Elite Spec: The Vindicator
Edited version of the Intransigent for those who remember.
Singleminded and uncompromising, these necromancers have taken in upon themselves to preserve the cycle of life and death, hunting down and delivering swift finality to those who have run from eluded fate for too long. Channeling the power of reclaimed souls and other-worldly forces, they endlessly pursue their marks and deliver them to their final moments without hesitance. Some lives – however – end before their time, and the Vindicator works to preserve those lives until the rightful moment of their passing. Every life must inevitably reach its conclusion. Respect this truth, or you’ll surely meet such a necromancer.
The Vindicator has developed into a spec that challenges old customs. Bursty builds will have a difficult time killing him before he has the chance to strike back. Front-loading your whole combo usually results in wasted skills, a living necromancer, and a very vulnerable you. Glassy builds that rely on survival through stealth or blocking will find that the Vindicator simply doesn’t care about such attempts at cheating death, and will end them all the same. As a ranged spec with options for mobility as well as a number of slowing effects in addition to all of this, a Vindicator’s grip is nigh impossible to escape on your own. However, those out there looking to postpone their passing have a number of ways to do so. Mobility is key. If you can cleanse the movement impairing conditions a Vindicator will have a much harder time hitting you with their many skillshot abilities. Even more so if you have mobility skills accessible! While not always effective, projectile blocks can go a long way as well, and are one of the only active defenses that can still bother one of these guys. If dodging, blocking, and stealthing are out of the question, how do you survive? Actually. Build. Tanky. If you can survive a Vindicator’s initial burst, you’re set to finish them off without too much retaliation. The vindicator will have a much harder time killing you if you read their skills and have passive tankiness or a healer around to be able to easily out attrition them.
Just imagine everything’s balanced. …I really hope you have a good imagination.
New Shroud: Hunter’s Shroud
1. Looming Fate -
Strike your foe with an arrow right to their soul, dealing increased damage to and stealing Life Force based on how injured they are. Inherits traits from shroud 1.
2. Death Row -
Root yourself and release a piercing arrow in the target direction that deals massive damage to enemies it passes through after a brief channel. While winding up the attack, the air in the path of the projectile becomes deathly cold, warning foes of what’s to come and causing foes within the path to repeatedly take damage and become chilled.The projectile portion inherits traits from shroud 2.
3. Distant Dread -
Fire a slow-moving spectral bolt in the target direction that passes through foes, fearing them. Does not deal damage.
- chains to
Imminent Demise -
Teleport to the bolt’s location, destroying it to briefly immobilizing nearby foes upon arrival. Does not deal damage.
4. Ring of Respite -
Root yourself and beginning to channel, creating a zone that anchors allies’ souls to this world. The ring prevents allies at or below 10% of their maximum health – or Life Force for you while you’re in shroud – from taking further damage and grants those protected resistance. Gain Life Force when you or protected allies in the zone are struck. This skill inherits traits from shroud 4._
5. Harrowing Hunt -
Fire a thin spread of arrows in front of you that apply vulnerability to enemies they strike. Summon two menacing soul hounds if you successfully hit a target. Soul hounds sniff out life force, enabling them to locate and attack stealthed enemies Their attacks remove stealth from enemies.
New Weapon: Longbow – ranged skill-shot weapon that supports positioning.
1. Certain Death -
Let fly a spectral arrow that homes in on your target. Inflicting weakness.
2. Tragic Parting -
Phase a short distance away from your target and fire a bolt at them that knocks them back and cripples them. Gain Life Force if the arrow hits.
3. Pierce the Veil -
Fire a fast-moving arrow in the target direction that pierces foes, dealing damage to them. The arrow cuts a rift to the next world in its wake that blocks projectiles.
4 Last Breath -
Become a foreboding wind, evading attacks while traveling forth, lightly damaging and blinding enemies you pass through and applying vulnerability.
5. Relinquish -
Root yourself and spray a mass of soul infused projectiles in a long, narrow cone in the target direction. Each pulse deals unblockable damage to enemies, increasing the more damaged they are.
New Skill Type: Brands – Mark a target for a moderate duration, granting bonus effects upon a certain action from, or interaction with the marked target, and a much greater effect upon them going down state or dying. Mark VFX will appear above the head of a target.
+ Brand of Denial –
Mark an enemy and heal yourself. Killing or downing the marked target heals you further and grants you Resistance.
1.Brand of Anger -
Break stun and mark an enemy. The marked foe gains Torment every half second while moving or attacking. Killing or downing the marked foe burns foes around their location.
2.Brand of Bargaining -
Mark an enemy. Allies striking that foe transfer conditions to them. Killing or downing the marked target gives you a large amount of Life Force.
3.Brand of Depression -
Mark an enemy. Whenever the marked foe gains a boon, they suffer damage and gain chill. If the unit dies or is downed while marked, enemies around their location are dazed and chilled.
4.Brand Of Acceptance –
Mark an enemy. Allies who strike that target apply vulnerability. If the marked foe is killed or downed, allies around them take massive damage and are weakened.
! Brand of Certainty -
Mark an enemy. The marked foe cannot block, evade attacks or be healed while marked. Downing the marked foe or casting this skill on a downed enemy finishes them instantly and grants stability to allies who contributed to the kill.
Traits: mostly focuses on punishing foes that try to escape death and strengthening your capabilities against foes debilitated by these effects. Also aids in general damage dealing, and slightly in avoiding death before you have a chance to react.
Minors:
Macabre Duty -
Gain access to Hunter’s Shroud, the Longbow weapon type, and Brands.
Spiteful Sanction – longish ICD per target
Cripple and weaken foes that negate your attacks.
Sealed Fate –
Your attacks are unblockable against foes with movement hindering conditions.
Adepts:
Approaching Oblivion -
Brands recharge significantly faster if the marked target is downed or killed while it is active. Brands apply vulnerability when placed.
Inescapable Truth -
Cripple lasts longer. Apply Torment when striking a crippled foe.
Deterring Desperation – moderate ICD on stunbreak portion.
Gain Life Force when struck while below the health threshold. Gain Life Force when you break stun.
Masters:
Hunter’s Persistence – moderate – long ICD on hound summon.
Executing a projectile finisher summons a Soul Hound to fight for you and grants both you and your minions Fury. Lower recharge on Longbow skills.
Death’s Gaze – around 8s ICD/foe on both effects. Daze is like 3/4s.
Blind foes you strike while they’re above the health threshold. Foes that miss attacks due to blind you apply are dazed.
Extended Inevitability – 1/2s extend on 1s ICD/target
Striking a foe with an immobilizing condition extends the duration of conditions currently on them.
Grand Masters:
Delaying the Inevitable – Long ICD on ring. Lowish LF and healing value on crits.
When CCd while below the health threshold, break stun and cast Ring of Respite.
Critical hits while in shroud grant you life force and heal you.
Entangling Fate -
Unblockable attacks deal increased damage. Spiteful Sanction now Immobilizes foes below the health threshold instead of crippling them.
Final Pursuit – Balanced endurance siphoning (3/hit?). No ICD on condi cleanse.
Siphon Endurance from weakened targets when you strike them. Dodging removes cripple and chill from you.