Alphabet
31-07-2006, 21:22
Paragon City here, with a heads up to all you Paragon players and wanna-be's when the expansion or another test comes out!
Do NOT forget about Paragon's and their ability to be AMAZING healers.
I must emphasize amazing. It truely is that impression.
Anyway, we can't test this anymore for now, so you'll have to take my word(It's very good if you know me in game). Here's a build that looks like garbage at first glance, yet blows the healing competition away for some REALLY odd reason.
This build has been tested in RA(15 times I had 10 Wins in a row this weekend).
This build has been tested in TA(Best streak: 7).
This build has been tested in AB(Best streak: 6 AB's in a row. One was very close).
This build has been tested in HA(Went to HoH twice, once in a skip, one not in a skip).
I used this build over the weekend, with VERY small modifications as needed.
Build: Paragon/Warrior, "Paragon + Warrior = Monk"
Attribute Points:(As best to my memory)
Motivation: 16
Command: 9
Spear Mastery: 9
Leadership: 8
Tactics: 0 (This is very important)
Skills:
#1 - Signet of Synergy
#2 - Mending Refrain
#3 - Finale of Restoration
#4 - "Watch Yourself!"(If you're not part warrior, use Anthem of Purification, which removes 2 conditions for the next two skills used. I don't suggest it though, as Watch is great for healing).
#5 - Anthem of Flame
#6 - Ballad of Restoration
#7 - "Incoming!"(Elite)(Swapped with Stunning Strike for an offensive build)
#8 - Ressurection Signet(Optional, changes as needed depending on where you are fighting)(Swapped with Defensive Anthem for an offensive build)
Skills, and Why:
(I will only use the numbers I remember for my rank, and Summarize the skills in a nutshell.)
#1 - Signet of Synergy: 1 Second Cast, 10 Second recharge. Heals target other ally for 104, and if you are not under an enchantment, heals you for 104.
This is your only true form of targeted healing. Use this for allies that are the primary target, or need healing far from you, or just to heal yourself. Fit this in as needed, because it should be used when it's not cooling down.
#2 - Mending Refrain: 5 Energy, 1 Second Cast, 8 Second Recharge. Echo. Target Ally gets +4 HP Regen for 20 seconds. This re-applies when a shout or Chant ends.
If we talk bread and butter, this is your BREAD, and Anthem of Flame will be your BUTTER. Cast this on allies before battle(And during if they lose it), and follow up with chants and shouts(Anthem of Flame outside of battle). If your allies are always around you in battle, and even out of it, there is no reason it should wear off. Use Anthem of Flame to re-apply it, or "Incoming!" when on the run outside of battle.
#3 - Ballad of Restoration: 5 Energy, 1 Second Cast, 10 Second Recharge. For 37 Seconds, Target ally is healed 79 when a shout or chant ends on them.
Important skill for healing allies under fire, and yourself. Once battle starts, cast this skill on the person taking the most damage first, then get it around to all party members and refresh all the time on cooldown. The healing it provides is amazing, especially since you use 4 shouts that recharge fast(One very fast as an adrenal skill). This is important for healing the group well beyond what you would do without it.
#4 - "Watch Yourself!": 4 Adrenaline. All allies in Earshot gain +20 armor for 5 seconds.
The 20 armor is nice, but you want this because:
-It is easy to charge at 4 adrenaline
-It wears off in 5 seconds, forcing 79 Healing on those with Finale of Restoration.
-It's useful for your cause at 0 Tactics.
The point of "Watch Yourself!" is so that when it wears off, it triggers Finale of Restoration. The best part is, if you're properly attacking and/or under fire, you can use it every 5 seconds as soona s it wears off. The armor bonus also helps survival until it wears off. Do NOT use it again until the first one ends. This skill is important for keeping up healing in battle thanks to Finale of Restoration, and to also protect allies. This MUST stay at 0 tactics for best results.
