Curse

Ratsneve · Mar 25, 2007, 06:03 PM // 18:03

I have successfully played and completed all missions, bonuses and quests up to The Wilds area but I am no longer trying to explore entire map regions 100%.

A friend mentioned a quest where you fight a mirror image equal to your character early on and south of the Ascalon region. He can't remember the particulars but in two games now I have never happened across this quest. He thinks the prize is/was leveling to 20 in one fell swoop? What is the quest name so I can look it up?

Do some quests change depending on your character build at the time? Or is the game seeded differently?

My first game attempt months ago to enter Nightfall to gain a Hero when my character was a W/E produced one Hero waiting for me outside of Lion's Arch but he was not interested until I rid a half-dozen spell casters first--which I could not accomplish. My second recent attempt now as a W/Mo puts me entering a mini mission in Lion's Gate which I have failed to complete on many occasions now. So, it would appear that adding a Hero to my Hench party is not possible at this time from Nightfall?

Was Battle Isles introduced to all three current chapters of GW as a game update or has it always been there and missed as part of Prophecy? Anyway, I was looking at one point and maybe still am for an expansive game tutorial and this Battle Isles seems to be perfect for that?

I have entered Factions and even have a half-dozen quests in Kaineng Center started but, since I'm not planning to play out Factions until I finish Prophecy I am not playing these quests further. I went into Factions looking for Heroes too but have found none. There is better equipment to be had there though for a price?

On that I keep switching back and forth with equal success between Axe and Sword. I cannot tell which is more successful or more a failure to use? With either I am largely unsuccessful with Smoke Phantoms because of mob number and one creature called a Flash the Cold? What strategy/item is needed to defeat its like?

From a previous thread result I am still going to look into Vitae or Attunement runes; Absorption rune; Vigor rune; While Enchanted for Shield; While Enchanted or +15 while health is > 50% for Axe or Sword; and different weapon sets for Axes at least if not Swords to include physical, elemental, zealous, and/or vampiric damage. Maybe these will be key to killing some tough beasts like Flash the Cold?

This also leads into other game strategy questions... Is it wrong too on occasion sprint through or otherwise avoid by watching my aggro range and sneaking past creatures that would overwhelm my party on repeated attempts? I've gotten the impression from some comments that I should not run through or avoid any battle. I would agree if I was trying to avoid an entire zone this way but I'm not--only a couple small areas in zones that seem to be designed to avoide this way?

My build so far is that of the GuildWiki W/Mo Full Figor Paladin with either Sword or Axe and so far no armor mods to speak of. I suspect skills and equipment mods are what will become very important in the future as the character caps out at level 20? But I'm puzzled about the GuildWiki W/Mo build listed as with the exception of 100 Blades or Triple Chop I have all the skills needed all ready. I've read that the game has hundreds of skills through Factions and Nightfall and wonder where the improved build information is I will need to develop to finish Prophecy? Is GuildWiki's W/Mo build limited to just starting out? Where do I find build information to use beyond level 20?

Currently and based on equipment and skill requirments I seem to be using Strength and Swordsmanship or Axe Mastery and no other Attributes. I have 8 in Tactics but am not using any Tactics skills except Healing Signet which I do not use in-battle. Should I be applying Tactics attribute points to Sword and Strength or what? As a W/Mo I am not using my secondary profession at all except Resurrect but that doesn't require any attribute points.

Another thing I don't understand is how I am able to use a bow at all if I have no marksmanship and use a bow that requires 3 Marksmanship to draw in a mob on occasion? Can you with some success use any weapon with zero attribute points applied to that weapon?

For some reason when I return to an outpost now my Hench party which should remain 6/6 drops 2 members down to 4/6. I add the 2 dropped back into the party and they stick until the next time I return to an outpost or city. What is going on here?

Is the Signet of Capture really workth it? It takes up a skill bar slot and I have not run across any significant skills to capture with it so far.

