Mercenary-free team build for a paragon player centered around the new Anniversary elite skill Heroic Refrain. Blood is Power fuels the mesmer midline while a Soul Twisting ritualist provides party-wide protection. Heroic Refrain provides a maintainable +4 to all attributes on the entire party.
NightfallParagon. Command 15"Stand Your Ground!"ShoutFor 20 seconds, all party members within earshot receive +24 armor when not moving. Gain 2 energy per affected ally (maximum of 8 energy).1020
NightfallParagon. Sunspear rank "There's Nothing to Fear!"ShoutFor 4 seconds and 1 second for every 2 ranks in Leadership, all party members within earshot take 20..35% less damage. Affected party members are healed for 35..60 Health when this Shout ends. Gain 2 energy per affected ally (maximum of 8 energy). PvE only.1520
NightfallParagon. Command 15"Find Their Weakness!"ShoutFor 20 seconds, the next time target ally attacks, that ally deals +50 damage and inflicts a Deep Wound for 20 seconds. Gain 2 energy.1015
NightfallParagon. Command 15"Go for the Eyes!"ShoutFor 10 seconds, the next time each ally within earshot makes an attack, that attack has an additional 100% chance to critical. Gain 2 energy per affected ally (maximum of 8 energy).4
EotNNo Profession. Norn rank "You Move Like a Dwarf!"ShoutTarget foe is knocked down and takes 44..80 damage. When that foe gets up, it is Crippled for 8..15 seconds. PvE only.1010
NightfallParagon. Leadership 20"They're on Fire!"ShoutFor 10 seconds, party members within earshot take 45% less damage from foes suffering from Burning. Gain 2 energy per affected ally (maximum of 10 energy).1010
NightfallParagon. Leadership 20Aggressive RefrainEchoFor 32 seconds, you attack 25% faster but have -20 armor. This echo is reapplied every time a chant or shout ends on you.25220
CoreParagon. Leadership 20Heroic RefrainElite EchoFor 19 seconds, target non-spirit ally gains +4 to all attributes. This echo is reapplied every time a chant or shout ends on that ally. PvE only.5110
NightfallParagon. Command 15"Stand Your Ground!"ShoutFor 20 seconds, all party members within earshot receive +24 armor when not moving. Gain 2 energy per affected ally (maximum of 8 energy).1020
NightfallParagon. Sunspear rank "There's Nothing to Fear!"ShoutFor 4 seconds and 1 second for every 2 ranks in Leadership, all party members within earshot take 20..35% less damage. Affected party members are healed for 35..60 Health when this Shout ends. Gain 2 energy per affected ally (maximum of 8 energy). PvE only.1520
PropheciesWarrior. Tactics 8"To the Limit!"ShoutFor each foe within earshot (maximum 4), you gain one strike of adrenaline. For 15 seconds, your maximum Health is increased by 37. Gain 2 energy.515
FactionsWarrior. Kurzick rank "Save Yourselves!" (Kurzick)ShoutFor 4..6 seconds, all other party members gain 100 armor. Gain 2 energy per affected ally (maximum of 8 energy). PvE only.8
NightfallParagon. Leadership 20"They're on Fire!"ShoutFor 10 seconds, party members within earshot take 45% less damage from foes suffering from Burning. Gain 2 energy per affected ally (maximum of 10 energy).1010
NightfallParagon. Leadership 20Aggressive RefrainEchoFor 32 seconds, you attack 25% faster but have -20 armor. This echo is reapplied every time a chant or shout ends on you.25220
CoreParagon. Leadership 20Heroic RefrainElite EchoFor 19 seconds, target non-spirit ally gains +4 to all attributes. This echo is reapplied every time a chant or shout ends on that ally. PvE only.5110
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Use this variant in areas where the extra protection from "Save Yourselves!"FactionsWarrior. Kurzick rank "Save Yourselves!" (Kurzick)ShoutFor 4..6 seconds, all other party members gain 100 armor. PvE only.8 is needed.
