Echo Trap Stygian Veil

This guide is for trapping the quest, "Breaching the Stygian Veil," in the Domain of Anguish, in Hard Mode. All of the builds listed were tested and have been verified to work in Hard Mode.

I am updating this guide with a solo build to kill the first two waves in Hard Mode Veil.
In my opinion, it's much faster and easier to kill the first two waves, and then resign when the fiends show up if you are only farming for drops. Read the original guide for tips on soloing the whole quest if you want the challenge. I have not tested this solo build beyond the first two waves, but give it a try if you want. Personally, I find it much easier to tackle the fiends with a hero. The hero in the video is just carrying a res. Plus, Jin always tags along to watch.

VIDEOS:

Youtube Video
Higher Quality Download 10.55 MB

The Build:

Template Code: OgUTMmLj5J5oEWOKHiLy55E3AA

Attributes:
Wilderness Survival: 12 + 1 + 3
Expertise: 12 + 3
Inspiration: 3




Equipment:

Radiant armor, Superior Wilderness mask, Superior Expertise, and one or more attunement rune recommended. You will need an Insightful staff with the "Hale and Hearty" inscription for +20 energy. Optional equipment is an Insightful Staff with a "Seize the Day!" inscription for +30 energy at the expense of -1 regen. Only use this staff as a weapon swap to set the last 2 traps instead of waiting ~5 seconds for energy regeneration like I did in the video. Makes it a little easier.

Lightbringer Rank: Lightbringer is required for this build; I tested without the title, and only killed 3-5 foes. I can confirm that rank 5 and above is sufficient, since my Ranger is rank 5. I can't test any lower, obviously.

This build differs little from the next one, but it is less forgiving. Just lay Winnowing, run forward to your trap spot, and activate SQ before Echo. Activate your traps left to right, and use SQ as your timer for when to pull. Once it nears it's second recharge, pull. When you run out of energy, use Ether Signet. I only use it once, and the only reason it's in this build is to allow an additional dust trap.

PvX build page: http://www.gwpvx.com/Build:R/Me_Stygian_Veil_Trapper

Original guide follows.






This second build is not solo, but it is safer, and it allows you to more easily complete the entire quest. Most of the damage still comes from you, and all of the drops will be assigned to you, given proper timing. The hero is mainly there to bring Energizing Wind, and as it turns out, to Echo it! The hero will also provide a decoy for the fiends, explained later.

Youtube Video
Higher Quality Download 12.9 MB

The build: R/Me(you)

Template Code: OgUTYnLj5ZJoESOKHi7wd7sLBA

Attributes:
Wilderness Survival: 12 + 1 + 3
Expertise: 12 + 3
Beast Mastery: 3 + 3 <---This is optional; I only have it for one skill.



Viper's is optional, really. Serpent's Quickness can be used in place of Trapper's Speed.

Equipment:

I used all Radiant insignia, 3 Superiors, and Superior Vigor. You'll want Superior Wilderness on a Wilderness mask, of course. Max armor is not required if cost is a consideration; if they catch you, it won't help. You'll be just as dead in starter armor or max. Vigor isn't really needed either, I suppose.

You will need an Insightful staff with the "Hale and Hearty" inscription for +20 energy, or you can use the reward from this quest. Even a +15 staff will probably do.
I gave my hero a +20 staff as well, but it is not needed.

Lightbringer Rank: I have not tested this build without Lightbringer, but I first started this farm at only Rank 2, which is not hard at all to get. I may test later whether LB is needed, but for now, I recommend at least Rank 2.

R/Me Spirit Hero

Template Code: OgUTY5Li1R78cmdQHgrSo78rBA

Attributes:
Beast Mastery: 12 + 1 + 3
Wilderness Survival: 10 + 1
Expertise: 8 + 2

This isn't optimized, really; just make sure you have 16 BM, at least 9 Expertise, and high enough Wilderness if you bring the other spirits. You want your Wilderness Survival high enough so the spirits live for at least 90 seconds, except Muddy Terrain, which you cast last.

Skills:



Only Echo, Energizing Wind, Edge of Extinction, and Muddy Terrain are needed, I believe, but the other spirits do provide a useful purpose. Natural Stride is only there to make the hero run off the radar once they clear Muddy Terrain's range.

Rebirth Hero(optional): ...Just put [[Rebirth] on a hero, and flag in the corner. I like to take a second res skill in addition to Rebirth, like [[Death Pact Signet], [[Restore Life], or [[Resurrection Chant]. Most of the time the teleport from Rebirth isn't needed.

