Now, that doesn't work as well in PvE; mainly because both Balths and Zealot's will trigger the AoE scatter effect, which is doubleplusbad.
However, in the latest skills rework I noticed that a skill I'd shelved in the "looks fun, but too unweildly" drawer got a nice little buff to near-spammable status:
Splinter Weapon 5/1/5
Weapon Spell. For 15..51 seconds, target ally has a Splinter Weapon. Target ally's next successful attack deals +5..41 damage to all adjacent foes.
And no, it doesn't combo with Barrage. Pity.
Still, +53 damage at 16 Channeling makes it a pretty efficient Fireball variant. Note that because it's +damage it won't be reduced by armour or high monster level (similarly to an attack skill), so the actual damage it deals in PvE is better than most things an ele can throw out for the same price tag. Now, while it's a nice skill I'll agree it isn't enough to make a build... But Channeling still has some nice unexplored toys:
Ancestors' Rage 10/0.75/8
Spell. All foes adjacent to target ally are struck for 10...82 lightning damage.
Spirit Rift 15/2/5
Spell. Open a Spirit Rift at target foe's location. After 3 seconds, all adjacent foes are struck for 25...113 lightning damage.
...Looking at the recharge on those bad boys, that's enough to constitute some decent forward pressure when concentrated around your team's warriors.
Now, the point was that you're combining this with the ability to be a fully-fledged (second or third) defensive character. Otherwise you may as well run an extra SS necro, since he'll do more damage in the long run. Fortunately, we have plenty of attribute points to spend as well as access to a newly-buffed defensive line.
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Splinter Smiter:
(Concept Build, minimally tested)
12+4 Channeling
10+1 Restoration
8+1 Spawning Power (or Inspiration)
{e} Attuned was Songkai (or Mantra of Recall)
Mend Body and Soul
Spirit Light
Nightmare Weapon
Splinter Weapon
Ancestor's Rage
Spirit Rift
Flesh of my Flesh
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...There we go! Respectable heals, decent damage, all in one fairly efficient package.
The only drawback is that you can't really reverse the scores in Channeling and Restoration - to do enough damage to matter you really need that maxed-out lightning.
The elite energy management is basically necessary to support Spirit Rift - If focussing a little more on healing you can probably get away with dropping it.
Comments?
