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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MwaO" data-source="post: 9895957" data-attributes="member: 12749">Powers - At-Will  Choosing your At-WillsUnless you have some very specific, prevailing reason to take two RBA powers, you generally want one RBA power and the AoE forced movement goodness that is Tidal Spirit Shot. Which RBA power you take is dependent on your party, your DM, and your taste- I like Grappling Spirits for heroic tier, retrained to Biting Swarm at higher levels when the attack penalty can be boosted and slow is easier to come by.Biting Swarm (PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Weapon. One of the Seeker's good at-will powers. Unlike the vast majority of Seeker powers, it's going to be useful no matter what the circumstances are- this is incredibly valuable. If your party is fighting a Solo melee monster, and you don't have this power, there's a good chance that you won't be able to exercise any useful at-will control. Oh, and it's an RBA. Perfect. Side note: Use a Mindiron Weapon and Psychic Lock to boost the penalty to a healthy -4, and if you like, add Attention-Stealing ammunition to stack a mark on top.Elemental Spirits (PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Varies, Weapon. The intent here is to give Bloodbond Seekers a tool to exploit vulnerabilities and other elemental goodies, and to apply a soft disincentive for enemies to group around the target. In practice, what it does is give the target a damage aura that it can use against you and your allies. This is actually better for Spiritbond Seekers who have a low DEX mod, who can use it to pop minions without risking much damage to their allies, who can use it with Mark of Storm to get some forced movement, or do a little bit of damage to themselves in order to trigger paragon elemental damage feat benefits such as Icy Heart to slow nearby enemiesGrappling Spirits(PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Weapon. One of the Seeker's good at-will powers. An enemy that is slowed and cannot shift will have a lot of trouble closing to melee distance, or disengaging from your Fighter. Be warned: the duration means you can't use it to set up World Serpent's Grasp for yourself. Still, this is your only at-will hard control, and it's better than many of your encounter powers. This competes with the excellent Biting Swarm for your RBA power, but don't pass this up without a lot of hard thinking. While this is more situational than an attack penalty, it can also be more potent.Guardian Harrier(PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Weapon. This is a solid damage option. It is an RBA, and it is usable in melee. It's intended to force a monster to move out of a desirable position, but instead it reads, more or less, "the target takes an additional +Str damage unless it wants to move."Thorn Cloud Shot(PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Poison, Primal, Weapon, Zone. Using this power is actively harmful to your party. Monsters have far more hp than PCs do, (and often resist poison) and so they can ignore the zone, but your allies usually can't afford to. Because the zone is always centered on the target, you can't use it on targets that have engaged your allies in melee without hurting those allies too. There is nothing good about this.Tidal Spirit Shot(D413) - Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Weapon. This power is almost Gold, for several reasons: The Seeker has no other multi-target at-wills, and very few good area-of-effect encounter powers (none in heroic tier, in fact). The Seeker has no other at-will powers with forced movement, and this has more potential to be improved upon than any of the Seeker's other at-wills. Lightning Javelin+Mark of Storm+Polearm Momentum+Hindering Shield, to get specific. Oh, and it's friendly. It's not gold, though, because a Seeker with Grappling Spirits and Biting Swarm is still perfectly serviceable.Powers - Heroic Tier Level 1, EncounterPossessing Spirits is the only good power here, despite being annoyingly situational. This is very much so Novice Power bait.Level 1 Encounter ListFlickering Arrow(PHB3) - Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Weapon. Gives the target an aura that imposes a mild attack penalty on itself and other nearby enemies. Enemies will move away from the target before attacking next turn, but only if doing so is not inconvenient. This is only situationally distinguishable from one of your At-Wills. It is Decent for Bloodbond given the aura will likely be giant.Mischief Spirits(PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Weapon. Even if this was a daze, and not just prone, it would be terrible. This is situational control that you must apply before you know whether or not the situation will call for this power. It counts as an RBA, but since this isn't as good as your At-Will RBA, that is irrelevant.Possessing Spirits(PHB3) -Targets Will, Keywords Charm, Primal, Weapon. Daze at first level is great, and multi-target daze is wonderful. Unfortunately, in order to use this power a lot of pieces have to fall into place: First, you have to have a target with a good MBA that you know about. Second, that target has to be adjacent to another target. Third, you have two chances of missing- the initial (admittedly very accurate) attack and the target's MBA. If either miss, no daze. Still one of your best picks at this level.Serpent Arrow(PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Weapon. This suffers the same problem as Mischief Spirits, except that the effect is stronger and even more situational. Sliding something later is just so, so much less useful than sliding something now. Don't take this, even if you're Spiritbond.Spider Spirits (PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Poison, Primal, Weapon. The poison keyword hurts here, since a good number of monsters (mostly undead) are immune and therefore ignore both the damage and the slow/defense debuff. The