Curse

Yukito Kunisaki · Sep 25, 2007, 04:50 PM // 16:50

Haven't been here in like, forever...

Some questions before I start. With your experience in PvE, what have you found more useful both for dealing damage, defense, and AoE striking? Daggers or Deadly Arts? I'm thinking Dagger Sins are prevalent in PvE and Deadly Art Sins moreso in PvP [since Deadly Arts are almost all unblockable]

Here's an idea:

9+3+1 Critical Strikes
11+1 Dagger Mastery
excess split how you like

Black Lotus Strike
Twisting Fangs
Black Spider Strike
Critical Defense
Shadow Refuge
Expose Defenses
Aura of Displacement {E}
Epidemic

I haven't been able to test it yet [not yet level 20], but in areas where Mobs are prolific and there isn't much enchant removal, can this build work as a way to focus 'bomb' melee mobs and then spread high levels of conditions?

I suppose a more useful question is, are sins capable of solo farming? [or more precisely, A/Me?]

X Cytherea X · Sep 25, 2007, 05:03 PM // 17:03

just bring a fevered dreams mesmer hero

fireflyry · Sep 26, 2007, 01:07 AM // 01:07

I love using Epidemic and have found it to work great.

Try it out and see how you go.

As for farming the Tombs solo build is the only example I can think of.

Sir Pandra Pierva · Sep 26, 2007, 01:28 AM // 01:28

Could you link to the tombs solo.

fireflyry · Sep 26, 2007, 01:35 AM // 01:35

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...php?t=10038096

Yukito Kunisaki · Sep 26, 2007, 06:31 PM // 18:31

Whoa thanks!

Also, can u answer my first question?

Deadly Arts vs. Dagger Mastery...

My only gripe in the balancing is that Deadly Arts does slightly less damage than dagger-users do, but with it, they gain the unblockability and less hex dependence that Dagger users need.

Sadly, I wonder if my poisonous Dragon Daggers works with Entangling Asp's effect. I heard only weapon strike skills are affected by the weapon now. [that way a ranger can't use a different bow while his warrior teammate makes the poison last longer, or a Water Trident warrior can't gain Stonefist benefits]

Are Poisonous dragon daggers useless on an entangling asp user?

Yanman.be · Sep 26, 2007, 06:43 PM // 18:43

Poisonous upgrade will work on entangling asp.

Water trident will lengthen kd with stonefist afaik..I don't know what you mean with the war vs ranger issue though..?

Wyat Hawke · Sep 26, 2007, 06:56 PM // 18:56

If you want to spread conditions AoE-style, I suggest this instead:

fireflyry · Sep 26, 2007, 11:37 PM // 23:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yukito Kunisaki

Whoa thanks!

Also, can u answer my first question?

Deadly Arts vs. Dagger Mastery...

Personally I've found Dagger more effective in PvE as it's easy to predict AI actions and reactions and it frees up slots for mitigation and if needed self-heals which imo is more effective in a team PvE scenario.In saying I usually run a Promise build but thats the only skill I've consistantly used in PvE from that line.

You also want to consider energy and consistent DPS a lot more in PvE and I'm of the opinion Dagger skills are better suited to this goal in conjunction with Zealous daggers.

Deadly Arts is, as you observed, more useful in PvP but this comment in it's entirety is a matter of personal preference and I consider both viable in either.

Also don't forget you can mix it up and utilize both.

jesh · Sep 27, 2007, 01:38 AM // 01:38

For AoE, you want Splinter Weapon+Death Blossom.. not conditions.
And no, deadly arts don't have AoE, so their use is kinda limited in PvE outside of a utility type BSurge build.

Wyat Hawke · Sep 27, 2007, 02:47 PM // 14:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesh

For AoE, you want Splinter Weapon+Death Blossom.. not conditions.
And no, deadly arts don't have AoE, so their use is kinda limited in PvE outside of a utility type BSurge build.

Yes, because adjacent foes are such a huge AoE you know?

I'm not saying the splinter weapon + DB combo is bad, it's just that unless they are really, really tight together, you won't hit much at all. Being able to spread conditions to every target in the area is a much stronger effect than it looks like. In the area is almost your entire aggro circle, it's pretty big. You have the deep wound, which is around 70-100 damage, the blind to shut down melee foes, and the -7 degen ( -14 health each second). Hit 5 foes with the combo (which you likely will, that is your average sized mob), and you will be looking at some rather pretty visuals of the monsters limping around with their crippled feet

Coloneh · Sep 27, 2007, 08:53 PM // 20:53

adjacent foes is enough AoE. all melee foes should be in adjacent range of each other, if they arent someone is pulling and grouping wrong.

Winterclaw · Oct 03, 2007, 02:34 AM // 02:34

If I were farming with a sassi, I'd consider using recall and a bond hero to free up that elite... but that's just me. You also might want to add sadist's signet to your bar since you'll be dealing out 3 conditions and will put points into deadly arts anyways.

If you aren't going to use attack skills and have deadly paradox, going with deadly arts might be the better way to go. I've seen GANK do that in the HoH a fair number of times.

Bowstring Badass · Oct 03, 2007, 02:23 PM // 14:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winterclaw

If I were farming with a sassi, I'd consider using recall and a bond hero to free up that elite... but that's just me. You also might want to add sadist's signet to your bar since you'll be dealing out 3 conditions and will put points into deadly arts anyways.

If you aren't going to use attack skills and have deadly paradox, going with deadly arts might be the better way to go. I've seen GANK do that in the HoH a fair number of times.

You can't count Black Mantis Thrust=1 condition Black Spider Strike= condition #2 Blinding Powder = #3 Twisting Fangs= #4 and #5 for that 1 bar but 3 for the other.

SotiCoto · Oct 05, 2007, 01:25 PM // 13:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wyat Hawke

If you want to spread conditions AoE-style, I suggest this instead:

... Superior AND Major rune ..... whut?!
You'd hop into the middle of a mob with 110 less health just to spam conditions on them... and have NO return shadowstep for if they don't all die?

I think I'll just stick with Olias's Virulence + Epidemic build (with Jagged Horrors spreading Bleeding and Zhed / Sousuke dealing the Burning) and leave my Assassin to Death Blossom.

Wyat Hawke · Oct 05, 2007, 10:29 PM // 22:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by SotiCoto

... Superior AND Major rune ..... whut?!
You'd hop into the middle of a mob with 110 less health just to spam conditions on them... and have NO return shadowstep for if they don't all die?

I think I'll just stick with Olias's Virulence + Epidemic build (with Jagged Horrors spreading Bleeding and Zhed / Sousuke dealing the Burning) and leave my Assassin to Death Blossom.

Hehe, forgot to take off one of the runes when I posted

. Didn't think that anyone would notice though.

It isn't such a big deal though? Remember that you are shutting down almost all melee for a short time, run back then if you want.

SotiCoto · Oct 08, 2007, 01:05 PM // 13:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wyat Hawke

Hehe, forgot to take off one of the runes when I posted

. Didn't think that anyone would notice though.

It isn't such a big deal though? Remember that you are shutting down almost all melee for a short time, run back then if you want.

Do you have any idea how easy it is for an Assassin to get body-blocked without a return step?
You have 9 seconds to get out of there before all hell breaks loose, and that is to say nothing of the surrounding elementalists, necromancers, rangers etc.

Reminds me of when that Droks run got messed up by a bunch of trolls calling me Raoul and clogging up a narrow passageway.
MY NAME IS NOT RAOUL, YOU LUMPY BAR-STEWARDS!