Likewise buying keys to open chests. I have yet to find any good equipment this way. Still I am concerned I might be missing out on something by not? As soon as I pass up a chest because I don't have a key or kill a colored boss but don't have the capture signet to see what skill she might have for a W/Mo what have I really missed?

So currently I have switched back to a Sword Build with: Sever Artery, Gash, Galrath Slash, Final Thrust, Sprint, Signet of Capture, Healing Signet, and Resurrect.

Thank you for any input, comments, suggestions, etc.

Yanman.be · Mar 25, 2007, 06:37 PM // 18:37

>Spoilers<

http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Prophecies_Ascension_guide

Elite skills (only capable by SoC) starts in one of those 3 missions.

If you have Nightfall, you should be able to do the http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/All_for...ne_for_Justice quest and get Olias.

You're pretty high level for your area, because you explore alot I guess.

Anyways, just follow primary quests. You'll hit the desert and that's where the real fun starts.

Toutatis · Mar 25, 2007, 06:49 PM // 18:49

Admittedly, I don't have much experience with warriors so I can't give you a proper critique on your strategy, but I can help with the general game questions.

The quest that involves fighting your mirror image is the final part of the ascension mission in Prophecies. To get there, you will need to complete the Sanctum Cay mission to gain access to the Crystal Desert region. There are three other missions in the desert that need to be located and completed first to prepare you for ascension before you can access the area where your doppelganger is waiting for you. The reward for this is not levelling up to 20 all at once. You get 1000 XP for defeating your doppelganger, plus an extra 50,000 XP for killing your doppelganger quickly. This also counts as a mission + bonus if you're going for the Protector title.

In Prophecies, certain quests only become available to you if your character is of a certain profession. These are usually the quests that give you skills relating to one profession. However, you can do them all once you unlock the ability to change your secondary profession after ascension. In Factions and Nightfall, certain quests only become available after you complete specific parts of the storyline or develop your character's rank to a certain level.

For your Prophecies character to get heroes from Nightfall, you will need to get through that mini-mission. It's not easy to do with henchies at all, so if you can find some other players who are doing the same thing then team up with them. It'll give you a much better chance of succeeding, and you'll be given some basic heroes right after you land in Elona and find Kormir just outside of Kamadan. If you're having difficulty with the mini-mission at Lion's Arch, there is an alternative one in Kaineng Center (Sunspears in Cantha, although you will have to abandon the Sunspears in Kryta quest before you can pick that up).

On the subject of the Battle Isles, as far as I know they've always been there. They're the primary hub for all types of PvP combat and the starting location for PvP characters that you create. The tutorial you can get on the Isle of the Nameless there is quite extensive, although you can get more or less the same tutorial in Nightfall right after you complete Nightfall's first mission.

On to the point you bring up about using bows when you have no marksmanship. Any character is able to equip any weapon, any shield, and any focus. However, if you do not have the attribute requirements for it you will not get the most out of it. For example, using a bow when not meeting its marksmanship requirement will still let you use the bow, however it will only do as much damage as a starter bow. You can still use it to lure enemies, but you can't rely on it to do damage.

The last thing I can comment on in this post is your question about the Signet of Capture. Yes, they are worth it in my opinion. However, I don't like having them on my skill bar when they're not necessary. What I do is use the GW wiki to see which elite skills are going to be cappable in the areas I'm travelling through, and then equip the SoC if I want any of them. In Prophecies, you get access to SoCs well before any elite skills become available - the first elite skills you should come across in Prophecies are in the Crystal Desert; a long way from Lion's Arch where you get your first SoC.

Ratsneve · Mar 25, 2007, 07:16 PM // 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yanman.be

Elite skills (only capable by SoC) starts in one of those 3 missions.

If you have Nightfall, you should be able to do the http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/All_for...ne_for_Justice quest and get Olias.

I better hang on to and work with a Signet of Capture in my Skill Bar then.

