[ZEALOT] State of the class

[Frankie]

Since I started playing again recently and chose Zealot as main I need some help as a main healer what trees/skills to avoid. I saw this old topic , found it rather insightful. Can you guys please give me some fresh information about the class? Is dps still a hopeless endeavour? I understand there was a recent ability rework and we're expecting a wave of balances, so that linked topic must be a bit outdated. Thanks for the help in advance!

[Lanrot]

Zeal dps is not really a thing Kinda a meme.
As healer zealot is nr1 on destro side and always wanted.

[Laurentz]

Of course 4 years since I last played and this is one of the first posts I see on Zealot since checking a year ago. I guess I will check back in 4 more years to see if DPS Zealot isn't still being crapped on for no reason.

[trh382]

Since I started playing again recently and chose Zealot as main I need some help as a main healer what trees/skills to avoid. I saw this old topic , found it rather insightful. Can you guys please give me some fresh information about the class? Is dps still a hopeless endeavour? I understand there was a recent ability rework and we're expecting a wave of balances, so that linked topic must be a bit outdated. Thanks for the help in advance!

here is a basic starter zealot build: https://builder.returnofreckoning.com/c ... ,8602,8598
Get Ritual of Lunacy first as you are leveling - this is your core skill - and then gather up the rest of the build as you go.

As you level work on doing the following:
level 15: clear sacellum for the keeper set
level 22-25: gather mayhem gear from t3 public quests or buy your pvp set with war crests (I recommend mayhem farm from Dartian Forest in Avelorn)
level 30-35: gather your ruin set from Public Quests. Ideally do Blind Justice with a group of 4-5 in Eataine which is very quick and efficient as all the quests only involve killing named mobs / small packs and no large trash clearing.

Level 36: If you have acquired some genesis crests, spend them on some jewellry. You can also grab icon/mark of the mender.

Level 38/39: do the beastlord quests: https://wiki.returnofreckoning.com/PvE_Armor_Quests
Level 38/39/40: clear Mount Gunbad 3 times to get your full redeye set. Wear mix of beastlord and redeye.

Level 40: Clear BS three times to get your full Bloodlord set. Cash your PVE weeklies for sentinel medallions to get your full sentinel set and sentinel ring.
Level 40: Spend 15 genesis crests on your subjugator dagger and 400 war crests on the blue RR 45 off hand

next up - grind RR 68 / war crests for 6 piece triumph and fortress dagger

[Frankie]

Since I started playing again recently and chose Zealot as main I need some help as a main healer what trees/skills to avoid. I saw this old topic , found it rather insightful. Can you guys please give me some fresh information about the class? Is dps still a hopeless endeavour? I understand there was a recent ability rework and we're expecting a wave of balances, so that linked topic must be a bit outdated. Thanks for the help in advance!

here is a basic starter zealot build: https://builder.returnofreckoning.com/c ... ,8602,8598
Get Ritual of Lunacy first as you are leveling - this is your core skill - and then gather up the rest of the build as you go.

As you level work on doing the following:
level 15: clear sacellum for the keeper set
level 22-25: gather mayhem gear from t3 public quests or buy your pvp set with war crests (I recommend mayhem farm from Dartian Forest in Avelorn)
level 30-35: gather your ruin set from Public Quests. Ideally do Blind Justice with a group of 4-5 in Eataine which is very quick and efficient as all the quests only involve killing named mobs / small packs and no large trash clearing.

Level 36: If you have acquired some genesis crests, spend them on some jewellry. You can also grab icon/mark of the mender.

Level 38/39: do the beastlord quests: https://wiki.returnofreckoning.com/PvE_Armor_Quests
Level 38/39/40: clear Mount Gunbad 3 times to get your full redeye set. Wear mix of beastlord and redeye.

Level 40: Clear BS three times to get your full Bloodlord set. Cash your PVE weeklies for sentinel medallions to get your full sentinel set and sentinel ring.
Level 40: Spend 15 genesis crests on your subjugator dagger and 400 war crests on the blue RR 45 off hand

next up - grind RR 68 / war crests for 6 piece triumph and fortress dagger

I wasn't expecting this exactly, but I got more what I asked for. This a is simple, yet thorough grinding roadmap. I'm already at the ruin stage, so I'll jump to that right away. Coincidentally, I've been using the exact same build, but different tactics (Warping The Spirit, Discipline, Blessing of Chaos, Tzeentch's Grip). This will set my course for a long time, thank you for posting!

[Valfaros]

Of course 4 years since I last played and this is one of the first posts I see on Zealot since checking a year ago. I guess I will check back in 4 more years to see if DPS Zealot isn't still being crapped on for no reason.

