Ritualist Healer Hero. Does it work?

Well, there are a few problems with hex removal in PvE. First is that 95% of the hexes you encounter wont really matter. You might take a migraine here or a blurred vision there, but usually the hexes are meaningless stuff like degen (easily outhealed) snares (slowed movement doesn't hurt nearly as much in PvE as PvP) or random stuff that noone cares about (ignorance sure is scary).

The other problem is that for the 5% of hexes that do matter, your hero will not prioritize them. So you want that migraine off of you? Sorry, your hero used their hex removal to take off parasitic bond.

For these reasons, I usually don't take hex removal on heroes, unless its a very hex heavy area in which case you make a hero focused on hex removal with things like [Divert Hexes]. But put a single weak hex removal on a hero and its going to be wasted most of the time. I am still skeptical that 95% of hexes do not matter so bringing hex removal skills are worthless. Even if it is a degen hex like [[Conjure Nightmare] or [[Conjure Phantasm], removing them saves you health, taking pressure off your healer, so there is still a value for removing them. The question then becomes, if you dont bring the hex removal skill then what would you bring? An extra healing skill perhaps?

If you let a level 12 Conjure Nightmare run to the end, you lose a total of 208hp. If you let a level 12 Conjure Phantasm run to the end, you lose a total of 130hp. Aren't they worth a hex removal? In the worst case, why not bring [[Cure Hex] for healing as well as hex removal?

Removing degen hexes is, in this sense, healing too. Not to mention having the chance of the hex removal actually removing a deadly hex (e.g. Empathy on your physical, or Diversion/Backfire on your caster, etc.) too.

I am still skeptical that 95% of hexes do not matter so bringing hex removal skills are worthless. Even if it is a degen hex like [[Conjure Nightmare] or [[Conjure Phantasm], removing them saves you health, taking pressure off your healer, so there is still a value for removing them. The question then becomes, if you dont bring the hex removal skill then what would you bring? An extra healing skill perhaps?

If you let a level 12 Conjure Nightmare run to the end, you lose a total of 208hp. If you let a level 12 Conjure Phantasm run to the end, you lose a total of 130hp. Aren't they worth a hex removal? In the worst case, why not bring [[Cure Hex] for healing as well as hex removal?

Removing degen hexes is, in this sense, healing too. Not to mention having the chance of the hex removal actually removing a deadly hex (e.g. Empathy on your physical, or Diversion/Backfire on your caster, etc.) too. Degen is only a threat in mass amounts, and a better way to deal with mass degen is by party healing, as this will mitigate not only hex degen, but condition degen and incidental damage to an easily controllable amount.

Hex removal on heroes is worth it when they can consistently hit important hexes. This usually means elite options that can pop off multiple hexes on a short recharge.

(for the OP)
I suggest not bringing hex removal just for the sake of bringing hex removal. There seems to be an obsession of people slotting one in their build because they feel obligated to. Think about if it's actually worth it, as Rits have a bunch of money skills that fight for the same skill slot.

Degen is only a threat in mass amounts, and a better way to deal with mass degen is by party healing, as this will mitigate not only hex degen, but condition degen and incidental damage to an easily controllable amount.

Hex removal on heroes is worth it when they can consistently hit important hexes. This usually means elite options that can pop off multiple hexes on a short recharge.

(for the OP)
I suggest not bringing hex removal just for the sake of bringing hex removal. There seems to be an obsession of people slotting one in their build because they feel obligated to. Think about if it's actually worth it, as Rits have a bunch of money skills that fight for the same skill slot. I agree wif Sab. Bringing hex removal is juz meh in a heavy hex area. Playing a primary monk myself, whether H/H or wif a full human party, heavy hexes wif multiple degens, the best way is not to remove it but to outlast it. Most of the hex removals skills usually affects oni 1 ally wif the exception to a few skills. (e.g. hex eater signet)

Getting hit by 4-5 party hexes, I tend to find spamming party heals make my group more survivable den using hex removal. In case you didn't read most of the other posts or read up on hex skills on PvE mobs, they like to bring 2-3 hexes & typically fast recharge, cheap & spammable AoE types with 1 damaging AoE degen. The PvE mobs are oso smart enuff to use those spammable hexes to cover their main hex.

If you waste 1 second removing a hex which will immediately be reapplied again (which is most likely the case in PvE) while all other party members are oso under degen pressure, it will increase ur chances of a party wipe, especially in HM.

Although I cannot deny the figures calculated by Darkspirt, I can safely say that wif a decent semi-spammable party heal supported wif cheap & fast spot heals, it can certainly out heal those annoying hexes & the damages dished by the mobs.

