Return of Reckoning

Blade Enchantments/ War Bellows are meant to be important parts of the class for Swordmasters and Black Orcs in addition to our 1-2-3 mechanic. I understand the idea that they are not important because two of them for the swordmaster have fallen out of favor under most circumstances.

If you are playing the standard role of tank in an organized warband, you do not actually attack much to trigger enchants. You use prayer of hoeth into sudden shift in order to stay in perfect balance for defensive bonuses via tactics. Then you hold the line, challenge,whispering winds, or gusting winds when called/needed/off cooldown. Guard swap of course.

Actively attacking as a swordmaster actually makes you less survivable because of how perfect defenses and calming winds work. Phantom's Blade does not help you be a super tank. And the few times you do proc a blade enchantment as full defensive, stat steal would provide more use than a self-bubble.

Now there is another defensive role where you are actively attacking. Protection of Hoeth - > Wrath of Hoeth - > Whispering Wings - > Sudden Shift - > Wrath of Hoeth - > Dragon's Talon/Blurring Shock. The reason this rotation is ever called for/used is to proc blessing of heaven tactic and your nature's blade enchant. It is usually when you do not need the SM to HTL because you have sufficient number of SnB tanks (3 per 12 people).

You are, however, correct that no one goes up a path in order to improve that paths abilities. Players choose paths for the tactics and abilities located in those paths. Thankfully, this proposal has not been about the path of vaul, but blade enchantments.

perfect stance tactics are not good.
are you really using it?
I would not recommend your tanking rotations either.
AP cost of WoH is 55, huge.
spam it and you can't use WoDS enough.

PoH - snare,morale drain, parry buff, WoH - dmg debuff, casting increaser, dmg proc, WW, AoE punt.
pick one for right situation.
you don't have time for slacking at perfect stance.

30+ parry, vaul's buffer, impeccable defense, isha's protection, 800tough, WoDS and PB.
there is solid 2h tank. with many debuffs and challenge.
in small scale PB is overkill. then i use NB. in orvr at the vanguard every bit is help. however small it is.

'key skill' word was bad choice.
I just wanted to say
dps SM don't need another tank toy.
tank SM already have enough.

but if all others agree on buffing PB,
there was a suggestion of grp wound buff proc.

Closing.