Solo monk in UW without Protective Bond - here's the build

FVC

Academy Page

Join Date: Aug 2005

Mo/W

27 Aug 2005 at 10:54 - 1

NOTE: Since the Sorrow's Furnace update on September 7, the UW has changed. Nightmares have been added which will remove your enchantments. This makes the enchantment-based builds much tougher to use in the UW now. However, these builds will still work in any location where the creatures do not have enchantment removal.

This is a solo MO/W build based on Jelly Samwich's and Miteethor's previous solo builds, without Protective Bond of course. Some people have already started posting new builds around, but I didn't see a really detailed one, so here you go.

This build does not use any divine favor skills. This build does not require any attribute changing or gear changing. You can jump right in and fight! (my favorite thing)

You can still solo parts of the Underworld with this build. I'm sure some will whine about this. Others will complain that I shouldn't post it because people will try to get it nerfed. What people need to realize is that this is not an "invincible" monk. You can not sit there and take unlimited punishment, nor can you take on a massive mob size. What you can do is succeed in a challenging environment if you use the skills properly. That is the fun of it!

SKILLS:
- Mending
- Live Vicariously (or Watchful Spirit, but see note below on this) (or Healing Breeze, see alternate strategy at the very end of this post)
- Balthazar's Spirit
- Essence Bond
- Protective Spirit
- Balthazar's Aura
- Bonetti's Defense
- Shield of Judgment (This can be replaced with a different damage dealing skill like Zealot's Fire, which works well since you are casting on yourself a lot. I prefer Shield of Judgment for the knockdowns!)

GEAR:
- Ascetic's armor with one of each superior rune (any armor works - the armor level is not important - the extra energy does help)
- Zealot's scalp design (smite +1) with any extra superior rune
- Smiting rod from Droknar's collector
- Focus item with -50 hp (to get health down to 55)

ATTRIBUTES:
- 13 healing (10+3)
- 15 smiting (11+3+1)
- 12 protection (9+3)
- 7 divine (4+3) (EDIT: no divine is needed, but I'm using the extra points here - there aren't enough points left to add to the above skills - and this gives your heals a little extra power)
- 2 tactics (2)

NOTE ON LIVE VICARIOUSLY VS. WATCHFUL SPIRIT - some might ask, why not just use Watchful Spirit and get an extra +2 regen? Because Live Vicariously works better. +2 regen gives you 4 health back per second. At 13 healing, Live Vicariously gives you either 10 health every 1.75 seconds (the attack rate of a wand/staff) which is 5.7 per second, or 12 health every 1.75 seconds which is 6.9 per second. This is an increase of 42-72% over Watchful Spirit. The only way this does not work better is if something has slowed your attack rate.

STRATEGY:
OK, here we go. To prepare, cast Mending, Live Vicariously, Balthazar's Spirit, and Essence Bond. You now have 0 energy regen, but receive 2 energy each time you get hit. You also have +4 health regen and receive 10 or 12 health each time you hit something in melee. It should always be 12, as that is what the description of Live Vicariously says... but in practice, sometimes it is 10 and sometimes 12. Not sure why yet.

Before going into any fight, you must cast Protective Spirit to decrease the damage. You must also re-cast Protective Spirit continually before it runs out. If it runs out, you will most likely die. However, no need to worry about interrupts since it is 1/4 casting time. There will be times when you don't have enough energy before a fight to cast the first Protective Spirit. In that case, just remove the last enchantment (Essence Bond) and wait for enough energy to come back, before putting it back on.

Again, you will gain 2 energy every time you are hit, so the energy will quickly add up when several things are hitting you. You can also use Bonetti's Defense to get a quick charge of energy and avoid damage at the same time.

Make sure you are always attacking something to get the 10-12 health per attack from Live Vicariously! After something dies, switch to a new target.

Your main damage dealer is, of course, Balthazar's Aura. You should also have another to go along with it. I like Shield of Judgment because of the knockdowns. Some like Zealot's Fire to go along with the continual casting of Protective Spirit. Bring whatever other damage dealer you like. Just don't rely solely on Balthazar's Aura.

