Curse

FVC · Aug 27, 2005, 10:54 AM // 10:54

NOTE: Since the Sorrow's Furnace update on September 7, the UW has changed. Nightmares have been added which will remove your enchantments. This makes the enchantment-based builds much tougher to use in the UW now. However, these builds will still work in any location where the creatures do not have enchantment removal.

This is a solo MO/W build based on Jelly Samwich's and Miteethor's previous solo builds, without Protective Bond of course. Some people have already started posting new builds around, but I didn't see a really detailed one, so here you go.

This build does not use any divine favor skills. This build does not require any attribute changing or gear changing. You can jump right in and fight! (my favorite thing)

You can still solo parts of the Underworld with this build. I'm sure some will whine about this. Others will complain that I shouldn't post it because people will try to get it nerfed. What people need to realize is that this is not an "invincible" monk. You can not sit there and take unlimited punishment, nor can you take on a massive mob size. What you can do is succeed in a challenging environment if you use the skills properly. That is the fun of it!

SKILLS:
- Mending
- Live Vicariously (or Watchful Spirit, but see note below on this) (or Healing Breeze, see alternate strategy at the very end of this post)
- Balthazar's Spirit
- Essence Bond
- Protective Spirit
- Balthazar's Aura
- Bonetti's Defense
- Shield of Judgment (This can be replaced with a different damage dealing skill like Zealot's Fire, which works well since you are casting on yourself a lot. I prefer Shield of Judgment for the knockdowns!)

GEAR:
- Ascetic's armor with one of each superior rune (any armor works - the armor level is not important - the extra energy does help)
- Zealot's scalp design (smite +1) with any extra superior rune
- Smiting rod from Droknar's collector
- Focus item with -50 hp (to get health down to 55)

ATTRIBUTES:
- 13 healing (10+3)
- 15 smiting (11+3+1)
- 12 protection (9+3)
- 7 divine (4+3) (EDIT: no divine is needed, but I'm using the extra points here - there aren't enough points left to add to the above skills - and this gives your heals a little extra power)
- 2 tactics (2)

NOTE ON LIVE VICARIOUSLY VS. WATCHFUL SPIRIT - some might ask, why not just use Watchful Spirit and get an extra +2 regen? Because Live Vicariously works better. +2 regen gives you 4 health back per second. At 13 healing, Live Vicariously gives you either 10 health every 1.75 seconds (the attack rate of a wand/staff) which is 5.7 per second, or 12 health every 1.75 seconds which is 6.9 per second. This is an increase of 42-72% over Watchful Spirit. The only way this does not work better is if something has slowed your attack rate.

STRATEGY:
OK, here we go. To prepare, cast Mending, Live Vicariously, Balthazar's Spirit, and Essence Bond. You now have 0 energy regen, but receive 2 energy each time you get hit. You also have +4 health regen and receive 10 or 12 health each time you hit something in melee. It should always be 12, as that is what the description of Live Vicariously says... but in practice, sometimes it is 10 and sometimes 12. Not sure why yet.

Before going into any fight, you must cast Protective Spirit to decrease the damage. You must also re-cast Protective Spirit continually before it runs out. If it runs out, you will most likely die. However, no need to worry about interrupts since it is 1/4 casting time. There will be times when you don't have enough energy before a fight to cast the first Protective Spirit. In that case, just remove the last enchantment (Essence Bond) and wait for enough energy to come back, before putting it back on.

Again, you will gain 2 energy every time you are hit, so the energy will quickly add up when several things are hitting you. You can also use Bonetti's Defense to get a quick charge of energy and avoid damage at the same time.

Make sure you are always attacking something to get the 10-12 health per attack from Live Vicariously! After something dies, switch to a new target.

Your main damage dealer is, of course, Balthazar's Aura. You should also have another to go along with it. I like Shield of Judgment because of the knockdowns. Some like Zealot's Fire to go along with the continual casting of Protective Spirit. Bring whatever other damage dealer you like. Just don't rely solely on Balthazar's Aura.

