User : Kyou/challenge/universal team builds

Equipment: Again, using any caster weapon sets are beneficial, but not necessary unless the primary profession does not have a high enough energy pool.

Aura of Faith gives a similar effect (bonus healing) as the traditional Healer's Boon or Unyeilding Aura, but without the required divine favor. Additional benefit of reducing damage. Using gift of health and signet of rejuvenation together probably wasn't a good idea, but it kindof works. The heroes mostly spam gift of health, which puts signet of rejuvenaiton on a recharge. If this isn't working for you, try switching gift of health for dwayna's kiss (keeping the signet will help with energy management).

Mesmer Version[edit]

2x Healers

1x Panic

1x Ineptitude

1x Tease

1x Energy Surge

1x optional

Usage: Call priority targets if you want, but it seemed to work better for me to let the mesmers pick their own targets. Nearly all of the mesmers here have an area of effect so letting them find their own targets means the AoEs are spread out in the enemy group (at least in my experience). It may seem like an unreasonable amount of interupts but it makes sure the enemies have as little chance of doing anything as possible - is also a great setup for spamming the Wastrel spells.

Panic domination

any / Mesmer
Domination	12
Inspiration	12

Panic

This is the most important of the four mesmers to have. Panic creates a persistant interupt effect that only gets more impressive the more enemies are balled together. Wastrel's demise is for the off times where there's no need to cast an active interupt.

Ineptitude illusion

any / Mesmer
Illusion	12
Inspiration	12

Once you have a Panic mesmer in the team Ineptitude becomes the next best skill. While only about half the enemies are spellcasters, they all autoattack which triggers Ineptitude. The blinding is just a minor annoyance to casters but the interupt and the damage effects are universal. Even if you're running with a team that uses energy denial the autoattacking means this illusion build can always be triggered.

Tease domination

any / Mesmer
Domination	12
Inspiration	12

Tease

Tease targets one foe but interupts others in the area. The side benefit is this also works as energy management at a minimum gaining back its casting cost each use.

Enegy Surge domination

any / Mesmer
Domination	12
Inspiration	12

When most of the interupting tasks are handled Energy Surge comes in for pure damage. The two second casting time is a but annoying without the fstcasting attribute to speed it up, but the damage it puts out in AoE makes it tolerable (and it doesn't need the enemies doing anything to trigger it).

Paragon Version[edit]

1x Order of the Vampire

1x Commandagon v1

1x Commandagon v2

1x Commandagon v3

2x Healer motigons

1x optional

Usage: Some areas of the game are just not caster friendly. This team is more defensive than the mesmers by virtue of the overlaping shouts. Paragons are rather pathetic individually, but in groups like this the trigger-on-shout effects start flying like crazy. The order of the vampire caster helps both with a somewhat passive healing and damage boost for physical attackers.

The armor boost is almost always active and the paragons have a few interupts to keep the team safe. Anthem of weakness also improves survivability. Go for the eyes raises the critical hits - it's not much, but it also doubles as a shout trigger.

Order of the Vampire

any / Necromancer
Blood Magic	12
Curses	12

Barbs

Order of the Vampire both heals your team as they attack and gives bonus damage. To counter the health sacrifice the necro also has blood bond (the hero will probably be attacking the same foe targeted with the hex) and insidious parasite (all foes autoattack). Blood renewal is mostly to help with energy management of non-caster heroes (warriors and paragon who aren't using leadership). Signet of lost souls isn't nearly as impressive without soul reaping, but still gives back energy for free on apretty fast recharge.

Commandagon 1

any / Paragon
Spear Mastery	12
Command	12

Recomended to use a command shield. A spear is required, but upgrades are optional.

Stunning strike is used to limit enemy spellcasters, and disrupting throw does the same for any foe type. "Go for the eyes" adds a slight bit of damage to the team from critical hits but is mostly to trigger refrains. "Stand your ground" and bladeturn refrain add a surprising amount of durability, even to a squishy hero with only level 60 armor.

Commandagon 2

any / Paragon
Spear Mastery	12
Command	12

Same recommended command shield. Same required spear.

Added anthem of disruption to stagger the interupt attacks better. Anthem of weariness reduces attribute ranks of the enemies making their damage less. "Stand your ground" is meant to be cast while the same one on the first commandagon is recharging (the heroes won't cast this one until the other runs out).

Commandagon 3

any / Paragon
Spear Mastery	12
Command	12

Same recommended command shield. Same required spear.

Vicious attack deals nice extra damage and makes use of "go for the eyes" as something beyond a refrain trigger. "Never give up" and "never surrender" are for an emergency boost when the team is getting too roughed-up. The health regeneration helps a little to relieve pressure and the energy gain should give enough to case off some protection skills.

Healer Motigon

any / Paragon
Spear Mastery	12
Motivation	12

Disrupting Throw

Song of Restoration

Ballad of Restoration

Chorus of Restoration

Finale of Restoration

Zealous Anthem

Leader's Zeal

Signet of Synergy

The points in spear mastery are just for using up points. If you wanted to these healer could go with no-requirement starter spears. Please note however that SOME level of spear is required to use disrupting throw.

Since the commandagons are already boosting the team defense these motigons can do pure healing. All four "...of restoration" skills allow for healing from different triggers making for a fairly constant team heal. Signet of synergy allows for a targeted heal (unfortunetly it will almost never heal the caster because of being enchanted with Order of the Vampire).

A Time For Heroes Version[edit]

player bar

Bonder 1

Bonder 2

Bonder 3

Bonder 4

Usage: This team is only really effective for the A Time For Heroes mission at the end of Eye of the North. Battling the Great Destroyer is very frustrating with a balanced team. As players have found out, bonding a single attacker turns this mission from nearly impossible to a walk in the park.

Disable the first 4 skills on all the heroes, but let them cast the last 4 whenever (these are their healing and energy managements). Cast the bonds in the following order: all of the skills in slot 1 of all the heroes, all of the skills in slot 2 of all the heroes ... etc. By the time the last hero has started casting their first skill, the first hero will have finished his and be ready to cast his second skill.

Once all the bonds are active, flag the heroes just before the last shadow at the edge of the lava (so you can just barely target the Great Destroyer as a foe). Recast your defensive skills just before they are about to expire, and save brawling headbut to interupt the lava wave skill.

Player bar

any / Dervish
Wind Prayers	12
Scythe Mastery	10
Earth Prayers	8

A scythe is required, upgrades are optional. Using superior runes to lower your health is an option but not completely necessary.

Spam the damage skils at will but save brawling headbut as an interupt for lava wave; it takes MUCH longer to will the great destroyer if you let him heal.

Bonder v1

any / Monk
Smiting Prayers	12
Protection Prayers	12
Healing Prayers	3

Succor

Bonder v2

any / Monk
Smiting Prayers	12
Protection Prayers	12
Healing Prayers	3

Bonder v3

any / Monk
Healing Prayers	12
Protection Prayers	12

Mending

Bonder v4

any / Monk
Healing Prayers	12
Protection Prayers	12

Blank