Curse

keithcuk · Nov 09, 2011, 08:05 PM // 20:05

Hi.

I've been playing through Factions with my Ele, and have been using the following build:

Quote:

E/N (the /N was just to satisfy the Secondary Profession quest)

Air Magic: 9+1
Earth Magic: 12+1+1 (+1 Headpiece, plus Minor Rune Attached to Headpiece)
Energy Storage: 9+1

[Aura of Restoration][GlyphofLesserEnergy][WardAgainstMelee][Stoning][StoneDaggers][LightningOrb][NoSkill][ResurrectionSignet]

I'm basically looking for suggestions as to how to make this build better. I've gotten as far as The Eternal Grove mission, and this build just hits a wall at that point.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Giro · Nov 09, 2011, 09:04 PM // 21:04

First of all, you're going to want to get a Signet of Capture (buy at any Skill Trader in Kaineng Center and on), find an Elementalist Boss with the Elite Skill you want, and capture it from his corpse.

As far as your build goes, you should probably pick one element to focus on (unless you want to mess with a Master of Magic build). Then, get a headgear in your element instead of in energy storage. Your runes beyond that are fine, minor energy storage and minor of your chosen element (based on preference you can also get major or superior in your element, but I wouldn't suggest it unless you have good hero healers).

So, my suggestion is to look at the elite skills and choose an element (or Master of Magic) and let us know.

http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Elite_skill
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Signet_of_Capture
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/List_...ntalist_skills
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Master_of_Magic

akelarumi · Nov 09, 2011, 10:13 PM // 22:13

Like said above, pick only one element and get an elite skill (from that element).

second I want to state that in my opinion eternal grove is one of the hardest missions in the game and the hardest in factions.

When you got all campaigns you should get some hero's in eotn and nightfall. if not, i think you'll find you need help on that mission from other players no matter what build you bring.
(the difference between henchmen and heroes is that hero's can be customized and flagged to a position on the map. henchman have a customized build and will follow you always, Eternal Grove mission is all bout splitting your team in two groups, so when playing without help and without heroes, im not sure it can be done).

If you only have factions and nobody to help you the last option is to switch to the luxon part of the game and use that storyline to finish factions. This would be the questline:

Journey to Cavalon
Befriending the Luxons
Stolen Eggs
Gyala Hatchery

If you don't want to change because of being loyal to your guild/alliance, ask them for help. If they don't want to help you, why should you be loyal?

ps: I'm kurzick by heart. The above advise is derived from my own logic not my standing in the luxon/kurzick conflict some people have

chuckles79 · Nov 09, 2011, 11:05 PM // 23:05

Here are some elites that are easily available to you up to the point you are at in the game.

Lightning Surge (air)
Elemental Attunement (will help you if you insist on running both Earth and Air)

Martin Firestorm · Nov 09, 2011, 11:37 PM // 23:37

I'd change to E/A, cap assassin's promise (earlier in factions from where you are now) as my elite, bump deadly arts to 9, air to 12 plus 2 with the head piece rune, and the rest in energy storage, abandon earth and add a good selection of air damage spells like lightning orb.

LifeInfusion · Nov 10, 2011, 12:12 AM // 00:12

Quote:

Air Magic: 9+1
Earth Magic: 12+1+1 (+1 Headpiece, plus Minor Rune Attached to Headpiece)
Energy Storage: 9+1

[Aura of Restoration][GlyphofLesserEnergy][WardAgainstMelee][Stoning][StoneDaggers][LightningOrb][NoSkill][ResurrectionSignet]

Stone Daqggers + Stoning + Lightning Orb... is very energy intensive and not very effective. You also lack an attunement.

