Archive:Mo/Me Shiro'ken Slayer

A variation on the invincible monk build used to farm Shiro'ken outside Harvest Temple.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=monk/mesme protec=12+1+1 illusi=10 inspir=6][balthazars spirit][essence bond][spirit bond][protective spirit][channeling][mantra of resolve][sympathetic visage][ancestors visage][/build]

The optional slots should be filled with two of the following:
 * Ancestor's Visage, to provide a back up in case Sympathetic Visage is interrupted.
 * Mantra of Resolve, to counter interrupts. Only use it right before you cast Sympathetic Visage as the Shiro'ken will quickly remove it.
 * Blessed Signet, to cut down on the time wasted recharging your energy.

Equipment

 * Armor with the lowest AL possible is recommended. Good choices include Starter Armor, or armor crafted in Ascalon City or Shing Jea Monastery.
 * Any weapon that does not provide additional armor. The "Of Enchanting" weapon upgrade is helpful but not essential.
 * Must wield a melee weapon. It is a well documented feature of the Shiro'ken Assassins that they will not invoke their Shroud of Silence on a target wielding a melee weapon. This is important as Shroud of Silence would be lethal for this build.
 * Since you will be using a melee weapon, a +12 Energy focus such as a Protective Icon or Jeweled Chakram is optimal to deal with the initial energy problems the Shiro'ken Rangers will bring.

Usage

 * As soon as you leave Harvest Temple, cast Balthazar's Spirit, Blessed Aura, and Essence Bond on yourself.
 * Wait and regenerate a minimum of twenty energy.
 * Run down the ramp and cast both Protective Spirit and Spirit Bond on yourself immediately before you aggro the first group of Shiro'ken.
 * Run past the enemy groups, recasting Spirit Bond and Protective Spirit as needed, until you have reached the fourth and final spawn Shiro'ken.
 * Turn around and run back to draw all the Shiro'ken together, making sure all the Shiro'ken Rangers are in a ball.
 * Run into the center of the rangers. After you have done this, all four groups of Shiro'ken should be tightly packed around you.
 * Cast Sympathetic Visage.
 * All surrounding enemies should die in the next ten seconds, due to the loss of energy from Sympathetic Visage and the damage caused by their own Famine spirit.

Counters

 * Both the Shiro'ken Rangers and the Shiro'ken Assassins have interrupts, which they especially use to interrupt Sympathetic Visage. If this happens just continue to maintain Spirit Bond and Protective Spirit until Sympathetic Visage recharges.
 * The Shiro'ken Rangers use Debilitating Shot, which may drain your energy at an inopportune moment and prevent you casting your enchantments. There is usually no way to recover from this.
 * If a few of the Shiro'ken survive it may not possible to kill the survivors. If this happens just pick up your loot and leave.

Variants
This build may also be successfully run as a Me/Mo.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=mesme/monk protec=12 illusi=10+1+1 inspir=6+1 fastca=6+1][balthazars spirit][essence bond][spirit bond][protective spirit][channeling][mantra of resolve][sympathetic visage][ancestors visage][/build]

Equipment

 * Enchanter's Armor from Shing Jea Monastery is the best choice, but any low level armor will work.
 * Due to the loss of Blessed Aura a weapon with an "Of Enchanting" mod is very useful - the Totem Axe or Rajazan's Fervor is ideal.

Usage
Similar to the Mo/Me version, except that Channeling replaces Blessed Aura (the extra energy this provides offsets the need to cast the enchantments more frequently). Cast it just before you aggro the first group of Shiro'ken and try to keep it up at all times during the run. The points in Fast Casting help reduce interrupts but they will still occur - save Mantra of Resolve until just before you cast Sympathetic/Ancestor's Visage.