An Opinion of Thunderhead - Guild Wars Guru archive powered by Guild Wars Legacy

Storm Crow

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jul 2005

With Vanatiel by the Lion's Arch Lighthouse, waiting for the storm with which we are accoustomed

Children of the Order [CoO] -True Heroes Fight to Keep the Balance-

30 Nov 2005 at 02:40 - 1

just as a quick question...

what group formation do you find works best for Thunderhead? I've been trying to get it now for a while, and have been shooting for the following group:

1 Illusion or Domination Mesmer
1 Minion Master / Battery Necro
1 Trapper Ranger
1 Pyro or Spiker Ele
2 Tanks
2 Monks

would it be worth my while to continue shooting for this group, or should I try to get something else?

Thanks for your time

Savio

Teenager with attitude

Join Date: Jul 2005

Fifteen Over Fifty [Rare]

30 Nov 2005 at 02:41 - 2

Henchies work. Otherwise I've gotten pretty random groups to work. Are you making a group right now? I'm sitting in d4 right now.

Lasareth

Aquarius

Join Date: Jun 2005

Somewhere between Boardwalk and Park Place

30 Nov 2005 at 02:42 - 3

Mesmer or Mesmer sub for sure, and some healing for the king of stupidity. The main concern is to get the Mursaat down as quickly as possible.

Up until you reach the seige, you can pretty much call your attacks, pull slowly, and don't rush. Definitely have a tank or two, and some good damage output, whether it be in the form of elementalists or other jobs.

Storm Crow

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jul 2005

With Vanatiel by the Lion's Arch Lighthouse, waiting for the storm with which we are accoustomed

Children of the Order [CoO] -True Heroes Fight to Keep the Balance-

30 Nov 2005 at 02:54 - 4

thanks for the input.

I almost beat the stupid thing with henchies earlier today, but alas, we were doomed to the MONK boss -_-;; nearly impossible to kill him too

and Savio, I'm going to take you up on that offer, thanks

Lasareth

Aquarius

Join Date: Jun 2005

Somewhere between Boardwalk and Park Place

30 Nov 2005 at 02:57 - 5

In case you find yourself against Demetrios in a pinch, don't forget to take some spells like diversion or blackout to shut him down a bit. And take him out last, always. It takes too long to kill him before killing the other enemies.

Storm Crow

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jul 2005

With Vanatiel by the Lion's Arch Lighthouse, waiting for the storm with which we are accoustomed

Children of the Order [CoO] -True Heroes Fight to Keep the Balance-

30 Nov 2005 at 02:59 - 6

sorry, I cant shut him down, I'm a Warrior, not a spell caster

Guillaume De Sonoma

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

aFk

Me/Rt

30 Nov 2005 at 03:04 - 7

Storm if you need help I'll do it (tank) but 2 monk, 2 tanks, 1 trapper, 1mesmer or ranger interupter, 1 AoE nuker, and one minion master, but thats just me

Savio

Teenager with attitude

Join Date: Jul 2005

Fifteen Over Fifty [Rare]

30 Nov 2005 at 03:05 - 8

If you hurry up and run to d4 before we leave you can join. I don't want to restart again...

Guillaume De Sonoma

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

aFk

Me/Rt

30 Nov 2005 at 03:06 - 9

ok i'm there

Venus

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Aug 2005

Boston, MA

Me/Mo

30 Nov 2005 at 03:16 - 10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Storm Crow

thanks for the input.

I almost beat the stupid thing with henchies earlier today, but alas, we were doomed to the MONK boss -_-;; nearly impossible to kill him too

and Savio, I'm going to take you up on that offer, thanks

Not with a good mesmer

*glares at the "mesmer" henchmen*

Weezer_Blue

Elite Guru

Join Date: Feb 2005

Just a Box in a Cage

Hurry Up The Cakes [Oven]

30 Nov 2005 at 03:53 - 11

The only mission that requires any thought at all. Well there is are a ton of annoying casters, so a mesmer (to all you PvEers: They are those skinny tall guys that wear green and purple and masks and until now, you have no idea what they do and think they should have been W/Mo's like yourself instead). Since there is a good deal of melee in all PvE, you'll probably need a meat shield to keep some pressure off your healer(s) and protector. However, make sure they are not simply meat shields. Go for a warrior, but one that has good damage. Throw a protection prayer on him. Then you need some damage. This is the vaguest of them all, but you can use pretty much anything. I suggest using fire damage. Smiting damage is very easily spammed as well, and since Zealot's Fire is fire damage, it's a good choice.

The main problem with the mission is not the build. I beat it with a PUG before it was idiot-infested, no problem. It's incompetence. Try doing it with your guild. And if your guild's incompetent, someone else's guild.

