In-Depth Ranger Totem Farm

[Aeros]

Alright thursday 6/15 Anet decided to add 3 new green items. The rotwing bow, the forgotten fan, and what we will be farming the totem axe. What is the totem axe?
Axe
Slashing damage: 6-28 (Requires 9 Axe Mastery)
Armor penetration +20% (Chance: 20%)
Enchantments last 20% longer
Energy +5

So what drops these? Well, out in the farthest reaches of the magumma jungle in the falls. Root Behemoths drop these. However, they're tricky to kill, as getting too close will spawn 2-3 life pods which will heal and use holy veil on him. As well as its futile to condition spam him due to the behemoth's using "I Will Survive!" So how do we go about farming these as a ranger? after all, we can't let the warriors have one up on us.

http://gw.gamewikis.org/images/7/73/Totem_Axe.jpg
ATTRIBUTE SETUP
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/756/gw1997ax.gif
For this build i had a superior expertise, major wilderness survival rune.
Expertise: 11 + 3
Wilderness survival: 8 + 2
Marksmanship: 11

SKILL SETUP
This build requires the following skills

Zojuns Haste
Dodge
Sundering attack
Lightning reflexes
Whirling defense
Sundering attack
Read the Wind
Oath Shot {ELITE}


WEAPONS
For this run i suggest having a dragos vampiric flatbow, however any flatbow will do. And an insightful staff (energy +5 + 10) for when you're running
Running to the behemoths
Once you reach the falls, here is your target area
http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/7271/gw185v21mr.gif
Getting there is the toughest part of the run.
Once you're in the falls, the safest route is to proceeed southwest along the path. Be wary though, you must use dodge, zojun haste, and lightning reflexes / whirling defense conservatively. Only use dodge / zojuns when you have no options, or when you're in agro of maguuma spiders. Most other times you can just lightning reflexes and just wade it out.
http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/2840/gw1885fo.gif
Eventually you'll come to an area where you will need to circle around and take this bridge to get to the first behemoth. Here is where you should go.
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/1695/gw1909mi.gif
SOLOING THE FIRST BEHEMOTH
The first behemoth is always the hardest. When soloing your first behemoth. take out your drago's flatbow and stay OUT OF BEHEMOTHS AGRO RANGE. If your bubble is in his, then you will trigger the life pods to spawn, and if theres more than one life pod you can't out damage their healing.

When soloing your behemoth. Keep read the wind up and proceed to attack it. Naturally it will use deflect arrows, so take this time to re-read up and troll ungruent. After you start damaging him again, use lightning reflexes to speed the process up as well as dodge his attacks. Once lightning reflexes runs out use oath shot to recharge it and use it again. Use sundering attack as you feel needed, i usually use it whenever i can while lightning reflexes is on.
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/8180/gw1944ml.gif
Thats about all there is to the run, continue along the edges and dodging past wind riders. And good luck
p.s: the warrior was there to see the build in action
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/5792/gw1963zv.gif

[MercenaryKnight]

Very nice build, went with him to go and do it and once you see it in person it is very easy to do. Running to there seems to be the hard part as you never know when you'll lag and accidentally get stuck. But besides that this build did great against the behemoths.

[Aeros]

Forgot to also say that sundering could be replaced by penetrating....

[Viruzzz]

replaced?? its basicly the same skill... like zojuns haste and doge...

[waiver]

Can life pods be killed? Because then wammoing these will be extremly easy.

[penguo]

it is quite easy with warriors, just a few stances or something, sprint, and some damage skils. Why you would want to farm these i do not know, they are very cheap:D.+the drop rate is extremely high...

[RebelHero]

A Touch Ranger Can solo every single enemy in The Falls.. even the wind riders... and furthermore... there are about 7 new items added ;)

[Xiaxhou of Trinity]

personally I use needling shot in place of sundering or penetrating shot. Speeds up the kill.

[MelechRic]

Needling Shot + Kindle Arrows/Ignite Arrow + Poison = WTF PWND! on Behemoths/Wind Riders/Life Pods

[FuriousGirl]

it is quite easy with warriors, just a few stances or something, sprint, and some damage skils. Why you would want to farm these i do not know, they are very cheap:D.+the drop rate is extremely high...

:D It's something new and easy for those of us that are bored at the current moment. I got my axe today using a simple W/Mo build. (no stances)

[Vexed Arcanist]

Thanks for the maps, it took me 3 runs but I finally got a totem. I didn't use the Oath Shot+Lightning Reflexes build, I used Poison Arrow+Needling Shot. Friend of mine was trying Poison Arrow+Kindle Arrow, but I prefer RTW.

