Scourage's MM Guide

Scourage of Death

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2006

Unknown Warriors [UW]

27 Jun 2006 at 02:27 - 1

Welcome to my MM guide. I decided to make this guide because MM is my favorite build to run, and there have been tons of posts on it recently.

Part I: MM Basics

What is a Minion Master(MM)?
A MM is a character that summons minions which can serve many different purposes (I will get into these later).

What are the different types of minions and what are they used for?
There are five different kinds of minions they are:
1. Bone Horrors - The most basic minions. Prophecies only. They are generally used for tanking purposes as they have a low energy cost and good health. Meele attackers.
2. Bone Fiends - Attack at range. A core skill. Used for damage dealing as they do more damage than horrors and stay out of direct combat more.
3. Bone Minions - This spell summons 2 minions that are meele attackers and have a lesser level than regular horrors. They are generally used for minion bombing.
4. Vampiric Horrors - A meele attacking minion that gives you life equal to the damage it does to an enemy. They have a longer recharge than the other minions but are a great source of healing.
5. Flesh Golem [E] - The big boy. Does more damage, has more health, and is a higher level than the other minions. You may only control one of these at once but they leave a usable corpse when they die. Only downside with this minion is that they atatck slower and they use up your elite slot.

What roles can a MM play in a team?
1. Damage Dealer - Taking such skills as Bone Fiends and Flesh Golem a MM can easily wipe out opponents and be the main damgae dealer of a team.
2. Tank(Meat Wall) - By using Bone Horrors, Vamp Horrors, and a Flesh Golem a MM can put up a wall of meat to take damage for you team as they destroy your enemies from the second line.
3. Minion Bomber - By using Bone Minions, Death Nova, and Taste of Death you can summon 2 minions, cast Death Nova on them, then use taste of Death to sacrifice them thus doing massive amounts of damage and poisoning
all nearby enemies.

Part II: Builds

My N/Mo MM build:

Skills:

1. Animate Flesh Golem [E]
2. Animate Vampiric Horrors
3. Animate Bone Fiend
4. Deathly Swarm
5. Death Nova/Taste of Pain/Rotting Flesh/Putrid Expolsion(depends on what im feeling like and what the situation calls for)
6. Blood of the Master
7. Verata's Sacrifice
8. Rebirth

Skill Slot #5: When and why I change these skills:

Rotting Flesh: I use this if I have a player monk in the group, as they will probably heal me better than a henchy. This is great for large groups of the same creature type, it gets degen on all of them and helps to kill them quickly.

Taste of Pain: I use this when i'm with henchies and know that im in a particulary tough mission or area that ill probably get attacked in.

Death Nova: Take this if I wanna do a little extra dmg. Cast it on any minion when its about to die. I usually cast it on my flesh golem when he's gonna die or when im gonna replace him.

Putrid Explosion: Great damage dealer. I bring it when I know there are going to be large mobs of guys. Only use this when an enemy dies in the middle of other enemies(makes no sense to summon a minion in this case b/c it will not damage each person as much as putrid will). I only use purtid if i know that it will hurt people more than my minion has the possibility to.

I do not use heal area, beacause I personally believe that it is a waste of energy and attribute points when you have vamp horrors to heal you and botm to heal minions(rather just have the 13 soul reaping). Most people would disagree with me on this point, but this is just my personal opinion.

Attributes:

16 Death(12+1+3)
13 Soul Reaping(12+1)
3 Protection Prayers(Remainder of points-only for rebirth)
*Requires both 15 attribute point quests completed

Strategy:

This build can be used to beat all of factions and just about all of prophecies with just henchies. It is a great build for questing with henchies and helping out your friends and guildies. That being said here we go:

First off cast deathly swarm(usually target a caster of some type as they have least health and armor). Also use Rotting Flesh if you brought it to kill even faster. After first target is dead animate a flesh golem. Keep targeting and killing enemies. Summoning order is as follows: 1. Flesh Golem (only can have 1) 2. Animate Vampiric Horrors (get as many of these as possible) 3. Animate Bone Fiend (only summon if Vampiric Horrors is recharging and you neeed a minion). Once you get 10 minions you can be a little more choosy about what you summon, and I tend to only summon Vampiric Horrors at this point.

