroism).
• Stronghold Food
• Event Food
• Invocation
• Reusable Item: Includes items like Tymora's Lucky Coin or Adorable Pocket Pet
• Non-food Event

How To Counter Other Classes

Obviously when in PvP, you're combating against other Players, and of course other Classes. In total there are 8 classes in Neverwinter right now; Devoted Cleric, Control Wizard, Great Weapon Fighter, Guardian Fighter, Hunter Ranger, Oathbound Paladin, Scourge Warlock and Trickster Rogue. Each class has its own specific tactics in PvP and specific things to watch out for. A huge part of PvP is understanding your opponents characters just as well as your own. My top suggestion is to usually read some PvP Guides for other classes, do your research and more importantly - play. You'll learn from Experience! I will however brief over some tips though to help get you started.

Great Weapon Fighters - These guys are probably the easiest class for a Trickster Rogue to take down. Great Weapon Fighters do not have a shield or dodge to help counter your rotation. They can sprint, but what good does that do? In a PvP Match, there's a good chance these guys will be the easiest for you to take down.

Guardian Fighters - Play Defensively with these guys. They're by far a loathsome opponent, as they are very tanky, immune to your dazes and also deal enough damage to flatten you like a pancake in 1 rotation. You'll likely want to proc Shadow of Demise from a distance and hop immediately into Bloodbath to avoid being an easy target. Basically it should be ITC>Deft Strike>Stealth>Lashing>Bloodbath. By then your Shadow of Demise should've hit and reduced the Guardian Fighter's HP by a healthy amount - don't expect it to destroy the GF entirely though, might take a second round!

Hunter Ranger - These guys are tricky and sneaky - maybe even more so than us Trickster Rogues ourselves. They are ranged, just to make that known, and also root/daze you relentlessly. Luckily thanks to CC Diminishing Returns, they cannot Daze you forever. Eventually, if they daze you too much, too often for too long - you will gain immunity to Control Effects. Once you're no longer dazed and / or they cannot further daze you, they run and hide with powers like Fox Shift and Forest Meditation. Best bet to counter-act these guys is to really depend on ITC, and use Deft Strike to fill in the gap of distance, but stealth>dodge away in 1 switch movement... then based on the scenario, choose between Bloodbath or running in to use Lashing and then using Bloodbath.

Control Wizards - These guys are control freaks, yes. The main annoying part about Control Wizards is they're always trying to push you away; and as a Trickster Rogue, a close-combat styled class, it's just down right irritating. Main way to counter these guys is to sneak up and surprise attack - they can't repel something they don't know is there to begin with. Try to Daze them before exiting your Stealth so at least you've proc'd your Shadow of Demise. I like to use a Stealth>Dazing>Shocking Executioner>Stealth>Lashing mix, and then using Cloud of Steel from a small distance until SoD hits 'em.

Devoted Clerics - You have to keep an eye out for their Astral Shield. They basically turn from being a Brick Wall, to being the Great Wall of China with that Astral Shield. To really take them down, you need a knock back of sorts - something Trickster Rogues don't generally have. I usually try to leave them to other classes that do have knockbacks like Paladins or Guardian Fighters. Honestly, close-combat style is the way to go if you have to face them. Stealth>Dazing>Shocking Executioner>Stealth>Lashing is also the way to go in my opinion.

Oathbound Paladin - Paladin's in my opinion are the worst of the worst. They have this Encounter called Bane that debuffs the hell out of you. So while they're very solid, and difficult to kill anyway - they're also debuffing you consistently making it even more of a challenge. Not really a great way to combat this apart from the same strategy used with Guardian Fighters. Get to them first before they get to you.

Scourge Warlocks - Not much to comment here. I've actually encountered very few SW's in PvP - and from my experience they're very similar to Great Weapon Fighters in the sense that they have a sprint, no dodge or shield - making them easy targets for Trickster Rogues.

Trickster Rogues - Not much of a way to counter your own class if they're using the same build and abilities as you. First one to make a direct blow is the one most likely to win from my experience anyway. Just try to play it safe!

Choosing Your Race

Getting straight to the point - choosing a race for PvP is actually rather different than choosing a race for PvE. While slightly the same idea - your race wont make or break you - though choosing the right race can most certainly prove to be beneficial in the world of PvP. Please note though, Loadouts do not include Racial switches, so whatever you choose for PvP will also be what you use for every loadout - including your PvE Loadout.

Halfling - Halflings more often than not are the #1 option of all races for PvP, particularly amongst Trickster Rogues. The Racial Ability Nible Reaction grants +3% Deflection Chance. For Ability Scores you have a choice between DEX, CHA, or CON. Your best bet would be to throw those points into CHA (Charisma), as it increases your Deflection Chance further and also your Combat Advantage Damage. If that wasn't good enough, "Bold" increases your resistance to Crowd Control (CC) by 10% - all in all making for a very nice combination.

Human - First things first, it offers a Defence increase by 3% - this race also offers +2 to any Ability Score which is a win - this is awesome, throw, those +2 points into either CHA or STR - both are good, viable options. Lastly, Heroic Effort offers 3 additional feat points. This is extremely unique to this Race, and part of what makes it potentially one of your better choices for a PvP spec.

This Colour represents / signifies a Secondary Attribute.

This Colour represents / signifies a Primary Attribute.

What's the difference between a Primary and Secondary Attribute? Primary means what the game labels as "most important" and the Secondary Attributes are what the game labels as "next most important". Any stats not highlighted Purple or Blue probably aren't that valuable or useful for your class.

