We know Ursan is gone now, but I took the time to write a 'guide' to go on with killing enemies in DoA: DoA 'balanced'. It contains the build, the synergies, your jobs, the enemies and priorities in the killing proces. I suggest you read it all (also, not only the part of the guide describing your build, but really all), even if you think you're already experienced in DoA. It's rather lenghty, but it will make victory go much smoother and tells you how to use the builds etc. First, I will give the builds, later the armies and in which order we have to kill them.
This is what this guide consists off:
1. Builds
2. Armies and their priorities
3. Rezzing
4. Last notes
5. Latest build version + variants
6. Q/A
1. First, the builds. They are based, like IM, on the fact that buffed physicals deal the highest damage in the game. So expect orders, splinter weapon and more buffs to assure the greatest damage in game:
The IM-based-Build:
Divert hexes monk
Divert Hexes: Because there are way too many hexes that can shut down the team
Reversal of Fortune: Obvious reasons
Signet of rejuvenation: A signet (gives you energy with para shout) that also heals a bit
Shield of Absorption: Obvious reasons
Protective Spirit: Obvious reasons
Dismiss condition: Dangerous conditions like blind/daze need to get removed
Glyph of lesser Energy: obvious reasons
Aegis: Physical shutdown, you need to chain with other monk
12+1+1 Protection Prayers (NO superior rune, max health makes you get attacked less)
11+1 Divine Favor
6+1 Healing prayers (just to make signet of rejuvenation a bit more effective, the loss in divine favor bonus is, like always, neglectible)
Equipment:
1. +5e +30 HP weapon with a shield (pref. with +10 vs fire)
2. Staff with +20% enchanting mod and faster recharge mods to switch to if you’re using aegis.
3. +15/-1 energy regen wand and offhand (emergecies when you run low on energy, but thats rare).
Your job: Your most important job is to make sure the SY para stays clean of dangerous hexes. Most dangerous hexes are: Soothing Images, Blurred Vision, Fainthedartness, Shadow of Fear, and Spirit Shackles. These should be removed ASAP! Therefore, the SY para needs to call if he got any of these hexes on himself. Many times, these hexes can get buried quick under other hexes, but with Divert Hexes you have a good chance to still have it removed. Also, you need to remove blind (only blind from the SY, or dazed from another character) from the SY para with dismiss condition. If the SY para is safe from hexes/condition, you should focus on the other physicals. However, the SY is you FIRST priority ALWAYS.
Rest of the skills are pretty obvious; use soa (maybe even ps) on targets who are taking much focused damage (always watch the battlefield to be 1 step quicker than the enemy). This character should also use Aegis on the start of the battle (w oh chains as second).
Use signet of rejuvenation if you need energy (with lyric of zeal from para).
W O H monk
Word of Healing: Chosen over HB because it's better, and lets you spec in prot.
Dwayna’s kiss: Powerheal
Signet of Rejuvenation: Free heal and E-management with para shout, or shielding hands if you feel you don't run out of energy.
Heal party: handle party wide degen and damage
Seed of life: Good party heal if used on the right person
Dismiss Condition: remove dangerous conditions like blind/daze
Glyph of lesser energy: obvious reasons
Aegis: Physical shutdown, you need to chain it with other monk
12+1+1 Healing Prayers (NO superior rune)
8+1 Protection Prayers (breakpoint for 9 sec Aegis)
Rest in divine (about 10+1)
Equipment: Same as Divert Hexes monk (see above).
Your job: Your job should be more focused on the other characters. Remove dangerous conditions like blind/daze from them. Chain Aegis after the first one has dropped. Lots of degen needs HP (don’t try to remove these conditions since they are reapplied very soon after). Cure Hex might be a better option for Dwayna’s kiss (w oh is enough healing power on his own, with cure hex you are also able to keep the others clean).
Use signet of rejuvenation as a good heal, which also gives you energy back. Seed of life on allies who take much focused damage.
Cruel Spear
Swift Javelin: Great unblockable damage since you have orders.
Wild throw: Unblockable damage which removes stance from targets if they have: whirling defense on tuks, and lightning reflexes on the big bone fiends for example)
Cruel Spear Ranged Eviscerate is gud.
I Am The strongest: Extra armor ignoring damage is always good.
Lyric of Zeal: battery for casters (that's why they have signets) and your adrenaline to energy converter
Aria of Zeal: battery for casters
Drunken Master: IAS + speedbuff, together with Essence you have 33%
Signet of return: rez, obvious, altho you aren't the primary rezzer
10+1 Motivation
11+1 Leadership
Rest +1+1 Spear mastery (about 10+1+1)
Equipment: fortitude mods, clearity rune on armor, shield with +10 vs fire and your main shield with -20% blind duration. I personally like Vamp mod on spear.
