Posts by Gentleman Xander

  • Xander's Hero Builds

    I think I have reached another peak of team building combinations... I present: "It's a Deathless Run with will only take 1 Healer" kinda team :D

    I know this is probably the most meta team I have played in a while (Mesmer-wise) but at the same time I did switch up some of the Support bars :D

    Mo/Me Healer's Boon will Mimicry UA for some insane heals (I imagine :D).


    As for my own build, I am still very much on the fence what I like to play. One thing is for certain: as long as I am running a Hero MM, I will not be bringing Minion skills. Just sucks too much to get canceled by the Heroes QQ. As for some of the options (or WIPs) I have in mind are:

    For the open slot in each build, I am considering two or all of the options, so that's still undecided. I think my preference will be build 1 (for safety reasons and damage reasons xd).

  • Xander's Hero Builds

    Quote from Rusty_Shackleford

    I appreciate the detailed breakdown! It takes a ton of effort to think deep like that, and helping a random internet person is another level of selflesness! Thank you!


    I’ll be buildcrafting throughout the week and take your recommendations into my team. I’m excited about tackling Tyria with angel wings

    How’s your build crafting going?:) Curious to see what you came up with ^^

  • Xander's Melandhuum Necromancer

    Alrighty!

    So after doing the farm quite a few times... I managed to get all the Claws and Fangs I will be needing! The last Claw was a struggle (decided to just give Zen Daijun Mission a shot; it dropped from like the 4th mob... xD)

    As for how long it took, I kept picking up the trophies to get an estimate of the drop rate... Coincidentally, both Augmented Flesh and Naga Pelts total up to 193 each. The Fangs seemed to drop way more (or my luck for them is better^^) but they totaled at 11, while the Claws I scraped 6 together hahaha

    But... YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS :D

    Also managed to get 4 Purple dyes so far and I have to say, it looks good :^D

  • Xander's Melandhuum Necromancer

    Small update:

    A farm has been found (and created I guess.... this build is quite fun :D)

    For the armor I will be needing 6 Monstrous Claws and Fangs... I thought it would be a while but I did about 6 runs today:

    Already halfway there!

    I got my first Monstrous Claw and Fang making my way to Zen Daijun (took pretty much the same route because I knew that there will be Afflicted and Nagas^^). So it's going quite fast! :D

    This is the build I used:

    OAhjUwGYoSpTjTUBHVbhpBVV7iA

    When you leave Zen Daijun, there should be a Tiger right outside the portal which you can Death Swarm and make a Jagged Horror as your tank for the first group. From there on it's just Life to keep Minions quite well alive, use Spirit Light Weapon on yourself at all times (because melandhuum solo farming can be scary :3), make minions and use Death Swarm to help clean up. EVAS is great skill to instantly take aggro so minions dont die too quick at Afflicted^^

    Also found a blue and purple dye so now it looks less weird xD

  • Xander's Melandhuum Necromancer

    Hello!


    After not really being able to sleep, I think the Gods had truly blessed me this favor.

    For the past few days I have been completing quests to get Trade Contracts in order to get Vabbian Boots for my Necromancer. Trade Contracts are maxed at 27 per character, and you need 7 Trade Contracts per Ruby or Sapphire (and I will be needing 2 of each). It's like they knew.... So the hunt began for the best way to find that 1 Ruby or Sapphire.

    The hunt began during Favor in Holdings of Chokhin HM. Since Ruby Mauls and Jeweled Daggers (among others) drop in Vabbi, I decided to go there for the mob density (I have done a ton of Plant Farming back in the day for max Sunspear title haha). After one (1!) run, I had gotten one pair of blue Jeweled Daggers and a gold Briar Blade with Measure for Measure inscription. I was hesitant but decided to just go for it. I lose the blade, but I found....

    With this little gem (literally :D) I can go and get me some new Boots!


    But now I am starting to get in need of some Dyes because I thought it would be a while (including the Trade Contracts) so I dyed the pants Blue to match the old boots :D...

    And so far, I have picked up one Black and one White Dye ^^ Not gonna help :D


    Next hunt is going to be even rougher I imagine: 6 Monstrous Claws and 6 Monstrous Fangs!