I agree wif Sab. Bringing hex removal is juz meh in a heavy hex area. Playing a primary monk myself, whether H/H or wif a full human party, heavy hexes wif multiple degens, the best way is not to remove it but to outlast it. Most of the hex removals skills usually affects oni 1 ally wif the exception to a few skills. (e.g. hex eater signet) I agree with Sab that we should not bring hex removal just for the sake of bringing hex removal. But depending on the area (e.g. FoW), bringing hex removal can be important. To make sure that the heroes hit essential hexes, a 6-man build can bring more than one hex removal skills (shaz posted one with 7 hex removal skills in the team). A spammable hex removal skill like [[Signet of Removal] would also help, [[Inspired Hex] is also useful against monster hexes but you may need to micro manage. In hex heavy areas in HM, hexes can overload your healer till she runs dry of energy for any party heals.

Perhaps for most general areas, hex removal is not really necessary but in some hex heavy areas (e.g. getting rid of Wurm Bile anyone? A total of 800 damage per party member, if you let it run till end. And that is on top of other hexes like Suffering. Try party healing through that.) hex removal skills save you ALOT of healing.

I agree with Sab that we should not bring hex removal just for the sake of bringing hex removal. But depending on the area (e.g. FoW), bringing hex removal can be important. To make sure that the heroes hit essential hexes, a 6-man build can bring more than one hex removal skills (shaz posted one with 7 hex removal skills in the team). A spammable hex removal skill like [[Signet of Removal] would also help, [[Inspired Hex] is also useful against monster hexes but you may need to micro manage. In hex heavy areas in HM, hexes can overload your healer till she runs dry of energy for any party heals.

Perhaps for most general areas, hex removal is not really necessary but in some hex heavy areas (e.g. getting rid of Wurm Bile anyone? A total of 800 damage per party member, if you let it run till end. And that is on top of other hexes like Suffering. Try party healing through that.) hex removal skills save you ALOT of healing. Thing is, degen only matters if your team is being pressured to death. The rit already has a huge amount of party wide healing through Life and Kaolai, which clean up the random damage/degen everyone takes in a group. And the fact is, most of the times you die in PvE it isn't being pressured to death, its when a level 28+ enemy finds a target without prot and hits it for 150+ damage.

The Wurm Bile is a notable exception, as it is HUGE FRICKEN PRESSURE (caps lock does not express how bad it can be) if your whole team gets it. But if your whole team gets it, you are still pretty much screwed if you had just brought a single target removal anyway. In the one case of wurm bile, just spread out and you are fine. Again, remember heroes have no way to prioritize hexes, there is a 50/50 chance they will be removing the suffering instead of the wurm bile. Would be much better if they had just cast a Spirit Light for a nice 150 heal.

Thing is, degen only matters if your team is being pressured to death. The rit already has a huge amount of party wide healing through Life and Kaolai, which clean up the random damage/degen everyone takes in a group. And the fact is, most of the times you die in PvE it isn't being pressured to death, its when a level 28+ enemy finds a target without prot and hits it for 150+ damage.

The Wurm Bile is a notable exception, as it is HUGE FRICKEN PRESSURE (caps lock does not express how bad it can be) if your whole team gets it. But if your whole team gets it, you are still pretty much screwed if you had just brought a single target removal anyway. In the one case of wurm bile, just spread out and you are fine. Again, remember heroes have no way to prioritize hexes, there is a 50/50 chance they will be removing the suffering instead of the wurm bile. Would be much better if they had just cast a Spirit Light for a nice 150 heal. I guess that is why shaz has 7 hex removal for his 6-man FoW hero build. When get killed by a level 28+ enemy 150+ damage, dont you think that the degen hexes has a part to play to degen your health to the point where it gets to be a 1-hit kill? You get that because you didnt have enough hex removal and you allow the degen to get to that point.

For Wurm Bile areas, hex removal is kind of necessary IMO, [[Inspired hex] would grant you energy for removing the hex and also recharges INSTANTLY since it is a monster hex. Another place where Inspired hex can be useful, is the Grand Court mission against Last Rites of Torment monster hex. In the worst case, you can always disable the skill and micro it yourself.

I just want to say that Hex Removal skills are not ALWAYS a bad choice in PvE because it is starting to sound like "Hex Removal is always bad and we dont need any hex removal even in hex heavy areas" kind of discussion going on here. And it doesn't have to be on the Rit, I am sure you have other heroes. Even Rac's Paragon team build has alternative for hex heavy areas where he brings [[Empathic Removal] and that doesn't mean his is a bad build.

Even if your hero healer is so super that she/he can single-handed heal through all hexes in this game through party heals (which I very much doubt), that is not the most efficient way to use energy. And your Rit cant single-handedly party heal through a all-party inflicted wurm bile in HM without any deaths, without using hex removal.