I've got a little time here, so will share my opinion.
First of all, Ritualist is a great profession and fun to play. I'm currently playing a Ritualist as my main focus, and have been playing a N/Mo since the orignal release of GW, along with many other profession combinations.
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1. Broad enough skill set to adapt to needs of group and be a viable profession in any situation?
It can be difficult getting accepted into a group as a Ritualist, unless there isn't a monk around or they want two monks when there's only one available.
When playing my Warrior, I'm often accepted into parties early while they're initially forming, and when a Ritualist comes along they often aren't accepted right away unless the party leader understands what they can do, or there isn't a Monk around, or someone in the party really pushes to grab them (like me!). They don't get passed over as much as Assassins or Mesmers, but enough to possibly be a drag if you just want to get into parties quickly or without much hassle. Just don't be surprised if from time to time you spend thirty minutes to an hour looking for a group and end up taking henchmen into a mission instead.
The best profession for guaranteed partying for any mission or quest is a healing or protection Monk, followed by a Warrior, then probably a Minion Master.
While I really like Ritualist skills, I wouldn't consider them to be viable in any situation. They're energy intensive and very conditional upon spirits, party placement and what you're holding, often with slow casting and recharge times. During timed missions or when the team is in a hurry, it's very difficult to be effective with Spirits because of the long casting and recharge times.
Of all the professions I've played, Ritualist is the slowest paced with the least amount of action, though this is offset by its deep and complicated skillset and strategy. I'd suggest that it's the second most complicated profession in the game to master well, with Mesmer being the first.
The profession with the most viable and desired skillset in PvE under any situation is again a Monk, followed by a Warrior and then probably a Necro (MM, BiP, SS).
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2. Ritualist somewhat analogous to WoW shaman?
I can't answer to this, since I've never played WoW.
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3. Soloability?
If by "soloablitiy" you mean going out alone with a party of Henchmen or Heroes, then sure. I'm developing my Ritualist to be a party leader for the Heroes in Nightfall, as it will fill that role nicely. But if you mean going out solo with no party, with a normal everyday build setup, and coming back in one piece without dying multiple times? No way. Not unless it's a specific farming build for a specific area.
I'd rank the best solo professions without using a farming build as: Ranger, Necromancer, Warrior, Monk, Elemenalist, Assassin, Mesmer, Ritualist. Some will disagree on the order, but Ritualist is in the bottom three for sure.
Ritualist is a party support class. One can offset this with a secondary, or use a specific build that works solo in some places, but to be able to go anywhere in PvE by yourself or with a small hench team, it's not really the best choice. It certainly can be done... I'm just saying it's not the best choice for going solo.
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4. Ease of play for learning the game?
In my opinion, there are three really challenging and complicated professions in this game: Mesmer, Ritualist and Assassin. All professions have their challenges and potential to be complicated, but these three have the least amount of straightforward one-shot skills that have noticeable effects, being mostly dependant upon other variables or skills and working behind the scenes. Both Ritualist and Mesmer could be viewed as more about controlling the battlefield rather than eliminating or healing individuals, though they can certainly do the latter, just not as effectively as the other classes can.
The easiest profession for learning the game is by Anet's own admission a Warrior. A Necro Minion Master is another good option as well. Monk is a good starting profession, but it's a completely different type of play style from the rest because one is mostly targeting the party rather than the enemy.
If my very first character had been a Ritualist, I don't know if I'd have stuck with it. Maybe I would have, but the pace and overall approach is very different from any other profession. I remember when I first started how excited I was to try the Mesmer profession right away, but it was really complicated and not an easy way to learn the game, so I dropped it. Later on when I picked it up again and knew the game, I was able to get it and appreciate the Mesmer's power on the battlefield much better.
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5. Secondary profession? (plenty on this from other threads here, but if you want you can comment on this, especially as regards making a character that can be used in any run.) P.S. most concerned with using N or R.
Of those two, Ranger offers more versatility in skill selection and gameplay diversity. Serpent's Quickness is a good alternative to Ritual Lord if one has the Prophecies campaign, but it's not available in Factions. I'd probably be running a Rt/R if I hadn't already unlocked so many Ranger skills with other characters. I changed my Ranger's secondary to Rit and really like what that combination can do. Ranger is probably the most self sufficient profession, and so it complements the Ritualist very well.