    From my research 🤓I learned that Nagas on Shing Jea Island can drop both (and Naga Bows can salvage into Monstrous Fangs as a bonus) while the Kappa can drop Monstrous Claws (and Monstrous Eyes; I already got 3 of those QQ xd). Easiest way on NM for now is probably degen them down, since I do not have SoS unlocked yet (and I am doing that part together with a friend so I don't want to advance^^). But that's something for another day! Feeling accomplished and fashionably.... fantastick? xD

    (after the Vabbian Boots; feeling very rich haha ^^)

    Fun Hero Facts:

    • Gwen is probably the most stacked at 5/5 Prodigy Insignia's!
    • Melonni is close behind with 4/5 Windwalker Insignia's!
    • I myself am at 4/5 Tormentor's Insignia's which is pretty great (makes Ray of Judgment extra judgmental though QQ)
    • Kahmu and Melonni are now both wielding Shadow Scythes! (picked up a q10 one from the other Torment Treasure while hoping to drop a Ruby or Sapphire and earning tons of $$$$$ ofcourse)
    • This might be the first time in a long time that I am playing and wishing I had an Soul Twisting Ritualist... So far there were 2 very close calls (1HP at the end of the fight when a sudden "lagged" hit just hit me and scared me, and ~20HP from what I could see with -7 Degeneration when I logged off; quickest way for me)

  • Xander's Hero Builds

    Rusty_Shackleford I myself am not a huge fan of Infuriating Heat; but I am not sure how it is now with reduced cast times. I don't like it when Heroes lack behind for casting stuff that isn't necessary out of combat. However, for a full Paraway I'd assume you will be running HR?

    • The Power is Yours will be worth running on a hero with slight to none investment in Motivation so that it will run out before the Hero can use it again. Especially considering you'll be running some kind of Adrenaline boost to the team (Infuriating Heat as you have mentioned, I would prefer Dark Fury as there really is no downside to the skill imo; sure it can get stripped but (1) it does not waste an elite slot, (2) there are quite a few great Necromancer elites that work quite well even with low investment (i.e. Ravenous Gaze for which you need Blood Magic so things like Blood Bond and/or Mark of Fury will help out aswell), and (3) it will not cause Heroes to lack behind for casting it out of combat (if that would disturb you^^). Or even run it on the P/N and you have The Power is Yours and your Adrenaline is fixed (because of The Power is Yours, I would only add Mighty Throw in for this one as Adrenaline skills).

    • Peace and Harmony: I am not sure about how great this one will compare to other spells (again assuming you will be running HR, otherwise some more investment will make them better than PnH in my opinion);

      -> Divert Hexes will remove up to 2 hexes, additionally heals for atleast 31 and remove a condition for each hex removed at 4 Protection Prayers building up to 3 hexes at 12 Protection Prayers (so 8 with HR), while Peace and Harmony will remove up to 3 conditions and hexes (always limited at 3 due to 5 Divine Favor mod) and reduce incoming conditions and hexes by 90% for 2 seconds (which is not very long). Divert Hexes has a 8 second cooldown while PnH has 10 seconds.

      -> Withdraw Hexes would be my other suggestion. On a Paragon Team you are quite vulnerable to certain hexes (think of buffed Spiteful Spirit due to the amount of skills being used and Vocal Minority which will shutdown pretty much all sustain that Paragons rely on. To be able to remove them as quickly as possible helps a lot (which is why I ran 2x Hex Eater Signet because I didn't want to waste an Elite skill for it^^)

    • Finale of Restoration: This is pretty much a must-have in my opinion for a Paragon team. With it, almost anything is possible. I was running 3 copies to ensure there is 100% coverage on all Heroes if necessary (depending on how long it lasts on your build and whether you use cons or not can influence the amount of copies you might want/need).