I just checked you link and visited Figo. He doesn't send me to Olias but to Komir in Lion's Gate for the Sunspears in Kryta mini mission. So something is different. Maybe because I'm a W/Mo now while I was a W/E before? Anyway, I will just carry on with the Prophecy missions/quests. Maybe after I have captured some Elite skills I can deal with this mission?

Toutatis · Mar 25, 2007, 07:34 PM // 19:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ratsneve

I just checked you link and visited Figo. He doesn't send me to Olias but to Komir in Lion's Gate for the Sunspears in Kryta mini mission. So something is different.

The old "Gain Olias" quest that you could pick up in Lion's Arch is no longer available. It was replaced with the current quest to gain Olias in an update a little while ago, and the new quest can only be picked up at the Consulate Docks after you have managed to transfer your character to Elona. The same goes for the quest that lets you gain Zenmai as a hero.

Although if you need some help getting yourself over to Elona, I would be happy to help you out with that. My in-game name is Deus Toutatis - I'll be heading to Tyria later this evening, so drop me a line and we'll get something arranged

Ratsneve · Mar 25, 2007, 07:53 PM // 19:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toutatis

What I do is use the GW wiki to see which elite skills are going to be cappable in the areas I'm travelling through, and then equip the SoC if I want any of them. In Prophecies, you get access to SoCs well before any elite skills become available - the first elite skills you should come across in Prophecies are in the Crystal Desert; a long way from Lion's Arch where you get your first SoC.

Ahhh...more pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Thanks.

I know you cannot comment on this because you don't play warrior but I wonder if anyone else reading this can? As a PvE W/Mo with Heroes & Hench and understanding and accepting that I will have to join a group to get through some areas that require or necessitate it, can I focus all my attribute points on just my primary attributes and ignore my secondary profession and skills? Will this serve me better then needing to distribute attribute points away from my primary into my secondary profession?

Likewise as a warrior primary profession I'm looking for opinions of whether to focus on Sword or Axe? When I start capturing elite skills it would be nice if I don't have to capture both warrior, sword, axe, and _monk_ elite skills if I can limit my focus to just warrior and sword _or_ axe? Thanks.

Ratsneve · Mar 25, 2007, 08:07 PM // 20:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toutatis

Although if you need some help getting yourself over to Elona, I would be happy to help you out with that. My in-game name is Deus Toutatis - I'll be heading to Tyria later this evening, so drop me a line and we'll get something arranged

Thank you. I will track your offer to help but will wait until the need is really much greater. There is much more I can still accomplish in Prophecy before I'm stuck where I quit in my first game before I maybe HAVE to really add a Hero in the hopes of playing out all the Prophecy, Factions, and Nightfall campaingns with just Heroes and Hench. I am becoming more and more open to group help but I am a very poor newbie group player at this point. I will likely be level 20 before I need any group support. People will likely expect much more group gaming skill from me by then.

Ratsneve · Mar 25, 2007, 08:21 PM // 20:21

I must determine somehow whether I need to start developing and using my secondary profession Monk attributes/skills or not? If I have to use them in the future it seems like now is the time to start learning and using them to some lesser degree? Likewise if I should build up different weapon sets for physical, elemental, zealous, and /or vampiric damage I don't want to do that for both axe and sword--one or the other but which?

ALSO... It seems like at Quarrel Falls I'm starting off on a quest for the Shining Blades and against the White Mantle yet I havn't had a falling out with the White Mantle yet? Is it possible that to best preserve the story-line I should do Missions and Bonuses first before exploring out quests in an area? Or not?

Thanks.

chichory · Mar 25, 2007, 10:13 PM // 22:13

Hi,
To find out what's happening i would suggest going back and doing the mission "The Wilds" followed by the mission "Bloodstone Fen". The bonuses generally don't add anything to the main story, just tell a small new one of sorts.

About axe versus sword. There generally is no "better" of the two. They both have there different points of advantage depending on what skills you run. So really its all personal choice. In terms of sticking to warrior and not using monk, that is fine. Very few monk skills are of use to a warrior(besides the hard resses), only two that i can think of at this time are mending touch and possibly Empathic Removal...but even so they are not great and there are much better replacements from the warrior line imo.

