Archive:Rt/Me Echo Rifts

Spirit Rifts do a large amount of damage for their energy cost, casting time, and recharge time. The downside is the 3 second delay before the rift actually strikes. An Echo Rifter utilizes Arcane Echo to provide a more constant stream of damage from the rifts.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=ritua/mesme channe=12+1+3 spawni=12+1 restor=3][spirit rift][arcane echo][channeled strike] [essence strike][attuned was songkai][ghostly haste][bloodsong][flesh of my flesh][/build]


 * Optional spirits for replacing Bloodsong are  Destruction for a shorter recharge time or  Empowerment for extra health and energy.
 * Optional elite skills are Destructive was Glaive for armor penetration; and  Spirit Channeling,  Offering of Spirit, or  Signet of Spirits for energy management.

Equipment

 * Armor: Radiant Insignias for extra energy are recommended, but some  Herald's Insignias for extra armor (such as on the head, hands, and feet) while carrying an item are also beneficial.
 * Weapons: Since you should be holding an item almost all of the time, the weapon won't matter very much. However, if you're caught without Songkai for some reason, an  Insightful Channeling Staff of  Mastery with either a Hale and Hearty or Aptitude not Attitude inscription is helpful.

Usage

 * When nearing enemies, if no spirit is nearby (or if you just want to), set up Bloodsong. If there is a spirit, or after you set up Bloodsong, cast  Ghostly Haste and  Attuned Was Songkai; this will lower Songkai's recharge time to 45 seconds, which is the exact duration you will hold her ashes for.  However, if you're encountering a boss, you can just use Songkai without these preparations since she'll recharge when the boss is defeated.
 * If enemies haven't been aggroed yet, Essence Strike will bring them towards your party and boost your energy closer to max.
 * Cast Arcane Echo, Spirit Rift, Spirit Rift (echoed), Channeled Strike in this order for a large spike [142 AoE damage followed by 142 + 138 damage two seconds later.  This is 422 (284 AoE) [lightning] damage in three seconds].  Repeat as necessary.
 * Use Essence Strike when possible to regain energy.
 * When your echoed Rift returns to a recharging Arcane Echo, cast Ghostly Haste to speed up your single Rift, Channeled Strike, and Essence Strike.

Counters

 * General anti-spellcasting and anti-spamming tactics will hurt, as this build is meant for spamming.
 * Dodging of Spirit Rifts (not a huge problem in PvE).

Variants

 * Using Destructive was Glaive as your elite will require more energy management. This can be achieved by dropping Channeled Strike and/or Ghostly Haste for  Spirit Siphon or a Mesmer energy gain skill (such as  Power Drain, and moving points from Spawning Power to Inspiration Magic).
 * Using energy-gaining elites allows you to replace Channeled Strike with another spell (if you choose to not use any item spells), such as Gaze from Beyond.

Variant Build with Offering of Spirit: [build prof=ritua/mesme channe=12+1+3 restor=12+1 spawni=3][spirit rift][arcane echo][channeled strike] [essence strike][offering of spirit][destruction][generous was tsungrai][flesh of my flesh][/build]
 * No spirit is actually needed for this variant of the build, as Offering of Spirit and Generous Was Tsungrai have a nice synergy.  Casting Offering of Spirit will net you an additional 13 energy in exchange for some life, and recasting Tsungrai will drop the ashes you're currently holding, healing any life lost to Offering of Spirit.  Furthermore, both Offering of Spirit and Generous Was Tsungrai have 15-second recharge times, so they can reliably be activated in sequence.