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% Metadata
\title{Triple Trouble Eggblocking Guide}
\author{Peter Parker IV \& others}
\date{2019/06/26}


\begin{document}

\maketitle

\iftexforhtTF{}{\ccbysa}
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit \url{http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/}.

Content obtained from Guild Wars 2, its web sites, manuals and guides, concept art and renderings, press and fansite kits, and other such copyrighted material, may also be used in this document. All rights, title and interest in and to such content remains with ArenaNet or NCsoft, as applicable, and such content is not licensed pursuant to CC-BY-SA.

\textbf{Warning:} We do not take any warranty or responsibility for failures or wrong information in this document.
As Guild Wars 2 is an actively developed online game, certain game updates can make parts of this document outdated.
Make sure that you have the latest version, especially if you are viewing this in a static format, such as a PDF.

\begin{abstract}
  I never thought I'd use \LaTeX to write Triple Trouble Blocking Guides of all things, but here we go.

  This document explains the mechanics of the special role called the \emph{Eggblocker}, which is needed at the \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Triple_Trouble}{Triple Trouble} event.
  Unlike other guides, the information in this guide is freely licensed and as such can be redistributed under the terms of the CC-BY-SA 4.0 license.

  Egg blocking works the same on every head, no matter if it's Amber, Crimson or Cobalt.
  As such, the guide is written in a general way.
  Any minor differences will be mentioned at the place where they become important.
\end{abstract}


\newpage
\tableofcontents
\newpage


\section{Introduction}

During the time that the wurm heads at Triple Trouble are invulnerable, they have a few different attacks which they will use in order to try and attack the zerg.
Those attacks can be roughly divided into two categories: The spins and the spits.
The spins are what the wurm does when it curles up, and a big orange circle will appear around it (see figure \ref{fig:small-spin}).
Those spins aren't the primary concern of blockers, because they are mostly harmless, in the sense that they only do some damage and have a knockback.
Of course, they pose a danger to the blocker, as getting hit by a spin can be deadly, but they don't cause any extra mobs to spawn.
A blocker should still be familiar with the spin animations though, so that they can be properly avoided/dodged.

\begin{figure}[ht]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{images/small-spin.jpg}
  \caption{The wurm doing a small spin.}
  \label{fig:small-spin}
\end{figure}

The more interesting part about being a blocker are the so-called spits:
The spits are attacks in which the wurm will spit out either some \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Great_Jungle_Wurm_Egg}{Eggs}, or some \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Champion_Partially_Digested_Husk}{Husks}.
Depending on what the wurm is spitting out, they are often discerned as either egg-spits or husk-spits respectively.

The spit animations are a bit more subtle, but they are not too hard to see either:
The wurm is doing some sort of coughing sound, while standing upright and rocking its head back and forth.
Additionally, the wurm will always start spitting into the same direction (the rightmost one from the wurm's PoV), which can help you set up your camera angle or watch out for the animation.

\youtube{L7ATGPl4Itw}{A video about the different wurm animations}

A \enquote{full spit} is divided into three parts, as the wurm will spit eggs or husks into three different directions.
For an egg spit, each \enquote{cough} will spit out 3 eggs, with the last cough spitting out even 4 eggs.
For a husk spit, each cough will spit out exactly one husk.

Sometimes people also use the term \enquote{AoE spit} to refer to the AoE fields that the wurm creates after a small spin.
However, those AoE spits work a bit differently and are tied to the small spin animation, so don't get them mixed up.


\subsection{Blocking}

Now that the general mechanics of the wurm spits are clear, we can talk about how to actually block them.
We will first talk about blocking egg spits, as that is the most important bit.
Husk blocking will be explained a bit further below and is considered an advanced mechanic.

As for blocking eggs, the mechanic is simple:
Any sort of \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Reflect}{projectile reflection} or \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Block#Projectile_destruction}{projectile destruction} works, as long as the duration is long enough to cover a full spit.
With a good timing, around 4 seconds are enough, but longer reflects are safer because they allow for a bit of wiggle room.
If you do not have a single skill that lasts long enough, you can also combine skills by casting them between the single coughs.

Now, that is \emph{theoretically} already enough to get you started with blocking:
Simply place down your reflect when the wurm is about to spit, as simple as that!
However, there are a few things to consider, especially if you are solo blocking (which means you do not have someone else as a back up).


