test content
Logo
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc
Alt to Hallowed Ground?
sharonious
Member Posts: 38 Arc User
I usually preferentially lay down Hallowed Ground when my daily comes up, for its all-around awesomeness. But recently when doing DK runs, our tank (GWF - Sentry spec) requested that I not, because increasing damage resistance messed up some of his skills(feats?). So I switched to Anointed Army instead and made sure not to tag him with that or Astral Shield. I've been running with this group for a few weeks, and this is the first time he'd made that request. Not sure if he was refraining before because I was new to 60, or it's a mechanic that's only critical in speed runs (and a group with 2 good CWs). I'll ask him about it.
ANYWAY, the question to my fellow clerics is: when do you find it better to NOT used Hallowed Ground? Specific dungeons/party compositions/run types? What do you like to swap in instead?
The only other times I've really avoided Hallowed Ground is in Spellplague Caverns when I'm not kiting, and PvP because I usually get targeted immediately after cast. Since it goes down when I die it's more useful to throw a damage daily instead for PvP.
(I just respec'd this morning from AC to DO so thoughts on Prophecy of Doom, which I've never used before, are also appreciated!:D)
ANYWAY, the question to my fellow clerics is: when do you find it better to NOT used Hallowed Ground? Specific dungeons/party compositions/run types? What do you like to swap in instead?
The only other times I've really avoided Hallowed Ground is in Spellplague Caverns when I'm not kiting, and PvP because I usually get targeted immediately after cast. Since it goes down when I die it's more useful to throw a damage daily instead for PvP.
(I just respec'd this morning from AC to DO so thoughts on Prophecy of Doom, which I've never used before, are also appreciated!:D)
Post edited by sharonious on
0
Comments
What you MIGHT be doing is boosting everyone's damage by so much that all the monsters die before he can build up much unstoppable, which is just fine for party speed, really.
EDIT: honestly, HG is the best daily by a country mile. The best. Gigantic AoE, boosts damage and mitigation by a gigantic amount, and if you're feated into it, also provides a HoT that team members have to be incredibly 'special' to not benefit from.
A case could be made for divine armour if everyone is about to die, but in high end parties you're probably still better off with HG, since people will just die, pop their soulforged, and then benefit from the boost to damage to lifesteal their way back to full health via murdering.
Also, just ignore the GWF. He just has to be taking damage for his feats, annointed army would almost be worse because it gives immunity. According to one of my GWF friends: "never make me immune, because I need to take damage," therefore hallowed is fine.
A tip when using hallowed. Cast it when you aren't near melee adds and aren't low or else it will be wasted.
When you do cast it, cast a yellow AS too b/c by the time the hallowed is gone your AS cd will be over too so you can just cast it again. It'll also reduce the initial damage you take. During AS cast as many of your encounters as you can for AP gain like the yellow AS and whatever your third encounter is (I use FF). You can build half your AP before your current hallowed is gone so all you have to do is cast another AS and you'll basically have another hallowed up soon.
When not to use HG:
1. In PvE, when soloing, unless you have an extended fight Flamestrike can do more burst damage and may be a better choice since generally you want to kill faster and take less damage.
2. Use DA or AA when the team needs a clutch right now and survival is more important than damage. Back in the days when we were all 10-12k I would use/alternate DA and HG for ToS boss until the party gets to a steady rotation and is good at following her teleports. Still use it sometimes at Dracolich or similar when the team has a minor charlie foxtrot. But moderate it with morsitan's counterpoint.
3. In skirmishes if you're massively overgeared than the party (and you know if you're top DPSing) Flamestrike/Hammer can help do more damage.
I think you'll get the most mileage out of PoD at a higher GS. If you or your team GS is <14K the extra debuff is not as effective as say more healing or utility. PoD is great in single target boss fights like Fardelvers Crypt, Dwarf King (and Valindra, if the group can handle it). If you run AS, PoD and DG it's enough ammunition to help speed up the farming runs a bit (also try to coordinate lantern use). Anticipate when the team is about to pop their dailys and stack all your debuffs in time including HG. Usually the order would be HG, then PoD on boss, Astral Seal, then as everyone gathers around the boss (CWs usually teleport in at end of their rotation for sudden storm/steal time) cover them with a divine DG then drop AS. This is usually just after a phase transition.
