Archive:Team - 600/Smite FoW

This Dual monk build using a 600 monk and smiter can do both Normal and Hard Mode in The Fissure of Woe. It is capable of clearing most of the Tower of Courage, Great Battle Field, The Enchanted Forest, Fissure Shore and with luck and hard work the Spider Cave.

Team Composition
=600 Monk=

Attributes and Skills
[build name="600 Monk Normal Mode" prof=monk/mesmer protec=12+1+1 divine=12+1 Inspiration=3][shield of absorption][spirit bond][protective spirit][Spirit Shackles][spell breaker]["I Am Unstoppable!"][blessed aura][essence bond][/build]

Equipment

 * Armor with lowest possible AL
 * Place Survivor Insignias on all 5 pieces of armor.
 * Other than the two attribute Runes have the best Vigor Rune you can afford and on the last two pieces of armor apply Runes of Vitae.
 * Any weapon with Enchantments last 20% longer will work fine.

Usage

 * Cast Blessed Aura and Essence Bond and maintain them. Advanced players will use a +4 divine headpiece temporarily to get a stronger Blessed Aura. Switch back to high health headpiece for actual tanking.
 * There is no energy management except planning wisely when fighting before the monsters die to ensure you have enough energy to not wait long for the next fight.
 * Before entering any fight cast Protective Spirit, Spirit Bond and Shield of Absorption. When Shield of Absorption is about to end recast Spirit Bond and Shield of Absorption. Make sure to keep Protective Spirit up at all times.
 * Aggro and kill the group of Shadow Monk, 2 Shadow Warriors and 2 Shadow Beasts.
 * Turn around and kill the group of 3 Shadow Elementals, Shadow Mesmer, Shadow Beast and Shadow Warrior. Be very careful not to let the group aggro Rastigan the Eternal
 * Kill the group of Shadow Monk, 2 Shadow Warriors and Shadow Beast once they run into their spot.
 * Head towards the beach, wait for the group of Shadow Monk, 2 Shadow Warriors and Shadow Beast to agro, do not aggro any of the other shadow groups passing by.
 * Take out the 2 patrolling groups of Shadow Beast and Shadow Monk with strategy stated below.
 * Proceed to group of Shadow Mesmer, 2 Shadow Elementals, Shadow Beast and Shadow Warrior.
 * Once the party is behind the actual tower where the Abyssals and Shadow Rangers are be careful they can knock you down. Use "I Am Unstoppable!" to prevent knockdowns if you get more than one on you. Otherwise you can just spam Spirit Bond in between knockdowns.
 * It is recommended to not attempt the Tower of Courage mission. Do not aggro any other groups around the tower after the Abyssals and Shadow Rangers are cleared.
 * Head out towards the Great Battlefield, killing the group of 2 Shadow Warriors, Shadow Beast and Shadow Monk.
 * Proceed and kill the group of Shadow Mesmer and 2 Shadow Elementals.
 * Clear the Great Battlefield minus the Dragon Lichs and the hill that they are on.
 * You can tank the Dragon Lichs for a short time by leading with Spell Breaker and timing your recasts of Spirit Bond and Protective Spirit in between his attacks (since he dazes you, you must be careful with your timing). Have your smiter user his signets and attack away. He will die easily. This also frees the area for doing the Army quest.
 * The forest can be cleared completely as well. Make sure you alert your smiter to the range of Nature's Renewal and have them stay out of it. Watch the worms as they interrupt. If you are careful you can time your Spirit Bond in between their attacks. Use Spell Breaker to prevent the elementalists from healing themselves.
 * Now head back the route that was taken, all the way back to the very starting.
 * Walk past the sweet spot that triggers Rastigan to move, it is right about where the furthest that the groups of Abyssals and Shadow Rangers hang out. He will most likely be attacked and chased by the group of 2 Shadow Monks, Shadow Mesmer and Shadow Warrior. Attempt to protect Rastigan while protecting ones self. Do not attempt to kill this group, it is not possible.
 * Once the Tower of Courage quest has begun step in front of Rastigan, kill the group of 2 Abyssals and Shadow Lord Vogris.
 * At this point, you can take the wailing lord quest followed by the griffin quest. Note that when taking the griffin quest, you will want to clear back to the tower before talking to the griffins. These quests involve a lot of walking back and forth. More advanced players will want to complete the Tower of Courage quest and take wailing lord before leaving the first area. This will minimize backtracking.
 * It is possible to sneak by the shadow army and gain access to the Fissure Shore without fighting any of the large groups. You'll want to hug the eastern wall and wait for the groups to pass you by.
 * Head back to the Fissure Shore and clear it. Note Doubter's Dryders should be taken down similar to the Dragon Lichs. You will want the smiter to attack. Watch out for Shame after your Spell Breaker runs out.
 * Upon arriving to the Spider Cave, it is possible to pull the Doubter's Dryders individually. Attack from the left and pulling back avoiding fighting the center. Repeat from the right. Agro-ing the center Dryder will spawn approximately 18 spiders in groups of 3. Kill them off and finish off the center dryder.
 * Each of the 5 Dryder's in the cave will spawn 2 groups of 3 spiders when it is agroed. The process goes like: Agro, flee, come back and kill the spiders, kill the Dryder. Rinse and repeat for the others. If done correctly, you should never have to fight multiple Dryders or fight Dryders simultaneously with spiders.
 * If able to finish the Spider Cave attempt to kill the groups of shadows outside the cave. The group with the two Abyssals is particularly nice as it spawns 6 Shadow Beasts when they die giving 12 easy kills.

