User:Magevdon is The Man

This Build Is Made For farming Hulking Stone Elementals, Grawl Warriors, Crows of Thorns, Devourers, Gargoyles, and A few Bosses in Hard Mode Old Ascalon.

This is Approximately a 15 to 20 minute run.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=W/? name="W/Any Old Ascalon HM Farmer" str=9+1 swo=9+1 tac=12+1+3][Gladiator's Defense][Bonetti's Defense][Soldier's Strike][Dolyak Signet][Endure Pain][Healing Signet][Riposte][Deadly Riposte][/build]

Equipment

 * Armor

Max Warrior Armor With a Tactics Helm

4 Survivor Insignias and a Dreadnought Insignia

1 Superior Vigor Rune, 1 Rune of Attunement, Minor Swords,

Minor Strength, and Superior Tactics Runes.


 * Weapons

A Sword with Either a perfect Sundering, Furious, or Element Prefix (Icy/Fiery) 15^50 with +30 Hp Always (Suggests Greens Like Droknar's Sword or Skaii's Sword)

A Shield With +30 Hp Always and -5 to Physical Damage

A Bow For Pulling - preferably Flatbow

With All of this Equipment you should have a Health of 550 and energy of 22

Usage
This build is meant primarily for Farming Hulking Stone Elementals and Grawl warriors. However it can be used in farming many of the other creatures found in Old Ascalon in Hard Mode. This Farming Run starts from Ascalon City and ends at Sardelic Sanitarium.

Part 1 Gargoyles and Devourers --- At Start you will exit Ascalon City and there will be a hill in front of you and a large group of Gargoyles to the right. Walk up the hill and two Devourer's of different types will pop up. Here is what you do:

If it is A Plague and a Carrion (worst case scenario), Focus Attack on the Carrion and keep up the Glad's Defense and Ripostes, when you need healing, activate one of the ripostes- cast healing sig - and activate the other riposte - or wait till you have Glad's Defenses up. This is to prevent him from interrupting you with Skull Crack. After the carrion goes down, keep spamming the anti melee on the Plague and keep up the healing signet as soon as its recharged to keep from dying of Degen.

If it is a Whiptail and One of either the Plague or the Carrion Devourers. Simply focus fire power on the Plague and Carrion until dead, then attack the Whiptail with Soldier's strike when his Lightning reflexes is down.

After this has occurred You may travel to the right toward the Gargoyles. The Ascalon Guard in the center may be battling with a Flash gargoyle, you can help him, but be wary of the Flash's attacks Lightning Surge and Lightning Orb.

This Is where you can clear the Gargoyle community (optional). However this must be done carefully:

Pull the Flash Gargoyles individually, using the wall on the stair case for cover, they will still be able to hit you with Lightning Surge so keep up the healing sig after they knock you down. Close the distance with the pulled gargoyle Throw on Dolyak's Signet (keep this up to get some anti knockdown and more armor)and wail on him with Soldier's Strike alternated with Healing Signet until dead.

NOTE: Do Not Aggro More than One Flash Gargoyle or a Flash and a Shatter, this will almost always result in death.

When the area has been cleared of Flash Gargoyles, you may approach the Shatter Gargoyle's with confidence. Unlike the Flash Gargoyles, Shatter Gargoyles use Degen Hexes which can be easily out healed by Healing Signet. You may aggro as many as you want, however be aware that anymore than three will eventually (and slowly) kill you, but you will likely kill them first.Just keep attacking them with Soldier's Strike and Regular Attacks.

You will be done with the Gargoyles as soon as you Reach the Shrine of Lyssa beyond the ruins of Ascalon City, this is west of your initial location. A few stay out to where the Hulking Stone Eles are, but simply use the same tactics as before.

NOTE: Watch Out as you Attack the Gargoyle's at the Top of the Stairs and the Western Most Side of Ruined Ascalon City. There is a patrolling group of three to four Shatter Gargoyles running around and usually a Devourer pop up (only one)

Part 2 Killing the Grawl

After Dispatching the Gargoyles head back to the place you started and run out to where Ambassador Zain is located look at the hill behind his encampment and you will see one of two scenarios:

Either A: there are two patrolling Ascalon Guards (Indicating that there are only Hulking Stone Elementals in the Area) Or B: You will see a Horde of Grawl and Grawl Ulodytes, slaughtering the Guards.

If the Scenario is A. Move West toward the Hulking Stone Elementals off to the right of the hill. If B follow these instructions:

Scenario B: Run slightly up the right side of the hill carefully, the Grawl will automate into Patrol mode and run back down the Alley to kill the Hulking Stone elementals. They will return, just be patient.

Each Group will return in twos, threes or fours. If the group is only Grawl engage them, if there are ANY Grawl Ulodytes, do not. (Most times there are either none or only one group has one) Pull one group at a time down the hill to you, this build can handle up to four Grawl but it may take a little practice. Here's how.

when you have grabbed the aggro and pulled them to the bottom of the Hill, Wait for them to start attacking and throw on Glads, Rip, and Deadly Rip, attack them in order to gain adrenaline for Bonneti's Defense. In order to Kill one of them faster, hit Rip and Deadly Rip at the same time so it will target one of them. Just as Glad's defense is about to Wear off Throw on your skills in this order: Dolyak Sig,Healing Signet, Endure Pain, Bonneti's Defense. (wait till healing signet is done activating before throwing on Bonetti's defense, some times it will cancel BD other wise. When Bonneti's Defense begins to Blink throw on Healing Signet, keep up the ripostes till Glads Defense is back on (there should only be about a three second down time at the most. ) Lather rinse Repeat, until all of the Grawl warrior Groups are dead. Now Head West as if in Scenario A.