Prophecies Only MM Build:

Skills:
1. Aura of the Lich [E]
2. Animate Bone Fiend
3. Animate Bone Horror
4. Deathly Swarm
5. Rotting Flesh/Putrid Explosion
6. Blood of the Master
7. Verata's Sacrifice
8. Rebirth

Attributes:
Same as previous build

Strategy:
Use Aura of the Lich to reduce sacrifices, enabling you to live longer and heal your minions more often. Only cast bone horrors if fiends is recharging(you want your army to be primarily fiends). Other than that its pretty much the same build as before.

Alternate N/Mo MM Build:

Skills:
1. Animate Flesh Golem [E]
2. Animate Vampiric Horrors
3. Animate Bone Fiend
4. Deathly Swarm
5. Heal Area/Karei's Helaing Circle
6. Blood of the Master
7. Verata's Sacrifice/Rotting Flesh/Putrid Explosion/Death Nova
8. Rebirth/Resurrection Chant

Attributes:
16 Death Magic(12+3+1)
10 Soul Reaping(9+1)
9 Healing Prayers
*Requires both 15 attribute point quests completed

Strategy:
This build allows you to heal your minions more with blood of the master and heal area. Heal area alos provides a nice self heal so you can sac more life without worrying as much. Other than that this build can be played pretty much the same as mine.

Part III: Equipment

Armor:
Scar Patterns(or energy adding armor), Bloodstained Boots, +1 to Death Magic Facial Scar

Runes:
Superior Death Magic, Minor Soul Reaping (you can use higher but I don't like to lose that much health)

Weapons:
Many different things work here. Some poeple like to add +1 to Death Magic, but I view this as a waste because it only happens 1/5 times on average and 1 lvl higher fiends, vamp horrors, or flesh golem really arent that much better. I would much rather have faster casting speed/recharge speed(helps takes down the long recharge of vamp horrors). This is my weapon set:

SparhawkJC

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Mar 2006

The Amazon Basin

R/Me

27 Jun 2006 at 20:47 - 2

I don't see why you take both vamp horrors and fiends. In my opinion its best to go with one or the other. I usually break out the horrors when I'm in missions with people since they're relying on me to keep up a flesh wall instead of deal damage. I use fiends when I'm running around questing with henches to deal more damage. Mixing the two will give you a less powerful flesh wall and less powerful ranged attack. Heal area is pretty useful getting your army from place to place in my opinion, but you're right it's not necessary for making a good minion master.

A Leprechaun

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Feb 2006

30 Jun 2006 at 17:28 - 3

1) were can I get those weapons
2) is the only 2 places i can get veretas sacrafice copperhammer and ember light camp

Pick Me

Forge Runner

Join Date: Feb 2006

Thornill, ON, Canada

THE CANUCK MONKS (TCM)

W/R

30 Jun 2006 at 17:48 - 4

Quote:

Originally Posted by A Leprechaun

1) were can I get those weapons
2) is the only 2 places i can get veretas sacrafice copperhammer and ember light camp I think you can get Verata's stuff either in Ascolon Camp (north of Lion's Arch) or in some city I think in Northern Kryta Province (upto ToA - Bettleton perhaps).

That's where I got all 3 Verata's skills.

Beorn Drake

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Dec 2005

Alliance of the Old Gods

W/Mo

30 Jun 2006 at 19:09 - 5

Awesome, thanks!

Carinae

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jun 2005

Inside

Fifteen Over Fifty [Rare]

30 Jun 2006 at 19:35 - 6

Quote:

Originally Posted by A Leprechaun

1) were can I get those weapons
2) is the only 2 places i can get veretas sacrafice copperhammer and ember light camp NO! You can also get VS from Verata himself. Verata spawns where Galrath spawns, at the south edge of Knessex Peak. Verata will only spawn if NO ONE in your party has the quest: "Villany of Galrath".

Be sure to bring a Signet of Capture.

Also, do NOT run minions for this task. This is the only place in Tyria, beside Fire Islands, where minions are a no-no. Verata is not alone, he has many mobs protecting him. Perhaps unsurprisingly, all of the mobs have Verata's Gaze and/or Aura.

