Curse

Numa Pompilius · Nov 24, 2005, 01:52 PM // 13:52

Need help coming up with a decent farm build for my Me/N. It's not for cash, but for EXP, and with the build I got I can farm griffons & minotaur - but only if I take Lina with me, which sortof defeats the idea.

Build:

(I normally concentrate on casters, that's why I've got a superior dom rune)

The skills are Physical Resistance, Arcane Echo, Spiteful Spirit, Mark of Pain, Ether Feast, Energy Tap, and whatever (here Channeling).

Tactics: I start by casting PhysRes and AE before the fight, open with a spiteful spirit & mark of pain, then an energy tap, then a second spiteful on a second target.

The first wave goes down quite easily, but any adds or griffins hanging back and I'm in trouble, because my tankability and self-heal is low.

Suggestions?

glountz · Nov 24, 2005, 02:12 PM // 14:12

Hello,
I'm not a mesmer expert (I have one but he's only lvl 16.)
Maybe drop Channeling for Enfeebling blood (Curses)?
Monsters should strike for much less damage, bringing to you the additonal protection you need....
Suffering can also accelerate ennemy death. But you are not as good at this game as a curse necromancer....
And I'm not sure your energy management can survive without channeling...
Anyway, as you have no domination spell, let down your dom sup rune, either to gain health or to take Inspiration sup rune.

Vexed Arcanist · Nov 24, 2005, 04:42 PM // 16:42

Why do you have a signet of capture? Drop it and put Insidious Parasite in it's place for those last few that are hanging back. It should help you vs. their damage. You don't have much energy, why is that? You should at least be over 40. Consider, if you have energy issues, using a weapon switch with +15/-1 wand and +15/12/30/-1 focus for an energy pick-me-up when you get low.

Quote:

Originally Posted by glountz

Maybe drop Channeling for Enfeebling blood (Curses)?

This is counter-intuitive to Spiteful Spirit. You want them to attack as fast as they can so spiteful triggers faster. If you slow them down you kill them slower. That is the hallmark of my issue with many necro curses, they are counter-intuitive in combinations.

a cadet · Nov 24, 2005, 05:30 PM // 17:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vexed Arcanist

This is counter-intuitive to Spiteful Spirit. You want them to attack as fast as they can so spiteful triggers faster. If you slow them down you kill them slower.

The condition Weakness decreases the amount of damage the target does, it does not decrease the attack speed. For a complete list of conditions, check this link.

Numa Pompilius · Nov 24, 2005, 05:48 PM // 17:48

The capsig is just because I couldn't think of anything to put there.

I tried Enfeebling Blood, and it did help - thanks! I can now take 3-4 griffons or minotaurs solo, but the 'hangers back' still cause problems because they come in when my health and energy are low. I usually make it, but there's no margins: If I get late adds or rockshots showing up - forgetaboutit!

Killing the minos/griffons is quick, but then I have to wait to get my health back before the next group, so it takes a looong time to clear out the area.

Another problem is that the mobs run from Mark of Pain, so I only used it when I really wanted them to bugger off and let me cast Ether Feast in peace. It's a real shame because Mark of Pain does tremendous amounts of damage.

Anyway, farming with this build nowhere near as quick or effective as my axe warrior, and a single mistake and I'm dead, but hey, it works. I levelled and got the skillpoint I needed!

unamed player · Nov 24, 2005, 06:00 PM // 18:00

Maybe you could try switing to ranger secondary. You can use spirits to convert damage to an element. Then run a mantra that will give you energy&50% defence to that particular element. Saves you skill slots and you can focus on killing them with a high energy pool and attack skills. You could also bring troll ungent and be invincible. It would probably be slow going but you would definitly survive out there alone.

glountz · Nov 24, 2005, 07:18 PM // 19:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vexed Arcanist

This is counter-intuitive to Spiteful Spirit. You want them to attack as fast as they can so spiteful triggers faster. If you slow them down you kill them slower. That is the hallmark of my issue with many necro curses, they are counter-intuitive in combinations.