    • Not on your list, but definitely a skill worth checking out (especially with HR!!):

      Short explanation of the skill: @20 Leadership, if you take damage over 23, you will be healed for the amount over 23. So... Imagine taking 200dmg from a single hit, only to be healed for 177 right after (note; if it one-shots you, you are still dead (not that I have seen it on myself personally considering she is still deathless xd)


    And now my brain is all melted :D

    After long day of work and typing all this stuff (and coming up with the builds) I am beat. Time for some relaxation xd

  • Xander's Hero Builds

    Nomis apologies for the delay, I got caught up in my Melandhuum journey :D


    Anyways, here are the builds:

    1. Physical Team

    Codes

    Me/N Panic: OQRDILonO0gb6QooaJKD2hPB

    Me/ Keystone Illusion (x2): OQBDAboiS/AmOcNIf5ZIgrA9U

    Me/Mo Keystone Smiting: OQNCAszzPAlY9z01zFCEZeA (Drop Strength of Honor for (1) Symbol of Wrath, (2) Smite Hex, (3) Smite Condition, or (4) a Ress of your choosing xd)

    Rt/P Soul Twisting Shouts: OAmjQqgrpOYTnZ406l5gm076N

    Rt/Me Weapon of Remedy Splinter: OAWkEuCGpIyE2GGzQQRl00kDn4yE

    N/Rt Blood is Power Restoration: OAhjQYhsxO3hh2koqKNncjzhJ (Drop Dark Fury for any skill of your choosing if your build does not use Adrenaline)

    2. Caster Team

    Codes

    Me/ Keystone Domination (x2): OQBCIMwzPYHw1Q+muLwQQDA

    Me/N Keystone Curses: OQRCA8xzPgny1Q+T1qKiASA

    Me/P Panic Shouts: OQljIsAqpO0gcwQgIUUNd1Y6N

    Me/Mo Signet of Illusion: OQNCEMwjQlEwBJCaxAy94iA

    Rt/ ST Restoration: OACjQqgboOYTnZ406V9kmTOoJ

    N/Rt Blood is Power Restoration: OAhjEyGKBO3hq64cYGNlmTuLG

    Feel free to swap out heroes from between the two teams. For example, by giving the Me/Mo Signet of Illusion Strength of Honor, it will fit in the Physical Team aswell. There's a lot of flexibility thanks to that skill (you can freely change out any skills on the Signet of Illusion for any situation without really changing their gear or anything).


    3. Now for some player builds:

    3.1 Warrior and Assassin

    Codes

    W/A Hundred Blades: OQcSQ5IT9FGFTN4OXFxgzk0k (Consider running Me/N Keystone with Barbs and Mark of Pain)

    W/D Magehunter's Strike: OQoiExpM5pZUUJy9dBGDOTSTC (Consider running Me/N Keystone with Barbs and Mark of Pain)

    W/D Seven Weapon Stance Scythe: OQojExpzKTi1DYVicfmXxgzk0k

    W/P Seven Weapon Stance Spear: OQkjExljJTi1LYFZXYXFxgzg0k

    A/W Shadow Theft Axe: OwFjMySc1Qk1vlKFRFQFLizk0k (Consider running Me/N Keystone with Barbs and Mark of Pain)

    A/D Shadow Theft Scythe: OwpjMyp86Qk1vlaXNXDYLizk0k

    A/R Crit Barrage: OwJikxjMtYo/E6hrdKtIOT2WC

    A/R Auto Attack Pet: OwJjMidslSGQ6P8G4GfG0Gzk0k (Consider running Me/N Keystone with Barbs and Mark of Pain)

    3.2 Mesmer and Elementalist

    Codes

    Me/N Keystone Conditions: OQRDAcskR/A9UTA7ADC1i3k2k (If running this, it will be very worth having a Me/ run Fevered Dreams and maybe swapping one Keystone for D/A Teardown Jumper)

    Me/N Fevered Dreams Conditions: OQRDEMskR3A9UTAgNDCwl3k2k (If running this, it's maybe worth swapping one Keystone for D/A Teardown Jumper)

    Me/R Psychic Instability Domination: OQJTAYBjHKE6mSGw0xGEuEXE5A

    Me/E Stolen Speed Air: OQZCAMyEcz3Q5gOU4gNIuIOI

    E/ Invoke: OgBCgMzEg2CoSjOU4wnHuIOI

    E/A Shockwave Jumper: OgdUwwEjyfRpOuCjC4OpCwlrg4g

    E/ Water Trident: OgBCw8yU7g6whT6A0wnHuIOI

    E/P Mind Burn Mighty Throw: OglBwGlLMMYLsgVvNTmLSTC (very much worth giving a shot :3)

  • Xander's Melandhuum Necromancer

    Update time!!

    In NF the hardest mission is done: Gate of Madness!

