User:Bluemilkman/Builds To Work On/R-any Aspenwood Allrounder

A simple and flexible build, even for newbies/beginners, for the Fort Aspenwood Competitive Mission. Either side (Luxon or Kurzick). Uses Prophecies and Faction skills only and has low requirements. It's made for many 1:1 situations, can take over mines, kill gate guards, gatekeepers, siege turtles, Juggernaut (takes quite a while). Can't kill the Luxon warriors alone! Can run amber with 'Storm Chaser'.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=range/any marksm=11+1+3 expert=10+1 wilder=10+1][poison arrow][focused shot][distracting shot][pin down][barbed trap][whirling defense][troll unguent][optional][/build]


 * For the optional slot: Read the Wind (recommended Luxon), Antidote Signet, Storm Chaser (recommended Kurzick), or from another profession: Plague Touch (N), Epidemic (Me), Lyssa's Balance (Me), Signet of Malice (A), Remove Hex (Mo), Mend Ailment (Mo).


 * Attributes can also be changed to: Marksmanship 12+1+2, Expertise: 9+1, W. Survival 9+1 if you prefer to use a major rune instead of a superior one. Marksmanship should reach 15 to have Pin Down last as long as it recharges.

Equipment

 * Armor: any
 * Weapons: any |long- or |flatbow, additional a |recurvebow for Kurzick side (upgrades are up to you, recommended: a string that lengthens poison or crippled; +30 health for grip).
 * Note: Keep in mind that you can bring a PvP Char to Aspenwood via the Great Temple of Balthazar, so you can go with perfect armor, runes and weapons.

Usage
Quickguide:
 * Keep 'Read the Wind' (# 8) up all time if you added it to the build. Fire with 'Poison Arrow' (# 1) and spam 'Focused Shot' (# 2) always when it's available. Re-apply poison when needed.
 * Interruption (# 3) is only for healing skills, siege skill of the turtles and Displacement of the Ritualists on Kurzick side. Since 'Focused Shot' disables also 'Distracting Shot' it needs a little knowledge about the timing for the NPCs.
 * Trap (# 5) hot spots like portal platforms, between gates, mines, close the wall to the mines and your own position if you stand a little longer at one place.
 * Pin Down (# 4) melees like warriors, dervishs and assassins, poison them, set a trap and kill them (or run), always moving backwards when they come too close. Don't let assassins even half your range since they've some skills that will trigger then. Even when you've whirling defense running, don't bet on your enemy not having an anti-stance skill. Esp. cripple R/Ns, those could be touch rangers. Cripple again when the skill is available, then the cripple will wear off from the target since it lasts only as long as it takes to recharge.
 * Use 'Whirling Defense' (# 6) when you're under pressure of fighters, you kite, or set a trap/heal yourself with enemies near that could interrupt the skill by a hit.

Detailed Walkthrough for beginners - Luxon:

Start off any side, going to the Commander of an outpost to order him to sortie. The siege turtle and the warriors will start moving towards the first gate (outer gate). Run to the teleport platform and set a trap right onto it if you aren't targetted, otherwise feel free to kill on sight. Run further and target an easy-looking amber runner from the hostile team that didn't pass you yet with Pin Down, Poison Arrow and spammed Focused Shot until he's dead, but don't go in range of the gate guards yet. If there are no players from the enemy team then target the gate guards. Those are two Kurzick Elementalists, move some steps sideways if they cast Unsteady Ground on your position. On the left hand side (orange side) you shouldn't aggro them when you use a long- or flatbow. Easy kill. On the right hand side (purple side) you'll always aggro them since they stand too uphill. Basically you concentrate on killing all NPCs in your way to Master Architect Gunther behind the 'Green gate'. A bow with long range is of an advantage since you can kill many NPCs without aggro'ing them. Avoid to get in casting range of the Kurzick Necromancers, since they will cast Reckless Haste and Plague Signet on you. Set a trap before you attack melee NPCs, since they'll come after you. Lure them into the trap and kill them while keeping distance (which shouldn't be hard since they're bleeding and crippled). When you got through the inner gate run the stairs down half-way and pick the closest NPC in front of the 'Green gate' that is not the 'Juggernaut'. Shoot 'Poison Arrow' to get into range, then set a trap to secure your position and spam 'Focused Shot'. The three softies (2 Mesmers and 1 Ele) are really easy to take down when you don't aggro them, which is easy with a long- or flatbow. Doesn't matter when you die, just make sure you add poison again before your health is zero. They mostly die from the degen then. Return and repeat until only the 'Juggernaut' is left. Set a trap and fire poison on it. Since it is a melee char it'll come after you. Don't bother to cripple it, it's walking slowly already and crippling won't slow it down any further. Let it run into your trap for the bleeding. Always keep distance and fire and re-add poison. Best is when you call it as a target so others will notice and target it too since it can harm the siege turtles greatly. When it's down the green gate is open. Immediately run in, a little behind the gate, whirling defense on and set a trap to secure your position and poison all three NPCs there and then keep firing on one gatekeeper until he's dead. Same game with the other gatekeeper. No gate can be repaired while the inner green gate area is under attack, and no gate and be repaired when the keepers are down. At last kill Gunther. Side notes: When you die you'll get resurrected at the closest mine under your (Luxon's) control. While you're out there check if the other mine is also still under your control, if not run over there and overtake it. The Luxon side has two Ritualists defending it that will cast 3 Spirits in random order (Pain, Bloodsong and Displacement) but mostly starting with either Pain or Bloodsong if no spirit is already standing there. Aggro only one Ritu at a time. Set a trap at your position, then target the closest one, poison him, quickly followed by 1 'Focused Shot', then shoot normally without using a skill until he casts Displacement, interrupt it. Then spam 'Focused Shot' until the first Ritu is dead. Don't die there. If you're low on health rather run out of the spirit's range and heal and target the same Ritu again. Then step back, heal and hit the 2nd Ritu with Poison Arrow. He'll immediately cast Displacement since the other two spirits are standing already, so have Distracting Shot ready. After interrupting kill him with 'Focused Shot', then leave. The popping up Bowmen will take care of the rest. When one of the command outposts got overtaken by Kurzick, run to a position that's plane leveled or a little uphill to your targets and take down the hostile necromancer first. The left ranger is easy, he has nothing to heal himself.