A Leprechaun

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Feb 2006

01 Jul 2006 at 09:30 - 7

so where is vereta can anyone post a map pls i would be very gratefull

Scourage of Death

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2006

Unknown Warriors [UW]

02 Jul 2006 at 01:16 - 8

Added: where you can get weapons (in op)

A Leprechaun

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Feb 2006

02 Jul 2006 at 10:47 - 9

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scourage of Death

Added: where you can get weapons (in op) where??

Cory M

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Jun 2006

A/Mo

03 Jul 2006 at 15:50 - 10

thanks its been very useful. i just made a necro a 2 days ago and this guide really helped

can't wait to get to flesh golem and to tyria for verata >_<

Tingi

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Mo/

03 Jul 2006 at 18:49 - 11

yea verata's sacrifice kinda sux since the nerf imo. also a mm kinda needs self heal due to all that BotM spamming. my build:

Animate Flesh Golem
Animate Vamparic Horror
Animate Bone Fiend
Blood of the Master
Rotting Flesh
Deathly Swarm
Healing Breeze or Heal Area ( i use breeze for self heal)
Resurection Chant

16 Death
10 Soul Reaping
9 Healing

+5 energy +1 Death magic 20/20 staff

Scourage of Death

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2006

Unknown Warriors [UW]

03 Jul 2006 at 23:57 - 12

Kali Magdalene

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2006

Washington

04 Jul 2006 at 00:32 - 13

Mixing a vamp horror or two with a flesh golem and bone fiends works fine, as it provides the MM additional healing. I don't understand why anyone is against it.

While I agree that Heal Area has a high cost, when you're between fights, you don't have any ways to heal yourself without consuming your minions. You need something to counter the BotM usage when you're not actually in a fight. Heal Area isn't necessary, but something should be in there.

Kruzing Low

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jun 2006

04 Jul 2006 at 05:29 - 14

for someone without factions, how would this build be managed?

Tingi

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Mo/

04 Jul 2006 at 10:56 - 15

Use Aura of the Lich for less self sacrifice or put points into blood and use Offering of Blood for energy managment.

Scourage of Death

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2006

Unknown Warriors [UW]

04 Jul 2006 at 15:57 - 16

added: new sections on build for people w/o factions and build using heal area

Kruzing Low

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jun 2006

04 Jul 2006 at 17:11 - 17

is there anywhere a weapon similar to that factions rod can be found in prophecies?
i looked everywhere, and the collectors only had a 20/20 2 handed weapon, and the 1 handed trunch only had 20 recharge
maybe a green weapon or something?

Scourage of Death

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2006

Unknown Warriors [UW]

04 Jul 2006 at 17:52 - 18

sadly one can not be obtained through collectors or weaponsmiths in prophecies to the best of my knowledge but you could trade someone for one(or get someone to make you one)

Kalle

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Jul 2006

04 Jul 2006 at 18:10 - 19

[Warning: Long post!

]

I've decided to start playing GW again, having not played it since last summer. I had a N/Me then and got as far as the last mission in Maguuma, using some sort of a blood/curse build.

Anyway I want to start from scratch with a new Necromancer but I've obviously forgotten a lot and what I do remember may have changed with patches.

From what I've read MM is still a solid build to use for PvE. However despite forums being in no short supply of MM builds, I'm unsure of how to actually best progress to a build such as yours, Scourage. I was thinking to start off putting points about equally in death/blood (along with some in SR ofc) because I remember there being some effective blood skills pre-Kryta like life siphon, shadow strike, dark pact and blood well. But still using the early death skills like deathly swarm and bone horrors. Then decrease use of blood as I progress to Kryta, where I can drop all blood in favour of the MM skills available there: BotM, VS and fiend/minion. Is this a decent plan? Or should I change some things?

I also just realised there's the small matter of a secondary class

. I remember N/Mo being the standard MM before, but after this 10 minion nerf I'm not sure. I was thinking to go N/Mo over N/Me since I figured the former would be more useful early on for PvEing as a MM and that I can always switch to a N/Me build later in the game where it's best (?) for PvP and certain difficult PvE.

I'd really appreciate any advice you can send my way.

(BTW, Where can I get this 20/20 collector's staff I've heard so much about?)

