Curse

Contempt · Nov 28, 2006, 05:13 PM // 17:13

I made this build pretty much out of boredom while I was showing off my primeval at Grotto the week after Nightfall was released. I've primarily tested it on Ice imps but I'm sure it can be used in lots of places.

Skills and attributes

Warrior/Elementalist

Strength: 15 (11+3+1)
Axe Mastery: 10 (8 +2)
Tactics: 5 (3 +2)
Earth Magic: 11

1,2,3) Executioner's Strike/Dismember/Penetrating Blow (all optional, use your favorite attacks or use a sword. I prefer axe)
4) Lion's Comfort
5) Warrior's Endurance [E]
6) Dolyak Signet
7) Glyph of Concentration
8) Stone Flesh Aura

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Equipment:

A 20% longer enchanting mod on your weapon is a MUST. A customized totem axe makes a good weapon.

A +45 while enchanted or +60 while hexed STRENTH shield is reccomended.

A full set of Sentinel's Armor with +1 strength helm is highly reccomended. The +1 strength helm is needed.

Overview:

The combination of Dolyak and SFA will reduce damage you receive to 0. Glyph of Concetration is to prevent SFA from being interrupted. Warrior's Endurace is to provide you with plenty of energy to spam Glyph and SFA. Your attack skills are your source of damage. And finally, lion's comfort is to heal you.

I know you may not understand why you would take lion's comfort when a) you only take 0 damage and b) it disables signets, so let me explain. Because of the Casting time and recharge time of SFA, it is impossible to keep it up and Dolyak up 100% of the time. While casting it Dolyak will occasionally run out, you will have to let SFA go down for second to keep dolayk up always. In this small window, you will take about 50-80 damage depending on how many imps are attacking you. Without some kind of heal, you will die eventually. You may also simply take damage when renewing dolyak due to some lag (depending on your ping time), resulting in dolyak being down for a fraction of a second.

In order to ensure dolyak is not disabled from Lion's Comfort, you should cast dolyak and then instantly cast lion's comfort. Dolyak will NOT be disable for 12 seconds if you cast it in this manner, however if you cast Lion's Comfort while dolyak is nearly recharged, then it WILL become disabled.

Guide:

I reccomend practicing a bit on the ice imps just outside Marhan's Grotto before you attempt to take on a cave full of them.

Start out at the Granite Citidel. (In the past, it was possible to run through tasca's demise and mineral springs directly to the cave where the ice imps are located. Due the the change in caster AI though, the avicara you pass along the way will continue to chase you regardless of what speedbuff you bring. This makes it near impossible to simply run there, because you will surely die without healing, and surely die if you stop to heal.) Assemble you best Hero/hench team and head out in Tasca's demise. Fight your way to mineral springs. Fight through mineral springs and make your way to the cave. You should always send henches/heros back and run ahead into battle so you can tank for you henches, this makes the trip faster.

Keep your henches/heros with you until you are sure there are no Avicara at the entrance of the cave. Then back track a ways and order them to to a location far away from the cave, then head back to the cave. All of their names should be grayed out.

Now you can begin to farm. Before you aggro, put up SFA, then run up the closest imp and cast dolyak signet once you see him cast something. The rest of the imps will rush foward and start attacking you. Simply keep dolyak and SFA up constantly. Use Warrior's Endurance whenever it is available. Cast Glyph when you see SFA is almost recharged, heal with Lion's comfort when you need to as mentioned earlier, and cycle through your attacks. Just make sure that glyph is ALWAYS up whenever there are ice imps or trolls around, and you should be fine.

After the intitial battle, you can travel up a corridor to another cave. Sometimes there are more imps there. There will be a group of Aziear Shadows that pop up from the ground though, and these will be the one thing likely to kill you. When you are walking up the corridor, just move VERY slowly, and wait for the first one or two to pop up, then bring them down so you don't trigger the others. Fight these with same strategy as before, but you won't need to cast glyph if no ice imps are attacking you. These WILL be able to hurt you, so you will need to heal everytime you re-cast dolyak to keep alive. Deal with them in as small groups as possible, and you should be fine. Ignore the Ice beasts, they are impossible to kill with this build.

