Archive:Team - "Steel Wall" Deep Group

This is a standard 12 member deep group focused on completing the elite mission The Deep safely.

If this is the first time you are doing this mission, it is highly recommended you join a group seeking to complete it in Normal Mode to learn the ropes before attempting it in Hard Mode.

Overview
This party consists of:
 * 3 / Recall Warriors
 * 3 / SF Nukers
 * 1-2 / SS Necromancer
 * 1 / BiP Necromancer
 * 3-4 / Heal Party Monks
 * 0-1 / Angelic Paragons

W/A Recall Warriors
[build name="Steel Wall Warrior" prof=warri/assas streng=12+1+1 tactic=12+1][shield stance][defensive stance][shove][dolyak signet][endure pain][signet of stamina][recall][resurrection signet][/build]

Equipment:
 * Weapon: an icy weapon to trigger [[Spinal Shivers@16] on Kanaxai.

Variations:
 * One tank must replace Resurrection Signet with [[Death's Charge@0] for ease of attracting aggro when luring.
 * Replace one of the stances, Endure Pain or Signet of Stamina with [[Distracting Blow] to help with interrupting - especially of the Darkened Irukandji's [[Restoration]
 * Replace Resurrection Signet with [[Sunspear Rebirth Signet], for a better Resurrection skill.
 * "You Move Like a Dwarf!"] could be used as knockdown skill if you have access to [[gw:Eye of the North|Eye of the North

E/Me SF Nuker
[build name="Steel Wall Heavy Nuker" prof=eleme/mesme firema=12+3+1 energy=12+1][searing flames][glowing gaze][arcane echo][meteor shower][mark of rodgort][glyph of lesser energy][fire attunement][resurrection signet][/build]

Variations:
 * [[Glyph of Sacrifice] should be taken by one ele to help with the Scorpion Aspect and as a backup plan for KDing Kanaxai twice
 * Replace [[Resurrection Signet] with [[Sunspear Rebirth Signet], for a better Resurrection skill.

N/Me SS Necromancer
[build name="Steel Wall SS Necromancer" prof=necro/mesme curses=12+1+3 soulre=9+1 bloodm=6+1 inspir=7][arcane echo][spiteful spirit][reckless haste][enfeebling blood][blood ritual][spinal shivers][inspired enchantment][resurrection signet][/build]

This build is very carefully orchestrated; variations are not suggested. When changing this build, be very careful to preserve the full functionality.

Variations:
 * Replace [[Reckless Haste@16] with another Curses hex for HM
 * Replace [[Enfeebling Blood@16] with a Curses hex
 * Replace either of above with [[Verata's Gaze@5] to steal the Flesh Golems, making sure to raise Death Magic attribute rank to 5
 * Replace [[Inspired Enchantment@7] with its Factions duplicate, [[Revealed Enchantment@7]
 * Replace [[Spinal Shivers@16] with its Factions duplicate, [[Shivers of Dread@16] - do not take both!
 * Replace Resurrection Signet with Sunspear Rebirth Signet, for a better Resurrection skill.

N/Mo BiP Necromancer
[build name="Steel Wall BiP Necromancer" prof=necro/monk bloodm=12+1+3 soulre=11+1 deathm=5 protec=4][blood is power][well of blood][blood renewal][verata's gaze][optional][optional][optional][rebirth][/build]

Equipment:
 * Armor: Low HP armor can be useful to help with sacrifice costs but cannot be used for all rooms

Variations:
 * Take [[Watchful Spirit@0] in an optional slot
 * Take [[Signet of Lost Souls@12] to help with energy management
 * Put 9 points into Healing Prayers and take Mending and Healing Breeze for health regen

Mo/E Heal Party Monk
[build name="Steel Wall HB Monk" prof=monk/eleme healin=12+3+1 protec=8+1 divine=10+1][orison of healing][heal party][glyph of lesser energy][seed of life][healing seed][protective spirit][healer's boon][rebirth][/build]

Variations:
 * Replace [[Protective Spirit@9] with another healing skill if you are going in Normal Mode and drop points into Protection Prayers to a minimal if you feel safe doing so
 * Replace Mesmer as your secondary profession and taking [[Arcane Mimicry] in place of Glyph of Lesser Energy to copy someone else's HB since it is a semi-maintained enchantment.
 * Replace [[Orison of Healing@16] with [[Ethereal Light@16] for a more powerful 5 energy heal but be mindful that it is easily interrupted
 * Replace [[Glyph of Lesser Energy@0] with some other form of energy management, perhaps [[Essence Bond] to put on the puller
 * At least one monk should bring [[Resurrection Chant@16] if the BiP is going to run low HP.
 * Replace Healing Seed or Seed of Life with [[Heal Other@16] if you don't have a high Sunspear rank.

