Curse

paranon · Nov 16, 2011, 04:49 PM // 16:49

Here is a list of simple frequently asked questions in this section and the answers that are generally given. Please read this to see if your question is answered here before you make a post.

1. What Secondary Profession should I choose?
The truthful answer to this question is that at the point where you ask it, it doesn't really matter what second profession you choose. While it's true that the most effective builds require specific second professions, you get the opportunity to change your second profession fairly early on in the three campaigns. So choose whichever Second profession you feel like, it will easily be enough to get you to the stage where you can change it.

2. Which runes should i use for this build?
The general rule of thumb is to use a superior rune for the main attribute used and minor runes for all of the others. However if you want maximum efficiency this may not apply. For instance, if you are a dedicated tank then you might consider using all minor runes to give yourself a HP boost, and if you are going to be in the back of the fight and don't think you will take much damage, you can probably get away with using multiple superior runes if it will help your build. The runes you use depend a lot on the build you will be playing and the role that you will fulfill in your team, however it should be common sense in most cases.

3. Which is better, Armour or Health?
In most cases, armour is better than health as it prevents damage rather than allowing you to take more of it, this means your healer's energy will be conserved as they need less heals to keep you alive, it is worth noting that armour stacking caps at +24 and that when there is a lot of armour ignoring damage around, more health is usually better than more armour. It really depends on the situation but for your 1 set, the more armour the better.

4. Can I do the campaigns with my friend(s) without using heroes or henchmen?
There comes a point (fairly early on) in the campaigns where without being very skillful and knowledgeable, doing the campaign with a party size smaller than recommended is close to impossible. So unless you have a full party of 8 people then you will most likely have to start using heroes or henchmen at some point.

5. What should I name my character?
It is your character and you should name it how you please, it doesn't really matter how good or bad your name is as it is just used as a way for people to identify you within the game

6. What do these abbreviations mean?
There are a lot of abbreviations in common use in guild wars, a list of some common ones can be found here and here, if the abbreviations relate to a specific build or area then check the GWPvX page and see if that will give you a clue, if you still can't work it out then it is probably easier to ask someone ingame than post on the forum.

7. What is a good build for .....?
Most of the builds in common usage can be found at GWPvX wiki, if you can't find what you are looking for there then have a go at creating a build of your own and see if that serves the purpose. If it doesn't then make a thread including details of what you are looking for and what you have tried.

8. I am under level 20, is this build ok?
Yes. When you are at the start of the game pretty much any build will work well enough to get you to level 20 and then you should start thinking about what role you want to fulfill and can start looking at builds. Before level 20 the game is easy enough that builds are not an issue.

9. What does 12+1+3 , 10+1, or 11+1+1 mean?
The first number represents the base attribute level and the numbers after it represent runes and headpieces. For example "12+1+3 swordsmanship" would mean that the swordsmanship attribute is set as 12 (the max it can be) and then this is bumped up to 16 with a swordsmanship headpiece (+1) and a superior swordsmanship rune (+3).

10. What weapon sets should i use?
There are a few main weapon sets it is worth having:
Defense set: spear with +5 defense, shield with +10 vs typed damage of the type of damage you face.
--> Used when not using skills to negate as much damage as possible.
Low energy set: A shield (or a -5 energy focus) and a spear or martial weapon with Brawn over brains or +15% damage -5 energy.
--> Prevents energy denial from energy burn/energy drain/chaos storm/power leak/shame/guilt/debilitating shot/etc. (if you reach 0 energy in this set, no more energy can be stolen, but if you switch to a high set then you still have a pool that is "safe" from e-denial)
High energy set: A wand with "Seize the day" (+15 energy ,-1 energy regen) and a focus with "live for today"(+15 energy, -1 energy regen), or just a wand with "seize the day", or just a staff with "seize the day" and an insightful staff head.
--> Used when low on energy for getting an essential cast and then swapping back to normal wand and focus/staff/defense set.
40/40 set: A wand and focus each with 20% chance to half spell recharge and 20% chance to half spell casting time for your main caster attribute.
--> Used for casting spells to speed up recharge and casting time, increasing efficiency.