Ability Scores

Ability Rolls luckily are pretty straight forward for the most part and offer a bit of space to play around in, as all 3 stats are beneficial in their own sense.

Since we're aiming towards Executioner, you'll likely want to take Strength & Charisma. Strength will increase your DPS Output and your Stamina Regeneration, while Charisma will increase your Deflect Chance and Combat Advantage Damage (another DPS Output buff).

Strength - Contributes to Stamina Regeneration, Damage output, and DoT Damage Resistance (DoT = Damage Over Time). Mostly you're wanting this for the Stamina and most certainly the Damage Bonus. Damage all the way! This is an important Ability. Executioner focuses on dealing high damage, and also require lots of Stamina due to the fact you'll be dodging your opponents attacks often and hopefully not trying to take them head on.

Dexterity - Contributes to Critical Chance, Deflection Chance and AoE Damage Resistance (AoE = Area of Effect). From this stat you're mostly going to be interested in the Critical Chance and Deflection Chance - but mostly the Critical Chance, as it also is going to help increase the damage you dish out in PvE. This Ability is mostly geared towards PvE builds, and in certain Saboteur PvP builds, but generally most PvP builds do not suggest Dexterity as Critical Chance isn't very useful in PvP.

Charisma - Contributes to Deflection Chance, Companion Stat Bonus and a Combat Advantage Damage Bonus. All 3 of these are rather useful actually, mostly the Deflection Chance and the Combat Advantage Damage Bonus though. Mostly geared towards the Executioner "One Shot" build which focuses on taking your enemy out in a single lethal blow. While stealthed, you gain Combat Advantage - and Charisma offers an increase to the bonus damage you deal while you have combat advantage - making your attacks that much more lethal. This stat also offers Deflection Chance which is an important defensive stat to increase.

Stats

1. Power - All in all, the name of the stat says it all. Power increases your total DPS output, and you want to destroy your opponent before your opponent destroys you. So having more power and dealing more damage, will ultimately result in you (hopefully) taking down your opponent first instead of the vice versa.

2. Recovery - This over all increases your Action Point Gain, and also reduces the cool downs on your Encounter Powers. More Recovery means Daily Power's can be used more frequently - and you're going to revolve a lot around throwing down the Daily Power Bloodbath, so having high Recovery will be vital.

3. Deflection - Your goal in PvP is honestly to stay alive! I mean, realistically speaking, what good are you if you're dead? Raising your Deflect will definitely help keep you alive. If possible, its great to have 40%+ Deflection Chance.

• Defence can be good as well, but it can also be broken through with high Armour Penetration and don't think you're the only one who's going to have High Armour Pen - most likely every single opponent is going to as well.

Armor Penetration is a very debateable stat. Some will say you absolutely need it, some will say you absolutely don't. I used to run Armor Penetration for the sheer security of knowing I can break player's defenses without depending on a single feat, and a single daily power. I did try running without the Armor Penetration, and to be fair, it didn't make a huge difference, meaning it really isn't entirely necessary. I would still run 3k-5k just for that extra little boost in addition to the Exposed Weakness feat, but it's honestly up to you and your preferred playstyle.

Critical Strike isn't all that useful. Currently, your Critical Hits can and will potentially deal the same damage as than your non-crits. This is due to the PvP Modifier that causes your Critical Hits to deal 40% less damage. This renders this stat basically ineffective in PvP. The "extra damage" gained is so far from being worth it.

Life Steal does not work well in PvP at all. It can be nice to have some, but generally the Heal > Damage ratio doesn't fit the picture. You don't deal enough hits / ticks for Life Steal to proc frequently enough to be purposeful. Sad reality of the stat. As well, thanks to the PvP Modifier once again, your incoming heals (including Life Steal) are reduced by 50% - meaning you're only getting 50% of your Life Steal.

Regeneration while it's entirely useless in PvE, Regeneration actually serves a purpose in PvP! TR's have that flexible option to stealth and run away with their tails between their legs if things are taking a turn from the worst. Once "out of combat" and away from your opponent, Regeneration kicks in and starts to heal you - meaning you can hide off in a corner and get back up to full HP no problem.

Movement increases your run speed and run speed does have its perks in PvP but it doesn't necessarily help you offensively. It's more of a convenient defensive stat more than anything else.

Health Points can be good to have considering quite a few buffs depend on your Max HP, not your base (unbuffed) HP. I wouldn't go around prioritizing it though, it's a win if you get extra but it's not a loss if you don't.

This Colour represents Heroic Feats

This Colour represents Executioner Feats

This Colour represents Saboteur Feats

These are the PvP Executioner Feats you'll want to select. If you have suggestions let me know, I'm more than open to them.

• Heroic Feat Points

Action Advantage 4/5 - Action Advantage grants 2/4/6/8/10% bonus Action Points for dealing Combat Advantage - in other words straight out of stealth. This means you can use a daily power more frequently, so this is definitely a win to have.

Toughness 3/3 - This feat increases your over all health points by 3/6/9%. The more health points, the more damage you can take technically making it less likely to get 1-shot.

Cunning Ambusher 3/3 - This feat grants 2/4/6% bonus damage upon leaving Stealth. Considering you're trying to take down your opponent with a powerful Shadow of Demise - having a bonus 6% damage while your opponent is under its effect is a pretty sweet deal.

Twilight Adept 4/5 - This feat restores 2/4/6/8/10% of your Stealth whenever you dodge roll.

Lucky Skirmisher 3/3 - This feat increases your deflection chance by 1/2/3% - so obviously a winning must-have feat.

Disciple of Strength 3/3 - This feat increases the bonus damage STR (Strength) gives you by 2/4/6%. Pretty self explanatory I think - it helps you deal more damage!