UNDERWORLD FOES:
Aatxes are pretty straightforward. To play it safe, try not to take on more than 4 or 5 at a time. More than that can be done, but you are in more danger then. If you decide to fight more, make sure to use Shield of Judgment (if you brought it).

Darknesses are easy. Your energy will always be high because of their fast hitting and Bonetti's charging up more often. Again though, try not to take on more than 5 or 6 at once. Mixed groups of aatxes and darknesses can still be done, just don't go overboard. Darknesses like to use knockdowns at the very start, so make sure you don't try to cast right away.

Smites follow the same general strategy as the aatxes, but you can take on bigger groups.

Coldfires can be defeated after a while. Bonetti's does not work on them. Shield of Judgment helps a lot against them, especially when activated before you run into them. Avoid standing in the maelstroms, especially because of the interrupts - although you can safely cast Protective Spirit in them (EDIT: it's not 100% safe, but usually it is not interrupted - but if you want to be sure, step out of the maelstrom before casting). One maelstrom is fine, but multiple maelstroms will take your health down relatively fast. I had no problem with 4 coldfires at once, but I mostly just avoid them because they take a while.

Terrorwebs will not really work with this build, but will work with the alternate strategy below.

Have fun!

Edited to add:
ALTERNATE STRATEGY:
(contributed by Nuke_Dembastages in this thread) Replace Live Vicariously with Healing Breeze, and replace Shield of Judgment with Zealot's Fire. This requires more constant casting than the above set of skills, but you can take on bigger groups thanks to the high regen of Healing Breeze.

Basically, you want to cast both Zealot's Fire and Protective Spirit before going into each fight, then spam Protective Spirit and Healing Breeze on yourself over and over (each one will do damage to everything surrounding you thanks to Zealot's Fire). Cast Balthazar's Aura when possible, too, for additional damage. You should also be able to stay alive against the Terrorwebs with the extra regen from Healing Breeze. EDITED AGAIN TO ADD: Yes, you can defeat the Terrorwebs with this, but make sure to run around at the start until they have cast their Meteors, then move in for the kill. Never let Healing Breeze go out against them or you are dead, since they like to set you on fire.

spiritofcat

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Mar 2005

Sydney, Australia

Order of the Sanguine Dragon [OSD]

E/Mo

27 Aug 2005 at 13:23 - 2

Spanky Hamm

Academy Page

Join Date: Jul 2005

The Dragon Lords

W/Mo

27 Aug 2005 at 13:29 - 3

hey fvc...how does Live Vicariously work against smite crawlers...they also have shield of judgement and i really don't recommend you attack then, its not worth the knockdown....

xxinsainxx

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jun 2005

Be Jealous[hehタ]

Mo/Me

27 Aug 2005 at 13:57 - 4

you know what else might work. using the same strategy on griffons. think bout it bring cyclone axe to get bonetis straight up. with the enchants on u shud be fine for energy live vicariously wud work with this i think a bit beter then the wand. sure u loose out of the faster recharge chance but think about the alternative ur healing urself alot.

KuTeBaka

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2005

27 Aug 2005 at 17:36 - 5

Quote:

Originally Posted by xxinsainxx

Brad D

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Aug 2005

Rahien Sorei

Mo/W

27 Aug 2005 at 19:00 - 6

where can u obtain the -50 hps icon?

FVC

Academy Page

Join Date: Aug 2005

Mo/W

27 Aug 2005 at 21:14 - 7

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spanky Hamm

hey fvc...how does Live Vicariously work against smite crawlers...they also have shield of judgement and i really don't recommend you attack then, its not worth the knockdown....

I find that it works either way, if you choose to attack them or you don't. Personally I attack them and put up with a few knockdowns (just make sure you have activated Balthazar's Aura before starting your attack), as their Shield of Judgment does not last all that long it seems, and they don't take long to kill. Their knockdowns won't interrupt you, either, since you stop attacking to cast... and they don't really do enough damage to you either way, especially with Bonetti's being used. I was never in any trouble against a group of 6 or 7 smites.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brad D

where can u obtain the -50 hps icon? From the Cities of Ascalon quest... I think the quest giver is named Symon the Scribe, in Ascalon. There's another quest you must do before you get that one.

