Disappointed with the new skills?

Would like to know other peoples opinions on the new alliance/sunspear skills for rits. I was rather disappointed.

The first vampirism, is not a bad skill. Low energy 3 sec cast damage spirit although only 20 damage at max rank. Just compared to the other sunspear skills its rather weak and nothing particularly game breaking. The health gained from it may be useful in a few times in pve but generally when placeing spirits im further at the back and not at the frontlines so dont take much damage.

Summon spirits uh, could maybe be useful if i didnt use any signets that will make the spirits get destroyed after short time, but then they would die even faster. Most people are maybe just rank 1-2 and a heal for 40-45 health is pathetic. Shelter dispalcement etc. wont even take 1 more hit with that. I think they should really of taken the health healed to the spirits way higher. Also its just stacking the spirits together so that a dervish mob or some caster can aoe them more easily. For offensive spirits i guess this can be useful as they dont take damage but you have to lose 1 skill slot for it which could mean losing 1 damage spirit.

With hardmode and enemys attacking much faster spirits have become worse. If you comapre for example aegis to displacement. In hardmode aegis is still up for its duration and blocking 50% during that time. Displacement just dies faster because of more hits and lasts alot less time. I was really hoping for some sort of skill that will boost spirits longitivity.

If you see some of the other proff's skills escpecially assasin and elementalist they are really significant skills that will be widely used but these 2 seem kinda crappy comapred to them for me, ill prolly use vampirism in place of one of my damage spirits in spirit spammer build but its just cos of the lower energy cost.

Well yeah. Ritualists got screwed something serious ^_^. Another 'focus on the shit spirits' skill. Summon Spirits might be cool if your running a spirit army, but that's really quite dull these days...

I'm thinking insane things are going to happen with:
"Save Yourselves!"

Eternal Aura recharges the avatar forms which means you can keep up some up then continues.

Summon Spirits definitely needs a boost in spirit health gain. Vampirism could use a damage boost too, maybe 30? Still, the ranger skills and ritualist skills hardly seem as overpowered as the other skills.

Vampirism means you can actually run a damage spirit besides Destruction & Bloodsong if you go channeling.

Yep, they blow.
The buff to spawning owns, though. I'm running a spearchucking Warmonger's weapon version of Spirit's Strength that is just mean.

i don't know...

i'm really liking summon spirits it really helps ALOT in pve play allowing me to transport spirts halfway accross the map (unlike draw spirt) and saving 20 seconds to cast new ones and also healing them abit. Vampirism is amazing just does that little bit of extra dmg and with its little cost is twice as good as pain and bloodsong.

TBH I'm more dissapointed with the more powerful skills and the grind orientated direction the game's going in.

But yes, vampeurism is basically a decent non-elite normal rt skill, and summon spirits is basically a poor elite normal rt skill (that probably no one would use, but it had to be elite because of its unique ability to heal spirits and actually teleport them usefully). Compared to what some professions got ("tntf!", critical agility, "sy!", intensity and others) rts have really missed out big time.

I would have preferred to see an enchant giving channeling skills 25% AP and maybe a pot that reduces cast time of spells by 25%.

The new skills are supposed to be slightly more powerful versions of some of the current skills out there. Summon spirits is more of a way to move your spirits around than to heal them. The healing is just a slight bonus added to make it better than the current draw spirit.

Rits did kinda get screwed over now that I think about it. It really shows Anet is trying to tether rits to spirits. I wouldn't have minded seeing a new healing spell, or perhaps some sort of casting reduction. Honestly, unless you are carrying expensive spirits with large recharges (disenchantment, dissonance, anguish) summon spirits isn't worth it. If the ol rit lord build still worked (since the latest change to spawning power was the final hit to it), this would have been invaluable. Vampirism, meh. Just another short rechrging spirit for me to slap signet of ghostly might on. Compared to the ele skills (OMG WHO THOUGHT OF THOSE) and the paragon skills (finally restoring them to their former glory), rits deff lost out.

P.S.- The ranger skills work nicely with spirit's strength

I dunno, I thought the update was hilarious. My minion bomber's gonna do some numbers testing with Splinter Weapon (not as much) and Signet of Corruption(if ONLY Razah could use it), I'll letcha know how it turns out.

The new skills that we can use with our secondaries FAR outshine our new skills.

I think our skills are probably better on /Rts, and other class skills are better for us. Anyone can dump that Vampirism spirit out and have it work for them, and Summon Spirits is probably better for dragging those 60s recast Ranger spirits around.

