User:BuildKitten/Builds

These are all builds that my heroes currently utilize. This is mostly my experimental sandbox, trying out various (and perhaps somewhat unorthodox) PvE builds. If they suck (which some might), feel free to not use them, because I don't care about your opinion. :D

This page exists as a personal journal for builds I'm running or plan to run at some point in PvE and to document these builds for other people who want to try something a bit different, not as a shouting board for other people to laugh at how bad I suck at build creation. Try to keep that in mind while viewing.

Also, please note that I do not pretend to have "created" any of these builds. I'm well aware that other people might have made them before I did. This is purely a list of builds that I run on my heroes, not necessarily a list of builds I've personally created.

= Assassins = Here's a list of my assassin builds and their status.
 * Critical Barrage Assassin (in testing)

Critical Barrage Assassin (In Testing)
Assassin heroes have always been the most useless of the bunch, in my experience. They can't maintain a combo like a human, they don't tank as well as a human can, and they don't do much of anything a talented human can do well. So naturally, I've pretty much ignored and never used them. But recently I looked at an archived build, the A/R Critical Barrager. It has an interesting structure and, from what I could tell, was actually a good framework for an assassin hero. And so I am currently testing this build out on Zenmai, seeing how well she uses it. I use Disrupting Shot instead of Distracting Shot because, although the disable is impressive, it's far better, in my opinion, to maintain high damage output. The build also obtains the 75% block that rangers normally use through use of Critical Defenses....however, unlike a ranger, this skill will reapply itself when the assassin gets a critical. And since the assassin will typically be getting one critical every two hits (when all skills are maintained), it's very likely that the skill will stay applied for at least a decent portion of combat. The skill doesn't use a rez (relying on other characters to do that), instead replacing it with Antidote Signet to prevent the hero from becoming offensively crippled through application of the Blind condition.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=A/R critical=12+1+1 marksmanship=12][Way of the Master][Critical Eye][Barrage][Disrupting Shot][Savage Shot][Favorable Winds][Critical Defenses][Antidote Signet][/build]

Equipment

 * Survivor/Radiant Insignia, appropriate runes as listed, Rune of Superior Vigor and Runes of Vitae/Attunement.
 * Any bow can technically be used for Barrage builds, but a Flatbow or Longbow is usually best due to the range (provided Favorable Winds is used).

Counters

 * Anti-ranged.
 * Enchantment removal.
 * Energy denial.

Variants

 * Replace any skill with a resurrect skill/spell.
 * Replace Critical Defenses with a self-heal. There are some options in Shadow Arts, but you'll have to dedicate a few points to Shadow Arts (possibly removing them from Critical Strikes or Marksmanship).

Double Dragon Elementalist (In Testing)
For the longest time, I gave my designated fire elementalist a Searing Flames build, much like this one. However, I quickly became dismayed at issues that would crop up with it. For one, the hero tended to do a very poor job staying alive, most probably because with that Superior Rune, he ended up with lower Health than the rest of my party and was thus the prime spike target. Second, he was misusing one of his best spells (Meteor Shower), often casting it whenever he got the mana and without regard for the exhaustion it creates. Third, he was not doing his job very well. A fire elementalist's primary job is to churn out damage and burning fast, to cut down the enemy's ranks, and he didn't typically do a very good job of this. I will grant that this is more likely my own fault than that of the build, but I have since strived to come up with a new build that better utilizes fire spells without the downsides of many builds out there (exhaustion and lower health). The result is this build, which is still in testing as I'm not sure how well my hero is using it just yet.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=E/Me fire=12+1+1 energy=10+1 inspiration=8][Double Dragon@16][Liquid Flame@16][Phoenix@16][Inferno@16][Aura of Restoration][Flame Djinn's Haste@16][Fire Attunement@16][Auspicious Incantation][/build]

Equipment

 * Survivor/Radiant Insignia, appropriate runes as listed, Rune of Superior Vigor and Runes of Vitae/Attunement.
 * 40/40 Fire Magic set.

Counters

 * Resistance to Fire Damage.
 * Anti-caster.
 * Energy denial.

Variants

 * Replace any Fire Magic listed with another Fire Magic spell of choice. Best picks would have AoE damage and/or burning.

