Conqueror’s Blade Poleaxe All-Purpose Guide

Playstyle Summary

The Poleaxe is a heavy two-handed polearm class built for frontline tanking and crowd control disruption. It specializes in powerful stun and knockdown abilities that disable multiple foes at once. With the heaviest armor available, a Poleaxe hero can soak up damage and anchor the frontline using sheer toughness to hold positions and protect allies. The class can even duel enemy heroes effectively by chaining crowd control to prevent opponents from fighting back. However, Poleaxe warriors pay for their power with low mobility and slow attacks—relying on positioning and timing rather than agility. In summary, the Poleaxe plays as a stalwart frontline disruptor – absorbing enemy pressure, stunning and knocking down enemies, and controlling the flow of battle for the team.

Core Playstyle Highlights

  • Frontline Crowd Controller: Excels at stunning, knocking down, and debuffing enemies in melee. A Poleaxe can disable whole groups of units or heroes with its wide array of crowd control skills.
  • Area Denial & Support: Skills like Weapon Dance provide large AoE disruption (unblockable CC) and debuff enemy damage, making the Poleaxe ideal for holding choke points or objectives by threatening any enemy who steps into range.
  • Hero Lockdown: In 1v1 or small-scale fights, the Poleaxe can chain crowd control on enemy heroes to keep them helpless. Some abilities can keep a hero on the ground for several seconds, preventing escapes or counterattacks.
  • Team Utility: As a frontline anchor, the Poleaxe initiates engagements, disrupts dangerous enemy units (such as cavalry or shield-users), and peels for allies by stunning threats.

Key Skills and Traits

  • Push Back: A 15-second cooldown bash that knocks enemies down with the poleaxe’s haft. Uniquely, it also cleanses you of crowd control effects such as daze or knockdown.
  • Weapon Dance: A wide-reaching AoE smash that cannot be blocked by enemies and knocks back all nearby foes. It slows enemy movement and damage (up to 25% at max level) for 6 seconds while buffing your defenses through stacking damage reduction (up to 35% if enough targets are hit).
  • Lochaber Strike (Ultimate): A multi-hit ultimate combo where you batter a target with a flurry of blows, knocking them down repeatedly. It can hit an enemy up to 5 times, dismount cavalry on hit, and cleanses you of CC when activated.
  • Rough Justice (Alternate Ultimate): A charging single-target combo that impales, knocks down, and smashes a target. Its initial hit applies an uncounterable “Winded” effect, provides forward momentum, and is excellent for disabling a lone enemy hero.

Strengths

  • Unmatched Crowd Control: Nearly every skill offers stun, knockdown, slow, or debuff effects. This abundance of CC makes the Poleaxe extremely valuable in PvP fights where locking down enemies can decide the outcome.
  • High Durability: With the heaviest armor available, you can achieve very high armor and health values (e.g., 850+ armor and ~40k health with good gear). Additional skills like Weapon Dance further reduce incoming damage.
  • Frontline Presence & Team Utility: You act as a frontline anchor, initiating fights and soaking aggro. Your CC can stop enemy charges and interrupt key enemy abilities, providing critical support to your team.
  • Unit Disruption: Your wide swings, such as those from Weapon Dance, are effective at scattering enemy units and disabling groups, which is vital when pushing or defending objectives.

Weaknesses

  • Slow Attack Animations: Heavy swings are inherently sluggish, giving skilled opponents openings to dodge or interrupt. Without effective animation-cancel techniques, a missed swing leaves you vulnerable during recovery.
  • Average Damage Output: While your damage is respectable—especially in combos—it is not primarily focused on burst. You rely on controlling the enemy so that your teammates can capitalize on your setups.
  • Reliance on Cooldowns: Once your CC abilities are used, you have a window of weakness. Efficient skill rotation and teamwork are crucial to covering those gaps.

Recommended Skill Rotation

To play the Poleaxe effectively, chain your abilities for a smooth flow of engagement, lockdown, zone control, and safe disengagement. A recommended sequence is:

  1. Engage: Initiate an engagement when in close range (often following a unit push or as your teammate initiates). Open with Weapon Dance for a sudden, unblockable AoE knockback and debuff, softening the enemy group.
  2. Lockdown: Follow immediately with Push Back or use The Old Billhook (if available) to pull in a target and knock them down. Then, trigger your ultimate (typically Lochaber Strike) to chain additional crowd control and damage.
  3. Zone Control: With enemies stunned or knocked down, use remaining skills (or follow-up basic attacks) to hold the area. If needed, employ additional rounds of Weapon Dance to maintain control.
  4. Escape: When your CC abilities are on cooldown or the enemy begins regrouping, use repositioning skills or rely on your team’s support to safely disengage.

Recommended Gear, and Attribute Distribution

Gear (Armor & Weapon)

Equip the heaviest armor available to maximize your durability. Many Poleaxe players opt for sets like the Fearless Paladin set for endgame; alternatively, a well-rolled Guardsman’s Armour (crafted from Rare Armour Schematics) is a solid choice. For your weapon, use a high-tier poleaxe—your best options include weapons like Punisher or the Great Halberd. When reforging, prioritize bonuses in Slashing Damage and Slashing Armor Penetration, as most of your damage is slashing-based.

Attributes Distribution

As a frontline disruptor, prioritize survivability. Most builds advise stacking health and armor through Toughness and Defense. Aim for high total armor (around 850–900 from gear and attributes) and a large HP pool. Damage stats are secondary, so allocate remaining points modestly into Strength if desired. The mantra: “Stay alive, because a dead tank can’t control the fight.”

Pro Tips for Effective Poleaxe Gameplay

  • Master Animation Canceling: Learn to cancel your slow recovery animations (for example, by dodge rolling immediately after using Old Billhook) to quickly follow up with another skill or attack.
  • Time Your Weapon Dance Wisely: Use Weapon Dance at the optimal moment when multiple foes are within range to maximize its debuff and damage reduction buff.
  • Use CC as Your Defense: Your crowd control isn’t just for offense—it’s your best way to prevent damage. Don’t hesitate to use Push Back to break out of stuns or CC chains.
  • Disrupt Cavalry and Charges: Anticipate enemy mounts and charges. A well-timed stun with Weapon Dance or Push Back can halt a cavalry charge and buy time for your team.
  • Leverage Your Durability: You are the frontline anchor. Play boldly when needed, but also know when to pull back if you’re being overwhelmed.

TL;DR Summary

  • Role: A heavily-armored frontline hero that trades mobility for brute crowd control and survivability.
  • Playstyle: As a stalwart disruptor, you absorb enemy pressure and deliver reliable stuns and knockdowns to control the battlefield for your team.
  • Build Essentials: Key skills include Push Back, Weapon Dance, and an ultimate (Lochaber Strike or Rough Justice). Gear up in heavy armor (e.g., Fearless Paladin set) and a top-tier poleaxe weapon. Prioritize Toughness and Defense over raw damage.
  • Pros/Cons: Extremely tanky and disruptive but slow and reliant on cooldowns. Missing a CC window can leave you exposed, so precise timing and good team coordination are essential.