User:Alesain/Vanquisher

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 * GW:EN Vanquishing Journal
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"There and Back Again... A Vanquisher's Tale." by Ite Yojimbo


At some point, I thought it would be helpful to keep notes of the areas I had vanquished, to better help guildies/others who might be attempting to conquer explorable areas. Vanquishing is so much easier with real people (or at the very least, one other real person), as you can fully customize every party member, so if you don't have to go alone... don't =P. At the bottom of this page I've listed several hero builds I have used and/or referenced in individual areas.

Note: Some areas are missing due to the fact I had started vanquishing before I decided to keep track of things. 90% of those areas I vanquished by myself with heroes, generally running a Broad Head Arrow build. Everything is provided here as a guide to help aspiring vanquishers who might be having troubles in a specific area. If you have any questions, leave them in the discussion page. Good Luck!

Note 2: Vanquishing is much easier now that there are more heroes to create builds with and it is relatively easy to obtain items to remove DP.

Thanks to the following: Mathurin Averroes, Vegeta Of Angst, Sparky The Dog, Spearmarshal Matt, Confuscious Knows, Ginger Sprintalot, Thena Tunderhammer, Aite A Bugg, Alpha Particle, Dominic Silverstar, Curatio Ventus, Living Elektra, Tyhric Wolfblade, White Knight Ether, Spirit Of Swords, Arden Phyre, Chiyo Hakaru, Lord Baalzamon, Etion Metion, Lazarious Ra.
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Tyria

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Old Ascalon
Temmates: Tahlkora (Prot), Dunkoro (Heal), Acolyte Sousuke (Earth)

A few things of note: I was able to vanquish this zone with zero deaths with this set-up, however, it can be improved. Grawl Ulodyte (monks) are heavy kiters, and they spam Heal Area, which restores half their health. Crown of Thorns are smiters who spam Orison of Healing. I could take down a group of 3 after beating on them a while, but if I had BHA instead of Concussion, it would be that much faster. That being said, I would replace BA with BHA, and Concussion Shot with Pin Down. Use the Shrine! Right near the old Breach gate, there is a Statue of Lyssa. Bring 550 gold along, raise your morale and get the blessing to give you 3 pips of regen. Unlike Cantha & Elona, these blessing apply to the whole party. +10% and 3 health regen on everyone is awesome, and well worth it! Finally, you can avoid the area near the new Breach gate. If you look at the map where the Statue of Balthazaar is, the area west and north of this shrine contain pop-ups that can be avoided. Finally, 4 Rebirths is too many. Replace with some more useful utility.

The Breach
Temmates: Tahlkora (Prot), Dunkoro (Heal), Acolyte Sousuke (Earth)

I started from Ascalon vice Piken Square, so that I could stop by the Lyssa Shrine on the way for a morale boost and blessing before I started. Unfortunately the blessed disappears when you zone into the Breach. The morale boost stays though. Epidemic came in handy against the Charr Firecallers who use Meteor Shower. Careful pulls and using the terrain to keep your back-line safe from Charr Stalker spikes is the key to success here.

Regent Valley
Teammates: Tahlkora, Acolyte Sousuke, Master of Whispers

Easy. The Grawl, Elementals, and Renegades all travel in two's. If there are 2 Grawl Ulodytes, separate them. There are maybe 2-3 small groups of charr and several devourer pop-ups groups, both 2-3 in size. Plenty of Moas to make minions, and a Statue of Melandru in the middle west of the area will give you morale boost if needed. I got the idea for the build when reading up on vanquishing Eastern Frontier on GWG. The hammer build I used could be better/more efficient, but meh, it worked.

Pockmark Flats
Teammates: Tahlkora, Acolyte Sousuke, Master of Whispers

Easier. I changed the hammer build slightly, but it wasn't much more effective. The MM isn't that useful as the mobs are mostly elemental, bring an SS or a second ele. Also, bring a condition removal. I spent alot of the time blind, due to Eruprion.

Eastern Frontier
Teammates: Tahlkora, Acolyte Sousuke, Chiyo (Human Sin)

Started from Eastern Gate, cleared the grawl out ~40 of them. Don't rush... the patrol patterns will get you killed. The groups of 7 CAN be split carefully if done carefully. Take the blessing/morale boost at the Lyssa Shrine outside of Surmia. Cleared the Charr with little problems. Then finished off the zone with the devourers in the south.

