Curse

medulla · Sep 10, 2006, 01:38 AM // 01:38

I consider this the luxon equivalent to the bonder; it's cheap. it's obvious. it works.

Profession: Mesmer/Assassin
Type: Luxon Aspenwood
Category: Degen / Upset build

Attributes:
Fast Casting: 4 + 2
Illusion: 10 + 3 + 1
Inspiration: 7 + 1
Shadow Arts: 12

Skill Set:
Arcane Echo (No Attribute)
Ether Feast (Inspiration)
Shadow Form (Shadow Arts) {Elite}
Conjure Phantasm (Illusion)
Energy Tap (Inspiration)
Images of Remorse (Illusion)
Accumulated Pain (Illusion)
Drain Enchantment (Inspiration)

+ 20% enchantment staff
~51 energy

Summary:
This is for converting aspenwood from a semi pvp to a pve. You can cast phantasm, images of remorse, and accumulated pain normally at the beginning. When the inner gates go down, your job is to get an unexpected kill in. Either taking down 2 green gate members, or slipping in with an amber runner and taking down a gatekeeper, you are an upset character. Echo of Shadow Form gives you plenty of time to degen, and deep wound any npc, killing them without attention. At the beginning of the game, gatekeepers will go down quick. Anyhow, when your inner gate goes down-->arcane echo, run in a little and cast shadow form. I recommend taking green gate mesmers first since they aren't often bonded, and they interrupt other potential gate attackers. However, all their interrupts will fail against you.

Concerns: The biggest concern is that with a 20% enchant staff, you must watch for Shadow Form to begin blinking and immediately recast. Otherwise, arcane echo will end before you get both uses. Trappers are rather easy to avoid. (It's sorta lame to see them try) Touch rangers still work on you unfortunately. However, this is kamikaze style. When your second shadow form ends, your real shadow form will almost be ready, along with arcane echo. Just keep casting degen until you die. It's very renewable. Upon completion of both shadow forms, death becomes your energy management. You just killed a gatekeeper..... As long as your group isn't conservative and lame, this build makes a huge difference. Drain enchantment is for early game bonders and/or gatekeeper's protective spirit. (though only drain enchantment on gatekeepers if you need energy or others are attacking. your attacks will not be effected by protective spirit)

It is really fun to have the entire kurzick team surrounding you as your finish off an npc. They feel some sort of elation when you go down, even the 5th time you've preoccupied the entire team. I don't quite understand that.... Seeing the amber runner bewildered for a bit. He drops his amber and swipes away or fails in all attempts to cast something offensively. The best is when he is publically reprimanded by his group for letting me in. The worst is when someone publically yells "KILL HER FIRST!" & Suddenly the whole team are my sheep. When you resurrect and run in a little, both Arcane Echo and Shadow Form are ready.

Some variations suggested to me are Channeling instead of Energy Tap, which works at the green gate but not the gatekeepers. Being a primary assassin, which causes the 1st cast of shadow form to last too long to catch the a. echoed form. With lvl 12 shadow form, the blinking is your telltale sign that its time to recast. (So therefore higher illusion is the preferred investment) Using clumsiness...... shadow form + images of remorse accomplishes ~ the same thing plus 4 degen. Death's Charge is interchangeable with ether feast though - use the person opening the gate from the inside as your target. I don't use this as it's rare that this will make a difference. If the gate is opened, chances are you get in.

medulla · Sep 12, 2006, 09:57 PM // 21:57

no thoughts at all?

Hella Good · Sep 13, 2006, 04:10 AM // 04:10

How many people play those do you think? A very niche build, no other but someone with experience playing those can comment on. I know for my part I have 0 interest in the format.

medulla · Sep 13, 2006, 04:18 AM // 04:18

well thank you for your time. any thoughts from anyone who has tried this?

Pick Me · Sep 13, 2006, 05:21 PM // 17:21

Why bother getting yourself killed?

Is it the Assassin in you that prevents you from running away before that happens?

In PvE, I can see this being somewhat effective, just as long as your party is doing their job too (one slip and you could be dead quickly).

In PvP, I can see people with enchantment removal skills (not spells). You are dead in 3 shots.

Now I don't PvP, but does anyone know if Cripple shot works against Shadow Form? I mean it works against Mist Form.

Honestly, I don't see any problems with mesmers who don't interupt. I carry (if possible) shatter hex. I'll walk right upto you and cast it. Then plague touch you. You could use deep wounds more than me

My monk carries mend ailment and remove hex. Accumulated pain will do nothing, but if it does, mend ailment removes it.

At any rate, what runes are you using?

Major rune - fast cast
Minor rune - inspiration
Sup rune - illusion

Am I right?

I've never tried this, but would Illusionary weakness trigger from the Shadow Form ending effect?

