I know there have probably been a few threads like this but unfortunately I performed a search and came up blank.
Basically I've pretty much given up on UW farming... for some reason (I probably just suck) I have ZERO ability at it... I've tried many different builds and I've failed at each miserably.
I've done ranger trapping(I could actually semi do this until the EW nerf) but its so incredibly slow and boring that quite obviously its not worthwhile, especially after the EW nerf.
I've done 330 rit but I just fail hard against dying nightmares. If i'm really careful and go slow I can get past them about 50% of the time but then the graspings... skull crack... :S just seems to get me everytime. Once in a while I get past them and then the coldfire nights just prove to be a problem and then theres the occasional dying nightmare again. If I really really take my time and am careful I can usually complete the smite run but it takes me about 1.5-2hrs and thats just... :S and thats only if i get lucky with the graspings and they don't skull crack me.
I've done 55 necro, also ran into the same problems here as with the 330rit. However in this case only they dying nightmares and graspings were a problem, coldfire nights were easy to eliminate as a 55 necro. Thus this build raised some hope in me to be successful but alas... no, the smites take FOREVER to kill as they just continuously smite off SS and then heal each other with RoF when SS does get some hits in.
Done a variety of random ele builds taken off of PvX wiki, the various terra tank builds crashed and burned as the dying nightmares removed my enchants. An E/A build using SF and meteor shower, flame dijnn's haste, lava font and bed of coals held some initial promise but once again proved to be fruitless. If it wasn't a dying nightmare getting me the moment SF ran out it was the smites not dying from my fire onslaught and then killing me after chasing half the ice wastes. Then there were coldfire nights....
Overall I've spent about 200k buying armor, runes, proper equipment getting the skills and the most heavy drain the entrance fee(accounting for about 170-180k of the 200k). Theres also the months i've spent on these characters playing them through the initial phases of the campaign and then giving them an honest shot at UW. I didn't just try once or twice and then give up...
Now mind u I have not tried 55 monk or 600/smite however I do play these characters for reasons other than just farming. Healing just isn't my thing so I've only made a monk once or twice in passing and then just deleted it, if i were to make one I would have to first empty a character slot and then most likely this monk would have only a sole purpose of farming. Now I can already imagine that 55 monking would be just as fruitless as 330 rit or 55 necro so thats probably out of the question. 600/smite looks easy enough but I dunno... I should also note I don't like being the smiter in 600/smite AT ALL... its boring and you do next to nothing...
Another alternative I can think of is to create a sin with the potential of infinite shadow form farming... I've got no experience with sins though.
So now that i'm done my QQ, I reach the meat of this thread. Is tombs a worthwhile alternative to UW? I can easily do tombs with my SF E/A, the run through lvl 1 takes me about 4-5mins and I get an ecto roughly 1/15 runs. This quite clearly lags behind UW however, I have 100% success at it and there no expense for it at all.
I'm just looking for people's opinion on whether I should keep up with tombs or go back to UW and try another build. If I do try another build, is there any suggestions?
Failing at UW, tombs a worthwhile alternative?
Inger
OctANE
u just have to keep trying or to practice somewhere where u dont ahve to pay the stupid 1k fee...some time ago i was thinking that i suck too at this...i tryed with my ele with a shadow form but then i hadn't that much time with the 20 seconds SF and was killed at the graspings...and the other one i tryed was the VwK rt but i left it out because i hate keeping up all those enchantments so i started to search for other good farming places for those chars and then i reached the Zin ku Coridor with my sin and after i saw the A/E_UW_Farmer and just tryed once and discovered that the only problems i had in farming UW is the agrro thing, the way to use the +25% running speed to agro the graspings, how to deal with the Dying and the fact that i was freaking out when i was followed by others except the grasping or smiters...after 3 runns i could get over all of these...
some advice...for the nightmares if it shows up and theres nobody else next just go and give it a Flame Djinn...if u are agroing graspings or smiters and he apears just go next to him get while the other follow u (asuming u were trying to agro them and u have the SF) go next to it and start the chain again with the Flame Djinn (after which u can go normal with the glyph and spells)...if u have problems with the aatxes just stay cool cus if u have the Flame Djinn they will just stop following u everytime (like they know that they cant follow u
) and for the Colds...donno i never escaped from them but if u exercise your agroo theyll never get u...
