Curse

Wolydarg · Sep 12, 2006, 09:44 PM // 21:44

I original posted this at The Ranger's Beacon and forgot to post here >_>
http://rangersbeacon.17.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=153

::Warning:: Must be Infused to do this run >_>

My gear I used:

Wilderness mask of Sup Wilderness
Sentry Set
Sup Vigor
Minor Expertise

Icy Dragon Sword of Defense/Crimson Carapace shield from the Desert(-2 +45 while in stance)

1. Escape {e}
2. Dodge
3. Zojun's Haste
4. Dryder's Defenses
5. Illusion of Weakness
6. Illusion of Haste
7. Hex Breaker
8. Troll Unguent

12 Illusion
2 Dom
10+1 Expertise
8+1+3 Wilderness Survival

made quite some money running this run, very very easy. There will probably be better builds out there, but this is a down and dirty version of a build that can work in this run. Wasn't too sure of an elite to put in here so I just stuck escape in.

The run from Iron mines to Ice floe consists of guiles that will strip illusion enchantments, so don't bother putting them on, just escape, dodge, dodge2 through the mobs, troll if you need to.

Area 1 is the possible spawn location area of the ice imp/giant tree things that use barb traps. Most of the time the group spawns out of your way, but if it spawns in your way, run in with hex breaker, get the mind freeze on you, and when mind freeze runs out, dodge, hopefully you'll be able to break aggro. If they mind freze you again, go into hex breaker mode. As soon as you see a mind freeze do -15 -14 or something like that on you, hit zojun's haste and get out of there. They don't do much damage, not life threatening, just a tad annoying at this part.

Area 2 sometimes spawn jade dudes, sometimes doesn't, just put it there to let you know what to expect. Escape/dodge/zojun's past them, you have a lot of leeway to run in between them, but don't go hugging them just in case their wild blow comes out. Wild blow = Bad.

When you get to Ice Floe, use Illusion of Weakness as a safety measure in the upcoming run, and follow the path here.

Picture Time!

This is a relatively easy run. Sometimes Pinesouls will appear with the ice imps, Illusion of Haste is only used to get rid of cripple and get out of there. Otherwise your other stances will do fine.

Feedback appreciated, I don't care if you don't like the font, as long as you can read it, it's fine :P

Also, I realize my literary skills have greatly diminished in the absence of school, so forgive any horrible rapeage of the english language.

Ask questions here, I might be busy in game to respond to PMs

Nivryx · Sep 13, 2006, 10:13 PM // 22:13

well looking at the forum, isee 0 replies and 41 views, and i hate it when that happens to something i have spent some time working on. seems like a pretty detailed guide, going to try it step by step some time soon whenever i have a spare minute, but if i remember correctly i was able to get it from thunderhead keep as r/mo, heal area can be quite useful when your running 12 healing prayers. i believe my build looked something like this:

escape
storm chaser
healing breeze
heal area
troll unguent
holy veil
purge conditions
mending

forget the exact attributes apart from healing prayers. i pretty much used this build to explore all of the ice floe while working on my 100% cartographer title and it worked well. i like my build though because it actually uses my energy - without depending on it 100%, i like being able to use my energy quite a bit, and running as a ranger with high expertise, you usually keep it pretty high, heal area and healing breeze are both meant as last minute saves and can work nicely with storm chaser while running through ice imps. yes, they hex you down to a walk, but holy veil yourself, but don't use it. instead, use troll unguent to keep your health at a decent level and wait until the hex wears off to activate storm chaser while holy veil is still on, once they hex you again, disenchant holy veil and try to get heal area and healing breeze if you don't think you can break aggro.

you may want to note that frostbound armor helps with encounters vs ice imps, but not 100% necessary. likewise with my preference, the +10 stance armor now that factions is out although i always used my druids before factions.

overall nice guide, i like detailed maps, they alone make me want to try this build because i can see you spent some time putting them together.

Wolydarg · Sep 14, 2006, 07:52 PM // 19:52

Thanks Nivryx

With the recent buff to Mind Freeze, ice imps might get more annoying, but I don't see them as life threatening, I'll try to get a run in if my download ever finishes >_>

Nivryx · Sep 14, 2006, 11:13 PM // 23:13

ha, yeah i saw that 'various mobs in shiverpeaks balanced' or whatever clause...im close enough if my memory serves well. then someone posted a screenshot of the cooldown for mind freeze...i hope it isnt as bad as it seems but it makes me think im going to be walking for a bit of time when i run through them. hope the dl finishes well =/ just left mine up while i was at school

Evilsod · Sep 14, 2006, 11:48 PM // 23:48

I think they may have just sorted the groups out. If you have ever been to the Ice Dome on an exploration trip you'd know exactly why. The number of enemies in there is totally insane... some areas of Ice Floe have insanely high numbers or Mursaat in it too.