Funny enough since I stopped playing probabbly also a year ago the spec that already was in a terrible state underwent several nerfs to morale, tactics and skills. The Gcd change a longer while back was also not great on a class that can proc instant casts.

I honestly don't understand the thought process. Someone looked at the class, the handful of people playing it and then decided, you know what this needs a nerf. I understand to get the HD tactic in line, I understand m3 getting nerfed because it was useful on the heal spec however I don't understand why you'd give Tzeentch's Cry a flight time and reduce the dmg per hit on Storm of Ravens. Okay they might have increased the overall dmg of the skill if you channel it for 6 seconds. However reducing the dmg per hit is just a joke as it leads to an even lower "burst" potential on the spec. Now it tickles for 6 seconds instead of having some use as a part of a burst rotation. And I really mean it tickles. On my full equipped glass cannon zealot it crits for amazing 750 dps against a target with 0 resistance. Before it did around 1-1.2 k if I remember correctly not great but usable.

Further if you look at the roadmap specs are the very last thing they look at so I think you are on point with your 4 years assumtion. But hey devs please prove me wrong. I'd love to come back.

[Laurentz]

Val, the game was ruined the moment they decided to abandon the goal of recreating the game from the live servers. For the couple of years I played ROR it was constant change, buffs and nerfs just random and whimsical to whatever classes they felt like. Clear biases for devs on their favorite classes and nerfs for the things they hated. This game was probably better off being permanently dead than getting all our hopes up. I freaking miss this game so damned much sometimes, but what has been resurrected on RoR is an insult to the original memory of this game. It is why so many of the old timers came back for a year or two and moved on and most of the player base seems to be people who never played it live.

[Fey]

I have to agree. The OG/live version of the game needed bug fixes, and a very short list of changes. Put a CD on pounce, put an internal CD on run away, shorten the range of triple shatter to melee range; these are just examples that can be ignored or tweaked as needed. The reality is that AoR was more balanced than RoR.

Please don't start with warpforged and doomflayer; that is a different discussion.

ROR has devs, and they need to develop. They've always said that this is a new game, and they have no intention of recreating AoR. That's fine, but it's not great. It's just fine, and I'll most likely be playing in ten years if it's still here.

As far as Zealot goes heal spec feels very solid. Dps will be sub-par until the aoe heal debuff and armor debuff combo is restored, because at that point you'll have room in a WB for one or two. If you're a solo roam dps Zealot I imagine you can make it work because you're a crazy person.

[mekal]

Dps zealot is actually able to do some big aoe numbers BUT you will need cooldown reduction

[reyaloran]

Since I started playing again recently and chose Zealot as main I need some help as a main healer what trees/skills to avoid. I saw this old topic , found it rather insightful. Can you guys please give me some fresh information about the class? Is dps still a hopeless endeavour? I understand there was a recent ability rework and we're expecting a wave of balances, so that linked topic must be a bit outdated. Thanks for the help in advance!

here is a basic starter zealot build: https://builder.returnofreckoning.com/c ... ,8602,8598
Get Ritual of Lunacy first as you are leveling - this is your core skill - and then gather up the rest of the build as you go.

As you level work on doing the following:
level 15: clear sacellum for the keeper set
level 22-25: gather mayhem gear from t3 public quests or buy your pvp set with war crests (I recommend mayhem farm from Dartian Forest in Avelorn)
level 30-35: gather your ruin set from Public Quests. Ideally do Blind Justice with a group of 4-5 in Eataine which is very quick and efficient as all the quests only involve killing named mobs / small packs and no large trash clearing.

Level 36: If you have acquired some genesis crests, spend them on some jewellry. You can also grab icon/mark of the mender.

Level 38/39: do the beastlord quests: https://wiki.returnofreckoning.com/PvE_Armor_Quests
Level 38/39/40: clear Mount Gunbad 3 times to get your full redeye set. Wear mix of beastlord and redeye.

Level 40: Clear BS three times to get your full Bloodlord set. Cash your PVE weeklies for sentinel medallions to get your full sentinel set and sentinel ring.
Level 40: Spend 15 genesis crests on your subjugator dagger and 400 war crests on the blue RR 45 off hand

next up - grind RR 68 / war crests for 6 piece triumph and fortress dagger

I disagree with the post 40 path. So many Zealots overlook the vanq set despite its healing output being on par with BIS. I would grab the redeye and bl sets for the ward certainly but you can rock vanq all the way till BIS without worry. As for the weapon, you don't need the ap due to resto burst so there is no reason not to run double fort for the full 6% crit.