The Necro secondary is good for minion boming or a minimal tanking army, but not really much else from my perspective. I ran a Rt/N for awhile and eventually changed it, simply because Blood and Curses just didn't seem to gel with the Ritualist, except for maybe Chilblains for triggering certain Ritualist spells based on conditions. Plus Blood and Curses really need to be high level with runes to be worthwhile, and the Curses line in Factions is kinda lame when compared to Prophecies. When I wasn't minion bombing or toting around a weak Flesh Golem as a pet, the only thing I ever carried was Plague Touch for condition removal, focusing on Ritualist skills almost entirely.
Two other secondaries worth considering are Mesmer and Assassin (o my god, Assassin? what a n00b).
The Mesmer offers energy management skills, interruptions, signets and stances that can support the Ritualist a great deal, not to mention the Echo elite spell. Interrupting skills like Power Drain and Leech Signet can fill up your energy pool while literally saving the party; plus interrupting is something to do during long recharge times, and can actually be more helpful than spiking damage under certain situations.
The Assassin offers Spirit Walk, Dash, Recall and Aura of Displacement without spending any attribute points, allowing the Ritualist to quickly move around the battlefield and position spirits strategically. Many Ritualist skills require touching spirits or party members, or have a very small range of effect (nearby, in the area), so being able to Shadow Step between spirits, foes and allies, or run in quick bursts, actually helps.
The elite skill Assassin's Promise is a great option for eliminating the long recharge times of binding rituals, recharging the entire skillbar when a targeted foe dies and giving an energy boost, and it can be captured before the 6th Mission rather than late in the game. Most of the Assassin skills cost only 5 energy; and one can unlock all skills for both Factions professions with one go through. The issue with dropping items while Shadow Stepping can be a plus if used in the right context, rather than a negative. Taking Assassin for a secondary is a viable alternative, with many options that haven't really been flushed out by the community yet, imho.
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6. Lastly, how does a N/Ri stack up against an Ri/N on the concerns I listed above?
I'd say N/Ri would be more enjoyable and easier to learn and play, especially if you like a faster pace and want to work with minions more than spirits. Soul Reaping is a powerful attribute to have in PvE, as you'll always have plenty of energy when things die. You'll have access to runes, armor and weapons that maximize Minion Mastery to it's fullest.
Spawning Power helps with minions too, but as a Ritualist primary there are simply limits to what you can do with them. Ritualist minions have more health at lower levels, which is good for tanking. It's also possible to use minions as bombs with Death Nova, alongside other skills which cause damage upon a Spirit's death, to lay waste to a battlefield in a single explosion. However that kind of play requires serious micromanagement to pull off well.
If Spirits are your focus with minions as support, then go Ri/N.
If Minions are your focus with spirits as support, then go N/Ri.
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If I may suggest... based on everything you've said here, it might be worth looking at a Necro/Monk Minion Master as your first profession. This is a great starting combination for learning the game, and is a lot of fun to play.
- It's fast paced and easy to get into, yet a challenge to master well.
- Players love a good MM in PvE, so it's not hard to find parties.
- The Monk secondary offers better minion buffing than a Ritualist secondary.
- You can go out solo, or with a modest hench party, and build up an army around you. Plus there are several farming options available.
- When going into an area or mission with few corpses, one can pull from Curses, Blood, Smiting, Protection and Healing to come up with a viable alternative.
- You'll unlock skills from two professions that other players like to have around.
Worth looking into anyway. You can always change secondaries when you get to Senji's Corner after the 4th mission. Just be frugal with skill unlocks before then so they don't get expensive too quickly.
I love the Rituatlist profession, and you'll probably enjoy it a lot. I'm just not sure if I'd recommend it to a new player as a way to learn the game, since it's somewhat of an advanced profession unless one just spams spirits, which they can certainly do but it gets boring fast.
Based on your comments, I'd recommend taking a look at a Necro/Monk Minion Master or a Ranger/Anything before making a decision. If you still want to pursue a Ritualist combo, then consider a Necro/Ritualist, a Ranger/Ritualist, a Ritualist/Ranger or a Ritualist/Assassin. The Ritualist/Mesmer is probably the most powerful combo for a Rit primary, but then you're learning the two most challenging professions at the same time.
Good luck.  | | |
