Strike Missions (Training)

[SouthPaw.9705]

Hey guys.

I've been trying to delve into Strike Missions recently (mostly just the dailies) to learn the mechanics of each instance.

I've been using the Training section on LFG to find other newbies to learn them with since I don't want to join a experienced squad who are just looking to do full and fast runs and have to carry a newb with them.

I'm proficient in SoulBeast which is my main (I play as condi dps on that,) but I have been looking to try Druid as a support role (healing, alacrity) although I am still learning my way around that build.

Would you recommend to play as a build i'm familiar with or to try and adapt to  a new build while still learning the mechanics of each Strike Missions?

 

Thanks for any input. 

[Mppa.3250]

I had that issue as I was learning fractal CMs. I was main warrior but saw that as heal firebrand I would find much easier spots. 

I ended up playing a lot of firebrand, so much that as a warrior I often underperformed on CMs.

 

In my opinion, It sure helps while trying to learn and understand the mechanics to not having to think about your build, rotation and etc but on the other hand, if you are planning to play as druid on strikes and maybe on raids then it would be better to start as druid even if it will be a bit harder (and risky^^'). 

 

Keep also in mind that for some parts (positioning, timing and etc) you will have to relearn (kinda) the phases as the perspective of a healer is different than the one of a damage dealer. 

 

In case you have time and you feel like, there are also some nice guides about strikes on youtube by Mukluk, Teapot, Johny, Kroof and others which can make you feel a bit more confident to join non training groups as well.

[SoftFootpaws.9134]

38 minutes ago, SouthPaw.9705 said:

Hey guys.

I've been trying to delve into Strike Missions recently (mostly just the dailies) to learn the mechanics of each instance.

I've been using the Training section on LFG to find other newbies to learn them with since I don't want to join a experienced squad who are just looking to do full and fast runs and have to carry a newb with them.

I'm proficient in SoulBeast which is my main (I play as condi dps on that,) but I have been looking to try Druid as a support role (healing, alacrity) although I am still learning my way around that build.

Would you recommend to play as a build i'm familiar with or to try and adapt to  a new build while still learning the mechanics of each Strike Missions?

 

Thanks for any input. 

As a Ranger, your two main meta builds are exactly what you listed, CDPS Soulbeast and HealAlac Druid. You will 100% be accepted into almost any group on these builds as long as you pay attention to whether they're looking for DPS or HealAlac.

 

You say you're proficient in Soulbeast, so I'll just add my experiences on top of it, and you can compare them to your own and see what you think of it:

Condi DPS SB should be set up with Viper's gear, slot in some Celestial if you need the sustain (except in raids), NOT Trailblazer as it will lose too much power damage. There's different rune and sigil combinations each with their own benchmarks but as long as you're hitting at least 10k on the golem you're good. Most go into Krait runes and full bleeding duration but I went Nightmare+Malice+Earth so I could have better uptime on poison and burning from dagger and torch (with Super Veggie Pizza on top).

 

Skirmishing-Wilderness Survival-Soulbeast provides very high bleeding and poison damage while also having a huge amount of crit rate and ferocity especially when combined with the signet.

 

Make sure you're stancesharing as needed. Sometimes you need to bring cleanses, sometimes Stability, and always One Wolf Pack. This build gets its sustain for applying poison so usually you want to take the poison/might stacking stance too along with Sharpening Stone and the Bristleback pet for Sharpen Spines.

 

You seem inexperienced in Druid so this might be more what you're interested in:

HealAlac Druid is straightforward. Its just the bog standard Minstrel/Giver's + Monk Runes + Sigil of Transference + Rice Ball + Peppermint OIl or the expensive %healing Maintenance Oil. Sigil of Renewal usually taken in the second slot, not Sigil of Benovolence as losing all your stacks when downed is bad in highend content. You can also run Harrier's instead but almost no one expects that from healers anymore and the damage difference is only like 1k->5k DPS which is nothing to write home about anyway.

 

Nature Magic-Driud is neccesary but I usualy take Beastmastery in the other slot for the command cooldown reduction., which makes Search and Rescue useable more often (trait or skill). You need three spirits to provide permanent Alacrity and i prefer Water, Stone and Sun for the boons they give. Instead of taking the Might stacking spirit, take the cat (Jungle stalker), Axe/Warhorn or Sword/Warhorn+Staff and you will give plenty of Might.

 

I wouldn't bother with the elite spirit, it no longer gives Stabiilty, its revive is inferior to Glyph of the Stars and it spends most of the fight on cooldown anyway. Its useless.

 

I recommend against Grace of the Land after the nerf, Lingering Light is much more useful as it regenerates Astral Force between encounters meaning you're not stuck with no CA at any point. I also like to run a few glyphs with my spirits, the push/pull glyph is very useful and Glyph of the Stars is extremely powerful when used correctly, especially in environments like Strikes where frequent revives are vital. When used outside of Celestial Avatar it also puts an immediate end to condi spam (like for Siren's Reef Fractal).

 

And finally.. the bastardised hybrid, the CDPS Alac Souulbeast.

Water Spirit-Frost Spirit-Stone Spirit. Sharpening Stone, Entagle. Nature Magic-Skirmishing-Soulbeast. Opressive Superiority instead of Leader of the Pack. It absolutely sucks but it can do 10k+ still and sometimes you're the only one who can fill the role, so just take the L and go with it when asked to.

 

I hope this helps, good luck.

Edited July 25, 2022 by Mariyuuna.6508

[SouthPaw.9705]

Cheers guys! This is great info :)

As It happens i am running Viper for SB but I hadn't considered runes (rookie mistake)

I was running Apothecary for druid but i'm going to try minstrel/givers as recommended and practice in PvE till i'm comfortable with it.

Thanks again for the help, this was more info than I was expecting