Is this a good PvE Dervish Build?

Crim The Elder

Crim The Elder

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Jan 2009

Indiana State University (NOT IU)

Eviscerated Lamb Chops To [Go]

Me/E

Is this a good build and if not what can I improve on it.

Scythe Mastery: 14, Mysticism: 13, Earth Prayer: 3

[Chilling Victory], [Eternal Aura], [Balthazar's Rage], [Heart of Holy Flame], [Zealous Renewal], [Avatar of Balthazar], [Faithful Intervention], [Watchful Intervention]

daze

daze

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Aug 2008

In my own mind

The Dragon Exchange

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Crim The Elder View Post
Is this a good build and if not what can I improve on it.

Scythe Mastery: 14, Mysticism: 13, Earth Prayer: 3

[Chilling Victory], [Eternal Aura], [Balthazar's Rage], [Heart of Holy Flame], [Zealous Renewal], [Avatar of Balthazar], [Faithful Intervention], [Watchful Intervention]
Aside from scrapping the whole build and using good skills, id start with swapping [avatar of balthazar] for [avatar of lyssa] if you want to run a full enchant build.

[avatar of [email protected]][eternal [email protected]][aura of holy [email protected]][mystic [email protected]][heart of holy [email protected]][aura of [email protected]][armor of [email protected]][mystic [email protected]]

That was a pure enchant build that i ran when i beat NF in Normal Mode. Its good for a beginner, but when you decide to start taking on Hard mode, you might want to up your game a bit.

Crim The Elder

Crim The Elder

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Jan 2009

Indiana State University (NOT IU)

Eviscerated Lamb Chops To [Go]

Me/E

Quote:
Originally Posted by daze View Post
Aside from scrapping the whole build and using good skills, id start with swapping [avatar of balthazar] for [avatar of lyssa] if you want to run a full enchant build.

[avatar of [email protected]][eternal [email protected]][aura of holy [email protected]][mystic [email protected]][heart of holy [email protected]][aura of [email protected]][armor of [email protected]][mystic [email protected]]

That was a pure enchant build that i ran when i beat NF in Normal Mode. Its good for a beginner, but when you decide to start taking on Hard mode, you might want to up your game a bit. Well I am almost done with NF so this build I know can make it through. I will switch the avatars though. I have considered it on multiple occasions I just never knew if it was a good idea. Now I am going for an enchant build. I actually like my build because I have been known to take out multiple foes in just a few seconds. But I must ask what do you think is bad with these skills?

Cebe

Cebe

The 5th Celestial Boss

Join Date: Jul 2006

Inverness, Scotland

The Cult of Scaro [WHO]

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Crim The Elder View Post
Well I am almost done with NF so this build I know can make it through.
I'm sure most people here would remind you that you could use no skills, wand monsters to death, and still manage to win the game.

I'm sure most people would also advise the use of more attack skills. [[Mystic Sweep (PvE)], [[Victorious Sweep], and [[Wounding Strike] are all solid choices.

Considering your build I would make the following observations:Chilling Victory is ok providing you have the energy to use it. [[Attacker's Insight] is a good way of powering this skill. Eternal Aura is fine; Always good for use with Avatars. Balthazar's Rage can't do anything a good Monk hero can't. It's not like Balthazar's Rage can heal you on demand with the build you have there. Heart of Holy Flame converts your damage to Holy Damage, which Avatar of Balthazar does anyway making this skill redundant, even more since you have no way of stripping it. Zealous Renewal - With a Zealous Scythe and possibly the use of [[Attacker's Insight] this skill never seems to perform that well. Avatar of Balthazar. It's "ok"...and it's easy to see why beginners are drawn to it, but other Avatars (Lyssa, Dwayna, sometimes Melandru) are often far more useful. Faithful Intervention and Watchful Intervention are massive overkill - use one or none at all.
I also note you have no way of spreading Deep Wound. Deep Wound is a very powerful condition to be able to spread with a scythe so I would suggest you consider [[Pious Assault] and [[Wounding Strike].

daze

daze

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Aug 2008

In my own mind

The Dragon Exchange

E/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Crim The Elder View Post
But I must ask what do you think is bad with these skills? I wouldnt call it bad so much as i would say not very effective. Basically if i could sum it all up in one sentence id say. Leave the healing and support up to your monks because when you use an enchant build, the offensive ones are more effective.

Beaver said it best so just take his advice. The only support/healing/prot skills i will bring on a heavy enchant build is [mystic regeneration] just because it will negate all degen and keep you alive longer if a monk gets in trouble.
Also when im spamming conditions, i like to throw in [armor of sanctity] because it softens lots of the attacks upon you.

skills like [faithful intervention] are really only good for when you are running for obvious reasons.