\subsubsection{Positioning}

Of course your projectile reflection or destruction has to be positioned in way that it actually catches all the flying eggs.
The best thing to do here is to place the skill at the wurm's base, which is the origin of all projectiles.
Some very easy to use skills are:

\begin{itemize}
  \item Mesmer's \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Feedback}{Feedback}: It is ranged, meaning you can put it down from a safe distance. It is a dome with a big radius, which makes it easy to intercept all projectiles. And it lasts for 6 seconds, which makes the timing very easy.
  \item Revenant's \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Protective_Solace}{Protective Solace}: For the same reasons as Mesmer's Feedback.
  \item Elementalist's \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Swirling_Winds}{Swirling Winds}: It has a long duration and covers a big radius, but has to be casted close-range, as it is not a ground-targetted skill.
\end{itemize}

Generally, if you are just starting out, AoE reflects are easier to use than directional \enquote{walls}.
And the bigger the AoE is, the easier it is to hit.


\subsubsection{Timing}

If your reflection skill is short, than you have to time it right.
If you press it too early, it will run out before the wurm has spat out the last set of eggs.
If you press it too late, the first set of eggs will come through.
In any case, even blocking the majority of eggs is already a big help, but taking a skill that lasts for longer or layering skills from multiple blockers will increase your chances of blocking all eggs.

Another factor that you have to consider here is the cast time of the skill:
While some of them will activate instantaneously (like Feedback), others have a bit of cast time (Swirling Winds).
You have to consider that when pressing the skill, and there is only so much time between the animation start and the point at which eggs are actually flying.


\subsubsection{Cooldown}

Another important thing to consider is the cooldown of your blocking skill:
The wurm's egg spit has a cooldown of approximately 45 seconds, which means that your reflection skill should have less than that, otherwise you will not have it back up for every spit.

That is not the only problem though:
The animation for the husk spit and the egg spit are exactly the same, which means it is not possible to differentiate between those two, at least not before husks or eggs have actually landed.
There is also no rule about which spit the wurm does first, so you cannot rely on that either.

Why is this bad?
Well, since you cannot differentiate between the egg and the husk spit, you might end up wasting your reflect on a husk spit, which would leave you without reflect for the next egg spit.
Husk spits have a cooldown of approximately 90 seconds, which means you should have at least a second reflect skill ready.

Another way to deal with this is to have multiple egg blockers, and to have them coordinate on who uses their reflection skill first.
That way, the other blocker will have their reflect ready in case the wrong spit was blocked.


\subsubsection{Staying Alive}

Depending on your class, some of your skills might require you to be in close proximity of the wurm, which means you will be in range for the spits.
Make sure that you have some dodges ready.
Some classes also have some evades or blocks in their kits (like the Mesmer's \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Blurred_Frenzy}{Blurred Frenzy}), which can help in avoiding any wurm attacks.

Keep in mind that you can use \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Aegis}{Aegis} to negate the effect of a spin, \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Stability}{Stability} to prevent the knock-back or \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Protection}{Protection} to negate at least some of the damage.


\subsection{The Sweet Spot}

Now that the basics of egg blocking have been explained, we can start venturing into some of the more advanced knowledge.
One important point (literally) is the so-called \enquote{sweet spot}.
This is basically the spot at which all projectiles (eggs, husks and AoEs) that the wurm spits out originate.
That is also the reason why blocking with AoE reflects is very easy:
It's hard to miss the sweet spot when your reflect covers the whole base of the wurm.

Finding the sweet spot requires a bit of practice, as it is hidden inside the base of the wurm.
You can zoom in with your camera until the wurm model becomes invisible, which makes it easier to navigate.
If you hit the wurm with a melee weapon (even if it's still invulnerable), the sweet spot will \enquote{light up}.

Knowing where the sweet spot is can help you with placing your blocking skills, and it's essential to husk blocking.


\subsection{Husk Blocking}

Unlike egg blocking, husk blocking requires a bit more precision, as husks cannot be blocked by simply placing projectile reflect/destruction skills in their path.
In order to block husks, you have to actually stand on the sweet spot (where the projectile spawns), and use an invulnerability skill.
This will result in the projectile getting destroyed, in the same way that some player projectiles will get destroyed upon hitting an invulnerable target.
That is already the crux of husk blocking, but of course, there are again some things that you have to consider.


\subsubsection{Timing}

The timing's for husk blocking are the same as for egg blocking.
This also means that you need around 4 seconds of invulnerability if you want to block a complete husk spit.
If you don't have a single skill that provides the required amount of invulnerability, you can also chain multiple skills between the coughs.


\subsubsection{Cooldowns \& Checking}

Husks spits have a cooldown of around 90 seconds, which means that your invulnerability skill needs to have less if you want to be able to block husks.
And since you cannot distinguish between egg spits and husk spits beforehand, you actually need two invulnerability skills to reliably block all husk spits.

