PvE build using Vowof Strength

Durik Lakmor

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Sep 2006

Missouri

Pearl of Great Price

R/Mo

Playing around with some Enchants and such I have found a PvE build I really enjoy

Vow of Strength Build
D/x (though I use D/Mo, more on that later)


The wind prayers points was just dumping points, probaby better off moving it to protection however any rez would really be okay here if you didn't wanna go D/Mo.

Point Layout
Mysticism 11 + 1 = 12
Scythe Mastery 8 + 1 +1 = 10 (will probably lower it to just 9 when I get my next armor)
Earth Prayers 11 + 1 = 12
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Equipment

Windwalker's Insignias, Minor Runes for Skills and (eventually on mine) a Superior Vigor Rune.

Scythe could be Sundering of Enchanting with a 15^50 mod or something similar.
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Skills:

1.) Vital Boon - Enchant -For 20 secs you have +88 maxium health, when it ends you are healed for 175 (plus your mysticism bonus of 12 Health/4 Energy)

2.) Heart of Fury - Enchant - For 17 Seconds you attack 33% faster, when this ends nearby foes are set on fire for 2 seconds

3.) Vow of Strength (e) - Elite Enchant - For 10 Seconds you cannot use attack skills, your attacks deal 41% more damage (for number junkies I made this, if my math is off in how GW works let me know

Damage on a max dmg scythe is 9-41 so taking the 41% + 20% if you customized your weapon and +15% mod = 76% Damage Bonus


(9 x .76) + 9= 15.84, (41 x .76) + 41 = 72.16

Taking the average of that

(15.84 + 72.16)/2 = 44 divide that by the speed of scythe, 1.75 and you get ~ 25DPS and while Heart of Fury is up the speed is then 1.1725 so ~ 38 DPS. But I just put this up because I was bored and wanted to know some "raw numbers", it doesn't take into account armor values, the casting times you'll be using or the fire you'll be inflicting.

anyway moving on.

4.) Conviction - Stance - For 30 Seconds you have +24 armor while enchanted and +3 Health regen while not enchanted.

5.) Faithful Intervention - Enchantment - If you drop below 50% health it ends and you are healed for +126 (again also 12 health and 4 energy)

6.) Mystic Sandstorm - Spell - Lose all enchantments, for each on you deal 30 Earth damage to all nearby foes (max of 130)

7.) Signet of Pious Light - Signet - Lose 1 Enchantment, target ally is healed for 102 if an enchantment was removed this way.

8.) Any rez spell
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Useage

Cast faithful intervention as soon as you load in, cast whenever it drops.

Before you enter battle cast Conviction, enter and cast Heart of Fury and Vow of Strength, cover with Vital Boon.

If you get desperatly low on health make sure vital boon is up and cast your signet this will give you a quick heal for about 290.

Keep Your enchants up, if you are fighting a good sized group one thing I like to do is make sure that Faithful Intervention is recharged and all 4 enchants are up and hit Mystic Sandstorm this will heal you for 349 Health (48 for your enchants ending, 126 for Faithful Intervention and 175 for Vital Boon) as well as inflict 120 Earth Damage to your opponents. Reup your enchants and stance after.

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Weaknesses - well energy management has been a problem in extended fights or where mesmers take it away from me. Getting used to keeping the enchants going takes time and no strong attack skills can hamper it a bit. Overall it is a fun build that I feel is rounded out nicely.
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Alternative Build

Replacing Vow of Strength with Pious Renewal can do interesting things, get all your enchants up and hit Pious when you feel you need a quick heal, then hit mystic sandstrom this will give you an additonal 2 energy and 8 health per enchant ended, however this one lacks firepower and is admitingly a lesser choice.

Killian Godsblade

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Nov 2006

Well I've played something similar to this. Basically your build but using Pious renewal instead of Vow of Strength. Was an interesting build and worked well when you were facing melee monsters but once you started dealing with ranged creatures I found it lacked.

Although Vow of Strength may help with that a good deal.

Anyway I have a question, do you know where you unlocked Conviction at from a skill trainer? I'm at mission 14 I believe and I have yet to see it.

XvArchonvX

XvArchonvX

Forge Runner

Join Date: Nov 2005

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Killian Godsblade
Well I've played something similar to this. Basically your build but using Pious renewal instead of Vow of Strength. Was an interesting build and worked well when you were facing melee monsters but once you started dealing with ranged creatures I found it lacked.

Although Vow of Strength may help with that a good deal.

Anyway I have a question, do you know where you unlocked Conviction at from a skill trainer? I'm at mission 14 I believe and I have yet to see it. You could unlock it with Balthazar faction and then buy it at any Nightfall skill trainer.

Durik Lakmor

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Sep 2006

Missouri

Pearl of Great Price

R/Mo

I unlocked it using Balth faction and then buying it from a trainer (Pious Renewal with my build is an alternate use I have found to be good for health but bad for damage). Though even with Vow of Strength the damage is not as good as a scythe-skill heavy build. I tend to live more with this build than my scythe builds, going to try an avatar of balthazar build sometime as well, when I cap it.

Blkout

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jul 2005

I can't really agree with any build that has a weapon mastery of less than 12 unless you're using IW or you're a Monk.

Lourens

Lourens

Forge Runner

Join Date: Mar 2006

I use 13 Earth and 16 Scyhte with vow of strenght (+15% 20% Customized) with it i hit 132 on a 60 armor without any other skills