Did you take the Human Race and have 3 more Heroic Points to spend? No worries, I've got you covered! If you so happened to take the Human Race and have a few more Heroic Points than I do, I'd suggest throwing all 3 into Endless Assault, as it buffs your Encounter Powers to deal 2/4/6% more damage.

• Paragon Feat Points

• Executioner

Grim Pleasure 5/5 - Whenever you deal a Critical Hit, your Power Rating is increased by 1/2/3/4/5% for 4 seconds.

Visual Persuit 5/5 - When you deal damage, your target takes 1/2/3/4/5% more damage from you for the following 6 seconds (but this buff is always up!)

Deathknell 5/5 - Increases your damage to enemies/foes below 30% health. Doesn't sound fantastic but can make the difference between kill or no kill in PvP - adding this in with Last Moments, it's a large damage buff to opponents you have close to death.

Last Moments 5/5 - This is a really nice damage buff. When your opponent, is below 40% health, you deal 5/10/15/20/25% more damage to them. While stealthed, this buff takes effect when your enemy is below 70% health. This can be extremely useful in PvP.

Shadowborn 5/5 - This is an important feat - Entering stealth increases your Power Rating by 20/40/60/80/100% on your next attack - since you're aiming towards that single deathly blow, this works amazing for this build.

Exposed Weakness 5/5 - As I stressed out earlier, building up Armour Penetration to ignore your enemies defences is a huge asset. This feat actually lets you ignore 5/10/15/20/25% of your opponents Armour (Damage Resistance) - so of course this is a must-have. As I said, there is no cap on Resistance Ignored.

Shadow of Demise 1/1 - Basically, when you use an Encounter Power on an enemy while stealthed, Shadow of Demise will proc. The total damage you deal within the following 6 seconds is totalled, and when 6 seconds are up, the enemy who you targeted with Shadow of Demise, takes an additional massive hit for 50% of the total damage you dealt in those 6 seconds as Piercing Damage - which means it cannot be deflected or ignored - SUPERIOR Feat for PvP.

• Saboteur

Shady Preparations 5/5 - Upon entering Stealth all your power's cool-downs are reduced by 10%, allowing you to deal Encounters sooner than they originally would. Once you get familiar with this you can start casting Stealth with 2-3 seconds left on your cool-downs and just cast away, as this Feat will eliminate the rest of your cool-down period.

Knife’s Edge 5/5 - Similar to Shady Preparations, except instead of stealth, it's the use of a Daily Power that reduces your cool-downs by 15%. Again, allows you to cast powers sooner.

This Colour Represents Daily Powers

This Colour Represents Class Features

This Colour Represents Encounter Powers

This Colour Represents At-Will Powers

Powers

There's a lot to cover for which powers you should focus on using. The main ones you will be working with are Bloodbath, Shocking Executioner for their Daily Powers, Infiltrator's Action, Invisible Infiltrator, Talisman of Shadows, Oppressive Darkness for Class Features, Smoke Bomb, Impossible to Catch, Deft Strike, Lashing Blade, Dazing Strike for Encounters, and Sly Flourish, Cloud of Steal for At-Will's. Here's a basic explanation of what Powers I've ranked up, and why I suggest ranking them up. I'll explain the rotations at the end of these;

• Powers
  

Cloud of Steel (4) - I've ranked this up to 4 because it's a good quick ranged At-Will attack. It's actually the only ranged At-Will you'll have following the Master Infiltrator path. It can be extremely useful when in a position where you can't afford to play melee (close combat) or if your opponent is trying to run away from you.

Sly Flourish (4) - Another really great At-Will attack. Sly Flourish also gives whats called Broken Armor, which is if in the event you finish the powers combo, the target takes 5% more damage from all sources - can pose to be well worth the while. All-in-all though, it's the speed it casts at and the flexibility to be freely interrupted whenever necessary that makes it a winner.

Deft Strike (4) - You teleport behind your target and it has a range of 60' - which increases to 80' while stealthed. However, it's best to Teleport behind your target first and then enter stealth immediately. That way you activate Shadow of Demise from a safe distance and still get to remain in stealth, allowed you some freedom to position yourself for your next attack.

Impossible to Catch (4) - Basically, you dodge your enemies attacks making you untouchable, gain 50% Damage Resistance and become completely immune to any further control effects. At Rank 4, this buff lasts for 5 seconds. The cool-down for it is 10 seconds, sometimes 9 in combat with buffs - so over half the time. You can empower your defences with this buff majorly. Impossible to Catch does not activate Shadow of Demise, period.

Smoke Bomb (4) - Smoke Bomb dazes opponents just like Dazing Strike, but deals DoT (Damage Over Time) and is also a AoE (Area of Effect) attack. On a critical hit, this Encounter can deal some really nice damage. When used from Stealth it does add a Slow effect as well, which works great for PvP. Note: Smoke Bomb doesn't activate Shadow of Demise the same way other Encounters do. You have to activate Stealth AFTER casting Smoke Bomb, while Smoke Bomb is still actively dealing damage-over-time to trigger Shadow of Demise.

Lashing Blade (4) - Lashing Blade is probably your highest hitting Encounter Power out there. Great for any rotation, as the damage is high and a hard hit is what you really need and want. This power also procs Shadow of Demise from Stealth.

Dazing Strike (4) - Dazing Strike has a short cooldown, dazes your opponent, and also procs Shadow of Demise when cast from stealth. All in all, very useful when combating melee builds/players. 

