Basic Guide to Using Heroes
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Basic Guide to Using Heroes
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2. Introduction
Heroes are basically advanced Henchmen. The main, key difference between the two is that you can completely customise your Heroes, including their build, runes and weapons. Heroes react in a very set, predictable way to certain environmental effects, and with the skills you give them. This guide will attempt to explain how Heroes work and how you can create a successful Hero build.
3. General Tips on Controlling Heroes
This section will attempt to outline some of the simple methods a user can employ in order to have the Heroes behave in the required way.
3a. Flagging
Flagging Heroes is a great way of having them move where you want them to. Flagging heroes is simple, and is achieved by clicking the “flag” icons around the compass. “1”, “2” and “3” buttons referring to hero numbers 1, 2 and 3 respectively, and the 4th button allows you to control all the heroes and henchmen under your control. On clicking the button you will then have a “flag” which you can place on the ground where you want your hero to stand. Your hero should then move to that point.
To cancel a flag, simply click the corresponding icon around the compass.
Flagging has several benefits:Spreading heroes out. In some instances it can be well worth spending time flagging the heroes and the henchmen apart in order to protect as many of them as possible from Area of Effect spells from powerful caster bosses and the like. To allow pulling. In a hero/hench party, where you may be the only human, it is often necessary to “pull” groups of foes toward you to make sure you don’t “over aggro”. This can be achieved by clicking the “all flag” button around the compass, and setting it down on the ground out of harms way. The henchmen should then stay put while you use a longbow or flatbow to pull the enemy group you want to kill. To split the team. Some occasions it may be beneficial to split up your team. One such example is the quest G.O.L.E.M.. In order to hero/hench this mission it can be beneficial to use the “All” flag to flag the henchmen next to one kiln, and flagging each of your heroes separately using flags “1”, “2” and “3”, with you, by the other kiln. In order to be able to split a team well, you must be confident with your use of flags, as well as the ability of your sub-teams. To move heroes in an emergency. Sometimes heroes will just stand in AoE, and especially in Hard Mode where more powerful Area of Effect spells may be stacked on a party, flagging heroes to move them out of AoE may save the party.
3b. Pulling
It is possible to use a hero to pull foes for you. This may be necessary in missions such as Dasha Vestibule, where an NPC follows you around who is not allowed to die. This NPC may follow you when you try to pull foes if you only have hero and henchmen with you, and end up dead. In order to have a hero pull a group (often best results with a Ranger hero), simply flag a hero forward little by little, until their weapon is in range of the group. You can then force the hero to attack a target by clicking the “Target” button on the Hero-Control bar. If the hero is close enough they will attack, and you can then place their flag back with the rest of the group to drag the foes toward your party.
3c. Micro Skill Management
A further bonus of using heroes is the Hero Control panel. This panel gives you access to their skill bar to allow you to stop the use of certain skills, and force the use of others, when the need arises.In order to disable a skill, hold “Shift” and Left-Click in the skill you want to disable.
In order to force the use of a skill you can simply click on it on the bar.
In order to force the hero to use a skill against a certain foe, click on the foe, use the “Target” button on the hero control panel, and click the skill you want them to use.
There is also an alternate way of forcing a hero to use a skill, which can often be easier if you have specifically set up a team build, and want an easier way of controlling your heroes. This is achieved by binding hero skillslots to keyboard keys.
The Hero Control panel can be found by going through Options and clicking on the Control tab. You can then specify which key is bound to each hero skillslot. You don't need to bind every skillslot, and also you must be wary of the keys you use, to make sure you don't accidentally "unbind" any keys already used for movement, the chat screen, inventory, etc.. This function allows you to be able to use a hero skill quickly, on demand, in conjunction with one of yours. An example could be to force a hero to use Epidemic just after you've applied a load of conditions, or to force a hero to use Splinter Weapon on you when you want it.Capturing Pets on Heroes
Microing skill use comes in very handy if you want your heroes to charm an animal. When you see an animal you want your hero to charm, you need to clear the area of enemies to ensure it is safe for your hero. When the area is safe, you need to use the “All” flag to flag all heroes and henchmen out of the way. This is because, on activating Charm Animal, the animal turns enemy, and attacks. If your other heroes or henchmen see this they will attack the animal, which will die in seconds. Now, use the numbered flag which corresponds with the hero you want to charm an animal with, and flag them well forwards, near the animal. Click on the animal, and click Charm Animal. After 10 seconds, your hero will have charmed a pet. This pet cannot be renamed. If you wish to change the pet, add the hero to your party, and visit an Pet Tamer.
4. Modding Up Heroes
Heroes can be modified in several different ways. Firstly through the runes and insignia you may wish to add to them. It is best to use all minor runes (exception being Vigor Runes), because heroes benefit greatly from additional health. Put the rune which corresponds with their weapon mastery (physicals) or main line of magic (casters) on their headpiece, so that they also gain an extra +1 attribute from the headpiece itself. Use a minor rune for their Primary Attribute elsewhere on their clothes, and a minor rune foe any secondary attribute lines they use. Give them either a Minor or a Major Vigor rune (Superiors are often too expensive to be worth the additional HP), and any other spare rune slots you can use a Vitae on.
As far as Insignia goes "Survivor" Insignia is a great all-round choice. If you want a more specialised insignia, choose a good +Armor one, for instance, "Blessed" on Elementalists and "Centurion's" on Paragons. There are a couple of Specialised Insgnia which should also be considered. Necromancer Heroes (especially Minion Masters) should use one Bloodstained Insignia, and Warrior Heroes (especially Hammer Warriors) should use one Stonefist Insignia.