P/Mo Angelic Paragon
[build prof=P/Mo name="Steel Wall Angelic Paragon" comma=12+1 lea=12+1+3][Angelic Bond][Angelic Protection][Awe]["There's Nothing to Fear!"]["Stand Your Ground!"][Enduring Harmony][Balthazar's Spirit][Signet of Return][/build]

Usage The Paragon would go to the second room during the splitting of the team, replacing the monk there.

Furthermore, make sure all the monks bring Seed of Life.
 * Cast [[Angelic Bond] on the Warriors.
 * Keep [[Balthazar's Spirit] on yourself for energy management.
 * When the warriors shove Kanaxai or his many aspects, use [[Awe] to place essentially a free [[Spinal Shivers] on him through the dazed condition.
 * Under heavy fire, use "Stand Your Ground!" coupled with "There's Nothing to Fear!" which will drastically lower all damage done to the party.
 * Under all circumstances, make sure the monks maintain Seed of Life on you. Since Aspects of Kanaxai (the most dangerous commonly encountered enemies) do roughly 30 damage per hit (others do far less) to a tank, Angelic Bond will split that damage between you and the tank giving each of you roughly 15 damage. Seed of Life will then heal that damage completely since a monk will have large amounts of points in Divine Favor.
 * Use [[Signet of Return] to resurrect the BiP Necromancer.

Advantages and Disadvantages compared to a 4 Monk team
 * Advantages
 * [[Angelic Bond] is unstrippable.
 * The Paragon won't be the target of enchantment stripping by Nightmares.
 * Makes the monk's job far easier.
 * Turns the warriors into invincible tanking gods.
 * Disadvantages
 * If the Paragon disconnects mid battle, the warriors will experience rapid heavy health loss.

Division of labor, the first 5 rooms
This section describes the division and methodology for the first two rooms.

NOTE: The SS can (and probably should) switch with the Ele in Room 4 because they can clear that room extremely quickly.

General Advice
The Darkened Irukandji and the Spirits of Restoration they bind are particularly troublesome in these rooms. Target them first, and attempt to interrupt Restoration if possible (Shove). Warriors should be careful when pulling. Pull small groups, and attempt to separate Ripper Carp, as they are easier to kill alone. If at all possible, pull Kanaxai's Aspects ALONE.

Room 1, Aspect of Soothing
Proceed normally. The Warrior should pull carefully and tank so the Elementalist can bring their skills to bear.

Room 2, Aspect of Death
Because of the healing penalty and the fact you can not retreat from battle, this group should wait for the other teams to assist. The monk should be casting heal party while the BR necromancer should yield energy for the monk's spells. Heal party will affect all party members in radar so it is possible to heal teammates in rooms 1 and 3.

Room 3, Aspect of Surrender
The Warrior should proceed first through the teleporter, and make sure there are no foes near the teleport pad. All party members should move to the extended platform to the rear of this room and pull carefully.

Room 4, Aspect of Exposure
Because of the large size of this room, the spawn should be fairly spread out. The necromancer should place Spinal Shivers on the Manta and eliminate them first, then proceed slowly.

Room 5, Aspect of Pain
Once Clear, each group should attempt to pull small groups out of this room and into the recently cleared room. Once the larger center room is cleared, the gates into the prior room will open and each group should fall back and assist the other teams.

Once all four teams are freed, approach the Kanaxai Aspect of Pain. Warriors should surround the aspect and attempt to prevent the aspect from moving, while Elementalists and the Necromancer assault him with damage spells. Monks should cast Protective Spirit to reduce Kanaxai's damage. Use this method to defeat all further aspects.

Room 6, Aspect of Lethargy
Warriors should line up at the gate to the next room, and block the entrance. Casters should stand clear of the warrior wall.

