User:Fdarkness/Build Archive/Build:Vengeful Farmer

A Vengeful Farmer is a Ritualist that employs the elite Vengeful Was Khanhei (VWK). When a foe attacks you through melee or ranged attacks, they lose health for each attack and you gain that lost health. Using Arcane Echo, you can extend the duration of VWK.

Equipment

 * Armor: Oracle's Armor (+10 AL while holding an item) is good. If energy is a problem then Halcyon's Armor.
 * Weapons: Spiritgarden's Repose or anysuch weapon is recommended (but not required). The 20% faster recharge can make VWK recharge even faster. A one-handed weapon and focus with HSR 20% each will even increase your chance of recharging VWK.
 * Any weapon you want to take is fine as the item spell will cancel out any bonus from it except the initial cast.

Usage
This build is optimal for farming groups of enemies that are mostly attackers (warriors or rangers) and that do not have heavy interruption, enchantment removal or spike damage. As such, it can farm a wide variety of areas ranging from the Jade Brotherhood in Kaineng Center to the Undergrowths in Echovald Forest and the Naga in the Jade Sea.

Before encountering foes
 * Before engaging foes, hit Arcane Echo.
 * Go into enemy foes and round them up around yourself. This means taking the melee attackers to the ranged attackers.
 * Invoke Vengeful Was Khanhei. If Arcane Echo starts blinking before you are done rounding up enemies, invoke VWK anyways.
 * Continuously use Vengeful Weapon as it recharges.
 * Invoke Sympathetic Visage and when it runs out invoke Ancestor's Visage (AV). If you fear interruption you might want to cast one of them before you go in. If you do this, make sure to cast them before Arcane Echo.
 * When the first VwK runs out, use the echoed version. By the time the echoed version runs out the original will have recharged.

Counters

 * Groups with interruption will interrupt SV or AV, this is why having both is a good insurance policy.
 * Groups with enchantment removal will remove SV and AV off of you.
 * Bosses are generally very formidable as they do increased damage that, over time, is more than what VWK steals back.

Variants
In the optional slots, a few skills can be used to boost your defense:
 * Elemental Resistance: When facing groups of Undergrowths, Stone Scale Kirin and Dragon Moss. The moss can spike hard using Arc Lightning and Shatterstone.
 * Physical Resistance: When facing warriors or rangers that hit hard (Jade Brotherhood Knights or Naga Archers), this can be used to boost resistance.

Other possibilities include:
 * Channeling for extra energy. However, VWK only costs 5 energy, so the most needed at any time is 15 for VWK and SV or AV. Also note that VWK always comes with it's energy. i.e. When VWK ends, you gain back 10 or more energy which was held back by not using your weapon and/or focus item. So, you should never face a situation where you cannot cast VWK.
 * Generous Was Tsungrai will give you extra health to endure the initial attacks while you make your entrance and then a big healing boost when you switch to VwK.
 * An interrupt if farming foes that use skills that you fear and which you can interrupt. Examples include elementalists and ritualists.

Usage
Leave from Rilohn Refuge. When you spawn cast Physical Resistance, Illusion of Haste run past the beast to Zelnehlun Fastfoot lair. Recast Illusion of Haste run across bridge past spiders to rez shrine wait till they cluster, cross back over bridge. Target Zelnehlun Fastfoot, cast Physical Resistance, Channeling, Arcane Echo, aggro (run into mob of spiders), cast Vengeful Was Khanhei, Empathy on Zelnehlun Fastfoot proceed to cast Vengeful Weapon, Empathy (always on Zelnehlun Fastfoot), Soothing Memories and Vengeful Was Khanhei as needed. Everything should be dead in 1-3 min(s).

Soloable Boss:
 * Zelnehlun Fastfoot

Usage
Accept the quest from the Lost Soul positioned in the center of the starting chamber. In doing so you should be careful not to aggro any of the surrounding creatures. Run back to the platform and cast Physical Resistance, then cast Illusion of Haste, aggro a group of Grasping Darkness and run to the back corner of the chamber. The Bladed Aatxe should discontinue pursuit, the Grasping Darkness will not. As soon as you are out of range of the Bladed Aatxes, immediately cast a visage spell before the Darkness reach you (This may take a few rounds to master, as the speed of the Darkness makes them fairly unpredictable). Let the Darkness hit you a few times (approximately 3-4) and then cast Arcane Echo. You can then cast Vengeful Was Khanhei. Keep one of the visage spells up at all times, and recast Physical Resistance as needed. Vengeful Weapon can be cast intermittently, keeping energy management in mind while doing so. When Vengeful Was Khanhei begins to end, cast the echoed copy. When that begins to end, recast the first. This cycle should take care of any group of Darkness, however the need to resort to Vengeful Weapon to defeat the remaining is likely.


 * Be sure not to aggro multiple groups at a time. One grouping of Darkness will contain three to five of them, and any number after three will cause some of the Darkness to back off and scatter. Groups of three are generally preferred for expedient killing and progression.


 * Starting with the group of Darkness left of the Lost Soul and working your way to the right is advisable. The group farthest right will "float" up and down the steps leading to one of the chambers behind closed doors. Wait until they have reached the Aatxes closest to the steps right of the Lost Soul before aggroing them.


 * If a Dying Nightmare appears, wand it. You can also use Vengeful Weapon to destroy it.

After you have eliminated the grasping darkness, allow yourself time to regenerate energy and health as needed. When you begin your run, start up the right steps, cast Illusion of Haste and "hug" the right wall on your way to the passage around the right corner. Occasionally you will be forced to "bottle-neck" with Aatxes or Darkness coming through the doorway. Attempt to make a straight motion parallel to them, as they will continue heading in the same direction they were pointed for a few moments, thus giving you time to escape any attacks(1). Once you reach the first group of Smite Crawlers any Grasping Darkness following you should then discontinue pursuit.


 * Distortion should be used whenever you need to recast Illusion Of Haste, thus giving you protection from adjacent creature's attacks.


 * (1) Avoiding this is simple, if you time your attempt correctly. Start running from the first chamber and towards the door once the group of creatures in the doorway begin to move away from it. You should also learn to time your run so that you are never forced to recast Illusion Of Haste in a doorway, as this may get you pinned against a surrounding wall by groups of creatures in the area.

When you begin farming the Smite Crawlers your challenge is lessened. Occasionally their Zealot's Fire will put your health in a tricky situation, but it is generally countered once you are able to recast Vengeful Was Khanhei, and/or get your cycle of Visage spells started. The process for killing the Smite Crawlers is identical to the method used against the Darkness, only without the need to wait to cast Arcane Echo, as the Smite Crawlers can not interrupt it. Spamming Vengeful Weapon while fighting against the Crawlers is advisable.


 * Do not engage the Coldfire Nights unless you have eliminated all of the Smite Crawlers and wish to leave The Underworld, or you wish to suffer an untimely, Ectoplasm-less death.

Counters

 * Being attacked by Bladed Aatxes will end your run quickly, unless you avoid them as instructed in the walkthrough.
 * Groups of more than four Smites can actually cause problems for you. Once your VWK cycle is done, if too many are alive, they will kill you with Zealot's Fire.
 * Having a Dying Nightmare remove your enchantments as you make your way to the Crawlers will prematurely end you, as Illusion of haste will end and cripple you. Use distortion and make all attempts to recast Illusion Of Haste should this happen.
 * Fighting the Grasping Darkness on the way to the Crawlers will aggro Aatxes in the area, despite distance.
 * Coldfire Nights are not un-farmable, but have a tendency to kill you very quickly by combination of slowing you, and interrupting your spells with Maelstroms. They do not drop Ectoplasm.