Pandora's box

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

Netherlands

Mo/W

27 Aug 2005 at 21:15 - 8

Quote:

You must also re-cast Protective Spirit continually before it runs out. If it runs out, you will most likely die. However, no need to worry about interrupts since it is 1/4 casting time. I dont know, but I notice sometimes casting IS interrupted, and mostly its too late when I do. It sometimes happens, mostly when I cast rapidly more spells in a queue. I dont hear the 'tsk' sound of interruption, and its no energy problem...

FVC

Academy Page

Join Date: Aug 2005

Mo/W

27 Aug 2005 at 21:34 - 9

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pandora's box

I dont know, but I notice sometimes casting IS interrupted, and mostly its too late when I do. It sometimes happens, mostly when I cast rapidly more spells in a queue. I dont hear the 'tsk' sound of interruption, and its no energy problem... I think it is POSSIBLE to interrupt, although it seems pretty rare. I usually spam Protective Spirit with all of the energy I have anyway, just to be safe. I usually hit it a few seconds after it recharges, so I am probably hitting it about every 8 seconds (which is why Zealot's Fire would be effective in this build, but I prefer the knockdowns of SoJ to keep the pressure off in larger groups... and the fun of seeing aatxes fall down over and over). So if I do get interrupted, I still have time to cast it again.

If you do actually get into a situation where Protective Spirit is flashing off and you can't cast it again yet... use Bonetti's immediately if it is charged, and this might give you the extra second or two you need to get PS back.

Severe

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

27 Aug 2005 at 22:15 - 10

Yes, your casting can and does get interrupted often if you don't hide behind soj or bonettis and your in a group of 3 or more that's attacking you.

Pandora's box

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

Netherlands

Mo/W

27 Aug 2005 at 22:44 - 11

Yes it gets interrupted, and quite often. When fighting aatxe (3) my spells get interrupted about 10-20% of the time, so watch out!

EinValentine

Academy Page

Join Date: May 2005

A Lovely Suburb

27 Aug 2005 at 23:23 - 12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pandora's box

I dont know, but I notice sometimes casting IS interrupted, and mostly its too late when I do. It sometimes happens, mostly when I cast rapidly more spells in a queue. I dont hear the 'tsk' sound of interruption, and its no energy problem...

What I think may be happening is that they are lining up to interrupt one of the earlier spells in the queue, miss it, but then hit one of the later ones. I've found it actually helps to avoid queuing up important spells, instead pause a second to make sure they aren't in the middle of using an interrupt and then cast.

FVC

Academy Page

Join Date: Aug 2005

Mo/W

27 Aug 2005 at 23:45 - 13

Quote:

Originally Posted by EinValentine

What I think may be happening is that they are lining up to interrupt one of the earlier spells in the queue, miss it, but then hit one of the later ones. I've found it actually helps to avoid queuing up important spells, instead pause a second to make sure they aren't in the middle of using an interrupt and then cast. I agree, that is probably what is happening. I have not had a problem with PS being interrupted using this, likely because I do not queue PS. PS is faster than the Savage Slash of the aatxes, so I don't think they can interrupt it without trying to interrupt something else beforehand and being a little late on it.

Nuke_Dembastages

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Aug 2005

Wikki

Mo/W

28 Aug 2005 at 20:02 - 14

I've found that because of the required use of prot spirit, its easier to equip the following:

Healing Breeze
Prot Spirit
Balth Aura
Zealots Fire
Bonetti's
Essence Bond
Mending
Balth Spirit

With this setup, you have 1 energy regen left. Use the attribute stats listed above or modify your own, it doesn't really matter as long as you have a +4 mending.

Going in, hit the prot spirit/zealots. I can still do 5 or 6 aatxe easily because I'm spamming prot spirit and healing breeze as soon as the timers come up. This makes it actually faster than when using prot bond. I've found that using these two healing spells as a damage dealer stops you from forgetting about prot bond and taking a 280+ shot to the dome.

my 2 cents.

smurfhunter

Banned

Join Date: Aug 2005

my w/mo uses mending, orison, and healing breeze. you cant kill him.