[Wolydarg]

Root Behemoths have wild blow, wild blow > stances...

Nice build, but with that much investment into WS, you should at least bring poison or storm chaser...

[Oren The Destroyer]

A Touch Ranger Can solo every single enemy in The Falls.. even the wind riders... and furthermore... there are about 7 new items added ;)

pfft touch rangers cant. you run out of energy too fast and the life pods outheal your damage

[Former Ruling]

Quicker using Longbow and Apply Poison instead of read and flatbow.

I will survive lasts a pitiful amount of time for them, so you can forget its even there.

[Fortunes Faded]

pfft touch rangers cant. you run out of energy too fast

with a touch ranger, if your using OoB, then you wont run out of energy, at least untill uve done a LOT of dmg. and if u attack the life pods then your dmg will out do their healing, especialyl as holy wrath isnt a problem as your life stealing will cover your healing needed.

[Lets Get to Healing]

Good build, can we get a Prophecies only version plz.

[Calador Alaster]

all you have to use is a longbow or any version of a long bow with vamp and def mod if you wish. with a longbow, you can kill almost all of the behamoths without triggering anything, sometimes, if you position yourself right (on higher platforms or behind rocks so you can hit him and he cant hit you), you wont even take dmg. Alot easier than worrying about triggering the pods. =)

[frinoh]

i farmed the axes with longbow+apply poison+power shot.
running there with storm chaser and escape(very easy).
but now they are too hard to sell...

[DeanBB]

I ran a Ranger/Elementalist with Conjure Flame and a fiery bow but otherwise this same build. It allows you to kill Pods if there are 1-2 of them but 3 is still too much healing. Conjure was in place of Whirling.

Only 1 axe for me and lotsa jaw bones.

[Death Omen]

This was one of the easiest farms ive done. Got 2 axes on my first run. I setup with stances but didnt need them.

[the death necro]

This farm has gotten me 2 suits of 15k kurzick armor and 160k. But I use a warrior. The running is a piece of cake and fighting is no big deal, even if you aggro 5-6 life pods at once. You can take out most bosses and that huge clump of 15 skale. And you can still sell them for ~8k each.

[Age]

I am a little confused with 2 sundering attacks and isn't that the same as penetrating shot or attack.

1. Zojuns Haste
2. Dodge
3. Sundering attack
4. Lightning reflexes
5. Whirling defense
6. Sundering attack
7. Read the Wind
8. Oath Shot {ELITE}

[Knowledge]

Heres the build i use.

Expertise: 11+2
Wilderness: 10+1
Marks: 10+1+3

Penetrating Attack/Sundering Attack
Poison Arrow
Needling Shot
Whirling Defense
Kindle Arrows
Troll Unguent
Dodge/Zojun's Haste
Storm Chase

After you kill the behemoths, and the life pods spawned, I was able to kill the both of them. Start of with Poison Arrow on the Life Pods, then Penetrating Attack, then Needling Shot. Should be dead, if not, rinse and repeat.

As for the behemoths, start off with poison arrow, he should have put up deflect arrows by now, let him hit you, as deflect arrows will end, put up whirling if you feel like it, and fire away. Max time spent on one behemoth was like 15 secs.

*edit* this just in, im in the middle of a run, (one totem did drop btw), i was able to kill of the wind riders with this build. just be smart, make them waste their cry of frustration and everything but your troll unguent, and draw some of them away. they should all drop pretty easily.

[Former Ruling]

I think in the end...A Ranger/X or X/Ranger with almost ANYTHING + a longbow can easily run this farm without anything.

I think you could do it with like 3 skills MAX on your skillbar lol.

[grikdog]

pfft touch rangers cant. you run out of energy too fast and the life pods outheal your damage

I have to second this. I Touch Rangered with ease down to the Root Behemoths and then couldnt kill them because of the LifePods. I'll have to give this build a try.


********************

One thing about using apply poision and a longbow or flatbow. Not only can you kill the behemouths without rousing the lifepods but you can usually position yourself to kill the behemouth around the Windriders without having to spend time killling them all first. And if he happens to drop something good dash in and get it otherwise why bother.

[unowner]

you just need one run skill, this is what i use

storm chaser, troll, poison arrow, distract shot, savage shot, dual shot, kindle arrow, needling shot(just for fun, have lightening reflex if you are prophecy).

(i think)11/15/11 left over attribute = 1

pods = poison, dual, needle needle.