defense debuff is not situational at all, which is a pleasant departure from other Seeker encounter powers, but this is still only barely better than your At-Will.Steel Forest(D389) -Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Weapon. You want AoE, because you're a Controller- unfortunately, you still need your powers to do something. Steel Forest doesn't really provide any meaningful control.Level 1, DailySwarming Bats is the best of an otherwise bad field, though it's not as good for Spiritbonders and Rime Strike isn't that much worse. Choose from those two, they're still way better than the other three.Level 1 Daily ListFungal Blooms(PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Conjuration, Poison, Primal, Weapon. Single-target immobilize (save ends) is only slightly better than your encounter powers or Grappling Spirits, and that's the only thing this power has going for it. The damage caused by entering one of the effected squares is trivial, there's a chance it will miss, and only one can be triggered per monster turn.Persistent Arrow(D389) -Targets AC, Keywords Conjuration, Primal, Weapon. Basically, you hit something for some damage, and the only control involved is that the target takes some damage if it enters a specific adjacent square of your choosing. One time after that, you can use a Minor to make another attack that prones. Ok, not greatRime Strike (PHB3) - Targets AC, Keywords Cold, Primal, Weapon, Zone. Single-target immobilize (save ends) is okay, though it's not great, and you also get to make the zone unpleasant for the duration of the encounter. Lackluster.Spirit Rider (PHB3) - Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Weapon. You do some damage, and then after that either minions will not end their turns adjacent to the target, or the target will move away from any minions before attacking. That's seriously all this does.Storm of Spirit Shards(PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Weapon. Friendly burst damage. But no control.Swarming Bats(PHB3) - Targets Reflex, Keywords Primal, Weapon, Zone: This is a bunch of different little goodies that add up to make a solid power. You get Weapon vs NAD accuracy on a 5x5 friendly AoE, you slide all the enemies you hit, you create a big patch of difficult terrain that, while unfriendly, is movable and has the minor benefit of making enemies grant CA. Sustain Minor, but what are you using those for? If the map has a burst 2 chokepoint somewhere, this can win a fight. Otherwise, it can lock artillery and skirmishers in melee. This is not as good for thrown weapon users- this power really wants a good long range behind it. Can be upgraded with Hindering Shield, possibly Polearm Momentum.Level 2, UtilityConsider training Acrobatics and take Agile Recovery (or Perception/Far Sight). Not too hard to be a build that doesn’t have great choices here.Level 2 Utility ListHarrying Spirits(PHB3) - This doesn't make sense. It's basically a Daily tool to discourage an enemy from targeting you, but the effect isn't potent enough for the enemy to care about it. Also, the trigger is bizarre and unrelated to the effect.Warding Arrow (D389) - The best of these, there's a small chance you'll be able to turn a hit into a miss with this power. Alternately, you can just burn it for CA. Meh.Hunter's Instinct(PHB3) - Not great. Crits are generally overrated.Stag's Grace(PHB3) - If you're Bloodbond, you avoid OAs with your Minor Shift. If you're Spiritbond, you can use a melee attack or two until you're able to disengage. If you really think you need this, just buy Shadowdance Leather armor instead.Stone Spirit Ward (PHB3) - This is decent for Spiritbonders if you can anticipate when you're going to be taking multiple attacks- sometimes combat doesn't go how you planned, after all. Level 3, EncounterEscaping Shot and Into the Black Bog are both great choices, though Stampede Shot is competitive for Spiritbonders.Level 3 Encounter ListBurrowing Shot (PHB3) - Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Weapon. This is the encounter version of the Spirit Rider D1. Enemies know the effects they’re under. They should simply move to not be adjacent to their friends.Escaping Shot (PHB3) -Targets Will, Keywords Primal, Psychic, Weapon. You get a daze on a Weapon vs NAD power that you can use in melee and that includes a shift (a big one if you're Bloodbond), and the Psychic keyword can be useful. This is what a decent controller power looks like.Into the Black Bog (D413) - Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Teleportation, Weapon. Easily your best choice at level 3. Multi-target with forced movement and a debuff that is comparable to weakened- at level 3. The damage penalty doesn't scale with monster damage, however, but it is still a two target attack that should be useful until mid-paragon.Seeker's Due (D389) - Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Weapon. For a Bloodbond, this is basically a 3W attack with a beneficial rider attached to it. It isn’t good. The Spiritbond gets a 2W instead. Maybe if you need to punch things.Spectral Scorpion Sting(PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Conjuration, Poison, Primal, Weapon. The idea here is to discourage enemies (including the target) from leaving squares near the target. But…not enough damage to be meaningful.Stampede Shot(PHB3) -Targets Fortitude, Keywords Primal, Weapon. This is an accurate attack with some solid forced movement. Spiritbond especially will get a lot of mileage out of it, and the Seeker can use all the forced movement it can get. Good pick. Polearm Momentum.Winter Spirit (PHB3) -Targets Fortitude, Keywords Cold, Primal, Weapon. This is a straightforward power; it immobilizes a thing, and you can use it as an RBA. This is not bad, but it doesn't do much to expand your Controller toolbox. You can hamper movement effectively already with just your At-Wills. Level 5, DailyEnsnaring Shot is very strong if anyone else has forced movement. Corralling Shot means you provide the forced