Heroes also require weapons, as their starter weapons are often very basic. Hero weapons can be obtained freely, or very cheaply by using "/bonus" command weapons, max-damage drops from monsters and chests, cheap green weapons and Bonus Mission Pack weapons. As a rule, beginners should try to keep as much Health and Armor modifiers on your heroes as you can, as they do tend to have a habit of standing in AoE, and aggroing adjacent monsters. As you improve at the game, you could try swapping those HP mods for slightly more efficient ones. Your choice really.
If you wish to completely deck out your heroes' weapons, there really is no limit as to what you can do, but the following weapon modifiers would be reasonably optimal:
Casters:
staves either
HCT (20%) Inscription / +30 HP Staff Head / +30 HP Staff Wrapping
or
HCT (20%) Inscription / HCT (20%) Staff Head / +30 HP Staff Wrapping
or, if your heroes are massively trustworthy and you feel they can do without the additional HP, and you want them to have ultra-efficient weaponry:
HCT (20%) Inscription / HCT (20%) Staff Head / Enchantments last 20% Longer Staff Wrapping.
wands/offhands
HCT (20%) Inscription / HST (20%) Wand Wrapping + HSR (20%) Inscription / +30 HP Focus Core.
or, if your heroes are massively trustworthy and you feel they can do without the additional HP, and you want them to have ultra-efficient weaponry:
HCT (20%) Inscription / HST (20%) Wand Wrapping + HSR (20%) Inscription / HCT (20%) Focus Core.
or replace the wand with a Spear: Any Spear Head other than Vampiric or Zealous, HCT (10%) or Energy +5 Inscription, +30 HP Spear Grip.
or replace the focus with a Shield: +30 HP Shield Handle, -2 (Enchanted) Inscription, or an Armor +10 Inscription.
Physicals
grips, handles, pommels etc..
+30 HP Suffix, +20% enchantments may be useful for a small number of Dervish Builds, but you need to decide if it's really worth the HP Modifier.
hafts, tangs, hilts, snathes etc..
Just about any modifier is fine here so long as it compliments the build in some way. Condition Lengthening Modifiers are usually a bit of a waste however, with the exception of Silencing. Silencing is often good on Broad Head Arrow Rangers or Beguiling Haze Assassins, this is due to Daze being an expensive condition to apply in the first place. Dervishes often benefit greatly from an Ebon Scythe Snathe when playing Ebon Dust Aura builds, as this doesn't require them to bring a damage conversion skill. Assassins may also benefit greatly from a Zealous Tang.
shields
+30 HP Shield Handle.
Use an inscription which best suits the type of build. For instance, enchanted Warriors, or Warriors using a stance such as Flail could benefit from -2 (while Enchanted) and -2 (while in a Stance) Inscriptions respectively. Armor +10 (vs. X) is also often good too, but you can't always guarantee you'll be fighting a foe with a certain damage type. Armor +10 (vs Fire), Armor +10 (vs Slashing) and Armor +10 (vs Piercing) are often all good simply due to many monsters using these damage types.
Heroes can be modified in several different ways. Firstly through the runes and insignia you may wish to add to them. It is best to use all minor runes (exception being Vigor Runes), because heroes benefit greatly from additional health. Put the rune which corresponds with their weapon mastery (physicals) or main line of magic (casters) on their headpiece, so that they also gain an extra +1 attribute from the headpiece itself. Use a minor rune for their Primary Attribute elsewhere on their clothes, and a minor rune foe any secondary attribute lines they use. Give them either a Minor or a Major Vigor rune (Superiors are often too expensive to be worth the additional HP), and any other spare rune slots you can use a Vitae on.
As far as Insignia goes "Survivor" Insignia is a great all-round choice. If you want a more specialised insignia, choose a good +Armor one, for instance, "Blessed" on Elementalists and "Centurion's" on Paragons. There are a couple of Specialised Insgnia which should also be considered. Necromancer Heroes (especially Minion Masters) should use one Bloodstained Insignia, and Warrior Heroes (especially Hammer Warriors) should use one Stonefist Insignia.
Heroes also require weapons, as their starter weapons are often very basic. Hero weapons can be obtained freely, or very cheaply by using "/bonus" command weapons, max-damage drops from monsters and chests, cheap green weapons and Bonus Mission Pack weapons. As a rule, beginners should try to keep as much Health and Armor modifiers on your heroes as you can, as they do tend to have a habit of standing in AoE, and aggroing adjacent monsters. As you improve at the game, you could try swapping those HP mods for slightly more efficient ones. Your choice really.
If you wish to completely deck out your heroes' weapons, there really is no limit as to what you can do, but the following weapon modifiers would be reasonably optimal:
Casters:
staves either
HCT (20%) Inscription / +30 HP Staff Head / +30 HP Staff Wrapping
or
HCT (20%) Inscription / HCT (20%) Staff Head / +30 HP Staff Wrapping
or, if your heroes are massively trustworthy and you feel they can do without the additional HP, and you want them to have ultra-efficient weaponry:
HCT (20%) Inscription / HCT (20%) Staff Head / Enchantments last 20% Longer Staff Wrapping.
wands/offhands
HCT (20%) Inscription / HST (20%) Wand Wrapping + HSR (20%) Inscription / +30 HP Focus Core.
or, if your heroes are massively trustworthy and you feel they can do without the additional HP, and you want them to have ultra-efficient weaponry:
HCT (20%) Inscription / HST (20%) Wand Wrapping + HSR (20%) Inscription / HCT (20%) Focus Core.
or replace the wand with a Spear: Any Spear Head other than Vampiric or Zealous, HCT (10%) or Energy +5 Inscription, +30 HP Spear Grip.
or replace the focus with a Shield: +30 HP Shield Handle, -2 (Enchanted) Inscription, or an Armor +10 Inscription.
Physicals
grips, handles, pommels etc..
+30 HP Suffix, +20% enchantments may be useful for a small number of Dervish Builds, but you need to decide if it's really worth the HP Modifier.
hafts, tangs, hilts, snathes etc..