Diessa Lowlands
Teammates: Talkhora (Hybrid), Acolyte Sousuke (EE1), Master of Whispers (MM), Alesia, Orion.

I left from Yak's to make it easier on myself. I surprised myself here. Finished the zone with only a hero death (or 2). The MM was a good idea, made short work of the charr groups, and the gargoyles for that matter. If you take an MM, save the southeast part of the map for last, as that is where the elementals are.

Anvil Rock
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SF2), Zhed Shadowhoof (SF2), Orion, Alesia.

I'm not sure yet whether not having a tank made this tougher or not. The minotaurs were no issue, Ward Against Melee, Throw Dirt and Aegis kept them suppressed well enough. The centaur warriors were a bit tougher, as were the Stone Summit. However, not taking a tank meant more firepower, which allowed me to down a group of 2 prot centaurs and a monk boss. The Stone Summit Howlers are nasty, so dispatch them first. The worst part of this area is chasing down patrolling groups.

Iron Horse Mine
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Dunkoro (Heal), Master of Whispers (MM).

Nothing terrible difficult here. An MM is particularly effective, as there are no AoE threats. Interrupting the Dolyak Riders is something you must be prepared for.

Deldrimor Bowl
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Master of Whispers (MM), Norgu (ME1).

Okay... the toughest thing here are groups with 4 monks. Conditions are useless, for the most part. Depending on daze is a no-no. The monks have no hex removal, so that's the way to go. Gaze of Fury is handy, as it takes down the ubiquitous Winter and as well as provides additional damage and a target to draw foes from the softies.

Majesty's Rest
Teammates: Living Elektra (Grenth Tank), Curatio Ventus (Tank Support), Aite A Bugg (Heal), Etion Metion (Fire), White Knight Ether (Fire), Thena Thunderhammer (Star Burst Warr), Lazarious Ra (Spoil Victor).

We tried to run (both myself and the Thena brought running skills), it didn't work hoever and we ended up with DP we didn't need. We went when we had favor, so we made use of the shrine to remove any DP. Rotcale went down in 3 minutes with this team. The rest was cake.

Stingray Strand
Teammates: Bebi Vegeta Jr (Earth), Dunkoro (Heal), Dunkoro (Heal), Master of Whispers (MM), Koss

Lots of Spiteful Spirit here. Build up a minion base so they can absorb the hexes. We put Expel Hexes on one of the healers. Splinter/Barrage was useful here because the groups tend to stay tight. It did however render me useless when they manage to put an SS on me... which was maybe 3 times. Pull and let the tank draw agro.

Twin Serpent Lakes
Teammates: Talkhora (Prot), Dunkoro (Heal), Acolyte Sousuke (SF1), Zhed Shadowhoof (SF1).

Unlike Stingray Strand, the skales here are not SS necros, which makes this area much easier. The groups tend to clump up well, making AoE damage ideal.

Kessex Peak
Teammates: Talkhora (Prot), Dunkoro (Heal), Acolyte Sousuke (SF1), Zhed Shadowhoof (SF1), Zhed Shadowhoof (SF2).

Having The Villainy of Galrath active, we left from TOA (duh). Careful pulls on Verata's folks will ensure an easy victory. It took 30 minutes to vanquish this area. Lots of pop-ups in the beginning with more throughout the open area in the middle.

Tangle Root
Teammates: Splinter Weapon Tank, Healing Monk, Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SF2), Zhed Shadowhoof (SF2)

Leaving from Denravi, cleared the north portion, then the ravine before clearing the south to Maguuma Stade and Dry Top. Allow the tank to stay one agro bubble ahead of the group to take the moss scarab pop-ups and trolls.

Diviner's Ascent
Teammates: General Morghan (ToF), Acolyte Sousuke (Earth), Zhed Shadowhoof (Earth), Alesia, Lina.

The real "Drakes on a Plain". OMG! Out of 135 vanquished foes, 110 of them were Sand Drakes. They aren't too bad. Watch out for earthquake. There is a Hydra patrol, and pop-up groups of 5 jade scarabs that can be nasty. Other than that, easy going.

Skyward Reach
Teammates: Norgu (ME2),Master of Whispers (MM), Acolyte Sousuke (EE1), Alesia, Lina.

