Mind Blast Build

Trylo

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jan 2006

[Here] | CKOD

E/R

i was playing with mind blast as i got it and an exuros will (lucky me ) and we had a 8v8 alliance scrimmage so i said why not try a build with it...

16 fire
13 energy storage
4 healing

[skill]Mind Blast[/skill][skill]Immolate[/skill][skill]Liquid Flame[/skill][skill]Searing Heat[/skill][skill]Teinai's Heat[/skill][skill]Flame Djinn's Haste[/skill][skill]Glyph of Sacrifice[/skill][skill]Resurrection Chant[/skill]

i found it easy to maintain high energy by alternating between immolate, mind blast, liquid flame, immolate, mind blast etc. you can switch in almost anything for flame djinn's but i personally like it there because it can somewhat form as a makeshift flagger and also as a great retreat mechanism.

any thoughts/critiques?

Dr Strangelove

Dr Strangelove

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Dec 2005

Wasting away again in Margaritaville

[HOTR]

I believe Ensign posted the face-rocking synergy with recharge times between mind blast, fireball, and smoldering embers. You can chain cast them in that order with no downtime. Rodgort's invocation might be a better choice than one of the searing heats as well. I'm uncomfortable running any ele build without an attunement, but mind blasters do actually do ok without it, as long as blast always succeeds.

Trylo

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jan 2006

[Here] | CKOD

E/R

i didnt take the route of fireball and 2sec casting times (although i did see the nice synergy of recharges) because i wanted to be able to spam mind blast with no attunement to make me totally self sufficient and unstoppable (energy wise ). you can start out with the searing/teinais heat which imo are the best non elite fire aoe in the game (252 damage over 5 seconds, less time to react before you get the full hit). there is a small time delay after the liquid flame attack and immolate which you can usually fit in a heat spell, and i find i am always casting a spell.

i am a little afraid to touch rodgorts. 25 energy non attuned is a lot. i would need to have almost full energy to get a 99% chance mind blast would work... (plus if the monks were smart... they would have close to 70 and i would have 60 after that spell... no good >_<)

i kept sustained DPS on enemy monks (68+63+42+119+68...repeat) as well as good pressure do balled up foes... i was actually pretty amazed at the end result.

i am also trying to stay away from flare... i dislike the fact it doesnt always hit and i enjoy flame djinns haste on my bar

placebo overdose

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jan 2007

N/

i got two noob Q's
is that elite mind blast i think a projectile
and would this be good for a mes to use for FS?

Dr Strangelove

Dr Strangelove

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Dec 2005

Wasting away again in Margaritaville

[HOTR]

Mind blast isn't a projectile.

It's not really the best skill on a secondary, as you only net 2 energy at 12 fire magic. It's one of those skills that really needs to be maxed. Secondly, it's going to be harder to meet the "more energy than target foe" without the the large energy pool of the elementalist to work with. Not impossibly, but certainly a lot less flexible.

Ensign

Ensign

Just Plain Fluffy

Join Date: Dec 2004

Berkeley, CA

Idiot Savants

You do get some nice sustainable cycles with Smoldering Embers and Fireball in theory. In practice, you rarely get left alone long enough for that to be relevant at all.

Not playing with Mark of Rodgort is a mistake.

Peace,
-CxE

Dr Strangelove

Dr Strangelove

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Dec 2005

Wasting away again in Margaritaville

[HOTR]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ensign
Not playing with Mark of Rodgort is a mistake. I gotta say, I'm surprised by that one. I've never really found mark to be that great outside of a SF build, or a build in which your physicals lugs around fire weapons. Yeah, it's a yucky AoE hex, but you're relatively unlikey to get that much mileage out of it, as you have to keep spamming away on one guy.

Thom Bangalter

Thom Bangalter

Grindin'

Join Date: Dec 2005

MO

E/Mo

make your warriors bust out their fiery dragon swords. You know they're dying to anyway.

Cebe

Cebe

The 5th Celestial Boss

Join Date: Jul 2006

Inverness, Scotland

The Cult of Scaro [WHO]

E/

IMO Mind Blast is the one of the only skills that makes fire magic even vaguely fun. I decided to try mixing it with water magic. Turns out it's "ok" in PvE only things die way too fast. Was reasonably fun in Fort Aspenwood.

[wiki]Fire Attunement[/wiki]
[wiki]Glyph of Elemental Power[/wiki]
[wiki]Mind Blast[/wiki]
[wiki]Fireball[/wiki]
[wiki]Liquid Flame[/wiki]
[wiki]Mark of Rodgort[/wiki]
[wiki]Steam[/wiki]
[wiki]Shard Storm[/wiki]

I use 10 Water Magic and the rest in Fire and Energy Storage, allowing me to use Prismatic Armor for AL70.

Mark of Rodgort > Mind Blast > Steam is nice on a warrior who is running at you

Stormlord Alex

Stormlord Alex

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Dec 2005

Beyond the Forest of Doom, past the Cavern of Agony... on Kitten & Puppy Island

Soul of Melandru [sOm]

W/E

Playing around with Mind Blast on my bro's ele (mine is somewhere in Kourna ) I quite like Heal Party on a Mind Blaster... It's not as though you don't have energy to spare.