There is a small trick however, which is called \enquote{checking}.
We know that egg spits and husk spits look the same from the outside, but there is actually a difference if you block them by using invulnerability:
For an egg spit, each cough will produce 3 \emph{invulnerable} messages on the screen.
For a husk spit, each cough will only produce 1 \emph{invulnerable} message.
You can use this information to \enquote{check} on a spit, by using a short-duration invulnerability skill for the first cough, and then casting your long-duration invulnerability or projectile reflect once you know what the wurm is spitting.


\subsubsection{Staying on the Spot}

Just like with egg blocking, you have to make sure that you stay alive and you dodge the wurm's attacks.
However, for husk blocking, you also want to stand still on the sweet spot, to avoid unnecessary repositioning after each spit.
Therefore it is useful to bring any evades, blocks, aegis, stability, \textellipsis that you can find, as they will allow you to mitigate the spin without dodging away from the sweet spot.


\subsection{AoE Blocking}

AoE blocking follows exactly the same principle as husk blocking.
Basically, if you are husk blocking, and you have some invulnerability skills leftover, then you can use them to block the AoE spits that the wurm does after a small spin.
This can be very useful on e.g. Amber, when the zerg is stacking up for the final burn phase, in order to make sure that people won't get downed.


\section{Gear}

The gear that you have for blocking doesn't really matter too much, as it doesn't contribute to the actual mechanic of blocking stuff.
You can theoretically run around naked without any blocking problems.

What you should consider however is that no gear or low-level gear will make you more vulnerable to the wurm's attacks if you get hit by one, and to the Veteran Jungle Wurms that will spawn throughout the event.
For the start, you can consider running more defensive gear (for example, gear with \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Attribute_combinations}{toughness and vitality} like Soldier's).

If you feel more confident in your ability to evade the wurm's attacks, you can run more offensive gear, like Berserker's.
This will provide you with a little damage boost during burn phases.

Keep in mind though that your main job as a blocker is to block eggs/husks - don't worry about the damage if it negatively impacts your blocking!


\section{Class Guides}

\subsection{Mesmer}

Mesmers are the undisputed kings of blocking at Triple Trouble, as they are able to block every egg, husk and AoE spit on their own.
They have access to one of the best reflect skills in the game, \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Feedback}{Feedback}, while also having access to one of the best invulnerability skills, \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Distortion}{Distortion}.
\href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Mimic}{Mimic} allows them to use Feedback twice, which is perfect for egg blocking, while \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Signet_of_Illusions}{Signet of Illusions} allows them to use Distortion twice, which is perfect for husk blocking.
In addition, the trait \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Blurred_Inscriptions}{Blurred Inscriptions} gives them access to a lot of short duration invulnerabilities, which can be used to either check a spit, or to block AoEs.

And if that wasn't enough, they also have a high amount of blocks and evades by taking a sword main-hand for \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Blurred_Frenzy}{Blurred Frenzy} and a shield offhand for \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Echo_of_Memory}{Shield of Memory} (requires the Chronomancer elite).
Alternatively, you can also use the Mirage elite specialization, which allows you to dodge without moving from the sweet spot.


\subsubsection{Basic Mode - Eggblocking}
\label{sss:mesmer-basic-eggblocking}

With the very basic Mesmer eggblocking, you will be able to block every egg spit.
The only two important skills are Mimic and Feedback.
If there is a spit happening, and you can't be sure that it is husks or eggs, use Mimic followed by Feedback.
If the spit was an egg spit, you have successfully blocked it.
If it was a husk spit, you will have Feedback ready for the next spit.
Keep in mind the cooldowns of the spits - 45 seconds for the egg spit, 90 seconds for the husk spit.
This means that the usual spit sequence is \texttt{E/H - E/H - E - E/H - E/H - E - ...}, as every second egg spit can line up with a husk spit.

For this basic build, you do not have to worry about any traits or weapons.
You can run whatever you want.


\subsubsection{Advanced Mode - Blocking Eggs \& AoEs}

We want to keep the build from above in mind, and make some improvements to allow you to block more stuff.
The goal is to arrive at a build that can block eggs and AoEs (and later husks), but also give you an understanding of why things are chosen the way they are.

First of all, let's take a look at the weaponset:
For eggblocking only, you do not need a specific weapon on a Mesmer.
However, for this build, we're going to go with a \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Sword#Mesmer}{Sword} main hand.
The two important skills here are \skill{Sword}{2}{\href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Blurred_Frenzy}{Blurred Frenzy}} and \skill{Sword}{3}{\href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Illusionary_Leap}{Illusionary Leap}}.
Blurred Frenzy is an evade, which is very useful to mitigate the wurm's spins.
It allows you do dodge them while not moving from your position.
Illusionary Leap is used for clone generation.
This is not important for core Mesmer egg blocking, but it will be important later when we take a look at husk blocking.

