Curse

Minus Sign · Aug 04, 2006, 05:36 AM // 05:36

Cracks knuckles. Alright. I popped back into HA for a few days, PuGing as my way goes. I’ve been running B-Spike and, I’ve got to say, you guys are scary. Playing against good b-spike is a terrifyingly quick and thorough loss. Playing in a bad b-Spike is downright sad.

A lot of people are still running the old Shadow Strike/Vamp Gaze combo. While it works, its tough for new spikers to play. The damage is powerful for the front half of the spike, but trails off and tends to require (not find useful, but actually require) Vampiric Gaze for completion.

Better B-spikes are gravitating toward Oppressive Gaze as their spike of choice. The damage is more consistent from first cast to last with Vamp an afterthought most runs used for self heal and “Spike at Will” attacks.

So I’m going to give a rundown of a sample builds that pass mustard and knock out a spike team doing it.

2 infuse spikers
16 Blood
12 Healing
4 Soul reaping

1 Oppressive Gaze
2 Vampirc Gaze
3 Unholy Feast
4 Healing Hands {E}
5 Infuse Health
6 Healing Seed
7 Heal Party
8 Rez sig

Healing Hands/Healing Seed is a good combo to bring for this team, allowing players to set and forget their heals. Heal Party is a must, with Unholy Feast a deadly self heal when melee ganked that keeps enemy monks busy and warriors in fast retreat while you get ready for your spike.

2 Aegis Cursers
16 Curses
12 Protection Prayers
4 Soul Reaping

1 Enfeeble
2 Enfeebling Blood
3 Aegis
4 Extinguish
5 Rend Enchantments
6 Empathic Removal {E}
7 Life Bond
8 Rez sig

Aegis should always be around in the IWAY heavy environment of HA. These two curse necros are actually the core of the build, allowing Oppresive Gaze to do insane damage in the hands of your other five necros, and do it every cast. Bond is there for other spike teams and to help protect your rit. Rend is hugehere, clearing the path of damage reducing enchants before the spike strikes. Enfeeble is cast with the spike call, to help guarantee that OG does all that evilness even with an RC prot running loose on the other side, and also as backup in case you need to pop Rend instead of the EBlood during countdown.

2 B-spikers
16 Blood
12 healing
4 Soul Reaping

1 Oppressive Gaze
2 Vampirc Gaze
3 Unholy Feast
4 Offering of Blood {E}/Grenth's Balance{E}
5 Lifebane/Shadow Strike/Barbed Sig
6 Extinguish
7 Heal Party
8 Rez sig

Stock and trade, the old B-Spike is modified to this team. Lifebane is a good solo spike attack to hit players in the later half of the fight, of for imperfect spikes on separate targets. Lifebane/Oppressive/Vampiric from these two stock B-Spikers can take out a Ghostly or Priest with only the support of one curse necro. Slow means deadly though (to you) so don’t try this unless the enemy monks are being kept busy. Splitting your spike this way is recommended for advanced players only; nubs should stick to single targets.Barbed Sig is in case a lucky SB blocks your Gazes or as another “Spike at will’ combo. Doubtful that the target will die (if its not down already) but it’s nice to finish up the chain if you can.

1 Rit/R spirit spammer
16 Spawning
13 Communing
3 Resto
2 Wilderness

1 Frozen Soil
2 Shelter
3 Union/Feast of Souls
4 Boon of Creation
5 Ritual Lord
6 Soothing/Serpent’s Quickness/Muddy Terrain
7 Displacement
8 Flesh of my Flesh

I suggest Feast of Souls for this team, and any team that relies on Frozen Soil. The “Big Red Button” for the team, Feast supplies a powerful all heal (with energy regen) for everyone if things head south and gives back rez control doing it. But Union is an excellent substitute, placed here because most players will prefer it’s front end defense and mana over Feast’s “O S---, we goanna die” team nuke heal. Serpent’s makes this build (and its mana to the necros) freakin fly for almost half the game, but Soothing and Muddy Terrain slows down warriors (either reducing their attack or physically killing runs) so there are plenty of options open to the Rit Lord. Ask your team for their preference.