My recommendations

Air
Air Magic: 12+1+1
Earth Magic: 10+1
Energy Storage: 8+1

Aura of Restoration
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Air attunement
Ward Against Melee
Chain Lightning --> Tengsao (The Amnoon Oasis) / Dakk (Ember Light Camp)
Lightning Orb
Shock Arrow --> Michiko (Kaineng Center)
Resurrection Signet

If you have Prophecies, grab Chain Lightning instead of Stoning. Shock arrow should fuel Orb/Ward. You never need more than 9 energy storage for a normal build. 9 Energy Storage deals with weakness easily, 8 is the breakpoint for Aura of Restoration.

best combo for Earth
12+1+1 earth
8+1 energy storage
10 deadly arts

Assassin's Promise
Eruption
Churning Earth --> knockdown in HM
Ebon Hawk
Ward against melee
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Earth attunement
Aura of restoration

Earth, which is much weaker energy-wise and damage-wise
prot
Earth Magic: 12+1+1
Energy Storage: 8+1

Aura of Restoration
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Earth attunement
Aegis
Stoning / Eruption (long recharge without Assassin's Promise)
Glowstone
Ebon Hawk
Elemental Attunement - Chung, the Attuned (The Undercity; Bukdek Byway, only during Eliminate the Am Fah)

Air isn't useful here.

This assumes you don't have access to pve skills.

wilebill · Nov 10, 2011, 12:28 AM // 00:28

OgBDg8OMTLggDAaZVeDjChD0CA something like this. Use it in HM too, where damage is about cut in half but with the energy efficiency you can keep on trucking. if you get beat up too bad, throw in Armor of Frost, with 4 points that will last long enough to get you out of trouble. But basically use point blank skill to knock down in your face attackers and just run, kite them off on your minions or your warrior.

Keith, just my IMHO but in the present state of the game earth just isn't worth it unless you need the wards. Only use I find for it. Lightning does good damage and you have few or no energy problems. Fire works in NM too, but I like lightning better. Water, yeah but someone else will have to comment.

This build has almost infinite energy. You can add on elemental +2, but I would rather have more attacks on my bar.

Lanier · Nov 10, 2011, 01:54 AM // 01:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Firestorm

I'd change to E/A, cap assassin's promise (earlier in factions from where you are now) as my elite, bump deadly arts to 9, air to 12 plus 2 with the head piece rune, and the rest in energy storage, abandon earth and add a good selection of air damage spells like lightning orb.

Assassin's promise is pretty useless with most of the good air skills (like lightning orb) since they have low recharges.

I would choose the above mentioned elemental attunement (combines well with a lightning hammer/lightning orb/blinding flash style build) or lighning surge.

Giro · Nov 10, 2011, 02:23 AM // 02:23

I agree with wilebill about the Earth line. It just doesn't deal damage well enough.

I also agree with Lanier about AP being better used for attributes other than air.

If you have access to Factions or Nightfall, I'd look into Elemental Lord (Kurzick/Factions skill) and Intensity (Sunspear/Nightfall skill). Elemental Lord raises all your elemental attributes by 1 as well as giving some energy and health return on spells. Intensity causes the next spell to deal about half of its damage to nearby foes (and this damage is armor-ignoring, especially useful in HM where foes have high armor).

I usually have Elemental Lord, Air Attunement, and Glyph of Elemental Power up at all times. Then I use one of the following:

(Low Energy)
Shell Shock
Invoke Lightning
Chain Lightning

or

(high energy, with Elemental Attunement to help with energy management)
Lightning Orb
Lightning Hammer
Chain Lightning

With Intensity being used on Invoke Lightning or Lightning Hammer. Use Shell Shock or Lightning Orb first to apply Cracked Armor. You can also use Blinding Flash for blind spam or Shock Arrow for energy management.

Note: the high energy combo just taken from Lanier above. Thanks!

cataphract · Nov 10, 2011, 07:34 AM // 07:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by LifeInfusion

My recommendations

Air
Air Magic: 12+1+1
Earth Magic: 10+1
Energy Storage: 8+1

Aura of Restoration
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Air attunement
Ward Against Melee
Chain Lightning --> Tengsao (The Amnoon Oasis) / Dakk (Ember Light Camp)
Lightning Orb
Shock Arrow --> Michiko (Kaineng Center)
Resurrection Signet

Chain Lightning can be obtained much, much earlier in Maguuma Stade. My thoughts would be to drop Shock Arrow and replace it with Enervating Charge which is available as early as Grendich Courthouse.

