User:Scargi13517

Tested PvE Assassin

This build enables an Assassin to solo run from Beacon's Perch to Droknar's Forge, and with some modification is suitable for running other areas. Agility and protection skills from the Shadow Arts line, plus the Dervish's anti-knockdown Fleeting Stability enchantment, make this a fragile yet efficient Droknar's Forge runner. This build is even more efficient since the last game update that fixed the "enemies following you forever" bug.

The build takes practice, timing, and knowledge of the whole Droknar's Forge run, particularly Lornar's Pass, in order to successfully complete the run. Overall run times are at least on par with Warrior or Dervish runners. Ultimately, if nothing else, this is a challenging and fun alternative to experienced Drok's runners.

Attributes and Skills

 * Runes can be used to boost Deadly Arts, although it is not necessary.

Equipment

 * Armor: Any armor with +energy mods and attunement runes.  You want your energy as high as possible.
 * Weapons: A perfect Insightful Staff of Enchanting or a Totem Axe with a shield.

Usage
The skill bar above is laid out from left to right in the general order in which to use skills, depending on the situation. Deadly Paradox plus Death's Charge and Dark Escape are the main movement skills. Dark Escape can and should be kept up constantly for 1/2 damage and +25% speed. Dash should be used when Dark Escape fades out to gain as much distance from any enemies following you, especially if you need some extra time to use Signet of Pious Light to end Shadow Form. Death's Charge can be a massive overall speed buff (and self heal) if used efficiently. Almost all healing during the run can be accomplished while still moving.

Normal running sequence:
 * Deadly Paradox -> Death's Charge -> Dark Escape -> Dash -> Deadly Paradox -> Dark Escape.

Anti-knockdown sequence (for wurms and giants):
 * Fleeting Stability -> Deadly Paradox -> Shadow Form -> Death's Charge -> Dark Escape -> Dash -> Deadly Paradox -> Dark Escape.

Healing sequence when Shadow Form begins to fade out:
 * Deadly Paradox -> Signet of Pious Light -> Heart of Shadow -> Dark Escape

Healing sequence when you have a place to rest with no aggro:
 * Fleeting Stability or Heart of Shadow -> Signet of Pious Light -> Signet of Pious Light
 * Repeatedly cast an enchantment and Signet of Pious Light as many times as needed to immediately recharge Signet of Pious Light after each use.

When to use Deadly Paradox:
 * Always before: Dark Escape and Shadow Form.
 * Preferably before: Death's Charge.

When to use Shadow Form:
 * To prevent Ice Imps and Ice Golems from slowing you down with hexes.
 * Near Wurms and Avicara, use Fleeting Stability followed by Shadow Form, to prevent the Avicara from stripping Fleeting Stability.
 * To nullify damage from enemies through intense parts of the run (Tundra Giants, Stone Summit, Avicara), although you can also tank through some enemies with Dark Escape, Heart of Shadow, and Death's Charge.
 * Shadow Form should only be kept up as long as necessary. Disable it with Signet of Pious Light before you encounter Grawl Crones.

Counters

 * Enchantment stripping, mainly from Grawl Crones casting Chilblains. Simply stay out of their range.
 * Conditions will severely hinder your chances of survival in most situations. Try to avoid Pinesoul traps -- NEVER use Death's Charge on a Pinesoul as you will likely teleport into a trap.
 * Dash can also be used to run through Pinesoul traps without triggering them.

Variants

 * Feigned Neutrality can be switched with Signet of Pious Light or Heart of Shadow, giving you an extra self-heal if needed.
 * Vital Boon can be switched with Heart of Shadow, Dash, or Death's Charge for an alternate way of healing when Shadow Form ends. You must cast Vital Boon immediately after using Shadow Form so they end almost simultaneously. Additionally, using Signet of Pious Light to end Vital Boon can give you a massive health boost as soon as Shadow Form ends.

Optional Slot

 * Critical Defenses - This is the recommended skill but it loses effectiveness if the enemies are too spread out.
 * Mystic Regeneration - Take two point out of Scythe Mastery and put 8 points into Earth Prayers. This is the recommended replacement for Critical Defenses. It has a very powerful constant healing effect.
 * Guiding Hands - Put 3 points into Wind Prayers if there are enemies that will block your attacks.
 * Critical Eye - If there are no or few enemies that will block your attacks.

Variants

 * You can swap Reap Impurities for Chilling Victory for more dps.
 * You can swap Assassin's Remedy for Signet of Malice or a condition remover that takes away blindness.

Equipment

 * It is recommended that you use Vanguard's Armor Guise with Nightstalker's Armor Leggings, Gloves and Shoes.
 * Use a Sundering Scythe of Enchanting 20%, Damage +15% (while enchanted).

Usage

 * Maintain non-attack skills as long as possible.
 * Use Wearying Strike at the start of a fight and whenever anyone with the condition comes near, follow it with Malicious Strike for weakness to be removed.
 * Use Critical Defenses when necessary and possible and Malicious Strike whenever you need to renew it.
 * Use Reap Impurities on someone who has a condition to regain health.

Counters

 * Anything that takes off enchantments.
 * Evasions, if people do use these against you it is recommended to choose a different target.
 * Being blinded.
 * Stone Sheath and Dulled Weapon both remove your ability to critical, destroying this build.

Equipment

 * Radiant/Shrouded Armor
 * Place runes of attunement on any empty armor pieces
 * Zealous Scythe of Enchanting

Usage

 * Before Battle cast Fox's Promise and Critical eye, maintain these as necessary
 * Before enemy encounter begins cast critical defenses for protection
 * Follow Critical Defenses up with Mystic Regeneration and Conviction
 * Use the scythe attacks in order

Counters

 * Enchantment Removal
 * Heavy Energy Denial
 * Basic Anti melee counters

Variants

 * The last scythe attack is variable and can be switched (Crippling Sweep if against human characters)
 * Conviction to increase defenses if entering a magic damage heavy area
 * Vital Boon can be replaced with a resurrection for PuG's or death heavy areas
 * Assassin's Remedy if you're going into a condition heavy area



This build uses high damage PBAoE spells, with the added damage bonus from the Lightbringer title, to farm selected groups in Ravenheart Gloom for Torment Gemstones.

Necessities

 * Radiant or Shrouded Armor.
 * 20% enchanting, +5 energy weapon, such as a Totem Axe.
 * +12 energy rec. fire, +15 energy -1 regeneration, +30 health second hand item, such as those exchanged for Jade Bracelets.
 * Lightbringer level 2 or above has been proven to work, Higher is better.

Usage

 * Enter Ravenheart Gloom from the Gate of Anguish. Receive the bounty from the Whispers Informant.
 * Run past the first group of foes with Shadow Form and Dark Escape.
 * Now, near your position is a mob made entirely of spellcasters, lacking a Heart tormentor.
 * Wait for combat between the Shadow Army and the Order of Whispers ends. Get closer to the mixed group.
 * Cast Shadow Form and get into the middle of the enemy group with Shadow Walk.
 * Now, cast Pheonix, Meteor Shower, Bed of Coals, Lava Font, Phoenix and finally Lava Font in that order.
 * Once Shadow Form is about to expire (blinking slowly / quickly) use Dark Escape and run to safety.
 * Once the mixed group has been cleared, repeat the above tactics for the group of six Curse of Darknesses.
 * After that, you may want to attempt an attack on the group containing two Wind of Darknesses and one Scourge of Darkness.
 * If a torment gemstone drops at any time, making a clean escape and retrieving it is always an option.

Counters

 * Heart and Earth tormentors can severely damage, or kill you.

Variants
See Build:A/E UW Farmer for an underworld variant.

Equipment

 * Energy armor (i.e. Radiant or Shrouded Armor)
 * +5 energy, enchanting 20% weapon.
 * Galigord's Stone Staff is a recommended Staff, but any weapon with a max of Enchanting upgrade can be used, and it is preferred as when close combat enemies start to run away, a staff attack will bring them back, something that a totem axe can't do.
 * A Totem Axe along with the Earth Scroll from Collector Ohtah is a good combination which will give more energy than a staff.

Usage

 * Run to the boss using the speed buffs.
 * When you are just out of aggro, activate Shadow Form and use Death's Charge to teleport in. Usually aggroing before teleporting in makes enemies clump together, giving Sliver Armor less of a chance to target the boss.
 * Activate Glyph of Elemental Power, then Sliver Armor. Make sure you are closer to the boss than anything else, or you will not kill it!
 * Use Shock then Aftershock to speed up killing.
 * When the boss has died, activate Shadow Form and use the speed buffs to run away to safety. You can use Shadow Form again since Morale Boosts recharges all skills.

Counters

 * Shadow Form doesn't protect against signets, touch skills and Point Blank Area of Effect damage.


 * When Sliver Armor deals only half damage to bosses will also end your run.

Variants

 * When fighting Warrior bosses such as Sunreach Warmaker, it helps to use Rust so that his Healing Signet takes 3 times as long to cast. To do this, though, you will be required to take one or two points off of Shadow Arts and put them into Water Magic.
 * Shock, Teinai's Wind, Aftershock, Rust, Teinai's Crystals, Crystal Wave, Obsidian Flame and Shadow Refuge may be switched out for other skills, depending on what you are farming.
 * Shock can be switched for other knockdown spells such as Dragon's Stomp for a bit more damage.
 * For people who don't have Prophecies skills unlocked, remember that you can always unlock them in PvP and then buy them at the trainers in Lion's Arch or your Guild Hall, if you have bought a skill trainer that is and assuming that you have a Guild Hall.
 * Caltrops can be useful against bosses who attempt to flee when heavily damaged.
 * Feigned Neutrality is useful against groups which have mobs with touch skills, Signets, and AoE skills and that may penetrate Shadow Form.
 * Exchange Dash for Deadly Paradox for a quicker Shadow Form recharge.
 * Exchange Dash with Shadow of Haste to warp back if necessary and retry the process.

List of soloable bosses
Total Number of Soloable Bosses: 107
 * Please add info of the level of difficulty for each boss (Very Easy, Easy, Medium, Hard and Very Hard) also add the location where the boss is, for easier preview.

Prophecies
2 Current Bosses


 * Crystal Desert
 * Prophet's Path:
 * Kepkhet Marrowfeast - Medium Use the following skill combo to take Kepkhet down: Glyph of Elemental Power, Shadow Form, Death's Charge, Sliver Armor, Obsidian Flame, Teinai's Crystals, Crystal Wave. Bring an interrupt such as Shock, Dragon's Stomp, and Gale to prevent Kepkhet from activating Mark of Protection. Furthermore, when you use Death's Charge to get to Kepkhet, be sure to bring Feigned Neutrality or Shadow Refuge as there are trappers in and around the vicinity of Kepkhet. If Sliver Armor targets another thing, you will die as one of the nearby necromancers will use Well of the Profane.


 * Southern Shiverpeaks
 * Grenth's Footprint:
 * Morgriff Shadestone - Easy

Factions
47 Current Bosses


 * Kaineng City
 * Bukdek Byway:
 * Wing, Three Blade - Medium (This may prove difficult because of the high HP of the boss, lack of mobs and a Rt healing him)
 * Wajjun Bazaar:
 * Lian, Dragon's Petal - Easy/Medium (Switch out Dash for Feigned Neutrality. Use Dark Escape to run past the first and second group of Knights.  Stop before you aggro Lian and make sure you aggro the second group of Knights.  Cast Shadow Form then Death's Charge to her.  Immediately cast Feigned Neutrality.  Wait for her to cast Double Dragon.  Glyph ,Sliver, Shock, then Aftershock.)
 * Sun, the Quivering - Hard/Very Hard (Mobs may appear from the roofs, making the run almost impossible)
 * The Undercity:
 * Chan the Dragon's Blood - Easy/Very Easy (The run is easy if you have Feigned and just use aftershock on him once and then use feigned to heal because of the signets)
 * Mina Shatter Storm - Easy/Very Easy (The run is easy if you have Feigned and just use aftershock on her once and then use feigned to heal because of the signets)
 * Chung, the Attuned - Medium (The run is easy if you have Feigned and just use aftershock on him once and then use feigned to heal because of the signets)
 * Baubao Wavewrath - Medium (The run is easy if you have Feigned and just use aftershock on him once and then use feigned to heal because of the signets)
 * Shenzun Tunnels:
 * Cho, Spirit Empath - Easy/Medium (Bring Feigned Neutrality instead of Dash, come from Nahpui Quarter!!! Cast Feigned Neutrality last, chance monks will heal him, if so run and rezone, the fastest route is to run towards Nahpui Quarter (just a few feet west from Cho) . It will make the run a lot easier and shorter.)
 * Xaquang Skyway:
 * Ghial the Bone Dancer - Easy/Medium (Feigned Neutrality is NOT a neccessity for the run. Beware of the mesmers for they will disrupt your sliver armor TIP: All mesmers interrupt at once, so consider bringing a "scapegoat" spell with a long activation time, such as Dragon Stomp or Obsidian Flame.)
 * Shreader Sharptongue - Very Easy/Easy (Exchange Shock or Aftershock with Shadow Refuge and aggro as many groups as possible for most damage)
 * Ziinfaun Lifeforce - Easy/Medium (Hit Ziinfaun with your weapon to interrupt Ethereal Light)
 * Orosen, Tranquil Acolyte - Hard/Very Hard (When he starts charging for you, use Shadow Form. Run past him just close enough to aggro the group before the next bridge. Death's charge back to him, and Sliver armor.)
 * Sunjiang District (Explorable): (only after the mission)
 * Warrior's Construct - Medium (Pretty hard to get to him)
 * Monk's Construct - Easy/Medium Let the first group go near the boss.
 * Necromancer's Construct - Medium You might encounter problems with keeping sliver armor focused
 * Mesmer's Construct - same as Necromancer's construct. Slightly easier (shorter) run, though.
 * Elemental's Construct - He uses [[Lightning Touch. Consider bringing Feigned Neutrality instead of dash.
 * Raisu Palace:
 * Star Ancient Koosun - Medium/Hard (Depends on conditions of run to the boss, can be done at 60% dp however)
 * Untouched Ancient Ky - Medium
 * Pongmei Valley
 * Xuekao, the Deceptive- Easy/Medium (Be sure to let the Knight Brotherhood kill the Am Fah before you approach the boss, as how the Knights will attack the surrounding Am Fah making for a quick kill with 1-3 possible attackers) ~ The dagger that he drops is really really nice for Assassins using the Vigor Build where you use enchants every 30 sec.
 * Echovald Forest
 * Ferndale:
 * Warden of Saprophytes - Hard (Warden of the Trunks must be removed first, resurrection portal nearby to keep going at it, possible at 60% dp.)
 * Melandru's Hope:
 * Chkkr Locust Lord - Medium/Hard (The most difficult part is to maintain Sliver Armor on the boss)
 * Chkkr Thousand Tail - Hard/Very Hard (Really hard to keep going unless you have a backup for Sliver Armor, as it'll run out to quickly)
 * Morostav Trail:
 * Falaharn Mistwarden - Easy/Medium (Bring Shadow of Haste should the attempt to kill fail and you must retreat).
 * Sunreach Warmaker - Easy/Medium (Bring Shadow of Haste and Rust and if you feel the need, Feigned Neutrality too. Go in first without the boss in your mind, make Falaharn Mistwarden appear. Warp back using a stance. Go in again and aggro every mob, pull Sunreach with staff and cast glyph then sliver then rust, he will go down quickly.)
 * Strongroot Tanglebranch - Medium/Hard (Go around the other way and aggro the nearby kirin and dragon moss and use Rust and Caltrops to subdue him and spam Obsidian Flame to kill him.)
 * Kyril Oathwarden - Medium/Hard (Hard to make sliver armor target kyril; take feigned neutrality to survive traps.)
 * Ritualist's Construct - Easy/Medium (Very few mobs surrounding him, making it harder to kill. Replacing run skills or Shock & Aftershock with Obsidian Flame & Crystal Wave/Teinai's Wave can help overcome this obstacle.)
 * The Eternal Grove (Explorable): (only after the mission)
 * The Scar Eater - Very Easy/Easy (Also a fairly easy boss to practice on, you must follow the 1st group that comes near the shrine, when you get near the boss aggro it and jump near the boss, also a good idea can be to change shock and aftershock for gale and Obsidian Flame)
 * Jayne Forestlight - Easy/Medium (Advisable to bring Shadow of Haste, Watch out for warriors, as they can KD with "None Shall Pass!". If not killed at first attempt, warp back with any stance and retry)
 * Wiseroot Shatterstone - Medium (Silver armor does not tend to stay on him,or will target lately,must aggro both mobs before him and his mob to fully kill)
 * The Time Eater - Easy/Medium (Add skills for more damage because very few mobs are surrounding him.Time for his interruption signet!!!!!)
 * Bramble Everthorn - Easy/Medium (need to aggro 1-2 warden or plant groups to bypass his regen)
 * Mourning Veil Falls:
 * Darkroot Entrop - Easy (Make sure to add some skills to cripple or knockdown, such as Caltrops, as he tends to run at about half health)
 * Milefaun Mindflayer - Easy/Medium (Aggro another group of wardens near, may attract Rt wardens which increase difficulty)
 * Foalcrest Darkwish - Easy/Medium (Aggro the nearby group of Mantises and die yourself; he will make Bone Fiends which give you just enough damage for Sliver Armor.)
 * Xisni Dream Haunt - Easy/Medium (AddTeinai's Crystals, Crystal Wave and Obsidian Flame. Use Shadow of Haste for multiple tries.)
 * Rahse Windcatcher - Easy/Medium (Same build as with Xisni. Walk to pick up the Warden group, hit Glyph of Ele Power, turn around, hit Shadow Form outside his aggro and shadow step. If the wardens follow, he should be dead)


 * Jade Sea
 * Boreas Seabed (Explorable):
 * Sskai, Dragon's Birth - Medium (This may prove difficult because of the high HP of the boss and lack of mobs surrounding him)
 * Gyala Hatchery (Explorable):
 * Reefclaw Ragebound - Medium
 * Maishang Hills:
 * Sessk, Woe Spreader - Very Easy (Best for practice, sometimes hard to target)
 * Sarss, Stormscale - Medium (bring along obsidian flame to spam)
 * Silent Surf:
 * Kenrii Sea Sorrow
 * Assassin's Construct - Easy/Medium (Switch Shock for Stone Daggers and Death's Charge for Obsidian Flame, after you cast Sliver just use stone daggers 2-3 times, then Aftershock, then Obsidian Flame)
 * Rhea's Crater:
 * Onis for Ungues of the Oni - Easy/Medium (The hardest part is getting there, once there it's easy to kill them two/three at a time, just watch out for the Outcast Deathhands, as they WILL end your run!)
 * Mount Qinkai
 * Tomton Spiriteater Very Easy (Bring obsidian Flame with you and aggro all the yetis near)
 * Archipelagos:
 * Ssyn Coiled Grasp - Easy/Medium (Switch out Shock for Obsidian Flame and try to not aggro group next to the bridge.)
 * Ssuns, Blessed of Dwayna - Medium/Hard

Nightfall
57 Current Bosses


 * Kourna
 * Sunward Marches:(Consider getting the +1 earth magic blessing from the Melandru's shrine outside Dajkah Inlet. Although it is not necessary.)
 * Mahto Sharptooth - Very Easy/Easy "The run is sometimes a bit tough." (Despite the temptation, do not aggro the ntouka, spam obsidian flame & shock aftershock combo on him)
 * Birneh Skybringer - Very Easy/Easy (Lots of mobs for Sliver Armor to work)
 * Dabineh Deathbringer - Medium (Switch out shock for Feigned Neutrality. Exit Venta Cemetery.  Head south hugging the wall.  As you get close enough to target him, check for the number of Tusked Howlers nearby.  If there are 2 then rezone.  If there are 3 then count the number of Crested Ntouka Bird.  If there are 3 or 4 then you are in good shape to beat him.  Before you aggro Deathbringer, aggro the Howlers and cast Shadow Form. Next aggro Deathbringer.  Glyph then Sliver, before he gets to you, cast Feigned Neutrality.  Using his Intimidating Aura, you will lose Feigned Neutrality but Sliver Armor will do its job before he can remove another enchantment.)
 * Eshim Mindclouder - Very Easy (Short walk so it is like the Nightfall variant of Sessk, Woe Spreader Consider bringing dancing daggers to spam instead of dash, you will kill much faster)
 * Marga Coast:
 * Chor the Bladed - Very Easy/Easy (Just aggro the group of Mirage Ibogas near him and try not to be interrupted while casting shadow form. Cast Sliver Armor when he uses Frenzy)
 * Lunto Sharpfoot - Medium/Hard (You must pull him towards the mirage ilbogas and then usually only 1 of his monks will come and then its easy. but you want to be beside the monk when you activate sliver so when he uses shadowmeld sliver armor is still targeting him. then it will be Easy/Medium)
 * Bosun Mohrti - Medium/Hard (Aggro the insects nearby and Frigid skales and snare with Caltrops.)
 * Bubahl Icehands - Medium (Aggro nearby insects, snare with Caltrops, and heal with Feigned Neutrality)
 * Chidehkir, Light of the Blind - Easy/Medium (Aggro nearby Kournan patrol)
 * Neoli the Contagious - Hard/Very Hard (Clear out Kuskale lashers first with sliver armour, this may take quite a few runs, high dp.)
 * The Floodplain of Mahnkelon:
 * Zelnehlun Fastfoot - Very Easy/Easy (He is dead in 4 seconds if Sliver Armor targets him)
 * Terob Roundback - Very Easy/Easy
 * Admiral Kaya - Easy/Medium (Wait for the hekets to get near, sometimes there are 2 monks which increases difficulty)
 * Jerneh Nightbringer - Medium/Hard (Bring Feigned Neutrality and use immediately after Sliver Armor to keep health up from Vile Touch)
 * Robah Hardback - Medium/Hard (Bring Feigned Neutrality to survive surrounding mob's vile touch)
 * Buhon Icelord - Medium/Hard
 * Arkjok Ward:
 * Onwan, Lord of the Ntouka - Medium (Leave from command post and follow river into lake),(bring fiegned nurality as a cover over slither armor and shadow form)
 * Modti Darkflower - Easy/Medium (Killing him is Very Easy, but the run is a bit heavy)
 * Lieutenant Kayin - Very Easy (Just aggro one other group, and he goes down in roughly 10 seconds)
 * Eshau Longspear - Easy/Medium (You need to aggro the group of Mandragors behind him. Rezone if that party has a Mandragor Imp in it.)
 * Captain Chichor - Easy/Medium (Approach the small base from the north, and wait for him to patrol outwards.)
 * Dejarin Estate:
 * Major Jeahr - Medium (Approach from Camp Hojanu)
 * Podaltur the Angry - Easy (body blocking during the run to him may be a hassle due to the large amount of hekets on the way)
 * Barbarous Shore:
 * Lieutenant Shagu: - Medium (You must aggro nearby enemies. If you do this, and silver armor keep targeting him, he will be down in few seconds.)
 * Bahdok Caverns:
 * Wandalz the Angry - Medium/Hard (The hardest part about this boss is getting to him. You need to learn the hiding spots on the map, as the spawns in this particular area are quite massive to be running around by yourself. You'll want to keep the original build intact, and use speed buffs across the bridge. Once across, glyph, death's charge, and sliver armor, he goes down rather quick. Throw a shock and aftershock in there to see it go a little faster.)
 * Jahai Bluffs:
 * To Be Added...
 * Turai's Procession:
 * Korr, Living Flame - Medium/Hard (Don't lure the nearby water djinn, Sliver armor will target them instead)
 * Chiossen, Soothing Breeze - Medium/Hard (The Rampaging Ntouka make this hard, use Feigned Neutrality as the Rampaging Ntouka run towards you and it will strip Feign Neutrality instead of Sliver Armor or even worse, Shadow Form. Aggro the nearby hekets to the north of Chiossen's group. Pack Obsidian Flame and Aftershock to speed up the killing.)


 * Vabbi
 * Resplendent Makuun
 * Kormab, Burning Heart - Very Easy/Easy (bring Shadow of Haste instead of dash, Obsidian Flame and Teinai's Crystals instead of Shock and Aftershock. The hardest part is geting there: to behemoths, use Shadow Form and run towards them, while a little bit after their patrol point use Shadow of Haste. Run back, they run like hell, so they will follow. When form is about to end use Dark Escape to warp to a safe place, where they can't get to you. While near the boss use Shadow of Haste for multiple attempts if necessary, it should be dead in the first attempt, if not in the second.)
 * Wilderness of Bahdza:
 * Eshekibeh Longneck - Very Easy/Easy
 * Forum Highlands:
 * Grabthar the Overbearing - Medium (Bring Rust and aggro nearest Skree group)
 * Korshek the Immolated - Easy (Make sure to hit the nearby Whispers Informant for some easy Lightbringer points)
 * Commander Sadi-Belai - Medium/Hard (Aggro Skree group nearest to his group. Shock + Lift Enchantment AFTER he puts Shielding Hands on. Bring Obsidian Flame. Spam as needed)
 * Churahm, Spirit Warrior - Easy/Medium (You may have to use this build to kill some Ethers, which will make the run easier. Another method is to simply shadow step down to the area he is contained in using Deaths Charge. Simply run away after he is dead, by running around the Ethers and up on the ledge again.)
 * The Mirror of Lyss
 * Yammiron, Ether Lord - Medium (Switch Dark Escape with Obsidian Flame to spam)
 * Riktund the Vicious - Medium (aggro the beetles as well, he may kite when close to death, bring along Obs. Flame)
 * Holdings of Chokhin:
 * Banor Greenbranch - Easy/Medium (Bring Lift Enchantment to remove Shield of Regeneration instead of aftershock or deaths charge, need to aggro nearby Beetles)
 * Setikor Fireflower - Easy/Medium (Just switch Dash and Dark Escape for Shadow Refuge and Feigned Neutrality)
 * Tenezel the Quick - Very Easy/Easy (Aggro very nearby Rock/Rain Beetles)
 * Hanchor Trueblade - Easy/Medium (Bring and spam Obsidian Flame when needed. Nearby Skree Griffin can make it troublesome but still easy)
 * Yatendi Canyons:
 * Lieutenant Vanahk - Easy/Medium (Very easy but sliver armor tends to go off to another person.)
 * The Hidden City of Ahdashim
 * Shakor Firespear - Easy/Medium (Surrounding mobs should be aggroed.)
 * Yammirvu, Ether Guardian - Medium/Hard (May have to kill the dimond djinn first, but nearby resurection portal helps. If pulling another group, be sure to shadow form to pull them, or suffer from degen.)
 * Leilon, Tranquil Water - Easy/Medium (Dark escape is reccomended when Death's Charging in.)


 * The Desolation
 * Crystal Overlook
 * To Be Added...
 * Joko's Domain
 * To Be Added...
 * Poisoned Outcrops
 * Fondalz the Spiteful - Hard/Very Hard (Extra groups are not easy to pull together, but you can launch one attack on the boss and his group, flee, and repeat. Deadly Paradox may be useful.)
 * The Alkali Pan
 * To Be Added...
 * The Ruptured Heart
 * Rual, Stealer of Hope - Medium (exchange Dash for Shadow of Haste, Shock for Feigned Neutrality or Shadow Refuge and Aftershock for Obsidian Flame. Use Death's Charge from the top of the hill)
 * Tureksin the Delegator - Medium/Hard (Shadow of Haste instead of Dash in case he isn't the first target of Sliver Armor, Shadow Refuge instead of Shock and Obsidian Flame. Aggro nearby group of margonites and undead.)
 * The Shattered Ravines
 * Dunshek the Purifier - Medium (Pull a second group for a very easy kill.)
 * The Sulfurous Wastes
 * Vahlen the Silent - Easy/Medium (bring Shadow of Haste, you might not get it at first, bring high damage spells, and you might consider in taking Glyph of Concentration. Watch out for Signet of Judgment.)


 * Realm of Torment - (Lightbringer title in this area will alter effectiveness.)
 * Nightfallen Jahai
 * Chimor the Lightblooded - Medium (Nice pair of daggers if you don't have a +Energy/+Enchantment Staff)
 * Onslaught of Terror - Easy (Need to aggro at least one other group, elementalists and mesmers can interrupt/slow, bring Feigned Neutrality)
 * Domain of Pain
 * Fahralon the Zealous - Easy/Medium (Before entering battle, try using Dark Escape to minimize the damage taken from AoE and Dreadful Pain.)
 * Domain of Fear
 * Shrieker of Dread - Hard (you'll need to aggro several (ideally 3) patrols to take him down; wait for them to converge). Also watch out for the Death Nova when killed.
 * Storm of Anguish - Medium (Difficult to get to, try to slip between the two first mobs, lure another mob for easy kill)
 * Depths of Madness
 * Reaper of Agony - Medium (Time your run when he has moved near the two groups of Margonites)
 * Ravager of Dreams - Very Hard (Approach from the north, and pull 2-3 groups along with the boss group, 4+ Lightbringer rank reccomended.)
 * Topo the Protector - Hard/Very Hard (Aggro once, run, and wait for him to fully summon his army, (about a minute), then shadow form in for a rather easy kill, due to the surronding groups of graven monoliths.)
 * Master of Misery - Hard/Very Hard (Pull together groups, beware of scythe attacks and death novas, armor of earth, obsidian flame, feigned neutrality all are good to have.)
 * Consort of Ruin - Hard/Very Hard (Pull groups, and make sure it targets him and it will be easy, minions and blades of torment make this tough.)

Necessities

 * Radiant or Shrouded Armor.
 * 20% enchanting, +5 energy weapon, such as a Totem Axe. Wand or Staff, max damage rec. fire to deal with Dying Nightmares.
 * +12 energy rec. fire focus.

Usage
Walk up and take the quest from the Lost Soul. Watch out for any Dying Nightmare popping up.

Then cast in this order: wait to get max energy back... Then quickly grab one or two groups of graspings and run back. Then cast skills in this order:
 * Fire Attunement
 * Flame Djinn's Haste
 * Shadow Form
 * Glyph of Elemental Power
 * Meteor Shower
 * Bed of Coals
 * Lava Font
 * Flame Djinn's Haste
 * Feigned Neutrality

There should be no survivors amongst the graspings. If they are any graspings remaining, they are at this time fleeing from your AoE damage, so Feigned Neutrality should give you sufficient defense and life back to stay alive in order to recast one or two offensive spells to finish them or wanding them. You have a 24s invulnerability with Shadow Form on for the pull and the killing, so you can take your time to insure your AoE spike.

Another option for the bravest, is to cast Fire Attunement + Shadow Form and to go straight ahead into the big group of graspings, Bladed Aatxes and an eventual Dying Nightmare, and then unleash hell on them, finishing the graspings off with Flame Djinn's Haste and running away with the speed boost after the spike (because the Bladed Aatxes are not really friendy!).

Once all the graspings have been eliminated, do the typical run to the smites using Flame Djinn's Haste. You can make a stop just before passing the arch if you have misjudged the path of Bladed Aatxes or graspings and Dying Nightmare patrol. If a Dying Nightmare pops up while you run and follow you, just pull him in a safe place and while going close kill him with a Flame Djinn's Haste burst. Anytime during the run you can use Shadow Form if you find yourself in danger (remind that you should be far from danger at the end of Shadow Form), with a 24s duration time (with a +20% enchanting) you should have plenty of time to reach the smites area.

In order to pull large groups of smites or while waiting before they are all balled up around you, you can start by using Feigned Neutrality to assure some good defense and survival. Then cast the skills:
 * Shadow Form
 * Glyph of Elemental Power
 * Meteor Shower
 * Bed of Coals
 * Lava Font
 * Flame Djinn's Haste
 * Feigned Neutrality (that should be reloaded even if used in the beginning of the pull)

If any smites survives, do the same tactics as stated above for graspings or if anything goes really bad, you still can run away with Flame Djinn's Haste. Keep Fire Attunement up while casting fire spells as it's your only energy management.

For the Coldfire Nights, your best solution is to avoid them, but if you get caught, this build is safer than any other one, cast Shadow Form and stay far as they use Frozen Burst, the only spell that can hit you through Shadow Form and slow you down. Then hit your running enchantment and go out of their reach.

Counters

 * Bad timing is the only real counter here.
 * Energy Degen
 * Knockdown/Interrupts by grasping

Attributes and Skills

 * To fill in the Optional slots, look in the Variants section for many different uses for this build.
 * If you don't have a dedicated healer, drop Critical Strikes down to 10 and put 8 points in Shadow Arts.

Equipment

 * Armor: Radiant Armor with Runes of Attunement.
 * Weapons: Poisonous PvP Dagger of Fortitude with a 15% Modifier vs Hexed opponents. It is suggested however you bring along a Cripple, Deepwound, and Zealous Dagger set as well, using them as the situations call for it.

Usage

 * Select a target, hopefully one in the center of a large collection of foes. The area radius of Fevered Dreams is extremely large, so you can even pick an outlining foe and still possibly affect everyone. Now, hex your target with Fevered Dreams. Hit them with Black Mantis Thrust to slow them down, followed with Black Lotus Strike to give you energy for Black Spider Strike and Twisting Fangs. Everyone in the area should now be crippled, bleeding, poisoned, and suffering from a deep wound.
 * Note, this build is very flexible in relation to combo attack order. You can fire off all three of your attacks at any time except Twisting Fangs, which HAS to follow an Off-Hand attack.

Counters

 * Hex removal before the combo can be carried out. However, Fevered Dreams only has a 10 second recharge.
 * General other standard anti-melee counters can pose problems.

Variants

 * If you wish to have a consistent tanking ability in PvE, add in Critical Eye and Critical Defenses. You can even further drop Black Lotus Strike, put 8 + 1 points in Shadow Art by lowering Dagger Mastery to 10 and add in Way of Perfection. The energy gain from Critical Eye should cover you. If you decide you don't need crippling, you can always replace Black Mantis Thrust for something else of use to you, such as Blinding Powder, which can be shot off after your first off-hand attack without disrupting Twisting Fangs.
 * For Optional: Movement skills to close upon your target, such as Dash, Dark Escape, Shadow of Haste or Shadow Walk which will allow you to automatically teleport back after fulfilling your combo if you bring a secondary stance, like Deadly Paradox which will cut down the recharge on a healing spell, such as Feigned Neutrality.
 * For Optional: Defensive skills, such as Signet of Malice which will clear you of conditions given the sheer many of them you'll spread around. Or Blinding Powder which can act in a defensive capacity with Fevered Dreams, blinding everyone in the area for 10 seconds with a 20 second recharge, which is considerably useful. Heart of Shadow, Feigned Neutrality, and Shadow Refuge will heal you.
 * For Optional: Offensive skills, for even more of an edge in killing your target. Interruptions such as Disrupting Dagger or Web of Disruption which will also count as a cover hex or all around hex so you can carry out your combo might be useful. Expunge Enchantments is even possible to deal with generally unkillable 'Mystic Regeneration' tanks which are common in AB.
 * If blocking foes become a problem consider using Way of the Fox to hit with all of the combo (at 5 shadow arts your next 3 attacks are unblockable and at 8 the next 4).

Equipment

 * Shrouded Armor or Radiant insignias are a must.
 * Because your health does not matter but your energy does, forgo a vigor rune in favor of two attunement runes.
 * Since if you aggro monsters outside of shadow form you will die, armor level is not important. Save money and buy starter level armor.


 * Daggers with a Dagger Handle of Enchanting and either bonus damage when enchanted or bonus energy. The Daggers of Xuekao or Chimor's Daggers or Arius' Sai are ideal.

Usage

 * Activate Shadow of Haste when you have more than one aggro bubble's width between the edge of your aggro bubble and your target.
 * Run close to your target (without aggroing) and cast Arcane Echo. (If this is removed before you go on to the next step, cancel Shadow of Haste with Dark Escape, wait for your skills to recharge, and try again.)
 * Cast Shadow Form and charge into battle.
 * Cast Empathy and follow up with Black Lotus Strike so you have your hex and enough energy; follow up with Black Spider Strike and Twisting Fangs.
 * Once Shadow Form is between one quarter and one third recharged, cast the echoed copy.
 * Shadow of Haste should run out just before the echoed copy of Shadow Form begins to flicker, and Shadow Step you back to your safe zone. If it does not, use Dark Escape to cancel.

Counters

 * If Shadow form or Arcane Echo are interrupted, you will not be able to make the assault, and will most likely die. However, provided you activate the first skills in a safe area, this should never happen
 * Touch skills (such as Vampiric Bite) or PBAoE (such as Symbol of Wrath) that are not affected by Shadow Form
 * Damage skills that affect an ally instead of an enemy (such as Riposte, Shield of Judgment, or Sliver Armor)
 * Enchantment removal that does not target an enemy (such as Chilblains or Expunge Enchantments)

Variants
Variants that do not require Nightfall skills:


 * Replace Black Spider Strike with Golden Phoenix Strike for a spike skill which will recharge quick enough to be used twice in each assault. Note that the loss of degeneration from poision in Black Spider Strike will slow down the build, usually meaning a maximum of one kill in each assault.
 * Replace Black Spider Strike with Repeating Strike for higher damage output. It is important not to spam this skill as energy will be consumed quickly.

Variants that do not require Dark Escape:


 * Replace Dark Escape with Recall.
 * Have a Hero or Henchman as a party member.
 * Cast Recall on the henchman and flag to a safe area.
 * Begin your assault. Recall to the henchman when Shadow Form ends.
 * Be aware that patrolling mobs may enter aggro with your henchman, most likely resulting in your death.
 * Using Recall enables you to drop Shadow of Haste in favour of another attack skill such as Death Blossom.

Videos
Tomb Of The Primeval Kings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJF1g50scyY

Fissure of Woe Beach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2ADjYB5A0g

Fissure of Woe Forest of the Wailing Lord: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkULhWSa-gA

With offence being the best defense in mind, the Vigorous Assassin exploits the rapid attacks of daggers with the healing capability of monk spells.

Attributes and Skills

 * Possible skills for the optional:
 * Resurrection Chant
 * Restful Breeze
 * Death's Charge

Equipment

 * Armor: Since energy is not much of a problem, choose armor for elemental resistance. Nightstalker insignia is recommended.  A clarity rune is useful.
 * Weapons: Sundering or Zealous daggers of Fortitude are the preferred weapons of this Build.

Usage

 * Cast and maintain Live Vicariously and Vigorous Spirit on yourself. If there are other melee in your group, use Vigorous Spirit on them to aid in healing.
 * Activate Flashing Blades when engaging mobs. If you use Death's Charge for the optional skill, shadow step into the fray using Flashing Blades.  Maintain Flashing Blades while you fight.
 * Use Critical Eye for energy management.
 * Combo: golden lotus strike, Wild Strike, Death Blossom. Because of its short recharge time, spam this over and over.

Counters
In order of concern:
 * Heavy enchantment removal areas
 * Anti-melee hexes like Spiteful Spirit or Empathy
 * Blind
 * Stance removal

Variants

 * The last skill slot is versatile, pick and choose skills from the optionals.

Equipment

 * A zealous bow is required, a Flatbow like the Ironwing Flatbow or Chkkr's Flatbow is generally preferred for Barragers.

Usage

 * Set up with Favorable Winds.
 * Aim Barrage in the middle of tightly packed groups to maximize damage and condition spread.
 * Keep Critical Eye up constantly and spam Barrage.
 * Use Shadow Refuge to maintain your health and to counter Health Degeneration.
 * Distracting Shot and Savage Shot are used to interrupt enemies, particularly ones that spam a single skill, allowing for easy interrupts through the spamming. The increased recharge time imposed by Distracting Shot is especially useful against Wurms using Wurm Siege.

Variants

 * Antidote Signet or Assassin's Remedy for condition removal.
 * Barbed Trap and Serpent's Quickness are optional skills. Set the trap under Serpent's Quickness right before engaging the foes.
 * Sharpen Daggers for spreading Bleeding to foes.
 * Way of Perfection can be used for impressive self-healing when Barraging into clumped foes.
 * This build can be adapted for a Barrage/Pet group. Take Charm Animal and Comfort Animal instead of Shadow Refuge, moving attribute points from Shadow Arts do Beast Mastery.
 * Critical Defenses for extra defense.
 * Keen Arrow to deal additional spike damage

Equipment

 * A Full set of +Energy Armor, get energy around 35.
 * Zealous and Vampiric Daggers of Fortitude, along with +5 Energy Daggers.

Usage

 * Select your target and activate Assassin's Promise
 * Choose targets VERY carefully. Take out 'squishy' targets such as monks, elementalists, etc. first. Then when the mob begins to wind down to a few monsters, pile onto the heavier armored enemies such as warriors with your team to ensure the kill.
 * Immediately follow with Death's Charge followed by Lightning Reflexes
 * Use your attack chain: Black Lotus Strike, Twisting Fangs, Black Spider Strike, Blades of Steel.
 * Your target should be dead or near death, finish him off and move to your next target.
 * Use Feigned Neutrality as a self heal.
 * A good tactic to use is to cast Feigned Neutrality before the enemy dies, and let the conditions kill him off so Feigned recharges.

Counters
Plague Touch
 * Standard melee counters: Blind,Empathy,Price of Failure etc...
 * Failing to kill your target or having Assassin's Promise interrupted results in a very long downtime.
 * Hex Breaker.

Variants
Sacrifices Twisting Fangs and Death's Charge for Death Blossom and Impale, works great to take out PvE mobs with effeciency.
 * Other possible changes are listed here:


 * Dark Prison instead of Death's Charge for a cover hex, but Lightning Reflexes will need to be cast after Black Lotus Strike.
 * Shadow Refuge instead of Feigned Neutrality.
 * Horns of the Ox instead of Blades of Steel.
 * Lightning Reflexes can be switched for any IAS.

See-Also

 * Build:A/W Berserking Shadow - Favored, widely used.
 * Build:A/W Leet Ganker - Unfavored, merged with above.

This farming build is designed to farm the boss Cultist Rajazan to get his sword, Rajazan's Fervor.

Equipment

 * Infiltrator's Armor.
 * 3 neccessary Weapon Sets:
 * A pair of 15^50 sundering or vampiric daggers.
 * One longbow.
 * Any one-handed weapon of Fortitude and a shield with health bonuses in stance. The Crimson Carapace Shield from Lord Dorn Lendrigen is a good choice.

Running to Rajazan

 * Leave Harvest Temple into the Unwaking Waters (Explorable) while wielding the weapon set with health bonuses.
 * Dash down the stairs until you have only a little space between you and the first group of Shiro'ken.
 * Cast Troll Unguent; while doing so the first patrol will come up into your aggro circle, immediately activate Storm Chaser and rush past them. Do not engage the melee Shiro'ken.
 * As you approach the second group, be careful not to be body blocked.
 * As you approach the third group, your Storm Chaser will be about to end. As soon as it ends, activate Dark Escape and run past the next two groups.
 * After Dark Escape ends, activate Dash to finally shake all the Shiro'ken groups off.
 * Take the lower path until you reach a group consisting of 3 Creeping Carp. Run past them with Storm Chaser while under Troll Unguent. You may find it useful to use Dash, then immediately use another stance, so as not to get that stance ended by the Carps' Wild Strike.
 * Follow the path as described on the map (take the path immediately to the left). If you time everything correctly, the Kraken Spawn will not be in your path.
 * If Outcast Assassins appear, activate Dark Escape and run past, they probably won't even move if you do this. If you're still under Siphon Speed from the Creeping Carp (which is likely), Dash should be able to break their aggro. Beware, if Siphon Speed runs out while you are NOT in a speed-enhancing stance, they will run after you from beyond the aggro bubble.
 * Follow the path north until you approach the next group of Shiro'ken. Run towards them until they start moving, then immediately stop and apply Troll Unguent. The Shiro'ken will enter your aggro circle just as you finish casting Troll Unguent. Activate Storm Chaser and run past this group and the next group.
 * The final group of Shiro'ken will appear in front of you. Run past them with Dark Escape. If you time it right, no enemies will be at the right wall''. Occasionally, there will be a group of 3 Creeping Carp here, which makes things a lot more difficult. Try to run past them without aggroing the dangerous Saltspray Dragons and their boss. Use all your stances here, it'll help to avoid a group of enemies in the next area.
 * Hug the right wall from this point, and you should get into range of Cultist Rajazan without encountering any enemies. (You can get past the Saltspray Dragons by hugging the wall.) If you timed everything right, you should encounter Rajazan's group at the same time as, or slightly before, a pack of 3 Creeping Carp from the left. Activate Dark Escape (which should be ready by now) and run past Rajazan and the Carp. Do not run near any Outcast Assassins: they will use Leaping Mantis Sting and cripple you, wasting your run.
 * Run to the very end of the path. Use Storm Chaser as soon as Dark Escape ends to shake off any enemies that still follow you.

Running Notes

 * A single Carp often follows you at the end. Stand at the westernmost point where you can't walk any further. It will come very close to you, often use a last skill and then retreat. Don't attack it.
 * Timing is critical. Remember that one death means starting all over again from the Harvest Temple.

Pulling and Killing Rajazan
Now it is time to kill Rajazan. Equip your longbow.


 * Attack Rajazan with your bow and immediately retreat to the west with Storm Chaser. This is neccessary to make him use Cultist's Fervor so he is enchanted.
 * As soon as you shake off your pursuers, hurry back and attack Rajazan again.
 * Then run to the west again without any speed enhancing stances. If everything goes right, the Outcasts will retreat. When they do, stop walking; Rajazan will come alone. If the Outcasts don't break off, activate Storm Chaser or Dark Escape!
 * If he has a staff in his hands, walk towards him until he equips his sword and slowly pull him backwards.
 * Killing him is the easiest part. Take out your daggers and use your first 3 skills regularly and use Troll Unguent whenever it is ready. Rajazan will soon be below 50% health.
 * When his health is <50%, repeatedly use Moebius Strike and Death Blossom (while remembering to stay under Troll Unguent).

Notes on pulling
Several factors will determine how easily Rajazan is pulled.
 * If Rajazan is wielding his staff, he will be harder to pull than if he is wielding a sword.
 * If Rajazan is on the western side before the group, he will be easier to pull than if he is on the eastern side, behind the Outcasts.
 * Pulling him alone can really be tedious but don't give up!
 * Sometimes, outcasts will follow you even with Storm Chaser. Try to run in circles with speed enhancing stances, as shown in the adjoining picture.
 * Often, simply using Dash after pulling Rajazan the first time is enough to ensure that you are not followed.
 * The perfect run time from Harvest Temple to Rajazan is approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds, this should ensure that the runner avoids unnecessary and sometimes fatal groups.

Attributes and skills

 * Also, you may only need one running skill, but bring both just in case you can't get to the RH (Regen Health) spot before it ends.
 * If you have Nightfall you can choose to bring Deadly Paradox and drop the rest of your unused attribute points into Deadly Arts

Equipment
Any dagger with a dagger Handle of Enchanting (Preferably 19-20%)
 * Weapons

Usage


You'll start out by taking the quest from Scoutmaster Arne at the first PoI (Point of Interest, marked by the white numbers (refer to the map I've made to the right on this page)). From there you will slowly make your way over to the first SF (Shadow Form, marked by the green numbers). From there, cast Shadow Form immediately followed by either Dark Escape or Storm Chaser. Before Shadow Form runs out (which should be 24 seconds after you cast it) get to the first RH (Regen Health, marked by the red numbers). Regen your health with Troll Unguent and Shadow Refuge (not at the same time) and start to make your way to the second SF. On your way to the second SF, at PoI 2, you might notice two red dots on your compass running across your route. Just wait at PoI 2 until they pass and then continue on to SF 2. Continue this pattern till you reach RH 4. Now, it's not really rare that a group of Undergrowth and Stone Kirins will pass by at the third PoI so be careful and watch your aggro circle! They will make their way up the stairs and will be out of your hair soon. :) Also, you may need to climb a few steps of the same stairs to reach the quest star but you won't be in any enemy's aggro circle.  Slowly continue on with the same pattern being careful not to aggro everything in your path.  :)  Now you'll reach RH point 8 and the final PoI! Congrats! Claim your 400 Kurzick faction, 150 gold, and 2K XP!

Attributes and Skills
Optional Elite:
 * When survivability is an issue, use Flashing Blades instead of Moebius Strike to provide extra defenses
 * Altenatively, Critical Eye can be replaced by Critical Defenses at the cost of some energy gain

Equipment

 * Either armor with blessed insignia or a mix of nightstalkers and blessed Armor can be used.
 * Any Zealous Daggers.

Usage

 * Use Splinter Weapon before a combo (Jagged -> Wild strike -> Death Blossom) to deal a lot of AoE damage. Remember to target clusters of enemies for maximum effectiveness.
 * Use Moebius Strike strike to reset the combo, and allow a second application of Death Blossom immediatly afterwards
 * Use Nightmare Weapon before a combo for a self heal while still dealing a lot of damage.
 * Use Flashing Blades or Critical Defenses for extra defense if selected just before you engage
 * Remember to kite around to avoid enemy spells or to allow a more heavily armored character take the majority of damage.
 * Sins are not a tank. Don't play like one in PvE.

Counters

 * Blindness
 * Cripple
 * Anti-melee hexes
 * E-denial
 * Blocking stances and abilities

Variants

 * Flashing Blades instead of Moebius for more defense.

This is a PvE build that uses an easily spammable attack chain and Assassin's Promise to spread blindness to a large number of foes.

Equipment

 * Armor
 * Nightstalker's Armor for the additional armor while attacking
 * Weapons
 * Perfect vampiric daggers for added damage. eg. Urkal's Kamas or Chkkr's Pincers

Usage

 * Choose your target and move into melee range.
 * The attack chain is Jagged Strike, Wild Strike, Death Blossom, Impale, Jagged Strike, Wild Strike, Death Blossom...
 * Due to the fast recharge of the attack skills you should be able to cycle through the chain over and over.
 * After hitting with Wild Strike, use Blinding Powder.
 * Just before the target dies, use Assassin's Promise on them. Blinding Powder will recharge and you will be able to continue spreading blindness.
 * Use Death's Charge to move to the next foe.
 * Maintain your health with Shadow Refuge while fighting.

Counters

 * Blindness
 * Blocking stances are a challenge.
 * Hex removal can strip Assassin's Promise before the target dies and you get stuck with a recharging skill bar.
 * Plague Touch can be tough as when fighting groups of necromancers. They'll all blind you in turn, using the blindness you put on them.

Variants

 * To handle blocking stances, use Unseen Fury instead of Death's Charge. If Blindness is a problem, use Plague Touch instead.
 * Also, to increase your ability to use your attacks repeatedly, try using zealous daggers.

Template


The A/Any Chkkr Farmer uses Critical Defenses combined with Moebius Strike and dual attacks to maintain a constant physical defense, while dealing more DPS than many other builds.

This build is used to farm EVERY variety of Chkkr bosses in the factions campaign. This includes the Locust Lord, Thousand Tail, Ironclaw, and Brightclaw. It is also capable of soloing any other boss that deals physical damage and is able to be pulled away from surrounding mobs, including Shiro Tagachi in both campaigns.


 * This is also a great all-around PvE build for Assassins due to the low recharge time, high attack power, and fantastic e-management. It is also very versatile and you can edit it in many ways to your own style.

Attributes and Skills

 * Shadow Refuge or Dark Escape can be switched out for Way of Perfection or a different healing skill.
 * Feigned Neutrality can be used for PvE areas where in battle heals aren't as neccessary.
 * There are many useful variants posted below, this is a very versatile build that you can shape to your own style.

Equipment

 * Any Max Armor, try to get energy as high as possible and at least 400hp.
 * Zealous daggers of Enchanting with +15% damage while enchanted are ideal here.
 * Also bring a longbow of some sort for pulling some of the bosses away from mobs.

Running

 * To Chkkr Locust Lord:
 * Run normally north until you can go east to enter the lagoon area, wait for mantises to move away before you run.
 * Activate Dark Escape and run quickly to the clear area to the north of Chkkr, be very careful not to aggro the small groups!
 * Equip your bow and be patient while you wait for the mantises to move away from Chkkr, then fire and pull back.
 * Move behind the large tree stump that is sticking out of the water to avoid aggroing any mantises and begin killing.


 * To Chkkr Thousand Tail:
 * Move up to where the wardens are and wait until they all form into one small spot.
 * When this happens activate dark escape and run past them to the right to quickly lose aggro.
 * Be careful not to aggro the group coming from the right side of your screen, and wait for all of the mobs to move away.
 * No use in using a bow here since this Chkkr is a ranged boss, so move ahead to killing him.


 * To Chkkr Ironclaw:
 * This is by far the hardest one to do!
 * Run to the southwest, past the mesmer boss Xisni, and keep going until you hit a series of rivers and waterfalls where Chkkr is.
 * Try to avoid aggro as best as you can, its a very hard run, but eventually you can get through the the north of Chkkr.
 * Stay in the wide open area north of him, and shoot him with a bow. The entire group will come, but they SHOULD shake off.
 * Continue to go north until his group leaves, but Chkkr stays following you, now begin killing him.
 * It is very difficult to make this run, and also to get his group to leave without him, just try to be patient.


 * To Chkkr Brightclaw:
 * The run is nothing, just walk out of the Jade Flats and walk to the west.
 * When you approach him be careful, a lot of mantises will spawn when you get too close.
 * To pull him, stand near the top of the stairs and shoot at him, this should cause him to leave his group and come after you.
 * Watch out for the group of stone scale kirin and dragon mosses, for some reason they like to run across the map and kill you when you attack Chkkr...

Killing

 * This is pretty standard for any boss/PvE mob you will face.
 * Activate Critical Defenses as soon as the boss gets close, then use the first attacks.
 * Now just spam Critical Strike when you need to renew Critical Defenses or when you need energy. Otherwise use Death Blossom for damage.
 * Use Shadow Refuge/Way of Perfection as needed to keep up your health, as CD is only a 75% chance to block.

Counters
None. :) At least none on the Chkkr bosses. Unless you end up aggroing other monsters of course. (dreamweavers hurt, the rest are actually killable)

Shiro Solo

 * Heres one more variant I decided to add, its the one I use to SOLO Shiro Tagachi himself at the Gate of Madness. This allows the rest of the team to go ahead and get the bonus without having to worry about him! Its also easy to kill Shiro in Factions with it if you have a few heroes to get past Med. of the Reaper.


 * This build adds in Wild Blow as a quick stance remover that doesn't interrupt the attack chain to easily remove Battle Scars.
 * Here is a VIDEO of me Tanking Shiro Tagachi. -Samurai-JM -
 * The full battle took about 8 minutes, but it was too big for youtube so I had to cut the first half off. The first half of his hp goes down very slowly anyway, and it is basically the first 30 seconds of this part repeated over and over while the team got the bonus.
 * The monk hero is not necessary to do this, I just wanted to be perfectly safe in case I messed up. (and I did while talking to teammates) :)

Other Variants

 * For a much stronger degen/DPS build, maybe for PvP areas, equip fiery daggers and try something like this:


 * For more degenerative build that can easily take on defensive stances, use something like this:


 * For much more of degeneration to counter things like Troll Unguent and Shadow Refuge, try this:


 * Feel free to try out different variations of this and fit it to your own style. Also try to post your own versions on the discussion page to share them with everyone!

Attributes and Skills

 * Optional: Dash or another running skill
 * Optional: Shadow Refuge or another healing skill

Equipment

 * Nightstalker's Legs and Chest
 * Daggers of Xuekao work very well here, any longbow

Usage
Exit Lutgardis Conservatory into Melandru's Hope and talk to the Kurzick Priest to get the Blessing of the Kurzicks. Run a bit north of Chkkr Locust Lord, avoiding aggroing creatures. If you do aggro any creatures, use Dash to get them away from you. If there are mantises surrounding Chkkr, wait until they move away, if they don't, start again. Use your longbow to lure him out, and when he is inside of your aggro bubble run north so no mantis will interfere with your farming. Then use Critical Eye, Palm Strike and Blinding Powder as quick as you can. Follow up with Horns of the Ox, Falling Spider and Critical Defenses. Keep using the dagger combo until Blinding Powder recharges. Blinding Powder and Critical Defenses take priority, so whenever they are recharged use them as quick as you can. Keep critical eye up at all times. The bleeding and the poison will negate the healing from Shadow Refuge. He will soon be dead.

If Critical Defenses runs out, run around Chkkr Locust Lord until Critical Defenses or Blinding Powder recharge. He might run back to his island whilst running around him - if this happens just run towards him and he'll start attacking you again.

Variants

 * Fill the optional slot with whatever you like, Dash works well, or another running skill depending on your secondary profession (Sprint, Windborne Speed etc.)
 * You can replace Palm Strike with Golden Phoenix Strike. This enables you to use a different Elite.
 * An A/W variant can be made by replacing Horns of the Ox, Falling Spider, and Twisting Fangs with Golden Lotus Strike, Wild Strike, and Wild Blow. Way of Perfection would be placed into the optional slot.
 * Note that Wild Blow recharges fast enough to keep up Critical Defenses, but you have to watch it.

This PvE build is built around the Assassin's primary attribute, Critical Strikes. Using Way of the Assassin and Critical Eye to raise your chance of a critical hit to about a 77% chance per hit, and Critical Defenses for a near-permanent 75% chance to block, nearly every hit you land will net you +4 energy. Using a skill chain of unblockable attack skills, you can be sure to consistently get your damage through.

Attributes and Skills

 * Your optional slot is quite flexible, but there are a few especially good options, most of which will be based on your setting (PvE or AB).
 * Resurrection Signet is obviously an important choice in PvE, but near-useless in AB.
 * Way of Perfection is useful as a long-term heal, and can serve to keep Way of the Assassin active (the downside is the short duration and small heals at lower levels of Shadow Arts).
 * Critical Eye will grant a huge boost to energy-management, not to mention the sizable extra Critical Hit chance.
 * Siphon Speed is a huge boon in AB especially, allowing you to chase down other Assassins and force one-on-one fights (which is an optimal situation for this build in many cases).
 * Expunge Enchantments is a very useful enchantment removal skill, which will serve well in AB (though not so useful in PvE). Especially deadly against Elementalist Tanking builds and 55 Monks.


 * If survival is an issue, you can go A/D and switch Shadow Arts for Earth Prayers (see Variants, below). The A/D variant loses a bit of the original build's flexibility, but more then makes up for it in pure staying power.

Equipment

 * Nightstalker's Armor is recommended.
 * Daggers with an "of Enchanting" mod is best, and preferably a "+15% while enchanted" or "+15% while in a stance" mod. Daggers of Xuekao may be the best green daggers for this build.
 * The build's defense is high enough that you'll be able to afford the HP loss from adding Superior runes to the build. A Superior Daggery Mastery can increase both your damage output and your critical hit chance by a small amount. You should always be careful with having too many high-end runes on a single build though, as the health loss might outweigh the offensive boosts.

Usage

 * The build centers around keeping three key skills up at all times: Shroud of Distress, Critical Defenses, and Way of the Assassin. In the heat of battle, you'll need to remember to check your status bar often, and make sure to keep all your skills up as much as possible.
 * When first initiating battle, activate Shroud of Distress as you charge. Right before you engage, activate Critical Defenses (make sure not to activate this skill too soon, or you run the risk of not getting a critical hit fast enough to recharge it). Once you engage, activate Way of the Assassin. Be careful when first starting this all, as you will lose a pretty sizable chunk of energy. Once you get a few hits in, your energy should recharge quite quickly.
 * Make sure to use your attack chain often, as it will deal a large amount of consistent, unblockable damage thanks to your high critical chance. Keep an eye on your status at all times. When anything starts to run out, make sure to re-activate it right away. Pay special attention to Critical Defenses in particular. When your target dies, make sure to switch to a new target as quickly as possible to keep Critical Defenses up.
 * Shroud of Distress serves two major purposes here; keeping Way of the Assassin active, thanks to its long duration, and also granting you a very sizable amount of evasion when your health gets low. At seven Shadow Arts, it should last for 44 seconds (not counting any bonus from Daggers of Enchanting). This should be more then enough to last the duration of the battle, and the recharge time is one second longer, in case you need to re-activate. With your Enchanting Daggers, you can easily keep it up constantly.
 * Keep in mind that you have an increased chance of a critical hit when attacking lower-level monsters (this increased chance is more easily noticeable when attacking creatures around level 10 or below). Target a nearby spirit or a weaker monster if you're in desperate need of a critical hit (Ritualist Spirits are normally easy to find in AB).
 * When facing foes with Enchantment removal, keep in mind that Critical Defenses will almost always be the first to go, regardless of the order you activate your enchantments. This is because whenever you land a critical hit, Critical Defenses will re-apply itself, thus moving back to the top of the list. If you know that you're going to be losing an enchantment, it's probably a bad idea to get yourself in a fight with another melee character.

Counters

 * There are a few counters, but most of them are too narrow to consider a real threat. Your main worry is Enchantment removal and the Blind condition. When Blinded, your best bet is to get out of combat. Without a critical hit, you'll lose Critical Defenses and be easy prey for most attacks. Enchantment removal can also get rid of Critical Defenses, but this can normally be fixed by killing whoever is wielding the enchantment removal.

Variants

 * For superior self-healing and defense, consider going A/D and switching all of your points from Shadow Arts into Earth Prayers. This will allow you to use Vital Boon and Mystic Regeneration (replacing Shadow Refuge and Shroud of Distress). The large Block chance granted by Critical Defenses, in addition to the +9 Health regeneration provided by Mystic Regeneration (at 8 Earth Prayers and with all three enchantments active), should serve to keep you alive for a much greater amount of time and especially against other melee classes (don't forget the +72 maximum health bonus you'll gain from Vital Boon). Your attribute points should be re-ordered, like so:
 * This variant works much better against melee foes than casters, and the quick recharge times on the Dervish enchantments means you don't suffer nearly as much against foes with enchantment removal, as it's not a big deal to simply re-cast one of your cheaper enchantments to keep Way of the Assassin active.
 * With this setup, you can add yet another good choice for your optional slot; Pious Restoration, which grants you a quick and simple way to deal with Hex skills. Make sure to activate Vital Boon just before though, so you can take full advantage of the large health gain when you remove it. This also reduces the risk of removing Critical Defenses by mistake.


 * If a Dervish secondary isn't what you're looking for, Assassin's Shadow Arts attribute has plenty of tricks to boost your survival even higher. Drop your Critical Strikes attribute down to 11 and add a Major Rune of Critical Strikes (11 + 2), and drop Dagger Mastery down to 10, keeping the current rune and headgear setup (10 + 1 + 2). This will allow you to boost your Shadow Arts attribute all the way up to 10.


 * You'll need to switch out Shroud of Distress for Way of Perfection, and switch Shadow Refuge for Critical Eye. With your Shadow Arts all the way up at 11 (10 plus the minor rune), Way of Perfection lasts 28 seconds out of the 30 second recharge, and grants a 32-health heal every time you land a critical hit. With Critical Eye as well, you'll gain tons of energy, and everything up and running grants you a massive critical hit chance, which will keep health and energy topped off during nearly any fight. The optional slot can be anything, but preferably you'll want to bring either a resurrection skill (when in a party), Shadow Refuge as an out-of-battle self-heal (just in case), or even Sharpen Daggers to add bleeding to the attack chain. If enemy casters are a problem, you can bring Disrupting Stab or Disrupting Dagger, both of which are nice, easy interrupts skills (D. Stab can also help to start your attack chain, while D. Dagger won't mess up the chain if used halfway through).


 * In some cases where the unblockable chain isn't needed, good options as a replacement attack chain are attack chains like Golden Phoenix Strike, Horns of the Ox, and Falling Spider, or maybe a chain with Jagged Strike, Wild Strike, and Death Blossom for faster damage. Using Golden Phoenix Strike will also allow you to use just itself and a Dual Attack, thus leaving you an extra skill slot as well.


 * If Blinding skills are a common occurrence, skills from other professions, such as Remedy Signet (Paragon), Antidote Signet (Ranger), Mending Touch (Monk), and Sight Beyond Sight (Ritualist) are easy to add to the build with no investment into other attributes.


 * Going A/E will allow you to replace a skill (preferably Shroud of Distress) with Conjure Flame/Frost/Lightning, which will not only enable Way of the Assassin (thanks to the fact that they're Enchantments with a long duration), but grant an additional +1...17 damage per attack. This of course will require a slight investment into the Fire/Water/Air Magic attribute, and your Daggers will need the corresponding Elemental damage modifier (Fiery/Icy/Shocking).

Templates
Below is the skills template for the A/D Variant:

Equipment

 * Any Armor can be used, providing it has max AL.
 * Any Weapon, although Zealous Daggers are helpful.

Usage

 * Keep Critical Eye and Flashing Blades up at all times.
 * Open with Jagged Strike.
 * Follow Jagged Strike with Wild Strike.
 * If there are lots of enemies around, finish with Death Blossom, otherwise finish with Critical Strike.
 * Heal with Shadow Refuge as necessary.
 * Options - Use the optional slot to tailor your effectiveness against specific enemies in an area
 * Against enemies with stances, bring Way of the Fox.
 * Against enemies who cause conditions, bring Signet of Malice.
 * For more defense, bring Critical Defenses.
 * For more damage, bring another attack like Malicious Strike.
 * For more energy during long fights, bring Way of the Lotus.

Counters
Defensive stances and Blindness will put you out of the fight, and prevent you from regaining energy from critical hits. Getting Crippled will allow enemies to kite you.

Variants
Trade Death Blossom for a more powerful dual attack like Twisting Fangs. This does more damage to a single target at the cost of using more energy.

Template
This is a build designed for fun, as well as PvE damage dealing. It uses degeneration and area-of-effect attacks to take down foes while making use of the Assassin's unique ability to Shadow Step to move in and out of combat.

Attributes and Skills

 * Users with Nightfall should replace Return with Death's Retreat for added healing.


 * As this is a PvE build, Rebirth would be a good way to fill the 8th slot but non-Monk secondaries can use the Resurrection Signet just fine.

Equipment

 * Nightstalker's Armor for extra protection.
 * Any Daggers would work, but since Assassins tend to be fragile, consider:
 * Extra Armor, with daggers of Defense or of Shelter
 * Extra Health, with daggers of Fortitude
 * For extra damage, you can use Vampiric or Sundering daggers. I prefer Sundering because I don't like to deal with the pip of health degen, which can get worrisome.
 * The best Vigor rune you can afford, a Rune of Major Dagger Mastery, a Rune of Major Critical Strikes, a Rune of Minor Shadow Arts and any other rune you like. I use Vitae.

Usage
This is a fairly easy build to use. Early on, identify a party member who will likely be staying away from melee (like a Ranger). Remember his location on your party window, since he's going to be the one you shadow step back to when things get nasty.

Let your warriors charge in first, since they're good at it and it makes them happy. It also helps keep the heat off your much more fragile self.

If possible, position yourself so that Death Blossom's AoE will hit several foes. When you can, use Moebius Strike to hit a target with Death Blossom several times.

Keep pressure off your monks by using Shadow Refuge whenever your health begins to get low. You can also use Death's Charge on a healthy foe for an emergency burst of healing.

You are not a tank. Don't be afraid to Return to the back line, heal yourself, and pop right back into combat. Not only does this help keep you alive, but it helps take the pressure off your monks. With practice, you can be a fully self-sufficient damage dealer: use this to your advantage, because if the Monk has to choose between healing you and the tank, he will likely choose the tank.

If you want to be a little more creative and save Death's Charge for when you need healing, you can wait for a Warrior to engage, then use Return on him to enter melee. This lets you save Death's Charge for when you need a quick heal, or for more critical targets.

Counters
Blindness and spike damage can really hurt this build. A target using a defensive Stance such as Shield Stance can make your attacks hard to chain. Also, keep a watchful eye out for enemies who like to use spells that punish melee attackers.

The goal of this build is to farm Vermin in Xaquang Skyway with a primary Elementalist.

Equipment

 * Any maximum armor will do, although Tempest Armor or Battlemage's Armor are best.
 * A weapon with a maximum Staff Wrapping Of Enchanting is suggested, Galigord's Stone Staff is perfect for this build.
 * Totem Axe or Rajazan's Fervor and earth offhand such as Hajok's Prism or Galigord's Stone Scroll

Usage

 * Upon entering Xaquang Skyway, head northwest to the Vermin.
 * Keep Earth Attunement and Aura of Restoration up at all times.
 * Try to take on the Vermin 2-3 groups at a time for the easiest battles.
 * As they're charging towards you, make sure to use Ward of Stability before they get to you, followed by Armor of Earth.
 * As soon as they've all gathered around you, use Sliver Armor.
 * Cast Aftershock, Teinai's Crystals and Shockwave. Recast as they recharge.
 * If the fight lasts too long you may lose Ward of Stability, recast as soon as possible.

Tips on killing Shreader Sharptongue:
 * Watch the movement of the groups of Vermin, you'll notice their pattern is counter-clockwise.
 * Select Shreader so Sliver Armor has more chance of targeting him.
 * Wait on the bridge until Shreader and his group are closest to the bridge. Aggro him and run some ways back on the bridge.
 * Cast your anti-Knockdown, which ever one you have, then cast Sliver Armor. Additional casts after Sliver Armor may stop it from targeting Shreader, so try not to cast your other offensive spells until he's below 50% health.
 * If you get into health problems, spam your spells to gain health from Aura of Restoration.

Variants

 * Replace Armor of Earth with Stoneflesh Aura, this way you'll only lose health due to degeneration, and of course the attacks of the boss.
 * An E/Mo can replace Earth Attunement with Balthazar's Spirit or/and Essence Bond for slightly better energy management (when tanking large groups of vermin). Healing Breeze may also be a useful skill for an E/Mo.
 * Crystal Wave can be used in place of Aftershock.
 * Sandstorm is another effective way of killing instead of Shockwave if you have not yet capped it. You may need to wand the vermin back to you if they start to run, but the high damage should kill them before that.
 * This build can be used to farm Pongmei Valley if Ward of Stability is switched for Ward Against Melee.

Videos

 * Original Build Setup - YouTube
 * Stoneflesh Aura Variant Setup - YouTube
 * Obsidian Flesh Variant Setup - YouTube

Templates
dervish

This build allows for a Dervish/Assassin to complete the Droknar's Forge run with a higher success rate than any other build yet. With the use of Vow of Silence and Dark Escape you can easily run past enemies while taking little damage. This build also combines the use of Fleeting Stability, Mystic Regeneration and Faithful Intervention to create a safe versatile run. This build can also run most of the entire game with no change at all.

Equipment

 * Armor: The Windwalker Insignia should be used for this build since you will be under multiple enchantments for most of the run. Apply a Rune of Major Vigor or a Rune of Superior Vigor and Rune of Attunement for extra energy.
 * Weapons: A Staff with an enchantment lengthening mod and at least +15 energy since you will need energy more than armor. An inscribeable Insightful Staff with a "Have Faith" inscription will give you +20 energy while you're enchanted.  A Shield can be used but you will often find yourself lacking energy.
 * A sword of enchanting with a shield that lowers damage taken while enchanted and HP +45 while enchanted.

Before 1 Feb. Update Usage

 * Start: Cast Faithful Intervention at start and whilst not under attack if it is not currently on.
 * Or you can just run through them with either Dark Escape or Dash.
 * Lornar's Pass
 * Wurm Tunnel: Cast Fleeting Stability -> Mystic Regeneration -> Vow of Silence -> Deadly Paradox -> Dark Escape. As soon as Vow of Silence ends, cast Fleeting Stability -> Vow of Silence before reaching the Siege Ice Golems.  Then use Deadly Paradox -> Dark Escape to outrun them.
 * Grawl zones: Vow of Silence is not required to run past the Grawl unless there are Siege Ice Golems located close by. As long as you maintain Mystic Regeneration and Faithful Intervention and avoid the Grawl Crones you'll be fine.
 * Snake Dance
 * Make sure you maintain Fleeting Stability and Mystic Regeneration when running past Tundra Giants and Azure Shadows.
 * Always use Deadly Paradox before Dark Escape.

Counters

 * Grawl Crones can strip you of Vow of Silence and other enchantments with Chilblains and can cause almost certain death if Siege Ice Golems are nearby. Just stay out of their range and you'll be fine.

Variants
You can switch Dash for Signet of Pious Light for ending Fleeting Stability for extra health and can combine with Vital Boon for a quick health boost when needed.

There are many assassin skills which can be used instead, though they may leave you more exposed.


 * Earth Prayers | 12 + 2


 * Mysticism | 12 + 1 + 2


 * Shadow Arts | 3

Pious Haste provides a fast alternative aswell as lets you skip investing anything in Wind Prayers, giving you longer duration on all your skills, higher max health, better energymanagement though it has a downside of removing an enchantment when it ends but if timed right you may even use it to your advantage (Vital Boon).

Template
The Icy Fighter is a simple Dervish Build that uses Water Magic to add extra damage, increase armor, and provide protection from spells. This build is effective in most PvE.

Equipment

 * Armor with Windwalker's Insignias is perfect.
 * An Icy Scythe is necessary +15% while enchanted and an enchanting mod would be useful.
 * The Soulbreaker is perfect.

Usage

 * Cast and maintain Frigid Armor, Conjure Frost and Mirror of Ice
 * Note: It is usually a good idea to let them end before renewing them so you gain the Mysticism bonus.
 * Keep a close eye on Mirror of Ice since it is often difficult to notice when it ends.


 * Cast Mystic Vigor before a battle and refresh it as soon as it ends.
 * Use your attack skills when their bonuses will be useful.
 * For harder targets chain together Victorious Sweep, Eremite's Attack and Mystic Sweep in that order for a large spike attack.

Counters

 * Enchant removal is not a direct counter but will slow an Icy Fighter down for a few seconds while they re-apply their enchantments.
 * Skills that harm you based on your enchantments will hurt quite badly.(i.e. Defile Enchantments, Melandru's Arrows, ect.)
 * Blind, Weakness, Crippled, and other standard melee counters.

Variants

 * Unlike most builds, the elite skill here is the optional slot. Many other elites are better for certain situations and play styles.
 * Armor of Frost and Armor of Mist are usually less effective than Frigid Armor but could be used instead.
 * Frozen Burst can be a very effective damage/snaring skill if you don't need a resurrect or feel like taking out an attack skill.
 * Blurred Vision costs quite a bit of energy, but keeps you pretty well protected.
 * Most attack skills can replace Victorious Sweep, some useful attacks are, Rending Sweep, and Chilling Victory.
 * Many players prefer using Reaper's Sweep instead of Mirror of Ice and Victorious Sweep.
 * Crippling Sweep is also very useful(usually in PvP) for some extreme anti-kiting.
 * Consider bringing Mystic Regeneration(in place of a attack skill) for PvE play and moving some points from Mysticism to Earth Prayers(3 or 8 are cut off points for Mystic Regeneration).
 * Consider bringing Banishing Strike when fighting in an Alliance Battle. It will do 130 damage (with 11 in Scythe Mastery) to all nearby minions, pretty much killing all of them.

Templates
This build is a more effective variant of the Obsidian Tank. The advantage of using a dervish is that a dervish can use mysticism to upkeep all of his enchants, without having to worry about running out of energy, and can maintain constant health regeneration, which is the bane of the warrior variant.

Attributes and Skills

 * The optional slot may be filled by:
 * Grasping Earth,
 * Lightbringer's Gaze or,
 * Ward Against Foes
 * Glyph of Elemental Power
 * Fleeting Stability


 * Sunspear Rebirth Signet may replace the Resurrection Signet.
 * For more experienced teams, you may wish to replace the Resurrection Signet altogether, in which case Conviction is recommended.

Equipment

 * Radiant insignias on all armor pieces.
 * Any +5 energy weapon of enchanting such as the Totem Axe and Rajazan's Fervor.
 * An Earth Focus, with +health and +armor while enchanted mods, or a HSR mod, such as Hajok's Prism.
 * For more experienced players, the Aegis of Augh is definitely the way to go.

Usage
Upkeep Stoneflesh Aura, Mystic Regeneration, and Vital Boon. Cast Obsidian Flesh whenever it's charged. If you start taking an excessive amount of damage while Obsidian Flesh is down, cast Armor of Earth. If you're having some trouble with interrupts, use Glyph of Concentration, immediately followed by Stoneflesh Aura and Obsidian Flesh.

Counters

 * Non-Spell Enchantment removal
 * Interrupts
 * Dazed

Equipment
((+3-Scythe Mastery Rune)) ((+3-Earth Prayer Rune)) ((+3-Mysticism Rune)) ((+3-Rune(Your Choice)) ((+3-Rune(Your Choice))
 * Rune's

((Radiant Insignia (x5) for more energy (*But not necessary*))
 * Insignia's


 * Any kind of armor other than armor with the survivor insignia or health boosting runes will do, as long as it has a total of 5 superior runes on. Note that armor level does not matter for this build, so a set of armor purchased in Kamadan will serve this builds purposes just fine.
 * A customized Scythe with a "Guided by Fate"/"Strength and Honor"/"To the Pain!" inscription. A scythe grip of Enchanting and a Sundering or Zealous scythe snathe can make things easier.
 * A Zealous scythe is recommended while facing only one foe; if you don't use one you may not gain enough energy to recast all 3 enchantments. Note that energy mangement when facing a single foe may become easier by dropping Balthazar's Spirit and Essence Bond.
 * Dwayna's Grace, Lyssa's Bedlam, Scythe of Corruption, or Suli's Scythe would work well for this build. The Soulbreaker also works.

Usage
Whenever you enter an explorable area cast Balthazar's Spirit and Essence Bond and wait for your energy to regen. Before approaching the monster(s) you want to kill, cast the first 3 skills on your bar. Aggro the monster(s) and keep your enchantments up while spamming your attack skills. If you're having trouble staying alive, consider deliberately getting yourself killed; the resultant Death Penalty will lower your health and therefore make the build more effective.

Mystic Regeneration is quite effective at keeping your health up, however enemies with fast attack speed or powerful health degen spells can render it useless. Try not to face your target alone, make sure he has company. When you aggro a group, make sure they are more or less mobbed up. With the help of Mystic Vigor, you will gain about 25 health each hit; with 3 targets in one hit you will gain 75 health per hit. With fast attacks and the assistance of Mystic Regeneration, you should survive quite easily.

Mystic Vigor is your anti-spike skill. When you get spiked, it should only take one hit from you while enchanted with Mystic Vigor to bring your health back up.

When there are only 1 or 2 enemies left, it's useful to just use Mystic Vigor instead of Mystic Regeneration, to conserve energy.

For some bosses, it is more effective to insert Mirage Cloak into the build instead of Eremite's Attack, to help counter the onslaught of melee attackers. This variation can often be used without having to harvest Death Penalty first, and also gives nice AoE damage. Note, however, that Mirage Cloak will lower the effectiveness of Balthazar's Spirit and Essence Bond, so don't attempt to use it unless you have a zealous scythe equipped.

Counters

 * Blind
 * Weakness
 * Blurred Vision
 * Enchantment removal
 * Avatar of Grenth
 * Health Degeneration exceeding 20 pips
 * Health Stealing
 * Energy Denial (Spirit Shackles)
 * Chilblains this skill can ruin many of your farming runs

Variants
Replace Reaper's Sweep with Wounding Strike.

Replace Reaper's Sweep with Arcane Zeal if you are having trouble with energy management.

Replace Reaper's Sweep with Mystic Twister.

Replace Eremite's Attack or Mystic Sweep for Fleeting Stability to counter knock down.

Replace Eremite's Attack or Mystic Sweep for Heart of Holy Flame when fighting undead for double damage.

Replace Reaper's Sweep with any form except for Avatar of Melandru, which gives +100 health boost. Avatar of Balthazar and Avatar of Dwayna are particularly useful here; the former with its armor boost(doesn't matter due to Protective Spirit) and armor-penetrating damage; the latter with its hex removal and healing, which can negate the need for Mystic Vigor. Avatar of Lyssa works wonders against Mage Bosses, as they are constantly casting spells on you, you dish out +38 damage on a target that is casting a spell.(Remember you will only have about a minute to kill each group, however, if you rely on a form to make the build work.)

Replace Mystic Regeneration with Healing Breeze and take healing prayers instead of earth prayers. Not as effective, but works if you haven't come far enough in the Nightfall campaign to get Mystic Regeneration, unlock Mystic Regeneration with Balthazar Faction, then buy it off the skill trainer.

Equipment

 * Armor
 * Two Radiant Insignias and three Survivor Insignias.
 * One Rune of Attunement & Vitae
 * Weapons
 * Zealous Scythe of Enchanting with a "Guided by Fate" inscription. (Scythe of Corruption is ideal)

Usage

 * Cast Extend Enchantments, one of the shields or HH, and Mystic Vigor before attacking them.
 * Let the enchantments end by Extend Enchantments and recast.
 * If you have Shield of Deflection, cast it, then let it end and recast it. For Shield of Absorption cast it as soon as it is available.
 * Use Mending Touch on yourself and on allies.

Counters

 * Enchantment removal.
 * Spiteful Spirit, Insidious Parasite, etc...