Guide:

Shift + click on your spirit hero to disable all the spirits. They won't use Echo. Make sure Hard mode is on, and display your Lightbringer title for the bonus. I only have rank 5 on my Ranger, but I've done this build from Rank 2, in Hard mode, before Energizing Wind was hit. Head out into the Stygian Veil portal from Gate of Anguish, and run East to the Whispers Informant. Accept the bounty, and talk to the Adept of Whispers. Take the quest, "Breaching the Stygian Veil." Run NE along the trench, and wait outside aggro range of the red valley below. If you have a Rebirth hero with you, flag them into the corner, here:



I strongly recommend you bind a hotkey to the heroflag if you have not done so. It's in Options, Control tab, "Action: Command Party," or "Command Hero X"(1,2, and 3). Either bind a key to the party flag, or to the spirit hero.

Now, run down into the valley(I like to use "click to move" for this to avoid aggro) and flag your hero here:



In this next screenshot, I am standing close to the spot you should trap, and I am pointing to where you place your spirit. The melee and necro stygians will first follow you, and then switch targets to the spirit, sealing their doom. I highlighted Jin in this shot because her spirits will be in range of any fiends(I have to chuckle at the note on that page, since this build is designed to kill the buggers with traps) from where I stand as well. The fiends will stop to shoot the spirits while the traps blow up at their feet. Anytime the mobs include fiends, you have to spend a round of traps to take them out. You can clear all the waves with this build, if you are so inclined.



As far as the execution of the build, it's not very easy for me to type one in a coherent manner. I apologize in advance for this incoherent post.

Cast Echo then EW on your hero, and activate QZ then Trapper's or Dwarven Stability + Serpent's on your bar. You'll have to simultaneously activate spirits on your hero and trap with your bar. It's helpful if you use both mouseclicks on one bar, and hotkeys on your keyboard for the other skillbar. Just que up the next spirit, left to right, until you reach the echoed EW on your hero's bar.

All right, now that EW, QZ, and TS or SQ are in effect, cast: Arcane Echo, Echo, Dust, Echo, Dust, Dust, Barbed, Trip, Viper(optional), etc. Keep trapping upon recharge, always placing priority on Dust.

Once your hero has dropped the echoed EW, lay any further spirits you have(I recommend only one more after the echoed EW, if possible), then flag your hero to the opposite side of the...landmark...from you. Continue trapping until your hero's original EW recharges, then flag them to the same place as the rebirth hero in the first screenshot I posted. Once QZ has recharged, ~70 seconds will have elapsed since your first trap, so you have little time. Drop QZ again, and try to Echo, Dust, Dust, then pull. Oh, and run like hell!

I have uploaded a video to Youtube for your convenience(no sound). The second link is to a direct download of the video with higher quality.
edit: re-posted at top, as well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpC00M0hKZs
Higher Quality Download 12.9 MB

You'll note in the video that I didn't take my own advice about dropping the third EW on the other side. This is because I had not thought of it until now! If you watch the video, at ~1:55, my hero is off radar(meaning no drops or XP assigned), and at ~2:04, everything explodes in colorful numbers, and carnage ensues. You'll also be able to see that I use TexMod.

In case you can't see the skillbars in the video for timing purposes, here they are again:

Mine:

[build prof=R/Me name="Stygian Trapper" WildernessSurvival=12+1+3 Expertise=12+3 BeastMastery=3+3 desc="+20 energy Insightful staff with{br}Hale and Hearty Inscription"][Arcane Echo][Echo][Dust Trap][Barbed Trap][Tripwire][Trapper's Speed][Quickening Zephyr][Viper's Nest][/build]

Jin:

[build prof=R/Me name="Spirit Hero" BeastMastery=12+1+3 WildernessSurvival=10+1 Expertise=8+2][Energizing Wind][Winnowing][Brambles][Edge of Extinction][Toxicity][Echo][Muddy Terrain][Natural Stride][/build]

Rewards:

I see a lot of threads in this forum asking how to farm in DoA, and this does work. The good news is that it's Hard mode, so you will get increased chance of DoA gold drops, Stygian Gems of course, tomes(W, D, N, R), lockpicks, and non-max trash. Some of the non-max stuff may actually be worth much more than merchant value if you salvage rather than sell, thanks to the Consumables market. It's fairly decent for Lightbringer and experience points, especially with scrolls. That trial run took 5 minutes. I'm sure that time can be improved.



I take no credit for this build; I have merely revised and updated a previous one.
As far as I know, this is the original guide(on Guru, translated from a German site) for Echo trapping the Veil; see that thread for additional tactical advice, if needed. I will attempt to answer any questions about this one, as well.