User:Ellison.dean/Painful Echo

This build is designed to integrate the damaging communing spirits with some support skills from spawning, and a hex from channeling. The result is a spike based on spirits, which is extremely effective in AB and PvE, and with some variants it is equally powerful in Random Arena and 1v1.

Equipment

 * Use the communing cap to use with the superior rune.
 * Use Halcyon armor for the extra energy. You'll need it.
 * A collector Insightful Channeling Staff of Fortitude should do nicely. Binding Rituals do not recharge or cast faster with a 20/20 Communing Staff because they are not considered spells. But the Hex Painful Bond which is important for this build can recharge faster with a 20/20 Channeling Staff or Wand/Focus.

Usage

 * Start by casting Boon of Creation to keep your energy up and health up while you're casting spirits.
 * Use Ritual Lord, and put down Pain, Shadowsong, and Bloodsong.
 * Use Arcane Echo to set up your Painful Bond.
 * Target a close group of enemies, and hit them with Painful Bond. Use the Echo-Painful Bond on another group, or save it for a few seconds. Your call.
 * Use Vital Weapon as needed. It can also be used as a quick heal.

Counters

 * Energy isn't really that big of a problem since you have the use of Boon of Creation, but excessive energy denial can cause a problem.
 * Getting interrupted while casting a spirit can be a hassle, but is avoidable if you try to hang back and cast the spirits.

Variants

 * Arcane Echo can be replaced by Ghostly Haste, but Arcane Echo is more efficient for Painful Bond in this build.
 * Vital Weapon isn't necessary, but it is a helpful health buffer during Alliance Battles to keep you alive. If you're doing a 1v1 or a Random Arena, try replacing Vital Weapon with Doom. Use Arcane Echo on Doom instead of Painful Bond, since when you're in RA or 1v1, the one hex will usually effect all of your enemies due to close grouping. If you use Doom and Arcane Echo together once you have all of your spirits cast, you can spike for a hefty chunk of damage, along with the high-damage spirits.
 * Arcane Echo can be replaced with Dissonance or Disenchantment, turning this build into a one-man army against melee bosses, like Sskai, Dragon's Birth for farming (PvE).
 * The new Nightfall Spirit Anguish could be used instead of the spirit shown here.
 * If you would like to use a channeling spell instead of arcane echo you could take a minor for communing and a superior + headgear for channeling. The build works just as well since the extra damage from painfull bond and bloodsong ofsets the lost damage from pain and shadowsong. However it does reduce the effectiveness of vital weapon slightly.