Boon-Prot Monk
This is a generic Protection monk build which uses Divine Boon to generate bonus healing. Since every spell on the bar is a Protection Prayers or Divine Favor spell, this build generates extra healing on any spell which specifies a particular target (so the party heal will not trigger Divine Boon, but everything else will). It works very well with most Protection Prayers or Divine Favor elites, ergo why I have left the elite spot open for personal choice. It provides pretty decent protection and some healing, but it does sacrifice condition and hex removal to achieve this, so it is highly recommended you use an elite with some form of condition and/or hex removal.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=Mo/Me divine=12+1+1 protection=11+1 inspiration=6][optional][optional][Divine Healing][Shield of Absorption][Protective Spirit][Power Drain][Divine Boon][Rebirth][/build] Optional 1: Optional 2:
 * for excellent condition removal and high-yield healing.
 * for some condition removal, negation of damage, and some healing.
 * for reliable hex and condition removal, and some healing.
 * for excellent hex and condition removal, and very brief protection against further hex/condition infliction.
 * to aid any melee tanks.
 * Any other Protection Prayers or Divine Favor elite which targets a single ally.
 * for spike-reducing damage negation and healing.
 * for minor but continual damage negation and delayed healing.
 * for healing on any target receiving a lot of spike pressure.
 * for a short-term blocking boost.
 * for condition removal (if your elite does not provide it).
 * for hex removal (if your elite does not provide it).

Equipment

 * Survivor/Radiant Insignia, appropriate runes as listed, Rune of Superior Vigor and Runes of Vitae/Attunement.
 * 40/40 Protection Prayers set or a +20% enchantment staff.

Counters

 * Has little to no individual healing.
 * Anti-caster.
 * Energy denial.

Variants

 * See the optionals for several variants.
 * Replace the party heal with another Protection Prayer that targets an individual (so that it triggers Divine Boon's benefits).
 * Replace Power Drain with another energy-management skill, such as Waste Not, Want Not.

Healer's Boon Healer Monk (In Testing)
Takes ideas from various Healer's Boon builds and applies them. This build allows for heavy duty healing, both on individuals (using Dwayna's Kiss and other spells) and the party (using Heal Party) while still providing condition and hex removal. The big downside is that it virtually ignores protection, meaning you will need to bring along a second monk to provide protection. This works very well with my UA Prot Monk, in my personal experience.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=Mo/Me healing=12+1+1 divine=11+1 protection=5+1 inspiration=4][Healer's Boon][Heal Party][Dwayna's Kiss][Healing Ribbon][Mend Ailment][Cure Hex][Power Drain][Rebirth][/build]

Equipment

 * Survivor/Radiant Insignia, appropriate runes as listed, Rune of Superior Vigor and Runes of Vitae/Attunement.
 * 40/40 Healing Prayers set.

Counters

 * No protection, meaning that high-damage spikes can be lethal.
 * Anti-caster.
 * Energy denial.

Variants

 * Replace Healing Ribbon with another heal, such as Ethereal Light.
 * Replace Power Drain with another energy-management skill, such as Waste Not, Want Not.

UA Healer Monk
Created after using Mo/E Unyielding Aura Monk on a hero and being somewhat unsatisfied with its healing. The build I just linked, in my experience, tended to do a poor job healing individuals, holding out on using party heals until a majority of the party needed it. The build below has done a fairly good job of addressing this issue in my mind. It takes advantage of Dwayna's Kiss, a fairly spectacular single-target heal, to offer a strong individual heal. Also, this build adds the hex removal that the original build lacks, with the added benefit of healing better than any other hex removal in the game. This has raised the overall amount of healing, at the cost of being far less reliable for protection spells.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=Mo/Me divine=12+1+1 healing=9+1 protection=8+1 inspiration=5][Divine Healing][Heaven's Delight][Dwayna's Kiss][Protective Spirit][Mend Ailment][Cure Hex][Power Drain][Unyielding Aura][/build]

Equipment

 * Survivor/Radiant Insignia, appropriate runes as listed, Rune of Superior Vigor and Runes of Vitae/Attunement. Optionally, can use a Major Rune of Protection Prayers to place the build as a 14/10/10, but this is not necessary or ideal unless adding another protection spell (see Variants for suggestions).
 * Typically, a 40/40 set. Kerrsh's Staff would make the option of using a Major Rune of Protection Prayers more viable.

Counters

 * Distinctly lacks in protection. Should be run alongside a prot-focused monk.
 * Excessive spiking.
 * Anti-caster.
 * Energy denial.

Variants

 * Replace Protective Spirit with another individual-target heal. Good possibilities include Patient Spirit, Heal Other / Jamei's Gaze, or Healing Ribbon.  If doing this, you should bring a second monk who is focused on Protection Prayers.
 * Remove the two party heals, replacing one with Heal Party. This allows room for a second protection spell, such as Aegis or Shield of Absorption, though be warned that this will very likely mean less reliable party healing (while Heal Party recharges faster, it also carries a much heftier cost per cast, and the hero will be less capable of spamming it with only one e-management skill).
 * Replace Cure Hex with another hex removal. If keeping the two party heals, the best alternative is Deny Hexes, otherwise any hex removal will do.  Can also replace Cure Hex with another protection skill, but this is not recommended, as the hex removal is valuable in more difficult regions of PvE and the healing this skill offers is an added benefit.
 * Replace Power Drain with another energy-management skill, such as Waste Not, Want Not.