Use a FuriousSpearhead if running with "Save Yourselves!"FactionsWarrior. Kurzick rank "Save Yourselves!" (Kurzick)ShoutFor 4..6 seconds, all other party members gain 100 armor. PvE only.8, otherwise use a VampiricSpearhead
PropheciesElementalist. Air Magic 20ThunderclapElite SpellCreate a massive shockwave at target foe's location. Deals 63 lightning damage to target and all adjacent foes. Struck foes are interrupted and suffer from Cracked Armor and Weakness for 25 seconds. This spell has 25% armor penetration.1018
PropheciesElementalist. Air Magic 20Chain LightningSpellTarget foe and up to two other foes near your target are struck for 110 lightning damage. This spell has 25% armor penetration.51026
CoreElementalist. Air Magic 20Lightning StrikeHex SpellStrike target foe for 65 lightning damage. This spell has 25% armor penetration. If you are Overcast, that foe is hexed with Lightning Strike for 3 seconds. When this hex ends, that foe is struck again for 65 lightning damage.515
FactionsElementalist. Air Magic 20Shock ArrowSpellSend out a shocking arrow that flies swiftly toward target foe, striking for 65 lightning damage. If Shock Arrow strikes a foe suffering from Cracked Armor, you gain 5 Energy plus 1 Energy for every 2 ranks of Energy Storage. Shock Arrow has 25% armor penetration.518
FactionsElementalist. Air Magic 16Arc LightningSpellTarget foe is struck for 42 lightning damage. If you are Overcast, two foes near your target are struck for 90 lightning damage. Damage from Arc Lightning has 25% armor penetration.51.58
CoreElementalist. Air Magic 20Air AttunementEnchantment SpellFor 68 seconds, you are attuned to Air. You gain 1 Energy plus 30% of the base Energy cost of the Skill whenever you use Air Magic.10130
NightfallParagon. Command 14"Fall Back!"ShoutFor 10 seconds, all allies within earshot gain 14 Health per second while moving and move 33% faster. "Fall Back!" ends on an ally affected by this Shout when that ally successfully hits with an attack.1020
NightfallElementalist. Air Magic 20Blinding SurgeElite SpellTarget foe is struck for 65 lightning damage. That foe and all adjacent foes are Blinded for 10 seconds. This spell has 25% armor penetration. If this spell strikes an attacking foe, all adjacent foes are also struck and this spell deals 50% more damage.10¾6
PropheciesElementalist. Air Magic 20Chain LightningSpellTarget foe and up to two other foes near your target are struck for 110 lightning damage. This spell has 25% armor penetration.51026
CoreElementalist. Air Magic 20Lightning StrikeHex SpellStrike target foe for 65 lightning damage. This spell has 25% armor penetration. If you are Overcast, that foe is hexed with Lightning Strike for 3 seconds. When this hex ends, that foe is struck again for 65 lightning damage.515
FactionsElementalist. Air Magic 20Shock ArrowSpellSend out a shocking arrow that flies swiftly toward target foe, striking for 65 lightning damage. If Shock Arrow strikes a foe suffering from Cracked Armor, you gain 5 Energy plus 1 Energy for every 2 ranks of Energy Storage. Shock Arrow has 25% armor penetration.518
EotNElementalist. Air Magic 20Shell ShockSpellTarget foe takes 37 lightning damage and has Cracked Armor for 25 seconds. This Spell has 25% armor penetration. If you are Overcast, this spell strikes adjacent foes.518
CoreElementalist. Air Magic 20Air AttunementEnchantment SpellFor 68 seconds, you are attuned to Air. You gain 1 Energy plus 30% of the base Energy cost of the Skill whenever you use Air Magic.10130
NightfallParagon. Command 14"Fall Back!"ShoutFor 10 seconds, all allies within earshot gain 14 Health per second while moving and move 33% faster. "Fall Back!" ends on an ally affected by this Shout when that ally successfully hits with an attack.1020
CoreNo Profession. UnlinkedResurrection SignetSignetResurrect target party member. That party member is returned to life with 100% Health and 25% Energy. This Signet only recharges when you gain a morale boost.3
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Drop 1 point from Command and put 4 in Motivation. Replace Shell ShockEotNElementalist. Air Magic 20Shell ShockSpellTarget foe takes 37 lightning damage and has Cracked Armor for 25 seconds. This Spell has 25% armor penetration. If you are Overcast, this spell strikes adjacent foes.518 with Mending RefrainNightfallParagon. Motivation 9Mending RefrainEchoFor 15 seconds, target non-Spirit ally has +3 Health regeneration. This Echo is reapplied every time a Chant or Shout ends on that ally.1018. You can either micro Mending Refrain on the whole party (make sure the hero has 8 Motivation) or leave the hero to do it.