For us though, look at that % damage boosting Ele skill... go Channeling Rt/E and that'll shine.

Triple Shot, the Ranger skill, is another good skill for Splinter or Nightmare Weapon - pretty easy to run Barrage on your Rt/R with Triple Shot for single targets... ouchie! Triple Shot + Nightmare Weapon = 150 lifesteal and you wouldn't even need to spec Marksmanship

There's some good options there, but it's all in the secondaries.

All of those that were enraged when they moved Bloodsong to Channeling just got our wishes answered with the new Sunspear skill.

Vampirism allowed me to drop my self heal in favor for another attacking spirit in my spirit build. Unfortunately, I do not run spirits that often anymore. Summon spirits looks to have potential just for the teleporting abilities. The heals are not worth the title grinding to increase. Spirits tend to die quickly when attacked as it is so I had always thought of them as glass cannons that provide a momentary barrier.

Overall, these skills have utility but are not as spectacular as many of the other skills.

triple shot + nightmare marksman ftw http://www.pvxwiki.com/wiki/Build:Rt...tmare_Marksman

Quote:

You guys are nuts.

Summon spirits is *insane* for offensive spirit turrets in PvE. You get incredible damage and now don't have the huge setup/recharge times associated with it.

I've been very happy with this build for simple, dumb DPS since the update;

12 + 2 Communing (or add a sup if you like)
10-12 + 1 Channeling (if you want more spawning, pull it from here)
leftover in Spawning

Summon Spirits (Luxon)
Painful Bond
Offering of Spirit
Pain
Bloodsong
Vamprism (Sunspear)
Anguish
Fury

Skill Template: OACjAyiKJSDgVTHXGbRbfTlT+gA

Before the start of the first battle, set up Pain, Bloodsong, and Vamprism. Then cast Painful Bond on the enemy and engage, using Summon Spirits to move your spirit turrets around. When either Pain/Bloodsong/Vampirism recharge, sacrifice one of them to Fury, then recast the spirit. Summon Anguish whenever you can, and use Offering on recharge to keep your energy up.

Learn to use summon spirits and love it. If your spirits are getting whacked on, reposition them away from the enemy with draw. Draw at least every compass range since the area of effect on the skill is limited.

You can easily sub in a res or something like shadowsong where needed.

well i wrote the first post when the patch came out and at the time our skills really sucked compared to the others but many got nerfed. I was running around with p secondary and making the minions supertanks and keeping them healed with just 1 skill ^.

I have been using summon spirits alot as well. It means im not required to use ritual lord with damage spirits anymore and gives me a free elite choice, but then i can see that ritualists are really lacking with elites. There should be some sort of big heal skills as elites maybe a useful heal/support spirit(preservation kinda sucks) and atleast a damage spirit that does good damage or additional effect.

Ive been using a build with wanderlust and all damage spirits with summon spirits in alot of HM missions it works very well. I dont think anything else in the game can match the single target dps of a rit right now. with 16 channeling painful bond and 5 spirits its incredable. Anguish alone does like 59, and its all armor ignoring.
On a side note do you really need offering of spirit in your build. Essence strike is good e management and doesnt restrict your elite choice.

They should change vampirism to heal ALL allies for 10..20 hp on attakcs, not just the "owner"

Anguish and painful bond spamming gets expensive, so yeah. The above build is more for plowing through somewhat easy areas, where wanderlust would just mean you're missing out on DPS. Plus I don't have room for anything else as-is. There are many ways to do it of course, but yeah, Summon Spirits is teh roxxor.

Vamprism change sounds good but then it would need to be tied into spawning power somehow, would be too nuts on secondaries. (As is it's very easy to use)

Quote:

yea pretty worthless

I play both monk and ritualist. The difference in "power" in the sunspear skills of Seed of Life and Vampirism is night and day. I think they should make it that Vampirism heals the whole party for 11..20. That would make it more consistent.

I'd like to see a monk do what ritualists can with channelling. Or spam protective spirits with communing.

I dunno, I think vampirism is a good fit for rits. When they moved bloodsong to channeling, we lost a decent low cost spirit bomber. Anguish is interesting, but 25 energy is nutts.

Since the release of Factions, Communing has been getting weaker and weaker with every "game balance" adjustment. Vampirism is just another excuse to go with channeling and give up on communing.

Restoration rocks. Works well when teamed up with a monk. The Gwen skills are interesting, a little more love in restoration would have rocked tho.