Holy hydra Batman! Seriously though, the get old... quick. For giggles, I put Virulence on my MM. Norgu was interrupting like a champ. He does not however stay locked on a target, despite telling him to. This is good and bad. Good because he can catch multiple meteor showers, bad because he interupts the one I'm about to hit.

Talus Chute
Teammates: Tahlkora (Hybrid), Thena Thunderhammer (Virulence Warrior), Aite A Bugg (Heal), Curatio Ventus (Heal), White Knight Ether (Fire), Etion Metion (Fire), Lazarious Ra (SS).

This was my last area for title, thanks guys. No issues here.

Grenth's Footprint
Teammates: Tahlkora (Hybrid), Acolyte Sousuke (EE1), Master of Whispers (MM), Cynn, Dunham, Mhenlo, Lina.

This area was very easy. No deaths. The MM was a huge help; minions coupled with AoE damage from the eles kept everything in check. BHA left the stone summit monks wishing they had stayed home.

Snake Dance
Teammates: Tahlkora (Hybrid), Acolyte Sousuke (SF2), Zhed Shadowhoof (SF2), Orion, Dunham, Alesia, Lina.

I left from Camp Rankor. It would be great if you could use an MM here, it would speed things along quite a bit, however, with the large amount of smiters in the zone (Azure Shadows and Blessed Griffons), I left him at home. It would have been nice to bring Ward of Stability for the Dolyak groups and Frost Giants. Other than that, things went well here, albeit long. About 1:45 to finish the area.

Dreadnought's Drift
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (EE1), Master of Whispers (MM), Cynn, Dunham, Mhenlo, Lina.

Leaving from Deldrimor War Camp, it took 8 minutes to fight through Grenth's Footprint to the portal. Avoiding what I could, it took another 22 minutes to get through Snake Dance. The large group in the middle was hard to pull. I saved that loop for last actually. I went and cleared the east side and made way to the Statue of Dwayna to get the blessing and remove DP, if needed. If you can build up a minion base, the center area is alot easier. Careful of the Azure SHadow pop-ups on the east, they will deplete your minion horde quickly.

Lornar's Pass
Teammates: Tahlkora (Hybrid), Acolyte Sousuke (EE1), Master of Whispers (MM), Cynn, Dunham, Mhenlo, Lina.

With 10% Morale boost from Dreadnought's Drift, I decided to head up into Lornar's Pass. Unfortunately, my region lost favor just as I got in the area, so I couldn't take advantage of the Statue of Grenth. In any case, I made my way northward with little trouble. Beware, the Grawl Crones use Verata's Aura, which steal all minions in thier agro bubble. The only group I had any real trouble (read multiple deaths) with was on the east side south of the bridge path. The group was huge and had 3 Dolyak Masters/Riders. It took a few tries to get the Dolyaks dispatched.

Spearhead Peak
Teammates: Tahlkora (Hybrid), Acolyte Sousuke (EE1), Master of Whispers (MM), Cynn, Dunham, Mhenlo, Lina.

With the 10% morale boost I had from Grenth's Footprint, I headed into this zone. Once you have a minion base, things are easy going. Without the minions to absorb the Deep Freeze from the golems, and the Maelstrom from the imps, things can be pretty tough. I had problems with the large group on the path between Grenth's Footprint and Granite Citadel (which was practically the first group I battled), and also with the Rock Ice group (which ironically was the last group I fought).

Mineral Springs
Teammates: Tahlkora (Hybrid), Acolyte Sousuke (EE1), Master of Whispers (MM), Cynn, Dunham, Mhenlo, Lina.

The jog from Granite Citadel to Mineral Springs was uneventful (read: we didn't die, but had to kill everything along the way). I cleared the southern path (to activate the res shrine before I hit the ice imp cave). I had to make 3 trips into the cave. First time I ended up agro-ing too many imps. The second time while I was fighting the Azure Shadows, a group of imps by the Seer intervened. If you can do this area when you region has favor, you can make use of the Lyssa Shrine to remove DP and gain the +3 regen blessing. After clearing the cave (and finally getting my 15k Drakescale infused...), the rest was smooth sailing.

