Virtues
Justice Prevails!Willbenders have their Virtues replaced with three movement skills. Their normal guardian passives are turned off, and are only active for a duration after using these skills:
- , an attack which rushes at the targeted enemy. Passively burns an enemy each fifth hit for a duration.
- , an evade along a ground-targeted line. Passively heals for each 5 hits for a duration. (But not for this build; see below.)
- , a ground-targeted shadowstep with a follow-up strike. Passively grants the guardian boons each 5 hits for a duration.
These skills will also place on the ground, which pulse damage.
Heal Alacrity Willbender relies heavily on Virtues. Several traits interact with them, notably:
- causes to grant self-Healing.
- grants Might every time a Virtue passive triggers, and grants self-Fury.
- grants Alacrity and Regeneration instead of Healing with .
- grants boons when using a Virtue: 3Might, Regeneration, Protection.
- Cleanses 3 conditions on 5 allies when casting .
- shares 's passive with 5 allies. This shares Alacrity and Regeneration with .
As well as: , , , , .
Flowing Resolve, Forced Movement, and Toughness
Unstoppable!There is no way to cast without moving.
Therefore, Heal Alacrity Willbender cannot remain stationary if it hopes to perform its role. This can be problematic for a handful of reasons, largest among them being when tanking a boss. If Fixated, sporadic movement will cause the enemy to follow, and potentially exit squadmates' attacks.
Willbender's mobility can also be a benefit; since it is one of the most mobile healers in the game, it can handle a number of movement-based roles very efficiently, helped by its large boon Radii. Virtues can be used to traverse the arena very quickly.
The default gearset has 1000 Toughness, with none added from gear attributes, and will never take Toughness-based Fixation.
It is possible, though difficult, to tank bosses effectively with Heal Alacrity Willbender, and requires moving during moments the boss will remain stationary, and returning to the previous position as quickly as possible, or finding a wall to into, such as Vale Guardian's. If attempting to tank, replace Harrier's gear pieces with Giver's pieces.
Weapons
Relentless!By default, Heal Alacrity Willbender uses a Spear and a Staff. Since so many of our boons come from either Virtues or have multiple available sources, the weapon variety of the build is large, and can be swapped between by encounter.
- Hammer: Hammer can be used in place of another weapon to cover Protection through , a Launch, and to free up the utility slot used for . When taking hammer, always use .
- Staff/Hammer: Camp hammer to sustain, swap to staff for extra healing and Swiftness. Another member of your subgroup will also need to provide Fury. can cover most of the uptime.
- Spear/Hammer: Camp hammer to sustain, swap to spear for extra healing, Fury and Resistance. Run for Swiftness if needed.
- Shield: Shield can be used in place of another weapon for another Aegis source, Protection a Knockback, Destroys Projectiles, and gives a main-hand weapon option. If replacing Spear, find Fury for subgroup. If replacing Staff, make sure Swiftness is covered and take a different relic.
- Axe: Fury, Pull, and easy symbol placement.
- Sword: Fury, mobility, and many hits for passives.
- Scepter: Might ramp, ranged hits, and Immobilized.
- Mace: Another Aegis source, a Heal, and enough Protection to drop .
(Mace 3
) does not behave like other Block skills. While channeling, the next attack that hits an ally within 240 Radius is Blocked, then Aegis is applied. This means that if an attack strikes the guardian and their ally simultaneously, the attack will hit the guardian. Do not attempt to use this to Block any threatening attack if another ally may also be hit by the same instance of damage, to ensure that the "ally" being blocked for is you.
Utility, Healing, and Elite Skills
Take the Initiative!Utility Skills
- : Default. Grants Protection.
- : Grants Aegis, Swiftness.
- : Grants Stability, Resolution.
- : Grants Stability, Resolution; longer Cooldown, Fire Field, and lasts slightly longer.
- : Reflects Projectiles.
- : Cleanses Conditions, Fire Field.
- : Very high Defiance Break. Pulses Knockback, Healing, and Destroys Projectiles.
- : Destroys Projectiles, with 3 Charges.
Utility, continued
- : Defiance Break. Does a Stun Break and Evades, then a 3s Daze.
