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Heal Alacrity Specter

Strike from the shadows with our Guild Wars 2 Heal Alacrity Specter build.
Published Aug 7, 2023 Updated Feb 27, 2025
Raids - February 2025 Balance
Seisan meta team
Heal Alacrity Specter Gameplay Guide
Skills Gearset Build Template
Thief Builds

Heal Alacrity Specter is a support build with strong Barrier and lots of mobility. It is particularly well suited to support allies that have to move away from the group for encounter mechanics, be it sporadically or for extended periods of time.
Pros +
Good mobility Plenty of CC Plenty of utility
Cons -
Relies on resource management Requires accurate positioning Forced movement
Attributes
Power 1502
Toughness 1439
Vitality 1608
Precision 1296
Critical Chance 19.1%
Ferocity 0
Critical Damage 150%
Condition Damage 180
Healing Power 1483
Expertise 150
Condition Duration 10%
Concentration 735
Boon Duration 84%
Gear
Item Stat

Giver'sHelm

Giver'sShoulders

Giver'sCoat

Giver'sGloves

Giver'sLeggings

Giver'sBoots
Item Stat

Magi'sBackpiece

Magi'sAccessory

Magi'sAccessory

Magi'sAmulet

Harrier'sRing

Harrier'sRing

Relic
Primary Weapon Set

Harrier's ScepterMain Hand

Harrier's PistolOff Hand
Secondary Weapon Set

Harrier's PistolOff Hand
Other Items

Infusionx18

Food

Utility

Jade Bot Core
Traits & Skills
Skills
Skill Notes
  • doubles as an utility for mechanics, or as instant-cast burst Healing for both parts of the skill.
  • for a one-way, 10 player portal that grants Stealth to allies. The exit point is the preparation part of the cast, not the detonation!
  • for an additional Condition Removal source.
  • for an additional 300 Defiance Break that can be pre-cast.
  • elite skill for up to a whopping 750 Defiance Break.
  • for an area Pull, as well as extra Resistance uptime.

See the gameplay guide for more options.
Skill Reference Guide
Shadow Shroud Default Keybind
1
2
3
4
5
Scepter & Pistol Default Keybind
2
3
3
Trait Notes
  • in the Spectre Trait Line is an option for additional, low Cooldown Cleanse.

See the gameplay guide for more options.
Equipment Notes

  • You can slot a Spear instead of a second Pistol in your alternate weapon set for more efficient Defiance Break output when necessary, but be careful to not overstay on this weapon set, as your support output becomes much more limited.

  • If the near-certainty of being the main tank is not a concern, the following alternate gear will provide you with the most well-rounded stats for this build:

  • 1 Giver's Shoulders, Gloves or Boots

  • Minstrel's prefix in all other gear

  • 16 and 2

See the Gear Variations section in the gameplay guide for more alternatives.
Rotation & Extras
Setup

While not necessary, it's suggested to set custom keybinds for Set Personal Target and Take Personal Target, and use them for an ally you know will remain close to the group (doing no fight mechanics). When using ally-targeted skills, such as , Scepter Auto Attacks, , and , you can use said keybind to quickly acquire a target for the beneficial area effects of those skills, without having to click on the squad UI or on an ally directly.

Rotation Concept

Many abilities in Heal Alacrity Specter’s kit serve multiple purposes at the same time, and are very accessible thanks to Initiative and low Cooldowns. Therefore, to maximize its potential, it’s best to always cycle through your skills and resources proactively.

Shadow Shroud should be frequently entered for Healing and Alacrity, and your Initiative skills should be used liberally while outside of Shadow Shroud. This playstyle will essentially guarantee that you have a constant flow of boons, Barrier, and sustained Healing, while still having plenty of tools to deal with emergencies.

Listed below are some Opener and Loop examples.
Example Opener

Wait until combat starts so boons don’t get ripped by the boonstrip at the start of most encounters!

  6. x 4
Example Scepter Loop

Use off Cooldown

  2. Ally-targeted
  4. Auto Attack till you have 3 Initiative
  6. Shroud Loop
Example Shroud Loop
  1. Let the game cast one for you to avoid interrupting it at the beginning of Shroud
  3. x 4

Shadow Shroud

While in combat, you can generate Shadow Force by using Shadowsteps near allies, enemy-targeted , and spending Initiative.

You can an ally before the fight starts to designate them as your Shrouded Ally. The Shrouded Ally will receive the beneficial effects of Shadow Shroud skills, even while away from the group! The tethered ally can be up to 1200 Range away before the tether breaks.

See the gameplay guide for more details.

Boons

  • Alacrity is granted from any Shadow Shroud skill in a 360 Radius around you.

  • is a vital skill which supplies key boons that are otherwise spread across your kit, and should generally be used off Cooldown when available. It can be delayed for on-demand Stability, but merely casting it as often as possible will already provide more than 60% uptime of that boon!

  • should be used on enemies off Cooldown to grant 10 Might, Fury, Swiftness, and Vigor.

  • will provide a large portion of Might, most of your Protection output and moderate Barrier. It’s suggested that you use this skill two to three times, every time you exit Shadow Shroud.

  • → will provide additional Vigor and Regeneration. If delaying for an extended period of time, cast these on an ally at least once every time you are on Scepter.

  • will provide AoE Stability immediately after being cast, and will be your main source of that boon while is on Cooldown.

  • Significant Resistance uptime can be provided by any Well skill thanks to .

Healing

Specter has plenty of sustained and burst Healing both in and out of Shadow Shroud. Listed below are all the sources of Healing this build will bring by default.
Direct Healing and Condition Cleansing
Skill Effect
(ally targeted) Heals around you and your target.
Stealth attack. Applies Regeneration and burst Healing around your target, and your main target receives twice as much.
Burst Healing on cast and a persistent healing field.
Healing that scales per enemy struck.
Cleanses two conditions around the targeted area with 360 Radius. Provides some Healing only for you and your tethered ally.
Healing that scales per enemy struck.
Healing via and and Cleanses a condition every pulse.
Barrier Application
Skill Effect
Scepter Auto Attacks Apply Barrier to and around your target, and your main target receives twice as much.
Ground-targeted 240 Radius AoE.
(ally targeted) Pulses Barrier to and around your target, and your main target receives twice as much.
Via .
Only to your targeted ally.
Scales per enemy hit at the end of the leap. Also applies Fear.

Crowd Control

Skill Type
Stun 150 x 5 = 750
Daze 200
Fear 110
Mind Shock Stun 150
Pull 150 x 3 = 450
Daze 200

Comments

proxyplox87502 weeks ago

Hey nice build - but why use harrier at all? Wouldnt giver basicly be the same just that u become a wall? Or is there a thoughness threshold? dont see 500 power making any difference
Harry2 weeks ago

Hi Proxy, thanks for the question. We keep all of our support builds around 1400 Toughness. It's enough Toughness that help you survive almost anything but not too much that you'll run into issues when you don't want to tank!
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