Your job is to kill things. With a spear you have the advantage of switching targets quick, so you're able of dissing out alot of damage. Make sure casters don’t run out of energy too quick so spam aria+lyric of zeal.
SY! Para
Swift Javelin: great damage
Vicious attack: damage + potential deep wound
I Am The Strongest
Save yourselves!
There’s nothing to fear!
Focused anger
Drunken Master
Signet of return
12+1+1 Spear Mastery
11+1 Leadership
6+1 Command/leadership (get a req7 15 AL shield, otherwise don’t meet req’s)
Equipment: same as other para (important to have -20% blind shield and clearity rune!)
Your job: Try to have SY! Up all the time, also use There’s nothing to fear when it’s ready. With focused anger and essence of celerity you have 100% of the time double adrenaline. Drunken master is IAS and speedbuff. IMPORTANT: call dangerous hexes and conditions with are preventing you from doing your job; Blurred Vision/Soothing images/fainthedartness/shadow of fear/spirit shackles/blind. So good communication with your divert monk is required.
With 14 spear mastery you have good chance of critical with vicious attack. Also, with great dwarf weapon, ebon battle standard of honor and I am the strongest, + an attack skill you are doing about 70 ARMOR IGNORING damage, so with LB title and base attack you can achieve around 100 dmg each hit. At a 33% attack rate that’s pretty sick.
Eviscerate Warrior
You move like a dwarf: KD + damage
Eviscerate: obvious
Executioners strike: more obvious (together with eviscerate the biggest spike in game)
Body Blow: Same as executioners strike
Whirlwind attack (or cyclone axe): building adrenaline quick, and great damage numbers with splinter weapon
For greater justice: obvious
Drunken master: IAS
Death pact signet: obvious
12+1+1 Axe mastery
12+1 strenght
Equipment: fortitude mods, rune of clarity and -20% blind shield, +10 vs fire/lightning shield as 2nd one, longbow for luring, stonefist (if you move like a dwarf is on your bar)
Your job is to spike enemy key targets while doing steady and great DPS. Unlike pvp there’s no need to build up adrenaline against other targets first, so go straight for your target (monk/Mesmer/necro/water ele). Eviscerate + Executioners strike is a powerful tool which you should use as soon as it fills. Idem with body blow. Call dangerous hexes so the WoH monk can respond, or the necro.
Earth shaker warrior
Earth shaker: aoe kd
Crushing blow: deepwound + damage
Crude swing: adrenaline filler aswell as good dmg
Whirlwind attack: same
For greater justice: obvious
Drunken master: ias
Sight beyond sight: counter against blind spam
Death pact signet: rezzzzzzzz
12+1+1 Hammer mastery
Rest in strength
Equipment: same as eviscerate warrior, + stone fist insignia. Maybe zealous hammer.
You can completely shut down a bunch of enemies. With FGJ and 2 aoe attacks, you can have Earth shaker filled most of the time. If the eviscerate warrior is a dervish secondary, you are the primary rezzer. Call dangerous hexes, so the w oh monk can respond, or the necro.
Signet of removal Necro
Dark fury: great
Order of pain: great
Signet of removal: remove hexes/conditions if orders are up
Smite hex: remove hex without need of enchantment, and get extra damage
Great dwarf weapon: Goooooood damage (or rebirth if you want an extra emergency hard rez and some1 else has great dwarf, otherwise remove hex)
Masochism: good for your energy
Strenght of honor: good buff
Blood renewal: keep your HP up
11+1+1 Blood Magic
8+1 soul reaping
11 smiting prayers
Try to have your dwarf rank near max, or even better maxed out already
Equipment: fortitude mods on offhands+shields (+10 vs fire/lightning), survivors insignia (or maybe tormented).
Your job is to try to make sure orders are up all the time, which is not hard. When party members are under the effects of an enchantment (one of your orders) you can remove hexes and conditions from them. So try to do this ASAP, especially from targets other than the SY para (since the divert watches him, but in the cave in Gloom its wise to also watch the SY para). Maintain strenght of honor on the eviscerate warrior. Use great dwarf weapon on both the para's.
Mindblast Ele
Fire attunement: good enough
Mindblast: obviously, (one of the) best energy engine's in game, the added damage is a bonus
You move like a dwarf: kd + dmg
Technobabble: daze is gud (otherwise rodgorts invocation)
Ebon battle standard of honor: great damage buff
Splinter weapon: maintain on warriors
Ancestor’s rage: good damage
Flesh of my flesh: rezerderezz
12+1+1 Fire magic
9+1 Energy storage
10 channeling magic
Equipment: fortitude mods, normal energy set and +15/-1 wand+offhand (so mindblast can replenish your energy if you’ve run too low).
