Curse

Damonias · Feb 22, 2006, 10:00 AM // 10:00

This build is specifically for Keg Farming, but can be altered so that Mesmer is used instead of Necro to allow for Mantra of Resolve.

Class:
Elementalist/Necro

Skills:
Fire Attunement, Elemental Attunement, Spinal Shivers, Immolate, Incadiary Bonds, Fireball, Rodgart's Invocation, Meteor Shower.

Attributes:
Curses: 10
Fire: Max (16)
Energy Storage: 9

Strengths:
This build basically gives you endless energy so that you can always be casting. With both Elemental Attunement and Fire Attunement you get 80% of your energy back from each cast. With the length of each cast and the time between, you essentially always have full energy.

An SS can not compete with the damage output from this build. It's just not possible for them to do so. I've thrown in Shivers, mainly just for Resurection and Mark of Protection, but you don't actually need to do interrupting. The damage output is so much and so endless, that healers run out of energy and simply can't keep things alive.

This build can be altered for things other than farming of course or to use other Elements other than Fire.

Disadvantages:
Things that remove enchantments can affect you pretty bad. But that is true for most builds. Disrupts can hurt as well, as the Attunement requires that the spells finish casting. Hense why I started off by saying it's a Keg Farm build. If you aren't doing a Keg Farm, I'd go with Ele/Me.

Suggestions:
Get an item that gives you +20 duration to your enchantments. This leaves you only with a 5-10 second break when Elemental Attunement is not up. The break is not enough to actually prevent you from endlessly casting, just make sure that you recast ele attune as soon as it's up, and recast Fire attune as soon as it goes down. The only thing that will stop you from casting endlessly with this build is using Shivers and being hit by Interrupts and Remove Enchantment.

--

Enjoy, and may the rebirth of the Elementalist begin!

(Just an Aside for Elementalists everywhere - When farming, please leave your Firestorm at home (And other similar x dmg / second spells). These cause HUGE problems in Farms and give Ele's everywhere a bad name. The above list of spells does NOT cause Scatter. Unless you cast Inc Bonds Immediately followed by Fireball or Rodgart's. In otherwords, Cast inc bonds then Immolate)

Wyrmslayer · Feb 23, 2006, 04:13 PM // 16:13

You forgot to mention this (I think), but I assume you use a cold dmg rod to trigger spinal shivers?

Beat_Go_Stick · Feb 23, 2006, 07:05 PM // 19:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wyrmslayer

You forgot to mention this (I think), but I assume you use a cold dmg rod to trigger spinal shivers?

If so, every time you attack with the wand (which you wouldn'y have enough points in water to use anyway...or is curses wand cold damage? I can't remember...) is a second you aren't dealing damage. The best part of this build is the fact that you never really run out of energy but, to fully take advantage of this fact, you should be spamming damage spells. not something you can do while spamming wand attacks.

I am at work so I can't check but maybe a water damage build instead of fire? *shrug* Not sure how good water damage is off the top of my head but I'd bet it's not so hot...

Ira Blinks · Feb 23, 2006, 07:45 PM // 19:45

i fail to see how this half-ass dps build does more damage than SS.
All the spells after shivers just randomly dropped onto skillbar without a single though to how they supposed to be combined.
In fact i fail to see how this build does more damage than anything but 55 monk.

torquemada · Feb 24, 2006, 07:42 AM // 07:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ira Blinks

i fail to see how this half-ass dps build does more damage than SS.
All the spells after shivers just randomly dropped onto skillbar without a single though to how they supposed to be combined.
In fact i fail to see how this build does more damage than anything but 55 monk.

So be constructive and try to suggest, modify, refine...Some people like to enjoy making their own builds, not just copy/paste for max dmg. Much better IMO then going for spike/max effectiveness build that everyone else uses. After all it's PVE, so that's the point.

I would suggest some things but I posted my pyro build countless times (and it's more or less standard stuff) .

So I'll only suggest echoing....

Arturo02 · Feb 24, 2006, 07:59 AM // 07:59

my only question is how do you have 10 curses, 9 energy storage, and 16 fire?

Damonias · Feb 24, 2006, 08:48 AM // 08:48

To answer some questions:

Re: Shivers
Yes, I do bring a cold weapon for Shivers. Sorry I forgot to mention that.

Re: Doing More Damage than SS.
I've played both SS and Ele. Before making this build, my main complaint about Elementalists was that when things were spread out, you couldn't do damage consistently enough without running out of energy. So when things scattered, I was able to maintain more damage with an SS than I was able to with my Ele. So in situations where things weren't bunched together, the SS seemed better.