Bloodbath (4) - You flash around the battlefield damaging several foes - the main reason we use this in PvP though is because you basically more or less become Immune to damage for several seconds. You move so quickly its impossible to be targeted.

Shocking Execution (4) - Shocking Execution deals a high amount of piercing damage which cannot be deflected or ignored - making it perfect for a single brutal blow your opponents can't help but take. While it proves fairly useless in PvE, it gains it crown in PvP without a doubt.

Infiltrator's Action (4) - Whenever you use a Daily Power, you gain Combat Advantage for 20 seconds. Having Combat Advantage, means you deal extra damage. Daily Powers should be cast extremely frequently, so this buff should be up literally every second of combat.

Invisible Infiltrator (4) - This Feat restores your Stealth Meter upon casting a Daily Power. This can really help you during your Shadow of Demise rotations, and other situations. You'll actually depend on it a lot for your rotations, as the extra Stealth Bar fill allows you to cast with a guaranteed Critical Hit. As well, your Damage is increased by 5% for 5 seconds.

Talisman of Shadows (4) - When you enter stealth, you daze nearby opponents for .5 seconds. This works really great when you're using the Deft Strike>Stealth combination, because you still get to stun your opponent, even if its only for half a second. That's all the time you need to set up your next attack. 

Oppressive Darkness (4)  - Pairing this with Infiltrator's Action bodes well. This feat buffs your at-wills and encounter powers with additional piercing damage - meaning this extra tuft of damage cannot be deflected or ignored. Win-win situation. I often prefer to pair IA with this.

• Rotations

Rotations will vary depending on the circumstances of your battle; In PvP the tables can be turned easily, and unexpected twists are common. So sometimes, you have to play based on the circumstances of battle and break rotation.

Every class, every build, every style, every... anything, requires a different set up. If you watch the best PvP Players doing their thing, you'll notice they constantly are switching up powers as they move from one opponent to another - sometimes they're even switching up Enchantments, Gears, Insignia Bonuses - you get the gist. You have to move fast though.

I'll list below a very rough idea of 2 of the main set ups and rotations I personally use in PvP, but these aren't definitive - things will get changed as things happen, so by no means are these the rotations you'll use in every scenario - things changed, things mix up, you'll learn with experience.

Ranged - ITC > Deft Strike > Stealth > Lashing Blade > Bloodbath / Shocking Execution > Dodge Roll > Cloud of Steel > Dead.

Melee - ITC > Stealth > Lashing Blade > Deft Strike > Shocking Execution / Bloodbath > Fall Back (Run/Dodge) > Cloud of Steel > Dead.

Boons

For boons, I suggest focusing on prioritising Power, Armor Pen, Deflection, and Recovery where you can. As mentioned on the Intro, these are the main stats you'll need to invest in. Below is a list and preview of all the selected and suggested boons:

Frosty Demeanor - 2% Control Resistance & +1000 HP.

Hardy Constitution - +400 Stamina Gain & 2% Everfrost Resistance.

Icy Wrath - Chance when taking damage to gain up to +2000 bonus damage on your next attack.

Glacial Strength - +3200 HP & 2% Everfrost Resistance.

Frozen Reflection 2/3 - When you Deflect an attack, you deal up to 6000 damage back to your Attacker.

The final boon has 3 extra points to be distributed among the final boons; you can either increase the potency of one, or choose more than 1 final boon.

Legion's Valor - +250 Power & +250 Critical Strike when flagged for PvP.

Vanguard's Resolve - Players who strike you grant you +400 power for 8 seconds. You may only gain +400 per player (Max 2000)

Versatile Warrior - You gain +400 Power and +400 Recovery whenever an ally or enemy within 25 ft of you is flagged for PvP.

Dark Fey Hunter - +400 Power.

Fey Elusiveness - +400 Deflect.

Elven Haste - Gain Action Points 3% faster.

Elven Tranquility - Grants a chance to heal 20'000 HP when struck by a foe.

Elvish Resolve - Your Stamina regenerates 10% faster in combat.

Reliquary Keeper's Strength - +250 Power & +250 Movement. Take Conjurer's Gambit if you think you need Critical Strike more than you need Power.

Illusory Regeneration - +400 Regeneration

Illusion Shimmer - +3% Deflection Chance

Enraged Regrowth - Grants a chance to heal 20'000 HP when struck by a foe.

Augmented Thayan Bastion - When taking damage, has a chance to generate a shield that absorbs 10'000 Damage and redirect it to a nearby Foe.

Encroaching Tactics - +400 Combat Advantage Bonus.

Refreshing Chill - +400 Stamina Gain.

Sleet Skills - +2% Critical Severity.

Cool Resolve - Gain up to 2000 Power based off how much Stamina you're missing.

Rousing Warmth - Chance when healed to gain 3000 bonus damage on your next attack.

Primordial Might - +400 Power & +1600 HP.

Primordial Regenesis - +400 Life Steal and +1600 HP.

Drow Ambush Tactics - Combat Advantage Damage is increased by 10%.

Dwarven Stamina - Regain Stamina 5% faster.

Abyssal Strikes - Deal +10% more damage to demon-type enemies. (Doesn't do anything in PvP)

Dragon's Claws - +400 Power.

Dragon's Shadow - +400 Deflect.

Draconic Armorbreaker - +400 Armour Penetration

Dragon's Blood - +400 Regeneration.

Dragon's Fury 2/3 - 5% increased Critical Severity.

The final boon has 3 extra points to be distributed among the final boons; you can either increase the potency of one, or choose more than 1 final boon.

Abyssal Siphoning - 5% Life Steal Severity.

Demonic Influence - +400 Combat Advantage Bonus.

