Heal Alacrity Specter

June 2023

Introduction

Heal Alacrity Specter is a Defensive Support that provides permanent Alacrity, Swiftness, Might, Vigor, and Fury. This build also provides a wide variety of utilities and a reasonable amount of Resistance, Protection, Stability, and Barrier. To use this build effectively, however, you must be able to quickly swap to an allied target.

Build Fundamentals

Specter’s main source of healing comes from Enter Shadow Shroud abilities. Spend initiative and use shadowstep skills to gain shadow force via Traversing Dusk before using Enter Shadow Shroud.

While Shadow Shroud is active, use Grasping Shadows and Eternal Night off-cooldown and fill in the gaps with Haunt Shot to provide consistent healing, Barrier, and Alacrity via Shadestep.

Build Specifics

When you need extra utility or reach maximum initiative, make sure to have 5 stacks of Consume Shadows before using Exit Shadow Shroud for maximum healing and barrier generation.

Make sure to set up Ally Target key binds, as Siphon and Scepter skills benefit from targeting allies by granting massive Barrier and boons like Protection and Regeneration.

• To set up these key bind, go to the Options menu, select the Controls category, scroll down to the middle of the Targeting section, and set key binds for “Nearest Ally”, “Next Ally”, and “Previous Ally”.

To upkeep 25 stacks of Might outside of Shadow Shroud, dedicate all of your initiative points to spam as many enemy-targeted Shadow Sap as possible in addition to using Well of Bounty and enemy-targeted Siphon off-cooldown. To generate Might while in Shadow Shroud, simply spam Haunt Shot whenever you are not using other shroud skills.

Well of Gloom is your biggest source of healing outside of Shadow Shroud.

Well of Bounty and Mind Shock are your two sources of Stability.

Measured Shot will shadowstep you backwards if you use it on an enemy, but it will also teleport you toward any ally you have as the target. Be careful when using this skill, as it can put you in a bad position depending on who you are setting as the main target.

Superior Rune of Durability will trigger every 20 seconds whenever you take damage or when your shadow force decreases every second while in Shadow Shroud. This means that you are giving your allies a bit of Protection, Regeneration, and Resistance almost every time you enter Shadow Shroud.

This build synergizes extremely well with professions that generate water combo fields like Engineer and Elementalist due to Grasping Shadows and Mind Shock being blast finishers. Combining these two effects will allow you to generate even more AoE healing.

Crowd Control

• Head Shot (spamable with enough initiative)
• Well of Silence (only on initial impact)
• Shadowfall
• Basilisk Venom
• Dawn's Repose (inflicts Fear)
• Mind Shock
• Measured Shot (inflicts Immobilize)

Alternatives

Utility Skills

Signet of Agility can be swapped for the following skills if you don’t need the additional condition cleanse:

• Smoke Screen – for projectile destruction
• Prepare Pitfall – for additional CC
• Shadowstep – for stun break and self mobility
• Prepare Shadow Portal – for squad mobility
• Shadow Refuge – for more healing and Protection. Be careful to not grief other Thiefs in your group, as the stealth may disrupt their rotations.

Elite Skills

Shadowfall can be replaced with Basilisk Venom if you don’t need the extra Resistance and healing or just need more crowd control.

Gear

There are two options for a second weapon set:

• Sword/Pistol – gives you access to Infiltrator's Strike for double self-mobility and Pistol Whip for more crowd control on a single target.
• Shortbow – gives you access to Infiltrator's Arrow for self-mobility and Choking Gas for more crowd control on a wider group of enemies.

Superior Rune of Durability can be swapped for Superior Rune of the Monk if you are struggling with healing and boon upkeep.

If you want to tank, swap your Plaguedoctor’s gear for Giver’s Armor and Minstrel’s Weapons and Trinkets. Keep in mind that the less Vitality you have, the less maximum Shadow Shroud you have to work with.