Just about any modifier is fine here so long as it compliments the build in some way. Condition Lengthening Modifiers are usually a bit of a waste however, with the exception of Silencing. Silencing is often good on Broad Head Arrow Rangers or Beguiling Haze Assassins, this is due to Daze being an expensive condition to apply in the first place. Dervishes often benefit greatly from an Ebon Scythe Snathe when playing Ebon Dust Aura builds, as this doesn't require them to bring a damage conversion skill. Assassins may also benefit greatly from a Zealous Tang.
shields
+30 HP Shield Handle.
Use an inscription which best suits the type of build. For instance, enchanted Warriors, or Warriors using a stance such as Flail could benefit from -2 (while Enchanted) and -2 (while in a Stance) Inscriptions respectively. Armor +10 (vs. X) is also often good too, but you can't always guarantee you'll be fighting a foe with a certain damage type. Armor +10 (vs Fire), Armor +10 (vs Slashing) and Armor +10 (vs Piercing) are often all good simply due to many monsters using these damage types.
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5. Hero Behaviour
This section will attempt to discuss hero traits and quirks, profession by profession, in order for us to better understand how to use heroes effectively. Firstly, however, there are a few general rules which should be noted about all heroes:The use of Arcane Echo is not advised for Heroes unless the player is willing to micro-manage its use. Heroes will not use Arcane Echo to copy the skill you would perhaps intend, and therefore, is often a waste. Epidemic receives mixed reports. Some say Heroes will rarely use it at the right time, though, in my experience, I have noted that providing there are foes adjacent to target foe who are not under the conditions the target is under, Epidemic will often be used to spread them. Hexes. Heroes are very adept at hexing. A lot of common hex spells will be used correctly by heroes (Eg. Shadow of Fear on physicals and Backfire on casters). Heroes will often open a battle with a Hex spell. It should also be noted that Heroes will rarely cast a hex on a foe who is already suffering from that same hex. Heroes are amazing at Interrupting. Hero Rangers and Mesmers are excellent at interrupting skills, however, it should be noted that they will interrupt any skill, and not necessarily the skill that needs interrupting. Area of Effect skills will quickly be recognised by the AI and often kited (ran away from). Hero Warriors are particularly well known for this, as they can often be seen running around trying to escape any AoE spells cast on them. This erratic kiting can sometimes lead to over-aggro in some areas. Heroes now use Dwayna's Sorrow very well on minions. This skill is more useful on Monk and Necromancer heroes as they usually have the capacity to invest attribute points in Healing Prayers.
Possibly one of the most used heroes in your arsenal. Monks are very important heroes and help in keeping the group going through onslaught after onslaught. It is wise to set your Hero Monks to Avoid Combat so as to ensure that they don’t draw the attention of your foes by wanding, and will also encourage them to kite more. Furthermore, experienced players do not give their hero a resurrection skill. This is because that skill slot, for a Monk, could be much better spent on a skill to keep people alive. Newer players may benefit from giving their Monks a resurrection skill (Resurrection Chant is good), but disabling it. This way you can manually force them to resurrect fallen allies, and they wont waste time doing it mid-fight.
Below is a list of skills commonly used within Hero Monk builds, and how the hero uses them:Protective Spirit – Hero will often use this whenever target ally takes damage of over one tenth of their overall HP. Word of Healing – Hero will not wait until target ally is below 50% health to use this skill. It will be used as a heal when target ally has taken ‘enough’ damage. Cure Hex, Remove Hex, etc.. – Hero Monks will usually use Hex Removal on recharge if a party member is under the effects of a hex, though will not necessarily prioritise the hex which gets removed. Mend Ailment, Dismiss Condition, Restore Condition, etc.. – Hero Monks will usually use any condition removal skill on recharge when allies are under the effects of conditions. Zealous Benediction – Heroes will often use this skill while target ally is above 50% health, making it a very expensive heal for heroes. In the same vein, any 10-energy heal (Jameis Gaze, Heal Other) are not hero-friendly skills, as they are spammable, and have the increased cost, meaning a quicker drain on a Hero Monk’s energy. Aegis – This is a nice, passive protection spell which Heroes will use close to the beginning of a battle. Often used in conjunction with Glyph of Lesser Energy. Glyph of Lesser Energy, Power Drain, Waste Not, Want Not. Energy management skills are always important for Hero Monks. Glyph of Lesser Energy is probably the most popular, despite being in Energy Storage, as no points are required to make it worth while. Glyph of Lesser Energy is also a guaranteed method of energy management as it will usually be used on recharge in battle. Important note: For a Monk Hero to use an interrupt, that hero must be set to "Guard". "Passive" Monk Heroes will not use Power Drain as Energy Management. Life Bond, Vital Blessing, Life Barrier, etc.. – Maintainable Enchantments – Heroes generally don’t maintain enchantments and will immediately stop maintaining them if asked to cast one. In order to get these to work you must disable the skill on the skill bar, and then manually make them cast the spell. This will ensure they do not immediately cancel the maintenance on the enchantment as soon as it is cast. Exceptions to this include Mending, Blessed Aura and Divine Boon.
The Warrior Heroes do not behave entirely as a human warrior would in one main respect – Attack Skill use. Warrior heroes will often wait with fully charged adrenal attack skills, simply auto-attacking. Warrior Heroes can, however, be used to buff the party via shouts, as well as giving Ritualists a “platform” on which to cast Splinter Weapon and Ancestors' Rage.