Frozen Forest
Teammates: Thena (Tank), Sparky (Splinter BP), Lord B (SS), Malik (MM), Mr. Bugg (Heal), Curatio (Heal), WK (Fire)

Part of a two zone run. With 8 real players, this area wasn't hard, just long. Carefully watch patrol patterns.

Icedome
Teammates: Thena (Tank), Sparky (Splinter BP), Lord B (SS), Malik (MM), Mr. Bugg (Heal), Curatio (Heal), WK (Fire)

Part of a two zone run. With 8 real players, this area wasn't hard, just long. Carefully watch patrol patterns.


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Cantha

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Sunqua Vale
Teammates: Dunkoro (Heal), General Morghan (Tank), Master of Whispers (MM)

Nothing particularly difficult here. Being able to interrupt/daze is probably key.

Jaya Bluffs
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (Dbl Attuned), Master of Whispers (MM), Taya, Lukas.

The Sensali groups might seem intimidating, and can be a problem if they are all over the place. Use the terrain, let them clump up on the minions and let the fire fall on them, and they are pushovers.

Haiju Lagoon
Teammates: Dunkoro (Heal), Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SH)

The only thing tough (and that is saying alot) in this area are the 2 Rit bosses. Be prepared for some nasty spike damage. If using Heroes, make sure they are flagged a distance apart, because the Spirit Rifts can easily wipe a party.

Zen Daijun
Teammates: Any

Having already completed An Unwelcome Guest, I had to defeat 0 foes.

Bukdek Byway
Teammates: Anything

With Chasing Zenmai and The Drunken Master active, all you have to do is 'kill' the drunk.

Tahnnakai Temple
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SF2), Master of Whispers (MM), Dunkoro (Heal).

The Temple Guardians and Jade Brotherhood make for a nasty area. A well put together team will have no problems here.

Xaquang Skyway
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SF2), Zhed Shadowhoof (SF2), Master of Whispers (MM), Dunkoro (Heal), Melonni.

A walk in the park.

Nahpui Quarter
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SF1), Zhed Shadowhoof (SF1), Master of Whispers (MM), Dunkoro (Heal), Acolyte Sousuke(SF2).

A walk in the park.

Shenzun Tunnels
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SF2), Zhed Shadowhoof (SF2), Master of Whispers (MM), Dunkoro (Heal).

Sunjiang District
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SF2), Zhed Shadowhoof (SF2), Master of Whispers (MM), Dunkoro (Heal).

Pongmei Valley
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), General Morghan (ToF), Master of Whispers (MM), Jamei, Professor Gai, Cynn, Nika.

Little effort involved here. I recommend leaving from Altrum Ruins to get the Kurzick blessing for faction rewards. Nika made an exceptional tank, as she uses Flashing Blades in Hard Mode. Her only death was against a group of 7 Rot Wallows who touched her to death.

Arborstone
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Master of Whispers (MM), Zhed Shadowhoof (earth), Nika, Cynn, Danika, Redemptor Karl.

Relatively easy, just long.

Melandru's Hope
Teammates: Master of Whispers (MM), Acolyte Sousuke (SF), General Morghan (ToF), Cynn, Danika, Redemptor Karl, Professor Gai

Careful of the large pop-up group at the monk boss. All of the mantid groups around Chykrr Locust Lord are 2-3 foes in size; pull them to high ground.

Drazach Thicket
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Master of Whispers (MM), Zhed Shadowhoof (earth), Danika, Lukas, Cynn, Redemptor Karl

Easy area. Warden groups are pushovers (dispatch the earth ele's first). The group with the 2 rit bosses can be a challenge, BHA daze plus minions ftw!

The Eternal Grove
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Master of Whispers (MM), Zhed Shadowhoof (earth), Danika, Lukas, Cynn, Redemptor Karl

Lots of bosses here. For the most part, the only difficulty I had involved agro-ing 2 groups of wardens at once, Jayne Forestlight's group, and Tembarr Treefall's group. After some trial and error, I found that you can pull the groups away from thier bosses (at least I could), which helped slightly.

Mourning Veil Falls
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Master of Whispers (MM), Acolyte Sousuke (Dbl att), Danika, Lukas, Cynn, Redemptor Karl

I left from Durheim Archives, which allowed me to tackle the relatively smaller and easier Mantid groups and build up a minion base. Once you get to the wardens, get those Warden of Earths dispatched asap. Try to draw out their Churning Earth away from your party and run after it is cast.