UNDERWORLD FOES:
Aatxes are pretty straightforward. To play it safe, try not to take on more than 4 or 5 at a time. More than that can be done, but you are in more danger then. If you decide to fight more, make sure to use Shield of Judgment (if you brought it).

Darknesses are easy. Your energy will always be high because of their fast hitting and Bonetti's charging up more often. Again though, try not to take on more than 5 or 6 at once. Mixed groups of aatxes and darknesses can still be done, just don't go overboard. Darknesses like to use knockdowns at the very start, so make sure you don't try to cast right away.

Smites follow the same general strategy as the aatxes, but you can take on bigger groups.

Coldfires can be defeated after a while. Bonetti's does not work on them. Shield of Judgment helps a lot against them, especially when activated before you run into them. Avoid standing in the maelstroms, especially because of the interrupts - although you can safely cast Protective Spirit in them (EDIT: it's not 100% safe, but usually it is not interrupted - but if you want to be sure, step out of the maelstrom before casting). One maelstrom is fine, but multiple maelstroms will take your health down relatively fast. I had no problem with 4 coldfires at once, but I mostly just avoid them because they take a while.

Terrorwebs will not really work with this build, but will work with the alternate strategy below.

Have fun!

Edited to add:
ALTERNATE STRATEGY:
(contributed by Nuke_Dembastages in this thread) Replace Live Vicariously with Healing Breeze, and replace Shield of Judgment with Zealot's Fire. This requires more constant casting than the above set of skills, but you can take on bigger groups thanks to the high regen of Healing Breeze.

Basically, you want to cast both Zealot's Fire and Protective Spirit before going into each fight, then spam Protective Spirit and Healing Breeze on yourself over and over (each one will do damage to everything surrounding you thanks to Zealot's Fire). Cast Balthazar's Aura when possible, too, for additional damage. You should also be able to stay alive against the Terrorwebs with the extra regen from Healing Breeze. EDITED AGAIN TO ADD: Yes, you can defeat the Terrorwebs with this, but make sure to run around at the start until they have cast their Meteors, then move in for the kill. Never let Healing Breeze go out against them or you are dead, since they like to set you on fire.

spiritofcat · Aug 27, 2005, 01:23 PM // 13:23

I still do the UW with my E/Mo build which uses:
Balth's Aura
Ether Renewal
Zealot's Fire
Healing Breeze
Prot Spirit
Mending
Balth's Spirit
Essence Bond

I used to use boon instead of breeze for a faster kill rate, but I've always done well with breeze too.

Spanky Hamm · Aug 27, 2005, 01:29 PM // 13:29

hey fvc...how does Live Vicariously work against smite crawlers...they also have shield of judgement and i really don't recommend you attack then, its not worth the knockdown....

xxinsainxx · Aug 27, 2005, 01:57 PM // 13:57

you know what else might work. using the same strategy on griffons. think bout it bring cyclone axe to get bonetis straight up. with the enchants on u shud be fine for energy live vicariously wud work with this i think a bit beter then the wand. sure u loose out of the faster recharge chance but think about the alternative ur healing urself alot.

KuTeBaka · Aug 27, 2005, 05:36 PM // 17:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by xxinsainxx

you know what else might work. using the same strategy on griffons. think bout it bring cyclone axe to get bonetis straight up. with the enchants on u shud be fine for energy live vicariously wud work with this i think a bit beter then the wand. sure u loose out of the faster recharge chance but think about the alternative ur healing urself alot.

good luck with the smites.

Brad D · Aug 27, 2005, 07:00 PM // 19:00

where can u obtain the -50 hps icon?

FVC · Aug 27, 2005, 09:14 PM // 21:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spanky Hamm

hey fvc...how does Live Vicariously work against smite crawlers...they also have shield of judgement and i really don't recommend you attack then, its not worth the knockdown....