Since you have no running skills, have you looked at Dark Escape? Drop Accumulated Pain and IoR, and get Phantom Pain and Dark Escape. You get the benefits of AP and IoR (except for the initial damage portion), but you get a cover hex (from PP) and you have a movement stance that will also reduce any damage you take (except from hexes, conditions and vampiric skills).

medulla · Sep 13, 2006, 07:18 PM // 19:18

This is horrible for PvE or anywhere else resulting in death penalty.

There are very few non-spell enchantment strips. (Signet of Disenchantment comes to mind, but that causes you to lose all energy to remove 1 enchantment. Who does that? If they did cast it, they have no energy and you still have another Shadow Form.) Well of Profane, well you have no need to remain in a single spot. If they are that prepared for you, then you aren't doing this right. & There aren't bodies around when you do these slip-in kamikaze runs. Anything like the spirit 'Disenchantment' misses. I guess the rarely used Expunge Enchantments would work. Personally, I've never had the enchantment pulled off - just the clicks of a mesmer trying "Drain Enchantment". Name one specifically, if you would.

Your analysis of my runes is correct.

So why is it okay to die so much is probably the biggest issue. The thing is you're a renewable resource. The gatekeepers and gunther are not. The timing works out beautifully for the recharges. You can just run in and repeat this combo. (A lot of games end without the green gate even going down - my bad) But as even Crippling Shot misses and all spells etc fail, no need for a speed boost. Pre-existing traps get you, but Shadow Form lets you take the path less taken, right through the NPCs in the middle of their base.

Illusion of Weakness will not be triggered by Shadow Form. If you intend to live through Shadow Form, you'd have to be mo/a or, less preferred a/mo, and use divine intervention.

& As for plague touch... Well you, the opposing player, won't be attacked. This build is for completely ignoring any human players. *closes eyes* They just don't exist unless you need to help a teammate. You don't want to waste yourself on someone just as renewable as you are & 2x Shadow Form lets you do this. Any type of hex removal is kindly greeted by 5 sec recharge times of my hexes. As for killing me (instead of the Shadow Form - meaning successful run)? Elementalists have their 'in the area' spells, but never enough to kill. If they can't do it, only the touch ranger can.

& If they are effectively countering you, that means that 1 offensive and 1 healing character are restrained to stay inside the green gate. In this way, if you aren't killing the gatekeepers, at least the rest of your team has a much easier time capturing mines, opening gates etc. There is a bigger picture, even if this build seems very solo.

There are also those painful matches where the green gate sits wide open but the entire offense is just sitting inside. Seemingly almost impossible to overcome without a turtle, you simply walk through.

Phantom Pain sounds worth looking into though... Note that a Gatekeeper can go down in 17 seconds or less with this build, and Acc Pain's deep wound is 19 seconds at this level. I'm not sure how delaying the deep wound would effect the kill. And you want a deep wound ASAP because you want to work their health down from a lower number. (*edit* invalid:If you get them to 20 health and then they suffer a deep wound, well they still have 20 health. *read below for correction*)

LouAl · Sep 13, 2006, 10:04 PM // 22:04

Not sure if I am understanding what you meant in that last bit about deep wound...

It is based off your max health not your current health. So, if you DW someone with 20 hlth (of 500 max) their hlth will be at -80 (showing at 1) until they get hit again, unless they are under degen when the DW applies, in which case the DW will take them to -80 and the degen immediately kills them.

medulla · Sep 13, 2006, 11:24 PM // 23:24

Ah, I always thought it "cut off" the health from the right end of the bar, not the left. Even better! I love this build.

Saphatorael · Sep 13, 2006, 11:29 PM // 23:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by medulla

There are very few non-spell enchantment strips. (Signet of Disenchantment comes to mind, but that causes you to lose all energy to remove 1 enchantment. Who does that?

Sorry, just have to respond to that statement... i do, occasionally... just swap foci and you'll hardly lose any energy, if not none at all...

medulla · Sep 13, 2006, 11:40 PM // 23:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saphatorael

Sorry, just have to respond to that statement... i do, occasionally... just swap foci and you'll hardly lose any energy, if not none at all...

Of course, making it a viable but very rare counter. It doesn't seem to logical to expect it. I mean what enchantments does the signet help against, Obsidian Flesh (which is usually covered by Aura of Restoration), Spell Breaker (which is monk, so another enchantment is very likely), or Shadow Form (which is covered by Heart of Shadow). Infact, this build could use Heart of Shadow in-place of Ether Feast. This isn't the next 'touch ranger' or anything. It does bypass a lot, and sometimes all, of the customary Fort Aspenwood strategy. And if I'm lucky, I haven't used my second Shadow Form yet. If I have, I'll be back in 15 seconds with two new ones and the expectation that one will be stripped.

This build doesn't mean you don't have to adapt to the other team. For example, if you see a shock warrior, let him shock you before you start casting.