Curse

Nightmare Venom · Mar 05, 2008, 11:07 PM // 23:07

Me Talking About the Idea
I originally got the idea to try and farm as a Minion Master about a year and a half ago. It was after one too many Graspings in Underworld decided to end my run. I loved playing as a Minion Master on my Necro and wondered if it was possible to farm as a Minion Master.
I knew I could go to Tombs or go FoW in a B/P team, but I wanted to try and solo farm as a Minion Master. So after much looking around and a case of trial and error with the build, I got a build that worked and a few areas that I could go.

Why Solo Farm as a MM?
This is for anyone who is looking for a new challenge. I've seen a few SS or SV builds going around, but I wanted to try something different. This is open to anyone really, but it does need Factions for the Elite the build uses. Plus you get a small army that does all the fighting for you, and you get all the drops.

The Build, Armor & Insignias
This is the basic build that I have used with plenty of success. The build is for a Necromancer/Monk:
[skill]Deathly Chill[/skill][skill]Rotting Flesh[/skill][skill]Animate Bone Horror[/skill][skill]Animate Flesh Golem[/skill][skill]Blood of the Master[/skill][skill]Verata's Sacrifice[/skill][skill]Healing Breeze[/skill][skill]Mending[/skill]
16 (12 + 4) on Death Magic, 10 (9 + 1) on Soul Reaping and 9 on Healing Prayers
I know I don't need to say this, but take Max amor for this. For Insignia's, put a Radiant Insignia on each piece except your boots. Put a Bloodstained Insignia on them. Allows you to reduce the time to make a minion a little. My weapon of choice is Ghial's Staff, but so long as you have a good Death Staff or Weapon and Off-hand combo, you should be fine. And of course the best vigor rune you can afford
I have not tried using a different second profession with the build, so feel free to try a different second profession and see if it works.

How the Build Works
Like any other time you play Minion Master, this build focuses on animating Minions, then keeping them alive. But in this case, your on your own at the start. This is where Deathly Chill and Rotting Flesh become your friends. The best way to describe the start is this:
1. Put Mending on yourself, and find the first enemy you plan to kill.
2. Use Rotting Flesh, then spam Deathly Chill, making sure you use Healing Breeze if you need it.
3. When the enemy dies, summon up your Flesh Golem and move onto your next target. When they die, use Animate Bone Horror.
Thats the basic idea behind the build. When you've got a small army under your control, thats when the fun really begins. If you want, you can help your minions out by using Rotting Flesh on the enemies they are attacking. Minions cant be diseased so they will be fine.
A good size army is about 7 minions, thats 6 Bone Horrors and 1 Flesh Golem, that wont be after a share of the drops. Always replace the minions with fresh ones, there is nothing worse than finding a group of enemies and your minions all die off before they have even attacked the enemies. And of course, keep them healed with Blood of the Master and Verata's Sacrifice. Makling sure you heal yourself with Healing Breeze. Mending may give you 3 pips of health regen, but there will be times when you will need Healing Breeze.
The build at the start focuses on packing power a.s.a.p. in the form of your Flesh Golem. Yes it's big and dumb, but it's powerful. Who wouldn't want an ally at level 26 (sometimes higher) that they control?

Stay Alive
Now and again, you will face an enemy that says to itself: You know what? Rather than fight the minions, I will go after the Necromancer. You got a few options here:
1. Lure the enemy to the minions that are fighting.
2. Run away from the enemy and wait for it to lose aggro and go after the minions.
3. Fight the enemy.
Options 1 and 2 you will be doing the most. If the enemy is low on health, feel free to attack them. Make sure to heal the minions if you think they need it. If they are fresh, they should be o.k. but I still like to heal them just to be safe.

Where to Farm
You aren't excatly spoilt for choice when it comes to farming solo as a Minion Master, but it can be done. Depending on how things go, I will update this now and again with new areas or videos for areas that I have posted. Each area that I have posted so far has been done on Normal Mode. If I learn of an area that is farmable on Hard Mode, I will add it to the list.