When things ARE bunched together, the most I was able to get out of SS was 4 (SOMETIMES 5, if recharge 20% x 2 went off). And that's assuming something didn't die which almost never happened. Usually the most I get out of it is 3 at once in a farm. When you throw in the MM into the mix, the person I SS'd often got killed before I could get the full affect out of SS. If you use simple math, you'll see that an elementalist does more damage.

SS - 39 Dmg (sometimes as high as 41 if Awakening is used). Recharge 10 Seconds. Duration 22 seconds.

Arcane Echo lasts 20 seconds. Which means, that unless you have an Enchantment increase of 20% you will only get two casts out of it, before you have to wait 20 seconds to cast Arcane Echo again.

Math Time:
2 Seconds (Echo) + 2 Seconds (SS) + 1 Second (for attack) (DMG 41) + 2 +(41 dmg for attack) seconds (Echo'd SS) + 1 second for attack (DMG 41 + 41). + 6 seconds (82 X 6). So, lets go with this. 14 seconds.

Total = 650 Damage in 14 seconds assuming nothing dies. And assuming that SS is cast only on Melee and that melee isn't interrupted/stunned and uses no skills that take more than a second as SS is affected by the amount of time it takes the enemy to perform an action.

Elementalist:
5 Seconds (meteor shower) 119dmg, 2 Seconds (Fireball) 119, +119 Dmg meteor shower, 3 seconds + 1 (Rodgart's) 119 + 21 fire dmg over 3 seconds) + 119 dmg Meteor Shower, 2 seconds + 2 seconds (Incandiary Bonds + Fireball) 84 + 21 dmg over 3 seconds + 119 + 119 from Meteor shower. Total Time 14 seconds.

Total=959. (Doesn't matter if something dies or how long it takes them to perform actions.)

Now to be 'Fair' I'll go so far as to say that most things in the SF farms only take (Melee)98 dmg instead of 119 and 61 instead of 84. Some take (Casters)119, some take 139(Ice Golem) and the surveyers take 48.

So, I'll use ONLY the Melee.

Total=789.

Still more than an SS.

Basically, in the time it takes an SS to get up to full damage, an Elementalist has already killed everything.

So please, take your silly SS arguements elsewhere. The only thing you have a hope of taking out faster than an Elementalist, is a Surveyer.

<edit>
I DO want to point out, that this is for the Oro/FA farm only. Something like UW - SS is capable of more damage, due to the Resistance that the monsters have to basically all Elements. Of course, a Ranger with barrage and an Order Necro is even better. I'm not implying that Elementalist is ALWAYS going to be better than SS in every situation. That is not true. SS Necro's are awesome, very versatile and affective in just about every situation. So, there will always be times when SS is better than Elementalist. This particular farm, just isn't one of those times, assuming that the Elementalist knows what they are doing. (Which is another catch, because SS is just so much easier to do than a good Ele

.
<end edit>

As I was saying however, until recently, I thought SS to be more 'consistent' for the simple reason of energy. But now that I can do the same damage to one monster and not really have a care in the world about energy loss, I'm not nearly as affected by poor tanks not grouping, and I'd go so far as to say my SS is more affected by a poor tank now than my Ele.

Regarding Echo:
I have done this build with Ele/Me and using Echo. It's nice to be able to cast fireball a second time rather than using Immolate as a filler and it DOES increase damage even more. But for the farming, I like to bring Shivers, not because it's needed, because you do more damage than any healer can handle anyway, but because it quiets the SS lovers.

Re: Attributes:
I've completed both the attribute quests, and using Runes.

torquemada · Feb 24, 2006, 09:12 AM // 09:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damonias

Regarding Echo:
I have done this build with Ele/Me and using Echo. It's nice to be able to cast fireball a second time rather than using Immolate as a filler and it DOES increase damage even more. But for the farming, I like to bring Shivers, not because it's needed, because you do more damage than any healer can handle anyway, but because it quiets the SS lovers.

FTW!

Francis Crawford · Feb 24, 2006, 10:10 AM // 10:10

A couple of points:

1. One weapon that does cold damage is a candy-cane wand.

2. Another weapon that cold damage is the green curses "wand" whose name I'm forgetting -- Vilnar's?
3. Are you sure that lengthening the duration of Arcane Echo applies to "for 20 seconds is replaced by ..." clause?

And ... uh ... what is "keg farming"?

