Curse

Koning · Jan 04, 2007, 06:13 PM // 18:13

With all these new NF skills, I've come up with a new mass aggro killing machine for Smites in the UW:

Sandstorm (e)
Earthquake (or dragonstomp, what you want)
Aftershock
Ancestors visage
Storm Djinn's haste
Mantra of Earth
Stone Striker
Stone flesh aura

Attributes:
16 earth
6 Energy storage
9 Illusion Magic
3 Air
8 Inspiration Magic

Insignia's :Geomancers is most optimal, however tempest works just as good, even radiant might work. Hell, you can probably do it without insignias.

Gear: Anything that you like. +5e and 20% enchanting gear is optimal. Can also use a staff if you like to wand from time to time. Shield or focus won't really matter (shield insignia with +10 vs earth would give you high defense, together with geomancers and stonestriker you can survive for a long time even without stoneflesh).

Rest is pretty straight-forward thinking. With mantra of earth + stonestriker + stoneflesh aura you take 0 damage from all hits from grasping squids and smites. So try to keep those up all the time.

Strategy:

Graspings
Pull the graspins out of aatxe sight after you used all your enchants (I start with mantra->stonestriker->storm djinn-->stoneflesh). When the graspings follow you, run to a safe place (at least at the altar where you spawn, some groups follow even further). When you've reached your 'safe spot from aatxes' start attacking them with your wand/weapon so you are making sure the graspings are wasting their d'blows on you (they normally always start off with that anyway). Count the number of d'blows. When they all wasted it, use AV. They haven't got enough adrenaline for skullcrack yet so don't worry about that. Wait 1 or 2 secs after you've put AV up (they should run out of energy now so they can't use d'blow again).
Than start casting sandstorm, followed by dragonstomp and right after that aftershock. Sometimes graspings aren't completely dead (depending on how long you've waited after casting sandstorm with your dragonstomp). If you wait a few seconds (about 3 hits of SS) and than use dragonstomp, graspings are most of the time dead in one combo. If you've casted dragonstomp immediatly after SS, you have a good chance they survive with some HP left. 2 or 3 will flee and 1 stays attacking you in sandstorm killing himself. When the other 2 (or 3) come back, they've normally gained enough energy for another D'blow. So start attacking them with your wand/weapon again to make them waste it. When you see they all wasted it, finish with either dragonstomp + aftershock, or only aftershock, depending on the HP they still got. If you feel like playing safe, cast AV another time before your finishing combo.

Same tactic with all 3 groups (remember you can lure 2 groups at a time).

After the clear the chamber part (about 3-5 min depending on how many groups you are luring at the same time) you are ready to run to the Smite area. I think we all know how to do this, otherwise I suggest looking at other threads: it's explained everywhere. For example at the sticky in this section; art of UW.
Depending on your playstyle, you can leeroy trough the second room (avoid narrow spaces combined with aatxes or you'll rubberband causing you to die) or be safe and don't aggro the grasping patrol. Even with a NM in it you can still easily get past em; just recast storm djinns.

Smites
Smites are really easy, they are just walking ecto's with a small chance they will drop it. Gather all the groups you can find in the area, put your enchants up and when they are all on you, put your visage on. Right after that start casting sandstorm, followed by earthquake, followed by aftershock. BAM, all should be dead before they even run away!

If you don't trust yourself that you can kill them in one combo, block the smites in a corner so they can't run away thus dying of the remaining sandstorm hits (which take place after your dragonstomp/aftershock combo).
It's possible to take out coldfires, but don't bother. They don't drop ecto and fighting them isn't exactly easy.

When you do things right, smites should drop in one combo, meaning in under 10 sec. No matter how big the group is (so try to take on several groups). With this knowlegde we can conclude that this is definatly the fastest solo smite run around. Runs are easily done around 12 minutes, with my top run of 9.33 I think..

Feel free to post your comments, I'm looking forward to read them

video:Number 1
video of killing graspings all at once: Number 2

Note: also after several updates on AV and Sandstorm this build is still possible.

tuna-fish_sushi · Jan 04, 2007, 06:25 PM // 18:25

Nice build we need a mass aggro build for these smites just a question for you, is this faster then the VwK build before the update?

