User:Rastamon/buildarchive/Build:Me/W Illusory Forge Runner

The Illusionary Forge Runner is, perhaps, the oddest of Forge running builds. It is optimized for the Beacon's Perch to Droknar's Forge route, but is in principle adaptable for any running situation. By echoing classical Warrior stances, shouts, or hex-removers it is possible to run with greater efficiency and longevity.

Armor

 * Charlatan's Armor (+10 Armor (while enchanted))
 * Rogue's Armor (+10 Armor vs Physical)

Runes

 * Superior or Major Rune of Vigor

Weapons

 * Any one-handed weapon that increases enchantment duration, and energy:
 * 1) Rajazan's Fervor
 * 2) Totem Axe
 * 3) Alternatively: Sword of Enchanting [+5 Energy, +20% Longer Enchantments Mod]
 * A shield with maximum armor (+16) with attribute requirement in Tactics:
 * 1) Grognar's Defender - The Runner's Best Stance Shield Choice.
 * 2) Malinon's Shield - Preferrably the first choice because you stay in Illusion of Weakness most of the time.

Usage
Attention: This build needs a relatively high knowledge of the spawns at Lornar's Pass, and average to high skills at aggroing and evaluating the NPCs' aggro behavior (e.g. Allowing Avicara Guile to cast his last Death Swarm to lower his aggro moral; Worm aggroing). It is not possible to run every Lornar's Pass spawn with; though it is not too difficult to run with a death penalty of 15-30% Dreadnought's Drift and Snake Dance.

General
The Mesmer is an enchantment runner: making him a perfect target for enchantment-stripping foes like Avicara Guiles or Grawls. Try to avoid these groups, and rather run through groups of Ice Golems or Pinesouls. Echoing the skills of your choice is a powerful weapon if used to your advantage. The Mesmer Runner is one of the characters with the worst healing abilities - always stay in Illusion of Weakness. Two or an echoed extra hex-remover round off the build for a reliable Droknar run.

Running Sequence

 * Use Illusion of Haste as your primary running skill.

Echoing

 * Use Echo and duplicate the skill of your choice.
 * Duplicate Balanced Stance for running through the Worm Tunnel or along the Worm Pass. With Echo it is possible to use BS three times.
 * Duplicate "Shields Up!" for extra armor - possible to use three times without a gap then.
 * Duplicate Inspired Hex for an extra hex-remover.

Healing

 * Stay in Illusion of Weakness at all times.
 * Use Healing Signet in safe spots to heal yourself.
 * Use Illusion of Haste for countering crippled.

Countering Hexes

 * Use Inspired Hex or Revealed Hex to remove a hex.
 * Echo one of the hex-remover for an additional one.

Lornar's Pass
Note: In case of your Echo gets interrupted escape from the dangerous situation, and begin a new pass-through after Echo has recharged. Note: Avicara Guiles will quickly strip your Illusion of Haste. Recast it as soon as possible for you will be crippled and motionless without it. Practice and experience will be of good advantage here.
 * You can remove up to two (plus 1) hexes quickly, so never aggro more than three Ice Imps at once.
 * At the mouth of the first cave, wait until you have a clear path before aggroing the Avicara.
 * Echo Balanced Stance and try to cross the cave in a single Illusion of Haste. With Echo you can use BS three times (3 x 18 secs of BS) without a gap in-between.
 * Generally run in a straight line away from Frost Wurms. The 33% increase in movement speed ensures that you can outrun any given wurm.
 * Run straight through all Avicara and Grawl spawns, then heal with Healing Signet. You can easily regain up to 215 health automatically when your health drops below 25%. This should give you enough of a buffer to make it to safety before recasting Illusion of Weakness.

Dreadnought's Drift

 * When engaging Tundra Giants, activate Balanced Stance and use "Shields Up!" - feel free to echo BS for a straightforward run-through without stops.
 * Take time to heal. It can get tricky towards the end if you don't have enough health to run straight through all the Giants and Blessed Griffons.

Snake Dance

 * You rarely have to worry about hexes here.
 * Concentrate on staying in Balanced Stance through the large groups of Tundra Giants and Azure Shadows.
 * At the Mountain Troll cave, you might consider Inspired Hex to avoid being slowed down in a tricky point. Try to lure the trolls out of the cave first.
 * A good way to lose a train of trolls is to run them to a spawn of Stone Summit Herders.
 * Use "Shields Up!" when running through the Troll Tunnel.

Camp Rankor

 * Replace Inspired Hex with a low energy cost cover enchantment such as Channeling to try to protect your Illusion of Haste from being stripped too quickly.

Talus Chute
The only difficult area is near the beginning where you have to run through two groups of Azure Shadow spawns and a large Avicara group immediately after.
 * Begin with Echo, Balanced Stance and chain cast Illusion of Haste to run through the groups of shadows. Just before running through the Avicaras, recast Illusion of Haste and immediately cast your cover enchantment, then run through the group of Avicaras.

Variants

 * Expel Hexes can replace Echo and provide the best hex-remover with a fabulous recharge time. Use Hex Breaker, Inspired Hex, and Expel Hexes. Be aware of the loss of an echoed Balanced Stance.