    I started out by capping the first shrine in a corner (that way Shiro follows but Lich will break). After a rough fight (I brought UA for this guy xd; killed my 2 dervs 3 times in total. I got scared every time he jumped on me :3) he finally died. As usual, Lich isn't much of a problem. Since he ended up capping a shrine, just to be on the safe side I recapped it with some heroes while I flagged the dervs on him and killed him without issue^^.

    Oh and ofc Xandra needs to do that flex apparently xD


    This week also included a lot of In-Game Traveling! I think I might be starting my own Merchant Company and shlepping a Yak with me for the wagon! (Prophecies journey was a duo effort with my good friend Baklawa )

    We started our journey in Lion's Arch. From here we made our way to the cold Beacon's Perch.

    From there we went north towards some ice cream shop in an ice cave (very smart; no need for fridges!) that for some reason doubled as a dentist's office. After a short stop for an icicle, the journey continued to Yak's Bend. This is where my desire for a Yak originates. They had so many beautiful ones, but none of the townspeople were willing to tell me if they were on sale.... The journey continues....

    Finally, out of the snow! Such a long walk doing it the normal way.... Still quicker than VQ'ing it all^^ Our first stop was the Courthouse. For obvious reasons! I needed to register myself as a Merchant so I would be able to do business across Tyria. Luckily I had my friend with me, otherwise the journey would have been to lonely without a Yak of my own. Then we went on to Piken Square. We are aiming to loot the Dungeon Vaults for some amazing treasures to take along.. You never know what you may find (especially considering my luck so far :D). Finally, we went to do some sightseeing in Sardelac Sanitarium, Ascalon City and The Great Northern Wall. That's when we decided to call it a night and prayed to Lyssa for some great dreams.

    We woke up nice and fresh, with a bit of an odd feeling. Not sure what that was. Since we were in such a travel mood, we decided to see some more sights!

    Starting off from Beacon's Perch and heading south, it was a LONG, SCARY and somehow a complete nostalgic feeling I was not expecting. Since we started with 6 man (and Baki had to afk quite a bit; which turned it to a 5 man), I was very careful to not overaggro etc. It was a very close call making it to Camp Rankor since 2 patrols walked into me fighting (since it takes a while to kill with limited skills, unruned heroes and 5man ofc) that I decided to press Fall Back and yeet my body through that gate and hope for the best... I don't know how long it took us to get there but I was not really planning on trying it again :D

    After finishing Thunderhead Keep, Baki logged off for the night. I was still aiming to cap the skill I really wanted; Fevered Dreams. I managed to get the boss the spawn in the 2nd spawn location after which I decided to walk back and do the mission and bonus (since path was already very much cleared) until..... a chest..... on the seal blocked Leah after she took about 10-15 steps :) I got what I came for so I just decided to call it a night aswell :D


    Oh... you thought we were done with the update? Think again ^^

    Since I am thinking of getting a certain Ebon Vanguard Skill, I needed the outposts. For the first time in a long time, I got to Longeye's and just followed the story from there (instead of just porting to Doomlore after Against the Charr). Again, felt a bit nostalgic even though it was only for a short duration. After reaching Doomlore, I traveled to Olafstead and made my way to Umbral. Here I was a little afraid... I remember back in the day I got squished by the big rock while fighting hahahaha, but luckily no issues this time. I heard and saw it coming :p Coming out from the other side of the ground hole, I arrived in Vlox's Falls. From there it was a lot of walking through jungles, low water, hills, crossing bridges and tons of weird animals that just kept attacking while I was just minding my own business... Fine with me, they become my (meat) shields in the end, they're just unaware of it yet.

    (wanted Livia :3)


    Now to finish it off with the update for today:

    Builds used for Gate of Madness

    P.S. Dont ask me why there are 2 resses xDDDD

    If someone does ask, they will owe me 10a in-game and it is legally binding since u cannot have read the above and not this!!

    Normal Team (Condi based, not great for Shiro) :D

    I will be changing the 2 N/Mo's soon: N/E Thunderclap Bone Fiend and N/Mo Discord Bone Minion full prot. Just unsure yet :D

  • Xander's Hero Builds

    I think if heroes arent using it as you want, there might be a few things:

    1. not enough adrenaline gain; wont use it or spam it since adrenaline build up isnt fast enough or other skills take priority
    2. Too much cast skills; if they’re not attacking, no adrenaline and no shout:p
    3. Hero AI just isnt great with the power is yours and you’ll be either using it yourself, micro it,or just let hero run it

  • Xander's Melandhuum Necromancer

    I have been part of the discord almost since the start ^^ Might start posting there too:)


    An update:

    First of all, I think I am pretty much set with the hero builds. After a lot of thinking (see player build for an illustration of my process), I think I have all bases covered with the setup^^

    Haven't put in the effort for attributes yet, first things first: I have places to go and skills to get!