- : Worse version of Quick Retribution, but without the backwards dodge, so faster. 2s Stun. Use only if speed is more important, or if precasting is awkward.
- : Defiance Break. 3s Knockdown.
- : Ranged 6s Immobilize.
- : Revive. Don't move during the long cast.
- : Partial Revive, Healing, and teleports to an ally.
- : Ranged burst Healing.
Heal Skills
- : Default. Use for group Healing.
- : Channeled Block and self-heal, useful if tanking certain encounters.
- : Alternate "block", negates only one attack, faster Cooldown, 2 Charges. Tanking only.
Elite Skills
- : Defiance Break, and a shadowstep.
- : Group Superspeed, Fury and Quickness.
- : Passive Healing, and a large Heal when activated. Grants Protection, Resolution, and Stability when activated. Don't move when casting.
- : Grants Invulnerable for 3 seconds, then recharges all Virtues. Niche.
Traits and Swaps
It's Not Over!- can be taken over to improve Healing by Blocking. is great to enable this trait. Losing will impact Protection uptime, and may even necessitate another source being taken, like Hammer or Shield.
- can be taken over for increased Healing whenever disabling or Chilling an enemy. This trait is almost a must-pick on Hammer, since is also a Chill. This trait swap loses the build its Cleanse on .
- should be taken when no Consecrations are on the bar to be buffed with , for a little bonus damage.
- should be taken whenever the self-heal of isn't needed, for a little bonus damage.
Note: does not make "virtue 2's passive effect stronger" with this build, and only retains its Cleanse component. Still good, but it doesn't increase boon output.
Relics
No Letting Up!is used by default, and Heals allies on each successful Blast Finisher. This adds to the burst Healing of . Since is the only beneficiary of this relic, other options are also viable, but are either lower output, less flexible, or fill a different role:
- : Less healing output over time, but a larger burst. Heals on heal skill, and can convert into Barrier.
- : Slightly greater healing output, largest burst, reduces incoming damage, Destroys Projectiles, but requires elite skill usage. This relic's 30s Cooldown makes it awkward to maximize, effectively cannibalizing the elite slot. Occasionally overlaps well.
- : Alternate Cleanse option when running multiple shouts.
- : Alternate Fury source, and helps with Might ramp, but requires outgoing disables.
- : Offers even more Superspeed with , and some Fury, barely enough to reach 100%.
If using Hammer, do not switch off of . triggers the relic on a 4s Cooldown.
Spirit Vale
Vale Guardian, Spirit Run, Gorseval the Multifarious & Sabetha the SaboteurVale Guardian
Swap to .
Use to Knockback Seekers. If someone else is covering this, use Spear instead.
Use burst Healing options like , , and to get allies to full health before each , and to heal again afterward. Use and for breakbars.
Optionally, take , to burst heal during Vale Guardian's when using .
Be cautious around , as your Aegis will nullify the screen border warning, and some of your skills may move you into them if not used carefully.
Spirit Run
Use for Stability, and mobility options to get to capture points quickly. Grant allies Superspeed with when moving together.
Gorseval the Multifarious
Swap to , and take a .
Use when Gorseval casts .
Just before , cast , then unload all Defiance Break skills into the breakbar.
Sabetha
With high mobility and 600 range on many boons, this build can kite well. Use mobility options like Virtues and to return to Sabetha each time she casts . In the few seconds avaialable, unload a few multihit and boon abilities, then retreat outward, leaving about 4 seconds later.
Use or against Knuckles's Defiance Bar.
Cast whenever damage spikes occur. Use to grant Superspeed for allies when necessary.
Salvation Pass
Slothasor, Bandit Trio, & Matthias GabrelSlothasor
Swap to .
Output frequent Cleanses to keep your subgroup from being overloaded by conditions. is instrumental for this, outputting several cleanses in short duration across an area. Use this to combat .
Use to handle the Fear attack after each Narcolepsy. Alternatively, can handle it through Resistance.
Consider equipping Axe/Shield to Pull Slublings if needed. Hammer can also be used if Fury is covered, using and for Defiance Break.
Bandit Trio
Use to group up bandits, and for Berg's Defiance Bar.
Cast when Narella summons , then after a few seconds, to ensure your subgroup is not Pulled away.