You activate Spells and Signets 46% faster. (No effect for non-Mesmer skills with a cast time less than 2 seconds.) In PvE, the recharge time of your Mesmer Spells is reduced by 39%.
CoreMesmer. Domination Magic 20Energy SurgeElite SpellTarget foe loses 13 Energy. For each point of Energy lost, that foe and all nearby foes take 9 damage.51.115
CoreMesmer. Domination Magic 20Cry of FrustrationSpellIf target foe is using a skill, that foe and all foes in the area are interrupted and suffer 95 damage.100.115
NightfallMesmer. Domination Magic 20MistrustHex SpellFor 6 seconds, the next spell that target foe casts on one of your allies fails and deals 130 damage to that foe and all nearby foes.101.112
FactionsMesmer. Domination Magic 20Unnatural SignetSignetTarget foe takes 95 damage. If that foe is under the effects of a hex or enchantment, foes adjacent to your target take 65 damage.0.610
CoreMesmer. Inspiration Magic 11Drain EnchantmentSpellRemove an Enchantment from target foe. If an Enchantment is removed, you gain 15 Energy and 99 Health.51.120
NightfallMesmer. Domination Magic 20Spiritual PainSpellTarget foe takes 95 damage. All hostile summoned creatures in the area of that foe take 158 damage.50.57
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Swap in 1 PanicPropheciesMesmer. Domination Magic 20PanicElite Hex SpellFor 13 seconds, target foe and all nearby foes are hexed with Panic. When a foe hexed with Panic successfully uses a skill, all other nearby foes are interrupted.10115 for difficult content (like DoA/UW/WoC HM). For other content, Energy SurgeCoreMesmer. Domination Magic 20Energy SurgeElite SpellTarget foe loses 13 Energy. For each point of Energy lost, that foe and all nearby foes take 9 damage.5215 will provide faster clearing
1 Hex Eater SignetFactionsMesmer. Inspiration Magic 11Hex Eater SignetSignetTarget touched ally and up to 4 adjacent allies each lose one Hex. You gain 3 Energy for each Hex removed this way.125 over Shatter HexCoreMesmer. Domination Magic 20Shatter HexSpellRemove a Hex from target ally. If a Hex is removed, foes near that ally take 150 damage.10110 in areas with annoying AoE hexes.
You activate Spells and Signets 46% faster. (No effect for non-Mesmer skills with a cast time less than 2 seconds.) In PvE, the recharge time of your Mesmer Spells is reduced by 39%.
