Curse

SkyeFerina · Apr 13, 2006, 09:27 PM // 21:27

This is my first post on what is probably a slightly pointless topic as it's easier to just buy Bleached Shells, so please bear with me - but I wanted to prove to myself that it can be done. It always irks me when I have to pay for things in game rather than getting them myself, and being a cheapskate I wanted some desert armour which entailed, amongst other things, getting two Bleached Shells for my Illusion headgear. Wurms drop them rarely enough - could I do it on my own using nothing but mesmer skills?

Yes, but no - unfortunately my solution entails bringing 1 monk skill, healing breeze

It's a slight cheat but I use the free help of the Ghostly Hero in Dunes of Despair, and he doesn't share the drops

I've tried outside Heroes Ascent etc but the Wurms burying themselves, Jades and Sand Elementals drove me nuts so I thought I'd pick on the well-behaved Siege Wurms who just sit there.

I initially ran a full Illusion/Insp/FastCast build revolving around tanking the initial Losarus myself and using Ineptitude, Clumsiness and Phantasms etc + Spirit of failure/ Distortion and blind (Inep.) for Energy management (lots and lots of +4 energy packets!) I ripped through the Losarus in no time, got to the Wurms...but they dont attack as such so my build was pretty much useless. Even with Phantom Pain, CP I was just pointlessly plinking away with my wand, and SoF didnt work as the wurms never "miss" with Siege attack. I tried full Dom build but Empathy doesn't work on Wurms; Energy Surge Burn / Chaos Storm/WW worked for a while then I ran into energy problems. Power Drain etc doesn't work on Wurm attack.

Solution came in form of Illusionary Weaponry. Initaially I tried to tank the Losarus, which causes problems though...often they get through your Distortion and cause constant bleeding, use annoying Riposte skill (80 dmg, ouch), Ether Feast is slow to recharge and using sword not staff with dual SoFs, IW and Distortion every 5 seconds etc causes massive energy problems. Not one to give up, and after much annoyance, the solution came in a very roundabout way...let the Hero tank as Riposte only works on melee attacks and they can't bleed him. I'm sure someone could find a better solution but here it is. It's the Losarus that cause the problems, the wurm is a breeze....

Illusion 15 (12+Major+Hat)
Domination 10 (9+Minor)
Inspiration 6 (5+Minor)
Fast Cast 6 (5 +minor)
Healing Prayers 6

1. Illusionary Weaponry (E)
2. Diversion
3. Distortion (for when the Losarus get jiggy with you not the GH)
4. Empathy
5. Sympathetic Visage
6. Leech Signet
7. Channeling
8. Healing Breeze

For first 6 Losarus (2 singles and 2 groups of 2, the 2's are only problem really), let the GH tank. Use your staff for bigger energy pool, cast in order Channeling (SoF too energy intensive and slow) Empathy the first when they are in range and SV the Hero as soon as they start beating on him. Empathy the other one, Healing Breeze the Hero as necessary, and when you feel up to it cast IW, switch to cheapo sword (any will do) and wade in.

When you get to plateau with 3 Losarus just run thru, trying not to aggro. Healing Breeze the Hero and Distortion on yourself through the archers all the way to the bridge. Go over, hide behind the wall from the Wurm and regen.

The next bit's so easy...I can't believe the wurm isn't the challenging bit. The Wurm will Siege repeatedly. I Leech Signet the first one, then it's a count of 10 before it activates the next so cast Diversion on 7 or 8 and it's useless as it doesn't have a normal attack! Cast IW and just beat it into a pulp. The reason Dom is set so high for just one skill is it gives you the right window for IW and Leech Signet recharge (45s) so it's always useless. 2 sets of IW and it will go down with no damage to you at all.

If you like you can run back over the bridge and try to lure the Losarus near the other Wurm out of the way, but I sometimes get dead doing this. The Wurm dropped a Shell for me on my third run...not a good way to farm if you want quick cash, but proves that Mesmers can do anything if they put their mind to it. Maybe I don't need to take Diversion but for some reason I find it appealing wailing away on the Wurm's blubbery body while it just sits there doing nothing

quickmonty · Apr 13, 2006, 09:36 PM // 21:36

Good job. Need more people thinking outside the box.

lord_shar · Apr 13, 2006, 09:47 PM // 21:47

Wurms are flagged as bosses, so hexes and conditions have their durations reduced to 50% normal if I remember correctly. You could use this to your advantage by spamming 1.5 sec Wastrel's Worries.

Theos · Apr 13, 2006, 10:11 PM // 22:11

Great idea but, it is as said above, much easier to plow through will pure dom then, when you reach the Wurm hide the GH and go where the bombs cannot hit you... or you can lower the bridge and just kill it from there with WW. WW will flatten the wurm in no time at all.

You can keep WW going endlessly with Mantra of Recall or E-drain/tap. If you take tap you can run Surge for mob dismisal as the GH tanks.