I don't think so. Curses one of have the best anti-warrior skills in the game. It is really important to read carefully the text on each skill.
FOr example, Empathy and Spiteful Spritit deals damage to one foe if he attacks. The important thing is that, if you attack doesn't mean if you hit a foe. So, even if the targeted warrior miss his attack, he will take damage from Empathy/Spiteful spirit. And then some skill like Price of Failure and Spirit of failure can be combined with those skills.
For Insidious Parasite, you steal life from a foe only if he hits, so make him miss his attacks is not a good idea.

BTW and back to the topic, I think Numa that having a so high Inspiration magic attribute is kinda weird, as it will mainly improve Ether feast (Energy tap/Channeling isn't that much affected by this attribute (for channeling it's only a question of duration and max of ennemies but I sincerely doubt that you will fight more than 5 ennemies in one time), and you have your +40 AL against physical with Physical resistance whatever Inspiration magic score you have.

I was thinking of a build like this to solo farm with my mesmer, with something like:
Illusion 10+1+3
Curses 11
Inspiration magic 8+1
rest in Fast cast.

With:
Arcane echo
Spiteful spirit
Mark of Pain
Enfeebling blood
Distortion
Sympathetic visage
Illusion of weakness
Channeling
I know it has great flaws, but maybe it can be improved a lot.
The main problem being to manage successfully your mana and not to be killed when Illusion of weakness have gone!...
A solo mesmer build would be fun as so many groups don't invite them.

Sentao Nugra · Nov 24, 2005, 07:30 PM // 19:30

try:

sig of midnight
epidemic
distortion
spirit of failure
physical resistance
ether feast
conjure phantasm
empathy

16 illusion
11 inspiration
10 domination

i used to use something of the sort for farming griffs/mino with my mesmer

casting order:
*note about distortion, cast it whenever it dies off (5 seconds)*
distortion
physical resistance
sig of midnight
epidemic
spirit of failure
conjure phantasm
*switch target*
conjure phantasm
empathy
ether feast

then rotate through sof on a new target, conjures, and empathy while keeping healed with ether feast

glountz · Nov 25, 2005, 12:14 PM // 12:14

Why use both signet of midnight-Epidemic AND distortion?
Once they're all Blinded, Distortion doesn't matter, no?

Numa Pompilius · Nov 25, 2005, 01:33 PM // 13:33

Always nice to have a backup in case of rockshots, I guess.

I haven't tested this build yet but - doesn't it take ages to kill off the mobs with just Conjure Phantasm & Empathy?

The Son Of Morgoth · Nov 25, 2005, 01:37 PM // 13:37

Yeah this is why i farm as a mo/n

Sentao Nugra · Nov 25, 2005, 05:43 PM // 17:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by glountz

Why use both signet of midnight-Epidemic AND distortion?
Once they're all Blinded, Distortion doesn't matter, no?

for about a 97% chance to evade/block their attacks, and gain energy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Numa Pompilius

Always nice to have a backup in case of rockshots, I guess.

I haven't tested this build yet but - doesn't it take ages to kill off the mobs with just Conjure Phantasm & Empathy?

actually the rockshots are easier than the mino, but it doesnt really matter.

(15*5)+((27/1.33)*18)=x
75+365=x
x=440

so one more conjure means mino=dead

the only real hard part about this is healing yourself and making sure you have spirit of failure and distortion on all the time.

p.s. this build could possibly work with aataxe, but after 6 tries unsuccessfully with a modded version, im doubting it

Color It Red · Dec 03, 2005, 11:08 AM // 11:08

I don't get it how do you really farm w/ mesmers.

Flapper McSparkles · Dec 03, 2005, 06:10 PM // 18:10

Every mesmer everywhere should read the following post:

http://forums.gwonline.net/showthrea...highlight=Solo

That guy made a mesmer build to solo Aatxes in the Underworld. It is amazing. The only change necissary is losing Chaos Storm (because monsters flee from it now).

Using basically his build, i can solo farm minotaurs and griffons like crazy. My build (though basically the same as in the link):

Distortion
Sig of Midnight
Epidemic
Spirit of Failure
Wastrel's Worry
Empathy
Phantom Pain
Ether Feast.