Your job is to do some damage, but mainly to maintain splinter on the earthshaker, or the eviscerate warrior. Ebon battle standard of honor to increase the damage of the paragons and yourself, so try to have it up all the time. Mindblast on low energy targets (warrior/dervish/para/ranger) for your energy. Use You Move Like a Dwarf as an interrupt, or just to KD targets (like monks, to kill them quickly). Use ancestors rage on your warriors.
IMPORTANT: Maintain ebon battle standard of honor AT ALL TIMES (stay near paragons), maintain splinter weapon on the 2 warriors (they both also have AoE attacks which rocks with splinter weapon).
You can choose to bring great dwarf weapon instead of you move like a dwarf, or technobabble. If you bring it, let the necro maintain great dwarf weapon on both the para's, and you maintain it on the eviscerate warrior (while using splinter weapon on the eathshaker warrior).
2. The armies and priorities
Margonites:
Margonite Anur Vu Warrior – Damage and some KD
Margonite Anur Tuk Ranger - Spirits
Margonite Anur Ki Monk – HB healer
Margonite Anur Dabi Necromancer – Potential Para shutdown
Margonite Anur Kaya Mesmer – Energy RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GOer
Margonite Anur Su Elementalist – Lighting with Gale
Margonite Anur Ruk Dervish – Minor healer
Margonite Anur Rund Paragon – Bad damager
Priorities
1. The Ki’s are the (HB) monks of this army. Great healing capacities so obviously we need to take them down first.
At the start of the battle, the Eviscerate warrior should go to this one, also the Empathic removal paragon should attack him as well as the Elementalist should unleash his spells/skills on this target. High damage from axe and spear, a deep wound, burning and pressure, as well as ‘you move like a dwarf’ should finish this target off quick enough.
2. The Dabi’s should also be taken care off rather quick. They shut down the paragons, including our main defense, Save Yourselves! With their Vocal Minority.
At the start of the battle, the Earth shaker warrior as well as the SY! Para should go to this target. Once the monk is down, this one should be death soon after (or maybe already death). If the monk is down, and this one not, the Empathic removal Para should help bring this target down.
3. The Kaya’s are priority nr.3. They RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GO with our energy (especially spirit shackles), thus making them also annoying enemies.
Once the Ki’s are death, the Eviscerate warrior should move to this target. So does the Elementalist. It should also fall quickly. The 2 Para should also move to this one once their initial jobs are done.
4. While priorities 1-3 could potentially shut the party down, the other Margonites shouldn’t pose a real threat anymore. Nr.4 should therefore be the Tuk. With his QZ spirit he could (although unlikely) screw some E-management up. The Empathic removal para should target this target after the first 3 are taken care of, because the Tuk uses lightning reflexes and the para can end this stance by using wildthrow.
5. The Su has some annoying KD’s using Gale. So this targets comes after people have taken care of the ranger. His damage shouldn’t pose a threat btw, because SY! Is (hopefully) up all the time.
6. The Ruk should be targeted now, because he has some (minor) healing. Eviscerate warrior should use deep wound (20% reduction in his healing). And just keep bashing away on him.
7. The Vu. Not the most dangerous target, and is shut-down already by reckless haste/enfeebling blood/Aegis chain. And of course kiting people.
8. The Rund. Just not dangerous.
Torment Creatures: a lot of hexes.
Flesh Tormentor Warrior with prot shouts.
Spirit Tormentor Degen ranger
Heart Tormentor Healer
Soul Tormentor Anti-melee necro
Mind Tormentor Degen Mesmer with Soothin Images
Water TormentorSlow down with Blurred Vision
Sanity TormentorParagon with dazed
Earth TormentroCondition Dervish
Priorities
1. Heart tormentor: the monks of this army. Take it down in order to take down the others. Same people attack this one as did the Margonite Ki (Eviscerate, Empathic and Ele). Should fall down quick enough because doesn’t have great healing capacity (only divine boon).
2. Mind tormentor: is able to shut down the para’s (with soothing images; no adrenaline means no shouting, no SY is loss of a lot defense). SY para and earthshaker warrior should move to this one immediately.
3. Water tormentor: Blurred vision can be a pain. Eviscerate should sit on his face after he took care of the Heart tormentor. So does the El.
4. Soul Tormentor: fainthedartness and shadow of fear can be annoying. Also some pressure by Corrupt Enchant. SY para and Earth shaker move to this one after they killed the Mind tormentor.