Variants

 * For additional armor and evasion/health regeneration, switch Shield of Absorption for Shield of Regeneration or Shield of Deflection and replace Wounding Strike with Wearying Strike.
 * Healing Hands variant

Equipment
(Earth Prayers needs to hit 13 in order for Mystic Regeneration to hit +4 which is imperative when fighting Shreader)
 * Scythe of Enchanting
 * Runes need not be adhered to strictly as long as you hit the breakpoints

Usage
The maintained enchantments and Conviction can be kept up indefinetly with no consideration as they do not waste activation time. Mystic Regeneration should be kept up for healing, as should Fleeting Stability (although you might not need to refresh it while fighting the smaller groups if the mob is about to die anyway). Vow of Strength should be kept up for increasing your damage. While the defensive mechanism of Mirage Cloak is unneccesary, the bonus damage could help, so keep it up as well, just remember not to renew until it expires so damage takes effect. Also, you might want to cast this last so you don't have to wait for energy as the blocking can sometimes slow down your energy gain. Mystic Vigor is optional, but can give you a larger margin of error against Shreader Sharptongue's group.

While fighting, you might want to reposition so all three of your aggroed foes are damaged. Though this is unnceccesary, it will speed up the run. While fighting Shreader Sharptongue, simply target him first and deal with the rest.

This build can also be used to farm bosses or other areas, especially ones where knock down is used.

Variants

 * Reaper's Sweep, Wild Blow and Mystic Sweep may be used to replace Vow of Strength, Mirage Cloak, Mystic Vigor, or Conviction while dealing with bosses or fewer foes to give higher output.
 * If a warrior secondary is used, Bonnetti's Defense may be used for energy and Faithful Intervention could be added to trigger Mystic Regeneration or Vigor. Similarily, Flail and "Watch Yourself!" could both improve the run-speed seeing as they both have no activation time or energy cost, making it more effective against a single foe.
 * Sympathetic and/or Ancestor's Visage can be used in areas with interruption. Zealous Vow can then be used for energy management.

Templates
To be added.

Equipment

 * Windwalker and Radiant Insignias
 * A Zealous Scythe of Enchanting
 * Runes of Attunement

Usage

 * Cast Contagion, Dark Aura, and Mystic Regeneration
 * Engage target, and use Signet of Agony, followed by Wearying Strike.
 * Signet of Agony will deal 15 damage to all adjacent enemies, as well as cause you to bleed, and to sacrifice 10% health. The sacrifice will trigger Dark Aura, dealing 38 damage to all adjacent foes. Contagion will cause the Bleeding to be spread to all nearby foes, and will cause you to sacrifice 6% health, triggering Dark Aura a second time, for another 38 damage to adjacent foes.
 * Wearying Strike will apply Deep Wound to hit enemies, and will give you Weakness. Contagion will instantly spread Weakness to all nearby enemies, and trigger Dark Aura a third time.
 * Use Plague Touch to get rid of Weakness, and use Wearying Strike a second time.
 * Re-apply Dark Aura and Signet of Agony as soon as they are available.


 * Mystic Regeneration will give 9 points of health regeneration (or more with extra enchantments), to help offset the sacrificing and bleeding. It also acts as a cover enchantment for the two Death Magic enchantments, which are critical to the build.


 * Conditions applied from foes will trigger Contagion and Dark Aura. This can make the build more powerful, as long as you know what to expect. If you know that your enemies will be dealing conditions, try to time it so that their conditions and your conditions are not being applied at the same time, as the health sacrifices could become overwhelming.

Counters

 * Enchantment stripping will greatly reduce the effectiveness of this build. The Death Magic enchantments must be kept covered.

Variants
Optional skill slot:
 * Armor of Sanctity. Ths will reduce damage by 13 from all foes suffering from a condition. It will also increase Mystic Regeneration's effect to +12 regen (+9 with Bleeding).
 * Conviction. This will provide +24 armor.
 * Faithful Intervention. This can act as a safety heal, but could be triggered unintentionally.
 * Heart of Fury. 11 seconds of IAS, follwed by Burning.
 * Zealous Renewal. A cover enchantment to help with energy management.
 * Reap Impurities. Gain health from enemies suffering from conditions.
 * Victorious Sweep. Gain health from foes with less health.
 * Consume Corpse. Corpse denial, self-healing, energy management.

Attributes and Skills
OR

Equipment

 * For the armor, this build requires a good amount of energy, so any radiant armor would help. Also, if blind becomes a problem, consider attaching a blindness duration reduction rune.
 * A Zealous scythe of Enchanting +20% with a +15% dmg while enchanted inscription is ideal.
 * If you are set up properly, you will have at least 500 health (with a minor rune of vigor) and 35 energy (without the avatar). If you feel that you don't need the zealous scythe, you may trade it in for a sundering one.

Usage
Before going into battle, cast Avatar of Lyssa then Watchful Intervention and then Heart of Fury. Pick out a target (prime targets for this build are Necromancers, Mesmers, Elementalists, Ritualists, Rangers, and Assassins), and attack. Spam the four attack skills in order, chaining one after the other in succession. Wild Blow recharges once for every two times each other attack skill recharges, so you can chain those while waiting.

If you are in a battle long enough for the Avatar of Lyssa to wear off, you will still do quite a bit of damage, so conserve your energy and use the attack skills when necessary. Also, if you need health, recast Watchful Intervention whenever it's not on you.

Counters
Counters to this build are your usual anti-melee incidents, but mostly blind.

Variants
Heal Variant.

Replace Watchful Intervention, Resurrection Signet,and/or Wild Blow or Protector's Strike with Mystic Regeneration and Mystic Vigor

Speed Variant.

This build can be customized depending on your tastes. If you want to have a speed boost, put in Sprint and take out the ressurection signet if you don't need it. You can also put your remaining attribute points into Wind Prayers and use Harrier's Haste. Or even then replace Heart of Fury with Whirling Charge.

Other Variant.

If you want more health, put in Mystic Vigor, which would give you lots of health with the maxed attack speed. If you want, you can take out Wild Blow if you need the ressurection signet, and in that case you can use Rush as a speed boost too as you won't be losing your adrenaline.

Energy Variant.

If you are concerned about energy usage, you can replace one of the attack skills or the ressurection signet with Zealous Renewal for a great energy gain after the enchantment ends.

Masters Videos
Here are videos of the build being used against every Nameless Master.


 * Watch Master of Axes
 * Master of Enchantments (You may watch how Protective Spirit hurts, but not too badly)
 * Master of Energy Denial
 * Master of Hammers
 * Master of Healing
 * Master of Hexes
 * Master of Lighting
 * Master of Spirits
 * Master of Survival

This was all done in a row, with no retries (besides Master of Enchantments because I gave up prematurely the first time, so I only tried him twice in total).

Template
Original

Healing

This build is designed to run from Beacon's Perch to Droknar's Forge, but it can be used to run to most destinations. Skills for this build can be obtained by any player that owns Nightfall campaign no other campaigns are needed (it is of course a plus if the player owns the Prophecies campaign so the build can be used for what it is intended to).

Equipment

 * +5/per enchantment on chest and leggings, Radiant Insignia on other parts
 * Use Rajazan's Fervor or Totem Axe to gain extra energy and extended duration of your enchantments.
 * Use Stalwart Carapace Shield to get some additional armor and HP bonus.

Usage

 * Use Extend Enchantments followed by Mystic Regeneration, Fleeting Stability and Vow of Silence before entering any combat where enemies use both KD and slowing spells and then use Harrier's Haste when it ends use Pious Haste if you are stripped of important enchants while recasting start with casting Pious Haste to remove VoS. Be sure to not have Pious Haste on you when you are recasting your enchantments. If you get hexed use Pious Restoration while enchanted if you remove Fleeting Stability follow up with balanced stance (if there are KD oponents). If there are no slowing spellcasters in the area you can skip Vow of Silence, just as you can skip Fleeting Stability if there are no KD enemies.

Lornar's Pass

 * Be aware of Grawl Crones that can cast Chilblains and strip you of your enchantments if you get close.
 * If you have to recast your enchantments while a wurm is attacking you, use Balanced Stance to not get knocked down.
 * Avoid avicaras while recasting enchantments at all costs since they can remove one or two before you get the cover of Vow of Silence
 * Try to avoid traps, if you happen to trigger one keep running until you lose your enchantments and then quickly put up Mystic Regeneration and Vow of Silence to try to make it to the nearest safe zone.

Dreadnought's Drift

 * When running past the Tundra Giant try to dodge some attacks since your armor is not that great

Talus Chute

 * Stop before the group of Avicaras in the start and recast your enchantments.

Counters

 * Skills that strip enchantments.

Variants
See discussion

Similar Builds

 * Build:R/D Enchanted Forge Runner
 * Build:D/E Fleeting Silence
 * Build:D/A Dark Silence Runner

This build is designed to run from Beacon's Perch to Droknar's Forge, with the use of Dervish skills.

Equipment

 * +7 extra energy armour - Radiant Insignia
 * +10 armour while enchanted works well since you are enchanted most of the time - Blessed Insignia
 * + 20% enchantment mod on a scythe or a Rajazan's Fervor or Totem Axe will do


 * If using a one handed weapon equip a shield like Malinon's Shield

Usage

 * Use Avatar of Balthazar before engaging any creatures for the +40 armour and increase running speed by 33%. To get past Tundra Giants, Frost Wurms, and Ice Golems, use this with Fleeting Stability.
 * Pious Restoration should be used against all Hexes.

Healing

 * Before enemies, make sure your Health is max or near max.
 * Take some time to heal if you can find a safe location to heal. Vital Boon and Faithful Intervention should be enough.
 * Use Faithful Intervention first and then use Vital Boon so if a creature strips Enchantments, Vital Boon will be triggered - its 2nd ability is to heal you when it ends or when someone removes it.* Before running past Ice Imps use Vital Boon. If you are hexed cast Pious Restoration to remove the slow down hexes that the Ice Imps use.
 * Use Avatar of Balthazar and then cast Fleeting Stability, covering it up with Faithful Intervention and Vital Boon. This way, when you are getting attacked by a Frost Wurm and going through the Wurm tunnel, the enchantment remover just removes Vital Boon.
 * Entering the Troll Cave, lure the Mountain Trolls out before entering, so you don’t get body blocked by them.
 * In the Wurm Path use Fleeting Stability and Avatar of Balthazar go get past the Wurm quickly.

Dreadnought's Drift

 * Before engaging any enemies use Avatar of Balthazar and Fleeting Stability and cover it up with Faithful Intervention and Vital Boon in case you met some Tundra Giants.

Snake Dance

 * Use Avatar of Balthazar and Fleeting Stability and cover it up with Faithful Intervention and Vital Boon because there are a lot of Tundra Giants to knock you down, along with some Azure Shadows.
 * Make sure you run away from Stone Summits and their mobs to get to Camp Rankor.

Camp Rankor

 * Here is a rest stop and you can swap some skills if you think healing is needed.

Talus Chute

 * Same thing really, Avatar of Balthazar and Fleeting Stability and cover it up with Faithful Intervention and Vital Boon because there are Azure Shadows and large Avicara groups near the start.

Counters
Strip enchantment skills would put you off if the skill is still recharging.

Variants

 * Watchful Intervention can be used if more healing is needed and more cover for Fleeting Stability against enchantment removing creatures.
 * Extend Enchantments could be added if you wanted to extend your enchantments.
 * Avatar of Dwayna can replace Avatar of Balthazar if you want more skills to get rid of hex.
 * Avatar of Melandru can replace Avatar of Balthazar if you want more condition removers.
 * Smite Hex can be used for quick hex removal.
 * Mending Touch can use for removing condition if needed.

Attributes and Skills
D/Mo


 * Add in Mending Touch and/or Rebirth if you decide to go D/Mo. If you do not think a resurrection skill is needed, it is recommended to bring either Mystic Sweep or Eremite's Attack.

D/W


 * Add in Wild Blow and/or Resurrection Signet for D/W. If you do not think a resurrection skill is needed, it is recommended to bring either Mystic Sweep, Eremite's Attack, or Distracting Blow.

D/A


 * Add in Signet of Malice and/or Resurrection Signet for D/A. If you do not think a resurrection skill is needed, it is recommended to bring either Mystic Sweep, Eremite's Attack, or any Assassin utility skills.

Equipment

 * Armor: Windwalker's Insignia armor with a Scythe Mastery hood (70 AL).
 * Runes: Major Scythe Mastery, Minor Mysticism, Major Earth Prayers, Vigor, Attunement x1
 * Weapon: Sundering or Zealous Scythe of Fortitude with energy+5 inscription.

Usage

 * When entering combat, activate Faithful Intervention, Armor of Sanctity, and Mystic Regeneration to give you max health regeneration (20hp/second).
 * Use Conviction. At this point, you will have at least 109 armor (70 from normal armor, 15 from windwalker's, and 24 from conviction). This does not include Armor of Sanctity's damage reduction, which is 18 less damage from all sources.
 * Find a target.
 * Try as much as possible to spread Deep Wound. My suggestion is to use Wouding Strike followed by Victorious Sweep to deal some significant damage. Then, move on to another target and do the same thing. This will greatly help your party's overall damage output and you can easily serve as a tank with Armor of Sanctity.

Variants

 * Reaper's Sweep can replace Wounding Strike as you see fit.

Counters

 * Enchantment removal.
 * Hexes.

Dervish Forge Runner for Beacon's Perch to Droknar's Forge run.

Equipment

 * Maximum level armor with Radiant or Windwalker insignias.
 * The runes you will need are as follows: Major Mysticism, minor Wind Prayers, Minor Earth Prayers, Rune of Attunement, and a Superior Rune of Vigor (if you can afford it).
 * Any weapon with an enchantments last 20% longer mod and +5 energy inscription and a shield or a staff with similiar mods.
 * Totem Axe and a Wooden Buckler from Luci
 * Kepkhet's Refuge

Usage
Keep Faithful Intervention on at all times, and use Watchful Intervention for emergency heals. Vow of Silence will keep you going through the grawl, ice imps, and ice golems safely.Featherfoot Grace reduces poison, bleeding, and cripple when running through the Grawl. Harrier's Haste and Enchanted Haste are stances to increase your speed. Try to keep Mystic Regeneration up. Fleeting Stability will get you through the worms and other knockdowns you may encounter.

Watch your enchantment expirations. If they are about to go out, go ahead and recharge them whenever you can.

Variations
Using a D/A, take out Watchful Intervention and Enchanted Haste and replace them with Dark Escape and Dash. Attributes should be aligned as 14 Mysticism (With Hood+Superior Rune), 11 Earth Prayers, 10 Wind Prays, and 9 Shadow Arts.

Equipment

 * Armor: Radiant Insignia for energy mixed in with Survivor's Insignia for health. Radiant Insignia should be used on the chest area for maximum energy.
 * Weapons: Any good Scythe should do.
 * Runes: In addition to the runes outlined in the Attributes table, take a Rune of Attunement and the best Vigor rune you can afford. Nightfall characters - such as all Dervishes - get a Rune of Minor Vigor from an early quest.

Usage

 * Before running into battle, activate your enchantments.
 * Only activate the first 2 enchantments from left to right, then as you reach your target (hopefully targets) activate the other 2 enchantments from left to right. This should cause some damage to multiple foes.
 * The very first attack should be Twin Moon Sweep to ignite your enemies on fire. Activate Mystic Sweep to add some more damage.
 * Because of Mystic Vigor you should gain a fair amount of health each hit. Soon mystic vigor should be about finished and same with Vital Boon and they should be reactivated seeing how they should be recharged.
 * After activating them use Heart of Holy Flame again followed by Twin Moon Sweep to once again ignite them.
 * At this point Zealous Renewal should finish and you should gain all your energy back.
 * Repeat this proccess until the targets are taken out.
 * If at a point you are low on health activate Avatar of Melandru for some health and to cancel any conditions.
 * Vital Boon can be used for quick healing via casting it, and then using Twin Moon Sweep to quickly strip it and heal yourself for 200+ health. Of course, you can always let Vital Boon run out normaly, but this above method is for speedy healing.

Counters

 * Energy denial and draining.
 * Enchantment Removal can do some damage to this build but since ending any of those used, except Mystic Vigor, gives you benefits, it's not that bad.
 * Blindness, Weakness and Crippling can obviously slow this build down by preventing it from hitting with most of your attacks, lowering the effectiveness of your attacks, and stopping you from attacking fleeing targets. However, since you have Avatar of Melandru, you can quickly negate these effects.
 * Interrupting Avatar of Melandru - by the time the 30 second recharge has elapsed, it is possible for the Dervish to have been killed.

Variants

 * You might also choose to swap out Heart of Holy Flame for Conviction or Balthazar's Rage, which can be used for backup healing as well as increased armor levels from Conviction.
 * Mystic Sweep can be replaced with another attack such as Victorious Sweep and Chilling Victory.
 * Avatar of Dwayna may also be a good choice, if you want hex removal and healing.
 * If you have a Zealous or Vampiric scythe, it may be a good idea to switch Heart of Holy Flame with Heart of Fury for the IAS.

Templates
This build takes advantage of Pious Renewal's energy and health gain when removing multiple enchantments with Mystic Sandstorm, resulting in spike damage and bringing you back to near full health and energy to remove downtime.

Equipment

 * Radiant armor.
 * Insightful Staff of Enchanting
 * +2 Earth Prayers rune, +3 Mysticism rune, Superior Vigor rune, and two Runes of Attunement.

Usage
Before engaging, cast in order of Enchantment duration:
 * Aura of Thorns --> Heart of Holy Flame --> Vital Boon --> Armor of Sanctity --> Mirage Cloak --> Pious Renewal then get near an enemy or a group of enemies and hit Mystic Sandstorm. This will result in:


 * 130 damage from Mystic Sandstorm to nearby enemies.
 * 75 damage from Mirage Cloak to nearby enemies.
 * +30 energy from Mysticism.
 * +12 energy and +60 health from Pious Renewal
 * +200 health from Vital Boon
 * 4 seconds of burning from Heart of Holy Flame
 * 15 seconds of bleeding from Aura of Thorns.

Casting Armor of Sanctity shortly after sandstorm can help reduce damage against those you inflicted bleeding and/or burning on.

The health and energy gain should leave you enough energy to repeat the process.

Counters

 * Massive enchantment removal before Mystic Sandstorm is launched.
 * Anything preventing the casting of enchantments on you.
 * Repetitive knockdowns and interrupts to fail enchantment spells.
 * Kiting.

Variants

 * Pious Renewal can be replaced with Arcane Zeal. This reduces your health gain after using Mystic Sandstorm, but it allows for more costly, more powerful enchantments to be used instead. For example:


 * By sacrificing a few points in Earth Prayers and placing them instead in Scythe Mastery, you can provide yourself with an acceptable alternative should you find yourself up against an enchantment-remvoing or interrupting foe.
 * Despite the health spike after casting Mystic Sandstorm, it's very easy to get killed while casting the enchantments. For this reason, Mystic Regeneration works very well when used as your first enchantment.

Equipment

 * A Vampiric Scythe of Enchanting with a "Guided By Fate" inscription.
 * Windwalker's Insignias on your armor.
 * A Rune of Clarity on an armor piece, Runes of Attunement on everything else.

Usage

 * Cast your enchantments before going into battle. Use Whirling Charge to speed up your attacks.
 * Spam Victorious Sweep and Mystic Sweep for damage. Use Chilling Victory as a powerful finisher.
 * When low on energy, auto-attack to gain some back.

Counters

 * Heavy enchant removal
 * Standard anti-melee counters, though the durations of conditions are greatly reduced.

Variants
Mysticism Variant:

By moving points from Earth Prayers to Mysticism and using a minor rune, this allows you to have an IAS active all the time by cycling Whirling Charge and Heart of Fury.
 * Pious Restoration for areas with dangerous hexes.
 * Conviction can help with survivability
 * Wild Blow and Protector's Strike are great attack skills to spam, with a Warrior secondary
 * Crippling Sweep can help prevent kiting
 * Mystic Sandstorm can be used for a finisher, or to counter energy denial.
 * Mystic Twister can also be used for AOE damage.
 * Signet of Pious Light can be used for emergency healing.

Elementalist

This is a PvE build that utilizes Assassin's Promise to bypass the long recharge times for Glyph of Sacrifice and Meteor Shower. It is not uncommon to cast another Meteor Shower before the previous one has ended.

Equipment

 * Exorbitant equipment isn't crucial. Preferably high energy armor (Radiant insignias if using Nightfall armor) and weapons. Consider an "of Enchanting" weapon on switch for Fire Attunement.

Usage

 * Keep Fire Attunement up at all times. Between battles, recast it to avoid having it run out at inconvenient moments.
 * Find a squishy and (mostly) stationary target - healers and their caster friends in nearby range make good targets - then use Glyph of Sacrifice and Meteor Shower on it.
 * Be sure to call your targets (by holding Control) so your allies know to support you, including any heroes and henchmen.
 * Follow up with Mark of Rodgort followed by Fireball, Glowing Gaze and Liquid Flame. When your target reaches approximately 20% Health (varies depending on resilience and current rate of damage), cast Assassin's Promise on him and finish him off. Then start switching targets and firing off Promises and Gazes on dying targets to recharge and gain energy.
 * Always be on the lookout for targets of opportunity (dying foes) to use Promise and/or Glowing Gaze on to gain energy and recharges. Coordinate attacks with your party. Be careful not to use it on resilient targets such as rangers or warriors, unless you're sure you can finish them off, and beware hex removal and interrupts (i.e, don't cast promise under maelstorm).
 * Since you'll be firing off a bunch of Meteor Showers, having a Ritualist take Earthbind will work wonders. Also, having other elementalists in the party helps ensure your targets actually die (though the same can be said for any damage dealer). An air spiker would be particularly useful for this purpose.

Counters

 * Hex removal - without Assassin's Promise, you cannot recharge your skills. Use Mark of Rodgort to bait hex removal and cover Promise if necessary.
 * Enchant removal - without Fire Attunement energy becomes an issue. Keep in mind that Promise will recharge attunement quickly, though.
 * Running Away - Even PvE monsters will Kite. Careful because sometimes you won't be able to follow them without dying.
 * A lot of healing - Which is why you take out Monks and Ritualists first.

Variants

 * If necessary, switch out Liquid Flame for a Resurrection Signet or Sunspear Rebirth Signet. Please note that Promise will NOT recharge these signets.
 * In later areas of Nightfall, consider using Lightbringer's Gaze instead of Liquid or Fireball
 * If you're feeling brave enough to pack 2 superiors, keep storage as is and hike up deadly arts to 10. It's worth it.

Templates
This build is designed as an alternative to the traditional PvE fire nuker, using assassin shadow stepping skills to quickly deploy PBAoE Earth Magic skills.

Equipment

 * Generically, Blessed Insignia on the chest and legs, with Survivor or Radiant Insignias on the gloves and feet.
 * 20/20 Hale Earth Staff of Fortitude preferred

Usage

 * Cast Earth Attunement then Armor of Earth for +62AL at 16 Earth Magic.
 * Find a target surrounded by multiple enemies and cast Death's Charge. Try not to be the first player to take aggro.
 * Cast Shockwave then Crystal Wave (or Whirlwind then Aftershock first if there are many attacking enemies)
 * After casting as many combinations of your skills as your energy allows, retreat to the back line to recharge.
 * Try not to use Whirlwind unless you can follow up with Aftershock, or if the enemies around you aren't attacking. Alone it does very little damage.

Counters
Arrogance is the main killer in this build. You must remember that you are not the main tank, and if you start taking damage you should try to lose the aggro. Armor of Earth is an insurance policy to give you a couple of seconds extra if you do start taking damage.

Variants
Armor of Earth could be replaced with Kinetic Armor. This can be hard to maintain but offers better protection with no downside. Return is also a good possibility in order to lost the aggro.

This build uses high damage PBAoE spells, with the added damage bonus from the Lightbringer title, to farm caster-only groups in Ravenheart Gloom for Torment Gemstones.

Attributes and Skills

 * With a Lightbringer rank of 4 or below, consider using one of the Variants. See the Discussion for additional ideas.

Equipment

 * Armor
 * Radiant Armor with Attunement Runes where possible (Or equivalent). Ensure that you have at least 90 maximum Energy.


 * Weapons
 * Any single handed weapon with +5 energy and +20% enchantment duration extension. Rajazan's Fervor or the Totem Axe are ideal.
 * A focus with a "Live for Today" inscription (+15 energy, -1 energy degeneration). Chung's Focus is ideal.

Usage

 * Enter Ravenheart Gloom from the Gate of Anguish. Receive the bounty from the Whispers Informant.
 * Run past the first group of foes with Shadow Form and Flame Djinn's Haste up.
 * Now, near your position there are two mobs made entirely of spellcasters:
 * One to the left, composed of a mixed group of spellcasters.
 * One to the right, composed of six Curse of Darknesses.
 * Wait for combat between the Shadow Army and the Order of Whispers ends. Get closer to the mixed group.
 * Cast Shadow Form and get into the middle of the enemy group with Death's Charge.
 * Now attack with all of your AoE spells from left to right.
 * Should any foes attempt to escape, you may either:
 * A - Run away with Flame Djinn's Haste.
 * B - Cast a second Flame Burst.


 * Once the mixed group has been cleared, repeat the above tactics for the group of six Curse of Darknesses.

Counters

 * Heart Tormentor
 * Earth Tormentor

Other Farmable areas
The quest Battle of Turai's Procession (see the discussion of this article for details)

Variants
Under Lightbringer Rank 4, see the discussion of this article.

Screenshots
Screenshot 1 Screenshot 2

Video 2

This build utilizes the elite Shadow Arts skill Shadow Form and the earth magic skill Sliver Armor to quickly take down bosses that are accompanied by medium/large mobs to efficiently farm their green items.

Equipment

 * Archmage's Armor
 * Enchantments last 20% longer weapon.
 * Arius' Sai or Chimor's Daggers are recommended Daggers.
 * Galigord's Stone Staff is a recommended Staff.
 * Totem Axe/Rajazan's Fervor + Galigord's Stone Scroll are also recommended. Earth Scrolls with identical stats as Galigord's can be found at Collector Ohtah in the Undercity (5 Plague Idols) or Collector Denos Makaluum in Vasburg Armory (5 Stone Horns). Droajam's Storm is also very similar to Galigord's Stone Scroll (and may be preferable depending on what you are farming).

Usage

 * Run to the boss using Dark Escape.
 * When you are just out of aggro, activate Glyph of Elemental Power,Shadow Form and use Death's Charge to teleport in. Usually aggroing before teleporting in makes enemies clump together, giving Sliver Armor less of a chance to target the boss.
 * Then activate Sliver Armor. Make sure you are closer to the boss than anything else, or you will not kill it! If Sliver Armor ends up targetting the wrong foe, try stepping away and then back to the boss, this will often give you the desired effect.
 * Use Obsidian Flame, Teinai's Crystals then Crystal Wave to speed up killing.
 * Just after the boss is dead, activate Shadow Form and use the speed buffs to run away to safety. You can use Shadow Form again since Morale Boosts recharges all skills.

Counters

 * Shadow Form doesn't protect against signets, touch skills, traps and Area of Effect damage.
 * Chilblains is a highly used skill by enemies which removes Shadow Form.
 * Shadow Form will be removed by foes using Expunge Enchantments.

Variants

 * Obsidian Flame, Teinai's Crystals, Crystal Wave, and Dark Escape may be switched out for other skills, depending on what you are farming.


 * When fighting Warrior bosses, such as Sunreach Warmaker, it helps to use Rust so that their Healing Signet takes 3 times as long to cast. To do this, though, you will be required to take one point off of Energy Storage and put them into Water Magic.


 * Caltrops is useful against bosses who attempt to flee when heavily damaged.


 * Feigned Neutrality and/or Shadow Refuge is useful against groups which have mobs with touch skills which penetrate Shadow Form and is also required for the run to some bosses.


 * You may also use Shock, Aftershock, & Teinai's Crystals in that order. Shock is a great interrupt on many bosses who cast their healing spells first to negate Sliver Armor.


 * Shadow of Haste serves to give you an emergency out and is particularly useful when learning the build, taking the 'error' out of 'trial and error'. This serves particularly well when attempting to master a series of difficult bosses in a single run, such as the monk-mesmer-elementalist-necro constructs in Sunjiang District Explorable.  Be warned - the speed boost offered by the skill makes pulling groups more difficult.


 * See variant Build:E/A Gloom Farmer for farming gemstones in Gloom.

List of soloable bosses
Total Number of Soloable Bosses: 133
 * Please add info of the level of difficulty for each boss (Very Easy, Easy, Medium, Hard and Very Hard).

Prophecies
1 Current Boss

Monk (Mo)

 * Protection Prayers
 * Kepkhet Marrowfeast - Hard (Make sure not to give the scarabs a corpse before kill due to Well of the Profane. Most of the time the area effect of traps placed below Kepkhet kill you, you turn into a peice of toast.) I changed my build for this boss using Shadow Refuge instead of Obsidian Flame. Before attacking the boss I cast Dark Escape (to reduce damage taken in this case) followed by Glyph of Elemental Power and Shadow Form, then use Death's Charge on the boss followed up with Sliver Armor. Then cast Shadow Refuge to neutralize the effects of the traps and start using Teinai's Crystals and Crystal Wave until Kepkhet is dead. Personally I haven't failed farming Kepkhet after this modification. Mark of Protection could still be a problem though. If you also change Crystal Wave and Teinai's Crystals for Shock and Lift Enchantment, you can cast Shock when Kepkhet casts Mark Of Protection. If you interrupt Mark Of Protection, than just continue killing him, but if you are too late (what probably will be the case), you have to cast Lift Enchantment, when Kepkhet is still knocked down. Than Mark Of Protection will be removed and you will have enough time left to kill Kepkhet. Also, make sure that no griffon has aggroed Kepkhet, as it will spawn additional touch necros around her. Also, if you died attempting to kill her, you have to rezone and retry, as additional touch necros from surrounding area will come near her. If you follow up all those tips, Kepkhet will be Easy/Medium.

Factions
52 Current Bosses

Warrior (W)

 * Swordsmanship
 * Sskai, Dragon's Birth - Hard/Very Hard (it may prove difficult because off the boss's high hp )
 * Sun, the Quivering - Hard/Very Hard (Mobs may appear from the roofs, making the run almost impossible)
 * Warrior's Construct - Hard/Very Hard( difficult to run to)
 * Axe Mastery
 * Wing, Three Blade - Hard (Difficult due to the high HP of the boss and the lack of mobs)
 * Hammer Mastery
 * Jayne Forestlight - (drops Hammer)Very Easy/Easy (Wait until the mobs let a clean run, after that get as close as you can to the boss and jump in)
 * Shield
 * Strength
 * Reefclaw Ragebound - Medium (You will need to aggro a nearby group for sufficient Sliver Armor damage)
 * Strongroot Tanglebranch - Easy/Medium (Run south of the Ritualist Construct to get to him. Bring Rust for faster results)
 * Tactics
 * Sunreach Warmaker - Medium/Hard (Can be difficult to get sliver to target Warmaker due to several other melee wardens. Use Rust and Shock on his healing signet.)
 * Geoffer Pain Bringer - Easy/Medium (Run his group into a Naga group aproching from the NW then take him out right after their fight, impossible with Outcast Deathhands around)

Ranger (R)
To Be Added... To Be Added... To Be Added... To Be Added... To Be Added...'
 * Flatbow
 * Hornbow
 * Longbow
 * Recurve Bow
 * Shortbow

Monk (Mo)

 * Divine Favor
 * Untouched Ancient Ky - Hard (Replace one of the Crystal skills with Celestial Storm. Run west past the mob and break aggro. Then return from the west and shadow step in)
 * Ssuns, Blessed of Dwayna - Hard (Running there is hard. Easier to die in Archipelagos outside Luxon Jade Flats as a Kurzik and approach from shrine.)
 * Ziinfaun Lifeforce - Very Easy/Easy (Leave from the Marketplace into Bukdek and go into Xaquang Skyway from there. Bring Feigned Neutrality instead of Crystal Wave)
 * Healing Prayers
 * The Scar Eater - Very Easy/Easy (Also a fairly easy boss to practice on. Once you enter the area, run to the res shrine and wait for the nearest mob to patrol near him then run in and take him down.)
 * Protection Prayers
 * Jayne Forestlight - Very Easy/Easy (Wait until the mobs let a clean run, after that get as close as you can to the boss and jump in)
 * Monk's Construct - Medium/Hard (The first mob may prove very difficult to go near the boss)
 * Smiting Prayers
 * Scourgewind, Elder Guardian - Medium/Hard (Cast Sliver Armor before using Death's Charge, as Signet of Judgment will knock you down)

Necromancer (N)
To Be Added...
 * Soul Reaping
 * Blood Magic
 * Kyril Oathwarden - Medium (Earth Elementalists can kill you with Shockwave)
 * Foalcrest Darkwish - Easy/Medium (Most of the time you can kill him in one shot, but if that doesn't work aggro the nearby group of Mantises and die yourself; he will make Bone Fiends which give you just enough damage for Sliver Armor)
 * Chan the Dragon's Blood - Easy/Very Easy (The run is easy if you have Feigned Neutrality)
 * Death Magic
 * Ghial the Bone Dancer - Hard/Very Hard (With more than 2 rits just pull the group in front of the bridge with you using Feigned Neutrality and no speed buffs.For beginners, bring Dash and Shadow Refuge instead of Obsidian Flame and Crystal Wave. Also, bringing Glyph of Concentration in place of Glyph of Elemental Power is recommended; without it, your Sliver Armor may be interrupted.)
 * Sessk, Woe Spreader - Easy/Medium (Sometimes Sliver Armor targets other enemies, if you bring stone dagger you can kill him in about 5 seconds)
 * Curses
 * Necromancer's Construct

Mesmer (Me)
To Be Added...
 * Fast Casting
 * The Time Eater - Very Easy/Easy (Add skills for more damage because very few mobs are surrounding him)
 * Domination Magic
 * Mesmer's Construct - Hard (The mobs make it very difficult to go near the boss)
 * Milefaun Mindflayer - Medium/Hard (Must be opposite of controlling faction in order resurrect at NW shrine)
 * Mina Shatter Storm -Easy/Medium (Bring Feigned Neutrality in place of Crystal Wave, bring Shock and Aftershock in place of Obsidian Flame and Teinai's Crystals, the run is very long.)
 * Bezzr Wingstorm - Easy/Medium (Bring Shadow of Haste and Dash (to cancel SoH in case you need to try again). Die as a Luxon, you'll respawn near it.  There will be Mantis and Wardens around.  If you time it right, you can make them fight each other then kill the ones remaining.   The mobs that spawn when you attack Bezzr, do have skills that ignore Shadow Form so just cancel SoH and try again.
 * Illusion Magic
 * Kenrii Sea Sorrow
 * Xisni Dream Haunt - Medium/Hard
 * Inspiration Magic

Elementalist (E)
To Be Added...
 * Energy Storage
 * Rahse Windcatcher - Easy
 * Chung, the Attuned - Easy (Long run, use Dark Escape to run past mobs on the way to Undercity)
 * Air Magic
 * Amadis, Wind of the Sea- Medium
 * Fire Magic
 * Star Ancient Koosun - Hard/Very Hard (Speak to Kuunavang for Celestial Storm, bring Shadow Refuge and Dash)
 * Lian, Dragon's Petal- Medium/Hard (Bring Dash insted of Crystal Wave to break first aggros, challenging because of Double Dragon)
 * Water Magic
 * Elemental's Construct - Medium (Use Shadow Form to run to him and hide to rest on southeast corner of his room.)
 * Wiseroot Shatterstone - Medium/Hard (Sliver Armor often will not target him, even if you are closest to him.)
 * Earth Magic

Assassin (A)

 * Piercing damage
 * Assassin's Construct - Easy(Wait until all mobs collect in the middle of the island)
 * Chkkr Locust Lord - Easy/Medium(Sliver Armor often doesn't hit him)
 * Darkroot Entrop - Very Easy/Easy (Pull first mob of Wardens with you)
 * Shreader Sharptongue - Very Easy/Easy (Exchange Teinai's Crystals or Crystal Wave with Shadow Refuge
 * Silent Ancient Onata - Medium/Hard (Add the Special Skill)
 * Xuekao, the Deceptive - Easy (run around the building he is in and approach from ramp. Aggro him and immediatly use Dark Escape and run to the res shrine near by. This will trigger a fight between him and some Jade Brotherhood. After fight immediatly run in and start your sequence. He should fall very easily.)
 * Slashing damage
 * Bramble Everthorn - Easy/Medium (Because of the heals)
 * Onis in Rhea's Crater for Ungues of the Oni - Easy/Medium (The hardest part is getting there, once there it's easy to kill them two/three at a time)
 * Urkal the Ambusher - Very Hard (Sliver Armor almost never targets him - Shadow of Haste variant is highly recommended to give you multiple attempts)

Ritualist (Rt)

 * Spawning Power
 * Cho, Spirit Empath - Easy/Medium (Bring Feigned Neutrality instead of Dash, come from Nahpui Quarter!!! Cast Feigned Neutrality last, once you are already fighting, 50/50 chance monks will heal him, if so run and rezone; the fastest way is to run towards Nahpui Quarter (just a few feet west from Cho). It will make the run a lot easier and shorter.)
 * Ritualist's Construct - Easy/Medium (Near by monk can prove difficult)
 * Tomton Spiriteater - Very Easy/Easy
 * Chkkr Brightclaw - Easy/Medium (Wait for plant mob to run past the pool, when they are clear, sure to aggro enough of the pop-up groups before casting Sliver Armor) The pool gives you 20% longer enchantment because of Blessed Water.
 * Channeling Magic
 * Ssyn Coiled Grasp - Easy/Medium( Silver Armor doesn't always target him, just lose aggro if it doesn't)

To Be Added...
 * Communing
 * Restoration Magic
 * Flower Spiritgarden - Medium/Hard (move in a litte until mobs pop up, you need to time you Shadow Form and Silver Armor wisely, needs some practise)
 * Orosen, Tranquil Acolyte-Medium/Hard (cast Obsidian Flame, Crystal Wave, Teinais Crystals and then Obsidian again (with the other skills applied). Foes can interrupt your skills.Also pull the group that is right up the ramp near him)

Nightfall
80 Current Bosses

Warrior (W)

 * Swordsmanship
 * Reaper of Agony - Medium (Time your run when he has moved near the two groups of Margonites)
 * Axe Mastery
 * Chor the Bladed - Easy (move to that rock on his right and bring the pop-ups to him, don't cast Silver armour until he uses Frenzy, he should die in 5 seconds after that, if he didn't cast frenzy within 4 seconds, just move out to top right, and do it again)
 * Robah Hardback - Medium/Hard
 * Colonel Chaklin- Medium/Hard (Easy to get to,try to aggro as much as you can and avoid disrupts, if you die hope your shadowform is recharged fast and reattack asap if hes halfway or more down in health good chance second shot will finish him
 * Hammer Mastery
 * Grabthar the Overbearing - Medium/Hard (Need to also aggro the nearby harpy group to be successful, if you wait a moment the harpies actually move closer to Grabthars mob) Not much room for error.
 * Riktund the Vicious - Medium/Hard
 * Shield
 * Strength
 * Onwan, Lord of the Ntouka - Easy/Medium (Leave from command post and follow river into lake. Attended to by several Mesmers and route to reach the boss although short has a multitude of creatures)Easiest way to kill is to deaths charge to him then run past him and wait for recharge of skills then get the tusk howlers and boss to theirselves to keep the rampaging nktoukas from stripping your enchants with chilling victory
 * Tactics
 * Mahto Sharptooth - Easy/Medium (Easy to kill a little more difficult to get to)

Ranger (R)
To Be Added...
 * Flatbow
 * Hornbow
 * Colonel Custo - Medium(aggro amount helps its sometimes hard to get as much as you want plus getting sliver armor on him directly can be troublesome to
 * Vah the Crafty - Very Easy/Easy (Wurms make it real easy)
 * Longbow
 * Zelnehlun Fastfoot - Very Easy/Easy (He is dead in 10 seconds if Sliver Armor targets him)
 * Bearer of Misfortune = Very Hard (A long run to get there, kill Word of Madness first, then while within range of Quickening Zephyr, shadow step in and damage him to about 1/3 health, shadow step out, wait for Shadow Form to recharge, then shadow step in again)
 * Recurve Bow
 * Bolten Largebelly - Medium (Can be difficult to target with Sliver Armor)
 * Shortbow
 * Admiral Chiggen - Medium/Hard
 * Tenezel the Quick - Medium

Monk (Mo)

 * Divine Favor
 * Topo the Protector - Hard/Very Hard (Difficult run. Once you get to the temple, refuge in Balthazar's shrine. Get to Topo, let him summon the Graven Monoliths and disappear. Die and go back to him. He won't disappear anymore.)
 * Healing Prayers
 * Chidehkir, Light of the Blind - Medium (Approach from Sunspear Sanctuary. You will need to grab the group of Kournans that patrol around the fort to take him down. Getting sliver to target him with the Kournan Guards on you is a pain).
 * Chiossen, Soothing Breeze - Medium/Hard (The Rampaging Ntouka make this hard, use Feigned Neutrality as the Rampaging Ntouka run towards you and it will strip Feign Neutrality instead of Sliver Armor or even worse, Shadow Form. Aggro the nearby hekets to the east of Chiossen's group. Pack Obsidian Flame and Aftershock to speed up the killing, or Shock and Aftershock to interrupt a heal.)
 * Dunshek the Purifier - Easy/Mediumclear sandgiants before aproach(in wurm), use shock/aftershock combo
 * Hahan, Faithful Protector - Medium/Hard
 * Protection Prayers
 * Commander Sadi-Belai - Medium/Hard (Aggro Skree group nearest to his group. Shock + Lift Enchantment AFTER he puts Shielding Hands on. Bring Obsidian Flame. Spam as needed)
 * Banor Greenbranch - Easy/Medium (Bring Lift Enchantment to remove Shield of Regeneration instead of aftershock or deaths charge, need to aggro nearby Beetles)
 * Smiting Prayers
 * Flame of Fervor - Easy (Wait till the patrol comes in.)
 * Riseh the Harmless - Easy/Medium

Necromancer (N)
To Be Added...
 * Soul Reaping
 * Blood Magic
 * Lieutenant Vanahk - Medium (it is easier if you manage to aggro the previous mob)
 * Death Magic
 * Jerneh Nightbringer - Medium/Hard (When you reach the nearby ressurection shrine, there is a mob ahead of you. It's best to try and avoid them as they are usually filled with Water elementists and Dervishes with alot of aoe damage. If you cannot survive long enought to kill Jereh due to Vile touch and the Dervish Aoe damage, use Dark escape before you shadow step in for half damage)
 * Eshekibeh Longneck - Very Easy/Easy
 * Terob Roundback - Easy/Medium (when the two heket monks are near him it can be hard at times
 * Curses
 * Creo Vulnero - Easy/Medium
 * Fondalz the Spiteful - Medium
 * Modti Darkflower - Easy/Medium (Killing him is Very Easy, but its much easier to reach him if you run through the middle of the map till you reach the second resurrection shrine, only one group of mandragors will be in your aggro on the way to him.)if sucessful he can be killed in 3-4 seconds
 * Master of Misery - Very Hard (Very long and difficult run. Moreover, if you die once it'll be using taste of death on his minions to survive.)
 * Tain the Corrupter - Easy/Medium (Sometimes there's a Paragon in the group which can make it more difficult cause of the shout "Stand your ground")

Mesmer (Me)
To Be Added...
 * Fast Casting
 * Domination Magic
 * Yammiron, Ether Lord - Easy
 * Captain Chichor - Easy (Wait until he crosses the bridge.)
 * Illusion Magic
 * Shepherd of Dementia - Medium/Hard (Aggro the group to the right of him too)
 * Eshim Mindclouder - Very Easy (Short walk and easy to kill, it is like the Factions variant of Sessk, Woe Spreader)
 * Inspiration Magic
 * Neoli the Contagious - Easy/Medium (Must run by a skale lasher group before using Death's Charge. Boss dead very quickly)
 * Makdeh the Aggravating - Easy
 * Rual, Stealer of Hope - Easy

Elementalist (E)

 * Energy Storage
 * Setikor Fireflower - Medium (Beware of the dervishes in his group)
 * Air Magic
 * Birneh Skybringer - Very Easy (Lots of mobs for Sliver Armor to work) great practice one of the easiest to farm
 * Moteh Thundershooter - Hard
 * Fire Magic
 * Korr, Living Flame - Hard (It is easier if you can aggro the nearby group of djinns too.Also,Sliver armor rarely targets Korr,so bringing Shadow of Haste for multiple tries would help.)
 * Korshek the Immolated - Easy (Make sure to hit the nearby Whispers Informant for some easy Lightbringer points)
 * Exuro Flatus - Medium/Hard (Madness Titans will damage you through Shadow Form)
 * Hajkor, Mystic Flame - Easy/Medium (Short run in a wurm, be sure to bring Shadow Refuge to heal Headbutt damage)
 * Kormab, Burning Heart - Easy/Medium (Somewhat of a long run, and you'll probably die at least once due to Death Nova mobs but once there it's easy to kill. Bring Shadow of Haste and Dash in case you need more than one try. If you have finished Population Control, it's easier to start from Dzagonur Bastion.)
 * Water Magic
 * Storm of Anguish - Very Easy/Easy (Environment effect slows cast time)
 * Buhon Icelord - Medium/Hard


 * Earth Magic
 * Hajok Earthguardian (Insect) - Medium/Hard (A difficult run to get towards him, when there it is easy, Lure the nearby Kournans)

Assassin (A)

 * Piercing damage
 * Chimor the Lightblooded - Easy/Medium (Nice pair of daggers if you don't have a +Energy/+Enchantment Staff)
 * Lunto Sharpfoot - Easy/Medium (The only thing is the monk because of her it will take a bit longer to kill him)
 * Ravager of Dreams - Very Hard (Long and difficult run; need good timing to aggro plenty of mobs due to its armor)
 * Slashing damage
 * Admiral Kaya - Medium/hard (Wait for the hekets to get near, sometimes there are 2 monks which increases difficulty)
 * Major Jeahr - Medium (Approach from Camp Hojanu)
 * Hanchor Trueblade - Easy/Medium (Bring and spam Obsidian Flame when needed. Nearby Skree Griffin can make it troublesome but still easy)

Ritualist (Rt)

 * Spawning Power
 * Churahm, Spirit Warrior - Easy/Medium (You may have to use this build to kill some Ethers, which will make the run easier)
 * Channeling Magic
 * Lieutenant Kayin - Very Easy (Just aggro one other group, and he goes down in like 10 seconds)
 * Bohdalz the Furious - Hard/Very Hard (killing him is easy - getting there is hard - maybe consider henchmen for getting to him)
 * Podaltur the Angry - Easy/Medium (body blocking during the run to him may be a hassle due to the large amount of hekets on the way)hard to directly attack when the heket warriors get in the way
 * Shakahm the Summoner - Medium/Hard (Take the path right next to Exuro Flatus. Run past the group of titans and shadows (Preferably not aggroing either group). Clear path except for a Torment Claw. Keep going past the Ressurection shrine until the group of shadows come towards you. Hang out by the Ressurection shrine until they turn back. Follow them. Right outside aggro, highlight Shakahm, hit Dark Escape, Shadow Form, and Death's Charge. Step to him. Use Glyph of Ele Power, Sliver Armor, one of the Crystal's Skills (Teinai's Crystals or Crystal Wave) and spam Obsidian Flame when you can. If he's close to you, it's a much easier kill then if you have to run a decent distance just to Death Charge to him.
 * Communing
 * Consort of Ruin - Hard/Very Hard (Long and difficult run.)
 * Restoration Magic
 * Alem the Unclean - Easy/Medium (Use Shock and Lift Enchantment to remove Shield of Absorption)'''

Dervish (D)

 * Slashing damage
 * Onslaught of Terror - Medium (Need to aggro at least one other group, eles and mesmers can interrupt/slow)
 * Shezel Slowreaper - Medium/Hard (Easy Run, use Dark Escape before you step in to receive half damage from Staggering Force)
 * Vahlen the Silent - Medium (Aggro near by djinn and run to the boss)
 * Fahralon the Zealous - Easy/Medium (will likely need Feigned Neutrality and/or Armor of Earth to stay alive long enough, otherwise easy farm)
 * Marobeh Sharptail - Hard/Very Hard (Kill the 2 groups before him and wait for recharge of shadow form. When at marobeh himself it's hard to get him with your sliver armor but i'ts possible)
 * Corporal Suli-Hard/Very Hard (Run like you would to go to the Ele boss...but run back to get Suli after Shadowform Recharges...this is hard but possible)
 * Earth damage
 * Bubahl Icehands - Hard/Very Hard (His damage ignors Shadow Form and usually does 150+ so add Shadow Refuge, he also runs when he gets low health)

Paragon (P)

 * Spear
 * Spear Mastery
 * Eshau Longspear - Easy/Medium (You need to aggro the group of Mandragors behind him rezone if that party has a Mandragor Imp in it.)
 * Shrieker of Dread - Hard (you'll need to aggro several (ideally 3) patrols to take him down; wait for them to converge). Also watch out for the Death Nova when killed.
 * Pehnsed the Loudmouth - Medium (Very close. Sometimes takes two tries to get him down far enough that the next will kill him)
 * Tureksin the Delegator - Medium ( Tough run, takes practice )
 * Jishol Darksong - Medium (drop Tenai's Crystals for Disrupting Dagger to interrupt his self-heal, and aggro the mob of Cobalt to the south as well. He has a habit of running out of Sliver Armor despite being a melee foe, so be sure to keep tabs on him)
 * Toshau Sharpspear - Easy/Medium (Staggering Force of Enchanted Brambles ignores Shadow Form)
 * Shield
 * Command
 * Lieutenant Shagu - Medium/Hard (Must aggro at least 2 other groups to overcome the healing. Be sure to hit the res shrine just to the south)
 * Briahn the Chosen - Easy (Be sure to use obsidian flame twice, as soon as it recharges. This extra shot should be just enough to overcome the healing)
 * Motivation
 * Wandalz the Angry - Medium/Hard (Killing him is quite easy due to nice aggro, but getting there is quite a pain. Bring Feigned Neutrality for better self heal during the run)

Template
This build is designed to farm the Vermin. Using Dervish as a secondary, this build is capable of aggroing all of the vermin, and killing them all in a matter of seconds using the Nightfall elite, Sandstorm, Earthquake, and Aftershock.

Armor

 * Any max armor will do, but Tempest, known as Blessed armor (+10 AL while enchanted) is recommended. This helps when the boss is attacking you.

Weapon

 * any staff, axe, sword, wand, that adds +20% Enchantments longer is needed to help maintain enchantments. Added energy is highly recommended on these.

Usage

 * Start out by walking into the explorable area Xaquang Skyway. Walk North West, go up the stairs, and you are now at the first place.

First Vermin Pull

 * Walk to Vermin group number 1, but, before aggroing them, cast Earth Attunement and Stoneflesh and walk to Vermin group number 2.




 * When you aggro the other group, cast Fleeting Stability followed by Mystic Regeneration. Quickly select a target, cast Glyph of Lesser Energy, Sandstorm, Earthquake, and Aftershock. Make sure that they are in that order, and right after one another (a good idea is to cast the next spell while the other one is still casting, this will cause it to cast right after one another. Make sure that the first spell is half-way completed before doing this).

Second Vermin Pull

 * Continue down the stairs, and you will see another set of Vermin. Follow the same rules as above, casting Earth Attunement and Stoneflesh before aggroing Vermin. Picture:



The "mob"

 * Now that you have cleared the first 4 sets of vermin, now you must take on the major mob. This build lacks the power to farm the boss among the Vermin, so it is best to wait for him to pass. Wait on the bridge until he progresses on.(Note: Vermin travel around in a loop counter-clockwise)




 * When the boss has passed, cast all 4 enchantments, and run clockwise aggroing all of the vermins. You will need to maintain your enchantments during this time until they are all aggroed. Make Fleeting Stability your main concern followed by Stoneflesh, Mystic Regeneration, then Earth Attunement. Your last mob of Vermin should include the boss. Select a Vermin, make sure your enchantments are up, and cast your skills (Glyph, Sandstorm, Earthquake, Aftershock). This will leave you with dead Vermin, a lot of loot, and a boss. You may choose to pick up the loot now, or flee away from the boss, loose aggro, and come back.

Optional starting point

 * After completing the large mob, there are a few more Vermin (3 groups) to the north. After killing these, there is a nearby portal that you may like to zone out of, come back in, and start all over. Using this portal, you can zone in and out until you acquire a full inventory, or until you get the anti-farm notice. This is a good way to aggro all the Vermin, excluding the bosses group, and killing them all in one skill combo.


 * When you come back into the portal, aggro the 3 groups of Vermin keeping up enchantments and head over to the bridge. Here you will wait for the bosses group to pass. When the boss passes, move forward into the aggro range of the other Vermin, and step back out when all of the groups (excluding the bosses) have been aggroed so that the boss does not come along. When all your enchantments are up, cast your skills in the order mentioned above, and they all should be dead in a matter of seconds, leaving you with a massively sacked pile of loot. See the video at the bottom, it uses this style of farming Vermin.

Counters

 * The boss
 * Failing to maintain Enchantments.
 * Vermin Shadow Stepping (rare occurrence)

Variants

 * Reduce Energy Storage by 1, and add another point to Earth Prayers, allowing another second for Fleeting to stay in effect.
 * Replace Earthquake with Dragon's Stomp

Videos

 * Video1 - Starting from Wajjun Bazaar (Note: in the video Sandstorm was mis-spelled as "Snadstorm")

Usage

 * Echo Nukers should use Echo chains.
 * Maintain Aura of Restoration and Fire Attunement to stay alive and manage your energy.

Single enemies or low level enemies
In general, these skills have long cast times (all spells cast in 2 or more seconds). When playing with others, single enemies may be dead before two spells are cast. Be aware of your role: you're needed in big fights, saving the powerful spells for groups or particularly tough enemies. Use Fireball and Rodgort's Invocation as needed. PBAoE spells may be better if you decide to farm low level enemies.

Groups of enemies and Bosses
To avoid missing with Area of Effect spells, wait until enemies gather around the tank or other ally who will not be moving. Cast health and energy management, followed by echo or renewal spells, followed by the Area of Effect spells.

For Echo Nukers, most groups will be eliminated after one echo chain, so energy management should not be an issue provided you recover energy and exhaustion before engaging the next group.

Variants

 * Replace Echo with Glyph of Energy, Elemental Attunement or Ether Prodigy for superior energy management.
 * Auspicious Incantation is a useful non-elite skill for energy management even with few or no points in Inspiration.
 * Glyph of Concentration, Mantra of Resolve or Mantra of Concentration for protection against interrupts.
 * Fire Storm or Breath of Fire for multiple effective skills to clear areas and break aggro.
 * Bed of Coals, Inferno or Phoenix in areas with lots of melee enemies.
 * Meteor for an inexpensive single strike and knockdown.
 * Glyph of Sacrifice is to good use on the second meteor shower for fast spells and prevents AoE scattering.
 * Teinai's Heat/Searing Heat is a good replacement for Rodgort's Invocation, it does more damage but it takes longer to recharge.
 * Glowing Gaze improves energy management even further, giving energy if the enemy is burning.
 * Lava Font to break aggro or just for some extra damage on top of Meteor Shower.
 * Incendiary Bonds and a 2-second cast-time spell for a nice damage spike at the second pulse of MS.
 * Replace Resurrection Signet for Sunspear Rebirth Signet for extra energy on resurrection.

Equipment

 * A complete set of your preferred armor:
 * For characters who have access to Tyrian Armor, choose armor based on expected enemies.
 * Flame's Eye or Pyromancer's Aura of Superior Fire Magic
 * A rune of Superior or Major Vigor is preferred.
 * Any of the below weapon sets:
 * Rago's Flame Staff
 * A Fire Wand with maximum damage and +5 energy, combined with either:
 * A Flame Artifact from the Weaponsmith Sarad in Droknar's Forge, for extra damage and health.
 * A Flame Artifact from the collector Sir Pohl Sanbert in The Arid Sea, for faster casting and recharge.
 * The unique offhand Lian's Lantern.
 * Although not necessary, a wand and focus with +15 energy and -1 energy regen on weapon switch is useful for emergency situations where energy is critically needed and there will be ample recharge time after the battle.

Attributes and Skills

 * Glyph of Lesser Energy can be replaced with Aura of Restoration if entering an area with many Enchantment removing enemies although higher energy management is required - consider asking a Necromancer to bring Blood Ritual.
 * Switch Resurrection Signet for Blinding Flash when going into AB to blind your attackers.

Equipment

 * Radiant Armor is needed for a larger energy pool.
 * An Insightful Air Staff with HSR 20% and HCT Air 20% is preferred. An of Fortitude mod works well. Amadis' Air Staff and The Skybringer are also good choices.

Usage

 * Cast Air Attunement before you enter the battle.
 * Use your Glyph then cast Arcane Echo.
 * Choose a target close to two others for optimal damage and cast Invoke Lightning then cast the Echoed version.
 * Use Chain Lightning.
 * Cast Lightning Hammer to finish the enemy off.
 * Use Enervating Charge on warriors to decrease their damage output. (And Blinding Flash in AB.)

Counters

 * Enchantment Removal hampers the energy management - consider taking Aura of Restoration instead of the Glyph.
 * Spike countering heals slow this build down.

Variants

 * Aura of Restoration can be taken instead of the Glyph as a cover enchantment.
 * For AB swap res for Blinding Flash.

Equipment

 * Weapons
 * Any Fire or Water staff or wand/offhand with a 20/20 HCT/HSR mod is recommended but the Totem Axe also works. Or Rago's Flame Staff/replica.
 * Armor
 * Maxed AL Armor with insignias of your choice.

Usage
Before approaching selected foes, cast Arcane Echo.
 * Gather the monsters and cast Mist Form
 * Cast the following in order:
 * Channeling
 * Meteor Shower
 * Bed of Coals
 * Frozen Burst
 * Teinai's Heat
 * Lava Font.

Counters

 * Monsters with enchantment removal.

Variants

 * For a Prophecies campaign only version, replace Bed of Coals with Sympathetic Visage, Frozen Burst with Fire Attunement, Teinai's Heat with Inferno.
 * A slower version without a Mesmer secondary can be made by replacing Arcane Echo and Channeling with Glyph of Lesser Energy and Glyph of Sacrifice.
 * Against Mountain Trolls, it is advised that you take Armor of Mist in place of Arcane Echo.


 * See Build talk:E/Me Mist Form Farmer for more variants.

Attributes and Skills for farming Kappa's
If you are finding Aura of Restoration is not a good source of healing, (though you should only be taking 0's as it is), bring along another defensive spell. Some of these include Stone Striker (Geomancer armor is needed) or Kinetic Armor.

Usage

 * First exit Gyala Hatchery into Maishang Hills.
 * Then walk right until you see 3 patrolling groups of Kappa's.
 * Before aggroing, cast all your enchantments except Fire Attunement and aggro the 2 right groups while keeping up you enchantments.
 * After that run back and aggro the 3rd group which is now behind you.
 * Run to the left or right until all the kappa's ball up nice, make sure to keep up you enchantments (except Fire Attunement) all the time.
 * When they are all balled up, you wait until all your enchantments are ready to cast and then you use every enchantment, including Fire Attunement.
 * Then you cast Glyph Of Elemental Power, followed by Arcane Echo and then Searing Flames on one of the kappa's in the center of the group. Spam Searing Flames until all of them are dead.
 * Pick up your loot and repeat.
 * Video

Attributes and Skills for farming Dragon Moss
Here you should really take Aura Of Restoration, because these foes will be able to hit you for more damage, so you need healing.

Usage
Note:This version of the usage of this build is actually the same as the Kappa version.
 * Leave Saint Anjeka's Shrine, while you have the quest "A New Escort" active, if it isn't, there will be no Dragon Moss.
 * Then walk ahead until you see the Dragon Moss, before you engage them in combat cast all your enchantments except Fire Attunement.
 * Then aggro the Dragon Moss while keeping up your enchantments.
 * After you got them all walk back because there is a group of patrolling warden coming your way.
 * While walking back they should ball up nicely.(don't walk back to far or the Kurzick may attack the Dragon Moss, which can screw up the run.)
 * If they are balled up use the same strategy as above to kill them.
 * Video

Equipment

 * Armor doesn't really matters but Hydromancers (Aeromancers at Dragon Moss) armor will make sure you will always take 0 damage so you can take another skill instead of Aura of Restoration.
 * A "Insightful" staff with an "Of Enchanting" mod, perfect, with +10 energy and HSR and HCT 20% of fire magic spells.

Counters

 * Not keeping up your enchants.

This build uses Stone Striker to convert damage received into Earth Damage, which trigger Mantra of Earth to reduce the damage and gain energy. Stoneflesh Aura then reduces the damage further. By using high damage dealing skills, this build may be used to solo the Smite Crawlers in the Underworld within 10 minutes.

Equipment

 * Geomancer armor, though not required, will provide you with 20 extra armor.
 * Anything along the lines of Galigord's Stone Staff.

Clear the Chamber

 * Upon entering the Underworld, watch the patrolling Bladed Aatxes in front of the Lost Soul.
 * When they are far away from him, use Storm Djinn's Haste to run and take the Clear the Chamber quest from him.
 * Run back as soon as you accept it and wait in the centre. Make sure you retarget yourself with the "F" key.
 * The best way to do this is if you press the "R" key after the "X" key. Which will auto-reverse and run you back.
 * Kill any Dying Nightmares along the edge if you popped them
 * If they are patrolling wait for them to leave before the next step.
 * Do not forget to re-target yourself before proceeding as you will eventually enchant the NPC instead of you.
 * Cast Stone Striker, Mantra of Earth and Storm Djinn's Haste.
 * Cast Stoneflesh Aura and Aggro 1 group of Grasping Darkness’ at a time and return back to the centre as far back as you can.
 * Use the same X-R technique to make this safer.
 * Wait until all of the Grasping Darkness’ use up their Distracting Blows. This is about 5 seconds.
 * Attacking them will induce their Interrupts but make sure you count how many Grasping Darkness' there are and how many have interrupted you.
 * Cast Ancestor's Visage, wait another 5 seconds.
 * Recast Stoneflesh Aura then use Sandstorm followed by Dragon's Stomp 1 second after and Aftershock immediately after.
 * Those that are not dead will run, this is your chance to renew your Stone Striker.
 * Those returning will attack with Distracting Blow as soon as they get back, and remember to count.
 * Cast Ancestor's Visage again and wait 5 seconds.
 * Recast Stoneflesh Aura and use Aftershock.
 * Those still not dead you may simply wand to death.
 * Another method for killing the Grasping Darkness' is to do exactly the same thing, but wait about 1 second before activating Dragon's Stomp, this way, they will often die before running.
 * Do the same for the other groups.
 * Agroing multiple groups of grasping darknesses can be dangerous because of all the interrupting, it's best to go one group at a time.

Getting to the Ice Wastes

 * After killing the 3 mobs of Grasping Darkness' you will be able to leave the central chamber.
 * Carefully watch the Bladed Aatxe patrols East of where you first entered the Underworld.
 * Make sure that they are away from the tunnel leading into the next room.
 * Run out of the chamber with Storm Djinn's Haste.
 * In the tunnel, wait until the Grasping Darkness' and Dying Nightmare patrol are far away (marked by the X in the map).
 * Run into the Ice Wastes with Storm Djinn's Haste.
 * Once in the Ice Wastes you can farm the Smite Crawlers in the same way you killed the Grasping Darkness’ except use Sandstorm immediately followed by Dragon's Stomp and Aftershock without the 1 second delay.
 * Watch out for Coldfire Nights, do not aggro them.
 * If you do, instantly hit Storm Djinn's Haste and try to run away in a zig-zag pattern to dodge Shard Storm.


 * When Dying Nightmares do pop, let it strip you, then put all enchantments back on. Smite Crawlers can’t kill you before you replace Stoneflesh Aura.

List of Farmable Areas

 * The Underworld
 * Minotaurs at Elona Reach (Recommended to bring Glyph of Elemental Power)
 * Kirins outside of Maatu Keep (Pongmei Valley exit) (bring a snare skill)
 * Ice Imps outside of the Ice Caves of Sorrow
 * Icy Dragon Sword farming in the Mineral Springs, (build explained in talk)
 * Minotaurs outside Ice Tooth Cave
 * Insects in Arkjok Ward just outside Yohlon Haven.

Farmable Bosses

 * Zelnehlun Fastfoot in The Floodplain of Mahnkelon, a short distance east of Rilohn Refuge (bring Aura of Restoration)
 * Exuro Flatus in Domain of Secrets
 * Bring Aura of Restoration, Armor of Earth and whatever damage skills you see fit. Do not forget to turn your Lightbringer title on.
 * Or use Glyph of Renewal, Sliver Armor, Crystal Wave and Ether Feast
 * Can also use Armor of Earth, Arcane Echo, Sliver Armor, & Illusionary Weapon. You will still take damage from burning, but once you get the hang of the build, it gets pretty easy.
 * Riktund the Vicious in The Mirror of Lyss
 * Bring Storm Djinn's Haste and run out of Beetle's and take Aura of Restoration.

Counters

 * Degeneration (unless you bring either Aura of Restoration or Ether Feast)
 * Enchantment stripping.
 * Stance removal.
 * Interrupts coming from those not adjacent to you.
 * Heavy damage output. (for example Bladed Aatxes or Coldfire Nights)

Variants
Glyph of Restoration.
 * Using Glyph of Concentration is an option. By precasting before agroing the Graspings, you can save yourself the risk of being interrupted. Th downside: losing time on killing smites.
 * To farm easier places, you need to consider any interrupters or enchantment strippers around and modify the build to counter. You may also like to replace Storm Djinn's Haste with Glyph of Elemental Power if running is not needed.
 * For longer fights, bring more armor instead of Ancestor's Visage.
 * Damage skills are very open depending on the circumstance.
 * This build may be replicated with Prophecies and Nightfall only. Dragon's Stomp may be replaced with Earthquake and Ancestor's Visage with Sympathetic Visage.
 * If a particular mob does not need Ancestor's Visage or Storm Djinn's Haste, replace it with a utility skill like, like Grasping Earth or Ward Against Foes and put the extra attributes into Energy Storage or Inspiration Magic.
 * If you are finding it hard to do Smite runs, look on the talk page for variants.
 * If you intend to farm enemies giving out very large damage output, you could bring Kinetic Armor. This needs to be maintained by spamming Stone Daggers.
 * When going into AB, switch out illusion magic and Ancestor's Visage for more Energy Storage and
 * Using the build in the same fashion as killing Smites, you can solo nodes, all except the Mesmer one.

Templates
This build is born to farm the Underworld with a SS necromancer. It represents a good alternative to the 55hp Invincible Monk because of the better protection against spells, the better supply of energy and the better defense against interruptions. This build uses Stone Striker to convert damage received into Earth Damage, which trigger Mantra of Earth to further reduce the damage and gain large amounts of energy. Kinetic Armor is kept up using Aura of Restoration.

Equipment

 * Geomancer armor to further reduce the damage received.
 * Galigord's Stone Staff is perfect (any other staff with a perfect modifier of enchanting will be ok).

Usage
Be careful, before activating Obsidian Flesh a second time you have a gap of 6 sec. during which you are not protected against their spells.
 * Cast and keep up Kinetic Armor, Stoneflesh Aura, Stone Striker and Mantra of Earth.
 * Use Aura of Restoration to heal from life stealing or degeneration and to keep Kinetic Armor up.
 * Cast Obsidian Flesh when you see any Dying Nightmares to prevent enchantments stealing.
 * Cast first Sympathetic Visage and then Ancestor's Visage alternatively every 10 sec (when the activated skill is half recharged) to steal adrenaline and energy from adjacent mobs and to prevent interruptions.
 * Obsidian Flesh is also to be used against Terrorweb Dryders.

Counters

 * It is possible for Lingering Curse to remove all of these enchantments and cause the InvinciTank to have a squishy nature and be wiped out instantly. The only monsters that use Lingering Curse are Keeper of Souls, which spawn only if you take the Unwanted Guests quest.

This build is used to farm the jade right outside the Ring of Fire Mission. Its sole purpose it to rapidly zone farm the Jade in hope of a rare perfect Mursaat Hammer or Mursaat Hornbow. Runs are consistent and take four minutes.

Equipment

 * Any armor will do, however you will need to bring your health down to 330 and it must be Infused. The exact number is not required, but must be over 250. Wearing a Superior Rune in both Earth Magic and Energy Storage is the best way reach 330 health.
 * A +20% Enchantment staff is recommended.

Usage



 * Enter the mission and cast Balthazar's Spirit.
 * Wait for the Mursaat casters to agrro the Dwarf NPC and run off.
 * Once gone, run up to the Dwarf Corpses. You can find them by using the Alt and Ctrl buttons.
 * Use Protective Spirit and Stoneflesh Aura, then Aggro the 2 mobs of Jade.
 * Quickly run up the hill to the third Jade mob.
 * There will be a Jade Bow at the top, once you are in front of him, you will be safe from both sides.
 * As long as you are quick to run into the safe zone, the Mursaat won't bother you.
 * Use Protective Spirit and Stoneflesh Aura again, drop Ward of Stability and use Sliver Armor.
 * Heal with Zealous Benediction as needed.
 * If you are low on health and Protective Spirit is flashing, use Protective Spirit first.
 * Always have Stoneflesh Aura after Protective Spirit, as Stoneflesh Aura will absorb the 33 damage given by Protective Spirit.
 * Use Teinai's Crystals and Crystal Wave energy permitting.
 * If damaged monsters flee, wand them, and they will return.
 * Renew your skill cycle as needed.

Counters

 * Knockdowns without Ward of Stability and Interrupts will stop you. You cannot farm the Mursaat themselves, as the Mesmers will interrupt you and the Necromancers will throw hefty health degen on you. Avoiding them is easy, just follow the steps in the Usage Section.

Variants

 * Farming other areas is not hard, just bring the core skills Protective Spirit, Stoneflesh Aura and Balthazar's Spirit, you can tank most mobs. Optional skills will vary on the mob.


 * One recommended place for farming is the Tusked Howlers outside Yohlon Haven. They tend to work pretty efficently.


 * Another place this works is outside the Dajkah Inlet. The mesmer boss outside (Eshim Mindclouder) is farmable with some effort. The degen he and his group has makes healing and watching Protective Spirit and Stoneflesh Aura absolutely vital. When farming The Mindclouder I recommend taking the skill Aftershock in place of Teinai's Crystals for better energy management and effiecent damage dealing.

List of Farmable Areas

 * Jade outside of the Ring of Fire mission.

Equipment

 * Any Armor will work except one which increases your health. Using Radiant Insignias is a good idea for the additional energy.
 * Preferably a Staff of Enchanting Linked to Earth Magic. Galigord's Stone Staff is optimal.

Usage

 * Cast Balthazar's Spirit
 * Cast Ward Against Foes to help prevent AoE scatter as well as to aid your team
 * Cast and Maintain Protective Spirit and Stoneflesh Aura
 * Cast Shockwave, Crystal Wave, and Teinai's Crystals whenever possible.

Counters

 * Degneration
 * E-Denial
 * Life Stealing
 * Enchantment Stripping
 * Interrupting

Variants

 * Healing Breeze
 * Stone Daggers
 * Ebon Hawk
 * Obsidian Flame
 * Grasping Earth
 * Sandstorm and Unsteady Ground are viable replacements for Shockwave.
 * Glyph of Lesser Energy if energy is an issue.
 * Glyph of Concentration if you fear interruption for Stoneflesh Aura
 * In areas where enchantment stripping is a major issue, Shockwave may be replaced by Obsidian Flesh for less damage but much greater survivability.

Equipment

 * Earth Staff that provides extra Health.
 * Insignias for Health
 * Superior Vigour, Superior Earth Prayers, Minor Energy Storage, Vitae runes.

Usage

 * Apply weakness from Ebon Hawk by using it on enemies that are attacking or running towards a kiting target. Then KD them with Stoning, and apply blind from ash blast.
 * Re-use all this whenever possible, and swap between different targets that are attacking, so you can spread the conditions for a greater effect.
 * Use Glyph of Energy and then Earthquake for a free KD that supplies you with energy from Earth Attunement. After this use either Ash Blast to blind, or if you KD a monk, wait a bit then begin cast Ebon Hawk; hopefully the enemy will begin to move after having casted a protection spell, so you can apply weakness and then KD them more with Stoning.
 * Res with GoS and RC if no one else is ressing. One downside is being forced to wait 15 seconds because you used GoS and someone else ressed.
 * Never use GoS with Earthquake to avoid the 3 second cast unless necessary to do so, ie a 1v1 against a Migraine Mesmer and you only have Earthquake <_<. Don't use GoS then another spell out of panic because you are being attacked.
 * Use Glyph of Energy with Earthquake; they have equal recharges. Don't try to use an Earthquake that benefitted from a 50% recharge/ 20% chance weapon, because you will suffer from low energy, exhaustion, and you will need to wait on average another 4 casts to get it back in sync, or wait 8 seconds to get GoE recharged. Just wait for both of them.

Variations

 * In RA, use no healing prayers or GoS, and put in Res Signet and Aura of Restoration.
 * In AB, don't use a res or GoS, so use a spell that can increase youre mobility or damage.
 * In HA, wards work well in the tight spaces that you are forced to fight in. Ward Against Foes works well for snaring runners. The best spell to replace would be GoS, and bring Res Signet.
 * It is possible to use other forms of Weakness inducing. Examples would be Enervating Charge or Enfeeble.

The Imperial Farmer is used in Raisu Palace (Explorable) to farm Star Ancient Koosun for Koosun's Fire Staff, and other bosses alone. Good equipment helps, but even simple weapons can be used. This build can be used anywhere that degen and physical attacks are the primary opposition, but is intended to easily farm Star Ancient Koosun. This build is used for SOLO farming, but can accompany chest run groups.

Attributes and skills
If you are using this build for anywhere other than Raisu Palace, you can use Purge Conditions, Mend Ailment, or Remove Hex instead of Celestial Storm..

Equipment
There is no special armor needed, as long as you have +4 energy regen. Recommended weapons are expensive but effective. There are two separate groups of equipment needed. Water Running and Fire Fighting.

Water Running equipment includes: (weapons set 1)
 * Helm that is +4 total Water Magic. (Superior rune of Water Magic on Hydromancer helm)
 * Totem Axe+5 weapon with enchantments 20% longer
 * Flint's Artifact ( +1 Water Magic 20% & 1/2 Recharge of Water Magic Spells 20%)

(A Water staff with a a perfect Staff Wrapping of Enchanting and 20/20 casting is also workable as this weapons set, see collector items with mods.)

Fire Fighting equipment includes: (weapons set 2)
 * Helm that is +4 total Fire Magic (Superior rune of Fire Magic on Pyromancer helm)
 * Wayward Wand of Fire Magic or Rago's Flame Wand (1/2 Recharge of Fire Magic Spells 20%)
 * The Kindlerock ( +1 Fire Magic 20% & 1/2 Recharge of Fire Magic Spells 20%)

(A Fire staff with a perfect Staff Wrapping of Enchanting and 20/20 casting is also workable as this weapons set, e.g Rago's Flame Staff.)

Usage
There are two distinct modes to this build, Water Running and Fire Fighting.

Water Running mode allows you get to your target with basic invulnerablity to physical and most degen attacks. You have extra armor from Armor of Mist (+42 or +44 armor (20%)) and should use Armor of Mist and Mist Form at the same Time. You sometimes cast Healing Breeze on top of these spells before running past opponents.

The recommended order of casting is: This gives you a total of 26 seconds of protection at 33% faster speed. It should be mentioned that Mending and Watchful Spirit are cast after getting Celestial Storm at the beginning of the mission.
 * Mist Form
 * Armor of Mist
 * Healing Breeze (optional).

For Star Ancient Koosun farming, I recommend using the path to the north of Onata the Assassin and the Mesmer Boss, toward Kai. For Star Ancient Koosun farming, you set up adjacent to Star Ancient Koosun usually to the left as you enter from the rez point past Kai. Then, when all degen is resolved switch to Fire Fighting mode.

Switching modes:
 * Switching to your fire weapons group containing the Wayward Wand of Fire Magic or Rago's Flame Wand and The Kindlerock
 * Swap your Hydromancer Helm for your Pyromancer Helm.
 * Remove both Mending and Watchful Spirit by double clicking on each above the Skill Bar

You now have 36% half recharge, +1 Fire Magic 20%, and a total of 12 Fire Magic. Fire Fighting Mode allows you to do heavy damage with Immolate with excellent energy conservation. You do not need the Celestial Storm to kill Star Ancient Koosun if you are patient with Immolate and Fire Attunement.

To Kill Star Ancient Koosun, in Fire Fighting mode: Cast Fire Attunement as needed, but you will notice that even with the monk, Immolate will eventually kill Star Ancient Koosun. To get Koosun's Fire Staff, it seems you want to kill him quickly. There are sweet spots along the wall where you cannot be counter attacked.
 * Cast Fire Attunement. Wait for energy to fully recharge.
 * Cast Armor of Mist
 * Target Star Ancient Koosun and cast Celestial Storm, then run out of his aggro circle. It is recommended you hit him where it will kill all his minions especially the monk.
 * If he survives the Celestial Storm, line up on the wall at the edge of range and begin casting Immolate.

Counters
Obsidian Flame attacks and degen can get you if you are careless in Imperial Sanctum. A foe could strip your enchantments, but this is not encountered in Imperial Sanctum.

Variants

 * You can increase damage by changing one element of this build.
 * Glowing Gaze replaces Fire Attunement
 * You can forgo the Fire Portion of this build and use
 * Deep Freeze replaces Immolate
 * Purge Conditions or Mend Ailment replaces Fire Attunement
 * The 9 attrbute levels that were in Fire Magic can then raise your Healing Prayers to 9 and optionally raise Protection Prayers to 3. This allows much better healing which is useful in running, but makes killing Star Ancient Koosun dependent upon the Celestial Storm.

Cast Arcane Echo, Echo, Celestial Storm, Echo(arcane copy), Celestial Storm, Celestial Storm
 * There is a Good variant that changes monk skills for Dervish skills
 * There is also a very successful 5 storm version, it is a variant, but radically different.
 * When the boss quickly dies, your two Celestial Storm copies will recharge, select any opponents in the area, and cast quickly, you may want to cast Armor of Mist to help run to any opponents that are out of range, before your spells expire.

Standard E/Mo

Template
E/D

Template
E/Me (5 celestial storm)

Template
By using the powerful spell Savannah Heat in combination with Meteor Shower and Bed of Coals you can kill many types of monsters in one shot before they have a chance to flee from the area of effect. Smite Crawlers in The Underworld and Stone Scale Kirin in Pongmei Valley, while using Earth Magic enchantments to reduce received damage to 0.

Equipment
Armor:

Tempest or Pyromancer's is recommended, although the additional armor is rarely needed. Radiant Insignia may also be used.

Weapons: One of the following: and
 * An Insightful Earth Staff of Enchanting. A 20% enchantment mod is recommended.
 * Totem Axe / Earth Scroll combination.
 * Galigord's Stone Staff
 * A longbow or flatbow for pulling Smite Crawlers.

Usage
Killing the Grasping Darkness

Pre-cast Balthazar's Spirit and take the Clear the Chamber quest from the Lost Soul. If a Dying Nightmare pops up, let him use Rend Enchantments on Balthazar's then cast Flame Djinn's Haste to break aggro. In this case, remember to recast Balthazar's Spirit on yourself before entering battle; avoid accidentally casting it on the Lost Soul.

Then cast in this order: Then quickly aggro one or two groups of Grasping Darkness and run back. Then cast you offensive skills in this order:
 * Flame Djinn's Haste
 * Stoneflesh Aura
 * Glyph of Concentration
 * Meteor Shower
 * Savannah Heat
 * Bed of Coals
 * Flame Djinn's Haste*
 * To prevent them from interrupting Flame Djinn's Haste, cast it while the Darkness are knocked down from Meteor Shower.

This should kill all of the Darkness. If any remain, thay will most likely die soon from burning and normal wand attacks should be enough to finish them off. In a worst-case scenario there will be a couple left with about 10% health and you will have little or no energy due to them spamming "Fear Me!". A +15/-1 set is very useful for finishing them off in this rare situation.

Note: Before you take the quest it is recommended that you cast Flame Djinn's Haste and run up the stairs to pop any Dying Nightmare that might be hidden.