Watch Yourself is ALSO your best way to get free energy. At 8 Leadership, you will gain 1 energy for yourself, and up to 3 others for a max of 4. Perfect for the RA and TA, and just in general. You NEED this to keep up with demanding energy costs.
#5 - Anthem of Flame: 5 Energy, 1 Second Cast, 10 Second Recharge. For 10 seconds, allies in earshot's next attack skill causes burning for 2 seconds.
If we talk bread and butter, this is your BUTTER, with Mending Refrain as your BREAD. With it's 10 second recharge, you can cast this to keep mending up for good. Each time you cast mending refrain on an ally before battle, cast Anthem of Flame to assure that it is refreshed when it wears off. One all members have Mending Refrain, keep casting this on all allies as soon as it wears off. Casting this with all allies around you nets 4 energy, resulting in a total cost of 1 energy.
Many uses for this skill:
-Cheap, easy and effective way to keep Mending Refrain up. Best way currently.
-Assists attack-skill allies in the fact that it adds burning for 2 seconds(28 more HP removed).
-When it ends, it will heal for 79 thanks to Finale of Restoration.
-If you use Stunning Strike as your elite, this will allow you to force Daze to be inflicted all the time.
In short, this helps on all fields. It sustains mending, assists the offense, and assists the defense(healing). It's cheap, effective, and has the shortest cooldown for it's energy cost(10 seconds. Most chants are 20 seconds).
#6 - Ballad Of Restoration: 10 Energy, 1 Second Casting Time, 20 Second Recharge. For 10 seconds, when an ally in earshot is it with an attack, that ally is healed for 94.
This is your group heal. If combined with Finale of Restoration, it will heal 94 + 79 = 173 hp, which is impressive and noticable, and buys time for Signet of Synergy and other shouts to expire(and heal Via Finale of Restoration). Try to not cast it out of battle as a chant to keep Mending Refrain up, unless Anthem of Flame misses an ally who wasn't in Earshot. When it ends, it will heal and refresh Mending Refrain, and with Ballad of Restoration, will heal more. This gives back 4 energy if all allies are alive and nearby, for a total cost of 6 energy. A must for group healing.
#7 - "Incoming!": 5 Energy, 20 Second Recharge. For 4 seconds, allies in earshot recieve 32% less damage.
The damage reduction is great if you can anticipate spikes(Ex: Elementalist shrine in AB). It's also great overall for all damage reduction except from touches/blood stealing/degen. It also only costs 1 net energy to cast if all allies are nearby.
However, since it expires in 4 seconds, it can heal via Ballad of Restoration VERY quickly, thus making the job of healing easier.
Also, you can shout this on the run to refresh Mending Refrain if you do not want to stop and cast Anthem of Flame.
#8 - Ressurection Signet: You all know what this does.
Your typical res signet in slot 8. Swap this out in ABs and HAs as needed. Some choices I tried include:
-"Never Surrender!": 5 Arrows of Regen at the level in the stats, equalling 100 HP gained after 10 seconds. Don't forget, when it ends, Finale of Restoration will heal.
-Bladeturn Refrain: 32 more armor to slashing, nice against the Dervs this weekend, and refreshes like Mending Refrain.
-Defensive Anthem: 8 Seconds of 50% chance to evade attacks. Great for defense, especially for self, since it ends on attack skill. Downfalls is that it's 15 energy to cast(11 after energy gain in leadership), and 25 Second recharge.
-Stunning Strike: Replacing Incoming with Stunning Strike, and Res Signet with Defensive Anthem, you get a build that can help on offense while still healing on defense. Daze that monk with Anthem of Flame + Stunning Strike, and have your team finish it(Or just poke it with the spear to keep him interrupted, while shouting with the gained adrenaline).
Objective: Your goal is to remain in the middle of your party members. Before battle, tell them that you are healing, and if they wish to survive, stay withing aggro circle range of you. You are actually an amazing healer if, and ONLY if your teammates are around you. This is a true leader's build.
