Sand Elementals, overpowered?

Hello,

Today i ventured into the deserts for first time, and got mesmerized on how fast could these elementals wipe a party. Shock + Eruption + Aftershock. Counting with they come in groups of 3-4, this is a whole lot of AoE damage + Interrupt + Blind, maybe it can be easily done with PC parties but this foes make impossible the play with Henches.

Well solution is easy -> avoid them, just wanted to point this thought.

Defense is the key here. If you cap their damage output via prot spirit, raise armor level to high levels, diffuse the damage via mantra of earth, or simply just let the npc henchies tank the monsters and blow them to pieces, you should be fine. In any of the above you should be fine, but the only part of these things that are dangerous, is the fast knockdown via shock that they do.

I had no problems traversing it as a ranger with only a healing monk and thest henchies.

The biggest problem with henchies and Sand Elementals (or any other mob with AoE attacks) is that the henchies just stand there in the AoE and get killed. Sometimes you cn pull them back in time, and sometimes you can't. So like Phades said, you have to be proactive... use skills to buff your defense before you go in, focus fire one at a time, and don't panic. Panic kills more teams than any mob ever could.

they are also highly annoying while running...
when i was running using my ranger to get to dunes, (r/mo, so no balanced stance or anything), they would knock me down and proceed to obliterate me if ever i got too close. the only thing in the whole area that actually posed a threat, outside of sand drakes.

I did fine with a PUG.
I was using a W/N at the time, and I happened to have Balanced Stance and Plague Touch on me. :P

Avoid them, or prepare for them.

Dunno they were easy for my mesmer and henchies, but most things are anyway. Walked to Dunes recently with henchies even though I'd done it before.