As any Rit Lord knows, you shouldn’t be near the fight (well…you should be near the fight, just not dead center in the thick of things). Any player who ignores your spike team to charge you should be targeted as an overextended player and spiked long before he gets there.

Many people who’ve read this far are wondering where the heck BR went. The rit is the Mana Generator for this B-Spike team. Unlike an Oath Shot Ranger, the Rits regular spirits add defense to the team while alive and mana as they die (and they die often in a good HA battle). This is why I place Rit Lord as preferable over Oath Ranger. It grants greater flexibility to the heal/prot of the necros who would be bringing BR.

1 WoH spiker

1 Oppressive Gaze
2 Vampirc Gaze
3 Unholy Feast
4 Word of Healing {E}
5 Heal Other/Extinguish
6 Healing Seed/Infuse Health
7 Heal Party
8 Rez sig

WoH provides good team healing for little mana, two things any team should love. Heal Other makes for a good backup if you find yourself Diverted. You’re part of the spike, so don’t get so caught up keeping everyone in tip top shape that you forget to press “T”. besides, with 5 heal Party spammers in the team, you shouldn’t be using it that much. Three infusers is a no brainer, but its also overkill; only for days when there are lots of spikes in HA.

Requirements and item loadout: TS/Vent are a requirement for any spike build. If you don’t have them, get them, or go back to IWAY. I recommend +HP armor all around for the necros; +AL while casting binding rituals for the rit. Any weapons can have HSR, but no necro should carry HCT on blood/curses (healing/prot ONLY is acceptable). Spell timing is THE factor for spike groups. If you’re not in time with your team, your attacks hit too early (or too late) and the other team’s infuser can destroy all your work for a measly 10 mana (and half his HP). Thanks to the Isle of the Nameless, any team can run a quick trial to get in sync and kick people who refuse to skillset or learn the build. Anyone who just wants to shout “Gogogo” in a spike team needs to get kick kick kicked out anyway. PuGs that take their time checking their teammates can hold the halls. PuGs that just go, grind 1 faction if they’re lucky and die when they aren’t.

Things to watch for: Guild Wiki is seriously messed up on this build right now, imho. They suggest Fertile Season and Symbiosis for an Oath Ranger. While useful in Altar matches with heavy enchant builds, these are actually the two spirits you want to slaughter as soon as seen, so watch your status bar for them. More HP to the enemy is a Very Bad Thing with a spike build. With those all ally rit spirits up and cycling, your Ghostly is as protected as you are in Altar matches (and with 2 infusers and a WoH for backup, his health should be tip top or near for most of the match). The only ranger spirit this build needs is Frozen Soil, to prevent rezzing of targets. Hitting for slightly over 800 damage a pop should mean your target goes splat with or without Fertile up, but nothing is certain in a PuG.

The attack: is much simpler than many people understand. One of the Prot Cursers calls target. “3-2-1”(on 1, both cursers cast Enfeebling Blood {AoE condition to further mask which target you’re hitting when teams cluster}. Having 2 Cursers prevents a good interrupter fromg halving the 100 damage spike from your attack team) “Spike!”(on “Spike”, the rest of the team casts Oppressive Gaze, followed by Vampiric if necessary until target is down). If the spike fails it’s usually due to poor timing (told you to check your team on the isle before going in), the fertile/Symbiosis/enchant combo described above, or a really good infuser on the other side. That’s why Infuse Healers (and those pesky spirits) should be your priority when you can find them. Killing him (or them) early and dropping Frozen Soil gains you the match, baring the unforeseen. For Enchanted targets, Rend needs to be worked into the strat. Enfeeble is mostly a psych out--players having this cast on them may freak and call for infuse attention while the Curse necros call another target in preparation of the spike--but its not all show. When needed, the 1 second single target weakness can (and should) be reapplied to the spike target, just in case a lucky Mend Condition strips it off. Its also useful when played with Rend, a one second cast immediately following enchant strip just as the spike its hitting will ensure the full damage goes through.

