Curse

digitalruse · May 19, 2008, 06:01 AM // 06:01

So, I am having some trouble with my build, and I can only assume it is due to me trying to do too many things at once. Sadly, with the way my group of friends works, this is my lot in life. Here is by build as it stands:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spawning: 6+2
Restoration: 6+1
Channeling: 12+1+3
Shadow Arts: 10

Weapon:
Hale Tengu Channeling Staff of Fort
+60HP
+10E
-1ER/+15E
20% HSR

Armor:
+75HP
+3E

[[email protected]][[email protected]][Painful [email protected]][Ancestors' [email protected]][Essence [email protected]][Mend Body And [email protected]][Flesh of my [email protected]][Assassin's [email protected]]

[email protected]--------

So, now that you have seen it, let me explain.

I like the synergistic opportunities the Ritualist has to offer. As you can see, 2 of my skills (I'd sorta like it to be more) do not rely on spirits, but are that much better when they are around. That said, I found myself running short on energy when I used Ritual Lord.

As far as the healing and res are concerned; yes, we do have hero Monks, but I feel better about having a heal at my disposal. Especially one that cleanses of a condition. The res is really for wipes or near wipes.

I don't think much needs to be said about AR, PB or ES.

Do any of you pros have any suggestions to tweak this build and still get what I 'want' from it? It seems like a damn shame to put that many points into DA just for AP.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
-DR

P.S. - I only have access to Prophesies, Factions, and am about a 1/3 of the way through Nightfall.

Vengeful Spirit · May 19, 2008, 06:20 AM // 06:20

well you can do fine with 9 points in [Assassin's Promise] however I don't see much point in it being in this build because [bloodsong] has excellent survivability and [vampirism] should outlive its recharge time easy enough and if it is for energy management then [offering of spirit] would be more beneficial and you would not have to spec into shadow arts

digitalruse · May 19, 2008, 06:30 AM // 06:30

I like OoS, but I am not that far along.

I guess if the build is solid enough, then I am lost on which elite to choose in the mean time until I could get OoS.

-DR

Vengeful Spirit · May 19, 2008, 06:35 AM // 06:35

you could try [Signet of Spirits] until you get there also my apologies I forgot that you had to cap OoS in the domain of secrets

digitalruse · May 19, 2008, 06:43 AM // 06:43

So, I just did some testing with [signet of spirits]...

Energy is totally not a problem now. Having my spirits out and ready, OTOH...

Maybe I need to go back to [Ritual Lord] and just sub something else for energy management... or get over 8/9 points going to one skill.

-DR

Vengeful Spirit · May 19, 2008, 06:48 AM // 06:48

if your having trouble with spirits recharge you could change secondary to /Ranger and put [serpent's Quickness] for the quicker recharge and wouldn't have to put much in caus your spirits cast times are 3 secs each

digitalruse · May 19, 2008, 07:07 AM // 07:07

Hmmm... very interesting indeed...

I also was doing some reading (probably too much) and was intrigued by [Soul Twisting] to drop in a spirit right away and have it instantly recharge. And, so long as I don't go crazy with the [Painful Bond] I will probably be okay.

I'll give it a try and see how it goes. I can probably then get away with putting more into Resto to make my heals a little more useful. The spirits are usually "set it and forget it" so there is damage coming out constantly.

Thanks for in the replies and input thus far Vengeful Spirit. It has been a help. I'll report back what I find.

-DR

Vengeful Spirit · May 19, 2008, 07:09 AM // 07:09

I'm always happy to help and please let me know how it turns out

Bargamer · May 19, 2008, 07:52 AM // 07:52

Yeah, when you get a good Elite, you can focus on just 2-3 Attributes, which should help you do whatever you want to do. If you decide to go with SoS or Soul Twisting, you can drop Spawning Power. IMHO, you need better Monk builds for your Heroes. That way, you can safely drop the MB&S for more Channeling skills.

Try running a Rit/Mo build to cap some Elites for Resto and Healing/Prot. Of course, you could try replacing your Monks with Resto Rits...

Pyro maniac · May 19, 2008, 07:59 AM // 07:59

use [[splinter weapon] in your bar, it is good ...

[bloodsong][vampirism][essence strike][splinter weapon][ancestors rage][mend body and soul][protective was kaolai][signet of spirits]

I don't like bringing res with h/h, you could always sub out essence strike for a res. ([[death pact signet] or [[flesh of my flesh])

System_Crush · May 19, 2008, 09:54 AM // 09:54

Something I liked about [[Assassin's Promise] is that it recharges [[Essence Strike] which I can then use for greater energy return. That means even with 6 or 8 in Deadly you should not have energy problems if using A'sP right.
Before [[Anguish] was nerfed, I could recast [[Pain],[[Bloodsong],[[Anguish],[[Vampirism] and [[Painful bond] after a essence>AP>die>next target>essence, with just 8 in Deadly Arts.

Also non of your spirits sac their own health and you don't have weapon spells, 2+1 in spawning is more than you could ever need, its probably there form using rit lord, but now you don't have any spawning power skills.

It could use [[splinter weapon] yea, but it looks pretty good with painful as well, the synergy of 2 cheap attack spirits, painful, AR and high channeling give it pretty good pressure.
I like the build a lot, its a little different and very interesting.
The attributes could use a little work tough, and I think I'd try and put [[Pure was Li Ming] in there, maybe dumping the rez...