Rak Orgon of Beowulf

Rak Orgon of Beowulf

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Oct 2007

just chillin

Omg Gwen Is Legal [EotN]

i take [wounding strike] over any of the avatars. i'd just stick to some sycthe attacking skills and a few enchants to power them
basically i do [wounding strike] along with any other attack skills i fell like such as:
[eremite's attack][crippling sweep][chilling victory] and i always take [attacker's insight]

other people may have ones that work better but i like my build quite a bit
although, you need factions for it
[for great justice!][aura of holy might][attacker's insight][wounding strike][crippling sweep][chilling victory][save yourselves!][eternal aura] aura is for just an all purpose aoe

if you dont have factions, you can go /e and use [grasping earth] as a snare and then [rending sweep] right after it.

Darkside

Darkside

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Dec 2006

Chantry of Secrets

[Angl]

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Crim The Elder
View Post
Is this a good build and if not what can I improve on it.

Scythe Mastery: 14, Mysticism: 13, Earth Prayer: 3

[Chilling Victory], [Eternal Aura], [Balthazar's Rage], [Heart of Holy Flame], [Zealous Renewal], [Avatar of Balthazar], [Faithful Intervention], [Watchful Intervention] It's bad...here's some builds I've used that are good.

[Avatar of Lyssa][mystic sweep][eremite's attack][Aura of holy might][eternal aura][heart of fury][optional][optional]

[Avatar of Melandru][wearying strike][aura of holy might][eternal aura][heart of fury][optional][optional]

[asuran scan][wounding strike][mystic sweep][aura of holy might][heart of fury][optional][optional][optional]

Consider going /w for skills like [wild blow],[protector's strike] and [Save yourselves]

Eragon Zarroc

Eragon Zarroc

Atra estern?? ono thelduin

Join Date: Jan 2008

Madness Incarnate

[Duo]

W/P

aura of holy might=FTW

Crim The Elder

Crim The Elder

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Jan 2009

Indiana State University (NOT IU)

Eviscerated Lamb Chops To [Go]

Me/E

okay so I have considered all of your advice and I will take out the [Balthazar's Rage], [Zealous Renewal], and [Watchful Intervention] I will add in [Pious Assault], [Eremite's Attack], and [Crippling Sweep].

Would that work out better?

The thing I found out about my original skill list was it was very useful when I became blind or weakened

Cebe

Cebe

The 5th Celestial Boss

Join Date: Jul 2006

Inverness, Scotland

The Cult of Scaro [WHO]

E/

Crippling Sweep is not as useful in PvE as you might think, especially since you have a speed boost through Avatar of Balthazar anyway. I would suggest considering [[Attacker's Insight], [[Bull's Strike] or [[Victorious Sweep] as replacement skills.

If conditions are a concern just ensure your Necro heroes have [[Foul Feast], or your Monks have an alternative decent method of condition removal (such as [[Mend Condition]).

Crim The Elder

Crim The Elder

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Jan 2009

Indiana State University (NOT IU)

Eviscerated Lamb Chops To [Go]

Me/E

okay this is what I have now on my Dervish

[Chilling Victory] [Pious Assault] [Eremite's Attack] [Heart of Holy Flame] [Eternal Aura] [Victorious Sweep] [Avatar of Lyssa] [Faithful Intervention]

Now Im dirt poor

Slasher of Darkness

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Aug 2008

Lots of places~

D/

I usually use this build..no self heals but only mysticism, but a LOT!!! of damage ^^

[Wounding strike high DPS;OgmjYmpMbSAYXgMXzkibjevlCAA]

avilia

Academy Page

Join Date: May 2008

[Avatar of Balthazar] is generally considered the least helpful of all avatars. +40 armor is the only really helpful thing on it and you can get that through other skills without sacrificing your elite.

As for scythe attacks, [Mystic Sweep], [Eremite's Attack], [Victorious Sweep] and [Wild Blow] are generally considered the most powerful non-elite attacks for your scythe. [Chilling Victory] is ok, but it costs a lot and the area damage is cold damage which doesn't do as much damage as you'd think in Hard Mode. Also, at least two attack skills (usually 3) is a good idea, especially if your only attack skill has a 10 second recharge.

You also want increased attack speed and [Heart of Fury] is good and only has a few seconds downtime if you use a +20% enchant modifier on your scythe. Some people prefer [Drunken Master] because it lasts longer and also makes you run faster. The increased attack speed is considerably less though.

The avatar-based dervish bar usually looks like this:
[Mystic Sweep][optional][Heart of Fury][Aura of Holy Might][optional][optional][optional][Eternal Aura]
With an attack in the first optional (usually Eremite's Attack) and an Avatar in the second. The optional 2 skills can be anything you like. You still have a PvE skill open and you can still choose a secondary profession. Another scythe attack like [Victorious Sweep], something to heal like [Mystic Vigor] or [Mystic Regeneration], or some PvE skills to boost damage like ["I Am The Strongest!"] or [Asuran Scan] are a few choices, but depending on which Avatar you pick, there's a lot more good options here.

Don't forget to let your heros use enchantments on you. A hero using something like [Patient Spirit] on you is very beneficial because you gain extra energy and health through Mysticism. The use of energy-gaining skills is not needed if you plan your skills well.

People here seem very taken with Lyssa, Dwayna and Melandru as an avatar, but I'm a big fan of [Avatar of Grenth]. Melandru is ideal for areas with lots of conditions (especially blind) and Dwayna is good for areas with lots of annoying hexes, but IMO Grenth outperforms them in most areas.

