Curse

Uundamp · Aug 05, 2009, 10:59 PM // 22:59

I started a rit recently, and have been impressed with the combination of protection, healing, and damage (This is PvE I am talking about).

I am currently running a Rt main, 2 Rt heroes, and one P/Rt hero - all just for spirits. I'm sure there are BETTER ways to do this, but this is what I've worked out, and it's going nicely - for all the H/H I am doing.

I run 16 channeling on my main.
16 communing on my Hero Rts, and Leadership/Command/Restoration on the paragon. And I bring every attack spirit possible.

Main uses SoS, Agony, Gaze of Fury, Vampirism, and Bloodsong, and painful bond.
Communing attacker uses SoGM, anguish, pain, dise, disso, shadowsong
Communing prot uses Rit Lor, union, displace, shelter, unfeeling.
Paragon is a battery with spirit impacting shouts from command line and spirits for hex/condition offset. Restoration, Recuperation, Recovery spirits, and Crip Anth, GFtE (more e-management), Anthem of Envy (unconfirmed if this impacts spirits), anthem of weariness, anthem of disruption.

For hench, I try to bring an earth ele (wards & minor damage), a guardian (more armor), a prot and a healer (monks).

Now... I'm sure there are more elegant methods for rolling areas, but this has been my experience and testing:

Master of damage with heroes and without hench = up to 250 average DPS (important fact... the vast majority of this is armor ignoring, but small damage packets). More often around 200 average DPS. For those who say this isn't much... it's actually quite good. Consider - this is highly sustainable average DPS, and armor ignoring. Sure, a person can load up 4 SH nukers and potentially have a higher DPS vs a 60 AL target, but that quickly becomes irrelevant with kiting/higher level/high armor mobs in HM, and is not as sustainable.

In PvE, this also has resulted in massive conditions to the groups of mobs, if they are susceptible. Widespread cripple and weakness, widespread interupts, limited blindness, enchantment removal, some life-drain damage.
And, massive healing and condition removal in the "nest" from SoS & Spirits gift, and short conditions resulting from recovery. Constant regen from recuperation and restoration. Reasonable armor boosts from the selected henches, and good protection for the nest.

As an example... I was able to kill Rocktail on HM quite easily with this build. Now, many of my parties have had problems with that bugger, that wasn't the case here.

I rolled through all campaigns and missions in Cantha and NF with these guys. EoTN is a walk in the park on NM (probably is for most people these days). I'll be testing this in HM very soon, but my firm belief is that the build will be as viable there - the damage is armor ignoring. The only difference is instead of pushing to aggro 2-3 groups in HM like I do in NM, I'll just have to go one group at a time.

The only issue has been AoE. Spirit spreading and a little group management gets me through this problem... and I just put up more spirits if they die.

Some benchmarks... This team beat unwaking waters in HM in 1:45 with this. If shiro doesn't banish my primary before the nest goes up, he dies in about 1:20 on cantha endgame from the spirit nest. If he banishes my primary, then my party usually finishes him around 2 - 2:30.
right away.

I'm sure others can beat these times... I didn't set out to make record times, but I was impressed when I saw what was happening.

The endgame nightfall was the same way - extremely fast. Shiro & Lich - I didn't use strategy on NM, I just walked in and killed them. HM maybe different, I'll try it soon.

Everyone has been posting about whether SoS is good and debating that. I've enjoyed this build - and SoS is an integral part on the channeling rit. It's certainly MUCH better than the other elites I can use in the channeling line-up.

Finally - some other people have recently posted about Mark of Pain, Barbs, etc. I tested this because I was curious as well. The answer is obvious - but I can confirm. MoP and Barbs are not triggered by spirit attacks. Spirit attacks appear to be untyped damage. It would be INCREDIBLY overpowered if spirit ranged attacks triggered MoP or Barbs.

I am considering testing a hybrid primary that will use mesmer to copy the SoGM for increased ave DPS. Something along the lines of 11 spawning 15 channel, 11 Communing - but that's something to worry about later.

Thus ends my long rambling post. I hope this sheds some light on the subject for anyone else considering a team of spammers.
/novel

JoeKnowMo · Aug 06, 2009, 02:35 AM // 02:35

Good idea. Farkenway says hi.

Uundamp · Aug 06, 2009, 06:13 AM // 06:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeKnowMo

Good idea. Farkenway says hi.

I thought it was called ArkFenWay by the original author of that post... and I'm not stealing his thunder. That's how he chose to do it. This is how I choose to do it.

Also, my system works without 2 people, and adds on the benefits of massive interupts and conditions via the paragon battery. It has a decent synergy with the henches I listed - very viable for the solo practitioner. The arkfenway system is based on a slightly different approach - and doesn't take advantage of SoGM.