CoreMesmer. Domination Magic 20Energy SurgeElite SpellTarget foe loses 13 Energy. For each point of Energy lost, that foe and all nearby foes take 9 damage.51.115
CoreMesmer. Domination Magic 20Cry of FrustrationSpellIf target foe is using a skill, that foe and all foes in the area are interrupted and suffer 95 damage.100.115
NightfallMesmer. Domination Magic 20MistrustHex SpellFor 6 seconds, the next spell that target foe casts on one of your allies fails and deals 130 damage to that foe and all nearby foes.101.112
FactionsMesmer. Domination Magic 20Unnatural SignetSignetTarget foe takes 95 damage. If that foe is under the effects of a hex or enchantment, foes adjacent to your target take 65 damage.0.610
CoreMesmer. Inspiration Magic 11Drain EnchantmentSpellRemove an Enchantment from target foe. If an Enchantment is removed, you gain 15 Energy and 99 Health.51.120
FactionsRitualist. Restoration Magic 6Flesh of My FleshSpellLose half your Health. Resurrect target party member with your current Health and 11% Energy.52.2
FactionsRitualist. Spawning Power 19Soul TwistingElite SkillFor 56 seconds, your Binding Rituals cost 15 less Energy (minimum 10) and recharge instantly. Soul Twisting ends after 4 Binding Rituals.515
FactionsRitualist. Communing 20ShelterBinding RitualCreate a level 16 Spirit with 320 (+192) Health and 97 armor. Non-Spirit allies within its range cannot lose more than 10% maximum Health from a single attack. When this Spirit prevents damage, it loses 35 Health. This Spirit lasts 70 seconds.25145
FactionsRitualist. Communing 20UnionBinding RitualCreate a level 16 Spirit with 320 (+192) Health and 97 armor. Whenever a non-Spirit ally in its range takes damage or life steal, it is reduced by 15 and the Spirit takes 15 damage. This Spirit dies after 70 seconds.15¾45
FactionsRitualist. Communing 20DisplacementBinding RitualCreate a level 18 Spirit with 360 (+216) Health and 109 armor. All non-Spirit allies within its range have a 75% chance to block incoming attacks. Every time an attack is blocked in this way, this Spirit takes 60 damage. This Spirit dies after 70 seconds.15¾45
FactionsRitualist. Communing 20Armor of UnfeelingSkillFor 43 seconds, your spirits within earshot take 50% less damage and are immune to critical attacks.5120
FactionsRitualist. Spawning Power 19Boon of CreationEnchantment SpellFor 72 seconds, whenever you create a creature, you gain 62 Health and 7 Energy.10245
FactionsRitualist. Communing 20Brutal WeaponWeapon SpellGive target ally a Brutal Weapon for 50 (+30) seconds. The bearer's weapon strikes for +18 damage as long as the bearer is under no Enchantments.10115
NightfallRitualist. Spawning Power 19Spirit's GiftEnchantment SpellFor 60 seconds, whenever you create a creature, all allies near that creature gain 62 Health and lose 1 Condition.10145
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Remove HexCoreMonk. UnlinkedRemove HexSpellRemove a Hex from target ally.518 for additional hex removal
FactionsRitualist. Restoration Magic 16Spirit TransferSpellThe Spirit nearest you loses 53 Health. Target ally is healed for 5 for each point of Health lost.10¼5
FactionsRitualist. Restoration Magic 16Mend Body and SoulSpellTarget ally is healed for 121 Health. That ally loses one Condition for each spirit within earshot.5¾3
FactionsRitualist. Restoration Magic 16Spirit LightSpellTarget ally is healed for 188. If any Spirits are within earshot, you don't sacrifice Health.17%514
FactionsRitualist. Restoration Magic 16Protective Was KaolaiItem SpellHold Kaolai's ashes for up to 63 seconds. While you hold his ashes, you gain 10 armor. When you drop his ashes, all party members are healed for 90 Health10125
FactionsRitualist. Restoration Magic 16RecuperationBinding RitualCreate a level 15 Spirit with 300 Health and 91 armor. Non-Spirit allies within its range gain +3 Health regeneration. This Spirit dies after 47 seconds.25¾45
FactionsRitualist. Restoration Magic 16LifeBinding RitualCreate a level 15 Spirit with 300 Health and 91 armor. When this Spirit dies, all non-Spirit allies within its range are healed for 7 Health for each second this Spirit was alive. This Spirit dies after 20 seconds.10¾20