For the rest of the dungeons it really depends on how healing independent the team is. PoD has among the slowest casting animation and longest cooldown of all DC skills and for max return requires precise targeting spatially and temporally hence it's very annoying to use. Your divinity gain will noticeably suffer using PoD, as will your AP gain depending on whether you want to debuff strong targets or leech AP off lots of weak ones. However in a strong group it's a lot of fun and makes your GWFs feel twice as manly.
Guild and guide info
Module 4 Comprehensive DC guide |Module 4 MoF CW Handbook |New! Scourge Warlock Guide| NW Numbers and Mechanics guide |Crit, Power and DPS guide | Dungeon Delving guide and more
If I get the melees to help counter that, I will continue to drop it (Ill try it twice) If no support, I just go to flame strike or nerf hammer. Not great dailies, but sometimes can catch others unaware.
Sounds strange to me. You'd think he'd welcome the flat damage boost from HG regardless of what he imagines it's doing otherwise.
Contagion - Cleric
Testament - Wizard
Pestilence - Ranger
Dominion - Paladin
NIGHTSWATCH
I use Anointed Army with both my Tiefling and Dwarf as it damages the enemy, buffs the team and (with Ancient Warding) heals and replaces Action Points when it wears off. My At Wills are Altar of Battle and Sacred Flame and Encounters Exaltation, Break the Spirit/Astral Shield and Sunburst with the Tiefling and Daunting Light instead of Break the Spirit/Astral Shield for the Dwarf.
My Tiefling has so many Feats for bonus healing and temp hp, she does poor damage but can use Break the Spirit for most of a dungeon and switch to Astral Shield for Boss fights.
But with my Dwarf, who is more battle-orientated, I found recently that in PvP we were far more successful using Chains of Blazing Light, Daunting Light (with Nimbus of Light) and Break the Spirit, with Anointed Army or Flamestrike (rather than Divine Armour).
The Healing in PvP isn't worth squat and with a well-matched enemy I can kill a Wizard, Thief or Rogue Q, E, R without even using Divinity or a Daily. Astral Shield showers the party with temp hp, anyway. Not that there is much party play in PvP.
If we are hopelessly outmatched in PvP, there is absolutely nothing anyone can do, and even my over-specced Healing/Buffing/High Recovery Tielfing cannot keep anyone alive as she cannot defend herself and gets stunned for 3 seconds and is then dead as soon as she takes a few steps. They all seem to target her for some reason.
As for the GWF, stuff him. I have found no bigger liability in Dungeons than a GWF who thinks he's immortal and the rest of us are only there just to bask in the glory of his awesomeness as he sprints ahead like it's a race, gets into trouble, then runs back, dragging all the threat in the dungeon with him. Then constantly tanks the boss and NEVER, EVER, runs out of the Red Zone as if he thinks hes a Guardian.
I quit a delve recently (the GF had already given up) because this tool with a juvenile and offensive name that would get me banned if I repeated it here, was doing just that. Very pleasingly, the next day I did the Spider one and the GWF ran around killing the summons while the rest of us tanked the Final Boss - he kept us alive far better than I could have done if he had targeted the Boss instead.
Best GWF I had ever seen. Knew what Sprint was for.
~
So you changed from AC to DO? Good, Prophecy of Doom is a great debuff plus Divine Glow, try to keep them both on the boss as much as possible, mostly in divine mode. During DK runs, most people doesn't even need Astral Shield so there's no need to waste 1 pip of divine power using it, you can slot Divine Fortune (class feature) and spam Healing Word for extra divinity allowing you to debuff continuously. In good DK groups, you are there as buff/debuffer not as healer, wear high prophet set + plaguefire enchant and see how the boss is melted down.
I've DC'd a lot of dungeons, with a lot of GWFs, and I've never had one complain about not being able to use unstoppable because of all the astrals and HGs. If anything they seem to love them since it means they can just stand in red and spam attacks + unstop without any risk of actually dying.