Killing the Smite Crawlers

Once all the Grasping Darkness have been eliminated, use Flame Djinn's Haste to run to the Smite Crawlers in the Ice Wastes. It is recommended that you pull large groups of smites with this build due to the length 60 second recharge on Meteor Shower. It is possible to pull together all the smites in the first chamber. A video of how to do this can be seen here

If done right this will kill all the Smite Crawlers you have pulled. If a Dying Nightmare pops up while pulling the smites, let him use Rend Enchantments then cast Flame Djinn's Haste to break aggro. Then come back and kill the Dying Nightmare first and proceed with the smites. A video of how to do this can be seen here
 * Maintain Stoneflesh Aura and Armor of Earth to take all damage to 0 and maintain Balthazar's Spirit for energy and use:
 * Meteor Shower
 * Savannah Heat
 * Bed of Coals
 * Flame Djinn's Haste

Videos

 * Killing the Grasping Darkness
 * Run to the Smite Crawlers
 * Clearing Smite Chamber #1
 * Clearing Smite Chamber #2

Stone Scale Kirin variant
This variant will allow you to farm Stone Scale Kirin, Undergrowth and Dragon Moss in Pongmei Valley right out of Maatu Keep.

Equipment

 * Armor: Any armor can be used, but Tempest, Pyromancer's or Geomancer's are preferred.
 * Weapons:
 * An Insightful Earth Staff of Enchanting. A 20% enchantment mod is recommended.
 * Totem Axe / earth scroll combination.
 * Galigord's Stone Staff

Usage
Cast and maintain all your enchantments, and aggro the Kirin, Undergrowth and Dragon Moss. You should maneuver so that the Dragon Moss are close to one another, and then move into melee range of them, which will place the melee-range monsters near the Dragon Moss. Once the monsters are in a ball, cast the following spells in this order:
 * Glyph of Elemental Power
 * Meteor Shower
 * Savannah Heat
 * Bed of Coals

Video
Video of Kirin farming.

Attributes and Skills

 * If you are sure that you'll burn your whole energy pool, you can replace Churning Earth for Essence Bond.
 * You can replace Obsidian Flesh for Glyph of Renewal. The usage is simple, cast Glyph of Renewal then cast Sliver Armor, in that way, Sliver Armor will always be on. You must be careful because you'll have a lower defence.

Equipment

 * Armor: Any max armor will work well.
 * Weapon: Galigord's Stone Staff is the best weapon for this build.

Usage



 * Go in the Domain of Fear.
 * Cast Balthazar's Spirit and Aura of Restoration on yourself, and make sure they are constantly maintained.
 * When you see a patrol of monsters, cast Armor of Earth and Stoneflesh Aura, followed by Obsidian Flesh, then Aggro them.
 * Once they are bunched up around you, cast Armor of Earth and Stoneflesh Aura again.
 * Use Healing Breeze to cover the reload time of Obsidian Flesh. When it's ready, cast it and Sliver Armor. When Sliver Armor is on, cast Churning Earth. The more monsters bunched up around you, the more effective Sliver Armor will be.

Counters

 * Daze, Interrupt or Enchantment Removal can annihilate you. If you are careful and keep Obsidian Flesh on as much as possible, those problems won't happen.

Variants

 * The main Variant is to switch Churning Earth for Essence Bond. Your energy pool will always be full with Essence Bond and Balthazar's Spirit together.
 * You can replace Obsidian Flesh for Glyph of Renewal, so that you can almost always have Sliver Armor up and constantly be killing, however this build lacks the neccesary spell protection against enchantment stripping spells in the Domain of Fear

Templates
This is an elementalist build used to "tank" the Domain of Anguish. It uses recycling of Obsidian Flesh and Serpent's Quickness to constantly maintain immunity to spells. Energy is managed through a bonder using Balthazar's Spirit. This build and its variants have been successfully used to tank all zones of the Domain of Anguish, including the Ebony Citadel.

Equipment

 * Max Armor (Radiant or Survivor)
 * A +5 energy sword/axe or spear with +20% enchantment duration and an earth offhand with 20% half skill recharge and +30 health

Usage
Start off in each zone by having the bonder put all bond on you. Cast Stoneflesh Aura and Armor of Earth before aggroing. If you brought a Spell Breaker monk, have them put it on you to make rounding up easier. Pull the group to the desired spot. If facing Misery Titans or Margonite Vus, keep up Ward of Stability as much as possible. Use Serpents Quickness and Obsidian Flesh at the same time as Spell Breaker runs out. Right as the next Obsidian Flesh is ending, use it again. Wait for Serpent's Quickness and Obsidian Flesh both recharge, and use them again. See specifics for each zone at their page on the wiki.

Counters

 * Chilblains from Despair Titans.
 * Wild Throw
 * Knockdowns during the downtime of Ward of Stability.

Anti-Interrupt variant
E/Me Variant for interrupt protection.

Regen Variant
E/D Variant for extra regen.

No Bonder Variant
Only enchantment needed from another ally is balthazar's spirit.

Arkjok Ward Insects
Optional Slot:
 * Storm Djinn's Haste (recommended, put leftover points into Air Magic)
 * Churning Earth in place of Eruption.
 * Sandstorm may be used in place of Shockwave. Tighter grouping is needed.

Usage

 * Exit out the Arkjok Ward portal from Yohlon Haven.
 * If you brought a running skill, use it and head over to the priest and acquire the hunt for insects.
 * Before aggroing the insects to the south, cast the first 3 skills to the left on your skill bar.
 * Aggro the insect mobs, you may have to wait for the farthest mob to separate from the imps, because the imps will strip your enchantments, ruining your fun.
 * When they all have your attention, run to the north, pulling all the Bladed Veldt Termite with you. Once the ranged mob (consisting of the Veldt Beetle Lance and Veldt Beetle Queen) are close together, run back bringing all the insects right next to each other. They can be loosely grouped as long as Shockwave can hit them all.
 * Target one of the many Bladed Veldt Termite, making sure that your enchantments are not going to end, cast Glyph of Elemental Power, EoE, Eruption, and Shockwave. This should kill them all, giving you lots of items, lots of points, and lots of experience in a short time.
 * Re-zone into the city through the portal so you can turn around and repeat. You may also like to map travel, but it may take longer.

Skills

 * Switch out Shockwave for Sandstorm
 * Only 4 skills are needed, Stoneflesh Aura, Armor of Earth, EoE, Shockwave. See video for this.

Video

 * YouTube
 * Google Video

Usage

 * Exit out the The Floodplain of Mahnkelon portal.
 * Using your Storm Djinn's Haste, run northeast passing the first group of foes.
 * Continue traveling northeast until you reach a bridge above you. The spiders will spawn from the ground if you travel a bit more north. The blue dots on the compass/map show you where you need to stand for them to spawn.
 * Before spawning the spiders, cast Storm, run in, spawn them and run back losing all aggro. This is the hardest part of the entire run because if you don't leave quick, they will kill you.
 * When in safety, cast Troll, followed by the spamming of Aura and Storm until health is restored.
 * Run back to the rock before the mob and cast EoE behind the wall nearby. Using your running skills, aggro the entire group and run back to your casted EoE. From here, the ranged monsters can not attack you because your behind a wall
 * Cast Earth Attunement, Glyph of Elemental Power, Sandstorm, and Eruption. They will all be dead in a matter of seconds. EoE will also kill the boss.

Skills
Replace Earth Attunement with Ward Against Foes, cast right before aggroing spiders.

Video

 * YouTube
 * Google Video

Fire Magic Spider Variant

 * Similar to the earth build until you use EoE
 * Cast Glyph of Elemental Power, Fire Attunement, Meteor Shower, and finally Savannah Heat.
 * If the boss has a little bit of health left feel free to walk up to him and use Flame Djinn's Haste to finish him, but he rarely lives.

Equipment

 * Armor: Max level armor with the correct runes will do.
 * Weapon: Any weapon/staff that adds +20% enchantment longer is recommended.

Counters
Arkjok Ward Insects: The Floodplain of Mahnkelon Spiders:
 * Failing to keep up enchantments.
 * Enchantment stripping.
 * not casting your running skill/not breaking aggro.

Equipment

 * Any maximum AL armor will do.
 * Have a 20% Enchantments last longer staff.

Running To The End

 * Take the Scepter of Orr from Evennia.
 * Use Stoneflesh Aura and Storm Djinn's Haste to run past the first set of imps.
 * When you get to a safe(r) spot, use Troll Unguent
 * Don't be afraid of energy loss as the Scepter of Orr will provide another pip of regen, helping to counter Storm Djinn's Haste. Energy is not a problem at all.
 * When you see Bone Dragons you will need to use Glyph of Concentration every time you use Stoneflesh Aura as they will use Choking Gas to Interrupt you.
 * Continue the path using the previous steps until you reach the gate lock.
 * Upon opening it, you will find Hill Giants who will knock you down.
 * Set up Ward of Stability and wait for all of the Giant Stomps to pass.
 * Continue running up the hill to the left, and you will see Vizier Khilbron.
 * Give him the Scepter of Orr and skip the cinematic.
 * Continue running the route until you have to protect the Vizier.

Defending The Vizier

 * When you are ready to defend the Vizier, "pop" him by coming close to the dock.
 * Move back as far as possible as your back it to the hill. This is to ensure that the mobs attack you which allows the Vizier to do his job.
 * Cast Serpent's Quickness before Obsidian Flesh
 * Use Glyph of Concentration every time you use Stoneflesh Aura
 * Upon Burning use Troll Unguent
 * After the first Obsidian Flesh ends, cast it again. And remember to keep Stoneflesh Aura up too.
 * This is also the time where you might want to farm, cast Sliver Armor (if energy permits) and let it do its job.
 * Before the next Obsidian Flesh runs out, use Serpent's Quickness before Obsidian Flesh, which repeats the process.
 * Once the Vizier is finished, get on the boat and you are done.
 * Note that this is the only part where energy can be a problem, if you start to lose energy on Sliver Armor or you have to recast another skill because it got Interrupted, try and keep it to the bare bones of Serpent's Quickness, Obsidian Flesh, Glyph of Concentration and Stoneflesh Aura.

Counters

 * Knockdowns without Ward of Stability and Interrupts without Glyph of Concentration will stop you from recasting your enchantments.
 * If you don’t get the Obsidian Flesh cycle right, you may run into your Stoneflesh Aura getting stripped. In this case, cover it with Storm Djinn's Haste ASAP.

Equipment

 * Tempest Armor(armor + 10 while affected by an Enchantment Spell) with two Runes of Attunement and a Major/Superior Vigor Rune.
 * Galigord's Stone Staff or a Ritualistic Ghostly Staff as energy management is rather hard.
 * A Longbow.

Fighting Aatxes and Nightmares

 * When entering the Underworld, do not take Clear the Chamber from the Lost Soul straight away.
 * Go to a nearby group of Bladed Aatxe and aggro only the Aatxe that is patrolling. If the patrolling Aatxe is stuck in a mob of stationary Aatxes, lure them, and run to where the farthest NPC stands. By running this far you should break aggro of the stationary ones. Should a Dying Nightmare pop up during the proccess, hide behind that NPC. Now, the NPC in front of you will effectively body-block the following Aatxe, giving you enough time to kill the Nightmare and cast your enchantments.
 * Cast Earth Attunement, Kinetic Armor, Glyph of Lesser Energy, Armor of Earth and Stoneflesh Aura in this order.
 * Use Glyph of Concentration before the fight and cast Vengeful Was Khanhei as the Aatxe begins hitting you.
 * While fighting, cast Glyph of Concentration followed by Stoneflesh Aura, and Glyph of Lesser Energy followed by Armor of Earth. This skill combo should allow you to maintain your energy without getting interrupted and to keep your energy at an acceptable level. Also, Savage Slash, their only interrupt, has a recharge of 20 seconds. If you notice your foes had just used this skill, you may cast your spells without GoC to further save on energy.
 * When VWK is not active, cast Vengeful Weapon to maintain your health at near full level. Whatever you do, do not try to spam it as you will find yourself low on energy very fast.
 * Do not forget to maintain Kinetic Armor. Time your Vengeful Weapon to keep it up.
 * After taking out one group of enemies scout the nearby area for any Dying Nightmares.
 * When you are finished eliminating all the Aatxe in the chamber take the quest from the Lost Soul.

Fighting Darknesses

 * Grasping Darknesses are incredible anti-casters and can take you down very easily.
 * You will only need Armor of Earth and Stoneflesh Aura for this as keeping up Kinetic Armor will be harsh on your energy pool.
 * Always use Glyph of Concentration before applying your enchantments, then quickly use VwK to try and avoid interruption.
 * When VwK is not active, try kiting around in circles to prevent their adrenaline gain as much as possible.
 * Do not give up even if their "Fear Me!" drains your energy to zero. Kite around until your energy recovers to 5. Cast Glyph of Lesser Energy followed by VwK, Followed by Armor of Earth.
 * After Dealing with the Darknesses exit the chamber to the north and proceed to the Ice Wastes.

Fighting Smites

 * You will find two groups of two Bladed Aatxe each and one of Grasping Darknesses and possibly a Dying Nightmare. Avoid them completely by luring the first group of Aatxe and running past them, without aggroing, to reach the second.
 * These are the last Aatxe you will see, now your primary foes are the Smite Crawlers. As Smite Crawlers only do about 50 to 60 damage, you will not need to maintain Kinetic Armor here either. What will pose a threat here are the Coldfire Nights (see Variants section of this article) that patrol the area and the Dying Nightmares that may appear out of nowhere.
 * Simply use VWK and Vengeful Weapon here to finish off the groups of Smite Crawlers.

Counters

 * Failure to maintain Kinetic Armor, Armor of Earth and Stoneflesh Aura while fighting the Aatxe.
 * Interruptions.
 * Strip of enchantments at inopportune times.
 * Overuse of energy and energy denial.

Variants

 * The same build is possible with a Ritualist primary. Even with low Earth Magic, you still take zero damage from the Aatxes when all your enchantments are up. Although this can kill foes quite faster than an E/Rt, the lower energy pool and shorter duration of Stoneflesh Aura makes the run more difficult. A 20% enchant mod is a must for this variant. Note that Armor of Earth significantly slows your movement, thus should not be used when aggroing the first mob of Aatxes. You may fail to shelter behind the NPC with your slowness.

Equipment

 * Tempest Armor
 * Something along the lines of Galigord's Stone Staff will be perfect.

Usage

 * Upon entering the Underworld, check in front of you to see if there are three Bladed Aatxes in the mob. If there is, and the third isn’t moving, it means there is a Dying Nightmare spawn to the right.
 * If there is, cast Kinetic Armor and maintain it with, Aura of Restoration.
 * Pull the first mob and run to the NPC Benton. As long as you hide behind him the Bladed Aatxes cannot get to you, however keep your enchantments up for convenience.
 * By now, the Dying Nightmare would have spawned and you can now wand him without worrying about the Bladed Aatxes.
 * If there is no third Bladed Aatxe, then you are safe and you are free to pull the mob.
 * After taking out the Dying Nightmare, or if there were none, take the Clear the Chamber quest. Then cast Armor of Earth and tank the mob.
 * Cast Glyph of Renewal to keep up Magnetic Aura, and use Sliver Armor for damage.
 * Keep Teinai's Crystals or Crystal Wave if you are using only Prophecies skills, as a finisher. This way, the Grasping Darkness’ will be able to contribute to Sliver Armor’s triggering and the Bladed Aatxes will die faster. Bladed Aatxes have the higher armor so you will want to target them first.
 * As of the October 25th AoE update, the monsters will run when they take too much damage. Don’t worry, just wand them and they will come right back. You will be wanding anyways to charge up Bonetti's Defense.
 * When low on health, cast more, and if you are Dazed just use Aura of Restoration and Magnetic Aura to keep Kinetic Armor up. Wait for it to finish and continue to kill the mob.
 * When low on energy, use Bonetti's Defense, you will be almost guaranteed to block everything for the full 6 seconds it is active. Be cautious as casting to keep Kinetic Armor alive will disengage Bonetti's Defense.
 * After killing the first mob, move on to the next in a clockwise rotation.
 * First, pull any Dying Nightmares that might be hiding, if you aggro the Bladed Aatxes run back to NPC Benton and hide.
 * Wand the Dying Nightmare and carry on killing the mob.
 * Rinse and repeat until all Grasping Darkness’ and Bladed Aatxes are dead. Move on to the Ice Wastes.
 * Facing Smite Crawlers is the easy part as they attack fast, have lower armor and deal less damage.
 * Be careful when running to Smite Crawler nests as Dying Nightmares could pop up. They will likely be alone, so take it slow.
 * Do not engage the Coldfire Nights as they can interrupt you and they don’t drop any Globs of Ectoplasm anyway.

Counters

 * Enchantment stripping
 * Interrupts

Templates
This build is a damage-focused Elementalist suitable for PvE groups. By utlizing both Air Attunement and Elemental Attunement, you get a huge energy return for each Air Magic spell cast, resulting in the ability to spam high energy cost skills repeatedly and continously without running out of energy.

Equipment

 * Any armor with Max AL can be used with this build, but Tempest Armor is preferred for its Armor bonus while enchanted.
 * An Insightful Air Staff of Enchanting or a Runar's Brimstone Staff is ideal.

Usage

 * Cast and maintain Elemental Attunement and Air Attunement, in that order.
 * Use Blinding Flash on approaching enemy attackers to negate any physical attacks. You can easily keep 2 targets blinded.
 * Deal heavy damage to multiple targets with Chain Lightning.
 * Lightning Hammer and Lightning Orb are your high damage, single-target skills.
 * Use Lightning Strike for a faster casting damage spell.

Counters

 * Interrupts.
 * Upon casting/action hexes, such as Backfire.
 * Enchantment removal, while not immediately devastating, will make energy management difficult, reducing the build's overall effectiveness.
 * Protective Spirit.

Variants

 * Enervating Charge for ensured damage reduction when facing attacking foes.
 * Aura of Restoration for self-healing and for covering the attunements.
 * Gale can be used as a Knockdown. This is recommended for Arena use.
 * Replace Blinding Flash with another damaging skill when in areas with few attackers.
 * Chain Lightning has 3-seconds casting time. It is usually not recommended to bring for spiking.
 * Instead of bringing Resurrection Signet for AB, an air enchantment that gives speed boost would be more useful.
 * Replace Chain Lightning with Mystic Regeneration (with an 8 spec in Earth Prayers) to both add to survivability and as a cheap cover to your attunements.

Related Builds

 * Build:E/any Air Spiker

Template
equipment template: RmGY6kNWKqiZmm0TzZmmMs8IujkKdZmiMsuZmi0D

All Elementalist solo farmers have very similar skill sets, because all of the vital skills are in Earth Magic and Energy Storage.

Kinetic Armor and/or Armor of Earth are a must, as is Aura of Restoration and either Ether Renewal or Elemental Attunement. Those are the mandatory skills for survival and energy management. The rest of the skills should be chosen to compliment whatever kinds of enemies you intend to farm.

The standard weapon is a Defensive or Hale Earth Staff of Enchanting. Any max armor will do. A Superior Rune of Earth Magic is a must, and other Superior Runes are a bonus but not required. Several popular build variations follow.

Troll Farmer
This build is designed specifically to farm the Trolls in Talus Chute in a cave directly outside of Droknar's Forge to the left, but with slight changes it can be used to farm a great many different types of enemies.

Usage
Use Windborne Speed (along with Aura of Restoration and Kinetic Armor when necessary) to run past the Avicara that may be blocking the way to the Troll cave.

When you get to the Troll cave, the first thing you do before aggroing the Trolls is to cast Aura of Restoration followed by Elemental Attunement.

Next, get close to the Trolls, cast Kinetic Armor, and then aggro them with an attack. When they get close, cast Ward Against Melee, followed by Whirlwind and Aftershock when they're all gathered around you. At this point, many of them will run away because of the area of effect damage you just did to them. Now, you have 10 seconds to wait before your combo is recharged, but Kinetic Armor will run out in 8 seconds (9 if you have +20% Enchantments on your weapon).

Do a normal attack 2 or 3 times, then cast Crystal Wave; this will do tremendous damage and recharge Kinetic Armor. Attack once or twice, and then do Whirlwind and Aftershock again. If your health is getting beat down pretty good, you should cast other spells like Windborne Speed or Aura of Restoration between combo recharge to get the health from Aura of Restoration.

After the second combo, you will need to cast Ward Against Melee again (which you can use to refresh your Kinetic Armor until your next combo).

After about the 5th combo, you may need to re-cast your Aura of Restoration and Elemental Attunement. You should have plenty of energy for all of this, as long as you don't overcast your spells too much.

If you do it right, most of the trolls should die around your 5th or 6th combo, which should take about a minute. The Troll cave has anywhere between 10 and 20 Trolls, so you will be raking in the experience and money.

Use XP scrolls, such as Scroll of Hunter's Insight, and you should gain a skill point every 3rd time you go into the cave.

Hydra Farmer
This build is designed specifically to farm the Hydras in Skyward Reach East of Augury Rock, but with slight changes it can be used to farm a great many different types of enemies.

Usage
Cast Aura of Restoration, Earth Attunement, Kinetic Armor, and Armor of Earth before you aggro the Hydras.

Once aggroed, try to get them in a group around you and cast Crystal Wave, Aftershock, and Stone Daggers as often as you can. Make sure to watch out for Meteor as it will knock you down and interrupt your spells.

If your energy or health is running low, cast Ether Renewal and then immediately spam Stone Daggers until Ether Renewal runs out. Make sure to cast a spell at least once every 8-9 seconds to keep Kinetic Armor refreshed, and make sure to recast your other enchantments when they start to run out.

How to modify the Build

 * Kinetic Armor, Aftershock, Aura of Restoration, an Elite energy management spell (Ether Renewal or Elemental Attunement) and most of the time Earth Attunement are staples of this build.


 * If you fear interrupts from knockdowns, use Ward of Stability. Obsidian Flesh will prevent interrupts from spells, and any other spell effects, but at the cost of the energy gain spells Ether Renewal or Elemental Attunement.


 * When facing a large group of enemies (6 and upwards), Ward Against Foes becomes quite a lot more useful than Armor of Earth. Essence Bond or Balthazar's Spirit can be also used to replace Earth Attunement, and Sliver Armor can replace an attack spell.


 * If the enemies can be knocked down, the combo Whirlwind -> Aftershock is most useful. Otherwise replace Whirlwind with Crystal Wave.


 * Use Ether Renewal in combination with Stone Daggers if the build still takes damage with your selected defensive spells.


 * E/Me's can use Mantra of Flame when fighting Hydras to reduce fire damage and manage their energy. It is recommended to use it around Inspiration Magic level 8.

All Elementalist solo farmers have very similar skill sets, because all of the vital skills are in Earth Magic and Energy Storage.

Kinetic Armor and/or Armor of Earth are a must, as is Aura of Restoration and either Ether Renewal or Elemental Attunement. Those are the mandatory skills for survival and energy management. The rest of the skills should be chosen to compliment whatever kinds of enemies you intend to farm.

The standard weapon is a Defensive or Hale Earth Staff of Enchanting. Any max armor will do. A Superior Rune of Earth Magic is a must, and other Superior Runes are a bonus but not required. Several popular build variations follow.

Troll Farmer
This build is designed specifically to farm the Trolls in Talus Chute in a cave directly outside of Droknar's Forge to the left, but with slight changes it can be used to farm a great many different types of enemies.

Usage
Use Windborne Speed (along with Aura of Restoration and Kinetic Armor when necessary) to run past the Avicara that may be blocking the way to the Troll cave.

When you get to the Troll cave, the first thing you do before aggroing the Trolls is to cast Aura of Restoration followed by Elemental Attunement.

Next, get close to the Trolls, cast Kinetic Armor, and then aggro them with an attack. When they get close, cast Ward Against Melee, followed by Whirlwind and Aftershock when they're all gathered around you. At this point, many of them will run away because of the area of effect damage you just did to them. Now, you have 10 seconds to wait before your combo is recharged, but Kinetic Armor will run out in 8 seconds (9 if you have +20% Enchantments on your weapon).

Do a normal attack 2 or 3 times, then cast Crystal Wave; this will do tremendous damage and recharge Kinetic Armor. Attack once or twice, and then do Whirlwind and Aftershock again. If your health is getting beat down pretty good, you should cast other spells like Windborne Speed or Aura of Restoration between combo recharge to get the health from Aura of Restoration.

After the second combo, you will need to cast Ward Against Melee again (which you can use to refresh your Kinetic Armor until your next combo).

After about the 5th combo, you may need to re-cast your Aura of Restoration and Elemental Attunement. You should have plenty of energy for all of this, as long as you don't overcast your spells too much.

If you do it right, most of the trolls should die around your 5th or 6th combo, which should take about a minute. The Troll cave has anywhere between 10 and 20 Trolls, so you will be raking in the experience and money.

Use XP scrolls, such as Scroll of Hunter's Insight, and you should gain a skill point every 3rd time you go into the cave.

Hydra Farmer
This build is designed specifically to farm the Hydras in Skyward Reach East of Augury Rock, but with slight changes it can be used to farm a great many different types of enemies.

Usage
Cast Aura of Restoration, Earth Attunement, Kinetic Armor, and Armor of Earth before you aggro the Hydras.

Once aggroed, try to get them in a group around you and cast Crystal Wave, Aftershock, and Stone Daggers as often as you can. Make sure to watch out for Meteor as it will knock you down and interrupt your spells.

If your energy or health is running low, cast Ether Renewal and then immediately spam Stone Daggers until Ether Renewal runs out. Make sure to cast a spell at least once every 8-9 seconds to keep Kinetic Armor refreshed, and make sure to recast your other enchantments when they start to run out.

How to modify the Build

 * Kinetic Armor, Aftershock, Aura of Restoration, an Elite energy management spell (Ether Renewal or Elemental Attunement) and most of the time Earth Attunement are staples of this build.


 * If you fear interrupts from knockdowns, use Ward of Stability. Obsidian Flesh will prevent interrupts from spells, and any other spell effects, but at the cost of the energy gain spells Ether Renewal or Elemental Attunement.


 * When facing a large group of enemies (6 and upwards), Ward Against Foes becomes quite a lot more useful than Armor of Earth. Essence Bond or Balthazar's Spirit can be also used to replace Earth Attunement, and Sliver Armor can replace an attack spell.


 * If the enemies can be knocked down, the combo Whirlwind -> Aftershock is most useful. Otherwise replace Whirlwind with Crystal Wave.


 * Use Ether Renewal in combination with Stone Daggers if the build still takes damage with your selected defensive spells.


 * E/Me's can use Mantra of Flame when fighting Hydras to reduce fire damage and manage their energy. It is recommended to use it around Inspiration Magic level 8.

All Elementalist solo farmers have very similar skill sets, because all of the vital skills are in Earth Magic and Energy Storage.

Kinetic Armor and/or Armor of Earth are a must, as is Aura of Restoration and either Ether Renewal or Elemental Attunement. Those are the mandatory skills for survival and energy management. The rest of the skills should be chosen to compliment whatever kinds of enemies you intend to farm.

The standard weapon is a Defensive or Hale Earth Staff of Enchanting. Any max armor will do. A Superior Rune of Earth Magic is a must, and other Superior Runes are a bonus but not required. Several popular build variations follow.

Troll Farmer
This build is designed specifically to farm the Trolls in Talus Chute in a cave directly outside of Droknar's Forge to the left, but with slight changes it can be used to farm a great many different types of enemies.

Usage
Use Windborne Speed (along with Aura of Restoration and Kinetic Armor when necessary) to run past the Avicara that may be blocking the way to the Troll cave.

When you get to the Troll cave, the first thing you do before aggroing the Trolls is to cast Aura of Restoration followed by Elemental Attunement.

Next, get close to the Trolls, cast Kinetic Armor, and then aggro them with an attack. When they get close, cast Ward Against Melee, followed by Whirlwind and Aftershock when they're all gathered around you. At this point, many of them will run away because of the area of effect damage you just did to them. Now, you have 10 seconds to wait before your combo is recharged, but Kinetic Armor will run out in 8 seconds (9 if you have +20% Enchantments on your weapon).

Do a normal attack 2 or 3 times, then cast Crystal Wave; this will do tremendous damage and recharge Kinetic Armor. Attack once or twice, and then do Whirlwind and Aftershock again. If your health is getting beat down pretty good, you should cast other spells like Windborne Speed or Aura of Restoration between combo recharge to get the health from Aura of Restoration.

After the second combo, you will need to cast Ward Against Melee again (which you can use to refresh your Kinetic Armor until your next combo).

After about the 5th combo, you may need to re-cast your Aura of Restoration and Elemental Attunement. You should have plenty of energy for all of this, as long as you don't overcast your spells too much.

If you do it right, most of the trolls should die around your 5th or 6th combo, which should take about a minute. The Troll cave has anywhere between 10 and 20 Trolls, so you will be raking in the experience and money.

Use XP scrolls, such as Scroll of Hunter's Insight, and you should gain a skill point every 3rd time you go into the cave.

Hydra Farmer
This build is designed specifically to farm the Hydras in Skyward Reach East of Augury Rock, but with slight changes it can be used to farm a great many different types of enemies.

Usage
Cast Aura of Restoration, Earth Attunement, Kinetic Armor, and Armor of Earth before you aggro the Hydras.

Once aggroed, try to get them in a group around you and cast Crystal Wave, Aftershock, and Stone Daggers as often as you can. Make sure to watch out for Meteor as it will knock you down and interrupt your spells.

If your energy or health is running low, cast Ether Renewal and then immediately spam Stone Daggers until Ether Renewal runs out. Make sure to cast a spell at least once every 8-9 seconds to keep Kinetic Armor refreshed, and make sure to recast your other enchantments when they start to run out.

How to modify the Build

 * Kinetic Armor, Aftershock, Aura of Restoration, an Elite energy management spell (Ether Renewal or Elemental Attunement) and most of the time Earth Attunement are staples of this build.


 * If you fear interrupts from knockdowns, use Ward of Stability. Obsidian Flesh will prevent interrupts from spells, and any other spell effects, but at the cost of the energy gain spells Ether Renewal or Elemental Attunement.


 * When facing a large group of enemies (6 and upwards), Ward Against Foes becomes quite a lot more useful than Armor of Earth. Essence Bond or Balthazar's Spirit can be also used to replace Earth Attunement, and Sliver Armor can replace an attack spell.


 * If the enemies can be knocked down, the combo Whirlwind -> Aftershock is most useful. Otherwise replace Whirlwind with Crystal Wave.


 * Use Ether Renewal in combination with Stone Daggers if the build still takes damage with your selected defensive spells.


 * E/Me's can use Mantra of Flame when fighting Hydras to reduce fire damage and manage their energy. It is recommended to use it around Inspiration Magic level 8.

This build focuses on the usage of different Ward Spells to provide an Area-of-effect protection support for party members. Other skills from the Elementalist's Earth Magic line are used to provide constant Area-of-effect damage. That results in an extremely efficient party support caster, as well as a damage dealer in PvE areas.

Equipment

 * Runes of Superior Earth Magic, Superior Vigor, Minor Energy Storage.
 * Any armor can be used, providing it has max AL.
 * Any weapon-offhand combo can be used, although ones that decrease recharge time and casting time are preferred.

Usage

 * Earthquake synergizes well with Ash Blast, to provide both damage, a Knockdown, and Blinding.
 * Use Glyph of Lesser Energy to lower the cost of your next two skills.
 * Ward Against Elements should be used when your party is susceptible to taking Elemental Damage.
 * Activate Ward Against Melee when party members are taking Melee damage.
 * Maintain Earth Attunement for energy management.
 * Revive fallen party members with Resurrection Signet.

Counters

 * Backfire is a threat to all casters, this one is no exception.
 * Being Dazed is another major threat.

Variants

 * Use Aura of Restoration as a cover enchantment for Earth Attunement, as well as source of self-healing.
 * Ward Against Elements and Ward Against Melee can be switched for other types of wards, such as Ward Against Foes and Ward of Stability. It is always best to know what your party is going into to optimize your selection of wards.
 * Ash Blast and Earthquake, although your main damage skills, can be replaced by other damaging skills, such as Eruption, Stone Daggers, or even Ebon Hawk. Note that you will be losing a Knockdown that also deals high damage, along with a blinding spell.
 * If using Monk, Ritualist, or Paragon secondary, you can replace Resurrection Signet with a hard res such as Rebirth, Flesh of My Flesh, or Signet of Return.

Template
This build is used to inflict massive amounts of damage in a small amount of time with an Elementalist. This build is effective almost anywhere in PvE, such as the Underworld and the Fissure of Woe, where there can be many monsters gathered up in a tightly packed space. While there are many versions of Elementalist nukers, this build focuses on high damage Fire Magic skills. This version relies on the power of Glyph of Renewal to cast any spell twice, or possibly even more in combination with other secondary class elites.

Variants

 * Auspicious Incantation is a useful non-elite skill for energy management even with few or no points in Inspiration.
 * Glyph of Concentration for extra protection against interrupts.
 * Fire Storm or Breath of Fire for multiple effective skills to clear areas and break aggro.
 * Bed of Coals, Inferno or Phoenix in areas with lots of melee enemies.
 * Meteor for an inexpensive single strike and knockdown.
 * Glyph of Sacrifice is to good use on the second meteor shower for fast spells and prevents AoE scattering.
 * Teinai's Heat is a good replacement for Rodgort's Invocation, it does more damage but it takes longer to recharge.
 * Lava Font to break aggro, or just as some nice extra damage on top of Meteor Shower.
 * This variant supports a non-Mesmer secondary profession.
 * Warrior: Tactical defenses, such as "Shields Up!" and Deflect Arrows
 * Ranger: Stances to lower recharge times such as Serpent's Quickness, energy management and movement using Storm Chaser, and protection such as Dryder's Defenses
 * Monk: Resurrection spells such as Rebirth, and powerful healing spells, such as Healing Breeze and Heal Party.
 * Mesmer: This version can continue to use Arcane Echo or the variants listed under Build:E/Me Echo Nuker.Mantra of Resolve or Mantra of Concentration can be used for protection against interrupts. Auspicious Incantation is a useful non-elite skill for energy management even with few or no points in Inspiration.
 * Assassin: Defensive skills such as Viper's Defense
 * Ritualist: Resurrection spells such as Flesh of My Flesh.

Equipment

 * A complete set of your preferred armor:
 * For characters who have access to Tyrian Armor, choose armor based on expected enemies.
 * Flame's Eye or Pyromancer's Aura of Superior Fire Magic
 * A rune of Superior or Major Vigor is preferred.
 * Any of the below weapon sets:
 * Rago's Flame Staff
 * A Fire Wand with maximum damage and +5 energy, combined with either:
 * A Flame Artifact from the Weaponsmith Sarad in Droknar's Forge, for extra damage and health.
 * A Flame Artifact from the collector Sir Pohl Sanbert in The Arid Sea, for faster casting and recharge.
 * The unique offhand Lian's Lantern.
 * Although not necessary, a wand and focus with +15 energy and -1 energy regen on weapon switch is useful for emergency situations where energy is critically needed and there will be ample recharge time after the battle.

Usage

 * Renewal Nukers generally repeatedly use Glyph of Renewal on Meteor Shower every fifteen seconds, casting other spells in between.
 * Maintain Aura of Restoration and Fire Attunement to stay alive and manage your energy.
 * You will want to activate Aura of Restoration after Fire Attunement since you'll want to cover up your main Energy Management skill.

Single enemies or low level enemies
In general, these skills have long cast times (all spells cast in 2 or more seconds). When playing with others, single enemies may be dead before two spells are cast. Be aware of your role: you're needed in big fights, saving the powerful spells for groups or particularly tough enemies. Use Fireball and Rodgort's Invocation as needed. PBAoE spells may be better if you decide to farm low level enemies.

Groups of enemies and Bosses
To avoid missing with Area of Effect spells, wait until enemies gather around the tank or other ally who will not be moving. Cast health and energy management, followed by echo or renewal spells, followed by the Area of Effect spells.

Renewal Nukers generally have more consistent energy, though it's certainly possible to run out mid-battle.

Templates
This PvP build is used to cause high damage, semi-spammable AoE pressure. It can be adapted for PvE purposes.

Equipment

 * A Full set of + Health Armor
 * A +5 Energy/30 Hp Weapon with an offhand of choice.
 * A 15/-1 Energy Set
 * A Staff of Enchanting is optional.

Usage

 * Keep Fire Attunement up at all times.
 * Find a mob of players or NPCs and cast Searing Flames, Glowing Gaze, Liquid Flame repeatedly.
 * Use Glyph of Lesser Energy whenever possible to assist your energy.
 * Cast Meteor Shower in combination with Glyph of Sacrifice on a bunched up group of players/NPCs to cause panic.
 * Resurrection Signet for fallen allies.

Counters

 * Enchantment removal.
 * Anti-spam skills such as Backfire, Spiteful Spirit, and Diversion.
 * Frigid Armor and Avatar of Melandru prevent burning, however Frigid Armor is an uncommon skill.
 * Signet of Humility.
 * Mantra of Flame.
 * Protection Prayers (Protective Spirit in particular).
 * This build is less useful against split or spread teams.

Variants
resurrect.
 * Replace Resurrection Signet with Flame Djinn's Haste for Alliance Battles or Competitive Missions.
 * Replace Liquid Flame with Meteor for knockdowns.
 * Serpent's Quickness can be used to decrease recharge times.
 * Replace Resurrection Signet with Resurrection Chant and combine with Glyph of Sacrifice for an instant, reusable
 * Adding in Mark of Rodgort to keep constant burn on all enemys. (Recommended for PvE mostly)

Template
The goal of this build is to farm Vermin in Xaquang Skyway with a primary Elementalist.

Equipment

 * Any maximum armor will do, although Tempest Armor or Battlemage's Armor are best.
 * A weapon with a maximum Staff Wrapping Of Enchanting is suggested, Galigord's Stone Staff is perfect for this build.
 * Totem Axe or Rajazan's Fervor and earth offhand such as Hajok's Prism or Galigord's Stone Scroll

Usage

 * Upon entering Xaquang Skyway, head northwest to the Vermin.
 * Keep Earth Attunement and Aura of Restoration up at all times.
 * Try to take on the Vermin 2-3 groups at a time for the easiest battles.
 * As they're charging towards you, make sure to use Ward of Stability before they get to you, followed by Armor of Earth.
 * As soon as they've all gathered around you, use Sliver Armor.
 * Cast Aftershock, Teinai's Crystals and Shockwave. Recast as they recharge.
 * If the fight lasts too long you may lose Ward of Stability, recast as soon as possible.

Tips on killing Shreader Sharptongue:
 * Watch the movement of the groups of Vermin, you'll notice their pattern is counter-clockwise.
 * Select Shreader so Sliver Armor has more chance of targeting him.
 * Wait on the bridge until Shreader and his group are closest to the bridge. Aggro him and run some ways back on the bridge.
 * Cast your anti-Knockdown, which ever one you have, then cast Sliver Armor. Additional casts after Sliver Armor may stop it from targeting Shreader, so try not to cast your other offensive spells until he's below 50% health.
 * If you get into health problems, spam your spells to gain health from Aura of Restoration.

Variants

 * Replace Armor of Earth with Stoneflesh Aura, this way you'll only lose health due to degeneration, and of course the attacks of the boss.
 * An E/Mo can replace Earth Attunement with Balthazar's Spirit or/and Essence Bond for slightly better energy management (when tanking large groups of vermin). Healing Breeze may also be a useful skill for an E/Mo.
 * Crystal Wave can be used in place of Aftershock.
 * Sandstorm is another effective way of killing instead of Shockwave if you have not yet capped it. You may need to wand the vermin back to you if they start to run, but the high damage should kill them before that.
 * This build can be used to farm Pongmei Valley if Ward of Stability is switched for Ward Against Melee.

Videos

 * Original Build Setup - YouTube
 * Stoneflesh Aura Variant Setup - YouTube
 * Obsidian Flesh Variant Setup - YouTube

Templates
This build utilizes the elite Shadow Arts skill Shadow Form and the earth magic skill Sliver Armor to quickly take down bosses that are accompanied by medium/large mobs to efficiently farm their green items.

Equipment

 * Energy armor (i.e. Radiant or Shrouded Armor)
 * +5 energy, enchanting 20% weapon.
 * Galigord's Stone Staff is a recommended Staff, but any weapon with a max of Enchanting upgrade can be used, and it is preferred as when close combat enemies start to run away, a staff attack will bring them back, something that a totem axe can't do.
 * A Totem Axe along with the Earth Scroll from Collector Ohtah is a good combination which will give more energy than a staff.

Usage

 * Run to the boss using the speed buffs.
 * When you are just out of aggro, activate Shadow Form and use Death's Charge to teleport in. Usually aggroing before teleporting in makes enemies clump together, giving Sliver Armor less of a chance to target the boss.
 * Activate Glyph of Elemental Power, then Sliver Armor. Make sure you are closer to the boss than anything else, or you will not kill it!
 * Use Shock then Aftershock to speed up killing.
 * When the boss has died, activate Shadow Form and use the speed buffs to run away to safety. You can use Shadow Form again since Morale Boosts recharges all skills.

Counters

 * Shadow Form doesn't protect against signets, touch skills and Point Blank Area of Effect damage.

Variants

 * When fighting Warrior bosses such as Sunreach Warmaker, it helps to use Rust so that his Healing Signet takes 3 times as long to cast. To do this, though, you will be required to take one or two points off of Shadow Arts and put them into Water Magic.
 * Shock, Teinai's Wind, Aftershock, Rust, Teinai's Crystals, Crystal Wave, Obsidian Flame and Shadow Refuge may be switched out for other skills, depending on what you are farming.
 * Shock can be switched for other knockdown spells such as Dragon's Stomp for a bit more damage.
 * For people who don't have Prophecies skills unlocked, remember that you can always unlock them in PvP and then buy them at the trainers in Lion's Arch or your Guild Hall, if you have bought a skill trainer that is and assuming that you have a Guild Hall.
 * Caltrops can be useful against bosses who attempt to flee when heavily damaged.
 * Feigned Neutrality is useful against groups which have mobs with touch skills, Signets, and AoE skills and that may penetrate Shadow Form.
 * Exchange Dash for Deadly Paradox for a quicker Shadow Form recharge.
 * Exchange Dash with Shadow of Haste to warp back if necessary and retry the process.

List of soloable bosses
Total Number of Soloable Bosses: 107
 * Please add info of the level of difficulty for each boss (Very Easy, Easy, Medium, Hard and Very Hard) also add the location where the boss is, for easier preview.

Prophecies
2 Current Bosses


 * Crystal Desert
 * Prophet's Path:
 * Kepkhet Marrowfeast - Medium Use the following skill combo to take Kepkhet down: Glyph of Elemental Power, Shadow Form, Death's Charge, Sliver Armor, Obsidian Flame, Teinai's Crystals, Crystal Wave. Bring an interrupt such as Shock, Dragon's Stomp, and Gale to prevent Kepkhet from activating Mark of Protection. Furthermore, when you use Death's Charge to get to Kepkhet, be sure to bring Feigned Neutrality or Shadow Refuge as there are trappers in and around the vicinity of Kepkhet. If Sliver Armor targets another thing, you will die as one of the nearby necromancers will use Well of the Profane.


 * Southern Shiverpeaks
 * Grenth's Footprint:
 * Morgriff Shadestone - Easy

Factions
47 Current Bosses


 * Kaineng City
 * Bukdek Byway:
 * Wing, Three Blade - Medium (This may prove difficult because of the high HP of the boss, lack of mobs and a Rt healing him)
 * Wajjun Bazaar:
 * Lian, Dragon's Petal - Easy/Medium (Switch out Dash for Feigned Neutrality. Use Dark Escape to run past the first and second group of Knights.  Stop before you aggro Lian and make sure you aggro the second group of Knights.  Cast Shadow Form then Death's Charge to her.  Immediately cast Feigned Neutrality.  Wait for her to cast Double Dragon.  Glyph ,Sliver, Shock, then Aftershock.)
 * Sun, the Quivering - Hard/Very Hard (Mobs may appear from the roofs, making the run almost impossible)
 * The Undercity:
 * Chan the Dragon's Blood - Easy/Very Easy (The run is easy if you have Feigned and just use aftershock on him once and then use feigned to heal because of the signets)
 * Mina Shatter Storm - Easy/Very Easy (The run is easy if you have Feigned and just use aftershock on her once and then use feigned to heal because of the signets)
 * Chung, the Attuned - Medium (The run is easy if you have Feigned and just use aftershock on him once and then use feigned to heal because of the signets)
 * Baubao Wavewrath - Medium (The run is easy if you have Feigned and just use aftershock on him once and then use feigned to heal because of the signets)
 * Shenzun Tunnels:
 * Cho, Spirit Empath - Easy/Medium (Bring Feigned Neutrality instead of Dash, come from Nahpui Quarter!!! Cast Feigned Neutrality last, chance monks will heal him, if so run and rezone, the fastest route is to run towards Nahpui Quarter (just a few feet west from Cho) . It will make the run a lot easier and shorter.)
 * Xaquang Skyway:
 * Ghial the Bone Dancer - Easy/Medium (Feigned Neutrality is NOT a neccessity for the run. Beware of the mesmers for they will disrupt your sliver armor TIP: All mesmers interrupt at once, so consider bringing a "scapegoat" spell with a long activation time, such as Dragon Stomp or Obsidian Flame.)
 * Shreader Sharptongue - Very Easy/Easy (Exchange Shock or Aftershock with Shadow Refuge and aggro as many groups as possible for most damage)
 * Ziinfaun Lifeforce - Easy/Medium (Hit Ziinfaun with your weapon to interrupt Ethereal Light)
 * Orosen, Tranquil Acolyte - Hard/Very Hard (When he starts charging for you, use Shadow Form. Run past him just close enough to aggro the group before the next bridge. Death's charge back to him, and Sliver armor.)
 * Sunjiang District (Explorable): (only after the mission)
 * Warrior's Construct - Medium (Pretty hard to get to him)
 * Monk's Construct - Easy/Medium Let the first group go near the boss.
 * Necromancer's Construct - Medium You might encounter problems with keeping sliver armor focused
 * Mesmer's Construct - same as Necromancer's construct. Slightly easier (shorter) run, though.
 * Elemental's Construct - He uses [[Lightning Touch. Consider bringing Feigned Neutrality instead of dash.
 * Raisu Palace:
 * Star Ancient Koosun - Medium/Hard (Depends on conditions of run to the boss, can be done at 60% dp however)
 * Untouched Ancient Ky - Medium
 * Pongmei Valley
 * Xuekao, the Deceptive- Easy/Medium (Be sure to let the Knight Brotherhood kill the Am Fah before you approach the boss, as how the Knights will attack the surrounding Am Fah making for a quick kill with 1-3 possible attackers) ~ The dagger that he drops is really really nice for Assassins using the Vigor Build where you use enchants every 30 sec.
 * Echovald Forest
 * Ferndale:
 * Warden of Saprophytes - Hard (Warden of the Trunks must be removed first, resurrection portal nearby to keep going at it, possible at 60% dp.)
 * Melandru's Hope:
 * Chkkr Locust Lord - Medium/Hard (The most difficult part is to maintain Sliver Armor on the boss)
 * Chkkr Thousand Tail - Hard/Very Hard (Really hard to keep going unless you have a backup for Sliver Armor, as it'll run out to quickly)
 * Morostav Trail:
 * Falaharn Mistwarden - Easy/Medium (Bring Shadow of Haste should the attempt to kill fail and you must retreat).
 * Sunreach Warmaker - Easy/Medium (Bring Shadow of Haste and Rust and if you feel the need, Feigned Neutrality too. Go in first without the boss in your mind, make Falaharn Mistwarden appear. Warp back using a stance. Go in again and aggro every mob, pull Sunreach with staff and cast glyph then sliver then rust, he will go down quickly.)
 * Strongroot Tanglebranch - Medium/Hard (Go around the other way and aggro the nearby kirin and dragon moss and use Rust and Caltrops to subdue him and spam Obsidian Flame to kill him.)
 * Kyril Oathwarden - Medium/Hard (Hard to make sliver armor target kyril; take feigned neutrality to survive traps.)
 * Ritualist's Construct - Easy/Medium (Very few mobs surrounding him, making it harder to kill. Replacing run skills or Shock & Aftershock with Obsidian Flame & Crystal Wave/Teinai's Wave can help overcome this obstacle.)
 * The Eternal Grove (Explorable): (only after the mission)
 * The Scar Eater - Very Easy/Easy (Also a fairly easy boss to practice on, you must follow the 1st group that comes near the shrine, when you get near the boss aggro it and jump near the boss, also a good idea can be to change shock and aftershock for gale and Obsidian Flame)
 * Jayne Forestlight - Easy/Medium (Advisable to bring Shadow of Haste, Watch out for warriors, as they can KD with "None Shall Pass!". If not killed at first attempt, warp back with any stance and retry)
 * Wiseroot Shatterstone - Medium (Silver armor does not tend to stay on him,or will target lately,must aggro both mobs before him and his mob to fully kill)
 * The Time Eater - Easy/Medium (Add skills for more damage because very few mobs are surrounding him.Time for his interruption signet!!!!!)
 * Bramble Everthorn - Easy/Medium (need to aggro 1-2 warden or plant groups to bypass his regen)
 * Mourning Veil Falls:
 * Darkroot Entrop - Easy (Make sure to add some skills to cripple or knockdown, such as Caltrops, as he tends to run at about half health)
 * Milefaun Mindflayer - Easy/Medium (Aggro another group of wardens near, may attract Rt wardens which increase difficulty)
 * Foalcrest Darkwish - Easy/Medium (Aggro the nearby group of Mantises and die yourself; he will make Bone Fiends which give you just enough damage for Sliver Armor.)
 * Xisni Dream Haunt - Easy/Medium (AddTeinai's Crystals, Crystal Wave and Obsidian Flame. Use Shadow of Haste for multiple tries.)
 * Rahse Windcatcher - Easy/Medium (Same build as with Xisni. Walk to pick up the Warden group, hit Glyph of Ele Power, turn around, hit Shadow Form outside his aggro and shadow step. If the wardens follow, he should be dead)


 * Jade Sea
 * Boreas Seabed (Explorable):
 * Sskai, Dragon's Birth - Medium (This may prove difficult because of the high HP of the boss and lack of mobs surrounding him)
 * Gyala Hatchery (Explorable):
 * Reefclaw Ragebound - Medium
 * Maishang Hills:
 * Sessk, Woe Spreader - Very Easy (Best for practice, sometimes hard to target)
 * Sarss, Stormscale - Medium (bring along obsidian flame to spam)
 * Silent Surf:
 * Kenrii Sea Sorrow
 * Assassin's Construct - Easy/Medium (Switch Shock for Stone Daggers and Death's Charge for Obsidian Flame, after you cast Sliver just use stone daggers 2-3 times, then Aftershock, then Obsidian Flame)
 * Rhea's Crater:
 * Onis for Ungues of the Oni - Easy/Medium (The hardest part is getting there, once there it's easy to kill them two/three at a time, just watch out for the Outcast Deathhands, as they WILL end your run!)
 * Mount Qinkai
 * Tomton Spiriteater Very Easy (Bring obsidian Flame with you and aggro all the yetis near)
 * Archipelagos:
 * Ssyn Coiled Grasp - Easy/Medium (Switch out Shock for Obsidian Flame and try to not aggro group next to the bridge.)
 * Ssuns, Blessed of Dwayna - Medium/Hard

Nightfall
57 Current Bosses


 * Kourna
 * Sunward Marches:(Consider getting the +1 earth magic blessing from the Melandru's shrine outside Dajkah Inlet. Although it is not necessary.)
 * Mahto Sharptooth - Very Easy/Easy "The run is sometimes a bit tough." (Despite the temptation, do not aggro the ntouka, spam obsidian flame & shock aftershock combo on him)
 * Birneh Skybringer - Very Easy/Easy (Lots of mobs for Sliver Armor to work)
 * Dabineh Deathbringer - Medium (Switch out shock for Feigned Neutrality. Exit Venta Cemetery.  Head south hugging the wall.  As you get close enough to target him, check for the number of Tusked Howlers nearby.  If there are 2 then rezone.  If there are 3 then count the number of Crested Ntouka Bird.  If there are 3 or 4 then you are in good shape to beat him.  Before you aggro Deathbringer, aggro the Howlers and cast Shadow Form. Next aggro Deathbringer.  Glyph then Sliver, before he gets to you, cast Feigned Neutrality.  Using his Intimidating Aura, you will lose Feigned Neutrality but Sliver Armor will do its job before he can remove another enchantment.)
 * Eshim Mindclouder - Very Easy (Short walk so it is like the Nightfall variant of Sessk, Woe Spreader Consider bringing dancing daggers to spam instead of dash, you will kill much faster)
 * Marga Coast:
 * Chor the Bladed - Very Easy/Easy (Just aggro the group of Mirage Ibogas near him and try not to be interrupted while casting shadow form. Cast Sliver Armor when he uses Frenzy)
 * Lunto Sharpfoot - Medium/Hard (You must pull him towards the mirage ilbogas and then usually only 1 of his monks will come and then its easy. but you want to be beside the monk when you activate sliver so when he uses shadowmeld sliver armor is still targeting him. then it will be Easy/Medium)
 * Bosun Mohrti - Medium/Hard (Aggro the insects nearby and Frigid skales and snare with Caltrops.)
 * Bubahl Icehands - Medium (Aggro nearby insects, snare with Caltrops, and heal with Feigned Neutrality)
 * Chidehkir, Light of the Blind - Easy/Medium (Aggro nearby Kournan patrol)
 * Neoli the Contagious - Hard/Very Hard (Clear out Kuskale lashers first with sliver armour, this may take quite a few runs, high dp.)
 * The Floodplain of Mahnkelon:
 * Zelnehlun Fastfoot - Very Easy/Easy (He is dead in 4 seconds if Sliver Armor targets him)
 * Terob Roundback - Very Easy/Easy
 * Admiral Kaya - Easy/Medium (Wait for the hekets to get near, sometimes there are 2 monks which increases difficulty)
 * Jerneh Nightbringer - Medium/Hard (Bring Feigned Neutrality and use immediately after Sliver Armor to keep health up from Vile Touch)
 * Robah Hardback - Medium/Hard (Bring Feigned Neutrality to survive surrounding mob's vile touch)
 * Buhon Icelord - Medium/Hard
 * Arkjok Ward:
 * Onwan, Lord of the Ntouka - Medium (Leave from command post and follow river into lake),(bring fiegned nurality as a cover over slither armor and shadow form)
 * Modti Darkflower - Easy/Medium (Killing him is Very Easy, but the run is a bit heavy)
 * Lieutenant Kayin - Very Easy (Just aggro one other group, and he goes down in roughly 10 seconds)
 * Eshau Longspear - Easy/Medium (You need to aggro the group of Mandragors behind him. Rezone if that party has a Mandragor Imp in it.)
 * Captain Chichor - Easy/Medium (Approach the small base from the north, and wait for him to patrol outwards.)
 * Dejarin Estate:
 * Major Jeahr - Medium (Approach from Camp Hojanu)
 * Podaltur the Angry - Easy (body blocking during the run to him may be a hassle due to the large amount of hekets on the way)
 * Barbarous Shore:
 * Lieutenant Shagu: - Medium (You must aggro nearby enemies. If you do this, and silver armor keep targeting him, he will be down in few seconds.)
 * Bahdok Caverns:
 * Wandalz the Angry - Medium/Hard (The hardest part about this boss is getting to him. You need to learn the hiding spots on the map, as the spawns in this particular area are quite massive to be running around by yourself. You'll want to keep the original build intact, and use speed buffs across the bridge. Once across, glyph, death's charge, and sliver armor, he goes down rather quick. Throw a shock and aftershock in there to see it go a little faster.)
 * Jahai Bluffs:
 * To Be Added...
 * Turai's Procession:
 * Korr, Living Flame - Medium/Hard (Don't lure the nearby water djinn, Sliver armor will target them instead)
 * Chiossen, Soothing Breeze - Medium/Hard (The Rampaging Ntouka make this hard, use Feigned Neutrality as the Rampaging Ntouka run towards you and it will strip Feign Neutrality instead of Sliver Armor or even worse, Shadow Form. Aggro the nearby hekets to the north of Chiossen's group. Pack Obsidian Flame and Aftershock to speed up the killing.)


 * Vabbi
 * Resplendent Makuun
 * Kormab, Burning Heart - Very Easy/Easy (bring Shadow of Haste instead of dash, Obsidian Flame and Teinai's Crystals instead of Shock and Aftershock. The hardest part is geting there: to behemoths, use Shadow Form and run towards them, while a little bit after their patrol point use Shadow of Haste. Run back, they run like hell, so they will follow. When form is about to end use Dark Escape to warp to a safe place, where they can't get to you. While near the boss use Shadow of Haste for multiple attempts if necessary, it should be dead in the first attempt, if not in the second.)
 * Wilderness of Bahdza:
 * Eshekibeh Longneck - Very Easy/Easy
 * Forum Highlands:
 * Grabthar the Overbearing - Medium (Bring Rust and aggro nearest Skree group)
 * Korshek the Immolated - Easy (Make sure to hit the nearby Whispers Informant for some easy Lightbringer points)
 * Commander Sadi-Belai - Medium/Hard (Aggro Skree group nearest to his group. Shock + Lift Enchantment AFTER he puts Shielding Hands on. Bring Obsidian Flame. Spam as needed)
 * Churahm, Spirit Warrior - Easy/Medium (You may have to use this build to kill some Ethers, which will make the run easier. Another method is to simply shadow step down to the area he is contained in using Deaths Charge. Simply run away after he is dead, by running around the Ethers and up on the ledge again.)
 * The Mirror of Lyss
 * Yammiron, Ether Lord - Medium (Switch Dark Escape with Obsidian Flame to spam)
 * Riktund the Vicious - Medium (aggro the beetles as well, he may kite when close to death, bring along Obs. Flame)
 * Holdings of Chokhin:
 * Banor Greenbranch - Easy/Medium (Bring Lift Enchantment to remove Shield of Regeneration instead of aftershock or deaths charge, need to aggro nearby Beetles)
 * Setikor Fireflower - Easy/Medium (Just switch Dash and Dark Escape for Shadow Refuge and Feigned Neutrality)
 * Tenezel the Quick - Very Easy/Easy (Aggro very nearby Rock/Rain Beetles)
 * Hanchor Trueblade - Easy/Medium (Bring and spam Obsidian Flame when needed. Nearby Skree Griffin can make it troublesome but still easy)
 * Yatendi Canyons:
 * Lieutenant Vanahk - Easy/Medium (Very easy but sliver armor tends to go off to another person.)
 * The Hidden City of Ahdashim
 * Shakor Firespear - Easy/Medium (Surrounding mobs should be aggroed.)
 * Yammirvu, Ether Guardian - Medium/Hard (May have to kill the dimond djinn first, but nearby resurection portal helps. If pulling another group, be sure to shadow form to pull them, or suffer from degen.)
 * Leilon, Tranquil Water - Easy/Medium (Dark escape is reccomended when Death's Charging in.)


 * The Desolation
 * Crystal Overlook
 * To Be Added...
 * Joko's Domain
 * To Be Added...
 * Poisoned Outcrops
 * Fondalz the Spiteful - Hard/Very Hard (Extra groups are not easy to pull together, but you can launch one attack on the boss and his group, flee, and repeat. Deadly Paradox may be useful.)
 * The Alkali Pan
 * To Be Added...
 * The Ruptured Heart
 * Rual, Stealer of Hope - Medium (exchange Dash for Shadow of Haste, Shock for Feigned Neutrality or Shadow Refuge and Aftershock for Obsidian Flame. Use Death's Charge from the top of the hill)
 * Tureksin the Delegator - Medium/Hard (Shadow of Haste instead of Dash in case he isn't the first target of Sliver Armor, Shadow Refuge instead of Shock and Obsidian Flame. Aggro nearby group of margonites and undead.)
 * The Shattered Ravines
 * Dunshek the Purifier - Medium (Pull a second group for a very easy kill.)
 * The Sulfurous Wastes
 * Vahlen the Silent - Easy/Medium (bring Shadow of Haste, you might not get it at first, bring high damage spells, and you might consider in taking Glyph of Concentration. Watch out for Signet of Judgment.)


 * Realm of Torment - (Lightbringer title in this area will alter effectiveness.)
 * Nightfallen Jahai
 * Chimor the Lightblooded - Medium (Nice pair of daggers if you don't have a +Energy/+Enchantment Staff)
 * Onslaught of Terror - Easy (Need to aggro at least one other group, elementalists and mesmers can interrupt/slow, bring Feigned Neutrality)
 * Domain of Pain
 * Fahralon the Zealous - Easy/Medium (Before entering battle, try using Dark Escape to minimize the damage taken from AoE and Dreadful Pain.)
 * Domain of Fear
 * Shrieker of Dread - Hard (you'll need to aggro several (ideally 3) patrols to take him down; wait for them to converge). Also watch out for the Death Nova when killed.
 * Storm of Anguish - Medium (Difficult to get to, try to slip between the two first mobs, lure another mob for easy kill)
 * Depths of Madness
 * Reaper of Agony - Medium (Time your run when he has moved near the two groups of Margonites)
 * Ravager of Dreams - Very Hard (Approach from the north, and pull 2-3 groups along with the boss group, 4+ Lightbringer rank reccomended.)
 * Topo the Protector - Hard/Very Hard (Aggro once, run, and wait for him to fully summon his army, (about a minute), then shadow form in for a rather easy kill, due to the surronding groups of graven monoliths.)
 * Master of Misery - Hard/Very Hard (Pull together groups, beware of scythe attacks and death novas, armor of earth, obsidian flame, feigned neutrality all are good to have.)
 * Consort of Ruin - Hard/Very Hard (Pull groups, and make sure it targets him and it will be easy, minions and blades of torment make this tough.)

Equipment

 * Max armor with +10 when enchanted
 * Superior Rune of Illusion Magic
 * Superior Rune of Vigor
 * Rune of Purity
 * 2 Runes of Vitae
 * Crippling (for Return) Daggers with of Enchanting suffix and "I have the power" +5 Energy inscription (because none of the +damage% mods will affect the damage from IW)

Usage

 * Start by casting Illusion of Weakness and followed by Feigned Neutrality to heal if no monk.
 * Choose your target, Armor level does not matter.
 * Against Normal Opponents: Cast and Maintain Illusionary Weaponry, Deadly Paradox and Feigned Neutrality (in order) then attack. Cast Death's Charge after Deadly Paradox if you need to close the gap.
 * Against Armor Ignoring Opponents: Cast and Maintain Illusionary Weaponry, Deadly Paradox, Dark Escape and Feigned Neutrality. Always remain in Dark Escape stance. Since Deadly Paradox will no longer affect Feigned Neutrality it will be used half as often.
 * When reapplying enchantments, casting Death's Charge can be a good healing boost before Feigned Neutrality.
 * You should be almost indestructible, but if for whatever reason Illusion of Weakness triggers then fall back using Return and heal.

Counters

 * Enchantment removal.
 * Energy denial.
 * Kiting.
 * Interrupting or removing Illusionary Weaponry will make this build useless.
 * Heavy health degeneration such as Burning, Poison or Conjure Nightmare.
 * Life Stealing and other armor ignoring damage.
 * Stoneflesh Aura

Variants

 * For Alliance Battles Resurrection Signet isn't important, so Illusion of Haste give you ways of kiting.
 * Assassin primary; lower damage but stronger.
 * Exchange Return for Distortion. This will sap energy but can be more effective at protecting yourself.
 * Replace Return for Shadow Refuge to help further counter degeneration.
 * Add Caltrops to snare kiting foes.
 * For PvE, consider bringing a scythe (with the same preferred mods as the daggers) in a second weapon slot. The scythe will do a steady 24 DPS instead of the average 36 DPS of the daggers (32 if you don't count double strikes). However, if two or three foes are adjacent you do a nice 48 or 72 DPS respectively. Change between the daggers and scythe as the situation warrants.
 * Death's Retreat can also be used instead of Return, or with Return to retreat further back.

Armor

 * Suggested armor pieces:
 * 1) Enchanter's Armor - For better armor (+10), basically you will be under the effects of an enchantment 100% of the time.
 * 2) Charlatan's Armor - For extra energy, number of pieces from this set depending on your preference.

Runes

 * A Major Rune of Illusion Magic would be a good choice giving you 10 + 2 (12), more points in Illusion Magic will only provide a 1~1.2 seconds increase in Illusion of Haste.
 * Alternatively, you may also choose to use a Major Rune instead with Illusion Magic 11 + 1 + 2 (14) with Fast Casting at 6 + 1 (7), trading off a little bit of fast casting for +40 maximum HP while maintaining the same duration for Illusion of Haste.
 * You may use a Minor Rune of Illusion Magic giving 10 + 1 + 1 (12) Illusion Magic, trading off 1~1.2 seconds off duration of Illusion of Haste for +75 maximum HP.

Weapons

 * Any one-handed weapon that increases enchantment duration, preferably with increase to energy too:
 * 1) Rajazan's Fervor
 * 2) Totem Axe
 * 3) Fiery Flame Spitter
 * Any +12 energy focus items with attribute on Illusion Magic or Fast Casting. Examples include:
 * 1) The Rockmolder - Relatively easy to find, and gives 10% chance of half skill recharge for all spells.
 * 2) The Time Eater (focus) - Suitable if you decide to use a Superior Rune of Illusion Magic. Only 9 Fast Casting or more gives you the +12 Energy of this focus.
 * 3) Forgotten Fan - Alternatively, you can also choose to sacrifice 5 maximum energy for +30 maximum HP and +5 armor.

Usage

 * Keep Illusion of Weakness on at all times, especially while Shadow Form is active.
 * Use Illusion of Haste as your main running skill.
 * Whenever possible, use Deadly Paradox before assassin skills to half their recharge times.
 * Feigned Neutrality is your self heal. However don't attempt to make any attacks while you are running.
 * Even though the speed increasing effects of Dark Escape don't stack with Illusion of Haste, it is still useful for cutting your received damage into half while Shadow Form isn't up. This includes armor-ignoring damage such as Azure Shadows' Signet of Judgment.
 * Death's Charge can provide a quick heal and/or an escape from a melee trap.
 * Cast Deadly Paradox -> Arcane Echo -> Shadow Form to run past difficult areas. With the Enchantments last 20% longer upgrade you can use Shadow Form up to 3 times consecutively for a total of 60 seconds.
 * Try to get into a safe zone when Shadow Form expires, if possible.
 * Cast your arcane echoed Shadow Form just before the enchantment or copied skill expires (whichever comes first depending on your weapon mod).
 * Health loss from Shadow Form does not trigger Illusion of Weakness. It will trigger when you receive a non-lethal hit of less than 40 damage. When your final copy of Shadow Form is just about to expire, use Dark Escape to half your received damage then cast Feigned Neutrality to begin healing, this would maximize your survivability and allow Illusion of Weakness to be triggered. (the order is important here because Feigned Neutrality ends if you use a skill)

Possible Routes

 * Southern Shiverpeaks:
 * Camp Rankor -> Deldrimor War Camp -> The Granite Citadel -> Copperhammer Mines -> Iron Mines of Moladune -> Marhan's Grotto -> Thunderhead Keep

Counters
While using Shadow Form, you must beware that...
 * The following monsters can knock you down while you're under the effects of Shadow Form:
 * Wurms, such as Frost Wurm
 * Monsters with Giant Stomp, such as Tundra Giants
 * Azure Shadows with Signet of Judgment
 * Warrior Wardens with "None Shall Pass!"


 * The following monsters uses certain skills that can remove your Shadow Form and put you in grave danger:
 * Monsters with Chilblains, such as Grawl Crone
 * Creeping Carp with Expunge Enchantments

Variants
Inspired Hex can be replaced with: This build could also possibly be run by Assassin primaries too with the same skillset.
 * Dark Prison for an extra teleportation skill
 * Revealed Hex is the same as Inspired Hex
 * Dash for extra speed, and lose any foe fast
 * Arcane Mimicry for a Dual Me/A or A/Me run.

The Skill Template for the Assassin variant:

Equipment

 * Full Radiant armor
 * A max damage Insightful staff of Fortitude

Usage

 * Aggro you foes and group them close to you
 * Cast your enchantments
 * Use Conviction to survive on the front lines
 * Use Mystic Sandstorm to spread conditions
 * Cast Extend Conditions on a foe
 * Because all the conditions last 106% longer on target foe, use Epidemic to spread conditions with much longer durations
 * Repeat when you have sufficent energy

Counters

 * Enchantment removal before you've cast them all
 * Anti-caster hexes (e.g Backfire)
 * Cautery Signet

Variants

 * Fragility
 * Arcane Echo to copy Extend Conditions if you think it will be needed
 * Mantra of Signets to use Ether Signet more often
 * Resurrection Signet
 * Ether Feast
 * Armor of Sanctity over Conviction
 * Mirage Cloak over Conviction
 * Mystic Regeneration over Conviction
 * Channeling can be used over Ether Signet for energy mangement

Usage

 * Maintain Air Attunement, covered with Channeling at all times.
 * Precast Glyph of Lesser Energy, followed by Invoke Lightning and Lightning Orb for a cheap spike.
 * Lightning Strike is to be cast outside of main spikes.
 * Knockdown enemies with Gale
 * Resurrect fallen party members with Resurrection Signet.

Counters

 * Any massive damage or degeneration will kill you in a matter of seconds. The build is best suited for teams containing monks or other support characters to offset the health loss.
 * Anti-spamming skills such as Backfire or Spiteful Spirit.
 * Enchantment removal will shut-down the build for a long period of time.

Equipment

 * A 20% HCT/HSR Air Magic Staff with a 20% Enchantment mod would be ideal.
 * Charlatan's for the +10 armor while enchanted.

Variants

 * Blinding Flash can replace Channeling for more defense against attackers, but beware when replacing Channeling, as you will remove your only option for a cover enchantment.
 * Lightning Javelin can be used for interruption.
 * Arc Lightning can serve as a replacement for Channeling; sacrificing longer recharge for less energy spent.
 * Lightning Bolt can also replace Channeling to fill intervals and hit moving foes.

This build relies on the Mesmer's primary ability of Fast Casting, coupled with the power of Auspicious Incantation and Echo, to produce a quick spike of highly damaging Fire Magic spells.

Attributes and Skills

 * For PvE play take a Resurrection Signet.
 * For Competitive Missions and Alliance Battles take Fire Storm

Equipment

 * Enchanter's or Radiant armor is needed for the extra energy. In addition to the Fast Casting and Inspiration runes, use the best Vigor rune you can afford and an Attunement rune. For the last slot use either a rune of Recovery or another Attunement rune, depending on how often you find yourself Dazed.
 * Use a +15/-1 energy Fire Wand with a 20% chance to halve the recharge of Fire Magic spells (such as the Fire Wand crafted by Honglei Sun) and a Fire Magic Focus with a 20% chance to add +1 Fire Magic and a 20% chance to halve the recharge time of Fire Magic spells (such as The Kindlerock). Swap to another weapon set when not in combat to regain the extra pip of energy regeneration.

Usage

 * Keep Fire Attunement up at all times, without it energy management becomes very difficult. Beware of enemies with enchantment removing skills.
 * When facing small mobs cast Echo and Fireball, then spam Fireball. When you get down to 30 energy cast Auspicious Incantation followed by Rodgort's Invocation - after these spells you'll have around 50 energy. Auspicious Incantation and Rodgort's Invocation will be disabled for 50 and 45 seconds, respectively.
 * When facing a large mob cast Echo, Meteor Shower, Rodgort's Invocation, Auspicious Incantation and finally the Echoed Meteor Shower - at the end of this chain you will have a full energy bar of around 50 (due to the energy lost to exhaustion). This allows you to keep Meteor Shower up for 18 consecutive seconds, and immediately follow it up with Fireball, Breath of Fire and Fire Storm (in Competitive Missions/Alliance Battles).
 * Use Breath of Fire (and, if you have it, Fire Storm) as your standard damage over time spell - Meteor Shower should only be used when absolutely necessary due to its high energy cost and exhaustion.

Variants

 * If you find yourself often interrupted use Mantra of Concentration as the optional skill.
 * Auspicious Incantation can be swapped for Glyph of Lesser Energy. This makes the build easier to run at the cost of a slight reduction in energy management capabilities.
 * Breath of Fire can be swapped for:
 * Fire Storm (in PvE), which costs 5 more energy but causes more total damage over time (assuming enemies don't break aggro).
 * Lava Font, if you find yourself often surrounded by foes.
 * Immolate, for more damage against one enemy.
 * Glowing Gaze, for more energy management. Echo Rodgort's Invocation rather than Fireball or Meteor Shower if you bring this spell.
 * Mark of Rodgort, for less direct damage but more degeneration through burning. If you bring this spell consider using Glowing Gaze in the optional slot.
 * For Competitive Missions and Alliance Battles consider swapping Breath of Fire and Fire Storm for Immolate and Glowing Gaze. This increases the amount of spike damage you can do at the cost of reducing the area of effect damage you can cause.

Templates
The Faster Caster uses almost maximum fast casting for full time 50% reduction in recharge and cast times of all spells. This build is not recommended for people with slow reflexes as it is an interrupt heavy build targeting hex-users and spellcasters.

Equipment

 * Savant's Armor for the +10 armor in a stance
 * 20/20 domination wand, 20/20 inspiration focus

Usage

 * Keep Mantra of Recovery up at all times. At 15 Fast cast, it should last 20 seconds with a 20 second recharge time. No skills are over 20 recharge, which means all skills have less than 10 second recharge under this stance.
 * Watch out for wild blow warriors, wild throw paragons, and wild strike assassins. They will end the stance!
 * Use Power Spike on spells you think you can interrupt. This deals damage.
 * Use Power Drain on spells you think you can interrupt when low on energy. This gives a net energy gain when you use it.
 * Use Cry of Frustration when there is a non-spell skill you want to interrupt. Do not use this on spells as its damage is pitiful for the energy compared to Power Spike.
 * Use Drain enchantment for energy and to remove an enchantment from your target. This gives a net energy gain when you use it.
 * Use Draw Conditions frequently, that avoids burdening your monks.
 * Use Remove Hex for hexes that may hurt your party. With Mantra of Recovery and 15 Fast Cast, it should have roughly a 1 second cast and 4 second recharge.
 * Always be the first to resurrect, because you have the fastest cast time.

Counters

 * Wild Blow, Wild Strike, Wild Throw (stance breakers)
 * Mass poison/condition based health degeneration. On the other hand, your team will be safe from these.
 * High Spike damage such as Elementalist and Ritualist bosses' spike damage

PvE

 * Use Shatter Enchantment instead of Drain Enchantment for a more offensive build. Do keep in mind you lose one of your energy management skills.
 * Shatter Hex instead of Remove Hex for a more offensive (but more energy intensive) build. This is not recommended because of the extremely high energy cost of Shatter Hex.

PvP

 * Complicate, instead of Cry of Frustration. It will disable signets of the foe for a short duration so it is best to save this for signets (especially Healing Signet or Resurrection Signet).
 * To participate in a spike, exchange two interrupts with Energy Burn and Shatter Enchantment.

This build is intended to obtain the unique healing offhand, Incetol%27s Focus, quickly by soloing Incetol%2C Devout of Depths himself.

Equipment

 * Enchanter's Armor is recommended for the extra energy.
 * Savant's Armor is also effective due to Distortion.
 * A 20/20 Staff of your attribute choice.

Usage

 * See map for directions to Incetol.
 * Once at Incetol, there are usually 2 separate patrol groups, along with Incetol's envoy. It is suggested that at least 1 of these patrols be defeated, otherwise Incetol may be difficult to separate from the mobs.
 * There is a spawn of Onis just SW of the resurrection shrine, against the wall, which are hostile to the Outcasts.
 * There are 2 methods of isolating Incetol: pulling the patrol and his escort to the Onis, or pulling/re-pulling Incetol until he separates from his escort.
 * You can also isolate and solo individual Outcasts, since you'll find only Assassins, Warriors, and Deathhands (Sword-wielding Necros) in the groups.
 * Once Incetol is alone, begin this casting chain:
 * Distortion, Reckless Haste, Spirit of Failure, Parasitic Bond, Spirit Shackles, Price of Failure, Spiteful Spirit


 * Try to time the durations and recast as necessary. Be sure to keep Distortion up as much as possible, especially while setting up.
 * It is necessary to keep Incetol's energy as low as possible, which Spirit Shackles+Reckless combine nicely.
 * Despite having multiple hexes and you having Distortion on, Incetol may wand you for as much as 100 damage each hit. Parasitic Bond will heal you every 20 seconds, and use Ether Feast when needed.
 * Incetol will eventually wand himself to death, and possibly drop the desired focus.

Pure Mesmer

 * This variation uses only mesmer skills, where the main source of damage is from Empathy, Wastrel's Worry, and Spirit Shackles+Mind Wrack.
 * Note the blind caused by Ineptitude will only last half its cooldown duration, so remember to activate Distortion after the blind wears off.
 * Since this variation lacks Reckless Haste, it may take longer for Spirit Shackles to drain all of Incetol's energy.
 * Once Incetol has about 0 energy, cast Mind Wrack and Wastrel's Worry freely.

Necro Primary

 * For those players who do not have a mesmer primary.
 * The 2 major differences are the increased damage from Spiteful & Price of Failure, and the longer casting times.

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.

Equipment

 * Max AL armor with Radiant Insignias are necessary for the extra energy.
 * Runes of Superior Domination Magic, Superior Vigor, Minor Fast Casting, Minor Inspiration Magic.
 * An Insightful staff is recommended for the additional energy gain, Milefaun's Staff is excellent.

Usage

 * Begin by precasting Arcane Echo.
 * Follow up, targetting usually the center of a party, with Energy Surge or Spiritual Pain.
 * Activate Auspicious Incantation, then cast the copied version of the previous spell for a quick boost in your energy. This will negate the longer recharge of that skill, since it will only stay for the remainder of the effects of Arcane Echo.
 * Lastly, cast the skill which has been left last.
 * Energy Burn should be used on generally standalone targets.
 * Whenever encountering a Boss monster, do not use the previous combo. Simply spam Wastrel's Worry for extremely high, unresisted damage. On most end-game bosses, you can easily outdamage any other character by simply using this skill.
 * Ether Feast can be used for a quick heal.
 * Remember that in areas that contain Spirits, it is better to use Arcane Echo on Energy Surge, since Spiritual Pain will recharge instantly.

Counters

 * If relying on Auspicious Incantation for Energy gain, beware of skills that remove enchantments. This usually won't be a problem with Fast Casting.
 * Being Dazed can pose a threat, but with the skills available, its threat is limited.
 * Diversion can be hazardous if more than one skill is hit, but it should not be too much of a problem in most areas.

Variants

 * The open secondary profession provides additional flexibility with this build.
 * If your secondary is Elementalist, you can take advantage of Glyph of Lesser Energy for energy conservation.
 * Ranger secondaries can speed up skill recharge with Serpent's Quickness.
 * With a Paragon, Ritualist, or Monk secondary, different resurrection options are available to you.
 * Backfire is almost always recommended for areas where casters are plenty. It is especially potent if used in combination with Arcane Echo. In combination with Auspicious Incantation, this provides even higher Energy Gain.
 * Another option is Empathy, which is excellent against fast attackers.
 * Your Energy Recovery skills are quite flexible. If you dislike Auspicious Incantation, you may wish to choose from other skills from your Inspiration Magic line.
 * A skill such as Power Drain can quickly refill your Energy pool, providing you make the interrupt.
 * Energy Tap provides less energy gain, but it is unconditional. Beware of interrupts if using this skill, since its cast time is quite lengthy compared to your other skills.
 * In areas where Monster Skills are used, and they just happen to be Hexes or Enchantments, you will want to use Inspired Enchantment/Revealed Enchantment, or Inspired Hex/Revealed Hex.
 * Element-based energy recovery can be useful in specific PvE areas, so you may want to use Mantra of Frost, Mantra of Flame, Mantra of Earth, or Mantra of Lightning.
 * In combination with party members' evasive stances or blinding, Spirit of Failure can provide excellent energy gain in PvE situations.
 * Ether Feast can be dropped entirely if your team provides ample healing, but it is always nice to have a means of self-healing.
 * Using Mistrust can be deadly in end-game zones. Energy Burn should be replaced here.

Templates
monk

The Divine Wind Runner combines the power of the Monk's Divine Favor and the mobility and balance of the Dervish's Wind and Earth Prayers to successfully run a wide range of locations. This flexible build provides powerful spell denial, self healing, speed, balance, and condition removal. Monk

Equipment

 * Full Radiant Insignias
 * Totem Axe or Rajazan's Fervor or equivalent weapon.
 * Divine Favor off-hand with health +30 core, and energy +5 while enchanted inscription.
 * If preferred, a halves skill recharge inscription (Forget Me Not) could be used to increase usage of Spell Breaker.

Usage
The power of this build comes from the long-lasting preventative action of Spell Breaker. At rest points, allow Spell Breaker to recharge while you heal yourself. Successful usage of this build is facilitated by smart gameplay; only use Spell Breaker when you (forsee you will) need it - do not try to keep it active all the time.
 * Begin your run by casting Blessed Aura. This constantly maintained enchantment will help to fuel your Enchanted Haste.
 * If desired, pre-cast Watchful Spirit so you may cancel it in the event of an emergency for a quick heal boost after taking damage. Although you do not need to stop to cancel Watchful Spirit, you will need to stop to recast for future uses.
 * Use Spell Breaker when passing through areas with casters. Even with an enchanting weapon and Blessed Aura, you cannot maintain this enchantment indefinitely.  It should last around 25 seconds, so know your area and plan ahead for the 20 second downtime.
 * Use Enchanted Haste and then Harrier's Haste immediately after Enchanted Haste expires. With 9 points in Wind Prayers, you can run constantly and with no energy downtime while cycling through these skills.  Note that both of these skills are stances and, as such, one will cancel the other.
 * Use Fleeting Stability just before entering a knockdown area. This is an enchantment and, as such, it will not interfere with your running stances. Beware of the self-knockdown effect after Fleeting ends.
 * Use Smite Hex as needed.
 * Use Mending Touch as needed.

