Not a fan of the Animal Spirits!
Potential spoilers ahead…
I hoped Nightfall was the last time I was going to have to endure missions with “substituted” skill bar requirements. As a healer leading a hero/hench party most of the time, being obliged to morph into a critter is detrimental. Furthermore, the energy loss involved with changing back from the spirit form seems like overkill (to a caster). Honestly, a singular special skill (like the type received during the final Factions boss fight) is all that was needed. ONE Wolf skill for tracking, ONE Bear skill for barrier smashing, and ONE Raven skill to protect against knockdown. I’m certain that my team would’ve died numerous times if I had used the Raven form in the “Gate Too Far” dungeons. Healbot has to give the thumbs down on this element of the expansion.
Um why wasn’t a non-caster using the special skill sets in your groups? Anyways I loved the special skills. My fave being the Bear skill set. Mauling over the Charr with my precious ranger Luna with Bear skills was fun! I just wish we actually morphed into the animal of choice. Oh well.
Comment by Killmur — September 12, 2007 @ 11:29 am
yes the special skill are fun and all, but while playing a mesmer? unfortunately mesmers cant tank. (well, without mark of protection.)
Comment by Starlogic — September 12, 2007 @ 1:12 pm
>> Um why wasn’t a non-caster using the special skill sets in your groups?
Well, we can’t *always* be ‘blessed’ with random PUG’rs doing missions and dungeons…
As a fellow monk who solos a lot, the special skills also pissed me off, though riding the devourer (despite Exhaustion from the siege skill) was a pretty fun change of pace.
Comment by Kuro — September 12, 2007 @ 3:10 pm
Yeah, this is a lone player gripe. I’ve had to solo the beginning stuff since I started late.
Anet animated the spirit bear, which could’ve been a temporary “hero pet” that used those unique skills. Or, the powers could have been evoked with a “bundle” item, like the Kurzick and Luxon relics…
Comment by labsenpai — September 12, 2007 @ 8:29 pm
I did like the bear spirit and as a necro the energy loss wasn’t to big an issue for me. Bear form helped deal with those charr a lot easier than i could have done alone. Faster anyway. But raven spirit just wasn’t that useful. After trying it on the 1st level of the dungeon i abandoned it for more useful skills. Its not required to complete the mission anyway.
Comment by Phage the Blighted — September 12, 2007 @ 9:29 pm
I’m a monk as well and I have to concur…
Luckily I was blessed with some guildies in my party that had no trouble acting like Wammo’s with a monk protecting them. So to be honest I have to admit that I haven’t equipped them at all… except for the first time. And then I had to regret my decision immediately haha
Comment by Porsj — September 13, 2007 @ 4:00 am
Being a warrior, I actually enjoyed the forms, bear most of all. I switched from my usual invinciwammo build I usually use to a signet based W/D one with Symbolic Strike, and the Ursine Blessing as an elite. It’s actually pretty fun. Throw points into scythe mastery, grab a zealous scythe for the double energy per hit (and no -Energy while morphed! Yay!), and you’ve got yourself a party XD
But yeah, when I picked it up on my monk, I wasn’t too happy at all. It’s no good for the casters
Comment by Connie Cursedchild — September 13, 2007 @ 5:52 am
I kinda agree. To most casters, those animal blessing skills can be pain. However, elementalists have Glyph of Lesser Energy to start a good amount of damage when they get out with little to no cost. Thats why I pack that when I use one of those blessings. By the way, my favorite is the Volfen Blessing
Comment by The Beholder of Pepsi — September 13, 2007 @ 7:06 pm
Most Norn skills seem to be made with melee types in mind…
Now the Asura, there’s your source of caster skills…
Comment by BlueMako — September 13, 2007 @ 8:42 pm
I bet that was the plan! Melee for the Norn, Casters for the Asura. Even look at their equipped title buffs. Makes perfect sense to me o.o
Comment by Connie Cursedchild — September 13, 2007 @ 11:26 pm
True, I guess each protagonist side was described as having a “favored” class. I felt compelled to do the Norn quests first to recruit a replacement for Koss! Since the dungeons make Healbot nervous, she is staying topside for now, away from those Asura gates.
Comment by labsenpai — September 14, 2007 @ 1:19 am
Im a mesmer. Those missions were great. I felt big power. End of low-IQ post.
Comment by Abedeus — September 14, 2007 @ 7:19 am
If you’re soloing, another way to treat them is to have NPCs take over the healing duties, and in place of the healer set up a Smitebot until you do get the blessings.
The other irritating thing about the animal forms is that they decrease replayability of those missions - instead of doing them with different classes, you’re essentially playing the animal forms however many different times you go through the mission.
Comment by Draxynnic — September 14, 2007 @ 11:20 am
So far, for me, the easiest solution to monking in GW:EN has been to go full smite. I have passed off all healing and protecting duties to the henchmen and let the bad guys wallow in my smack-down. Also, as far as brining the smite is concerned, once you gain access to some of the race specific skills: Light of Deldrimore and Radiation Field FTW!
Comment by Tiny Killer — September 14, 2007 @ 3:19 pm
I find that the only caster which can actually use the blessings without being useless is necromancers. With high Soul Reaping, as long as you kill stuff, you can keep your energy up. It also helps if you bring Eve along whenever you’re using a blessing. I
Comment by Curse You — September 14, 2007 @ 4:05 pm
Try it with an elementalist. 100 energy (without morale boost) smashed down to nothing. I only take the bear skill because I have to for soloing. I’ve darn near memorized the spots for the wolf skill. Raven skills? Ward of Stability for the win.
Glyph of Lesser Energy has no place on my skill bar. I always forget to use it, and it wastes time. Aura of Restoration, Energy Blast, Liquid Flame, SH, Glyph of Sac, MS, random skill, rez.
Comment by Robin — September 15, 2007 @ 11:44 pm
I found that the Volfen blessing was acctualy not that bad, however this was on my ranger, warrior and necromancer. Everything, kinda just fell apart. So I have to agree, Asura= Casters= High DP, Norn= Wammos= POed monks.
Comment by Kalle Damos — September 16, 2007 @ 1:05 am
An assassin with a pair of Zealous daggers and some ranks in Critical Strikes can also keep up any of the forms permanently as long as you’re in combat.
The new animal blessings are interesting, but I prefer sticking with my usual profession skills. I beat the “Curse of the Nornbear” mission without ever calling upon the Wolf Spirit once! (Of course, I knew the locations where the boss was already from a previous run through on another character…)
Comment by Zaxares — September 21, 2007 @ 7:42 pm
Of all the featured creature forms, I think the Siege Devourer has been the best so far. No energy drain and ranged attack FTW! (plus they dance)
Comment by labsenpai — September 24, 2007 @ 10:55 am
I agree with you on this one; Curse of the Nornbear was a pain in the ass, this time because I was running to fast (plus Gwen started spinning…)
And the energy drain doesn’t do Chao ay justice neither. :/
Comment by Chao Lingchen — October 5, 2007 @ 9:33 pm