Fast Cast 4+1
Domination 10+1+3
Illusion 11+1
Inspiration 9+1

With this build, you aggro, and while you wait for the whole mob to get to you, use Distortion. Once the whole mob is adjacent, Sig of Midnight and Epidemic. Then cast Spirit of Failure on one of them. Now you are practically indestructable, as long as you've had some practice to make sure you don't do anything dumb. They have virtually no chance to hit you between being perma-blind AND distortion. You have an endless rediculous amount of energy with Spirit of Failure giving you 4 energy each time the enemy misses.

Now you just have to deal some damage with your remaining 4 skills. Wastrel's Worry is surprisingly good, because griffons and minotaurs barely use any skills at all. Empathy will chip away at them quite effectively, with as fast as griffons attack. Phantom Pain is much better than conjure phantasm because of the deep wound it causes. This is the same as a few hundred points of damage on a high-level monster. With those three, you'll have the first of the mob killed around the first time you have to recast Sig of Midnight and Epidemic.

Ether Feast is just for when you make a mistake and have to regain some health. Technically, if you play the build perfectly you don't need this skill, but we all make mistakes, and its nice to be able to recover from them.

Just make sure that there is ALWAYS at least one enemy with Spirit of Failure on it. Without that steady stream of energy, you're screwed.

vvh · Dec 05, 2005, 10:48 AM // 10:48

If you wanna farm exp, go north of droknars and farm trolls. With scroll, I usually get at least 4000 exp in every run.(336 exp from each troll to be exact after the bonus exp from scroll)

boxterduke · Dec 06, 2005, 03:50 PM // 15:50

I have a monk but in desert and other placed I started using my mesmer to farm with a 55 build. Works great, also great against those devourers since mesmer fast cast helps.
Mesmer superior runes are dirt cheap.

Channeling
Healing Breeze
Protective Spirit
Orison of Healing (key skill here since it substitutes for the heals you get from devine favor if you were to use a monk)
Arcane Echo
SoJ
Mending
Balthazar's Spirit

Vexed Arcanist · Dec 06, 2005, 05:04 PM // 17:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by boxterduke

I have a monk but in desert and other placed I started using my mesmer to farm with a 55 build. Works great, also great against those devourers since mesmer fast cast helps.
Mesmer superior runes are dirt cheap.

Channeling
Healing Breeze
Protective Spirit
Orison of Healing (key skill here since it substitutes for the heals you get from devine favor if you were to use a monk)
Arcane Echo
SoJ
Mending
Balthazar's Spirit

Ugh...you kill them with SoJ alone? That must be torture, not sure I could endure such a slow means to kill.

Lady Lozza · Dec 07, 2005, 10:25 AM // 10:25

I don't know if anyone has suggested this but try hunting hydra.

FrogDevourer · Dec 07, 2005, 10:38 AM // 10:38

A Me/Mo should be able to farm decently. Use a standard 55 build, and deal damage with smiting (arcane echo + SoJ + ZF) or Domination. Not nearly as efficient as the original Mo/Me with 16 smiting and Aura of Faith, but good enough if you're only looking for cheap XP. Mesmers lack the ability to deal reliable AoE/group damage so a monk secondary is your fastest and easiest option.

Banebow · Dec 07, 2005, 03:12 PM // 15:12

I agree with FrogDevourer, when I farm for experience or gold I use a Me/Mo. Now, my damage comes from IW rather than smiting, but hydras are low enough on hp that you can kill two of them every cast of IW.

I have yet to attempt any serious farming as a Me/*. With the low armor, lack of strong and fast self-healing, and no point-blank aoes, you have to rely on your secondary for both damage and protection. Now, you could run the "blind mesmer" that has been posted, but hydras could care less about blind.

For Hydra farming I use:
Protective spirit
Power drain
Conjure phantasm
Illusionary weaponry {E}
Healing breeze
balthazar's aura
Essence bond
Mending (gotta love mending)

16 illusion
9 healing
8 prot
7 fast casting?
4-5 inspiration

I don't have the build in front of me, but you should dump the remaining points into fast casting after doing illusion magic, healing prayers, and protection prayers. The one or two points left over go to inspiration.

You can also kill aataxes with a very similar build, but the grasping darknesses will still get you.