Detailed Walkthrough for beginners - Kurzick:

The Kurzick side is harder than the Luxon side since it's the defenders side. The players need to mine amber and bring it to the gatekeepers to repair broken gates or give it to Gunther to speed up the completion of the weapon (blue progress bar, which fills itself slowly alone). That requires a little discipline. Also the Kurzicks have to deal with the siege turtles and warrior groups without having such strong allied NPCs on their own side. The problems of |leechers is greater here as well. And you have to deal with the players of the other party. It's recommended to take 'Storm Chaser' in your build and use a recurvebow instead of a long- or flatbow (flatbows are too inaccurate without 'Read the Wind'). Start following the rest of the team. Mostly they'll go to the left teleporter and to the purple mine. Don't stay behind, run directly to the mine and kill the longbowmen (use # 1, spammed by # 2). When they use 'Pin Down' on you, kite a little, longbows aren't that accurate so you can dodge that by running to the side. Click on the text of the mine and you'll automatically pick up some amber. Turn 180° and run to the gate with 'Storm Chaser' (if the hostile team is close to you, activate Whirling Defense too if needed). Don't aggro the warriors around the siege turtle. Click on the text of the gatelever and it'll open. Run through to the next gate (inner one), open it and run to the green gate, open it and give the amber to a gate keeper in order to repair broken gates. One gate per piece of amber. If there aren't any broken gates, give the amber to Gunther. You can close gate when you click on the lever on the other side of the gate, or the same lever again. Make sure the green gate doesn't stay open when enemies are within the inner stronghold. When a siege turtle broke through the outer gate go to the inner area of the Kurzick stronghold to the side where the turtle is and shoot on it from uphill with 'Poison Arrow'. Wait with other skills until it uses it's siege attack and interrupt it. Kill it with 'Focused Shot'. A problem are hostile player monks that heal or prot it. If you encounter such a monk, call it as target so others will target it too while you keep interrupting the turtle's siege attack. Without any healing such a siege turtle is no big problem for you. The warrior NPCs guarding it are. Ignore them and move on. If you don't want to you can set a trap to let them walk in and poison them - they can use the heal signet to heal themselves, so if you don't plan to kill them don't bother with them and let others deal with them. Go and mine amber to repair gates. Repairing gates is essential for winning. Everything else is an extra you can do if the Luxons aren't a threat (because of leavers, leechers or noobs). When overtaking a mine, aggro only one longbowmen at a time. Heal yourself after one is down and kill the other. Kite 'Pin Down' or use 'Whirling Defense' Trap the allied mines, between the gates and paths of the siege turtle. The trap isn't that much of an advantage on Kurzick side as on Luxon side and can be replaced too (e.g. 'Throw Dirt' or a condition remover, as amber runner you'll be targetted). Cripple melees that are about to overtake your mines or attack other important allies (like the ones in front of the 'Green Gate') and kill them best before they reach it. If there's the time to overtake the Luxon command outposts, target the hostile priest at first. Don't bother with interrupting, just poison him and kill him with 'Focused Shot'. Don't aggro the commander while doing so. You can use the longbow to kill the priest. For killing the commander switch to the recurve bow, poison him and shoot normally until he uses 'Troll Unguent', interrupt it and kill him with 'Focused Shot'. You've won when the progress bar is filled with blue and Gunther is still alive. Stop mining when the gatekeepers are down and go and defend Gunther. Always kill siege turtles first.

Counters
Reckless Haste (+ Spiteful Spirit) (SS alone or Empathy alone can be healed away with Troll Unguent), Blind, Crippled and other skills that slow your movement down, heavy |degen, Touch Ranger that got close enough, some smart Assassins.