Edit: Ohh and about bringing a sig of capture for elites. I would not really bother to atleast the desert missions as the first elite you can get in Prophecies is Warriors endurance. http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Warrior%27s_Endurance

So take the sig of capture out until you get alot further in, otherwise its just a waste of space

Edit2: Ohh and about secondary prof, don't worry as later you can change between all of them as much as you want.

Ratsneve · Mar 26, 2007, 02:11 AM // 02:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by chichory

To find out what's happening i would suggest going back and doing the mission "The Wilds" followed by the mission "Bloodstone Fen". The bonuses generally don't add anything to the main story, just tell a small new one of sorts.

Thanks. I think I got ahead of myself remembering something from a previous game. I've worked off all the quests now and have the missions for The Wilds and Aurora Glade to do. If The Wilds leads to Bloodstone Fen next I may play it out that way before advancing through Aurora Glade.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chichory

About axe versus sword. There generally is no "better" of the two. They both have there different points of advantage depending on what skills you run.

I'll hang on to my axe but I've been using a sword this afternoon and have upgraded it even. And I'll adding to sword, strength with some in tactics until I understand otherwise. There isn't much left anyway since I'm close to going to level 20 now as it is. I think there is 10 in both Strength and Sword and 7+1 in Tactics. If I'm going to put so much into Tactics I should do more with it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chichory

Ohh and about bringing a sig of capture for elites. I would not really bother to atleast the desert missions as the first elite you can get in Prophecies is Warriors endurance. http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Warrior%27s_Endurance

Since I have a set of working skills with the SoC I'll just leave it. If I discover something that needs the slot I'll switch then.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chichory

Ohh and about secondary prof, don't worry as later you can change between all of them as much as you want.

At least one of my gaming problems is I don't like to change things around once I get them set if I don't have to...and if I don't I might not realize that I should make a change.

I'd be happy if I could work my way through the rest of Prophecy, Factions and Nightfall as a W/Mo using res when needed for the Heroes/Henches and using a set of armor as long as I can and a sword or an axe topping things off with a rune here and an upgrade there. If I don't have to change my Secondary to anything else that's fine. I agree it would be more fun if something at some point absolutely forces me to make a secondary change.

Thanks.

Toutatis · Mar 26, 2007, 03:47 AM // 03:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ratsneve

Thank you. I will track your offer to help but will wait until the need is really much greater. There is much more I can still accomplish in Prophecy before I'm stuck where I quit in my first game before I maybe HAVE to really add a Hero in the hopes of playing out all the Prophecy, Factions, and Nightfall campaingns with just Heroes and Hench. I am becoming more and more open to group help but I am a very poor newbie group player at this point. I will likely be level 20 before I need any group support. People will likely expect much more group gaming skill from me by then.

I don't mind teaming up with someone who has relatively little group experience. We all have to start somewhere - and it's not that different to using henchies to be honest. As I said, if you need a hand or just fancy some company, drop me a line in game

Ratsneve · Mar 26, 2007, 11:08 PM // 23:08

I've reached 20.5 but as before have blown-off Aurora Glade mission/bonus since there is an "easier" way to Henge of Denravi.

I've given up using an axe since I couldn't get bleeding to work or as much damage as I can get out of my sword skills. I also have several swords and only one axe although the strategy of how to effectively use the different sword properties is quite vague at this point--so I'm just using the "best" one.

So these elite skills can only be gained by a one-time use of Signet of Capture? Does this mean so long as you want to search for and find elite skills you must buy or aquire the one-time Capture signet and keep at least one ready for use in the skill bar? There is no permanent capture skill?

From what I have read and seen so far in GuildWiki there may be only a few elite skills I might need for a W/any build. Since my level is capped now at 20 and I have all the skills I think I need/use except for a couple elites how do I continue character advancement in the game? I thought I understood this but apparently not right now.