Guillaume De Sonoma

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

aFk

Me/Rt

30 Nov 2005 at 04:17 - 12

we finished were waiting through cutscene right now

chris_nin00

Dun dun dun

Join Date: Aug 2005

Reddit Guild

R/

30 Nov 2005 at 04:50 - 13

No wonder why you weren't at the off-topic forum Sonoma

.

Great Job!

DeanBB

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jul 2005

Arizona

Wizardry Players Guild, http://4guildwars.7.forumer.com

30 Nov 2005 at 15:59 - 14

I have finished it 3 times with the "defend the gates" strategy.

1 warrior guards each gate with a monk to protect them, preferrably in the courtyard to be able to keep the warrior in range and run to help the other side if needed.

a ranged profession manning catapults on each side. This could be a monk but limits the healing range, so mesmer and blood necro are good, or elem.

Rangers laying traps in the doorways are nice to have as well.

So for me the essentials are the 2 warriors and 2 healing monks, and defend the gates. The rest of the team can vary.

Greene Axe

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Nov 2005

Feast of Crows (FoCr)

W/Mo

30 Nov 2005 at 16:17 - 15

I have beat thunderhead at least 20 times as a guildie group member and 10 times in pugs. Our strategy has always been 1 warrior and one monk per gate, ranged damage characters on the cats, maybe a battery necro roaming the center. The remainder of party should stand on call from the center by boss’s body. If you stand just inside from the boss’s body, you can see the approaches to both gates.

I've found that as an ele, the cats are rather annoying until you get used to them, so I bring a decent supply of aoe spells to mop up the gate when needed.

As a ranger, I use disrupts and extra punch in the form of conjure elements (I like lightning) and ignite arrows. Traps in my opion are not very effective in most circumstances. Set a ranger over each gate (if ya havem!) and they will kick butt big time.

As a warrior, I rely on my monk to heal me as I tank the gates. If I'm mobbed, I call in the eles from above or center. Necro batteries are good support, but the minions don't do it for me.

Overall, my experiences have proven to me that huddling around the King is much more tedious and prone to failure. Man the gates, if need be, drop back to the King. If done in a coordinated manner, it’s a blast.

Good luck

SirShadowrunner

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Sep 2005

at the beach

Gamerzunlimited (GU)

R/

30 Nov 2005 at 16:56 - 16

Got thru it with the defend the gates method last night to, we only had one warrior,
2 necros, 1 ranger, 1 mesmer, 1 ele(me), 1 monk, and 1 ele/mo setup as healer.
We got the Ranger boss for the big fight, he was very tough to take down, I am not sure
which boss is the toughest, but I have fought the ranger, warrior, and mesmer bosses
so far, I would rather fight the mesmer boss over the other two, the warrior boss cut thru the henchies and I like butter, very sad.

Is the bonus as hard as the mission ? how many fights or waves of Mursatt come at
you ??

thx
Sirshadowrunner

Mr D J

Permanently Unbanned

Join Date: Jun 2005

30 Nov 2005 at 17:00 - 17

oh cmon thunderhead is not hard
ive beaten it on lvl 9 with lvl 14 friend and lvl 5 bear

the monk refused to heal the bear lol
I didnt get a run or didnt pay for anything we just went with a group that was doin mission and passed from the 1st try

Savio

Teenager with attitude

Join Date: Jul 2005

Fifteen Over Fifty [Rare]

30 Nov 2005 at 17:07 - 18

If you didn't see Guillaume's post, we already finished it last night.

BrandonIT

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

Dallas, TX

Tribal Instincts

R/E

30 Nov 2005 at 19:22 - 19

Quote:

Originally Posted by SirShadowrunner

Is the bonus as hard as the mission ? how many fights or waves of Mursatt come at you ??

I was under the impression the bonus was simply to light the two beacon torches, 1 on each side of the main courtyard. Each beacon has a torch sitting next to it after you take the king to the throne at the top.

When I did this mission, myself and a warrior took off running as soon as the cinematic completed signaling the start of the siege. I went to one side, the warrior went to the other, we ran up the stairs, lit the beacons, then ran back down and re-joined the group by the king.

When we finally got through the mission, the bonus was given to us.

I had never considered the "defend the gates" tactic. I've always tried just standing near the top of the stairs, letting the ranger trap the stairs coming up. When I do this mission again, I might try it with the new tactic.

