Hi all- I have been playing with Fieldfare- my second character as a STR based bird since about level 12 and hadn't seen to many dedicated posts to this particular hybrid. In using it, I have realized it lends itself to a very different blend of Skills, so I thought to start a discussion around it and share some ideas.

I have been a big follower of Splurds guide, but some of the tips in it don't really apply to a Str. Bird, especially as you aren't able to kite and hang back in the same way.



While I am considering a re-spec to tweak things, I have evolved my guy towards this build lately.

Obviously Focus and Blast Shot are crucial, and one of the real plus factors I have noticed with a Battle Bird vs. a Bear Warrior is that alone of the races, our main AOE doesn't knock back opponents, which is really a plus for using hand to hand weaponry. You just keep swinging and don;t have to chase people after a blast. This is really useful when you have auto-attack on, because it can avoids the situation where you knock back an enemy and then get drawn towards one of them- sometimes deeper into a mob that you want to avoid.
The same is true for Avian Scream, and I have boosted mine to 5 accordingly. Being surrounded by stunned enemies is a good thing, since you can keep swinging away with the axe and not have to chase down new targets.
This is also the reason I have avoided either of the thorn spells, since I want enemies to come in close. The other skills I have focused on are mediation and restore, as well as evasion.
One of the good pieces of luck I have had was to get the Frosty Hatchet and it is my main armament for this warrior. The freeze proc. really helps keep opponents close enough to hit, but slows them often enough to help out with reducing their offensive. I also use a hammer sometimes for the same reason, especially if I know I am going into a room or area with just a boss hanging around, since I can focus the hammer on them and get a quick stun on them.

At the moment I am debating the other skills prior to a re-spec. I had tried Shattering scream, but am not sure how great it is (and it doesn't do damage any longer after the most recent update). I have blinding shot at the moment, but almost never use it, and I am considering Break Armor or Repulse instead.

Any other muscle-bound birds out there who want to share some strategies?

cheers all!