Will this build hold through Factions and Nightfall? I'm capped at 20 and the mobs are terrible. I'm once again getting very very very tired of playing an area over and over and over again. This game truly isn't suited for me--very frustrating! Very!

Jeremy Untouchable · Mar 27, 2007, 09:39 PM // 21:39

dude, message me in game...or something...you are stuck in the drudgest parts of the game....trust me it gets better

swords are better until you cap Eviserate for axes....after that switch to axes

Ratsneve · Mar 28, 2007, 06:39 AM // 06:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeremy untouchable

dude, message me in game...or something...you are stuck in the drudgest parts of the game....trust me it gets better

swords are better until you cap Eviserate for axes....after that switch to axes

Okay...its dudette.

...and I'm capped at 20 (+1 SP) already. I just arrived in Sanctum Cay so I'm not going to get Eviserate for a bit--but I'll hold the thought. Thanks. I just tried the Riverside Bonus again but got wiped-out at tower #7. I hate it when that happens.

I think it is time...some would say high-time...to find the proper means to get through missions that are proving just to tough to tackle with Hench only. I'm talking about joining a Guild or a group or the like with enough experience to get the job done. I don't want to tackle a mission with other players as inexperienced as I am trying to get through a mission for the first time. I'll try for a hero one more time now but the last few attempts I (and hench) didn't seem ready for this mini-mission Sunspears in Kryta.

I'm interested in the game's story and getting all the adventure out of GW I can. That's why I'm glad I did a little exploring I had missed the first time I got this far and found Fishermen's Haven and the heir to the Kryta kingdom--neat to see how that plays out in the future...if any. Seems like this should be in the main quest but oh well...

Toutatis · Mar 28, 2007, 10:26 AM // 10:26

You're not the only one who blew off Aurora Glade - I hate that mission and try to avoid it if at all possible

As far as elite skills go, using a Signet of Capture on a dead boss is the only way the game allows you to collect elite skills. You can collect as many or as few elites as you want. I tend to end up collecting all the elites related to my primary profession, though I don't go after them all immediately. Even if you don't plan on actually using an elite skill after you cap it, there is still a title track for your characters which is built up by capping more elites (I think the first level of that skill hunting title track needs a character to cap 90 or so elite skills).

You still have two opportunities for further character development. You may be at level 20, but there are still more attribute points for you to gain. You can earn 200 attribute points in total, but only 170 of those can be earned by levelling up. There are two quests that you will come across that offer you the final 30 points (two quests, 15 points per quest). This will be your character's final attribute boosts, although it will not be your last opportunity to diversify your skill repertoire, and this is where the main character development happens after level 20. As you gain more skills you get more options when it comes to your game strategies.

Your build should hold over pretty much wherever you go though. Warriors, as far as I know, can survive under most stresses that the game throws at you. You might need to think about switching a few skills in and out once in a while, but as warriors get the highest sustainable DPS in the game with just their weapon choices, and the strongest armor, you should do fine with whatever you plan on throwing onto your skillbar. You only really need to start worrying about build performance when you start working with some of the more complex professions like mesmers and assassins as they need to do more planning in advance and work out how to chain their entire build together in combat.

You're not doing anything wrong at all, and my offer of assistance still stands

Eilsys · Mar 28, 2007, 10:31 AM // 10:31

Triple Chop is probably my favourite Warrior elite for PvE (not too hard to get, it's in the Kaineng area of Cantha). Skills like "Shield's Up!" and "Watch Yourself!" are good to bring too; defensive shouts can help your henchmen out quite a bit. Sever Artery/Gash/Final Thrust is a good combination, but don't overlook the more defensive abilities!

If you'd like some help/company with those missions, let me know in game!

(I'm Lady Eilsys).

Oh, and the Battle Isles were introduced slightly before/after the release of Factions? I don't quite remember, but there was a time when PvP was linked more to PvE (Ascalon and Shiverpeak arenas are the remnants of the old system), and you had to choose where to spawn your PvP toons (either in the old version of RA, TA, or HA).