4v4 Strategy(And general strategy overall): Before the battle even starts, you must begin to apply Mending Refrain on your allies and yourself. You should NEVER be NOT casting(You should always be casting something). Cast Mending Refrain on an ally, and follow up with Anthem of Flame. When all are buffed with Mending Refrain, keep using Anthem of Flame whenevr it's on cooldown, including battle.
Once combat begins, cast Finale of Restoration on the enemy's Target, and then use Signet of Synergy to heal lost HP. Then follow up with Ballad of Restoration and Incoming, use Anthem of Flame if it's up, and then start attack the closest target. Use Watch Yourself when you can to help heal. Whenever a shout's cooldown is up, use it if you're in battle.
Keep Casting Finale of Restoration on allies in battle, even if they are not under attack. Try to go down the line of allies in your party bar when you can(One will not have it for 3 seconds if times right, but that's ok. Usually only 3 of 4 are under attack in the 4v4).
Understand that the party should stay near you, but also move with the party. If someone moves too far away to get the shouts to refresh mending, manually cast it back on them.
You have 80 armor. Abuse it. Get in the enemy's face and cast/shout/chant all you want. You are hard to take down with Mending And Finale on your, and all your awesome shouts and chants.
If your allies stay near you, energy will never be a problem. Your chants cannot be stripped. You cannot be interrupted with Daze and spell interrupts. Migrane doesn't stop spell casting. Even if you get a Malaise/Wither, use Watch Yourself to generate enegry to cast spells, and to heal Via Finale of Restoration.
Pro's:
-Amazing protecting while allies remain in your aggro radius.
-Chants, shouts and echos cannot be stripped, and you have 80 armor AND a shield. Abuse that and heal in the face of the enemy.
-Healing output that rivals monks, and acts like an in-between hyrbid of healing and protection.
-Leadership assures that your energy stores will remain high enough to use all your shouts.
-Energy Denial doesn't stop you 100%. Watch Yourself is adrenaline based, and it easy to spam since it does not interrupt your spear's attack animation.
-Excellend Group healing and self healing.
-Combats Degen well thanks to Mending Refrain, and keeps minor damage healed away, allowing you to focus on main targets.
-Your spear can still assist allies in killing enemies.
-You can prevent spike damage with "Incoming!"
Con's:
-As Party members die, your effectiveness goes down. You can function alright at 3 members, but your energy will suffer. If you're down to two, you do very poor. Alone, you are dead. Period. You cannot survive without your team(Signet of Synergy heals you when cast on other allies).
-Unless you have Stunning Strike in the build, you can't kill enemies.
-You do not have Hex or Condition removal. However, your shouts and refrains counter them via raw healing and protection. It balances out, but extremely heavy AoE degen will take you out. Not common, but has happened.
-You need a party that stays near you. If people wander away too long, you will die trying to heal them and the group, and yourself.
-Adrenaline-Denial hurts this build more than E-Denial, as Watch Yourself is your way to generate free energy and healing, with defense to boot. If you can't get Adrenaline or are force to not attack, your abilities will suffer.
-Blackout and Diversion will take you out badly if your are not careful.
Overall: On a scale of 1 to 10, With 1 being Melted Garbage and 10 being amazing, I rate this on a personal 9. I have never had so much fun as a healer, and with so much armor and the ability to not have your chants and shouts stripped, you are ALWAYS healing. Keep in mind I play a monk as my primary class, so being able to heal without 1000 different ways to screw you up is amazing.
Remember, we are Paragons, the Guardian Angels of the Elonians. We protect and heal our allies while they are near us, and if they have faith, they will live. We are the leaders. If they stay near us and follow orders, Safety is Guaranteed. Don't let others tell you that you can't. I was completely knocked out of my chair when I found out the Paragon's potential as Main Healer, even in large groups.
Go now. Lead your allies in the future, and be the main healer. Support the monk in larger groups. Show them that it was foolish to leave the Paragon alone.
PS. Against the Dervishes all Weekend, I beat about 60%-65% of all teams using the D/Mo combo. Sure, they can damage... but I healed far faster than their damage.