Drops:

Obviously the prize here is the IDS, but you won't get one every time. Frigid hearts, gold and staffs are common. Occasionly you will get a gold weapon, as well as stone summit badges and troll tusks from the Siege Golems and Mountain Trolls that randomly spawn.

Credits:

Me, Hand of Ruin.

benjef · Nov 28, 2006, 05:34 PM // 17:34

ill give that a go sounds fun alot differnt to W/ME + i would take cyclone works very well

NuclearDope · Nov 28, 2006, 05:37 PM // 17:37

Very very nice. cant wait to try this. thanks!

peanut91 · Nov 28, 2006, 06:28 PM // 18:28

Are all the skills prophecies skills ?

kkla · Nov 28, 2006, 06:50 PM // 18:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanut91

Are all the skills prophecies skills ?

Nope, The core skill; Stone Flesh Aura and Lion's Comfort are Faction/Nightfall skills

Ic Zero · Nov 28, 2006, 07:11 PM // 19:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanut91

Are all the skills prophecies skills ?

dolyak signet and warrior's endurance are prophecies skills, and the ice cave itself is it tyria

chessyang · Nov 28, 2006, 07:29 PM // 19:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by benjef

+ i would take cyclone works very well

not sure if you would have enough energy for that ...

but the build is pretty solid =) i like it

peanut91 · Nov 28, 2006, 08:20 PM // 20:20

ok this is all good but what about getting to the cave ?

benjef · Nov 28, 2006, 08:32 PM // 20:32

good point no sprint what do you do?

chessyang · Nov 28, 2006, 09:13 PM // 21:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by benjef

good point no sprint what do you do?

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanut91

but what about getting to the cave ?

hero's and Henchman FTW

DirteeRice · Nov 29, 2006, 12:16 AM // 00:16

Hmm somewhat similar to the original IDS Farm Build.

I'll definietly have to give this one a shot. :]

Marverick · Nov 29, 2006, 01:03 AM // 01:03

Except the majority of the drops here is cash, and henches will just lower it to about 15g per drop (worthless). Chance of getting an IDS isn't high so its mainly the money drops that make it worthwile.

Now how to solo those damn avicara.....

Arkantos · Nov 29, 2006, 01:06 AM // 01:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marverick

Except the majority of the drops here is cash, and henches will just lower it to about 15g per drop (worthless). Chance of getting an IDS isn't high so its mainly the money drops that make it worthwile

You send the henchies off radar so they don't steal any drops.

Marverick · Nov 29, 2006, 01:09 AM // 01:09

You still share cash...

Riken Chrono · Nov 29, 2006, 02:50 AM // 02:50

how long does a run usually take you? fighting all teh way there probably takes 30-45 minutes?

Contempt · Nov 29, 2006, 11:30 AM // 11:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riken Chrono

how long does a run usually take you? fighting all teh way there probably takes 30-45 minutes?

Fighting there will take about 25 minutes if you've got your heros set up with good builds. Clearing the cave will take about another 30 minutes or more, depending on the spawn.

Quote:

Are all the skills prophecies skills ?

You'll need Prophecies and Nightfall to use this build.

Quote:

Except the majority of the drops here is cash, and henches will just lower it to about 15g per drop (worthless). Chance of getting an IDS isn't high so its mainly the money drops that make it worthwile.

Now how to solo those damn avicara.....

This is true, but if you're looking to farm gold there are much better places. People make the trip out there for the IDS. Also, you can kill the Avicara groups that are just Warrior and Ranger with this build... but obviously The mixed groups are pretty impossible.

King's Spectre · Nov 29, 2006, 06:44 PM // 18:44

Very nice. I've been doing the same thing with a ranger. GoC+SFA+AoE. Regen with storm chaser.

The run takes a good bit longer than when I could just run by everything, but I *never* have a failed run anymore. Before it seemed like every other run had some impossible spawn combination.

Riken Chrono · Nov 29, 2006, 07:32 PM // 19:32

hmm k i tried it out and it took me almost 45 minutes to get to the cave :/ could you tell me which henches you use? and possible what builds

GWpenguin · Dec 22, 2006, 11:05 PM // 23:05

Is there a substitute for the factions/nightfall skills as I only have prophicies?

RebelHero · Dec 23, 2006, 12:20 AM // 00:20

nope, no skills like stoneflesh aura