How does minion degen work? - Page 2 - Guild Wars Forums

Numa Pompilius · Feb 14, 2006, 08:45 AM // 08:45

Thanks for that "healing shuffle", going to try that.

Am I the only one who raises both horrors and fiends? When enemies are dropping everywhere, I find that I have basically infinite energy, and the raise horror skill recycles while I cast raise fiend and the other way around, so I can be continuously raising minions (and not let any bodies go to waste).

Epinephrine · Feb 14, 2006, 02:22 PM // 14:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Numa Pompilius

Thanks for that "healing shuffle", going to try that.

Am I the only one who raises both horrors and fiends? When enemies are dropping everywhere, I find that I have basically infinite energy, and the raise horror skill recycles while I cast raise fiend and the other way around, so I can be continuously raising minions (and not let any bodies go to waste).

Lol... just above you

Quote:

Originally Posted by Epinephrine

...I typically run at least 2 minion skills if I am doing a serious minion build, as I want to always have a skill ready when a corpse goes down - the rate of raising them is vital. A huge energy pool helps, since the deaths will often come all in a row, and you need room to hold the influx of energy; operating with +27 and +15 is fine; you have 2 pips of energy regen but a nice sized pool of energy, and with good Soul Reaping you don't worry at all.

16 death, 15 soul reaping, +energy gear, massive energy pool always full from deaths, 2 or 3 minion types to have them cycling. (When I go "pure" minion master; I often hybridize to include Curses, at which point the stats are lower, and I tend not to run the double runes.) .15 Soul Reaping may seem high, but it gives you energy for anything:
A bone horror essentially is free, so you get 15 energy net per Bone Horror (the 15 from the original death, - 15 for raising it, +15 when it dies = net 15)
A Bone Fiend nets 5 energy (+15 for the death, -25 to cast, +15 when it dies)
A pair of Bone Minions nets 20 energy (-15 for the death, -25 to cast, +15*2 on their deaths)

So essentially you have net gain on every death, and lots of energy to burn on other skills (Verata's, Blood of the Master, Death Novae...)

Viewed in that light, you need
an 8 Soul Reaping to exceed breaking even on Horrors, ( +8, -15, +8 for +1 total)
a 9 Soul Reaping to exceed breaking even on Minions (+9, -25, +9 for +2 total)
and a 13 Soul Reaping to exceed breaking even on Fiends (+13, -25, +15 for +1 total)

Of course, breaking even only gives you your base 4 pips to deal with everything else you need to do. Since this is about degen, you want lots of energy to oppose degeneration ideally, so I'd suggest you figure out what minions you plan to run, and a Soul Reaping based on netting a bit of energy from it; including horrors or minions in with your fiends serves as an energy battery of sorts, storing away soul reaping to be released as they die again, fueling your spells/fiends.

fiery · Feb 14, 2006, 02:29 PM // 14:29

Say for the PVE TOMBS <-- i call it that than the new UW i use horrors/minions/ and fiends.

FlammingRose · Feb 15, 2006, 12:25 AM // 00:25

use veritas with serpent's quickness, which reduces it to only 20 second recharge, you then can keep it going almost indefinitely, there would only be a 2-3 second gap between every other recharge for serpent's quickness, provided that your health does not go below 50%

Feb 14, 2006, 08:45 AM // 08:45	#21
Numa Pompilius Grotto Attendant Join Date: May 2005 Location: At an Insit.. Intis... a house. Guild: Live Forever Or Die Trying [GLHF] Profession: W/Me	Thanks for that "healing shuffle", going to try that. Am I the only one who raises both horrors and fiends? When enemies are dropping everywhere, I find that I have basically infinite energy, and the raise horror skill recycles while I cast raise fiend and the other way around, so I can be continuously raising minions (and not let any bodies go to waste).

Feb 14, 2006, 02:29 PM // 14:29	#23
fiery Banned Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: maryland Guild: InYurFace Gaming [IYF] Profession: R/	Say for the PVE TOMBS <-- i call it that than the new UW i use horrors/minions/ and fiends.

Feb 15, 2006, 12:25 AM // 00:25	#24
FlammingRose Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Nov 2005 Guild: RRN Profession: E/Mo	use veritas with serpent's quickness, which reduces it to only 20 second recharge, you then can keep it going almost indefinitely, there would only be a 2-3 second gap between every other recharge for serpent's quickness, provided that your health does not go below 50%