Sand Scorpions [SS]

W/Mo

28 Aug 2005 at 20:56 - 15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuke_Dembastages

thats exactly what i use only use blessed signet instead of mending - always been too lazy to try it that way but now that you say it works i will

FVC

Academy Page

Join Date: Aug 2005

Mo/W

28 Aug 2005 at 21:37 - 16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuke_Dembastages

I've found that because of the required use of prot spirit, its easier to equip the following:

Healing Breeze
Prot Spirit
Balth Aura
Zealots Fire
Bonetti's
Essence Bond
Mending
Balth Spirit

This sounds like a good trade off. More continuous casting required, but higher healing/bigger mob size possible. The only thing I don't like about Healing Breeze is that it only lasts 10 seconds and can be interrupted by the Aatxes or the maelstroms from the Coldfires. If you are fighting a huge group, missing the Healing Breeze cast could really hurt. Although it has a quick recharge time.

I'm sure the Terrorwebs wouldn't be much trouble with that build.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuke_Dembastages

I've found that using these two healing spells as a damage dealer stops you from forgetting about prot bond and taking a 280+ shot to the dome. I've done pretty well so far, as far as not forgetting... but once after talking to the lost soul, I accidentally cast PS on him instead of me... it took me a few seconds to realize why I died so quickly

Nuke_Dembastages

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Aug 2005

Wikki

Mo/W

28 Aug 2005 at 23:00 - 17

I can understand how breeze can be a pain, but thats why I use bonetti's before casting breeze. I'll trade off waiting for another bonetti recharge before I use aura if it keeps me alive.

But spamming both gives you double the chance of a heal. With divine favor as listed above, prot spirit gives me a 29 point heal, which say breeze gets interrupted, it'll give me over half health and time to get a bonetti's off to help wiht the breeze.

I have not tried dryders...they've never dropped ecto for me :P

*edit* for those of you just trying this build, here's a piece of advice...

after you clear the aatxe's and go to take quest...click on the guy to take quest and then target yourself or I promise that at least 4-5 times you'll end up casting prot spirit on the npc, go get hit once and waste 1k :P

**second edit

lol, didn't see the second part of his post where he just stated that

Rhine

Academy Page

Join Date: May 2005

Minnesota

28 Aug 2005 at 23:49 - 18

For prot spirit i use zealots as an indicator if it casted or not if i deal my zealots dmg then i know i casted it right then i continue smiting away if it doesnt then all i can say is ouch

spiritofcat

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Mar 2005

Sydney, Australia

Order of the Sanguine Dragon [OSD]

E/Mo

29 Aug 2005 at 04:06 - 19

With a reasonable level of protection payers, and a good enchanting mod, you can survive 1 or 2 interruptions of the Prot Spirit and still have time to cast it again before it runs out.

Arcanis Imperium

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: May 2005

nova

Me/E

29 Aug 2005 at 04:11 - 20

maybe this is just me

but dont you think finding another way to do something that ANet doesnt want you to do, is just gonna make them nerf this method too?

spiritofcat

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Mar 2005

Sydney, Australia

Order of the Sanguine Dragon [OSD]

E/Mo

29 Aug 2005 at 04:16 - 21

Protective Bond and Divine Boon were being exploited, the non-bond and boon builds are mostly just doing what the skills are meant to do.
Protective Bond was never meant to take only 1 energy per hit, and Divine Boon was never intended to fuel Zealot's Fire.
The skills that are now being used are being used as their descriptions make it appear they are intended to be used.

Nuke_Dembastages

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Aug 2005

Wikki

Mo/W

29 Aug 2005 at 04:44 - 22

with the current build, even though you can solo parts of UW, it doesn't make you invincible like the prot bond exploit did.

I die. Quite often. Just not to the guys that drop ecto, which is my goal. Well, that and gold max storm bows

monkeyink

Academy Page

Join Date: Jun 2005

Stand In Arms [SIA]

E/Mo

29 Aug 2005 at 13:40 - 23

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiritofcat

I still do the UW with my E/Mo build which uses:
Balth's Aura
Ether Renewal
Zealot's Fire
Healing Breeze
Prot Spirit
Mending
Balth's Spirit
Essence Bond

I used to use boon instead of breeze for a faster kill rate, but I've always done well with breeze too. Do you use the same type of setup as the 55/105 monks (Superior runes in every armor piece and -Health off-hand) or are you able to solo with this build by having a large energy pool?