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If you don't want the hero to lag, replace LifeFactionsRitualist. Restoration Magic 16LifeBinding RitualCreate a level 15 Spirit with 300 Health and 91 armor. When this Spirit dies, all non-Spirit allies within its range are healed for 7 Health for each second this Spirit was alive. This Spirit dies after 20 seconds.10¾20 with:
RecoveryNightfallRitualist. Restoration Magic 16RecoveryBinding RitualCreate a level 15 Spirit with 300 Health and 91 armor. Conditions on allies within range of this Spirit expire 52% faster. This Spirit dies after 62 seconds.15¾30
Death Pact SignetNightfallRitualist. Restoration Magic 16Death Pact SignetSignetResurrect target party member with your current Health and 106% Energy. The next time that ally dies within 120 seconds, so do you.312
Strip EnchantmentCoreNecromancer. Blood Magic 13Strip EnchantmentSpellRemove 2 enchantments from target foe. If an enchantment is removed, you steal 57 Health.10120
Runes: Appropriate attribute runes, best Vigor you can afford, Attunement on rest
Weapons: The hero will be holding Protective Was KaolaiFactionsRitualist. Restoration Magic 16Protective Was KaolaiItem SpellHold Kaolai's ashes for up to 63 seconds. While you hold his ashes, you gain 10 armor. When you drop his ashes, all party members are healed for 90 Health10125 the majority of the time, so weapons don't have that much effect. There are 2 options:
40/40 Restoration Magic - Gives an extra chance at reduced cooldown of Restoration Magic spells
40/20/20 Restoration Magic Staff - Gives 2 extra seconds on Blood Is PowerCoreNecromancer. Blood Magic 13Blood is PowerElite Enchantment SpellFor 10 seconds, target other ally gains +6 Energy regeneration.33%1¼
Maintain Heroic RefrainCoreParagon. Leadership 20Heroic RefrainElite EchoFor 19 seconds, target non-spirit ally gains +4 to all attributes. This echo is reapplied every time a chant or shout ends on that ally. PvE only.5110 on your whole party
First, cast it on yourself for the +3 attribute bonus.
Then recast it on yourself. The second cast will provide a +4 attribute bonus due to the higher leadership
Proceed to cast it on each party member until the entire party is affected.
If desired, you can simultaneously micro the Thunderclap elementalist to use Mending RefrainNightfallParagon. Motivation 8Mending RefrainEchoFor 15 seconds, target non-Spirit ally has +3 Health regeneration. This Echo is reapplied every time a Chant or Shout ends on that ally.1018 on your whole party for a maintainable +3 health regeneration. Wait until the hero is buffed with Heroic RefrainCoreParagon. Leadership 20Heroic RefrainElite EchoFor 19 seconds, target non-spirit ally gains +4 to all attributes. This echo is reapplied every time a chant or shout ends on that ally. PvE only.5110 before casting Mending RefrainNightfallParagon. Motivation 8Mending RefrainEchoFor 15 seconds, target non-Spirit ally has +3 Health regeneration. This Echo is reapplied every time a Chant or Shout ends on that ally.1018 to ensure a +3 health regeneration bonus.
If Heroic RefrainCoreParagon. Leadership 20Heroic RefrainElite EchoFor 19 seconds, target non-spirit ally gains +4 to all attributes. This echo is reapplied every time a chant or shout ends on that ally. PvE only.5110 expires on a party member (due to death or being out of range of shouts), recast it on that party member.
The BiP Resto and/or the Soul Twisting Prot may lag behind the party and thus be out of range of the shouts. As a result, you might find yourself recasting Heroic RefrainCoreParagon. Leadership 20Heroic RefrainElite EchoFor 19 seconds, target non-spirit ally gains +4 to all attributes. This echo is reapplied every time a chant or shout ends on that ally. PvE only.5110 on those two heroes more often.
Cast "Stand Your Ground!"NightfallParagon. Command 15"Stand Your Ground!"ShoutFor 20 seconds, all party members within earshot receive +24 armor when not moving.1020 and "There's Nothing to Fear!"NightfallParagon. Sunspear rank "There's Nothing to Fear!"ShoutFor 4 seconds and 1 second for every 2 ranks in Leadership, all party members within earshot take 20..35% less damage. Affected party members are healed for 35..60 Health when this Shout ends. PvE only.1520 during combat for defensive party support.
