Ritualist Team

King Beamer

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2009

soccer fields

Knights of Balmoral [KOB]

Me/

okay, so im looking to start rolling through pve on my ritualist. ive done some looking around on pvx, and im not necessarily good with build work, but the team builds on pvx look rather weak on the healing end of the spectrum. im going to be playing a ritualist, but i dont really care if im gonna be a spirit spammer or healer. i couldnt care less. im just looking for a build for me and 3 heroes that would easily roll through pve in nm and hm. any input is greatly appreciated.

vamp08

vamp08

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Nov 2006

PA, USA

[COPY]

D/



General PvE rit that I ran through every campaign, excpet for the destroyer dawrf missions in EotN (switched to defensive spirits then)

And the other heros should be discord necros. If you dont have any or all of the hero necs, any heros will work. Spirit Spam is so FTW in pve that you shouldnt have to worry.

Popeye1906

Popeye1906

Academy Page

Join Date: Nov 2009

R/

Go SoS and run a discord hero team. if you dont have 3 necros, go with 1 jagged bones bomber, 1 ele order and 1 war/derv depending on what you are killing. Earthshaker warrior or conditions derv works good.

ac1inferno

ac1inferno

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2007

Boston

We D Shot Your Stances [GODS]

A/W

http://pvx.wikia.com/wiki/Build:Team_-_Discordway

Dusk_

Dusk_

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jun 2005

W/

Discordway and Spirit Spamming always seemed so counterintuitive to me. Discord is weak DPS, but very high single-target spiking. SSing is...well, the exact opposite (unless there's only one enemy left).

upier

upier

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Mar 2006

Done.

[JUNK]

Xenomortis

Xenomortis

Tea Powered

Join Date: May 2008

UK

N/

Quote:
Originally Posted by upier View Post
So if you are looking for a generic AI team - I would definitely look into including different ways of dealing damage. For an intellectual exercise I once thought about how I would construct an 8-man team build in Guild Wars that could counter (or at least reasonably and effectively deal with) everything presented to it in PvE (excluding some of the really retarded monster skills). Even with 8 humans that's actually pretty difficult.
I concluded it was impossible to make an all AI (no monster skills) 8 man team achieve the same thing (not necessarily because of limitations in skills available but because of how they use (or don't use) them).

Discord is pretty universal, not much can fully counter it (this is true for caster damage in general). It's big two weaknesses are when you have very few corpses and when faced with a fair amount of hex removal. Both situations can be dealt with but it slows you down and it's often a little bit more messy.

My point is that any build you make will need to be tweaked from time to time for individual areas - Build Wars. Sometimes you'll need to bite the bullet and face that what you normally when is wholly inadequate for the area you're facing.


Spirits are in a similar situation to Discord, but with crucial difference. The counters to spirits directly are really rare (Spiritual Pain is probably the most scary and most common and even that can be dealt with) and after that all you need to watch out for is AoE chewing through your spirits. In this regard spirits are more universal than Discord. Even blocking is a small consideration - Rigor Mortis is easy enough to bring along with a small spec (very few threatening characters block with enough regularity to stay alive vs strong spirits) and some enchantment removal wouldn't go amiss.
(The fact spirits are so universal, coupled with the fact that they're damn strong anyway, is what makes them overpowered.)

With that in mind, here's what I would consider.

Human - Rit - SoS Rit or Offensive Comm Rit.
Hero 1 - Rit - Offensive Comm Rit or SoS Rit (whichever wasn't filled)
Hero 2 - Rit - Defensive Comm Rit

Hero 3 - Mes / Nec or Monk - Little bit more defense. If enchantments are an issue then Air of Disenchantment is nice. Interrupts are always nice from the AI. Against enemies like Raptors, Mirror of Disenchantment on micro means they won't live for long.
If you don't need that disruption then simply bring a healer or something.

upier

upier

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Mar 2006

Done.

[JUNK]

Daesu

Daesu

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Oct 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by upier View Post
My concern is that you should pretty much be able to throw all the offensive spirits on one bar.
You have your SoS, Bloodsong, Vampirism, Shadowsong, Anguish, Pain, Painful Bond and Summon Spirits.
Pretty much all you are left with is Disenchantment, Dissonance, Gaze Of Fury and Wanderlust. Wanderlust won't be an option because you either want stuff like Soul Twisting, Ritual Lord or Signet of Ghostly Might.
If you unload a massive number of spirits on your AI, they are much more prone to being wiped or useless due to the heroes' inability to take terrain into account. And if you grab them, you can pretty much take all spirits with you, leaving the AI with next to 0 spirits to choose from.
And if you then run weapon spells, it's insanely hard to look past Great Dwarf Weapon and that means you should limit on other weapon spells so that GDW does not get overwritten.
And then the only thing you have left is Ancestors' Rage.

So, I'd kinda go with one offensive and one defensive (you can also throw additional offensive stuff on this guy) spirit spammer instead of 3 (that's INCLUDING the player), because I just don't see enough skills that would be worth taking for 3 spirit spammers. I think you can go with 2 offensive spirit spammers if you include energy management skills (e.g. spirit siphon or signet of creation) and res.

Taking your example, SoGM, Disenchantment, Dissonance, Gaze Of Fury, res, SoC are already 6 skills. Since the SoS rit is channeling, she can bring spirit siphon also and move one or two communing spirits down to the SoGM rit. The problem with offensive communing spirits is that they have high energy cost and they dont last as long as channeling spirits in general so you should bring energy management. Look at Dissonance for example or even shadowsong. Since the SoGM rit is communing based, she can also bring AoU to help her rather expensive spirits last their full duration.