Counters

 * Enchantment removal and hexes can be devastating. Avoid running through dense enchantment removal and hex areas without Spell Breaker active.
 * Excessive physical attacks can prove fatal as well. Taking a wrong turn or getting boxed in/body blocked can end your run.  Know the geography and spawn locations of enemies so that you can plan to circumvent them accordingly.

Variants
The build can be customized to conform to specific runs, enemies, and user preferences:
 * If knockdowns are not a concern, consider bringing Healing Touch instead of Fleeting Stability, lower your attribute rank in Earth Prayers to 0 and increase your attribute rank in Healing Prayers to 9. With your high rank in Divine Favor you will get 144 heal for 5 energy.
 * If knockdowns are not a concern, consider bringing Conviction for added armor.
 * If you choose to use conviction with this build, consider bringing Featherfoot Grace, as it is an enchantment running spell and will not conflict with your Conviction stance.
 * Watchful Healing can be used instead of Watchful Spirit, as a cheaper regen spell. Additionally, bring a "lose enchantment" skill to cancel Watchful Healing and gain its healing bonus.
 * Pious Restoration or Signet of Pious Light can be used to cancel Fleeting and Watchful Healing if you choose that skill as well.
 * If you're running with a team, consider using Dismiss Condition to assist your allies if needed.
 * If you are not concerned with hexes, replace Smite Hex with Signet of Devotion for self healing, ideally at rest stops or after breaking aggro.

Equipment

 * Max Radiant Armor with the above mentioned runes. Basically your normal prot gear, the minor smiting rune isn't even needed.
 * Whatever you want of enchanting. I prefer a staff of enchanting so I can do some additional damage myself. Another weapon of enchanting will also work but does less damage.

Usage

 * Maintain Blessed Aura, Balthazar's Spirit, and Essence Bond at all times.
 * Gather as many vermin as you feel like, you can tank an infinite number if used right.
 * Keep Fleeting Stability and Shield of Absorption up at all times, I find it smart to follow SoA with FS.
 * Use Mystic Regeneration to counter the health degen of the vermin.
 * Use Shield of Judgment to damage the vermin, follow it up with Balthazar's Aura. The knockdown for SoJ will allow BA to deal lots of damage without scattering the vermin. attack a vermin at all times so it keeps attacking you. Shreader should always be taken down first.

Counters

 * No real threats from Vermin, but Jade Brotherhood may be able to kill you.

Equipment

 * Due to the higher energy requirement of the build, an armor set with Radiant insignia would work the best. Blessed could also be used.
 * Take a Low energy set such as an weapon and offhand with -5 energy and switch to that set if E-denial is expected.
 * Take a Normal set such as a staff (20/20) healing prayers with +60 HP. Use this set for regular healing.
 * Take a High energy set such as a wand and off hand that both has a +15 energy -1 regen mod on them. Switch to this set during emergencies but quickly switch back to the normal set as soon as you cast the spell or spells you need.

Usage

 * In a PvE teamsetup, this monk works best with a full prot monk in the party.
 * Remember that all your healing prayers spells' healing capacity is boosted by 50% so be careful not to over-heal too much by healing party members with little damage.
 * Kite away from enemies and heal and protect yourself using Words of Comfort, Ethereal Light and Shield of Absorption. Use these spells on your self as needed.
 * Make sure you're not under fire when using Ethereal Light. However, the chances of it getting interrupted is low due to the 1/2 second activation time thanks to Healer's Boon.
 * Use Glyph of Lesser Energy then cast Heal Party as needed. Each casting will heal the entire party for 120 HP.  Unless you have a lot of energy, never use Heal Party with out using Glyph of Lesser Energy first!
 * Use Dwayna's Kiss on party members with enchantments and/or hexes on them to increase its efficiency. With the bonus from Healer's Boon it isn't unusual to see 300+ healing from Dwayna's Kiss on party members in areas with a fair number of hexes.  Dervishes and Elementalists usually reap the highest benefit from this spell as they use enchantments on themselves fairly consistently.
 * Using Shield of Absorption on party members right before using Dwayna's Kiss will reduce the damage they take and increase the healing from the spell.

Counters

 * This build is vulnerable to E-denial.
 * Enchantment removal isn't too much of a problem as HB recharges fast and only costs 5 energy.
 * Anti-spam and Anti-Caster hexes.

Variants

 * Replace Words of Comfort or a skill of your choice and...
 * Add Holy Veil as a hex removal in areas with more damaging hexes.
 * Add Dismiss Condition as a condition removal if you are expecting more debilitating conditions where removal is more of a priority.
 * Add Healing Whisper if no conditions are expected in a area.
 * Add Healing Touch as a high powered self heal.
 * Add Signet of Devotion as a zero cost small heal.
 * For people who have a different playing style and prefer to use no prot enchantments, replace Shield of Absorption with Holy Haste and change the resurrection spell to Renew Life. This allows for a 1.5 second resurrection, as well as powerful heal for party members within earshot. Glyph of Lesser Energy helps with the cost of this expensive resurrection spell.

Equipment

 * Superior Protection Rune, Superior Vigor Rune and Minor Divine Favor Rune
 * Use a 20% enchanting mod to increase the duration of your enchantments.
 * Sadi's Benediction would be an ideal staff.

Usage

 * 1) Maintain Blessed Aura to make all your enchantments last 50% longer in conjunction with the enchanting mod.
 * 2) Use Shield of Absorption and Reversal of Fortune for minor attacks.
 * 3) When an Ally is under heavy attack, use Glyph of Lesser Energy and Shield of Regeneration.
 * 4) * You have two energy-efficient options now. Either cast Shield of Regeneration on a different ally taking damage, or cast Aegis for party-wide protection.
 * 5) Cast Dismiss Condition as needed.

Counters

 * Interrupting Glyph of Lesser Energy.
 * Energy denial.
 * Enchantment removal.

Variants

 * Place some points into healing prayers and add Gift of Health for a spike heal.
 * For condition heavy areas, you can switch Aegis for Extinguish.

Attributes and Skills

 * The Attributes listed above can be changed to fit your reaction time and/or computer speed. Because you only have about one second to click on SOA, the build above helps extend that time needed to click on it again. If your computer's (or your) reaction speed is not the best go with the current build. On the other side, if you are fast and your computer is as well, you can lower the Divine Favor down a point and add on to Earth Magic.


 * The most common choice for the optional slots is Essence Bond and Aftershock or Watchful Spirit (or any other regeneration skill). See the Variants section for other possibilities.

Equipment

 * Ascetic's Armor is recommended for a larger energy pool, max armor is not needed.


 * You will need five superior runes - at least one in Protection Prayers and one in Divine Favor, as well as one in the headpiece (see below) - to bring your health down to 105, The -50 hp Grim Cesta from the Cities of Ascalon quest is not needed, but can be used if you like.


 * Aquire two scalp designs, one for Protection Prayers with a Superior Protection Prayers and another for Divine Favor. (Note that both headpieces must have a superior rune) This is needed to achieve 15 Divine Favor to strengthen the power of Blessed Aura. This will be described more in the next section (Usage)


 * Any weapon / staff with an "Enchantments last 20% longer" modifier is needed. The Totem Axe and Rajazan's Fervor are common choices but any staff with the "Enchantments last 20% longer" mod will work as well. Kepkhet's Refuge is very useful if you are playing the 105 hp variant, as the halved casting and recharge can be very effective if it affects Sliver Armor or Shield of Absorption.


 * Hukhrah's Staff (or any other staff of Mastery in Divine Favor) is also helpful. This will also be explained in the Usage section.

Usage

 * First cast Balthazar's Spirit for energy gain.


 * Before you cast Blessed Aura, switch out your Protection Prayers scalp for the Divine Favor one bringing your Divine Favor up to 15. Cast Blessed Aura and then switch back to the Protection Prayers scalp, bringing your Protection Prayers back up to 14.


 * If you are using Hukhrah's Staff, equip it at the same time as the Divine Favor headpiece. Cast and re-cast Blessed Aura as many times as needed for the Divine Favor boost to kick in.


 * When all of the enchantments are cast start your run to your target. Before entering battle, cast Protective Spirit and Shield of Absorption. Keep them up at all times.


 * Aggro your enemies. You must continue to maintain Protective Spirit and Shield of Absorption; if the mobs contain interrupters, you will have to use Glyph of Concentration before SoA (which will always match exactly because of the recharge time).


 * To start damaging enemies activate Sliver Armor after Glyph of Concentration and SoA.


 * To avoid breaking aggro, hit the enemy targeted by Sliver Armor from time to time.

Counters

 * If Glyph of concentration gets interrupted and SoA afterwards gets interrupted, too, you will have to survive by healing with the Divine Favor bonus from spamming Protective Spirit. This can be really hard as you are going to aggro a lot of mobs to deal best possible damage with Sliver Armor.


 * Anything that counters a normal invincible monk will counter this one. These include health degeneration (to a certain point), enchantment removal, and damage that bypasses Protective Spirit.

Variants

 * Switch Balthazar's Spirit for Essence Bond, or put it in the optional slot. You should bring Blessed Signet if you do this to speed up energy regeneration, though when there are plenty of targets around attacking you (such as when farming Ghial the Bone Dancer) this becomes less necessary.


 * Mending, Watchful Spirit and Watchful Healing can help if you expect degeneration or monsters that can interrupt glyphs (e.g. Jade Brotherhood Mesmers if you are hexed).


 * If you are not afraid of being interrupted, swap out Glyph of Concentration for Glyph of Elemental Power or Glyph of Renewal.


 * Zealot's Fire and Shield of Judgment will both do constant damage; but due to the low smiting prayers, will not do much damage. If you bring Zealot's Fire, you must time when you cast your spells so there is at least a three second gap between them or your opponents will scatter. If you bring Shield of Judgment your energy flow will be slightly slowed, because the enemies will be knocked down and therefore attack you less often. This results in less activation of Balthazar's Spirit (or Essence Bond) and less damage dealing through Sliver Armor.


 * Fill the optional slot with any of the other skills mentioned on the Invincible Monk page. (Those mentioned above are some of the more important and/or useful skills found on that page.)


 * You can replace Shield of Absorption for Stoneflesh Aura, this will give you more room for error with casting time.


 * Also, Shield of Regeneration works if you time it right, as it will give you a +8...10 health regen as long as either Mending or Watchful Spirit is in the other optional slot


 * Shielding Hands is an easy way to avoid vulnerabilitiy if SoA can't be recast in time.

Using Spirit Bond
If you wanted to farm areas with health degeneration or life steal, the following build can be used. With the defensive power of SoA, and the massive healing from Spirit Bond, you can solo more bosses in more areas. This build uses the same attributes as the one listed above.

Armor:
 * Lowest armor, AL 15 or Starter armor will do.
 * 2 head pieces (as listed above) one for Divine Favor, one for Protection. Switch out when casting Blessed Aura.
 * One Vigor rune (the best you can afford) and the rest with Vitae ones (+10 health)

Weapons:
 * It is not needed, but recommended to acquire a -1 energy regeneration +15 energy offhand for either Protection, Divine Favor, or Earth Magic. This will help with the large amount of energy that will be used with this variant build.
 * Any weapon/off-hand can be used, as long as it does not subtract health.
 * Staves may be used as well if you like.

Usage:
 * The usage is the same as above with the following variant:
 * Cast Spirit Bond immediately after SoA to regain the Health lost until SoA has set the damage taken to 0. Also use Spirit Bond to recover from Degen.
 * Depending on degeneration keep Spirit Bond up as well as SoA and Prot. Spirit (which still have higher priority than Spirit Bond), but remember not to recast Spirit Bond before it has ended.

Bosses: (this variant build may also be used to solo all of the bosses listed below these)


 * Sun, the Quivering - Google Video
 * Xuekao, the Deceptive
 * Chung, the Attuned

Prophecies:
2 current mobs


 * Skyward Reach
 * Hydras - (due to the reduced number of enemies in this area, additional offensive skills such as Shield of Judgment are recommended)
 * Prophet's Path
 * Minotaurs - (better farmed in Elona Reach (Mission) - either avoid the traps near the start or go with 105 hp, Mending or Watchful Healing, additional damage is also suggested)

Factions:
15 current bosses


 * Bukdek Byway
 * Kenshi Steelhand - Medium (Huge mob, higher chance of interrupts)
 * Jin, the Purifier


 * Wajjun Bazaar
 * Lian, Dragon's Petal - (try to pull as many nearby enemies as you can)
 * Shen, the Magistrate


 * Xaquang Skyway
 * Ghial the Bone Dancer - (Mending is recommended due to his use of Faintheartedness)
 * Orosen, Tranquil Acolyte - Pull his and the other two mobs in range; otherwise he can outheal your damage even if you use Aftershock.


 * Mount Qinkai
 * Hukhrah Earthslove
 * Arrahhsh Mountainclub - (only if the quest Return of the Yeti is active)
 * Chehbaba Roottripper
 * Tomton Spiriteater
 * These four Yeti Bosses can easily be done in one run with 105hp, Glyph of Renewal instead of Glyph of Concentration and Watchful Healing to counter Poison.


 * Pongmei Valley
 * Arrahhsh Mountainclub - (Glyph of Renewal is recommended)


 * Maishang Hills
 * Sessk, Woe Spreader - (Bring along Watchful Spirit and Mending to counter Degeneration and Spam Protective Spirit for health gain. Oni may appear, but run past them. Interrupts are frequent while soloing him)


 * Archipelagos
 * Ssyn Coiled Grasp - Medium/Hard (Dazing will cause you to get interrupted frequently. To avoid this, use Glyph of Concentration for both Sliver Armor and SoA. 105hp is also needed.)


 * The Eternal Grove
 * The Scar Eater - Medium/Luck (Bring along Glyph of Elemental Power or Glyph of Renewal to speed up the killing. Bring Smite Hex or Spell Breaker as well, in case of Oni spawn. Regeneration Skills to counter Poison and Bleeding. This boss can only be soloed if the mobs around don't contain Skill Hungry Gakis as they create spirits of Disenchantment.)


 * Morostav Trail
 * Strongroot Tanglebranch (Watchful Spirit and Glyph of Renewal are advised.)

Nightfall:
10 current bosses


 * Marga Coast
 * Bubahl Icehands - (Watchful Healing is recommended due to the Kuskale Blighters' use of Rotting Flesh)
 * Chor the Bladed - (Watchful Healing and Mending are recommended due to the Mirage Ibogas' use of Conjure Phantasm and Crippling Anguish)


 * Yatendi Canyons
 * Hajok Earthguardian (Insect) - (Spell Breaker will make the way to him easier)


 * The Floodplain of Mahnkelon
 * Jerneh Nightbringer - Hard (Avoid the corsairs on the way, they can kill you. Also attempt to cast your already maintained enchantments to set off the Ridgeback Kuskales' Agonizing Chop and the Beast Sworn Hekets' Disrupting Lunge. Mending is recommended due to his use of Rotting Flesh.)


 * Resplendent Makuun
 * Jishol Darksong - (To counter Blazing Finale, go with 105hp and Watchful Healing.)


 * The Mirror of Lyss
 * Riktund the Vicious - (105 hp is recommended. Watchful Healing is recommended due to the Cobalt Shriekers' use of Blazing Finale. Also gather the Rock Beetle and Rain Beetle because they have a very high attack rate.)
 * Yammiron, Ether Lord - Hard/Very Hard (105 hp is a must. Use the same setup as for Riktund the Vicious.  Don't aggro the Behemoth Gravebanes and Scytheclaw Behemoths due the massive degen they can cause.  There will be energy denial due the Roaring Ethers.  But this shouldn't be too much of a problem if they keep attacking you. Note that Roaring Ethers use Resurrection Signet.)


 * The Hidden City of Ahdashim
 * Shakor Firespear
 * Leilon, Tranquil Water
 * Yammirvu, Ether Guardian - Very Hard
 * To kill these go with 105hp and bring Regeneration Skills or Condition removal against Burning. Switch out Glyph of Concentration for Glyph of Renewal.

Videos

 * Lian, Dragon's Petal - Google Video
 * Hajok Earthgaurdian - Google Video
 * Ghial the Bone Dancer - Google Video
 * Orosen, Tranquil Acolyte - Google Video
 * Ssyn Coiled Grasp - Google Video
 * Tomton Spiriteater - Google Video
 * Chehbaba Roottripper - Youtube Video
 * Chor the Bladed - Google Video
 * Riktund the Vicious - Google Video
 * Strongroot Tanglebranch - YouTube Video
 * Bubahl Icehands - YouTube Video
 * The Scar Eater - YouTube Video
 * Hukhrah Earthslove - Google Video
 * Jishol Darksong - Google Video
 * The Hidden City of Ahdashim: Shakor Firespear &  Leilon, Tranquil Water &  Yammirvu, Ether Guardian -YouTube Video

Note: All videos have been created BEFORE the latest update when SoA still had a casting time of 1/4 second!

Templates
Spirit Bond Variant

Equipment

 * Any weapon will do, a weapon that lengthens enchantments is recommended (such as a Totem Axe, Rajazan's Fervor or a Staff with Staff Wrapping Of Enchanting).
 * Any armor can be used, as long as it has maximum AL. However, most PvE healers prefer armor with Radiant Insignias.
 * Runes of Minor Divine Favor, Superior Protection Prayers, Superior Vigor

Usage

 * For minor heals, try to maintain an ally's health using Reversal of Fortune and Dismiss Condition.
 * Allies taking heavy damage should be enchanted with Protective Spirit.
 * Aegis should be used to defend the party. You should always precast Glyph of Lesser Energy before casting this.
 * Spamming Dismiss Condition on party members enchanted with Aegis provides excellent healing.
 * Use Glyph of Lesser Energy to remove the energy cost for your more expensive spells.
 * Prevent party wipes and resurrect allies to a safe location with Rebirth. Because it drains all of your energy, avoid using this skill in battle.
 * Remove harmful Hexes with Holy Veil.

Counters

 * Diversion is a major counter to this build.
 * Interrupts or anti-spamming spells hinder your output of healing spells.

Variants

 * Rebirth can be replaced with another resurrection spell of your choice, although this is the preferred spell in PvE. Resurrection skills can be replaced entirely if your party has other members that can Resurrect.
 * Shield of Absorption can replace Holy Veil or Rebirth.
 * For a different type of Condition removal, at the expense of the extra healing while under Aegis, consider taking Mend Condition or Mend Ailment.
 * Signet of Devotion can be used for an energy-free heal.

This is a versatile protection monk build to use if there is another healing monk in the party. It is primarily designed for PvE.

Equipment
Usually, monks should avoid using runes that reduce hit points. It is very important for a monk to have as much health as possible, thus being able to take more hits before going down. However, in most situations, the Life Bond monk does not get involved in combat, as the enchantments can be maintained from a greater distance than is needed to cast them. The bonder will usually stay as far behind the healing monk as the monks and casters stay away from the warriors. Normally a bonder will use one major or superior rune to boost either Protection or Divine Favor.

For elementalist-heavy areas use the chest piece with elemental resistance. For melee-heavy areas use the physical resistance chest piece and pants. Always use tattoos on hands and feet for extra energy.

Good equipment for this build will be anything that increases energy and anything with a +1 divine favor chance of 20%. Use of +1 items will not change the optimal skill allocations in the table below. No other mods available will be of much use to a bonder as all fast cast and recharge items effect spells only and blessed signet is not a spell. Good options include:


 * The Soulstone
 * Noss' Artifact
 * Rual's Focus

The Soulstone and Noss' Artifact also provide extra HP when enchanted. Rual's Focus provides the same amount of health while in a stance, Mantra of Inscriptions being a stance that will almost always be up.


 * Flint's Wand is a good, cheap way to get cold damage and 5 more energy. (Cold damage is useful when in a party with a necro that has Spinal Shivers, e.g. Sorrow's Furnace Farm.)

Kepkhet's Refuge or The Yakslapper are also a fairly good options, providing extra energy. However they do not increase rank in any skill.

Usage

 * Life Barrier + Life Bond are used on the tank(s) in the party to reduce the amount of damage they are taking and allow them to more effectively deal out damage. Life Barrier should be cast first, followed by Life Bond. Also, depending upon proficiency you should also bond the other members of your party with this priority: Non-Tanks taking damage, melee attackers, Monks, others.


 * Balthazar's Spirit and Blessed Signet are for energy management. Balthazar's is to be cast on yourself. Whenever damage is redirected to you from Life Bond, you still get +1 energy from Balthazar's Spirit, even if Life Bond reduces the damage to 0. The energy gained from these skills can often outstrip the energy degeneration from maintaining multiple enchantments. During a large battle, it is possible to maintain 12+ total enchantments, with Life Bond on every character, plus Life Barrier on the tank(s).


 * Mantra of Inscriptions is used to keep your signets recharging quickly.


 * Rebirth is generally the resurrection spell of choice for PvE. Party members often die in dangerous areas and would easily be killed again if resurrected at the place they died.  Rebirth can be used to teleport the body to the caster's safe location. Be warned however that using Rebirth will cause the caster to have 0 energy, which will make any maintained enchantments over the energy regen rate (usually 4) drop. The bonder should only use Rebirth if there is no other way of bringing a party member back up.


 * Ether Signet is a backup plan for when your energy drops under 8 and blessed signet isn't recharged.

Variants
The most commonly used skills are Life Barrier, Life Bond, Mantra of Inscriptions, Balthazar's Spirit, Blessed Signet, and Rebirth. This leaves two open skill slots, shown above as optional to use on utility spells and several options have been listed here:


 * For a more passive monk, use Watchful Spirit for regeneration and spike heals while remaining safely outside of spell range. Note that Watchful Spirit does not require any points in Healing for its Healing over time and makes for a great cover enchantment in areas where the enemies use enchantment removals.
 * Aegis and Guardian are excellent utility skills as well and can also serve as cover enchantments in areas with high enchantment removal. When using Aegis, Blessed Aura can be added to extend the duration of Aegis.  This leaves the bonder without self healing, so do this only if you are confident the healing monk can handle the load.
 * Vital Blessing can be used to great effect in small groups, where maintaining more than three enchantments on each party member is possible. Since Vital Blessing adds its health to the target's current health this can also serve as an emergency heal but if the enchantment is shattered or removed this can result in instant death.
 * Inspired Hex is an excellent utility skill to add to an open slot for this build. Besides the obvious benefits of hex removal it can also return energy.  This is most useful in areas where foes cast Rust or Ignorance so that Blessed Signet can continually be recast.
 * Signet of Devotion is a good direct healing spell which can be used on the bonder themselves or on other casters. Bonders use this skill to cover health lost through Life Bond as well as to help allied necromancers cover life sacrifice costs.  It costs no energy and benefits from Mantra of Inscriptions.
 * Reversal of Fortune can serve as a cover enchantment in areas where enchantment removal is prevalent as well as to provide supplemental healing for the group. When used as a healing skill the energy cost can be quite high because to heal effectively it must be cast several times in a row.  This also requires the bonder to be within spell range of the target being healed.  Despite these drawbacks this skill can be used to great effect in areas where aggro can be drawn to a single character.
 * Mend Condition can be put to good use in this build, especially if you have great Aggro control, resulting in not needing to remove conditions on yourself. Then, you would probably be using Mend Ailment, which has a slightly longer recharge time, and is inconsistent with the healing bonus.
 * Dismiss Condition may also be utilised effectively with almost guarenteed bonus healing due to the fact that it heals extra if the ally has an enchantment on him.
 * Life Attunement can be used to buff the bonders healing skills when no healing monk is available. This is also an excellent enchantment to maintain on tanks to make healing easier.
 * Early Prophecies variations: It's possible to run this build relatively early in the Prophecies campaign. Once Beetletun is reached, Blessed Signet can be captured, Life Barrier is found just outside of Beacon's Perch and Balthazar's Spirit and Life Bond are available from trainers.  Other skills need to be adapted for such an early-game build.  Vital Blessing, Inspired Hex, Guardian, Reversal of Fortune, and Signet of Devotion are all available at this point via quests and/or skill trainers.

Inspiration Magic vs. Divine Favor
Both Inspiration Magic and Divine Favor govern energy gain, and by extension the number of bonds that can be maintained. The trade-off presented here is between energy gain on use of Blessed Signet and the number of times Blessed Signet can be used. Since this is a protection build the table has been limited to high levels of Protection Prayers, it also assumes that a Superior Rune of Divine Favor is used as well. The optimal values are in bold. Simply select a desired level of Protection Prayers and use these values to optimize energy gain from Blessed Signet and Mantra of Inscriptions. Take note that neither type of +1 chance 20% item, Inspiration Magic or Divine Favor, will have an effect on the optimal attribute levels shown here.

Having Blessed Light as multi-purpose skill, this bonder sacrifices some energy management for better Hex and Condition removal via use of Blessed Light. The unconditional heal and increased self-healing make it very sustainable.

Equipment

 * Ascetic's Armor or Acolyte's Armor
 * Any weapon or focus item with 20/20 recharge on Divine Favor spells.
 * Any weapon or focus item with +1/20 chance on increased Divine Favor when using skills.

Usage
This build is played similiarly to any other bonding build.
 * Start by casting Life Bond on 4 members of the party. Then use Mantra of Inscriptions.
 * Follow up with Blessed Signet.
 * Cast Life Bond on the rest of the party and Balthazar's Spirit on yourself.
 * While your party is in combat, so long as they take physical damage, you will have a very steady supply of energy.
 * If your energy supply is high, use Blessed Light to remove hexes and conditions while healing your target.
 * Otherwise for healing your party, use Signet of Devotion.
 * Replace Life Bond as quickly as possible if removed.
 * When a party member is low on life, use Reversal of Fortune first, then Blessed Light for a quick and effective heal.
 * Use Blessed Signet whenever you are down to half of your energy. Keep Mantra of Inscriptions up all the time.
 * Self-sustained you can support Life Bond on up to 9 characters.

Counters

 * Ignorance is a major counter to this build.
 * Energy denial / skill denial / enchantment removal.
 * Damage spikes can render you helpless, especially if you're caught casting Blessed Signet.
 * Hexes like Rust can be devastating if not removed properly.

Variants

 * You may wish to replace Resurrect with a different resurrection skill such as Resurrection Signet, Sunspear Rebirth Signet, or even Light of Dwayna.

Equipment

 * Ascetic's Armor (or comparable armor) is recommended due to the need for a high energy pool.
 * Any weapon combination that lowers casting and recharge times of Protection Prayers will work well with this build. A couple of suggestions are:
 * Kepkhet's Refuge
 * Jayne's Staff
 * Several Runes of Attunement are suggested due to the need for a high energy pool.

Usage

 * Try to maintain Life Bond on as many party members as possible. Check allies frequently to see if anybody has had Life Bond removed, and re-apply if necessary. When energy drain becomes too burdensome, it may become necessary to remove bonds from party members and re-apply later.
 * Before battle, cast Mantra of Inscriptions and Scribe's Insight. Try to maintain these skills at all times.
 * Use Blessed Signet frequently, i.e. whenever it has recharged to mitigate energy loss due to bonds.
 * Use Reversal of Fortune and Shield of Absorption on party members who are under attack to help further mitigate damage.
 * Use Dismiss Condition for Condition Removal as well as a cheap heal.
 * Use Signet of Devotion as a no-cost heal. Note that Signet of Devotion will actually result in a net energy gain of three due to Scribe's Insight.

Counters

 * Energy Denial
 * Massive Enchantment Removal
 * Areas With High Amounts Of Elemental-Only Damage

Variants
The bonder can be a very personal build, with many, many variations.


 * Consider replacing Scribe's Insight with Signet of Removal for a relatively spammable, no cost condition and hex removal.
 * As long as you are careful about energy, Zealous Benediction will also work as a replacement for Scribe's Insight

Equipment

 * Full Ascetic's armor for a maximal energy pool.
 * 5 Superior runes, at least 1 Superior Protection Prayers and 1 Superior Divine Favor.
 * A Scythe with a 20% enchantment mod with the "I Have The Power" +5 energy inscription or similar bonus.

Usage
This build uses SOA and PS to tank and the Scythe's ability to attack more than one target, even with Illusionary Weaponry.
 * Use the maintained enchantments first. Switch to a +1 Divine Favor head gear when using Blessed Aura and keep using the +1 Protection Prayers head gear for fighting/tanking.
 * Before aggroing, cast PS>AV>SOA (Keep a Visage up at ALL times during an aggro).
 * Take the aggro and watch out for the nightmare. use power return to interrupt the spell cast by it and wand it with a backup staff/wand.
 * If a second nightmare pops, interrupt one and wand the second. if you die from the second nightmare, bad luck and try again.
 * When the aggro is under control and the mob has 0 energy and no adrenaline, cast IW and begin to slash away with the scythe. Make sure you attack the monster in the middle of the mob to hit the two beside it.
 * When dealing with mobs of 4+, just attack the same target until it is dead and the scythe will take care of the surrounding mob. If smites break, they will spam Reversal of Fortune, but DON'T WORRY, they won't be able to keep spamming it long enough to fully heal another smite.
 * If one smite won't die, switch to another smite.
 * Avoid coldfires at all times, this build has no way to kill them as interruption and slow is a pain.
 * You can counter the Dying Nightmares by just aggroing the Aatxe's and running behind the dead spirits the Aatxe won't hit you any more but the Dying Nightmares will use Rend Enchantments so you won't need to worry because the Aatxe's won't be hitting and you will just need to reenchant yourself and kill.

Counters

 * Death is a stand out counter.
 * A second nightmare popping up without you noticing, resulting in death.
 * Miscasting SOA, resulting in a death.
 * Bleeding at the beginning as it may degenerate your health quickly at 105 hp, resulting in death.
 * The recent changes to the skills Rend Enchantments and Shield of Absorption may have a significant effect on this builds stability. SoA is now fair game for Bladed Aatxe's interrupts, and Dying Nightmares are even more of a threat now with a 1 second cast time to Rend. More testing will be needed.(I suggest switching soa for Shielding Hands) resulting in death.

Attributes and Skills
Please see the Variants below.

Equipment

 * A Smiting Rod from Ornhelm Brightaxe or Arliss Vaughn.
 * A Jeweled Chalice from Mourn Drakespur or Bariel Darkroot.
 * Wanderer's or Censor's armor; Ascetic's is not recommended due to its lower AL and the fact that this build doesn't need the bonus energy.
 * Rune of Superior Vigor.
 * Extra runes of Attunement or Vitae.

Usage

 * Activate Mantra of Signets before battle.
 * In general, use skills in this order: Signet of Judgment, Bane Signet, Banish. Timing is important; try to keep the target constantly knocked down.
 * If the foe is a melee attacker, you may wish to lead with Bane Signet instead, and save Signet of Judgment for a caster foe.
 * Dangerous spellcasters are easily denied by leading with Leech Signet.
 * Interrupt with Leech Signet and Power Drain as necessary.
 * Use Smite Hex and Drain Enchantment as necessary.
 * Reactivate Mantra of Signets as soon as it recharges.
 * If there are spirits/minions, use Banish. It deals much higher damage to them.

Counters

 * This build can't (directly) heal itself or deal with Conditions, except for Ether Feast.
 * Any anti-Signet skill, such as Rust or Panic. However the latter is rare, and the former is easily counter-countered with Smite Hex, Inspired Hex, simple interruption, etc.
 * Anti-knockdown skills or foes that can't be knocked down.
 * Removal of Mantra of Signets via Wild Blow or such.

Variants

 * Ether Feast is a convenient self-heal that is worth considering.
 * Mantra of Inscriptions could replace Mantra of Signets, for a possibly better DPS and interrupt recharge; however, it doesn't allow for easy chain knockdowns.
 * If in an area where Smite Hex and/or Drain Enchantment are not needed, replace with Resurrect, Symbol of Wrath, or Smite.
 * If facing only Hexes, exchange Drain Enchantment for Inspired Hex.
 * If facing only Enchantments, exchange Smite Hex for Inspired Hex.
 * If facing primarily non-caster enemies, drop Power Drain and take both Mantra of Signets and Mantra of Inscriptions. Or swap in Resurrect, Symbol of Wrath, or Smite.
 * When appropriate, consider substituting in a Mantra. For example, versus the Mursaat, Mantra of Lightning may be useful.
 * Holy Strike is a dangerous but powerful skill. It is not recommended, because in most cases it is not worth the risk to get within touch range of foes.
 * If you have Factions, consider replacing Banish with Spear of Light.

Template


This is a versatile healing build to use throughout the Prophecies campaign.

Equipment

 * For mage heavy areas use the Wanderer's vestments. For melee heavy areas use the vestments and leggings from the Judge's Armor set. Use Ascetic's Armor for the hands and feet.
 * Major or superior runes are generally a bad idea (except for vigor).

Usage
This is a versatile healing monk for use in most PvE situations. Some tweaking may be necessary, but this build includes many monk essentials: healing power, hex removal, condition removal, and a resurrection spell. Hex removal and condition removal can usually be swapped out if the particular area this monk is being used in is low on hexes/conditions.
 * Healing Touch is for self heals and should never be used on melee party members since monks should always stay at the back lines to avoid getting beat on. As an alternative, Heal Area is a good self healing spell that is also useful in a team with a Necro MM.
 * Word of Healing is a very nice spell used in emergencies when party members' health drops below 50%. Primary healing skill in this build.
 * Dwayna's Kiss should always be used on hexed and enchanted party members. Kiss is preferred over Orison of Healing for the hefty bonus gained with hexes and enchantments.
 * Orison of Healing as a basic healing spell for other team members when Word of Healing is recharging. Also acts as a backup self heal if Healing Touch is disabled or additional self-healing is needed.
 * Heal Party is very useful for areas with heavy health degeneration such as poison, burning or disease. Often attempts to mend these degeneration conditions can be futile with cases such as poison swamps or mobs spamming condition inducing spells across many party members. Healing Seed may be substituted for Heal Party if the party is warrior heavy.
 * Condition removal is essential and should always be included in a monk's skillbar. Mend Ailment can be used on self and others, making it an easy choice. An alternative to Mend Ailment is Mend Condition, which has the big advantage of having only 2 seconds recharge time. With the release of Nightfall, Dismiss Condition is a good alternative with a 3s recharge and bonus heal for enchanted allies, as well as being usable on youself.
 * Hex removal is another necessity since some hexes can shut down a character completely. If harmful hexes such as Backfire are placed on monks in the party and none are carrying hex removal they are useless for the duration of the hex and can often cause the downfall of a party. Inspired Hex / Revealed Hex has the advantage of giving the monk energy back if a hex is removed.
 * Rebirth is the resurrection spell of choice for PvE, hands down. Party members often die in dangerous areas and would easily be killed again if resurrected at the place they died.  Rebirth teleports the body to the caster's safe location. Be warned as this skill consumes your total remaining energy, do not use in combat.

Variants

 * In high level areas drop either Orison of Healing or Dwayna's Kiss and replace it with Protective Spirit. This helps to keep softer targets alive long enough to heal them while under heavy fire.  When doing this drop Healing Prayers down to 11+1+1 and put the remaining points into Protection Prayers.
 * If playing a pure Factions character, you may wish to switch out:
 * Inspired Hex for Revealed Hex.
 * Dwayna's Kiss for Signet of Rejuvenation.
 * To gain more frequent hex removal in exchange for poorer energy management, replace Inspired Hex with Remove Hex. Additionally, this change enables you to use the AP from Inspiration Magic elsewhere, and use the build with a non-Mesmer secondary.
 * Since no enchantments are used, an alternative for Mend Ailment is Holy Haste. Your skills will become practically uninterruptible due to the really fast casting time.
 * Healing Seed is extremely potent in right situations,however it's long recharge requires you to use it wisely.
 * Holy Veil can be used but is not nearly as effective for energy management as Inspired Hex.

Template


Built on the Mo/Me Barrier Bond Monk but instead of using Life Barrier for protection, Protective Bond is used to prohibit damage spikes to tanks and any damage to the bonder. This build has been designed with Underworld foes in mind.

Equipment

 * Ascetic's Armor for larger energy pool.
 * Weapon and Focus of choice.

Usage

 * Cast Protective Bond, Life Bond and Essence Bond on the tank(s) or probable targets in the party (recommended 3) to reduce the amount of damage they are taking and prevent spikes. NOTE: Protective Bond first will result in you taking no damage, Life Bond first will lower the amount of times Protective Bond is needed, so less energy demand, but bonder may take damage.
 * Cast Life Bond on a couple of party members who are grabbing aggro.
 * Cast Balthazar's Spirit on yourself to receive energy every time Life Bond protects an ally.
 * Mantra of Inscriptions is used to keep your signets recharging quickly. Maintain it.
 * Blessed Signet and Boon Signet are for energy management.
 * Rebirth is for restarting the team in case of wipeout.

Variations

 * Take a risk that the enemy won't wipe out the whole team, and take Dismiss Condition or Revealed Hex instead of Rebirth.
 * Bring Ether Signet instead of Essence Bond if you plan to cast Life Bond primarily, then Protective Bond maybe just once or twice.
 * Replace Boon Signet with Mantra of Recall (if only chapter owned is Prophecies).
 * Replace Boon Signet with Scribe's Insight (if lacking Factions but own Nightfall).

Counters

 * Enchantment removal.
 * Energy denial.
 * Constant powerful attacks which will drain away energy needed for Protective Bond.
 * Health degeneration without another monk to mend.

Armor
It is essential to wear infused armor for the run to Marhan's Grotto or Thunderhead Keep where many Mursaat and Jades with Spectral Agony would instantly kill you without Infusion. Other than that, consider the following armor types for additional protection:
 * Acolyte's Armor for its +10 armor (while enchanted) bonus.
 * Wanderer's Armor for its +10 armor (vs. elemental damage) bonus.

Weapons
A weapon with 20% longer Enchantments is essential for lengthening the duration of Spell Breaker, and shortening the recast gap between 2x Spell Breaker. Divine Favor Skill Recharge bonus is helpful but not strictly required for this build to work. Options:
 * A weapon such as Gardock's Staff offers 20% Skill Recharge for Divine Favor and 20% longer enchantments.
 * A Totem Axe or a Rajazan's Fervor and the Divine Symbol from collector Cinder Linnwood in the Diviner's Ascent
 * The weaponsmiths Gertrud (Vasburg Armory) and Telamon (Leviathan Pits) also craft the same item.
 * There are also many other Divine Symbols available throughout the campaigns that provide beneficial bonuses.
 * A Holy Staff obtained from collector Rylan Paval in Skyward Reach, upgraded with:
 * a perfect Insightful Staff Head (+5)
 * a perfect Staff Wrapping of Enchanting (20%)

Usage
Maintain the following casting orders when running.

Enchantment Sequence

 * Activate Blessed Aura and Watchful Spirit (in this order).

Note: Watchful Spirit, though providing only a Health recovery of +2, can quick-heal you for 160 Hit Points (12 Divine Favor) or even 190 (Divine Favor of 16) when canceled by double-clicking on it. Recover your Energy bar after that. Therefore, in emergency situations (Avicara Rangers, Jade Bows) cancel this skill, if you need immediate health. Blessed Aura helps keep up Spell Breaker - your only insurance of not dying right away.

Running Sequence

 * Activate Serpent's Quickness, Spell Breaker, and Storm Chaser (in this order).

Note #1: With Serpent's Quickness you initate your running sequence. It will give Spell Breaker a minimal advantage to recover faster. Try to keep up Spell Breaker at any given moment. Blessed Aura (supported by your weapon with +20% longer enchantments), and Serpent's Quickness guarantee that Spell Breaker will get recharged within 18,5 secs or less if you delay the activation of Storm Chaser (which cancels Serpent's Quickness' Quick-Recharge-Skill ability) (See Bug: Serpent's Quickness under Specific Hints No. #6). Eventually, Storm Chaser will boost your speed for 18 secs, the same period of time Spell Breaker is being active (with Divine Favor of 16). If there aren't any Hex-casting enemies on your route, you, of course, are free not to use Spell Breaker.

Note #2: As soon as Spell Breaker fades away, recast it, and use Storm Chaser again. You can do the Running Sequence twice, without a gap between 2x Spell Breaker.

Variants

 * It is possible to use Dryder's Defenses instead of Dodge in order to start aggroing multiple Rangers (Jade Bows, etc.) since Dryder's Defenses is one of the evasion stances that is not tied to Expertise unlike Dodge.
 * Zojun's Haste can replace Dodge, as it is a Factions duplicate skill.
 * Holy Veil can replace Smite Hex, as both are generally one-second cast Hex removal skills, and you will not have to stop to remove a hex if you pre-cast it where needed.
 * Divine Intervention for fatal situations can replace Smite Hex but be aware of the missing hex remover in emergency situations (unforeseen aggroing) where you simply aggroed enemies w/o Spell Breaker being active. Be aware of the long skill recharge of 30 secs.
 * Healing Touch can replace Smite Hex when in need of healing, but don't want to cancel Watchful Spirit. With 16 in divine and 3 in Healing Prayers, Healing Touch will heal for about 25+102 HP for the cost of 5 energy.
 * Dodge can also be replaced with other running skills, such as Storm's Embrace or Natural Stride.
 * For users with Nightfall, Purge Conditions can be replaced with Mending Touch.

Major Running Principles

 * 1) Don't aggro too many groups.
 * 2) Evade and choose a direct pass through groups.
 * 3) It's better to aggro one group than two, even if the one group is much bigger.
 * 4) Avoid boss aggroing, because bosses have a different aggro radius. They won't give up chasing you as easily as all the other non-boss characters.
 * 5) Take your time for regeneration of your Health and Energy.
 * 6) If you are a paid runner, run your routes secure rather than fast.

Specific Hints

 * 1) It is vital to keep up Spell Breaker as long as possible. With a 20% longer enchantment item, Serpent's Quickness and Blessed Aura you should be able to keep up Spellbreaker for at least twice  in a row.
 * 2) Use Dodge for encountering Jade Bows due to its Dodge abilities, or in emergency situations if Storm Chaser is not available or for short distance sprints.
 * 3) Make use of your high Divine Favor attribute to gain health by using skills that you may not need at the moment like: Purge Conditions, Smite Hex before thinking of canceling Watchful Spirit.
 * 4) Smite Hex is there for emergency anti-hex situations. (E.g. you aggroed an Ice Imp but did not notice...)
 * 5) Storm Chaser gives you much energy for elemental attacks. Though, do not start the running sequence with less than 30 Energy (5 + 15 + 10).
 * 6) Although Storm Chaser should cancel Serpent's Quickness, it is still active and recharges Storm Chaser 33% faster, so that you can use Storm Chaser immediately again (1 sec gap in-between).
 * 7) Sometimes it's useful (e.g. Iron Mines to Grotto) to recast your already used Watchful Spirit even while running, and immediately cancel it again to boost up your health. Pay attention to your Energy bar, though. Spellbreaker, and a running skill has the first casting priority.

Possible Routes
Note: The second route can be a 100% guaranteed run. Use henchmen for attacking the Pinesouls and therewith luring the Azure Shadows (keep calling your targets). Use Watchful Spirit and Divine Intervention whenever needed. Take the middle way.
 * 1) Deldrimor War Camp -> Granite Citadel -> Copperhammer Mines
 * 2) Copperhammer Mines -> Iron Mines of Moladune
 * 3) Iron Mines of Moladune -> Marhan's Grotto -> Thunderhead Keep

Equipment

 * Ascetic's Armor for a larger energy pool, with a +1 Smiting Prayers scalp design. You will need to upgrade your armor so as to bring your health down to 55 hp (as seen on this section of the Invincible Monk page).


 * Any Axe of Enchanting. The bonus must be +20%. Also, a +5 Energy modifier (or the inscription "I Have the Power") helps to increase the energy pool even more. The Totem Axe is a good choice for this. A two-handed weapon cannot be used or your health will be more than 55.


 * Consider bringing a scalp design that provides a bonus in Divine Favor and/or a staff of Mastery in Divine Favor.

Usage

 * First cast Blessed Aura. If you are using a Divine Favor headpiece and/or a staff of Mastery in Divine Favor, equip them now to maximize its effect. Note that if you are using a staff of Mastery, it may take multiple castings for the Divine Favor boost to kick in. Be sure to re-equip the Smiting Prayers scalp and your axe/offhand combo after you are satisfied with your cast.


 * Then cast Strength of Honor and Balthazar's Spirit. This will provide you with added melee damage, Adrenaline for your Lacerating Chop, and help your energy management.

Note: These three enchantments can be cast in any order according to preference.


 * After all of the enchantments are cast, head towards your enemies (but see Choosing Enemies, below).


 * Before entering battle cast Protective Spirit and Shield of Absorption. (You should do this no more than two seconds before you do the next step.)


 * Aggro your enemies. You must keep up Shield of Absorption (near-)continuously. Depending on how high your Divine Favor attribute was when you cast Blessed Aura, you can have as little as .5 seconds to recast it - or you may have as many as 1.85 seconds. Note that if you miss a recast by a few seconds, the health gained from the Divine Favor Attribute alone and combined with the damage reduction from Protective Spirit will help prevent death, but don't take your time about recasting it. (Be aware that larger mobs mean faster death in this situation.)


 * Use Shield of Judgment for damage and Knockdown.


 * Use Lacerating Chop and Cyclone Axe for damage. The steady supply of Adrenaline should help recharge your Lacerating Chop fast and if you pair it with the Knockdown effect of Shield of Judgment your target will start to bleed. A good strategy is cycling your targets for the Lacerating Chop thus getting more to suffer from Bleeding. Use the Cyclone Axe as long as your energy management is comfortable to strike all adjacent opponents.


 * Cycling targets is in generel a good idea - the longer you have the more enemies the better is your energy management and the adrenaline gain on which your Lacerating Chop thrives.

Counters

 * Enchantment removal can be deadly if it hits Protective Spirit and/or Shield of Absorption. Because Necromancers and Mesmers have so many skills to do this, avoid them.


 * Most health degeneration will also kill you as you only have the raw Divine Favor Attribute as your healing. Again, avoid places with Necromancers or Mesmers. (Note that minor health degeneration may not necessarily be deadly as you will heal yourself every time you cast a spell on yourself due to the healing bonus from the Divine Favor attribute.)


 * If Shield of Absorption is interrupted, you could be in trouble. You will have to last ten seconds with only the healing boost from casting Protective Spirit on yourself - although Protective Spirit has a five second recharge.

Variants

 * Healing Breeze is useful when killing foes that cause -3 (or greater) health degeneration.


 * Zealot's Fire can provide relatively consistent AoE damage; you must be cautious as to how you time your spells so that there is at least three seconds between each of them, or you will cause your enemies to scatter.


 * Consider bringing Judge's Insight if farming undead, but beware that it can strain your energy management.


 * Consider changing the Axe skills to something causing various Conditions or one causing Interrupt to make you better suited at farming bosses. If centering on bosses, as oppossed to a mass of enemies, it might also be an idea to trade the Shield of Judgment in for another elite. Either an aggressive one to increase your damage or something to protect you from the bosses skills or spells. It doesn't really matter about the adrenaline cost, as your adrenaline is virtually infinite.

Warrior
 * Bonetti's Defense - for energy and +75% chance to block attacks, making you more resistant to melee interrupts such as Savage Slash.
 * Balanced Stance - to resist knockdowns and therefore some interruptions

Choosing Enemies
Only certain enemies will be effectively damaged by this build. Enemies that are knocked down by Shield of Judgment are preferred even if they do scatter; enemies such as the Mountain Trolls at Talus Chute can be knocked down and therefore will be vulnerable to this build. It is also possible to take out a range of other groups in the Chute including the Blessed Griffons, the Azure Shadows and any group of Tengu as long as they have no Avicara Guile as they can strip your enchantments.

Before you use this or any other build with Shield of Judgment to farm monsters, do some research to see if they can be knocked down or not. Shield of Judgment can cause scatter but the use of melee damage might be off-setting. And the added DPS of this build decreases the problem of scattering as they often die before getting away, or at least that they do not have to attack you to receive damage as with the builds depending on the Shield of Judgment alone. Your axe is your main damage dealer.

This build is also useful, and somewhat faster than less aggressive 55hp builds, on those monster that cannot be knocked down, but you'll forego the Bleeding and might consider another Adrenaline Axe Mastery skill in place of Lacerating Chop.

Also, when considering choosing an area, try to find an area with abundant melee attackers, who will be drawn close to your and the range of your axe.

Armor

 * Acolyte's Armor for its +10 armor (while enchanted) bonus - you will be under enchantments almost 100% of the time of your run.

Runes

 * Rune of Major or Superior Vigor

Weapons
Two weapon sets are optimal for this run, so that you can switch while running. This, of course, depends more or less on your personal style of running. One set for high energy, and faster recharge, and one for running through groups of Tundra Giants.

Weapon Set #1

 * Gardock's Staff

Weapon Set #2

 * Totem Axe or Rajazan's Fervor


 * Grognar's Defender

Note: The 20% longer enchantment mod helps to keep up the life-saving skill Divine Intervention longer which can be helpful when running through groups having this skill up.

General
The Running Sequence provides an almost constant speed boost. It is not gap-less, that is to say, there is a short pause between one Sprint and "Charge!" cycle. The Divine Favor Cycle provides the best quick-healing, and the Hex-Countering Mechanism the best anti-hex measurements.

Running Sequence

 * Use Sprint, and "Charge!" for a speed boost of 25%. Sprint and "Charge!" together do stack for a total boost of 33%.
 * Use Balanced Stance to counter knockdowns by Frost Wurms, Ice Golems, Tundra Giants, and Azure Shadows.

Note: Balanced Stance cancels Sprint and vice versa, for they are both stances. Never use them simultaneously if you don't want to lose either of them. Balanced Stance should be used with "Charge!" instead. Balanced Stance will outlast "Charge!" by 8 secs. Use Balanced Stance, wait 4-8 secs and activate "Charge!". It is better to be quicker in escape than in approach due to the aggro/ deaggro behavior of the NPCs.

Divine Favor Cycle

 * Activate Watchful Spirit (WS) when entering a new area.
 * Cancel Watchful Spirit whenever instant healing is necessary. Try to recast Watchful Spirit after that.
 * Use Divine Intervention (DI) as backup healing.

Note #1: Depending on your running abilities it is advised to use DI first before canceling WS in order to be still under the effect of the +2 health pips by WS.

Note #2 Your high Divine Favor attribute allows you to heal you from spells like Purge Conditions, and Smite Hex, too. Though, it might not be much healing but in case of little healing it is much better than canceling Watchful Spirit

Hex-Countering Mechanism
Note #1: Always use Smite Hex for removing a Hex before canceling Holy Veil. By not canceling Holy Veil first you make sure that the enemies still need twice as long to cast for their hexes.
 * Cast Holy Veil on yourself first as major hex-protecting mechanism.
 * Use Smite Hex as major hex-remover.

Note #2: For an extra hex remover cast Holy Veil and wait for it to recharge. By canceling it, recasting, and canceling it again, you can remove up to two hexes only with Holy Veil.

Conditions

 * Use Purge Conditions for an all-in-one conditions clean-up.

Note: Beware traps set by Pinesouls that cripple you for quite a long time. It is not unlikely that two traps are behind each other. Go on running crippled to check whether a second trap is about to ignite; only then use Purge Conditions to reduce the chance of getting trapped twice to a minimum. Alternatively, Mend Ailment can replace Purge Conditions for countering multi-traps.

Variants

 * Mend Ailment can replace Purge Conditions for countering multiple Barbed Traps.

Talus Chute
Due to the high damage output by the groups of Avicara, and the knockdowns by Azure Shadows, it is advised to modify the build for the final stage of the Droknar run. However, this is not needed if you have henchmen or real players as meatshields. Do not forget to put some attributes into Healing Prayers.
 * Activate Mending, Watchful Spirit, and Holy Veil (in this order).
 * Before encountering the first Azure Shadows cast Healing Breeze.
 * Activate Balanced Stance when the first Signet of Judgments are about to hit you.
 * Use "Charge!" in the first corner (left hand) near the Azure Shadow Boss.
 * Cancel Watchful Spirit whenever healing is required. Try to reapply it immediately.
 * Activate Divine Intervention as final life-saver skill when running through the groups of Avicara.

The 55hp Monk is used to solo many popular farming locations containing Griffons, Hydras, Mountain Trolls, and Minotaurs. It is an enchantment heavy build, so it is not suitable for areas with disenchanting mesmers or necromancers.

This build is often called "55 Monk" because of its low health -- only 55 hp. The low health makes Protective Spirit, which limits damage to 10% of a character's maximum health, reduce all received damage to 5hp/hit, which is easily countered by the 8 pips of health regeneration granted by Healing Breeze (16 hp regained every second).

This build no longer works as described because of the Wednesday 25th of October monster AI update, whereby monsters that can be knocked down no longer kill themselves on Shield of Judgment (meaning Hydras can still be farmed with this build for they cannot be knocked down). If you run past the Mountain Trolls in the cave outside Droknar's Forge, use this build to farm the Tundra Giants, be sure to use a skill like Dolyak Signet against them so you can cast your healing skills and Shield of Judgment to prevent them from disrupting you with their stomps. This also works well with Sand Giants  in the Scar area of the Crystal Desert.

It does work in areas such as the zone with Hydras and Griffins outside of the Augury Rock. It is still effective only takes longer. In the Nightfall campaign of Guild wars the build works real well against the groups of  Tusked Hunters and Tusked Howlers outside Yohlon Haven

See the article Invincible Monk for a discussion of the concept of the build.

Equipment

 * Any 20% of Enchanting, preferably with extra energy. A Totem Axe or Rajazan's Fervor is ideal.
 * The off-hand item is the -50 Grim Cesta obtained via the Cities of Ascalon quest.
 * Ascetic's Armor offers the most energy which is beneficial to this build, all armor pieces have to have Monk superior runes: one of each with one extra to bring your health down to 105 (this doesn’t include health deduction with the -50 Grim Cesta). Keep in mind that you don't need high armor for the build, so any Ascetic's with maximum energy will do.

Usage

 * Cast the first 4 enchantments before the fight. You won't have any energy regeneration, so use Blessed Signet to regain energy out of combat.
 * Before aggroing mobs, cast Protective Spirit. You should not need Healing Breeze unless you have more than 3 foes that cannot be knocked down (such as hydras), or 5 that can be knocked down (such as forgotten).
 * The energy gained from Essence Bond and Balthazar's Spirit should be more than enough for all situations.
 * Blessed Aura and your weapon of Enchanting will prolong your Shield of Judgment, which is your core offensive spell.
 * The build is most successful against melee attackers and is least successful against spell casters (especially Mesmers). To use it for farming, find an area with a heavy concentration of melee attackers (such as the Blessed Griffons in Snake Dance or the Hydras in Skyward Reach) and take them on.

List of Soloable Bosses

Wajjun Bazaar
 * Lian, Dragon's Petal - (aggro as many as possible for energy benefit)Instead of Essense Bond bring Zealot's Fire for additional damage.

Variants

 * Monk
 * Replace Essence Bond with Zealot's Fire for more damage output. See the notes on casting in succession to avoid breaking aggro.
 * Replace Blessed Aura with Smite for more firepower. Note that if you are used to Blessed Aura, then getting used to the decidedly shorter durations of Healing Breeze, Protective Spirit and Shield of Judgment will take some time.
 * Replace Essence Bond with Strength of Honor while using a melee weapon to do more Damage.
 * Replace Essence Bond with Symbol of Wrath and use it right after Shield of Judgment tends to kill Mountain Trolls with one round of Shield of Judgment.
 * Replace Healing Breeze with Shield of Absorption for 0 damage (With Totem Axe and Blessed Aura, Shield of Absorption will come back soon enough to recast before it ends.
 * Use Watchful Spirit for more regeneration
 * Warrior, secondary
 * Replace Essence Bond with Bonetti's Defense for an excellent energy providing skill, though dodging will reduce the DPS average.
 * Replace Essence Bond with Balanced Stance to protect yourself against knockdowns, such as Meteor casted by Hydras. This will make Hydra-Farming a lot easier.
 * Replace Essence Bond with Dolyak Signet to securely eliminate knockdowns from monsters such as Tundra Giants
 * Elementalist, secondary
 * Replace Essence Bond with Aftershock. This works fine with the knockdown provided by Shield of Judgment and does not break aggro like Zealot's Fire.
 * Replace Shield of Judgment with Glyph of Renewal and use Sliver Armor for damage.
 * Replace Essence Bond with Bed of Coals.
 * Necromancer, secondary
 * Replace Essence Bond with Suffering. Use this after Shield of Judgment, when the enemy(s) are knocked down because of its 2 second cast time it's easier to interrupt. For large mobs, cast it into the center of the group.
 * Mesmer secondary, you could do one or more of the following:
 * Replace Essence Bond with Channeling to gain tons of energy from crowding foes (this works well in conjunction with Zealot's Fire).
 * Replace Blessed Aura with Arcane Echo to lengthen the effect of Shield of Judgment.
 * Replace Essence Bond with Mantra of Resolve against enemies with interrupts. This can be useful against Titans and Mountain Trolls.
 * Replace Balthazar's Spirit with Sympathetic Visage. This will deplete enemies' energy and cause spellcasting monsters such as Hydras to attack you more once they no longer have the energy to power their spells.
 * Ranger, secondary
 * Replace Essence Bond with Serpent's Quickness for back to back Shield of Judgment casting.
 * Replace Blessed Signet with Brambles to add damage and inflict bleeding when enemies are knocked down by Shield of Judgment. Remember that Brambles is Factions only.
 * Dervish, secondary
 * Mystic Regeneration based:


 * Benefits - more points in Divine Favor and Smiting Prayers means Shield of Judgment does more damage for a longer time. Mystic Regeneration is far better than Healing Breeze (0.25 cast, up to +16 health regen for 24 sec).
 * Replace Watchful Spirit with Mending if you don't have WS.
 * Replace Watchful Spirit with Fleeting Stability if getting knocked down is a problem ("only" get max +14 health regen though). Suggested: Protection Prayers at 9 and Earth Prayers at 6 for longer Fleeting Stability.
 * Additional equipment: a wand + the Grim Cesta in another weapon set. If an enemy runs away, switch to wand, attack it then switch back to usual set. Unless the AI has changed, it should run back to attack you.
 * Mystic Regeneration for healing.

Counters

 * Enchantment removal
 * Interrupting
 * The dazed condition
 * Life stealing
 * Degeneration
 * Shroud of Silence

Attributes and Skills

 * The optional slot may be used for enchantments with low energy requirement, like Vigorous Spirit, Shielding Hands or Dwayna's Sorrow. Or use a cheap healing spell that benefits from enchantments, like Dwayna's Kiss.

Equipment

 * Ascetic's Armor is recommended to maximize energy pool. This build is all about energy! Generally you don't care too much about Armor, because you will be acting mostly from safe distance, not in the middle of the fight.
 * Items with bonus "while enchanted" are good because this built is designed to be permanently enchanted.
 * Weapons with HSR/HCT bonus are not effective because these only affect spells, not signets, which is what you'll use most frequently. However, HCT on your res skill is useful,
 * A wand and an offhand focus with +15 energy / -1 energy regen is useful. Since energy regen isn't your main source of energy supply anyway, the additional -2 degen don't hurt you that much, but the additional +30 energy pool are a great help sometimes. Just be careful not to swap weapopns when you are below 30 energy, or you will lose all enchantments except four.
 * Since most of your healing is "passive" you are not required to fight near the front. This allows you to stay back, in safe distance, so you can put on several superior runes and reduce your max health without much risk.

Usage
As a bonder this build is quite different from a "normal" healer or protector build. You rely heavily on "passive" healing through maintained enchantments, so much of your healing/protection is "fire and forget". You provide basic protection for the party with Life Bond, which, as an important side-effect, provides you with energy supply when used in combination with Balthazar's Spirit. And you provide basic healing for the party with Mending.

Energy management is crucial for any bonder. The good thing is that when you need the energy most urgently - in heavy fights - you will also have the highest energy supply through Life Bond and Balthazar's Spirit. This allows you to cast additional enchantments and then use Boon Signet for additional healing and energy gain. Energy management is actually harder when the party is not under attack. You may have to cancel enchantments during such times, and re-apply later when needed.


 * Cast Balthazar's Spirit and Mending on yourself and keep it up at all times.
 * In addition, in Luxon or Kurzick explorable areas, consider getting a Holy Blessing from the Kurzick/Luxon Priest at the Resurrection Shrine.
 * Try to keep up Life Bond active on as many party members as possible, including pets and NPC allies. Check allies frequently to see if anybody had Life Bond removed, and refresh it if necessary. You should be able to maintain 10 or more enchantments quite easily solely by using Blessed Signet.
 * Use Blessed Signet frequently, whenever it has recharged. With Divine Favor 14 you gain up to 23 energy per use of Blessed Signet, this means with 8 maintained enchantments you utilize the maximum possible.
 * In times of high energy and heavy fighting, cast Mending on party members who are under heavy attack for additional healing. Remove Mending when the battle is less heated.
 * In times of low energy, use Boon Signet for additional energy supply and (merely as a side effect) some free healing. With Divine Favor 14 you can gain 6 energy per use of Boon Signet. This means with 3 enchantments on an ally you get maximum benefit.
 * In times of low energy, use Signet of Rejuvenation for more free healing.

Counters
This build is ineffective in areas with many Me or N foes who remove or exploit enchantments.

Variants
Many variants are possible, especially for energy supply, depending on the secondary profession of the bonder.

Attributes and Skills

 * Signet of Rejuvenation can be used for better energy management
 * A Hex Removal such as Smite Hex can be brought if some or multiple "critical" hexes are being used in the area

Equipment

 * Any armor is usable, though for PvE Radiant armor may be best
 * A 20/20 +5energy +30hp healing staff is recommended

Usage

 * Cast Holy Haste and recast it whenever necessary
 * Cast Dwayna's Kiss and Ethereal Light whenever needed
 * If multiple allies take damage, use Light of Deliverance
 * Use Light of Deliverance whenever you can't reach an ally in need of healing
 * Healing Touch and Light of Deliverance are your self heals, though the easily interruptable Ethereal Light can be used as one as well
 * Dismiss Condition whenever a "critical" condition appears on an ally such as Blind on a warrior or Dazed on an elementalist
 * Smite Hex whenever a "critical" hex appears on an ally such as Backfire on a caster, Empathy on a warrior or Vocal Minority on a paragon. Of course Scourge Healing is lethal when using Light of Deliverance and therefore this should have high priority when removing hexes
 * Use Restore Life on a fallen ally, however don't do this until you are sure you can spend some free seconds where no allies need healing. The last thing you want is more deaths because of a resurrection

Counters

 * Any spell caster counters (daze, backfire, etc.)
 * Scourge Healing can do major damage when being careless with Light of Deliverance

Variants

 * Orison of Healing can be used instead of Ethereal Light if you get interrupted a lot while using Ethereal Light
 * Words of Comfort can be useful instead of Ethereal Light if many conditions are used in that area
 * Mend Condition can be used instead of Dismiss Condition if you think you don't get conditions yourself or if few enchantments are being used
 * If no conditions are being used in a certain area, consider bringing another healing skill or another hex removal instead of Dismiss Condition
 * Any other hex removal skill such as Remove Hex or Inspired Hex (must become /Me) can be used instead of Smite Hex
 * If no hexes are being used in a certain area, consider bringing another healing skill instead of Smite Hex
 * Signet of Rejuvenation and possibly Signet of Devotion can be used for a better energy management in this build. Replace Dismiss Condition or Smite Hex by one of these signets, depending on what you need most, anti condition or anti hex
 * Resurrection Chant instead of Restore Life for a resurrect from some distance

This build concentrates on the excellent party-healing abilities of the Monk elite skill Light of Deliverance. Using additional skills from the Protection Prayers and other Healing Prayers line skills, an extremely efficient and dependable party healer is created.

Equipment

 * Any armor can be used with this build, providing it has maximum AL. However, most healers prefer the extra energy gained from the use of Radiant Insignias.
 * Runes of Minor Divine Favor, Superior Vigor, Minor Protection Prayers, Superior Healing Prayers.

Usage

 * Heal single targets with Orison of Healing and Dwayna's Kiss. Keep in mind each spell's bonus healing effects.
 * Targets taking damage should be enchanted with Shield of Absorption.
 * Cast Protective Spirit on targets taking high spike damage.
 * Spam Light of Deliverance when your entire party is taking damage. Note that the Divine Favor bonus will only be applied onto you.
 * Remove harmful conditions with Dismiss Condition, Mend Condition, or Mend Ailment.
 * Use Holy Veil, Smite Hex, or Remove Hex to remove Hexes.
 * Revive fallen party members with Rebirth. Note that this should not be used in-battle, as you should focus on healing your party.

Variants

 * The most common variant would be to include Healing Seed in the build.
 * Take Reversal of Fortune for a fast heal and damage reduction.
 * For a different type of hex removal, consider replacing Holy Veil with Smite Hex or Remove Hex.
 * You may also wish to use a different form of condition removal, by replacing Dismiss Condition with Mend Condition or Mend Ailment.
 * Rebirth, while the most commonly used and recommended skill for resurrection in PvE, is definitely not core to this build's functionality. Feel free to replace it with any of the forementioned variants, or with another resurrection skill like Restore Life, Resurrection Chant, Resurrect, or even a Resurrection Signet.
 * Words of Comfort can also be utilized with this build.
 * Signet of Devotion if experiencing energy management problems.
 * If you're taking high-energy cost variants, consider switching to the Elementalist secondary profession and take Glyph of Lesser Energy.

Attributes and Skills

 * See the Variants section for some skills to use in the optional slot.

Equipment

 * Ascetic's Armor for a larger energy pool, with a +1 Protection Prayers scalp design. You will need to upgrade your armor so as to bring your health down to 55 hp (as seen on this section of the Invincible Monk page).


 * Any Sword or Axe of Enchanting. The bonus must be +20%. Also, a +5 Energy modifier (or the inscription "I Have the Power") helps to increase the energy pool even more. The Totem Axe and Rajazan's Fervor are common choices for this. A two-handed weapon cannot be used or your health will be more than 55.


 * A 20/20 Insightful Protection Staff of Enchanting works just as well. Unlike using a sword or axe, the staff will help mitigate an enemy's death. Having 105hp doesn't adversely affect the builds effectiveness.


 * Consider bringing a scalp design that provides a bonus in Divine Favor and/or a staff of Mastery in Divine Favor.

Usage

 * First cast Watchful Spirit and Balthazar's Spirit. This will provide +2 health regeneration (in case Shield of Absorption slips) and energy management.
 * Then cast Blessed Aura. If you are using a Divine Favor headpiece and/or a staff of Mastery in Divine Favor, equip them now to maximize its effect. Note that if you are using a staff of Mastery, it may take multiple castings for the Divine Favor boost to kick in. Be sure to re-equip the Protection Prayers scalp and your sword/axe/offhand combo after you are satisfied with your cast.
 * Note: These three enchantments can be cast in any order according to preference.
 * After all of the enchantments are cast, head towards your enemies (but see Choosing Enemies, below).
 * Before entering battle cast Protective Spirit and Shield of Absorption. (You should do this no more than two seconds before you do the next step.)
 * Aggro your enemies. You must keep up Shield of Absorption (near-)continuously. Depending on how high your Divine Favor attribute was when you cast Blessed Aura, you can have as little as .5 seconds to recast it - or you may have as many as 1.85 seconds. Note that if you miss a recast by a few seconds, the health regeneration from Watchful Spirit combined with the damage reduction from Protective Spirit will help prevent death, but don't take your time about recasting it. (Be aware that larger mobs mean faster death in this situation.)
 * Use Shield of Judgment for damage. Your enemies should kill themselves by attacking you.
 * Use Blessed Signet for energy management - it can even be used in battle if you have a few seconds to spare.

Choosing Enemies
Only certain enemies will be effectively damaged by this build. Enemies that are knocked down by Shield of Judgment will scatter; enemies such as hydras cannot be knocked down and therefore will be damaged by this build. Before you use this or any other build with Shield of Judgment to farm monsters, do some research to see if they can be knocked down or not before deciding whether to bring Shield of Judgment.

Also, when considering choosing an area, try to find an area with abundant ranged attackers, such as Ranger or Paragon, who do not flee from damage as melee creatures do. Ice Imps and Siege Ice Golems are good enemies to farm outside Ice Caves of Sorrow.

Counters

 * Enchantment removal can be deadly if it hits Protective Spirit and/or Shield of Absorption. Because Necromancers and Mesmers have so many skills to do this, avoid them.
 * Major health degeneration will also kill you. Watchful Spirit will counter minor health degeneration, but even that inflicted by Bleeding or Faintheartedness can overwhelm it. Again, avoid places with Necromancers or Mesmers. (Note that minor health degeneration over Watchful Spirit may not necessarily be deadly as you will heal yourself every time you cast a spell on yourself due to the healing bonus from the Divine Favor attribute.)
 * If Shield of Absorption is interrupted, you could be in trouble. You will have to last ten seconds on the health regeneration from Watchful Spirit and the healing boost from casting Protective Spirit on yourself - although Protective Spirit has a five second recharge.

Variants

 * Watchful Spirit and Balthazar's Spirit can be easily replaced by Mending and Essence Bond, respectively, with absolutely no change in the way the build works. Additionally, either one could fill the optional slot.
 * Healing Breeze or Watchful Healing is useful when killing foes that cause -3 (or greater) health degeneration.
 * Zealot's Fire can provide relatively consistent AoE damage; you must be cautious as to how you time your spells so that there is at least three seconds between each of them, or you will cause your enemies to scatter.
 * If your enemies will scatter from Shield of Judgment (see below), consider bringing another elite or another damaging non-AoE spell instead of it. Spell Breaker is a good choice for defense.
 * Having only 55 max health is not necessary to maintain a nearly invulnerable monk - see the Mo/E SoA Sliver build, and look at the Spirit Bond variant of that build. It can be used to counter health degeneration, and to some extent, life stealing.
 * You may want to ensure survival by using Shielding Hands. Cast it before SoA wears off to stay invulnerable.


 * Additional skills are recommended depending on your secondary profession.

Warrior
 * Bonetti's Defense - for energy and +75% chance to block attacks, making you more resistant to melee interrupts such as Savage Slash.
 * Balanced Stance - to resist knockdowns and therefore some interruptions

Mesmer
 * Arcane Echo - for longer use of Shield of Judgment
 * Mantra of Resolve - to prevent interruptions (but not knockdowns)

Ranger
 * Brambles - for more damage from Shield of Judgment
 * Serpent's Quickness for quicker recharge time on all skills cast while it is active

Necromancer
 * Spiteful Spirit for a different skill with a faster recharge and more damage output.
 * Spoil Victor for farming most melee bosses (assassins, dervishes, and warriors)

Dervish
 * Fleeting Stability - to prevent knockdown

Elementalist
 * Sliver Armor - to do tremendous damage once surrounded by masses of monsters
 * Glyph of Concentration - to avoid interrupts
 * Ward of Stability - to prevent knockdown
 * Grasping Earth - to keep monsters from fleeing

Equipment

 * Any armor is usable with this build, but you may wish to switch to Ascetic's armor for maximum Energy if you're expecting to spam your heals a lot.
 * Any focus and offhand combination, or staff, can work with this build. A 20/20 Focus and Offhand can prove to be valuable, but not required.

Usage

 * Orison of Healing, Word of Healing, and Dwayna's Kiss are your main heals. Spam them if necessary, but be aware that long periods of heavy healing without pauses can drain you, although not immediately. Note each spell's special effects.
 * Orison of Healing is the most basic heal. Use this one if the target is not affected by Hexes/Enchantments, or if target is above 50% health.
 * Dwayna's Kiss is very efficient at healing targets with Hexes or Enchantments on them. It is generally used on the main tank upon aggroing the next group of enemies, providing Healing Seed has expired or was removed.
 * Word of Healing is your main spike heal. A single cast of this can easily bring a party member from below 50% health to near-full health. Its 4 second recharge is comparitively longer than the recharge of Orison of Healing, so don't waste casting this on a party member above 50% health.
 * Healing Touch is an extremely useful self heal. Use it whenever you think your health is low. If someone in your party has lost quite a bit of health but is not in any particular danger, you may wish to heal them with this skill as well.
 * Use Remove Hex to remove any Hexes that affect your party. But remember: your main job is to keep your party alive. It is often better to let the hex die off itself rather than taking the time and energy to remove it. This should be used against serious hexes, rather than easily spammable ones like Life Siphon
 * Healing Seed and Rebirth are your only skills which cost more than 5 Energy to use, so use them wisely.
 * You should not be resurrecting in-battle with Rebirth. If you want to do so, you may want to switch to Resurrect or Resurrection Chant, or even Restore Life.
 * Healing Seed should be placed on the main tank upon right before they aggro the next group of monsters. It can also be used in-battle to protect a party member under heavy attack/pressure.

Counters

 * Energy Denial can pose a problem, but is not of immediate threat to this build.
 * Skills that increase recharge time such as Diversion and Distracting Shot can be devastating if more than one primary healing skill is struck by it.
 * If facing large groups of enemies or high-damage dealing enemies, the removal of Healing Seed can mean certain death for a tank, if not covered. This is not a large problem in most areas, though.

Variants

 * Some skills to consider to place into the optional skill slot:
 * Mend Ailment, Mend Condition, or Dismiss Condition (only if you want a rather fast condition removal w/o heal) for Condition removal.
 * Holy Veil for additional Hex removal.
 * Infuse Health for a stronger and faster Spike heal.
 * Healing Breeze for better counters againts heavy degeneration, or to cover small amounts of damage.
 * Heal Area or Karei's Healing Circle can be beneficial if your party contains any Minion Masters.
 * Remove Hex can be replaced by Holy Veil, if you think you will need a cover Enchantment for Healing Seed.
 * Use Smite Hex in place of Remove Hex if you dislike the two-second cast time for Remove Hex, and don't want the awkward double-click removal of Holy Veil.
 * Ethereal Light can be used in place of Orison of Healing if you don't think you will be attacked.
 * Replace Rebirth with an alternate resurrection skill of your choice. You may even want to eliminate Resurrection as a whole.
 * Heal Party is an excellent healing skill, and can be incorporated to this build. However, spamming this can be dangerous to your energy pool. One or two casts can heal your party effectively without putting too much pressure on energy usage.
 * Holy Haste can be used to reduce the cast time of healing prayers if you don't plan on using any enchantments like Healing Breeze.
 * Vigorous Spirit is a good heal over time for other party members, especially tanks. It also synergies well with Dwayna's Kiss.
 * Replace Healing Touch with Signet of Devotion so that you can continue to heal even if you are getting low on energy.

Template
necro

The N/D Heir to the Master is an MM build designed to withstand moderately heavy damage and health degeneration at the same time supporting other MM's. Excellent for Alliance Battles and can work in PvE with a few modifications. Necromancer

Equipment

 * Armor - Recommend full Radiant Armor, though other set-ups are viable. Equip the best Vigor rune possible.
 * Weapons - Ghial's Staff or something similiar.

Usage

 * Maintain Aura of the Lich, Dark Bond, Mystic Regeneration and Infuse Condition
 * When playing as the only MM, animate minions as the situation permits.
 * When playing with other MM's, let them make more minions than you, and tell them that you will be healing their minions as through Blood of the Master spamming. Mystic Regeneration will fill your health back up before Blood of the Master is even recharged.

Counters

 * Traditional spell caster counters (Dazed, interruption, etc.) However in this case dazed will have almost no effect since its usually instantly passed on to a minion.
 * Enchantment stripping. But only multiple or mass enchant removal skills are truly dangerous. You can use mystic regeneration as cover for your other enchants, the fast recharge and cast time makes it ideal for this.
 * Life Stealing (with Aura of the Lich, your health will be lower but it cannot reduce life stealing skills such as Vampiric Gaze)
 * Low max health makes degeneration more dangerous. Extremely heavy health degeneration though (more than -12) which is unlikely except for heavy hex based degen (remember you pass on your conditions). Builds like this are rare in pve and AB. But a significant amount of degen will impede your use of blood of the master.
 * Losing all your minions (especially in AB). This means that you have no damage reduction (from dark bond), are susceptible to conditions and most importantly posses no notable offense. If you lose al of them (trough veratas aura or aoe) attempt to create more asap or retreat.

Variants

 * Replace Infuse Condition with Verata's Aura or Dark Aura.
 * Replace Animate Bone Horror with Animate Bone Minions.
 * Replace Signet of Lost Souls with Resurrection Signet or Sunspear Rebirth Signet or Consume Corpse.
 * Replace Animate Bone Horror with Animate Shambling Horror or Animate Vampiric Horror.
 * Replace Signet of Lost Souls with Verata's Aura (to recover lost minions or steal those of enemy MM).

Templates
The Mystic Blood Bonder is a health and energy battery build. The combination of Mystic Regeneration and Blood Renewal provides stable health management for Blood is Power, and allows you to supply Blood Bonds to teammates. Along with a third enchantment, this combination provides +15 health regeneration. Even though health regeneration is capped at 10, this cap is applied after the degen from your Blood Bonds is subtracted. This build has advantages over a standard BiP energy battery, as it can effectively provide both energy and health battery services to a whole team, as well as a semi-party heal. It also has more effective methods to counteract BiP's sacrifice costs.

Equipment
Because of the importance of your enchantments, a Blood Staff of Enchanting is required to get the longest possible duration. Undertaker's or Radiant Insignias would be best, depending on personal preference for more armor or more energy.

Usage

 * Try to stay back out of the fight and avoid aggro. You should be well behind the monks and out of range of enemies.
 * Keep Blood Renewal and Mystic Regeneration up at all times during combat.
 * Apply Blood Bond first to allies heading into combat that you expect to take damage such as the tank(s). Also apply it to other allies who come under attack or are experiencing health degeneration.
 * Don't wait for people to call their Energy. Instead, apply BiP to all party members in the following order:
 * Before a fight, apply BiP to party members who setup in advance (such as trappers, bonders or ritualists)
 * During a fight, apply it to the healers, elementalists and other casters, then frontline attackers in that order of priority.
 * As you are casting BiP on each party member, this is a good time to also cast Blood Bond on them if needed. This can also be useful if a cover enchant is needed to protect BiP.  However don't get carried away and try to cast Blood Bond on all party members.  It is not neccessary and will put an extra strain on your health and energy management.
 * Use Aura of Thorns in case you attract any melee attention, and you will then be able to kite away. You can also use this to assist monks or other casters to kite if you notice they have attracted aggro.  Its short recharge and long duration means that you can use it to boost Mystic Regeneration (only if needed), but it should be available to use to cripple foes when needed.
 * Dwayna's Touch should mainly be used as a strong self-heal, but it can also be used to heal a teammate if needed. Be aware of its touch range, because of this it should only be used rarely, on backline teammates only.
 * The health boost from the ending of Blood Renewal can be used to quickly recover from the sacrifice cost of Blood is Power. If you see that this is about to end, you can feel safe in casting more than one BiP in a row.
 * Use Mystic Healing if several of your party members need a quick health boost. Remember that Blood Bond provides more energy efficient health over time, so Mystic Healing should not be spammed and only used when really needed.

Counters

 * Enchantment removal.
 * Heavy melee pressure.
 * Backfire or other similar anti-caster skills.

Variants
Variations could add some of the following skills (possibly removing Res, Aura of Thorns, or Dwayna's Touch):
 * Signet of Pious Light: Trickier to manage than Dwayna's Touch, but gives you an additional ranged healing skill.
 * Order of Pain: Boost your team's damage output, and its also an enchantment so it will boost your Mystic Regeneration.
 * Pious Restoration: If you need hex removal.
 * Blood Ritual: Add this if you want to use a different elite skill, but still want to provide energy battery services.
 * Well of Blood: Increased healing support, and corpse control.
 * Signet of Lost Souls: Increased energy management if you feel it is needed.

Equipment

 * Armor:
 * Tormentor's Armor
 * Weapons:
 * The Nightbringer or Ghial's Staff can work quite well.

Usage
In order to properly use this build most effectively, you will need to learn how and when to properly cast. The basic principle is to cast Enfeeble on a target, followed by Virulence, and Epidemic to spread the -8 health degeneration to the surrounding creatures, all the while keeping your armor up with Physical Resistance, and occasionally leeching some life by using Oppressive Gaze. With this build you will be able to farm groupings of 10+ without triggering scatter, meaning that you will be able to farm large groups without getting some to pull off as with builds that use AoE to farm large groups of creatures. Oppressive Gaze will occasionally scatter these creatures, but in some cases it is necessary to do so in order to stay alive. Channeling will be used as a tool for energy-management, and Shadow of Fear is used to slow down enemy attacks so that Blood Renewal can keep your health increasing.