The SF sin is my fav cus it has all u need to escape u dont have to mantain alot of enchs and its easy to use...i have some exams now and tryed it 5 times and finished the run 4 times and got 8 ectos (happy me
))
If u analyze the movie in the sins UW farmer build page well youll learn alot...just tryit...one good thing now its the SF that lasts almost 38 seconds and thats a life savior.
some advice...for the nightmares if it shows up and theres nobody else next just go and give it a Flame Djinn...if u are agroing graspings or smiters and he apears just go next to him get while the other follow u (asuming u were trying to agro them and u have the SF) go next to it and start the chain again with the Flame Djinn (after which u can go normal with the glyph and spells)...if u have problems with the aatxes just stay cool cus if u have the Flame Djinn they will just stop following u everytime (like they know that they cant follow u
) and for the Colds...donno i never escaped from them but if u exercise your agroo theyll never get u...The SF sin is my fav cus it has all u need to escape u dont have to mantain alot of enchs and its easy to use...i have some exams now and tryed it 5 times and finished the run 4 times and got 8 ectos (happy me
))If u analyze the movie in the sins UW farmer build page well youll learn alot...just tryit...one good thing now its the SF that lasts almost 38 seconds and thats a life savior.
Zidane Ortef
With the upgrade in Shadow Form recently i have been Perma shadowing Tombs the build is http://www.pvxwiki.com/wiki/Build:A/...Daggers_Farmer
Its really easy to get use to. With my exp. i can clear floor 1 in 12-13mins, Floor 2 in 50-55mins, floor 3 in 30mins, and have yet to finish cuz i get distracted but i would say the last floor about 35-40mins or so ive done the run about 2-3 times so far gotten two ectos, a ruby, bout 10-12k in gold,8-9golds and bring along a few normal salvage kits and have made bout a stack and a half of iron. The best thing with tombs is its free if u fail you can try again and not have to worry bout did i get enough junk to sell back and stay even.
But if you wanna go the UW route this build is by far the easiest to get the hang of http://www.pvxwiki.com/wiki/Build:W/Rt_VWK_farmer
I hope this will be a big help.
Its really easy to get use to. With my exp. i can clear floor 1 in 12-13mins, Floor 2 in 50-55mins, floor 3 in 30mins, and have yet to finish cuz i get distracted but i would say the last floor about 35-40mins or so ive done the run about 2-3 times so far gotten two ectos, a ruby, bout 10-12k in gold,8-9golds and bring along a few normal salvage kits and have made bout a stack and a half of iron. The best thing with tombs is its free if u fail you can try again and not have to worry bout did i get enough junk to sell back and stay even.
But if you wanna go the UW route this build is by far the easiest to get the hang of http://www.pvxwiki.com/wiki/Build:W/Rt_VWK_farmer
I hope this will be a big help.
Tender Care
My opinion about farming UW (done SS/SV + 55hp, done 80hp derv + SS/SV, done 130hp derv solo farm, done Avatar of Balthazar farming smites, done a mixed Ursan ritualist spirit spammer + protective monk works great!!) so as i was saying, my opnion is that for soloing UW you just need practice but most of all much experience in timing and using the right skills in the right moment.....i had to learn when aatxe uses interruption, when they use riposites so i don not die due to too many riposites..had to learn when nightmares spawns and what to do if they spawn while aayxe are aggroed....had to learn what to do with graspings for they make you lose a bunch of energy and interrupts even attacks..and so on...You just have to get practice with the build and if possible try to invent your own build with skills you suppose are better and easier to use.
gw_poster
I feel your pain...especially with the trapping ew nerf..my main was a ranger and I used to love echo/a-echo soloing. But then I made a monk. 600/smiting is so easy in UW HM. You can pull clear the chamber in about 6-10 minutes including the graspings. The nm threat is negligible due to SpBreaker and u can use a monk hero to smite for you! I haven't tried the rit330 build, but I've done solo 55 (m/ne in NM) and duo 55/nec, but solo I have trouble switching weapons and doing the cover ench for protection from NM's in time and duo'ing always sucked with a nec cuz it was always a PUG. But 600/smite is something u can do on your own and just make sure u disable the hero monk's skills so the ench's stay on u. Once you have the timing down it's easy peasy. Shouldn't take that long to get run everywhere and level up if you start in proph with a monk, then get over to eotn to pick up ur monk hero quickly. U only need AL15 so armor isn't an issue. Anyway, hth. GL.
Trader of Secrets
Im surprised that you spent all this money on UW farming builds and not understand how the UW works. You can bring heroes to help you clear the chamber if youre gonna completely ignore aatxe, doesnt effect ecto drops to you. This will open up some skill slots since you dont need to deal with graspings. For those ele builds, let the nightmare disencht you and hit up another speed boost or invest in cupcakes to complete your runs.
Nightow
lol, heroes don't affect ecto drops? Wiki doesn't mention anything like that...
Quote:
When a party kills a creature, it often drops loot in the form of items or gold. Items are assigned to a single member of the party (which could be a henchman or a hero, in which case the item never manifests in the world), but gold is shared equally between all party members.
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Drops
Quote:
Marverick
He meant leave them behind in the chamber after you kill the Graspings... common sense ftw
Try the Me/A or A/E, they're pretty much foolproof.
