Do most Armsman run these RA's? Considering their defensive nature in 8 man play I assume most spec with the minimum lw1 det5 purge... after this do most run prevent flight and soldiers barricade? Are these considered must haves for the 8 man defensive armsman? He has so many snare / stun tools already is 14 points for PF a tall order , especially at a lower RR?

Whether playing defensively or aggressively, every Armsman should have at least LW2 (because of Alb's endurance issues), Det5, Purge, and SB by RR5. Because their go-to style is a practically unavoidable anytime snare (Crippling Blow), I would consider PF wasted points. After RR5, most will probably start going after Aug Dex RA's, and possibly LW3, depending on how well they can afford End4 Regen pots.

Soldier's Barricade is a fantastic RA that any Armsman would need a VERY good reason to even consider passing it up. And while PF is also a great RA for most tanks, the effectiveness of the Polearm line makes it so that there are simply better RAs for an Armsman to spend their points on.

I concur with everything Aelred says there, he is a wise anglo-saxon! At 4l0 i was det5, purge LW2, and i will add SB at rr5, after that i will indeed go augdex2 MOBlock and prolly MOPain with a little AOMagic also ! PF is awesome and a must must have on a merc, but the anytime snare kinda makes it a tough call for 14 points.

lw1
det5
lw2
soldier's barricade
purge
aug dex2
mopain3
fa2
ip

this would be the order i would go in. if you have all that, consider mopain4 or aom after.

if you are solo (why would you solo on an arms?) then i'd rework it to something like this:

lw1
purge
lw2
fa2
ip
aug con3
avoid pain