Counters

 * Interrupts. Mountain Trolls especially slow down the process (and occasionally kill you) when they manage to interrupt you with Disrupting Chop. Putting time between Enfeeble and Virulence usually helps, and keeping Shadow of Fear on creatures will also decrease their disruption rate.

Variants

 * For some creatures, Sympathetic Visage and Ancestor's Visage may be necessary to decrease skill usage.
 * For further Variants, consult this thread

Video
A youtube video showing the build in action.

This necromancer specializes in Curses and centers around the use of the elite skill Feast of Corruption to spike large groups of foes with AoE armor-ignoring damage. The specific skill set listed here is designed for PvE use but it can be easily adapted for PvP play.

Equipment

 * Of the many armor options available to necromancers the mods on Scar Pattern Armor are the most useful. A large energy bar is the only way you can ensure a successful cast of several offensive spells on a single target.
 * Halves skill recharge time on Curses is a very useful mod as well as it will enable repeated casting of your Curses spells.  A truncheon from Nord Stonegrimm or Uderit Ignis will provide the build with the much needed chance of fast recharge and in the off hand Villnar's Glove provides a chance for level 19 Curses as well as an additional chance at halves spell recharge.  Another option for the focus would be the focus available from Cinder Linnwood or Goran Grimyak which will increase the chance at a fast recharge of Curses spells to 36% but without the added bonus of a 20% chance of +1 Curses. A third option would be to take the curse staff from Hoknil the Lesser, which has the two 20% fastcast/recharge upgrades built in while also allowing the addition of a +1 Curse Staff Wrapping. This also allows for the inclusion of a staff head of your choosing.

Usage

 * Usage of the spiker is fairly straightforward. Cast Awaken the Blood before combat, wait for a group to form up and hit them with Suffering. Echo Feast of Corruption, and send it at the group (twice).
 * Desecrate Enchantments does additional AoE armor-ignoring damage and can be used after Feast of Corruption, if the additional damage is needed to take out a group of targets.
 * Enfeebling Blood is an excellent utility skill to use to help mitigate damage. It works best on groups that are not targeted as it makes them that much easier to ignore. Also, use it on the targeted group if the initial AoE damage spike does not take them down.
 * Parasitic Bond is included as a self heal as well as a hex that can be used to trigger the life steal of Feast of Corruption when attacking single targets.

Variants

 * Shadow of Fear can be used instead of Suffering as an effective AoE hex that triggers Feast of Corruption. [NOTE: Suffering has a larger radius than Shadow of Fear.] Use which ever skill suits the individual corrupter's personal tastes. This skill particularly shines in areas where foes will fall to a single iteration of the AoE damage spike as it is cheaper than Suffering and if foes are dying before Suffering can deal any degeneration damage the extra 5 energy is wasted.  In higher level areas Suffering is preferable because its degeneration damage can often take down what is left of a group after the AoE damage iteration.
 * Meekness could also be used instead of Suffering. Its wider radius will allow Feast of Corruption to quickly steal back the sacrifice cost of the spell, with the only downside being a higher energy cost and a longer recharge time.
 * Spinal Shivers can be included as a utility skill to help shut down monks or casters of any kind. Coordinate with team mates, if a shutdown is needed this skill is indispensable.  If it is not needed a corrupter is better off with Enfeebling Blood.

Template
The Midnight Solo is one of a very few builds centered around the Mesmer elite skill Signet of Midnight. This solo build will work on all Warrior bosses located in the Jade Sea. It should be applicable to most Warrior and Assassin bosses in other areas, as long as you isolate them.

This build has been proven to work on:
 * Geoffer Pain Bringer (Boreas Seabed (Explorable))
 * Sskai, Dragon's Birth (Boreas Seabed (Explorable))
 * Jacqui The Reaver (Gyala Hatchery (Explorable))
 * Reefclaw Ragebound (Gyala Hatchery (Explorable))
 * Chkkr Locust Lord (Melandru's Hope)

This build focuses on blinding the target and uses failure hexes to get energy as well as deal some damage. With a high chance to miss with attacks (25%+25%+52% from hexes and 90% from blindness) the target will simply never hit you with an attack. Mixed with -9 Health degeneration this build is very effective and can kill almost any Jade Sea Boss in 60 seconds.

Equipment

 * +5 energy Wand or Sword and any collectors Curses offhand.
 * Wicked Scar Pattern (Curses +1).
 * Superior Curses Rune.

Usage
The usage is very simple.
 * Find the boss, cast Mantra of Resolve and pull him out.
 * Try to cast Signet of Midnight before his first attack. Normally he will hit you once before you can blind him and you should survive it.
 * Now cast the 3 failure hexes, start with Spirit of Failure to start getting energy right away.
 * Follow with Price of Failure which will deal 32 damage on each attack attempt.
 * And finally finish with Reckless Haste to speed up killing. This hex will also keep us safe with 52% chance to miss.
 * The total hit rate, factoring in all miss rates, is 2.7% for any melee boss.
 * Now cast Ignorance to disable Healing Signet.
 * And now cast Conjure Nightmare to add some final fun with -8 Health degeneration.
 * Cast Parasitic Bond as soon as possible as it will heal you only after 20 seconds.
 * Recast Signet of Midnight, Ignorance and Reckless Haste as soon as they are ready to cast, they are the key skills in this build.
 * Recast Conjure Nightmare and Price of Failure with Spirit of Failure as soon as their effect ends.

Variants

 * If you feel safe and don't need healing you can exchange Parasitic Bond for Empathy or Suffering.
 * If you feel you don't need protection against interrupts you can exchange Mantra of Resolve for Enfeebling Touch it will lower damage you receive from attacks and speed up killing. You can also exchange Mantra of Resolve with Mantra of Inscriptions to speed up recharge time of Signet of Midnight.
 * You can also replace Ignorance with a damage-dealing hex when the boss doesn't use Healing Signet.
 * Replace Parasitic Bond and Conjure Nightmare with Empathy and Vampiric Touch or Vampiric Bite. Move your attribute points from Illusion Magic to Blood Magic. You get a more immediate life steal skill in exchange for no degen on your target; but requires more careful energy use.
 * Chkkr Locust Lord farming: replace Mantra of Resolve and Ignorance for Spirit Shackles and Drain Enchantment (or Shatter Enchantment) to get rid of his Shadow Refuge or his Locust's Fury. Mind Wrack can also be used instead of Drain Enchantment.

Counters

 * Even though the hit rate of the boss does become 2.7%, if you are really unlucky, you may still die if the boss get some hits through between the time your hexes has worn off and before you get to replace them (most notably Reckless Haste).

Equipment

 * Necromancer armor of personal preference.
 * a 20/20 cold damage weapon and 20/20 offhand, such as the Wailing Wand from Gertrud or Telamon and Villnar's Glove or The Shadestone (as long as you have 9 blood magic).
 * The Stonereaper is also good for this build, however it deals dark damage that will not trigger Spinal Shivers. Therefore you might also consider its collector counterparts.

Usage

 * Be conscious of the aggro distribution around the tanking characters. The success of this build relies on proper placement of Spiteful Spirit, and poor placement can be the difference between eliminating the group and a wasted spell.
 * Before battle, cast Awaken the Blood, followed by Arcane Echo.
 * Choose a target and cast Spiteful Spirit, followed by Reckless Haste. Assassins are ideal targets, due to their higher attack speed.
 * Select a second nearby target and cast a second Spiteful Spirit.
 * Cast Spiteful Spirit on any remaining foes as energy and recharging skills allow.
 * Cast Spinal Shivers on any monk targets standing after the initial hexes, and attack them with a cold-damage weapon.
 * Blood Ritual is used as a quick supply of energy for the party.
 * Enfeebling Blood should be used as a protective measure.

Variants

 * Replace Enfeebling Blood, Spinal Shivers, or Blood Ritual with:
 * Parasitic Bond should you need a cover hex or healing.
 * Suffering for additional degeneration.
 * Defile Enchantments or Desecrate Enchantments for additional spike damage.
 * Putrid Explosion and move some points to Death Magic for a strong finishing spike.
 * Consume Corpse for Corpse control.
 * Price of Failure for additional damage with Reckless Haste.
 * Strip Enchantment or Revealed Enchantment for control of strong enchanted foes.
 * Mark of Pain for additional pressure when your party deals physical damage.
 * Insidious Parasite or Vampiric Gaze for dealing with one or sometimes two scattering enemies.
 * Enfeebling blood and Oppressive Gaze combine well for spike damage and life stealing.
 * When farming The Deep, bring Blood Renewal instead of Awaken the Blood for self healing.
 * For Prophecies only characters, replace Reckless Haste with Parasitic Bond for additional self-healing.
 * Move a few points from Soul Reaping and Blood Magic to Inspiration Magic and use Auspicious Incantation on the echoed version of SS for better energy management.

Template
This build is intended for quick and direct farming of bosses. It relies on the normal 55 standard and very high health regeneration for healing and damage reduction. Essence Bond and Balthazar's Spirit provide energy for the consistent spamming of regeneration skills. The main damage comes from Spoil Victor and possibly one Touch Attack. This build allows the user to charge directly for the boss monster and ignore the boss's mob.

Equipment

 * Each of your armor pieces need to have a superior attribute Rune. This will lower your base Health to 105. (The only required type is blood, but 5 are necessary to hit 105 health.)
 * It is a good idea to bring a second set of armor. This will allow you to adjust your health manually based on any Death Penalty you might accumulate.
 * Any +5 energy/20% longer enchanting sword/axe such as Rajazan's Fervor or Totem Axe.
 * The -50hp Grim Cesta from the Cities of Ascalon quest. (This is not required if you don't mind dying once and using a -20 offhand to hit 13hp. This will work better in most cases.)
 * For 13hp build, any -20hp offhand (preferably +12 energy). (Life is Pain Inscriptions help with this.)
 * If you have any +hp offhands they could also be useful if any DP is accumulated.

Usage

 * Cast your four maintained enchantments when entering the explorable area. Try to allow full energy regeneration after each one until you're used to an area.
 * As you approach your target cast Protective Spirit and Healing Breeze.
 * Target the boss monster and cast Spoil Victor.
 * Get as much aggro as possible from the boss's mob of monsters.
 * Begin using Vampiric Touch on the boss
 * After any touch attempt refresh either Healing Breeze or Protective Spirit. Alternate the refresh between the two.
 * Having the touches interrupted is not an issue. They have a fast refresh time.
 * Refreshing Healing Breeze and Protective Spirit early is ideal when facing a boss whose mob has interrupt capability. If they are interrupted this is less problematic as they'll likely refresh before they expire.
 * To keep melee foes from fleeing, keep hitting them with your axe or sword.

Counters

 * Enchantment stripping spells such as Chilblains, Lingering Curse, Well of the Profane, Gaze of Contempt, Rend Enchantments, Strip Enchantment, Inspired Enchantment, Dark Apostasy, Shatter Enchantment, or Expunge Enchantments.
 * Life Steal attacks will bypass the protection offered from Protective Spirit. This will usually kill you.

Variants

 * Consider using Blood of the Aggressor instead of Vampiric Touch for lesser energy use and damage from a distance (safer against interrupts from warriors or rangers). Vampiric Touch is sometimes impossible to use in areas where there's a lot of energy degeneration such as Domain of Secrets.
 * Some groups apply more degen than you can handle, in this case replace Vampiric Touch with either Life Siphon or Blood Renewal. Life Siphon is better for groups without a lot of interrupts, while Blood Renewal has a faster cast time, and the sacrifice will be healed before you notice it most of the time.
 * Another skill you may consider in replacing Vampiric Touch is Wallow's Bite or Touch of Agony. With only 5 energy cost and 3 sec recharge time, you can definitely spam this skill to speed up killing.  The 10% life sacrifice is hardly noticeable.  A good example would be the case of farming Wing's Axe.  If you encounter a mesmer with two ritualists, it's almost impossible to kill her with just Spoil Victor as she strips off hexes the moment you put it on her.  Not to mention she strips off hexes from the her party too.
 * Replacing Watchful Spirit with Vigorous Spirit and Vampiric Touch with Plague Touch opens up a lot of possibilities. Vigorous Spirit maybe be used as a cover enchantment versus enchantment removal or a cheaper heal than Healing Breeze when down to one or two attackers. When using Vigorous Spirit as a cover, it's usually best to cast Protective Spirit, then Vigorous Spirit, then Healing Breeze immediately before attacking the target mesmer or necro (Kournan Seers are one example of where this works very well). Plague Touch is useful to remove conditions such as Dazed from the Grasping Darknesses in the Underworld, or Deep Wound when fighting Stoneaxe Hekets while farming greens like the Eye of Argon and Balthazar's Fury though removing Deep Wound isn't always a good idea, since you end up taking less damage which makes you harder to kill.

Equipment
Wayward Wand (HSR of Death Magic 20%) Bleached Skull (Death Magic +1 20% / Heath +30) A Ghial's Staff works great too. Best Vigor Rune possible. Rune of Superior Death Magic.

Usage
Master of Whispers and/or Olias have shown that they use the build very well with minimal human support. The only exception to this may be the usage of Blood of the Master at in-opportune times as they tend to, literally, kill themselves by over using it. By adding Karei's Healing Circle to their bar they will alternate between the two skills, healing themselves and their minions as well as any nearby allies.

If you are in a heavy fight you may need to activate Jagged Bones and/or Death Nova periodically as they will sometimes ignore these skills in order to pull up more minions or to spam Blood of the Master, although this is a rare occurrence.

If you notice your Hero is running low on health or is in a bad situation you may need to manually make him use Taste of Death, although they normally do this themselves.

Variants
Use Feast for the Dead for a low cost heal instead of Karei's Healing Circle or Blood of the Master. It kills a minion but heals all of the others for a third of their health bar due to all of the points in death magic.

Verata's Aura can be used in the optional spot in the event that the MM should die. This will give him the ability to recover a few of the unbound minions.

Rather than using Taste of Death to destroy a minion, you can also use Putrid Flesh. Coupled with Death Nova, this will deal damage in the area, as well as spreading poison AND disease to all vulnerable foes.

Counters
Enemies that do not have flesh will render the build useless as they will be immune to poison and bleeding.

The other problem occuring frequently is that heroes using this build often tend to drag behind the party and maintain the enchantments and health of the minions instead of keeping in touch with the frontlines. Patience, frequent stops and inspecting the radar before engaging enemies is essential for you as you will find yourself amidst the battle taking all the damage otherwise while your allied undead army recieves care in safe distance. The other option is to use a flag to force the hero to move closer to enemy, but that reduces the effectiveness of the build, because you will interrupt him and the minions won't be properly boosted before the fight.

Templates
The Minion Master PvE build centers on creating and maintaining an army of minions. See the General minion mastery guide for in-depth discussion.

Attributes and Skills

 * See Variants for possible skills for the optional slot.
 * Karei's Healing Circle is the Factions equivalent skill for Heal Area.
 * The skill set presented here is an example. No claims are made to its supremacy.

Equipment

 * Bloodstained Boots or Insignia are a must. Other than that, any Necromancer armor is fine, although Minion Master insignia is preferred.
 * A staff or weapon/focus set that halves recharge and casting time of Death Magic is advisable. Ghial's Staff or The Nightbringer work great.
 * See the Equipment section of the General minion mastery guide for more options.

Usage

 * As soon as corpses are available, start by raising a Flesh Golem, then Bone Fiends. If you are low on energy or are waiting for Animate Bone Fiend to recharge, raise up some Bone Horrors. Summon new minions during battle if needed.
 * Use Dark Bond to mitigate damage, if you expect to be in a vulnerable position.
 * Use Blood of the Master and/or Heal Area to keep your minions alive.

Counters

 * An enemy with Diversion will screw you up if it gets used on Blood of the Master.
 * A good mesmer could mess you up when you try to summon minions.
 * Another necromancer may get to corpses before you do, which will leave you with a lack of corpses.
 * A mesmer with Conjure Phantasm or Conjure Nightmare will kill you pretty fast if you don't have a hex remover.
 * See also the Opposing forces section of the General minion mastery guide.

Variants

 * Some find the extra healing provided by Heal Area unnecessary. This gives the Minion Master more choices in selecting a secondary profession. Also, the points put into Healing Prayers can be used in other attributes.
 * Aura of the Lich can be used in place of Animate Flesh Golem to allow more spamming of Blood of the Master, although not advisable when anticipating health degeneration effects. This also makes Blood Renewal useful for self-healing if Blood Magic is used.
 * Taste of Death can be used in place of Dark Bond healing.
 * Skills such as Rotting Flesh, Putrid Explosion, Deathly Swarm and Bitter Chill can be added to give the Minion Master some direct damage skills that are linked to Death Magic.
 * You can bring Death Nova to make one last final use of a minion that's near death.
 * For more self healing Animate Vampiric Horror can be used in place of Animate Bone Fiend. This allows a more meat-shield like role of the minion master protecting the back line casters. If making this switch, it is a good idea to cast Animate Bone Horror more often due to the recharge time of Animate Vampiric Horror and to refresh your minions.
 * Fill the optional slot with Verata's Aura to reclaim your minions if you die, or possibly to steal minions from monsters who create them. Not many monsters can, however, and the ones that can do not create them nearly as fast as the average Minion Master Necromancer. As such, Verata's Gaze may be a better choice for stealing minions.
 * Infuse Condition in combination with Dark Bond is useful in scenarios where you are being targeted instead of your minions.
 * Some like to bring other healing skills such as Healing Breeze or Blood Renewal to offset the sacrifice damage suffered by using Blood of the Master.
 * Rebirth can be replaced by the resurrection skill of your choice.
 * Skills such as Putrid Explosion will exploit your corpses rendering them useless to a Minion Master. Instead of using Animate Bone Fiend and Dark Bond, try Fetid Ground and Deathly Swarm for damage when you need to kill enemies quickly without enemies.
 * You can use Animate Shambling Horror instead of Animate Bone Horror if you have Guild Wars Nightfall. The differences between a Shambling Horror and a Bone Horror, except for the 'skin', include a different attack range from Bone Minions and Vampiric Horrors, and the fact that when a Shambling Horror dies they will immediatly turn into a Jagged Horror, which will cause bleeding with its attacks. Those using Shambling Horror will find a longer recharge time in return for this fact, so faster-recharging summons are advised.
 * Using Dwayna's Sorrow on your minions can provide numerous, cheap heals for your entire party.
 * Signet of Lost Souls may be an energy management option.


 * If you consider the healing from Heal Area unnecessary, replace it with a Death Magic spell such as Deathly Swarm, Bitter Chill or any other high damage Death Magic spell.

Equipment

 * Armor - Scars are preferable due to higher max energy, since you won't be taking much damage (hopefully) AL shouldn't be a factor.
 * Weapons - Insightful 20/20 Blood staff of Enchanting to lengthen orders by 1 second on all of your party members.

Usage

 * Keep Vigorous Spirit and Awaken the Blood on constantly.
 * Keep Order of the Vampire up constantly when in battle.
 * Spam Heal Party whenever energy permits you to do so.
 * use Blood Ritual in emergency situations when your spellcasters are low on energy.
 * Use extinguish when your party is suffering from a lot of conditions
 * Stay out of combat.

Counters

 * 1) Mass enchantment removal, like Mirror of Disenchantment or Hex Eater Vortex.

Variants

 * For use of Order of Pain, replace Order of the Vampire with Aura of the Lich and Extinguish with Order of Pain.

This build is meant to solo farm the Bladed Aatxe in the Underworld for ectos and to solo the Grasping Darkness for gold drops and other rare items.

Attributes and Skills

 * Consider replacing Vigorous Spirit with Suffering so that you can use it as a cover hex and be able to solo the Smite Crawlers.

Equipment

 * Use cheap radiant armor, or cheap armor that gives you extra energy, and 5 superior runes to bring your health down to 105.
 * Use a sword, or axe with a 20% enchantment mod (this is critical, because vigorous spirit's effect will activate slower with a wand, scythe etc.)
 * The -50 HP grim cesta is also needed for this.

Usage

 * Enter the Underworld
 * Aggro the Bladed Aatxe group on the left, or right, and run in the opposite direction to the opposite corner.
 * The Bladed Aatxe group should not follow you, but if there was a Dying Nightmare near the Bladed Aatxe group then it should have followed you, cast vigorous spirit and wait for the Dying Nightmare to remove it with Rend Enchantments, now use Protective Spirit and wand the Dying Nightmare to death.
 * Stand in a safe spot, and cast all of your maintained enchantments. You should have at least 25 energy after the enchantments before you begin to aggro the Bladed Aatxe group.
 * Cast Vigorous Spirit before you aggro the group of Bladed Aatxe, now use Protective Spirit, target a Bladed Aatxe and use Spoil Victor
 * Begin attacking the Bladed Aatxe with your sword or axe. Health gained from Vigorous Spirit should be enough for a group of 2 Bladed Aatxe.
 * Maintain Protective Spirit and Vigorous Spirit while fighting the group. If you have health problems, and your health stays steady at half full, use Healing Breeze.
 * Apply Spoil Victor to your target(s) when it recharges. Most of the time 1 cast of Spoil Victor will fully kill a Bladed Aatxe or a Grasping Darkness, but if not recast it.
 * Repeat steps 2-9 for the second Bladed Aatxe group.
 * Kill the Bladed Aatxe groups on the right and left, be sure to also include the lone Bladed Aatxe that walks around to both groups frequently (you can kill the middle group, but if there is a nightmare spawn and you run, the entire group will follow you).
 * Take the quest after the Bladed Aatxe on the right and left are killed.
 * Use steps 2-9 for the Grasping Darkness
 * If dazed use Plague Touch on a Grasping Darkness.
 * Usually the health gained from Vigorous Spirit is enough without Healing Breeze to maintain stably high health against a group of 3 or 4 Grasping Darkness.
 * Continue on through the chamber with in the direction of the Smite Crawlers and you will find more Bladed Aatxe and Grasping Darkness to farm.
 * Be sure not to aggro more than 2-4 groups at a time.

Counters

 * Rend Enchantments from a Dying Nightmare that you did not take action upon when the Dying Nightmare spawned.
 * Interrupt.

Variants

 * Live Vicariously can replace Vigorous Spirit so that your main way of healing can't be interrupted. Note that Live Vicariously provides less hp than Vigorous Spirit.

Equipment
Armor:
 * Scar Pattern Armor or Cabalist's Armor type (if you have Guild Wars Factions) because they offer the most energy required for the build.
 * All armor pieces must have Necromancer superior runes: a Superior Death Magic is recommended but not compulsory. Aim for the cheapest runes.

Weapons:
 * Totem Axe for the energy and the +20% length of enchantments
 * To solo the Underworld you will need a max damage Truncheon such as the one from Uderit Ignis, or, if you have Factions, a Wailing Wand from Gertrud or Telamon.
 * The off-hand item is the Cities of Ascalon quest reward -50HP Grim Cesta

Usage
The process of this build is basically the same as the old one. Cast Essence Bond, Balthazar's Spirit, and Mending Before battle and let your energy recharge. As you aggro your target cast Protective Spirit and Healing Breeze. Once your target attacks cast Spiteful Spirit and shortly after, Rotting Flesh. If the target group is large enough they will start taking turns attacking. Once a body is available cast Well of Suffering. Remember to keep up the enchantments.

Counters

 * Any enchantment removal will most likely kill you.
 * Conditions also pose a threat to any 55. Stack too many and you will negate your health regeneration.
 * Death penalty will majorly mess you up.
 * Be very careful of interrupting attacks from warriors, an example is Mountain Trolls' Disrupting Chop. This is especially dangerous as it adds 20 second cool down to the recharge of the affected spell, if this hits on Protective Spirit or Healing Breeze it can leave you dead in seconds.

Variants

 * Well of the Profane may replace Well of Suffering to hinder enchantment reliant attacks
 * Guardian may be advisable for attacking a large group at one time. The AI still has everyone attack at once and then after some time (Undetermined) they break up
 * The use of Putrid Explosion may be helpful in certain situations.
 * Necrotic Traversal is an energy friendly alternative to Well of Suffering

Equipment

 * Scar Pattern, Cabalist's or Radiant armor is recommended for extra energy. Bloodstained Boots or Bloodstained Insignia on your armor are a good choice to reduce the casting time of the Wells. In addition to the Blood Magic and Soul Reaping runes, use the best vigor rune you can afford and 2 runes of attunement.
 * Use an Insightful Blood Staff of Fortitude with 20/20 Blood Magic cast and recharge.
 * Kyril's Fervor (green) suits this build perfectly

Usage

 * Before corpses are available, use Dark Pact, Vampiric Gaze, and Barbed Signet to help dispatch enemies.
 * When foes start dying, begin casting wells. If the closest corpse is near your party's casters, lead off with Well of Power. If not, it may just be best to use Well of Blood and save Well of Power for helping players who rely heavily on energy.
 * The two types of wells overlap and their effects stack which can provide a great deal of health regeneration.
 * Don't hesitate to spam wells if you have the energy.
 * Use Blood Ritual to act as a battery for your party. Prioritise the Monks, but if you have the health and energy to spare use it on any caster.
 * If the monks are having trouble keeping up with healing the party, use Heal Other. Prioritise healing the monks above other party members.
 * Even after all enemies are defeated, you should still cast another well or two to speed up the regeneration of your allies and shorten the time until everyone is ready for the next encounter.

Counters

 * The wells do have long casting times so watch out for interruption. Use Bloodstained Boots or Bloodstained Insignia on your armor if possible, to shorten casting times of spells that exploit corpses.
 * Exploitable corpses are required for the wells, so this is not a good build in places where they are scarce.
 * This build aids allies via regeneration so it is little help against spike damage.
 * Energy denial can be annoying, but even just a few wells are a great help and you are getting a fairly steady stream of energy from Soul Reaping.

Variants

 * For a more supportive build at the cost of losing the ability to do direct damage, replace Dark Pact, Vampiric Gaze and Barbed Signet with Life Siphon, Blood Bond and Blood Renewal. This allows you to transfer health from enemies to your party members, as well as providing you with a powerful self heal. If you run this variant consider using an of Enchanting staff, rather than one of Fortitude.
 * Heal Other can be replaced with:
 * Heal Area or Karei's Healing Circle, if you prefer to have more self-healing
 * Gift of Health, which heals 30 less HP than Heal Other and takes 2 seconds longer to recharge, but only costs half as much energy.
 * For a different approach go as a secondary Elementalist rather than Monk, using the Healing Prayers AP in Earth Magic. This will allow you to swap some/all of Heal Other, Dark Pact, Vampiric Gaze and Barbed Signet with ward spells. Wards to consider include:
 * Ward Against Elements
 * Ward Against Foes
 * Ward Against Melee
 * Ward of Stability

The N/Mo Supportive Minion Master is designed to play two roles. On the one hand, it is capable of creating and sustaining an army of minions as well as spreading Poison and Disease. However, it is also capable of providing a party-wide heal by using Dwayna's Sorrow, and by combining Infuse Condition with Draw Conditions, this build can remove the entire teams conditions. This build is mainly intended for PvE, but with some changes, it may be viable for AB.

Attributes and Skills

 * Generic Resurrection can be replaced by Blood of the Master
 * For AB, consider replacing the Generic Resurrection with a skill to boost survivability, like Dark Bond.

Equipment

 * Scar Pattern Armor is nice for the additional energy. Alternatively, Minion Master's Armor is nice for the additional armor.  Bloodstained Boots may also be nice to lower the rather long casting time of Animate Bone Minions.
 * The Nightbringer, Ghial's Staff, or a similar staff.

Usage

 * Build up an army of minions using Animate Bone Minions and cast Dwayna's Sorrow on one of your minions
 * Cast Putrid Flesh to spread disease and to activate Dwayna's Sorrow
 * Try to cast Death Nova immediately before Putrid Flesh to cause Poison and deal damage.
 * Cast Animate Flesh Golem to create a more powerful minion which even if sacrificed can be immediately raised again.
 * Cast Infuse Condition on yourself, and use Draw Conditions as necessary

Counters

 * See the Opposing forces section of the General minion mastery guide.

Variants
Skills to Consider:
 * Heal Area
 * Taste of Death
 * Animate Shambling Horror
 * Dark Bond
 * Signet of Lost Souls
 * Jagged Bones
 * Martyr - Note, in AB, this skill will draw off conditions from all allies. Not just limited to your party.
 * Verata's Aura - Note, this skill is only useful in AB and should be used in place of Generic resurrect.

Equipment

 * Armor: Any armor with Radiant Insignias (or purchased Scar Pattern Armor with no Insignia slots)
 * Weapon: Staff/Combo: +1 Blood Magic (20%), HCT Blood Magic (20%), +20% Enchantment duration (for +1 sec to OOV)
 * Runes: Superior Blood Magic (+3), Superior Soul Reaping (+3), Attunement x 3 (+2 en)
 * More Superior runes are optional for lowering your maximum health.

Preface
The OOV Necromancer's job is to stay out of combat whenever possible and maintain the Orders enchantment on his party. You are constantly sacrificing and regenerating your health, and because of this, you will be an easy target for enemy AI.

Combat Cycle

 * Upon entering Tombs, immediately cast Mending on yourself. This will provide you with a constant 3 pips of health regeneration.
 * Once the enemies are near the party, cast Order of the Vampire and Blood Renewal.
 * Keep OOV and Blood Renewal going at all times. This will result in a serious damage increase to your Rangers' Barrage as well as a fair amount of healing.
 * Use Heal Party whenever 3 or more people are taking damage to supplement your OOV and take some weight off of the Monk.
 * Remove Hex should be used to remove hexes like Empathy from the Rangers and hexes like Backfire from the casters. For the sake of your cycle, it is usually best if the hexed ally calls a potentially crippling hex rather than removing all hexes out of habit.
 * Use Blood Ritual on your Monk if he asks for it, but make sure that the Monk is a safe distance from enemies.

Self-healing options

 * Using Live Vicariously on a Ranger who is spamming Barrage may sometimes prove to be a more effective method of regeneration than the 3 pips from Mending, since you only need to sacrifice health while your party is engaged in combat. See the Notes section for more details.
 * Healing Breeze may be substituted for Blood Renewal if you are uncomfortable with a 25% health sacrifice, though it is considerably less effective due to the lack of a spike heal upon its completion or removal. It also costs 5 more energy to cast.

Remove Hex

 * Smite Hex maybe used in its place for a faster-casting removal, but with a longer recharge time.
 * Some people vouch for Holy Veil rather than Remove Hex, but the mechanics require that you cancel the maintained enchantment to remove a hex. HV also has a longer recharge.
 * Purge Signet can also be used to remove all hexes and conditions on one ally. Again, longer recharge time.

Optional Slot

 * Succor may be brought along to benefit the Monk or the MM Necro if your team can keep bodies dropping often enough to allow Soul Reaping to work its magic.
 * Add Smite Hex to get Empathy off more than one Ranger at a time, and also to completely free the Monk from the responsibility of Hex removal. Along with Remove Hex, this makes an effective combo for digging through cover hexes.
 * Awaken the Blood can give you +2 to Blood Magic, but at a rather serious cost in terms of health sacrifice.
 * Order of Pain can be cast inbetween Order of the Vampire to ensure constant Orders coverage.

N/Mo Tombs OOP

 * This build can be used for constant coverage of your Orders spell, with a greater energy regeneration boost to your Monk to make up for the lack of vampiric Barrages.
 * Blood is Power may also be cast from a distance, freeing the Monk up to move about as they please (Fingers of Chaos notwithstanding).
 * BIP may also be used to supply non-standard B/P Rangers (for instance, Elementalist primary) with more energy.
 * Additional 20% Enchantment duration is not as big of a deal with this build, so your equipment options are more flexible.

Counters

 * Being involved in combat
 * Enchantment removal on the Rangers (see Fingers of Chaos for more info)
 * Diversion is an easily-avoidable hex that can cripple your build entirely. Learn to recognize it and either get it removed or burn Mending rather than risk part of your cycle being disabled. This is a skill equipped by The Darknesses at the end of the Tombs levels.

Equipment

 * High-energy armor is preferable, though not required.
 * Vanahk's Staff or other Blood weaponry for recharge (or +1 to Blood Magic).

Usage
There are three parts to using this build properly:
 * Killing Maddened Spirits outside of the wurm.
 * Killing Lost Souls outside of the wurm.
 * Using your Junundu wurm effectively.

Maddened Spirits
Maddened Spirits are invulnerable to damage, hexes, and conditions. They are not, however, invulnerable to direct life stealing.

Wait for a single Maddened Spirit to approach you. Hit it with Vampiric Gaze, then hit Blood Renewal and "Can't Touch This!" as it closes in. Immediately start spamming Blood of the Aggressor, Blood Drinker, and Vampiric Gaze as they recharge. As soon as the Maddened Spirit loses more than 50% of its health, hit Signet of Lost Souls and resume spamming. You might also want to hit a nearby Infestation with Life Transfer for healing instead of Blood Renewal - if it's been wanded a few times you'll also get the Soul Reaping bonus.

With practice, you should be able to kill the Maddened Spirits before "Can't Touch This!" expires. However, if it doesn't look like this will happen, run from the Maddened Spirit beforehand. When you have enough energy, reapply "Can't Touch This!", hit the spirit with Signet of Lost Souls to regain a bit more energy, and resume spamming your life stealing skills.

As soon as the spirit dies, hit a nearby Infestation with Life Transfer and wand it to heal up while regenning your energy. Make sure to use Signet of Lost Souls on the Infestation once it gets under half health to help regen energy. Kill one or two Infestations while waiting for the next spirit to arrive, but make sure not to spend much energy on them - you'll want full health and energy for the next Maddened Spirit.

Once you get your score around 100, the spirits will begin spawning quite a bit more quickly. If you get behind and are about to get two of them attacking you, run to the Wurm Spoor and enter your Junundu wurm. If you can hit "Can't Touch This!" just before entry, you'll be protected for a bit as you get inside the wurm.

Lost Souls
Most Lost Souls spawn in locations where they are easy enough to just smack with the wurm. Junundu Bite does the trick in one shot, and you can get the extra heal if you use Junundu Tunnel to race up to them.

A few of the Lost Souls are on rocky terrain, however, so the wurm is useless. Get well ahead of the Maddened Spirits and exit the wurm. If any Maddened Spirits are nearby when you exit, immediately hit "Can't Touch This!" then "Fall Back!" and run towards the Lost Soul. Run as far as you can with "Fall Back!", past the Lost Soul if possible, but not out of casting range from it. Hit it with Life Transfer, then continue running to the next Wurm Spoor, using "Fall Back!" when available. At 16 Blood Magic, Life Transfer will kill the Lost Soul by itself. As you approach the next Wurm Spoor, use "Can't Touch This!" to protect your transition as you jump back into the wurm and race off.

Wurm Usage
For the most part, the basics of Junundu usage are described in the Remains of Sahlahja and the Junundu article. Here's a few additional pointers specifically for this farm:


 * "Can't Touch This!" protects you from Maddened Strike while entering a wurm, and in fact continues protecting you while in the wurm until its normal expiration time. Use it any time you're entering a wurm with Maddened Spirits on your tail.


 * To heal, get well ahead of any Maddened Spirits and use Junundu Tunnel. Find an Infestation you can reach while Junundu Tunnel is active, and use Junundu Bite. This will knock down the Infestation prior to the bite, thus netting you 500 health.  If you have enough time, use Junundu Feast to aquire an additional skill.  If you get really low, exit the wurm in a safe location and run to the nearest Wurm Spoor to get a new one.


 * Kill Infestations as described any chance you get, and make sure to use Junundu Feast if it's ready after the kill. If you happen to get Blinding Breath, you're ready to take on an entire mob of Maddened Spirits.  Get well ahead of the Maddened Spirits, find a Greater Infestation, and kill it quickly.  Then just spam Blinding Breath once the Maddened Spirits are in range until they die.  If you start with full health, killing 4 or 5 Maddened Spirits this way is fairly easy. For extra healing after the fight, use Junundu Wail if nothing else is around.

Counters

 * Death from lag/rubber banding can be extremely frustrating, especially if you get blocked in a doorway and it doesn't register locally. If you notice you are taking hits with no Maddened Spirits near, try running the opposite direction until the server and client resynch.  Another way to resynch is to type /stuck.


 * If you are going for a high score, realize that normal biological processes may be your worst enemy later on. Plan ahead.

Variants

 * If using purely to kill Maddened Spirits, and you don't care about killing Lost Souls at all, replace Life Transfer with Ravenous Gaze. Try to keep your health just below 50% between Maddened Spirits through sacrificing so you can use Ravenous Gaze as an opening attack to get the most out of it.


 * Another method is to remove Blood Drinker and Replace with Song of Power, then remove Life Transfer and replace with Vampiric Spirit. This will allow you to steal an additional 41 health every time you cast a spell.  Then if your energy gets to low, use "Fall Back!" followed by Song of Power.  I suggest taking Soul Reaping down to 5 + 1 for this build and placing those extra points into Motivation however since Song of Power will offset the decreased energy gain in between spirits.

Equipment
Helpful but not required :
 * Bloodstained Boots
 * A rod with faster Death Magic recharge and an offhand with +1 Death Magic.
 * A Staff with 20/20 Death Magic and +1 Death Magic wrapping.

Usage

 * Cast Tainted Flesh and Death Nova on you and your pet and let the Vermins tear you apart. The degen should kill them.
 * Go back the corpse of the Vermin and create 4-6 Bone Minions.
 * Find another mob and set up EoE where the Vermin can't kill it.
 * Cast Death Nova on all your minions and Tainted Flesh on your pet.
 * Order your minions/pet to fight with the Vermin. Wait for their health to drop to about 50% before activating Taste of Death which will trigger a chain explosion - killing all vermin.

IMPORTANT : Make sure you die before your pet but also make sure your pet dies before you are respawned. If you don't do this, the Vermin corpses will vanish before you can get to them.

Counters

 * Vermin shadow stepping away from minions.
 * Vermin killing EoE.

Also, it's very tough to reach the corpses of the vermin before they dissapear. This renders the build nearly useless. an alternative is that you can take run as one instead of comfort animal, but even then, usually the corpses dissapear right before you get there.

This build is made specifically to farm the Stygian Demons associated with the Breaching the Stygian Veil quest in the Stygian Veil for Stygian Gemstones and shiny weapons. It is capable of destroying all mobs, although the later mobs take more time and are much more difficult.

Equipment

 * You'll need one high-health set of armor and weapons and one 55 set (see Invincible Monk for details on 55 equipment).

Usage

 * When you enter the Stygian Veil, there is a mob in the trench immediately to your right (S-SE) that may be (mostly) killed easily for fun and profit and to get the first few no-drops out of the way. If you get a great drop from these, use Consume Corpse and retrieve it.  This will end this farming run.  Watch out for the patrol - particularly the Mind Tormentors and Water Tormentors that often spawn will hurt.


 * Head East, dodging the nasty Shadow patrols. Talk to the Whispers Informant to receive Anguish Hunt.  Then talk to the Adept of Whispers, take the Breaching the Stygian Veil quest, and immediately run NE along the wall above the Dreadspawn Maw.  Wait for three mobs of six Stygian Hungers to gather around the Adept of Whispers.


 * Carefully run along the wall to the lower area around the Dreadspawn Maw - there's just enough room to get down there from either side without aggro'ing any of the groups.

Now the fun begins....

Part 1 - The Hunger Mobs

 * Stygian Hungers are touch/AoE necros with Grenth's Balance as their elite. Switch to your 55 health setup to counter Grenth's Balance. Repeat the following:


 * Use 'c' to select the nearest target - make sure it is in one of the side mobs - save the center mob for last.
 * Cast Suffering.
 * Run away around the Dreadspawn Maw using a running skill until aggro is broken. Occasionally, this will be difficult. Do not stop running until aggro is broken.
 * Make sure you have the nearest target of the same mob, and cast Desecrate Enchantments. The Hungers use Dark Aura, making this do a decent amount of damage to the mob.
 * Run away and break aggro.
 * Nearest target, cast Feast of Corruption.
 * Run away.
 * Go back to the first step, and repeat until their health is low.


 * You really want to finish them off with Feast of Corruption or Desecrate Enchantments. If you let them degen to death while you're not in the area, you may not get any drops.  They should be in an easily killable range with either skill once their health bar is into the 'Lvl' text.  If you are using your 55 armor, then all can be killed simultaneously.


 * When a mob dies, it will be replaced by another one from a spawn point behind the gates the first three mobs came from. You have a lot of time to run around the Dreadspawn Maw to lose aggro from the other two mobs, but do try to avoid aggro'ing the new one.

Part 2 - The Brute Mobs

 * Stygian Brutes are hammer warriors. While facing them, you can switch to your high-health armor if you wish, but you're still probably dead if they actually hit you.  Use the same techniques as on the Stygian Hungers, except only cast Desecrate Enchantments when you have energy to burn, as it is considerably less cost-effective for damaging the Brutes.


 * [[image:Stygian_fiends_path.jpg|frame|Path to run away from Fiends]]

Part 3 - The Fiend Mobs

 * Stygian Fiends are rangers with Crippling Shot, Choking Gas, and other fun skills to mutilate necromancers with. Once again, you really don't want to get hit by these.  Unfortunately, if they even shoot at you and miss, Demonic Miasma will make it hurt. Use the high-health armor when dealing with these, as you're likely to at least be *missed* by a barrage or two of arrows.


 * Once again, hit and run. If possible, run up the nearby hill while running away to minimize any height-advantage and additional range the Fiends may get.  See the highlighted path in the map:


 * [[image:Stygian_muddy_placement.jpg|frame|Placement of Muddy Terrain for Eastern mobs]]

Part 4 - The Golem Mobs

 * Stygian Golems are Dervish beasts which use Harrier's Haste to catch up with you. It's almost impossible to reliably lose them with just running skills.  The trick here is to circle around the mob and plant Muddy Terrain *behind* the mob, to the NE of the Adept of Whispers (center point on the map to the right).  Then head back down below and do the following:


 * Cast Suffering
 * Run away (use a running skill just before leaving Muddy Terrain's area of effect).
 * Wait for mob to resettle.
 * Cast Feast of Corruption.
 * Run away and wait for mob to resettle.
 * Cast Suffering
 * Run away until you lose aggro, then head back and drop another Muddy Terrain spirit at the spot on the map.
 * Rinse, repeat.


 * It works best if you trigger your running skill just prior to leaving the area under the effect of Muddy Terrain. This makes you go fast while the Golems are still stuck trudging along. If the spirit is correctly placed, they'll give up before getting out of its range.

Part 5 - The Horror Mobs

 * Stygian Horrors are warriors which, similar to the Stygian Golems, use Bull's Charge to speed them on their way to killing you. Use the same technique with Muddy Terrain to kill these as used for Stygian Golems.


 * [[image:Stygian_muddy_placement2.jpg|frame|Placement of Muddy Terrain for Western mobs]]

Part 6 - The Mixed Mobs

 * The last mob of each of the three sets has all of the Stygian Demons in it. You'll need to use the high-health armor to deal with the Fiends and use the Muddy Terrain technique (See the map images for placement for Eastern and Western mobs).  Unfortunately, that means you're unlikely to kill them all simultaneously.  Once the Stygian Hungers are the only ones left, switch back to your 55 armor for the final kills.

Part 7 - How do I get my drops?!?!

 * Once you've killed all the mobs, the area around the Adept will be safe. However, it's easy enough to pick up valuable drops long before that point, either directly after killing one set or not.


 * If you've just killed a set, then run away *without* using a running skill. Go around the Dreadspawn Maw with the remaining two mobs trailing behind you. Just as you cross the halfway-around point, hit your running skills and head for your most valuable drops.  If done correctly, you can pick up one or two items, then run away without being hit and be able to continue the farm if desired.


 * This will most likely not work if a mob of Fiends, Golems, or Horrors is present - only make hoover runs with Brutes and Hungers around. Look at the table showing the order of the mobs in Breaching the Stygian Veil to figure out your best kill order to get drops.


 * If you haven't just killed a set, just aggro them with Suffering and run around the Maw as described above.

Variants
A N/A using Deadly Paradox Shadow of Haste Dark Escape and Dash and 12 Shadow Arts instead of the ranger skills and Wilderness Survival. The strategy is very much the same except for the running away part. For that you activate Deadly Paradox then Shadow of Haste, run in, cast your spell(s), then use Dash to cancel out Shadow of Haste. This will teleport you back to the place where you used Shadow of Haste and you can proceed to run using Dark Escape if needed. For a more indepth guide to this version see here.

Counters

 * Everything in this area hits hard. Getting hit once is likely to produce a Necromancer-shaped corpse.  Try to avoid getting hit.

Equipment

 * Armor - Recommend full Radiant Armor, though other set-ups are viable. Equip the best Vigor rune possible.
 * Weapons - Bortak's Bone Claw and Bortak's Bone Cesta or something similiar. Ghial's Staff also fine.

Usage

 * Lay down Toxicity just outside aggro range.
 * Aim for a target in the heart of a group, and cast Rotting Flesh, infecting as many of the enemy party as possible with Disease
 * Follow with Vile Miasma or Parasitic Bond.
 * Spam Discord
 * Use Signet of Lost Souls for energy management. Combined with Parasitic Bond, health management.
 * For non-fleshy creatures, counter with an Enfeeble/Parasitic Bond combination

Variants

 * Consider Enfeebling Blood to replace Enfeeble to give you a second mass-target condition causing spell, albeit at a high energy cost and cast time, not to mention the health sacrific of 10%.
 * If self heal is not a concern, and energy permits, consider replacing Parasitic Bond with Suffering, for mob-wide hexing.

Counters

 * Traditional spell caster counters (Dazed, interruption, etc.)
 * Party-wide condition removal skills such as Martyr or Cautery Signet. But Rotting Flesh has a low skill recharge, so can be re-cast quickly if this happens.
 * Discord is available when target is suffering from a condition and a hex OR an enchantment, therefore hex removal not as big of a hinderance. Also, dervishes and elementalists make easy targets for this build, as they frequently are enchanted

Equipment

 * Bloodstained Boots
 * Scar Pattern armor is recommended for extra energy.
 * Wand and Focus, both with HSR Death (20%) and HCT Death (20%)

Usage

 * Try to maintain Aura of the Lich all the time.
 * Involve in the battle by using Bitter Chill on the called target.
 * Avoid direct contact with enemies. Preserve your health for sacrifice costs.
 * Use Bone Horrors in the starting period. Later, use Vampiric Horrors, but keep in mind to reserve energy for Blood of the Master. Replace Bone Horrors with Vampiric Horrors, when you reach the minion limit.
 * When you possess at least 3-4 Vampiric Horrors, use Blood of the Master more frequently. Their healing will nullify your sacrifice costs.

Variants

 * Replace Taste of Pain with Infuse Condition, if you expect heavy degen from conditions.
 * Other Minion spells such as Animate Bone Fiend or Animate Shambling Horror can be used, in place of the existing minion spells.
 * Replace Taste of Pain and Animate Bone Horror with Death Nova and Animate Bone Minions for more damage and energy gain from Soul Reaping, but less body blocking capability.
 * Signet of Lost Souls may be an energy management option.
 * Skills that increase health regeneration can be effectively used in this build.

Equipment

 * Scar Pattern Armor is recommended for energy. Adding Superior Runes to reduce health is an option.
 * Any staff (or wand and focus item combination) that provides +5 Energy and fast recharge and cast time for Blood Magic is optimal. An item which reduces health or one that lengthens enchantments (for Blood Renewal and BiP) can help also.

Usage

 * Keep Blood Renewal on at all times.
 * Use Blood is Power on any party member you wish to give Energy to.
 * Use Blood Ritual as a cheaper and long-lasting alternative to Blood is Power (as your Energy permits).
 * A good Battery never waits for people to call their Energy. Instead, the bipper should have a plan:
 * Before a fight, the bipper should provide energy to "setup" party members (such as trappers, bonders or ritualists)
 * During a fight, the bipper should bip the healers, then other casters, then frontline attackers in that order of priority.
 * Use wells as Energy and circumstances permit.
 * Use Consume Corpse for energy, healing and/or corpse denial.
 * Having as little maximum health as possible allows the bipper to be extremely effective in doing his/her job, however, this should only be done if the bipper is very good at staying alive. Dying does not really harm the bipper, but having to do without the bipper in the middle of an intense fight is not a good thing for the other party members.

Variants
The only essential skills of the build are BiP and Blood Renewal. Therefore an endless number of variants (and combinations with other tasks) can be imagined usually at the expense of the attribute points in Death Magic. Some popular alternatives are:
 * Choose Order of Pain to increase the physical damage dealing.
 * Choosing a monk secondary and using Heal Area for self-healing or spamming Heal Party to help with the healing and self heal and also using Protective Spirit to account for the lack of health if you decide to go with lower HP.
 * Choosing an elementalist secondary and using wards to protect the backline of the party.
 * Replace Resurrection Signet with a hard rez when situations/secondary professions permit.

Templates
This is one of few builds that utilizes the Soul Reaping skill Icy Veins in order to deal massive area of effect damage and shut down heavy enchantment monks. This build is primarily aimed at PvE usage.

Equipment

 * Scar Pattern Armor or Cabalist's Armor with Bloodstained Boots is recommended.
 * A 20/20 Death Wand with 20/20 Death Offhand.
 * Ghial's Staff, Bortak's Bone Staff, or Woe Spreader are also acceptable choices.

Usage
This build is used to spread out degenerative effects, shutdown prot monks, and deal massive area of effect damage. A basic casting round starts thus:


 * Find a monk or other soft target.
 * Make sure to call your target for the rest of your party members so that they know who to attack.
 * Begin your casting round by starting off with Rotting Flesh followed by Deathly Swarm.
 * End the round by casting Icy Veins on your target. Once the target dies, it will spread area of effect damage to all foes around them. This will put the rest of the cluster (assuming they clustered) near the point of death.
 * Use the fresh body to either restore your hp/energy (Consume Corpse), spread poison to your enemies (Necrotic Traversal), shutdown the protection spammers (Well of the Profane), add more degeneration (Well of Suffering), or put out one more bit of spike damage(Putrid Explosion).
 * Rinse and repeat.

Counters
The main counter for this build would be another necromancer or necromancer secondary that is very good at corpse control or just straight spiking damage. This build's main weakness is no one dying. It relies heavily on people dying for energy and their corpses for most of the skills.

Frostbound Armor/armor vs. cold damage is also another good counter-strategy.

Variants
Other than listed above, replace Resurrection Signet with a hard rez such as Resurrection Chant or something equivalent depending on your secondary class.

Template
There are many version of the Minion Master, however, this version unlike many does not use Healing Prayers line, removing any restriction on secondary class. This version is ideal for Sorrow's Furnace farming, Alliance Battles or PvE.

Equipment

 * Minion Master's Armor or Cabalist's Armor.
 * Bloodstained Boots
 * Any 20/20 Bone Staff, Ghial's Staff, Woe Spreader or The Nightbringer

Usage
When starting out in a new area or low on minions:
 * Use Rotting Flesh on fleshy foes, preferably on large groups to spread the Disease condition. This is incredibly effective when used in PvE.
 * Create a Flesh Golem with the first dead body to start off.
 * Create other minions depending on your Energy pool.

Once you have a few minions: This build can happily stay alive by sacrificing a minion with Taste of Death while other minions kill foes, while disease from Rotting Flesh degenerates most foes in PvE when low on minions.
 * Create other minions, again, depending on remaining Energy.
 * Use Blood of the Master to keep your minions alive.
 * When without a monk on your team it is perfectly viable to use Taste of Death to keep yourself alive so long as you have Minions to feed off of.
 * When idle, spam Blood of the Master on your minion army and use Taste of Death on a Flesh golem to regain the health lost. Don't forget that it is usually easier to kill off an old Flesh Golem for a new one instead of repeatedly healing one.

Variants

 * For the optional slot:
 * Deathly Swarm can be used for AoE damage.
 * Take Rotting Flesh to spread degeneration. (NOTE: not recommended against human foes)
 * Use Infuse Condition for the transfer of conditions to your minions.
 * Aura of the Lich can be used in place of Animate Flesh Golem to allow more spamming of Blood of the Master, although not advisable when anticipating health degeneration effects. This also makes Blood Renewal useful for self-healing if a higher level Blood Magic is used.
 * Skills such as Putrid Explosion, Deathly Swarm and Bitter Chill can be added to give the Minion Master some direct damage skills that are linked to Death Magic.
 * You can bring Death Nova to make one last final use of a minion that's near death.
 * For more self healing Animate Vampiric Horror can be used in place of Animate Bone Fiend. This allows a more meat-shield like role of the minion master protecting the back line casters. If making this switch, it is a good idea to cast Animate Bone Horror more often due to the recharge time of Animate Vampiric Horror and to refresh your minions. Also great way to gain a positive health gained to sacrificed ratio if enough are summoned.
 * Bring Verata's Aura to reclaim your minions if you die, or possibly to steal minions from monsters who create them. Not many monsters can, however, and the ones that can do not create them nearly as fast as the average Minion Master Necromancer. As such, Verata's Gaze may be a better choice for stealing minions.
 * Infuse Condition in combination with Dark Bond is useful in scenarios where you are being targeted instead of your minions.
 * Skills such as Putrid Explosion will exploit your corpses rendering them useless to a Minion Master. Instead of using Animate Bone Fiend and Dark Bond, try Fetid Ground and Deathly Swarm for damage when you need to kill enemies quickly without minions.
 * You can use Animate Shambling Horror instead of Animate Bone Horror if you have Guild Wars Nightfall. The differences between a Shambling Horror and a Bone Horror, except for the 'skin', include a different attack range from Bone Minions and Vampiric Horrors, and the fact that when a Shambling Horror dies they will immediatly turn into a Jagged Horror, which will cause bleeding with its attacks. Those using Shambling Horror will find a longer recharge time in return for this fact, so faster-recharging summons are advised.
 * Signet of Lost Souls may be an energy management option.
 * Verata's Gaze and Verata's Aura Make excellent AB variant over the Resurrect skills because they allow the Minion Master to steal the enemy minions (Mostly other Flesh Golems or with aura all of the enemy minions). WARNING: Once Verata's Aura is used, especially with re-controlling your army MAINTAIN IT!

Equipment

 * Minion Master, Tormentor or Cabalist Armor With Runes Mentioned Above + Major Or Superior Vigor.
 * Ghial's or Nightbringer Staff Or 20/20 Wand And Offhand (Death Magic)

Usage
1. Activate Signet of Agony, then use Plague Sending in the middle of a group of enemies, followed by Virulence. If not under pressure, redo the combo when Signet and Virulence recharge (both have the same recharge - 15 seconds). If under pressure, simply use virulence on any targets of opportunity and plague send dangerous/long lasting conditions.

2. Regular MM activities - raise minions, heal yourself, if you can, and heal your minions.

Counters
Interrupts, Condition removal, Anti-caster spells such as Backfire, corpse denial, etc.

Variants
You can use your secondary (siphoning points off Soul Reaping) for added defense or utility. One suggestion would be using Dervish with 8 pts in Earth Prayers with Mystic Regeneration and Vital Boon, for instance. Or Monk for a hard res, Healing Breeze or Heal Area. Another suggestion would be a Mesmer secondary, using Epidemic.

Keep in mind that if you're taking points off soul reaping, you might want to replace bone fiend for bone horror (or even bone minions), since you'll have less energy.

Equipment

 * Any max armor, Vigor/Vitae Runes if possible, Centurion Insignias as Aggressive Refrain should always be active.
 * Zealous Scythe for battles, have an energy set ready for emergency Aggressive Refrain.

Usage

 * Activate Aggressive Refrain just before entering battle.
 * After a few hits, activate "Go for the Eyes!", and immediately use Reaper's Sweep.
 * If the hit was critical, the damage will be outrageous. Follow up with Eremite's Attack as to not give your enemy a chance to heal.
 * When affected by weakness or blindness, use Remedy Signet.
 * When running particularly low on health, use Victorious Sweep.

Counters

 * Anti-shout skills.
 * Energy denial.
 * Unluckiness (80% chance to hit critical with Reaper's Sweep.)
 * Kiting.

Variants
Suggested variant:
 * Blazing Finale. Exchange for either signet, definitely helps add cumulative damage to all adjacent targets.
 * Burning Refrain. Works similarly to how Blazing Finale works, except it can be recycled forever. This requires extra energy or else you won't be able to chain with Aggressive Refrain.

Usage
Use Agressive Refrain before battle and keep it up with Anthem of Flame. Once in battle, cast Serpent's Quickness followed by Focused Anger and repeat as necessary. Proceed to spam "Go for the Eyes!" and Anthem of Flame.

Variants
Any skills from the three attribute lines this build uses can be used in place of Vicious Attack and Spear of Lightning as long as they require no activation time as you will want to spend as much time as possible attacking to build adrenaline.

However adding other adrenal skills is not recommended since it will add to the recharge time of "Go for the Eyes!"

Templates
A melee build using Focused Anger to quickly spam attack skills as well as keeping adjacent enemies on fire.

Attributes and Skills

 * You can lower the Leadership attribute in favor for more Command but keep at least 12 for a 3 second burning effect from Blazing Finale.

Equipment

 * Centurion's armor since you will be under the effects of Aggressive Refrain. Any Command requirement shield.
 * Any 15^50 axe. Tanzit's Cleaver works well.
 * A Minor Rune of Leadership can be used if you prefer more health.

Usage

 * Cast Aggressive Refrain before entering combat.
 * Cast Focused Anger when possible and refresh whenever it recharges.
 * Cast Blazing Finale when possible and refresh whenever it expires.
 * Use "Go for the Eyes" to maintain energy levels, set enemies on fire, and refresh Aggressive Refrain.
 * Spam your attack skills.
 * Once you get going, there shouldn't be any energy issues unless you run into some counters (or stray too far from your party). If the mob is near-finished, try keeping "Go for the Eyes!" charged so you can use it to refresh Aggressive Refrain while moving to a new mob.

Counters

 * Blindness.
 * Adrenaline denial.
 * Anti-melee skills.

This support Paragon together with the two healer henchman can cover all the defensive needs of the Nightfall campaign. The core of this build can also be used as basis for a PvP motivation Paragon/Warrior.

Equipment
You should focus on defense with your gear, since energy is easily managed by staying close to your team.

Armor: Weapon: Shield:
 * Insignias: Centurion's insignia on all armor pieces.
 * Runes: Major Motivation, Major Leadership, Minor Spear Mastery, Vigor (highest possible), and Vitae.
 * Use a spear grip of Defense.
 * Use the inscription "I have the power!" for +5 Energy.
 * Use whichever spearhead will support your skills best -- Furious will allow you to keep "Watch Yourself!" ready to use relatively well even with all the chants and echos that you're casting.
 * Use a Shield that requires Motivation.
 * Use a Shield Handle of Fortitude.
 * Use either the inscription "Master of My Domain" for extra Motivation or "Luck of the Draw" for damage reduction.

Usage

 * This Paragon is very efficient in preventing and healing the damage to the whole team (like AoE spells, generic pressure, and health degeneration of the team). "Shields Up!" is also useful to prevent spike from archers, which is very common in the Nightfall campaign.
 * Using "Watch Yourself!" for energy management lets you easily spam all your other skills except Mending Refrain. However, with your high number of shouts and chants you are able to maintain Mending Refrain on all the members of the team during long fights.

Counters

 * If you can't acquire adrenaline you can't spam all your skills.
 * Necromancer's Anti-Paragon hexes totally shut down this build.

Variants

 * Replace Signet of Synergy with Spear of Lightning.
 * You may prefer to use another elite in some areas of PvE.
 * You can replace Signet of Return with another resurrection skill, or even with Lightbringer's Gaze when you need it. Like a monk, using this build you will not have time to resurrect while in combat.
 * Mending Refrain can be replaced by Finale of Restoration.

Equipment

 * Armor with Radiant Insignias
 * Axe with either a Sundering or Vampiric Mod, and a Command Shield

Usage

 * Cast Aggressive Refrain at the beginning of combat, and recast it if it expires.
 * Cast Blazing Finale on yourself and other melee units, if applicable.
 * Cast Anthem of Flame for the positive Energy gain, the refreshment of Aggressive Refrain when out of combat, and the Burning.
 * Use Triple Chop and Cyclone Axe when fighting groups to quickly charge Adrenaline.
 * Use "Go for the Eyes!" whenever it is available, which will generate massive Energy for the Paragon, dramatically increase the damage of all melee units, and quickly trigger Blazing Finale.
 * Keep "They're on Fire!" constantly on the party.

Counters

 * Anti-Shout skills, such as Vocal Minority and Well of Silence.
 * Anti-Melee skills and conditions, such as Reckless Haste and Blind.

Variants

 * Use "Stand Your Ground!" instead of a Resurrection Signet in areas where a resurrection skill is unnecessary (i.e. Alliance Battles).

This build utilizes the Paragon's shouts and spear attacks to more effectively farm the beach and cave areas of FoW. Shouts provide unstrippable boosts to movement, armor, health regeneration, and attack speed. The use of spears allows for ranged attacks, increasing versatility in the confines of the area.

Armor

 * 5x Centurion's Insignia
 * Command Crest with a Rune of Superior Command; use while fighting
 * Leadership Crest with a Rune of Superior Leadership; use while running
 * Duplicate armor piece (hands or feet are cheapest) with a Rune of Superior Spear Mastery and a Rune of Vitae
 * Rune of Superior Vigor
 * 2x Rune of Vitae

Weapons

 * Set 1 - Running :::: Spear of Warding (+5 energy, +7 armor vs. elemental), Shield of Valor (+10 armor vs. fire, +60 hp while hexed)
 * Set 2 - Driftwood ::: Fiery Spear of Shelter (15^50, +7 armor vs. physical), Shield of Fortitude (+10 armor vs. slashing, +30 hp)
 * Set 3 - Spiders ::::: Zealous Spear of Shelter (15^50, +7 armor vs. physical), Shield of Fortitude (+10 armor vs. piercing, +30 hp)
 * Set 4 - Pulling :::::: Flatbow

Note: Mods on the Flatbow and the prefix of Spear 1 are not important, though preferably not zealous or vampiric

Usage

 * Enduring Harmony allows you to maintain "Stand Your Ground!", providing a +24 armor bonus and another +10 due to Centurion's Insignia. This skill also makes it possible to use "Lead the Way!" for running, granting a near-constant 25% movement boost (7.5 second duration, 8 second recharge), and extends the +5 health regeneration from "Never Surrender!" to 15 seconds (20 second recharge).


 * Soldier's Fury increases your attack speed by 33% while under the effect of a shout or chant, which is a constant in this build. This IAS allows you to easily build the adrenaline to spam Blazing Spear and finish off with a Deep Wound from Merciless Spear.

If you are not familiar with farming the beach and cave of FoW, it is recommended that you try a warrior build first. Once you know the area and the general idea of the farm, adjusting to this build is simple. To run to the beach, equip Set 1 and your armor piece without the Spear rune. Run with "Lead the Way!", using Enduring Harmony first to provide a near-constant 25% movement boost. Once at the top of the hill overlooking the beach, engage the first group of Snarling Driftwood (using Weapon Set 4 to pull if necessary). Switch to Set 2; the Driftwood are weak against fire damage, while your spear and shield will provide extra damage against their attacks, which are slashing damage. Activate Enduring Harmony, "Stand Your Ground!", and Soldier's Fury. Auto-attack, spamming Blazing Spear as often as adrenaline allows. When your target dips below 50% health use Merciless Spear to inflict a Deep Wound, allowing you to finish it off easily. Whenever you have less than 75% health use "Never Surrender!" for +5 health regeneration - use Leader's Comfort for a stronger heal if necessary. Continue to eliminate the Snarling Driftwood and Doubter's Dryders, using your flatbow in Set 4 to pull any groups near Ancient Skales, who you must avoid entirely. If you do aggro a group of Skales, use "Lead the Way!" and run until you lose all aggro so you can regenerate before proceeding.

When you reach the mouth of the cave, switch to Set 3. Pull the Dryders away from the cave (one at a time, if you are not comfortable with fighting multiple) and kill them - they deal a very small amount of damage with their regular attacks, so save your skills to activate when they cast Wastrel's Worry on you. Once you kill the Dryders, a large mob of Armored Cave Spiders will begin spawning inside the cave entrance. Back away while they spawn, and wait until they have settled down. Then, use your flatbow to pull groups of Spiders (each group consists of 3) - start off with one group at a time, until you feel comfortable enough to take on more. To kill spiders, try to get them to spread out; they use Healing Spring, which will out-heal your damage if they are all together. Make sure you have Set 3 equipped, as it gives armor against the Spiders' piercing damage. Maintain "Stand Your Ground!" and Soldier's Fury like before, using "Never Surrender!" to counter the poison degeneration and Leader's Comfort whenever your health gets to around 50%. Cave Spiders use Melandru's Resilience so don't use your Merciless Spear until they are around 25% health, or you will just be healing them. Once all of the orignal Spiders are dead, continue into the cave. Pull and kill the Dryders - each one will trigger 6 more Spiders - until the cave is cleared.

Note that this is also a good time to open a few chests if you have keys with you. Enduring Harmony, "Lead the Way!", and "Never Surrender!" provide enough of a boost to run through many areas of FoW to find chests.

Armor

 * Full Sentry's Insignia (+10 armor while in stance)

Runes
Note: Against getting Crippled a Rune of Restoration is highly recommended for surviving traps. It shortens Crippled and Bleeding by 20% which is considerable.
 * Rune of Vigor
 * 2 Attunement runes (+2 Energy x 2 = +4 Energy)
 * Rune of Restoration

Weapons

 * Crafted or collector's staff (20% chance of half spell recharge) with +5 energy staff head and any enchantment lengthening mod

General
Very important: Timing is very important here. Make sure Vow of Silence lands before the snare hexes do! If you don't, Vow of Silence will prevent you from removing the hexes because you can't cast spells!
 * Use Dodge, Zojun's Haste, and Storm Chaser for running
 * Use Fleeting Stability to run past enemies with knockdown (e.g. Frost Wurm, Siege Ice Golem, Tundra Giant, Azure Shadow)
 * Use Vow of Silence (6 seconds with any enchantment lengthening mod) to pass through monsters with snares (Ice Imp, Siege Ice Golem, Stone Summit Heretic)

Wurm Tunnel

 * Cast Fleeting Stability before entering the Wurm spawning zones. Avoid getting knocked down while you cast it.
 * Recast Fleeting Stability shortly before entering the tunnel and cover it with two other enchantments. Alternatively, you can cast Vow of Silence and Mystic Regeneration as non-strippable cover spell here.

Siege Ice Golem Spots
Note: In case of getting crippled, try to uphold Fleeting Stability, Mystic Regeneration, and Vow of Silence. Do not aggro any further group, and tank out the damage. Do not forget to uphold your stances as well, as they add extra protection, and a good chance of avoiding attacks.
 * Recast Fleeting Stability if time permits.
 * Just after entering the casting range of the Ice Golems, cast Vow of Silence to give you 6 seconds of snare-hex-free running.
 * Stay away from Pinesouls at all costs. One Barbed Trap will be fatal to you.

After the Troll tunnel

 * Cast Fleeting Stability at the curve after the bridge. Keep away from Grawl Crones as much as possible to avoid them stripping your Fleeting Stability with Chilblains.

Counters

 * Lack of condition removal.
 * With a Rune of Restoration Crippled and Bleeding can be reduced to tankable status, though.

Attributes and Skills

 * Optional slot can be filled with an additional attack skill such as Eremite's Attack or Troll Unguent for extra defense.
 * Other good choices are Veil of Thorns or Aura of Thorns as they will ensure all enemies are always suffering from a condition. This is a must for this build as Reap Impurities is your main healing skill.

Equipment

 * Radiant or Sentry armor
 * Any Scythe will do the trick, best is Zealous, but if you cannot afford, take any max damage Scythe or Pre-Order one. Suli's Scythe is a good choice.

Usage

 * 1) Put on Apply Poison.
 * 2) Run in and aggro a mob.
 * 3) Pull back a bit so they all bunch up infront of you.
 * 4) Hit one of your stance, then swing your scythe once.
 * 5) Upon the 1st hit, use Reap Impurities followed by Victorious Sweep.
 * 6) When your stance ends, use another one.
 * 7) When the attacks recharge, use them immediately.
 * 8) Rinse and repeat.

Counters
Monsters using attacks that knock down, that can't be blocked or that knock down if blocked (such as Irresistible Blow), anti-melee hexes like Spiteful Spirit or Insidious Parasite, anti-melee conditions (Weakness, Blind and heavy degeneration).

Variants
For low-level monster farming, like Ettin or Totem Axe, use Reaper's Sweep and instead of Escape use Dodge/Zojun's Haste, so for more self-defense, put in Troll Unguent.

Attributes and skills
For Optional try one of the following:


 * Troll Unguent if you're having problems with your own health.
 * Symbiosis to give your pet a boost of health while under the effects of Ancestor's Visage.
 * Call of Protection to give your pet damage reduction.
 * Otyugh's Cry for additional armour (and to gain help from any Lynx in the area).
 * Toxicity Recommended for anyone who has access to the skill, cause an extra -2 health degeneration to any who are poisoned and are in range of the spirit.

Equipment

 * Druid's Armor for an extra energy bonus.
 * Any staff of offhand that provides max energy, Half Illusion Magic Recharge is also useful.
 * A Longbow is very useful if you wish to keep out of danger.
 * The best Vigor Rune you can afford.
 * A Level 20 pet (Hearty is recommended, but any will work).

Usage
The objective of this build is to inflict bleeding through Feral Lunge and poison through Poisonous Bite to multiple enemies at once using Fevered Dreams. While using Primal Echoes and Ancestor's Visage to prevent the Ettin's from using Healing Signet.

Start from Beetletun and head east. You will encounter a number of Mergoyle's. These are good practice as their main way to deal damage is Mind Wrack and Spirit Shackles, which won't matter to your pet as he has no energy. Dispose of these through normal pet attacks coupled with your staff/wand attacks, or through conditions.

Keep heading east until you encounter two groups of two Tengu each. These may cause you some problems and this is where Troll Unguent comes in handy, although it is not necessary to beat them. (You may also want to switch to armor without any Superior Runes for the HP bonus.) Go for the Wild first, as he will inflict major health degeneration. It's almost impossible to avoid his first Conjure Phantasm, which will give you a -5 health degeneration for some time. Pull out your longbow and fire one shot off at the Wild. This should trigger the pet to run toward him. As soon as he does, take a few steps back so that both of them will go for your pet. They will die pretty easily if you poison them and then just use normal attacks. If your pet is taking major damage use Comfort Animal, which should heal him for about 33% of his health (depending on what type of pet he evolved into).

Next we move on to the Ettins. These are actually surprisingly easy as long as you cast the right spells/skill at the right times. First of all, you'll want to cast Primal Echoes somewhere safe so the Ettins won't destroy it. Then pull out your longbow and fire one shot at the nearest Ettin. When they start running towards you, your pet should run out to them. Take a few steps back to ensure they go for the pet. As soon as the 2 or 3 Ettin's are all focused on your pet, cast Ancestor's Visage on your pet. This will ensure that the Ettin's will not be able to use Healing Signet, as it will cost them 10 energy to do so. Next, cast Fevered Dreams on the Ettin that your pet is attacking. Follow this up with Poisonous Bite and then Feral Lunge. This will give a total health degeneration of -7 (14 health per second) to not only one Ettin, but all of them (thanks to Fevered Dreams). Continue to re-apply Fevered Dreams followed by your conditions, and also Ancestor's Visage to ensure that they don't heal. Use Comfort Animal when your pet's health is low, and, if you brought any skills that increase the armour of your pet, now is the time to use them.

This build can take down a group of 3 Ettins in less than a minute if done correctly, and not only is it effective but its fun! Enjoy.

Counters
There are no real counters to this while farming Ettin's. The only thing to watch out for your pet's health dropping too low. If he dies, you have no protection and low health due to the Sup Runes.

Variants
See Optional.

Equipment

 * Druid's Armor, with a Rune of Superior Wilderness Survival and a mask with +1 Wilderness Survival.
 * For the weapon set I suggest both of the following:
 * A weapon that provides Activation Time and Recharge modifiers for Inspiration magic, such as the Handsmasher.
 * A flatbow or longbow on which the modifiers do not matter (this bow is merely to pull some bosses with).

Usage

 * Run to the boss and pull him into a location where he and his mob cannot hit you with their attacks (Behind a tree, around a ledge, etc).
 * Set Famine and put Spirit Shackles, Spirit of Failure, and Empathy on the boss. Refresh these as needed.
 * If the boss can cast spells on you, keep Troll Unguent up during this time.
 * Once the boss is out of energy due to Spirit Shackles begin to spam Mind Wrack on him in addition to the hexes.
 * Most bosses fall very quickly after their energy is gone, in under a minute.

Counters

 * Because of the nature of how the build works it is only effective against bosses that use ranged attacks and have poor spell damage.

Variants

 * Replace Storm Chaser with Illusion of Haste and allocate some attributes into Illusion magic if the threat of being Crippled on the way to the boss is high, as in Arborstone (Explorable)
 * Drop Troll Unguent and/or Whirling Defense for more pressure if you know you won't need them for the run.
 * Some replacements include:
 * Serpent's Quickness (spam Mind Wrack faster)
 * Wastrel's Worry (more spammable damage)
 * Backfire (for spell caster bosses)
 * Energy Tap (for quicker draining)
 * Diversion (for Zarnas Stonewrath, to disable his Stone Daggers)

Equipment

 * Druid's Armor or it's equivalent in function.
 * A Recurve Bow is best for hitting your target if moving though a Shortbow is recommended if you use Screaming Shot and are having difficulty determining the effective distance for the skill to work properly. Any bow used should have a Poisonous, Crippling, or Silencing bow string depending on what condition you would like to last longer.
 * Rotwing Recurve Bow is an example of a unique weapon that will work well.

Usage

 * Start by using Apply Poison before battle but do not attack until the next step is completed.
 * Quickly pick a centrally located or grouped up target (preferably one that isn't about to die or that may have some staying power) for the most effect (while at a safe distance to avoid interruption) and cast Fevered Dreams on it (it is very important to cast this on the target before any conditions are applied from yourself or allies as Fevered Dreams will only spread conditions that are not already on the target). Also, if you trust your team, calling out the specific target you are hexing may be a good idea so that that creature is not killed before you can apply all conditions/before Fevered Dreams can recharge.
 * Fire off the appropriate follow up attack that coincides with the target profession to Poison and add another condition to them and others in the area (i.e.: interrupt a caster with Concussion Shot to spread dazed, Pin Down a melee class to add crippled, Screaming Shot/Hunter's Shot any target for additional damage and health degeneration through bleeding and to act as another cover condition, etc.).
 * Continue with your next condition adding attack to stack more pressure on the enemy mob.
 * If properly executed you should be able to add poison (-4 degeneration), bleeding (-3 degeneration), dazed, and crippled to the entire opposing mob within ~3 shots as Fevered Dreams spreads conditions to all of your foes in the area of the target though only if not experiencing those conditions when first hexed.
 * Once your condition spreading job is completed you can continue using Screaming Shot/Hunter's Shot to add some minor add on damage to help finish any remaining enemies or target any stragglers to add poison or other conditions if they were out of the effected area.
 * Concussion Shot should be used sparingly as it's energy cost is still high even with the Expertise cost reduction and how large a cost many of your other skills are. If there is a lack of enemy casters in the enemy mob it's best to not use it and spread other conditions instead until you find a mob with more casters in it (unless they are key targets and need to be stopped).
 * If a condition is about to wear off the current hexed target it's best to wait for it to expire before reapplying it so that Fevered Dreams can spread it again. With the low attribute points in Illusion, Fevered Dreams will wear off about the same time as many of your conditions, thus allowing you to either choose another target, or re-apply to the same target, the entire process again.

Counters

 * Non-fleshy targets (though some conditions can still be applied - like crippled or blindness)
 * Blindness (See below variants to counter this)
 * Hex removal (See below variants to counter this)
 * Evasion/Blocking (it's best to avoid targets that use this ability often or are expected to and instead spread the conditions to them through Fevered Dreams on another easier to hit target)

Variants

 * If entering a zone that has a lot of hex removal then bringing a long lasting, quick recharging, yet inexpensive cover hex like Mind Wrack may help even if it has no other use than to cover Fevered Dreams.
 * Consider bringing Phantom Pain for Deep Wound. Just be sure to use this before you use Fevered Dreams so that Phantom Pains ends first and the Deep Wound is spread.  However, when using this skill be careful about energy management since Expertise will not reduce its cost.
 * Consider bringing Serpent's Quickness to help negate the rather long recharge on most of the skills which is nice considering most PvE battles don't last very long. And, if your target hexed by Fevered Dreams dies too early, this helps ensure that in longer battles you are able to switch targets more effectively.

Beast Master Variant
This is an interesting twist on condition spreading concept. It sacrifices some survivability for more damage and more degeneration but loses Blind and Daze in the process. The game mechanics sometimes make this awkward to use, but it is a viable variant nonetheless.

Two "Optional" Slots

 * Slot 1: Preferred:  Screaming Shot
 * [[Image:Hunter's Shot.jpg|20px]] Hunter's Shot or [[Image:Screaming Shot.jpg|20px]] Screaming Shot for a cover condition and/or added degeneration through bleeding (if both skills are available Screaming Shot is preferred for ease of application and more damage to the target but Hunter's Shot is preferred if having trouble with managing energy or if the player does not have access to Nightfall skills).


 * Slot 2: Preferred:  Throw Dirt
 * [[Image:Throw Dirt.jpg|20px]] Throw Dirt to blind though you should not be at melee range. Good default emergency defense skill and can be used almost anywhere for your own defense or others.
 * [[Image:Pestilence.jpg|20px]] Pestilence can help further the theme of spreading conditions because, since the conditions are re-applied their timer is restarted. Especially good if fighting foes that attack in large numbers (ie: minions, scarabs, afflicted, etc.).  However, please note that this will also spread conditions to fellow party members so be very cautious if you choose to use it and make sure to warn teammates.  Not recommended for most areas.
 * [[Image:Antidote Signet.jpg|20px]] Antidote Signet primarily to remove Blindness first and foremost (removing Poison or Disease as a distant second use) but only if expecting it to happen. Not recommended for most areas.
 * [[Image:Epidemic.jpg|20px]] Epidemic in case Fevered Dreams is removed prematurely or interrupted which will spread conditions to a smaller area but at least allow you to still spread the conditions at your disposal until Fevered Dreams is available again (though Fevered Dreams does have a relatively fast recharge time). Or this can be used to spread conditions after you are ensured they are applied first.  Not recommended for most areas.

Attributes and skills
Optional slot variations:
 * Dodge Used as a secondary running skill.
 * Dual Shot/Forked Arrow Used to kill faster.
 * Ether Feast Used if you are having trouble taking down the Armored Cave Spiders.
 * Favorable Winds This will increase damage and help your arrows move faster
 * Distracting Shot Used to relieve pressure from the Spider's Apply Poison and Healing Spring as well as disable the Spirit Woods' Troll Unguent for an extra 20 seconds.

Equipment

 * One or more of the following armor
 * Studded Leather Armor Reduced damage from Spirit Shepherd.
 * Druid's Armor Extra energy.
 * Explorer's Armor Extra health.
 * Longbow/Flatbow.
 * Shortbow for convenience.
 * Recommended. Drago's Flatbow or something equivalent.
 * Recommended. Bow from Blankets for the Settlers quest, modified with a Poisonous Bow String and Bow Grip of Defense which is commonly used when farming the forest, do not use this with Spirit Shepherds as it has the properties of a hornbow and does not have enough range.

Running To The Forest
In order to get to the forest in Fissure of Woe, you'll need to do a couple things. First off, when you first enter FoW, back up to the wall. This will (almost) ensure that you don't aggro the Shadow Army and get Rastigan the Eternal killed, thus kicking you back to your port of entry. Now, you'll need to run to the right, staying along the back wall. You will more than likely aggro the shadow army closest to you on the right - make sure to cast Storm Chaser (or Dodge if you brought it). This will help you get past them and if you keep going along the wall, you will just barely miss aggro'ing another group of 3 from the shadow army. After this you'll need to leave the wall and run to the left, behind the 3 shadows and towards what looks like an open spot. Be careful as many patrols are close by, and it is advised not to aggro them.

