Some Ritualist Basics

Hi,
I've decided to play through Factions with a Rit. I've played most characters but never really delved into Rits after the bad press they got when Factions came out. So basically i've been looking for a complete noob guide on the profession. I'm not a GW noob i play alot of pvp and cleared all the games and do some elite dungeons from time to time. I just need a guide for this char. My experience from PvP is that they are extremely hard to kill and spirits can be a pain in the arse.

I've been looking around sites like this but there isn't much about. This prof seems to be the least popular by far. Not many people seem to post builds or anything in this forum like the others. I've looked at wiki but i'd rather hear from people that have played them before and are doing so now. So could anyone help me out a bit and just give me the basics on this class and what roles they fill in PvE and PvP? Thanks

P.S: I've read the post above on the the skills that are important,this will be helpful later but at the moment i'm looking for the pure basics on how to play the class.

I've been meaning to write up a full how-to on the class, it'll be done by next week or so.

Basically, you have three main types of skills to worry about. You have weapon spells, item spells, and spirits. Just about every Ritualist spell "triggers" off of them. That means you have to decide which "bases" you have to work with. It's probably not the best idea to use all three, as it'll spread you too thin. You'll waste too many skills just getting your requirements done, and forget about the important ones that actually DO stuff.

For instance, Channeling is a great line to use Spirits as a base. If you have one spirit down (say, [skill]Bloodsong[/skill]) you can do a ton of things, ranging from Offering of Spirit to Essence Strike to Gaze From Beyond. If you're Restoration and using Spirits, you'll be able to utilize Spirit Transfer and Spirit LIght.

As far as the roles go, Ritualists are extremely varied. Some, like me, fill roles as healers and take the spot of a Monk. If you can play a Healing Prayers Monk well, you can easily fill the shoes of a Ritualist. Others play Channeling builds and use skills like Ancestors' Rage and Splinter Weapon to kick the crap out of everyone.

In general for PvE, it's best to learn to play all the styles, and ask your groupmates what they need. If you already have two Monks, it might be a good idea to go with some Channeling build to kill faster. At other times, it might be better to heal folks with a Restoration build. It's generally ineffective to try to split yourself between multiple playstyles.

Ritualists aren't used too often in PvP. They've gotten some recognition in HA for spiking (and have been nerfed accordingly), but the majority of Ritualist PvP action is in AB or RA or something less structured. As far as those forums go, the same general principles apply. Try to only use one or two of the "bases" (spirits, weapon spells, item spells) and stick to either doing damage or healing.

I'll be working hard on that guide next week once my exams are done. If you have any specific questions though, feel free to ask in this forum! We're a helpful bunch

Quote: Originally Posted by Oso Minar

heres my ab build
[skill]grasping was kuurong[/skill][skill]wielder's strike[/skill][skill]channeled strike[/skill][skill]bloodsong[/skill][skill]spirit rift[/skill][skill]warmonger's weapon[/skill][skill]nightmare weapon[/skill][skill]agony[/skill]

channeling 12+1+2
spawning 12+1

survivor insignias, sup vigor

i like grasping in Ab cause its melee protection, just drop it and run. Dump bloodsong and agony on capped shrines. Channeled and wielders are so you have some direct damage. Put nightmare and warmongers on allies who can utilize them (you can put nightmare on yourself for a moderate self heal).

Great guys this is exactly the kind of stuff i was looking for thanks
Most of the builds i've seen in other places have been spirit spamming builds. I'm interested in learning all the different roles the rit can fill. Just a couple of q's for you all:

1: Can you make a self healing with some damage build concentrating on restoration and channeling? i.e Do damage and heal yourself when needed?

2: When you say splinter weapon etc are you using these spells with your staff/wand or are you using secondary's weapon? So is it possible to say go Rit/W and put some points in swords and use your weapon spells effectively?

3: Are Rits useful at all in FoW/UW/DoA etc? I like to play these dungeons with guildies and was wondering would i eventually be able to use my Rit.

4. This is the be all and end all noob question so i apologise in advance lol But what secondary would you recommend? I'm under the impression that most people use straight Rit skills but what would be a good one to go for if i wanted to play around with builds later? What prof offers the most options?

5. I don't know much about Rit armour or weapons. What health/energy should i be looking to be at level 20 roughly? Is it best to go staff or wand/focus? Are the Rit insignias used at all?

6.Finally a guild member was showing me his Rit farming for greens with spirits and they reckon Rits are the best in the game for soloing against bosses for items. Would you agree and is there much farming in later game to be had for the Rit?

Sorry for all the questions guys, i just want a good grasp on the char before i take the direction i want to take with the new character and i'm kind of ashamed i know so little about this class thanks

Quote: Originally Posted by Irish Ranger 1: Can you make a self healing with some damage build concentrating on restoration and channeling? i.e Do damage and heal yourself when needed? You can do better than that, you can run channeling for damage when you need to and resto to act like an extra monk when you need to - all on the same bar.

