A Change of Pace?

A bit of background: I've been playing Guild Wars off-and-on since its release, enjoying the fact that I can pick it up and put it down at my leisure. I happily tromped through Tyria, but never really stuck to the game long enough to see it through to its finish.

That all changed with Nightfall.

For whatever reason, call it the skills, call it the scythe, the Dervish really vibed with me. I found myself not only completing Nightfall, but taking him over into Prophecies and Factions.

Now, I'm plodding along through GWEN and, unfortunately, the play is beginning to get a might bit stale. My primary load out is as an Avatar of Lyssa or Melandru with all the usual companion skills (Eternal Aura, Eremite's, Mystic's, Wearying Strike, etc). This is all well and good and serves to get me through the missions, but I'm growing a little tired of looking like a tree or a giantess attending a masquerade ball. The Avatar setup while potent, does grow a little old both in terms of play and aesthetics.

Unfortunately, I'm presently at a loss of what alternative sort of build I should pursue. Aura of Holy Might plus--what is it?--Vow of Strength? Reaper's Sweep? Give Wind Prayers a chance? I'm sending out an APB for suggestions as to what avenue might be entertaining. Raw power isn't so much a concern for me compared to a fun and slightly different playstyle.

Or, if it's a fresh playstyle is my aim, perhaps I should shelve the Dervish for a time and try rolling as an Elementalist or a Necromancer.

Whatever you end up doing as a dervish, chances are that, more than likely, you'll still be hitting stuff with your scythe.

If you want a completely new playstyle, try picking up a caster class.

Quote: Originally Posted by Stormlord Alex

Quote: Originally Posted by Stormlord Alex

You could run an Order's Dervish?

Quote: Originally Posted by Coffee Despot

i know what u mean, i was the same with GW till i found the dervish class, now im looking bad ass in my primeval gear. however i find an avatar kind of defeats the point of badass armour. Anyway don't really have much to contribute except to say i feel ur pain and u could allways give another class a crack, i suggest sin or necro.

Quote: Originally Posted by Cherng Butter

I'd give Wounding Strike or Reaper's Sweep a shot; in PvE, Reaper's is probably the better choice.

VoS is only usable under a lot of external buffs (Dwarf Weapon, I am the Strongest, etc.). It multiplies all raw damage, so the more +X stuff you tack on, the better your mileage. In comparing to builds that use attack skills, VoS is also stronger against low-AL targets, as the +% damage can result in overall better numbers than armor-ignoring bonuses.

You could run the new wounding strike. It kills things dead. Especially if you run it with a damage buff and a 20/20 mod. Using WS followed by mystic sweep tends to do wonders for me now.

You could do a condition spike. Use an enchantment strip, Wounding Strike, and condition causing enchantments (along with armor of sanctity) to kill mobs. Causing Deep Wound, Bleeding, Burning and Weakness all at once is a lot of fun.

I usually abandon the Avatar playstyle for other things. For example I have a build that uses Reaper's sweep and many other scythe attacks. That is my pure dmg build. There is also a tank build I use which relies on enchants like Vital Boon or stances like Conviction and the Elite: Ebon Dust Aura. This lets me be a good tank and blind mobs that can be very harmful to my party. If you're simply tired of the scythe/melee then I recommend a new profession.