Matthias Gabrel
Swap to .
Use each time a squadmate is chosen for Blood Sacrifice; be careful not to also cover Matthias, just in case. Use other Defiance Break as needed, like and .
is used to Reflect . If someone else is handling this (and you trust them), swap this slot for , , , , or whatever else the squad may need.
Cleanse allies whenever receiving Chilled, Burning, or Poisoned. Cast when squadmates need to move for mechanics. Make sure allies are Healed to full before every spread.
Prioritize ranged Heals like and for allies moving far from the group.
Cast during Matthias's transformation at 40% for Resistance to resist the Fear. Then Cleanse any teammates who were still affected.
Stronghold of the Faithful
Siege the Stronghold, Keep Construct, Twisted Castle, & XeraSiege the Stronghold
Use and to Immobilize Warg Bloodhounds. Use for efficient movement when not near any mines, and use when near White Mantle to keep squadmates from being knocked into them. Use to ramp Might on your subgroup.
If healing a tower team, use instead of , and a to more efficiently navigate the tunnel. Burst heal whenever teammates take damage. Use to knock White Mantle out of the towers' capture zones.
Keep Construct
Focus on trying to perform the default opener on another viable target before each burn phase, ideally an illusion near the center of the room. Use during to Cleanse the Torment and Confusion.
Cast to handle , and potentially .
Twisted Castle
Use and whenever the squad is fighting White Mantle to abate the horrors of crowd control. can be used for some mobility, but don't target any Haunting Statues.
should be used if Haunting Statues block the path. can also be used to bully them.
Xera
When Xera gains a Defiance Bar, cast . If you can memorize when these will occur, replace with .
Make sure not to move in front of Xera, to avoid a downing to . Try not to move into Bloodstone Shard areas of effect either, to avoid stacking up Derangement.
Consider using an Axe/Shield set instead of Spear to Pull White Mantle and Xera's Phantasms onto the group to be cleaved down if your group is deficient on add control. Do not use if doing so.
Bastion of the Penitent
Cairn the Indomitable, Mursaat Overseer, Samarog, & DeimosCairn the Indomitable
Swap to .
Do not under any circumstances bait a . Everything about Heal Alacrity Willbender wants to wiggle. It will wiggle through the group. It will wiggle through other agonies. It will wiggle through the boss, doing all of the above. Getting is bad. Stay close to boss.
Use to handle damage pressure, making sure to cover teammates stricken with .
Cast whenever Cairn casts . If it is on Cooldown, use 's active instead.
Mursaat Overseer
Swap to: , , . Start with Spear opener, then camp Hammer. Greed healer dps.
When Jade Soldiers arrive, use for Resistance. Cast and for burst-Healing whenever a damage spike arrives. Use for Swiftness, and later to block .
Samarog
Swap to: , . Use Staff for Swiftness and any burst Healing needed.
When Samarog casts , use: , , , , , , or , as many as you can.
can also be used to position Rigom underneath Samarog during split phases.
Deimos
Swap to , and swap to .
Grant Aegis with or if your group cannot stand inside Saul's ward when Deimos casts . can be used for self-Aegis as well.
If you into , you will bring shame on your family.
Use and to Immobilize Prides. If this is already covered, swap for or , and optionally take Mace, but do not attempt to through .
At 10% phase, use , , and to prevent the Launch from Deimos's .
Hall of Chains
Soulless Horror, River of Souls, Statues of Grenth, & the Voice in the VoidSoulless Horror
Soulless Horror has a non-standard Fixate mechanic: two players must routinely take turns. Typically, any healer at this fight who isn't Knocking Back Tormented Dead will be forced to tank. Replace as many Harrier's gear pieces as necessary/possible with Giver's. Optionally, take for personal survivability or to Destroy Projectiles more, and offer a burst of healing and damage reduction.
Use , , and to Block Soulless Horror's attacks. should also be used, but should not be used to block circles. Be mindful with Aegis, as other attacks may strip it, like . Try to grant Aegis soon before the to-be-blocked attack actually hits.
When tanking, use whenever Soulless Horror roots herself with , , , or . Using it outside of these may cause her to move as well. If it must be used otherwise, try to move to another position away from the stack. If can be delayed until the other tank takes Fixate, then delay.
