Need some advices for Dhuum training comp.

[Iris Ng.9845]

To preface, I have been comfortably killing Dhuum with pugs for a while. I can do any roles except banner wars (because I never get to escape my jail). From my own initiative, I wanted to let my guildies to ride on the good train by organizing a Dhuum training.

My method is 1. Have everyone practice going green circle before the boss is pulled, 2. Have they pick their most comfortable roles and allow ample trials-and-errors to grind all the mechanics down.

So far we have made it to sub 30% consistently but here is the biggest hurdle that I can't seem to solve. We lost the DPS one after another after a Greater Death Mark/ soul slam attack. It's always consistently the same classes: DH, DD or weavers. Both healers (me being kiter) were doing our 200% but couldn't keep these guys who are more fragile than the star reaper from being full dead. We kept /gg at Dhuum because three dps and 1 random green died before hitting 10%. So my questions are:

1. Am I missing something for support classes? We're doing 1 druid heal and 1 druid kite. The group sustain seems ok throughout except for during soul slam.

2. How to counter the soul slam massive damage as one of the three mentioned classes: DH, DD or DE and weaver?

3. What are other classes to recommend for people who can never make it past the soul slam attack?

Many thanks for reading thus far and your advices!

[Deadvillager.1956]

Is the soul slam the one where he teleports and splits everyones souls from their bodies? Or the 180° pull and slap past 30%? In the first one, the DPS in my groups usually only die if they face the wrong way or are split from the group. A possible problem could be that your druids dont pack enough condi cleanse and your fragile DPS just die to the torment before they get their bodies back. Have both of them bring their bears for max condi cleanse. With the second attack I could only tell you to be louder on VC as that one is just a lack of awareness by your DPS.

[Cyninja.2954]

Have them bring condi cleanse (or make sure some one else does) , make sure everyone is topped off before the soul slam (assuming you mean the Greater Death Mark), classes with low hit points pools (which all of these are) do not have a lot of time to react once the slam happens. Most groups forget the condi cleanse right after the slam which will kill inexperienced players, expecially on low hit point classes.

Thief can take Withdraw (at the cost of now not having healing on auto attacks), DH should save their F2 or use Signet of Resolve.

Alternative: bring different dps.

[Iris Ng.9845]

We do have bear, we also advise people to bring their personal cleanse. But the DPS I mention went down right after the soul slam attack go off and cannot make it to their soul. Thus they die. I paid attention in fully topping them up before the damage connects but as a kiter, I can't really stay back and study what is the cause of this 60% going down rate.

[Iris Ng.9845]

@Cyninja.2954 said:Have them bring condi cleanse (or make sure some one else does) , make sure everyone is topped off before the soul slam (assuming you mean the Greater Death Mark), classes with low hit points pools (which all of these are) do not have a lot of time to react once the slam happens. Most groups forget the condi cleanse right after the slam which will kill inexperienced players, expecially on low hit point classes.

Thief can take Withdraw (at the cost of now not having healing on auto attacks), DH should save their F2 or use Signet of Resolve.

Alternative: bring different dps.

Exactly my third question: what are the alternative dps?

[Cyninja.2954]

@"Iris Ng.9845" said:We do have bear, we also advise people to bring their personal cleanse. But the DPS I mention went down right after the soul slam attack go off and cannot make it to their soul. Thus they die. I paid attention in fully topping them up before the damage connects but as a kiter, I can't really stay back and study what is the cause of this 60% going down rate.

Then that's an issue of pre GDM raid life. Maybe exchange buff food to Tropical Peppermint Cake (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Tropical_Peppermint_Cake) or something similar to both increase life pools as well as increase chances of players being topped off.

Low hit point classes have about 3 ticks after a GDM to get their soul and/or cleanse the torment. If people were topped off, they were to slow to react after the slam. DH can F2 leap to their soul, which takes care of the torment and gets them back their soul.

Make sure people are properly stacked slightly away from the wall since standing directly next to the wall means people need to run out and back in to get their soul.

[Iris Ng.9845]

@Cyninja.2954 said:

@"Iris Ng.9845" said:We do have bear, we also advise people to bring their personal cleanse. But the DPS I mention went down right after the soul slam attack go off and cannot make it to their soul. Thus they die. I paid attention in fully topping them up before the damage connects but as a kiter, I can't really stay back and study what is the cause of this 60% going down rate.

Then that's an issue of pre GDM raid life. Maybe exchange buff food to Tropical Peppermint Cake (

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Tropical_Peppermint_Cake

) or something similar to both increase life pools as well as increase chances of players being topped off.

Low hit point classes have about 3 ticks after a GDM to get their soul and/or cleanse the torment. If people were topped off, they were to slow to react after the slam. DH can F2 leap to their soul, which takes care of the torment and gets them back their soul.

Make sure people are properly stacked slightly away from the wall since standing directly next to the wall means people need to run out and back in to get their soul.

Would barrier help? If so, a scourge kite is also one of my options.

[Cyninja.2954]

@Iris Ng.9845 said:

@Cyninja.2954 said:

@Iris Ng.9845 said:We do have bear, we also advise people to bring their personal cleanse. But the DPS I mention went down right after the soul slam attack go off and cannot make it to their soul. Thus they die. I paid attention in fully topping them up before the damage connects but as a kiter, I can't really stay back and study what is the cause of this 60% going down rate.

