How to Rune and Gear Your Ritualist at Level 20 in Guild Wars

How to Rune and Gear Your Ritualist at Level 20 in Guild Wars
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Character Introduction

Beautiful and breathtaking, Guild Wars is an online MMORPG game that has taken the world by storm divulging into incredible graphics in both PvE and PvP worlds. Guild Wars has 10 character classes for players to choose from; Monk, Ranger, Paragon, Dervish, Ritualist, Assassin, Warrior, Necromancer, Mesmer, and Elementalist. When a character in Guild Wars reaches level 20 that is the highest level possible in the game and it is time to start thinking about gear and runes. The Ritualist is a character class in Guild Wars that offers spirits and trickery to the Guild Wars game fighting areas.

The Ritualist is a caster who focuses on raising spirits to help aid Guild Wars groups in fighting opponents. A Ritualist utilizes a staff

and a wand primarily to fight off monsters with. Ritualists do use energy to cast spells, raise spirits, and damage opponents. Coming face to face with a Ritualist either in PvP or PvE will find players in for a tough battle.

The Ritualist is a damage dealer and spirit raiser in the Guild Wars party. A Ritualist is similar to a shaman character that came about when Guild Wars Factions was released. Having multiple powers to raise spirits and over the dead the Ritualist casts while wearing a blindfold so they can concentrate on the spirit world. Ritualists have decorative armor which is adorned with teeth, bones, feathers, shells, and other similar objects found in the Guild Wars game.

Armor Selection

The Ritualist has a variety of armor types to customize their character class. Each Ritualist that reaches level 20 needs to buy “maxed” armor for the highest protection possible in the game. Maxed armor for a Ritualist is 60.

Photo By Melina Ann Collison

Here is a list of the different maxed armor types and where to obtain each:

  • Obsidian Armor: The Fissure of Woe
  • Asuran Elite: Rata Sum
  • Deldrimor Elite: Central Transfer Chamber
  • Monument Elite: Eye of the North Outpost
  • Norn Elite: Gunnar’s Hold
  • Ancient Elite: Bone Palace
  • Sunspear Elite: Command Post
  • Primeval Elite: Throne of Secrets
  • Vabbian Elite: The Kodash Bazaar
  • Canthan Elite: Divine Path
  • Kurzick Elite: Vasburg Armory
  • Luxon Elite: Leviathan Pits
  • Judge Elite: Granite Citadel
  • Saintly Elite: Marhan’s Grotto
  • Woven Elite: Granite Citadel
  • Flowing Elite: Granite Citadel
  • Labyrinthine Elite: Marhan’s Grotto

Armor Selection (cont.)

  • Tyrian Standard: Droknar’s Forge, Wajjun Bazaar, and Boreal Station
  • Istani Standard: Consulate Docks or Command Post
  • Sunspear Standard: Consulate Docks or Command Post
  • Canthan Standard: Kaineng Center
  • Kurzick Standard: House zu Heltzer
  • Luxon Standard: Cavalon
  • Shing Jea Standard: Kaineng Center
  • Ascalon Standard: Kaineng Center
  • Krytan Standard: Bukdek Byway
  • Censor Standard: Droknar’s Forge
  • Dragon Standard: Droknar’s Forge
  • Sacred Standard: Droknar’s Forge
  • Star Standard: Droknar’s Forge
  • Woven Standard: Droknar’s Forge

The only difference between elite and standard armor is the way it looks and the price. Standard armor is considerably cheaper than elite armor.

Photo By Melina Ann Collison

Rune Selection

Runes are items that upgrade armor in Guild Wars. Insignias work with runes by adding modifiers. Each armor piece can have 1 insignia and 1 rune attached to it; head, chest, hands, legs, feet. This will allow for up to 5 runes and up to 5 insignias for each complete armor set. You can remove and change runes on a character’s armor but it is very expensive to do so.