Below is a list of skills commonly used within Hero Warrior builds, and how the hero uses them:Cyclone Axe, Triple Chop – Hero Warriors often open with this attack skill as it is not an adrenal skill. These skills work well if you have a Ritualist in the team using Splinter Weapon. Dragon Slash – As with most adrenal attacks, Hero Warriors can sit with this skill fully charged before they use it. Having said that, I have witnessed a Hero Warrior use Dragon Slash 5 times in a row (under the influence of For Great Justice). The use of adrenal attacks seems a little random. For Great Justice – Hero Warriors will use this skills often on charging into a fight, and will use it on recharge after that when in battle. Flail – This skill will often be used when charged. Devastating Hammer + Crushing Blow – (example only) – Hammer knockdown chains can now be reliably used by heroes. Devastating Hammer + Auspicious Blow also works well for re-gaining energy. Savage Slash, Distracting Blow, Distracting Strike, Skull Crack – As with all heroes, Hero Warriors are pretty decent interrupters (so long as they are within melee range of their target, of course). The hero will not prioritise the interrupt, however, and will therefore interrupt whatever they can. "Charge!" - Heroes will use this skill whenever the party is moving and the skill is available. Wild Blow - Hero will use this skill very frequently, clearing any adrenaline they have accumulated. Not advised with adrenaline dependent builds.
ElementalistsElementalist Heroes simply need two things in order to have a build which “works”. Firstly, good Energy Management. Popular Ele Hero energy management techniques include Attunement & Glyph of Lesser Energy and Dual Attunements. Secondly, “spammable” skills on a brainless skillbar - don’t give Ele Heroes too much to think about.
Below is a list of skills commonly used within Hero Elementalist builds, and how the hero uses them:Mark of Rodgort – As previously stated, heroes are good at hexing. Hero Elementalists will usually use Mark of Rodgort early on in a battle, meaning it needs little microing in order for the heroes to use it correctly. To make the most out of it, consider giving physical heroes “Fiery” weapons. Glyph of Lesser Energy – More often than not this skill is cast just before a fight. Air Attunement, Earth Attunement, Fire Attunement, Water Attunement – Hero will cast these enchantments whenever they run out, whether they are in or out of battle. Absolutely no microing required. Blinding Surge, Blinding Flash, Eruption – Hero Ele will usually cast these skills on physical damage dealers, but will use on casters if there are no physicals around or all the physicals are already blinded. Mind Blast – While the Ele Heroes often have a good chance of hitting someone with less energy than them, it doesn’t always happen. Mind Blast is a bit hit-and-miss. Ward Against Melee, Ward Against Elements, Ward Against Harm, etc.. – Hero will cast the ward spell just into a fight, and use again on recharge if still in battle. Shock, Lightning Touch, Frozen Burst, Aftershock, etc.. - Touch Spells / PbAOE Spells - Heroes will often run up to an enemy to use these spells, and not wait for enemies to come to them. Giving squishy Elementalist Heroes skills such as these is ill-advised due to their lower armor. Ether Renewal - Thanks to it's recent buff this enchantment is now perfectly viable for heroes in PvE. It serves as an excellent form of energy management when combined with an Attunement and Aura of Restoration.
NecromancersNecromancers are amazing heroes and can be used in so many ways thanks to their in-build energy management Soul Reaping. Necro Heroes can be used as hexers, minion masters, and Necro/Rit healers. When foes start dying, the Necro Heroes gain large amounts of energy, thanks to Soul Reaping, helping them to power their skill bars.
Below is a list of skills commonly used within Hero Necromancer builds, and how the hero uses them:Animate Bone Fiend, Well of Power, Consume Corpse, etc.. – Corpse Exploitation spells – Necromancer Heroes will use these spells whenever a corpse is available, with a few exceptions (such as Putrid Explosion when they will wait for foes to be near the corpse). Spiteful Spirit – a simple-to-use “fire and forget” hex spell. Good for Hero use. Insidious Parasite – Hero will usually use it on a physical damage dealer, unless there are none available. Enfeebling Blood, Weaken Armor, Virulence – Condition Application Spells – Hero will use these on any foe not under the effects of the condition. Death Nova, Jagged Bones – Necro Heroes are far more adept at using these skills than humans as they know when a minion is worth having it cast on. Well worth using in any Hero minion-master build. Blood Ritual – Hero will use this on anyone low on energy. Discord - Hero will use this skill on any foe under the effects of a condition and a hex, usually as soon as the situation arises. Strip Enchantment, Corrupt Enchantment, etc.. – Hero will use them on any enchanted foe, on recharge. Signet of Lost Souls – Necro Heroes will use this skill against foes under 50% HP. Dwayna's Sorrow - Healing Prayers skill particularly useful on Hero Minion Masters. This skill has recently been updated and heroes now spread it lavishly around their undead army.
MesmersMesmers make good interrupters, particularly versus enemy spellcasters. Mesmer Heroes, like Necromancers, also have a decent arsenal of Hex Spells, but also have a decent amount of Hex removal spells
Below is a list of skills commonly used within Hero Mesmer builds, and how the hero uses them:Empathy – Heroes will use this skill on physical damage dealers before casting it on a caster. Empathy is a good “fire and forget” hex for heroes. Cry of Frustration, Power Return, Power Drain, Power Block – Interrupts – Heroes will interrupt whatever they can on the whole, however, they will not prioritise interrupts as a human would. Power Return is a good skill with a quick recharge, allowing them to interrupt a lot of spells, while Power Drain is a nice energy management skill. With Power Block it’s pot luck whether they interrupt the “correct” skill in order to disable as many of the foe’s skills as possible. Energy Tap – For some reason, Mesmer Heroes will often start off with this skill, when they least need the energy. There are better energy management skills. Shatter Hex, Hex Eater Vortex – Heroes will use these skills to remove a hex providing there is a foe near enough to take damage from the skill. Expel Hexes, Hex Eater Signet – Heroes will use these skills to remove a hex. Drain Enchantment, Shatter Enchantment, Feedback, Discharge Enchantment – Enchantment removal spells - Hero will use these on any foe with an enchantment. Mantra of Recovery, Mantra of Resolve, Mantra of Frost, etc.. – Mesmer Stances – Mesmer Heroes will try to keep Mesmer Stances active as much as possible, both in and out of battle.