Then that's an issue of pre GDM raid life. Maybe exchange buff food to Tropical Peppermint Cake (

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Tropical_Peppermint_Cake

) or something similar to both increase life pools as well as increase chances of players being topped off.

Low hit point classes have about 3 ticks after a GDM to get their soul and/or cleanse the torment. If people were topped off, they were to slow to react after the slam. DH can F2 leap to their soul, which takes care of the torment and gets them back their soul.

Make sure people are properly stacked slightly away from the wall since standing directly next to the wall means people need to run out and back in to get their soul.

Would barrier help? If so, a scourge kite is also one of my options.

Would work, but remember that now you have a low mobility kiter. Actually I've seen scourge kite perform quite well on Dhuum. Snowcrows has this in their guide as well: https://snowcrows.com/raids/guides/necromancer/scourge/heal/#dhuum

[oxyrus.8730]

Try to have your druid(s) place healing spring right before the greather, this will ensure they get cleansed immediately and also healed. Also make sure to tell them to NOT manually explode the affliction, otherwise they might create a tricky situation when a greather is approaching (remember, it removes the affliction without exploding).

So for example, if someone gets affliction at 6:36 they are pretty much done for if they don't have condi cleanse of their own.

If they keep dying with so much condi cleanse, it's their own fault and not the supports.

[sokeenoppa.5384]

Thief has his own condi cleance also (signet)

[Iris Ng.9845]

So I am pleased to inform my rather average group has successfully killed Dhuum. It was the result of many different changes discussed above:

• Move people to other suitable classes. We have a Condi scourge replacing a DH, for example, at some point.
• Change healing skills.
• Intensive training on orbs and green circles
• Get people with better situation awareness into support and healer roles
• Practice sustain with three-healer comp then shift to two-healer comp for damage
• Improve callouts and overall communication

It was an exhaustive progression and by the end of it we had four members having their first kills. So thank you all for your helpful advices. I'll be imposing on your guidance soon for my next qadim adventure.

[Nimon.7840]

-play healing trap on druid, use it right before the split-bear also cleanses-holos can cleanse with healing turret or use are to not die and then make it to their souls-use heal ele kiter for Condi cleanse and elite + good rezz ability from water 3-dh can use f2 to cleanse condis of themselves as well as healing the group

There are lots of possibilities

[Talindra.4958]

I find nature spirit is useful to remove condition too.. You can use it on first and third soul sucking jumps. Healing springs is important. Tell players to go in side white circle on ground it removes condition.

[Talindra.4958]

In dhuum, if position right, there's hardly heal needs. Important mechanics to watch out by dps is shackles which can kill them or damage them greatly. Few ways to know shackles coming. Turn NPC volume up, bcos dhuum speaks and his voice is very deep and low. You can adjust the volume output to lower environment, lower skills effect sound and make dhuum's voice highest (I thinkbiys NPC voice)

Dhuum will speak in deep voice "Join one another in sacrifice". Players basically will need to react immediately. By the time you hear the reaper says : " Your souls are linked! Separate!" It is usually too late already. when Dhuum says Join one another in sacrifice, you can also see lightning chain on you plus msg on the screen/chat that says "Your soul has been shackled to another!"

Another attack is the cracks on the ground. When Dhuum turn around, hit his scythe on the ground, the ground cracks open across the entire arena.. and the cracks are easily seen, and you have plenty of time to move outside the cracks before the lights come through the cracks. it does fear and significant damage if you do not move out of the cracks, so be careful, these cracks can extend to Zerg's stacking position. so be careful not to stand right on the cracks.

Also, when dhuum does this pizza aoe/cone attack, any players stays inside the aoe will give dhuum buffs such as retaliation etc the longer the player stay inside that cone, the more buffs stronger dhuum gets. Also when dhuum jump to random player if any players get out if his aoe late, he gets all the buff from that player instantly. So, experienced player will know with six sense when dhuum will jump and get ready to dodge out.. One weak link make extra pressure for entire group.. But practice makes better.. You can only get better xD

After soul split, players shouldn't get panic, get the soul then move towards the ground that has white circle on it, because they are healing spring on the ground healer place that periodically remove condition. Important to stay with the group because healer will try to remove condition from everyone around him. Nature spirit works great too and bear.Stone spirit must be up at 10%. Kill spirit at 15% & recast it at mid just before 10% :p

[Talindra.4958]

@Iris Ng.9845 said:We do have bear, we also advise people to bring their personal cleanse. But the DPS I mention went down right after the soul slam attack go off and cannot make it to their soul. Thus they die. I paid attention in fully topping them up before the damage connects but as a kiter, I can't really stay back and study what is the cause of this 60% going down rate.

During soul slam, players need to position closest to the druid, furthest to dhuum and facing him because you get knock back away from dhuum and get suck in to the centre after. When dhuum jump to the mid, players have at least 3 seconds or more to reposition, you know how your char will be affected during that phase.. so position such a way it favors movement and what you need to do next. :D dhuum is really easy .. what to watch is shackle and if the group manage that well.. its not hard. I usually keeping an eye for who gets shackle and ready to heal them with staff 3 or burst heal if possible.

orbs are not hard to collect too. I can share how I do the orbs if need :P but I think most players play way better than me.