OP has Stoning without a means of applying weakness. Instead of telling him how Earth Magic is underpowered and expensive, we could try to teach him some mechanics of the game and make him able to create his own quality builds.

keithcuk · Nov 10, 2011, 12:01 PM // 12:01

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.

The next thing I was about to do with this toon was to get Earth Attunement, to see if that would've helped the build some, but from everyones suggestions, Earth Magic dosen't seem to be a well loved line (at least as a primary offensive line).

I'm going to try out wilebill's build, and see how I get on with that. Just a question though for wilebill though. How far through the Nightfall Story do I need to get to where I can capture Invoke Lightning, and could the rest of the build survive until that point?

Thanks.

Mouse at Large · Nov 10, 2011, 12:39 PM // 12:39

As others have said, it's probably best to stick to one skill line atm. I'm not sure if you are still playing in normal mode and which campaigns you have access to, but if you want to research skills and their capture locations, here is a reasonable guide http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/List_...ntalist_skills

Speaking personally, I tend to use fire AoE in nm and earth with PvE only skills in hm. Your mileage may vary

LifeInfusion · Nov 11, 2011, 12:03 AM // 00:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by cataphract

Chain Lightning can be obtained much, much earlier in Maguuma Stade. My thoughts would be to drop Shock Arrow and replace it with Enervating Charge which is available as early as Grendich Courthouse.

OP has Stoning without a means of applying weakness. Instead of telling him how Earth Magic is underpowered and expensive, we could try to teach him some mechanics of the game and make him able to create his own quality builds.

I've been UAXed since whenever EoTn was released so I wouldn't know. I pulled that availability stuff off wiki. I don't agree with enervating charge because it's 10 energy single target weakness with crappy damage that's the same as Shock Arrow.

Off the top of my head for that build:

Glyph of Lesser Energy = (+20+4*2+1*2)/30seconds or (+25+6+4+1*2)/30seconds is about 3 pips of energy (+1-1.2en/sec)
Air attunement
Ward Against Melee = (-15+1 from AoR)/(30+1)=-0.431 en/sec
Chain Lightning = (-10+4+1)/(6+2)= -0.625 en/sec
Lightning Orb = (-15+6+1)/(5+2)= -1.143 en/sec

-0.999en/sec = 3 pips

... this is why shock arrow is needed. Once HCT + HSR kicks in the energy goes bye.

Martin Firestorm · Nov 11, 2011, 04:19 PM // 16:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lanier

Assassin's promise is pretty useless with most of the good air skills (like lightning orb) since they have low recharges.

I would choose the above mentioned elemental attunement (combines well with a lightning hammer/lightning orb/blinding flash style build) or lighning surge.

Nah, it still gives you a constant flow of energy, and recharges itself and GOLE plus any pve only skills you bring along. Not as crucial as with the other element lines, but still the best elite for an ele imo, and easily capped based on OP's current progress through factions.

cataphract · Nov 11, 2011, 05:12 PM // 17:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by LifeInfusion

I've been UAXed since whenever EoTn was released so I wouldn't know. I pulled that availability stuff off wiki. I don't agree with enervating charge because it's 10 energy single target weakness with crappy damage that's the same as Shock Arrow.

Stoning is single target too and causes KD when it hits a weakened target. I'd rather have weakened and KD target than some energy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LifeInfusion

... this is why shock arrow is needed. Once HCT + HSR kicks in the energy goes bye.

Especially if I take into consideration my total lack of energy problems without Shock Arrow on my skillbar.

keithcuk · Nov 13, 2011, 12:35 PM // 12:35

I've now managed to get all the skills for Wilebills build, and while that last Elite skill was a pain in the butt to get to and Cap, I really like the build, and I'll be contining to run this one.

Thanks for all your help.

Mods, please close the thread.

Calista Blackblood · Nov 13, 2011, 12:38 PM // 12:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by keithcuk

I've now managed to get all the skills for Wilebills build, and while that last Elite skill was a pain in the butt to get to and Cap, I really like the build, and I'll be contining to run this one.

Thanks for all your help.

Mods, please close the thread.

Happy to oblige