Ritualist - Power Ritualist open world

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

Designed for: Open World and Open World General

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Easy

This build is beginner friendly.

This build was last updated on November 14, 2025 and is up to date for the August 19, 2025 patch.

Overview

Power ritualist build for open world. Ritualists summon spirits within their Shroud to deal damage, crowd control, and provide boons. Ritualists can provide Quickness to themselves and nearby allies.

Ritualists are very easy to play, and they are quite tanky due to their Shroud acting as a secondary health bar, coupled with their high life force generation. As a downside, ritualists have much less AoE damage than reapers, but they make up for it with higher ranged damage and boon generation.

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Skill Bar

Greatsword

Sword/Sword

Utility

Weapon Variants

You can spend a lot of time in Shroud and ritualist has insane life force generation, so your choice of weapon isn't too important. We recommend Greatsword and double Swords for their good burst damage and utility in melee and range.

Usage of greatsword requires Weaponmaster Training with Secrets of the Obscure.
Usage of mainhand and offhand sword requires Expanded Weapon Proficiency with Secrets of the Obscure.
Other weapon alternatives include:

• Staff - replaces swords. Provides burst damage from range, but deals very low sustained damage.
• Spear - great damage and some life stealing. Requires Janthir Wilds.
• Axe - The only mainhand ranged power weapon for players without Secrets of the Obscure.
• Warhorn - replaces offhand sword for players without Secrets of the Obscure.

Skill Variants

Healing Skills

We default to Resilient Weapon, it provides decent healing, especially when you are below 50% health. As a Weapon spell, is shared with nearby allies or minions, albeit with reduced effects. You could also consider:

• Consume Conditions - more healing and cleanses all conditions, but doesn't generate life force.
• Summon Blood Fiend - extremely weak heal on demand, but the minion deals weak sustained damage and can be affected by Weapon spell utility skills.

Utility Skills

We default to:
Summon Bone Minions weak damage by themselves, but the two minions can be affected by Weapon spell utility skills. They also provide insane amount of life force generation due to Boon of Creation.
Splinter Weapon deals extra damage in a small AoE. As a Weapon spell, is shared with nearby allies or minions, albeit with reduced effects.
Nightmare Weapon deals extra damage, Vulnerability and life stealing. As a Weapon spell, is shared with nearby allies or minions, albeit with reduced effects.
If you need or wish to run other skills, here are some suggestions:

• Spectral Grasp - provides amazing utility with life force generation and pulls enemies around you so you can easily cleave and kill them.
• Well of Darkness - good source of AoE damage, Chill and Blind.
• Corrosive Poison Cloud - destroys projectiles.
• Spectral Armor - power defense and life force generation.
• Spectral Walk - condition defense and life force generation.
• Well of Suffering - good AoE damage.

Elite Skills

We recommend Summon Flesh Golem, a tanky pet that can be activated to do crowd control and can be affected by Weapon spell utility skills. You could also consider:

• Lich Form - great burst damage with skill 4 Summon Madness. Transform, use the skill, and end the transformation.

Specializations

Variants

• Explosive Growth is a great option in fights where you or your target don't move around too much.
• Spirit's Strength when playing in groups and someone else is already providing Quickness.
• Lingering Spirits and Soul Twisting are both great options for open world, use whichever you like more. We default to Soul Twisting as it has an easier time managing your life force and less visual clutter.

Equipment

Ascended gear and stat infusions are not required; exotic gear with the same stats is fine.

Standard Equipment

This set uses the same gear as Build:Reaper_-_Power_DPS. This makes it a good option for general PVE.

Head
Assassin

Shoulders
Berserker

Chest
Berserker

Hands
Berserker

Legs
Berserker

Feet
Berserker

Backpiece
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Amulet
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Greatsword
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Sword
Berserker

Sword
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Relic

If you are gearing this character from zero, start with exotic quality gear. Search the trading post for "Zhed" armor. Then search for the weapons you want to use: "Ebonblade" greatsword, "Bonetti's Rapier" sword, "Usoku's Needle" dagger, "Kodanroar" warhorn, "Deathwish" staff, or "Maw of the Damned"/"Shattered Axe"/"Serpent's Wrath Axe" axe. Upgrade to ascended gear as you progress. See also: Guide:How to Gear a Character.