    As for the player build, I haven't really decided yet which I would like to atleast start with (SS is more for HM so that won't be the first choice atleast):


    And now what probably most people are interested in... the gameplay progress xD

    Something very..... weird happened to me while playing. After checking out The Marketplace and finishing my groceries, I went for a walk in the peaceful Bukdek Byway. After a few steps I decided to take a breather and enjoy the view until some stranger pushed me through the portal! When I regained consciousness, I noticed that the door was closed shut so the only way was moving forwards. So I went on a little adventure and decided to go see the sights of the Kaineng area until I stumpled upon a beautiful place called Pongmei Valley.... HOW GORGEOUS! However.... same thing happened here. The good old portal and random dude situation. Starting to get tiring.. I know.

    Next time it's a Crab tho;)

    Woops ^^

    In Nightfall the journey also continues further north!

    As for drops, I am finally getting some useful runes and insignia's for heroes (including a 2nd +30hp one; first being the free one from the quest :D).

    This thing happened to fall on the floor while farming. That's why I am considering a Barrage Bone Fiend guy since they will be buffed :D

    And ofcourse a current skill update!

  • Xander's Melandhuum Necromancer

    Alrighty, since I am not sure yet what I want to play quite well yet (I have decided on some sort of discord-based team, but struggling to find something that (1) I would like and (2) that won't get me killed :D For that reason I have started just exploring, just once I have decided what I want, it will be easier to get! :D


    As for the other progress, sadly no new weapons worth mentioning. I did get my first few gold armors while farming with heroes! +3 blood is def best so far, but really longing for that Death Magic ^^. While farming armors, I noticed the points were going pretty.... hard :D


    And here's the exp so far xd:

  • Xander's Melandhuum Necromancer

    Yo!

    Thought it'd start a thread here with some of the progress so far ^^


    So far it's been a smooth (and deathless) Melandrus run. Really fun to play the game like new again (even tho before it felt too slow; now with the recent skill changes it feels very different!).

    Managed to complete all NF missions with Master's Reward! Rilohn was scary but I ran N/Mo with Protective Spirit, Spirit Bond and Resurrect (very necessary to bring there; final boss one shots everyone :D)

    So far I managed to get full set of 60AR, however 3/5 pieces are Faction's Collector's Armor (aka insignia's cannot be used on them). Planning on getting that sorted soon (need to check which materials are the easiest to get). Also still need to decide which build I will play (maybe Discord can be fun with the team I have in mind; see below). But still undecided ofc :D We will see how this will keep going.

    Also something that I have been looking for is a good place to really farm Runes... I thought I had big brain with Fronis Irontoe, but purple/gold armors dont drop there? So I was farming the skales during Assault on Beknur Harbor, but on Necromancer I can't solo it (yet) and with 1 hero the drops are meh... So I don't know what other people have tried? I'm pretty much looking for something guaranteed since u know... attempt to deathless :D

    I've been doing ALMOST all of the quests that I come across or unlock after NF Missions since it's just nice to do and at the same time you grind for stuff that you might eventually need. Had some new experiences so game's still stronk! :D

    This is what I think I want to go out and gather for the team:

  • Xander's Hero Builds

    Alright; more explanation as to why I chose Weapon of Remedy:

    • Wielder's Remedy and Xinrae's Weapon: Sure it seems like a great skill over Weapon of Remedy. However, if I am dropping Weapon of Remedy, what elite weapon will I take? Xinrae's Weapon, like I mentioned before, only steals UP TO a certain amount. On top of that, it does cost 2 more energy and I am already trying to squeeze every drop I have. The 5% maximum damage taken also does very little in general PvE. It would really only use it's full potential when you HAPPENED to be hit by a big hit while you have it on you (also not assuming before the big hit lands, some other mob has auto attacked you and you lose it). Considering this, it does not fit my style personally, since I do want to make every skill count fully.