Damonias · Feb 24, 2006, 10:13 AM // 10:13

Torguemada

To answer your question from the Build Directory regarding Gryphons and Spell Breaker. Try a Burst Tank build. Basically pretend to be a warrior and let everything surround you and use burst fire/water/air/earth whatever type of burst/build you want to make and burst them to death. Burst spells do not need a target (You can target yourself and still cast them) and therefore are not affected by Spell Breaker as you don't actually have that creature targetted. (IE - Lavastorm still does damage) The two main Fire burst spells are also quick casts.
*note, this may be a bug and might be fixed at any time.

Francis

2. I use a Curse (Vinlar's Staff) weapon when using shivers. I use Rago's Staff when not using Shivers.
3. I'm not ABSOLUTELY certain Re: Lengthening Duration and Arcane Echo. It was an assumption based off the fact that it's considered an enchantment spell. I've not actually sat down and timed it... I guess I could do that right now. Testing as we speak - And what do you know, NO it does not. I DOES effect how long you have to cast your spell that is to be echo'd though. Interesting - so it's just that much harder for them to do more damage then. Thank you for pointing that out.
4. Keg and Gear farming is when you have a Tank(Ranger, Warrior, Whatever - some person that has stances that is going to take lots of hits) that holds something in their hands so that all monsters migrate to them. This means that they are the only ones that get attacked and all other players are free to do whatever they want. Usually you have two monks, a Bonder and a Healer that keep the gear tank alive while everyone else does damage.

Francis Crawford · Feb 24, 2006, 02:25 PM // 14:25

Thanks. I suspected as much re the keg farming. But I only know it in the case of Sorrow's Furnace, where what's held is actually a gear, and I haven't seen that name used. Where does one use a keg?

That said, when I'm the damage dealer in Sorrow's Furnace, I go with a build like:

Glyph of Energy (E)
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Rodgort's Invocation
Meteor Shower
Incendiary Bonds
Fireball
2 others

Others I'm experimenting with include:

Arcane Echo (obviously -- and echoing Meteor Shower improves my disruption ability)
Power Drain/Leak/whatever (the inspiration one)
Gale (also for disruption)
Heal Party
Mantra of Resolve

torquemada · Feb 24, 2006, 05:48 PM // 17:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damonias

Torguemada

To answer your question from the Build Directory regarding Gryphons and Spell Breaker. Try a Burst Tank build. Basically pretend to be a warrior and let everything surround you and use burst fire/water/air/earth whatever type of burst/build you want to make and burst them to death. Burst spells do not need a target (You can target yourself and still cast them) and therefore are not affected by Spell Breaker as you don't actually have that creature targetted. (IE - Lavastorm still does damage) The two main Fire burst spells are also quick casts.
*note, this may be a bug and might be fixed at any time.

Thanx, I'll try it. The only problem is I just recently got out of my burst, *calm like a bomb* mode addiction. Well, the rehab's for quitters anyways!

Marius Drago · Feb 24, 2006, 10:30 PM // 22:30

I really like your build that you have conjured up, Damonias. And I have a few questions. First is that you say you carry a cold damage weapon, so in battle you go from a fire damage to a cold damage to us shivers? And my second question is have you ever thought about incorporating the spell "phoenix"?

Ira Blinks · Feb 25, 2006, 04:56 AM // 04:56

Damonias
im sorry, but you play SS even worse than ele, and that is the source of illusion of semi-decency of your build.
First of all 41 is standard damage on ss (43 if you get lucky). Second it is funny how you count only SS damage against all your spells. Necro build still got desecrate enchantments, barbs and insidious parasite to add some damage. And when minions are up... throw mark of pain and watch mobs evaporate before they even think of running.

Now to your build: You dont have energy and you dont have spells to cast. Shivers alone will drain your 9 points energy pool like nothing. But that isnt even the half of the problem... You have nothing to cast. One missed shover and all your "nuking" is done.
I dont know if you ever tryed to do Orozar quest, but things are quiet bunched up there - that alone throws your echo/glyph-less build out of the window.

You lack systematic, sustainable damage. You kill one group and you have to sit there and wait... While SS build will only be getting more and more effective with increased difficulty and amount of mobs.

Francis Crawford · Feb 25, 2006, 06:35 AM // 06:35

Damonias,

I really have to challenge your arithmetic, because when I mix Fireballs into my Meteor Showers, the enemies seem much of the time to run away and not get hit by the third meteor strike (I must confess that I have difficulties seeing for sure).

That said, there only have been a couple of times I've gone down with a quality stance tank, rather than just a part-henchies or part-idiots group.

Tarkin · Feb 25, 2006, 08:15 AM // 08:15

What u farm whit this build? And if a foe get close what u do? run?