I will add to this as more things come up, i hope this will answer some simple questions people have.

Olle · Nov 16, 2011, 09:38 PM // 21:38

A good start, though alot more questions needs to be answered.

paranon · Nov 16, 2011, 09:41 PM // 21:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olle

A good start, though alot more questions needs to be answered.

These are just the questions i have noticed being asked a lot that are very easy to answer, if you have any other things that you think need adding then pm them to me.

LifeInfusion · Nov 17, 2011, 12:56 AM // 00:56

What does 12+1+3 , 10+1, or 11+1+1 mean?
X+1 means it is X in the attribute with 1 from either a minor rune or the headpiece, X+1+3 means a superior rune and headpiece, X+2 means major rune

What is a low/high energy/defense set?
Defense set: spear with +5 defense, shield with +10 vs typed damage of the type of damage you face
Low energy set: A shield (or a -5 energy focus) and a spear or martial weapon with Brawn over brains or +15% damage -5 energy.
--> prevents energy denial from energy burn/energy drain/chaos storm/power leak/shame/guilt/debilitating shot/etc.
High energy set: A wand with "Seize the day" (+15 energy ,-1 energy regen) and a focus with "live for today"(+15 energy, -1 energy regen), or just a wand with "seize the day", or just a staff with "seize the day" and an insightful staff head ,
-->used when low on energy and getting an essential cast and then swapping back to normal wand and focus/staff/defense set

Help me with my hero monk build
Drop orison of healing. Put in dwayna's kiss, Healing burst/Word of healing, cure hex, shield of absorption. Or use Unyielding aura, divine healing, heaven's delight, gift of health/dwayna's kiss, deny hexes. If you're willing to put your heroes on guard, slap leech signet on them. Don't use patient spirit /reversal of fortune/restore condition/life sheath/vigorous spirit on heroes because they're retarded with it. Disable 3 second recharge condition removals like dismiss condition or mend condition. Leave protective spirit+aegis for your necro heroes or micro it (disable it with shift+click and cast it yourself).

What is the best mod for Axe/Sword/Dagger/Hammer/Scythe/Bow/Spear?
Vampiric for damage. Sundering has been proven to be bad so many times (especially for dagger/sword). Use a non-Vampiric weapon when not fighting or blind/miss-hexed.
Ebon for Ebon Dust Aura, Shocking for Conjure Lightning, Icy for Conjure Frost, Fiery for Conjure Flame (not advisable)
Furious for building adrenaline with spears on a warrior or dervish
Crippling for casters using Return (PvP)
Zealous for energy (as a swap)

Chthon · Nov 17, 2011, 06:32 AM // 06:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by paranon

2. Which runes should i use for this build?
The general rule of thumb is to use a superior rune for the main attribute used and minor runes for all of the others. However if you want maximum efficiency this may not apply. For instance, if you are a dedicated tank then you might consider using all minor runes to give yourself a HP boost, and if you are going to be in the back of the fight and don't think you will take much damage, you can probably get away with using multiple superior runes if it will help your build. The runes you use depend a lot on the build you will be playing and the role that you will fulfill in your team, however it should be common sense in most cases.

I agree with this. However, I have to acknowledge that a lot of people (and more importantly, a lot of people who have demonstrated the ability to present insightful and well-thought-through positions on GW build issues) disagree. I think a more fair summary, and one that is not unduly biased in favor of my own position, would sound something like this:

"There is not a consensus among knowledgeable players on this issue. One camp favors using a superior rune for your build's main attribute and minor runes for the other attributes used in your build. Another camp favors using only minor runes for all attributes used in your build. (There is some tendency even among superior rune supporters to run only minor runes on martial weapon users, particularly melee characters, because of the diminishing returns on weapon mastery and the lack of important breakpoints above 14 on most weapon skills.) Everyone agrees on using a superior Vigor rune and filling any free spaces with Vitae runes. There is no consensus on whether a superior Absorption rune is a good idea for a warrior. There is near consensus that Clarity/Purity/Recovery/Restoration runes are darned near worthless, except for maybe Clarity in special circumstances. (These runes are more useful in PvP.)"