Demonic Swiftness - Gain Action Points 3% faster.

Displace Fate - When below 30% HP you gain a shield increasing damage resistance by 60% for 3 seconds.

Wave of Force - +300 Power & +2000 HP

Earth's Renewel - +400 Regeneration & +2000 HP.

Blazing Resilience - +400 Recovery & +2000 HP.

Wall of Wind - When taking damage you have a chance to heal for 24'000 HP over a few seconds - After this effect is done you gain +1000 Recovery for 10 seconds.

Aura of Despair - Upon killing an enemy, emit an Aura that stuns up to 5 players / enemies within 25 ft for 4 seconds.

Fiery Frenzy - +2% Critical Severity & +1000 HP

Soothing Zephyr - +500 Recovery & +2000 HP

Planar Vitality - Whenever you deflect an attack, regain up to 8000 HP.

Tyrant's Terror - 1000 Power, 1600 HP

Lingering Curse - Chance on hit to apply Lingering Curse. When a target affected by Lingering Curse dies, it explodes dealing 30k Damage to a nearby foe, applying Lingering Curse to them as well.

Let's note  that for the Stronghold Boons, they're 100% dependent on the progress of whichever guild you belong to.

These Colors state whether the item is Rare, Epic or Legendary

This Color describes what stat or bonus the item gives

This Color describes how to obtain the item

This Color describes any set bonuses associated with the item

Gear & Enchantments

You probably saw the gear I use in the Intro by now, and maybe you have some questions, and that's cool. Since Tenacity was removed from the game, PvE Gear became very viable in PvP Combat. I mostly focused around gear that offers up Power, Recovery, Defence or Deflection. These pieces of gear are very easy and rather free to obtain as well, which is part of the reason I run with them, as I am mainly a PvE player - and honestly, they don't make a huge difference of whether you're using these pieces, or something generally considered better, or best in slot.

With time, I would totally suggest the Strategists Gear from Kyrian Foss in the Trade of Blades in Protector's Enclave - you can buy this set with Glory. Not much else to add or comment on!

Straight to the point:

• Head - Batiri Shaman Mask
  • (HP, Power, Recovery, Defence, Regeneration)
  • (Chultan Hunts)
  • (No Set Bonus)

• Armor - Pilgrim Raid Khaftan
  • (HP, AC, Power, Recovery, Defence)
  • (Tarmalune Trade Bar Store)
  • (No Set bonus)

• Arms - Hullsnapper
  • (HP, Power, Deflect, Defence)
  • (Chultan Hunts)
  • (No Set Bonus)

• Feet - Shadewalker's Assault Boots
  • (HP, Power, Recovery, Defence)
  • (Seals of the Protector)
  • (No Set Bonus)
  • Why? Because not many other boots aside from Primal give Power/Recovery. Don't judge me.

• Weapons - Titansteel Dagger & Stiletto
  • (Power, Critical Strike, Recovery)
  • (Masterwork Professions or Auction House)
  • (2/2 Set Bonus - You and any allies gain; +2% Outgoing Damage, +2% Outgoing Healing, -2% Incoming Damage (no cool downs or procs necessary). This Bonus also stacks for every member that also uses MW2 Weapons, and can stack a maximum of 5 times.

• Neck - Company Raider Cloak
  • (+2 INT, +2 STR, Power, Recovery, Armour Penetration)
  • (The Outfitter in the Stronghold, Costs 6500 Guild Marks)
  • (No Active Set Bonus)

• Ring 1&2 - Scintillant Executioner Ring
  • (Power, Recovery)
  • (Mastercrafting or Auction House)
  • (No set bonus)

• Belt - Greater Girdle of Strength
  • (+4 STR, Power, Deflection, Armour Penetration)
  • (Lockboxes, Auction House)
  • (No Active Set Bonus)

• Shirt - Greater Everfrost Undercoat
  • (+3% Everfrost Resistance, HP, Defence, Life Steal)
  • (Storm King's Thunder Campaign Store)
  • (2/2 Set Bonus - When Player has more Deflect than Life Steal - Whenever you Deflect an attack, every successful Deflect in the following 10 seconds returns 50% of the incoming damage back to the attacker. This damage cannot exceed 15% of your Max HP)

• Pants - Greater Everfrost Trousers
  • (+3% Everfrost Resistance, HP, Defence, Deflection)
  • (Storm King's Thunder Campaign Store)
  • (2/2 Set Bonus - When Player has more Deflect than Life Steal - Whenever you Deflect an attack, every successful Deflect in the following 10 seconds returns 50% of the incoming damage back to the attacker. This damage cannot exceed 15% of your Max HP)

For Enchantments its basically worked like this:

• Utility - Dark Enchantments - This is what I recommend anyway, don't mind what I'm actually using.
  • (Movement)
  • Why? Great for additional movement!

• Defense - Silvery Enchantments
  • (Deflection)
  • Why? Great way to build up Deflection, and Deflection will definitely help keep you alive in a PvP match. Deflecting an attack doesn't just ignore the damage entirely for you, but it also inflicts damage back to the opponent.

• Offense - Cruel Enchantments
  • (Power)
  • Why? They give Power and Recovery! Two most important stats, you gain more of both by using Cruel instead of Radiant/Silvery.

• Overload - Anything can go here in my opinion. The Stronghold offers some good PvP Marks - definitely worth looking into.

• Armour Enchantment - Soulforged Enchantment.
  • (You resurrect upon dying - it does have a cooldown though!)
  • Why? Automatically revives you from death - gives you a chance to cower away if you desperately need to.