I've got an E/Me (recently changed from E/Mo) that I do all my farming with but I hadn't considered trying to solo the UW.

BoricuaAce

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Jun 2005

Swords De Muerte

Mo/W

29 Aug 2005 at 16:56 - 24

This is my 55hp build I use for smite runs, works very good for me:

Essence Bond
Mending
Shield of Judgement
Balthazar's Aura
Protective Spirit
Zealot's Fire
Bonettis Defense
Reversal of Fortune

Ive been using this build since the "Bond" nerf and it had done wonders for me. Had to mess around with other skills first to finally find this build and I like it very much. I can take on Large groups of Attaxes and Darkness plus groups with 7 smites easily.

I truly am God when i go on a 2-man smite run, my partner casts Watchful Spirit and Succor on me, plus other nifty skills we use on different runs.

Kio

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Aug 2005

29 Aug 2005 at 18:52 - 25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuke_Dembastages

Which attributes?

Kinhu

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Aug 2005

E/Me

29 Aug 2005 at 21:08 - 26

what about this build?

mending(4 bars of health, -1 bar of energy)
essence bond(-1 bar of energy)
Balth spirit(-1 bar of energy)
peace and harmony(+1 bar of energy)
protection spirit
balth aura
healing breeze
mantra of resolve

in the end you have 2 bars of energy regain plus you can gain 2 for each physcial hit which is more than enough to keep your energy high
with healing breeze on you have 12 bars or regain but this drops to 9 once you begin bleeding, still not a problem
mantra of resolve keeps you from beign interupted which could be very fatal, even though you may lose more energy when you would be you have enough energy regain to make up for it

maybe zealots instead of peace and harmony or soemthing like that for more damage

ShadowWrath

Academy Page

Join Date: May 2005

Xion Nights [XN]

29 Aug 2005 at 21:46 - 27

Quote:

Originally Posted by FVC

I've done pretty well so far, as far as not forgetting... but once after talking to the lost soul, I accidentally cast PS on him instead of me... it took me a few seconds to realize why I died so quickly

Blah I do that all the time... >.<

Severe

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

29 Aug 2005 at 21:50 - 28

Same here

derrtyboy69

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Jun 2005

The Clouds

Scars Meadows [SMS]

Mo/Me

29 Aug 2005 at 22:24 - 29

Quote:

Originally Posted by xxinsainxx

zehly

Sunshine

Join Date: Jul 2005

The Wired

Daughters of Ananke

Mo/E

29 Aug 2005 at 22:36 - 30

omgz lol n00bs dont j00 know a.net like nerft teh whole invicnimonk build 4 a reason lol b/c tehy don't watn j00 2 b farming lol, u idiost, u r just going 2 get nerft and banned lol. b sides, w/mo pwns monk @ everytihng else LOL. i r teh owned j00 newzb.

That's what you will be reading in about a week. BUT,
Very nice job at finding a way "around" the so-called "nerf". Ironically, however, *some* people already used a build like this, because they felt the "nerf" was inevitable, and they wanted to stay ahead of the game.

Props to you tho

FVC

Academy Page

Join Date: Aug 2005

Mo/W

29 Aug 2005 at 23:11 - 31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuke_Dembastages

I have not tried dryders...they've never dropped ecto for me :P

I just like to kill the Dryders for the additional challenge, if possible. They were tough even with the old "invincible" builds. Plus you get the 5,000 exp and can go down to the Vale then.

Since your build only differs from mine by 2 skills, I added your strategy to my original post as an alternate strategy, so that more people will notice it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kio

Which attributes? Check the attributes listed in my original post, as they will work with that build as well. As was said, the most important thing is 13 healing to get +4 mending.

