Curse

Dr Strangelove · May 25, 2007, 10:17 PM // 22:17

Life transfer is probably the worst necro elite, I really don't understand why it's so popular. In terms of healing for you, it's like healing breeze on 30s recharge that has a chance of ending early. In terms of damage, it's 192 damage every 30 seconds. Pretty much every spell in the game, forgetting elites, does more than that.

Also, degen is not a spike. Spikes are when you compress enough damage to kill someone into a very short timeframe, say 1-2 seconds at most. If an enemy monk can't react to a 12 second spike, they're probably in a fairly deep coma.

Life transfer needs around a 15 second recharge before it's even worth looking at.

jrk247 · May 26, 2007, 03:21 AM // 03:21

I really don't care if it's the best or the worst, I was just trying to help the OP out by posting a build I use. So please stop trying to flame everything that isn't to your liking.

Oh BTW this is the PvE section so I'd like to know when PvE monks got so smart? Other than HM I'd like to know.
__________

Ok since everyone so far on this thread has told me LT sucks I decided to test out Reaper's Mark again.

Blood: 15 (12 + 3)
SR: 14 (12 + 1 + 1)
Rest in w/e.

[skill]Reaper's Mark[/skill][skill]Shadow Strike[/skill][skill]Jaundiced Gaze[/skill][skill]Blood of the Aggressor[/skill][skill]Vampiric Gaze[/skill][skill]Signet of Sorrow[/skill][skill]Signet of Lost Souls[/skill][skill]Mending Touch[/skill]

@ 14 SR RM does -5 degen and has a 14 energy return added with the normal energy gain from SR and SoLS you get a total of 37 energy when a foe dies. Sig of Sorrow has good damage the recharge sucks unless a foe is by a corpse or has a dead pet, then you are spamming 71 damage as fast as it will let you. Mending Touch is there just for the condition removal really, it can be switched for a rez as can Sig of Sorrow. I've only tested this build in AB so far, it works well once you are done killing someone you can go right to the next foe.

ArKaiN · May 26, 2007, 11:49 PM // 23:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrk247

I really don't care if it's the best or the worst, I was just trying to help the OP out by posting a build I use. So please stop trying to flame everything that isn't to your liking.

Don't you just love it how this post goes "You flamers, just because you guys don't like Life Transfer and have proven mathematically that it blows, doesn't mean I won't use it!"- then he posts a build with Reaper's Mark.
Btw, if you want to talk PvE only, the Life Transfer is definitely the worst necro elite in the game.
Anyway, if you're running Reaper's Mark run some other degen curses with it to make the degen worthwhile. Even if you decide not to, Parasitic Bond is an awesome cover hex, and it adds another -1 on top of the very good (and in this we all agree now, apparently) -5/30seconds Mark gives ya.

jrk247 · May 27, 2007, 12:02 AM // 00:02

Yes LT sucks it wouldn't be so bad if the recharge wasn't so long but it is ATM. With Reaper's Mark you can cast it on just about all nearby foes if you aren't under attack. RM is awesome if no one has a hex removal and it's funny to see players try to remove it with condition removers.

And I wouldn't say LT is the worst necro elite in the game, that would probably be [skill]Ravenous Gaze[/skill].

madman24749 · May 27, 2007, 12:32 AM // 00:32

Life transfer is awesome because it gives regen + degen for a cheap energy cost and good recharge
Also for healing breeze you have to put heaps of points in healing and it won't improve your damage...
With life transfer because it's in blood magic you can put heaps of points in blood magic and look WOW! Other damaging spells will become more effective, you gain other healing spells + again you have a degen/regen spell
Life Transfer is awesome in PvP
Ravenous Gaze is definitely the worst necro elite...
I havnt seen anyone use it yet

jrk247 · May 27, 2007, 01:09 AM // 01:09

Life Transfer is good, but the recharge sucks. Hopfully in the next couple of skill updates (whenever that will be) Anet can reduce the recharge and maybe increase the energy cost so it's balanced. But I doubt they will do anything with it.

ArKaiN · May 27, 2007, 02:18 AM // 02:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by madman24749

Life transfer is awesome because it gives regen + degen for a cheap energy cost and good recharge
Also for healing breeze you have to put heaps of points in healing and it won't improve your damage...
With life transfer because it's in blood magic you can put heaps of points in blood magic and look WOW! Other damaging spells will become more effective, you gain other healing spells + again you have a degen/regen spell
Life Transfer is awesome in PvP
Ravenous Gaze is definitely the worst necro elite...
I havnt seen anyone use it yet

Yeah and wow! read the rest of the thread before posting, its one page long.