SkyeFerina · Apr 14, 2006, 01:11 AM // 01:11

LOL, I knew someone would come up with a far more elegant solution than my rather clunky one. I didn't even think of attacking the wurm from near the drawbridge...with WW he can't get you. Does Dom do enough damage to the Losarus though? I had energy management problems with mixed Dom/Illusion build using WW, but without all the unnecessary spells...I'd get a bit twitched without the monk secondary to heal the hero.

Anyways, thx for your input...it's fun trying to find solutions to things, didn't want to go down the tried and tested 55HP route with smiting, been done before. Anyone who has a new challenge post it and we'll see what we can do! Try mesmer builds only, I know I cheated....

LouAl · Apr 14, 2006, 01:14 AM // 01:14

It also works well to use a modified 55 mesmer build and then you can tank all the losaru and the wurms. As a bonus you can leave the ghostly hero behind and you won't have to worry about him dying...

The damage would still come from IW.

Theos · Apr 14, 2006, 02:22 AM // 02:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkyeFerina

LOL, I knew someone would come up with a far more elegant solution than my rather clunky one. I didn't even think of attacking the wurm from near the drawbridge...with WW he can't get you. Does Dom do enough damage to the Losarus though? I had energy management problems with mixed Dom/Illusion build using WW, but without all the unnecessary spells...I'd get a bit twitched without the monk secondary to heal the hero.

Anyways, thx for your input...it's fun trying to find solutions to things, didn't want to go down the tried and tested 55HP route with smiting, been done before. Anyone who has a new challenge post it and we'll see what we can do! Try mesmer builds only, I know I cheated....

You can use IW with WW just need to be ready to switch Head Pieces.

SkyeFerina · Apr 14, 2006, 10:24 AM // 10:24

You're right, WW is fantastic against the Wurms and it does have 1.5s duration. Quick Wurm death.

But I honestly don't think getting to the Wurm is easier with pure Dom. I went Empathy, Shackles+Wrack and WW, plus E Surge initially...but very energy intensive. I loathe E-Tap so swapped out Surge for Mantra of Recall, no more problems. But then I was having to heal the hero far more, had to put more points into healing and take 2 skills, whereas before Sympathetic Visage had turned them into pussycats. Also the group with the three archers, with Wurms attacking very high DPS on you both...I got dead trying to kill the Losaru archers so still just ran past the lot and over the long bridge, rather than attacking from near the bridge that the GH drops.

Maybe my Dom build wasn't right...erm Chaos Storm (lol)? What would you guys use for pure Domination mob dismissal?

RazorEdge · Apr 15, 2006, 09:07 PM // 21:07

Kudos on you fine guide.

But why fight the Losarus at all? This is how I used to make a fast buck
back in the days when you needed 5 shells for the collector gear. Get WW,
some interupts, some running skills and blow past the Losarus.

I use a Mesmer / Ranger due to all the defensive skills the ranger has,
however I'm sure this could be done with every class that has some
sort of sprint. This ranger build gives me a 100% success ratio though.

The attribute setup:
Domination: 16 (+3 +1)
Insperation: 9 (+1)
Wilderness Survival: 9
Fast Casting: 6 (+1)

The skill setup:
1. Wastrels Worry - Key skill
2. Power Spike - Key skill
3. Power Drain - Key skill
4. Energy Drain - [elite]
5. Storm Chaser
6. Dodge
7. Lightning Reflexes
8. Troll Unguent

You only really need the top 3 skills (marked as key skills) to do this, but
all the others help you to get there each time, plus some energy and
health management. I use a Enchanters set for the energy.

The Run:
There are alot of siege wurms in Dunes of Despair, but we're only going
for the two first. Start out with leaving the ghostly hero behind. Start
running, use storm chaser to shake of any Losaru blades chasing you.

Once you get near area with the first siege wurm, you'll encounter
some ranger losarus. Here's where lightning reflexes and dodge come
in handy. Sometimes you get hit by a Hunter's Shot and start bleeding.
Some healing skill here, like trolls unguent, helps alot. Just watch out
for siege attacks. Don't let health go under 120hp.

Here's a twist tho. Run over the first bridge and to the second wurm first.
Once your done with him, watch for the patrol and head back for the
first wurm.

How to take the wurm:
Since these Siege Wurms have natural resistance (Halves hexes and
conditions on them), Wastrels Worry works like a charm on them. And
the fact they only use one skill will cause them not to abort Wastrels
either. Keep spamming WW. It will go off in one second, which also
happens to be the cooldown on it as well. Once the wurm starts it's first
Siege attack, disrupt it with Power Spike, then the next time with Power
Drain. Should it survive for a third, then Power Spike it again. Presto,
one dead wurm..

SkyeFerina · Apr 15, 2006, 09:59 PM // 21:59

Thanks RazorEdge, very handy guide and certainly a method I'll try when I need Bleached Shells for future characters. Like I said at the beginning of my first post though, I wanted to see if I could do it with nothing but mesmer skills...unfortunately mesmer self heal doesn't really cut it, so I had to bring Healing Breeze with my final solution.

Evilsod · Apr 16, 2006, 02:55 AM // 02:55

Razor, thats almost identical to the build i used to farm Wurms at Dunes of Despair on my ranger

I think the Lightning Reflexes slot was just a free space really.