After you have run a little ways, you will be on a plateau in between 2 valleys. Stay on the plateau all the way until it ends. Near the end, a Shadow Beast will appear. This is a good time to hit Dodge/Storm Chaser because this Shadow Beast and other nearby patrols will pursue you longer then you may expect if you don't get out of aggro range quickly. Continue running straight until you hit a large cliff wall. Stop here (as long as no monsters are following you) and heal. After you get here, turn right and run along the wall until it bears off to the left. There is a little straight here that you will want to take. You will most likely aggro another group here, but hitting a running skill should cause them to lose interest quickly. Run along the wall again until it juts out to the right. Rest here again, letting your running skill recharge as well. Now comes the tricky part. The 3 shadows up ahead aren't as big a deal as the skeletons at the bottom of the hill to your right. If these two groups are far apart, you may be able to run through the shadows and by keeping left, reach a very tiny ledge that will allow you to rest before taking on the skeletons. If not, you will need to try and aggro the skeletons into the shadows, as they will fight each other, letting you get away. To do this, run towards the skeletons at normal speed. Shoot one of them with an arrow, in order to aggro them, then draw them up the hill, running with your run skill activated. This is crucial because if you stay within range of the spell caster in their group, you could be hit with Deep Freeze, and not being able to move in this part of the run equals a long walk off a short pier. Once they start fighting or you have run around the skeletons, stay left, hugging the wall at the bottom of the hill. Here you can rest again, letting everything recharge and waiting for a patrol of skeletons to separate from the larger group ahead of you. You can either try and stay on the wall, sneaking past the larger group; or you can wait for the patrol to leave, and run around the skeletons. It really depends on how they spawn. Either way, once you are past that group, you are effectively in the forest.

Farming The Forest
Now that you are in the forest, you will see a group of 3 Spirit Shepherds and nearby, 2 Spirit Woods. Use Favorable Winds if you brought it, hit Mantra of Lightning, Kindle Arrows, swap to your Longbow/Flatbow. Target the nearest Spirit Shepherds and use Poison Arrow, if they start to cast any spells, turn around, run and lose them. Do not let them come close, as they will use lightning spells and inflict high damage and slow you down. You will also be required to be on the same height level otherwise you will be to far away to fire and forced to move inside their range to hit you with spells or you are to high and the Spirit Shepherds will move closer to get into range. It is recommended to use Poison Arrow on all of the Spirit Shepherds to do as much damage per second and quicken the battle as well as trigger the Edge of Extinction effect which the Spirit Woods put down. Keep Mantra of Lightning and Kindle Arrows up at all times.

Continue forward and 3 Rock Borer Worms will pop up to your right and another 1-3 Worms will pop up a little further on the left side. Use Mantra of Lightning, Kindle Arrows and Poison Arrow. Poison the first 3 Rock Borer Worms, when they reach 85% of health they will activate Lightning Reflexes which lasts around 5 seconds.

Move onto the Spirit Woods. Hit Physical Resistance and Kindle Arrows and shoot one of them with Poison Arrow, when their health reaches 75% they will begin to use Troll Unguent, use savage shot and interrupt this, now use your Troll Unguent and continue to attack, after 10 seconds the Spirit Wood will try to use Troll Unguent, again interrupt this.

If you wait around where the Spirit Woods died, a patrol of 3 Spirit Shepherds and a Spirit Wood will move close to this area. Put Physical Resistance on as the Spirit Wood will do more damage over time and quicky poison all the Spirit Shepherds, kill them and finish off the Spirit Wood. Keep Troll Unguent on from the beginning.

Slowly move up the road until you see a split in the road just before this area 3 Armored Cave Spiders will appear. These are considered to be the most difficult monsters to kill for this run and require a bit of timing and practice to kill. Run back out of the spiders aggro range, use Physical Resistance, Kindle Arrows and Poison Arrow. Use Troll Unguent before you initiate only one of the spiders. While it is possible to take on more then one, it decreases your chance of successfully completing the run. If you can safely get within Shortbow range, proceed as this will increase your chance to interrupt the spiders Apply Poison and do more damage over time. Armored Cave Spiders use Healing Spring which is an easily interruptible trap, using a normal bow attack will interrupt this, if you think you may miss use a Savage Shot. If you see the Armored Cave Spider use Healing Spring while you are activating Troll Unguent cancel this and quickly shoot a Savage Shot. If a Healing Spring gets activated by a spider, pull out a Longbow and step backwards so that it follows out of the Healing Spring. The spider will interrupt your healing skill (Troll Unguent) with Savage Shot, if your health drops below 20%.

After you have eliminated the spiders, go left and there will be 2 groups of 3 Shepherds walking as one group. Note there is a small ledge you walk up into the area where they walk and will decrease your Longbow range. Do not begin the battle if they are walking towards you, as they will have walked close enough to cast spells because of the flight time it takes for the arrow to reach the Shepherd. If you find getting the height correct hard, when they are furthest away from you, run past where they walk and move behind a rock cliff on the far side as this area is relatively the same height as the area where the Shepherds walk on.

Proceed along the path after killing the group and trigger a group of 3 Rock Borer Worms to pop up, after killing these move up the cliff and kill the Spirit Woods that you have passed.

At this point you have two options, pass the group of Skeletons standing on the edge of the bridge or go back out the way you came and proceed around the back way. The later being the safer options but longer. Refer to the Fissure of Woe page for a map.

Past Skeletal Bridge Method Aim across to the other hill from the current hill were you killed the recent Spirit Woods and kill all the reachable Spirit Wood and Spirit Shepherds. You will see a bridge with Skeletons standing on it. Do not go over the bridge. Activate your running skill, and run through them around the ledge to the other side of the small hill that you just killed the Shepherds on. Do it quickly else they will use Wild Blow and end the stance. Now that you've cleared the hill you don't need to fear aggro'ing the Spirit Mobs. Once you lose them a Spider will pop right next to the river to your left. Swap to your Shortbow and kill him. Beyond you there should be a group of Spirit Shepherds and Spirit Woods combined, one group of Woods on the hill, and 1-2 groups of Shepherds only. Hug the ledge to your right and shoot the Shepherds with your Longbow. Kill them and go up the hill to your right. Kill the other group of Shepherds. Now go back for the combined group of Shepherds and Woods. Use Physical Resistance as it will balance the damage. Kill them all but watch out as where they stood a group of 2 Spiders will pop. Don't attack them, kill the Woods on the hill first, then you have place to run away to heal and try to separate them. Kill them, and go with the road.

Another Spider will probably pop up, but he won't be a problem for you. You'll see a group of Spirit Woods and Spirit Shepherds. They will be far enough from each other so you won't have a problem killing the Woods. After you kill them and go forward a group of Rock Borer Worms will pop as well as 2 Spiders. The Worms won't be a problem, but the Spiders are hard to separate. You might want to separate them or to attack them together. Your choice. When you kill them and the Worms, go to the Shepherds group and kill them too.

Back Door Method Run back around and move north to the northern entrance, dodge all the skeletal groups. There are 2 groups of popup skeletal rangers, Skeletal Impaler, along the shortest path but may be bypassed by activating a running skill and losing them. Kill the first 3 Spirit Shepherds, again attacking them as they walk away. Continue forward after killing them and trigger the 3 popups of Rock Borer Worms. You are now able to continue as best suits you in this area, using the above methods to kill the enemies. In this area you will find further popups of Rock Borer Worms and Armored Cave Spiders, stay alert, scan areas and prepare to run.

Variants

 * Replace Savage Shot with Distracting Shot for a longer interrupt.
 * Replace Poison Arrow with Burning Arrow, and Kindle Arrows with Apply Poison, Use either a Fiery bowstring or bring Conflagration to convert damage into fire.

Template
Poison Arrow Version

Burning Arrow Version

This build is designed to farm the Underworld as a solo ranger trapper. The build uses the skill recharge bonus and energy given by the Nature Rituals and Serpent's Quickness to spam as many Dust Traps as much as possible.

Equipment

 * Full Druid's Armor or equivalent in function
 * Two Runes of Attunement
 * The best Rune of Vigor you can afford (but at least a major)
 * Any staff with 15 or 20 energy bonus with + 7 armor against physical damage
 * For extra protection when pulling you could take a replacement armor piece for one of those with a superior rune in it and a staff with +60hp. This will allow you to survive two hits from a Bladed Aatxe.

Usage
This build is for experienced trappers who want more challenge and get all the loot for themselves. It is hard at first but with practice, becomes pretty easy to handle. The idea of the build is to keep the mobs on the Dust Traps for their full activation time. This is difficult as AoE damage causes the enemy mobs to flee.
 * First, choose your trapping spot near an angle or any small confined space (e.g. in the Chamber, just under the stairs, close to the walls). You will want the mobs to be blocked by the walls when they try to flee the AoE damages. Once you've got the trapping spot, put down Energizing Wind and Quickening Zephyr just around the corner/angle, not too close to the wall (about the distance of activation of a trap).
 * Start Arcane Echo and during its activation use Serpent's Quickness so that you have the stance before the casting of Arcane Echo finishes. Then use Echo, Dust Trap, Echo (copied with Arcane Echo), Dust Trap (copied with Echo), and Dust Trap (copied with Echo copied with Arcane Echo).
 * Walk backwards a couple of steps, keeping clear from the wall(always about the distance of activation of a trap) and put down Barbed Trap. As soon as the Dust Traps have recharged, lay them down and keep SQ up (usually wears off at the end of the 5th Dust Trap, so recast) and spam Barbed Trap when possible.
 * After the 7th Dust Trap, the spirits will end. Wait a couple of seconds for EW to recharge, put down EW and renew SQ. Then use Echo, Dust Trap, and the echoed Dust Trap. Keep the Barbed Trap that has recharged unused for your own safety.
 * Now you can go pull the mobs. Hit Whirling Defense during aggro and run towards the spirit and stay put behind it. Usually Aaxtes will focus on it instead of you. Meanwhile they will take all the damage waves from the 9 Dust Traps as they try to flee through the walls.
 * The usage of the build can be summed up with the following sequences (skills numbered from 1 to 8 from left to right):
 * Laying down the spirits, the 3 Dust Traps and 1 Barbed Trap: 1, 2, 7, 4 + 3, 5, 6, 4, 5, 4 (3 is to be cast during activation time of 4)
 * Laying down 4 other Dust Traps and 2 Barbed Traps: 7, 6, 5, 4 + 3, 7, 6 (with good timing you can renew SQ when 4 starts)
 * Laying down a spirit and 2 Dust Traps and Barbed before pulling: 1 + 3, 7, 5, 6, 5

Counters

 * The main flaw of the build is lack of self healing. Surviving in emergency situations and during pulling is possible with Whirling Defense, Barbed Trap, and clever movement.
 * Whirling Defense will prevent most of the hits from foes. However Aatxes hit hard, so don't try to pull them from too far away or you'll have a greater risk to get hit and the traps set might start to go off on their own.
 * When the enemy mob survives the initial traps, run away, put down Barbed Trap, lure the surviving enemies into it, and run far away from them. They should lose aggro.
 * When Smites or Coldfire Nights survive, just run away from them until they break aggro.
 * Coldfire Nights are the hardest mob to kill with this build. Avoiding them is the best tactic. If you can't, lay down your spirits far behind the trapping spot, and trap in multiple spots. 3 Dust Traps, step back a bit, Barbed Trap, step back, Dust Traps, etc... This is to ensure that when the Coldfires run after you they will activate all the traps on the way. To keep them in the traps, you can hit Whirling Defense and come into aggro distance so that the survivors focus on you and stay in the traps.

Variants

 * You could replace Serpent's Quickness with Trapper's Speed. However, it seems that the benefit of SQ is much better as it can also be maintained during the whole trapping process.
 * Replacing Whirling Defense with Flame Trap allows for quicker takedowns, and results in health degeneration on the Aatxes. The only drawback is its harder to pull, so use this variant at your own risk.

Templates
This is a basic ranger running build, capable of completing all runs from Ascalon to the Crystal Desert, some of the Southern Shiverpeaks runs, most runs in Cantha, and even with a variant for the Droknar's Forge run. The build is also suited for mapping if you are going for the Grand Master Cartographer title.

Armor
Note #1: It is possible to mix Druid's Armor for energy with Sentry's Armor for higher armor. Note that the armor bonus is location specific.
 * Full Druid's Armor set for maximum energy.
 * Full Sentry's Armor for extra armor (+10 AL in stance).

Note #2: If you use Sentry's Armor only, it is advised to polish up your energy pool with weapons as explained below.

Runes

 * Rune of Vigor

Weapons

 * Any one-handed weapon that increases health, energy and/or lengthens enchantments:
 * 1) Sword with +5 Energy and +30 hp or +20% Longer Enchantments
 * 2) Rajazan's Fervor
 * 3) Totem Axe

Note: Of course, you are free to use the collectors' shield versions instead of the Green ones.
 * Any shield with either stance and/or health modifications:
 * 1) Emboldened Carapace Shield from Hagnon Warblade [Health +60 (while hexed), Received damage -3 (while hexed)] - for hex passages of specific runs.
 * 2) Grognar's Defender - the Runner's Best Stance Shield Choice.


 * Fires in the East staff with a +5 energy Staff Head (+18 energy), and either a health or an enchantment lengthening mod.

General
The Running Sequence gives you a constant high speed boost and a high chance to evade missiles, and attacks. Holy Veil against hexes and the healing skills against conditions and degeneration help you survive.

Running Sequence
Note #1: Dodge and Zojun's Haste only evade missile attacks.
 * Use Dodge, Zojun's Haste and Escape for a constant speed boost.
 * Only Dodge and Zojun's Haste boost your speed to 33%, whereas Escape only provides you with 25%.
 * Use Escape to avoid mass damage as it provides a 75% chance to avoid attacks. It also protects from knockdown from melee attackers.

Note #2: Avoid knockdown if possible.

Healing

 * Cast Mending when entering a new area.
 * Use Restful Breeze before engaging large damage dealing mobs. Remember to activate run skills first.
 * Use Heal Area when taking large amounts of damage and when you are in need of instant healing. Be aware of your energy level.

Note: There are enemies which strip enchantments such as Stone Summit Heretics or Avicara Guile. You have to decide then which enchantment (Holy Veil or Mending) you want to use as cover, and which you do not want get stripped right away. Cast the cover enchantment that you want to get stripped last. Pay attention to Chilblains which mostly strips two enchantments.

General

 * Use Storm Chaser to regain energy when running through elemental damage dealing mobs.
 * Use Troll Unguent instead of Healing Breeze for lower energy cost. Remember to set points into Wilderness Survival.
 * Use Smite Hex instead of Holy Veil.
 * Use Smite Hex instead of Purge Conditions or Heal Area for a second hex remover.

Bold Forge Runner
The Bold Forge Runner variant can be used to solo-run Droknar Forge. It is highly reliable and you will notice that it is easier to run Lornar's Pass with, actually. Snake Dance and its Tundra Giants need a bit practice, though. Below are specific Ranger hints for this run:

Note #1: It is advised to use a weapon with 20% longer enchantments for the sake of Healing Breeze.

Note #2: Mend Ailment can replace Purge Conditions for countering two or more Barbed Traps. Crippled will always hit you last.

Worm Tunnel

 * Cast Mending, and Holy Veil (in this order). You don't want the Avicaras to strip Mending right away. Holy Veil represents a cover enchantment here (unlike later).
 * Use Healing Breeze before and during encountering dangerous situation, such as a run-through.
 * Use Zojun's Haste and Dodge to outrun the worm(s).
 * Use Escape when expecting mass damage from attacks, especially in melee by groups of Avicaras. It helps you survive grave danger situation by evading most attacks.

Worm Path

 * Use Healing Breeze after you got knocked-down by the worm(s) and when he is just outside your aggro bubble. This helps to avoid interruption again. Recast Mending on you between knockdowns, in case it got stripped through Chilblains. Without Mending in coordination with HB you might get into trouble regarding your health.
 * Use Escape for running through the groups of Grawls and when you get slowed down by hexes and take attack damage from melee.

Dreadnought's Drift
Note: When HB fades out, and after a Giant Stomp recast it as often as needed. Mending and HB should keep you alive without problems.
 * Cast Holy Veil, and Mending (in this order). This time Mending is the cover enchantment for Holy Veil due to the high risk of encountering Heretics.
 * Lose aggro and regenerate before encountering the Tundra Giants.
 * Use Healing Breeze and Escape before running through groups of Giants. Make use of a Stance Shield here.

Attention: When Stone Summit Heretic(s) and Ice Golem(s) get spawned and you cannot avoid them, immediately run back and rezone. Reasons: 1) Two different slow-down spells (Crippling Anguish & Deep Freeze), 2) covered with different hex-spells 3) accompanied by Gnashers & companions 4) with a Tundra Giant group to be passed at full health with Healing Breeze, and fully recharged Escape only. Smite Hex and Holy Veil will not make you survive this - no matter how high your running level is.

Snake Dance

 * Try to only aggro one group of Giants at a time.
 * Aggro them before running through to make them stomp before your run-through comes.
 * Use Healing Breeze as often as possible between stomps. The chances for an interrupt between two stomps are low.

SB Ranger Runner
The variant SB Ranger Runner is optimal for solo-running Copperhammer Mines -> Iron Mines of Moladune and vice versa as ranger. Spell Breaker lasts long enough to overcome the Mesmer spawns at the hardest parts of the run. The success rate with this build is very high.

Note: A weapon with 20% longer Enchantments is a must.


 * Activate Holy Veil as Mending coverage, and as additional hex remover when Spell Breaker wears out.
 * Follow the main ranger running principles listed above.

Note #1: It is known that bosses will still follow you, especially when running the route in a reversed way. This is the point where Holy Veil is of good use to get rid of the last hex-spell being a slow-downer if a Mesmer boss, or Golem boss got spawned.

Note #2: Mend Ailment can replace Purge Conditions for countering multiple traps. Downside is the longer casting time, and that you cannot clean up from all conditions at a time.

Elona Reach (Mission) Runner
Variant skills could be


 * Rebirth for Heal Area if you want to make sure no one dies. (Very Much recommened because Heal Area is 10 energy and almost never needed, and when you do use it you end up with low energy resulting in a death.

This Variant Elona Reach (Mission) Runner is a perfected build to solo run the mission easily. With the use of constant running and condition removals it is possible to complete this runnable mission within 10 minutes..

Attributes


 * Expertise = 12 + 3 + 1


 * Healing Prayers = 12

Equipment

Full Sentry armor is recommended for +10 AR(while in stance), Very useful for tanking out hex's and crippling conditions.

Weapon


 * A Axe/Sword of Fortitude
 * With +5 Energy
 * 30 hp

AND

or a Max Armor shield with equivalent stats.
 * Crimson Carapace Shield


 * -2 received damage (while in stance)
 * +45 Health (while in stance)

Runes
 * Major vigor / Superior Vigor
 * 3 attunement runes
 * Superior Expertise
 * Minor Expertise

Usage
Hug the right wall once you go under the bridge and run around to the Ghostly Hero
 * Minotaurs can be easily outran at the start of the mission. Head left at the start and follow straight down the hill until you come to a bridge, run under the bridge, maintaining a running stance at all times.

Note #1 Make sure your team does not follow you from the start because it is likely they will drag minotaurs to the cutscene, and killing the Ghostly Hero, which will result in the failure of the mission. Make sure you do not aggro any groups to the Ghostly Hero!!


 * Once you pass the first cutscene decide which way you will go first.. Either NW or E.

Note #2 Make sure to try and maintain running skills and mending at all times!

Note #3 Make sure before running into mobs to see if the mesmer boss is there, if so cast a pre Holy Veil and Healing Breeze then run in.

Note #4 If you need another 75hp then you can always drop the crystal and gain 75 hp from your wepons, running away then returning at full hp for the cystal, this is very helpful and saves you much of the time.


 * Make sure when you reach the vision crystal, look for mesmer boss (for pre Holy Veil, then cast Healing Breeze then run in, pick it up and try to avoid Enchanted Swords, if you become crippled from the Enchanted Swords, use Mending Touch,and run away. Try to maintain your hp above 100 and use Heal Area RARELY when needed (Use healing breeze instead to recover health. Run away from the Enchanted Swords and Elementalists (Arcanists, they spike you with large amounts of dmg) as quickly as possible. Try and use Dodge or Zojun's Haste when picking up the crystal because you run 33% faster instead of 25% faster.


 * Try not to aggro any groups that are avoidable, make sure not to aggro groups of enemies up to the Ghostly Hero when returning the crystal.This is rare that they will continue following after you get clearly by the alter/ghost. The ghostly hero must stay alive to suceed.

After some practice this run can be mastered.

Possible Routes
Listed below are all the possible high-level routes that this build and its variants can be run with:

Prophecies

 * 1) Beacon's Perch -> Camp Rankor -> Droknar's Forge
 * 2) Camp Rankor -> Deldrimor War Camp -> Granite Citadel -> Copperhammer Mines Using henchmen as cannon fodder is important on most parts of this trip.
 * 3) Copperhammer Mines -> Iron Mines of Moladune and reversed.
 * 4) Iron Mines of Moladune -> Marhan's Grotto -> Thunderhead Keep
 * 5) Elona Reach (Mission) + bonus

Equipment

 * Druid's Armor
 * An Icy Recurve Bow
 * A Secondary, Non-Icy Bow for Mark of Pain

Usage

 * Cast Favorable Winds
 * Cast Marksman's Wager
 * Choose a target
 * Cast Spinal Shivers followed by Mark of Pain and Reapply these as necessary
 * Mark of Pain can also be cast on a different target to aid your party
 * Cast Tiger's Fury and reapply as necessary
 * Spam Focused Shot on the target
 * Note that if your attacks are being Blocked, Evaded, etc., your energy will be rapidly drained by Marksman's Wager
 * Use Throw Dirt as necessary

Counters

 * Blind
 * General Anti-Melee
 * Rapid Hex Removal

Variations

 * Consider Replacing Mark of Pain with Barbs for more concentrated damage as well as a more effective cover hex due to the low recharge.
 * Consider Antidote Signet if blind is a problem
 * Consider Rigor Mortis if blocking is a common issue
 * Consider Parasitic Bond for an even more effective cover hex

A Touch Ranger makes use of a ranger's durability in getting close to his opponents and "touch" skills from the necromancer's arsenal to steal his opponents' health. This build uses a high rank in Expertise to reduce the energy cost of the key skills Vampiric Bite and Vampiric Touch.

Equipment

 * Druid's Armor, With Rune of Superior Vigor and Rune of Superior Expertise
 * Weapons (one of the following)
 * A +5 energy axe/sword of shelter/defense/fortitude and a Blood Knife from Attendant Nashu or Jahn Pitz.
 * A Blood Magic wand such as the one available from Karl Jakobs and Blood Magic focus such as the one available from Volsung Stoneketil.
 * A +energy weapon set with otherwise same stats as the above.
 * Milthuran's Staff for more energy

Usage

 * Get close to your target and spam Vampiric Bite and Vampiric Touch.
 * Use Dodge to chase down kiting targets and avoid attacks that can be harmful to the build (such as crippling attacks).
 * Use Whirling Defense or Throw Dirt when targeted by warriors, rangers or assassins. This is not only important for avoiding the damage, but also the harmful conditions like crippling and Deep Wound.
 * Use Offering of Blood when you can get the full benefit of the energy gain and you are not taking too much damage. Use it as often as it recharges if you can.

Counters

 * Use anti-spammer strategies, such as Diversion or Distracting Shot.
 * As the ranger needs to get within touch range, just stay away from them. Use any combination of snares, kiting and knockdowns to achieve this.
 * The life stolen per second is not enough to overcome focused damage and health degeneration. However condition based degeneration won't work as they just use Plague Touch to pass it on.
 * Signet of Humility, Arcane Thievery or Arcane Larceny can be used to shut down Offering of Blood, which is crucial for the build. When used in combination with even mild energy denial such as Energy Burn, the ranger will soon be out of energy.
 * Blackout is devastating to touchers.
 * "Can't Touch This!" will cause touch skills to fail, but this is not overly destructive and will only waste the touch ranger 2-10 energy.
 * Tease will cause the recharge of all the touch skills used in the build to increase by a certain percent, decreasing the overall DPS of the build.
 * It may be wise for users of this build to bring a melee weapon (such as a sword) as a counter-counter, since Tease ends if the target hits the caster (who will have to be within touch range to cast it in the first place)
 * Because the build relies on two skills spammed consecutively, enemies with interrupts can easily time their interrupts.
 * It looks like a toucher is easy to stop. However one on one (in most cases even 2 or 3 on one) with the touch ranger at full energy it's not as easy. The only realistic way to stop him is using hex based snares, Diversion, heavy energy denial or out healing him until he runs out of energy.

Variants

 * Verata's Aura can take control of all minions around for a medium-short amount of time. Highly useful for AB.
 * Frozen Soil can be hidden on the Touch Ranger skill-bar, and when used intelligently, can be a devastating skill in TA, and especially RA. This requires the extra skill points to be put into Wilderness Survival. This can easily replace Throw Dirt.
 * Barbed Signet can replace Resurrection Signet in AB, giving the Touch Ranger a secondary distance attack to compliment Vampiric Gaze.
 * Signet of Agony and Distracting Shot with a barbed bow to replace Throw Dirt and Whirling Defense gives the build an interrupt and the ability to inflict 44 second bleeding (significant damage over time.) You can still have Blood weaponry as a secondary set.
 * Blood Ritual is useful especially in a team situation as it is affected by expertise and gives an energy gain. Similarily, a group of touch rangers could be effective using Blood is Power and Blood Ritual on each other.
 * Zojun's Haste, paired with Dodge, gives an almost nonstop speed boost and protection against rangers. This is a good replacement for Resurrection Signet in AB.
 * Blood Renewal makes a good self heal if used properly.
 * Strip Enchantment in place of Resurrection Signet for Alliance Battles or 8-Team Competitive Missions such as The Jade Quarry and Fort Aspenwood, where Resurrection Signets are useless.
 * Use the 6 left-over attribute points and put them into Wilderness Survival, then using Serpent's Quickness as a way to increase pressure on your target.
 * Touch of Agony and/or Wallow's Bite should not be overlooked.
 * For players who only own Factions, a spare points Melandru's Shot could be used, with Vampiric Bite and Wallow's Bite as the damage. This will be less effective and conditional to enemies faced, however.
 * Storm Chaser instead of Dodge can help with energy management, but is generally not as useful.
 * In Alliance Battles, Resurrection Signet may be replaced with Awaken the Blood for more powerful touch attacks.

Template
This build uses "Go for the Eyes!" along with "Find Their Weakness!" to get big spikes with deep wound from keen arrow.

Attributes and Skills

 * The Elite Skill is VERY flexible here, so if Prepared Shot isn't preferable or available, then some more reasonable options would be:
 * Punishing Shot
 * Melandru's Shot
 * Crippling Shot

Equipment

 * Scout's Armor for bonus protection
 * 15^50 Sundering Shortbow of fortitude.

Usage

 * Set up with Read the Wind and begin attacking a target.
 * Once adrenaline is gained up enough, use "Go for the Eyes!" with "Find Their Weakness!" followed by Keen Arrow then Prepared Shot. This should deal around 150-160 damage +deep wound.
 * If ever swamped by conditions, use Remedy Signet.
 * When being melee'd, use "Never Surrender!" for self heal once health is below 75%.

Counters

 * Stone Sheath.
 * Massive Degen.
 * Melee-hate hexes.

Variants

 * In PvE, AB, or CM, use Screaming Shot instead of Res.
 * The elite in this case can be very flexible. another option could be Punishing Shot for its quick activation for the DW spike. Melandru's Shot is another option for E-management. Infuriating Heat is one of the most practical uses to get faster adrenalin gain for "GftE!".

Attributes and Skills

 * Depending on the variants, this build can be used in various areas.


 * Yay for wastes of time!

Armed Assault uses several Weapon Spells to greatly increase the efficiency and strategy of ranger attacks. I'm sure the build will look odd at first glance, but read the notes below to see the individual strengths of each skill.
 * The main combo of attacks uses Nightmare Weapon to deal a near instant spike of 126 armor ignoring, life stealing damage.
 * There are several variants that are very useful in different areas and situations, including interrupting, using a pet, and barraging.

Attributes and Skills

 * To fill in the Optional slots, look in the Variants section for many different uses for this build.
 * The attributes can be changed, and runes can be lowered if the health seems too low.
 * Marksmanship can be lowered to 0 if the user doesn't need damage from the first two skills. NM Weapon makes all damage dealt exactly 42.


 * Preparations(when not using Barrage) which cause conditions can be very useful to eliminating enemies.
 * A defensive skill or some other interrupt skill can be put in the last slot. A Resurrect can also be used in PvP.
 * Serpents Quickness or another recharge-time lowering skill can be useful for the main combo.
 * Troll Unguent is a good out of battle heal, but points will need to be dropped from Marksmanship for this.

Equipment

 * Use one rune of Superior Vigor and 2 runes of Attunement along with the 2 stat raising runes.
 * Sundering/Zealous/Vampiric bows of Fortitude with +5 Energy. The type of bow is your choice.
 * The health and energy levels should be 450 and 35 respectively, but these can be higher.

Usage

 * Set up Favorable Winds outside of battle, but close enough for you to be constantly affected by it.
 * Against single enemies use Nightmare Weapon + Dual Shot followed immediately by Distracting Shot for a quick, armor ignoring, life steal of 126 damage.
 * Usages for the variants are listed below.

Counters

 * Standard melee counters apply here(Blind, Hexes, etc)
 * Kiting, conditions, and lack of healing may sometimes be a problem, but they can be covered by variants of the build.

Variants
Barrage + Splinter Weapon - Used in PvE and AB.


 * Use Barrage + Splinter Weapon against large mobs of enemies to do massive amounts of richocheting damage.
 * Recast Splinter Weapon every two shots as soon as it is available.
 * Use Nightmare Weapon + Barrage against large mobs to gain 126 health.

Total Spike Variant - Very powerful in TA or GvG with coordinated spikes.


 * In the first optional slot, use either Kindle Arrows, Melandru's Arrows, Marksman's Wager, or Apply Poison.
 * Use your preparation before the spike, then Nightmare Weapon.
 * Attack with Dual Shot, Wielders Strike, then Distracting Shot for a huge spike of life stealing damage.
 * If a non elite preparation is used, consider skills such as Melandru's Resilience for the other optional slot.
 * Oath Shot can be extremely powerful in team builds for doing multiple spikes quickly.

Quick Shot + Warmonger's Weapon - Used in RA and TA.


 * Use Warmonger's Weapon + Quick Shot to interrupt casters.
 * Use Dual Shot followed by Quick Shot followed by Distracting Shot for a quick 4 hit burst.
 * For the 8 seconds when Warmongers isn't up, Distracting Shot can still be used as an interrupt.

Animal Variant - Used mainly in TA and RA.


 * Use Heal as One as a quick heal for when NM Weapon isn't enough, this can be switched for a different elite.
 * Other possible elites are Rampage as One, Ferocious Strike, or an elite from a different attribute.


 * Use Maiming Strike to cripple foes, and Disrupting Lunge on casters to disable skills frequently.
 * The Pet Attacks can be switched for other skills.
 * For this build, Marksmanship must be lowered to 10, and Expertise much be lowered to 11, so Beast Mastery can go up to 8.
 * Marksmanship can actually go to 0 if you don't mind not doing any damage other than the NM Weapon combo.

Prepared Shot + Read the Wind - Useful in many situations.


 * This variant uses Read the Wind to allow arrows to travel twice as fast, with Prepared shot for good damage without NM weapon, as well as energy management.
 * The idea with Splinter Weapon is to cast it and follow with Prepared Shot, Dual Shot, and two Needling Shots.
 * It also uses Dual Shot and Needling Shot for the 3 hit combo needed for the NM Weapon spike.
 * Needling Shot can also be used in conjunction with Prepared Shot for straight damage.
 * Splinter Weapon can be dropped in areas with no mobs.
 * Thanks to Defiant Elements for thinking up this build.


 * Many more variants are possible with this build, feel free to post your own combinations of skills in the discussion page as variants!

Attributes and Skills

 * Offensive Variant:


 * If doing Random Arenas or Team Arenas, use Flesh of My Flesh in the optional slot. If in AB use with another spirit of your choosing, such as Union.


 * Defensive Variant :

Equipment

 * Weapons - Recurve Bow with "I Have The Power!" inscription and Fortitude mod.
 * Survivor and Vitae Runes.

Usage

 * Use Whirling Defense while under attack or at risk of Ranger Interrupts.
 * Keep Generous Was Tsungrai up, as opposed to using it when necessary, as it has a relatively low cost and the main limit on its healing comes from recharge, not energy.
 * Use these skills preferably before oath shot if they have recharged to achieve full benefit.
 * Against spell based group, set up dissonance first, whereas against melee groups, use shadow song. These spirits will reduce the damage done to your builds, as well as potentially devastating area of effect spells on spirits.
 * Set up spirits spreaded out, as opposed to on the same spot, or else AoE spells or Dervishes (especially with Banishing Strike) would make short work of them.
 * In some situations, use spirits to body block for effect. Set up dissonance offnesively near monks if your group needs offense, at the back defensively if you need help against assassins or melee.

Counters

 * Anti-spirits or summoned creature skills such as Banishing Strike.
 * Armor dependent damage spells, especially AoE ones.
 * Blocking or Dodging Oath Shot, or Blinding you while it is being activated.

Variations

 * Pain does not benefit as much from Oath Shot, but is a nice addition if more damage is needed, and it would also help the energy management of the build.

This Bold Forge Runner build was especially designed for the Droknar's Forge run with a Ranger. It makes clever use of the Ranger's abilities to recharge skills faster to use Balanced Stance, and "Charge!" twice in a row. The downside is that one has to tank out hexes, and conditions successfully.

Armor
Note: Your armor level (AL) is more important than your energy pool due to hex- and condition-tanking, that is why it is not advised to use the popular Druid's Armor here.
 * Full Sentry's Armor for extra armor (+10 AL in stance).
 * Full Fur-Lined Armor for the extra +15 AL against cold damage. This helps a lot vs. the ice imps and ice golems, which will usually be the reason you're stuck tanking in the first place. It's also the best option if you're limited to prophecies.

Runes

 * Rune of Major or Superior Vigor

Weapons

 * Any one-handed weapon that increases health, and/or energy:
 * 1) Sword with +5 Energy and +30 HP

NOTE: There is a cheap +25hp axe that is given as a reward for completing the Scavengers in Old Ascalon quest. It makes a good beginning/budget running weapon since it is free and obtainable early and easily.

NOTE: The above shield has identical stats to Grognar's Defender, and can be obtained with greater ease.
 * Any shield with either stance and/or health modifications:
 * 1) Grognar's Defender - the Runner's Best Stance Shield Choice.
 * 2) Emboldened Carapace Shield from Hagnon Warblade [Health +60 (while hexed), Received damage -3 (while hexed)] - for hex passages of this runs.
 * 3) Crimson Carapace Shield from Lord Dorn Lendrigen [Health +45 (while in a stance), Received physical damage -2 (while in a stance)]
 * An additional weapon or shield with a -20% crippled mod.

General
The Running Sequence provides a constant speed boost, whereas the Anti-KD Sequence fully protects from knockdown effects for a long time. Pay attention to hexes, and conditions which can put you in grave danger if not tanked out correctly.

Running Sequence

 * Use Dodge, Zojun's Haste and "Charge!" for a constant speed boost.


 * Dodge and Zojun's Haste give a 33% speed boost, but "Charge!" only gives a 25% speed boost

Note #1: With Dodge and Zojun's Haste you can evade missile attacks.

Note #2: "Charge!" is the only Warrior running skill that can be used together with Balanced Stance, as it is a shout and not a stance. Remember: Only one stance can be used at a time.

Anti-KD Sequence
The Anti-Knockdown Sequence protects you from knockdowns by Frost Wurms, Tundra Giants, and Siege Ice Golems. Furthermore, it adds protection against damage.
 * Activate Serpent's Quickness, "Shields Up!", "Charge!", and Balanced Stance (in this order). You will be able to use "Charge!" twice in one Balanced Stance recharge cycle. Balanced Stance will recharge immediately after that due to the enhanced recharge time that Serpent's Quickness (SQ) gives, but beware that there will be about a 2-3 second gap in coverage before you can reactivate it (assuming 12 tactics). Shields Up is optional, depending on the situation. It's good for going by Tundra Giants and the first wurm area with the Avicara. Use it whenever you know ranged damage is coming your way.

Note: If you run into a situation where you're going to run out of Balanced Stance before you're out of harms way, you can try the following. As soon as the Balanced Stance icon begins blinking, indicating that it's about to end, hit your Troll Unguent. You should be able to get Troll Unguent on just before Balanced Stance expires, thus giving you a little edge on tanking while you wait for it to finish recharging. If you miss this, then you may be unable to activate Troll Unguent because of the knockdowns.

Note: "Shields Up!" is used right away to protect you from extra damage. It is not an essential part of the Anti-Knockdown Sequence, but comes in handy for taking less damage.

Healing

 * Try to use Troll Unguent before engaging large damage-dealing mobs. Be aware of the long casting time of 3 seconds.
 * Use Healing Signet in safe areas where regeneration is possible.

Handling Hexes
This build has no anti-hex, or anti-condition mechanism. You are forced to tank out the damage and keep on jogging.
 * Activate "Shields Up!", and Troll Unguent to counter damage, and/or degeneration.
 * Try to avoid ice golems. If there is no way to get past one (or a group of them), use troll unguent before going by and then do Serpent's Quickness + Charge + Shields Up + Balanced Stance. You can also try to use Dodge or Stormchaser to get by them quickly and then do the mentioned combo when the first hex hits you. Sometimes if you're lucky you can get far enough away from them that by the time the first hex lands, they are out of attack range and they may not harass you any more than that. The main danger from the ice golems isn't really them killing you, but the other things that hang out with them killing you while you're slowed. This can either be Avicara and Frost Wurms at the first wurm area, Grawl at the large ice golem/Grawl field, or even trolls if you get that one ice golem that spawns at the second troll cave in Snake Dance. The first wurm area and the grawl field are probably the hardest parts of the entire run for this build if the ice golems spawn/patrol in such a way that you cannot sneak by them.
 * Avoid Stone Summit Heretics like the plague. Crippling Anguish + Conjure Phantasm will snare and shred you quite quickly. The only place where this is really survivable is at the very end of Snake Dance when Camp Rankor is in sight. The Heretic that sometimes spawns there is by itself, other than some Blessed Griffons which are (thankfully) hostile towards it. If you get hexed there you actually have a good chance of surviving and getting to Camp Rankor. Sometimes the griffons even attack it before it tries to hex you, in which case you get a smooth end to your run through Snake Dance. Everywhere else Heretics spell almost certain death.

Variants

 * Whirling Defense can replace Healing Signet for a better tanking out hexes, and conditions. Be aware that you have no quick-heal then.
 * Storm Chaser can replace Zojun's Haste if you do not have Factions.

Attributes and Skills

 * Optional slot can be Debilitating Shot, Concussion Shot, Whirling Defense, or Frozen Soil, depending on the team build.

Equipment

 * Your armor of preference, Druid's Armor is nice for the Energy bonus.
 * Best vigor rune possible. All minor runes to conserve health.
 * A good Bow, preferably a Recurve Bow and a Shortbow since you need fast recharge and/or fast arrow travel times.
 * A Recurve bow should be used when interrupting the Ghostly Hero, a Shortbow should be used with Choking Gas.

Usage

 * When only little time is left until start, use Practiced Stance.
 * Make out your target.
 * Once you're almost in range and the battles are starting, cast Choking Gas.
 * Use Flurry whenever possible after Choking Gas is applied. - Practiced Stance lengthens Choking Gas when applied, the stance doesn't need to be kept up all the time.
 * Use Practiced Stance as a cover.
 * Use Distracting Shot on enemies that use Resurrection Signet, Healing Signet, or Troll Unguent.
 * Use Savage Shot on regular basis whenever you can interrupt something and your energy allows you to do so.
 * When attacked by warriors, activate Whirling Defense or Lightning Reflexes (if you have either) or run away.
 * When in Heroes' Ascent on an Altar match or in the Hall of Heroes, use Seeking Arrows and Distracting Shot/Savage Shot to guarantee interrupts on the enemy Ghostly Hero.

Counters

 * Interrupt choking gas.
 * No defense makes it dependent on being healed by someone else.
 * Empathy, Spiteful Spirit or any other anti-attacking hex.
 * Aegis, Guardian, or similar skills (assuming you can't interrupt them).
 * Note: If an arrow is blocked it can still interrupt due to Choking Gas.
 * Blindness and Crippled.
 * You can time 1 sec cast time spells through arrow hits even when they have Flurry up.

Variants

 * For PvE-Content, switch Seeking Arrows with Favorable Winds and use Troll Unguent as the optional.
 * Switch Practiced Stance and Choking Gas with Broad Head Arrow and Apply Poison for a cover condition for single target Dazed effect.
 * Flurry can be replaced by Heket's Rampage. Then the secondary class can be changed (e.g. to Paragon with Song of Concentration).
 * Using Dual Shot as the optional, one can replace Flurry with Flail for extra damage.

Template
Originally based off of the W/R Melandru's Resilience Totem Axe Farmer, the Melandru's Jungle runner was first devised so I could run the Totem Axe farming route (with variations for fighting). It eventually evolved into a way to map all around the Maguuma Jungle effectively for me. Later, with even more variations, I started running the Sanctum Cay/ToA route from LA for greater profit. Eventually I was able to run most places (except for the Beacon's/Drok's route) quickly and easily.

Equipment

 * Armor - Druid's armor, for the extra energy.
 * Weapons - A Stalwart Carapace Shield from Yorik Warblade and a Axe or Sword with +5 Energy, and +30 Health.

Usage

 * Cycle through Dodge and Zojun's Haste as speed boosts. Storm Chaser is a cover stance, for the gap in stance time.
 * When approaching areas heavily guarded by enemies with Hexes and/or Conditions, switch into Dodge or Zojun's Haste. Use "I Will Survive!" as a cover shout for now, so you do not cancel out the effects of the running stance for Melandru's Resilience.
 * Once Dodge, Zojun's Haste, and "I Will Survive!" have both expired, switch into Storm Chaser.
 * If your health starts to drop below 50%hp, abandon your running stance for Melandru's Resilience.
 * If "I Will Survive!" has recharged, use it.
 * Typically, Your health will return to a safer amount.
 * If this does not work, stop briefly, use "Shields Up!", Dodge, Zojun's Haste, (only if Melandru's Resilience has expired), and Troll Unguent for a heal. If you feel safe enough, use Healing Signet.
 * Continue in this way to a secluded spot, regenerate health, and start out good as new again.

Counters

 * Massive degeneration.
 * Slowed movement such as Crippled.
 * Body blocking by mobs in narrow passages.

Variants

 * I usually do not feel the need for Healing Signet since I have Troll Unguent, But it is fully up to the user.
 * Sprint instead of Storm Chaser. Storm Chaser is statistically better though. It costs 5 more Energy, but your attribute level in Expertise pretty much neutralizes it. Plus, It gives you energy upon Elemental damage.
 * "Watch Yourself!" instead of "Shields Up!" or Healing Signet.

Attributes and Skills

 * Optional: Sprint for Storm's Embrace.

Usage

 * Lead with Troll Unguent before charging into combat if you think you might be the target of heavy fire (especially if charging a group of casters instead of physical attackers).
 * Use Lightning Reflexes next to build adrenaline with Crude Swing to help (as you should be avoiding 75% of attacks you will have a lower chance of interruption).
 * Use Dryder's Defenses if Lightning Reflexes runs out or use it first if you need extra elemental protection when charging enemies with elemental attacks.
 * Make sure you are in a group of foes before executing the next step for the best effect. It is best to already be surrounded by foes rather than seeking targets.
 * Start the chained attack sequence with Earth Shaker to knock down your foes, then Crude Swing to build adrenaline back up and damage opponents while they are down (which also helps avoid interruption), then Yeti Smash while they are getting up to finish the chain.
 * Either Earth Shaker chain again or use Earth Shaker to knock down your foes and "On Your Knees!" to recharge your stances.
 * Troll Unguent as needed.
 * Crude Swing may get interrupted while in a stance but it helps a lot to build adrenaline (as well as spread poison, see the Variants section) so don't be afraid to use it early and often regardless.

Equipment
Armor: Weapons: Suggested Weapon Mods: Similar Green/Unique Hammers:
 * Sentry's Armor for additional armor while in a stance.
 * Any max damage customized hammer (with either +15% damage while in a stance or +15% damage always, energy -5). Energy will likely never be a problem with this build unless you encounter very heavy energy denial.
 * Furious Hammer of Fortitude.
 * It's often beneficial to bring along an extra hammer with an elemental damage mod such as an icy hammer grip to help damage Warriors.
 * Kanaxai's Mallet
 * Vera
 * Victo's Maul

Variants

 * Add in "For Great Justice!" and remove a skill of choice to help build adrenaline when you need it most.
 * Replace Resurrection Signet with Apply Poison as needed.
 * In situations where resurrection is not an issue, consider bringing Dodge/Zojun's Haste, Storm Chaser, or Natural Stride instead of Resurrection Signet.

Counters

 * On hit hexes such as Empathy or Spiteful Spirit.
 * Blindness and Weakness
 * Heavy life degeneration.
 * Adrenaline drain or prevention.
 * Defensive stances, though the AoE damage from Earth Shaker and Yeti Smash will still connect with adjacent targets.
 * Damage reducing hexes such as Faintheartedness or Spirit of Failure
 * Anti-evasion skills such as Rigor Mortis, Griffon's Sweep, Warrior's Cunning, or Unseen Fury.

Attributes and skills

 * Poisonous Bite for more DPS.
 * Brutal Strike for increased damage.
 * Symbiotic Bond just in case your pet is attacked.

Equipment

 * Full Druid's Armor with a Tamer's Mask.
 * A Totem Axe or Rajazan's Fervor for the extra 5 energy (you could also use a Rotwing Recurve Bow). Any offhand item with at least +9 energy (but make sure it doesn't reduce your energy regeneration.)

Usage
Start from Saint Anjeka's Shrine and head out into Drazach Thicket. You may get the Kurzick Blessing if wanted, but it is not needed. Start running along the right wall, careful not to aggro the Dragon Mosses (these will be there only if you have the "A New Escort" quest), and keep on that wall until you run into the edge of the cliff looking into the small "valley." There will be a group of Mantises inside the "valley" so wait for them to leave before moving on. When the Mantises move, look straight ahead into the group of Dragon Mosses(if you have the quest). You should see and group of Wardens moving forward toward you, so wait for them to leave and quickly sprint down (using Run as One) towards the wall of the large mountain. Be careful, if you venture too far to the right, a group of Oni may spawn. Stay near the wall for your health to regenerate. When your health is full, run around the wall towards Chkkr, once again being careful to avoid the Dragon Mosses (if you have the above quest). Here you will cast both of your pet shouts. Run towards him until he starts to attack you, then slowly retreat behind the wall again so he can't hit you with his arrows. Once you are sure that your pet isn't taking any damage, start your pet attack chain. Use both of your pet attacks, and while they are recharging, use Enraged Lunge. You also may like to use Run as One while using your pet chain just in case only your two pet shouts are recharged (Enraged Lunge counts as its own recharging skill), to get the full damage bonus. With high Expertise this chain can go on for almost forever. Once he gets past about half health, he will start to use Troll Unguent much more often, so make sure you have Disrupting Lunge recharged to disable it (if you choose to bring it). If done correctly, you can kill Chkkr before your Call of Protection regenerates. Pick up all drops and repeat.

Counters
If Chkkr attacks your pet, then keep spamming all of your pet healing skills and pet attacks until the pet dies (hopefully this won't happen). Make sure Chkkr keeps attacking you, and use Comfort Animal to revive your pet. Then restart your attack chain, making sure to use Enraged Lunge while your other attacks are recharging. Note: Make sure to keep staffing/shooting Chkkr. If you keep staffing him he will stay focused on you.

Variants
If you do bring Symbiotic Bond, then I suggest switching Comfort Animal for Troll Unguent and moving all your excess points to Wilderness Survival. This is to heal yourself because your pet is sharing your health.

Attributes and skills
The base is below but to give a more detailed description of the attributes, the highest score is always in Marksmanship (often maxed at 16 but other times it can be as low as 12 depending on the secondary profession used - see below), 9 or 14 ranks in Expertise to effect 10 energy skills primarily (or 8 or 13 if all skills used are 5 energy), and Wilderness Survival is good at 8 or 10 for the use of Troll Unguent or to switch out for secondary profession skill ranks.


 * *  The above attributes are a good baseline to work with and can be adjusted as playstyle/preference allows. 

 Common Core Barrage baseline:  

Equipment

 * Any armor can be used though Druid's is best if energy is lacking. Scout's is a poor choice as preparations will not be used in a Barrage build.
 * A Flatbow is commonly used in a barrage build provided Favorable Winds is brought as well to lessen the large arrow arc from a Flatbow and to help speed the arrows to their targets. Otherwise, each bow has it's own ups and downs but can be used as preffered.
 * Vampiric or Zealous bow strings are used a lot in Barrage builds as you get multiple hits per shot (provided the build doesn't call for an elemental string) though a Sundering string is a good stand by if you don't want to worry about the degen or makes a good switch out weapon.

Usage

 * The function of a barrage build varies slightly but the overall effect is to do damage to a group of foes with each use. Therefore, attacking the central most target in a group is desired for the best effect rather than the closest.
 * Placement of any spirits before hand is key as they usually increase the damage and speed the arrows fly at. Be sure to place them where they will be effective yet not attacked by enemies.
 * Often, interrupt skills are brought along to take out any big skills or those that might hurt you like Meteor Shower or Resurrect as examples of big skills or Empathy and Spiteful Spirit as examples of skills that can seriously hinder or hurt you. Be aware that you will have to wait for the barrage animation to finish before the interrupt will fire.
 * Some sort of self heal, condition removal (primarily for blindness), or defensive stance is popular as well though not required.

Counters

 * Any standard melee/ranger counters such as blindness, on attack/hit hexes, and/or blocking.
 * Energy denial.

Variants

 * Support or damage enhancing skills often brought from the ranger skill line may include but are not limited to:
 * Throw Dirt as an emergency skill to blind foes attacking you or your allies.
 * Winnowing to add 4 damage to each arrow.
 * Conflagration to change your bow's damage type to fire damage.
 * Winter to change any elemental damage to cold damage.

Barrage/Pet Variant


 * Adding a pet to the build with then turn you into what is referred to as a B/P ranger. Pet attacks will not slow your rate of fire as they are all shouts.  Often, a team will consist mostly of these creating a pet wall and multiple barragers, or just have one around.  Multiple variants can be found for this at Build:Team - Barrage/Pet (Tomb Ruins).

R/Warrior

 * Attributes levels usually are in Tactics and at around 8-9 ranks should do it in most cases.
 * Shouts can be used without interrupting the fire rate flow thus making them useful and often charged with the high adrenaline gain from barrage if they are adrenaline based.
 * "Watch Yourself!" charges quickly and can increase the party's AL without any cast time. This also combines well with Soldier's Defense.
 * "Fear Me!" can be used repeatedly to reduce the enemy's energy levels though this typically has a minor effect if any on an enemy's seemingly limitless energy pool.
 * "Shields Up!" can be used to reduce the damage your party members take from projectiles.


 * Healing Signet can be used as an alternate, energy free, though risky heal.
 * Protector's Defense can be used to help those near you as you often will not move while barraging.

R/Monk
Solo Vigorous Barrager

Use: Cast and maintain Live Vicariously. Before battle put up Symbiosis to gain the extra health it offers from enchantments. When entering a battle, cast Vigorous Spirit. When enemies start to pile up, use Barrage to take full advantage of the healing provided by a vampiric bow, Live Vicariously, and Vigorous Spirit.

Other skills:
 * Attributes levels usually are in Healing Prayers, Smiting Prayers, Protection Prayers, or none at all depending on what is taken/used and typically at around 8-9 ranks in only one of those areas should do it in most cases. Ranks in Wilderness Survival are usually sacrificed as healing from Trolls Unguent is often replaced with other skills.  If Symbiosis is used just use whatever remaining ranks are left but no more than 8-9 ranks in Beastmastery at most.
 * Live Vicariously will return health to you for every creature hit which can be up to 6 per Barrage. Commonly used for soloing areas.
 * Vigorous Spirit will behave similar to Live Vicariously but without the drain on energy regen.
 * Single target heal spells or healing enchantments can replace Troll Unguent as a self heal that can also be used on others. Healing Touch is an example skill that can be used as it's cost is reduced with ranks of expertise though it gains no benefit from Divine Favor with a Ranger primary.
 * Judge's Insight to add Armor penetration to each arrow and typically defeat masses of the undead or others weak to holy damage.
 * Mending Touch to remove blindness or other conditions.
 * Watchful Spirit will sap your energy regen but provide +2 health regen with no needed attribute points spent.
 * Renew Life and Restore Life's costs are reduced by ranks in expertise making them decent resurrects to exchange for the Resurrect Signet. Otherwise, there are plenty of reusable resurrection skills in the monks repertoire.
 * Balthazar's Spirit or Essence Bond are usually used when soloing as you will be the sole recipient of damage and will often return massive amounts of energy.
 * Hex removal skills like Smite Hex or Holy Veil can help eliminate damage from on attack/hit hexes like Spiteful Spirit, Empathy, or others.
 * Symbiosis can be useful if using multiple enchants on yourself or others in your party.

R/Necromancer

 * Attribute level of Death Magic, Blood Magic, or Curses is usually at around 8-9 ranks in most cases if at all.
 * Many skills can be used to replace a self heal that either give you health, steal health, or exploit a corpse for health.
 * Order of Pain will help add damage to every attack but for a very limited time. This is best left to another party member (who can also use Order of the Vampire) that can achieve higher attribute levels as it will slow your rate of fire and eat up your energy if you cast it.
 * Mark of Pain may cause scatter but can be most useful in narrow passages.
 * Plague Touch's cost is reduced with ranks of expertise and can be used to transfer any conditions from yourself with limited success as it is restricted to touch range.
 * Many Necromancer skills can benefit a Barrager but usually they need to be cast by another party member that is dedicated to that role.

R/Mesmer

 * Attribute level of Inspiration Magic, Domination Magic, or Illusion Magic is usually at around 8-9 ranks in most cases if at all.
 * Interrupts like Leech Signet can be used to add to or replace bow interrupts.
 * Hex removal skills are available like Hex Breaker or Inspired Hex.
 * Distortion can be used with limited results as a temporary defensive stance.
 * Energy management skills are available mostly from the Inspiration line.
 * Ether Feast can be used as a self heal.
 * Elemental Resistance, Physical Resistance, or any of the mantras can be used as a replacement for a defensive stance depending on the areas you may be in.
 * Arcane Mimicry can be used to make use of another party member's Elite skill in combination with yours without spending any attribute points in a Mesmer attribute line.

R/Elementalist
Fiery Barrager

Use: Use the Glyph to reduce spell costs and cast Conjure Flame on yourself and Mark of Rodgort on your central most target. Fire a fiery bow using Barrage and you can keep the hexed targets burning. Some may prefer to use Fire Attunement instead of the Glyph to reduce energy costs.

Other Skills:
 * Attribute level of Fire Magic, Water Magic, or Earth Magic usually start at around 8 to as high as 12 ranks in most cases if at all.
 * Any Conjure skill with the appropriate bow string can add damage to each barrage.
 * Stone Striker should NOT be used, as it will convert your attacks to earth damage, which will mean that your attacks will no longer trigger Conjure Flame or Mark of Rodgort, even if you have a fire bow, as Stone Striker overrides the normal damage type.
 * If you wish to still have the benefits of a Vampiric, Zealous, or Sundering bowstring, you must bring Conflagration to convert your arrows to fire, so they can still trigger Conjure Flame and Mark of Rodgort.
 * Multiple Earth Magic or Water Magic skills can be used for defensive options such as Stoneflesh Aura, Armor of Frost, or many of the different Wards.
 * Though less popular and very energy intensive, Glyph of Lesser Energy and Meteor Shower (which causes exhaustion) can be used together to add repeated damage and knock downs on your targets, preventing them from escaping your Barrage area.
 * Similar to the Meteor Shower combo, Deep Freeze can be used for a large slow down effect on your foes and no exhaustion though this is uncommon as well.
 * If using 2 or more enchantments on yourself Symbiosis becomes a viable option as listed under R/Mo above.

R/Assassin

 * Attribute level of Deadly Arts or Shadow Arts is usually at around 8-9 ranks in most cases if at all.
 * Caltrops can be used to slow your targets though it requires a closer range.
 * Shadow Refuge makes a good self heal.
 * Viper's Defense and other stances can be used for defensive options.
 * Way of Perfection can add healing with high ranks in Marksmanship and a lot of targets with minimal energy spent (similar to Vigorous Spirit as seen above but relies on criticals for health return) though it performs best if there is a Paragon in your party using "Go for the Eyes!" to drastically increase chances of critical hits.

R/Ritualist
Splinter Barrager

Use: Same as the usual barrage build but cast Splinter Weapon on yourself (or allies as time allows) and be sure to target a group of foes. Recast as needed and as foes are available. Especially good in tight passages.

Other Skills:
 * Attribute level of Channeling Magic, Restoration Magic, or Communing is usually at around 8 to as high as 12 ranks in most cases if at all and often means the reduction of ranks in Marksmanship though only slightly.
 * Nightmare Weapon can be useful for stealing health on up to 3 enemies hit per casting.
 * Wailing Weapon can add interruption to a mass of attacking foes for the entire duration.
 * Warmonger's Weapon can add interruption to a mass of non-attacking foes for the entire duration.
 * Brutal Weapon can add damage to every arrow provided they aren't enchanted. This can be very tricky as many healers will enchant the entire group or those damaged and may ruin this weapon spell unintentionally.
 * Guided Weapon can make your Barrages unblockable.
 * Vital Weapon can add to your maximum health and others in the party.
 * Wielder's Boon can be a useful self heal if under a Weapon Spell effect.
 * Spirit Rift can be used as a spiking skill add-on if timed properly and especially effective when combined with Splinter Weapon. Cast Splinter Weapon, Spirit Rift, then Barrage and it all hits about the same time.  Drawbacks include energy cost, casting time, and the enemy may move from where the Spirit Rift appears.


 * Spirits: Often a R/Rt may also bring a spirit to add more damage or healing as the case may allow (also taking advantage of the cost reduction Expertise allows) though this rarely will enhance Barrage in any way but simply takes advantage of the party make-up. Expendable spirits (like Life or Destruction that give an effect when they expire) tend to make a good defensive "shield" of sorts to hide behind should you come under attack as well.  The most commonly brought are:
 * Recuperation to add health regen in spirit range to all things friendly - especially good for groups with multiple pets, minions, and/or large groups of players and/or friendly NPC's.
 * Life to add cheap healing in spirit range to all things friendly and a "shield".
 * Destruction to add cheap damage in spirit range to all things unfriendly and a "shield".
 * Bloodsong to add a cheap attacker and possible "shield" that can steal health though less common.
 * Pain to add a cheap attacker and possible "shield" that does a little more damage than Bloodsong but can't heal itself though also less common.

R/Paragon
'''"Go for the Eyes!" Barrager

Use: Same as the usual barrage build but spam "Go for the Eyes!" and "Find Their Weakness!" together as they charge to do critical hits to your targets and deep wound to one of your targets as well as add crits to the targets of those in your party that are effected. "Find Their Weakness!" only affects one ally and the first critical hit though so it is usually the skill to change out for others listed below.

Other Skills:
 * Attribute level of Command or Motivation is usually at around 8-9 ranks in most cases if at all.
 * Shouts can be used without interrupting the fire rate flow thus making them useful and often charged with the high adrenaline gain from barrage if they are adrenaline based.
 * "Never Give Up!" can add energy to an unhealthy party.
 * "Never Surrender!" to add health regen to an unhealthy party.
 * "Stand Your Ground!" to add armor to your party while not moving.


 * Many motivation skills can be used for party health, energy, defense and more though they don't benefit more from use with barrage unless adrenal based.
 * Anthem of Envy can add some minor damage at the easy cost of adrenaline.
 * Bladeturn Refrain can be used to add defense to yourself or others and last a long time if using other chants or shouts allowing you to cover the party or at least multiple members.
 * Song of Concentration and Hexbreaker Aria can both be charged quickly though will slow you down with the long cast times.  They will still benefit the group with less interruption or hex removal though.
 * Chorus of Restoration or Energizing Chorus can be quickly charged and used for energy or health management on yourself or others that meet the conditions.
 * Remedy Signet is a good condition removal skill.

R/Dervish

 * Attribute level of Earth Prayers or Wind Prayers is usually at around 8-9 ranks in most cases if at all.
 * Dust Cloak or Staggering Force can be used to change your weapon damage type to earth damage.(do not use if you are working with an orders necromancer)
 * Heart of Holy Flame can be used to change your weapon damage type to holy damage.(do not use if you are working with an orders necromancer)
 * Grenth's Fingers can be used to change your weapon damage type to cold damage.(do not use if you are working with an orders necromancer)
 * Zealous Renewal can be used for energy management.
 * Harrier's Grasp to cripple your targets.
 * Harrier's Haste may add some damage to moving foes but works better with Harrier's Grasp.

Barrage in other primary professions:

 * Barrage isn't limited to Ranger primaries and other professions can make good use of the skill. Many will make good use of their primary attribute skill line in combination which Ranger's can't (at least not as effectively with zero ranks).

See also:
 * Build:A/R Critical Barrager
 * Build:Team - Barrage/Pet (Tomb Ruins)

This build is a basic interrupter skillbar that can be used and modified for many situations, the main goal is to decrease both the enemy group's healing and damage through the use of interruption. Fights should be shorter with one of these on the team, taking some pressure off the healers and often preventing as much damage as they would normally heal.

Attributes and skills

 * *  The above attributes are a good baseline to work with and can be adjusted as playstyle/preference allows. 

Hard interrupts (Prophecies/Nightfall):

Daze with cover conditions (Factions):

Spamming (Prophecies):


 * Optional skill slot can include: Concussion Shot, Pin Down, Screaming Shot, Hunter's Shot, Throw Dirt, Serpent's Quickness, Seeking Arrows, Needling Shot (works great with the dazed effect from Broad Head Arrow) or Antidote Signet (or any condition removal skill from another profession).

Equipment

 * Any armor can be used though Druid's is best if energy is lacking.
 * A Recurve Bow is best for interrupting in general with the faster flight time though others can be used in combination with Read the Wind.
 * A Shortbow or Flatbow is recommended if you are in need of a faster firing weapon to interrupt more often (when target is dazed or using Choking Gas for example) or just as a switchout weapon.
 * For any build that inflicts a condition (like dazed or poison) a bow string of it's respective condition (like silencing or poisonous) is suggested to lengthen the desired condition.

Usage

 * The function of these builds depends heavily on the party and environment, and thus the player should be observing his team as well as the enemy the first few moments.
 * If the team seems to be lacking the healing power needed, one should go for interrupting high-damage enemy spells/skills first.
 * If the team seems to be lacking sheer power, go for healers first.
 * If the party is in need of specific enemies interrupted be aware of any targets being called or requested by your team leader.


 * After using the build for a while and getting more comfortable with interrupting, all of the above points should be able to be achieved with the use of Distracting Shot. Disabling an enemy healer's main heal (knowledge of common skill recharges always helps) while also taking care of long-casting spells (perfect example: Meteor Shower or resurrection skills) is the main idea of these builds.
 * Often if you daze a target that is being attacked by others you can then interrupt a second target with your remaining hard interrupts (Savage/Distracting Shot).
 * Dazing a caster boss will often shorten the time the condition lasts but will spell doom for this enemy as they usually will only have spells and will be defeated with minor to no resistance while this effect is in place. As monk bosses in PvE seem to take the longest to defeat this condition can save the party a lot of time and effort in the long run if prepared for it though it is more frequently removed in certain areas, cover conditions can help prevent this.
 * If using Choking Gas and Practiced Stance it's often a good idea to bring an IAS as you want to fire as often as possible with every shot being a potential interrupt. This will also interrupt in a small area and interrupt while blinded (as the gas does the interrupting and not you hitting the target) but it will not interrupt non-spell skills, thus a minimum of one other hard interrupt is recommended to be brought along.

Counters

 * Any standard melee/ranger counters such as blindness, on attack/hit hexes, and/or evasion/blocking (though variants listed below can counter all of these downfalls).
 * Energy denial.

Variants
Optional skills: 
 * Hunter's Shot/Screaming Shot for a cover condition or added degen.
 * Concussion Shot for an additional spell interrupt or daze effect.
 * Pin Down to help land Broad Head Arrow, prevent the target from fleeing, or a cover condition.
 * Throw Dirt to blind melee foes that find their way to you or those in trouble near you.
 * Antidote Signet primarily to remove blindness (unless using the Choking Gas variant, then it isn't needed) though at times to remove poison and disease as well. It can also be replaced by secondary profession skills (like Mending Touch or Remedy Signet).
 * Serpent's Quickness to rapidly have interrupts/daze attacks available.
 * Seeking Arrows to hit an enemy that is evading/blocking your attacks.

As a R/Me:
 * Any other defensive/running stance to replace Whirling Defense, best option is Dryder's Defenses, as it also gives elemental armor though Lightning Reflexes can boost your interrupt rate temporarily if the target is dazed or if you are using Choking Gas.
 * A running stance to replace a skill for more survivability. Dodge/Zojun's Haste in missions/quests to prevent a wipe or to get to a destination fast or escape if the need arises.
 * Natural Stride can be substituted as a hybrid of a defensive stance and a running stance to get a little of each of the two above options.
 * If attacking a dazed target or using Choking Gas, Needling Shot can often shutdown a target if their health is below 50%, or using an IAS (such as Bestial Fury/Tiger's Fury, Frenzy, Flurry, or others) can increase your interrupt rate.
 * Adding a pet to the build can then activate the interrupts for you from the daze effect (if being used) allowing similar results as above without relying on your party to target either of your two targets (best with Broad Head Arrow or Concussion Shot) or just to add more interrupts on the one dazed target.
 * Bringing hex removal skills can be beneficial if expecting to run into hexes that will hinder you like Empathy.
 * Adding skills like Frustration or Arcane Conundrum can help increase the chance of interrupting with slower cast times from the target or even cause more damage to the target; if not added pressure.
 * Replacing the Elite skill with skills like Migraine or Psychic Instability can severely hamper a caster as well when combined with daze and/or interrupting attacks.
 * Epidemic can help spread conditions like daze, poison, crippled, and bleeding to more than your primary target.
 * Skills like Inspired Hex, Revealed Hex, or Hex Eater Signet can help to remove hexes if you know that you will be frequently encountering hexes that may hinder you in some way without expending much, if any, energy in their use.
 * A Mesmer's repertoire of skills may also add extra interrupting options should your target be obstructed, evading, or otherwise avoiding your interrupts. As these are not typically reduced in cost with ranks of Expertise it is uncommon to have more than one or two Mesmer interrupt skills and more common to use a signet at no cost (like Leech Signet or Signet of Disruption for example).

Interrupts in other builds:
 * It is common to add a few interrupt skills like Distracting Shot and/or Savage Shot (for common examples) to another build to add interruption options. In this case it should be taken into account as to what else one might be doing.  If the user will be spamming other skills or casting long spells the interrupts will not be as useful as the user will be busy and the interrupt skills wasted.  Be sure to plan ahead when adding Interrupt skills to any build so as to make use of them appropriately.
 * Many times it is common to bring along one interrupt skill so as to avoid that one large skill per battle (Giant Stomp, Meteor Shower, Wurm Siege, any kind of resurrect skill, and so on) and it is usually a good idea for such in many a situation as the user will often have a time and place (if not a specific foe/skill) for that skill's use as opposed to being occupied using other skills as above.

See also:
 * Interrupt skills quick reference

The R/any Prepare to be Dazed build is designed primarily for PvE. The purpose is to spread Poison and Dazed while maintaining strong energy management as well as dealing reasonable damage. It may also be useful in some PvP, but it is not as well suited to the purpose.

Attributes and Skills
See Variants for the Optional Slot.

Equipment

 * Druid's Armor
 * A Zealous Shortbow

Usage

 * Activate Favorable Winds (if equipped)
 * Activate Apply Poison
 * Activate Troll Unguent
 * Activate Concussion Shot --> Prepared Shot to daze
 * Activate Marauder's Shot --> Prepared Shot for high damage
 * Activate Antidote Signet as necessary

Counters

 * General Anti-Melee
 * Heavy Condition Removal

Variants

 * Use a /Mo for a hard resurrection skill
 * Switch Marauder's Shot for a second interrupt like Savage Shot or Distracting Shot
 * Whirling Defense
 * Throw Dirt
 * Use Marksman's Wager rather than Prepared Shot for greater energy management at the expense of damage
 * Needling Shot
 * Epidemic
 * Mending Touch
 * Flail
 * Screaming Shot
 * Favorable Winds
 * Read the Wind can replace Apply Poison in which case Screaming Shot should be added in the optional slot to cover the Daze.

Build: R/any Prepared Needle

The Prepared Needle Ranger uses Read the Wind and Prepared Shot to increase damage per hit as well as supply an endless flow of energy for Needling Shot.

Equipment

 * Armor with Radiant Insignias and a max health rune and a Rune of Attunement.
 * Vampiric Recurve Bow of Fortitude and/or Vampiric Longbow of Fortitude.

Usage

 * Activate Read the Wind and keep it on at all times.
 * Use attacks in the following order for maximum benefit: Needling Shot, Marauder's Shot, (Distracting Shot), Prepared Shot, Needling Shot
 * When target is below 50% health, use Needling Shot until it is dead.
 * Use Natural Stride and throw Troll Unguent in case of melee attacks.

Counters

 * Blind, if you can't see you can't hit.

Variants

 * Take Monk secondary if Rebirth is needed.
 * Replace Read the Wind with Apply Poison for added pressure, or Kindle Arrows if elemental damage is preferred.
 * Replace Marauder's Shot with Keen Arrow if a Paragon in your party has "Go for the Eyes!".

Equipment

 * Druid's Armor.
 * A Flatbow or Longbow.
 * A Recurve Bow or Composite Bow.
 * Poisonous bow strings work very well.

Usage
See General Guidelines.

General Guidelines

 * Use the Flatbow or Longbow to lure your enemies onto the traps and use the Recurve Bow or Composite Bow when firing Poison Arrow.
 * Always activate Serpent's Quickness before laying traps. Lay them in this order: Dust Trap, Barbed Trap, Flame Trap. You should be able to lay down two sets of traps just as Serpent's Quickness ends. It's safe to lay a third set afterwards, as well, but any more and you run the risk of letting some traps self-detonate before any enemies reach them.
 * Dust Trap causes Blindness, allowing you to set more traps right under the enemy if needed.
 * Lay down a Spirit of Toxicity somewhere in the area but far enough away that it won't get attacked. In times of trouble, you can always run past it and let the enemies kill it instead of attacking you. Make sure Serpent's Quickness is up first; the recharge time is quite long.
 * You can out-regen the damage of most but not all monsters with Troll Unguent - it's usually safe to cast it before activating Storm Chaser and running away.

The following can be farmed in Diviner's Ascent, leave from Elona Reach:


 * Sand Drakes (Topaz Crest) - Approach these and stop just short of aggro range. Activate Serpent's Quickness and lay double sets of traps. Now, shoot off a Poison Arrow to each Drake and back up - let the Drakes run over your traps. They should be dead, if not, the degen will soon kill them. Sometimes Drakes are linked in aggro but are spread far apart - watch the radar carefully for any incoming Drakes. It can mess up your trapping badly if one or two don't hit the traps at the same time as the others. In this case it is best to pull a retreat or out-regen them with Troll Unguent and Poison Arrow.


 * Rockshot Devourers (Bleached Carapace) - These are annoying, because they are also trappers and they carry Distracting Shot, but mostly because they tend to pop up at the most inopportunate moments. Follow a similar procedure as with Drakes, but keep a farther distance between you and the Devourers so as to avoid accidentally aggroing them prematurely. Once your traps are set, hit them with Poison Arrow and run slowly back to your traps. Devourers are less pull-friendly than Drakes so you'll have to give them more time. Do not try to set any more traps unless you are sure the Devourers are blind. It often takes two or more rounds of traps to kill Devourers, so you may wish to simply pick them off with hit-and-run Poison Arrows. A good counter-tactic to Distracting Shot is to start activating Troll Unguent and immediately cancel it by moving - the Devourers will use Distracting Shot and waste it. With a 10 second recharge, you have plenty of time to cast Troll Unguent in peace.

The following can be farmed in Skyward Reach, leave from Augury Rock:


 * Hydra (Dessicated Hydra Claw) - They are very dangerous to farm with this build, but it can still be done. Lay traps safely away from them and then use Poison Arrow. They will always use Meteor or Fireball, so immediately use Storm Chaser and run away. They should still follow. Lead them over the traps - this will cause Crippled. Now it's just a matter of waiting for degen and dodging Fireballs. Don't try to take on more than two at once.


 * Storm Kin (Shriveled Eye) - More dangerous than most but safer than Hydras. Follow the usual procedures, and you should be fine. Counter Conjure Phantasm with Troll Unguent.

The following can be farmed in The Scar, leave from Thirsty River:


 * Dune Burrower (Dune Burrower Jaw) - These are stationary, so with the Flatbow or Longbow you can sometimes take them out without any opposition (try to get a height advantage). Otherwise, just hit them with Poison Arrow and move outside their range. They will try to counter with Healing Spring, just shoot them to disrupt it. There will always be Jade Scarab and/or Rock-Eater Scarab buried nearby, so it may be wise to take them out first.


 * Jade Scarab and Rock-Eater Scarab (Jade Mandible) - These are more fragile than the other monsters and are often killed with the first sets of traps, so treat them like Sand Drakes. Remember that Jade Scarab carry Plague Touch, so try to not let them get within melee range. If they do, though, use Troll Unguent to counter the degeneration.


 * Sand Giant (Massive Jawbone) - These have Plague Touch and are more sturdy than Jade Scarab, so they are a bit tough. They also knockdown with Giant Stomp occasionally. However they are fairly slow so you can generally use hit-and-run tactics after the first wave of traps. They also rely on self-caused Conditions and Plague Touch to transfer them - Crippled from Barbed Trap is very potent against them.

The following can be farmed in Prophet's Path, leave from Augury Rock:


 * Desert Griffon (Iridescent Griffon Wing)- Requires a lot of patience, they use "I Will Survive!" to counter your Conditions. They are often more trouble than they are worth, but if you really need those Griffon Wings this build is a surefire way to get them...eventually. There are of course much more effective Tanking builds that have been made for Griffons especially, but this build can still do them.


 * Minotaur (Minotaur Horn) - These are easy. Follow the same procedure as Drakes, but remember that Minotaurs often run in a patrol route rather than lazing around in one spot.


 * Marrow Scarab and Scarab Nest Builder - for some reason neither of these drop any Collectible Drop, don't bother trying to kill them if you don't have to. They are hard to kill, anyways...Marrow Scarab will use Plague Touch and Virulence to devastating effect, and Scarab Nest Builder have Distracting Shot ready to interrupt Troll Unguent, as well as being Trappers themselves. In the event that comflict is unavoidable, lay down three or even four sets of traps to eliminate the Marrow Scarabs in one go. But stay out of Touch range!


 * Salving Cactus (Spiny Seed) - While it can be hard to find them, they are very easy to farm. They don't move much and always cast Holy Wrath first - so start off with Dust Trap to blind them. After that you can finish them off any way you choose. Note, there are always one or two of these outside Heroes' Audience, beware the Sand Elementals though.

Notes on other creatures:


 * Sand Wurm (Bleached Shell) - Good luck finding one, and good luck soloing it. Not recommended, but it could be done.


 * Enchanted (Forgotten Seal) - They are immune to Poison and Bleeding and can't be farmed with this build.


 * Sand Elemental (Encrusted Lodestone) - Like Enchanted, these are immune to Poison and Bleeding and thus can't be farmed. Besides that, they are very dangerous.

Counters

 * Blind to some extent, though with Antidote Signet or another remedy (see Variants) this is no problem.
 * Crippled, though no monsters in the Desert inflict this condition except the Barbed Traps of Scarab Nest Builders.
 * Sudden spike damage, such as what occurs when facing Sand Elementals. Always use Storm Chaser and run away when in danger!

Variants

 * Oath Shot, Spike Trap, or Trapper's Focus could be used instead of Poison Arrow for a purely Trapping build, though it plays a bit differently from the Posion Arrow one.
 * For farming Minotaurs, Throw Dirt can be a viable skill to replace Toxicity. It will let you set more traps instead of having to run away.
 * Antidote Signet, Mending Touch (R/Mo), and Remedy Signet (R/P) are also excellent skills to consider bringing along. In the event you step on a Dust Trap or Barbed Trap, these will let you counter them effectively. However, this is not too common an occurance, and generally bringing Toxicity will yield a better net effectiveness.
 * Natural Stride is a viable alternative running skill to Storm Chaser if you're not facing enemies that use Hexes.
 * Trapper's Speed is a good skill to consider bringing instead of Toxicity. Activate it just before Serpent's Quickness expires.

This is a build designed for Totem Axe farming which utilizes the Ranger's superior speed skills to run past foes. When necessary, Apply Poison or Kindle Arrows skills are used to dish out large amounts of damage to quickly eliminate foes you must defeat.

Attributes and Skills
Escape can be replaced with Natural Stride, in case you either haven't capped Escape, or would prefer to use a different Elite. If you don't have access to Nightfall skills, Storm Chaser or Whirling Defense could also work.

Equipment
Armor - Any max set of armor will do. Druid's Armor is preferred due to the extra energy it provides. Most of the damage you will take while Totem Axe farming is a result of degeneration, which is not affected by armor.

Weapons - You MUST have a longbow or a flatbow. Bows with Poisonous and Fiery bow strings are handy but not necessary.

A shield or other off-hand item with a defensive bonus is recommended for the run.

Usage


Start in Ventari's Refuge. If you have brought a shield and one handed weapon equip them and head into Ettin's Back. Cycle the speed stances repeatedly. You will have a constant speed boost along with a high block bonus. Head south towards Reed Bog. Along the way you will encounter some fire traps and possible bleeding from Hunter's Shot. If you are hurt badly keep moving until you have broken aggro or built up about 3/4 aggro bubble distance. Use Troll Unguent and keep moving.
 * Ventari's Refuge

Procede as before constantly using your three run buffs to rush past foes. When you are speeding through the area, the Trolls and Spiders are not able to attack effectively. If you see a large group of foes ahead, find a safe place and wait until your faster run skills recharge so that you can use them again.
 * Reed Bog

When you have reached the southern-most part of your run there is a fork where you can go left (west) or right (northwest). The path to the right is usually easier since there are fewer Trolls. The Scarabs that pop out of the ground are only a problem if they are able to pin you - they use melee attacks and can only really damage you with Vampiric Touch. There are a few Spiders near the entrance to The Falls but you should be able to breeze past them. Even if they hit you with Pin Down keep moving since the duration of the Crippled condition is short-lived.

Now you have to deal with massive amounts of Maguuma Spiders. Luckily they don't do much damage and all your stances provide a hefty block bonus against their ranged attacks. If you get into trouble because of Pin Down or simply being poisoned for long durations, use Troll Unguent, but maintain your stances at ALL times, even if not moving. The Spiders are a pain but they seldom chase you very far and often by the time they have descended from the trees and activated Apply Poison you are almost out of range. The Spiders' spawn pattern is relatively consistent in The Falls, so find an area where they are not present and take a break to recharge.
 * The Falls

Once you are past the Spiders you are faced with Jungle Trolls. The path is sometimes narrow here and a couple of Trolls often block the way. In order to get some clear space on the path, activate dodge and run towards the Trolls, then back up slowly so they will follow you. This should separate them, creating some space so you can run past. If necessary, activate Zojun's Haste on the way. If the Trolls pin you, you are dead. Even with the 75% attack Block provided by Escape, their Power Attack is lethal.

Once past the Trolls you will face Jungle Skale. The Skale are not really much of a threat because your Troll Unguent will offset Rotting Flesh (Disease). However there is a tendency for one or two Skale to constantly follow you which can be a real pain - even fatal if they follow you right up to the Wind Riders. Make sure there aren't any Trolls around, activate Apply Poison as needed and using the tab key hit several skale with Poison; use "shift/tab" to go back to the first one and restart the loop. Groups of 5 will be dead in around a minute and a half or less. Use Troll Unguent whenever you go below 3/4 health and slowly work your way through the Skale. Make sure you take out the patrols, especially before you get to the Wind Riders because you have to run from them.

Once you find a Root Behemoth make sure you attack it from higher or equal elevation - higher is preferable. (Being at a higher elevation than your target increases the range of your arrows; at a lower elevation your range is shortened.) The longbow or flatbow lets you attack the Root Behemoth without aggroing the Life Pods that are hiding there. Use Apply Poison to cause health degeneration on the Root Behemoth.

Next, creep forward slowly to aggro the Life Pods. The Pods will spring up one at a time if you're lucky. Hit a Pod once and try to pull it about half an aggro bubble away. Attack it using your two interrupt skills to interrupt Orison of Healing. If your poison is still active use it on lone pods. When Apply Poison runs out or if it is already exhausted use Kindle Arrows to do a massive amount of damage to the pods. (If two or more are aggroed don't use poison because they will use Mend Condition and with their other heals you won't be able to kill them.) If you get 2 or 3 aggroed try to lure them down hill as one will follow close and the other 2 will sit back and shoot at you, try to put as much distance as you can from the shooting ones and kill the on thats closest this is so the others can't heal the one your attacking. Then one of the others will get close to you and you can repeat this process until they are dead.

