User:Ryuu Desu/Builds/Nightmare Spike HA

Ryuu's Nightmare Spike
A strong, consistent, armor-ignoring spike with splitting options that is able to efficiently cope with a meta that frequently brings a Blinding Surge Elementalist.

Attributes

 * Spawning Power - 8+1
 * Channeling Magic - 12+1+2
 * Restoration - 10+1

Optional

 * Favourable Winds - Put some spec into Marksmanship. Allows you to spike without using Read the Wind, but won't stack with it. Fuel for your Consume's Spirit Siphon.
 * Destruction - Time spikes on enemies in the area of it just as it's about to expire. Fuel for your Consume's Spirit Siphon.
 * Savage Shot - Interrupt res sigs, Claim Resource, and stuff.
 * Death Pact Signet - Hard res monks more. Spec some into resto.
 * Flesh of My Flesh - Hard res non-monks. Spec some into resto.
 * Restoration stuff. - Make use of your free attribute points.
 * Communing snares, and stuff like that. - ^

Variants

 * Destructive Was Glaive - Wipe altars, spike out frontline with double drops (10x or 8x). Recommended that the paragon takes "Incoming!". May cause emanagement problems.

Usage

 * Put up Read The Wind when your caller asks you to. Otherwise, maintain it.
 * Cast Nightmare Weapon on yourself on a 40/40 set when your caller asks you to. Otherwise, cast it during their call.
 * Dual Shot → Distracting Shot (or Savage Shot, depending on the situation.) Queue Distracting immediately after Dual for a clean spike.
 * If you're being interrupted on spikes, or having problems, remember to be verbal about the situation. If you're being interrupted, remember that you can cancel attack skills. Your caller may need to use this knowledge for some fake spikes.
 * If you have Favourable Winds, or Destruction, remember to call on vent that you're using them, so your caller realizes that you can't participate in a spike. Otherwise, place these spirits as your caller requests it.
 * Even though it should be obvious, call your resurrection skills, for the same reason as above.
 * If the opposing team consists of a Blinding Surge Elementalist, or another source of blind, cast Sight Beyond Sight when your caller instructs you to use Nightmare Weapon. Otherwise, use it specifically when requested.
 * Interrupt Claim Resource with Savage Shot if you have it. Interrupt resurrection skills, or key skills with Distracting Shot if you have Savage Shot. Replace Distracting Shot for Savage Shot in your spike.
 * Use Offering of Spirit for energy management, preferably while a spirit is within range. Otherwise, use it prior to a spike, as Nightmare Weapon will negate most of the health sacrifice.
 * Don't be bad.

Attributes

 * Spear Mastery - 9+1
 * Command - 9+1+2
 * Leadership - 9+1
 * Earth Magic - 9

Elite

 * "Incoming!" - An elite version of "Fall Back!", useful for pushing, falling back, splitting, or kiting.
 * "It's Just a Flesh Wound." - As a secondary source of condition removal, useful for splitting.
 * "The Power Is Yours!" - Useful for energy management, causes attribution allocation issues.
 * Angelic Bond - Carry your infuse, keep your ghostly up.
 * Cautery Signet - More condition removal.
 * Crippling Anthem - Cripple on spikes, laugh at people trying to dodge spikes.
 * Cruel Spear - As a slightly more reliable DW on spikes.
 * Defensive Anthem - Be euro and let your monks be bad. Huge energy management issues.
 * Focused Anger -Incase you can't build 4 adrenaline in six seconds for some reason.
 * Song of Purification - Allows your rits to take out Sight Beyond Sight. Speccing issues.
 * Stunning Strike - Daze stuff.

Optional

 * Glyph of Lesser Energy - For energy management.
 * Resurrection Signet
 * Ward of Stability

Variants

 * Vicious Attack - Instead of "Find Their Weakness!" Causes the spike to become more easily protted, or infused. Causes attribute allocation issues with Spear Mastery.

Usage

 * Use "Go for the Eyes!", followed by "Find Their Weakness!" on any given Rt/R, either during your caller's count down, or (more preferably), moments before they spike.
 * "Make Haste!" Stuff on relic maps. Or, your monks as they require it.
 * Use Song of Concentration to prevent the interruption of skills for your party (especially resurrection skills). On Altar maps, use it to prevent the interruption of your Ghostly Hero's Claim Resource.
 * Snare things.
 * Use your elite skill for its purpose. (If you don't know what it's for, or how to do it, ask. Otherwise, don't do it.)
 * Be strong and brave.

Attributes

 * Spawning Power - 12+1
 * Restoration - 10+1+1
 * Channeling Magic - 8+1
 * Curses - 2

Optional

 * Strip Enchantment - (Instead of Rend Enchantments)

Variants

 * Destructive Was Glaive - See above.
 * Weapon of Shadow - Because unremovable ~90% block chances make sense.

Usage

 * Weapon stuff.
 * Keep in mind that your Rt/R's require their Nightmare Weapon to be up in order to spike. Avoid using weapon spells on them unless absolutely necessary. In this case, try to avoid doing so during a spike call.
 * Spike with Consume Soul, ensuring that you do not cast it on a set that reduces activation time, for a clean spike.
 * Make quick work of opposing spirits with Consume Soul. Make sure that it's up for spikes. (After weapon calls, most spikes take approximately 5 seconds, anyway.)
 * If an opposing spirit isn't particularly harming your party, it may be in your best interest to leave it alive, especially if your spirits are being killed. (Due to Spirit Siphon, and Offering of Spirit.
 * Remove enchantments on spikes as requested.
 * Resurrect stuff (especially monks).

Variants

 * Restore Condition - (Instead of Life Sheath)

Usage

 * Prevent damage.
 * Remove conditions.
 * Remove harmful hexes.
 * Etc.

Variants

 * Leech Signet - More interruption power. Please don't take waste not or auspicious. l2p.
 * Hex Breaker - If your prot sucks.
 * Some other skill. - Instead of Heal Party.

Usage

 * Heal things.
 * Pre-patient srs spikes.
 * Infuse things.
 * Remove harmful hexes.
 * Use Heal Party as requested, especially on split maps.
 * Interrupt things, preferably potentially deadly spells, such as Diversion, Shame, and Rend Enchantments.

Issues

 * Vent lag
 * Disconnects

Results
Two party members frequently disconnected mid-match, thus causing spike damage to be significantly lowered. Due to lag on ventrilo, and perhaps inability of other players, spikes were vary rarely clean. Resigned three matches, lost one.

Improvements to be Made

 * Party members with better internet connections.
 * Spike caller using a RJ-45 (cat5) cable, rather than wifi. (Slight increase in latency.)
 * Party members with more experience, who are more familiar with spike builds.
 * Possibly an Assassin Deadly Arts caller, dropping snares for better spikes. However, this shouldn't be necessairy.