I find that it works either way, if you choose to attack them or you don't. Personally I attack them and put up with a few knockdowns (just make sure you have activated Balthazar's Aura before starting your attack), as their Shield of Judgment does not last all that long it seems, and they don't take long to kill. Their knockdowns won't interrupt you, either, since you stop attacking to cast... and they don't really do enough damage to you either way, especially with Bonetti's being used. I was never in any trouble against a group of 6 or 7 smites.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brad D

where can u obtain the -50 hps icon?

From the Cities of Ascalon quest... I think the quest giver is named Symon the Scribe, in Ascalon. There's another quest you must do before you get that one.

Pandora's box · Aug 27, 2005, 09:15 PM // 21:15

Quote:

You must also re-cast Protective Spirit continually before it runs out. If it runs out, you will most likely die. However, no need to worry about interrupts since it is 1/4 casting time.

I dont know, but I notice sometimes casting IS interrupted, and mostly its too late when I do. It sometimes happens, mostly when I cast rapidly more spells in a queue. I dont hear the 'tsk' sound of interruption, and its no energy problem...

FVC · Aug 27, 2005, 09:34 PM // 21:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pandora's box

I dont know, but I notice sometimes casting IS interrupted, and mostly its too late when I do. It sometimes happens, mostly when I cast rapidly more spells in a queue. I dont hear the 'tsk' sound of interruption, and its no energy problem...

I think it is POSSIBLE to interrupt, although it seems pretty rare. I usually spam Protective Spirit with all of the energy I have anyway, just to be safe. I usually hit it a few seconds after it recharges, so I am probably hitting it about every 8 seconds (which is why Zealot's Fire would be effective in this build, but I prefer the knockdowns of SoJ to keep the pressure off in larger groups... and the fun of seeing aatxes fall down over and over). So if I do get interrupted, I still have time to cast it again.

If you do actually get into a situation where Protective Spirit is flashing off and you can't cast it again yet... use Bonetti's immediately if it is charged, and this might give you the extra second or two you need to get PS back.

Severe · Aug 27, 2005, 10:15 PM // 22:15

Yes, your casting can and does get interrupted often if you don't hide behind soj or bonettis and your in a group of 3 or more that's attacking you.

Pandora's box · Aug 27, 2005, 10:44 PM // 22:44

Yes it gets interrupted, and quite often. When fighting aatxe (3) my spells get interrupted about 10-20% of the time, so watch out!

EinValentine · Aug 27, 2005, 11:23 PM // 23:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pandora's box

I dont know, but I notice sometimes casting IS interrupted, and mostly its too late when I do. It sometimes happens, mostly when I cast rapidly more spells in a queue. I dont hear the 'tsk' sound of interruption, and its no energy problem...

What I think may be happening is that they are lining up to interrupt one of the earlier spells in the queue, miss it, but then hit one of the later ones. I've found it actually helps to avoid queuing up important spells, instead pause a second to make sure they aren't in the middle of using an interrupt and then cast.

FVC · Aug 27, 2005, 11:45 PM // 23:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by EinValentine

What I think may be happening is that they are lining up to interrupt one of the earlier spells in the queue, miss it, but then hit one of the later ones. I've found it actually helps to avoid queuing up important spells, instead pause a second to make sure they aren't in the middle of using an interrupt and then cast.

I agree, that is probably what is happening. I have not had a problem with PS being interrupted using this, likely because I do not queue PS. PS is faster than the Savage Slash of the aatxes, so I don't think they can interrupt it without trying to interrupt something else beforehand and being a little late on it.

Nuke_Dembastages · Aug 28, 2005, 08:02 PM // 20:02

I've found that because of the required use of prot spirit, its easier to equip the following:

Healing Breeze
Prot Spirit
Balth Aura
Zealots Fire
Bonetti's
Essence Bond
Mending
Balth Spirit

With this setup, you have 1 energy regen left. Use the attribute stats listed above or modify your own, it doesn't really matter as long as you have a +4 mending.