ZenRgy · May 27, 2007, 04:08 AM // 04:08

30 seconds is not a good recharge.

LifeInfusion · May 28, 2007, 01:46 AM // 01:46

I like it. I think the synergy between the Cultist's Fervor and life steals is nice.

Might want to reconsider Unholy feast, since it is PBAOE...

No comment on Life transfer & Ravenous Gaze as they have not been on my bar ever since I capped them.

Cebe · May 28, 2007, 07:47 AM // 07:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by LifeInfusion

I like it. I think the synergy between the Cultist's Fervor and life steals is nice.

Might want to reconsider Unholy feast, since it is PBAOE...

No comment on Life transfer & Ravenous Gaze as they have not been on my bar ever since I capped them.

Thanks for bringing this thread back on-topic

I was unsure of Unholy Feast, though I crafted myself some new armor for this build with no health bonuses or vigor, so I have 400 health or so. THings tend to go for me from time to time, like Jade Armors in Thunderhead Keep, or White Mantle Knights. Also when I was in ab it was abother useful skill to use when sins / warriors decided to try to take me down. The build did kill a fair few sins 1-on-1 by the way...which I'm quite proud of. I'd considered switching out unholy feast for something but I'm not sure what. Perhaps Blood Renewal is worth looking into?

Pick Me · May 28, 2007, 07:21 PM // 19:21

Have you thought about the old combo:
enfeebling blood + insidious parasite?

Life stealing is life stealing, regardless of where you get it.

ArKaiN · May 29, 2007, 12:36 AM // 00:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pick Me

Have you thought about the old combo:
enfeebling blood + insidious parasite?

Life stealing is life stealing, regardless of where you get it.

The man's clearly allergic to other lines of necromancing, or he wouldn't be using stuff like vampiric gaze. I mean, why pick off target by target when you can Arcane Echo SS, cast it on two or three dudes and watch TV while the mob disintegrates itself?

LifeInfusion · May 29, 2007, 02:41 AM // 02:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celestial Beaver

Thanks for bringing this thread back on-topic

I was unsure of Unholy Feast, though I crafted myself some new armor for this build with no health bonuses or vigor, so I have 400 health or so. THings tend to go for me from time to time, like Jade Armors in Thunderhead Keep, or White Mantle Knights. Also when I was in ab it was abother useful skill to use when sins / warriors decided to try to take me down. The build did kill a fair few sins 1-on-1 by the way...which I'm quite proud of. I'd considered switching out unholy feast for something but I'm not sure what. Perhaps Blood Renewal is worth looking into?

Uh for PvE... get the best skill ever, RES

Juandiced gaze is probably the best bet in other cases since it gives you the life steal most of the time in hard mode.

As for the armor bonus, I wouldn't run any vitae runes or survivor insignias, since it makes the sacrifice more costly. I would probably use +armor mods that help mitigate the damage you take from physical and elemental mobs (probably physical given your playstyle in the aforementioned quote).

Cebe · May 29, 2007, 09:03 AM // 09:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArKaiN

The man's clearly allergic to other lines of necromancing, or he wouldn't be using stuff like vampiric gaze. I mean, why pick off target by target when you can Arcane Echo SS, cast it on two or three dudes and watch TV while the mob disintegrates itself?

Captain Cookie Cutter strikes again.

I apologise whole heartedly if I want to use a line of magic you find inferior and perhaps try out some other skills. I'm laughing at "Clearly Allergic". I played with Spiteful Spirit and Feast of Corruption for a very long time and now it's time to try out a different line of magic...you know...FOR A CHANGE. Kinda braked the monotony of casting the same skill over and over and over and over and over. Sure SS owns...but PvE can be beaten by an W/E using Meteor Shower if that's the way you choose to play the game...it doesn't require a specific build that you approve.

If you don't approve of my build...umm...too bad?

Quote:

Originally Posted by LifeInfusion

Uh for PvE... get the best skill ever, RES

I would when I play with humans. Resurrect isn't required with heroes / hench

Quote:

Originally Posted by LifeInfusion

As for the armor bonus, I wouldn't run any vitae runes or survivor insignias, since it makes the sacrifice more costly. I would probably use +armor mods that help mitigate the damage you take from physical and elemental mobs (probably physical given your playstyle in the aforementioned quote).