paranon · Nov 18, 2011, 04:29 PM // 16:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chthon

I agree with this. However, I have to acknowledge that a lot of people (and more importantly, a lot of people who have demonstrated the ability to present insightful and well-thought-through positions on GW build issues) disagree. I think a more fair summary, and one that is not unduly biased in favor of my own position, would sound something like this:

"There is not a consensus among knowledgeable players on this issue. One camp favors using a superior rune for your build's main attribute and minor runes for the other attributes used in your build. Another camp favors using only minor runes for all attributes used in your build. (There is some tendency even among superior rune supporters to run only minor runes on martial weapon users, particularly melee characters, because of the diminishing returns on weapon mastery and the lack of important breakpoints above 14 on most weapon skills.) Everyone agrees on using a superior Vigor rune and filling any free spaces with Vitae runes. There is no consensus on whether a superior Absorption rune is a good idea for a warrior. There is near consensus that Clarity/Purity/Recovery/Restoration runes are darned near worthless, except for maybe Clarity in special circumstances. (These runes are more useful in PvP.)"

The whole point of this post is that the people who ask these questions are generally very new to the game and are getting slightly ahead of what is important at the point they are at, answers should be as brief and clear as possible. While it's true that there is debate, using 1 sup and the rest minor is a balanced way of doing it until you know enough about the game to suit it to your build. Your answer is very unclear and creates more questions than it answers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LifeInfusion

What does 12+1+3 , 10+1, or 11+1+1 mean?
X+1 means it is X in the attribute with 1 from either a minor rune or the headpiece, X+1+3 means a superior rune and headpiece, X+2 means major rune

What is a low/high energy/defense set?
Defense set: spear with +5 defense, shield with +10 vs typed damage of the type of damage you face
Low energy set: A shield (or a -5 energy focus) and a spear or martial weapon with Brawn over brains or +15% damage -5 energy.
--> prevents energy denial from energy burn/energy drain/chaos storm/power leak/shame/guilt/debilitating shot/etc.
High energy set: A wand with "Seize the day" (+15 energy ,-1 energy regen) and a focus with "live for today"(+15 energy, -1 energy regen), or just a wand with "seize the day", or just a staff with "seize the day" and an insightful staff head ,
-->used when low on energy and getting an essential cast and then swapping back to normal wand and focus/staff/defense set

Help me with my hero monk build
Drop orison of healing. Put in dwayna's kiss, Healing burst/Word of healing, cure hex, shield of absorption. Or use Unyielding aura, divine healing, heaven's delight, gift of health/dwayna's kiss, deny hexes. If you're willing to put your heroes on guard, slap leech signet on them. Don't use patient spirit /reversal of fortune/restore condition/life sheath/vigorous spirit on heroes because they're retarded with it. Disable 3 second recharge condition removals like dismiss condition or mend condition. Leave protective spirit+aegis for your necro heroes or micro it (disable it with shift+click and cast it yourself).

What is the best mod for Axe/Sword/Dagger/Hammer/Scythe/Bow/Spear?
Vampiric for damage. Sundering has been proven to be bad so many times (especially for dagger/sword). Use a non-Vampiric weapon when not fighting or blind/miss-hexed.
Ebon for Ebon Dust Aura, Shocking for Conjure Lightning, Icy for Conjure Frost, Fiery for Conjure Flame (not advisable)
Furious for building adrenaline with spears on a warrior or dervish
Crippling for casters using Return (PvP)
Zealous for energy (as a swap)

Added some stuff about the rune abbreviations and weapon sets, i think monk hero builds come under "what is a good build for?" and weapon modifiers are very dependant on the build you run and also largely irrelevant for people who don't know what is best.