Going in, hit the prot spirit/zealots. I can still do 5 or 6 aatxe easily because I'm spamming prot spirit and healing breeze as soon as the timers come up. This makes it actually faster than when using prot bond. I've found that using these two healing spells as a damage dealer stops you from forgetting about prot bond and taking a 280+ shot to the dome.

my 2 cents.

smurfhunter · Aug 28, 2005, 08:56 PM // 20:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuke_Dembastages

I've found that because of the required use of prot spirit, its easier to equip the following:

Healing Breeze
Prot Spirit
Balth Aura
Zealots Fire
Bonetti's
Essence Bond
Mending
Balth Spirit

With this setup, you have 1 energy regen left. Use the attribute stats listed above or modify your own, it doesn't really matter as long as you have a +4 mending.

Going in, hit the prot spirit/zealots. I can still do 5 or 6 aatxe easily because I'm spamming prot spirit and healing breeze as soon as the timers come up. This makes it actually faster than when using prot bond. I've found that using these two healing spells as a damage dealer stops you from forgetting about prot bond and taking a 280+ shot to the dome.

my 2 cents.

thats exactly what i use only use blessed signet instead of mending - always been too lazy to try it that way but now that you say it works i will

FVC · Aug 28, 2005, 09:37 PM // 21:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuke_Dembastages

I've found that because of the required use of prot spirit, its easier to equip the following:

Healing Breeze
Prot Spirit
Balth Aura
Zealots Fire
Bonetti's
Essence Bond
Mending
Balth Spirit

This sounds like a good trade off. More continuous casting required, but higher healing/bigger mob size possible. The only thing I don't like about Healing Breeze is that it only lasts 10 seconds and can be interrupted by the Aatxes or the maelstroms from the Coldfires. If you are fighting a huge group, missing the Healing Breeze cast could really hurt. Although it has a quick recharge time.

I'm sure the Terrorwebs wouldn't be much trouble with that build.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuke_Dembastages

I've found that using these two healing spells as a damage dealer stops you from forgetting about prot bond and taking a 280+ shot to the dome.

I've done pretty well so far, as far as not forgetting... but once after talking to the lost soul, I accidentally cast PS on him instead of me... it took me a few seconds to realize why I died so quickly

Nuke_Dembastages · Aug 28, 2005, 11:00 PM // 23:00

I can understand how breeze can be a pain, but thats why I use bonetti's before casting breeze. I'll trade off waiting for another bonetti recharge before I use aura if it keeps me alive.

But spamming both gives you double the chance of a heal. With divine favor as listed above, prot spirit gives me a 29 point heal, which say breeze gets interrupted, it'll give me over half health and time to get a bonetti's off to help wiht the breeze.

I have not tried dryders...they've never dropped ecto for me :P

*edit* for those of you just trying this build, here's a piece of advice...

after you clear the aatxe's and go to take quest...click on the guy to take quest and then target yourself or I promise that at least 4-5 times you'll end up casting prot spirit on the npc, go get hit once and waste 1k :P

**second edit

lol, didn't see the second part of his post where he just stated that

Rhine · Aug 28, 2005, 11:49 PM // 23:49

For prot spirit i use zealots as an indicator if it casted or not if i deal my zealots dmg then i know i casted it right then i continue smiting away if it doesnt then all i can say is ouch

spiritofcat · Aug 29, 2005, 04:06 AM // 04:06

With a reasonable level of protection payers, and a good enchanting mod, you can survive 1 or 2 interruptions of the Prot Spirit and still have time to cast it again before it runs out.

Arcanis Imperium · Aug 29, 2005, 04:11 AM // 04:11

maybe this is just me

but dont you think finding another way to do something that ANet doesnt want you to do, is just gonna make them nerf this method too?