Archive:Team - SF/Commando

Uses a permaform assassin and bonder to farm areas where a permaform would be hindered--mostly in the Domain of Anguish and Fissure of Woe, though other uses exist.

Team Composition
--OR--

Permaform Daggers
[build prof=A/E dag=10+3 sha=12+1+3 crit=8+3][Glyph of Swiftness@0][Deadly Paradox@0][Shadow Form][Golden fox strike][Golden Fang Strike][Death Blossom][Asuran Scan][Critical Agility][/build]

Equipment

 * Full Radiant insignias and runes of Attunement.
 * Zealous Daggers of Enchanting. Daggers of the Hierophant or Pywatt's Talons are perfect.
 * Optional: a high-energy set, such as a staff of Enchanting, preferably with a staff head of energy and +5 energy when enchanted, to switch to before reactivating Shadow Form. A Fervorborn Staff is the ideal staff for this.
 * Optional: two additional superior runes to lower max health to 105 at the cost of energy. Not strictly needed, but possible.

Usage

 * Maintain Shadow Form. Precast Glyph of Swiftness, then active Deadly Paradox and Shadow Form--this will reduce the recharge to 30 seconds, well under the duration.
 * Maintain Asuran Scan on your target and spam your attack skills. If possible, move around so that the enemies bunch together to follow you, insuring maximum damage from Death Blossom's AoE.
 * Do NOT cast Asuran Scan between Glyph of Swiftness and Shadow Form.

Counters

 * Touch, PBAoE, or non-spell lifesteal and enchant removal.
 * Non-stance blocking will reduce the damage output.

Variants

 * Assassin's Remedy Useful against PBAoE blind, such as when fighting Dementia Titans.
 * "I am Unstoppable!" Good against touch or PBAoE knockdown.
 * Wild Strike for Golden Fang Strike if expecting blocking.

Commando Bonder
[build prof=Mo/N blood=7 hea=10+3 smi=9+3 pro=9+1+3 div=5+3][Offering of Blood][Blessed Signet][Signet of Devotion][Rebirth][Succor][Mending][Protective Bond][Strength of Honor][/build]

Equipment

 * Full radiant insignias, the given runes, and one rune of attunement.
 * A staff with +5 energy staff head, preferably with +5 energy while Health > 50% inscription.

Usage

 * Force the hero to apply bonds by disabling the skills and manually triggering them.
 * Flag the hero well back from combat.
 * Heroes will spam Blessed Signet on recharge, and will usually use Offering of Blood as well, though it may be helpful to occasionally trigger the latter manually. This is enough to maintain Protective Bond against almost any amount of damage.
 * The hero will use Signet of Devotion to heal himself after using OoB.

Counters

 * The hero being aggroed.
 * The player taking sufficient "packets" of damage that the hero's energy is depleted. It is a good strategy to always have the hero's skillbar open, and to kite whenever the hero's energy reaches dangerous levels.  Note that this happens very rarely, and only when facing massive groups, such as found during the first quest in Ravenheart Gloom.

Variants

 * Watchful Spirit for Succor against PBAoE degen.
 * So long as the breakpoints for Blessed Signet and Protective Bond are met, the other attributes are largely a matter of taste.
 * In areas where damage is not a problem, such as the Tomb of the Primeval Kings, the bonder may be switched to a pure damage-boosting configuration, such as this (the headpiece is left off so that the same hero may be used without re-adjusting runes):

This build will grant the assassin an extra 28 armor-ignoring damage per hit, decreasing drops because of the hero but more than doubling killing speed and thereby increasing drops-per-hour.

Notes on Team Usage

 * In many of the recommended farming areas, there are enemy groups that can be handled without the hero, and other groups that cannot. When engaging groups that can be handled without the bonds, simply flag the hero in a safe location off-radar (far enough away that the maintained enchantments disappear and the hero's name is greyed out) to increase drops.  In Fissure of Woe, for example, the hero could be used against Shadow Army monks, then flagged away while the player solos the beach and spider cave.  As another example, the player could clear out the Aatxes in the first area of the Underworld with the hero, then flag the hero off before running to the Chaos Plains.
 * Since the hero has no self-defense, it may be a good idea to take a Scroll of Resurrection just in case.

