Talk:Spirit Bond

Possible Bug

Has anyone else encountered the bug where renewing Spirit Bond prior to the time-out/count-out limit does not renew the 10 hit counter? I ask because I tend to find this in effect almost every time I use this skill. This also seems to be at odds with the effects of other hit/usage enchantments such as Healer's Boon and Sharpen Daggers. --Indecision 04:02, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Spirit Bond stacks with Protective Spirit, in that; if Protective Spirit locks damage intake at below -60, Spirit bond is still triggered if target ally 'would' have taken more than 60 damage. --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:71.132.216.8 .

This is not really a bug. It just does not renew. This was since the change of Spirit Bond poke | talk 22:40, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

I just guess it seems odd that only this skill seems to have this effect when all others with the counter limit don't. I know the effect came into play after the changes to Spirit Bond, and I also know that it isn't consistently applied. Often times when renewed during the flashing countdown the counter will renew even though if renewed prior to this it does not. My main query is about whether or not a note about the skill's behaviour should be added to List of skill anomalies. Also, whether this should be tagged as a bug to help Arenanet determine whether the effect is intended or not. --Indecision 07:05, 17 June 2007 (UTC)

I have noticed this the first time I started using it with my 330hp Vengeful Spirit Bonding farming build. I do think it is a bug, and should be fixed. The 10 hits does not reset at all, and can lead to using up energy for no reason. And it makes the skill really uneffective to use it like it should. Having 10 energy, 1/4 casting, and 10 hits rule is enough to enough of a buff in the first place. But having a bug in the spell makes it kind of complicated to use. I think it should be fixed. Leave everything alone, and fix the bug that doesn't allow you to renew the enchamtment, while the 10 hits rule is in affect. Any enchantment is meant to reset no matter what, when its renewed. <ReZDoGG

I observed the same thing, which at times means that if you recast the spell at the wrong time it will not even last one second but only for that one attack that brings the counter up to 10. Certainly a bug in my eyes. Xelonir 21:20, 8 August 2007 (UTC)

This is reported as fixed in the 24-Apr-2008 build - can someone test so we can remove the bug notice? --Falseprophet 20:44, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

== I tried using it in the test area in balthazar temple, after 3 hits of the hammer dude wich counted 34+12+45(91) damage the skill didnt healed, and continued till i died, i challenge other people to try this i guess the 60dmg counter for the limit of 10 hits is not working, but it works in other people, the skill doesnt say 'target other ally' but the 60 dmg counter only works in others not on self. --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:193.137.97.145 (talk).

Works 100% fine for me 100% of the time. Drogo Boffin 13:56, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

He just hasn't understood the skill description. Each individual hit has to be above 60 damage to trigger the healing, not the addition of hits over the 8 second period. Misery 14:15, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

How It exactly works

Ok can someone explain how this works exactly. Is it a total counter, that once the damage from multiple attacks go over the required amount, then it starts healing? Like 20, 30, 50 (starts healing) then heals onwards? Or does it require each single attack to be over 60? Ajc2123

read the second note. —ZerphaThe Improver 11:49, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

That last part

Ends after 10 attacks or spells <-- Over 60 damage? or just 10 random spells/attacks?--The Gates Assassin 00:37, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

Good question, i'll see if i can find out. Lt Death 19:43, 29 July 2008 (UTC)

10 random attacks/spells97.101.122.64 18:59, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

stupid question

what is the difference between this and pvp ver., i can't figure it out lol216.84.141.17 20:31, 4 October 2008 (UTC)

Not a stupid question. the recharge. PvE = 2s. PvP = 5s. --JonTheMon 21:29, 4 October 2008 (UTC)

bug?

this is my first edit,so apologies if i mess up the page. spirit bond's healing isn't affected by unyielding aura (i mimic unyielding aura from a hero, but only get the heal listed in the spirit bond skill description, even though i have 13 df) very disappointing :-( (Rampantarmadillo 10:01, 18 October 2008 (UTC))

I'm pretty sure that unyielding aura is only direct healing aka Target ally is healed for 170 health not if target ally takes damage, that damage is negated and is healed for that amount.--The Gates Assassin 11:09, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

makes sense i suppose.. still disappointing tho (Rampantarmadillo 11:22, 18 October 2008 (UTC))

Touch Skills and Life Stealing

Will this work against touch skills such as Iron Palm and Palm Strike? I've noted that Shield of Absorption will not reduce Life Stealing damage from Touch Skills such as Vampiric Bite and I was just curious as to whether this skill will be rended useless in the same manner. --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:Shinomori (talk).