I thought I mentioned my armor in the OP, maybe I didn't...I'm using +10 armor with the increase in light damage.

Muspellsheimr · May 29, 2007, 07:48 PM // 19:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by madman24749

Life transfer is awesome because it gives regen + degen for a cheap energy cost and good recharge
Also for healing breeze you have to put heaps of points in healing and it won't improve your damage...
With life transfer because it's in blood magic you can put heaps of points in blood magic and look WOW! Other damaging spells will become more effective, you gain other healing spells + again you have a degen/regen spell
Life Transfer is awesome in PvP
Ravenous Gaze is definitely the worst necro elite...
I havnt seen anyone use it yet

Yes, Life Transfer is a great elite - IF you are playing in random arena's. The people there are usualy morons that panic if they have heavy degen on them for more than 2 seconds, and the monks can almost never counter anything.

Personaly, I think Ravenous Gaze is slightly better than Life Transfer - I tested out for a grand total of 10 minutes - twice what I ever used Life Transfer.

As for the build - have not done any testing yet, but I think your orriginal build looks good, but I would put in a res, and drop Unholy Feast in favor of something else - in this case, I would probably choose Life Syphon or enchantment removal.

ArKaiN · Jun 02, 2007, 04:07 AM // 04:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celestial Beaver

Captain Cookie Cutter strikes again.

I apologise whole heartedly if I want to use a line of magic you find inferior and perhaps try out some other skills. I'm laughing at "Clearly Allergic". I played with Spiteful Spirit and Feast of Corruption for a very long time and now it's time to try out a different line of magic...you know...FOR A CHANGE. Kinda braked the monotony of casting the same skill over and over and over and over and over. Sure SS owns...but PvE can be beaten by an W/E using Meteor Shower if that's the way you choose to play the game...it doesn't require a specific build that you approve.

If you don't approve of my build...umm...too bad?

I thought I mentioned my armor in the OP, maybe I didn't...I'm using +10 armor with the increase in light damage.

Geeze relax, I'm not saying its a bad thing to think outside the box, I'm just saying SS builds are better than the one you put up. Is that an Insult? I think not. I'm all for using crazy builds, but the man sugested insidious parasite+enf blood, which are typically in SS builds.

Dr Strangelove · Jun 02, 2007, 05:08 AM // 05:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celestial Beaver

Captain Cookie Cutter strikes again.

I apologise whole heartedly if I want to use a line of magic you find inferior and perhaps try out some other skills. I'm laughing at "Clearly Allergic". I played with Spiteful Spirit and Feast of Corruption for a very long time and now it's time to try out a different line of magic...you know...FOR A CHANGE. Kinda braked the monotony of casting the same skill over and over and over and over and over. Sure SS owns...but PvE can be beaten by an W/E using Meteor Shower if that's the way you choose to play the game...it doesn't require a specific build that you approve.

I actually really like the idea of a cultist's fervor AoE blood guy in hard mode. With the insanely high AL of many monsters (Jade armor and white mantle knights, I'm looking at you) you get really good value out of the life stealing.

Cursers in hard mode are really more about shutting down the enemy offense than nuking mobs with SS. Things just don't like to stay in nice, neat packs for SS to beat the crap out of them. However, curses has really nice stuff like reckless haste an enfeebling blood that makes all that nasty melee damage not matter anymore.

That being said, I hope you're not proposing running W/E meteor shower power attackers just because you'll probably win anyway. Builds should be effective first, and about looking at pretty skills second. For instance, I think dark bomber builds are about the most fun thing in the world, but recognize that they're quite often not that effective, and thus don't run them everywhere.

Cebe · Jun 04, 2007, 01:35 PM // 13:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Strangelove

That being said, I hope you're not proposing running W/E meteor shower power attackers just because you'll probably win anyway. Builds should be effective first, and about looking at pretty skills second. For instance, I think dark bomber builds are about the most fun thing in the world, but recognize that they're quite often not that effective, and thus don't run them everywhere.

HAHAA, no, I would never take Meteor Shower on my warrior...it was purely an example to demonstrate you don't need the most optimal build for normal PvE. I hadn't thought about it's hard mode applications though, Lifesteal would indeed rock there...not that I planned on taking my necro into Hard Mode...but it's something to consider.

ZenRgy · Jun 04, 2007, 03:28 PM // 15:28

Until you get rocked by all the melee enemies hitting 80s.