The defense: Aegis should be up as much as possible, mostly as a weaker sub while Displacement is down. Bond is for Ghostly and Rit in Altar matches. An Extinguish heavy team build; you should have little trouble with VIM and most pressure degen fighters. Since you are not relying on enchants for prot, IWAY’s heavy use of OoA sees little play either against you. The biggest defense is your Heal Party spams. With all those necros and nothing better to do while the curser finds his next target, a quick Heal Party Spam is just the ticket to keep your team HP up between attacks (and did I mention unholy Feast? That nasty little “chomp!” spell that steals life from 3 players when they decide to melee gank you?—think 5 touch rangers chewing up melee range HP and you get the picture). Infuse is for just before and during spike (you heard me; kick off Oppressive with everyone and be ready to answer counter spikes with your Infusion), keeping other players alive to see the fight through. So, altogether we have a simple chain for intermediate players that can be downright boring after a few days (and many points of fame) of play:

Pre-spike: Curse 1 calls target and casts Aegis. Curse 2 uses Empathic Removal/Extinguish. Spikers cycle spam Heal Party. Team members press ‘T’ to lock target. WoH is the last to press “T’, capping off single target heals.
“3.” All necros locked on target, position themselves so target is in range or position together on the caller so they can run spike and hit the target at the same time. Heal Party chain continues. If enchanted, curse necros cast Rend.
“2.” Wait for it…Heal Party spams should quiet in preparation for attack cast.
“1.” If not enchanted Curse necros simulcast Enfeebling Blood just after “1” is called. If enchanted, at least one Rend should pop at this time.
“Spike!” All B-Spikes cast Oppressive Gaze. Enfeebling Blood should pop shortly after call on non-enchanted targets. If enchanted and running Rend scenario, apply Enfeeble single target weakness to target, put hands together and start praying.
Spike+1: Curse necros are damage control, casting Extinguish/Empathic Removal where applicable. Start offensive target search. HH necros are on player bar and defensive target search, targeting ganked teammates for HH/Infuse combos with auto-cast.
Spike+2: Oppressive Gaze pops; spike strikes. Infusers auto cast HH/Infuse where applicable. WoH and B-Spikers follow up with Vamperic Gaze. Prepare for next target call. Cast Unholy Feast where applicable to break up ganks.

Even if a pair of lucky Extinguishes knock out both weakness casts, your spike chain is doing around 560 dmg per spike. With, its well above threshold and should see your target on the ground and begging for rez while you move on to the next sucker--er--opposing player. When the worst befalls and you find yourself FSed with 2 dead spikers, target calls should swap to melee range targets so Unholy Feast can be worked into the chain.

Lather Rinse Repeat…

Possible substitutions: the Oath ranger is, of course, an acceptable change to the Rit. But bringing him along can make a bit of a mess. Your necros have to reset to BR, more prot becomes preferable in the N/Mos and in general it makes the build less stable in most fights. Altar matches though, those prot necros can bring Vital Blessing and Bond with his Symbiosis (no Fertile Season ever; not worth it) to make a monster AI that only the better teams can kill. Since the second Curse necro is there mostly for spike stability, there is sort of an open team slot for the Ranger.

B Ephekt · Aug 04, 2006, 06:29 AM // 06:29

That is quite possibly the worst blood spike build ever. You're using horrible skills like Unholy Feast and wasting elite spots on Offering of Blood and Grenth's Balance. WTF? The spikers in your build will have a lot of energy problems with only 4 in soul reaping, and you're gimping your spike by speccing 2 necros into curses. In case you’re unaware of how this works, you only need one necro with enfeebling blood, and it only has to last a few seconds for the spike to work – putting your 2-3 left over points into Curses is more than enough. Enfeeble is a waste of a slot since it's not an aoe weakness. You don’t need enchantment removal for this spike either, I’m not really sure what you plan to accomplish with Rend…

This is what I run when I do Oppressive Gaze. http://gwshack.us/8ea8f The build is made for holding, and it does it quite well.

You can also run Quickening Zephyr and drop Shadow Strike in favor of another heal or prot skill.

Guillaume De Sonoma · Aug 04, 2006, 07:28 AM // 07:28

I agree with the worst bloodspike ever comment. 4 in soul reaping only means 2 energy from each spirit. Under QZ your screwed in ~80 seconds.

peelopallo · Aug 04, 2006, 09:47 AM // 09:47

From my experience as playing a rit lord when holding, resolve is a must.