Koning · Jan 04, 2007, 06:47 PM // 18:47

yes, smites are dead in like 10 sec or less, and with VwK (altough I was mesmer instead of rt with only 12 restoration) was more like 30 secs. (I cannot imagine the extra 8 damage would shape off 20 secs, friends who did have rt also say they like this more)

tuna-fish_sushi · Jan 04, 2007, 07:24 PM // 19:24

alright thanks for the quick reply now to get my ele through nightfall to cap sandstorm ><

Why_Me · Jan 04, 2007, 08:45 PM // 20:45

amazing....
Another kill-them-before-they-run build, but for UW!
And its even faster than previous 55/SS farming!!!
I love you

Enko · Jan 04, 2007, 09:44 PM // 21:44

i'm assuming you just forgot but rest of points go into inspiration right?

so total stats:
16 Earth
8 Energy
5 Air
8 Illusion
7 Inspiration

speedy21589 · Jan 05, 2007, 12:21 AM // 00:21

I have been doing this myself for a couple of weeks. I use the same skills, but my attributes are slightly different: 16 earth, 10 inspiration, 8 illusion, rest into air and energy storage (i get a 12 second storm djinn's). I've discovered that energy storage isn't really needed when MoE gives 2 energy per hit.

As for how fast it is, it is definitely very fast: I timed one of my runs to be just over 10 minutes, and even that run involved some scattering of smites after Sandstorm -> EQ -> AS. Conceivably a perfect run could easily go sub-10 minutes.

A couple of other tips that I've gathered from doing this:
-in terms of safety, it may be wise to put up storm djinn's and "aggro" the two staircases, just to lure out nightmares. Nothing is worse than having a run ruined by a nightmare that strips your enchants just before the graspings hit you. (I suppose you could wand it - I even have a 15>50 customized earth staff for that - but distracting blow could catch you in the middle of an attack, and then you'd be screwed). To kill those nightmares that are now revealed, you can earthquake them (I'm sure theres probably a more efficient way to kill them, but its funny to EQ them).

-if a nightmare pops up while you are gathering smite aggro, don't panic. Even if it manages to strip your enchants, smites won't be able to kill you before you put up stoneflesh again unless you have a really large aggro. Of course, if you are quick and accurate with your mouse and keyboard, you could target it and use EQ, or wand it to death (assuming you have your enchants up so smites don't kill you - sometimes I run around aggroing without stoneflesh or striker up, then put them up as I find a safe spot to massacre them

)

-smite scattering does seem to be fairly random. I'm not quite sure why it happens, although it does seem to happen less with smaller groups. At any rate, the smites have no real chance of killing you unless you forget to maintain your enchants.

-if you accidentally aggro coldfires, it is possible to run away from them, if you are good at dodging projectiles. As long as you can avoid the shard storms, you can put up storm djinn's and lose their aggro (even though they run unnaturally fast)

-one of the slowest, most annoying parts of the run is running through that intermediate chamber with the aatxes and graspings. If you arrive at a bad time you are pretty much forced to wait; it is fairly difficult to lose grasping aggro, although not impossible. I've noticed sometimes that aggroing that aatxe group will bring graspings along, even if they weren't close to the aatxes at all. To be safe, you'd want to wait until its pretty clear. This is probably the one part of the run that could be sped up; maybe someone else has a good strategy to get through without too much waiting?

I also made a video of one of my runs (not a very good run, it was about ~18 minutes because the graspings aggroed erratically in the beginning), but its fairly large. I'll post the link later if people want to see it.

ryanryanryan0310 · Jan 05, 2007, 03:32 AM // 03:32

Where's the love for the cows...

Captain Arne Is PRO · Jan 05, 2007, 03:37 AM // 03:37

-one of the slowest, most annoying parts of the run is running through that intermediate chamber with the aatxes and graspings. If you arrive at a bad time you are pretty much forced to wait; it is fairly difficult to lose grasping aggro, although not impossible. I've noticed sometimes that aggroing that aatxe group will bring graspings along, even if they weren't close to the aatxes at all. To be safe, you'd want to wait until its pretty clear. This is probably the one part of the run that could be sped up; maybe someone else has a good strategy to get through without too much waiting?

Put up your Storm Djinn's Haste and just Leeroy on through them, the Graspings always stop right after the stair case.

I also made a video of one of my runs (not a very good run, it was about ~18 minutes because the graspings aggroed erratically in the beginning), but its fairly large. I'll post the link later if people want to see it.

If you could find a quick Upload/Download site and post it that'd be awsome. I'd like to see how you kill the smites so fast.. In my personal experience by the time I finish casting Earthquake they're JUST outside of Sandstorm / Aftershock range.

Xiaxhou of Trinity · Jan 05, 2007, 03:44 AM // 03:44

If the 5 air is just for Storm Djinn's Haste, why not dump air all together and throw in illusion of haste?

Captain Arne Is PRO · Jan 05, 2007, 03:53 AM // 03:53

After extensive play using both of those skills, Storm Djinn's Haste is just easier to use.