Part 3 Dominating the Hulking Stone Elementalists

Here is the easiest Part. Pull as many Hulking Stone elementalists as you want ( I have had 15 on me. ) Attack one of them in the group and do the Same process as you had with the Grawl before. Except this time They will die very quickly, with little to no danger of dying yourself after a run or two. This part can be done as an independent run if you do not wish to face the Grawl or Gargoyles.

Follow the Path West till you see an alley way with either a Hulking Stone Boss or a few Hulking Stone elementals, go down that alley way.

FLINT TOUCHSTONE - If you encounter Flint there is a very simple strategy for killing it easily. Pull Flint Away from any surrounding Elementals, let him get close, and as he casts Ward Against Melee run away till outside of the Ward then engage. Attack as Hard and As fast as you can, keep up Dolyak Signet to keep from getting knocked down by Whirlwind and Spam the ripostes + glad's defense. I have killed him in 5 seconds before, but you have to be out of range of WAM and hope that he does not get Blind off. If he does, don't worry, he'll go down eventually, it will just take a lot longer, just keep spamming the Anti melee and keep up DS and HS.

COBBLE POUNDSTONE - If you encounter this Boss, pull him away and attack him as you would a regular Elemental, He uses Healing Signet and Endure Pain, but with the Powerful output of the Maxed out anti melee, he shouldn't last longer than a minute or two.

Part 4 Crown's, Bonneti, Plopgush, and more Hulking Eles. - After Fighting your Way South (Make Sure you fight all the way up to the Great Wall first) You will Notice Either Hulking Stone Eles or Them and Grawl's fighting Each Other. Wait till one finishes the fight, aiding one of them will not get you drops or experience on the other party killed anyway. Fight as before. Continue South Through the Passage way to the South of the Res Shrine.

Watch Out for The Crowns of Thorns! The most you can take on at one time is 2 but it is still unlikely that you will kill them. One can be easily dispatched by keeping up the Dolyak Sig to Counter act the Knock-dawn of Signet of Judgment. He will cast Orison of Healing and Holy Wrath, wail on him till he runs out of energy, because Holy Wrath will strip him of 10 energy every time he is hit. Keep up the Healing Signet, and the Hits, other wise he will heal himself regularly. You should be able to take him down. Pull groups of the Hulking Stone Eles, travel East toward a Cliff side, with a ton of Hulking Stone eles, Watch out for the Crowns as they do pop up here as well. Here you may also run into Stig Plopgush a Plague Devourer Boss.

STIG PLOPGUSH - When facing this Boss, be careful of popups that may appear around him. Pull him with the Bow and wait till he fights you Mano-a-Mano. Keep up the Healing Signet, and watch out for Putrid Explosion. If you keep up the Anti-Melee he will go down.

Back Track the way you came, back to the Shrine, and Pass the Entrance of Sardelac Sanitarium. Down the hill if you see two Grawl warriors engage them, other wise sneak past. Hold Down "Ctrl" button and keep an eye out for Bonneti. (he shows up more often when Scenario B from before occurs)

BONNETI - Bonneti is usually standing in the midst of a ton of Grawl and tough Gargoyle Opponents (Do not engage the Gargoyles here, they always come in Flash + Shatter Pairs and cannot be separated.) Pull Bonetti with the Bow after the area has cleared a bit. Take him Down like every other Melee fighter.

Back track to the Shrine again if the Scenario was A. Travel north toward the Alley and you will possibly see either Flint or Cobble there. Fight your way through the Alley to where the hill is above Ambassador Zain. You may pull the Last Hulking Stone ele to the Right, who is in proximity to a Flash Gargoyle and Devourer popups.

Congratulations, you have Finished your Run! My average Netting was 2K to 3K the occasional Lockpick, Tome (mostly Warrior), Ruby or Sapphire, Passage scrolls, or Elite Tomes from the Various Bosses. I have also gotten many golds, as many as 12 before, but averaging about 2 to 4 per run. This is also an excellent run for Granite Slabs.

Counters
More than one Crown of Thorns, though two can be occasionally faced.

More than one Flash Gargoyle, especially since the introduction of the Cracked armor Skill they now possess.

A Grawl Ulodyte, since they will heal any Grawl warrior and there is no way to out damage the healing.

More than four Grawl warriors.

Interruption of Healing Signet by Carrion Devourers with Skull Crack. (Use anti Melee to stop this)

Variants
Several Variants include: replacements for Soldier's Strike with Adrenal Skills such as Final Thrust, Galrath Slash, and Symbolic Strike. However, Soldier's Strike is the best for this Build because it factors well into Adrenal management, and deals +42 damage with 16 Tactics.

A run Skill, however it is not necessary, and the slots would be better used with more defensive skills for Dealing with all the other high damaging Farmables - ie Grawl, Flash Gargoyles,and Carrion Devourers.

Auspicious Parry, however this is not reliable, but very useful when dealing with the Grawl specifically, not good for facing large groups of opponents however.

The Use of a +45 Hp while in Stance Sheild, however this is not very useful when facing opponents like the Gargoyles, since your stances will only result in wasted energy.