Ritualist - Power Ritualist

Part of the current metagame

Our curator decided this build is in the current metagame regardless of rating. The community gave this build a rating, making it top-tier: Great

Focused on: Strike damage, Dps, Burst and Boonrip

Designed for: WvW Zerg

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Easy

This build was last updated on November 03, 2025 and is up to date for the October 28, 2025 patch.

Overview

A build designed to strip boons and lay down high area damage.

Skill Bar

Axe/Focus

Greatsword

Utility

Variants

• Offhand Sword

Template Code

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Specializations

Variants

• Chill of Death

Variants

• Spirit's Strength currently only works on Spirit autoattacks, not their skills. If that gets patched run it but right now its basically worthless

Equipment

Head
Marauder

Shoulders
Marauder

Chest
Marauder

Hands
Marauder

Legs
Marauder

Feet
Marauder

Backpiece
Marauder

Accessory
Demolisher

Accessory
Demolisher

Amulet
Demolisher

Ring
Demolisher

Ring
Demolisher

Axe
Marauder

Focus
Marauder

Sigil

Sigil

Greatsword
Marauder

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Relic

Equipment Variants

Stats

• Feel free to use as much Berserker's gear as you can without dying
• The given setup aims for maximum Effective Health
  • You can swap Marauder's to Demolisher's to make healing more efficient in exchange for increasing your chance to be spiked from 100%

Relic

• Relic of Cerus

Sigils

• Sigil of Superior Sigil of Frenzy

Usage

Quick Guide

• Power Ritualist is a utility DPS that sets up its group with boon corruption
• Your highest priority is using your Well of Corruption and Well of Suffering together with other necros in squad on the commanders call to create an opportunity for your group to generate kills
• Use Nightfall like wells - at the same time as other necros on the commanders call
  • If you commander doesn't call Nightfall, use it to punish the enemy group pushing into yours
• Use Splinter Weapon with your groups spikes to add burst
• Use Ritualist's Shroud ⇒ Wanderlust to add extra damage on top of your other spikes
• Wait in Ritualist's Shroud for Wanderlust to finishing pulsing to recast it with Soul Twisting, filling time with your other Spirit skills and Autoattacks
• Save Grasping Darkness to Pull enemies into your groups spikes or catch enemies when they try to kite your group
• Focus on using Axe/Warhorn until you need Nightfall or Grasping Darkness on Greatsword

Surviving

• This build has moderate passive defense
• This build has low mobility skill access
• This build has low active defenses

Defensive Skill List Ritualist's Shroud - Damage reduction Summon Spirits - Movement Resilient Weapon - Healing + Damage reduction Innervate Preservation - Stability Xinrae's Weapon - Block + Stunbreak

Overall Priorities

High

• Wells
• Boon rip

Moderate

• Damage
• CC

Low

• Support

Detailed Explanations

Wells

• Try to save your Well skills for the commanders call
  • If you aren't using voice communication, use your wells at the same time as the other Necromancers in your group
• Cast Well of Corruption before Well of Suffering, due to the longer cooldown
• Only use your Well skills at the same time, do not use one early and desync their cooldowns
• When using ground AoEs like Well of Corruption or Well of Suffering, try to place them so that one edge is on the enemy group and the other edge is in the direction they are moving to
• Immediately after placing both wells cast Splinter Weapon then enter Ritualist's Shroud to activate Death Perception and remain in shroud for the duration of the wells

Boon rip

Boon Rip Skill List Well of Corruption Nightfall Unholy Feast Spinal Shivers Ritualist's Shroud + Spiteful Spirit

• As with wells, use Nightfall on your commanders call
  • If you commander isn't calling Nightfall instead use it when the enemy group is pushing towards you or your group is in melee
• Combine Unholy Feast with Well of Corruption and Nightfall whenever you can
  • Otherwise cast Unholy Feast as often as possible while in range
• Make sure to enter Ritualist's Shroud in range to proc Spiteful Spirit

Damage

Skill priority Well of Corruption + Well of Suffering - always together, on call Nightfall - on call Splinter Weapon Unholy Feast Ritualist's Shroud ⇒ Wanderlust Ritualist's Shroud ⇒ Anguish Ritualist's Shroud ⇒ Anguish ⇒ Innervate Anguish Spinal Shivers ⇒ Ghastly Claws - only on single target Death Spiral Gravedigger Soul Grasp - only if low on Life Force

• Use Unholy Feast immediately after Weapon Swap and use it again immediately before swapping back
  • Delaying your Weapon Swap slightly for the cooldown is fine
• Splinter Weapon adds significant burst, use it when you group is spiking together, especially when you cast Wells or Nightfall
• Always cast Wanderlust first when entering Ritualist's Shroud to proc Soul Twisting
  • You must wait for the Wanderlust spirit to finish casting its skill before reactivating Wanderlust or you will waste whatever is left of the first cast
    • This also applies to leaving shroud before the second Wanderlust cast is finished ticking
  • Once your second Wanderlust cast is finished ticking, leave shroud unless you are getting unblocked Essence Blast hits
  • Use Anguish and Preservation before casting Essence Blast to fill downtime waiting for Wanderlust ticks
    • Always cast Innervate Anguish immediately after casting Anguish
• Death Spiral and Gravedigger are very short range and come with long cast times, only use them when your entire group is pushing melee and it is safe to do so
• Use Spinal Shivers ⇒ Ghastly Claws ⇒ Rending Claws pick off isolated players

CC

CC Skill List Grasping Darkness - Pull Wanderlust - Knockdown Innervate Wanderlust - Fear

• Use Grasping Darkness when:
  • Your group calls a spike such as Wells
  • Your group is range spiking the enemy
  • Enemy groups move defensively while your group is pushing
• Do not use Grasping Darkness when:
  • Your group is pushing and the enemy group is pushing
  • Your group is moving away from the enemy
  • It would pull the enemy group out of your groups spike (except for range spikes)
• You can use a Stow Weapon keybind halfway through the cast of Grasping Darkness and the pull will finish casting while you can immediately start casting other skills

Support

• Cast Innervate Preservation immediately after casting Preservation, but only if your group needs the Stability since the cooldown is long
• Use Resilient Weapon when your group is trading hits with the enemy or right before the enemy group spikes
• Use Xinrae's Weapon before the enemy group spikes yours to absorb large hits
  • Xinrae's Weapon also stunbreaks, if you're having trouble surviving you can save it to stunbreak yourself instead