Ensign

Ensign

Just Plain Fluffy

Join Date: Dec 2004

Berkeley, CA

Idiot Savants

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Strangelove
or a build in which your physicals lugs around fire weapons. If you tell people you're bringing Mark of Rodgort, the *Monks* will make a point of bringing fire weapons.

Peace,
-CxE

Trylo

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jan 2006

[Here] | CKOD

E/R

you could always switch out flame djinns for mark and then maybe immolate for flare... sounds like something to test out... up to 100 some damage from a flare ... then maybe bring something more energy taxing... the evergy will split even hehe fun...

Symbol

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Aug 2005

But Ensign, I thought you hated MoR?

Polynikes of Sparta

Polynikes of Sparta

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Mar 2007

Ascalon Arena

Zero I Hour [ZH]

D/N

yeah, ensign, i thought MoR was in the same class as healing breeze to you... is it really that good for 15 energy? i find it only to be good while running glowing gaze, but if u can explain, go ahead.

~Polynikes

Ensign

Ensign

Just Plain Fluffy

Join Date: Dec 2004

Berkeley, CA

Idiot Savants

Um, Mark of Rodgort has gotten half a dozen buffs since release. The original Mark cost 25 energy, had a 2 second cast time, a 15 second recharge, went on one target, lasted for 20 seconds, and caused 3 seconds of burning. That skill was absolutely horrendous, people who thought that skill was awesome were simply wrong.

The current Mark of Rodgort is a spammable AoE hex that lasts for a ridiculous duration. It ends up getting on everyone and adds a ton of DPS to a team from physicals with fire weapons. The Mark is the skill that makes Fire worth playing in competitive PvP, at least in some environments.

Guess what, radical balance swings actually change which skills are good in Guild Wars.

Also, Flame Djinn's Haste is the second most important skill on a fire Ele, I wouldn't cut that for anything on this sort of bar.

Peace,
-CxE

Polynikes of Sparta

Polynikes of Sparta

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Mar 2007

Ascalon Arena

Zero I Hour [ZH]

D/N

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ensign
The Mark is the skill that makes Fire worth playing in competitive PvP, at least in some environments.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ensign
Also, Flame Djinn's Haste is the second most important skill on a fire Ele, I wouldn't cut that for anything on this sort of bar. Please tell me you're talking about PvP.

~Polynikes

Symbol

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Aug 2005

Quote:
The current Mark of Rodgort is a spammable AoE hex that lasts for a ridiculous duration. It ends up getting on everyone and adds a ton of DPS to a team from physicals with fire weapons. The Mark is the skill that makes Fire worth playing in competitive PvP, at least in some environments. Yeah, but during the test weekend you said that the AoE buff to "nearby" wouldn't matter. So you've changed your mind then?

Stormlord Alex

Stormlord Alex

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Dec 2005

Beyond the Forest of Doom, past the Cavern of Agony... on Kitten & Puppy Island

Soul of Melandru [sOm]

W/E

Ensign, while I agree that it's a good skill from a PvP standpoint, I'm not so certain of it's effectiveness PvE-wise.

Given that a well-oiled hero/hench team or guild team level the opposition incredibly fast in PvE, wouldn't a frontload of 100+ damage fire spells be of more use than the damage over-time from Mark? Especially given that PvE doesn't need hex coverage too...

Correct me, please, if I'm wrong on this... But I just can't see it's advantage in PvE.

frojack

frojack

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Nov 2005

London, UK

Rite Of Passage [RP]

E/Mo

Mark is actually better in PvE than it is PvP. Only in PvE can you face enemies who's armour value are makes your elemental damage a joke. As this abnormal al increases further, so does the usefulness of the consistent -7 degen MoR allows.

Ever since it became aoe and 15 energy, I've been a fan of MoR...

Ensign

Ensign

Just Plain Fluffy

Join Date: Dec 2004

Berkeley, CA

Idiot Savants

Quote:
Originally Posted by Polynikes of Sparta
Please tell me you're talking about PvP.
...I even said PvP in the part you quoted, and the original poster specifically mentioned PvP.


Quote: Originally Posted by Symbol So you've changed your mind then? Yes.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Stormlord Alex
Ensign, while I agree that it's a good skill from a PvP standpoint, I'm not so certain of it's effectiveness PvE-wise. The big reason not to run it in PvE is that it's basically impossible to get a full PvE team with fire weapons. If you could, I'd run Mark in a heartbeat.

Peace,
-CxE

Trylo

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jan 2006

[Here] | CKOD

E/R

take out what then... liquid flame or one of the heats...? ... maybe even... firestorm! would be good in a build like that? personally i have a fondness for searing heat (it was the first skill i ever capped) and its damage is IMHO godly for the range and time (now, of course )

Polynikes of Sparta

Polynikes of Sparta

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Mar 2007

Ascalon Arena

Zero I Hour [ZH]

D/N

Mind Blast buffed to 15...75...95 fire damage. Now can be a viable damage dealer. I smell MoR+MB+GG...