5. Flesh tormentor: his protectors defense and watch yourself aid his party very well.
6. Sanity Tormentor: if he is able to get daze off, its annoying. Rest is nothing to be afraid of.
7. Earth Tormentor: Deep wounds can be annoying.
8. Spirit Tormentor: his degen is countered easily by party heals.
Titans: Blinds
Misery Titan KD warrior.
Despair Titan Degen Necro
Anguish Titan Mesmer
Rage Titan Nasty Blinders
Fury Titan AoE madness with death blossom
Dementia Titan Condition Dervish with Blinds
Take note, if encountering Titans, we should kill them 1 by 1 (when their last form is killed, move to the other forms). We don’t want more than 1 or 2 rage/dementia/fury titans, we only make it ourselves unnecessary hard.
Priorities
1. When encountering a Rage titan, it should be killed first. The blind it does is really, really annoying. Everyone should kill same target.
2. When there are Dementia Titans, they should be killed if no Rage titans are around. Their blinding can be annoying.
3. When there are no dementia or rage titans, people should kill Fury titans. Their armor ignoring AoE damage can add up.
4. Despair titans
5. Anguish titans
6. Misery titans
When encountering dryders + greater dream riders, kill the dream riders first. The damage from SF shouldn’t be too high with SY up.
Stygians:
Priorities
1. Hunger: those nasty touchers, just as gay as touch rangers.
2. Brute
3. Fiend
4. Golem
5. Horror
The Earth Shaker warrior can shut down a whole group of hungers (who are most dangerous) when they’re in 1 spot, than it’s also easy to have earth shaker charged almost all the time. This is the only important thing. As long as the hungers can't touch you and are on their asses, this army poses no threat. Watch out for the daze of the fiends tho, they have concussion shot so casters should be in frontline (but thats logical).
3. Rezzing: The cruel spear paragon (or in latest version, the necro weapon spam) should be the primary rezzer. If he somehow can't do it, the elementalist (or in latest version,the eartshaker warrior) should take over his job, and otherwise the warriors (in latest version, the order).
4. Last thing. The route is pretty standard and won't be covered in this guide, as I'm sure almost everyone knows where to go and what to do. Besides that, if played right DoA shouldn't be hard at all. Only tricky part is the cave in Gloom, one tactic to proceed is to let the 2 warriors and the cruel spear para try to block all enemies, that way its harder for anything to reach the SY para (and hexes most probably land on that trio instead of the SY para). Kill fast, know priorities and don't panic. Than this should be easy.
It's also possible to bring other professions:
5. Latest build version:
As we try to improve the build all the time, this section contains the latest version of the DoA build.
Replaced the cruel spear para with a scythe sin, and the mindblast ele with an offering of spirit necro who spams the weapon spells.
Because there's no cruel spear paragon support (for the energy), the necro uses blood ritual on the monks for the times (mainly cave in gloom) the monks need a boost in their energy. He also has foul feast which is handy for the conditions (and the woh monk can drop 1 condition remover for remove hex).
The necro weaponspammer uses splinter weapon on (only) the scythe sin (as he always goes for clumbed up groups so his scythe can hit multiple targets) and the necro uses great dwarf weapon on the other 3 physicals.
Strenght of honor should be on the scythe sin and the moebius sin. Only on the ES warrior if you feel you can manage the energy
Because of the change of characters, here their priorities in the guide above: the scythe sin goes for clumbed up enemies (like said), moebius sin takes the job of the eviscerate. Rest stays the same
Variants
These are variants. NOT recommended to run them, but it's possible.
6.Q/A
Why use this build and not ursan?
- Ursan is for unexperienced people and its boring. It ignores all challenges an area can bring you. Also, bashing your keys to use skill 1-2-3 doesn’t require any skill and is therefore really boring. This build requires a bit of skill (not too much tho) and is therefore a lot more fun to play. Also, we are an elite guild so we shouldn’t lower us to using mindless (PuG) builds :P
Is it just as effective as ursan?
- Yes. Even more effective since it’s not as fragile, and 3 monks were always too much (except for near whipes, but that’s due to the fragility of ursan; this build isn’t fragile at all with all the support spread out over the characters, and of course we have para’s). Also, our physicals are easily able to out damage ursan: on the para’s around 100 damage each hit (depending on titles), with an IAS, not even to count in splinter weapons etc. No way ursans can do the same.
Is there room for other professions?
- Yes, I’ve based this build on IM-way. The only profs that are really needed are the 2 monks and the SY para. However, I’ve figured this set up is theoretically the most effective, so we should always strive to have this exact set up.
Is there room for other skills?
- Most likely not. Every skill has been thought about more than enough to be sure this is the most effective.