    • Consume Soul: For this skill to actually do damage, I'd have to invest in Spawning Power to make it count. Considering I am maxed out with attribute points already spent across 5 (6 if you count the Soul Reaping Mod xD) and I am already capped at the ranks I "have" to be at: @8 Inspiration Hex Eater Signet is where you remove hexes from target and 4 adjacent allies (+1 from Conset will negate Weakness if applied); @14 Restoration Magic Life will heal for 7HP per second alive (@13 it's 6HP, and +1 from Conset to negate Weakness if applied); @14 Channeling (13+1 Cons) Splinter Weapon will last for 5 attacks (I felt like the extra healing from Life is more important on a deathless character than 1 extra hit with Splinter Weapon, especially considering I can precast it on part of my team and it will blow everything up).

    • Other Mesmer Skills: I have considering quite a few skills, such as Power Spike, Fragility, Signet of Clumsiness, Shatter Hex, Shatter Enchantment, Power Return, Ancestor's Visage. But all felt lacking compared to what Weapon of Remedy would give me. Weapon of Remedy does 3 things: (1) damage (@15 Restoration 80dmg), (2) heal (80HP), and (3) remove 2 conditions when hit. Since the hero uses it fairly well on players taking damage while using it, it really goes off quite a lot. What also helps is just facetanking AoE damage (that will definitely be outhealed by this team) and the hero will try and save you;). Also note that most of the above mentioned skills would either need investment to count or just function as an interrupt and that's that. With spells like Fragility (if investing in Illusion) have a 5 second CD; which can make energy harder on the build aswell (even more than 10 energy spells with longer CDs). I know Essence Strike might be a bit overkill, but for areas where there is QZ, it can keep it with energy quite well (made possible thanks to all the Motivation from the team^^).


    So yeah, there's that... xD

    ==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==

    As for your question Nomis :

    Assuming you will still be playing HR, there might be a few things you could change. Something based on something like this maybe?:


    Idea is P/R HR Apply Poison will Poison Targets, Me/A spike with Toxic Shock, and pretty much just conditions for the rest to buff it all up :D. I have tested Me/A builds similar to this and they work very well. Just never had a very good poison target skill I wanted to play :D.

    As for optional slot: either Technobabble, "You're All Weaklings!", "Don't Trip!", or "I am unstoppable!" are all great options to take. For something less mainstream, you could always take Spear of Fury for that instant ready for fight attack^^.

    Codes

    P/R: OQKkgmlrJih0Z9sxCmFG9W9GQIAA

    Me/A (x3): OQdTA2w6N6HgnSRkt5NjrJHonC

    Me/P: OQljEsA6pOvASwEYF4h1wcweM

    Me/N: OQRGEKoDVIZHN3Aw2nYQMCLqcwvA

    Rt/Me: OQRGEKoDVIZHN3Aw2nYQMCLqcwvA

    N/Rt: OAhjQgGaIP3hJRVdcKNncXvhJ

    For these builds I assumed you will be playing with Pcons+Cons so I set up the attributes so they will cap beautifully (with +1 from Conset and +4 from HR, Heroes will cap at 15. For player HR will be at +4 after self recast with 9+4 (+1+2 Cons/Pcons) = 16 Leadership +3 -> now 19 Leadership so HR will give +4 for everyone and you are capped out too;).

  • Xander's Hero Builds

    I’ll reply more when I get home but:

    • keystone is definitely good skill to have
    • Esurge is still good elite, but not a fan of the dmg drop; better elites for sure!
    • Psychic Instability is def still worth it. Especially on a mesmer with decent FC (which will reduce recharge time)

  • Xander's Hero Builds

    I introduce "Pokeyway"!

    Notice:

    This team is build around the use of full Consets (and PCons). Without them the team will not perform as it should and/or skills need to be changed out to take that into account (i.e. Increase Attack Speed, Increase Movement Speed).