I don't see how you can't be stopped by the Mursaat groups though. Hex Breaker is a very poor hex removal around areas of heavy hexing. You can't choose what it stops. The moment a Thunderclap gets through you suffer, specially if in some bizarre stroke of bad luck the Ele is actually holding an Air Wand!

Wolydarg · Sep 15, 2006, 02:12 AM // 02:12

I think Hex Breaker's only purpose in the build is to escape ice imps with more ease. Those groups near THK? IIRC they're all Jade Armors, Bows, Monks, and Mesmers. And that 10 man ele patrol is the only reason you have to follow at a distance, as 2 thunderclaps are cast at a time with chain lightning's and stuff right after it. I'll definitely have time tomorrow to see if the buffed ice imps pose any problems..

Nivryx · Sep 15, 2006, 01:04 PM // 13:04

yet another reason to go r/mo, you'll not only have great skills like mending but also holy veil.

Quote:

Originally Posted by holy veil

While you maintain this enchantment, any hex cast on target ally takes twice as long to cast. When Holy Veil ends, one hex is removed from target ally.

precast and disenchant yourself when the appropriate hex is on top of the stack. youll be able to keep your running stance up as well as protect yourself from being slowed down. hex breaker only protects against 1 hex before it ends, and it also causes you to cancel your running stance (which i personally don't favor).

Wolydarg · Sep 15, 2006, 08:57 PM // 20:57

The learning curve for this run is quite steep now, no longer the nub runner's guide =(

Ice Imps are still manageable with hex breaker, but I bet those R/Mo builds could work better. Especially since Healing Hands would totally own Spectral Agony and Maelstorm(assuming you get it off first). If Nivryx could refine their R/Mo build for this area it would most likely beat a R/me, once again, just a build that works ^_^

Nivryx · Sep 15, 2006, 09:23 PM // 21:23

ill try to remember to work on it next time i get on, i was home all day and didn't even think about it while i was just doing random acts of kindness >.< healing hands would be interesting to incorperate, ill just have to cap it first.

Nivryx · Sep 16, 2006, 07:53 AM // 07:53

10 healing
12 expertise (11+1)
14 wilderness survival (10+1+3)

escape
storm chaser
dryders
purge conditions
heal area
troll ungient
holy veil
mending

was able to make it there with that, just a matter of how reliably

purge conditions can be knocked out imo, just gotta make sure your watching the pinesoles and seeing where they are laying the traps

Wolydarg · Sep 18, 2006, 02:33 AM // 02:33

I think if anything mending can be knocked out =P

Not insinuating runners that use mending are nub, of course. *wink**wink*

Anywho, I'll give your build a try tomorrow if I get the chance, was too busy this weekend with double alliance stuff.

Nivryx · Sep 18, 2006, 02:23 PM // 14:23

i've been chest running the ice floe for some 100+ keys now, i'd strongly encourage mending to be kept. life transfer gives massive degen if you happen to run into a mursaat necromancer, and its best to keep yourself from as little degen as possible. and in all honesty, i've only seen a few pinesols at that spawn while chest running the ice floe, and the first two pinesoles in the frozen forest are at the very start, you can easily watch where they are laying their traps. thus it is in my honest opinion that purge conditions is unneccessary, if you want it to be kept, by all means. but i've replaced it with healing breeze incase you need a quick cast counter degen.

additionally, i've noticed it better to have as little energy as possible at some parts of the run, as energy surge from the mursaat mesmers can deal quite a bit of damage if your energy is high. therefore i have two weapons sets: one normal, and one energy hiding as follows:

set 1:
+5 energy katana (end game canthan crafter, but any +5e sword/axe works fine) & crimson carapace shield (stance)

set 2:
-5 energy sword (random gold drop) & forgotten fan (-2e)

with non-druids armor (i use +10a while in stance), you have 30 energy with weapon set 1, and 18 with weapon set. the forgotten fan has a +12e req 9 illusion. since you don't meet that req, you still get 3 energy, but it also has a -5energy in its stats, so you end up with a net of -2e from the fan, and -7 from the whole set.

generally i've found the 18e is fine even with keeping holy veil and mending up at all times, if you happen to run into an energy crisis due to energy surge or something else, you can easily switch to your other weapon set for the energy to do whatever you need, just be sure to switch back so you don't get totally screwed. adittionally, storm chaser can quickly get you back energy if you are going through imps or a mursaat elementalist, the downside to this is that a mursaat elementalist may boost your energy only for a mursaat mesmer to e surge you, causing damage. before running through groups with the mursaat mesmers i also just waste as much energy as i can to prevent damage from esurge, casting healing breeze is a great way to do this by giving yourself plenty of regen, as well as taking away 10 energy.

thats pretty much all that comes to mind, although all of this is from chest running, the majority, if not all, of it should be applicable to running the ice floe portion of the grotto run.