• Weapon Enchantment - Unparalleled Feytouched Enchantment 
  • (Deal an additional 28% damage, siphons away 20% of your targets damage which is converted into damage for you)
  • Why? Big damage increase for you, and a big damage debuff on your enemy!

For Reinforcement Kits I use:

• Head, Armour & Boots, Arms - x4 Major Power Armour Kit
  • (+200 Power)
  • (Lvl 25 Mailsmithing or Auction House)
• Neck, x2 Rings & Belt - x4 Major Action Point Gain Jewel
  • (+100 Action Point Gain)
  • (Lvl 25 Jewelcrafting or Auction House)
• Shirt & Pants - x2 Greater Everfrost Resistance Kit
  • (+5% Everfrost Resistance)
  • (Storm King Thunder's Campaign Store or Auction House)

Here are some Alternative Suggestions I'd recommend checking out as well!

To replace the Head/Armour/Arms/Feet gear you can always aim for either the Hunts of Chult Gear (via Tarmalune Bars if you have VIP) or the Pilgrim Set (via Tarmalune Bars if you have VIP).

• Want to know more about the Chult Gear? Click Here!
• Want to know more about the Pilgrim Set? Click Here!

To replace the Titan steel Weapons you'll want to either craft of buy the Chult Wootz Weapons. If you're on PC, I can craft them for free for you too. Just find me in-game, Enyo@Yopuko!

• Want to know more about the Wootz Set? Click Here!

To replace the Rings I would highly suggest either the Ostorian Rings (purchased with Seals of the Protector, 300 Each), League Rings (via Crafting or Auction House) or any of the Power/Critical Strike +4 or +5 Underdark Rings (chance to drop from Demogorgon, Throne of the Dwarven Gods, or Prophecy of Madness raids).

• Want to know more about the Ostorian Rings? Click Here!
• Want to know more about the League Rings? Click Here!
• Want to know more about the +4 or +5 Underdark Rings? Click Here!

Need to replace the shirts or pants? Well, the Drowcraft Shirt & Pants are (typically very cheap to buy off the Auction House) and would be my #1 suggestion otherwise. Apart from them, the Gemmed Exquisite Elemental Tunic & Pants would be my only other suggestion (can be crafted via Rare Lvl 25 Leatherworking Tasks).

• Want to know more about the Drowcraft Shirt & Pants? Click Here! - and be sure you look under "Undergarb (Trousers) for the Trickster Rogue ones!
• Want to know more about the Gemmed Exquisite Elemental Tunic & Pants? Click here for the Shirt or Pants. 

This Colour represents Mythic quality (Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythic)

Artifacts

Looking into Artifacts now, I'd suggest the following;

Sigil of the Devoted - Sigil of the Devoted should be your Primary Artifact you use in Combat. It grants you 100% of your Action Points over 15 seconds, and gives Power and Defence.

Sigil of the Hunter - This artifact grants Power, Recovery and Stamina - 3 stats which are fairly vital to this build. I never use it as my primary artifact in combat.

Eymbol of Fire - The Symbol of Fire offers Power , Defense & Recovery - again, stats you'll want to have. Not to be used as a Primary Artifact, but its stats are very beneficial.

Symbol of Air - The Symbol of Air offers Power & Recovery - again, stats you'll want to have. Not to be used as a Primary Artifact, but its stats are very beneficial.

Looking for something an alternative, maybe something more affordable? Here's a list of a few artifacts you can take a look at as well;

Symbol of Fire (Power, Recovery, Defense)

Tiamat's Orb of Majesty (Power, Crit, Recovery, Armor Pen, AP Gain)

Tome of Ascendance (Power, Defence, Deflect, Life Steal)

Apocalypse Dagger (Power Deflect, Companion Influence)

Heart of the Red Dragon (Power, Defence, Regeneration)

Heart of the Black Dragon (Recovery, Armour Penetration, AP Gain)

Thayan Book of the Dead (Power, Armour Penetration)

Oghma's Token of Free Movement (Defence, Deflect, Control Resistance)

Sigil of the Guardian (Defence, Deflect, AoE Resistance)

Sigil of the Scourge (Power, Deflect, Stamina)

Companions

Quick Word of Advice

Please note - You cannot use Companions in Domination PvP - and you do NOT gain the Active Companion Bonuses in PvP either! Only in Open World PvP in places like Icewind Pass or Dwarven Valley can you use your companion in PvP. As well, These are viable Companions for PvE and I use this set up in my PvE builds actually, just with a few changes to my Summoned Companion.

The Air Archon - Your Summoned Companion

• The Air Archon's Active Bonus grants you a 5% damage buff to enemies NOT at full health - so basically the entire combat. The Air Archon also grants x3 Offence Slots making it perfect for using with Bonding Runestones. It's base stats are Power, Critical Strike and Armour Penetration.
• Lockboxes or Auction House

This is my main summoned companion. It currently sits at Legendary Quality and it equipped with x3 R14 Bonding Runestones, x2 Loyal Commander Rings, x1 Loyal Master Necklace. I have R14 Radiant Enchantments placed in the Offence Slots of the Loyal Companion gear, as well as R14 Silvery Enchantments placed in the Defence Slots of the Loyal Companion Gear. Here's a detailed breakdown about my Companion's Gear & Enchants:

• x3 Bonding Runestone, Rank 14 
  • (Power, as well as Companion's Gift which grants 65% of your Companion's stats to you for each Bonding Runestone Equiped - Totals to 195% of summoned Companion's stats)
  • (Lockbox or Auction House)
  • Why is this important to have? For example, my Archon has nearly 90000+ power - multiply that by 2 because remember, I'm getting close to 200% of it's stats, and that's 18'000+ Power straight up. That's just power, add in other stats like Recovery and Armour Penetration and this makes for one mean, overpowered mix.

