Sabway questions

Iraka

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Mar 2007

N/

I recently rejoined after a 5 month-ish break, and well came back to find that most of my builds were rubbish due to skill updates and new skills. I've decided to purchase EoTN to keep me amused and give me something new to do to prevent myself from getting bored too quickly.

Anyway, at first I toyed around with the idea of leveling up a new paragon, but I don't think it's going to end up replacing my character as my main. I've been looking around at builds for inspiration and stumbled into Sabway.

I've always loved my necro, and I'd like to play her. So here's the question, my necro primarily fits the role of SS .. although I'm more than willing to play anything, but how would a fourth necro fit into Sabway. Should I replace one of the necro heroes with myself, or fill another role?

Also, is Sabway only worthwhile for HM? Or is it fine for NM use.

Edit: Now that I think of it, I think I might try making a mesmer ... to be different. Could anyone give me some ideas on how a mesmer could tie in? I thought about an ineptitude build .. mostly because I have it unlocked and have an elite mesmer tome in my storage.

Worldbeater

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Dec 2005

Alabama

AcId

D/

In my experience, many builds work with sabway, but I would bring hex/condition removal if you're not going to bring monk henchies. Someone else can probably give you an optimal 4th Necro or Mesmer build to go along with it. I haven't played those two professions a whole lot.

And Sabway works fine in NM. You can generally steamroll NM areas with exploitable corpses.

Murmel

Murmel

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Mar 2008

Land of Confusion

[swea]

W/

If you can play the SS in the Sabway build, then thats the best choice. Then grab a nuker or Broad Headed Arrow hero.

Tyla

Emo Goth Italics

Join Date: Sep 2006

Tainted Flesh gogo

Hodgie

Hodgie

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Nov 2006

On A Chair

Rise Of Corruption

Mo/

Can i just ask, is sabway, 3 nec heroes, 1 SS, 1 Jagged Bones MM, and a N/Rt healer thing? ive seen it mentioned alot on guru and never really underdstood it.

Hodgie

Axel Zinfandel

Axel Zinfandel

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Sep 2007

Northeastern Ohio

LaZy

P/W

Sabway generally steamrolls NM. I've only finally completed my Sabway heroes, and notice an amazing amount of ease compared to my normal heroes.

Granted, I'm an Imbagon with Sabway Heroes, so I can pretty much aggro anything and live. Only thing I need to do is allegiance grinding, which is the most pain in the ass thing I've ever done in GW x.x

Mortal Amongst Mere Gods

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Oct 2007

Riding the spiral

W/

This is just me, so don't take it too seriously: I would run BiP and other energy/support skills for the casters. I'd let them handle it as they're fantastic for me as is, while I'd do support.

Antithesis

Antithesis

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jan 2007

BrisneyLand

Sphincter Says [What]

W/

You don't need BiP + energy support skills with Sabway, they already have an infinite energy engine.

In low corpse areas Reaper's Mark will do the job, or you could slip Blood Ritual onto one of the bars.

DarkSpirit

DarkSpirit

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Feb 2006

Redmond

For my necro, I have been testing this build along with sabway (bone fiend variant) and it works fine so far. It simply carries useful skills that are not included in the sabway builds:

[build box prof=N sou=12+1 cur=12+1+1][Foul Feast][Plague Signet][Weaken Armor][Deft Strike][Signet of Infection][Resurrection Signet][Pain Inverter][Mark of Pain][/build]

Cast [Weaken Armor]->[Deft Strike]->[Signet of Infection] (if target is not human) on target for cracked armor+Bleeding+Disease. If any of your ally is weighed down by conditions cast [Foul Feast] on ally->[Plague Signet] on foe.

Use [mark of pain] on monks and bosses then ctrl->space to target heroes on it, fiends would follow suit and watch surrounding monsters die. Cast [Pain Inverter] on melee and high damage foes.

distilledwill

distilledwill

Forge Runner

Join Date: Sep 2006

Blighty

The Legion of the Blue Blade

R/Mo

As has been mentioned, Sabway lacks heavy hex removal and interupts. I tend to run as a BHA ranger for interupts:

[build prof=R/Me name="BHA Ranger" box Marksmanship=9+1 Expertise=12+1+1 Wilderness Survival=9+1][Broad Head Arrow][Distracting Shot][Sloth Hunter's Shot][Epidemic][Apply Poison][Natural Stride][Troll Unguent][Ebon Battle Standard Of Honor][/build]

and Ive got into the habit of swapping the N/Rt healer for an Artificer Mesmer (see post a few threads down), to cover the hex removal.

Spaced Invader

Spaced Invader

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jul 2005

I would (usually) not use Sabway in NM. Sure, it works a 100% safe and will get you through everything.

Thing is just, it kills things rather slowly. In NM I would rather go for a standard MM (not the Jagged MM, but an oldschool build with Flesh Golem) and 2 Eles with SH or SF.
Or (if applicable) 3 SF/SH Ele Heroes (with some Mesmer skills for e-management and interrupts). Kills things twice or thrice as fast in NM.