Touch skill =/= life stealing. Life steal will always cut through protection like Shield of Absorbtion and Protective Spirit. Some touch skills deal damage, some steal life. If it deals damage, it can trigger spirit bond (so Iron Palm and Palm Strike can trigger it if their damage is high enough). --JonTheMon 19:52, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

I know Touch skills are not the same as life stealing but I was just asking if skills that are formally called "Skills" in their descriptions would trigger spirit bond. Thanks for telling me. Shinomori 13:58, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

Any damage at all will trigger this. Losing health, sacrifice, and life stealing are not damage.--The Gates Assassin 15:10, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

Factions

what other spells can i use instead of spirit bond? I dont have Factions and i dont wanna buy it. PLz tell me.

Protective Spirit.--The Gates Assassin 02:38, 23 November 2008 (UTC)

The elite non-elite

I bet some people will hate what i'll say, but face the truth or not, i don't care, i just care about a reliable-but-fair game. Unlike the (in)famous Shadow Form and Ursan which got nerfed (!i agree! "i just care about a reliable-but-fair game"), there's no point that people can be invincible.

There's some other skills that are "overpowered", or buffed, or how you call it, this is one, and i'll explain from my point of view why. Spirit Bond is a skill that doesn't cost as much energy as it's "capacity" for the game, doesn't take enough time to be interrupted, unless people have a "crystal ball" and can see the future /joke, and specially, it only takes 2 seconds to recharge, this is ridiculous, specially when it's not an elite skill (yes, i said elite because exactly of all what i said in the previous lines. And why i say about SB and not other skills? -- Who said i only say about this one? I'm just saying what i think about a single skill that makes monks "invincible" as they are seeing even more, which means they are easy to see that their capacity is uber-riduculous.

What the hell, a monk doesn't even need to have the 600hp for this skill to works, needs a hero with the upkeep skill Vital Blessing, uses from the same hero also other upkeep skills to do damage and gain energy at the same time to keep SB alive. Bah whatever, i'm not going to make a book to explain all the reasons, they are in front of everyone who knows it, like i said, face the truth or not i don't care, all i care is: a monk with a hero can clear whole dungeons and get 15k from each people per run (around 1 hour each run), which means a monk without people to help gets 6x15k = 90k per hour, seriously what the...?? This is, excluding that they can (and) get items that can be sold for 200k+ (the cheapest really rare one). No more comments about SB.

People should be thinking, then make a freckin monk and GTFO --again: i just care about a reliable-but-fair game, if people think this is fair then they don't understand the meaning of "fair".

Other points that people should not forget: Shadow Form can't be nerfed again, and here's why: If they do it, then a lot of people will not buy Factions nor Eye of the North to farm with Assassins or with any build that uses SF (even if they nerf only the damage and not anything else in the skill it will be the same since they won't do sufficient damage), as well they don't waste money on any of those campaigns because none of them offers a really good "farm paradise", not with nerfed SF or any skill linked to it.

Anyway thanks for reading. Have a nice game and a nice day. --Inflame 13:32, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

The problem with whatever farm you're talking about isn't spirit bond, it's bad AI and bad monster skillsets. If every fifth monster in there had rend enchantments or gaze of contempt the build would suddenly not work anymore. Don't nerf something that doesn't need nerfing, fix the stupid design of whatever area you're talking about. -Auron 13:40, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

lol "whatever area", i guess that then they need to fix the whole game, since "Bonders" can farm anywhere *hint* + Spell Breaker, which is the Elite used. So how monsters rend enchants if Bonders use Spell Breaker? yeah right, ectos are also falling from the sky. --Inflame 13:58, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

I'm with Auron on this one. Complaining about a certain skill because it is uber, and wanting to getting it nerfed doesn't fix the root of this problem. People will find other farming builds to exploit the AI without the use of SB. Why? Because people rather spent 10 secs than 10 minutes for farming the same amount of money. The monsters need to get better instead of the player getting repeatedly bashed with nerfs of their farming builds.