Try the Me/A or A/E, they're pretty much foolproof.
Inger
Well I'm currently trying to use this build: A/E_UW_Farmer again but i'm playing it as an E/A rather than an A/E. Reason is I don't have a sin, it shouldn't make a big difference regardless.
Indeed the video was very about giving directions and once I get to the smites the run is very easy, coldfires are easily avoidable. However the RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GOING bladed aaxtes cause me to fail the run about 50% of the time. I aggro them and the graspings with flame dijnn's haste and SF on, immediately turn around and go back to the center. However about 50% of the time the aaxtes don't break aggro... they simply keep following no matter how far I get. I can't run all the way up to the other side otherwise I'd aggro the other RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GOing group of bladeds.
If its not that group of bladed aaxtes chasing me forever its the pair thats right in front of the smite crawlers. I blow past them with flame dijnn's haste and then they appear to not continue chasing. I pause in the "safe" area for a moment and then suddenly the aaxtes come charging up the stairs. I can't run any further from them or I aggro the smites...
otherwise the run is going fairly well... I'll keep working on and hope to have it down pact later.
Indeed the video was very about giving directions and once I get to the smites the run is very easy, coldfires are easily avoidable. However the RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GOING bladed aaxtes cause me to fail the run about 50% of the time. I aggro them and the graspings with flame dijnn's haste and SF on, immediately turn around and go back to the center. However about 50% of the time the aaxtes don't break aggro... they simply keep following no matter how far I get. I can't run all the way up to the other side otherwise I'd aggro the other RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GOing group of bladeds.
If its not that group of bladed aaxtes chasing me forever its the pair thats right in front of the smite crawlers. I blow past them with flame dijnn's haste and then they appear to not continue chasing. I pause in the "safe" area for a moment and then suddenly the aaxtes come charging up the stairs. I can't run any further from them or I aggro the smites...
otherwise the run is going fairly well... I'll keep working on and hope to have it down pact later.
Marverick
When I say A/E I mean
[Deadly Paradox][Glyph of Swiftness][Shadow Form]
and then some damage skills of your choice, either going dagger [Golden Fox Strike][Wild Strike][Death Blossom][Golden Lotus Strike][Dark Escape] or fire [Fire Attunement][Lava Font][Flame Djinn's Haste][Glyph of Lesser Energy]
Kill the Graspings (Shadow Form makes you invulnerable to everything there), then run to Chaos Planes and kill the Mindblades.
[Deadly Paradox][Glyph of Swiftness][Shadow Form]
and then some damage skills of your choice, either going dagger [Golden Fox Strike][Wild Strike][Death Blossom][Golden Lotus Strike][Dark Escape] or fire [Fire Attunement][Lava Font][Flame Djinn's Haste][Glyph of Lesser Energy]
Kill the Graspings (Shadow Form makes you invulnerable to everything there), then run to Chaos Planes and kill the Mindblades.
idicious
Inger, what makes a/e so much better over e/a is that a/e can keep up Shadow Form indefinately, unless an ele has grail up he can't. With a/e you just mass agro the entire chamber including all aatxe, bunch them up on you and kill them, then you run on. There is no regen time in which you can't do anything (except building up energy for recast of SF at times)
Tender Care
What u can try and it's really easy with some practice is Avatar of Balthazar dervish in the UW. You can do a run through the smites and try to get some ectos...even if the they won't drop more then 2 in the whole run...
btw the build i use is:
[Avatar of Balthazar] [eternal aura] [mystic vigor] [mystic regeneration] [mystic sweep] [victorious sweep] [rending aura] and the last skill just should be something to improve your resistance/armor or an healing skill....i personally use [great dwarf armor] but u can also use [i am unstoppable] [conviction] [faithful intervention]or any skill that increase armor/health. I think i should use a skill of your profession or any faction skill just cos u don't need to use attribute points for it....so [conviction] fits perfectly as u already got some points in earth prayers; also [great dwarf armor] is good as even with low deldrimor rank it last 20/25 secs....i got 5 rank in deldrimor track and it last 24 secs.
Note that this skill is just to be used to pull the smites before killing them and against the graspings to get few dmg from them as also your avatar gives you +40armor.
The use ie easy: when you enter the UW go to the spirit and take quest, run back to the main stone and cast [avatar of balthazar] go near the stairs and cast [great dwarf armor], then pull the graspings making sure to run back immediatly so the aatxe won't follow. Cast [mystic regeneration], then wait for the graspings to approach you: they will alwys use [distracting blow] when they are near you, so don't use any skill! When all the groups is in front of you cast mystic vigor and begin to kill them...Do not desperate if your energy falls to 0 everytime: they are weak, you can beat them only with [victorious sweep] and a bit regen.....Just don't overuse attacking skills, just victorious sweep if you need to gain health! It's preferable to use a regen or mystic vigor then using always attack skills, they won't kill you.