Nuke_Dembastages

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Aug 2005

Wikki

Mo/W

29 Aug 2005 at 23:51 - 32

Quote:

Originally Posted by FVC

Since your build only differs from mine by 2 skills, I added your strategy to my original post as an alternate strategy, so that more people will notice it.

cool. Same thing different story either way. I'll have to try yours out as well.

As far as going into the valley....no aatxe there. J ust grasping and coldfire etc. To get TO the aatxe you have to go through lots of disenchanting guys which is more of a pain than its worth.

Plus I have 47 skillpoints available...I don't think the exp is gonna help

Calibretto_9

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jul 2005

The Zanza Barbarians

30 Aug 2005 at 03:20 - 33

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiritofcat

I still do the UW with my E/Mo build which uses:
Balth's Aura
Ether Renewal
Zealot's Fire
Healing Breeze
Prot Spirit
Mending
Balth's Spirit
Essence Bond

I used to use boon instead of breeze for a faster kill rate, but I've always done well with breeze too. Hey, I didn't mean to get to the thread so late after you posted, but I have a question for you. I've played through GW and have been heavy into PvP, but lately found a newfound fondness for farming. Who da thunk it. Anywho, ele/monks can farm the UW? And if so, is it more difficult for them than for Mo/W? In your opinion, is soloing the UW reasonable with your ele?

Nuke_Dembastages

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Aug 2005

Wikki

Mo/W

30 Aug 2005 at 22:53 - 34

one other build that seems to work pretty well....

the sword from umm, crap, forget where, but its +5 energy. I put a +19% enchantment on there, replaced essence bond with blessed aura. With all runes on my skills are

13
12
12
12

3 tactics, 2 extra points, still trying to figure this out better :P

With a 19, or idealy a 20% enchantment combined with a 12 divine favor, you get a 50% longer enchantment. Breeze lasts 15 secs, as does balthazar's...which is the same as its reset time. Prot spirit lasts 90 seconds.

you have less energy regen, but with the amount of guys we face i ts not a problem. Just use bonetti's. The extra 5 energy doesn't hurt either. But you can pretty much keep balthazar's on all the time. just be sure to switch back and forth each time bonetti's charges with a breeze/prot spirit then baltha/zealots and you have continual damage output.

Seems to work pretty well. I'm all for speeding up the farming. This is my quickest one yet

**edit** if anyone tries out replacing zealots with essence bond and using just a continous balth spirit let me know. I'm getting lazy in my old age.

2nd edit**

ok forget being lazy, this one works absolutely beautifully withougt trying essence bond for zealots. even with 1 energy per hit gain and 1 energy regen, using bonetti's you get plenty, even if its against 1 or 2 aatxe, which is normally what takes a while. Due to the 50% longer enchantments, you use less energy casting and can have backup for an extra prot spirit or breeze in case of interrupt.

FVC

Academy Page

Join Date: Aug 2005

Mo/W

02 Sep 2005 at 10:49 - 35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuke_Dembastages

cool. Same thing different story either way. I'll have to try yours out as well.

I did try yours, and found that indeed, a bigger mob size was possible... but that if I missed the Healing Breeze cast in a big group, I usually only had one chance to re-cast it before becoming food. But that was not a common occurance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuke_Dembastages

As far as going into the valley....no aatxe there. J ust grasping and coldfire etc. To get TO the aatxe you have to go through lots of disenchanting guys which is more of a pain than its worth.

Plus I have 47 skillpoints available...I don't think the exp is gonna help

True, I have over 30 myself, but I like to kill as many things as possible just on principle. And I like to see how many quests I can finish, for the same reason. So, naturally, I tried the Terrorwebs too. I was able to kill them. I went in with PS and Breeze on (but not Zealot's Fire yet)... then ran around to get them to cast their meteors. After that, I moved in close, got ZF going, and just cast PS and Breeze over and over. I had very little chance to get Balthazar's Aura in, because if Breeze went out then I was dead (since they constantly set you on fire). And they don't hit fast, so the energy regen was slow, especially after the first one was dead. I probably did most of the damage to the last one with my wand. But it does work as long as Breeze stays active.

timmo567

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

E/Me

03 Sep 2005 at 03:17 - 36

Is it eaiser fighting the terrorwebs without essence bond and Baltazars spirit? because I seem to never have enough energy to continually cast PS and HB

Nuke_Dembastages

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Aug 2005

Wikki

Mo/W

03 Sep 2005 at 04:48 - 37

for the terror's, just like if you solo thirsty river and need to kill wurms, I take off balth's and blessed. Gives me 3 regen, enough to get off some spells.