About your comment concerning people not buying Factions or EotN because of SF getting nerfed...you really think so? You don't think people buy an expansion to actually play there? Buying an expansion for 1 skill only sounds kind of pathetic. Not buying an expansion because that particular skill was nerfed sounds even more pathetic. --Arduinna 14:32, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

More pathetic is an unbalanced game, and actually i have a Bonder and do the same (rarely), but i don't get tired of saying this: i just care about a reliable-but-fair game.

How you both can say it's a problem from foes when Bonders use Spell Breaker? It's kinda stupid no? The only skill that can remove SF, SpBr, Obsidian Flesh is a mesmer skill that is a signet (Signet of Disenchantment, there's probably other skills that remove enchants with AoE or the Well of the Profane. So if they put Necros using WoP and the signet everything will be completely unbalanced since no one can farm anymore, just because of one skill, l.o.l? Seems like people didn't get what i said, otherwise they wouldn't be saying what they said. I know my English is not very good, but i also know that isn't that bad too, so i guess people don't really read with attention, or i'm missing something (which is the most probably option). --Inflame 15:01, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

It's perfectly fair. You know why? No matter what campaign you have access to, you can create a PvE monk and cap Spell Breaker because it's a core skill. Now, yes I think the monster AI should be improved and (only in some cases) there skill sets should be updated with more potent enchantment removal. However, if all mobs ended up having a necro with Well of the Profane and a mesmers with Signet of Disenchantment, the mobs themselves would become imbalanced. People also buy campaigns to enjoy them....not for farming spots. If you do not like how much money 600 monks can make with a hero (I've made upwards of 500k and I fucking love it) then simply don't engage in the same activities. 71.255.239.182 21:23, 31 December 2008 (UTC)

fair in pve? who are you trying to be fair to? the monsters who keep dying? people who don't want to farm/run dungeons and therefore willingly make less platinum per hour? wtf? also, you said that people who disagree with you don't understand the meaning of fair. fair means without bias. as any two people who own the same games have access to the same skills and areas, there is nothing unfair about spirit bond. the word you seem to be looking for is balanced, meaning that there is a reasonable variety of viable ways to win. trying to balance pve is a joke; monsters always have the same skills so there will always be one build, or a very small set of builds, for each area which most efficiently takes advantage of their weaknesses.76.98.154.168 15:42, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

Extraordinarily Stupid Question

DISCLAIMER: I've never played Hard Mode or end-game dungeons, so I don't know what things are like down there. I imagine, though, that they're full of extremely hard-hitting mobs who swarm you in large numbers, and that one farms them in the same way one defeats the Doppleganger in Prophecies: by exploiting the weaknesses of the AI in some way.

All that being said, could someone explain how people are using this skill to make it so powerful?

In my experience (essentially limited to Normal Mode PvE missions and hunting for skills), two skills that are simply essential from a protection standpoint are: Protective Spirit, to make sure elementalists can't spike you to death; and spells that cause you to block, which mitigate tons of incoming melee and ranged attacks. With this in mind, I don't see where Spirit Bond fits into things. Consider the following:

1). Protective Spirit is almost always up, preventing me from taking more than 60 damage (of course, that might be because I was a little too liberal with +2 runes; I might have to try it now that I've decided to go with only +1 runes). It's the massive quantities of less-than-60 damage that kill me.

2). When I'm taking more than 60 damage, I'm usually taking it all at once, interspersed unpredictably throughout the fight -- out of nowhere a Deathly Swarm or Lightning Orb from a boss will hit me for 200 damage, and I'll die.