[Gokshano]

R/anything

Stats:

Expertise 11 (+3)
Wilderness 13 (+4)
Marksmanship 13 (+1)

Skills:

Dual shot
Savage Shot
Distracting Shot
Ignite Arrows
Troll Unguent
Escape [Elite]
Storm Chaser
<Whirling Defence> or <Lightning Reflexes>

Weapons:

Sundering Shadowbow of Fortitude
Dragos Flatbow

I find that if you are facing uphill towards the Roots, I use Dragos, but on level, or downhill, I can use my Shadowbow without agroing any of the Life Pods.

[Florence Cortista]

you deal with life pods .. (dont with this build unless u have to) by backing up. all life pods will fallow you like bosses almost i noticed (i use the Warrior/R build for this run with my R/W) so attack them, and they will fallow you, and usaully u can easily over power 2, 3 you need to break their group up, by walking by obsticles. Long, but it does free the Roots

[BaconSoda]

I noticed with my tank (way back when when i'd do this and sell all of my axes to the same guy in drok's for 5k a peice. Didn't know the guy, he just kept buying the axes :p ) that not all of the life pods follow you. Usually one of them just sits there until another pod dies, and then casts Holy Wrath for about 4 seconds, which is plenty of time to kill him.

[quago]

I think life pods are really a problem especially when there is 3 of them, but there is a way to kill them.

Kindle arrows
Dual Shot
Quick Shot <elite>
Savage Shot

My build also uses 9 expertise and zealous bow. With the 3 attacks alone, you can kill a life pod right away without getting their crew mates to heal it. I even used these in the forest in fow and it works really great. With the spiders i just use shortbow thou. Quick shot is really great interupting healing spring.

Yeah. Try to develop ur own builds to make a more efficient one. Ive seen alot of poison arrow and escape builds lol.

[rukh]

Anyone got any drops recently? I haven't got a single axe in the last 4 runs :S

[buzzerman]

I'm having the same problem. It seems to me the drop rate decreased significantly in this particular area (making it the same with other areas actually, for this one really used to be overblown before).

[drupal]

I made the run 1 week before that brought me 3 axes. I'll try again after the update. It has one good thing, the prices for the totem axes are rising, sold one for 7k today.

Here is my report, at first I had to change my build a bit. The whole run got harder, again. The Skales, Pods and sometimes the Wind Riders follow you the whole run. I killed 10 Root Behemots and no Totem Axe dropped.
You can take out the following skales easily and the Pods don't hurt really and the run will get a bit easier.

[jngrow]

run is now almost impossible with this build. WAY too many wind riders, trying to fake out the cry of frustrations isnt doable, as by the time you get troll unguent off conjure phantasm will kill you. riders tend to be more strategically spawned near the behemoths. im really pissed cus i wanted to do this run.

[Bloodied Blade]

I think life pods are really a problem especially when there is 3 of them, but there is a way to kill them.

Kindle arrows
Dual Shot
Quick Shot <elite>
Savage Shot

My build also uses 9 expertise and zealous bow. With the 3 attacks alone, you can kill a life pod right away without getting their crew mates to heal it. I even used these in the forest in fow and it works really great. With the spiders i just use shortbow thou. Quick shot is really great interupting healing spring.

Yeah. Try to develop ur own builds to make a more efficient one. Ive seen alot of poison arrow and escape builds lol.

I seriously have to try totem axe farming... As for FoW farming, if you watch the recharge on your phys resist (20 sec) you can use it to time the next healing spring by triggering when you interrupt.

[Mesmer in Need]

I use a r/mo combo. all i kill is the behemoths, using a poison arrow/ read the wind combo. just stand back using a longbow, kill it, run like hell.

[Rayvin Aerow]

I use an all prophecies build to farm totems w/ my ranger. It is completely possible to kill all the spiders,skales,roots, and pods with this build. Or you can use it to run past them.
The trick to the wind riders is long lasting degen. W/ a poisonous bow string 1 shot should degen a rider to around 20% hp. So just pop it once, break aggro and let the degen do it's job. Keep an eye on the one you hit and go back to finish him off after you've regened.

Poison Arrow ~E~
Distracting Shot
Dual Shot
Kindle Arrows
Conjure Flame
Dodge
Storm Chaser
Troll Ungent

[Mark Nevermiss]

If you have access to heroes then take them along with you, kill everything along the way, then once you get to the behemoths pop the life pods, kill them with heroes help, park the heroes faaaaaaaaaaaar away and kill the behemoths. Cant get much simpler.

[T1Cybernetic]

If you have access to heroes then take them along with you, kill everything along the way, then once you get to the behemoths pop the life pods, kill them with heroes help, park the heroes faaaaaaaaaaaar away and kill the behemoths. Cant get much simpler.

This is exactly what i do and with kindle arrows againsts the pods it's very easy to do a quick run and get one or two axe's.