R/D VoS Archer

This build is designed around Vow of Strength. This skill adds a multiplier to raw damage, but disables all attack skills while it is active. The Ranger line provides offense with an increased attack speed stance and raw damage boosting preparations and rituals; all to maximize the effect of VoS. The Dervish line, aside from VoS, provides defense and utility with enchants from Earth Prayers and Wind Prayers that give the build strong self healing and some ability to heal others, and an enchant that cripples moving foes on hit on every attack. Because all skills used have fairly long durations there is really very little energy used, and only little energy management is required. It has been used effectively in PvE and the RA and AB areas of PvP. It may work well in other arenas too, but no testing has been done there yet.

Attributes and Skills

Vital Boon and SoPL could be replaced with the single skill Mystic Regeneration.
If used for PvE, Harrier's Grasp and perhaps Favorable Winds could be replaced.

Equipment

Druid's Armor
Rune of Superior Vigor
Rune of Clarity
Rune of Attunement
Vampiric Flatbow of Enchanting with a "Guided by Fate" inscription (increases damage when enchanted).
Bring a Zealous bow, for those times you run into energy problems.
Bring a Recurve Bow and/or a Shortbow, in case you don't have Favorable Winds up and can't use Read the Wind.

Usage

When you enter battle place Favorable Winds Spirit somewhere it can effect where you will usually be, but not so close to battle as to be destroyed easily.
Vow of Strength, Heket's Rampage, and Read the Wind are providing the majority of your offense.
Because of the casting time of RtW, you will generally do your damage in sustained bursts over 20 seconds.
If you are going to focus on one target to kill, renew RtW before starting.
If you are using Harrier's Grasp to spread cripple around, you don't need VoS to be active.
Use Harrier's Grasp to cripple targets
This skill can be kept on most of the time. Continous use will drain the energy of this build however.
You can spread cripple around the opposing teams meleers easily with this skill, as they are almost always moving.
You can prevent a target from kiting your team.
If you focus on a target, they will stay crippled regardless of condition removal. If you spread cripple around, targets will stay crippled for ~8 seconds, but it could be removed easily.
Cast Vital Boon followed by Signet of Pious Light to heal yourself.
You can heal yourself and someone else at the sametime by using the Signet on a teammate.
If you are needed to assist in healing, keep casting your enchants followed by SoPL on your allies.

Counters

Killing the Favorable Winds Spirit will reduce your damage and accuracy a little.
Persistent enchantment removal will hamper your damage and healing.
Typical physical damage counters such as Blindness and Weakness affect this build.

Variants

The pet adds more damage than Favorable Winds will. However, the Flatbow is not as useful without it.
Harrier's Grasp could now be replaced with a pet attack like Disrupting Lunge.
Optionals

Seeking Arrows: Use this to get past Aegis, Guardian, and similar spells or stances.
Antidote Signet: Removes Blindness, Disease, and Poison.
Any nature ritual.

Notes

• The damage multiple of VoS is factored with base damage after armor ignoring damage has been added.
  1. Because most of its damage comes from raw damage of the bow, VoS will do best damage against low armor targets where its multipliers can further increase the damage from armor effect.
  • For this reason Judge's Insight works very well with VoS.
  1. Because VoS is factored after bonus damage, it will do decent damage against higher armor targets.
  • Another implication of this is that VoS will increase the bonus damage from skills such as Order of Pain.
• A progression of this build's damage vs. different ALs. Neither weapon mods nor the crit rate are considered in the damage / 5 seconds.

  • ~170 damage / 5 seconds vs. 100 AL

  • ~210 damage / 5 seconds vs. 80 AL

  • ~230 damage / 5 seconds vs. 70 AL

  • ~260 damage / 5 seconds vs. 60 AL

  • ~290 damage / 5 seconds vs. 50 AL

• Despite the drawbacks of VoS, this build has decent utility.
  • This build can cripple foes.
  • This build has strong self healing and some ability to heal others.