The defensive communing rit can also be a restoration rit, especially if the last hero is a minion bomber. Otherwise, defensive communing spirits would protect the minions.

upier

upier

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Mar 2006

Done.

[JUNK]

upier

upier

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Mar 2006

Done.

[JUNK]

ac1inferno

ac1inferno

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2007

Boston

We D Shot Your Stances [GODS]

A/W

Why go Spirit Spammer at all? The idea is that you're a caster so you can run the AP Caller bar for Discordway, not be a Spirit Spammer and use Discordway.

upier

upier

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Mar 2006

Done.

[JUNK]

ac1inferno

ac1inferno

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2007

Boston

We D Shot Your Stances [GODS]

A/W

Really? I had always thought that Discordway was the best hero team. Perhaps I need to relook this..

Daesu

Daesu

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Oct 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by Necromas View Post
The same goes for spirit spam, it's solid and easy dps, but except for soloing it's really not too amazing.
It is not just the solid dps, spirits are also tough enough to tank in HM so they are both great for offense as well as defense.

Quote:
Originally Posted by upier
if the hero plants SoS and Bloodsong in a shitty place you lose out on a lot of damage. To be fair, in most areas this is not a problem. It is as much of a problem as bringing paragon or ranger heroes, or fiends, who also rely on line of sight. Yes, you can reposition them but if your BHA was blocked, you would also need to wait for the recharge.

Estief Yu

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Oct 2009

GA

Ctrl Alt Elite

Rt/

I run as a spirit spam, and bring a minion bombing rit, prot monk, and heal monk.

Builds:

Pain
Bloodsong
Shadowsong
Anguish
Signet of Spirits {e}
Painful Bond
Boon of Creation
Summon Spirits

Jagged Bones {e}
Death Nova
Animate Shambling Horror
Animate Bone Minions
Spirit's Gift
Explosive Growth
Boon of Creation
Signet of Creation

Reversal of Fortune
Shielding Hands
Guardian
Life Sheath {e}
Reverse Hex
Divine Boon
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Rebirth

Orison of Healing
Patient Spirit
Healing Ribbon
Dwayna's Sorrow
Spotless Mind
Spotless Soul
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Unyielding Aura {e}

It's working great so far, just got my rit hero to test it out with, bombing rocks. I'm interested to see what I can do with another rit once I get one.

upier

upier

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Mar 2006

Done.

[JUNK]

upier

upier

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Mar 2006

Done.

[JUNK]

Daesu

Daesu

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Oct 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by AcousticMeanie View Post
The damage is better, no argument. And in easy mode I usually drop the Defensive ST hero for an AotL MM. The problem I have is that horrors are slow and a fiends range isn't always predictable. As such the damage mitigation isn't quite as controllable and thus consistent as when I just frontline myself.

With that said frontline spirits with midline fiends is still incredibly effective but just doesn't offer the protection I want. I think a ST Defensive Communning rit is an overkill for most areas even in HM. This is because spirits+minions would already mitigate most of the damages.

That said, I may not bring a ST Rit for a 3-heroes build but I would likely bring it for a 6-heroes build.

For 3 heroes with my SoS rit, I have:

- Minion bomber (with PS, enfeebling Blood or Dwayna Sorrow, and Aegis)
- SoGM Offensive Communing (SoGM, SoC, Disenchantment, AoU, ShadowSong, Anguish, Pain, Anthem of Disruption)
- Restoration/Channeling Healer with AR, spirit siphon, PwK, Life, MB&S, Rejuvenation, Recuperation, ritual lord

If I really need to, I can still replace the restoration healer with a ST Defensive Communing rit hero and maybe replace PS/Aegis on my MM with Blood Bond and Dark Bond. But I find that for most HM areas, a ST Defensive Rit is not necessary.

This is what I use for my rit's 3-heroes:

Me: SoS Channel/Restore rit: OACjEuiMpRXTlT+gbiVTMTXM0gA

1. Minion bomber:
OANFQRxG23jkcQVAagigRT9QAxWI
2. SoGM Offensive Communing:
OACiAyk84M3cOboZm7sFt/mA
3. Restoration/Channeling Healer:
OACjEyiIpSSTTOZMDTMTBTciVPA

For the Restoration/Channeling healer, feel free to replace with offensive skills (e.g. AR) if you are playing in easier areas.

Essence Snow

Essence Snow

Unbridled Enthusiasm!

Join Date: Nov 2009

EST

DPR

Just out of curiosity what is the major draw of putting soo many points in resto for spiritleech aura? I know it heals the spirits, but can this not be done with summon spirits and higher spawning? If not those in conjunction spirit boon strike? Idk maybe it's just me.

Essence Snow

Essence Snow

Unbridled Enthusiasm!

Join Date: Nov 2009

EST

DPR

So it doesn't reduce/convert the dmg gained from painful bond?

Ney Matogrosso

Ney Matogrosso

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Mar 2009

Head Hunters

P/

Well, I ran SoS + Discord (change Aura of the lich by Discord) + ST + Discord Heal (change the elite by discord and put a summon minion skill) and I'm very happy with the combination ^^.
With the exception of the ST hero, all others can do damage and run builds very well at the moment...
Builds:
SoS = OACjAqiMJSVT+glTfTXTQTOT0gA
Discord MM = OANEUshd9JFzoAWFgGUPEQY0M9B
Discord Healer = OAhjUoGYIPxsja0UaOMHnVvLGA
ST = OACjAyiDJPOTsp17xFOhmg/LGA

For problems with the combination ST+Bomber, try read (http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...55#post5118355).