User:K E Z/Builds

Builds I want to keep:

Hero Builds:

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 a chance for the enemy to aggro Animals, as well as giving your pet an Armor bonus.
 * 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
This build is a Necromancer/Monk skill set to use on Master of Whispers or Olias. The purpose of this build is to use your Necromancer Hero to maintain an army of minions at low cost, with minimal human involvement and to utilize the skills Death Nova and Jagged Bones to cause spike damage, poison and bleeding on enemy groups.

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
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.