• Note that power necromancer can be built around Sigil of Superior Sigil of Accuracy or Sigil of Superior Sigil of Impact. We suggest the Accuracy version as it better for raids, strikes, convergences, and other long fights. But if you mostly do short fights like fractals, check Build:Reaper - Power DPS for the Impact version.
• If you do not have access to Relic of the Claw, consider Relic of Fireworks.
• For defense, equip the highest tier Jade Core you can afford. Use defensive food or skills if required.

Consumables

Budget consumables are acceptable for use in open world.

DPS

• Prioritize Steak Ascended food.
• /
• /

Farming

• Prioritize Steak Ascended food.
• /
• (and variants)

Usage

Ritualist's Shroud is the profession mechanic of the ritualist. This Shroud lets you summon 3 Spirits:

• Anguish - damage
• Wanderlust - crowd control and damage
• Preservation - healing and condition removal

Moreover, the fifth skill, Summon Spirits, teleports you and the Spirits, and causes summoned Spirits to cast a new skill. Anguish fires off a quick flurry of projectiles, Wanderlust launches a larger projectile that dazes nearby enemies, and Preservation creates a protective barrier that destroys enemy projectiles.

After using their summoning skill, the Spirits linger and auto attack your target. The Spirits can then be "Innervated" to have them use another skill.

• Innervate Anguish deals damage and gives Might
• Innervate Wanderlust Fears.
• Innervate Preservation gives defensive boons, most notable Stability and Aegis.

Activating these Innervate skills also gives life force due to Charged Souls.

Damage

Enter Shroud and cast Anguish. Soul Twisting recharges it, so cast it again after it finishes using its summon skill. Continue to spam Anguish anytime it is off cooldown. Spam Innervate Anguish to deal damage around Anguish spirit.

Cast Wanderlust and Preservation so they begin autoattacking after using their respective summon skill. Use Summon Spirits to reposition and deal damage.

After casting Anguish thrice, wait 1 or 2 seconds for the attack to finish, then leave Shroud. If using Lingering Spirits, instead leave Shroud after casting Anguish twice, and you do not need to wait for the attack to finish.

Outside of Shroud, use your weapon spells to deal damage and regain life force, then enter Shroud again on it is ready. Continue to weave in and out of Shroud to maintain Soul Barbs.

Boons

Summoning Spirits gives Quickness to yourself and nearby allies thanks to Empowering Spirits. Spam Innervate Anguish for Might and Fury. Save Innervate Preservation for whenever you might need the Aegis and Stability.

Notes and tips

• When dealing with groups of mobs, remember Gravedigger will reset if at least one of them is below 50% HP. Cleave them all.
• You do not gain life force from nearby deaths while inside Shroud. Try to finish off your enemies outside of Reaper's Shroud to replenish your life force.
• Grasping Darkness has a long aftercast, but can be cancelled almost immediately after casting with Nightfall, weapon swapping, or entering Shroud.
• Nightfall corrupts boons on enemies.
• Weapon spells, such as Nightmare Weapon, are shared with nearby allies or minions (albeit with reduced effects). Play near allies or minions to share these spells.

Survivability

• Sidestep and walk or dodge out of enemy attacks.
• Ritualist's Shroud is as a second health bar and has a natural 33% damage reduction. You have enough life force generation to face-tank attacks in Shroud and continue doing damage.
• Innervate Preservation provides Stability and Aegis.
• Summon Spirits can teleport you out of danger.

Crowd Control

• Grasping Darkness - Pull.
• Devouring Visage - 1,5 seconds of Fear.
• Wanderlust
• Innervate Wanderlust