Assassins all but rule farming; this is a build for the rest of us. Anybody with Prophecies, Nightfall and EotN (Warriors and Paragons notwithstanding) can now solo-farm Ecto in the Tomb of the Primeval Kings in Normal Mode by killing the 3 Dreamriders!
Attributes and Skills
<pvxbig> [build prof=any/Me name="Any/Me UT Ecto Farmer" dom=12]["By Ural's Hammer!"][Wastrel's Demise][Wastrel's Worry][Cry of Pain][Optional][Optional][Optional]["You are all Weaklings!"][/build] </pvxbig>
- Optional skills:
- Healing skills that cast 1/4-1/2 and are not Enchantments
- Stances that will allow you to block incoming attacks in case they cut the corner and head towards you
- Shouts ("Finish him!" can make the run faster)
Equipment
- Armor: Any max armor and insignias will do, though ~40 Energy is recommended.
- Weapons:
- 40/40 Domination Set or Caster weapon ( Totem Axe ) and a Domination offhand
Usage
- A few pictures that will help you identify where to stand more easily via landmarks are listed in the "External links" section
- Upon entering the zone, move down the stairs and to the right, avoiding all aggro. Even though some spawns make it possible to pull the Dreamriders, you shouldn't for risk of aggro from the Scythes and Gouls that patrol the bridge.
- Let the Dreamriders move to the far side of their platform. They will then come towards you to the halfway point and go back to the far side of the platform before coming all the way to the near side.
- Though some spawns make it trickier than others, aggro the Dreamriders WITHOUT pulling the Driders. One will likely cast Empathy on you and they will begin running around the bridges to get to you. Try to target the Dreamrider that casts Empathy on you if you do not auto-target him from the cast.
- As they are coming around, position yourself in the Red Grass. They will clump on the bridge and begin auto-attacking you but will be obstructed by the bridge. Be careful not to aggro the patrol of Scythes and Gouls when moving back here. Some spawns they are a little behind the power curve and you have to stand back slightly from the Red Grass or even in the Blue Grass to avoid unwanted adds. Once the patrol moves you can step up into the Red Grass. Once you get in the Red Grass and the Dreamriders come around do not move unless it is to avoid the patrol, at which point you should retreat to behind the Blue Grass and return to the Red Grass once the patrol moves out of the way again.
- As soon as they clump and the patrol is out of the way, use
and 
simultaneously on the targeted Dreamrider. - Let it DoT once, then cast
. - Let another DoT occur, then cast .
- Continue recasting and with about a 1 second pause in between to lessen the chance of being interrupted (usually another cast of each and a to finish the job). You may also recast if you have the energy and it cools down.
- Use if they cut the corner and begin hitting you with their auto-attack.
Counters
- Unwanted adds
- Massive AI hack-interrupts
- Pulling Scythes and Gouls or Dryders
Notes
- A good, clean run should take between 1:15 and 1:25 from the time you hit the load screen of Tombs until you pull and kill the Dreamriders, pick up your drops, resign and run back into the zone again. This takes practice and familiarity with the build, but the kill speed is about on par with the Assassins I've watched farming the Tombs. In some random timings I did, it took most Assassins 2:15-3:00 from the time I watched them enter to the time they returned and reentered. Considering they're killing 6 MOBs and not just 3, 2 runs of this build takes about the same time.
- So far I've only tested this build on my Necromancer with a 0 Soul Reaping to get an idea of how it would go for other casters. I've had no problems completing the run multiple times with 40 energy. I even took my weapon to lower my energy to 30 in an attempt to simulate a Ranger's energy regeneration presuming they were holding energy-boosting weapons and had little trouble.
External links
- Pictures:
- Red and Blue Grass shown from the stairs leading down from the start point
- Red and Blue Grass shown from the side of the stairs (an angle similar to the view you'll have when moving to them after pulling the Dreamriders)
- Red and Blue Grass with the player standing in the Red Grass
- Red and Blue Grass with the player standing behind the Blue Grass
- Videos:
- Super low quality video of 7 consecutive runs (I will post it again in the future with better quality)