Illusion of Haste is easier to use on Me/X builds due to fast casting, but the extra 3/4 second casting on Illusion of Haste is extremely annoying.

Besides, Storm Djinn's Haste has next to no drawback. You aren't spamming skills or in need of much energy while running. Running with SDH on is like running 33% faster on a character with only 1 pip of Energy Regen. By the time the SDH ends you'll have regained the 5 energy needed to cast it again, anyways.

Koning · Jan 05, 2007, 10:02 AM // 10:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enko

i'm assuming you just forgot but rest of points go into inspiration right?

so total stats:
16 Earth
8 Energy
5 Air
8 Illusion
7 Inspiration

8 Inspiration actually (39% damage reduction), sorry I was in a haste (needed to win money with poker

)

It's indeed possible to 'leeroy' through that group (if there isn't a nightmare with them ofcourse). The grasping group will stop chasing your when you reach the staircase that leads to the smite area. I did it like twice, but most of the time it's safer to wait.

Energy storage is indeed not really needed because you have very good energy management, but I like it the way it is (I got 74 energy).

The scattering problem is indeed very random, sometimes the smites stay on you untill you fully casted earthquake so they are KD'd, sometimes they run off b4 you fully casted it, making sure they survive because you aftershock won't hit them. From my experience it doesn't make any difference how large your aggro is, I had times I killed em all in 1 combo, and times that a couple ran off.

About Nightmares; in the chamber they shouldn't really pose a threat to you. If you don't run in too far and run back (with the graspings on you) far enough they cannot rend you, they stop with their rending when you are far enough back and don't follow you. When they DO rend you by accident (also never lure a group if a patrolling nightmare is near them), make sure that graspings used their disrubting blow and put on AV quickly, followed by your enchants. after that, 1 aftershock should kill the nightmare.
Same in the smite area, if a nightmare pops up while you are gathering your smites, 1 quick aftershock takes care of the nightmare.

You CAN outrun the coldfires, but i also had times they followed me through half UW (and I died without honer).

Oh, and maybe I'll add a video if I have time today...

Kcp · Jan 05, 2007, 10:26 AM // 10:26

Excellent build Koning

Fastest killing of smites solo ( so far, yes I said it ) in the history of gw's. Shame the Aatxe drop most of the ectos and gems though, I feel bad leaving all of those aatxe standing in the first two chambers

The actual stats aren't really that important besides the 16 earth imo, you can tweak them around to suit your own needs.

Thnx for the free skill pts for my ele, I was needing them after deleting and remaking ele's 3 times now. I remade my third ele just because I loved sandstorm so much, who cares if things scatter anymore, game got nuked bad, might as well dish out massive punishment on Anet's creations in retaliation.

Bloodied Blade · Jan 05, 2007, 11:50 AM // 11:50

Very nice job Koning. It's interesting that you don't have a self heal, but I guess you probably don't need it with only ~10s fights.

One way you could possibly kill CFNs is to hide behind a wall and sandstorm + earthquake them down. Not quite sure how this would work, but you can poison them down, so I guess it couldn't be that much harder.

I'll have to remake an elem and try this over the weekend. Once again, great job.

-BB

Koning · Jan 05, 2007, 01:39 PM // 13:39

Thnx for positive feedback guys

I made a quick video this morning:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKIhu1J8oY4
the actually run was about 12-13 min, but because youtube I had to make it less than 10 min.

AscalonWarrior · Jan 05, 2007, 01:56 PM // 13:56

Just watched the video, wow.

Need to go futher into Elona with my elementalist to cap Sandstorm ^^
Really nice build

Ecksor · Jan 05, 2007, 03:42 PM // 15:42

I just watched the video... this build is very hot, and my Ele needs skill points. I'm working on my Ele right now to cap Sandstorm.

DarioLeanza · Jan 05, 2007, 04:01 PM // 16:01

demn I need to cap Sandstorm, is it possible to do without it?

EinherjarMx · Jan 05, 2007, 04:30 PM // 16:30

I'm so glad that eles got some love in nightfall, btw, in the video i didn't see a dying nightmare pop up, what if they do? will they loose the aggro too?
this is really a great build

Koning · Jan 05, 2007, 04:39 PM // 16:39

I don't think you can do it without sandstorm (but you probably expected this answer

, sandstorm brings enemies quickly down to about 50%, than b4 they run away earthquake knocks em down and aftershock finish's em off.

95 out of 100 times time nightmares indeed loose aggro if you walk far enough back (watch the video). And if I remember correctly, a nightmare did pop up in the vid, but I ran far back so it didn't pose a threat.