Runes can be obtained from Rune Merchants, loot from drops, or salvages from armor pieces. Some runes are stackable and others are not, however, if two of the same runes are applied the negative benefits will occur but not the positive. So if the runes are giving a +3 buff and -75 health and there are two on instead of getting +6 buff the player receives -125 health and +3 buff.

Ritualist Runes and Insignias

Insignia

  • Shaman’s Insignia

    Photo By Melina Ann Collison

  • Ghost Forge Insignia

  • Mystic’s Insignia

Minor

  • Minor Channeling Magic
  • Minor Restoration Magic
  • Minor Communing
  • Minor Spawning Power

Major

  • Major Channeling Magic
  • Major Restoration Magic
  • Major Communing
  • Major Spawning Power

Superior

  • Superior Channeling Magic
  • Superior Restoration Magic
  • Superior Communing
  • Superior Spawning Power

Attributes and Builds

The Ritualist’s build and attribute points will focus on the core profession skills along with second professions that are active at the time. The maximum Ritualist attribute levels with maxed gear; weapons, armor, and runes, can be; Channeling Magic, Restoration Magic, Communing, and Spawning power 21 PvE and 17 PvP.

A character’s build and attributes should be similar in nature to ensure the best possible game play as well as the strongest character possible. Builds should focus on 2-3 attributes instead of 4 or 5. When you do this your Guild Wars character is maximizing their potential by putting all their attribute points in one place, as a substitute to placing them in random spots. If a Ritualist has skills in their skill bar that are placed in Restoration Magic then the attributes should be in Restoration Magic as well. The special attribute for the Ritualist is Spawning Power

Attributes and Builds (cont.)

The basic Ritualist attributes explained:

  • Spawning Power – Special attribute; every Spawning Power attribute point allows the character to gain additional health of created spirits as well as weapon spells will last longer.
  • Channeling Magic – Increases the success rate of energy management and lightening damage.
  • Communing – Increases the success rate of weapon spells along with defensive and offensive spirits.
  • Restoration Magic – – Increases the success rate of health recovery and healing spells or skills.

Ritualist builds can be categorized by their elite skill on the character’s skill bar or attribute type. Every Ritualist needs to have 1 elite skill in their skill bar that is from their specializing attribute talent tree.

Second Professions and Elite Skills

When a Ritualist reaches level 20 it is a good idea to get each second professions that is available in the game. When a character gets a second profession they are gaining access to a multitude of skills and spells that do not originally come with the Ritualist profession. There are 9 different second classes available to the Ritualist; Ranger, Dervish, Paragon, Assassin, Monk, Warrior, Necromancer, Mesmer, and Elementalist.

Duncan the Black

Elite skills are available from a multitude of zones in the Guild Wars games. Elite skills can be captured from a boss if the player has a Signet of Capture equipped in their skill bar. Signet of Captures are available from Rune Traders in Guild Wars towns and outposts. Every build needs at least one elite skill that corresponds with attributes and weapon points.

Combining Attributes, Builds, Runes, and Armor: Explained

The Ritualist needs to combine insignias, weapons, armor, runes, builds, and second professions to make the most powerful character possible. A Ritualist who specializes in Restoration Magic will want to set their gear up in the following way:

  • Obtain a spear Req. 9-12 Restoration Magic with stats in Spawning Power or Restoration Magic
  • Maxed armor, with headgear for Restoration Magic
  • Insignias and Runes for Spawning Power and Restoration Magic
  • Attributes set in Spawning Power and Restoration Magic
  • Build and skills that reflect Spawning Power and Restoration Magic
  • Restoration Magic or Spawning Power elite skill

Furthermore, if a Ritualist wishes to change builds they would want to correlate their skills and attributes and follow the same concept explained above. Armor, attributes, skills, runes, insignias, and weapons all need to have similar traits to enhance each other.

Try not to mix up skills and attributes. While it is possible to do this it does not make for a good character build.

Photo By Melina Ann Collison