Kruzing Low

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jun 2006

04 Jul 2006 at 19:29 - 20

alrite although i dont have access to that factions weapon, im ending up using the truncheon and grim cresta from these places in prophecies

http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Arliss_Vaughn

http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Volsung_Stoneketil

you can easily gain the scalps and wings with a 55 monk/necro or a warrior with a troll farming build
you may be lacking the 20% faster cast, but on a 1 second spell like botm it doesnt make that much of a difference, and youre still getting the 40% for faster recharge

Kali Magdalene

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2006

Washington

04 Jul 2006 at 20:34 - 21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scourage of Death

leprechaun: its right under the pictures of my weapons
Cory M: thanks man its good to know someone has gotten some use out of this

Kali:Inbetween fights your natural regeneration wil kkick in thus healing you as youi run between groups(if not enough space between them I often just wait a few seconds for it to heal up) I find that the sacrifice from Blood of the Master handily interferes with natural regeneration. If I don't use it about once every six seconds, I might get to a fight without any minions, especially if the team I'm with has a tendency to stop and argue about which direction to run in.

That's not a flaw with your build though, that's a flaw with people who are annoying.

Scourage of Death

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2006

Unknown Warriors [UW]

04 Jul 2006 at 23:16 - 22

Ok Kalle: N/Mo, N/Me whichever you like, it really doesnt matter(I only chose monk b/c I like to have a hard rez, rly helps when playing with henchies a lot). As for how to reach my build, I did somehting similar to you. I first put all my points into death magic to get 16 as having lvl 18 minions in kryta/wilds rly works well. I also put some points into curses and used such skills as faithhardness and suffering b/c henchies at that point in the game dont deal much damage(rest of points I put into soul reaping). All in all I like your plan of dropping the blood when you get to kryta, as that is where I dropped my curses(I still have a minor curses and blood magic runes on my armor in case I want to use skils form those attributes). The 20/20 Death Magic staff is can be obtained from this collector: http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Merin_Trollsbane
or
http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Luven_Underwood

Kruzing Low: If you want to I will make the weapon for you(just give me the materials and trade me the 5k it costs to craft it when we trade)...my IGN is Scourage of Death, pm me anytime in game if you want to...also I have 5 of those griffon wings if you dont want me to craft the 20/20 for you(you can have them for free).

Kali: I see your point but I often dont even use BoTM inbetween groups b/c in factions there are so many people in each group that I can easily keep my mnions at 10.

Undead Preacher

Banned

Join Date: Nov 2005

United Scribes of Cantha (USoC)

05 Jul 2006 at 03:46 - 23

Build looks VERY familiar, i posted the same thing a long time ago!

Heres the link... your skill bar looks EXACTLY the same!
I guess Great Minds think alike, or do they?
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s....php?t=3031906

Scourage of Death

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2006

Unknown Warriors [UW]

05 Jul 2006 at 12:49 - 24

Lol yes undead i did get ideas from your build however I did make minor changes, I added you in credits in op(all great ideas come from someplace lol...also sry bout not adding you earlier i totally forgot who it was that helped me with this build)

byobodybag

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Mar 2006

[SoB]

05 Jul 2006 at 20:04 - 25

isn't it that when you have someone craft a weapon for you, that weapon will be customized for them and it'd be useless for you? no bonuses whatsoever except for the white text in the item?

Harold

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2005

05 Jul 2006 at 23:44 - 26

Thanks for the build, I will try some of those skills out. Any chance we can get a guide on wrangling the minions? I have poor control over them and it's frustrating

I'd like to point out the weapons guy in Leviathan Pits will craft the Bone Rod as well: http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Telamon

Quote:

Originally Posted by byobodybag
isn't it that when you have someone craft a weapon for you, that weapon will be customized for them and it'd be useless for you? no bonuses whatsoever except for the white text in the item? No, it doesn't come customized, fortunately. You have to ask for it to be done after you recieve the weapon.

waiver

Academy Page

Join Date: Jun 2006

GAS alliance [2nd rated Luxon, 17mil]

05 Jul 2006 at 23:52 - 27

Where do I buy/cap botm and vs? I finally got my nec to lvl 20 and 16 death, and now I need to get decent skills.

Kruzing Low

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jun 2006

06 Jul 2006 at 00:06 - 28

http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Blood_of_the_Master