Cosmic Error · May 19, 2008, 06:49 PM // 18:49

That looks an awful lot like the AP support build I posted recently...

digitalruse · May 19, 2008, 07:43 PM // 19:43

So, after playing I am messing with one of two builds. Regardless, I have consolidated my attributes and runes.

Build 1:

Restoration: 12+2
Channeling: 12+4
Spawning: 2+1

[[email protected]][[email protected]][Painful [email protected]][Ancestors' [email protected]][Essence [email protected]][Mend Body and [email protected]][Flesh of my [email protected]][Soul Twisting]

Build 2:

Deadly Arts: 6
Restoration: 11+2
Channeling: 12+4
Spawning: 2+1

[[email protected]][[email protected]][Painful [email protected]][Ancestors' [email protected]][Essence [email protected]][Mend Body and [email protected]][Flesh of my [email protected]][Assassin's [email protected]]

[email protected]---------

I like both so far, and they both have their advantages. I think the trickiest part is timing AP as I haven't used it super extensively. I am sure I can get the hang of it. Soul Twisting is like AP lite for me. Pretty much instant cast one of my spirits, instant recharge it, and drop it again with out having to "manage" it like I do with AP. This does allow me to keep an eye on my Ele and Ranger heroes if I need to micro them.

Surprisingly, with both builds I am doing much better on energy. I think that more than anything it is due to the consolidation of points into Resto making MB&S that much more efficient so I don't have to spam it nearly as often as I do for a 'fast' heal.

Yeah, I know my Monk hero is probably not the strongest... but that is because I am waiting for Razah! Mainly because I already have many Resto Rit skills and didn't want to spend the time (but mainly the money(I am very poor, but aren't we all?)) on building one out. Of course, as long as it takes to get him, I probably should invest in a decent Heal/Prot Monk. *sigh*

Thanks again for all the info everyone. I'll update as I play with it more.
-DR

EDIT: Cosmic Error - I looked at your build (in the AP on a Rit thread I assume) after I posted my thread, and it was just too spirit heavy for my tastes. Is it working well for you though?

Pyro maniac · May 19, 2008, 08:26 PM // 20:26

imo, there isn't much use of assassin's promise/soul twisting
both vampirism and bloodsong got pretty short recharges and are durable enough to outlive their duration

AP/Soul twisting fits more in some union/shelter build

digitalruse · May 19, 2008, 08:45 PM // 20:45

The Sould Twisting is the way I am leaning mainly because I can get a spirit up in about 1 second at the start which means 4 total seconds spent getting spirits up vs. 6. Minor, but when I have to do that and drop painful bond. It is nice to have them come out right away. Not essential, but nice.

Now, if there was a skill that made spells cast faster I would totally take it. That said, I have poured (still pouring) through the elites (that I have access to) of all the classes and none of them are reaching out to me and screaming "I fit!" Even at this point, OoS doesn't seem all that special for getting energy back since I am not having such an issue with that currently.

But, I am totally open to options or suggestions on a better elite.

Thanks
-DR

digitalruse · May 19, 2008, 08:59 PM // 20:59

Here is a silly question... what would [[Echo] do to this build...

Need more energy? Essence Strike twice.

Healing? MB&S twice.

More Damage? AR Twice.

Want an extra spirit on standby while the other recharges?

Fascinating...

-DR

horseradish · May 19, 2008, 09:41 PM // 21:41

[Echo] is good for builds that don't need an elite skill.

That said, Mesmers, Necros, and Rits fit the bill very nicely.

It only makes your build more adaptable. Just be wary about enchant removal.

I agree with Pyro, you don't need [Soul Twisting] in your build.

If you want more party support, you switch out one of your spirits with [Rejuvenation] instead. You already have 14 points in Restoration, so a heavy flow of 10 health for everyone in you party is very good. Especially since the Spirit doesn't overheal, I'd recommend you bring it on your [Soul Twisting] build.

If you do, I'd suggest removing [Painful Bond] with [Splinter Weapon].

Overall, I'd have to say you have a very effective build. GG

digitalruse · May 20, 2008, 02:22 AM // 02:22

Okay, here is the final verdict (for now XD):

[build prof=Ri/Me name="Echos from the Mist" Spa=3+1 Cha=12+4 Resto=12+2][Bloodsong][Vampirism][Painful Bond][Ancestors Rage][Essence Strike][Mend Body and Soul][Flesh of my Flesh][Echo][/build]

Weapon:
Hale Tengu Channeling Staff of Fortitude
+10 Energy
20% HSR
+60HP
"Seize the Day"
-1ER/+15E

Armor:
+75HP
+3E

HP: 505 | E: 60 | ER: +3

I am really happy with Echo. Oh man... just using it to spam AR over and over on a melee hero or pet is maddening. Also, being able to pull out dual MB&S with a ES in between has proven very useful and life saving.

Maybe I'll go post this on PvX and see how it is received.

Many thanks to everyone for the feedback, it helped sort things out in my head a bit that I hadn't really thought of. I appreciate it.

-DR

P.S. - I did bankrupt myself to get a decent Monk now. It has helped a good deal.

horseradish · May 20, 2008, 04:25 AM // 04:25

If you want a good healer hero, bring the N/Rt from Sabway.

Personally, I like Boonsmite for Hero monks.

Only problem is that there's no Prot Spirit.

Bargamer · May 20, 2008, 04:36 AM // 04:36

When you go farming for Kepkhet's Refuge, lemme know. I need a good Prot staff. :-p