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Rangers, like Mesmers, are good interrupters. The bonus with Rangers is that most of their interrupts will interrupt anything, but the downside is they need line of sight, and to not be blocked. Ranger heroes can be great for pulling groups of foes (as explained in section 3b), and also for applying conditions.
Below is a list of skills commonly used within Hero Ranger builds, and how the hero uses them:Apply Poison, Trapper's Focus – Unlike most preparations, which are used upon entering combat, the hero will keep these up as much as possible, both in and out of battle. Poison Tip Signet - Hero will attempt to keep this effect up as much as possible, both in and out of battle. Whirling Defense, Escape, etc.. – Block Stances – Hero Ranger will usually activate this when they take too much damage from blockable sources. Fertile Season, Infuriating Heat, Energizing Wind, Conflagration etc.. – Nature Rituals – Hero will cast these whenever the party is out of range of one, assuming the skill has recharged (exceptions are given below). Favorable Winds - This skill is an exception to the above rule. A Hero will cast this skill on engaging in combat. Savage Shot, Distracting Shot, Disrupting Shot, etc.. – Interrupts – Hero will attempt to interrupt a foe with these skills, though the skill they interrupt will not necessarily be a priority skill. Charm Animal – Hero must be forced to use this skill. For instructions on charming a pet see section 3c. Barbed Trap, Flame Trap, Spike Trap, etc.. – Traps – Hero Rangers will only use traps in battle, and not necessarily on recharge.
Ritualist Heroes are quite adaptable, and are able to fulfill numerous roles including minion bombing, offensive channeling, and channeling-restoration hybrid support builds. While many Ritualist functions are often tagged onto a Necromancer hero (thanks to Soul Reaping, and the relative ease of acquiring Necro Heroes over Rit Heroes), Ritualist Heroes are still seen as being highly useful, not forgetting that they can also make use of Ritualist runes to push up their more useful attributes that bit further.
Below is a list of skills commonly used within Hero Ritualist builds, and how the hero uses them:Splinter Weapon, Weapon of Fury – Heroes usually prioritise physicals when casting these skills on other players. Ancestors' Rage – Heroes will cast this skill on anyone who is adjacent to an enemy, and will not run up to foes in order to use it on themselves. Protective was Kaolai – This item will be held as much as possible by heroes, and will be cast on recharge. Life – This is one of the few binding rituals a Ritualist will cast on recharge, both in and out of battle. Pain, Bloodsong, Shelter, Recovery, etc.. – Binding Rituals – With the exception of Life, Heroes will begin casting most binding rituals on entering combat. Boon of Creation – This skill will get used close to the beginning of a battle, but not necessarily before the Hero casts the first binding ritual. It may be auspicious to micro the use of these skills. Ritual Lord - After a recent update this skill will now be used both in and out of combat, providing it is recharged and the hero is not already under the effects of it. This skill will therefore invariably be active before entering battle.
Assassin Heroes are well known to be the most “useless” hero profession. This is due not least to their propensity to not understand how attack chains work, and because of this, it often takes them a long time to get to using their powerful Dual Attack. Assassins can work well with a few builds however, but they need to be made as brainless as possible, for instance, Critical Barrage builds, and Hexing with Deadly Arts skills.
Below is a list of skills commonly used within Hero Assassin builds, and how the hero uses them:Siphon Strength, Siphon Speed, Dark Prison, Shameful Fear, etc.. – Deadly Arts Hexes – These are well used by Assassin Heroes due to the AI’s love of all things Hex. They will usually cast these on the correct foe (Eg. Siphon Strength on a physical). Falling Lotus Strike, Falling Spider – “Requires Knockdown” skills – Assassin Heroes will use these skills after a guaranteed knockdown such as Shock, but are reluctant to use them after skills such as Horns of the Ox, which only sometimes cause knockdown if the condition is met. These skills will also be used if the knockdown comes from another source. This was observed in the mission Divinity Coast. When the Eye of Janthir knocks down foes, the hero will often use one of these skills if they are in range and recharged. Locust's Fury – Hero will keep this active as much as possible during combat. I actually think this is ok for dagger wielding Assassin Heroes since an elite attack skill is wasted on them due to their propensity to simply auto-attack. Critical Eye – Hero will use on recharge during battle. Death's Charge – Hero will use when low on health as a heal, and not simply as a shadowstep. Critical Defenses – Hero will use this when taking blockable damage.
ParagonsHero Paragons, while not able to use popular PvE skills such as Save Yourselves, can still bring a valuable level of passive defense to any party. Physical-heavy teams utilising multiple Paragons are currently also very popular, thanks to the nice physical buffs they can churn out through shouts, chants and echoes.
Below is a list of skills commonly used within Hero Paragon builds, and how the hero uses them:Defensive Anthem – Hero will usually use this skill on engaging in combat with an enemy group.
DervishesHero Dervishes need careful skill selection. This is because the AI will not distinguish between an Enchantment which can, or needs, to be stripped, and an Enchantment which needs to remain active. It is auspicious, therefore, to either give Dervish Heroes a build centred around strippable enchantments, or a build with no self-enchantment stripping at all. Dervish Heroes can be very useful in applying conditions, but as with many physicals, don’t use attack skills quite as often as they could / should.
