Ankh Master Planner Builds & Tips

We recently Master Plannered the Ankh NM and thought it would be useful to jot down some notes and builds! This is not a complete walkthrough — we referred to the League of Monster Slayers’ walkthrough, for the most part.

http://www.lomsglobal.com/index.php?threads/ankh-nightmare-strategy-discussion-and-tactics.37/

Builds:

Tank

Sword/Chaos tank

Actives:
Blade Torrent
Steel Palace
Reality Fracture
Provoke
Chaotic Pull
Spiral of Death
Art of War
Death from Above

Passives:
Agitator
Cause and Effect
Fuel to the Fire
Perfect Storm
Breakdown
Hardcase (I think?)
Contortionist (I think the hinder immunity helps with Dead Ops, but your mileage may vary)
Rocket Science

Healer

Fist/Blood healer

Actives & Augments:
Cauterize (Miraculous Augment)
Nurture (Restoring Augment)
Surgical Steel (Vivifying Augment)
Exquisite Corpse (Impenetrable Augment)
Confuse (Curing Augment)
(Your choice)
Fired Up (Mending Augment)
Death From Above

Passives:
Subtlety
Brawler
Healing Sparks
Shadow Medic
Nurturing Gifts
Mad Skills
Empowerment
Rocket Science

Rotation Cauterize x 3, Nurture, Cauterize, Surgical Steel

Stats:
Healing power; 736.8
Healing Rating: 3754
Crit Rating: 1035
Crit Power: 759
Health: 3408

DPS 1

Pistol/shotgun DPS with Bomb Squad, Dirty Tricks, Confuse and Subtlety

DPS 2

Pistol/shotgun DPS with Confuse, Subtlety and buffs (DA/BS)

Actives:
The Business
Shootout
Out for a Kill
Scattershot
Breaching Shot
Deadly Aim
Confuse
Rocket Jump

Passives:
Subtlety
Elemental Force
Brawler
Iron Maiden
Twist the Knife
Lethality
Seal the Deal
Rocket Science

Build with The Business and OFAK, Scattershot with grouped enemies. Use Shootout every 7th counter for Ele Force. With heavy-hitting bosses, always save BS/DA for the AR’s Reap and Sew. When Reap and Sew is not necessary, I alternate BS and DA; the healer seems to get bigger heals with this method instead of relying on spike damage/heals. Stay at maximum distance for Melothat: you’ll already be closer than feels comfortable. In ‘The Colossus, Melothat’ phase, burn adds ASAP. Otherwise stay with other DPS and PEW PEW PEW.

Support DPS

AR/Elemental with Reap & Sew, Confuse, 12 Gouge & Short Fuse

Actives:
Suppressing Fire
Three Round Burst
Blaze
Lightning Manifestation
Short Fuse
Confuse
Reap and Sew
Death from Above

Passives:
Subtlety
Twist the Knife
Lethality
12 Gouge
Eagle Eye
Elemental Force
Probability
Rocket Science

High pen + DPS gear

All our DPS and Healer carried Confuse and Subtlety due to the last boss. We don’t normally have aggro issues, but Melothat’s aggro seemed wonky–at times even provoke wouldn’t pull him off DPS or healers.

Fight Specific Notes

Fight #1 Squalid Hekaturgist

Thom (tank) – Heka Blast on the tank can be interrupted. Can’t remember its name tho.
Taiver (support DPS) – We actually found it is easier to avoid motes by staying closer to the center until just before the motes are about to move inwards. I try to keep track of where the motes are by keeping an eye on one and moving sideways when it does.

Fight #2 Dr Klein

Thom (tank) – I use chaotic pull to pull down Klein’s add. Watch where you position yourself to make sure you have enough room when the add dies to move out of both the ground attack and be able to move right or left if Klein decides to badly time his Left/Right attacks. LOL.

Taiver (support DPS) – All DPS should defensive target the tank for Reap & Sew. Even if you are a ranged DPS/healer it is a little easier to avoid the waves and motes if you stand closer to Klein. I stand just forward of the broken side walls, still far enough back to avoid the Heka Blast when the add is killed. If we’ve survived two waves and still have yet to kill Klein I ignore the add and focus on bringing down Klein before he call pull his waves-on-both-sides shit. (Non-issue with MP build using Suppressing Fire since I’m hitting both) Reap and Sew as soon as you see the purple flare that indicates Dreaming Shroud, pop buffs if you have them and use consumers to keep tank up.

Fight #3 Orochi Dead Ops

Thom (tank) – If you have an Aoe type impair like Art of War, use it when your health starts to get low as this buys your healer some time to get you back up. You can also use rocket jump to get away from everyone whacking on you if health gets low again to once again buy a few seconds of attack free healing time.
Taiver (support DPS) – All DPS should defensive target the tank. Choose one Dead Ops to kill at a time. Hit Reap and Sew during the first fight/Dead Ops when healer calls for it or if when I see the tank nearing ¼ life. Once one Orochi is dead things get much easier. Watch your feet!