UA Prot Monk
A variant of Mo/E Unyielding Aura Monk for a hero. It replaces Shield of Absorption with Reversal of Fortune to provide individual healing and damage negation that the original build lacks, and leans a bit more towards Inspiration Magic for better e-management.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=Mo/Me divine=12+1+1 protection=11+1 inspiration=6][Divine Healing][Heaven's Delight][Protective Spirit][Reversal of Fortune][Aegis][Mend Ailment][Power Drain][Unyielding Aura][/build]

Equipment

 * Survivor/Radiant Insignia, appropriate runes as listed, Rune of Superior Vigor and Runes of Vitae/Attunement.
 * 40/40 Protection Prayers set or a staff with +20% enchant duration.

Counters

 * Little to no individual healing, so repeated spikes on the same person (even with prot spells) will still kill them.
 * Anti-caster.
 * Energy denial.

Variants

 * Replace a protection spell with another, such as Shield of Absorption.
 * Replace a skill (but not one of the party heals) with Deny Hexes for hex removal.
 * Replace Power Drain with another energy-management skill, such as Waste Not, Want Not.

Barrage Ranger
This build isn't anything all that special, it's basically just an option designed for heroes. Since heroes are fairly good at knowing when and how to use interrupts, this build utilizes a couple of interrupts, relying on Barrage for most of its damage. Giving them options like Splinter Weapon would just lower their DpT (although it's wise to bring along a hero who has Splinter Weapon to cast on this hero) since they love casting it and not always on themselves. I also avoided using Lightning Reflexes, because while most Barrage builds suggest it, it's actually a bad choice because IAS will make the fire rate a bit faster than normal, meaning that Barrage spamming will be interrupted by attack animation (which results in Barrage casting a little slower). So this build uses Whirling Defense, which provides the blocking of Lightning Reflexes but doesn't affect the spamability.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=R/Mo marksmanship=12+1+1 expertise=12+1][Barrage][Disrupting Shot][Savage Shot][Distracting Shot][Favorable Winds][Whirling Defense][Antidote Signet][Resurrect][/build]

Equipment

 * Survivor/Radiant Insignia, appropriate runes as listed, Rune of Superior Vigor and Runes of Vitae/Attunement.
 * Flatbow or Longbow is usually the best choice, since the hero has Favorable Winds to lower the arc.

Counters

 * Any anti-ranged defenses.
 * Energy denial.

Variants

 * Replace Resurrect with another resurrection skill/spell of choice. Rebirth is one good option, though you'll have to manage the hero carefully since it wipes their energy out.
 * Replace one of the interrupts with another interrupt skill of choice.

Xinrae's Weapon Ritualist
Nothing too special here. Just sorta follows the normal ritualist healer design. It does have Cure Hex for hex removal, though, which most do not have or bother to address. For the most part, it works well as a monk healer substitute.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=Rt/Mo restoration=12+1+1 channeling=12 healing=3][Xinrae's Weapon][Weapon of Warding][Cure Hex][Mend Body and Soul][Spirit Light][Life][Spirit Siphon][Flesh of My Flesh][/build]

Equipment

 * Survivor/Radiant Insignia, appropriate runes as listed, Rune of Superior Vigor and Runes of Vitae/Attunement.
 * 40/40 Restoration Prayers set or a staff with +20% enchant duration.

Counters

 * Anti-caster.
 * Energy denial.

Variants

 * Replace any Restoration Magic spell with another Restoration Magic spell of choice.
 * Replace Spirit Siphon with another e-management skill. Consider swapping to /Me to do so, but mind that you will lose Cure Hex doing this.

Dragon Slash Warrior (In Testing)
Typically, I run a more standard condition-inducing warrior type on my heroes, such as W/Any Crippling Slash Warrior (modified, of course, to be more hero-friendly). This build is sort of an experiment to see how well a warrior hero is capable of managing adrenaline. The build has several adrenaline-using skills that return adrenaline under certain scenarios while the build maintains a fairly respectable DpT. Probably not a bad build for a player to run, but I am currently uncertain how well a hero uses it.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=W/N swordsmanship=12+1+1 strength=12+2 curses=3][Weaken Armor][Dragon Slash][Body Blow][Steelfang Slash][Bull's Strike][Enraging Charge][Lion's Comfort][Resurrection Signet][/build]

Equipment

 * Survivor Insignia, appropriate runes as listed, Rune of Superior Vigor and Runes of Vitae.
 * 15^50 Sundering/Furious Sword of Fortitude. Shield of Fortitude.

Counters

 * Anti-melee.
 * Adrenaline denial.

Variants

 * Replace Bull's Strike with another knock-down. Since many of the warrior knockdowns require either a hammer or some pre-existing condition, one unique option is to bring Shock, but keep in mind that this will mean having to replace Weaken Armor with another Cracked Armor inflicting skill.
 * Replace Enraging Charge with other adrenaline boosters, such as "For Great Justice!".