Thank you for reading this. Mabye it shall inspire one of you for the future, and be your diamond in the rough.
Do NOT forget about Paragon's and their ability to be AMAZING healers.
I must emphasize amazing. It truely is that impression.
Anyway, we can't test this anymore for now, so you'll have to take my word(It's very good if you know me in game). Here's a build that looks like garbage at first glance, yet blows the healing competition away for some REALLY odd reason.
This build has been tested in RA(15 times I had 10 Wins in a row this weekend).
This build has been tested in TA(Best streak: 7).
This build has been tested in AB(Best streak: 6 AB's in a row. One was very close).
This build has been tested in HA(Went to HoH twice, once in a skip, one not in a skip).
I used this build over the weekend, with VERY small modifications as needed.
Build: Paragon/Warrior, "Paragon + Warrior = Monk"
Attribute Points:(As best to my memory)
Motivation: 16
Command: 9
Spear Mastery: 9
Leadership: 8
Tactics: 0 (This is very important)
Skills:
#1 - Signet of Synergy
#2 - Mending Refrain
#3 - Finale of Restoration
#4 - "Watch Yourself!"(If you're not part warrior, use Anthem of Purification, which removes 2 conditions for the next two skills used. I don't suggest it though, as Watch is great for healing).
#5 - Anthem of Flame
#6 - Ballad of Restoration
#7 - "Incoming!"(Elite)(Swapped with Stunning Strike for an offensive build)
#8 - Ressurection Signet(Optional, changes as needed depending on where you are fighting)(Swapped with Defensive Anthem for an offensive build)
Skills, and Why:
(I will only use the numbers I remember for my rank, and Summarize the skills in a nutshell.)
#1 - Signet of Synergy: 1 Second Cast, 10 Second recharge. Heals target other ally for 104, and if you are not under an enchantment, heals you for 104.
This is your only true form of targeted healing. Use this for allies that are the primary target, or need healing far from you, or just to heal yourself. Fit this in as needed, because it should be used when it's not cooling down.
#2 - Mending Refrain: 5 Energy, 1 Second Cast, 8 Second Recharge. Echo. Target Ally gets +4 HP Regen for 20 seconds. This re-applies when a shout or Chant ends.
If we talk bread and butter, this is your BREAD, and Anthem of Flame will be your BUTTER. Cast this on allies before battle(And during if they lose it), and follow up with chants and shouts(Anthem of Flame outside of battle). If your allies are always around you in battle, and even out of it, there is no reason it should wear off. Use Anthem of Flame to re-apply it, or "Incoming!" when on the run outside of battle.
#3 - Ballad of Restoration: 5 Energy, 1 Second Cast, 10 Second Recharge. For 37 Seconds, Target ally is healed 79 when a shout or chant ends on them.
Important skill for healing allies under fire, and yourself. Once battle starts, cast this skill on the person taking the most damage first, then get it around to all party members and refresh all the time on cooldown. The healing it provides is amazing, especially since you use 4 shouts that recharge fast(One very fast as an adrenal skill). This is important for healing the group well beyond what you would do without it.
#4 - "Watch Yourself!": 4 Adrenaline. All allies in Earshot gain +20 armor for 5 seconds.
The 20 armor is nice, but you want this because:
-It is easy to charge at 4 adrenaline
-It wears off in 5 seconds, forcing 79 Healing on those with Finale of Restoration.
-It's useful for your cause at 0 Tactics.
The point of "Watch Yourself!" is so that when it wears off, it triggers Finale of Restoration. The best part is, if you're properly attacking and/or under fire, you can use it every 5 seconds as soona s it wears off. The armor bonus also helps survival until it wears off. Do NOT use it again until the first one ends. This skill is important for keeping up healing in battle thanks to Finale of Restoration, and to also protect allies. This MUST stay at 0 tactics for best results.
Watch Yourself is ALSO your best way to get free energy. At 8 Leadership, you will gain 1 energy for yourself, and up to 3 others for a max of 4. Perfect for the RA and TA, and just in general. You NEED this to keep up with demanding energy costs.