Morostav Trail
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Zhed Shadowhoof (Earth), Acolyte Sousuke (Earth), Lukas, Cynn, Redemptor Karl, Danika.

The hardest part of this zone are Sunreach's group and the Necro boss right near him. The groups are large and will contain 1 or 2 earth elementalists, rit healers, mesmers. The combination can be deadly to a grouped up party. Focus fire on a target and keep pluging away. Lure the ele boss away from where he stands. There are 6 rit healers that pop-up in a circle around him that make fighting him difficult. If you can pull him and kill him with-out the pop-ups, stay clear of the middle of the lagoon and you won't have to deal with them at all. If you start from Vashburg Armory, you will be able to save some fighting as the spawn/patrols will cause groups to fight each other.

Boreas Seabed
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SF2), Zhed Shadowhoof (SF2), Master of Whispers (MM), Dunkoro (Heal).

This team screamed through the seabed. 200+ foes in about 50 minutes.

Mount Qinkai
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SF), Master of Whispers (MM), Argo, Seaguard Eli, Seaguard Gita, Sister Tai.

Nothing to report.

Maishang Hills
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SF), Master of Whispers (MM), Argo, Seaguard Eli, Seaguard Gita, Sister Tai.

Nothing to report.

Archipelagos
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SF), Master of Whispers (MM), Argo, Seaguard Eli, Seaguard Gita, Sister Tai.

Started from Jade Quarry, and worked my way around the perimeter counter-clockwise, Saving the dragons for the last battle. Be careful of agro as it is easy to pick up 3 groups of fish at once.

Gyala Hatchery
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SF), Master of Whispers (MM), Argo, Seaguard Eli, Seaguard Gita, Sister Tai.

The western stretch of this area contain both outcasts and leviathans. If they come into contact with one another, they will fight, saving some hassle. Pulling the rot wallows away from the Rit Island Guardian is a good idea too.

Unwaking Waters
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SF), Master of Whispers (MM), Argo, Talon SIlverwing, Danika, Sister Tai.

Short area, but the confined areas with large patrol patterns and Outcast pop-ups can cause potential problems. Slow and easy is the key here.

Saltspray Beach
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SF), Master of Whispers (MM), Argo, Seaguard Gita, Sister Tai.

More of the same in the Jade Sea. The enemy of your enemy is your friend. The Elementalist Outcast boss patrols a wide circle. If you can get in range to start his patrol, his team will wipe out quite a bit of foes. Also elsewhere, there are tons of foes at odd with one another.

Rhea's Crater
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SF), Master of Whispers (MM), Zhed Shadowhoof (SF), Seaguard Gita, Sister Tai.

Some of this battles can get hairy in a hurry due to the large patrol patterns. Watch agro, pull everything to a safe spot, and be careful of Oni pop-ups. Facing 11 Oni at once, isn't much fun, methinks.


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Elona

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The Shattered Ravines
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (Fire), Olias (SS), Cynn, Devona, Mhenlo, Kihm.

Straight forward area. Junundu Wurms ftw. A few areas that won't let you take advantage of the wurms, but nothing found there but some insects.

Crystal Overlook
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (Fire), Olias (SS), Cynn, Devona, Mhenlo, Kihm.

The only challenges here are djinn spawns with 3 Searing Flames elementalists. If you are prepared to handle that, and 3 Sandstorm Crags at a time, the area isn't too bad. There are one or two large groups of Awakened that you must battle outside of wurms.

The Sulfurous Wastes
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (Fire), Olias (SS), Cynn, Devona, Mhenlo, Kihm.

This area is relatively easy aside from one spot. You are in a wurm 95% of the time, and this makes things easier to deal with, however, keep a close eye on DP, as it is easy to die in a wurm and not realize it. The toughest part of this area is the rocky terrain area where Bohdabi the Destructive resides. The group he spawns with is particularly large and nasty, if possible, try and pull them to the sandy area and ambush them with wurms. There is an area that is only reachable in the northwest after you use Junundu Smash on a pillar to make a bridge. Let the Margonites on the hill hit you to build up your adrenaline, then use the smash just below the column.

