Curse

Symeon · Jun 16, 2006, 05:02 PM // 17:02

This build was devised by a friend of mine, Elite Bunny Tamer, and his guild 'We Need Mental' [HeLp]. We tested it several times in Alliance Battles to great success. It has also been tried in Team Arenas, where it worked well, but there tends to be more kiting so it is a bit harder.

The focus of the build is to smite on the Touch Ranger as he runs around biting people, and also includes Tainted Flesh, minion stealing and corpse denial.

The Mo/Ele's Air of Enchantment makes it easier for the N/Mo to spam Tainted Flesh and both of the smiters to spam Balthazar's Aura. Dark Aura is kept on the Toucher to deal damage when he/she sacrifices.

Some skills are swapped between Resurrection Signets and profession-related skills depending on whether you're in TA or AB.

1. Ranger/Necromancer Touch Ranger

Expertise: 16 (12+4)
Blood Magic: 12

Wallow's Bite (Blood Magic)
Touch of Agony (Blood Magic)
Vampiric Touch (Blood Magic)
Offering of Blood (Blood Magic)
Dodge (Expertise)
Zojun's Haste (Expertise)
Throw Dirt (Expertise)
Plague Touch ()(AB)/ Resurrection Signet ()(TA)

2. Necromancer/Monk Tainted Smiter

Death Magic: 16 (12+4)
Soul Reaping: 9 (8+1)
Smiting Prayers: 10

Dark Aura (Death Magic)
Consume Corpse (Death Magic)
Taste of Pain (Death Magic)
Balthazar's Aura (Smiting Prayers)
Zealots Fire (Smiting Prayers)
Smite Hex (Smiting Prayers)
Tainted Flesh (Death Magic)
Verata's Aura (Death Magic)(AB)/ Resurrection Signet ()(TA)

3. Monk/Elementalist AoE smiter

Smiting Prayers: 16 (12+4)
Protection Prayers/ Divine Favor: 10 (9+1)
Air Magic: 6

Air of Enchantment (Air Magic)
Windborne Speed (Air Magic)
Reversal of Fortune (Protection Prayers)
Guardian (Protection Prayers)
Mend Condition (Protection Prayers)
Balthazar’s Aura (Smiting Prayers)
Zealots Fire (Smiting Prayers)
Resurrection Signet ()

4. A Boon-Prot monk.

Should take Mend Condition or Mend Ailment.

--------------------------------------------------------

This build could probably use improvements in certain places that we haven't noticed yet, so feel free to critique it.

Divineshadows · Jun 16, 2006, 05:31 PM // 17:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by King Symeon

It has also been tried in Team Arenas, where it worked well, but there tends to be more kiting so it is a bit harder.

It lacks snares (bull's strike/rush, bull's charge, shock, hammer knockdown) which would really help boost the smiting damage. Try smiting off a warrior or a thumper w/ run as one. You'll have more success.

Quote:

Originally Posted by King Symeon

Also includes Tainted Flesh, minion stealing and corpse denial.

Your necromancer has serious energy issues. Consume corpse does not count as energy management nor does soul reaping. Also, neither corpse denial nor minion stealing are needed for TA.

Basically, I would completely re-work your first two characters for TA.

Sacho · Jun 16, 2006, 05:44 PM // 17:44

I think we ran into a similar build, snared the touch ranger, and well, after that it was gg

The build seriously lacks the condition/hex removal to keep the touch ranger going. Also, the things that Divineshadows said are absolutely correct, even for AB(there are some competent teams there too

)

Divineshadows · Jun 16, 2006, 05:53 PM // 17:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sacho

Even for AB(there are some competent teams there too

)

Really? Maybe I just play AB at the wrong times, but the average skill level I observe (of opponents and allied teams alike) in AB is less than that of RA.

Symeon · Jun 17, 2006, 07:39 AM // 07:39

Hey, thanks for the feedback.

This build is meant mainly for use in AB, but if it were to be developed more for TA success I can see where the changes would be made.

As for things that could be changed in AB, there are two things from your comments:

1. More condition/hex removal - we do have Smite Hex on the N/Mo and Mend Condition/Ailment on the Boon-Prot, plus don't forget the Touch Ranger does have Plague Touch! One more might help but we haven't experienced any problems with conditions/hexes in AB due to the things we've got already. I don't really see how we 'seriously lack the condition/hex removal to keep the touch ranger going'.

2. A snare. This would help when fighting more competent teams in AB, yes. Most of the time we are not facing another team of 4 in a head-to-head battle, and rather focusing on capturing bases and fighting with one or more allied and enemy teams. However, when we are facing serious kiting from an enemy team that is focusing on us, perhaps the Mo/Ele could make use of a knockdown spell. This could replace the Resurrection Signet.

As far as my friend told me, he had no energy problems playing the Tainted Flesh smiter. Air of Enchantment decreases the cost of the enchantments he casts, and Consume Corpse + Soul Reaping keeps his energy up in AB. I can see how there would be problems in TA with no corpses to use, though.

Jaguar · Jul 07, 2006, 05:42 PM // 17:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Divineshadows

It lacks snares (bull's strike/rush, bull's charge, shock, hammer knockdown) which would really help boost the smiting damage. Try smiting off a warrior or a thumper w/ run as one. You'll have more success.

I'm from HeLp, and if you would change out the toucher with a warrior it would just be a total normal smite, becuse the thing with this build is to deal additonal damage from dark aura, or did you meant a touch-war?. And really, this build is IMO nothing for TA, but in AB its beautiful. In AB soul reaping and consume corpse, sure DO count as energy manegment, and if you play it in TA, the match should be over so fast so you got no time to get e-problems

. The Mo/E has windborn which works as a snare, we also tried with some assassin snares, but windborn works better. Smiter shouldnt not have condition removal, the boon prot and the toucher himself should be able to manage that. Instead the smiter takes smite hex. This solves most of the problems, next time try the build first, which i doubt you have done. Thank you.

zepath · Jul 15, 2006, 11:19 AM // 11:19

Drop the boon prot monk (outdated and overestimated) and put in a blessed light monk. That will take care of both conditions and hexes on the ranger. Have somebody bring a slow hex and cover hexes, probably the necro (n/me). More important than corpse denial.

Jaguar · Jul 16, 2006, 09:36 AM // 09:36

As if you would have time to slow hex people in AB..

zepath · Jul 16, 2006, 01:47 PM // 13:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaguar

As if you would have time to slow hex people in AB..

was referring to TA

Buns United · Aug 04, 2006, 03:09 PM // 15:09

Kind of ressurecting this page, however I have a few oppinions about this aswell

as being the creator of this teambuild.

First of all; about giving the Necromancer a Mesmer secondary profession. This would kind of ruin the teambuild, since it's a smiting teambuild. The Tainted-Smiter just spams 'Tainted Flesh' on the Toucher, while having 'Zealot's Fire' on, this causes adjacent foes to get a considerably amount of additional damage (and having 'Air of Enchantment' lower the cost to 1 energy).
We have indeed tried a Mo/A smiter to snare foes with 'Siphon Speed', the snare from this is however, not enough to keep foes within range of the smiting.
Last but not least; the outcome on using this in Alliance Battles was incredible. No problems with hexes, conditions or damage overload from 6- people whatsoever

. I honestly don't see how you'd need to replace a Boon-Protector for a Blessed-Light Monk.

I hope people will enjoy the build, or even get inspired.

holden · Aug 04, 2006, 05:43 PM // 17:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by zepath

Drop the boon prot monk (outdated and overestimated)

i wasnt aware the game had moved on from boonprots. heard it here first