Guide:Zaishen Trapping
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Zaishen Trapping is a common method of quickly farming Balthazar Faction. It makes use of the Battle Isles mission Zaishen Elite or, to a lesser extent, Zaishen Challenge, and powerful Ranger Traps, along with the predictability of Zaishen AI.
[edit] What to do
Zaishen Elite trapping can be broken down into the following steps:
- upon spawning, place all of your Nature Rituals (i.e. FS and maybe Edge of Extinction)
- Hit Trapper's Speed/Serpent's Quickness, and place all of your traps at the gateway to your spawning point.
- Identify the team you are up against.
- If it's an "Easy" team, such as the IWAY warriors, IW mesmers, or the VIM trapper rangers, continue placing your traps. They will usually run into your traps and die. Occasionally though, an IW mesmer will be behind the others after casting imagined burden, in which case you can easily lay traps around him and kill him, as his IW attacks do not interrupt traps.
- If it's the Obsidian Spiker Elementalists, move to the back of the spawn point and recast FS. They will usually spike a spirit and proceed into the traps, killing them all. Gang up around any surviving eles and trap them to death.
- If it's the mixed Degen team, go to the back of the spawn point and allow the ranger(s) and warrior(s) to die at the traps. proceed to recast FS and trap the remaining mesmer(s) and necromancer(s) to death. This team is considered the hardest to kill with trappers, and some teams go so far as to bring a character with hex/condition removal for the sole purpose of countering this.
[edit] What to bring
Generally, a trapper team consists of 4 Trapping Rangers, with the occasional caster exception.
[edit] Attributes
Keep in mind that a trapper's most important attribute is Wilderness Survival, so one would normally run a 12+1+3 setup on it. The rest of the points should be placed in Expertise. The remaining 6 attribute points may be put in beast mastery for the sake of Energizing Wind or Viper's Nest. One may also choose to take a rank off of expertise to put more points into beast mastery, for a stronger EW and/or viper's nest.
[edit] Equipment
A trapper should bring a high-energy set, such as:
- a +20 energy staff of Fortitude/Defense
- a Crippling/Barbed/Poisonous +5 energy sword/spear/axe of fortitude/defense and a +12 energy focus.
[edit] Skills
[edit] Ranger Skills
[edit] Traps
- The most powerful trap in the game (in raw damage), and causes blinding. It is considered a vital part of any trapper's repertoire.
- This trap has the second most damage of all traps, and causes burning.
- This trap has both a snare and some degeneration.
- Usually is considered inferior to barbed trap as it doesn't inflict bleeding or damage.
- This trap is a good non-elite alternative to Spike Trap for a knockdown, if combined with Barbed Trap or Snare.
- This inflicts poison, for extra degeneration after the burning wears off from Flame Trap. Good for finishing off survivors from the Degen or Obsidian teams.
- This trap is the strongest trap snare in the game, as it both knocks down and cripples. Note that it is elite.
[edit] Utility
- Both almost essential trapping skills. Quickens the recharge of your traps, allowing them to be used in quicker succession later in the game.
- This skill is useful for fighting survivors of all teams
- Make initial traps harder to survive, but EoE can be a mixed blessing later in the battle.
- Essential to prevent the enemies resurrecting each other with their Resurrection Signets.
- These skills can help counter the degen team if you are having problems.
- Very useful for countering the degen team, due to the large amount of regen it provides.
- Useful against survivors, both because of damage mitigation and prevention of trap interupption.
- Combines with barbed trap to increase degeneration. good for eliminating survivors faster. Keep in mind that this affects your allies as well.
- Allows poison to achieve greater degen. Keep in mind that the mixed "degen" team also has poison, so it may hurt you just as much as it hurts them.
- Helps to stall the mixed degen and elementalist teams
[edit] Secondary Skills
- When used with Dust Trap can greatly increase damage output.
- This stance is very much like a non-elite alternative to Trapper's Focus, but it cannot be used alongside Trapper's speed or Serpent's quickness.
- a useful heal against survivors. Note its elite status and attribute requirement.
- Using these wells can be useful against the degen team. Keep in mind the attribute requirement.
- Can be used to spike off survivors from the degen team.
- Increases knockdown time for stronger snares. Usually considered not necessary, as 2 seconds of KD and cripple is usually enough to keep enemies in the trapped area for long enough to die.
- Can help counter the obsidian spike team by reducing spike damage.
- Useful to resurrect the party against the degen and Obsidian Spike teams in spite of frozen soil.
- These and other similar skills can be used to help counter the degen team.
- Because of their AoE interruption, excellent for countering the Obsidian Spike team, as they will all be casting Obsidian Flame simultaneously, and tend to ball up to maximize heal area's effects.