Below is a list of skills commonly used within Hero Dervish builds, and how the hero uses them:Ebon Dust Aura – Dervish Heroes have no problem keeping this skill up during combat, but they are not to be trusted with a damage conversion skill such as [[Staggering Force], so an Ebon scythe is certainly advised for builds incorporating this elite. Faithful Intervention – Dervish Heroes will keep this Enchantment up as much as possible, both in and out of combat. Avatar of Dwayna, Avatar of Lyssa, Avatar of Grenth, etc.. – Elite Forms – Dervish Heroes will cast these on entering a battle. Arcane Zeal – This skill is used in Dervish/Necromancer hero Orders builds. Hero Dervishes use this skill very well as a form of energy management. Armor of Sanctity – Heroes will use this skill whenever they take damage from foes suffering a condition. Aura of Thorns, Staggering Force, Dust Cloak, etc.. - Heroes will use these spells when there are foes within range enough to be affected by them. Heroes will not use Staggering Force, Dust Cloak, Grenth's Fingers etc.. purely as damage conversion enchantments.
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6. How to Create a Good Hero Build
Ok, so we’ve taken a look at how to control heroes, how they behave, and how they use some of the key skills. Next I’m going to try to outline some of the considerations you need to take into account when considering a work-able hero build.
It is usually best, when creating a build, to keep these few general “rules” in mind:Build should be simple to use – idiot proof! Build should have a high level of energy management. Build should work well, and compliment, other heroes and players. (this will be discussed in a subsequent chapter). Keep in mind an idea of what you want your final build to do whilst creating it.
We will take the example of an Elementalist for the purposes of providing a working example.
Elementalist energy management is easily rectified for starters. There are several choices which are suitable for Elementalist Heroes, which give a basic level of e-management:
Elemental Attunement + Earth Attunement
Earth Attunement + Glyph of Lesser Energy
It is important to keep an idea of what you want the hero build to be able to do in mind whilst creating it. I chose Earth Magic because I want my Elementalist Hero be able to churn out some defensive party support, be able to hinder the enemy through knockdown and conditions, and cause a reasonable amount of damage to boot.
So first, party support. There are several choices here within Earth Magic itself, namely, Wards. Wards can be swapped around for the ones which best suit the area you’re fighting in. If I were fighting the Afflicted, I might consider Ward Against Elements, or if I were fighting up Snake Dance I’d definitely take Ward of Stability. For the purposes of this example, I’ll use Ward Against Melee. Now, using my knowledge of Earth Magic I know that there is an additional energy management skill known as Glowstone. It would be nice if I could incorporate this but how can I weaken foes? Ebon Hawk? Well, it dishes out damage, but it’s awfully conditional on the weakness…so let’s look elsewhere. If I take some point out of Energy Storage, and move to Curses, I could give my Hero Enfeebling Blood. At 1 energy, e-management on this non-elemental skill isn’t a problem, the sacrifice is nothing to worry about, but more importantly, it’s guaranteed weakness.
So, so far we have this:
Quote:
Energy Storage 8+1
Curses 10
Earth Attunement | Glyph of Lesser Energy | Ward Against Melee | Enfeebling Blood | ? | ? | ? | ? Next up, I need some knockdown in there. The reason I’m not using Elemental Attunement, is because I had another elite in mind from the start – Unsteady Ground. This is both AoE damage, and AoE knockdown, with a good recharge.
I also mentioned Glowstone as a potential form of additional energy management. With the current selection of skills though, this amount of energy management may be overkill. However, if I insert Stoning into the mix, which is a 15 energy skill with a short recharge, I get more knockdown and damage out of another slot, which will call for additional energy management from Glowstone to help power it. (Humans may not require such e-management, but remember we’re with heroes here)
Ok, so inserting those skills:
Quote: Earth Magic 12+1+1
Energy Storage 8+1
Curses 10
Earth Attunement | Glyph of Lesser Energy | Ward Against Melee | Enfeebling Blood | Unsteady Ground | Stoning | Glowstone | ? So now we only have one slot left to work with. For newer players I might advise using Resurrection Signet in here, but if you are confident in your abilities to stay alive, you may wish to go a little further in hindering the enemy with conditions. My personal favourite skill to use here is Eruption. It’s more AoE damage, I know the Hero AI to prioritise it’s use on physicals, and it causes blind. Perfect.
Quote: Earth Magic 12+1+1
Energy Storage 8+1
Curses 10
Earth Attunement | Glyph of Lesser Energy | Ward Against Melee | Enfeebling Blood | Unsteady Ground | Stoning | Glowstone | Eruption So let’s go back to our original idea of what we wanted to achieve:Party support. Yes – we have a ward spell, and Enfeebling Blood to dampen down the damage from the enemy.
So there we have it. We have created what, on paper, seems like a good hero build. Now all that is left is to test it out. In perfecting hero builds it is vital to take them out to test the build and watch them intently. If you notice they are not behaving correctly, or aren’t using a skill as you’d like, then it’s time for a build change.
7. Hero Synergy
One advantage to having heroes is that you can customise their builds – make them compliment each other! This is known as Hero Synergy. First off, there are numerous things which you need to consider:What overall effect do I want to achieve?
There have been several team builds floating around the community since the introduction of heroes. The following are links to established threads of popular team builds:
Triple Necromancers
Racthoh's Paragons
Mandragor Synergy Thread
The following is a team build I have been developing which gets it’s inspiration from Mandragor.