~Polynikes

carbajac

carbajac

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Mar 2006

The Medicine Cabinet [PILL]

E/

No need for gg

Mysterial

Mysterial

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Aug 2005

Servants of Fortuna

E/Me

Quote:
Originally Posted by Polynikes of Sparta
Mind Blast buffed to 15...75...95 fire damage. Now can be a viable damage dealer. I smell MoR+MB+GG...

~Polynikes No, it was buffed to 15...75. Arenanet lists 0...15 attribute points because those are the actual values the designers edit, although the game lists 0...12 for reasons that aren't immediately obvious, possibly because more of your attributes are likely to be close to 12 than 15.

Mouse at Large

Mouse at Large

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Dec 2005

Scotland

Fuzzy Physics Institute

E/

Ran a mixed earth/fire setup in RA to test Mind Blast+MoR. It works

Polynikes of Sparta

Polynikes of Sparta

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Mar 2007

Ascalon Arena

Zero I Hour [ZH]

D/N

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mysterial
No, it was buffed to 15...75. Arenanet lists 0...15 attribute points because those are the actual values the designers edit, although the game lists 0...12 for reasons that aren't immediately obvious, possibly because more of your attributes are likely to be close to 12 than 15. Eh, whatever. Then it was buffed to 15...63...75. Still not bad.

~Polynikes

Trylo

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jan 2006

[Here] | CKOD

E/R

so 15 damage suddenly makes it viable...? GG...

Ensign

Ensign

Just Plain Fluffy

Join Date: Dec 2004

Berkeley, CA

Idiot Savants

It was viable before. The change honestly doesn't do to much, the non-Mind Blast spells were your heavy hitters anyway. A bit more damage does make it slightly more attractive though.

Peace,
-CxE

Dr Strangelove

Dr Strangelove

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Dec 2005

Wasting away again in Margaritaville

[HOTR]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Trylo
so 15 damage suddenly makes it viable...? GG... It was viable before. Mind blast gives you more energy than ether prodigy, deals damage, and has no major drawbacks, other than you have to remember to cast it when your energy is high.

That being said, I don't understand the love for using this skill with glowing gaze. This skill really shines when you fill your bar up with lots of high energy spammy stuff, not energy management.

EDIT:

Curse your ninja posting Ensign!

Stormlord Alex

Stormlord Alex

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Dec 2005

Beyond the Forest of Doom, past the Cavern of Agony... on Kitten & Puppy Island

Soul of Melandru [sOm]

W/E

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Strangelove
other than you have to remember to cast it when your energy is high. Or tab to an opposing wammo. They're there for a reason.

Thom Bangalter

Thom Bangalter

Grindin'

Join Date: Dec 2005

MO

E/Mo

I was guesting earlier and we got rolled by a team with 3 melee and a mind blast guy.

That guild was an iQ smurf.

iQ: reinventing heroway. Ask Te for details.

Ensign

Ensign

Just Plain Fluffy

Join Date: Dec 2004

Berkeley, CA

Idiot Savants

Mind Blast is rather vulnerable to skill disabling effects (Signet of Humility, Distracting Shot, Diversion), it tends to cripple a Mind Blast bar something fierce. Death also tends to destroy you (since it empties out your energy capacity). Energy denial usually isn't a big deal though, you can power through it with a few more Blasts and a few less big spells, at worst you have to swap up briefly. Also, Mind Blast requires a significant time investment, making it a weak skill in skirmish situations or when otherwise under pressure. That's a time investment that isn't anything to get excited about either, it's just a bit of single target pressure. You really need to be able to maximize the time between Mind Blasts to make the skill worthwhile.

I didn't know that people were using Mind Blast with Glowing Gaze, and that doesn't make a lick of sense to me to be honest. What the hell are you casting that justifies an energy elite and dual emanagement skills (assume the Fire Attunement), two of which want to be spammed?

EDIT: Zhed is terrible with Mind Blast

Peace,
-CxE

Trylo

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jan 2006

[Here] | CKOD

E/R

my post was making fun of the people who thought it was bad before... (gg = good game, not glowing gaze... >_>)

i tried out mark, it was good... kinda weird though because i felt like i was recasting it more than trying to damage foes more. if we had a legit team with all fire weapons maybe i would have thought differently about it, but it doesnt really seem useful with just me using it, if 8 ppl were all doing 50 damage from a wand blast because of it im sure i would have thought differently...

Ensign

Ensign

Just Plain Fluffy

Join Date: Dec 2004

Berkeley, CA

Idiot Savants

Yeah you absolutely need a bunch of physicals with fire weapons to make Mark of Rodgort good. Spamming it around when you're the only one setting it off is terrible. But when all of your physicals are setting people on fire with every hit, you end up creating a ton of burning with Mark that's well worth the cost.

It's less useful in PvE though, because things tend to die quickly, quickly enough that you never really get a ton of benefit out of Mark of Rodgort. It's like other degen hexes, if they're given time to work they're wrecking balls, but if the battle ends before they've gotten to half their duration they were a waste.

Peace,
-CxE

Bloodied Blade

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jan 2006

R/

I'd like to have a barrager with a fire string + conjure & an elly with mark on a team...though you can put all that on just the ranger.