Build:Me/N Keystone Minion Bomber Hero

This build is provisionally vetted good pending more votes. This build has received a provisional rating in the range from 3.75 to < 4.75 and thus qualifies for the lower category of working builds: Good. This build has been designed for the following use: PvE hero

This build uses a Keystone Signet mesmer hero's high fast casting attribute value for death magic spells.

Attributes and Skills

Mesmer / Necromancer 12 + 1 + 3 Fast Casting 12 Death Magic 3 Domination Magic You activate Spells and Signets 53% faster. (No effect for non-Mesmer skills with a cast time less than 2 seconds.) In PvE, the recharge time of your Mesmer Spells is reduced by 48%. Keystone Signet PropheciesMesmer. Fast Casting 16Keystone SignetElite SignetAll of your signets except Keystone Signet are recharged. For 20 seconds, the next 6 times you use a signet that targets a foe, all other foes adjacent to your target are interrupted and take 63 damage.0.515 Optional CoreNo Profession. UnlinkedOptionalOptionalOptional. Optional CoreNo Profession. UnlinkedOptionalOptionalOptional. Signet of Lost Souls NightfallNecromancer. Soul Reaping 16Signet of Lost SoulsSignetIf target foe is below 50% Health, you gain 106 Health and 11 Energy.¼8 Signet of Sorrow NightfallNecromancer. Soul Reaping 16Signet of SorrowSignetTarget foe takes 79 damage. If target foe is near a corpse or has a dead pet, this Skill recharges instantly.130 Symbolic Celerity NightfallMesmer. Fast Casting 16Symbolic CelerityEnchantment SpellFor 62 seconds, all of your signets use your Fast Casting attribute instead of their normal attributes.150.530 Animate Bone Minions CoreNecromancer. Death Magic 12Animate Bone MinionsSpellExploit nearest corpse to animate two level 10 bone minions with 280 Health and 62 armor.151.45 Death Nova CoreNecromancer. Death Magic 12Death NovaEnchantment SpellFor 30 seconds, if target ally dies, all adjacent foes take 85 damage and are Poisoned for 15 seconds.51.0   Template code

Fill the remaining free slots with signets fitting your team build and the area this hero is going to be used for.

Damage

• Signet of ClumsinessNightfallMesmer. Illusion Magic 16Signet of ClumsinessSignetIf target foe is attacking, that foe and all adjacent foes are interrupted and take 63 damage. Any foes using attack skills are knocked down.¼8 – reliable damage.
• Unnatural SignetFactionsMesmer. Domination Magic 16Unnatural SignetSignetTarget foe takes 79 damage. If that foe is under the effects of a hex or enchantment, foes adjacent to your target take 53 damage.110 – additional AoE damage if team mates provide hexes.

Debuff

• Signet of WearinessPropheciesMesmer. Domination Magic 16Signet of WearinessSignetTarget foe and all nearby foes lose 8 Energy and suffer from Weakness for 11 seconds.230 – for Weakness.

Interrupts

• Signet of DisruptionFactionsMesmer. Domination Magic 16Signet of DisruptionSignetIf target foe is casting a Spell, the Spell is interrupted and that foe suffers 54 damage. If that foe is Hexed, Signet of Disruption can interrupt any non-Spell skills.¼15 – with additional damage.
• Signet of DistractionEotNMesmer. Domination Magic 16Signet of DistractionSignetIf target foe is casting a Spell, that Spell is interrupted and disabled for 5 seconds for each Signet you have equipped.¼15 – disables interrupted spells.
• Leech SignetCoreMesmer. Inspiration Magic 16Leech SignetSignetInterrupt target foe's action. If that action was a Spell, you gain 16 Energy.¼30 – energy gain.

Variant

• You may drop Animate Bone MinionsCoreNecromancer. Death Magic Animate Bone MinionsSpellExploit nearest corpse to animate two level 0..10..13 bone minions.1535 in favour of another signet if your team already has enough minions.

Equipment

• 5 artificer's insignias.
• Rune of superior vigor.
• 3 runes of vitae.
• 40/20/20 death magic.

Purpose, team integration

• Release your necromancer minion master from Death NovaCoreNecromancer. Death Magic Death NovaEnchantment SpellFor 30 seconds, if target ally dies, all adjacent foes take 26..85..105 damage and are Poisoned for 15 seconds.52 so it can cast more useful skills instead, such as DiscordFactionsNecromancer. Death Magic DiscordElite SpellIf target foe is suffering from a Condition and under the effects of a Hex or an Enchantment, that foe suffers 30..94..115 damage.512. Due to 16 fast cast this mesmer casts death nova in less than a second with 36% chance of a further casting time reduction to less than half a second. This results in less time lost casting death nova compared to a necromancer. It will also lead to a faster distribution of death nova, increasing its total damage output compared to a necromancer's despite the mesmer's lack of death magic attribute runes.
• Instead of using this hero mainly for the death nova distribution they can also be used as a minion bomber by adding animate bone minions, which the mesmer will cast considerably faster than a necromancer. The resulting level 10 bone minions are ideal for minion bombing purposes, as they will get targeted with high priority and quickly die, usually triggering death nova. The increased energy demand can be met with external energy support such as Blood is PowerCoreNecromancer. Blood Magic Blood is PowerElite Enchantment SpellFor 10 seconds, target other ally gains +3..5..6 Energy regeneration.33%1¼ or using signet of lost souls and leech signet.
• Never use this hero in team builds featuring ShelterFactionsRitualist. Communing ShelterBinding RitualCreate a level 1..10..13 Spirit. Non-Spirit allies within its range cannot lose more than 10% maximum Health from a single attack. When this Spirit prevents damage, it loses 75..51..43 Health. This Spirit lasts 30..54..62 seconds.25145.

Counters

• Lack of exploitable corpses.
  • Due to the mesmer's fast minion creation opposing corpse exploitation is barely an issue.
• Mirror of DisenchantmentNightfallMesmer. UnlinkedMirror of DisenchantmentSpellRemove one Enchantment from target foe. All of that foe's party members also lose that same Enchantment.5115 removing death nova from minions.
• Symbolic CelerityNightfallMesmer. Fast Casting 16Symbolic CelerityEnchantment SpellFor 62 seconds, all of your signets use your Fast Casting attribute instead of their normal attributes.150.530 being removed results in less useful signets, but barely decreases the AoE damage output.

Exemplary Videos

Examples of team builds which rely on this hero:

Build used for death nova distribution:

Build used in synergy with discord necromancers:

Build used to distract opponents from party members with level 10 bone minions:

See also

• Keystone Mesmer for players
• Domination Signet Hero
• Minion Bomber Hero (necromancer)
• Team – 7 Hero Keystone Discordway