Build Advice?

[Grumpy Old Guy]

I'm wanting to play something tanky that hits like a truck so I've got a few weapons in mind, Tsar axe, Tsar Claymore, Starchild, Manticore Mace to name a few but I've got the build down to two options and I don't know which to pick.

So I'm definitely going to grab Wild Hunter and Warrior Monk for sure, but I can't pick between Primal Ritualist and Cabal Hermit.

On one hand shamanic resonance and infuse wind seems really good for sending things flying but the defensive buffs and free healing from the totems seems like it would be super helpful. Also free ethereal and lightning damage, but then again I have to drag around totems and I don't know that sounds like it might get irritating having to place and pick them up all the time.

I've never used either of them can anyone who has give me some feedback on them?

[Angel]

cabal hermit goes with everything, if you're unsure what a 3rd should be EVER just pick the hermit, more damage and protection from boons? wind imbue? wing sigil?

[Grumpy Old Guy]

Originally posted by Angel:

cabal hermit goes with everything, if you're unsure what a 3rd should be EVER just pick the hermit, more damage and protection from boons? wind imbue? wing sigil?

It does seem more convenient at the very least.
Can I have multiple elemental boons up at the same time?
Like Cool and Warm?

[Midas]

Not sure why you'd want cabal hermit on a melee combat build. Spellblade would make more sense, since you can use elemental discharge with your weapon out and it adds a ranged attack to the rest of your combat attacks.

[Grumpy Old Guy]

Originally posted by Midas:

Not sure why you'd want cabal hermit on a melee combat build. Spellblade would make more sense, since you can use elemental discharge with your weapon out and it adds a ranged attack to the rest of your combat attacks.

Basically just for Shamanic resonance and infuse wind. SR works on Disciplined and Enraged which I'm going to have on almost all the time anyway and the other elemental boons will just give me more resistance and elemental damage.

I like the ritualist too but I'm on the fence since I don't really like the idea of dragging around totems.

[Angel]

Originally posted by Grumpy Old Guy:

Originally posted by Angel:

cabal hermit goes with everything, if you're unsure what a 3rd should be EVER just pick the hermit, more damage and protection from boons? wind imbue? wing sigil?

It does seem more convenient at the very least.
Can I have multiple elemental boons up at the same time?
Like Cool and Warm?

yeah you can have all the boons up, discipline included which is a non elemental boon specifically

they all get boosted by hermit

[Grumpy Old Guy]

Originally posted by Angel:

Originally posted by Grumpy Old Guy:

It does seem more convenient at the very least.
Can I have multiple elemental boons up at the same time?
Like Cool and Warm?

yeah you can have all the boons up, discipline included which is a non elemental boon specifically

they all get boosted by hermit

Sweet, although I am still confused why Warm makes me resist fire and Cool makes me resist Ice. Kinda seems backwards but whatever.

[Angel]

Originally posted by Grumpy Old Guy:

Originally posted by Angel:

yeah you can have all the boons up, discipline included which is a non elemental boon specifically

they all get boosted by hermit

Sweet, although I am still confused why Warm makes me resist fire and Cool makes me resist Ice. Kinda seems backwards but whatever.

well think of it like channelling the element, if you channel fire into yourself it makes sense that fire would hurt you less and your fire would be more effective, if that makes sense

[william_es]

I chose primal ritualist for a melee build I used, and it worked great for a tanky/melee build. This post is long, but this is everything I remembered from using it. Some of the exact benefits I looked up on the wiki again to refresh memory.

The "battle rhythm" skill boosts barrier by 5 when sky chimes are deployed, and ghost drums increase Protection by 5 when deployed too. Has a range of 8 meters, and can affect other players and allies too.

Another skill can increase barrier by 7.

So tons of physical/melee armor.

If you choose "nurturing echo", then deployed chimes restore 5 stamina/5 mana per second, and ghost drums restore 5 health + reduce buildup of status effects. "Nurturing echo" is one of those skills that fork, You choose "nurturing echo", you cannot choose the other branch which is "reverberation" (which does damage when you pick the drums up. once you put down the totems you don't want to pick them up again, the skill is sort of counter productive).

And the chimes/drums do amazing damager. When you hit them, they shoot out magic projectiles that auto-home. One shoots ethereal damage, the other lightning, and both put out auras that debuff enemies and make them more susceptible to those same damage types.

The projectiles from either chime/drum pass through solid objects. I cleared one trap where you fall into a room full of enemies by setting the totems up outside a portcullis and blasting every enemy in the room to death. Shots went right through the portcullis. Then I ran up and fell through the trap... into a room full of dead bodies, got the item, and looted them.

They apply a buildup effect too. The sky chimes will turn any burning effects on enemies into Holy Blaze. And that status reallllllllly burns down enemy's health. The ghost drums build up aether bomb, which eventually causes a HUGE ethereal damage attack that sometimes just one shots enemies when it goes off. I use it to kill scarlet emissaries, which are some of the toughest and most dangerous enemies in the game.

If you go primal ritualist, put the skills for sky chimes and ghost drums on the hotbar. It ties up 2 hotbar slots, but those chimes/drums are something you want to put down tactically.

You can place both nearly side by side if you spend the points on "harmony and melody". One single swing of a melee weapon can trigger both.

Or you can place them farther apart and run figure 8 around them. I call it pickle in the middle. Basically works best on enemies you want to kite around (scarlet emissaries). As they get near, hit the chime/drum and take off running again. Repeat until the buildup triggers the special effects.

[Aegix Drakan]

Originally posted by Grumpy Old Guy:

Originally posted by Angel:

cabal hermit goes with everything, if you're unsure what a 3rd should be EVER just pick the hermit, more damage and protection from boons? wind imbue? wing sigil?

It does seem more convenient at the very least.
Can I have multiple elemental boons up at the same time?
Like Cool and Warm?

You can have ALL the boons (elemental and otherwise) up at the same time. :P

[Samseng Yik]

I agree on William_ES totem suggestion.
The totem also block enemy projectile.
Allowing you to stay behind drink potion and buff with peace