Quote: Originally Posted by Irish Ranger 2: When you say splinter weapon etc are you using these spells with your staff/wand or are you using secondary's weapon? So is it possible to say go Rit/W and put some points in swords and use your weapon spells effectively? You can throw splinter weapon on yourself, though it generally works best with barrage. However, it's almost always a better choice to throw splinter on your melee and let them tear shit up even more than normal. let casters be casters and physicals be physicals.

Quote: Originally Posted by Irish Ranger 3: Are Rits useful at all in FoW/UW/DoA etc? I like to play these dungeons with guildies and was wondering would i eventually be able to use my Rit. In DoA everyone runs ursan, so rit works as well for that as anything else. I've personally cleared FoW and UW with guild groups in HM using the build I posted.

Quote: Originally Posted by Irish Ranger

Quote: 1: Can you make a self healing with some damage build concentrating on restoration and channeling? i.e Do damage and heal yourself when needed? Channeling/Restoration Rits are plastered ALL OVER high end GvG. They have survivability, running skill(s), offense...basically, an excellent asset to any team, GvG or not. The general layout is [skill]Ancestors' Rage[/skill] [skill]Splinter Weapon[/skill] an assortment of heals, running skill(s), and a rez. [skill]Protective Was Kaolai[/skill] has seen much more usage now since the LoD nerf.

Quote: 2: When you say splinter weapon etc are you using these spells with your staff/wand or are you using secondary's weapon? So is it possible to say go Rit/W and put some points in swords and use your weapon spells effectively? Weapon spells can be beneficial to anyone, but some, like [skill]Splinter Weapon[/skill] and [skill]Nightmare Weapon[/skill], are best for Warriors and such.

I'd recommend against Rt/W. You need so many runes to get partially close to the armor Warriors have. It's just not a good idea. If you are using [skill]Spirit's Strength[/skill] , then might i suggest /A /R or /P.

Quote: 3: Are Rits useful at all in FoW/UW/DoA etc? I like to play these dungeons with guildies and was wondering would i eventually be able to use my Rit. i dunno.

Quote:

4. This is the be all and end all noob question so i apologise in advance lol But what secondary would you recommend? I'm under the impression that most people use straight Rit skills but what would be a good one to go for if i wanted to play around with builds later? What prof offers the most options? I don't use my second profession. Honestly, every profession can be fine by themselves, and Dr. Strangelove basically listed all the different uses. Quote: 5. I don't know much about Rit armour or weapons. What health/energy should i be looking to be at level 20 roughly? Is it best to go staff or wand/focus? Are the Rit insignias used at all? For weapons...I'd recommend 4 sets. +health, +energy, +armor, and whatever you want. I have a longbow in PvE for pulling. HSR is always useful The +Health vs. +Energy is a debate that will last forever. If you're bad at managing your energy, then go +energy. If you're more skilled with e-management, +Health. Afterall, you can't cast spells when your Health is 0. Anyways....Rit Insignias! The Ritualist insignias are very.....blah. I don't like them. Ghost Forge is pretty good when you're SSing and have a +armor weapon. Herald's insignia is awesome if you're holding [skill]Protective was Kaolai[/skill] all the time.....like me. +34 armor? yessir Quote: 6.Finally a guild member was showing me his Rit farming for greens with spirits and they reckon Rits are the best in the game for soloing against bosses for items. Would you agree and is there much farming in later game to be had for the Rit? From what I know, the only skills you need are [skill]Arcane Echo[/skill] [skill]Vengeful was Khanhei[/skill] [skill]Vengeful Weapon[/skill] and [skill]Ancestors' Rage[/skill] Hope this helps!

In reference to farming, might i direct you to this thread.

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...php?t=10175262

I've used it in UW, and it's quite effective, I'm averaging a 40 minute HM run killing the aatxes in the chamber and all the smites (not sure if that's good or not).

For elite mission usage, you can run ursan easy, just have lots of energy.

Also, spirit spamming comes in good use for a FoW or UW clear. Basically displacement, union, and shelter with boon of creation and rit lord to spam them effectively. Instead of rit lord, soul twisting could be used, but it's a matter of a opinion as to which elite is better.

Thanks for the help guys. I'm looking forward to seeing your guide minar My skill bar is looking like this at the moment.

[skill]bloodsong[/skill][skill]spirit burn[/skill][skill]splinter weapon[/skill][skill]channeled strike[/skill][skill]weapon of warding[/skill][skill]ancestors' rage[/skill][skill]flesh of my flesh[/skill][skill]Generous Was Tsungrai[/skill]

Taking into consideration i havn't capped any elites yet and i'm not willing to pay 12k for a tomb (someone actually was asking for 2k for a normal Rit tome in Kamadan!?!?). That's a problem, i can't find rit tomes anywhere for some reason. But i'm enjoying it so far, casting AR on a warrior when he's in the middle of a crowd is so devastating. I want to bring another attacking spirit, how do you know which ones attack and which ones don't? I bought destruction which i found to be a waste of a skill point.