Fight #4 Dimensional Arachnid

Thom (tank) – Try to hit all the adds. Run around hitting adds. Use rocket jump to get to hit adds. Still watch them attack Kaloni instead. Cry.

Taiver (support DPS) – Mew mew mew. This fight is pretty much a small speed bump. Pretty straightforward for dps on this one: shoot the big spider, watch your feet. If Bad Things happen and healer dies near the end of the fight Reap and Sew can keep the tank up for a little while.

Fight #5 The Colossus, Melothat

Thom (tank) – After pulling the first set of adds from the gate, you can position them in front of the colossus to hit both them and start stacking Exposed on Colossus. Be careful not to get too close though. Then immediately go to pick up the Dead Ops from the next gate. Usually will Chaotic pull DO about halfway down the hall and to one side of the hallway so that if he frags it leaves enough room for DPS to safely run past. Once DPS goes to attack Colossus, lead the Dead Ops past the gate. If you can chaotic pull him again to one side a little ways from the gate. (Basically give yourself enough room so you can hit both him and the colossus when he gets to the gate. Also make sure he is positioned far enough from the gate so if he frags and the DPS needs to run through the gate opening, they aren’t forced to take a frag in the face. Easiest way to position him is to just chaotic pull him where you want). Hit colossus, until he awakens again, when you see the adds start coming up, hit them once (I try to leave a ground effect . the chaos equiv of crimson theatre but i forget the name right now) and then rocket jump ahead and pick up the dead ops – that is probably less important when not Master plannering, as there will be more hinder options and more distance if people use ARs and you can then just immediately go to last adds. (Careful not to stay too long) Again, use an interrupt like art of war if your health gets too low.

Taiver (support DPS) – Ugh, stay alive if you’re the one carrying R&S! For MP we only had two hinders (both carried by one DPS) I had most trouble with the final wave adds making a beeline for me (they’d run straight past the others D:) and blowing me up until Thom picked up the first wave of them. Rough. If you’re not doing Master Planner, tactical retreat is useful.

Rest of fight strategy: Stay to your left (or opposite side your tank chooses). Run up to gate with other DPS, shoot gate down, place lightning manifestation as soon as you see the door-falling animation. Then back up and spray suppressing fire; between the three of you those adds should go down fast. Turn and murder the two adds your tank is currently occupying, then burn down the Colossus to 25%. Run as soon as he gets the red aura, use rocket jump to get to the next gate and watch out for Frag Grenade (staying left helps!) Burn that gate down, again place lightning mani right at gate fall and murder adds. Spin and get a few shots on Dead Ops on your wave to Colossus. Kill the adds with AoEs, then work on burning the Colossus. Use rocket jump as soon as he gets the red aura to get through the next gate. Kill Dead Ops, then attack Colossus. As he begins to wake pop buffs, start falling back but stay with pistol DPSers and burn first wave of adds with no hinders. Continue to alternate between Colossus and add waves until all are dead. Keep an ear out for healer’s call for R&S or monitor tank and pop when he gets too near ¼ life.

Fight #6 Dr. Klein and Melothat, Part Deux

Thom (tank) -Cry.

Then fight. Watch for Stupid Big guy to get to 87something health or some shit, try to mostly use builders as it gets close so you can have full consumers ready for klein, and then start running like crazy and rocket jump before platforming shit cause you can’t do shit up there. This one is less important. Make sure to tab on Klein if you use something like reality fracture ?? is that it. IDK. (Right now i’ve been using Impair + passive to increase hate gen after impair, then reality fracture, then sword consumer, throw in a blade torrent or two if time, then jump off. Try not to fall in filth pool. MAKE SURE TO TAB BACK ON Big guy or mouse click him if things are being a butt. Start attacking him.

Second one is worse. I think it is 57? something or something. Anyhow. Run/Rocket jump, run up tab on klein, hit him with same stuff as before, run down stairs, look for where the platformlip bends down if you can fucking see it in your haste (let’s be honest, probably not becuase who has time to adjust camera angles?) then jump down and hope to god you had the right spot – 50/50 chance at this point. Watch as the Big Guy is already up, and cry. And forget to tab back on him and wonder why you aren’t getting his attention. Tab on him and provoke and hope people are saving your ass and not dead.

The rest is easy compared to that so who cares.

Klein appears. Hit him. Go get Big guy again. Until he dies. Then worry about klein. He dies soon enough anyhow.

Taiver (support DPS) – Stay to the far left, near the filthed end of the L-shaped platform. I prefer to save my buffs for when he’s immobile and we can murder the shit out of the big guy. Keep your R&S for the third time Melothat is up. Pew pew until he flops over, get in closer and murder, then back away as the tank gets close. Stop shooting and confuse as he starts to rise. When Klein comes back, hang back until tank stops Wave of Mutation and the motes. Then kill Colossus. When Colossus is dead attack Klein. Repeat until Klein goes upstairs. At the end, attack the add on the right and pop R&S when his Unnatural Selection finishes. All DPS should target themselves at this stage. Finish killing adds, focus on Klein, stay back in case he does Heka Blast.

Thom’s Very Special Diagrams

These will make sense after the fight. I swear.