One warrior should cast recall on a nearby Ally, and proceed into the room and disable the fire flower. Once the flower has been disabled, the warrior should aggro as much of the room as possible, and proceed back to take his place on the wall. release recall if your health drops below 25%, or the room is aggro'd early. Monks should cast heal party as much as possible to heal the warrior while he is gathering aggro. The BiP Necromancer should constantly cast Blood is Power on all monks in turn to counter the cost of heal party.

Once the Leviathans are assembled, warriors should body block, using whatever defensive skills they can, as all casters cast their damage spells. once the assembled leviathans are defeated, proceed into the room and clear any remaining foes, then use the same tactic from above to eliminate the aspect.

All recall warriors should cast recall on a single designated Monk or Elementalist and stand on one of the three pads closest to the gate, with both necromancers on the rear pads. The remaining party should proceed through the now open gate. Warriors should time recall to move together to the same character on the far side of the gate. any warriors without recall should be replaced with Elementalists, as Elementalist can tolerate Death penalty easier then any other member. Once the gate is closed any remaining characters should proceed to the gate and sacrifice or wait to die so they can be rebirthed through the gate. The SS Necromancer should sacrifice themselves to death on the BiP by echoing Blood Ritual before the BiP sacrifices themselves.

Room 7, Aspect of Depletion
Corpse control and heal party are vital in this room, so necromancers should switch from an offense role to a support roll, casting Well of Blood and Blood Ritual as much as possible. Proceed slowly and eliminate one group at a time. If it is possible to pull the Aspect alone early on, then do so and quickly eliminate as your top priority so the group does not have to suffer from the effects of this aspect for too long. Do not bother killing the Nightmares behind the gate but make sure to avoid aggroing them if you need to retreat.

Use the technique from above to eliminate the aspect.

Room 8, Aspect of Failure
Use the same "Warrior wall" technique as room 6. Heal Party is even more vital. The warrior should attempt to pull all melee groups.

Once all melee groups are eliminated, all members should proceed into the room. One warrior should take a position under the jade outcropping to hold the attention of the ranger outcasts, while the other party member proceed to the staircase at the end of this room.

NOTE: All spells fail in this room while the Aspect is alive so if anybody dies, someone must resurrect them with a spell before the Aspect is on them or a Resurrection Signet must be used. Do NOT run for any chests in this room while the Aspect is still alive!

It is not necessary to kill this aspect to proceed.

Room 9, Aspect of Shadows
Use the same "Warrior wall" technique. warriors should position themselves at the top left of the stairs. All casters should assemble to the far left, out of the aspect from the previous room. The rightmost warrior should proceed into the room and agitate as many Oni as possible, then return to body blocking.

'''Do not, under any circumstances, attack the Oni with weapons or wands. Eliminate them with spells ONLY or they will, with a high probability shadow step into the casters with Viper's Defense.'''

The "Warrior wall" should proceed as a unit along the left edge of the room, being careful not to step into range of the Leviathan. Do not kill the Reborn Irukandji, as they can be used as additional body blocking. There are three more Oni spawns before reaching the aspect. Use the same technique from above to eliminate this aspect.

Continue along the edge of the room until you reach the stairs into the next room. there are two additional Oni groups.

Room 10, Scorpion Aspect
Use the "Warrior wall" technique at the top of the stairs near the left corner. casters should stand behind the corner. Be careful to avoid killing the Reborn Irukandji, as it can be used to control teleporting under the aspect. Agitate as many Oni as possible and eliminate them with spells only. Look to the end of this room, you can clearly see the top of the gate to the next room. this gate will open once all the Oni in this room are defeated.

Once all Oni are defeated, the Elementalists should go in and eliminate the Outcast group that comes to the base of the stairs as they will not pull to the top of the stairs. Next, the entire party should group together tightly and run as a group along the edge to the right into the small haven outside the aspect at the top of the stairs. Continue to kill Outcast groups until you feel safe to proceed to the corner to the right of the gate at the far end of this room - it is highly recommended that you kill at least the two groups which patrol to near the bottom of these stairs or they will in all likelihood flank you as you run to the corner.

Rest and regenerate at the corner, making sure not to get too close to the Kanaxai aspect. When everyone is ready, the warriors should aggro the Aspect and body block it near the wall and all casters should run just into the corridor behind him where there is no Aspect to nuke him. Do NOT go too deep into the next room or you will trigger the spawns for the next room.