Strategies

 * When facing a group where the only monster that is left are Shadow Beasts or Doubter's Dryder the only spell needed to stay alive is Shield of Absorption, Protective Spirit does not have to be maintained. It is recommended to make things go faster the smiter monk uses its smiting signets on both monsters once they are singled out alone to speed up the killing process.
 * When facing Shadow Elementals, Shadow Mesmers, Skeletal Icehands, Skeletal Ether Breakers, Doubter's Dryders or Ancient Skales be sure to cast Spell Breaker after the 3 main spells and before aggroing. The Shadow Mesmers, Skeletal Icehands, Skeletal Ether Breakers and Ancient Skales will die before or just when Spell Breaker] is ending.
 * When facing a group of Shadows with a monk, keep up Spirit Shackles as much as possible.
 * When attempting to take down the 2 groups of Shadow Monk and Shadow Beast that walk along the same path wait until both groups meet and stop at the top before aggroing. This group may require the smiter monk to cast their smiting signets on the Shadow Monks.
 * Dragon Lichs can be killed but it has to be done fairly quickly. Spell Breaker does not protect from Chilblains but the Dragon will waste all their energy trying to break through the Spell Breaker. After that, they will spam Unholy Feast which is harmless and keeps their energy low. However, it only costs 15e every ~13 seconds so after about a minute past when Spell Breaker runs out, the Dragon will eventually use the 25e Chilblains likely killing you. Basically have the smiter attack quickly. A customized smite req holy damage weapon also will help greatly for the smiter. All this, of course, assumes you time your Spirit Bond and Protective Spirit in between his attacks due to dazed. Anyway, it can be done.
 * Doubter's Dryders are similar to Dragon Lichs in that you'll need the smiter to attack and they will live past when your Spell Breaker runs out. The strategy with Dryders is avoiding casting anything while under the effects of Shame as well as re-casting Protective Spirit as needed (they have enchantment removal). The real key is fighting them individually and not with other Dryders or Spiders.

=Smiter Monk= [build name="Smiter Monk" prof=monk/any smitin=12+1+3 protec=12+3][bane signet][optional][signet of judgment][rebirth][vital blessing][Balthazar's Spirit][holy wrath][retribution][/build]
 * The optional skill will almost always be Purge Signet.
 * Knockdown is often counter-productive. Shadow Beasts will be delayed in attacking and thus take longer to kill. Also, Castigation Signet recharges faster so it will often be taken over Bane Signet
 * In Normal Mode, you may need to bring Life Attunement instead of Balthazar's Spirit. In this case, have the 600 bring Balthazar's Spirit. This configuration is sometimes paired with Aura of Stability
 * To remove any unwanted hexes or conditions use Purge Signet. This option is particularly life saving if either party member has tripped over traps laid by Skeletal Impalers
 * Sometimes this build is referred to as a 16/16 build which means 16 Smite and 16 Prot. Basically make yourself a +4 smite hat and a +4 prot hat. Use the prot hat when you cast vital blessing and then switch to your smite hat for the duration. Since the spell is constant, it will be as if you are playing with 16 of both. This also allows you to use only one superior rune at a time and keep more health. Highly recommended for advanced players.

Equipment

 * Any armor.
 * Any staff with 20 HSR and 20 HCT Smite, +1(20%) smite is also useful but not mandatory. Holy damage is helpful too.
 * In general, a high health total is beneficial for this build but it is not a requirement.

Usage

 * Cast Vital Blessing, Balthazar's Spirit, Holy Wrath and Retribution on 600 monk. Stay back and let the monk do the rest.
 * If taken Aura of Stability cast it on the 600 monk before fighting a group with Abyssals
 * Never get near the monk during battle unless otherwise stated in guide.
 * If taken Purge Signet as optional only use on 600 monk after all enemies are dead.
 * Dying whilst using this build is highly unlikely when properly executed; the smiter should always remain half a minimap distance or more away from the 600 Monk. The 600 Monk should have no problems tanking, but just in case, Rebirth is handy in case any problems should arise.
 * Do not use smiting signets at any other time than described! Doing so can cause major problems.

Hero Variant
This build works well with a Smiter Hero. Usage, armor and skills are identical to the above. Here are some tips:
 * Keep your Hero in Avoid Combat mode at all times.
 * Disable all the hero's enchantments, so they will be maintained.
 * Cast all of the enchantments on yourself, always keep the hero flagged a good distance away from the fight because of monsters who run and heal for a bit. But remember keep within distance of enchantments.

=See Also=
 * Archive:Team - 600/Smite UW - Original build and guide for UW
 * Archive:Team - 600/Smite CoF - Build designed for the dungeon Cathedral of Flames
 * Build in action, using a Hero - After 01:40 to 03:36 is in FoW.
 * The 600hp Build for FoW
 * A screenshot showing the various paths that can be completed