But its not worth it for ecto farming if ya ask me.

wiz12268

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2005

California

Men In Black

03 Sep 2005 at 23:11 - 38

Even if they nerf this one there are others that work. If Anet keeps making spells useless then no one will play the game. It isn't even about being able to do it, it is about how bad the drops are. I would rather go kill griffons for a couple hours and make 5-6K on just wings (FOR FREE), than spend 1K to go into the UW and get a bunch of demonic remains. I took about 3 weeks off from the game. I went back in and I think I have gotten 1 ecto in 5 runs. And not a single colored weapon other than blue. It isn't hard doing the runs, it is what you get when you go in there. Which is basically nothing. Not to mention that ectos are worth about half what they used to be, so if you are doing smite runs to make money you are pissing up a rope.

I was doing them to get a nice gold storm bow. Well I have done probably 200 solo runs and I have gotten exactly one storm bow, and it was purple. I have gotten quite a few ectos and some rubies here and there, so the 200K wasn't wasted by any means, but I spent 200K to do those runs.

I think doing griffon runs and even regular salvage farm runs are definately more profitable long term.

But some guys like the aura of being able to solo the UW I guess.

FVC

Academy Page

Join Date: Aug 2005

Mo/W

05 Sep 2005 at 00:54 - 39

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiz12268

Even if they nerf this one there are others that work. If Anet keeps making spells useless then no one will play the game.

I can't really see them nerfing any of the skills involved here. I can see why Protective Bond was changed, if you really think about it. It's a powerful enchantment that was meant to have a cost associated with using it - the energy lost per hit. An enchantment like Mending was meant to be cast and last permanently (or until removed), but Protective Bond was not meant to last permanently due to how powerful it is. That is why they changed it. Not really because people were using it to solo in the UW - that just brought it to everyone's attention.

Quote: Originally Posted by wiz12268 It isn't even about being able to do it, it is about how bad the drops are. I would rather go kill griffons for a couple hours and make 5-6K on just wings (FOR FREE), than spend 1K to go into the UW and get a bunch of demonic remains. I took about 3 weeks off from the game. I went back in and I think I have gotten 1 ecto in 5 runs. And not a single colored weapon other than blue. It isn't hard doing the runs, it is what you get when you go in there. Which is basically nothing. Not to mention that ectos are worth about half what they used to be, so if you are doing smite runs to make money you are pissing up a rope. Well, the 1k to get into the UW doesn't make a big difference - you will quickly make it back just from the money drops, sometimes before you even get out to the smites. But, yes, the drops can be a lot worse in UW depending on when you go. I have always had the best luck, by far, in the extreme early morning hours when less people are playing (think 4 AM - 7 AM eastern). I have had a gold storm bow drop at those times, as well as what clearly seems to be a larger amount of ecto. In prime time hours, on the other hand, I've seen quite a few runs where all you really get are tons of remains and residue. I'm convinced the drops are affected by how many people are in a particular area at a given time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiz12268

But some guys like the aura of being able to solo the UW I guess. True, and some girls do too... me included.

Amused Observer

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Aug 2005

06 Sep 2005 at 00:02 - 40

Quote:

Originally Posted by FVC

Well, the 1k to get into the UW doesn't make a big difference - you will quickly make it back just from the money drops, sometimes before you even get out to the smites. But, yes, the drops can be a lot worse in UW depending on when you go. I have always had the best luck, by far, in the extreme early morning hours when less people are playing (think 4 AM - 7 AM eastern). I have had a gold storm bow drop at those times, as well as what clearly seems to be a larger amount of ecto. In prime time hours, on the other hand, I've seen quite a few runs where all you really get are tons of remains and residue. I'm convinced the drops are affected by how many people are in a particular area at a given time. That's a very interesting theory. unfortunately I need my zzzzz during that time slot.