Darkside

Darkside

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Dec 2006

Chantry of Secrets

[Angl]

D/

Quote:
Originally Posted by avilia View Post
but I'm a big fan of [Avatar of Grenth].
Forgot about the recent update to Grenth. Which is now a viable choice due to the life stealing that was added to it. This is especially useful in hm where monster armor levels can be high.

Quote: Originally Posted by Slasher of Darkness View Post
I usually use this build..no self heals but only mysticism, but a LOT!!! of damage ^^

[Wounding strike high DPS;OgmjYmpMbSAYXgMXzkibjevlCAA] Why does this build have 9 points in command and no command skills...what a waste of attribute points.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Crim The Elder View Post
okay this is what I have now on my Dervish

[Chilling Victory] [Pious Assault] [Eremite's Attack] [Heart of Holy Flame] [Eternal Aura] [Victorious Sweep] [Avatar of Lyssa] [Faithful Intervention]

Now Im dirt poor This build still needs work. [Chilling Victory] is meh, [Pious Assault] isn't that great because it strips enchantments...tho I suppose you could use it to Strip [Eternal Aura]. [Eremite's attack] is a decent skill but if you're only going to have one 3/4 second attack on your bar [Mystic Sweep] is better since its conditions are easier met. You lack an IAS skill, replace [Heart of Holy flame] which isn't very useful with [heart of fury].

A basic avatar build should always look like this...

Avatar of choice, then [optional][optional][optional][optional][aura of holy might][eternal aura][heart of fury]

Any dervish build without [aura of holy might] is losing a lot of damage potential. [eternal aura] has nice AoE and can help keep up the avatar indefinitely. [heart of fury] can be replaced by another IAS but you absolutely need some form of IAS on your bar. When combined with [Eternal Aura] and high mysticism [heart of fury] can be maintained almost indefinitely which makes it one of the better choices. The only other real alternatives are [Flail] and [Drunken Master] and maybe [Whirling Charge] if you already have to invest heavily in wind prayers for some reason.

Crim The Elder

Crim The Elder

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Jan 2009

Indiana State University (NOT IU)

Eviscerated Lamb Chops To [Go]

Me/E

[Heart of Holy Flame] is staying. [Victorious Sweep] I will remove for [Heart of Fury]. Im not a Kurzick. I will aslo replace [Pious Assault] for [Mystic Sweep]

iVendetta

iVendetta

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Nov 2008

Where no man has ever gone before.

Syndicate Nightmare [SyN]

That is way too energy expensive, plus not a very stable build.

Do not use [Heart of Holy Flame] if you're using [Avatar of Balthazar] (AoB covers holy damage, armour, and increased movement speed, so it rules out the point of having Heart of Holy Flame.

Also, why would you invest so heartily into Scythe Mastery if you have not one build on your template that is a scythe attack?

[Balthazar's Rage] is almost useless. You're better off healing with skills in the Earth Prayer line such as [Mystic Regeneration].

[Faithful Intervention] and [Watchful Intervention] is not necessary if you don't have skills which require enchantments to fuel upon (such as [Wounding Strike]).

All in all, that is a very poorly built build.

The ones suggested above are good; use them.
Why do you like [Heart of Holy Flame] so much? It's aoe damage is mediocre at best and originally you were using [avatar of balthazar] which already converts your damage type to holy.

Quote:
Im not a Kurzick. *Cry*

Quote:
Originally Posted by Picuso View Post
Use [Aura Of Holy Might (Luxon)] Thank you!

Darkside

Darkside

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Dec 2006

Chantry of Secrets

[Angl]

D/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Crim The Elder View Post
Well first off if you read down farther Im not using [avatar of balthazar] anymore. Second the reason I have a high Scythe Mastery is because it increases the damage I can do normally and my chaces for critical hit. And I already have an [avatar of Lyssa] so I cant have another elite skill.
Yah I noticed that but in all reality your most likely going to go back to [avatar of balthazar] because you think it looks so cool.

Quote:
lus I knew about the Luxon skill I just was sick of seeing the Kurzick skill. Next time I'll just type "aura of holy might" rather then putting up a pretty picture since I wouldn't wanna alienate the Luxons.

Quote:
Also since this is going to be an energy draining skill set do you think it would be better to switch [Heart of Holy Flame] with [Zealous Renewal]? [Zealous Renewal] is garbage; it cost 10e to put it up and you will probably only get that much back when it ends so why bother wasting that 10e when you could have used two attack skills and killed something. The only dervish e-management skills worth using are [attacker's insight], and [zealous sweep].
Please.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Crim The Elder View Post
And I would take [Zealous sweep] if I had EotN. How about [Lyssa's Assault]? That would work well. However, if you're going to be in the form of Lyssa, you shouldn't have to overwhelm yourself with concern upon the blue bar. ;3

iVendetta

iVendetta

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Nov 2008

Where no man has ever gone before.

Syndicate Nightmare [SyN]

Lol, the looks aren't going to intimidate monsters in PvE.