User:Entropy/builds

=Entropy's Builds Page=

Feel free to comment or make suggestions. I created these builds with no reference materials, so they are in that sense "original". These builds will be updated with Factions and Nightfall skills, eventually...

NOTE I never carry a Resurrection skill in PvE anymore. I leave that to the Henchmen. (Not Heroes.) 'Nuff said. ><

E/Me Energy Storage Mesmer
Used by Rayne Brunel to fight the Mursaat throughout the Southern Shiverpeaks and beyond, though it has proved to be a good general-purpose build as well.

Equipment

 * Anything except Geomancer's Armor, which is useless in Prophecies PvE.
 * Max Domination-linked staff. HCT/HSR mods preferred.

Usage

 * Pretty self-explanatory, use each skill when appropriate.
 * Spam Wastrel's Worry on bosses for high DPS.

Counters

 * To date, Stone Summit and Mursaat are unable to counter this build effectively except by massive ganking.

Variants

 * PUG-friendly - Swap out something for Resurrection Signet. This is mainly to avoid embarrassing situations and hate mail.
 * Perdition Rock - Replace Wastrel's Worry with Maelstrom. Hydras are notorious for standing in it, as are Flesh Golems.
 * If you insist on having a self-healing skill, swap in Aura of Restoration.

R/Rt Point Blank Glass
This is a heavy-damage DPS build. It tears through almost anything easily, punishes foes who like to Block, and is very simplistic to use.

Equipment

 * Druid's Armor.
 * A Shortbow. Elemental bowstrings work well.

Usage

 * Set up Vampirism right before engaging foes.
 * Use Glass Arrows, advance to half range, and pummel foes with Point Blank Shot and Zojun's Shot.
 * If a foe is Blocking, then you will make them suffer with Bleeding. Switch targets and try again - it is unlikely that every foe will be able to Block.
 * Once foes get down to 50% Health or less, finish them off with Needling Shot.
 * Save Concussion Shot for surefire Interrupts, such as Aegis or Chain Lightning.

Counters

 * Interruption of Glass Arrows. This causes a significant drop in damage and DPS.
 * Blind, Weakness, "Shields Up!", etc.

Variants

 * Drop Concussion Shot for Gaze of Fury when facing dangerous enemy Spirits like Quickening Zephyr.
 * Drop Concussion Shot for Lightbringer's Gaze in Nightfall.

R/any Winter Ranger
This build is often run by Rangers in Hell's Precipice and is much sought-after by PUGs attempting the mission. Very effective and all-around useful to the party.

Equipment

 * Druid's Armor or Frostbound Armor.
 * A Longbow and a Shortbow.

Usage

 * Before engaging any enemies, set your Spirits. Active Serpent's Quickness and remember to set Winter before Greater Conflagration - it is more important, and it has a longer recharge. Spirits should be set at about a Longbow's range from enemies, for safety.
 * If facing Spark of the Titans in numbers greater than 1, have the party pull back a bit and advance by yourself. Just before grabbing aggro, activate Troll Unguent and Dryder's Defenses. This will greatly lower the damage of Mind Burn. At this point, have the party's tanks rush in, while the casters stay a bit behind you.
 * During battle, switch to your Shortbow and keep up Kindle Arrows; interrupt anything you can with Distracting Shot and Savage Shot. It is most important to interrupt Rodgort's Invocation, as it can completely devastate the party in one blow.
 * Watch your spirits. Replace them as soon as you can if they are killed.
 * Use Troll Unguent liberally. Your Monks will thank you for it.

Counters

 * The spirits are key. If the AI repeatedly kills them off you won't get far. Learn to place them where they won't be harmed.

Variants

 * In a PUG, it is not so necessary to perform the pulling function, so Dryder's Defenses is a good choice to swap out.
 * Rebirth is a popular choice for a replacement skill, especially among PUGs.

R/any Solo Desert Trapper
This build got vetted! ^^

The R/any Solo Desert Trapper can be used to farm slowly but surely in the Crystal Desert. Its main purpose is to gather collectable drops, which can often be traded for decent weapons. Of course, a fair amount of keys, gold, and gold items can be found as well.

Equipment

 * Druid's Armor.
 * A Flatbow or Longbow.
 * A Recurve Bow or Composite Bow.
 * Poisonous bow strings work very well.

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.

Mo/any RC Tahlkora
This is the build I run on all of my Tahlkora heroes. It's a general Prot build that uses RC for the Elite. RC works well on Heroes since it is never really "wasted" - with all Conditions removed in one casting, low recharge, and cheap cost, it is hard to go wrong with. Also - since this is a Prot hench, they get no Hard rez.

Equipment

 * Kepkhet's Refuge is ideal.
 * Disciple's Insignias on all armor pieces.

Usage

 * Leave it to Tahlkora.

Counters

 * Much less useful in areas with no Conditions, obviously.
 * Standard Anti-Caster.

Variants

 * Sometimes, it can be useful to replace Guardian with Watchful Healing or Aegis with Protective Spirit. Depends on the situation, really.
 * Draw Conditions could be useful, providing a self-heal of sorts.