Room 11, Aspect of Fear
All party members should run as a group into the room to the corner at the bottom of the first set of stairs. Quickly position the Monks on the inside, followed by the casters, and lastly the warriors on the outside of the group. Clump together as tightly as possible. Eliminate the nightmares and Oni that attack you, there should be six groups, and it will be very clear when the spawn is finished.

Proceed along this room, using the "Warrior wall" technique at the end of each bridge to trap the Oni and eliminate them. Use the same technique from above to kill this aspect.

NOTE: the BiP MUST be kept alive (no 1 HP!) and BiP the monks constantly and they must keep everyone alive or this corner will be the end of your party. The Nightmares will teleport into the group behind the wall so make sure to prot up anybody taking damage. Well of Blood is helpful here. DO NOT WAND OR ATTACK THE ONI.

Room 12, Aspect of Depletion
Use the same "Warrior wall" technique at the narrow point between rooms. This wall should be carefully adjusted, as the gap is slightly too large for three warriors to block easily. Should a large number of nightmares escape, fall back and use the bridge to create a new barrier. Proceed around the right or left to the exit of this room.

NOTE: to prevent the Nightmares from casting Chaos Storm, wands and staves must be unequipped as the AI uses the character's weapon to decide what spells to use. This is highly advised in Hard Mode.

It is not necessary to kill this aspect to proceed.

Room 13, Aspect of Decay
Proceed carefully through this room. the sweep with the "Warrior wall" technique, as nightmare and Oni pop up groups are common, but small. Eliminate them as quickly as possible. The largest threat from this room is decay from the aspect and the numerous condition flowers. Monks should use Heal Party and extinguish. the entire party should proceed either right or left. One warrior should go down Each line, disabling condition flowers while the rest of the party fights.

NOTE: as with the previous room, to prevent the Nightmares from casting Chaos Storm, wands and staves must be unequipped as the AI uses the character's weapon to decide what spells to use. This is highly advised in Hard Mode.

It is not necessary to kill this aspect to proceed.

Room 14, Aspect of Torment
Proceed quickly, but carefully, keeping the warriors in front. Nightmare pop up groups are common, but small, eliminate them as quickly as possible. Use the same technique from above to kill this aspect.

NOTE: As with the previous rooms, to prevent the Nightmares from casting Chaos Storm, wands and staves must be unequipped as the AI uses the character's weapon to decide what spells to use. This is highly advised in Hard Mode.

Kanaxai's Chamber
Two Warriors and one Monk who has been Recalled to should proceed into this room, behind the Warriors, while the remaining party stays just outside the aspect. All Monks remaining back should repeatedly cast heal party to ensure all the aspect is countered.

Warriors should pull Kanaxai to one side, usually far wall on the left, and surround him as far from the center of the chamber as possible. The Monk should have used Protective Spirit on all the Warriors to cover Recall before Kanaxai is lured and should stay out of aggro range of Kanaxai but within radar range of the warriors. Two warriors should time knockdowns so Kanaxai is knocked down twice in rapid succession. note: monsters are immune to knockdowns while knocked down or standing from knock down, be careful to wait for Kanaxai to stand fully.

Once Kanaxai has been knocked down twice, and two groups of Nightmares are spawned, all warriors should release recall and all party members should run out of the room until the nightmares are no longer following. If you fail to spawn two groups of Nightmares then lure and kill the single mob and repeat the above process until you do. Do not kill any nightmares.

If you are having trouble KDing Kanaxai twice then consider sending all 3 Warriors in or having an Elementalist who brought Glyph of Sacrifice to go in with the Warriors, waiting until they have aggroed Kanaxai then using Glyph of Sacrifice on Meteor Shower on Kanaxai and quickly making a retreat. NOTE: no Warrior is to Shove Kanaxai when using this method!

Proceed back into the room to the opposite side, usually right, and prepare to assault Kanaxai. Warriors should pull and surround Kanaxai as far from the nightmares as possible. The SS should concentrate on maintaining Spinal Shivers on Kanaxai and the warriors should use their Icy weapons. Should he manage to cast Nightmare Refuge the SS should remove this with Inspired Enchantment. The BiP should concentrate on keeping the Monks' and SS's energy up and Monks should be repeatedly casting heal party. Healing Seed should be used on whoever is being attacked by Kanaxai. Elementalists should unleash fire. To return to the deep staging area enter your guild hall then leave or have your whole party resign.