Poisoned Outcrops
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Master of Whispers (MM), Olias (SS), Cynn, Devona, Mhenlo, Kihm

This was an extremely challenging Desolation area, as there are no wurms to hide in and the Awakened groups can be large and nasty. Also, the patrol patterns overlap, sometimes 3 groups at the same location, so careful pulling is key. I had tried multiple times to find the right team set up. Initially I thought than an MM would be of no use here since the place is crawling with undead (Awakened). However, the Awakened leave corpses, and the MM was the only way to defeat the large groups of Awakened found there. I recommend bringing Frozen Soil, as the Cavaliers and Acolytes have a nasty habit of resurrecting allies. I came across one group with 4 Cavaliers, and 2 Acolytes.

The Ruptured Heart
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Master of Whispers (MM), Olias (SS), Cynn, Devona, Mhenlo, Kihm

Being another area where you will face many Awakened sans-wurm, I brought Frozen Soil on this area as well. Overall not too difficult an area, be prepared to fight multiple Searing Flame djinns, and Sandstorm elementalists. An MM is helpful in the interior area to take down the Awakened groups you must fight without wurms.

The Alkali Pan
Teammates: Tahlkora (Prot), Master of Whispers (MM), Olias (SS), Cynn, Devona, Mhenlo, Kihm

Most of the difficult groups in this area can be taken down by wurms. I recommend attacking Churkeh the Defiant's group from the south, as both he and his cronies are likely to raise one another during battle. Coming from the south gives you the Junundu advantage. The only boss group that you can't really fight with wurms is Shelkeh the Hungry. I tried to pull his group over the rocky terrain, but they kept falling back just before reaching the northern sand. I was able to lure the acolytes away from the pack and then take the rest down.

Joko's Domain
Teammates: Talkora (Prot), Acolyte Sousuke (SF), Zhed Shadowhoof (SF), Herta, Devona, Mhenlo, Kihm

This was my last area for the title, and by far the hardest area I had to vanquish. After multiple failed attempts, I found that my problem areas were the Awakened groups with the Earth Ele and Paragon bosses. I decided the best way to ensure success was to take those out before any sizable DP amounted. After trial and error, I figured I could pull the Paragon group to the wurms just to the south. After that I headed directly (killing everything along the way) to the Earth Ele boss. It took some time to get them down, as they had 3 dervishes and 2 monks in the group (along with about 4-5 other NPCs other than the boss. After successfully dispatching the Acolytes, I whittled the group away. I'd say that getting those two bosses down took maybe 35 minutes. I then went about vanquishing the rest of the area. I saved the are to the southwest for last. Bad idea. There are no wurms to hid in, and the Awakened groups are hard to take down without an MM. I decided against an MM here because I didn't seem to keep minions very long, and the party slot was essentially wasted. After many many rebirths, I was able to clear the area... 4 hours later. There are probably better approaches, but once I had taken out my 'hard spots' I refused to give up. The last 2 hours of the mission was spent at 60 DP. I left my Prot monk flagged way back, and just had her cast Aegis, then Rebirth if things went wrong. Another note, the elemental groups here are larger than the rest of the desolation. They are normally 5 deep (2-3 Sandstorm Eles with 2-3 Melee Warriors), and they cause some substantial DP. My suggestions: be prepared to handle the large Awakened groups, and bring Candy Canes... I had none. Also, it is helpful to bring gold, as you can potentially use the shrines (if you have favor, make sure you aren't in International Dist) to remove DP. I had none except for what I made while there. My absolute best advise... don't do this one with heroes and henchmen, find some people to go with, and shave a few hours off the time and frustration.
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Hero Builds
Note: Not all of these builds are my creation. If your build is listed here, thank you, I found it useful at some point or another.


 * Considering Vanquishing with only heroes? Try Sabway. My Vanquishing was done pre GW:EN, but I've found it very useful, as have many many others.


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 * Searing Flames (SF1)


 * Searing Flames (SF2)


 * Double Attunement Fire


 * Savannah Heat


 * Earth (EE1)


 * Earth (EE2)


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 * Protection Monk


 * Healing Monk


 * Hybrid Monk


 * Spirit Lord


 * Minion Master


 * Curses


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 * ToF Tank


 * Star Burst Warrior


 * Virulence Warrior


 * Ineptitude Mesmer (ME1)


 * Interrupt Mesmer (ME2)


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