Quote:
Quote:|
Human Mesmer Illusion Magic 12+1+1 Fast Casting 10+1 Inspiration Magic 8+1 Wandering Eye | Fevered Dreams | Fragility | Arcane Conundrum | Phantom Pain | Drain Delusions | Epidemic | Power Drain Hero Necro Curses 10+1+1 Death Magic 11+1 Soul Reaping 10+1 Restoration Magic 1 Toxic Chill | Enfeebling Blood | Rip Enchantment | Rotting Flesh | Foul Feast | Plague Sending | Mark of Pain | Death Pact Signet Hero Ele Air Magic 12+1+1 Energy Storage 10+1 Fire 8+1 Healing Prayers 2 Air Attunement | Glyph of Immolation | Blinding Surge | Shell Shock | Lightning Strike | Lightning Bolt | Shock Arrow | Resurrection Chant Hero Rit Channeling Magic 12+1+1 Restoration Magic 12+1 Spawning Power 3+1 Offering of Spirit | Ancestors' Rage | Splinter Weapon | Protective Was Kaolai | Spirit Light | Soothing Memories | Life | Death Pact Signet The above is an example of how one well coordinated team can come together around a central theme. The theme in this case, is condition spreading. The spreading is encouraged by the Mesmer, who can call a target with Fevered Dreams. Within seconds an entire mob of foes can be suffering poison, blind, deep wound, cracked armor, weakness, bleeding and burning. The Necromancer Hero has party support in the form of Foul Feast to clear conditions away from the team, and Plague Sending to “return to sender”. The Ritualist Hero provides good healing and supporting damage from Ancestors’ Rage and Splinter Weapon (though this requires some physical henchmen in this particular team setup). The Ele can shut down physicals with blind, and weaken their armor further with Shell Shock. If fighting human foes it's best to swap out Rotting Flesh for another skill, to ensure the disease is not spread back to you. On occasions where a Dervish seems much more appropriate than an Elementalist, I favour the following build, which, while it does not apply Burning, but does apply Cripple, along with the Blind. The use of a scythe also allows you to get more out of the Ritualist's Splinter Weapon. Naturally the Dervish must be kitted out with an Ebon Scythe. Quote:
Please note the two optional slots. Good skills to use here include: Protective Spirit, Shield of Absorption, Signet of Rejuvenation or Guardian. Remove Hex can be replaced with any other Hex removal which is appropriate for the area you are fighting in. Spotless Mind can be a nice substitution for Remove Hex in areas of heavy hex usage.
Please note the build contains no resurrection skill. You can give your hero one of course, but it's generally better not to. If your Monk Hero has a resurrection skill it is advised that you disable it and use it manually. Remember, if your Monk is casting Resurrection Chant for 6 seconds, that's no healing for 6 seconds for the team! |
So maybe you're new to the game, or maybe you just don't play all the professions, it's always useful to have a couple of elites unlocked for heroes. The following table displays useful elite unlocks across the different campaigns for players who just want to unlock an elite which will work well with many popular hero builds.
Please make sure you research which builds the above elites will work well in. Many specimen builds can be found in the stickied guides and build threads on this forum, which are linked to underneath Section 9 of this guide. Two elites listed on the table simply means that there are 2 equally useful elites which can be unlocked. This is not a definitive list of good elites! - There are many fantastic builds around which require other elites. This table is simply a suggestion for unlocks for new players or players on a budget. Quote: "How can I find out how many Hero Skillpoints I have left?"
Easy. Simply speak to a [Hero Skills] NPC and read the blurb, it will tell you how many you have remaining:
Quote:
"How do I upgrade my Hero's armour?"A Hero's armour increases in it's rating as the Hero itself levels up. There is never a need to give your hero new armour, and it certainly will never make them more effective in or out of combat.
Such things called "Armor Remnants" can be used to change the appearance of your Hero's armour, though this is really aesthetic only, however, in order to display Heroes in your Hall of Monuments (excluding M.O.X.) you need to have "upgraded" their armour with an Armor Remnant.
Armor Remnants can be obtained by completing the challenge missions Dajkah Inlet, Remains of Sahlahya, Shadow Nexus and Glint's Challenge, and also by playing though the Domain of Anguish and Slaver's Exile. Speaking to a [Hero Armor] NPC will allow you to upgrade, so long as you have the Armor Remnant in your inventory and the Hero you want to upgrade in your party. 9. End Notes
So this marks the end of this guide. I hope it was helpful to anyone wanting to get anything out of it.
If anyone has any information they wish to share regarding hero behaviour / skill use please post here and share it with us, and I will try to include it in the guide. There is no way I have the time to go about testing every single skill myself so audience participation on this matter will be very much appreciated, so any quirks, or patterns you notice in Hero behaviour, please share it here so I can further update this guide and keep it as relevant and useful as possible.
Please also don’t hesitate to point out any spelling errors, or technical errors you see. It’s quite probably I’ve made some mistakes in the content, and VERY probable there will be spelling errors. Please quote the relevant section and post here, or PM me with any problems.
More sections may be added to this guide in time, so please check back here from time to time.
Note: Some images for this guide have been taken from Guildwiki and Guild Wars Wiki.
Links
Profession GuidesBasic Guide to playing Assassins
Special thanks to...Sophitia Leafblade Tyla milkflopance Super Igor Marty Silverblade ScythXIII
Introverted Dimensions
GREAT guide dude.
Haldibarn
Good guide thx
natural_Causes
Awesome guide
Sophitia Leafblade
Nice work Celest 2 thumbs up
Tyla
Nice guide, but I believe I didn't see a part saying there are macro's possible!
I'd pop that in the micro management bit.
Overall, great guide Celetial Beaver!
(By the way, is the Mandragorway team based on my Mandragor Synergy thread?
)
I'd pop that in the micro management bit.
Overall, great guide Celetial Beaver!
(By the way, is the Mandragorway team based on my Mandragor Synergy thread?
)
Cebe
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyla
I'd pop that in the micro management bit.
I haven't payed with that personally, but it's definitely worth a mention.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Tyla
(By the way, is the Mandragorway team based on my Mandragor Synergy thread?
)
I don't think I recall actually seeing that thread, care to link to it?I actually just thought condition spamming would be a fun thing to build a team around for the purposes of the guide.
Tyla
Mandragor Synergy
There ya go. 
Cebe
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyla
Abedeus
Nice, but you've made a mistake in Ranger skills - heroes will use interrupts that interrupt attacks and spells for bonus damage/effect just like a normal attack skill. So magebane and disrupting shot are bad.