And just because someone comes up with one system, doesn't mean it's an original idea. Spirit nests were in PvP long before arkfenway came into being. I give MUCH credit to Arkantos and Fenix and friends for putting together a working comprehensive build of spirit nest + discord. Very nice building, and it's a nice alternative to Sabway.

But Uundampway and Myway and thisishowiplayway are still viable builds. Also, I posted this for a ritualist primary - because this felt better running using a ritualist main. Painful bond really needs to be on the human player - who can pick the priority targets. Painful bond = nearly instadeath versus THE NEST OF DOOM.

Also, I just ran an arcane mimicry build on master of damage - my main who is running SoS mimicked the communing rits SoGM, stats of 11 spawning 15 channel 11 communing

300 DPS average over 5 seconds during the periods of attack from all spirits, sustainable for approximately 20 seconds. Damage dropped to a respectable 150 per second from time to time.

Over 180 seconds, not paying attention just now, I achieved 31000 damage. Not bad. I'll try for a actual max in a moment.

Sustainable DPS is this (Just tested):

36933 total damage over 180 seconds. That's an average of 205 damage per second - sustainable, armor ignoring, ranged damage.
Can you beat it? (With armor ignoring damage that is?)
This was from me and 3 heroes only. No hench thrown in. And no second player with his heroes. I'm sure the damage would go higher (and on up to Arkfenway DPS) with some hench, or especially with another player and 3 hench.

Actual damage dealing was done by 2 rits, with conditioning buffs from a 0 spear mastery paragon (he's purely support).

JoeKnowMo · Aug 08, 2009, 06:38 AM // 06:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uundamp

I thought it was called ArkFenWay by the original author of that post...

Farkenway is catchier.

Quote:

and I'm not stealing his thunder. That's how he chose to do it. This is how I choose to do it.

Never said you were a thunder stealer. You just sounded like you didn't know that spirit spam builds were popular.

Much of what you discuss has already been discussed in the Farkenway thread.

Quote:

Also, my system works without 2 people, and adds on the benefits of massive interupts and conditions via the paragon battery. It has a decent synergy with the henches I listed - very viable for the solo practitioner. The arkfenway system is based on a slightly different approach - and doesn't take advantage of SoGM.

Farkenway has a 1 person variant that works well. Of course, when the person is running a Rit primary that improves the situation greatly.

The most significant change you've made is replacing the necro with a paragon that is purely support. I see this as a deprovement.

Farkenway has an MM which is great for absorbing damage, drawing aggro, providing damage (Death Nova, Putrid Bile, and Discord if equipped), spreading poison, and mucho energy for whatever utility/healing/prot on might have in mind.

A Curses/Resto N/Rt can run Enfeebling blood and Weaken armor for conditions, SS for damage, and can heal very well with resto skills.

Other comments:

- Your main could probably use splinter and summon spirits.
- Commun prot needs e-mgmt.

Quote:

And just because someone comes up with one system, doesn't mean it's an original idea. Spirit nests were in PvP long before arkfenway came into being. I give MUCH credit to Arkantos and Fenix and friends for putting together a working comprehensive build of spirit nest + discord. Very nice building, and it's a nice alternative to Sabway.

Your long OP made me assume that you hadn't heard of Farkenway.

My one line post made you assume a lot of things too.

Let's just say we were both wrong.

Uundamp · Aug 12, 2009, 03:35 AM // 03:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeKnowMo

Farkenway is catchier.

Never said you were a thunder stealer. You just sounded like you didn't know that spirit spam builds were popular.

Much of what you discuss has already been discussed in the Farkenway thread.

Farkenway has a 1 person variant that works well. Of course, when the person is running a Rit primary that improves the situation greatly.

The most significant change you've made is replacing the necro with a paragon that is purely support. I see this as a deprovement.

Farkenway has an MM which is great for absorbing damage, drawing aggro, providing damage (Death Nova, Putrid Bile, and Discord if equipped), spreading poison, and mucho energy for whatever utility/healing/prot on might have in mind.

A Curses/Resto N/Rt can run Enfeebling blood and Weaken armor for conditions, SS for damage, and can heal very well with resto skills.

Other comments:

- Your main could probably use splinter and summon spirits.
- Commun prot needs e-mgmt.

Your long OP made me assume that you hadn't heard of Farkenway.

My one line post made you assume a lot of things too.

Let's just say we were both wrong.

Sorry for the long quote - but you are correct. I'm happy to point that out. And further testing was leading me slowly in the direction you were already headed in. Curses necro, and death necro. Much better team. My hat is off to you!