Mo/any WoH Dunkoro
This is the build I currently run on Dunkoro. It has emphasis on cheap, small heals rather than costly spells like Heal Other.

Equipment

 * Any max Healing staff. HCT/HSR is nice.

Usage

 * Leave it to Dunkoro.

Counters

 * Typical anti-caster stuff.

Variants

 * Words of Comfort can replace Ethereal Light or Healing Touch when not used in conjunction with RC Tahlkora.
 * Watchful Healing is more useful than Vigorous Spirit in places where Enchantments get removed.
 * Healing Whisper can replace Dwayna's Kiss if you're fighting in a confined area.
 * Glimmer of Light is usually a suitable replacement for Word of Healing. Word of Healing should be used when there is more spike-type damage; Glimmer of Light, when there is more pressure-type damage OR Dunkoro will probably be hit a lot.

N/Mo Hero Minion Master
This is what I run on my Olias or Master of Whispers. It's typical MM but keeps in mind the Hero AI.

Equipment

 * Any max Death-linked staff. HCT/HSR are nice.

Usage

 * Leave it to Olias.
 * Remember to wait for Olias to exploit every Corpse before you move on, just as you would for a human MM.

Counters

 * Anti-caster stuff, lack of exploitable corpses.

A/W Meleesin Zenmai
An annoying meleesin that can deal decent sustained damage and keep up the pressure with some interrupts.

Equipment

 * Any max 15^50 daggers.
 * Nightstalker's Insignias on all armor slots.

Usage

 * Leave it to Zenmai.

Counters

 * Blind, Weakness, Cripple, snares...RC Tahlkora takes care of those, though.

Variants

 * When not used with RC Tahlkora, take Signet of Malice instead of Dash.

A/W Interruption Zenmai
Heroes can take full advantage of the IAS and 1/2 second activation skills.

Equipment

 * Full Nightstalker's armor/insignias.
 * Extra rune slots should go to runes of Attunement for energy.
 * Zealous daggers of Fortitude.
 * Inscription: "I Have the Power!" +5 energy is best, since you won't be dealing out a lot of damage anyways. Otherwise damage +15% while in a stance works - "Dance with Death".

Usage

 * Leave it to Zenmai.
 * Lock Zemnai's target onto any foe you want constantly shutdown, like Priest of Sorrows.

Counters

 * Standard anti-melee counters such as Blind, Cripple, Empathy...
 * Anti-interruption, such as Mantra of Resolve.

Variants

 * Consider using Dash or some form of Shadow step. This remedies the problem of kiting foes.

R/Any Burning Arrow Jin
I like to have Acolyte Jin use Burning Arrow, since it's hard to mess up. She is extremely aggressive so this suits her better than an Interrupt-type build.

Equipment

 * Works best with a Shortbow.

Usage

 * Leave it to Jin.

Counters

 * Blind, Weakness
 * "Shields Up!"

Variants

 * Concussion Shot is helpful, though the energy cost is quite punishing even under the best of circumstances, especially if it misses...

D/W Reaper's Sweep Melonni
This is what I run on Melonni if she has a 15^50 scythe.

Equipment

 * Any max scythe. 15^50 is best.
 * Brawler's Insignias on all armor pieces.

Usage

 * Leave it to Melonni.

Counters
Typical anti-melee stuff.

The generic build template
Left here so I don't have to copy&paste all the time from the GuildWiki Formatting: Builds page.

{{untested-build}|build types}}

Describe the build.

Equipment

 * Armor
 * Weapons

Usage
Describe how to use the build.

Counters
Describe important counters.

Variants
List the major variants.

Untested build tag
Once the build is for community testing, apply the tag. The codes for the build types are as follows:


 * {| border="1"

! Build type code !! Category !! Game-play type
 * - align="center"
 * - align="center"
 * AB || Alliance Battle builds || PvP
 * - align="center"
 * CM || Competitive Mission builds || PvP
 * - align="center"
 * GvG || Guild vs Guild builds || PvP
 * - align="center"
 * HA || Hero's Ascent builds || PvP
 * - align="center"
 * HB || Hero Battle builds || PvP
 * - align="center"
 * RA || Random Arena builds || PvP
 * - align="center"
 * TA || Team Arena builds || PvP
 * - align="center"
 * PvP team || PvP team builds || PvP
 * - align="center"
 * farming || Farming builds || PvE
 * - align="center"
 * running || Running builds || PvE
 * - align="center"
 * hero || Hero builds || PvE
 * - align="center"
 * PvE team || PvE team builds || PvE
 * - align="center"
 * general || General PvE builds || PvE
 * }

Build Categories
Place your build in one of the following categories, based on what campaigns the skills it uses come from:


 * Category:Prophecies builds
 * Category:Factions builds
 * Category:Nightfall builds
 * Category:Multi-campaign builds
 * Category:untested-tag-category builds (from above table)

Do not add categories to the top of the article as it will mess up the spacing. Categories go at the very bottom of articles. Categories will stay commented out (between ) until and unless the build favored, but they help determine which campaign(s) the build was created for.