Gladieth.8603

Oh my god.... I didn't think about that. 😢

Hi Flob - Quick Pockets is probably the better trait because entering shadow shroud triggers traits & sigils that activate on weapon swap. Quick pockets give your extra initiative which allows you to build more stacks of "Lead Attacks" and more initiative means you can also generate more shadow force. You are right. I need to update this build to include sigil of doom instead of the poison sigil i have equipped.

I think this is a great recommendation. I support shadow portal being able to port at least 10 people.

Thanks for clarifying this for me! Also, thanks for your response! (I have now updated the post to remove any mention of mystery boons lol) Fair point! I went ahead and took a second pass at the gear selection. I made some major improvements (i.e. not all celestial gear) to the build to put in more in line with a support/heal build rather than a fringe hybrid build. Valid concern. Here's what I have done to try and address this... 1.) I removed dagger from this build and now recommend using pistol offhand. Spamming skill 3 now provides persistent AoE healing. Dagger offhand is not a very good support weapon. 2.) I have removed nearly all celestial gear 🙂

Hi Merkalto - Yes, this will most likely be true, however, I wouldn't expect it to take longer than 5 to 10 seconds to generate enough shadow shroud to get the alacrity rolling for the rest of the fight. This trait will probably become a secondary choice for DPS alac specter on June 27. Larcenous torment will probably be the better pick. DPS alac specter will probably gain all of its shroud HP from Siphon and torment application. It will no longer have to use any wells. However, I recommend Well of Sorrow. Anyways, I posted an entire thread on what to expect for both DPS alacrity specter and Healer Specter on June 27. Feel free to check it out!

I theory crafted a PvE Hybrid Support Specter build for June 27th. Please keep an open mind and refer to the build link/notes to better understand my breakdown. I do not claim to know if this will be “competitively” viable (if viable at all) after next patch. Note 1: This build generates Shadow Force through Siphon, Spent Initiative, and Well spam. Build Link (updated 6/17/23): http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PaBBsitrlhyyYssU2JeKXXxfA-zRJYvRLfh0SI0VBEZC49BJU2Cvl2HjgKA-e Skills: - #6: Well of Gloom: AoE Heal/ Barrier/ Shadow Force - #7 (USERS CHOICE): Several utility options are available. - #8: Well of Sorrow: AoE Heal/ Shadow Force/Torment Application - #9: Well of Bounty: AoE Heal/Stability & Boons/Shadow Force - Elite (USERS CHOICE): Basilisk Venom or Shadow Fall Traits: Specter is limited to these three trait lines. - Shadow Arts: This line is essential for barrier application, additional self sustain, and additional AoE healing through Shielding Restoration & Shadow Savior. This line revolves around using dagger offhand for CnD stealth attacks. - Trickery: Thrill of the Crime & Bountiful Theft allows siphon to grant boons. This line also increases your condition damage output and shadow force generation by supplying initiative. - Specter: Shadestep grants group alacrity. Consume Shadows & Traversing Dusk provides the majority of your healing & barrier. Equipment: Plaguedoctor weapon/armor stats combined with torment runes provide a decent amount of healing power, concentration, vitality, and condition damage. You will have a massive amount of health and be able to provide moderate damage while also generating AoE heals/barrier/alacrity. This build may require more boon uptime depending on how alacrity works after June 27th. Rotation Outline: Build up as much barrier on yourself before shadow stepping (see Shadestep). 0. Auto attack w/ Scepter for filler 1. Cloak n Dagger 2. Stealth Attack w/ Scepter 3.Twilight Combo 4. Siphon 5. Twilight Combo 5. Spam Wells 6. Twilight Combo to 0 initiative 7. Enter Shroud 8. Skill 2/Skill 5/ Skill 4/ Skill 2 /Auto Attack/ Skill 2 8. Exit Shroud (See Consume Shadows) 9. Repeat steps 1-8. Let me know your thoughts!

I agree with everything you said. I did want to touch on this quote though. This certainly is true, but I think this also raises the skill ceiling slightly for Alac Specter. Which in turn may make it more rewarding to play (at least for me). I like the idea of having to avoid mechanics while in shroud to maintain alac uptime rather than how it currently is. Which is just spamming wells on cooldown and face tanking mechanics while in shroud. 🙂

Hi Guirssane - thanks for the question. - Yes, that is correct. Sorry if you were expecting a pure support build! This is a DPS build. I went ahead and updated my title to reflect that. I suspect that support Alac Specter will remain a fringe spec. - Yes, this build does use three new traits if compared to the current Alacrity Specter build on snow crows/hardstuck. (Second Opinion, Larcenous Torment, Shadestep)

This is what I expect the new PvE alacrity specter will probably look like on June 27th. Alacrity will no longer be tied to wells, but instead tied to shroud. This means you will need shadow force. Shadow force is generated from siphon and torment application. You will still have to use ritualist gear for concentration but vitality will no longer increase your DPS. This means we can now use giga chad torment runes. This also means we may be able to use SOME viper stats. Build Link http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PaxAsirlhyOYIMW2JO2WfxaA-zRJYyRLfhkSC0SI0RB49BJI2Ca7AA-e We will probably do more damage and have better alacrity uptime, but provide significantly less passive team healing & barrier (unless you swap traits at the cost of dps). The specter rotation will likely remain unchanged. Note 1: The traits for the provided link do not yet reflect the trait reworks coming on June 27. Just in case you are confused. Note 2: Swap skill 7 (poison application) or 8 (torment application) for well of bounty for group stability and other boons. This build also provides some of the highest CC in game. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks ANET!