Dervish HM build help

I’ve recently started playing the game through again in hard mode, but have been unsure quite what sort of build is most effective to run with.

Now I realise different missions have different requirements, and different team builds likewise but as an all purpose build I have been using the following setup.

[build prof=D/W][avatar of melandru][eternal aura][conviction][heart of fury][wild blow][distracting blow][zealous sweep][faithful intervention][/build]

Using a zealous max scythe.

My thinking with this setup is that although I lack a great deal of damage skills, I can fairly well manage my energy, am condition immune have some IAS and can interrupt and break stances with the two warrior skills. Also the FI is handy for when the monk takes his eye off the ball and my health dips a bit too low. I’m still playing with points n rune setup but it’s mostly going into mysticism and Scythe mastery.

What do you folks think of my setup? I know it’s probably not very original but I’m not claming it is … It appears to work alright, but I am sure there is room for improvement.

Comments, crits, advice all appreciated. Just to restate it, this build is for HM PvE, missions and vanquishing.

Cheers

Mainly when playing through HM, DPS takes a backseat to utility. Dervs are great for spamming conditions which does its damage, but it also helps your party members wipe out enemies as well.

and since you are already using [[avatar of melandru] there is no reason not to add [wearying strike]
as stated in other threads [avatar of melandru] + [wearying strike] = spamming deep wound with no side effect. not too shabby
then you may want some extra defense so naturally [armor of sanctity] is a great choice due to the spammage of conditions
since you already like [[faithful intervention] and you probably like [[heart of fury] you really should add [mystic regeneration] which should be part of any enchantment- heavy build

here is what i would use
[avatar of melandru][eternal aura][faithful intervention][armor of sanctity][heart of fury][mystic regeneration][wearying strike][finish him]

If your monks are players and are good ofcourse you shouldent really need any self heal

There are already tons of threads on this subject but nevertheless I'm going to regurgitate some of the stuff discussed.

[Mystic Regeneration] is a waste of slot. The hero/hench does a great job in healing. What you need is [Aura of Holy Might] + [Attacker's Insight] for [Chilling Victory] loveliness.

[Wounding Strike] is norm but not a necessity. Try [Avatar of Lyssa] + [Radiant Scythe] for huge damage spike.

normally when you have a good team with 2 strong monks you can do fine in hard mode. But since it is Hard mode, taking a little pressure off of the monks is never a bad thing. That way you can give monks the opportunity to focus their attention/energy towards the rest of the players. Since monk heroes suck bawls when it comes to energy management anyways.
[[avatar of lyssa] is a fun build to bring, it gives you the option of going very enchantment heavy
like [avatar of lyssa][faithful intervention][mystic regeneration][eternal aura][staggering force][aura of holy might][radiant scythe][mystic sweep]

But if you dont like mystic regeneration, you are welcome to swap it out with basically any skill you deem is better. that is the good thing about derv, the skills have lots of synergies

If you want to take the pressure off your monks in Hard Mode:
[Ebon Dust Aura]

or

[Avatar of Melandru] + [Draw Conditions]Hard Mode casters can be sorted out by targetting a Mesmer hero on one and having it cast Arcane Conundrum with a stack load of interrupts.

Hard Mode physicals are what really pump out the pressure in hard mode. EDA Blind-Spam sorts out the men from the boys here.

The key thing is to change your build depending on where you're fighting. For example...it's pointless going Avatar of Melandru in an area which lacks conditions...

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