• x2 Ring of the Loyal Commander
  • (Power & Recovery)
  • (No Longer Obtainable in-game - available on Auction House, but for high amounts of AD)
  • Why should I want / use this? These rings are double slotted, x1 Offence and x1 Defence. As well, the gear offers 600+ Power and 600+ Recovery - triple this with Bonding Runestones and it's a huge amount you're gaining from these rings alone - and let's note, that's not even including the Enchantments placed in the Offence/Defence slots
    • x2 Radiant Enchantment, Rank 14 (Offence Slots in Companion Gear)
      • (Power)
      • (Lockbox, Tarmalune Trade Bar Store, or Auction House)
      • Why should I want / use this? These enchantments at Rank 14 give you 1000 Power, and let's face it... you're going to want Power.
    • x2 Silvery Enchantment, Rank 14 (Defence Slots in Companion Gear)
      • (Deflect)
      • (Lockboxes, Tarmalune Trade Bar Store, or Auction House)
      • Why should I want / use this? These enchantments give Deflect and honestly in PvP you want Deflect. If you wanted more Defense as well, you could also choose Azure Enchantments instead of Silvery Enchantments - both would be viable options.

.

• x1 Necklace of the Loyal Master
  • (Power & Armour Penetration)
  • (No Longer Obtainable in-game - available on Auction House, but for high amounts of AD)
  • Why should I want / use this? Like the Loyal Commander Rings, the necklace is also double slotted - x1 Offence, x1 Defence. Similarly it grants 600+ Power and 600+ Armour Penetration - and this is a huge asset in getting up your Resistance Ignored.
    • x1 Radiant Enchantment, Rank 14 (Offence Slots in Companion Gear)
      • (Power)
      • (Lockbox, Tarmalune Trade Bar Store, or Auction House)
      • Why should I want / use this? These enchantments at Rank 14 give you 1000 Power, and let's face it... you're going to want Power.
    • x1 Silvery Enchantment, Rank 14 (Defence Slots in Companion Gear)
      • (Deflect)
      • (Lockboxes, Tarmalune Trade Bar Store, or Auction House)
      • Why should I want / use this? These enchantments give Deflect and honestly in PvP you want Deflect. If you wanted more Defense as well, you could also choose Azure Enchantments instead of Silvery Enchantments - both would be viable options.

The Erynes of Belial

• The Erynes of Belial's Active Bonus grants you +10% Critical Severity - so more or less your Critical Hits deal 10% more damage. 
• The Scourge Warlock Pack from the Zen Market or Auction House

The Siege Master

• The Siege Master's Active Bonus grants you +4% Increased Damage, and 8% Increased Damage when on the Stronghold Map - pretty straight forward, this companion flat out makes you deal more damage! 
• The Zen Market or Auction House

The Earth Archon

• The Earth Archon's Active Bonus grants you a 6% damage buff when you yourself are at full health - very useful for making that first initial blow, which is what we're focusing on, right?
• Lockboxes or Auction House 

The Fire Archon

• The Fire Archon's Active Bonus grants you a 7% damage buff when to enemies below 50% HP - while the buff doesn't help at the beginning of combat, once your opponents health starts to drop, this helps you out a lot.
• Similar to The Air Archon, The Fire Archon as well grants x3 Offence Slots making it perfect for using with Bonding Runestones. It's base stats are Power, Critical Strike and Armour Penetration, making it one of the most preferable Summoned Companions in the game along with the Air Archon.
• Tarmalune Trade Bar Store, Lockboxes or Auction House

These Colors state whether the item/power is Rare, Epic or Legendary

This Color describes related stats

This Color describes how to obtain the item

Mounts & Insignia's

I'm fairly fortunate to have a Tenser's Disk mount. In the image above you can more or less see my Mount Combat Power, Mount Equip Power and Mount Speed.

• My Combat Power:
  • Tenser's Transformation
    •  For 12 Seconds, Gain 10% Power and 10% Run Speed. Also Gain +2 STR, +2 DEX, +2 CON and +2 Armour Class

• Suggested Equip Powers:
  • Rapid Recovery
    • Grants +2000 / +4000 Recovery
    • Enchanted Courser (+2000)
    • Tenser's Floating Disk Mount (+4000)
  • Armour Breaker
    • Grants +2000 / +4000 Armor Penetration
    • Axe Beak Mount (+2000)
    • Axe Beak Mount (Legacy) (+4000)
  • Dominant Force
    • Grants +2000 / +4000 Power
    • Heavy Twilight Nightmare (+2000)
    • Black Ice Warhorse Mount (+4000)
    • Arcane Whirlwind (+4000)
• Please note there are other mounts that grant these bonuses. I only listed the generally cheapest option, and also the Legendary option. 
• Also note, my main Recommendation is the Golden Swift Lion - however, I currently cannot afford / nor been able to obtain one.

These Colors state whether the Mount or Insignia is Common, Rare, Epic or Legendary

So what is an Insignia and what do they do? 

Insignia's more or less are like applying Runestones to your Companion, or Enchantments to your Gear - just instead it's applying Insignia's to your mounts, and if you match them right, you can get a type of "set bonus" known as an Insignia Bonus. You will notice I have Epic Insignia's on my mounts - you do not need Epic Insignia's in order to obtain an Insignia Bonus from your mount - any rank of Insignia will work, be it Common, Rare, or Epic. 

How can I get an Insignia Bonus then?