Keep moving through the area, using Troll Unguent as needed and picking up loot after ALL Life Pods are dead. If you run in to pick up your Totem Axe before you have killed the Pods you'll often aggro 3 of them. It's tempting to just run in and get the Axe but you may lose the rest of the run because Life Pods will often follow long distances.

When you get to an area with Wind Riders your strategy changes. Wind Riders have an interrupt (Cry of Frustration) that can affect non-spell skills. They also have Conjure Phantasm. This means that you will be constantly losing health while fighting them and everything you do will be subject to interruption. The solution is to try to pull them away from their group and kill them one at a time. Use Apply Poison while well outside of aggro range. Then move close but not quite into bow range. Use Troll Unguent and then attack one and only one Wind Rider. Hit it a few times to get its health low then run away using your stances and let the poison kill it. After you have broken aggro, immediately use Troll Unguent to ensure that you don't die. Repeat this process until the group of Wind Riders is dead. This is by far the hardest part of this run and takes a lot of patience to figure out. Don't get frustrated if you die. You may either continue the run (Candy Canes help) or restart.

Counters
This is the one thing you do not want to happen. Trolls can kill you with relative ease as soon as you stop moving with speed. As discussed above, it is sometimes necessary to get them out of your path. Also, the Scarabs can pin you if you are not paying attention. They spring up out of the ground and if you use the keyboard to move past them you often get hung up on them. If you click to move you need to keep clicking to make the game update its path so you can go around the new Scarabs.
 * Getting Pinned.

Troll Unguent is an incredibly useful skill because it cannot be removed once it has been activated (except by the user's death). The drawback is that it has a 3 second casting time which means it is easy to interrupt. Wind Riders are capable of interrupting it and are more than capable of killing you.
 * Interrupts.

Variants

 * If you don't have Escape you can substitute Storm Chaser. The drawback is that Storm Chaser doesn't include attack evasion so you will get Crippled more often when facing spiders.
 * If you have a Monk as your second profession consider bringing Purge Conditions or Mending Touch instead of one of your interrupts. This allows you to remove a Crippled condition if necessary.  Bring a skill that removes all Conditions because otherwise just Poison will be removed, and it will be reapplied almost instantly.
 * If you have a bow with a Fiery bow string you can use Ignite Arrows instead of Kindle Arrows. The important difference between these two skills in this setting is that Kindle Arrows changes the arrow's base damage from Physical damage to Fire damage.  Ignite Arrows keeps the base damage as Physical, but the Fiery bow string converts the base damage to fire damage.
 * If you have Factions, drop Savage Shot for Needling Shot as the RBs will die much faster once they get below 50%.
 * If you have Nightfall, drop Distracting Shot for Forked Arrow to kill the Life Pods faster with Kindle Arrows going. (Use Forked Arrow and Savage Shot quickly to spike a single Life Pod)
 * If you have Warrior as secondary, you can add the remaining points into Tactics and drop Escape for "Shields Up!". And then you can drop Kindle Arrows for Burning Arrow to add -10 degeneration to your target, if used together with Apply Poison (providing your Elite skill slot is open).
 * Natural Stride can be used instead of Escape in order to give you the ability to use another elite skill. Due to Natural Stride's much shorter duration and recharge, you'll need to use your stances in this order: Natural Stride > Dodge > Natural Stride > Zojun's Haste. This will allow you to keep your stances up consistently. (recommended for ALL who have all 3 campaigns)

Equipment

 * The Rotwing Recurve Bow is nice for the extra 5 energy.
 * Alternatively, you can use a firestaff with +15 energy and swap distracting shot for Inferno or any other skill you might see fitting.

Usage
The only difference in this variant is the ability to kill the Life Pods faster. As they take double fire damage, they will be dead very quickly. Aggroing only 2 Life Pods is recommended, but 3 is possible. When you use your fire skills, use Phoenix first then Flame Burst. Make sure the life pods are as close to each other as possible.

Templates
R/Mo

R/E Variant

This is a PvE build. It also works well in PvP against Necromancers, Mesmers, and other rangers. It is also an excellent build for evolving a new pet into a dire pet (see animal companion for details), as the pet does incredible damage with Enraged Lunge. This is a Prophecies+Factions build.

Attributes and Skills

 * See "Variants" on the choice of healing skill.

Equipment

 * Use a Longbow or a Flatbow to get your pet to attack foes while keeping the foes out of your aggro area.
 * While your pet is attacking, use a staff that maximizes energy and health (Kole's Torment, Illyana's Staff, Bohdabi's Spire or a maximized Insightful Staff Of Fortitude are ideal). The sole purpose of the weapon is to tell the pet who to attack.
 * Use Explorer's Armor to maximize health.

Usage
General usage of this build:
 * As soon as you enter the explorable area, use Symbiotic Bond and Call of Protection. These will protect your pet, and will be the first two skills that will be recharging for you.
 * As soon as combat starts, use Call of Haste and Predatory Bond.
 * Now that you have 4 skills recharging, use Enraged Lunge repeatedly for +80 damage every 5 seconds.
 * Use Troll Unguent repeatedly, as your pet is sharing your health.
 * On the rare occasion that your pet does take heavy damage, use Comfort Animal to restore its health.

Key mindset of this strategy:
 * With the exception of Charm Animal and Comfort Animal, no skill should ever remain fully charged in combat. You need your skills to be constantly recharging to fuel Enraged Lunge.
 * With a high Expertise you should not run into any energy issues except when fighting multiple bosses. This is because each time a boss dies, your skills reset.  With this build you need your skills to be constantly recharging, so killing a boss means a slight energy drain from using your 4 shouts again.
 * Remember that you can use any of the shouts and the Enraged Lunge even while you are activating Troll Unguent.

Variants

 * Replace Call of Haste and/or Predatory Bond with one or two pet attacks, such as Brutal Strike, for more damage. When using multiple pet attacks, however, remember to watch the pet's damage closely to ensure that the first attack hits before the second attack is played.  Otherwise, only one of the attacks will succeed.
 * If you are playing a R/W, replace Troll Unguent with Healing Signet, and redistribute all attribute points from Wilderness Survival into Tactics. This provides more healing (230 vs 160 over a given 10 second period), and uses less energy.
 * Otyugh's Cry can replace Call of Protection, giving your pet an Armor bonus and unblockable attacks for a short time.
 * If it will not be needed for a run, replace Symbiotic Bond with an optional skill.
 * An extra pet attack: Brutal Strike or Disrupting Lunge are good. Disrupting Lunge can be very annoying in PvP.  Be sure to go R/W and carry Healing Signet if you do this so you don't have to spend energy healing.
 * A nature ritual like Symbiosis or Edge of Extinction
 * A defensive stance or shout like Whirling Defense or Watch Yourself!

Templates
Rt

The Offensive Promiser is a PvE build designed to provide heavy Spirit damage, while utilizing Assassin's Promise for energy management and mobility.

Equipment

 * Shaman's Armor - will provide 75 AL when three spirits are maintained
 * Wayward Wand with Channeling requirement (+5 energy > 50%, HSR of Channeling Magic Spells)
 * Communing Focus from Elder Ezio (Energy + 12, Communing Magic + 1 [20%], Health +30)

Usage

 * Summon spirits at the edge of the battle, once your party has aggro. Try to space them so multiple spirits will not be affected by enemy AoE attacks. Spirits have a range that is further than the edge of the aggro circle; careful placement will allow your spirits to engage the enemy, while not attracting too much aggro.
 * Painful Bond will greatly enhance spirit damage, and should be applied when it is recharged. It hexes enemies adjacent to your target, so plan accordingly.
 * Whenever an enemy is about to die, hex them with Assassin's Promise. With Deadly Arts at 8, Assassin's Promise will last for 10 seconds. If the hexed enemy dies within those 10 seconds, you will gain 13 energy (net 8), and all of your skills will be recharged, including Assassin's Promise. Once a fight gets going, you should be able to spam Assassin's Promise on multiple foes, allowing you to refill your energy bar, and resummon any spirits that may have fallen.
 * At the end of battle, you should generally have a full energy bar, with every skill recharged.
 * Feast of Souls can be used for an emergency party heal of 73, 146, 219, or 292 HP, depending on spirit placement.

Counters

 * Spirits' low health and AL make them magnets for aggro. It is important to place them strategically, and replace them immediately for full effectiveness. If all your spirits are killed, you are not very useful to your party.
 * Hex removal can disrupt your Assassin's Promise spamming.

Variations

 * Dissonance could be replaced by another spirit, if the area warranted it.
 * Feast of Souls could be replaced by Boon of Creation or Spirit to Flesh, if you are more comfortable with those methods of healing.

Template
The Spirit Scythe utilises the hard hitting abilities of a scythe while boosting damage with Spirit's Strength as well as providing defensive abilities from the Earth Prayers line.

Attributes and Skills

 * Use Sight Beyond Sight if anticipating blindness-causing enemies, otherwise take Wielder's Remedy instead.

Equipment

 * Emissary's Armor for the extra defense.
 * A Zealous Scythe of Enchanting.

Usage

 * Cast Vital Weapon, Spirit's Strength, Wielder's Remedy, and Mystic Regeneration when going into battle.
 * Use Conviction to boost survivability.
 * Use Victorious Sweep and Mystic Sweep for damage.
 * Use Sight Beyond Sight or Wielder's Remedy as nessesary.

Counters

 * Heavy enchantment removal will lower your DPS, but you will still be doing a decent amount due to high Scythe Mastery.
 * Frequently reapplyed conditions such as blind from Ebon Dust Aura, if you don't have Sight Beyond Sight.
 * Standard anti-melee hexes.

Variants

 * Victorious Sweep can be replaced by Eremite's Attack for another fast activating attack skill.
 * Zealous Renewal can be used for energy management.
 * Twin Moon Sweep can replace an attack skill.

This build is designed to integrate the damaging communing spirits with some support skills from spawning, and a hex from channeling. The result is a spike based on spirits, which is extremely effective in AB and PvE, and with some variants it is equally powerful in Random Arena and 1v1.

Equipment

 * Use the communing cap to use with the superior rune.
 * Use Halcyon armor for the extra energy. You'll need it.
 * A collector Insightful Channeling Staff of Fortitude should do nicely. Binding Rituals do not recharge or cast faster with a 20/20 Communing Staff because they are not considered spells. But the Hex Painful Bond which is important for this build can recharge faster with a 20/20 Channeling Staff or Wand/Focus.

Usage

 * Start by casting Boon of Creation to keep your energy up and health up while you're casting spirits.
 * Use Ritual Lord, and put down Pain, Shadowsong, and Bloodsong.
 * Use Arcane Echo to set up your Painful Bond.
 * Target a close group of enemies, and hit them with Painful Bond. Use the Echo-Painful Bond on another group, or save it for a few seconds. Your call.
 * Use Vital Weapon as needed. It can also be used as a quick heal.

Counters

 * Energy isn't really that big of a problem since you have the use of Boon of Creation, but excessive energy denial can cause a problem.
 * Getting interrupted while casting a spirit can be a hassle, but is avoidable if you try to hang back and cast the spirits.

Variants

 * Arcane Echo can be replaced by Ghostly Haste, but Arcane Echo is more efficient for Painful Bond in this build.
 * Vital Weapon isn't necessary, but it is a helpful health buffer during Alliance Battles to keep you alive. If you're doing a 1v1 or a Random Arena, try replacing Vital Weapon with Doom. Use Arcane Echo on Doom instead of Painful Bond, since when you're in RA or 1v1, the one hex will usually effect all of your enemies due to close grouping. If you use Doom and Arcane Echo together once you have all of your spirits cast, you can spike for a hefty chunk of damage, along with the high-damage spirits.
 * Arcane Echo can be replaced with Dissonance or Disenchantment, turning this build into a one-man army against melee bosses, like Sskai, Dragon's Birth for farming (PvE).
 * The new Nightfall Spirit Anguish could be used instead of the spirit shown here.
 * If you would like to use a channeling spell instead of arcane echo you could take a minor for communing and a superior + headgear for channeling. The build works just as well since the extra damage from painfull bond and bloodsong ofsets the lost damage from pain and shadowsong. However it does reduce the effectiveness of vital weapon slightly.

Template
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 you're 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.

This build takes advantage of the fact that Weapon Spells and Ritualist Urns may not be removed like Enchantments can, and uses that advantage to heal allies.

Equipment

 * Full Halcyon armor set for Extra Energy.

Usage

 * With Attuned was Songkai at High Spawning Power, the cost of Heal Party and Extinguish is nearly halved. With 14 Spawning Power, 15 energy spells are only 8 energy, 10 energy spells cost 5, and 5 energy spells cost 3.
 * Soothing Memories costs no energy if you have the Attuned was Songkai.
 * Heal Party should be used when everyone has a bit of damage but has not been hurt enough to warrant a casting of Soothing memories.
 * Vengeful Weapon is basically Reversal of Damage with no means of stripping it. It costs 3 energy when you have the Ashes.
 * Weapon of Warding is used when there is a hazard of Warriors, Assassins, and Rangers. It should be used sparingly because of the cast time.
 * Remove Hex and Resilient Weapon are used as safety skills for when hexes come that are extremely harmful, such as Spiteful Spirit, Backfire, Empathy, Diversion, etc.

Counters

 * High levels of Degeneration.
 * Lack of protection versus high-damage hits.
 * Energy Denial.
 * 15 second downtime when the spells are full cost, meaning heal party and Extinguish cannot be used effectively during those times.

Variants
If enchantment removal is not an issue:
 * Holy Veil instead of Remove Hex for hex removal
 * Gift of Health instead of Extinguish as an emergency heal.
 * Take Heal Other or Jamei's Gaze instead of Extinguish.
 * Lively Was Naomei instead of Resurrection Chant.
 * Healing Breeze instead of Extinguish, thereby countering degeneration instead of removing it.
 * Vigorous Spirit instead of Vengeful Weapon (it's more energy efficient on Warriors and Assassins than Vengeful Weapon and won't remove Weapon of Warding)

The Explosive Creation build deals damage throughout and upon the creation, life, and death of animated minions. This build takes advantage of Spawning Power's ability to affect minion creation as well as spirits.

Equipment

 * An Insightful staff of Enchanting, possibly with an Inscription of "Aptitude, Not Attitude", which gives HCT of Death Magic (20%), or a Poisonous Sword/Axe of Enchanting with Bortak's Bone Cesta//Armind's Focus. The weapons from Shichiroji are favored for their +5 Energy mod.
 * Best Vigor rune possible and superior Spawning Power. All other minor runes to conserve health.
 * Harbinger's Armor or Halcyon's Armor. For Nightfall, this is Survivor and Radiant Insignia, respectively. Runes of Vitae and/or Attunement are also recommended.

Usage

 * Use Rotting Flesh to start spreading damage if you do not have minions or when there are no corpses.
 * Keep Boon of Creation and Explosive Growth up when creating minions.
 * Create a Flesh Golem when you do not have one.
 * Create Bone Minions when you already have a Flesh Golem. This doubles the Explosive Growth damage and provides two targets for Death Nova. With Boon of Creation, this skill almost entirely recovers its energy cost upon successful cast.
 * In PvE, if you still have minions before a battle, activate Signet of Creation, cast Death Nova on all of them, and rush them into battle, preferably near a large group of enemies. The Signet should keep most or all of them alive to attack your foes for up to 30 seconds, and then kills them all simultaneously, activating Death Nova's explosions.
 * Use Blood of the Master to keep minions alive between battles.

Check General minion mastery guide for an in depth discussion of minion usage.

Counters

 * Remove the enchantments upon which the build depends.
 * Exploit the corpses with faster-casting Necromancer skills.
 * Use Smiting Prayers, which double damage against undead creatures.
 * Use high-level magical Area of Effect damage against the low-level minions before they come into Death Nova range.

Variants

 * Use Bone Fiends, Vampiric Horrors, or Bone Horrors instead of minions for longer lasting undead followers.
 * Use Spirit Channeling to provide energy for creating a constant supply of Bone Fiends or Horrors and fund Blood of the Master.
 * Attuned Was Songkai may also be used for energy management when focusing on higher cost undead animations, but keep in mind it negates all weapons and off-hands while being held.
 * Add quickly recharging spirits such as Destruction and use Rupture Soul, possibly drawing them into position with Draw Spirit allowing you to deal damage on creation and destruction of the spirit.
 * Use Taste of Death instead of Signet of Creation to focus on killing off specific minions, specifically the Flesh Golem to create a new one, to trigger Death Nova when required, and to self-heal.
 * Use Generous Was Tsungrai with a few extra points towards Restoration when low on health and immediately drop to heal.
 * Reduce Spawning Power, increase Restoration, and add spirits such as Recuperation to help your teammates and minions last longer.
 * If a resurrection skill is necessary, leave out either Blood of the Master or Rotting Flesh. If you increase Restoration, take Flesh of My Flesh.
 * Switch out Rotting Flesh for Bitter Chill for spammable damage, Vile Miasma for damage and degen, or Deathly Swarm for groups of enemies.

Nightfall Variations

 * Swap out Blood of the Master for Spirit's Gift and Rotting Flesh for Putrid Flesh, for disease/degen on your foes and healing/condition removal for your minions.
 * Swap out Flesh Golem for Reclaim Essence for superior Energy management or areas with heavy Enchantment removal. Or, Jagged Bones makes every allied minion an "exploitable corpse", ensuring an infinite source of bomb material, another activation of Explosive Growth, and another source of degen via Bleeding.

This is a very effective build for farming Ancient Armor Remnants at the Remains of Sahlahja Challenge Mission, by killing Maddened Spirits and Infestations outside the Wurm.

Equipment

 * Armor - Maximum energy Armor
 * Weapons - Doesn't matter much. Any staff or wand in the restoration or channeling attributes should do the trick.

Usage
Do not get into wurm. Camp near first maddened strike location (but not TOO near). Cast Bloodsong. Attack nearby infestations, using essence strike and gaze from beyond and the occasional wanding. Wait for Maddened Spirit to appear. Hit "Can't Touch This", followed by vengeful weapon. As spirit starts attacking you, put vengeful was khanhei up. Spam vengeful weapon a few more times. When maddened spirit dies, you can siphon your bloodsong then recast it at a different location, still within the first area - do not touch the yellow sand :). Clean nearby infestations. Etc. Notice that, strictly speaking, you only need to recast Bloodsong every three spirits, more or less (they seem to spawn within 30 seconds of each other), but it's not recommended to wait that long. Being caught without bloodsong will drain your energy (since you must spam vengeful much more), so recast it every two maddeneds.

Counters

 * Be careful not to be caught off-guard killing infestations and forget to use "Can't Touch This". If you eventually get bored, hop on the wurm and do it the old-fashioned way.
 * Getting your Bloodsong killed is a nuisance, but not a fatal one (for the Ritualist - for the more fragile P/Rt version it is dangerous) - spam vengeful weapon until it's dead and recast it. Maddened Spirits will usually come for you, not the spirit, unless the spirit is a much more convenient target. Therefore, the best position for you is to stand between Bloodsong (a mere step away will do) and the incoming Maddened Spirit, or exactly on the same spot (if you just cast it, for example).

Variants

 * You can switch around a few skills, the only essential skills are Can't Touch, bloodsong and vengeful spells. This configuration means you can kill nearby infestations quickly and always replenish energy for quick maddened killing.
 * A P/Rt variant is possible, but it's much more complicated to use. Here is the skill bar for it: Can't Touch This, Vengeful Was Khanhei, Vengeful Weapon, Nightmare Weapon, Essence Strike, Go For the Eyes!, Spirit Siphon, Bloodsong. Attributes: Command 10 (headgear+superior), Leadership 4 (Major), Restoration 11, Channeling 12. Use a zealous spear and max energy armor with attunement runes. When Maddened arrives, use can't touch and vengeful was khanhei as he gets closer. Use vengeful weapon once. When Khanhei starts blinking, cast Nightmare Weapon and start attacking the maddened spirit when khanhei's effects ends. Use all your energy management skills whenever possible and attack nearby infestations to regain energy (go for the eyes is there for energy management - 2 energy per use). Remember you can attack maddened spirit with essence and your zealous spear - even though it does no damage, you still gain the energy. It's complicated, but doable - don't forget to always recast bloodsong after every 2 maddened spirits - being caught without it will probably be fatal.

Attributes and skills

 * Optional skills should be a self heal, Troll Unguent works well, but its long cast time is undesirable to some.
 * Doom was suggested and can be used for added damage to help your group's damage output.
 * Draw Spirit can be helpful in fast moving environments.

Equipment

 * Armor:: Any armor really works, energy management shouldn't be an issue but never hurts.
 * Weapons:: Insightful Communing Staff of Fortitude or Hale, the added health cushion comes in handy.

Usage

 * Put Boon of Creation on yourself at the start of the match and keep renewing it as needed, its recharge is slightly less than its duration so use that as a guide.
 * Activate Serpent's Quickness just before you complete your first ritual.
 * Put down Wanderlust first, then Shadowsong
 * Other spirits down in any order
 * Maintain Boon of Creation and keep dropping spirits as soon as they're recharged
 * Exception:: Pain lasts much longer than its recharge so judge that as needed
 * Try to always have Serpent's Quickness on before dropping Wanderlust, otherwise there's a large gap where you won't have it.

Counters

 * Interrupt Rangers and Mesmers can trash this build, if you find you're being interrupted try dropping Union first, and hope they interrupt that, then put down Shadowsong or Wanderlust when they don't have an interrupt ready.
 * Diversion can also do some damage to this build, so take note when it's on you, and what you're casting next. Pain is the best to cast to take Diversion away because of the shorter recharge and long life span.

Variants

 * Spirits can be changed out; Earthbind may be preferred by some to keep them on the ground after Wanderlust.
 * Subclass can be changed to Mesmer and use Mantra of Concentration or Mantra of Resolve to foil interrupts but the recharge time hurts this build a lot.
 * Mantra of Resolve can also devastate your energy supply, so be careful
 * Add Brambles and make sure you are using Devona, knockdown Heroes, or knockdown based party members for a great time. If you can get another party member to add Lacerate lots of things will die really quickly.
 * If you want to have a higher damage output you may want to put in Bloodsong instead of Union.
 * In Luxon vs. Kurzicks you can sub Draw Spirit in for Resurrection Signet because your teamate will be revived quickly and Draw Spirit will enable you to bring your spirits to the front lines faster. Also when your doing this instead of putting Draw Spirit in the optional spot you can put a healing spell like Spirit Light in there.
 * For TA when you are certain you will have a dedicated healer this build deals more damage and disrupts the enemy much more. Casting is same as standard build, right down the line.

Equipment

 * Radiant or Survivor armor
 * A +5 energy axe of Fortitude with a req 9 Tactics shield of Fortitude with -5 20%. Totem Axe works just fine.
 * The Headpiece should have +1 Channeling Magic with a Superior Rune of Channeling Magic.
 * Three armor pieces should have a Rune of Attunement.
 * One armor piece should have the highest possible vigor rune.

Usage

 * Cast Splinter Weapon and Cruel Was Daoshen before you aggro a mob.
 * Aggro the mob and activate Gladiator's Defense.
 * Use Cruel Was Daoshen again, Ancestor's Rage, drop the ashes, and use Cyclone Axe.
 * When using this build, use the attack chain as fast as possible, or the enemies will flee. Usually, they won't flee if you do this fast enough.
 * Use Healing Signet to restore your health after having killed a mob. Do not use this while in combat!

Variants

 * Bonetti's Defense can be replaced with Enraging Charge if you are having trouble running to the Smite Crawlers.
 * Replace Sprint with Spirit Rift if you don't need a running skill.
 * Replace Bonetti's Defense or Healing Signet for Defensive Stance.

The Underworld

 * Take the quest Clear the Chamber.
 * Pull each mob of Grasping Darknesses one by one using sprint.
 * Use the damage chain to kill the Grasping Darknesses.
 * When you have killed three groups, use sprint and enraging charge (if you are bringing it) to get to the Ice Wastes.
 * When you are there, kill each Smite Crawler group one by one. Each group should die pretty quickly.
 * Avoid Coldfire Night patrols.

Video

 * The Smite Run (Slight variant)
 * Smite Crawlers

This is a melee Ritualist build similar in concept to the Illusionary Weaponry Mesmers. It is not completely armor-ignoring but does more damage, using Spirit's Strength instead.

Equipment

 * Emissary's Armor for additional armor.
 * A Zealous sword or axe of Enchanting with +15% Damage While Enchanted modifiers.
 * The weapon modifiers aren't strictly needed.
 * A Spawning offhand of Fortitude with "Faith is my Shield" inscription.
 * You may take a shield instead if you want more armor.
 * The best Vigor Rune available to help offset the Superior Rune and increase overall survival.
 * 2x Rune of Vitae.

Usage

 * Before engaging in combat, activate Spirit's Strength and follow up with Vital Weapon.
 * Proceed to attack your chosen target with the help of Flurry.
 * If you are ever blinded, activate Sight Beyond Sight to quickly cancel the blind effect and prevent future applications for 20 seconds. Alternately, if you suspect blinding or enchantment removal from your target, apply the skill before engaging your target.
 * Use Wielder's Boon for healing.

Sword:
 * Use Distracting Blow to interrupt important skills.
 * Use Final Thrust to finish off enemies.

Axe:
 * Use Dismember to inflict a deep wound.
 * Use Executioner's Strike for additional damage.

Counters

 * As this build is a pressure build, Weakness will lower the overall damage, lessening the impact of the pressure.


 * Relying on an enchantments for the additional damage, the build is susceptible to enchantment removal. If such techniques are suspected it is advisable to use sight beyond sight as a cover enchantment.

Variants

 * In Alliance Battle and Competitive Mission battles, the Resurrection Signet can be removed and replaced with Weapon of Warding, Sprint, or another attack skill.
 * In PvE, the Resurrection Signet can be replaced with Flesh of My Flesh for a reusable res skill.

Axe:
 * Replace Flurry for Furious Axe or any other attack skill.
 * Replace Dismember or Flurry for Cyclone Axe for areas where there are a lot of enemies.
 * Replace one of the attacks with Distracting Blow or Disrupting Chop if you think you'll need to interrupt enemies.

Sword:
 * Replace Distracting Blow and Final Thrust with Sever Artery and Gash.
 * Replace Distracting Blow with Hamstring if you want to stop kiting enemies.
 * Replace Distracting Blow with Savage Slash.

Either:
 * Replace one of the attacks with Wild Blow to remove stances that prevent you from hitting.

Attributes and Skills

 * In AB you will not need a resurrect.

Equipment

 * Halcyon's Armor for the extra energy never hurts, or Oracle's Armor for the armor bonus.
 * Weapons are not crucial to this build as you will not be using them most of the time.

Usage
Begin by summoning the spirit of Empowerment, and follow up with Ghostly Haste and Attuned Was Songkai. Pick a target, preferably a soft one, and use Spirit Rift, Spirit Burn, and Channeled Strike, with Renewing Surges in between. In this way you can keep dealing damage while your stronger spells recharge.

Counters
Backfire; this is a spamming build. Energy denial will not hurt much, unless Attuned Was Songkai is interrupted.

Variants

 * Lively Was Naomei can be used as an AoE resurrect.
 * Draw Spirit is useful to have when paired with an NPC that is constantly on the move.
 * Destruction could replace Empowerment with its low recharge, or Bloodsong to increase damage. As long as a spirit is there to trigger key skills, the particular spirit is up to personal preference.
 * Ancestors' Rage is useful if there is a tank in your party, or if a monster somehow finds its way to you.
 * Soothing Memories is a useful self-heal, synergizing well with Attuned, but to make it truly effective more points would have to be moved into Restoration Magic.

This Ritualist Restoration build uses Attuned Was Songkai to create a whirlwind of healing and support, and is very effective at energy management. It is usually coupled with at least one Monk and aims to help save fading life and to ease their job.

Equipment

 * Halcyon's Armor for maximum energy or Mystic's Armor (you will be spamming skills constantly). You will usually not gain the effects of any equipped weapons.
 * No weapons or foci (see usage).
 * +15 energy -1 regen Restoration Focus and 20% recharge wand (see usage).

Usage

 * At 16 Spawning Power, Attuned Was Songkai provides 53% reduction in spell/ritual costs. For 5 energy spells, the game rounds down to 2; for 10, to 5; and for 15 it rounds to 7. Note because it reduces cost you can begin casting the spell/ritual as soon as you have the reduced cost, not the regular cost.
 * Your weapon and/or focus item are not used when Attuned Was Songkai is active. When a battle begins, you start with Attuned Was Songkai, which fills your hands. It is recommended to switch to an empty weapon slot for this build most of the time. Attuned Was Songkai causes you to stop holding your weapons, which can have the same negative energy effect as switching to weapons with no energy bonus.
 * Although you begin holding weapons again as soon as Attuned Was Songkai ends, if you cast it at only 10 energy with your weapons equipped you will receive a lot of negative energy, making you wait a dangerous amount of time with 0 energy. You only have no items in your hand for 15 seconds (Attuned Was Songkai lasts 45 seconds, recharges in 60), after which you re-cast it. One trick to get by this is to swap for a +15 energy -1 regen focus for that time, to cast one or two spells, then swapping back to the empty slot before re-casting Attuned Was Songkai.
 * Soothing Memories also helps with energy management. The spell costs 2 energy while holding Songkai's Ashes and returns 3 energy because you are holding an item, resulting in a free heal.
 * Use Recuperation immediately after Attuned Was Songkai when a battle begins. Recuperation, if placed in a safe location, will usually last the whole battle. Recuperation also greatly takes pressure off monks, because it fixes small healing tasks and counters weak degen, such as that from Bleeding.
 * If Attuned Was Songkai ever fast recharges, either from weapons or a Morale Boost, do not re-cast it until it's effects are about to fade. Heal someone instead, or save if for the next battle. It is sometimes smarter to not re-cast it if the battle is only going to last another 10-15 seconds or so, because you need it recharged for the next battle.

Counters

 * Interrupt Attuned Was Songkai, an Elite Item Spell.
 * Kill the Recuperation spirit.
 * Divert, Power Block, or Backfire the healer. Any anti-spamming tactic works.

Variants

 * Resilient Weapon can be replaced with Signet of Capture, a Celestial Skill, or something else your party needs.
 * A Rt/Me variant of this build uses Arcane Echo to copy Soothing Memories for a spin of free heals. Arcane Echo, however, still costs 8 energy to cast. This build can be less effective if you don't compensate for Arcane Echo's downtime.
 * Spirit Light is effective in PvE, where you rarely have to move away from your Recuperation Spirit. Resilient Weapon or either of the other healing spells can be replaced in this situation.
 * Flesh of My Flesh can be swapped for a better Resurrection skill, such as Rebirth if you're a monk secondary. Resurrection Signet is usually a better choice in areas where there are many bosses that can recharge it, or at times when fast, in-battle resurrection is crucial.
 * Replace Resilient Weapon with Ghostly Haste to keep Attuned Was Songkai up indefinitely.
 * Switch to Ranger secondary to use Serpent's Quickness immediately before (or during) the casting of Attuned Was. That will make Attuned match Serpent's 45 second recharge, allowing you to keep Attuned up indefinitely.
 * Replace Weapon of Warding with Wielder's Boon. Use boon on any targets under resilient weapon. Do not use with Vengeful Weapon since it will be likely removed very quickly.
 * This build is incredibly resilient as it is, so two superiors are easy to use. In that case, use a headgear for restoration instead of spawning. The difference between 15 and 16 on Spawning Power will not affect the cost reduction on 5 or 10 energy spells, and the 16 Restoration will make your spells much more effective.

Attributes and Skills

 * Communing and Channeling should both be as high as possible - choose runes based on your confidence level. I put Channeling in the top spot because of the increased effects of Painful Bond and Warmonger's Weapon, and because the life-stealing effect of Bloodsong is less vulnerable to damage reduction than the damage of Pain.


 * Depending on the monsters you face, you may wish to bring other spirits in place of Dissonance, Restoration, or indeed anything past Painful Bond. In many areas Shadowsong is a helpful thing to have.  The build as presented here is my general-purpose construction.


 * For a Factions-only variant, bring Brutal Weapon in place of Warmonger's Weapon and Boon of Creation in place of Wielder's Strike.


 * If interrupts are not needed, replace Dissonance with Anguish and Warmonger's Weapon with Splinter Weapon, which has the added advantage of a very long duration that enhances the "prepare outside of combat" aspect of the build.

Equipment

 * Armor: Halcyon's armor or Radiant insignia.
 * Weapons: Ideally, Wayward Wand (Channeling-based) and Kayin's Focus. Energy management is important but not crucial.

Usage
This build depends on the fact that Anguished Was Lingwah is NOT a Binding Ritual, and hence does not trigger the benefit of Soul Twisting. Thus, it is possible to essentially pre-cast two offensive spirits outside of combat, and place them quickly when combat begins. Since most of the skill recharge time happens between combats, the build is essentially combat-ready at any time.

When you first step out into the environment, cast Bloodsong. Immediately target the resulting Spirit of Bloodsong and cast Soul Twisting, followed by Anguished Was Lingwah. You should be able to carry the ashes into your first combat - if not, it will be recharged, so just cast it again.

Proceed to wherever you intend to plant your spirits for battle. When you are ready to fight, drop Lingwah's Ashes and cast Dissonance, then Bloodsong. You will have a Spirit of Pain instantly, a Spirit of Dissonance two seconds later, and a Spirit of Bloodsong three seconds after that. Pick a central target for Painful Bond, then cast Warmonger's Weapon and start picking on enemy spellcasters. Use Wielder's Strike if you need a damage spike, and Restoration if your side looks like they might be in trouble (or especially if it looks like you may die yourself).

Dissonance usually won't last the whole combat, but the instant recharge feature of Soul Twisting allows you to re-cast it immediately when it dies. With practice you can target it with Soul Twisting and kill it before it dies, then re-cast it quickly and keep it perpetually charged.

For smaller battles, you can skip Dissonance entirely and just cast Bloodsong; Soul Twisting will reduce the casting time to one second, meaning your two spirits are up before your enemies can muster a response.

After a combat ends, target any allied spirit and re-cast Soul Twisting, then Anguished Was Lingwah. You're ready to go again!

Counters

 * AoE damage can quickly take your spirits down. To counteract this, move around a little between spirits.  It will take a little extra time but nothing close to the normal casting time of Binding Rituals.


 * Binding Rituals can be interrupted. The spirit conjured by Anguished Was Lingwah is unaffected, but the other two can be blocked by timely interrupts.  Fortunately, whichever spirit you summon first gets an instant recharge, so whoever interrupts you had better be prepared to do it more than once.

Template
Many Ritualist builds center around the summoning of spirits to support the party in battle. This build is designed as an alternative for those ritualists who would like to play a more direct offensive role within the party. It is called the Continual Channeler because users of this build will be continually channeling lightning damage to their enemies.

Attributes and Skills

 * This build does not have any unused attribute points and its elite slot is unfilled.
 * Renewing Surge may be changed to include the elite skills Soul Twisting, Caretaker's Charge and Spirit Channeling. If you choose the latter, you may want to go with the more Spawning Power-oriented variation listed below.

Variants

 * Restoration Magic can be lowered to 6 + 1 and Spawning Power raised to 11 + 1 to increase the longevity of your spirit. However, this means that the self-heal will be less effective.
 * Generous Was Tsungrai can be replaced by a more immediate healing spell like Mend Body and Soul, which also doubles as condition removal, or Resilient Weapon for extra armor while suffering from a hex or condition.
 * Spirit Rift can be added to deal some (one-shot) AOE damage on clumped foes.
 * Spirit Siphon can be swapped in to steal energy from your spirit.
 * Signet of Spirits can be swapped. Provided there is no interruption or energy denial, this build can be kept up indefinitely using the Signet of Spirits.

Equipment

 * Channeler's Headwrap with rune of Superior Channeling
 * Harbinger's Armor for the rest of the body (Mystic can be substituted for more armor while casting)
 * Minor runes for all supporting attributes
 * Superior Vigor rune to counteract penalty from Superior Channeling rune
 * Channeling staff with 20/20 HCT/HSR Channeling modifier
 * Ssyn's Staff

Usage

 * Open by casting Bloodsong. This provides a spirit which triggers all your skills' secondary effects. (If there are other Ritualists in the party, you may also choose to work from their spirits since you will be able to help keep the spirits alive with the healing effect of Spirit Boon Strike.)
 * Use the four attack spells on the bar from left to right. The healing from Spirit Boon Strike will more than counter the health the spirit loses from Gaze from Beyond.
 * Cycle attack skills as they recharge, making sure that you are always in the vicinity of a spirit when you cast Essence Strike, as this helps your energy management.
 * Cast and drop Generous Was Tsungrai as and when you need a heal, or hold it to increase your maximum Health.
 * If you should cast Flesh of My Flesh on a fallen ally, you can quickly regain the health that you lost by casting and dropping Generous Was Tsungrai.
 * You should not run out of Energy while using this build unless you meet energy denial foes or the battle is extremely protracted. If you do run out of energy, spam Essence Strike to help yourself out.

Counters

 * Destroy the spirit to reduce this build's effectiveness. However, note that two of the four attack spells do the same amount of damage with or without a spirit present.
 * Energy denial and anti-spam hexes, since this is a spamming build.

Skills Template


The Rt/any Devouring Restorer is a PvE build designed to abuse the power of Spirit Transfer and Consume Soul in combination with fast recharging Spirits like Life and Destruction. Mend Body and Soul provides additional healing as well as Condition removal. Mighty Was Vorizun in combination with Empowerment provides another Spirit as well as additional Health, Energy, and Armor. This build is NOT intended to be the primary healer.

Equipment:

 * Halcyon's Armor for additional Energy or Oracle's Armor for additional Armor
 * Since Mighty Was Vorizun should be active at all times, a Staff and/or Wands/Offhands will have very little effect so choosing your weapons isn't very important to this build.

Usage:

 * Cast Mighty Was Vorizun and maintain it at all times
 * Cast Life and Empowerment
 * Destruction can be cast with the other two Spirits or held in reserve
 * Recast your Spirits whenever they die
 * Cast Mend Body and Soul for Condition removal and as a general heal
 * Cast Spirit Transfer when a more powerful heal is necessary
 * Cast Consume Soul when necessary
 * Although it can be cast at any time, Consume Soul is most effective when used on a long-lived Life Spirit
 * Note that Consume Soul will also heal your other spirits which may have low health due to Spirit Transfer
 * If at all possible, do not use Consume Soul on the Empowerment Spirit.

Counters:

 * Premature Death of Spirits
 * General Anti-Caster (Ex. Backfire)

This Ritualist uses the spirit Bloodsong along with Weapon of Quickening to deliver consistent and powerful damage while having an optional slot to support your party.

Equipment

 * Any armor of your preference, energy isn't a problem.

Usage
Begin by using Weapon of Quickening and summoning Bloodsong, then use your damage spells against your opponent. Make sure to keep Weapon of Quickening and Blood Song up constantly during battle and use Essence Strike to help manage your energy.

Counters

 * Bloodsong dying. Not a major problem in PvE but more-so in PvP.

Variants

 * Vital Weapon can replace to optional spot to aid party members.
 * Bloodsong can be replaced with Destruction for a fast recharging spirit.
 * Ancestors' Rage can be used in missions where mobs are likely to be in a small area.

Through spamming protective spirits, the Ritual Lord is designed to greatly reduce damage dealt to the team.

Usage

 * Stand as far away from combat as your spirits can be and still affect allies.
 * Use Boon of Creation for Energy management. Cast it first, then begin casting Shelter.
 * Activate Ritual Lord during shelter. Like a stance, it has zero casting time so it can be cast during other skills.
 * Invoke Displacement then Union.
 * Be sure to constantly refresh Boon of Creation and Ritual Lord.
 * Typically, Displacement will run out fairly quickly, at which time Union will start eroding. Before Union runs out, your Displacement should be recharged and ready. Invoke it as soon as it becomes ready again.
 * For the duration of the battle, try to balance Union and Displacement so that at least one of them is in effect, while always maintaining Shelter. This will make healing extremely easy.

The end result of this build is that the party will almost always take no more than 30-38 Damage Per Hit and will avoid most attacks.
 * In Alliance Battles and certain missions (Amatz Basin, etc.), the effects are even better. All 3 spirits affect allies, as opposed to only party members. Thus, even 1 Ritual Lord can turn the tide of battle.

Counters

 * Removing Boon of Creation will greatly reduce the energy management within this build.
 * Likewise, any energy denial skills can greatly impact the build's effectiveness.
 * If targeted, the build will usually die quickly as it does not have attack or healing skills.
 * Interrupts while creating the spirits will force the player to wait the full length of recharge time.

Variants
There are two optional slots in the skill bar. These can be filled as follows:


 * Soothing
 * Suggested as a near must have for one of the optional slots. This is not a universal opinion, but should be considered. It will go a long way towards shutting down Adrenaline users.


 * Armor of Unfeeling
 * Pointless in PvE, excellent in PvP. A flat-out damage reduction to give more protection than any amount of Armor. Not always effective.


 * Mighty Was Vorizun
 * So-So in PvE, great in PvP. Can't go wrong with additional Armor and Energy, although you lose any Fast Casting/Recharge mods on your weapon.


 * Feast of Souls
 * Overpowered in PvE, excellent in PvP. This far outstrips Heal Party. Chances are, Shelter won't die before it recharges. Feast of Souls can therefore be cast to give the party a strong heal. Used early it will give the party a very strong Heal.


 * Signet of Creation
 * Good in PvE, good in PvP. Gives Union and Displacement a helping hand before they die.


 * Shadowsong
 * Protects caster and caster's spirits from melee attackers that try to bring them down.


 * Spirit Siphon
 * By using two Superior Runes, one each of Communing and Spawning Power, and a Minor Rune of Channeling Magic and putting Communing and Spawning Power at 14, you can put 11 into Channeling Magic and use this skill for much more efficient energy management. Great for PvE, if you stay out of aggro range. Dangerous in PvP because of much lower health.


 * Mantra of Resolve
 * If your secondary class is Mesmer, put 3 into Inspiration. Not needed in PvE, but you may want it for PvP. Binding Rituals are not spells, so there are less interrupting skills to affect them, but interruptions will not trigger Ritual Lord's Recharge reduction, thus, it's really bad to be interrupted. Don't worry about the low Rank: There will be Energy to spare if Boon of Creation is managed properly.


 * Mantra of Concentration
 * A longer lasting, cheaper variant of Mantra of Resolve. Only stops one interrupt per cast however.


 * Frozen Soil
 * Many teams (most notably IWAY) prefer to have one Frozen Soil-spirit carried by the Ritual Lord, to prevent enemies from reviving dead teammates. This requires Ranger as secondary profession.

The purpose of this build is create spirits on the battlefield, and subsequently destroy them with Rupture Soul for massive damage and blindness. With this skill the ritualist acts like a trapper, by strategically placing spirits in combat and blowing them up for 146 lightning damage to nearby enemies. This is especially useful in some missions, such as The Eternal Grove, where enemies can be "bottle-necked" in certain locations.

This build has a significant advantage over a ranger trapper because, unlike traps, binding rituals are not easily interruptible. Also, once the first spirit is destroyed by Rupture Soul, the ritualist has 13 seconds of blinded enemies to cast and destroy the next spirit. If done properly, the last thing that any enemy in the area should "see" is the first spirit exploding.

Attributes and Skills
NOTE: The important attribute here is Spawning Power. The remainder of this point distribution is solely for improving the effectiveness and duration of the binding rituals shown below. As long as Spawning is maximized, however, the other attributes can be adjusted as necessary to fit your needs and skill set.

Usage

 * Always maintain Boon of Creation, Explosive Growth, and Ritual Lord.
 * During normal combat, wait until the fight is joined (that is, until the enemies have begun attacking other targets in the party). Run into a group of enemies and cast a binding ritual, immediately followed by Rupture Soul.  The combined effect of Explosive Growth and Rupture Soul will deal 214 lightning damage to all nearby enemies.  Also, the blinding effect of Rupture Soul provides protection to your warriors, and will often provide the cover necessary to cast and destroy a second or third spirit.
 * If a bottleneck location is available, cast multiple Binding Rituals at a bottleneck location. Work with your party to pull the enemies through the bottleneck.  Repeatedly cast Rupture Soul until all of the spirits are destroyed.  Repeat as necessary.
 * Cast and destroy Restoration if an ally dies.

When playing this build, other binding rituals may be used (such as Destruction instead of Pain). However, consider the following when choosing them:
 * Every second counts. Unlike the Elementalist, who can cast high damage spells from afar, the Ritualist must run into the middle of combat to plant his spells.  Because of this, binding rituals with a casting time of 3 seconds are recommended over those with a casting time of 5 seconds.  The exception to this is Restoration, which doubles as a resurrection and a damage dealing (or healing; see below) spell.
 * Some spirits, such as Shelter and Union, take damage when certain events happen in play. This can lower the duration of the binding ritual dramatically, and cause the spirit to die before you can destroy it.

Equipment

 * Depending on your style, either Halcyon's Armor for the added energy boost or Mystic's Armor for added protection in the middle of combat. For the healing variation below (which does not require you to go into the combat zone), Halcyon's Armor is preferred.
 * A spawning collector's staff (such as the one traded by Sakai in Senji's Corner) with an Insightful Staff Head and a Staff Wrapping of Fortitude for added energy and health.
 * A Minor Rune of Communing and Restoration, a Superior Rune of Spawning, and the strongest Rune of Vigor you can find.

Variants
Spirit Healer: The premise of this variation is the same as the Spirit Nuker; spirits are made and subsequently destroyed. The difference in this variation is that they are destroyed for the purpose of healing rather than damage dealing. To achieve this, only 2 skills need to be changed, with no changes to attributes:

Strategy:
 * Always maintain Boon of Creation, Spirit's Gift and Ritual Lord.
 * When combat begins, wait until the fight is joined (that is, until the enemies have begun attacking other targets in the party), the begin casting binding rituals as close to the front line warriors as possible. This will heal your nearby allies for 53 damage each.  When they are destroyed with Feast of Souls, they will provide an additional 103 points of healing for each spirit destroyed.  Note that, when Feast of Souls is used, the party members do not have to be standing nearby to gain the healing effect.
 * If you spread your binding rituals out, you can also pick them off one at a time using Feast of Souls. This can be useful in providing a steady stream of 103 HP healing to the entire party every 10 seconds.
 * Remember that this build is used for MASS healing, and not spot healing. Your healing heals everybody in the party by hundreds of hit points at a time; it is wasted on players who are already at or near full life.  For this reason, this build is optimized when there is at least one monk in the party to take care of the "stragglers."

Other Variations

 * The elite skill used in this build, Ritual Lord, can only be found very late in the game. If you wish to try this build before getting Ritual Lord, you can replace Ritual Lord with Doom (this was the original variation).  While not as effective, it still enhances the damage dealing characteristics of the build, and easy to create early in the game.
 * The elite skill used in this build, Ritual Lord, can also be replaced with Preservation.
 * The skill Empowerment can be replaced by a skill that will work with these builds, unless you are in Random Arena or GvG with flagrunners.

Templates
Spirit Nuker

Spirit Healer

Warrior

The Zealous Decapitater is a build that focuses on the use of the Elite Skill Decapitate to deal high damage, in conjunction with the energy management skills of the Dervish.

Attributes and Skills
Depending on the situation, Vital Boon can be replaced with:


 * Aura of Thorns as a snare
 * Lightbringer's Gaze for use in high-level PvE

If you find yourself getting enough energy from Zealous Renewal without Flail, swap it for Conviction. If you don't own the Factions campaign, replace Furious Axe with the energy-based attack skill of your choice.

Equipment

 * Armor with Radiant Insignia to give a base Energy pool of at least 25.
 * A Rune of Superior Absorption, the best Vigor Rune available and one rune of Vitae.
 * A Zealous Axe Of Fortitude. Wing's Axe is a good choice.
 * A Strength requirement Shield with +30 Health and received damage -2 (in stance) shield would be optimal due to the use of Flail and the -5(20%) mod being random.

Usage

 * Approach your target, and once you are in melee range use Vital Boon and Zealous Renewal.
 * Attack your chosen target and build up Adrenaline. Activate and maintain Flail.
 * Use the two energy-based attack skills as necessary. Furious Axe while your target is under a blocking stance or Guardian can be beneficial.
 * Once you have sufficient Adrenaline and your target is at approximately 75% health, use Decapitate.
 * Use Signet of Pious Light to end Zealous Renewal and gain back Energy.
 * Once you have Energy, use Furious Axe and Counterattack in quick succession on your target.
 * Recast Zealous Renewal and repeat on a different target if the first is not already dead.


 * Should you need healing at any time, use Vital Boon followed by Signet of Pious Light

Counters

 * Wild Blow and other Stance counters will remove your IAS, which results in less Energy gain after removing Zealous Renewal.
 * Be especially wary of enemies removing Zealous Renewal before you have used Decapitate. On the other hand, enemies removing the enchantment after you use Decapitate can be beneficial.
 * Blind, Weakness, etc.
 * Life Sheath can render a large portion of your damage useless.

Variants
A variant using different attack skills is below.

Same usage as the main build, but after using Decapitate and Signet of Pious Light, follow instead with Vital Boon followed by Twin Moon Sweep for a double-strike and additional healing. Note that Twin Moon Sweep can be used with an Axe, as it is a Melee Attack rather than a Scythe Attack. Any spare attribute points should be placed into Scythe Mastery for this variant. Cyclone Axe is useful for increasing the return from Zealous Renewal and also for building adrenaline.

The Obsidian Tank takes the high armor/health/durability of the warrior class, and adds to it the defensive capabilities of the Elementalist Earth Magic enchantments. It's purpose is to take/hold aggro and soak up damage. It is strictly a PvE build with little use outside of very high level areas like the Domain of Anguish and Sorrow's Furnace, where variations of this build have been a staple for ages. It pairs very well with a monk bonder build.

Attributes and Skills

 * Optional skill slot can be replaced by:
 * Resurrection Signet
 * Lightbringer's Gaze
 * Lion's Comfort (timing is important when using with dolyak signet)
 * Bonetti's Defense
 * "None Shall Pass!"
 * Sliver Armor
 * Magnetic Aura
 * Glyph of Concentration
 * Glyph of Lesser Energy

Equipment

 * Armor
 * Gladiator's or Radiant Armor, with a Rune of Superior Vigor and Rune of Superior Absorption.
 * The last two armor upgrade slots can be taken by Runes of Attunement or Vitae.
 * Weapons
 * A +5 energy axe/sword of Enchanting.
 * A Strength Shield with a "Sheltered by Faith" inscription and a Shield Handle of Devotion.
 * An Earth Focus with a "Sheltered by Faith" or "Faith is My Shield" inscription and a Focus Core of Devotion. Both availible from Kehjim in The Kodash Bazaar or Grif Ebonmane in Command Post.

Usage
Fairly straight forward. Use Signet of Stamina when first entering an area, and never attack anything (unless you need to pull with a bow). Run in and aggro the group of mobs when your team is ready, while under Endure Pain and with your shield equipped to help against the initial spike of damage.

Once in the middle of the group of enemies, use Dolyak Signet and switch to your Earth Focus to start putting up your enchantments. Start with Obsidian Flesh, followed by Armor of Earth, and then Stoneflesh Aura. Use Grasping Earth to slow the movement of the nearby enemies, and switch back to your shield.

Maintain your enchantments as needed, using Stoneflesh Aura, Obsidian Flesh, and Dolyak Signet whenever they become available. Armor of Earth only needs to be reapplied every 30 seconds. Grasping Earth can be used every 15 seconds or so, whenever a group shifts, or when your allies start a nuke cycle. Stay with your Shield equipped as much as possible for the armor, equipping the Earth Focus only when you need the energy to cast an enchantment. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

Counters

 * Any interruption skills
 * Skills that cause longer cast times (Migraine)
 * Dazed
 * Heavy enchantment removal (Obsidian Flesh will guard against most)

Variants
Replace Grasping Earth with Ward Against Foes when facing enemies that have lots of hex removal.

Equipment

 * Knight's Armor for the damage absorption
 * Any sword will do, but Rajazan's Fervor is preferred for the “of enchanting” upgrade and the extra energy
 * Any maxed shield will do, particularly those with absorption upgrades
 * Use runes of superior vigor, absorption and some attunement runes on your armor

Usage

 * Aggro 2-3 groups of vermin at a time (see image),
 * Use skill in the following order:
 * Dolyak Signet
 * Glyph of Renewal
 * Sliver armor
 * Healing signet 2 or 3 times
 * Repeat


 * Bonetti's defense is for the energy upkeep, I will survive if the health degeneration becomes to much to handle and riposte and deadly riposte to kill the last few vermin

Counters

 * The elite skill of the vermin boss causes more health degeneration than you can heal without "I will survive!", so it's best to kill him as soon as possible.
 * Getting knocked down while activating Sliver Armor
 * When using this build in any other area, enchantment removals are the greatest counters, because your main attack is an enchantment

Variants

 * Replace the ripostes for any strength or tactics based attack skill for some more damage. Do NOT choose any swordsmanship skills, because you only have 2 swordsmanship
 * Replace glyph of renewal with gladiators defense as silver armor and gladiators defense working at the same time will deal out almost double the damage in the same period of time. The vermin will have less time to shadow step and thus could all be dead in a period of 4 seconds.

Equipment

 * Full Gladiators Armor with Ascalon Helm
 * Zealous sword of Defense
 * Longbow (for pulling)

Usage
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5
 * Get into The Deep and take the right portal. Now lure the 2 Ripper Carps with your bow. Kill them using your Riposte, Gladiator's Defense and Desperation Blow. Make sure Dolyak Signet is always on. Start with Gladiator's Defense, Shield Stance, Gladiator's Defense, Dolyak Signet, Shield Stance etc. If the Darkened Irukadjis follow you, hug the left wall as you pull the carps and go around the corner, if properly positioned you will be able to block the Spirit's attacks. There is a small chance that you get blinded, if this happens do not panic. Just repeatedly use your healing signet and stances to block damage.
 * When you've killed the 2 Ripper Carps, head to the Darkened Irukandji's. Watch the Restoration and disrupt the Darkened Irukandji's when they attempt to cast the spirit. (They will cast it when the spirit is gone.) If you are having trouble interrupting the Spirit of Restoration you can reduce one Irukandji to just a few health and wait for the spirit to disapear. Then quickly hit it with Desperation Blow to kill it. The same works for the second one but you should have an easier time when there is only one. Don't spam it, but if you need to you can use Gale as a backup interrupt.
 * Kanaxai Aspect of Soothing Kill him with your attack skills. When he's taking 0 damage, use Gale to knock him down. This should happen 3-4 times. If you are taking an excess of damage you can gale him and use your Healing Signet while he is on the ground.
 * Run forward and you'll see a enormous group of mobs. Lure the group with no Smiting Monks in it and lure them back to the Gate. First kill the Ripper Carps. Make sure to disrupt their Shadow Refuge. After that, take out the 2 Darkened Irukandji's.
 * Now take the second group with 3-4 Ripper Carps and 2 Smiting Monks. When they casted Balthazar's Aura on the Rippers, spam Healing Signet and you should survive.
 * Continue killing the rest of the chamber with the same tactics

The W/Me Enduring Visage UW Solo uses both Visages, Dolyak Signet, and Warrior's Endurance combined with Energy based attacks to farm the Smite Crawlers in the Underworld. Because it does not use Healing Signet, it can also kill Coldfire Nights. It has a very high survival rate and is possibly the safest Underworld Solo Build around for its speed, finishing a run in under 30 minutes.

Attributes and Skills

 * * Weapon mastery will be either Axe Mastery or Swordsmanship.

Equipment

 * Armor
 * Knight's Insignias.
 * Runes of Superior Strength, Major or Superior Vigor, Superior Absorption, Minor Tactics, and Minor Weapon Mastery.
 * Weapons
 * A Zealous Axe or Sword of Enchanting with a "Strength and Honor" or a "Dance with Death" inscription. Since you have no weapon based attacks, Swords and Axes work equally well.
 * A Shield of Endurance (Requiring Strength) with a "Run for your Life!" Inscription, or any shield with equivalent stats. Arrahhsh's Aegis is ideal.
 * For those with the money, a Shield with both -2 Physical Damage while in a Stance and while Enchanted is greatly superior. There are no Green Items with these stats and they cannot be created with Inscriptions and Upgrades.
 * Any type of Longbow or Flatbow. Since it will only be used for pulling, the stats do not matter.  Flatbow is preferred, since you will be obstructed less frequently.

The Entrance

 * Take the quest Clear the Chamber as soon as you can without being seen by any Aatxes.
 * Grasping Darknesses have a natural speed boost of around 33%.
 * Aatxes have a natural speed boost of around 10%.
 * This means that any time you aggro both Aatxes and Grasping Darknesses, the Grasping Darknesses will get to your first.
 * Turn your back to the mob of Grasping Darknesses you want to pull, and wait till it moves near a group of Aatxes.
 * Hit either "F" or "C" so that you don't cast spells on the Lost Soul.
 * Just before aggroing, cast Ancestor's Visage on yourself.
 * Back up, aggroing the Aatxes. Instantly hit Enraging Charge and rush for the wall in front of you.
 * When the Aatxes aggro, the Grasping Darknesses will come along with.
 * The Aatxes will give up very quickly, but the Grasping Darknesses will keep coming.
 * As soon as you think you've lost the Aatxes, hit Dolyak Signet.
 * Turn around and start attacking the Grasping Darknesses. You should get enough energy from your Zealous Axe to use Sympathetic Visage when Ancestor's Visage runs out.
 * As soon as you get 5 energy, use Warrior's Endurance.
 * Hit Ancestor's Visage again when Sympathetic Visage runs out.

Notes:
 * If you aggro a Dying Nightmare either while getting the quest or while luring Grasping Darknesses, run like heck for the far wall and hope the Aatxes with it break aggro before you get there.
 * If they don't break, you will probably die. Just keep running around using your Enraging Charge and hope they give up.

To Kill Grasping Darknesses

 * Use Warrior's Endurance, followed by spamming Power Attack and Counterattack every time they recharge. Maintain Dolyak Signet and your Visages.
 * They do almost no damage, and their interrupts are non-existent with Visages. These should be easy, if boring, kills.
 * Once you've killed one group, lure the next and repeat.

Notes:
 * Sometimes the third group will get itself stuck on the stairs to the right. If this happens, kill the other two groups first, then hit Enraging Charge and run past the right side Aatxes.  Aggro the Grasping Darknesses, then run to the right, straight into the closed door.  You should have lost the Aatxes, but the Grasping Darknesses will follow you, and can now be killed alone.

To Kill Dying Nightmares

 * Since you couldn't care less if they strip your enchants, these enemies pose no threat to you whatsoever after they have spawned (except possibly around Smite Crawlers) and can either by killed or ignored at your leisure.

Notes:
 * The threat Dying Nightmares do pose is in spawning.
 * All Dying Nightmares in the starting room have Aatxes mobs associated with them. Aggroing them is considered a bad idea.

To Kill Bladed Aatxes

 * Just don't. Try to avoid them at all costs.  If you do manage to aggro some, just keep running away until they leave you alone.
 * Unlike some builds, you will not die in one hit from an Aatxe, it usually takes five or six.

The Run

 * Once you have completed the quest, run along the right side to the open gate, being sure to break aggro with the three or four nearby Aatxes.
 * If there are enemies in the passageway, this is a (mostly) safe point to stop and wait. Be careful of the patrols nearby.
 * As soon as the passageway is clear, run through it. Try to time your run so that you will not be seen by the Grasping Darkness patrol, as even with Enraging Charge you cannot outrun them and will be forced to fight. Use Enraging Charge just as you leave the passage, and head to the left.
 * If you can, try to run all the way past both groups of Aatxes in one shot. If you can't, break aggro and wait in the big room (avoiding patrols) until Enraging Charge has recharged, then run past the last pair of Aatxes.
 * Be careful, as you may have to wait till Enraging Charge recharges to break their aggro. If this happens, you will end up directly in the middle of the Smite Crawler group, and will be forced to fight.

The Run: Alternative Method

 * Watch the Grasping Darkness patrol in the room to the right, at the end of the passage.
 * As soon as you see them circle around and move away from the end of the passage, hit Enraging Charge and run along the right side of the room straight to them. The Aatxes behind you will break aggro fairly quickly.
 * As you reach the door, take note of where the Aatxes are.
 * If they're in the Passage or coming towards it, run past them as fast as you can. This is the hardest part, as it is far too easy to be trapped against the wall.  They will only get two or three hits off at most if you make it past.  Run to your left.
 * If they're still in the room, just keep running. Hug the left-side wall. Enraging Charge will wear off about now.
 * Keep running to your left. Just as the Aatxes behind you catch up, hit your recharged Enraging Charge.
 * the Aatxes behind you will break aggro just as you run into the pair in front.
 * Run straight through them, towards the Smite Crawlers on the other side. In this method, the Aatxes normally break aggro before you reach the Smites Crawlers.

Notes:
 * Lag is extremly dangerous when running through the narrow passage with the Aatxes. It's very easy to get body blocked without you knowing it. Your character will keep running but infact he is stuck between the Aatxes, if this happens, your run will most likely end here. The best thing you can do is just wait until they are far away from the Passage

To Kill Smite Crawlers

 * Pull one group of Smite Crawlers with your bow to a place where you can fight them alone. When fighting multiple groups, a mistake often leads to death.
 * Once you've gotten to the spot you want to fight at, hit Dolyak Signet and switch weapons.
 * As soon as they start to reach you, hit Ancestor's Visage and Warrior's Endurance.
 * Wait a few seconds until you think they've been sufficiently drain of energy, then start attacking.
 * When Ancestor's Visage is halfway recharged, cast Sympathetic Visage.
 * Handle them just like Grasping Darknesses, but here Visages are required to stop their healing. Warrior's Endurance will provide you with plenty of energy to maintain them.

Notes:
 * If you start taking damage from Shield of Judgment, it means you have not fully drained their energy. Cast your next Visage and switch targets.
 * Once you get down to the last Smite Crawler, the energy drain is much slower. It can out heal you easily though, so make sure to keep your Visages up.
 * Occasionally, for unknown reasons, a Smite Crawler group will become hostile to all other Smite and Coldfire groups in the area. Just let them die, it's not worth running in for the loot.
 * You should be able to handle up to five Smite Crawlers at once, which is the largest that most groups contain.

To Kill Coldfire Nights

 * First, identify their patrol route. Stand in front of their path, so they they're walking towards you when they see you.
 * Hit Enraging Charge just before getting in their range, you should be able to reach them before they can cast Shard Storm or Maelstrom.
 * As soon as you get in melee range, hit Dolyak Signet, Lion's Comfort, and Warrior's Endurance.
 * Fire off both your attack skills. Keep attacking as often as you can with your attack skills, using Warrior's Endurance and Dolyak Signet when they recharge.
 * You can use Lion's Comfort twice per Dolyak Signet, once just after it's used, and once about 9 seconds later. The rest of the time, just keep the adrenaline stored.
 * You will be at around 100-200 health the whole time, but if done properly, you should survive.
 * As they cast Shard Storm often, running away is unlikely to succeed.

Notes:
 * Coldfires have no valuable drops, and thus it is often better to skip them altogether then to kill them, unless they are blocking a mob of Smite Crawlers.
 * Killing groups of two is fairly easy, but groups of three are not recommended.
 * If you do need to kill a group of three, try to find a barrier that you can pull them to. Hide behind it to block Shard Storm until you see them cast at least two of their Maelstroms, then engage.

Safety Spots
This is a map of the path taken by this build:


 * The Green line is the path you should be taking.
 * The Red dots are the Safety Spots.
 * If you need to take a break or recharge, go to the closest Safety Spot you've cleared, and stay there.
 * All enemies can be pulled to at least one of the marked safety spots and fought there.
 * Two of the Safety Spots are not on the path. These spots are only used when a group of Smite Crawlers spawns in a bad location nearby.
 * All of these spots (except the ones in the middle of The Run) are free of Patrols.

Survival Tips

 * When trying to run around Aatxes, always try to go past on the most open side. They like to trap you by forcing you to run to one side, then cutting you off. Running past them close to walls is a good way to dig an early grave, as is running past them without Enraging Charge activated.


 * If you accidentally use Lion's Comfort just before Dolyak Signet recharges, just hit Enraging Charge and run. You can't tank more then 4 Smite Crawlers or Grasping Darknesses safely without it.


 * If the Grasping Darknesses interrupt one of your Visages and drain all your energy, just keep Dolyak Signet up and keep hitting them. Eventually either you'll get up to 5 energy and you can use Warrior's Endurance to gain more, or they'll just die.  They can't kill you as long as Dolyak Signet is up.


 * If you hit Dolyak Signet when you didn't mean to, just stop running. You can't escape anything while slowed, so stand still and tank if there are any enemies in the area.


 * Use Enraging Charge while Warrior's Endurance is recharging, followed by Lion's Comfort for a quick heal. Remember to do this only after you've activated Dolyak Signet.

Variants

 * Counterattack can be replaced by any other 5 Energy attack skill with a quick recharge. Be warned of energy problems if you do change it. This is not recommended unless you do not have access to Counterattack.
 * For experienced players, Final Thrust or Dismember can replace Lion's Comfort. Be warned that this will make aggroing large groups of Smite Crawlers and/or Coldfires much more dangerous.
 * The only variant for the attribute distribution is 10+1+3 Strength, 8+1 Weapon Mastery, 2+1 Tactics, and 12 Illusion Magic. This variant is slightly more effective against Smite Crawlers, but kills slower.  Only recommended if you have no Grip of Enchanting for your sword or axe.
 * There are many variants to the strategies proposed for pulling, running, and tanking. None were considered effective enough to include here, but if it works for you, use it.

Counters

 * Bladed Aatxes.
 * Attacking Smite Crawlers with Shield of Judgment on them.

Skills Template
For Axe

For Sword

Equipment

 * Warrior Wyvern Armor (any armor that gives +10 AL vs Elemental attacks)
 * Sentinel's Armor (Armor that gives +20 AL vs Elemental attacks when Strength is greater than or equal to 13 works well too)
 * Running Set: Non-vampiric, non-zealous axe (preferably with an axe grip of Defense) and Stalwart Carapace Shield
 * Fighting Set: Wing's Axe (Any zealous axe works. An axe grip of Defense or of Warding could also help.) and Stalwart Carapace Shield.

Usage
Make sure that the Running Set is equipped. Run until the Ice Imp cave, so do not stop to fight anything but Siege Ice Golems and Ice Imps that may be encountered on the North path in Mineral Springs.

Getting to the Imp Cave
If you have Defend Droknar's Forge in your quest log, you MUST abandon it, or Ice Imps will not spawn.

Due to the availability of heroes from Nightfall and the ability to flag heroes and henchmen, it may be better to attempt this build with a full group of eight for when there is a poor spawn. Run/Fight through Tasca's Demise to Mineral Springs, then fight your way to the Ice Imp cave. While soloing the imps, make sure that your henchmen/heroes names are grayed out, to increase the chances of picking up the drop. Or, the run could be restarted.

All of the running is done by using Rage of the Ntouka then Rush. Do not use Rush again until it starts rapidly flashing. Use Rage of the Ntouka to maintain adrenaline.

Make sure to watch the path of the Avicara, if you can. There are many times that the group will gather in one area and easily be run around.

Tasca's Demise



Start at The Granite Citadel and take the lower path through Tasca's Demise. If you're bringing along a hero/hench team, flag them near the back of the resurrection shrine.



Run through Tasca's Demise from the southern path. If you were quick enough, you will be able to beat a patrol of Stone Summit, usually with a variety of Dolyak Masters, Summit Beastmasters, and Stone Summit Rangers. If not, run past the bridge and wait until the patrol comes around. Be careful not to aggro anything. When they've passed you by, sneak around the edge an across the bridge.



Carefully move forward, until you see another patrol with a Siege Ice Golem and smaller Stone Summit. Back up along the wall to your right, until you are behind the branch in the path. Wait for them to pass and run forward.



There's another patrol that will be on your right. Avoid these, if possible. If the spawn to your left is in front of you near the center and not all to the left, you'll need to attempt to run through. You will have Crippling Anguish casted on you. If you did not bring henchman/heroes, try to get as close to Mineral Springs portal as possible. If you did, unset the flag to cause them to follow you. If all of them die, get as close to the portal as possible. If some are alive, send them ahead and into the mob before you attempt a run to the portal. In any case, if you don't survive, you should be resurrected near the portal, so just run there.

Mineral Springs

There are two paths to the Ice Imp cave. Note that if you encounter Hyl Thunderwing and have Iron Mist cast on you, immediately stop and use Dolyak Signet, Rage of the Ntouka, and Lion's Comfort. Once Iron Mist and Dolyak Signet have worn off, immediately start running.



N1: Ice Imps and Siege Ice Golems N2a: first bridge, should be able to run through easily N2b: second bridge, if you see several Avicara Braves, aggro then run backwards before running past S1: Avicara Fierce patrol, run past, they move slowly S2: Pinesouls, try to run opposite of where most of them are to avoid Barbed Trap S3: Tundra Giants, aggro and use Dolyak Signet and "Watch Yourself!" when available

The north path is considerably shorter, but it's also more dangerous if the Avicara spawn too close to a group (or two!) of Ice Imps and a Siege Ice Golem. You will need to stop and fight these, as their water hexes will constantly be slowing you down. The way to fight them is covered below in Ice Imp Cave. If you're fighting your way to the Ice Imp cave with heroes/henchmen, this is the best path.



If you find yourself body blocked on a bridge, just run back from the bridge and run around the mob.

The south path is longer but usually easier to run through. Also, you will pass by another resurrection portal, so if your attempts at running to the Ice Imp cave/soloing imps is unsuccessful, you will be closer to the cave and can lower your DP by killing the nearby Tundra Giants. Soon after the entrance and some trees, you'll encounter a large patrol of Avicara Fierce that have a long patrol path, so don't wait for them, just run path them early on. You will then encounter an area with a few Pinesouls that will cripple you with Barbed Trap and further slow you down with Muddy Terrain. The Juniper Bark that pop up can be ignored (only Level 7 Monks!) if you need to heal, after losing the aggro of the Pinesouls.

When you see that you're near the second resurrection shrine, stay closer to your left, other than when you see an Avicara boss and group. It is crucial that you lose their aggro before encountering the Tundra Giants. You will need to solo these, but that can easily be done by keeping Dolyak Signet on you. Using "Watch Yourself!" also helps, but do NOT use Elemental Resistance, since it reduces your physical resistance. Try to kill only the ones in the group blocking your path to the narrow passageway. The others can be left for DP reduction later on.

Run up the narrow path, being careful not to be body blocked. When you're past the narrow passageway, be careful with your aggro. You must lose aggro before encountering the Ice Imps. If you see that there are Avicara with the group of Ice Imps and you're running solo, you will need to restart from The Granite Citadel. It's possible that you'll see Mountain Trolls and Siege Ice Golems, but these should not be no problem. If you brought along henchmen/heroes, run in to kill the Avicara before flagging the henchmen/heroes away.

Ice Imp Cave
Before encountering the imps, you can boost your adrenaline by using Rage of the Ntouka. By using it at least once, you can encounter the imps with Dolyak Signet, Elemental Resistance, and "Watch Yourself!". Once your energy is full, switch to the weapon set for fighting.

Always keep Dolyak Signet and Elemental Resistance up. Use "Watch Yourself!" when possible. Make sure that if you want to heal, use Lion's Comfort BEFORE the recharge on Dolyak Signet reaches the lower right hand corner of the skill icon, or it will be left recharging for 12 seconds. Don't use Rage of the Ntouka too often, or you may not have enough energy left to use Elemental Resistance. If there are trolls in the cave, make sure to kill those first, since they can interrupt you with Disrupting Chop. Siege Ice Golems can be killed after them, so that you aren't knocked down if Dolyak Signet isn't reused in time. Try to aggro smaller groups at a time, since you will usually be taking damage, though smaller amounts. You can also backup so that some of the ice imps aren't casting spells at you.

If your region has favor, kneel at the statue of Lyssa, and pay 50 gold for Holy Blessing (To Conquest).

When you've cleared the cave, make your way up the ramp. Once that is cleared, slowly move forward towards Ice Beast, if you see more imps outside of the cave. The Ice Beast can be ignored and cannot be killed solo with this build. Azure Shadow will popup. Run back immediately after you aggro one. You can only take on one or two alone, so do not rush ahead. If you do aggro too many, just resign or map travel somewhere else. If you have henchmen/heroes, cancel the flag and aggro the Azure Shadow before running back down the ramp. Wait for the henchmen/heroes and kill the Ice Beast and Azure Shadows. Flag them away again and repeat the process, until the imps are dead. Infuse your armor with the Seer if you need to, and/or finish the run. A quick way to restart the run, if you took the northern path is to die on purpose, zone to Tasca's Demise, and rezone. Wintergreen Candy Canes are good for removing DP encountered by this.

Counters
Interrupts, stance removal, and/or adrenaline denial would pretty much render this build useless.

Variants
Sword Use: Redistribute points in Axe Mastery to Swordsmanship. Replace Executioner's Strike with Standing Slash or replace Desperation Blow and Executioner's Strike with Sever Artery and Gash.

Items and Equipment

 * Rune of Superior or Major Vigor.
 * Rune of Superior or Major Absorption.
 * Crimson Carapace Shield from Lord Dorn Lendrigen.
 * A low requirement axe or sword with a + health mod; for example, the Ascalon Axe from Ouran Odwin.
 * A double adrenaline axe or shield with hp mod is useful but not needed.
 * Armour Vs element,(Dreadnought armor or the Insignia).

Run to the end
The entire mission can be run using "Charge!", Sprint, and Healing Signet, except for the defense of Vizier Khilbron.

About half of the way through the run you will enter a swamp area with poisonous water. Right before this area there are two groups of Hellhounds that can push you against a wall and surround you. If you wait at the bend in the path, it should be simple to dodge them by getting them to run in one direction, then sprinting off in the other. You could even pull the hellhounds away from the narrow path to make sure you get past them.

However, lag can render this technique useless, and get you stuck while it looks like you are several paces in front of them. If you are getting hit but after moving you are "teleported" back to the same location, you are trapped even though you appear to be in front. If possible, run back; you may only be blocked in the front. This will give you another chance to dodge them. If you are completely surrounded, equip your sword and fight the one that appears to be blocking your path. Their attacks will not hurt you, but they will cause bleeding, so you will need to use Healing Signet several times. Once you are free, start running again. Don't forget to pick up the Scepter of Orr before you dash off!

Hug the right wall when running through the swamp. Open the gate as quickly as possible as the Bone Dragon boss will be following you closely. (Use Endure Pain if you need it) After opening the gate, run to the clearing on the right and heal up. The run from here to the dock is trivial.

Just before reaching the dock there will be a group of enemies with a boss. Run past them and do not allow them to follow you to the beach. If they do, the build's defensive skills will not be sufficient to keep you alive. If you are running other players, make sure they do not follow you at this point. They may bring the boss down to the beach, or cause the White Mantle to attack the Vizier if they run around on the beach enough.

Run to the end W/Mo style
keep spaming sprint and heal with low health.

Defending the Vizier
When the Vizier begins to summon the ship stand a few yards off of the dock. Make sure you are far enough away that none of the White Mantle see the Vizier; the success of the run depends on you being able to keep enemy focus on yourself and off of him. Begin attacking the first enemy that is in range, and immediately use Mantra of Flame,"Shields Up!", which will counter the White Mantle Seekers' arrows; and Dolyak Signet, which will dramatically increase your armor. Use "Watch Yourself!" whenever it becomes available. Continue attacking and using these four skills whenever any of them recharges. Remember to ALWAYS keep up your four defensive skills. Using Mantra of flame keeps your energy at max so energy won't be a problem.

When all four of these skills are up, only the White Mantle Savants will inflict noticable damage, via Searing Heat. Use Healing Signet whenever you sustain any damage; after several groups of White Mantle move in, you will need to use it almost constantly. However, you should prefer using the four defensive skills over Healing Signet unless you are below 50% health.

When the ship surfaces, wait for the dock ramp to drop. Then use "Charge!", Sprint, and Endure Pain and run onto the deck. (Dolyak Signet may slow your movement here, but it is of no consequence, you'll need to wait it out, when it ends run to the dock.)

It is very likely that the Vizier will die after the cut scene begins. However, this does not seem to affect the mission outcome; he will simply disappear when he dies and will still be present in the rest of the scene.

Defending the Vizier For W/Mo
When they come at you, you have to keep spamming Dolyak Signet, Shielding Hands, Defensive Stance, Healing Signet, and Shield of Regeneration. Remember to have Watchful Spirit, and Balthazar's Spirit on at all times.

Variants

 * "I Will Survive!" can be used instead of Mantra of Flame to strengthen you against conditions.
 * Signet of Stamina can be used in place of Endure Pain(Recommended).
 * Charging Strike (low recharge time and can use again before it expires) can replace "Charge!" and Sprint, it will keep you running at 33% faster and leaves one skill slot for a stance.
 * Protector's Defense is a good addition if you decide to replace "Charge" and Sprint.

This build uses dual visages, physical resistance, and warrior adrenaline attacks to farm the Smite Crawlers in the Underworld.

Equipment

 * Full Knight's Armor
 * Axe Helm of Superior Axe Mastery (for fighting)
 * Strength Helm of Superior Strength (for running)
 * Elemental Axe of Enchanting (for Grasping Darknesses)
 * Zealous Axe of Enchanting (for Smites)

Usage

 * Take Clearing the Chamber immediately and lure one group of Graspings. Make sure you have a visage up when luring them. Sprint to the middle of the chamber to lose the Bladed Aatxes. Kill the Graspings one at a time with your attacks. Lure another group and repeat.
 * Once you have completed the quest, run along the right side of the room and through the open gate.
 * Stop as soon as you have broken aggro in order to heal and/or recharge. Continue running along the path until you reach the Smites.
 * Now kill the Smites the same way you did the Graspings. You have to give them a couple seconds of hitting you before attacking so they can't put up Shield of Judgment.

Counters

 * Bladed Aatxes
 * Coldfire Nights

Variants

 * Remove the axe attacks for Sever Artery, Gash, and Dragon Slash.
 * Exchange Cleave with Triple Chop for some AoE damage.
 * Exchange Cleave and Dismember for Eviscerate and Executioner's Strike for greater overall DPS (before the Deep Wound is considered) at the cost of slightly more energy. (DPS is increased because using adrenaline skills lowers your adrenaline by one strike; while this is gained back if you hit, that hit will not result in a net gain of adrenaline, meaning that higher cost adrenaline skills will actually increase your DPS.)
 * Exchange Healing Signet with another attack skill such as Penetrating Chop or Furious Axe.
 * Change Penetrating Blow to Bonetti's Defense for better energy management (Recommended).

Template
This build is designed to farm Arrahhsh Mountainclub to get his unique shield, Arrahhsh's Aegis.

Equipment

 * Any armor that reduces Physical Damage.
 * Any sword with a Furious Hilt and Pommel of Shelter.

Usage

 * Start from Boreas Seabed.
 * Try not to aggro the Wallows, if you do, just break aggro by Sprinting away
 * Cast Balthazar's Spirit
 * Run to the place where Arrahhsh is.
 * There will be 2 groups of Yeti blocking the entrance
 * Wait until they break apart before sprinting through and stopping on the bridge
 * When on the bridge, wait until all the Yetis are not in a position to body block you
 * Once they are far from the next bridge, aggro them and break aggro by Sprinting onto the bridge closer to where Arrahhsh is
 * If the other Warrior Yeti attacks you first, concentrate on him
 * Cast Scourge Healing on Arrahhsh to prevent him from receiving a good heal from Healing Signet, keep it up as much as possible
 * Cast Dolyak Signet
 * Spam Riposte, Deadly Riposte and Gladiator's Defense whenever possible
 * Healing Signet to keep yourself alive

Counters

 * Careful of the traps the Ranger Yetis set up, they might cripple you and hinder your progress.

Variants

 * You may like to replace Gladiator's Defense with Auspicious Parry.

Armor

 * Full Gladiator's Armor for maximum energy.
 * Helm alternative: Lieutenant's Helm for shortened Hex duration at the expense of one less point of Tactics (13), 1 Energy, and only 60 AL compared to the Gladiator's head gear.

Runes

 * Rune of Superior or Major Vigor
 * Rune of Superior Absorption

Weapons

 * Any one-handed weapon that increases health, and/or energy:
 * 1) Katana of Fortitude (from Factions - Divine Path) - plus 5 Energy always and plus modification of your choice (preferrably + Health).
 * 2) Any sword and an "I Have the Power!" inscription. (If you have Nightfall)

Note: Of course, you are free to use the collectors' shield versions instead of the Green ones.
 * A shield with maximum armor (+16) with attribute requirement in Tactics:
 * 1) Grognar's Defender [Green Item; Received Dmg: -2 (In Stance); +45 HP (In Stance)] - The Runner's Best Stance Shield Choice.
 * 2) Emboldened Carapace Shield from Hagnon Warblade [Health +60 (while hexed), Received damage -3 (while hexed)] - For hex passages of the run.