Farming Locations

 * Ravenheart Gloom (nm only): Nearly all mobs may be safely farmed. Though exceedingly difficult, it is also possible to complete the first quest, and should be possible to complete the other two (though this is as yet untested); however, due to the difficulty and large amounts of time required, players farming for gemstones (as opposed to attempting to beat the entire area) would be better served by simply farming the numerous mobs throughout the area.
 * City of Torc'qua (nm only): the team can clear the entire area on normal mode, killing Lord Jadoth. See discussion page for more details.
 * Foundry of Failed Creations: the team can clear the first two rooms on hard mode or normal mode, but the Rage Titans and Dementia Titans in the third room are problematic. If attempting to clear the entire area, it is advised to bring an Essence of Celerity and Sight Beyond Sight instead of Glyph of Swiftness.  Note that the Essence will help the hero by reducing the recharge of Offering of Blood and Blessed Signet, as well, allowing more mobs to be tanked.  It is also advised to bring Scrolls of Resurrection, as the secondary pop-up mobs will often aggro the hero.
 * The Underworld--see notes on team usage. By carefully avoiding one of the groups of Grasping Darkness in the Village of Lost Souls, it is also possible (though difficult) to do spider runs.  If attempting this, have the ranger wanting a spider maintain Quickening Zephy to help the hero's energy.
 * The Fissure of Woe--see notes on team usage.
 * Tomb of Primeval Kings: see Variants for the bonder.
 * Cathedral of Flames (NM&HM), take one group at a time to prevent PB from overwhelming the bonder.
 * Anywhere without PBAoE/touch enchant removal or lifesteal that for whatever reason a permaform sin couldn't handle alone.

Major Variant
[build prof=Mo/N blood=10 hea=10+3 pro=9+1+3 div=4+3][Offering of Blood][Blessed Signet][Signet of Devotion][Rebirth][Watchful Spirit][Mending][Protective Bond][Succor][/build]
 * The same basic bonder can be used in conjunction with a different SF build, such as the Archive:A/E Perma Sliver Farmer. If bonding a caster build, take Succor instead of Strength of Honor, and drop Smiting Prayers to raise Blood Magic.  The bar would then look like this:

Variant Farming Locations
As above, with certain additions:
 * City of Torc'Qua (hm): It may be advisable to bring Disrupting Dagger or Expunge Enchantments to deal with the Anur Ki's Healing Seed. Glyph of Lesser Energy will be needed to compensate for the environmental effect; heroes are strangely unaffected, so no modifications are necessary to the bonder.
 * Ravenheart Gloom (hm): the first two quests may be completed in under 25 minutes, killing hundreds of torment creatures for LB points, drops, and gemstones. The Greater Darkness may also be consistently killed to farm for greens.  The entire area may be completed and the chest opened in about 40 minutes (pre-SF nerf), but the massed Earth Tormentors that spawn after the death of each of the secondary Darknesses are difficult--careful use of Expunge Enchantments to remove their Armor of Sanctity helps expedite the run, as do sufficiently high Lightbringer and Ebon Vanguard ranks to "punch through" their damage reduction.

It is of course possible to bond other casters, as well, such as the Build:A/Me Perma Form Cryer.

Videos

 * Gloom Full Run in NM - available in widescreen HD 11/04/2009
 * Gloom Full Run in HM - available in widescreen HD 12/04/2009
 * City Full Run in HM - available in widescreen HD 16/04/2009
 * CoF Full Run in HM Part 1 - Levels 1 & 2 - available in widescreen HD 19/04/2009
 * CoF Full Run in HM Part 2 - Level 3 with Boss - available in widescreen HD 19/04/2009