Prophet's Path - Starting from Augury Rock (Prophecies)
What you can farm - Scarabs, Rockshot Devourers and Minotaurs
This is the first area I learned how to farm as a Minion Master. The first video is showing how you start the run off, and what enemies you will face on your way to the Minotaurs.
MM in Prophet's Path Part 1
The second video is my favourite part of the run, where the minions start to shine. The Minotaurs are a pain, but they will go down. A few times, I have seen Minotuars fight each other where the second video takes place. Shame it didn't happen when I did this video.
MM in Prophet's Path Part 2
The final video of the run, and where I want to see my minions kill more enemies. This part is usually the time I decide if I want to do another run in Prophet's Path.
MM in Prophet's Path Part 3
Enemy to Watch Out For - Scarabs
Marrow Scarabs and Scarab Nest Builders are your worst enemies here. They always travel in groups of two and three. While the Marrow Scarabs aren't much of a pain. They use Well of the Profane, which is easily avoided, but you lose a corpse to summon a minion from. Scarab Nest Builders have a tendency to use Distracting Shot on you when at a bad time. e.g. A Scarab Nest Builder is attacking you, Verata's Sacrifice is still recharging and you need to heal your minions. You activate Blood of the Master, and the Scarab interrupts it and there isn't any fresh corspes avaliable. All you can do is watch your minions lose health.
I get about 2k a run. Each run lasts about half an hour. And I get about 1 - 2 gold items per run.
It is possible to kill the Queen of the Scarabs with 3 heroes with you as a Minion Master, but it's not as fun as farming solo in Prophet's Path.
Queen Farming

Pongmei Valley - Starting from Boreas Seabed (Factions)
What you can Farm - Island Gaurdians, Rot Wallows and Yetis
I originally tried starting this run from Tanglewood Copse on the Kurzick side, using the same tactic that I used in the start of the video. But the Kurzick Priest kept healing the enemy, and other Kurzicks wouldn't fight. I realised this was probably because my Luxon Faction is higher than my Kurzick.
It is advisable to take the Blessing of the Luxons from the Priest. Then use Mending on yourself. This gives you 6 pips of health regen straight away.
MM in Pongmei Valley
Enemy to Watch Out For - Rot Wallow
These are fast becoming the bane of my life when I do this run. One of them always seems to go after me. And they have a tendency to spike you with Blood Magic skills. A few of my runs have ended quickly thanks to them.
I know I do it in the video, but don't use Rotting Flesh on the Island Guardians. They do have Healing Breeze, but only seem to use it if you use Rotting Flesh on them first. I've seen them take a massive beating from my minions and not bother using Healing Breeze, all because I didn't use Rotting Flesh on them.
Though the video doesn't show it, you can go a bit further. I've managed to get up to the bridge where a Afflicted Ritualist Boss sits, along with a few of his mates.

Arborstone (Factions)
What you can Farm - Wardens
Truth be told, it's the only thing you can farm. You can think about altering your build for this run, seeing as Danika and Mhenlo are here to help out. I still take Healing Breeze, and swap Mending for Animate Shambling Horror/Vampiric Horror/Bone Fiend. The Wardens drop a lot of loot, but not a lot of gold.
Enemy to Watch Out For - Warden Group Gaurding the Door
When you enter Arborstone, you can clear four of the five groups easily. The only group I'm having trouble with is the group with a Boss in it. It's not the Boss that is the trouble, but the Wardens with it, the groups is different to the other Wardens. They always make light work of my Minions. Feel free to try your luck with the group if you want.

Nebo Terrace - Starting from Beetletun (Prophecies)
What you can Farm - Mergoyles, Tengu and Ettins
The run is very easy and IMO, a good way to learn the build. It's just a case of killing each enemy you meet and animating minions from the bodies they leave behind. The Ettins almost all of the time will go after the minions, they rarely go after anything else
Enemy to Watch Out For - None
Seeing as this is being done in Normal Mode and the enemies are at a low level, none of them are much of a problem to worry about. There are some Tengu that will remove Enchantments, but you can easily stick Healing Breeze or Mending back on. Just watch your health, make sure it doesn't go to low. Otherwise when you use Blood of the Master, you may use up your remaining health and die.

Feel free to pm me in game if you want to see me do a run rather than watch the videos I have added a link to. If you have a question about the build. Or if you just want to say hi, I can't gaurantee I will answer back, but I will try to. My in game name is Nightmare Venom. Suppose all that remains is for me to say: Thank you for reading this, and see you in Guild Wars.