#5 - Anthem of Flame: 5 Energy, 1 Second Cast, 10 Second Recharge. For 10 seconds, allies in earshot's next attack skill causes burning for 2 seconds.
If we talk bread and butter, this is your BUTTER, with Mending Refrain as your BREAD. With it's 10 second recharge, you can cast this to keep mending up for good. Each time you cast mending refrain on an ally before battle, cast Anthem of Flame to assure that it is refreshed when it wears off. One all members have Mending Refrain, keep casting this on all allies as soon as it wears off. Casting this with all allies around you nets 4 energy, resulting in a total cost of 1 energy.
Many uses for this skill:
-Cheap, easy and effective way to keep Mending Refrain up. Best way currently.
-Assists attack-skill allies in the fact that it adds burning for 2 seconds(28 more HP removed).
-When it ends, it will heal for 79 thanks to Finale of Restoration.
-If you use Stunning Strike as your elite, this will allow you to force Daze to be inflicted all the time.
In short, this helps on all fields. It sustains mending, assists the offense, and assists the defense(healing). It's cheap, effective, and has the shortest cooldown for it's energy cost(10 seconds. Most chants are 20 seconds).
#6 - Ballad Of Restoration: 10 Energy, 1 Second Casting Time, 20 Second Recharge. For 10 seconds, when an ally in earshot is it with an attack, that ally is healed for 94.
This is your group heal. If combined with Finale of Restoration, it will heal 94 + 79 = 173 hp, which is impressive and noticable, and buys time for Signet of Synergy and other shouts to expire(and heal Via Finale of Restoration). Try to not cast it out of battle as a chant to keep Mending Refrain up, unless Anthem of Flame misses an ally who wasn't in Earshot. When it ends, it will heal and refresh Mending Refrain, and with Ballad of Restoration, will heal more. This gives back 4 energy if all allies are alive and nearby, for a total cost of 6 energy. A must for group healing.
#7 - "Incoming!": 5 Energy, 20 Second Recharge. For 4 seconds, allies in earshot recieve 32% less damage.
The damage reduction is great if you can anticipate spikes(Ex: Elementalist shrine in AB). It's also great overall for all damage reduction except from touches/blood stealing/degen. It also only costs 1 net energy to cast if all allies are nearby.
However, since it expires in 4 seconds, it can heal via Ballad of Restoration VERY quickly, thus making the job of healing easier.
Also, you can shout this on the run to refresh Mending Refrain if you do not want to stop and cast Anthem of Flame.
#8 - Ressurection Signet: You all know what this does.
Your typical res signet in slot 8. Swap this out in ABs and HAs as needed. Some choices I tried include:
-"Never Surrender!": 5 Arrows of Regen at the level in the stats, equalling 100 HP gained after 10 seconds. Don't forget, when it ends, Finale of Restoration will heal.
-Bladeturn Refrain: 32 more armor to slashing, nice against the Dervs this weekend, and refreshes like Mending Refrain.
-Defensive Anthem: 8 Seconds of 50% chance to evade attacks. Great for defense, especially for self, since it ends on attack skill. Downfalls is that it's 15 energy to cast(11 after energy gain in leadership), and 25 Second recharge.
-Stunning Strike: Replacing Incoming with Stunning Strike, and Res Signet with Defensive Anthem, you get a build that can help on offense while still healing on defense. Daze that monk with Anthem of Flame + Stunning Strike, and have your team finish it(Or just poke it with the spear to keep him interrupted, while shouting with the gained adrenaline).
Objective: Your goal is to remain in the middle of your party members. Before battle, tell them that you are healing, and if they wish to survive, stay withing aggro circle range of you. You are actually an amazing healer if, and ONLY if your teammates are around you. This is a true leader's build.
4v4 Strategy(And general strategy overall): Before the battle even starts, you must begin to apply Mending Refrain on your allies and yourself. You should NEVER be NOT casting(You should always be casting something). Cast Mending Refrain on an ally, and follow up with Anthem of Flame. When all are buffed with Mending Refrain, keep using Anthem of Flame whenevr it's on cooldown, including battle.
