Guild Wars 2

Note on Old Tom: Actually biggest threat is the darts he fans around. They do most of the damage. Poison just makes it harder to tank them.
This a really trivial fight if you have 2 guardians with Shield of Avenger (I think mesmer bubble will work too) to completely shut down darts. Don’t even need to bother with the crystals/fan.

Note on Svanir Shaman: His every attack applies debuff stack. Reaching 10 stacks will freeze you. Ice breath just applies those stacks pretty fast, but by itself does not cause freezing. It should be dodged whenever possible.

Note on Jelly Beast: I have not noticed that electric cages do any significant damage to the boss. The way I see it, they are there to easily clear the adds.

Note on Ascalonian boss: He will use melee weapons until 50% health. At that point he will switch to staff and do his PBAoE, which will wipe out friendly NPCs. Assuming NPCs are dead and nobody tries to engage him in melee at that point, he will continue to use staff attacks, which are really easy to dodge.
Moral of that story: 100%-50% unload on him in melee. 50%-0% – go max range.

Note on Jade Maw: Agony applied is universal. It is impossible to dodge or block or negate with immunity skills. If your group wipes on agony phase and comes back, the agony is reapplied upon entering Maw’s island.

Note #2 on Jade Maw: It is possible to use guardian skill Binding Blade right before a tentacle dies to produce multiple shards (sometimes up to a dozen). I am assuming this is intended behavior and not a bug, though I haven’t seen any confirmation of that.

I have a question about fractals. Say you get one that you have trouble completeing, like the swamp. Or something bugs and you just decide to go back to the lab. Does it reset your entire count of 3 fractals you have to complete to advance in fractal lvl?

Thanks for the notes, Trollhammer!

Some of what you mentioned is actually in the guide.

I’ll add the Son of Svanir Shaman information, though. The boss is so easy that I think a lot of players, including myself, overlook some of his mechanics.

The part about the Ascalonian boss doesn’t match with my experience. I have seen him run around with greatsword at 25 percent.

Trollhammer.7439:

Note on Old Tom: Actually biggest threat is the darts he fans around. They do most of the damage. Poison just makes it harder to tank them.
This a really trivial fight if you have 2 guardians with Shield of Avenger (I think mesmer bubble will work too) to completely shut down darts. Don’t even need to bother with the crystals/fan.

Minor clarification. Feedback does not work on the darts. Wall of Reflection doesn’t work. Sanctuary does work. However, he has another projectile atk (an electric ball projectile of sorts) which can be dealt with feedback.

TehRagman.5234:

I have a question about fractals. Say you get one that you have trouble completeing, like the swamp. Or something bugs and you just decide to go back to the lab. Does it reset your entire count of 3 fractals you have to complete to advance in fractal lvl?

yes it does.

mosspit.8936:

Trollhammer.7439:

Note on Old Tom: Actually biggest threat is the darts he fans around. They do most of the damage. Poison just makes it harder to tank them.
This a really trivial fight if you have 2 guardians with Shield of Avenger (I think mesmer bubble will work too) to completely shut down darts. Don’t even need to bother with the crystals/fan.

Minor clarification. Feedback does not work on the darts. Wall of Reflection doesn’t work. Sanctuary does work. However, he has another projectile atk (an electric ball projectile of sorts) which can be dealt with feedback.

I think it can be summed up as: Projectile absorbs work. Projectile reflects don’t work.

Lopez.7369:

The part about the Ascalonian boss doesn’t match with my experience. I have seen him run around with greatsword at 25 percent.

Only if you are close enough. I.e. is someone got downed by PBAoE and people tried to rez them. There is no reason to be there in the first place. PBAoE he throws by itself is enough to down people on 30+.
Simply going max range on the boss at 50% solves that.

Another miss on Archdiviner mechanic: PBAoE he uses in phase 2 is easy to dodge. Watch for the stability buff on the boss. As soon as stability comes up, count to 1 and dodge (i know it sounds stupid, but dodging instantly would be too soon). He also usually pulls someone in before using this attack. If you were pulled in, simply dodge as soon as you get up.

Thank you for making and sharing this guide. I already shared it with my guild.

Cheers!

Trollhammer.7439:

I think it can be summed up as: Projectile absorbs work. Projectile reflects don’t work.

Well I suppose that is your conclusion. I am sure of what I have stated because I currently have a Guardian and a Mesmer as Fotm runners, and I am familiar with how these 2 classes fare against Old Tom. While your deduction makes sense, I am unfamiliar with how other class skills interact with the darts.

Trollhammer.7439:

Only if you are close enough. I.e. is someone got downed by PBAoE and people tried to rez them. There is no reason to be there in the first place. PBAoE he throws by itself is enough to down people on 30+.
Simply going max range on the boss at 50% solves that.

I disagree. Melee range means more melee damage for most classes. It’s pretty easy to melee and dodge his PBAOE. Most groups I’m in have done it fine.