Oh, and that's just me being a jerk: Quote:
Physical-heavy teams utilising multiple Paragons is currently also very popular
Should be either TEAM or ARE instead of TEAMS or IS. Grammar is screwed up a bit. But it doesn't make the guide any worse.
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[expert's dexterity] is the only other preparation that they'll use out of battle.Turbobusa
Need a note on keyboard bindings. Very usefull for skills like wild blow, which can be left disabled and used when needed.
milkflopance
Quote:
Originally Posted by Celestial Beaver
Perhaps change it to something like: Quote:
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I like your version better, thanks.
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Originally Posted by Turbobusa
Need a note on keyboard bindings. Very usefull for skills like wild blow, which can be left disabled and used when needed.
Tyla already raised that issue - I'll add a bit in due course.
Super Igor
Wow, great guide.
 One thing tho, skill chains like [devastating hammer] + [crushing blow] do work on heroes, and do work well, guys know when to use them. Assassin skill chains such as [falling spider] after KD...dk...didnt test that but there was an update regarding heroes using such skills, may work now.
Cebe
Quote:
Originally Posted by Super Igor
Wow, great guide.
One thing tho, skill chains like [devastating hammer] + [crushing blow] do work on heroes, and do work well, guys know when to use them. Assassin skill chains such as [falling spider] after KD...dk...didnt test that but there was an update regarding heroes using such skills, may work now. Ok, thanks. I'll take Goren out and see how he responds to those skills now, I was just going on when Nightfall came out and Heroes didn't even know what an attack skill was! As for Assassin KD chains...Assassin chains are bad generally. Zenmai "thinks" for several seconds between each dagger attack usually. They need very simple attack chains if they are to be used, and the rest of the skillbar filled up with things to augment the other things they CAN do, like Hexes and general attack buffs. Edit: Tested. Super Igor is quite right, Heroes seem much better now with "requires KD" skills than they used to. Hero Assassin would happily use Falling Spider or Falling Lotus Strike after having used a skill such as [[Shock], but seem reluctant to use them after using [[Horns of the Ox]. Perhaps this is because the knockdown from skills like Shock is guaranteed, whereas Horns of the Ox is quite conditional.
Marty Silverblade
Wow, great, I'll definately be linking this to my War guide. I'll PM with typos and other editing stuff.
Shady S
I will have to tweak a few hero builds . . . nice info, Celestial! Thanks.
Martin Firestorm
Excellent guide.
One question: when I put 2 wards on an ele hero, typically ward against melee plus either elements or foes, the hero casts the first one on the bar (from left to right) fairly often, but never casts the second. Any thoughts? Super Igor
Strange, mine cast all at the same time. ;\
Martin Firestorm
My ele hero has some offensive fire spells and an attunement, so maybe he's running low on energy by the time he gets to the wards part of the bar.
Cebe
Quote:
Originally Posted by Super Igor
Strange, mine cast all at the same time. ;\
That was what I would suggest. Within about 5 seconds of the battle starting the Hero Ele usually has all your wards up. Can't say I've noticed if they wait for Melee to be in range before they use Ward Against Melee though. I don't know why Martin's Ele is not casting them straight away, unless you have something on your bar that they prioritise over a ward - difficult to think what that might be though.
Super Igor
Yes because heroes have wards as top priority before battle, you can even see thios on earth henchies that no matter what would use the ward...maybe it got interrupted or something?
Martin Firestorm
Nah, I've noticed this consistently. Maybe I'm looking later in battle and what I'm seeing is re-cast wards by a low on energy ele hero. I'll make a point of watching earlier in battle.
Super Igor
always have the hero skill bar up.
Martin Firestorm
Are you saying you micro the wards for your heroes?
FidLi
thx you i hope i will manage that ^^ :-) rlly thx especially for composing builds and making "hero team play"thx dude
Super Igor
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Firestorm
Are you saying you micro the wards for your heroes?
No, they use the wards fine, main problem is them staying in the wards which is sorted out with flagging.
But generally yes sometimes I disable like all key skills/spells on hero bars and use the manually, for example [protective spirit] or [weapon of warding], although they use the last one decently they still connot precast it on someone as well as a player can do it.
Cebe
Finally got around to amending the first post to add something about binding hero skillslots to keyboard keys. Sorry for the wait on that.
ScythXIII
One thing I noticed about Nature Rituals is that heroes cast [[Conflagration] as soon as it's recharged, regardless if they're in battle, however, a ritual like [[Favorable Winds] is only cast in battle. Not sure if there are any more like Conflagration, though.
[Edit] Alright, tested a bit further. Heroes apparently cast Conflagration whenever possible, if they're not under the effects of it (out of range or expired). [Edit 2] Well, it's actually Favorable Winds that acts different, at least according to what you have for Ranger Rituals. Super Igor
They would cast [winter] as soon as out of it's range too.
Martin Firestorm
Ok, well I did some more testing and it does seem my ele heroes are getting all their wards up, at least early in each battle.
Cebe
Right, I'm starting an F.A.Q. section on post #5. If anyone notices any questions which get frequently asked please post them, or PM me. If you could include a suggested response to the question that would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to end up posting loads of builds if I can get away with it. I made an exception with the Monk Hero build because it really is frequently asked, mainly due to the often heavy reliance on the Monk Heroes.
Originally Posted by ScythXIII
Quote: |
Thanks, I'll update the guide.
Newer players may benefit from giving their Monks a resurrection skill (Resurrection Chant is good), but disabling it. This way you can manually force them to resurrect fallen allies, and they wont waste time doing it mid-fight.
that little nugget here is amazingly helpful. Awesome guide!
Illoyon
heros don't use [Power Block]...my heros don't use it...i tested it in Sepulchre of Dragrimmar and had to micro.
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