Once combat begins, cast Finale of Restoration on the enemy's Target, and then use Signet of Synergy to heal lost HP. Then follow up with Ballad of Restoration and Incoming, use Anthem of Flame if it's up, and then start attack the closest target. Use Watch Yourself when you can to help heal. Whenever a shout's cooldown is up, use it if you're in battle.
Keep Casting Finale of Restoration on allies in battle, even if they are not under attack. Try to go down the line of allies in your party bar when you can(One will not have it for 3 seconds if times right, but that's ok. Usually only 3 of 4 are under attack in the 4v4).
Understand that the party should stay near you, but also move with the party. If someone moves too far away to get the shouts to refresh mending, manually cast it back on them.
You have 80 armor. Abuse it. Get in the enemy's face and cast/shout/chant all you want. You are hard to take down with Mending And Finale on your, and all your awesome shouts and chants.
If your allies stay near you, energy will never be a problem. Your chants cannot be stripped. You cannot be interrupted with Daze and spell interrupts. Migrane doesn't stop spell casting. Even if you get a Malaise/Wither, use Watch Yourself to generate enegry to cast spells, and to heal Via Finale of Restoration.
Pro's:
-Amazing protecting while allies remain in your aggro radius.
-Chants, shouts and echos cannot be stripped, and you have 80 armor AND a shield. Abuse that and heal in the face of the enemy.
-Healing output that rivals monks, and acts like an in-between hyrbid of healing and protection.
-Leadership assures that your energy stores will remain high enough to use all your shouts.
-Energy Denial doesn't stop you 100%. Watch Yourself is adrenaline based, and it easy to spam since it does not interrupt your spear's attack animation.
-Excellend Group healing and self healing.
-Combats Degen well thanks to Mending Refrain, and keeps minor damage healed away, allowing you to focus on main targets.
-Your spear can still assist allies in killing enemies.
-You can prevent spike damage with "Incoming!"
Con's:
-As Party members die, your effectiveness goes down. You can function alright at 3 members, but your energy will suffer. If you're down to two, you do very poor. Alone, you are dead. Period. You cannot survive without your team(Signet of Synergy heals you when cast on other allies).
-Unless you have Stunning Strike in the build, you can't kill enemies.
-You do not have Hex or Condition removal. However, your shouts and refrains counter them via raw healing and protection. It balances out, but extremely heavy AoE degen will take you out. Not common, but has happened.
-You need a party that stays near you. If people wander away too long, you will die trying to heal them and the group, and yourself.
-Adrenaline-Denial hurts this build more than E-Denial, as Watch Yourself is your way to generate free energy and healing, with defense to boot. If you can't get Adrenaline or are force to not attack, your abilities will suffer.
-Blackout and Diversion will take you out badly if your are not careful.
Overall: On a scale of 1 to 10, With 1 being Melted Garbage and 10 being amazing, I rate this on a personal 9. I have never had so much fun as a healer, and with so much armor and the ability to not have your chants and shouts stripped, you are ALWAYS healing. Keep in mind I play a monk as my primary class, so being able to heal without 1000 different ways to screw you up is amazing.
Remember, we are Paragons, the Guardian Angels of the Elonians. We protect and heal our allies while they are near us, and if they have faith, they will live. We are the leaders. If they stay near us and follow orders, Safety is Guaranteed. Don't let others tell you that you can't. I was completely knocked out of my chair when I found out the Paragon's potential as Main Healer, even in large groups.
Go now. Lead your allies in the future, and be the main healer. Support the monk in larger groups. Show them that it was foolish to leave the Paragon alone.
PS. Against the Dervishes all Weekend, I beat about 60%-65% of all teams using the D/Mo combo. Sure, they can damage... but I healed far faster than their damage.
Thank you for reading this. Mabye it shall inspire one of you for the future, and be your diamond in the rough.