Then do the same with the other 3 groups and run to the smites...a little problem you could have: after the main chamber there's a straight passage where 2 aatxe patrol: make sure that the group of graspings are far away, make sure your avatar is always on; make sure aatxe are in the open space so you won't get stucked and killed in the passage..
Run directly to the smites, the aatxe won't follow....cast your avatar, then pull them, cast [great dwarf armor] before they approach you, when they begin to hit you cast [mystic regen]; when they all are in front of you (this could require like 10 secs, so make sure you regen!) cast [eternal aura] for a beginning spike (according to your sunspear rank), then [mystic vigor] followed by [rending aura]. Wait 1 sec and they all lose all enchants, then begin to kill them. Keep in mind to have always up [rending aura] and [mystic vigor] so using [victorious sweep] you can take even 6 of them and gaining health every hit.
Some tips: always wait for any enchant to end before recasting it, you will gain some energy back. if you begin to die for a bad timing or overaggroo, just begin to run away and as they cannot follow you they will leave....Do not take more then 2 coldnights as they interrupt your spell with [maelstrom]; if a nightmare spawn when you have aggroed just run and kill it, then you can begin fighting again or just run away and recast all enchants.
My Equipment:
max armor with some radiant and stalwart (+10armorvs physical) insignias
sundering nightmare scythe of enchanting, +15^enchated, customized
storm bow...but any long bow will fit to pull smites if they are near some coldies
For critical situations if I have very low hp and must run away:
amethyst aegis of devotion 45hp ^enchant
caster sword
Good Luck
btw the build i use is:
[Avatar of Balthazar] [eternal aura] [mystic vigor] [mystic regeneration] [mystic sweep] [victorious sweep] [rending aura] and the last skill just should be something to improve your resistance/armor or an healing skill....i personally use [great dwarf armor] but u can also use [i am unstoppable] [conviction] [faithful intervention]or any skill that increase armor/health. I think i should use a skill of your profession or any faction skill just cos u don't need to use attribute points for it....so [conviction] fits perfectly as u already got some points in earth prayers; also [great dwarf armor] is good as even with low deldrimor rank it last 20/25 secs....i got 5 rank in deldrimor track and it last 24 secs.
Note that this skill is just to be used to pull the smites before killing them and against the graspings to get few dmg from them as also your avatar gives you +40armor.
The use ie easy: when you enter the UW go to the spirit and take quest, run back to the main stone and cast [avatar of balthazar] go near the stairs and cast [great dwarf armor], then pull the graspings making sure to run back immediatly so the aatxe won't follow. Cast [mystic regeneration], then wait for the graspings to approach you: they will alwys use [distracting blow] when they are near you, so don't use any skill! When all the groups is in front of you cast mystic vigor and begin to kill them...Do not desperate if your energy falls to 0 everytime: they are weak, you can beat them only with [victorious sweep] and a bit regen.....Just don't overuse attacking skills, just victorious sweep if you need to gain health! It's preferable to use a regen or mystic vigor then using always attack skills, they won't kill you.
Then do the same with the other 3 groups and run to the smites...a little problem you could have: after the main chamber there's a straight passage where 2 aatxe patrol: make sure that the group of graspings are far away, make sure your avatar is always on; make sure aatxe are in the open space so you won't get stucked and killed in the passage..
Run directly to the smites, the aatxe won't follow....cast your avatar, then pull them, cast [great dwarf armor] before they approach you, when they begin to hit you cast [mystic regen]; when they all are in front of you (this could require like 10 secs, so make sure you regen!) cast [eternal aura] for a beginning spike (according to your sunspear rank
), then [mystic vigor] followed by [rending aura]. Wait 1 sec and they all lose all enchants, then begin to kill them. Keep in mind to have always up [rending aura] and [mystic vigor] so using [victorious sweep] you can take even 6 of them and gaining health every hit.Some tips: always wait for any enchant to end before recasting it, you will gain some energy back. if you begin to die for a bad timing or overaggroo, just begin to run away and as they cannot follow you they will leave....Do not take more then 2 coldnights as they interrupt your spell with [maelstrom]; if a nightmare spawn when you have aggroed just run and kill it, then you can begin fighting again or just run away and recast all enchants.
My Equipment:
max armor with some radiant and stalwart (+10armorvs physical) insignias
sundering nightmare scythe of enchanting, +15^enchated, customized
storm bow...but any long bow will fit to pull smites if they are near some coldies
For critical situations if I have very low hp and must run away:
amethyst aegis of devotion 45hp ^enchant
caster sword
Good Luck