Anyone got any tips on how i can improve my build a bit or if any of my skills are a waste of time? My main question is do you normally only bring one holding item skill? Is it like a ranger where bringing more than one prep is just messing up your skill bar? Or can you alternate between two different "Urn skills" effectively?

Some people consider FoMF to be like a suicide res, meaning that it makes you very susceptible to being killed off right after using it. You might want to replace it with [skill]Death Pact Signet[/skill]. I find that if you need to res some one in mid-battle, this is a better choice than having a monk use their res or using FoMF and then having the monks heal both of you. Just be careful on who you use it on, especially if that person has high DP/low max HP.

Try to replace [skill]Spirit Burn[/skill] or [skill]Channeled Strike[/skill] with [skill]Spirit Rift[/skill] if you don't mind the cast time/delay.

[skill]Generous Was Tsungrai[/skill] < [skill]Protective Was Kaolai[/skill] This being due to that GwT is considered a "selfish" skill and rarely actually helps someone.

If you need interrupts, go put [skill]Warmonger's Weapon[/skill] on a Sin, Derv, War or Para and make them feel special.

And of course... [skill]Offering of Spirit[/skill] or if you can't get OoS [skill]Signet of Spirits[/skill].

With these skills, you should have no problems with clearing FoW. I've done it many times with my guildies and friends. Not sure about the other areas you mentioned but like others said, [skill]Ursan Blessing[/skill] > all.

[skill]Flesh of my Flesh[/skill] is fine if you drop [skill]Generous was Tsungrai[/skill] after you use it, but [skill]Protective was Kaolai[/skill] is better for general purposes.

I don't like [skill]Spirit Rift[/skill]. It's very trick to use, cuz more than likely, it will either miss, or activate too late.

The spirits that attack have their arms in chains, and they...throw things.

The spirits that don't have their arms shackled to their shoulders, and they...just..umm...float there...

I'd switch out [skill]Spirit Burn[/skill] for [skill]Essence Strike[/skill]. You do so much more damage with Ancestors' and Splinter.

Channeled Strike is too expensive for it's damage. I find it useful for foes lvl 18 and under, but even then, there are better skills.

I always bring only one item spell. It's a bit tricky to bring two.

lol I don't mean when you actually summon them and their animation. I mean when you're choosing a skill to learn. I'm only unlocking alot of these skills now so i just wondering how you know which spirits throw things and which ones float there before you buy them lol Does it have to say it in the spell description? If so there's not many channeling spirits that attack

Yeah i don't like [skill]spirit rift[/skill] at all. I think it's terrible. The animation makes it obvious what you're casting, you have to wait 3 seconds for it to take effect and all this time you're hoping the enemy doesn't move. At 10 energy i just thought it wasn't the best.

Any recommendations on a better skill than Channeled strike? It's my most used attack at the moment =s

Quote: Originally Posted by Irish Ranger

lol my bad.

Well...the skill description for offensive spirits should have "attack" in it, and defensive spirits don't.

If you want to bring another offensive spirit, then you'd have to spec into Communing cuz Destruction doesn't throw things, and Agony is just bad.

I'd switch Channeled Strike for Vengeful Weapon.

[skill]Weapon of Warding[/skill] and [skill]Vengeful Weapon[/skill] are the Rit's only pseudo-protection spells. Weapon of Warding is a hybrid of Mending and Guardian, and Vengeful is like Grenth's RoF. The elite version, [skill]Weapon of Remedy[/skill] is one of my favorite elites in the game. Like what Strangelove said, if you like Vengeful, cap Remedy.

If [skill]Spirit Rift[/skill] takes too long ot cast, try combo'ing it with [skill]mindbender[/skill]. Yeah, you can't keep mindbender up forever but it does help.

You'd still be waiting a while for the damage.

The cast time isn't a problem. 2 seconds i can live with.

It's the 3 second wait that makes me

Yeah sorry i meant when you're waiting for the ball of light to rise up,not the cast time itself. More often than not they'll move and it'll rise up and hit nothing.

Well i think i have my Channeling/restoration build pretty much sussed now. Next up i'm going to try out some communing. What do you guys think of this att and what kind of layout would you go for normally. I unlocked the Kurzick skill the other day and this looks like it would be brilliant in pve with communing and some communing weapon skills look interesting too. [skill]binding chains[/skill] looks an unbeliveable skill to use in TA with a clever team.

Anyone here use a communing Rit?

I guess the three day hiatus says "No one uses Communing anymore"

However, [skill]Binding Chains[/skill] can be used with a bunch of Necros with Life Stealing skills, considering that life-steal isn't technically damage, but it takes a specialized group to do so.

Although I have seen spirit spammers in AB, Communing is not the best attribute line at all. Spirits are very weak unless you use a Rit Lord build.

It's still effective, but it doesn't necessarily take skill to master.

Quote: Originally Posted by Irish Ranger