Especially for most NM missions in Factions I would prefer this over Sabway, since those missions are on a timer for Master's Reward.

For harder NM missions or some dungeons you might wanna try Sabway. For HM anyway.
With some modifications in regard to whatever you are going to do, like suggested here.

Anime Divine

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Nov 2007

W/

ive also found out with sabway you dont even have to use monks
me and afriend are vanquishing elona these days
and we just steamroll everything with 2 x 3 necros us as ursan . ok mayby the fire djins and desolation is a bit hard but still.

just about anything fits in the team with if play necro say like 3 ss is overkill for most mobs. so is 2 mms meh just wanted to write something hehe

Bront

Bront

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Feb 2008

Honored Order of Light

W/Me

Quote:
Originally Posted by Spaced Invader
I would (usually) not use Sabway in NM. Sure, it works a 100% safe and will get you through everything.

Thing is just, it kills things rather slowly. In NM I would rather go for a standard MM (not the Jagged MM, but an oldschool build with Flesh Golem) and 2 Eles with SH or SF.
Or (if applicable) 3 SF/SH Ele Heroes (with some Mesmer skills for e-management and interrupts). Kills things twice or thrice as fast in NM.

Especially for most NM missions in Factions I would prefer this over Sabway, since those missions are on a timer for Master's Reward.

For harder NM missions or some dungeons you might wanna try Sabway. For HM anyway.
With some modifications in regard to whatever you are going to do, like suggested here. I've found it's more of an issue of it starting out slow rather than actualy being slow. I'm running the MM with Putrid Bile though instead of one of the skills, and that tends to speed up killing a bit. It also depends on what you're running with. I also usually used a Mesmer, so

But a tweeked MM (I use a Jagged with Barbs and Mark of Pain), a nuker Ele, and a utility slot (Warrior, Ranger, Monk, another Ele, be creative) is a fairly effecient alternitive to Sabway if you need faster kills in NM. The the tweeked MM also works if you want to remove the Curse necro from Sabway and go with something else.

Also, Sabway really requires a physical of some kind (preferably a warrior or dervish, though a paragon or ranger will do) to get started. If you don't have one, it will be slower.

Spaced Invader

Spaced Invader

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jul 2005

True, you can tweak Sabway to make it kill faster.
But still in NM it will always be slower than 3 SH Eles (or 2 SHs and a traditional MM for diverting the received damage).
And most NM maps are easy enough that you don't need more precautions than 2 Hench Monks.

Hexes and Curses are often quite useless in NM. You can hardly cast 'em before the monsters drop dead, let alone wait for them to take effect.

So I would never bring the Sabway SS for NM stuff.
The N/Rt Healer only if 3 healers are needed. Off the top of my head, that's pretty much nowhere in NM. (Well, I did bring him in the Prophecies outposts with only 1 monk, though.)

The Minion Bomber actually can be quite a good replacement for the oldschool MM, if you want more damage and less flesh wall.


[e] Quote:
But a tweeked MM (I use a Jagged with Barbs and Mark of Pain), a nuker Ele, and a utility slot (Warrior, Ranger, Monk, another Ele, be creative) helps. Err, a lot of stuff helps (although it's not really necessary to have really elaborated builds in NM - just burn the foes down). But this has nothing to do with Sabway either (unless you are referring to the Henchies or a 6 hero setup).

Bront

Bront

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Feb 2008

Honored Order of Light

W/Me

Quote:
Originally Posted by Spaced Invader
Err, a lot of stuff helps (although it's not really necessary to have really elaborated builds in NM - just burn the foes down). But this has nothing to do with Sabway either (unless you are referring to the Henchies or a 6 hero setup). Sorry, was suposed to be an NM alternitive if you think Sabway is to slow. I'll edit to make that clear.

Shai-hulud

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Oct 2005

Magnificent Dutch

W/

play as u like, SAB-way is an easy to use build. Never really have problems with hexes actually and me as a warrior can interrupt the most important skills just with brawling headbut.

Some changes I did make was change the MM to a martyr MM (very usefull in some of the condition heavy area's in EotN), the N/Rt healer is carying SV and the SS brings aegis for some more support (at least I needed it vs jade brotherhood or whatever it is called)

In the past I used a very different build:
-Rt/N MM bomber (similar, but more AoE damage, more durable minions, but no other support such as aegis)
-N/Rt SS with channeling support (nearly the same as in SAB-way)
-E/Mo SH with some prot support

Basically SAB-way is good, but it can give some troubles vs melee and vs eles/rits aoe damage - an invincigon or more weakness (ursan for instance) can help with this.

MasterSasori

MasterSasori

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Dec 2007

USA

[Thay]

R/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shai-hulud
Basically SAB-way is good, but it can give some troubles vs melee and vs eles/rits aoe damage - an invincigon or more weakness (ursan for instance) can help with this. Most of my problems with Sabway has not been melee as it has been spellcasters in HM. But as stated, with an Imbagon, you're pretty much set whatever you do.