Spiker (UW)

Spiker is a role in UWSC. It is typically done by a Me/R, although there are variant builds for D/R and N/R.

Role

The spiker's job comes in two parts:

• First, spike the balls made by the Lab Tank, popping the Lab and Vale Reapers, and completing the quest Escort of Souls.
• Second, complete the Wrathful Spirits quest with the SoS and kill the basement Keeper from Unwanted Guests.

For the first part, the spiker (along with the SoS, LT, and Emo) is considered part of the Main Team. For the second part, the spiker and SoS are known as the Vale Team.

At Dhuum, the spiker dies and returns as a ghost to fill Dhuum's Rest and kill Dhuum.

Build

Variant Builds

Important: the following spiker builds are more difficult to use and should only be tried once you have experience as Me/R. If you don't have a mesmer you are not justified to use them

VoS

The last skill is either:

• YMLaD, for single target damage and an interrupt, or
• Ebon Battle Standard of Honor, if you don't want to rely on your SoS to place it for you.

Dervish Equipment

SS

Necromancer Equipment

Guide

So, here's how to spike in UW like a baws. This will require you to change headpieces, use several runes so you'll have low hp and you'll need full pcons. If you don't feel like switching headpieces or you're being cheap and don't pop eggs, certain things will not apply to you. Also, it may seem I will go too much into depth in some things that don't seem relevant, but it's exactly those things that will make your spikes stronger.

First spike, in chamber, pretty straight forward. Watch your SoS, as soon as he starts activating, you drop down EoE, left of the top of the stairs so it's in range of the nightmares on the LT's side. Before putting it down, switch to Inspiration Magic headpiece. As soon as EoE is dropped, use Lyssa's Aura. Then target the LT and use Visage on him. Whilst you're running to the LT, you switch to Domination Headpiece. Then just use Wastrel's Worry and Wastrel's Demise on the ball. After three sets of each set of Wastrel's, use CoP. Or if you think stuff is gonna break, use Cry of Pain right before you expect stuff to run away.

Second spike, in lab, drop EoE as soon as you can. Switch to Inspiration Headpiece, use Lyssa's Aura, switch to Domination Headpiece. And start spike:

1. Visage on LT
2. Target nearest enemy (default key is C).
3. Wastrel's Demise, Wastrel's Worry
4. Target next enemy (default key is Tab).
5. Wastrel's Demise, Wastrel's Worry
6. Target next enemy
7. Wastrel's Demise, Wastrel's Worry
8. Manually target a Bladed Aatxe (you do this because Graspings Will die soon, but EoE will not kill the Aatxes)
9. Manually target attacking Dryders and spam Wastrel's on them, rupt something with Cry of Pain to do damage but also to keep Wastrel's up.

First escort spike: This is where things get tricky to understand. There's a way to easily and consistently target both Aatxes and also hard to explain so bear with me.

Default keys:

• C = target nearest enemy
• Tab = select the 'next target'
• Shift Tab = select the 'previous target'

First some game mechanics. When you hit C, you will target the nearest enemy and to make things easy to explain, we'll say the game assigns a number to that target, which will be number 1. When you hit Tab, the game will look for the next nearest enemy without a number and it will assign number 2, etc etc. As long as you keep tabbing and shift tabbing, these numbers will remain unchanged and you will go from 1 to 2, to 3. And shift tab will go from 3 to 2 to 1. These numbers will reset if you hit C again or if you click on an enemy with your mouse. What I do is I hit C at the moment the Aatxes are the nearest enemy and quickly use Tab. What this does is basically assign the numbers 1 and 2 to the two Aatxes. From this moment on, do NOT use C and do NOT click on enemies. You do this while the LT is doing the pull. That way, when the pullthrough is done, you'll have one dot, but you can still easily Tab and Shift Tab the two Aatxes. In this screenshot you can see the timing where you can hit C and tab to assign the numbers 1 and 2 to the Aatxes:

1. Switch to Inspiration Headpiece after you take Escort/Restore.
2. Cast Lyssa's Aura and switch back to Domination Headpiece.
3. Cast Visage on LT as he runs in
4. C and then Tab to assign the numbers 1 and 2 to the Aatxes.
5. Shift Tab to go back to Aatxe 1
6. When the LT starts pulling through, Wastrel's Demise/Worry
7. Tab to select Aatxe 2
8. Wastrel's Demise/Worry followed by Cry of Pain on Aatxe 2
9. Shift Tab to go back to back to Aatxe 1
10. Wastrel's Demise/Worry
11. Tab to select Aatxe 2
12. Wastrel's Demise/Worry followed by Cry of Pain on Aatxe 2 and then ping the Aatxe
13. Visage on LT again
14. If spike isn't done, another Wastrel's Demise/Worry on your pinged target.

You can start putting Wastrel's on the Aatxe as the LT starts pulling through the spirits/SoS.

Second escort spike

Basically same thing as the previous spike. However, since there are more Mindblades here, you can start spiking earlier. Mindblades don't have to die that evenly since the EoE bomb will be bigger than the first spike. I usually start spiking about half second before the SoS uses Signet.

Vale Skeles

Not much interesting stuff to say. Just some quick notes (some quite obvious but w/e):

• Use Empathy on recharge.
• Use Cry of Pain on Skeles that are balled
• Don't use Wastrel's Demise
• Use Wastrel's Worry right after Bone Spike that has been used after a Fury Splinters
• As you're killing the group of Skeles, walk towards the lonely Skele that the LT should be about to aggro but make sure to use Empathy on recharge.
• If mainteam is weak, hide behind house.

Dropping EoE

I drop EoE in range of topgroup. That way top will be faster. Downside of this is that it can be killed.

1. Right before you drop EoE, use a Wastrel on the lonely Skele, not for damage but to refresh Lyssa's Aura.
2. Activate EoE
3. EE to SoS
4. Visage on LT
5. Use 3 sets of Wastrel's on the Graspings (3x WW, 3x WD).
6. Start using Wastrel's + CoP on the attacking Dryders. Graspings are not dead yet but they will die.

If you do this fast enough, you won't lose Lyssa's Aura.

Vale quest

This is easy, not gonna write too much about it, just some quick notes.

• Kill buggy group first
• Use Cry of Pain only when a new group spawns to ensure getting the most damage out of the degen.
• Every time a new group spawns on the emo, throw some Wastrels on the 2nd wave of the buggy spawn so EoE will do work there as well.
• Let the SoS do garden pulls, you're damaging the buggy group while he/she does that.
• Near the end of the Vale quest, your energy should be gone. If it's not, it means you don't spike hard enough. Switch to high energy set for an extra 30 energy.