Dinkytowner · Aug 04, 2006, 01:38 PM // 13:38

Only two kinds of bloodspikes are remotely hard to infuse. One with six SS/Vamp/Lifebane can be deadly hard to infuse IF the spike is on, if not it's as easy as the old 5 spiker build. There's an entire one sec pause while the spikers cast vamp. The Oppressive gaze can be difficult to infuse when run with by a good team. Although when it is bad, I've infused two different targets in one spike agains an oppressive team. Unless you're on an altar match and your caller knows what he's doing, blood spikes are trash.

capitalist · Aug 04, 2006, 03:54 PM // 15:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dinkytowner

The Oppressive gaze can be difficult to infuse when run with by a good team. Although when it is bad, I've infused two different targets in one spike agains an oppressive team. Unless you're on an altar match and your caller knows what he's doing, blood spikes are trash.

QFT

I think I saw him infuse two different targets...

~Stab

Mr Fizzle · Aug 04, 2006, 10:07 PM // 22:07

Why 2 infusers oO?The big heal is nice on the ghostly while holding but I don't see much other point of it . .you should just have one infuser and one WoH to heal the infuser.Against blood spike the word should be able to catch it against other spikes just rotate prot spirits.

Thom Bangalter · Aug 04, 2006, 11:19 PM // 23:19

ranger spammer with symbiosis and fertile is for altar holding matches when all you do is heal for 5 minutes or whatever.

worst b spike ever? indeed.

elites: shield of deflection. word of healing. restore conditions. healing hands. blood is power. those are all musts for your team.

icantthinkofonerightnow · Aug 05, 2006, 12:30 AM // 00:30

I don't have a problem with 2 Infusers because many spike teams will go for the Infuser and it's hell when there's more than one. I remember I played Orders for a Rangerspike group and the opposing team had 3 Infusers (we lost).

But all the posters have already hit on what is wrong/bad about the build.

shardfenix · Aug 06, 2006, 07:11 AM // 07:11

The problem with oppressive spike is that the team is telling the other team's infuser.

"We're gonna spike this target. 3, 2, 1...WTF, o they have a martyr."

That's the downside. If you lose to op gaze spike, you need a new prot monk.

The downside to foc spike is almost the same, but you can stack the conditional (hexes), which is why I think it's a little overpowered, but any good monks can make the spike useless via infuse health or convert hex.

The best necro spike groups run shadow/barbed + gaze because the recharge for both is very small, especially with qz, and they try to run out the opposing infuser's energy. Usually their first 3 spikes won't work. Once you get past the first 3 spikes, the other team's infuser has no energy left to work, and people start dropping.

lishi · Aug 06, 2006, 01:31 PM // 13:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by shardfenix

The problem with oppressive spike is that the team is telling the other team's infuser.

"We're gonna spike this target. 3, 2, 1...WTF, o they have a martyr."

That's the downside. If you lose to op gaze spike, you need a new prot monk.

The downside to foc spike is almost the same, but you can stack the conditional (hexes), which is why I think it's a little overpowered, but any good monks can make the spike useless via infuse health or convert hex.

The best necro spike groups run shadow/barbed + gaze because the recharge for both is very small, especially with qz, and they try to run out the opposing infuser's energy. Usually their first 3 spikes won't work. Once you get past the first 3 spikes, the other team's infuser has no energy left to work, and people start dropping.

only if the necro with weakness spike as well. in that case the prot monk can remove weakness.

but

one time i meet a spike where the weakness was timed 1/4 second before the spike. no way the prot monk can remove that before the target die.

audioaxes · Aug 06, 2006, 05:05 PM // 17:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dinkytowner

Only two kinds of bloodspikes are remotely hard to infuse. One with six SS/Vamp/Lifebane can be deadly hard to infuse IF the spike is on, if not it's as easy as the old 5 spiker build. There's an entire one sec pause while the spikers cast vamp. The Oppressive gaze can be difficult to infuse when run with by a good team. Although when it is bad, I've infused two different targets in one spike agains an oppressive team. Unless you're on an altar match and your caller knows what he's doing, blood spikes are trash.

ss-gaze is not difficult to infuse its the combination of constant spiking with qz which drains your infuser

Lord Dark Genie · Aug 06, 2006, 11:03 PM // 23:03

you have a full 1.75s between Shadow Strike and Vamp Gaze. Your infuser is asleep if he doesn't catch that.