3). Enchantment removal, when present, screws me good and proper; I'd imagine it's common in the endgame and has to be gotten around with timing and covers.

Now, I'm probably doing something wrong (not using the right covers or the right sequence or even the right core spells), but it's hard to see how Spirit Bond would help me in any of the above situations.

Here's the trick:

1. Spirit bond triggers BEFORE protective spirit reduces damage. If you would have taken 60+ damage, it triggers.
2. You find a way to always take more than 60 damage. Usually by taking AL15 armor, or no armor at all, and by using Hard Mode. If there is still a lot of damage going under 60 (from my experience Terrorweb Dryders and Coldfire Nights rarely hit 30) you take Shield of Absorbtion. This also helps to prevent dying if there are a lot of monsters at once.
3. Don't farm places with enchantment removal. If you have to (Underworld or so), you take Spell Breaker and a smite monk who deals the damage. If neseccary, usually it is not because this makes stuff die fast, Arcane Echo+Blessed Aura+Spell Breaker and 16 Divine Favour makes it maintainable. But again, usually stuff dies before it is needed.

Hope this helps. Also, I have to say, you can sign your comments with ~~~~ so we know who says what. Makes something like this -> Dragnmn talk cont 08:35, 12 May 2009 (UTC)

In my opinion (and I'm sure there're others who agree), Protective Spirit is more useful in PvE and Spirit Bond is more useful in PvP. For areas in which enemies carry enchantment removal, use other methods to reduce damage... like defensive stances, shouts and chants, spirits and weapon spells. There's nothing absolute about Spirit Bond... nor Protective Spirit. Mediggo 08:52, 12 May 2009 (UTC)

I think generally speaking you're right on that. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Lets just say that while Protective Spirit is good against heavy low rate but constant damage, Spirit Bond is good against heavy high rate but not constant damage. By that I mean that against heavy damage in general, they're both decent. Where they differ is duration and effectiveness vs high damage high rate attacks. Protective Spirit is better for keeping someone covered for a long while (which in PvP is not useful as targets switch frequently) though if your target takes frequent high damage attacks will not perform as well (which in a PvP spike is fairly common). It makes Spirit Bond more anti-spike than general protection, and since most spikes are common in PvP, that makes Spirit Bond clearly a better choice. --80.16.169.162 14:52, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

Doesn't work with Unyielding Aura?

I was playing earlier today and I noticed that while unyielding aura is active, spirit bond doesnt gain an increase in healing. I'm pretty sure it should since its a monk skill and it says "healing" and not gain or something. can someone confirm this or tell me something i'm forgetting? thanks!

I almost positive this is because SB doesn't give a direct healing boost to the ally, only on a conditional trigger. As such, I think it makes sense not to affect the numbers. Just my op though. --Curin Derwin 06:00, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Could test that theory with similar reaction-heal skills, like Reversal of Fortune or Divine Intervention. Probably best to add a note concerning that (if this effect does work like you suggest) to the Unyielding Aura page as opposed to here. --[-Kyoshi-]::[-Talk-] 06:23, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

I believe they have to be cast in a certain order. is for Raine, etc. 22:14, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Yeah, I just tested it with Divine Intervention with UA, it doesn't add any healing bonus. Thanks guys for pointing that out! Pretty much kills my idea for a Prot monk with UA, although ~220 heal from mending touch(with two conditions) and ~150 heal from Dismiss Condition. (Just wait till you see a 500 heal from Mend Ailment when they have alot of conditions :P)

I'll add a note to the UA page unless it's been done already. Just a note, in the future, please sign your comments by adding four tildes (~) to the end of it. Helps us know who's who around here. --[-Kyoshi-]::[-Talk-] 22:40, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Oh, I was thinking of Aura of Faith - ignore me. is for Raine, etc. 23:01, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Plus Aura of Faith

So, one of the notes says that SB triggers if the damage would be over the threshold, but the most recently added note indicates otherwise. Which is right? --JonTheMon 21:37, 7 September 2011 (UTC)

Order of damage modifiers should answer that. — Raine Valen 17:03, 8 Sep 2011 (UTC)