Before starting a particularly difficult fight, you can force the Soul Twisting Prot to use ShelterFactionsRitualist. Communing 20ShelterBinding RitualCreate a level 16 Spirit with 320 Health and 97 armor. Non-Spirit allies within its range cannot lose more than 10% maximum Health from a single attack. When this Spirit prevents damage, it loses 35 Health. This Spirit lasts 70 seconds.25145↦UnionFactionsRitualist. Communing 20UnionBinding RitualCreate a level 16 Spirit with 320 Health and 97 armor. Whenever a non-Spirit ally in its range takes damage or life steal, it is reduced by 15 and the Spirit takes 15 damage. This Spirit dies after 70 seconds.15¾45→DisplacementFactionsRitualist. Communing 20DisplacementBinding RitualCreate a level 18 Spirit with 360 Health and 109 armor. All non-Spirit allies within its range have a 75% chance to block incoming attacks. Every time an attack is blocked in this way, this Spirit takes 60 damage. This Spirit dies after 70 seconds.15¾45⇥Armor of UnfeelingFactionsRitualist. Communing 20Armor of UnfeelingSkillFor 43 seconds, your spirits within earshot take 50% less damage and are immune to critical attacks.5120 so your team is fully protected right away.
If you're afraid of area damage, you can also flag the heroes apart. It is recommended to place them in a single line, so heroes won't push forward to get into casting range of foes and thus ball with the heroes in front of them again.
Natively only the first three heroes can be commanded individually. For the remaining four heroes you need to set up custom hotkeys in the controls option for Action: Command Hero #.
Set the heroes to Guard mode.
Notes[]
Cooldown reducing effects such as Quickening ZephyrCoreRanger. Wilderness Survival Quickening ZephyrNature RitualCreate a level 1..8..11 Spirit. For non-Spirit creatures within its range, all skills recharge twice as fast and cost 30% more of the base Energy to cast. This Spirit dies after 15..39..47 seconds.25560 will cause "They're on Fire!NightfallParagon. Leadership 20"They're on Fire!"ShoutFor 10 seconds, party members within earshot take 45% less damage from foes suffering from Burning. Gain 2 energy per affected ally (maximum of 10 energy).1010 to recharge before the shout ends. Recasting a shout before it ends will not refresh Heroic RefrainCoreParagon. Leadership 20Heroic RefrainElite EchoFor 19 seconds, target non-spirit ally gains +4 to all attributes. This echo is reapplied every time a chant or shout ends on that ally. PvE only.5110, so make sure to let "They're on Fire!NightfallParagon. Leadership 20"They're on Fire!"ShoutFor 10 seconds, party members within earshot take 45% less damage from foes suffering from Burning. Gain 2 energy per affected ally (maximum of 10 energy).1010 expire before recasting it.
The listed hero attributes are under the assumption that they will be permanently under the +4 attribute bonus from Heroic Refrain.
If a mission or quest requires a specific hero, replace the Thunderclap elementalist with the mandatory hero. Consider bringing Mending Refrain on the mandatory hero.
A hero with Anthem of Flame can keep Heroic RefrainCoreParagon. Leadership 20Heroic RefrainElite EchoFor 19 seconds, target non-spirit ally gains +4 to all attributes. This echo is reapplied every time a chant or shout ends on that ally. PvE only.5110 maintained by themselves outside of combat.
Counters[]
The following skills will prevent the use of shouts, preventing you from maintaining Heroic RefrainCoreParagon. Leadership 20Heroic RefrainElite EchoFor 19 seconds, target non-spirit ally gains +4 to all attributes. This echo is reapplied every time a chant or shout ends on that ally. PvE only.5110 on your party:
Vocal MinorityNightfallNecromancer. Curses Vocal MinorityHex SpellFor 5..17..21 seconds, target foe and all nearby foes cannot use Shouts or Chants.10120
Well of SilenceNightfallNecromancer. Curses Well of SilenceWell SpellExploit target corpse to create a Well of Silence for 10..26..31 seconds. Foes within the well cannot use Shouts or Chants and suffer -1..3..4 Health degeneration.10120
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"Save Yourselves!" , otherwise use a Vampiric Spearhead
Panic for difficult content (like DoA/UW/WoC HM). For other content, 
Energy Surge will provide faster clearing
Hex Eater Signet over 