If you don't disrupt them fast enough you're going to hit that huge energy wall by the 3rd or 4th spike usually and when multiple people start getting DP it's very hard to recover in my experience.

Bml Angrymuffin · Aug 07, 2006, 02:19 AM // 02:19

its not the dmg of the spike that wins its the consistency 4 soul is retarded gg

- The Acedemy Is

shardfenix · Aug 07, 2006, 03:51 AM // 03:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bml Angrymuffin

its not the dmg of the spike that wins its the consistency 4 soul is retarded gg

- The Acedemy Is

Less rants from 12 year olds, more opinions.

I've run into op-gaze spikes where the weakness was piled on a split second before the spike hit. A good monk will watch the necro with enfeeblement and use martyr/extinguish as the necro finishes the spell.

Messner · Aug 11, 2006, 09:32 PM // 21:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by shardfenix

Less rants from 12 year olds, more opinions.

I've run into op-gaze spikes where the weakness was piled on a split second before the spike hit. A good monk will watch the necro with enfeeblement and use martyr/extinguish as the necro finishes the spell.

Best op gaze spikes I've seen use an ele running enervating for an attempt at a clean spike but a good infuser still catches it all the time but yeah if you have extinguish in your bar it's gg for stupid op gaze spikes.

Side note for the build up top, you forgot the 2 life transfer necros and everyone needs demonic flesh and life siphon to heal up your sac from demonic flesh man

Divineshadows · Aug 11, 2006, 10:05 PM // 22:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by shardfenix

Less rants from 12 year olds, more opinions.

I've run into op-gaze spikes where the weakness was piled on a split second before the spike hit. A good monk will watch the necro with enfeeblement and use martyr/extinguish as the necro finishes the spell.

Op-gaze spikes were just at their beginning when I was ending my love-hate relationship with HA. As an infuser, I felt that they were weaker than normal blood spikes, because I just power drained their enfeebling blood or got one of my mesmer to interrupt it if power drain was on recharge. Extinguish and martyr only worked against poorly timed op-gaze spikes, but a lot of them were.

The bottom line is that oppressive gaze spikes are conditional spikes and have a critical spell that needs to be cast in order to get a kill. It is the same as a conditional rainbow spike that uses phantom pain and shatter delusions. Interrupt phantom pain and you not only prevent deep wound but also cut out a lot of damage from shatter delusions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Messner

Best op gaze spikes I've seen use an ele running enervating for an attempt at a clean spike but a good infuser still catches it all the time but yeah if you have extinguish in your bar it's gg for stupid op gaze spikes.

A better choice than enfeebling blood to try and reduce the interrupt window. Still easy enough to interrupt for any good team though.

ZenRgy · Aug 12, 2006, 08:00 AM // 08:00

Something I've always wanted to see is Jaundiced Gaze in a spike, it seems pretty lethal.

OG spike is down right annoying when you try to spike down a target and you get hit with weakness (providing you're relying on attacks/attack skills to take down a target)

Dragannia · Aug 12, 2006, 12:47 PM // 12:47

When using Shadow Strike, half the spikers should use it, and the other half use something like Barbed Sig or Oppressive. It's been effective by my count.

king_robin · Aug 12, 2006, 08:17 PM // 20:17

First of all we need just 1 that does weakness on the foes.

We take a warrior for example that has 515 hp (my warrior has it). And shadow strike (SS) full in blood magic SS does 50+50 if the foe is above 50%.
So 50% of 515 = 257.5 = 3 necro SS spike. Then rest of the necro opperssive then the target is Dead = 3 necro that goes either Vamp Gaze (63)
Or you can all just do Oppressive Gaze and kill em all ^^

But still FoC spike still rocks!!!!!!