Guild Wars 2

I posed a question in another topic, which was borderline OT, so I thought I asked in a separate thread about minions and in particular, about healing and boon’ing them, and boosting their stats. I’m wondering what we can provide ourselves outside of group support, such as when we go solo. Keep in mind this is with a full bar of minion skills only.

1. Healing: I’ve seen where the only options we have to heal our minions is #2 on staff, and the Transfusion Deathly Invigoration traits. Is there anything else we can do to heal our minions? Should I be increasing my Healing Power for this as well?

2. Giving Boons to minions: What are some of the options? The Death Trait line has boon duration, but I don’t see many ways to give boons to them.

3. Boosting stats: What’s the most effective way to boost minions, ie damage, health, etc. I’m seeing Training of the Master, Flesh of the Master traits . Is there anything else to add? What about stat boosts that are general % to damage, such as Close to Death trait or Blood to Power trait? Does that also affect minion damage?

Also, what about runes and sigils with these 3 topics in mind?

Anything else I should keep in mind?

thanks for the help

Healing minions is purposefully convoluted and involved. (add that to the list of minion dissatisfaction)

Also, if I am not mistaken, not all minions have a natural out of combat health regen, I know the elite does.

To mitigate this, you may want to consider targetable Wells so you can plop a Well of Blood on your minions in a fight.

Staff 2 and Well of Blood are your only real solo options for healing. Focus 4 gives regen, but it doesn’t seem to like to bounce to minions.

Basically only way to give minions boons by yourself is by using blast finishers (bone minion, flesh wurm, staff 4) on top of a combo field like the one Well of Blood gives.

Just use traits, 20 into spite and 20 into Death magic gives the one’s you need. Nothing else, except vulnerability and boons applied to the minions will increase damage.

As for stuff to keep in mind; don’t worry about healing/buffing minions. If you really want, you can run with a spirit ranger to have super-minions in PvE, but it just isn’t really worthwhile to do all this to keep minions alive, imo. Just get the reduced CD and let them die.

Lonewolf, welcome to the minion runners fan club. We meet for weekly grief counseling to deal with the abuse :P. On to your questions,

1. Staff 2, Focus 4, and well of blood are pretty much it, but the key is to just not worry about healing them, let them die and resummon them 24 seconds later.

2. Boons and minions are kind of an odd mix, to be honest, we aren’t a boon class and we have no real way outside of regen to pass boons on.

3. The only way to boost minion damage is with outside booster. Axe/Focus is the best weapon for this because you can stack vulnerability which improves minion damage. You can also run with a ranger and his spirit pets provide boosts. Outside of that there is reallynothing we can do.

Everything else is built around building your own damage. I run Berzerker while Bhawb run Knight gear.

The key to running a successful minion build is two fold: 1) They are only utilities and not the main part of your damage. Treat them as subjects and not a pet. 2). Use single target attacks to initialize fight (two in a row) to force yoru minions to attack. Do not begin with AoE attacks or it will cause them to not know which to attack.

BIG TIP: Ignore everyone who says they aren’t viable. Out of all the complaints the only valid complaint is in regards to Agony issues and Massive AoE damage wiping out all your minions in wvwvw.

Oh, if you really want to have fun in PvE, get a group together of all engineers running turrets, necros running minions, and then one ranger with all spirits. Good times, man.

Bhawb.7408:

Oh, if you really want to have fun in PvE, get a group together of all engineers running turrets, necros running minions, and then one ranger with all spirits. Good times, man.

Small army of minions much?

Whoa, I would love to see that Bhawb. That would be fun me thinks.

Thanks for the input guys. I’ll be sure to fill out my registration papers for the club Bas.

I had planned on running a 20 Spite, 20 Death, 20 Blood spec with the extra 10 going to one of the three (not decided yet).

What do you think about the Sigil of Water for weapons to do extra ally healing. Also, opinions on the Runes of Lich for the extra minion summon the 6th slot provides?

Lonewolf Kai.3682:

Whoa, I would love to see that Bhawb. That would be fun me thinks.

Thanks for the input guys. I’ll be sure to fill out my registration papers for the club Bas.

I had planned on running a 20 Spite, 20 Death, 20 Blood spec with the extra 10 going to one of the three (not decided yet).

What do you think about the Sigil of Water for weapons to do extra ally healing. Also, opinions on the Runes of Lich for the extra minion summon the 6th slot provides?

Sigil of Water is not really worth it. Go with something to build your damage or Might on crit it’s more effective for pve. For Runes I got Ruby Orbs to maximize flat damage, but the absolute best team bonus is Rune of The Pack

If you’re concerned about healing your minions, you could also look into the “mark of blood when you dodge” trait. Depending on the weapons you’re using, odds are you’ll be relatively close to your target and, as such, your minions. Give them, yourself, and any allies in range regeneration. Granted, without access to vigor it’s not something to build around but worth a shot.

Deathly invigoration actually heals for a lot, although I’ve never been in a position where I can justify using it. Well of blood can be very good for a number of reasons, first is the most obvious, it heals them when they’re in it. There are two other benefits however, the first being you can give all your minions protection if you have ritual of protection, and the 3rd and more practical use is nuking bone minions, or any other blast finisher to give all your minions retaliation. People tend to get a surprise when they try AOE all your minions then.