Core Running Sequence
Note: Balanced Stance cancels Sprint, for they are both stances. Never use them simultaneously if you don't want to lose either of them. Balanced Stance should be used with "Charge!" instead. Balanced Stance will outlast "Charge!" by 8 secs. Use Balanced Stance, wait 4-8 secs and activate "Charge!". It is better to be quicker in escape than in approach due to aggro/ deaggro behavior of the NPCs.
 * Use Sprint, and Charge for running. It's the sequence which you can use without any gaps.
 * Use Balanced Stance to counter knockdowns by Frost Worms, Ice Golems, Tundra Giants, and Azure Shadows.

Healing
Note: Be aware of the fact that "runners run, and healers heal." Only heal yourself if it is really necessary.
 * Use Healing Signet in safe spots for healing.
 * Use Endure Pain for extra health boost in passages of the run where you encounter much damage.

Hex-Countering Mechanism
Note #1: Always use Smite Hex for removing a Hex before canceling Holy Veil. By not canceling Holy Veil first you make sure that the enemies still need twice as long to cast for their hexes.
 * Cast Holy Veil on yourself as major hex-protecting mechanism.
 * Use Smite Hex as major hex-remover.

Note #2: For an extra hex remover cast Holy Veil and wait for it to recharge. By canceling it, recasting, and canceling it again, you can remove up to two hexes only with Holy Veil.

Conditions
Note: Beware traps set by Pinesouls that cripple you for quite a long time. It is not unlikely that two traps are behind each other. Go on running crippled to check whether a second trap is about to ignite; only then use Purge Conditions to reduce the chance of getting trapped twice to a minimum. Alternatively, Mend Ailment can replace Purge Conditions for countering multi-traps.
 * Use Purge Conditions for an all-in-one conditions clean-up.

Ice Imps

 * Cast Holy Veil on yourself before encountering them. Either outstand the first Mind Freeze on you or remove it with Smite Hex while Holy Veil is still being on you.

Worm Tunnel
Note: Sprint cancels Balanced Stance, for they are both stances. Never use them simultaneously if you don't want to lose either of them.
 * On entering the worm tunnel do not aggro the Ice Imp patrol.
 * Run into the tunnel with Sprint as long as possible until Frost Worms pop up. Activate Balanced Stance, jog for some seconds, and escape with "Charge!".
 * In some of the spawns, the tree behind the tunnel is a safe spot for regeneration.
 * Cast Holy Veil on yourself before encountering the Ice Golems behind the tunnel. Use Smite Hex for removing their Deep Freeze. Cancel Holy Veil only if it is really necessary. Refrain from using Holy Veil if there are Avicara Guile between your current location and the Ice Golems, as Avicara Guile can and will remove your Holy Veil immediatly.

Troll Cave

 * In most spawns and due to lag it is highly advisable to lure the Mountain Trolls either out of the cave, or around the Icicles in the cave.

Wurm Path

 * Use Sprint for covering the first meters of the Wurm Path (beginning right behind the bridge of the Troll Cave).
 * Try to run at the right-hand side.
 * Use Balanced Stance when getting knocked down for the first time.
 * Use "Charge!" when you get in aggro range of the Grawl Patrol.
 * Jog with Balanced Stance, or Sprint all along the path.
 * Use Healing Signet after a Wurm popped up, when you escaped him and it is outside your aggro circle.

Ice Golem Path
Note: If a Muddy Terrain Spirit was already cast (e.g. due to another runner in your group or by accident), wait for it to die before attempting the run-through.
 * Encounter them only with fully recharged Balanced Stance and Holy Veil being already up.
 * Use the shortest and therefor quickest path available avoiding as many Pinesouls, and Ice Golems as possible. Be fond of running through Grawls rather than through Pinesouls, and Ice Golems.
 * Beware of more than one trap set by Pinesouls.
 * Avoid Stone Summit Heretic at any cost.

Dreadnought's Drift
Attention: Survivor Title Hunters can survive here. Therefore, they just stand in the lower right corner when entering the Drift. It may need some spawns, for the patrols always tend to use a slightly different path depending on other NPC groups. Millimeter work!


 * Go to the right immediately, and if there is anyone you are running that is not going for survivor title, tell them to run into the patrol there as well.

Snake Dance
Note #1: Beware of lag in the Troll Tunnel. It is advisable to lure some Mountain Trolls or even Ice Golems out to guarantee a secure run-through. Cast Holy Veil on yourself to avoid a minor slow-down by the Ice Golems when running through the tunnel.
 * Efficiently use Balanced Stance and "Charge!" here against groups of Tundra Giants, and Azure Shadows.

Note #2: It is not necessary to use Balanced Stance for these low-level Ice Golems that do not knock you down.

Talus Chute

 * Before encountering the first Azure Shadows cast and recharge Holy Veil.
 * Activate Balanced Stance when the first Signet of Judgments are about to hit you.
 * Use "Charge!" in the first corner near the Azure Shadow Boss.
 * Use Endure Pain when running through the groups of Avicara.

Variants

 * Mending Touch can replace Purge Conditions to counter more than one Barbed Trap. It has a faster regeneration time and heals the runner slightly.
 * Signet of Stamina can replace Endure Pain for a permanent health boost so long as the runner never attacks.
 * Mend Ailment can replace Purge Conditions to counter more than one Barbed Trap. Crippled will always hit you last.
 * Defensive Stance can replace Healing Signet for running from Copperhammer Mines -> Iron Mines of Moladune. Activate "Charge!", then Defensive Stance when running through large aggro groups of Avicara. Wait for natural health regeneration to take effect in safe spots. Be sure to activate "Charge!" before Defensive Stance, or else Defensive Stance will end immediately.
 * Deflect Arrows can replace Healing Signet for running from Copperhammer Mines -> Iron Mines of Moladune.
 * Contemplation of Purity, and Mending can replace Smite Hex, and/or Purge Conditions. Use CoP for removing Hexes and Conditions while Holy Veil and/or Mending is active. It is recommended to increase Healing Prayers to 8 to gain 3 pips of health regeneration from Mending.  This variant, however, since it uses Healing Prayers, goes against the general theory of the "Bold Forge Runner" which uses no Healing Prayers.
 * Shielding Hands can replace Endure Pain for damage limitation although Endure Pain can be useful if a player is overwhelmed by monsters at a single time.
 * Replace Smite Hex with Signet of Stamina for extra health. Don't attack or else Signet of Stamina will end.
 * Swap Endure pain for Signet of Stamina which should boost your health to around 700 making it really easy to run past mobs.
 * Enraging Charge can replace Sprint for an extra second of running time.

Endure Pain Bug
After Endure Pain ends your Health may drop to 1. Due to the Endure Pain Bug do not activate Healing Signet after having 1 Health - this would kill you immediately due to negative health and positive signet healing. Wait for your Health bar to gain pips and regaining above 1 Health again before using Healing Signet.

Possible Routes
Listed below are the possible high-level routes that this build and its variants can be run with:

Prophecies

 * 1) Beacon's Perch -> Camp Rankor -> Droknar's Forge
 * 2) Camp Rankor -> Deldrimor War Camp
 * 3) Copperhammer Mines -> Iron Mines of Moladune -> Marhan's Grotto -> Thunderhead Keep

Templates
This build is designed for farming Dead Swords (and other rare skinned weapons as well) in The Shattered Ravines while Destroy the Ungrateful Slaves quest is active. This is solo w/mo farming build.

Equipment

 * Armor - Glads armor for energy with all the runes of superior vigor (or major will suffice) and superior absorption. Knight's Armor can be used for the -3 damage reduction against physical attacks (recommended for beginners).
 * Weapons - An axe is required for this build. I use Victo's Battle Axe for added damage, but any max axe with 15^50 will do, just might take longer.  Have a max shield with +45/-2 while enchanted AND requires strength. Arrahhsh's Aegis may also work since it is a stance shield and fairly easy to farm.

Usage
First get to The Shattered Ravines from Bone Palace. Let the king die in order to repeat the quest. Cast Balthazar's Spirit on yourself and let the energy recharge to full before casting Live Vicariously. Once the king is dead, wait until the slave spirits settle, and then get close to aggro and cast Vigorous Spirit BEFORE aggro. Be sure to charge for the monks slave spirits first as they are the ones that can shoot you from a distance. Get within the mob so that your cyclone axe will be able to hit everything. Once positioned, hit Dolyak Signet to reduce melee damage. Start cycloning using both Cyclone Axe followed by Triple Chop. After the first cyclone axe, you should be able to use flail to increase attacking speed. Alternate Cyclone Axe and Triple Chop (by continuously spamming whichever becomes available first) and use executioner's strike whenever it becomes charged. With live vicariously and vigorous spirit up, you should be able to stay alive while causing massive AOE damage to all surrounding targets. Make sure flail stays up at all times to increase attack speed and to increase the rate you benefit from live vicariously and vigorous spirit. You will get interrupted by Savage Slash frequently when trying to cast vigorous spirit, but just keep trying and eventually they won't be able to interrupt. Use the same method for all 5 mobs. When finished, rezone and repeat.

Counters
The slave mobs consist of monks and warriors but their ratio is not fixed in proportion. The more monks, the more dificult it will be to kill and more Reversal of Damage's to worry about.

Variants

 * Replace Executioner's Strike with Bonetti's Defense if you are having difficulty keeping vigorous spirit up. That is, have Bonetti's Defense active before you cancel it with Vigorous Spirit to prevent interrupts.
 * Healing Hands makes it a lot easier to stay alive. It also has a very short activation time and is therefore difficult to interrupt.
 * Swapping Executioner's Strike for Wild Blow will significantly decrease the time it takes to kill the warrior spirits.

Alternate setup for Axe

 * Take Resurrection Chant (or Rebirth for difficult areas).

Equipment

 * Choose either a furious weapon haft for faster Adrenaline generation or a vampiric weapon haft to increase the inflicted damage. For the Axe version, a zealous mod is necessary to spam Cyclone Axe and Triple Chop.
 * Choose the best (while enchanted) gear available.
 * Wing's Axe or Sskai's Sword with an Exalted Aegis (unique item) (Strength) are good weapon sets to use.

Usage

 * Cast Vigorous Spirit on yourself (and team mates with high casting/attack rate) right before your party engages the enemy.
 * After casting Vigorous Spirit simply use each Skill when it becomes charged. Always be sure to use Sever Artery before using Gash. You should chain these skills.

Variations

 * If you do not trust your healers, take Healing Hands instead of your chosen Elite skill.
 * Exchange Triple Chop for Eviscerate and Dismember for Penetrating Blow for more focused damage.
 * Swap Penetrating Chop for Axe Rake to stop enemy healers from running or Axe Twist to weaken enemy Warriors, etc.
 * Taking Live Vicariously instead of a damage skill nearly doubles your self-healing.
 * If you find yourself short on Adrenaline all the time, swap Rush for Sprint and vice versa for Energy.
 * Take Shield of Absorption instead of your running skill when expecting to encounter large mobs to take some more pressure off your healer[s].
 * If you want to save your adrenaline, use Sun and Moon Slash instead of Final Thrust, if you are using a sword. It also gives more chances for Vigorous Spirit to heal you.
 * Any skills that provide IAS, such as Flurry, Frenzy, Berserker Stance..., will bring you more benefit from Vigorous Spirit. If you choose Frenzy, use Sprint (or Rush) to cancel it when you are under attack.

Templates
For Sword: For Axe:

This build is a Warrior/Monk designed to solo Ghial the Bone Dancer.

Equipment
Any max Sword with Sword Pommel Of Enchanting and a strength requirement shield with Enchanted mods. A bow. If you are using full Sentinal's Armor you can make do with almost any max sword and strength req shield. Victo's Blade has been proven to work effectively against Ghial, but not against any mobs, so if you have Victo's Blade, equip it, but do not use it until you face Ghial.

Usage

 * 1) Dolyak Signet, Healing Hands and Flail should be kept up as often as possible.
 * 2) Charge adrenaline through attacks in Flail, and use Sever Artery followed by Gash.
 * 3) Use Final Thrust when enemy is below 50% Health (only exception is Ghial, where it should be spammed as often as possible).

Getting to Ghial
-alternate: after aggroing Orosen run over the bridge and turn left on the roofs, walk to the back so you're out of range. after killing the 2 guards Orosen and his followers will kill a few other guards moving out of range, now you can slip past them. this route is slightly longer but safer because sometimes Orosen decides its more fun to kill you.
 * TIP* If your region has favor, /kneel by the shrine outside Senji's Corner to buy some nice benefits like 3 life steal.
 * Upon leaving Senji's Corner, cast Mending on yourself. Sprint to the right, past the pair of Canthan guards, over the bridge. You will see a Jade Brotherhood Ritualist boss, Orosen, Tranquil Acolyte.
 * Upon approaching Orosen, he will suddenly come towards you, along with one or two Jade Brotherhood groups. Run back to the Canthan guards, allowing the guards to aggro Orosen instead. Run back over the bridge while the Jade are engaged with the two Guards. Use Enraging Charge when you are about to engage the group of Jade Brotherhood in front of the bridge.
 * Pause on the bridge (after breaking aggro) to regenerate health.
 * At the end of the bridge, you will see 2-3 groups of Jade Brotherhood. Run past them, and activate Enraging Charge and Healing Hands when you aggro the last group. Pause at the area with the Tengu (should have broken aggro by now).
 * Follow the map, taking a left at the Tengu. Engage the first group of Jade Brotherhood you see and eliminate them (the Ritualist should be killed first).
 * Engage the two Knights on the bridge, and          as well.
 * Using your Ranged weapon, lure the two Knights at the end of the bridge and         . If they are accompanied by a Ritualist, be sure to pull the Ritualist back, out of aggro range of any other Jade Brotherhood.
 * Wait until the corpses have disappeared before pulling Ghial. If you see that Ghial is accompanied by a Ritualist, pull only the Ritualist until Ghial breaks aggro. Kill the Ritualist.
 * Do a quick count of how many enemies are aggroed when Ghial is pulled. If there is only one (or perhaps none), then follow these steps:
 * Break aggro from Ghial with Enraging Charge.
 * Go backwards on the bridge. You will see a group of Jade Brotherhood on a ledge.
 * Kill all of them except for one or two Jade Brotherhood Mages (should only have two non-boss enemies when fighting Ghial). Break aggro and wait for corpses to disappear.
 * Now Lure Ghial and the one or two Mages together so they are all attacking you.
 * Kill Ghial.
 * ADDED**- If you are using full Sentinel's Armor then you can take down Ghial with up to 3 other non-ritualist casters.
 * If you should choose to Solo ghial with no one around:
 * Lure Ghial out alone, this can be done by killing the 4 knights and any Ritualists accompanying them.
 * Make sure you have Vigorous spirit equipped as Healing Hands will not be enough with only him attacking you.
 * Wait until all corpses have dissapeared
 * Lure him out he usually comes out with a mesmer or a mage but he will go ahead of them.
 * Because he comes out ahead of them you can further aggro him across the bridge run until you reach the rooftop.
 * Now keep Dolyak Signet up as much as possible Flail is not needed and should not be equipped and replaced with Vigorous spirit.
 * Keep Vigorous Spirit on as it is your main healing factor when HH is not active.
 * Use HH as much as possible.
 * If a Jade Brotherhood member comes out right beside Ghial simply kill the member first than Ghial, unless it is a mage than you can directly aim for Ghial.

Equipment

 * Armor
 * Any Max AL Armor.
 * Rune of Superior Absorption.
 * Any Rune of Vigor.
 * Weapons
 * Malinon's Shield or any shield with equivalent stats.
 * The green Exalted Aegis (Either version) or any shield with equivalent stats.
 * Sword of Fortitude
 * Longbow
 * Any Focus Item that gives additional energy

Preparations

 * Put Malinon's Shield and the sword as weapon set #1.


 * Put Exalted Aegis and the sword as weapon set #2.


 * Put the Focus Item and the sword as weapon set #3.

The Run


''Rajazan is at [3], the other end of Unwaking Waters (Explorable), near the Kurzick exit. Therefore, you must run to him.''

Start at the outpost Harvest Temple. Equip the Weapon set #1 and cast Mending on yourself.

Start running, following the map. The Shiro'ken Rangers will try stopping you by draining your energy with Debilitating Shot. Once the Shiro'ken patrols get into your aggro circle, use Sprint and run. Don't get surrounded or trapped.

Your Sprint will last 12 seconds. When Sprint starts blinking quickly cover it up with Enraging Charge, which will last 11 seconds. Once you reach [1], Resurrection Shrine, you will be safe. Recover until full hit points and energy.

Creeping Carps await you. Lure them back to the Luxon/Kurzick guards and kill them, the Priest will heal you regardless of your allegiance. If you don't kill the carps, they will cast Siphon Speed on you and hunt you down. Furthermore, there will be patrols of Kraken Spawns and Outcasts – avoid these, especially the Krakens.



Your road lies to the left, and when you head into this road, three Outcast Assassins will pop out – get past them. If the Krakens have cast hexes on you, quickly turn to the right path run to the safe area [2] with boosted speed. Cast Healing Breeze to counter the degens and spam Healing Signet. Once the hexes have worn off, re-cast Mending (if removed) and head towards the Shiro'kens.

Use Sprint when the first group of Shiro'kens gets into your aggro-circle. Then use Enraging Charge.

Saltspray Dragons kill you, so hug the wall and stay away from them at all cost. If you are damaged, use your Healing Signet. When you are nearing [3] you will see Rajazan's outcast group, a group of Kraken Spawns and a group of Creeping Carps.

You can either carefully sneak through or just use Sprint to get past them to [4], the safe area. If your enemies are still chasing you, run around until they lose aggro - or equip weapon set #2 and kill them. When you are ready to deal with Rajazan, turn off all enchantments.

Defeating the Outcasts
Rajazan and his outcasts will be fighting another group of outcasts. His group:
 * Outcast Warrior
 * Outcast Deathhand
 * Outcast Ritualist
 * Outcast Assassin
 * Cultist Rajazan

If the Creeping Carps were lured in here, they will also start fighting with the group of Outcast that are standing on the cliffs. The melee-fighters will stand still doing nothing while casters will try killing the Outcast on the cliffs with spells.

Now you have two choices:
 * Wait and pull Cultist Rajazan.
 * Go and attack.

Wait and pull Rajazan
Get your bow out. Wait until Cultist Rajazan has defeated the other outcasts. The Creeping Carps will retreat and Cultist Rajazan will start wandering around again. Shoot him. Pull him out of his group and kill him alone. If the rest of his group is aggroed, Sprint back to [4] and shake them off. Repeat until you succeed in separating Cultist Rajazan from his group. This may take a few (or more) tries. Once you have Cultist Rajazan lured back, kill him and pick up the loot. Repeat the run until you get the Rajazan's Fervor.

Go and attack
You can run forth when Cultist Rajazan is busy and start attacking him. After a few swings with your sword he will change his target and attack you. If this happens, pull him back from the rest of the group and kill him. It is very often that you aggro the whole group of outcasts, and if you do, retreat to [4] and retry.

If you want to kill off Rajazan's party members, do it in this order:


 * The lured Creeping Carps (easy to separate from Outcast-group)
 * Outcast Assassin. Enchantment removes, can interrupt skills and cause cripple.
 * Outcast Warrior. Can cause cripple, is equipped with Disrupting Chop.
 * Outcast Deathhand. Plague Touch and enchantment remove.
 * Cultist Rajazan. Plague Touch and enchantment remove.

Pick up the loot. Repeat the run until you get the Rajazan's Fervor.

How to win


The build is centred on Auspicious Parry, Riposte and Deadly Riposte. You kill them by spamming these skills in the order:

1. Deadly Riposte 2. Auspicious Parry 3. Riposte

The following enemies will remove your enchantments:


 * Creeping Carp
 * Outcast Assassin
 * Outcast Deathhand
 * Cultist Rajazan

Survival
Some enemies are equipped with interrupting skills - Outcast Assassin and Outcast Warrior. They will try disabling your Healing Signet.

Therefore when you use your signet, make sure you have the ripostes and parries ready. Ripostes and parries can be used even while casting Healing Signet. Recommended order of healing/spamming skills:

1. Healing Signet + Deadly Riposte 2. Auspicious Parry 3. Riposte

Make sure they had triggered the first parry/riposte before using the next.

Variants
Healing Breeze can be dumped once you've learned how to avoid Krakens. In that case, replace Mending with Watchful Spirit and spend the rest of the attribute points on something else. Healing Breeze can be replaced with a useful sword skill or a condition-removal for survival.

Equipment

 * Warrior Wyvern Armor (any armor that gives +10 AL vs Elemental attacks)
 * Running Set: Non-vampiric, non-zealous sword (preferably with a sword pommel of Defense) and Arrahhsh's Aegis or Victo's Bulwark
 * Fighting Set: Any non-vampiric, non-zealous sword. (A sword pommel of Defense or of Warding works well. A sword pommel of Enchanting also works nicely but is not necessary.) and Arrahhsh's Aegis or Victo's Bulwark.  A fiery sword hilt is optional for killing Siege Ice Golems more quickly, since Bleeding does not affect them.  A furious hilt is also nice for charging Sever Artery and Gash more quickly.
 * Superior Vigor and two (even three, if you take out Minor Swordsmanship) Runes of Vitae are strongly suggested.

Usage
Make sure that the Running Set is equipped. Run until the Ice Imp cave, so do not stop to fight anything but Siege Ice Golems and Ice Imps that may be encountered on the North path in Mineral Springs.

Getting to the Imp Cave
If you have Defend Droknar's Forge in your quest log, you MUST abandon it, or Ice Imps will not spawn.

Due to the availability of heroes from Nightfall and the ability to flag heroes and henchmen, it may be better to attempt this build with a full group of eight for when there is a poor spawn. Run/Fight through Tasca's Demise to Mineral Springs, then fight your way to the Ice Imp cave. While soloing the imps, make sure that your henchmen/heroes names are grayed out, to increase the chances of picking up the drop. Or, the run could be restarted.

Make sure to watch the path of the Avicara, if you can. There are many times that the group will gather in one area and easily be run around.

Tasca's Demise



Start at The Granite Citadel and take the lower path through Tasca's Demise. If you're bringing along a hero/hench team, flag them near the back of the resurrection shrine.



Run through Tasca's Demise from the southern path. If you were quick enough, you will be able to beat a patrol of Stone Summit, usually with a variety of Dolyak Masters, Summit Beastmasters, and Stone Summit Rangers. If not, run past the bridge and wait until the patrol comes around. Be careful not to aggro anything. When they've passed you by, sneak around the edge an across the bridge.



Carefully move forward, until you see another patrol with a Siege Ice Golem and smaller Stone Summit. Back up along the wall to your right, until you are behind the branch in the path. Wait for them to pass and run forward.



There's another patrol that will be on your right. Avoid these, if possible. If the spawn to your left is in front of you near the center and not all to the left, you'll need to attempt to run through. You will have Crippling Anguish casted on you. If you did not bring henchman/heroes, try to get as close to Mineral Springs portal as possible. If you did, unset the flag to cause them to follow you. If all of them die, get as close to the portal as possible. If some are alive, send them ahead and into the mob before you attempt a run to the portal. In any case, if you don't survive, you should be resurrected near the portal, so just run there.

Mineral Springs

Cast Balthazar's Spirit.

There are two paths to the Ice Imp cave. Note that if you encounter Hyl Thunderwing and have Iron Mist cast on you, immediately stop and use Dolyak Signet, Shield of Regeneration, and Shielding Hands. Make sure to use Shielding Hands last to cover Shield of Regeneration. Avicara Guile can strip your enchantments, so be careful. Once Iron Mist and Dolyak Signet have worn off, immediately start running with Sprint.



N1: Ice Imps and Siege Ice Golems N2a: first bridge, should be able to run through easily N2b: second bridge, if you see several Avicara Braves, aggro then run backwards before running past S1: Avicara Fierce patrol, run past, they move slowly S2: Pinesouls, try to run opposite of where most of them are to avoid Barbed Trap S3: Tundra Giants, aggro and use Dolyak Signet, Shield of Regeneration, and Shielding Hands when available

The north path is considerably shorter, but it's also more dangerous if the Avicara spawn too close to a group (or two!) of Ice Imps and a Siege Ice Golem. You will need to stop and fight these, as their water hexes will constantly be slowing you down. The way to fight them is covered below in Ice Imp Cave. If you're fighting your way to the Ice Imp cave with heroes/henchmen, this is the best path.



If you find yourself body blocked on a bridge, just run back from the bridge and run around the mob.

The south path is longer but usually easier to run through. Also, you will pass by another resurrection portal, so if your attempts at running to the Ice Imp cave/soloing imps is unsuccessful, you will be closer to the cave and can lower your DP by killing the nearby Tundra Giants. Soon after the entrance and some trees, you'll encounter a large patrol of Avicara Fierce that have a long patrol path, so don't wait for them, just run path them early on. You will then encounter an area with a few Pinesouls that will cripple you with Barbed Trap and further slow you down with Muddy Terrain. The Juniper Bark that pop up can be ignored (only Level 7 Monks!) if you need to heal, after losing the aggro of the Pinesouls.

When you see that you're near the second resurrection shrine, stay closer to your left, other than when you see an Avicara boss and group. It is crucial that you lose their aggro before encountering the Tundra Giants. You will need to kill these, but that can easily be done by keeping Dolyak Signet on you. Use Shield of Regeneration and Shielding Hands when possible. Try to kill only the ones in the group blocking your path to the narrow passageway. The others can be left for DP reduction later on.

Run up the narrow path, being careful not to be body blocked. When you're past the narrow passageway, be careful with your aggro. You must lose aggro before encountering the Ice Imps. If you see that there are Avicara with the group of Ice Imps and you're running solo, you will need to restart from The Granite Citadel. It's possible that you'll see Mountain Trolls and Siege Ice Golems, but these should not be no problem. If you brought along henchmen/heroes, run in to kill the Avicara before flagging the henchmen/heroes away.

Ice Imp Cave
Before encountering the imps, make sure that you have both Watchful Spirit and Balthazar's Spirit on you. Once you see that the imps are about to attack, quickly use Dolyak Signet, then cast Shield of Regneration and Shielding Hands. Keep hitting the monsters to charge your adrenaline. If there are Mountain Trolls, kill those first, since they can interrupt you. After that, you killing the Siege Ice Golems is advisable, since they can knock you down, if you don't use Dolyak Signet quickly enough.

Since you have Balthazar's Spirit on you, energy is of little concern, so spam Shield of Regeneration and Shielding Hands when possible. If you notice that you're lacking energy, stay in Maelstrom for a quick way to charge your energy. Use Dolyak Signet once it recharges. If you only have a few casts of Maelstrom on you, you can time it by casting immediately after a hit. Otherwise, simply move sideways or backwards out of them.

If your region has favor, kneel at the statue of Lyssa, and pay 50 gold for Holy Blessing (To Conquest). Note that this isn't needed much, since you already have quite a bit of regeneration from Shield of Regeneration and Watchful Spirit, but it doesn't hurt.

When you've cleared the cave, make your way up the ramp. Once that is cleared, slowly move forward towards Ice Beast, if you see more imps outside of the cave. The Ice Beast can be ignored and cannot be killed solo with this build. Azure Shadow will popup. Run back immediately after you aggro one. You can only take on one or two alone, so do not rush ahead. If you do aggro too many, just resign or map travel somewhere else. If you have henchmen/heroes, cancel the flag and aggro the Azure Shadow before running back down the ramp. Wait for the henchmen/heroes and kill the Ice Beast and Azure Shadows. Flag them away again and repeat the process, until the imps are dead. Infuse your armor with the Seer if you need to, and/or finish the run. A quick way to restart the run, if you took the northern path is to die on purpose, zone to Tasca's Demise, and rezone. Wintergreen Candy Canes are good for removing DP encountered by this.

Counters
Interrupts, enchantment stripping, damage based on having enchantments, and/or adrenaline denial would greatly hinder this build or render this build useless.

Variants
Axe Use: Redistribute points in Swordsmanship to Axe Mastery. Replace Sever Artery and Gash with Dismember and another adrenaline axe skill of your choice. Executioner's Strike and Penetrating Blow both work well, depending on how you want to use adrenaline.
 * Sprint can be exchanged for Enraging Charge for a longer duration and adrenaline gain.

Attributes and Skills
This is one of many possible variations. Many people have many different preferences and this farm can be done with a weapon other than axe, but this is the general consensus as to the most widely-used build. The skills may not be exactly the same for most people with the exception of only a couple (Dolyak Signet, Cyclone Axe, Vigorous Spirit) and many different types of variation are definitely possible.


 * The optional slot is for an energy management skill such as Bonetti's Defense or Balthazar's Spirit if you choose not to bring a zealous weapon. If you choose to bring a zealous weapon, this skill slot can be used for pretty much anything (Bringing Balanced Stance or Flail is very effective).

Equipment

 * Gladiator's Armor (suggested but not required). Knight's Armor is another good choice, as you will only lose health through degen.
 * Best Vigor Rune available.
 * Superior Absorption.
 * Zealous Axe (Wing's Axe works wonderfully) suggested, however isn't necessary. Any kind of axe will do.
 * If you decide to go without a zealous weapon, the Totem Axe, Victo's Battle Axe and Chaklin's Axe are also very good choices.


 * Onwan's Aegis is a great shield for this build.
 * Any shield that gives you health while enchanted is also a good idea.

Usage
The whole backbone of this build is Dolyak Signet, Vigorous Spirit, Triple Chop, and Cyclone Axe. The rest is almost all just noise. To start a fight, aggro as many vermin as you think you can round up. Once you have them all aggro'd, throw on Dolyak Signet, hit Vigorous Spirit, and start spamming Cyclone Axe and Triple Chop when all the mobs move in close enough. If you're using a zealous axe, you shouldn't have any problems whatsoever with energy management. If you don't normally like to use zealous weapons, fear not. Bonetti's Defense and Balthazar's Spirit are there for you. If using Bonetti's, when Dolyak Signet goes down and your energy reserves are a little low, hit Cyclone Axe (if you have enough energy) and then hit Bonetti's. This should instantly resupply all your energy (keep in mind that Bonetti's Defense ends as soon as you use a skill). Refresh Dolyak Signet as soon as it recharges and Vigorous Spirit whenever necessary.

Fighting Shreader Sharptongue's Group'''
When you get to this assassin boss, make sure you target him first. Make sure all your attacks hit him and try to kill him first. DO NOT kill all the other Vermin before him. Doing so will result in you not having enough healing power to keep yourself alive in the final fight with him. During the process of fighting him, you will aggro a HUGE group of vermin. This will help keep you alive. After this boss and his group, there is another group across the bridge behind his area that contains three more spawns of vermin.

After those final spawns, it is the end of the farming run. Simply warp to Senji's Corner, sell, restock, and repeat. OR, you can walk through the portal to Wajjun Bazaar and then back again into Xaquang Skyway and do the run backwards before warping back to Senji's Corner.

Variants

 * Replace Triple Chop with either Hundred Blades (if using a sword) or Gladiator's Defense (if you decide to put points into Tactics).
 * Gladiator's Defense is unadvised though as it will cause the vermin to run away more often making it take longer to kill groups.
 * Replace Dismember and Executioner's Strike with different weapon skills if you decide to use a weapon other than axe.
 * If deciding to take an elementalist secondary, Sliver Armor could also be an option if you're only interested in killing Shreader Sharptongue.
 * If you have access to the Nightfall campaign, you may wish to use the skill Flail in the optional slot, the increased attack speed will help keep your health up while waiting for Cyclone Axe and Triple Chop to recharge.
 * Balthazar's Spirit can be used for energy management.

Attributes and Skills
You can replace Gash for Endure Pain if you see you would need more health.

This is a Prophecies build that requires 185 Attribute Points, which means that people who have just finished the dragon lair mission can get a nice income, without having to do the Prophecies Attribute quests.

Equipment
Sentinel%27s armor is ideal but Dreadnought armor can be used as well. A Strength Shield with "Sleep Now in the Fire" inscription and Shield handle of Devotion
 * Armor

Zealous Sword +15% while Health is above 50% or while enchanted. of Warding
 * Weapons

Another weapon set with a non-zealous weapon of any kind-> to regenerate energy between runs.

Usage
When you enter Skyward Reach, cast Essence Bond and allow time for energy to recharge. When you have recharged around 26 energy, cast Balthazar's Spirit, you will now have around 16 energy. Run up to the first pack of Hydras, (It is recommended you engage a pack of 2 when you solo for the first time, then move on to larger packs.) Killing a single Hydra is the hardest, due to the lack in energy and adrenaline. However, anything above 4 hydras with this build can result in death.

Another way of using this build, is to enter Skyward Reach, and the same way, cast Essence Bond, allow energy to recharge, then cast Balthazar's Spirit first. When dealing with only 1 or 2 Hydra, use Dolyak Signet, to prevent knockdown, then cast Shield of Regeneration to keep your health up. When it comes to attacking, use Sever Artery and Gash in that same order repeatedly. Finish off the hydra with Final Thrust. When dealing with more than 2, use Dolyak Signet, Shield of Regeneration, then use Endure Pain. Keep Shield of Regeneration up and constantly cast Dolyak Signet and Endure Pain on to survive.

Counters
Note: the above doesn't apply to hydras.
 * Enchantment removal
 * Interrupts

Storm Kins' hexes will rapidly reduce your health, making this build useless.

Variants
Replace Gash or Sprint with Endure Pain for a health boost, or with "You Will Die!" for faster adrenaline gain.


 * Ultimate Variant

Attributes and Skills
This build utilizes nearly all 200 attribute points and has a giant damage output, adrenaline gain and health regeneration. This build also uses skills from more than one campaign.

Equipment
Sentinel's armor is ideal but Dreadnought's Armor can be used as well. Strength shield with "Sleep Now in the Fire" inscription and Shield handle of Devotion
 * Armor

Zealous Sword +15% while Health is above 50% or while enchanted. of Warding
 * Weapons

Another weapon set with a non-zealous weapon of any kind-> to regenerate energy between runs.


 * Axe Variant:

Attributes and Skills
If you don't use a Zealous Axe then Shielding Hands must be replaced with Essence Bond.

A good non-nightfall way to make this build is to replace Flail with Bonetti's Defense. It seems to get you more energy if the need strikes.

Equipment
Sentinel%27s armor is ideal but Dreadnought armor can be used as well. Strength shield with "Sleep Now in the Fire" inscription and Shield handle of Devotion
 * Armor

Zealous Axe +15% while Health is above 50% or while enchanted. of Warding
 * Weapons

Another weapon set with a non-zealous weapon of any kind-> to regenerate energy between runs.

Equipment
Any armor can be used. Weapon choice does not matter, as long as you have a sword and a long-range bow (meaning a longbow or flatbow). It is recommended to use an energy +5 sword with zealous upgrade.

Getting to Sskai
Start outside Zos Shivros Channel. Run forward and stay to the far right of the grounded ship, being careful not to pull aggro. Once you have made it past the mob, head towards the lone Kraken Spawn. Do not engage it. Attempt to squeeze between it and the large group of enemies on your left, while heading towards the area Sskai occupies. Make sure to not trigger the Oni spawn to the north. At this point, you should be by a wall opposite Sskai and his mob. Take note on to which side of the mob he is on. Also you might want to dispose of the kraken spawn on the way to him since that could get in your way.

Pulling Sskai
Equip your bow and head to either the left or right of the wall depending on where Sskai is. If he is to the right of the wall, be careful not to go too far right and trigger the Oni spawn. Attack him with your bow and quickly run back around the wall the way you came. If all goes well, aggro will trigger for Sskai, but not the rest of the group. Lure him to a point where other interference is unlikely. [NOTE] If you wish to eliminate the Kraken Spawn aggro it and lead it southwest to a fighting group of Outcasts and Naga. Run straight through the group, then turn back the way you came (the two groups are fighting each other and will ignore you, but are more than eager to kill the Kraken Spawn). Should you take any damage target nearest enemy and use Grenths Balance. Eliminating the Spawn will clear a large area to draw Sskai to and will also make it possible to pull him easily from either side.

Fighting Sskai
Spam Riposte, Deadly Riposte and Dolyak Signet. When your health drops to about 100, use Grenth's Balance, followed by ripostes. Repeat this until Sskai's health gets to about one-quarter of its maximum. Do not use Grenth's Balance if your health is higher than his, as it will swap effects, he will heal and you will take that damage. When Sskai's health is too low for you to use Grenth's Balance, you may need to use Healing Signet (cover with Bonetti's). You may also need to use Endure Pain to give yourself a bigger margin for error, This should give you enough time to Riposte him to death. Use Final Thrust when Deadly Riposte is charged: you will need the cover time to charge Riposte.

Note
It is worth noting that you only need Riposte, Deadly Riposte, Dolyak Signet, Grenth's Balance, and Endure Pain for this build.

This build will also work on:
 * Geoffer Pain Bringer (Boreas Seabed (Explorable))
 * Jacqui The Reaver (Gyala Hatchery (Explorable))
 * Reefclaw Ragebound (Gyala Hatchery (Explorable))
 * Chkkr Locust Lord (Melandru's Hope)
 * Mahto Sharptooth (Sunward Marches)
 * and also the desert griffons in the crystal desert
 * When fighting Geoffer Pain Bringer it may be necessary to help him kill the nearby Naga.  A useful technique is to lure him back near the Zos Shivros exit where there is a monk that will heal you as you fight him.
 * When going after Jacqui The Reaver you will need to wait until most of his escort is dead from fighting other monsters.
 * You do not need to use Grenth's Balance on Reefclaw Ragebound. Auspicious Parry is a much better choice for elite skill.
 * When fighting Chkkr Locust Lord its better to use Gladiator's Defense when around 200-250 health use bonneti defense and healing signet to keep your health up. Just keep Gladiator defense as much up as you can.
 * When fighting Mahto Sharptooth its better to use "Shields Up!" to avoid taking some of the damage from the Blood Cowl Heket.

Variants

 * Final Thrust can be replaced with Gash for its Deep Wound effect.
 * Final Thrust can also be replaced with Shield Bash to help defend yourself.
 * Final Thrust can also be replaced with Distracting Blow to interrupt his Healing Signet
 * Proper use of your defensive skills should mean that Healing Signet is not needed, and its armor penalty can often mean that it does not net you health. Replacing Healing Signet and Final Thrust with Gash and Galrath Slash allows a quick, devastating series of Deadly Riposte, Gash, Galrath Slash, Riposte to deal the last 250 or so damage after the final Grenth's Balance.

Video
Sskai Solo Video

A Factions PvE sword build designed for lots of damage, without the drawback of having to charge up lots of adrenaline as in Final Thrust based builds. Quivering Blade allows you to deal lots of damage without a huge adrenaline requirement, and Plague Touch takes advantage of Quivering Blade's second function. This build works well against casters, causing the Dazed condition and interrupting quickly with Distracting Blow if needed.

Equipment

 * Vampiric swords of Fortitude are preferable.

Usage

 * Upon entering battle, begin building adrenaline.
 * Don't stay on a target if he gets enchanted by skills like Protective Spirit or Guardian.
 * Use Quivering Blade, Sever Artery and Gash.
 * Use Plague Touch to transfer any conditions you receive, including the possible dazed from Quivering Blade.
 * Weapons:
 * Use your Vampiric weapon for general use.
 * Use your Ebon weapon to bypass enemy warriors' resistance to physical damage.
 * Use your Zealous weapon when there are lots of incoming conditions to keep up energy.
 * Of course, use Resurrection Signet to resurrect dead party members.

Variants

 * For the optional slot use:
 * Sprint for chasing kiters.
 * Flail for building adrenaline faster.
 * Tiger Stance for building adrenaline faster, without loss of hit strength.

Templates
This build uses Melandru's Resilience and high damage sword attacks to farm Craw Stonereap outside Altrumm Ruins for The Stonereaper.

Equipment

 * Any max armor will do.
 * Any sword with a +20% while hexed mod and a fortitude suffix is preferred.
 * +60hp While Hexed Shield
 * Major or Sup Vigor

Usage

 * Run down to the shrine and get a blessing from the priest if your region has favor.
 * Turn left and up the ramp. Continue going straight.
 * Soon you'll meet a group of wardens. Run through them.
 * If you set off any traps, use Melandru's Resilience as healing. If you're still losing health, start using Troll Unguent.
 * When your conditions are about to end, use Sprint to break aggro.
 * Go back near the warden and start going towards Craw Stonereap.
 * Start charging your adrenaline.
 * Use Melandru's Resilience.
 * Use Standing Slash, followed by Silverwing Slash, Galrath Slash and finish it with Final Thrust. By the time you have enough adrenaline for Standing Slash again, you should be able to use it again as Melandru's Resilience should still be up.
 * Dolyak Signet should be used as often as possible.

Counters

 * Unable to break aggro with the first group of wardens. This will force you either to fight, or continue running towards the second group at the end of the passage.

Variants
Replace Troll Unguent with Melee Attack or another attacking of your choice if your region has favor or once you're comfortable with only Melandru's Resilience as your only source of healing.

Templates
This is a simple method to farm the Root Behemoths in The Falls to obtain the unique item, the Totem Axe.

Equipment
Any armor set will do as long as it is the maximum armor level (such as found in Droknar's Forge and Kaineng Center). Most commonly used would be Gladiator's Armor. Any Sword/Shield combination should do, as long as you meet the requirement for the Sword (you have 15 attributes into it) and the Shield (10 into Tactics).

Usage

 * Ventari's Refuge
 * Start in Ventari's Refuge which is south from Quarrel Falls through Silverwood and Ettin's Back. Exit and head south towards the Reed Bog. Along the way you will encounter the conditions Bleeding and Burning. Use Troll Unguent or Melandru’s Resilience to counter this. Sprint when Melandru’s is recharging. Don’t use them together as they are both Stances and will cancel each other out. This is an easy run and won’t cause too much trouble.


 * Reed Bog
 * When you enter the Reed Bog there are two ways you can go. If you decide to go south west you will find this much easier than if you head directly south as you won’t encounter as many creatures along the way. In this area you will only get conditions such as bleeding, poison and cripple. Use your Troll Unguent or Melandru’s when needed and watch out for Moss Scarabs. You can basically sprint through this area with minimal trouble. Head south to find the portal into The Falls.


 * The Falls
 * You will meet all conditions, explained in the Enemy notes, here. When conditioned use Melandru's Resilience or Troll Unguent. When you come accross Jungle Trolls just Sprint past them making sure you have enough space to get past. The Jungle Skales drop Gold and Blue items quite often so you might want to kill them. Use your Healing Signet in an emergency or when attacking the Life Pods. Sever Artery and Gash help speed the process up. When you come accross Wind Riders just alternate between Sprint and Melandru's to get past them. If you want to attack them then kill 3 at a time and run to regen health. The Wind Riders also drop a green item named Forgotten Fan.

Enemy Notes



 * Jungle Skales
 * Jungle Skale use the skill Rotting Flesh which gives you a health degen of -4. Using Melandru's Resilience nearly negates this and gives you +1 energy, so they shouldn’t cause any damage to you.


 * Jungle Trolls
 * Stay away from these creatures as they are dangerous in large groups. They use the skill Power Attack which causes a lot of damage and patrol the area in large numbers. You will be passing by these groups on the way and using sprint is the best way to avoid them. Be careful when running around them as a few of the pathways are quite narrow and getting trapped is not an option.


 * Life Pods
 * These creatures are nothing but an annoyance in this area. The only thing they have that causes damage to you is the skill Holy Wrath. The best way to deal with these creatures is to draw them away from the Root Behemoths and try to kill them one at a time. It’s possible to kill them in groups of three but it takes a while. Even when they are drawn away, they still tend to run around in circles (if there is more than one) to avoid you and heal themselves or to be healed by another pod. Life pods will ALWAYS run along the side of a wall, thus making it very easy to bodyblock any runners


 * Maguuma Hunter
 * The Maguuma Hunter uses a skill called Hunter's Shot to inflict Bleeding. They also lay down flame traps to inflict Burning which is also a Condition. The Burning Condition doesn’t last very long and the Bleeding can be negated with Melandru's Resilience.


 * Maguuma Spiders
 * The Maguuma Spider uses the skills Pin Down and Apply Poison to slow you down on the run towards The Falls. Using Melandru's Resilience will negate this and followed up with Troll Unguent you shouldn’t have a problem with them.


 * Redwood Shepherds
 * These creatures are in the same location as the Maguuma Spiders and prevent you from using your Healing Signet by using the skills Primal Echoes and Debilitating Shot. Using Troll Unguent works well in this area.


 * Root Behemoths


 * Root Behemoths are easy enough to kill as long as you clear out the Life Pods first.


 * Wind Riders


 * The Wind Riders are dangerous in large groups and inflict health degen of -5 by using the skill Conjure Phantasm. Melandru's Resilience will reduce this to -2 and give you energy +1 but the Wind Riders interrupt your skills which also includes Healing Signet and Troll Unguent. From experience you can kill up to 3 or 4 in a row and then run away to regenerate health. In smaller groups of Wind riders it is possible to get them to "use up" their interrupts. Simply cast skills multiple times to get the Wind Riders to use their interrupts. Then you will have a safe amount of time to activate Troll Unguent and Healing Signet.

Counters
While this build is generally quite effective and safe, it will have a hard time against monsters, such as the Wind Rider, which use Cry of Frustration to interrupt the healing skills.

Variants

 * The wildcards in this build are Sever Artery, Gash, and "Shields Up!". Therefore, it is possible to change the other skills, depending on your choice of weaponry in order to fit your specific needs.
 * A wise move to add is in the 'optional' slot is "I Will Survive!" which makes you gain Health regeneration of 3 for each condition you are suffering for 5-10 seconds. This, combined with Melandru's Resilience works very well for resisting health degeneration.
 * Replacing "Shields Up!" and the 'optional' slot with Riposte and Deadly Riposte allows you to make quick work of any Root Behemoth with fewer than 3 Life Pods by attacking one of the Pods while letting the Behemoth kill itself attacking you.
 * Predatory Season can be used right before attacking a group of Wind Riders. This gives a +5 health every time you hit with an attack and reduces your healing by 20%. This does not affect Troll Unguent's regeneration effect. Your Healing Signets will be interrupted anyway. This can also be useful against the Life Pods as it reduces their healing by 20%.
 * This Build can easily be used by a R/W by changing Sprint for any ranger running skill, such as Storm Chaser.
 * With the high Wilderness survival, Apply Poison makes dispatching groups of life pods an easy task. They love to spam Mend Condition and will soon exhaust their energy. Just be mindful of your own energy. In additon to this, wind riders are much easier to fight. Just use Apply Poison before rushing into battle and make sure not to use any other skills, just let the poison degeneration do the work. Usually you will only be able to kill one or two before sprinting away to heal.
 * Adding Final Thrust for the spike helps on Life Pods - pull one at a time by barely touching your aggro circle to the behemoth and quickly backing away.

The W/Rt AoE Splinter is a PvE build geared towards dealing large amounts of AoE damage.

Equipment

 * A Vampiric Axe, like Dragoncrest Axe
 * A Zealous Axe, like Wing's Axe
 * Any Max Shield Linked to Strength
 * Radiant Armor

Usage

 * Use Flail (Recast as necessary)
 * Cast Splinter Weapon (Recast whenever possible)
 * Use Triple Chop, Cyclone Axe, and Executioner's Strike whenever possible
 * Use Lion's Comfort and Rush as necessary

Counters

 * General Anti-Melee
 * General Anti-Spam

Variants

 * Disrupting Chop
 * Flail can be replaced by a different IAS
 * Dismember
 * Wild Blow
 * Wielder's Strike

Sword Variant
This Build uses the Warrior's Hammer Skills and the Ritualists Weapon Spells.

Equipment

 * Stonefist Insignia on Helm
 * Radiant Insignia's on Rest
 * Runes in the Correct Place
 * Zealous Hammer of Fortitude with a 15^50 modification.

Usage

 * Build up Adrenaline,
 * Target a Foe with some adjacent allies, cast Splinter Weapon on yourself,
 * Attack target foe and Activate Flail followed by Earth Shaker, Crude Swing and Yeti Smash
 * Use Healing Signet to regain some health and Flesh of My Flesh to revive fallen allies.

Variants

 * Swap Crude Swing or Yeti Smash out for Belly Smash for Blind
 * Take Natural Stride for a speed boost
 * Take Antidote Signet to remove Poison, Disease and Blindness

In AB consider taking "For Great Justice!" instead of Flesh of My Flesh And Taking Enraging Charge for a quicker adrenaline gain. Go Warrior/Ranger with Wilderness at set at Nine.
 * Also consider removing Flail and replace with Flurry or Tiger's Fury,
 * Skill Bar

This Tank build uses Resilient Weapon, and other Ritualist Restoration skills.

Equipment

 * Gladiator's Armor is recommended for the energy bonus.
 * A Zealous weapon mod would help with energy recovery as well.

Usage

 * While running into the fray, use Resilient Weapon, it will give you a nice health and armor bonus when you get smacked with the first wave of hexes and conditions.
 * Weapon of warding is a nice healing boost that is nonconditional
 * Bear in mind that Triple Chop MUST follow vengeful weapon
 * Keep yourself alive by casting Resilient Weapon and Wielder's Boon (which gives you bonus healing while wielding a spirit weapon.)
 * Use the different skills when necessary, keep in mind that you get health regeneration and an armor boost from Resilient Weapon when you are under the effects of a condition or hexed (which is basically all the time when you are a warrior.)

Variants
Flesh of My Flesh is the optional slot
 * For the optional slot:
 * Resurrection Signet is always an excellent choice for team play.
 * Through testing, it has been discovered that energy is an issue for this build. A recommendation for the optional skill slot is cheap healing or an energy boost.

Templates
A Vengeful Farmer is a Warrior 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 dolyak signet a warrior can alternate between these for farming Smite Crawlers in the underworld.

Equipment

 * Armor: Warrior Gladiator's Armor is best, although not vital.
 * Weapons: A +5 energy sword/axe/spear with a +30hp or +7 armor mod. A shield with +30hp always and damage -5 (chance: 20%). Also shields with stance bonuses are advisable for the running portion and you could replace the +5 energy weapon for a weapon with "let the memory live again" to reduce the recharge time of Vengeful Was Khanhei.

Usage
Carefully approach, and take the quest from the Lost Soul who should be in front of you.

If you accidentally aggro a Bladed Aatxe, hit Sprint and run straight to the cliff wall behind you, this should break any aggro. If you attract a Dying Nightmare, use Vengeful Weapon until you kill it.

Once the quest was taken, you should have noticed some monsters appear on your mini-map. They are Grasping Darknesses, so we need to lure and kill them to escape from the chamber.

So aggro the closest group, usually of about 4 Grasping’s. This will normally also aggro the Bladed Aatxe, so we hit sprint, and run straight to the back wall. Only the Graspings should follow. (You could also use a longbow for luring the Graspings, that way you can save 5 energy from not having to use Sprint.)

Once lured, use Dolyak Signet, attack them with your sword (or axe) until Bonetti’s is charged, once charged use Bonetti’s, then Vengeful was Khanhei.

Repeat until they are dead. The main problem with Grasping's are their interrupts and energy drain, both of which can be tackled with Bonetti’s. Use it as a cover when casting VWK.

Once you have killed the 3 Groups of Graspings required for the quest, you can escape the chamber.

After escape you have to aim for smites, they are the creatures that you can kill that will drop ecto. Once you reach the Smites, do NOT attack the Smites, just lure them and let them attack you while you spam all the skills. When looking for Smites, be sure to watch out for Coldfire Nights, if you do aggro them, just sprint away. If you are hit by their Shard Storm or Frozen Burst spell, try to run and not to be in the middle of their Maelstorm.

For a better sight go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO4nVP_ZHvc

Counters
Aatxes.

The standard set-up of this build cannot handle Coldfire Nights. However, Resilient Weapon can replace Sprint if you intend to farm them. Even with Resilient Weapon, they are very difficult to kill. Otherwise they should be avoided because once aggroed their spell Shard Storm will make it very hard to escape them, but its still possible if you evade their attacks and run to the beginning of smites.

Variants
Quick Note/Tip, replace both Healing Signet and "Watch Yourself!" with the health buffs shown and use one of them when heath gets low right before using VWS as it recharges. (Health will be about 130hp after using Bonetti's Defense then use Stamina or Endure, then dolyak, then VWS. VWS will bring hp to maximum, enabling you to repeat.
 * Resilient Weapon can replace Sprint if you intend to farm other areas of the underworld.
 * "To the Limit!" can replace "Watch Yourself!" when you want some faster Adrenaline reload.
 * Soothing Memories or Mend Body and Soul Can replace Healing Signet so you don't have the -40 Armor.
 * Signet of Stamina can replace Healing Signet for running to smites and tanking them.
 * Endure Pain can replace watch yourself,or healing signet.
 * "To the Limit!" can also replace enraging charge if you don't have nightfall.

Equipment

 * Superior Rune of Axe Mastery - increases Axe Mastery by 3
 * Executioner's Helm - increases Axe Mastery by 1
 * Minor Rune of Strength - increases Strength by 1
 * Minor Rune of Tactics - increases Tactics by 1 (2nd version only)

Usage

 * Disrupting Chop is used to counter Gypsie Ettins, who use Healing Signet. You can use Distracting Blow here, as well.
 * Dolyak Signet should be activated right before the ettins attack you.
 * Cyclone Axe is to be used to build up adrenaline so that you can interrupt the healing signet much more often.
 * This version doesn't require any monk skills. You almost don't even need Healing Signet, as there is only a 3 second time period when you don't have Dolyak Signet on.

Variant
Replace Eviscerate with Triple Chop and drop Disrupting Chop for Dismember. Regardless of the Ettin's healing, a level 20 warrior will kill the Ettins easily and Triple Chop is easier to get, if you have Factions.

A Warrior build primarily designed for use in PvE. Using the Hammer Mastery line, you gain the ability to constantly interrupt the enemy and disable them through knockdowns, as well as deal tremedous damage through your combination of attack skills. Using it with skills from the Tactics line, you also gain defensive abilities that helps protect you and your party from enemy attacks and spells.

Equipment

 * Gladiator's Armor for the extra Energy.
 * Stonefist Gauntlets to lengthen knockdowns.
 * A Hammer, such as Victo's Maul

Usage

 * Use "For Great Justice!" at the beginning of the battle for a quick start of adrenaline.
 * Spam Irresistible Blow when Energy permits, aiming for enemies that Block attacks.
 * Knock down foes with Devastating Hammer followed by Crushing Blow, and then a second knockdown with Heavy Blow.
 * Apply "Watch Yourself!" as needed, to make up for the lost armor without a shield.

Counters

 * Blind and Weakness
 * Degeneration

Variants

 * Replace Healing Signet or "For Great Justice!" with condition removal, such as Mend Ailment or Purge Conditions.
 * Replace Devastating Hammer with Forceful Blow for additional conditions and damage.
 * Replace Crushing Blow with Counter Blow for an additional knock-down.
 * Replace "For Great Justice!" with Berserker Stance for an attack speed bonus while charging adrenaline, sacrificing the ability to use skills if you wish to recharge.
 * Irresistible Blow can be replaced by another fast-recharging attack, such as Power Attack.
 * Replacing "Watch Yourself!" with Endure Pain allows for more health in place of armor.
 * You may also want to replace Irresistible Blow or Heavy Blow with Fierce Blow.
 * Auspicious Blow can be used for energy gain.
 * With an open secondary profession, consider taking Plague Touch, Remedy Signet, or Mending Touch for condition removal.

This is a fast-paced PvE Build that uses Cleave as a low Adrenaline Attack Skill to change targets more quickly, killing single targets at fast rates. Combined with Cyclone Axe and "For Great Justice!", it is recharged at an astounding rate, increasing the ability to deal high damage attacks more frequent, resulting in more kills.

Equipment

 * A mix of Gladiator's Armor and Berserker's Armor is a good combination, or you could go for Dreadnought armor for some more Armor vs Elemental damage.
 * Choose either a Furious or Zealous Axe of Fortitude (Zealous is your energy upkeep for Cyclone Axe).
 * The best Rune of Vigor and Absorption you can get.

Usage
When you encounter enemies, engage them and start building up some adrenaline using "For Great Justice!" and Cyclone Axe. As soon as you have enough adrenaline, use your attack skills (primarily Cleave). If your health is going down use Healing Signet to heal. Use "For Great Justice!" to help regain adrenaline.

Counters

 * Common tank counters:
 * Ward Against Melee
 * Reduced attack speed hexes like Shadow of Fear and Faintheartedness
 * Blindness
 * Damage-on-attack hexes such as Spiteful Spirit and Empathy

Variants

 * Change "Watch Yourself!" for a speed increasing skill such as Rush and Sprint.
 * Switch "For Great Justice!" for an IAS such as Frenzy.

Template
This Hammer build was first designed in PvE. It centres around the use of Dwarven Battle Stance to keep a target harmless while party members attack priority targets.

Attributes and Skills

 * If playing defensive to take heat off squishy party members, think about Dolyak Signet.
 * Use Endure Pain for an emergency boost in health.
 * If you need a more solid heal bring Lion's Comfort.

Equipment

 * Sentinel's Armor and Stonefist Gauntlets.
 * The highest Vigor rune, and three Vitae runes.
 * A Kanaxai's Mallet or similar Hammer.

Usage

 * 1) Activate Signet of Strength before and after battles to boost your DPS.
 * 2) With no adrenaline start off using Dwarven Battle Stance before your first hit.
 * 3) * If you use any skill while DBS is active it will end.
 * 4) When DBS wears off use Renewing Smash.
 * 5) Combo with Staggering Blow, Auspicious Blow and Hammer Bash to finish the target off.
 * Don't waste your time with mobs that are enchanted to block melee attacks, focus on another target.

Counters

 * Anti-Melee hexes and conditions.
 * Enchantments that cause the target to block.

Variants

 * Add Wild Blow to end defensive stances.

This article portraits a build designed to solo-farm the Fissure Shore and the Spider Cave areas in the Fissure of Woe as a primary Warrior. Note that there is not one single way to do it right, but multiple approaches, so this article will show different options, as well as one working example.

General
Many monsters in the area you will farm have very strong anti- spell caster skills. Do not bring any spells! (including hexes and enchantments)

Defense
The first thing to consider when setting up a build for such a dangerous area as the Fissure is obviously how to survive. Fortunately, the Warrior-class offers high armor, as well as skills to increase it even further. Possible options are "Watch Yourself!" and Dolyak Signet. With those two skills together, and high enough attributes in Tactics and Strength, you can constantly boost your armor level by 60 points. Adding the right equipment (see below) will render you nearly invulnerable to a large number of foes. Although this is no requirement for this build to function, it is beneficial to set your secondary profession to Mesmer, because with Physical Resistance you will have an even stronger defensive skill at your disposal.

Any combination of two of those skills will allow you to survive just fine. Although for starters you may want to bring all three.

Offense
Both swords and axes work, but better refrain from using a hammer, since the loss of a shield will really hurt. Skills that cause conditions, especially Deep Wounds, can be very effective, but also counterproductive (see enemy notes below), depending on usage. It is usually best just to bring some straight forward attack skills. Options that come into mind are:

Axe Skills
 * Cleave *Elite*
 * Cyclone Axe
 * Executioner's Strike
 * Penetrating Blow

Sword Skills Strength Skill
 * Hundred Blades *Elite*
 * Final Thrust
 * Galrath Slash
 * Power Attack

Tactics Skill
 * Thrill of Victory

Factions Only
 * Triple Chop *Elite*
 * Dragon Slash *Elite*
 * Standing Slash
 * Silverwing Slash
 * Quivering Blade *Elite*

Pick three or four skills of your liking, but consider adrenaline and energy costs (don't bring only skills that need adrenaline, since you will need it for "Watch Yourself!" also. Likewise, don't bring too many energy consuming skills when using Physical Resistance). Cyclone Axe and Hundred Blades are very useful to build up adrenaline. For the same reason, consider bringing Flurry, Flail or Auspicious Parry (but only if you don't use Physical Resistance, since you can only have one stance active).

Healing
Despite your high armor, you will still be taking damage from spells, conditions and the occasional lucky hit, so you need to be able to heal yourself. The only real option you have for this is the Healing Signet, unless you have access to Nightfall then Lion's Comfort is better.

Utility
The shore and the spider cave are quite close to the starting point, but unfortunately there are some very strong groups of Shadow Army creatures in between. You cannot kill those with this build. To get to the shore, you will need a skill that increases your movement speed. If you have Nightfall, Enraging Charge is the best option for this, as it can be used to give you an adrenaline head-start. Other than that, use Sprint.

Attributes
Your attributes depend, of course, on the skills you chose to bring. Normally you will want a very high Tactics, so Healing Signet and "Watch Yourself!" (if you decide to use it) are as effective as possible. Likewise, if using Dolyak Signet you should try to raise your Strength to 15. With that, the signet can be kept up constantly. Also, the armor penetration granted by Strength helps a lot. Of course, your weapon attribute should be at least 12.

Example
You may wish to start off with only minor runes until you get some experience, then build up to using 1, or more superior runes. Consider using minor runes for running then switch to superior (weapon) and tactics when fighting. This will allow you to use Healing Signet less and attack more. Because there is a steady flow of damage, high health is not required.

Armor
All sorts of armor work. Depending on your need for energy, Gladiator's Armor can be advantageous. Otherwise, Knight's Armor would be optimal, because of the additional damage reduction. Use a helmet that complements your choice of skills and attributes. Knight's Armor is advisable if you decide to go with only Physical Resistance and "Watch Yourself!" as armor skills

Runes
Depending on your need of attribute points, and if you're willing to take the risk, consider using superior runes for both Strength and Tactics. A minor rune for your weapon attribute should suffice. You should use at least major runes of Vigor and especially Absorption.

Weaponry
As mentioned above, both axes and swords are feasible. A weapon with a damage bonus while using a stance is best for this build, since you don't use enchantments and it is likely that your health will drop below 50% often. This is best, of course, if you use Physical Resistance. The weapon should have a suffix "of Defense" or better "of Shelter", with an as high armor bonus as you can get. As tempting as it may be, do not use an upgrade "of Fortitude". You will be taking huge numbers of hits, and as such every single point of damage you don't take due to higher armor will add up to impressive amounts of health you don't have to heal on the long term. If you feel like you are not taking too much damage, an upgrade with +1 Axe Mastery/Swordsmanship is advisable. For the prefix do not use an upgrade that converts your weapon damage to elemental damage (most monsters you encounter have increased armor vs. elemental damage). A Zealous upgrade can help with energy management. A Sundering is also advisable though you will need to be careful with energy

Likewise, your shield should offer a damage reduction of -2 while in a stance. Optimal would be an additional armor bonus vs. piercing damage, other than that, a health bonus (while in a stance) is always helpful.

Important: Do not forget to bring either a Longbow, Storm Bow or Flatbow for luring. The stats of this weapon don't matter at all, all you need is the long range.

Example

 * Gladiator's Helmet of Major Vigor
 * Gladiator's Hauberk of Superior Absorption
 * Gladiator's Gauntlets of Minor Axe Mastery
 * Gladiator's Leggings of Major Tactics
 * Gladiator's Boots of Minor Strength


 * Either Battle Axe from the collectors Nord Stonegrimm, Sir Pohl Sanbert, or Pietro, upgraded with a Zealous Axe Haft and an Axe Grip of Shelter +7.
 * The Crimson Carapace Shield from Lord Dorn Lendrigen.

Fighting
A typical encounter will start by you using either Physical Resistance or Dolyak Signet. Due to its slowdown effect you may want to wait to use the Signet until you are in melee range of your opponent. Physical Resistance can be used right away, so that it also covers ranged attacks while you are approaching. Once you have closed in on your enemy, use Flurry, Cyclone Axe, Triple Chop or Hundred Blades to build up adrenaline and activate "Watch Yourself!". Now just cycle through your attack skills, reapply the defense skills when they run out and heal whenever necessary. Only use Healing Signet if both your defensive skills are active!

Take heed of the enemy notes below.

Getting There
From the starting point in the Fissure head south, hugging the wall to your right. A group of several Shadow creatures will be in your way. With luck, you can slip past them without aggroing them. If not just keep running till you are right in the middle of them, then use Sprint. Continue up the ledge roughly to the southeast. A group of Shadow Warriors and Shadow Monks will approach from the front. If you didn't aggro the first group or have already broken aggro, you can wait in a small recess in the wall to the southwest until the second group has come to a halt on the ledge above the path. You can use this pause to heal, if necessary. If there is still something chasing you, just sprint on.

As you pass the second group, a hidden Shadow Beast will pop from the ground. This will also aggro the second group, even if you already cleared it. If you didn't take a break earlier, after clearing the first group, Sprint will run out about now and you will have several mobs following you. Do not panic, just keep running straight to the west until Sprint is recharged. Now you should be far enough so that just activating Sprint will instantly break aggro with anything that is still behind you and the mobs will return to their initial position.

You should be in a relatively wide, open area now, with a small mountain south of you. Further from the south, beyond this mountain, three groups of shadow creatures will approach from a pass in the mountainside. Wait behind the mountain for them to clear the pass, but do not wait too long, as one of those groups will circle around the mountain and come at you from the east. The other two groups should disappear roughly to the northwest.

As soon as the way is open, use Sprint to run down the passage in the mountainside, which will lead you to the shore.

First Contact
On the pass down to the beach, a group of three Snarling Driftwoods will approach from the front. Run towards them as quickly as possible, but beware of the Doubter's Dryder and even more so of the Ancient Skales behind them. You should dispatch the Driftwoods quickly and move on to the Dryder, because soon two of the Shadow patrols that you passed on your way here will come back. There is a safe spot between where the Shadows stop and the area where the Scales are. You should be about on it when you are fighting the Dryder, but watch your radar!

After clearing the pass, wait for another patrol of Driftwoods to approach from the beach. Unfortunately it will stop right in the middle of the Skale's area. This is why you brought a bow. Lure them up to your position and always be careful to stay well away from the Skales.

A Day at the Beach
Now you should take your time to take a look at the beach, as far as you can see it from there. You will see multiple groups of Skales, one more group of Driftwoods and a few lonely Dryders. You should plot your course across the beach so that you aggro as few Skales as possible and also, if possible, so that you fight the Dryders one by one. It is often not possible to get past the first group of Skales, without aggroing them, so use Sprint to get past them and break their aggro quickly. After that you have two options: Keep close to the cliff to the north or go straight south to the waterline. Consider which one to use depending on the locations of the Skales (usually it is better to keep north). Wait for the Driftwoods to come to you, or lure them and if you want, also take out the Dryders.

Continue to the east, again using sprint to get past the Skales, if necessary. You will find yourself in an relatively wide area (to the south you'll see Admiral Saidon the Eternal, usually surrounded by Skales). Kill any Dryders in this area, because you may need a little space to maneuver later. To the east, behind some rocks, is the entrance of the Spider Cave, behind a waterfall and guarded by more Dryders.

Itzy Bitzy Spiders
Lure the first two Dryders away from the cave entrance with your bow, and fight them so that your aggro bubble does not touch their initial position. After you have dispatched them, get a few steps closer to the third Dryder and watch your radar for red dots appearing. Immediately retreat to the wider area to the west (which you have cleared before). Now several groups of three Armored Cave Spiders each will come out of their hiding, one after another, and exit the cave. Wait for them to spread out a little, then engage. Due to the large number of opponents, this is going to be a quite long fight, but you can always break away to the west, using Sprint. During this fight take special care not to aggro any Skales, which may be nearby to the east.

Once this fight in done, the easy part starts. Just enter the cave and kill any Dryders and Spiders you will find. You will not encounter any other creatures in the cave, so you can advance relatively easily. But beware of Shadow Beasts, which may be hidden close to the other end of the cave. If you happen to aggro them when approaching the last Dryder, just sprint back into the cave and wait till the Spiders have taken care of the Shadows.

Now you should have killed 51 Armored Cave Spiders, 12 Snarling Driftwoods and up to 15 Doubter's Dryders, which is about all you can hope to achieve with this build. Of course, you can try to continue further to use any Obsidian Keys you may have found or brought. However, there usually is at least one chest in the area you cleared.

Shadow Creatures
As described above, there is a multitude of Shadow creatures, which you have to pass on your way to the beach. Most dangerous are the Shadow Elementals close to the starting point, as this build is not designed to withstand huge amounts of elemental damage. Also beware Empathy and Spiteful Spirit from Shadow Mesmers and Shadow Beasts. All types of shadow creatures are hostile to all other inhabitants of the Fissure and will engage them on sight. This may especially happen at the pass down towards the beach, where a Shadow patrol may steal your kills of some Snarling Driftwoods.

Note that you can use the Shadow beast popping up for your own good. Make it cast Spiteful Spirit and Mark of Pain on you, or just Mark of Pain, for that's what you are going to use. Immediately after it has cast Mark of Pain on you, use sprint and run into the Snarling Driftwoods, breaking its aggro. Now the only thing you need to do is to stand there and use your defensive skills, because they are enemies of the shadow army as well as yourself and will take huge amounts of damage due to beating on you. You will take no damage from it as it only damages adjacent allies of targeted foe.

Snarling Driftwood
These warriors are just pathetic. Once you have your defenses up, they will not be able to damage you at all. There is, however, one possible danger: If you are engaged in a fight with Driftwoods and want to break away, because you happened to aggro some Ancient Skales, for example, you will probably be crippled and you will find that Protector's Strike is very well capable of penetrating even your high armor level.

Note that you can use the Shadow beast popping up for your own good. Make it cast Spiteful Spirit and Mark of Pain on you, or just Mark of Pain, for that's what you are going to use. Immediately after it has cast Mark of Pain on you, use sprint and run into the snarling driftwoods, breaking its aggro. Now the only thing you need to do is to stand there and use your defensive skills, because they are enemies of the shadow army as well as yourself and will take huge amounts of damage due to beating on you. You will take no damage from it as it only damages adjacent allies of targeted foe.

Doubter's Dryder
As you are no spell caster, the only way for these Dryders to damage you is Wastrel's Worry. Which they will spam. Of course you can easily counter it by spamming skills yourself. Just do not use your attacks as soon as they are recharged, but wait for the Dryder to cast Wastrel's Worry. You will not need your defensive skills in a fight with a Doubter's Dryder, but they can of course be used to end Wastrel's, too. Keep in mind that every Dryder in the cave will spawn six Armored Cave Spiders.

Ancient Skale
Immediately after aggroing them, they will hit you with Life Transfer and Life Siphon for -10 health degeneraton. Once damaged, they will use Grenth's Balance. You will have a very hard time to outperform this with both healing and damage. This is why you should flee them. If you find it hard to get past them, consider boosting your health by swapping armor parts with major or superior runes for parts with minor runes only (don't forget to swap back after you clear the Skales) or using a shield with additional health while hexed. Also, skills like Endure Pain can be helpful.

Armored Cave Spider
They always come in groups of three, although at the cave entrance it will be next to impossible (but also irrelevant) to spot which ones belong together. Once you have your defenses up, their attacks should deal next to no damage. You will still be poisoned, though, and will have to heal yourself frequently. The spiders have the nasty habit of healing each other with Healing Springs. One possibility to overcome this is to wait outside the aggro radius for the spiders to spread out far enough so that they are out of each other's healing radius. However, this time consuming tactic often is unnecessary, as the spiders will stop using Healing Spring as soon you are stand immediately adjacent to them (Note: You know you are within range if your non-AoE melee attack can hit them. Being able to hit them with AoE weapon skills such as Cyclone Axe or Hundred Blades is not necessarily close enough). So when engaging a group of Spiders, position yourself so that you are standing right in the middle of them.

Note that if you use conditions on them, you grant them a relatively potent self-heal (Melandru's Resilience), and they will try to use Healing Spring even if you are in melee range.

Alternatives

 * A W/Rt can use Resilient Weapon for negating the poison and some extra armor.

The Flailing Dragon is a PvE build designed for sustained damage output. It uses adrenaline-control skills from the Factions and Nightfall campaigns to maintain a steady flow of damaging attacks, and is fairly self-sufficient thanks to reliable condition removal and self-healing.

Attributes and Skills

 * The optional slot is for an area-specific utility skill. For example, use Plague Touch or Mending Touch for condition removal, Distracting Blow for an interrupt, or "Shields Up!" for a party-wide buff.
 * Use any Swordsmanship rune, but do not reduce Swordsmanship below 14, as this upsets the build's adrenaline management.

Equipment

 * Legionnaire's Armor (Factions) or Sentry's Armor (Nightfall) with Superior Vigor and Absorption runes.
 * A sword and shield of your choice; "while stanced" shields are particularly useful.

Usage

 * As you near the enemy, activate Enraging Charge to quickly close to melee range. This will give you an initial burst of adrenaline as you enter the fray. Try to set yourself up near multiple enemies so you can switch quickly from foe to foe in mid-battle.
 * The adrenaline gained from Enraging Charge allows you to activate Flail as soon as you strike your first target.
 * Chain your attacks, using Dragon Slash to maintain adrenaline.
 * While within easy reach of enemies, maintain Flail and use Lion's Comfort to heal yourself when needed.
 * When there are no more targets in your immediate area, you can use Enraging Charge to cancel Flail and quickly move to the next target. If you are engaged in a protracted melee, Enraging Charge can be used to gain a few extra strikes of adrenaline instead.

Counters

 * On-attack hexes, stances that allow a target to block or evade.
 * This build's major weakness is adrenaline denial, which is fairly rare in PvE.

Variants

 * In high-level Nightfall PVE areas, consider adding Lightbringer's Gaze.
 * For improved damage, replace Lion's Comfort or your optional skill with "For Great Justice!" -- this will give you a 20-second window in which you can spam attack skills nonstop.

Templates
The Forceful Warrior is a PvE build using Forceful Blow as a powerful damage skill.

Equipment

 * Any armor will do, but Gladiator's Armor is not needed as you only have 1 energy skill.
 * Victo's Maul or a similar hammer will do well.

Usage

 * Use Enraging Charge to run into battle and help build adrenaline.
 * Activate Flail as soon as it's charged to speed up adrenaline gain and increase dps.
 * Once your attacks are charged, use Forceful Blow on your enemy. Don't use Forceful Blow if they use blocking stances or enchantments.
 * Follow up with Fierce Blow for more damage.
 * Use Heavy Blow as a finishing move, or if you need a knockdown.
 * Rinse and repeat.

Counters

 * Blindness and Weakness.
 * Anti-Warrior hexes such as Spiteful Spirit and Empathy.

Variants

 * Flail and Enraging Charge could be replaced by Sprint and "Watch Yourself!" for a Factions only build.
 * Counter Blow can be used instead of Heavy Blow for a cheap knockdown.
 * Irresistible Blow could be used to punish blocking.

This build is for General PVE, Sorrow's Furnace farming and other things. It is mainly for warriors who wish to tank but have only the Prophecies campaign. This build uses a sword with Zealous prefix and Hundred Blades, to hold aggro and quickly gain Energy and Adrenaline to maintain defensive skills and party buffs.

Equipment

 * Any armor will do fine.
 * Any good shield.
 * Any good sword with Zealous prefix on it, like Shak-Jarin's Sword
 * Any headgear that boosts one of the three attributes. If you don't use Tactics headgear then you can change Minor Tactics rune to Major.

Usage

 * With 14 to Tactics, Defensive Stance and Disciplined Stance can be use continually with 1 second gap between them. %22Watch Yourself%21%22 between the stances.
 * Defensive Stance ends if you use a skill, so you can only use Healing Signet while its off. Use Hundred Blades, Deadly Riposte and %22Shields Up%21%22 only while Disciplined Stance is on.

Counters

 * Blindness
 * Ward against melee

Variants

 * Healing Signet can be replaced with riposte for some more attacking power. NOTE - you can only use riposte between the stances with Watch Yourself!.'
 * For Monk Secondaries Balthazar's Spirit is a nice addition.

Equipment

 * Sundering Axe of Axe Mastery or fortitude
 * Radiant Insignia on all the armor
 * Superior Vigor,Superior Absortion, and a Rune of Attunement

Usage
Steady Stance--> Drunken Blow or Desperation Blow--> Soldier's Strike--> "Watch Yourself!" (While Soldier's Strike is Activating, because shouts can be used while other skills are activating)--> "Fear Me!"
 * The best combo to use is...
 * By that time, Steady stance should be recharged (the whole combo takes 5 seconds), and you can go at it again

Even if you miss with desperation blow or drunken blow with Steady Stance active, you will still get the adrenaline and energy gain, so that can still be used without fear of wasting energy, and to keep up energy management
 * If you run low on energy (You get rezzed, or just have low energy), a good way to regain it is to take Soldier's Strike out of the rotation until you can get your energy back up with steady stance

Another decent combo is to use "Fear Me!" to drain lots of energy from enemy troops. Use "Fear Me!" then while shouting use the steady stance combo, once you strike "Fear Me!" would have been recharged and shout it again, then use Soldier's Strike to recharge "Fear Me!". Within five seconds every nearby enemy just lost 12 energy which can be quite devastating to elementals because of some of the large energy requirements.

Variants

 * Use a hammer for more spike damage
 * Use a Sword and switch out a skill for Riposte
 * Switch healing signet for Lion's Comfort
 * If using a sword, you could switch out a skill for Final Thrust since you build adrenaline so fast
 * If you know you will be healed, then switch healing signet out for an attack skill. this build gains lots of adreniline fast, so choose an adrenal skill
 * Sun and Moon Slash can be used
 * Assassin secondaries can use Signet of Malice. With all the conditions you are spreading, you will remove many from yourself if this is used right
 * If using an axe, you can use Critical Chop
 * If using an axe, Disrupting Chop is a good, spammable interrupt.
 * Change to W/D and use a scythe instead. Scythes will condition all foes hit with the AoE of the scythe.
 * Mesmer secondaries can bring Epidemic to spread the condtitions you put on an enemy to all the enemies adjacent to that one.
 * Switch Soldier's Strike for Thrill of Victory

Counters

 * Standard Warrior counters (eg Mesmers, Crippling)
 * Knockdowns can delay the combo, but not by much
 * Energy denial can be easy, because 2 pips of energy can easily be taken away, and if the warriors' energy is constantly below 5, they can't use steady stance and Drunken Blow or Desperation Blow for energy management

This build utilizes the Warrior's Axe Mastery line to deal tremendous damage to adjacent foes, through the use of the elite skill Triple Chop, and its non-elite counterpart, Cyclone Axe. Through these two skills, the user is able to strike multiple foes at once with high damage, resulting in very high adrenaline gain. In combination with skills from the Tactics and Strength line, the user is able to strike quickly, as well as gaining adequate defense for such environments.

Equipment

 * A Zealous Axe should be used to maintain Energy at a suitable level.
 * Runes of Superior Axe Mastery, Superior Vigor, Minor Tactics, Superior Absorption, Minor Strength.
 * Max AL armor with any Insignia can be used, but you may want to use Radiant armor for the extra energy boost.
 * A +1 to Axe Mastery headpiece.

Usage

 * When fighting, be sure to use Triple Chop and Cyclone Axe constantly to maintain a high DPS.
 * Try to fight in the center of a mob, rather than chasing down lone targets, providing that there is no target with very high priority.
 * Avoid chasing targets too far, as it can result in aggroing other, nearby groups, which puts the entire party at risk.
 * Activate Flail for an attack speed boost.
 * "Watch Yourself!" should be spammed constantly to give your entire party an armor boost.
 * Remove enemy Stances with Wild Blow, or for fighting single targets.
 * Disrupting Chop should be used to interrupt long-casting, crucial spells such as Meteor Shower.
 * It should also be used against enemies spamming certain spells, or on enemy healers.
 * Use Healing Signet as a secondary source of healing. Note that you have an Armor penalty while activating this skill, so avoid using it in high-pressure situations.

Counters

 * Blind can be troublesome, if not removed properly.
 * Hexes which deal damage on attacking or on hitting can be devastating, since you're constantly striking multiple targets.
 * Diversion can greatly reduce your damage capability if not avoided.

Variants

 * Other types of IAS such as Tiger Stance and Burst of Aggression may be used in place of Flail, if you think the speed penalty is a problem.
 * Bonetti's Defense can be useful for tanking, and is quickly charged through your attacks.
 * You may want to replace Disrupting Chop with Distracting Blow for a faster interrupt, at the expense of an adrenaline-based interrupt.
 * "Retreat!" can be useful for cases where the party gets overwhelmed.
 * In places where stance removal or interrupts aren't entirely necessary, fit in an attack such as Executioner's Strike or Dismember.
 * Replace Healing Signet with Lion's Comfort for a faster heal, at the expense of recharge time and Adrenaline cost.
 * If you think you'll need a speed-enhancing stance, or a cancel for Flail, consider taking Rush or Enraging Charge.
 * With a monk secondary vigorous spirit can be used for a good heal when sufficient aggro is taken.
 * With a Necromancer secondary. Plague Touch can be used to deal with conditions and add extra damage.