Covah · Mar 05, 2008, 11:10 PM // 23:10

Why go MM when you can go SS or SV and farm more places in HM?

mrmango · Mar 05, 2008, 11:12 PM // 23:12

Wouldn't Order of the Vampire be a better elite?

BLOODGOAT · Mar 05, 2008, 11:24 PM // 23:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covah

Why go MM when you can go SS or SV and farm more places in HM?

THIS IS WHY

Quote:

I loved playing as a Minion Master on my Necro and wondered if it was possible to farm as a Minion Master.

LEARN TO RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GOING READ MAYBE

Siirius Black · Mar 05, 2008, 11:34 PM // 23:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLOODGOAT

LEARN TO RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GOING READ MAYBE

a simple "because I love MM'" would have suffice. No need to get ... well you know. That's why you did your post? so people could comment on it.

lordheinous · Mar 06, 2008, 12:05 AM // 00:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siirius Black

a simple "because I love MM'" would have suffice. No need to get ... well you know. That's why you did your post? so people could comment on it.

Ummm...but he isn't the op

BLOODGOAT · Mar 06, 2008, 12:15 AM // 00:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siirius Black

a simple "because I love MM'" would have suffice. No need to get ... well you know. That's why you did your post? so people could comment on it.

I'm not even OP. You ALSO need to #lrn2read.

vespertine · Mar 06, 2008, 12:25 AM // 00:25

MMs are far from being reasonable "solo-farmers", but this build is just rubbish..

extrem low dps, non existent defense, no e-mgmnt..

you could either follow the idea of the Rt/N minion bomber (deal dmg through death nova) or the N/D AotL (http://www.pvxwiki.com/wiki/Build:N/..._to_the_Master)

mending and breeze is just FAIL..

Nightmare Venom · Mar 06, 2008, 12:27 AM // 00:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covah

Why go MM when you can go SS or SV and farm more places in HM?

I originally started solo farming as a MM a long time before HM mode came out. And I could never get used to farming as a SS. Plus I was looking for something different to do on my Necromancer.
Plus the list I have posted up is the areas that I know that can be farmed as a solo MM. And I am on the constant look out for other areas that can be done.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmango

Wouldn't Order of the Vampire be a better elite?

Order of the Vampire doesn't work on minions, but I think you may have meant [skill]Order of Undeath[/skill] It works fine in teams, but have yet to try it as a solo MM

Bohya · Mar 06, 2008, 12:35 AM // 00:35

16 death magic
10 soul reaping
8 earth prayers

Animate bone minions/bone horror (depending on level of monsters)
Animate shambling horror
Blood of the master
Aura of the lich
Mystic regeneration
Infuse condition/dark bond (if dark bond then move some points from soul reaping to blood magic)
Damage spell
Damage spell

A set of your choice (prefferably not one with +health)

Wouldn't this be a better farmng build?

My Lipgloss is Cool · Mar 06, 2008, 01:04 AM // 01:04

I've looked at this, and I really don't like it.

You can only farm in NM, which is very unprofitable.

You can only farm in places where you can kill the first things (Most things?) on your own to get minions up.

You can only farm places with out AoE, or else they will destroy your minions so fast they'll just charge back to you, and troll you through your amazing 10 regen.

You can only farm things that are separated enough where you can pull 2-4 things at once, or else you'll overagro and they'll troll through/past your minions, and kill you.

You can only farm things that have very low health, or else you have massive energy failures from soul reaping not going off.

TL;DR You'd be better off spamming [skill]Discord[/skill]

MLiC

Siirius Black · Mar 06, 2008, 06:37 AM // 06:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordheinous

Ummm...but he isn't the op

My comment was not directed to the OP.
But I have to admit that it looks that way.

Kurt · Mar 06, 2008, 10:09 AM // 10:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siirius Black

a simple "because I love MM'" would have suffice. No need to get ... well you know. That's why you did your post? so people could comment on it.

A stupid question deserves a stupid answer I guess

Anyway nice idea, when I started my necro as MM I also wondered if it was possible. Will try it out

Qdq Swi · Mar 06, 2008, 07:55 PM // 19:55

Bah... It might be fun for some.. I think its just a waste of time.. And my laziness obliges me to ask myself wether or not I could be arssed.