Clerihew · Mar 28, 2007, 01:55 PM // 13:55

Just browse through the tested PvE warrior builds on guildwiki if you want to know what builds are generally considered good for warriors. I guess in the end the build you feel is the most effective is a subjective thing. If I were you I wouldn't get too hung up on what builds will work for campaigns to come - I think, and this is just my personal opinion, that the best way to work out decent builds is to just play. Try out new skills, discard the ones you don't like, keep the ones you do and learn your chacater thoroughly. By the time you reach Factions and Nightfall you should have answered a lot of these questions yourslef that way.

chichory · Mar 28, 2007, 10:14 PM // 22:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeremy untouchable

swords are better until you cap Eviserate for axes....after that switch to axes

In my view, saying stuff like this is alittle bit silly.
For a start Cleave has more damage over time and you tell me, whats generally more suitable in Pve, spike or Damage over time?
So like i said, sword and axe both have there advantages so its all personal choice, meaning go with what you enjoy!

Yuca Dolitae · Mar 28, 2007, 11:41 PM // 23:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ratsneve

Can I focus all my attribute points on just my primary attributes and ignore my secondary profession and skills? Will this serve me better then needing to distribute attribute points away from my primary into my secondary profession?

Likewise as a warrior primary profession I'm looking for opinions of whether to focus on Sword or Axe? When I start capturing elite skills it would be nice if I don't have to capture both warrior, sword, axe, and _monk_ elite skills if I can limit my focus to just warrior and sword _or_ axe? Thanks.

Ratsneve, its completely up to you and how you want to play the character - thats the great part about it! Seriously, you can make your character what you want it to be...as a new player I originally used to put all of my skill points equally into each slot until I realised how to use them! If I were you, I'd put your points into each slot according to the class you play, and how you play it for example one of the characters I play is an E/mo - now he's generally positioned behind the warriors, tanks, minions etc so doesn't recieve damage straight away, but then again his lower armour level does tend to attract foes! I chose to not put any points into the monk profession because I tend to only use rebirth in my skill bar (and only use it out of battle so the fact that it has no attribute points in it doesn't matter), the rest are in elementalist to boost the damage I do, and also increase the heal level of one of my ele skills (to keep me alive!) But with my warrior I tend to keep a couple of monk heal skills on my bar because he'll recieve damage quicker being a tank than some of the others will and it'll give the monks in a team a bit more time to heal others if I have some way of healing myself. For the /Mo classes, I guess its a case of finding the delicate balance between raising the damage you do and how well you can heal yourself.
Another thing to take into account is that different skill sets are necessary for different areas and different bosses so you'll probably want to change your attribute points/skills accordingly - good thing Anet gave us the ability to save skill templates eh?!
As for elites - cap the ones that you're going to use, there's no point in capping a hammer elite if you don't intend to use a hammer, similarly for monk sklls, if you're only using the healing side of being a monk, then you're not going to want to cap any smiting elites (that is of course unless you want your heroes to have those elites in which case if there's an elite that you want for one of your heroes then capping it with any character will allow them to have it.)
In deciding what weapon to go for - there are pluses to either...an axe has higher damage but a sword is faster - your choice I guess!
Hope that was helpful for you....

chichory · Mar 29, 2007, 02:06 AM // 02:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yuca Dolitae

In deciding what weapon to go for - there are pluses to either...an axe has higher damage but a sword is faster - your choice I guess!
Hope that was helpful for you....

Hi,
Generally great advice Yuca

One thing though swords and axes both attack at intervals of 1.33 seconds. Axes have a higher and lower range in damage than the sword, but it's all in the skills that make them different. For example if you want a high substained damage over time build you might go with a Dragon slash build, or if you like area of effect you might go with a Triple chop build ect ect.... It's all up to you and your play style!
Sorry about all this jumping on posts, just don't like misinformation spreading to new players.
Likewise if anything i have said is wrong please feel free to correct me

Cheers!