For the off-hand weapons, a good choice is a \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Shield#Chronomancer}{Shield} (requires the Chronomancer elite specialization).
The reason for that is access to another block in the form of \skill{Shield}{4}{\href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Echo_of_Memory}{Echo of Memory}}.
Echo of Memory is a long channeled block, and if you successfully block an attack, you will be able to re-cast the skill to block for a second time.

For the second weaponset, we're going to take a \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Focus#Mesmer}{Focus} off-hand.
The reason for this is the skill \skill{Focus}{4}{\href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Temporal_Curtain}{Temporal Curtain}}.
On its own, this skill is not very useful for blocking, but we will combine it with the trait \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Warden%27s_Feedback}{Warden's Feedback} (Inspiration, middle column up).
This trait will turn Temporal Curtain into a 5 second reflect.
You will usually not need this, but it is good to keep in mind:
If you mess up somewhere, swap to Focus and use Temporal Curtain as a reflect!

Now we can take a look at the utility skills.
We already know that Mimic and Feedback are set, which leaves us with a healing skill, a single utility skill and the elite skill.

For the elite, we don't need that for blocking.
You can bring \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Time_Warp}{Time Warp} in order to help out with Quickness during burn phases, but it doesn't affect your blocking.

For the healing and utility slots, we want a \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Signet#Mesmer}{Signet}.
The reason for this is the synergy with the \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Blurred_Inscriptions}{Blurred Inscriptions} trait (Inspiration, last column down).
This trait will give us one second of invulnerability whenever we use a Signet.
This is very useful to block spins, especially as it will also block the AoEs that are being released after a small spin.
As such, you want to choose \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Signet_of_the_Ether}{Signet of the Ether} as your healing skill, and \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Signet_of_Midnight}{Signet of Midnight} as your utility skill.
The reason why we choose Signet of Midnight over the other signets is that is has no cast time.
As such, timing the Signet of Midnight is way easier than timing the other signets.
In addition, it has the second-lowest cooldown, which means it is available every 30 seconds.

This means we've chosen Inspiration and Chronomancer as our traitlines now, which leaves us with a third one to pick.
For this build, Dueling offers some utility through \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Fencer%27s_Finesse}{Fencer's Finesse} (Dueling, middle column down).
This trait reduces your sword skill cooldowns (such as Blurred Frenzy) by 20\%, which means you can use it more often to evade.

As for the actual blocking, it is \emph{exactly the same} as the base Mesmer egg blocking described in Section \ref{sss:mesmer-basic-eggblocking}.
All we've done so far is to add some utility, which can help you stay in place (on the Sweet Spot) and block some AoEs through the use of Signets.

\begin{figure}[ht]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{images/mesmer-traits.png}
  \caption{Traitlines for Mesmer blocking, with important traits selected.}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure}[ht]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.3\textwidth]{images/mesmer-skills.png}
  \caption{Utility skills for Mesmer blocking.}
\end{figure}


\subsubsection{Professional Mode - Chronomancer Full Blocking}

In order to full block on a Chronomancer, we're going to take the same build as in the previous section, but we're gonna modify it slightly.

This build relies on the invulnerability that you get from using Distortion (F4) in order to block husks.
Since the invulnerability lasts longer the more clones you have up, you want to keep generating clones with your \skill{Sword}{3}{Illusionary Leap}.
In addition, we want to take the trait \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Illusionary_Reversion}{Illusionary Reversion} (Chronomancer, middle column middle).
This trait will automatically generate a new clone if you shatter 3 of them at the same time, which means you will start with 1 clone instead of 0 after you've used Distortion.

As for the skills, we're going to swap out Feedback for \href{https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Signet_of_Illusions}{Signet of Illusions}.
This Signet allows you to recharge your Distortion.

The idea behind this build is the following:
If you don't know if a spit is a husk or an egg spit, you use your Distortion.
If the spit was a husk spit, you have successfully blocked it, and you can use Feedback on the next egg spit.
If the spit was an egg spit, you can use Signet of Illusions to recharge Distort, and you can Distort the next spit again.

In the second case, you should generate some clones fast, as you will need them for the increased invulnerability duration.
However, Illusionary Reversion and Signet of Illuisions (due to Blurred Inscriptions) will give you one clone each, so you can generate the third one by just using Illusionary Leap once.

This method of blocking requires you to be on the Sweet Spot, so make sure to use your evading tools and your invulnerability from Signets to avoid moving too much.
You should be able to block every big spin with either \skill{Sword}{2}{Blurred Frenzy} or \skill{Shield}{4}{Echo of Memory}, and every small spin with either Signet of the Ether or Signet of Midnight.

\begin{figure}[ht]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.3\textwidth]{images/chrono-skills.png}
  \caption{Utility skills for Chronomancer blocking.}
\end{figure}

\end{document}