    If you're playing Deathless, I am not taking any responsibility if you die using this team. Nothing is foolproof xD

    E/P Player

    OglkosMWJbKUuwwwCW9GQIqYuotA

    P/E Thunderclap

    OQalgYJSJeqo7QOkxL4UM0fF3h1w

    P/Me Psychic Instability

    OQWkMgl4ZiuTI8dvgHhF1NMH2DD

    P/Mo Aura of Faith

    OQOk8sl4JimDBpHvgTxvOLMH2DD

    P/Mo Song of Restoration

    OQOk8Ml45iuz6WGvgTxvkQcGWDD

    Mo/P Ray of Judgment

    Owkj4wlpZO+s7xCme7W9x1bxPA

    N/Mo Shield of Regeneration

    OANEQUpW+7UQurrk6mWsqOJ+CA

    Rt/Me Weapon of Remedy

    OAWlIIDY4KukzgtxYLzRYRNHMOre

    The road to the final version

    I'll start off by saying that the process of getting here has been a ton of fun (and only a few close calls which were not great for my heart :D).


    Starting off with Stunning Strike. It was definitely to most "Pokeyway" build you could play with this setup. Sadly it was severely lacking in AoE damage and while the Daze was nice to have, I learned pretty quickly that most mobs just get poked to death quite fast. So I wanted to have some better AoE and pressure while not losing the essence of the Spear! Mind Burn seemed to have to best synergy with the team (very long burning duration for "They're on Fire!"). The only question was the second slot to fill. I tried out Smoldering Embers first since Damage over Time seemed like a nice way to increase the "spike" damage from spear attacks. However the cast time and again the fact that mobs died fairly quickly made it feel like a wasted spot. I really did want to find a great spell that benefits from Exhaustion since Mind Burn will give me plenty :D. Next contender was Lava Font. At first I was quite hesitant since I never really used it. However it proved to be a great fit. While I focus with my spear on targets further away, I can cast Lava Font (with increased range thanks to Exhaustion) that will deal great damage. You might think "won't mobs scatter?" and yes, you would be 100% right! There are a couple of things: (1) the Mo/P has Ray of Judgment, this spell will cause scatter anyways so I wasn't really worried about this; (2) we have some quite great Crowd Control on the team (Psychic Instability on P/Me and Earthen Shackles on P/E) that might (note: might because we're relying on hero AI and they do not always do what we want :D) cause mobs to stay in the AoE for an extended period of time; and (3) if they are running, they are not attacking! This one is quite important since I have this thing next to my name!


    P/E Thunderclap

    Which started out as E/P (to mimic my own player build) I noticed that it was either way to caster-y for me or that it was just lacking overall. Flipped it around for P/E. Much better! The way Paragons work is pretty much the more the merrier. Echoes combined with a tons of Shouts and Chants have great sustain and allows for situations that feel VERY scary (I imagine everyone has had a scary encounter with the Wind Rinders outside of Rata Sum when they first played through Eye of the North.... Most caster-based parties will guarantee a wipe if overaggroed; this team thrived on HM :P). Blind Surge was my first choice of spell; Blind is better than Weakened since there is a huge chance of preventing damage. It definitely worked great, however due to the amount of stuff I wanted to cram into this setup, I ended up going for Thunderclap. It's honestly one of the best Elementalist elites. I had been running 2x P/E with Blinding Surge and Thunderclap but eventually dropped the BSurge for P/Mo Aura of Faith. Great AoE range (recently increased ^^) while also interrupting and inflicting Weakness and Cracked Armor (this is a big one for this team; any foe with Cracked Armor will receive more damage from the pokeys we throw at them).


    P/Me Psychic Instability

    This one has not really changed that much over time. I had always planned to run Psychic Instability on a Paragon since (1) they do not have that many very viable elites to choose from, and (2) with a +5 Fast Casting Spear Mod it takes zero investment while gaining a 3 second KD. I mean what is not to love :D! The only changes have been moving Anthems and Shouts between the other Paragon builds.


    P/Mo Aura of Faith

    Alrighty, previously this was the P/E Blinding Surge. With both Thunderclap and BSurge, it felt very overkill to have both on this team. While changing things around for the N/Mo and Rt/Me, I decided to swap Aura of Faith over to the Paragon. It's probably the best spell you could run on a Dhuum character; it does not only reduce damage taken by 41% but also increases healing by 90% (note: with the amount of healing that is being pumped out by Finale of Restoration and literally any Anthem or Shout ending plus maybe additional healing from those.... Let's just say that it's ridiculous). Adding in Convert Hexes (since energy is not much of an issue on the paragons if they work together) allowed for the N/Mo and Mo/P to drop Hex Removers and opening up slots for better spells^^.