BBoy_Manchild

Banned

Join Date: Aug 2005

dayton ohio

N/Mo

30 Nov 2005 at 21:01 - 20

i always just do this mission with henchmen, havent lost yet with those guys. i was getting frustrated with pug groups always failing mission, this mission is cake with henchmen, just stay near the king, the siegers dont even aim the king if you are standing in front of him

Pyrrhus

Academy Page

Join Date: Nov 2005

Alba Longa

The Peoples Front of Tyria

E/Mo

30 Nov 2005 at 23:28 - 21

PUGs are useless in this mission.. most likely down to too many idiots not following a set tactic... but the problem with henchies for me is that they keep getting slaughtered too easily...Everytime i try to do it with my E/Mo whether with henchies or not it just fails...

Melkor of ZoSo

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jun 2005

30 Nov 2005 at 23:34 - 22

2 Tanks
2 Monks
2 Eles
1 Nec
1 Ranger

At each gate you've got a Tank taking the hits, the monk healing, and the Ele nuking. Simple enough? You've got the ranger running back and forth on the Catapult ledge letting all of them lose as often as possible. The Nec stands in the middle and waits for people to call for a Battery when he needs it. I've gotten thru it so many times doin this.

madh83

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2005

01 Dec 2005 at 07:50 - 23

for the elementalist manning the catapaults, you only shoot when the mobs hit that brown area that the catapaults go to right? I've been doing that but they always end up waiting at the gate and rehealing. If i go off to cast some AOE's i seem to miss out on other mobs aHH someone give me some advice, The PUGS i've been doing it with have mostly been following this strategy but all of them have failed and i've tried this mission like 20 times by now

Sol_Vie

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2005

Boston, MA

Blood Of Orr [BoO]

01 Dec 2005 at 08:27 - 24

Today I breezed through Thunderhead... build was something like this:

2 monks
2 wars
2 necros (me- spiteful, other one- battery)
2 eles

Nice even group, took out anything that came at us with ease. Worked well as a team... it was glorious. We all agreed to kill the little guys first and bosses last. When we followed that strategy, even Perfected Armor went down nice and easy. If any of you guys are out there, good game, good group, and thanks.

Cadmann

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

01 Dec 2005 at 15:29 - 25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Storm Crow

sorry, I cant shut him down, I'm a Warrior, not a spell caster

Well, it depends on your definition of shutting down. Warriors have interrupt skills that can keep him from using his skills for a time period.

I love interrupts....if I'm the one using them. ;->

Personally, if I'm a warrior, then I carry an interrupt skill and a skill like balanced stance (so I don't spend half the mission on my b*tt.)

madh83

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2005

02 Dec 2005 at 18:13 - 26

Finally I got through this! I'll just write out how i did it, although its nothing new really but some points might help others. The only hard part of the mission is protecting jalis after the groups start attacking. What my group did was have one ranger lay traps all over the main stairway constantly and have everyone stay in that area. One person was on each catapault. A caster and a necromancer in my case. When the groups get damaged by the catapaults they won't always wait outside to get killed(don't know if this the resultof the new patch) But the caster can finish them off when they come in by casting meteor or something similar while the mobs are attacking your ghosts. Then go back to catapaulting. Meanwhile enemies will eventually get in and head towards the king. At this point everyone should head towards the middle. This is where havinga good monk and tank team help a lot. Make sure one person calls targets and everyone hits that same target. Make sure the person calling targets knows which ones are more important though such as Musaarat should go before other stuff especially teh monks. Avoid targeting bosses first since they take so long to kill that enemies will come in as they are being killed and overwhelm u. When you get a break have the catapaulters head back until the start coming in again.

BrandonIT

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

Dallas, TX

Tribal Instincts

R/E

02 Dec 2005 at 19:23 - 27

Madh83 has it exactly right. I just finished this mission with all henchies last night with my Mesmer/RezMonk. It was tight during the big boss fight, but we got it done. At one point, there were 2 Jade Armors left and only 3 henchies up but they got it done and rezzed the rest of us. Then we re-grouped and finished the mission in no time.

I'm going to summarize the highlights basically of what Madh83 already pointed out:

If you want bonus, two players run out to light the beacons IMMEDIATELY after the first cutscene with the Vizier.
One magic user on the catapult on each side to hit the incoming enemies
Kill the enemies that get to the gate with range magic (AoE or single target)
Rest of the group stays with Jalis at the top of stairs.
Having a trapper really helps if he'll trap the stairs in between each group.
Everyone MUST follow the target called. Killing enemies quickly is required.
Kill the underlings first, kill the bosses last.
Kill Priests, then Mursaat mages, then mage underlings, then bows, then armors. (this minimizes your time-to-kill)
Leave Confessor Dorian until last

Other than that, you just hope everyone can do their job well. By staying at the top of the stairs, you guarantee everyone can get to a target quickly. Stay focused and together and it should be no problem.