Ruins of Morah (mission)

Prerequisite
Primary Quest: Horde of Darkness

Mission Objectives and Rewards
General Morgahn must be in your party to enter this mission.

Objectives

 * Kill Varesh.

Walkthrough
Start mission by talking to Captain Mehhan.

The mission consists of 2 parts where you must kill Varesh in two different forms. Both forms have a very large aggro radius, meaning that it is possible to pull her back to your starting position and kill her without aggroing any other foes.

Prophet Varesh
Varesh's first form is a level 29 Dervish, and she will appear in the center of the area with three Margonite Clerics. Varesh uses three skills in this form, each of which is bugged:


 * Attack. For 30 seconds, all foes in this area are struck for 15 earth damage every second. Any foe using a Skill when struck is knocked down.
 * This is an adrenaline skill, so skills like Sympathetic Visage/Ancestor's Visage can prevent Varesh from using it.
 * Bug: Attack skills do not trigger the knockdown from this spell.


 * Attack. For 30 seconds, all foes in this area are struck for 50 cold damage every 3 seconds. Any foe moving when struck is slowed by 90% for 10 seconds.
 * Both Vortex skills are attacks, so the more popular mesmer interrupts like Power Leak and Power Drain won't work on them. However, there are plenty of other interrupt options available.
 * Bug: The slowdown is actually around 33%, not 90%.


 * Hex Spell. The next time target foe loses an Enchantment, that foe loses all Enchantments.
 * Use Inspired Hex/Revealed Hex to easily remove this hex. Because it is a Monster Skill, IH/RH will not be replaced with it and will instantly recharge instead.
 * Bug: This hex does not end when its effect is triggered, effectively giving it an infinite duration. Removing the hex is the only way to end it.

Kill the Margonite Clerics first, then take down Varesh. Although it is possible to pull Varesh without aggroing the Margonite Clerics, it is not recommended, as Varesh will respawn and bring many other foes with her.

Commander Varesh
Varesh will respawn as a level 30 Paragon. Many groups of Torment demons will also spawn at this time and begin patrolling around the area in a counterclockwise direction. More demons will spawn as you kill off the initial groups, although they will stop after a while.

Varesh's skills in this form are:
 * Hex Spell. For 20 seconds or until target is at less than 20% Health, target foe loses 20% Health each second.
 * Like Enchantment Collapse in her first form, this can be easily removed using Inspired/Revealed Hex.
 * Bug: The health loss is simply 20 health, not 20%, each second.


 * Shout. All mobs target one player.
 * This isn't particularly a problem if you have a good protection monk.

After you have killed Prophet Varesh, pull back to the gate behind where you initially spawned. Heroes/Henchmen should of course be flagged at this spot. Pull the demon groups up to you and take them out until they stop respawning. Without the demons to back her up, Commander Varesh is not very challenging.

Alternatively, you can run across the bowl and perform the same strategy on the other side. The upward path on this side is somewhat longer, giving you more room to effectively control aggro on the demon groups. This is much easier if you are simply aiming to complete rather than get the Master's Reward.

A faster, but more dangerous, variation is to move forward instead of pulling back and attack Varesh first. With a high enough damage output it is possible to kill her before your party becomes overwhelmed. This tactic makes a master reward more likely at the risk of wiping.

It is also possible to kill Varesh with a 55 Monk, Morgahn with any build, and a Spoil Victor necromancer, preferably with a minimal heal (i.e. Blood Renewal). The monk should take Inspired Hex for hex removal. Frost Vortex is good energy management for the Monk, as it gives 2 energy a hit. Earth Vortex must be avoided at all costs but can be countered with Soothing Images because Earth Vortex is a adrenaline skill.

Tips for Heroes/Henchmen
A recommended party build is General Morgahn, a damage dealer, and either Olias, Master of Whispers, or Norgu as your heroes, along with Mhenlo, Devona, Kihm, and Odurra as your henchmen. The mesmer or necro hero will be your "debuffer", using 12 Curses and 12 Illusion and the following skill set: Enfeeble, Reckless Haste, Clumsiness, Price of Failure, and either Spoil Victor or Spiteful Spirit or Ineptitude. Only Enfeeble is truly necessary. For those that don't have Prophecies Enfeebling Blood is a suitable alternative. Disable all skills other than Enfeeble and manually cast them as needed. This will ensure that the debuffer, through use of Enfeeble, can perpetually dampen Varesh's damage output, lightening the load on your monk henchmen.

Hard Mode

 * Both Prophet Varesh and Commander Varesh are level 32 in hard mode, and it is even easier to aggro and pull her away from other enemies. The 55 monk team mentioned above can very easily finish the mission within five minutes.


 * With a combination of "For Great Justice!", Dragon Slash, Brawling Headbutt, and Steelfang Slash, it is possible to keep Varesh knocked down forever, thus preventing her from using any skills. By single-handedly keeping Varesh out of the fight like this, your other team members can take care of the torment creatures or assist in killing Varesh. Master's is easy to acheive like this, taking only about 4:30 to finish the fight.

Monsters

 * Demons
 * Margonites
 * 24 Margonite Cleric
 * 29 Prophet Varesh
 * 30 Commander Varesh
 * Torment creatures
 * 28 Arm of Insanity
 * 28 Shadow of Fear
 * 28 Herald of Nightmares
 * 28 Spear of Torment
 * 28 Rain of Terror

Follow-up

 * Upon completion of the mission players will find themselves in: Gate of Torment.
 * To continue the storyline, take on the following Primary Quest: Uncharted Territory.