Because these abilities are core components of both Zealot and Rune Priest gameplay—and because their 50 ft radius is not particularly large—poor visibility can significantly affect both the player and the entire group. I would even argue that most tanks and DPS don’t actively look for the ritual at all, simply because the game already has an abundance of overlapping visual effects and the placement loop for rituals is so frequent that the team has little opportunity or incentive to pay attention to it.
Being unable to clearly identify where a ritual or rune has been placed still has major gameplay consequences, since Zealots and Rune Priests can still be considered primary sources of +% healing tactics and absorb shields through their ritual ticks. It’s also worth noting that no other class archetype is required to repeatedly and precisely place a ground effect—on such a short cooldown loop—in order to maintain their full potential, especially when the group may actively move out of it during fights, particularly in RvR.
My suggestion:
Option A — Improve Ritual/Master Rune Visuals
- Add clearer, more visible ground markers or replace the floor effect entirely with a floating, easily identifiable effect like an orb that displays its range.
- Use higher-contrast colors or more distinct shapes, with accessibility in mind.
- Ensure visuals remain readable on bright or snowy terrain, such as Highpass Cemetery.
- Consider adding a pre-placement AoE indicator that shows the ability’s effective radius before placing it—similar to the preview circles that many other classes have for their AoE abilities.
- Slightly increase the radius of these abilities again (65-80+ft).
- This would make the mechanics less punishing in situations where visibility is poor due to terrain, lighting, or visual clutter from other players’ effects.
