Prismatic Insignia: Usefulness is trumped by impracticality

So you need 9 attribute levels in all 4 elements to recieve the max bonus. That's 8 attribute levels +1 from minor runes (37 points total*4 =148 attribute points, leaving you 52 to play with) at the very least, unless you use major runes for the elements that are secondary in your build. In addition, unless you want to be an elementalist with a mini energy pool, you will probably put points in energy storage. So there you have it, almost no attribute points to go around to pump anything up to 11 or 12 attribute levels.

If you run a 2 attribute build, +10 armor isnt too good either, IMO. You are better off using a +10 armor staff and getting much more mileage out of +energy insignias, +HP insignias.

If you run a 3 attribute build, +15 armor might be viable, but then your build will probably be really loosely made...which is the problem I run into with this insignia.

In short, has anyone made a build that can actually use 4 elements with decent efficiency and focus? It reminds me of 5 color decks in Magic the Gathering, which is why this intrigues me.

EDIT: In retrospect, it seems I made an error. the enchanted mod is not +15 but +10.

I run 10 air 11 water on my flagger. That's a guaranteed +10 armor always, which means +70 armor always compared to 70 armor while enchanted or vs only physical. If I was at the stand more I'd run it, since I often wind up in skirmish situations I use +health. It's really my favorite elementalist inscription for eles though.

Other options: a searing flames ele with a 9 in earth for a ward; a flagstand water ele with 10 for flash or a 9 or 10 for ward against foes.

You're missing the point of the Prismatic Insignia. You're not supposed to try and get +20 armour off of it, you're meant to spec into two elemental attributes, possibly three at the most for a guaranteed armour bonus. I currently have over 9 in Fire Magic and Earth Magic and also carry a +10 armour staff. 80 armour on an elementalist is very handy, far more so than extra health or energy..

I would take Prismatic over Survivor's 95+% of the time if I had two attributes at 9 for a guaranteed +10 armor.

Running a +10 armor staff with +40 HP armor over a +60 HP staff with +10 armor clothing is functionally retarded. Running +10 armor while enchanted over +10 armor always is mind-numbingly braindead. If you want +AL armor at all, guaranteed +10 AL from Prismatic is the best deal available. The only reason you would not run it would be because you did not want any +armor whatsoever.

Peace,
-CxE

I dont see it too useful to me because there are only a few rare times when im a full ele. I like to split my atts 11 (+ 3 +1), 10 (+ 2), 10. so 15 in my primary elemental attribute, 12 in energy storage and the 10 in a secondary att that powers my utlilities. I almost always have encnatments on, so Id rather blessed over prismatic.

why would anyone use blessed over prismatic if you have two elements over 9?

Blessed > while enchanted only

Prismatic > ALWAYS

I don't use it myself as I prefer using only one element at a time in pve.

I play Air/Water, simliar to Thom Bangalter, so I run Prismatic or Health. Usually Health because I'm runner.

Ya I can see its uses in special cases, as mentioned in previous posts by Thom and TLLOTS. But personally I find the Archmage set + vitae runes and +HP weps more important to me because:

1. I fear degen/armor ignoring spells more than physical dmg. As an Elementalist in pve I'm almost always the brunt of mesmer spells and necromancer spells.

2. I kite anyway, so the +AL is only really useful in the off chance I get caught between several warriors

3. the extra HP provides a buffer which allows the monks enough time to drop a prot spell or heal me.

Now, in the even where I'll find myself dueling or soloing I'll revise my strategies and check the forums for a little number crunching; but as it stands now for general purposes I find its HP > AL

I also think that blessed is better because when you farm, you generally use a secondary attribute that allows you to farm, and then some sort of elemental damage, the rest in energy storage. eg, 55, SB(doesnt work now but just an example), E/A green farming etc. These work for the hardest mobs. if you want to farm elonas, sure you might just use earth, but then you dont really need a 10 constant armor because minitaurs dont strip and they dont do much damage as it is. If you are runnning, again you will but atts into a secondary so you are able to remove hexes or heal better, leaving you with 9min only in one element for running. the only build I see using this is as people have posted Air/Water pvp builds. Blessed is much more versitile IMHO.

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