Use and for the Defiance Bar during . Use at start of fight so Elite Flesh Wurms don't kill people.
River of Souls
If in the main group, use Aegis sources frequently and pump out Healing as the group navigates the River of Souls.
If escorting Desmina, use Aegis for Hollowed Bombers, and swap to for Superspeed. can be used if you need even more.
Statues of Grenth
Use if allies down at Broken King, and Revive them. Heal allies who are gathering . This build is highly mobile, and has no excuses for not reaching a green.
At Eyes of Grenth, equip a if Stunning the eyes.
Voice in the Void
During prephase, use Deathlings as free Alacrity sources and beat them up with active.
When main phase starts, feel free to engage Dhuum early as he walks to the group, since most boons are 600 Radius. Be sure to avoid cracks on the floor while dashing around. If performing a green, can instantly teleport onto it, and heal the Reaper as a bonus.
If kiting, use and to outrun Messengers. should only ever be used with another target already selected, like a Deathling, as it may target the messenger, dashing inward instead. Use to return to the group to maintain boons.
Save one Charge of before each , to Cleanse the Torment.
At Ritual phase, just before the squad leaves to interact with the seals, cast + . After completing a seal, back and do the default opener.
The Mythwright Gambit
Conjured Amalgamate, Sorting and Appraisal, Twin Largos, & QadimConjured Amalgamate
Use or to negate 's Knockdown. Use for Swiftness.
Conjured Shields' Defiance Bars can be broken by: , , , and. Get them.
Use when collecting if Superspeed is needed.
Sorting and Appraisal
Use Defiance Break on Ectoplasmic Conglomeration, Minipets, and Dreg Shark. Consider swapping Spear to an Axe for a Pull if fighting Minipets.
Twin Largos
As Heal Alacrity Willbender is a Heal build, it will normally be tasked with tanking this encounter too. Since Nikare and Kenut are both frequently able to move, tight control of will be necessary to avoid poor movement. Switch Harrier's gear pieces to Giver's, ideally less than the other healer so they can tank the first half of the fight.
Use before attacks like , , , and to protect squadmates from themselves. Cast during .
Tanking can be made comfier with a Shield, at the cost of either weaponset, if more survivability is needed. Consider taking if doing so, especially with Mace. If allies are consistently getting conditions, consider .
Qadim
Be cautious using Virtues. The whole fight has delicate positioning, especially during pet phases. Do not through the boss and take over tank by proximity. Don't through Qadim at all; will burn you if you are ever inside the hitbox.
Use for Defiance Break on the Hydra, Apocalypse Bringer, and Wyverns. If more is needed, replace Spear with Hammer, and take instead of .
Cast while Qadim is cooking your squad with . Use to stop the Knockback from . If joining the third lamp, use in the Giant room.
The Key of Ahdashim
Cardinal Adina, Cardinal Sabir, & Qadim the PeerlessCardinal Adina
Bait ; make sure not to be inside hitbox from .
Use and as the group leaves the middle during , for Superspeed and to Block .
Cast before each time a Hand of Eruption casts . This skill can handle this mechanic on its own, because it has 3 Charges. If your group damage is low, use for the last impact, to block it for your subgroup.
Cardinal Sabir
Use for Defiance Break during Electrical Repulsion. can also be used, but may need Flash Discharge to be used mid-cast, since the skill will root. Use against Ion Shield as well.
Frequently output Cleanses to handle Weakness if teammates are being grabbed by small tornadoes.
If a teammate will be staying on the ground during , then can be used to teleport past the shockwave and keep a Flash Discharge. If they down to the wave, it will also help Revive them.
Should Wisps be problematic for your squad, and none of the dps want to kill them, take Hammer instead of Spear, and use to Block Projectiles with high uptime near the end of the fight.
Qadim the Peerless
Use for Fury, and for Superspeed if needed.
, , and should be used for Defiance Break against pylons and Qadim the Peerless. Against Entropic Distortions, do . If you have assistance with this mechanic, swap back to the default weaponset and only use .
At 40%, 30%, and 20%, use just before Qadim the Peerless casts .