Archive:D/any FoW Farmer

Using Vow of Silence, Dervish can easily clear a good part of the Fissure of Woe. Since it hits up to three foes, deals high damage with the scythe, and is immune to spells, the dervish can clear a few places quickly and safely.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=D/any win=11+1+3 mys=10+2 scy=10+2][Vow of Piety][Grenth's Aura][Vow of Silence][Heart of Fury][Crippling Victory][Reap Impurities]["Finish Him!"][Featherfoot Grace][/build]

Equipment

 * Any armor full Windwalker insignas. One Vitae rune, and best possible vigor. Health should be around 400-420.
 * Zealous scythe of enchanting (you need a Scythe of enchanting to keep Vow of Silence up all the time). +15% with enchantment works wonder.

General usage

 * When you want to run, maintain Vow of Piety, Featherfoot Grace, and Vow of Silence. Refresh Featherfoot Grace every two Vow of Silence.
 * Usually, keep Vow of Silence up all the time, since it keeps Vow of Piety also up.
 * When fighting, refresh Grenth's Aura every Vow of Silence (for additional AoE life steal). If your energy can't manage it (which should not be the case), you can refresh it only every two Vows of Silence. Spam you adrenal skills.
 * Use Signet of Mystic Speed to have instant recast for Vow of silence. It prevents Skeletal ether breakers and Rock borer worms from interrupting it (which leads to a certain death).
 * Place yourself so you can hit the most possible monsters at a time. Grenth's Aura can build up to 75 health per hit. Try to ball mobs in order to do so. (if it's worth the time it takes).

Farming places
Although you can kick in most of the FoW, you will most likely farm there for Obsidian shards, so you may want to focus on mobs which drop that :
 * Shadow army is hard to do. Shadow beasts, elementals and mesmers are easily taken off, warriors are harder, and abyssals are too dangerous because of knockdowns. Also, monks are really potent healers and difficult to outdamage.
 * Skeletons depend on their teams. Ether breakers and icehands are easy to kill (just make sure you use Signet of Mystic Speed since they can disrupt your Vow of Silence). This makes the Forest run easy since you can run to the battle plains, and start the farm from here (also clearing the shadow mesmers + elementals just before the plains), not suffering for the Deep freeze matters which gives hard times to many classes. Teams with bersekers and bonds are harder to take off, even though they can be done. Avoid if not experienced.
 * Spirit shepherds inflict blind via Lightning Touch and will aggressively pursue to use it, which makes farming the forest unfeasible for this build.
 * Spiders are a little more dangerous, because of their poison, plus the fact they don't rely on spells for damage. Try not to aggro too many at a time. More than 3 is usually dangerous, depending on how many mobs you hit. If you want to clear the cave, you need to process slowly. Also, consider that bleeding + cracked armor give them up to +8 health regeneration.
 * The shore is an easy place to clear, but neither Doubter dryders nor Ancient skales drop shards. However, Snarling driftwoods do.
 * Burning forest and Lake of fire are difficult because of smoke walkers but can be managed if one is using reap impurities. Make sure to ball the smoke walker onto its group, and then spam aura slicer and reap until it runs itself out of energy to cast heal area. Even a group of 6 obsidian furnace drakes and 2 smoke walkers can be beaten this way only slightly slower than other fow groups.

Counters

 * Forgetting to refresh Grenth's Aura before Vow of Silence. It leaves you 10 seconds without life steal, which is deadly when under attack from many mobs.
 * Too many spiders or skeletal bersekers at a time.
 * Losing Vow of Piety and not being able to refresh it.

Variants
You can remove "Finish Him!" for some other utility : You can remove Featherfoot Grace and Heart of Fury for :
 * to prevent Skeletal ether breakers and Rock borer worms from interrupting Vow of Silence.
 * to assist in AOE damage and to kill the Undead.
 * to make room for another optional skill.