There are 5 different types of Insignia's - Crescent, Barbed, Enlightened, Regal, and Illuminated. By mixing / combining those types of Insignia's, you can get an Insignia Bonus. For example, as you can see below, x1 Illuminated and x2 Barbed create the Artificer's Persuasion Insignia Bonus. Also note that mounts, like gear and companions, come with pre-set slots. Depending on the quality of the Mount (Common, Rare, Epic or Legendary) you'll have more or less "free for all" slots called Universal Slots. Apart from that, Barbed Insignia's can only go in Barbed Slots - and the same goes for any Insignia Type. This also means that while my Dusk Unicorn mount may offer Slayer's Redemption, my Axe Beak mount does not due to the Insignia Slots available - so if you're looking for a specific Insignia Bonus, you need to look for the specific mounts that offer it. I've got a link on the tab called "Enyo's List of Useful Links for Any Player" where you can view all the Insignia Bonus' Specifics.

I would like to note, I recommend Insignia's based around Defence, Deflect, Power, Movement, and Recovery. I don't own all the Insignia's I wished I did. 

Armoured Bulette 

• Barbarian's Revelry - When you deal a Critical Strike, you are immediately healed for 1.5% of your Max HP.
  • Crescent Insignia of Skill (+200 Critical Strike, +100 Combat Advantage Bonus)
  • Illuminated Insignia of Mastery (+200 Recovery, +100 Control Bonus)
  • Illuminated Insignia of Mastery (+200 Recovery, +100 Control Bonus)
• For other Mounts that offer Barbarian's Revelry, Click Here!

.

Tenser's Floating Disk

• Assassin's Covenant - You lose 10% of your Defence, Deflection and Life Steal, and gain the combination of those lost stats as Power. Considering your Deflect should be fairly high, this accounts for a decent amount of free extra Power.
  • • Enlightened Insignia of Mastery (+200 Recovery, +100 Control Bonus)
    • Enlightened Insignia of Mastery (+200 Recovery, +100 Control Bonus)
    • Regal Insignia of Dominance (+200 Power, +100 Companion Influence)
• For other Mounts that offer Assassin's Covenant, Click Here!

Celestial Stage

• Artificer's Persuasion - Whenever you activate an Artifact Power, 10% of your total Power is added to Recovery, Movement, Action Point Gain, and Stamina Gain. Note, you do not actually lose any Power.
  • Barbed Insignia of Evasion (+200 Deflect, +100 AoE Resistance)
  • Barbed Insignia of Evasion (+200 Deflect, +100 AoE Resistance)
  • Illuminated Insignia of Dominance (+200 Power, +100 Companion Influence)
• For other Mounts that offer Berserker's Rage, Click Here!

Skeleton Steed

• Champion's Return - Whenever your HP drops below 50%, you instantly recover 20% Stamina and are healed for 20% of your Max HP over 10 seconds.
  • Illuminated Insignia of Mastery (+200 Recovery, +100 Control Bonus)
  • Enlightened Insignia of Mastery (+200 Recovery, +100 Control Bonus)
  • Enlightened Insignia of Mastery (+200 Recovery, +100 Control Bonus)

• For other Mounts that offer Champion's Return, Click Here!

Heavy Mystic Nightmare

• Gladiator's Guile - Straight and to the point, this Insignia bonus increases your run speed by 15% when your Stamina's above 75%. That's really the only important part you need to know about this Bonus.
  • Illuminated Insignia of Dominance (+200 Power, +100 Companion Influence)
  • Regal Insignia of Dominance (+200 Power, +100 Companion Influence)
  • Enlightened Insignia of Mastery (+200 Recovery, +100 Control Bonus)

• For other Mounts that offer Survivor's Blessing, Click Here!

This is more or less a page of links I think you might find extremely useful and helpful (I know I find them good for myself!) Here's the list:

Enyo's Back To The Basics Guide - I just started this recently, but its basically a large collection of random guides to random things I'm putting together here on Mmominds. Check it out - it might help you out!

Defending The Sword Coast (Map Locations) - We all have trouble with this, lets just face it!

Enyo's YouTube Channel - Just my youtube channel, often post videos of random stuff, but hey, check me out! I've also got a Trickster Rogue Video Guide on there too.

By The People (YouTube Channel) - Really awesome channel that regularly covers all the "Back to the Basics" stuff new players are trying to learn.

Neverwinter Forums - A link to the official Neverwinter Forums. Really great place to ask questions, make suggestions, find guilds or alliances, or just make friends man!

Neverwinter News - Stay in the know-how by regularly checking up on the Neverwinter News!

Neverwinter Wiki - Basically the Neverwinter version of Wikipedia - you can find just about every item, npc, map, quest - everything, on this site.

Neverwinter Character Transfer (Test Server) - I've always had difficulty navigating my way to this page, and a lot of people don't even realise you can transfer your character from the Main Server to the Test Server - but hey, you can! This link'll take you straight to where you need to go!

Insignia Bonus Guide - Trying to figure out what mounts give what bonuses and vice versa? This link will explain everything to you, and I'm not kidding.

Neverwinter Calculator - Great way to quickly share your feat and power set-ups for your class with others - its simple and easy to use.

Sea of Moving Ice Treasure Maps - If you've been to the Sea of Moving Ice, you'll definitely understand the value of this guide for Treasure Hunting - if you don't get it, don't stress it. Preserve your innocence while you can.

Sea of Moving Ice Fishing Maps - Same idea as the last link but with Fishing Areas emphasised instead of Treasure Maps.

River District Treasure Maps - Really useful if you're working towards farming the River District for your Relic Weapons from there.