    P/Mo Song of Restoration

    Song of Restoration has been here from the start. It's probably the strongest heal in the game (if you're considering everything: 110HP heal @15Motivation with 8sec CD (Essence of Celerity) and is almost a guaranteed heal for the entire team while only costing 3(!!) energy). Combine this with Aura of Faith and/or Finale of Restoration and you're all set again. Extinguish combined with Purifying Finale (P/E) and Weapon of Remedy (Rt/Me) felt like enough Condition Removers for the team; Purifying Finale can be maintained on pretty much 7 out of 8 party members, Weapon of Remedy is used very well for party members taking damage (and always steals a certain amount unlike Xinrae's Weapon which steals for UP TO a certain amount (aka Weakness will decrease your healing from it and it costs more energy:P) and Extinguish is just great to also have party-wide Condition Remove (plus additional healing if burning is removed).


    Mo/P Ray of Judgment

    Ray of Judgment has been here from the start. Since the increase in damage from the update and the reduction of Casting time from 2 seconds to 1, I felt like I had to try it. Additionally, the Burning from this spell has great synergy with the team. Overall I really cannot complain about this build. From what I have seen so far, this hero will always be guaranteed to be #2 in damage of the team. Combined with Symbol of Wrath (also increased damage and reduced Casting time) this build pumps out great AoE Holy damage while not wasting time to throw some spears in the meantime!


    N/Mo Shield of Regeneration

    As mentioned before, this used to run Aura of Faith. However, after dropping Convert Hexes and moving it over to the P/Mo Aura of Faith, this build had freed up some energy. The choice came down to Shield of Regeneration (10 energy | 8 second CD) and Shield of Deflection (10 energy | 5 second CD). Both looked great, but I already had a favorite before I even decided. Shield of Regeneration gives +9 Health Regeneration (aka 18HP per second) and gives +40 Armor, while Shield of Deflection gives 75% Block Chance and "only" +27 Armor. Considering the fact that Health Regeneration and Armor have more benefits than Block Chance and (less) Armor, the choice was quite clear. With a Conset and Recuperation, it's possible to hit +13 Health Regeneration (capped at +10 but will counter heavy Degeneration very well). Dark Fury is pretty much the key spell on this team. It allows for the Pokeys to pokey very hard and very fast (and in my opinion a much better option than Infuriating Heat as heroes will cast it off CD or as soon as they are out of range from previous spirit and therefore might lack behind and also you'd have to "sacrifice" an elite skill AND a primary or secondary profession, which already does not seem worth it to me for this setup.


    Rt/Me Weapon of Remedy

    This build probably has the most amount of variations I have played, tried, thought off and also erased from existence again. It was very hard to decide what to bring, which would work and also very importantly whether heroes can use the skills effectively. Psychic Instability, Fevered Dreams, Expel Hexes, and Spirit Light Weapon were the options I used before. Psychic Instability was definitely a good fit, but it does lock you in with a +5 Fast Casting Mod while +5 Soul Reaping leaves more room for spells with a higher energy cost. Fevered Dreams didn't feel that great since the target of the Hex would also die pretty quickly which did not leave a lot of room for the Daze to really have that much effect. Expel Hexes seemed like a waste compared to Convert Hexes (higher energy cost but not issue for this team; plus removes ALL Hexes). Spirit Light Weapon seemed to be a dream on paper. Ran it first with Recovery and Recuperation (since I did want 2 spirits to pretty much guarantee the double healing from Spirit Light Weapon) and the theory looked great. However... the hero does not use it consistently enough for me. Sure, when he did use it, you could just see HP bars jumping up like crazy. But the issue was when he did not cast it. Even with "only" 6 skills to really use during a fight (some with decent CDs), I'd expected the hero to use it quite well as a heal. Sadly.. NOPE! So my next option was either Preservation or Weapon of Remedy. While Preservation is a good heal, I did not benefit that much from an elite Spirit as much as an elite Weapon. Weapon of Remedy always steals 76HP, removes 2 conditions upon Life Steal, has a 3 second CD and only costs 3 energy. Plus, the hero actually uses it very well :D!


    Long story short: team is great, spears are great, anthems are great, shouts are great, judgment is great, regeneration is great... but above all: THE POKEY IS GREAT!!!!!