movement. You could take Protecting Spirits if your DM only runs solos or something.Level 5 Daily ListCall of the Ghost Wolf(PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Conjuration, Primal, Weapon. You pick a square next to the target, and enemies don't want to be adjacent to that square, Sustain Minor. This would be good if the conjuration was moveable or punished moving away, but it isn't and it doesn't, so it's not.Corralling Shot(PHB3) - Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Reliable, Weapon. This is an interesting form of big forced movement that lets you bunch up two or three enemies. Good set up for AP turn. Polearm Momentum or Hindering Shield.Cursed Dart(D389) -Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Psychic, Weapon, Zone. Stiff but situational penalty to the target for ending a turn adjacent to its allies (immobilize is ignorable for artillery that is out of melee range or for melee that has already engaged). Unfortunately, the effect is (save ends), so you get a round or two of the enemy not bunching up. Maybe good in the right party.Ensnaring Shot(PHB3) -Targets Reflex, Keywords Primal, Weapon, Zone. This is the first power you get that allows you to hamper the movement of multiple targets, and it does this beautifully. This is an excellent example of a power being really good while retaining mechanical identity unique to the Seeker. Pin down enemies until you miss, and even then enemies can get stuck in the zone you leave behind. Sustain Minor, but you can handle that.Protecting Spirits (PHB3) -Targets Will, Keywords Primal, Weapon. It's a friendly AoE, and it pushes and prones. It's not bad, but the effect is just not powerful enough to be a good Daily. Polearm Momentum.Wildfire Shot(PHB3) -Targets Reflex, Keywords Fire, Primal, Weapon.Mostly bad stuff, maybe some sort of fire vulnerability makes this worth it. Level 6, UtilityBasically, choose between Earthbond Gift and your favorite Skill Power, there are lots of good ones. Exception: Consider Eagle's Aim if you're using a thrown weapon.Level 6 Utility ListBlurring Stride (PHB3) - Good defensive ability, but the Sustain Minor is annoying and unnecessary, and you have to move 3 squares in a single move action to get the concealment. Better for Spiritbond, who can shift out of melee and still have enough actions to attack and move 3 squares.Cloak of Quills (PHB3) - If you have STR you're Spiritbond, and I guess you're supposed to be in melee provoking OAs? No, you're not. Stay away from melee and don't provoke OAs and don't take this power.Eagle's Aim (PHB3) - The errata that made this an At-Will saved this power. Now it's one of the best ways to get around the crappy range on the bola and the net. (The other best way being a Weapon of Long Range or similar enchantment)Earthbond Gift (PHB3) - Temp hp when you're bloodied is good- 2x WIS is close to surge value for you. You don't really care that much about being weakened, but that's just a little icing.Swirling Arrows (D389) - When it triggers you get to target the enemy you intended to target with the attack that triggered Inevitable Shot in the first place, which is nice, but it's too situational. On average you'd get to use this about once every other encounter. Better in Paragon when you make two ranged basicsLevel 7, EncounterFeyjump Shot is the iconic Seeker power, and was the inspiration for much of the Seeker's teleportation support. It's a glimpse into a parallel universe in which the Seeker is competitive with Wizards and Invokers but retains a unique mechanical identity. Obviously I think you should take it. Spiritbonders whose DMs don't ever use Artillery/Controllers can justify taking Windstorm Shot instead.Level 7 Encounter ListFeyjump Shot (PHB3)Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Teleportation, Weapon. This is a kind of control that other Controllers can't quite duplicate, and the kind that can, under the right conditions, win encounters. Basically, if the enemy has a vulnerable, inaccessible target and a mean frontliner guarding that target, you force them to switch places (no matter how far apart they are) and daze them both, leaving the vulnerable target wide open for your Strikers. Even if swapping the positions of two targets isn't particularly helpful, you can still daze them both. This is a situationally great encounter power, but it's the only Seeker power that can totally win an encounter sometimes, which is what Control is about. Keep this through epic tier. Reserve Maneuver can be helpful here at levels 23+ to keep this and take multiple level 13-23rd level encounter powers.Thunder Spirit (PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Weapon. Prone is trivial for you to accomplish if you have World Serpent's Grasp, and if you don't, it's still worse than most other things you could do with a Standard action. Deafened is worthless. This power is worthless.Tremor Shot (PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Weapon. This is another one of those annoying powers that imposes no control on the thing you actually target. You can count on targeting maybe one thing with the secondary attack. A slide 1+CA-grant on one or two targets is pathetic. The only reason this isn't Red is that you maybe can't slide with an At-Will.Wasp Sting Shot (PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Poison, Primal, Weapon, Zone. WIS mod poison damage that some enemies will ignore, but PC friendlyWindstorm Strike (PHB3) -Targets Fortitude, Keywords Primal, Weapon. Spiritbonders can get a sizable push here, real AoE is rare for Seekers, it's friendly, and you aren't forced to center the burst on a target. Hindering Shield, Polearm MomentumLevel 9, DailySpider Thicket is quite good.Level 9 Daily ListBinding Shot (PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Weapon. If you hit two targets, you slide one next to the other, and they can't move apart even by teleporting. The effect, however, only has a 1/16 chance of lasting past one round. This is better than purple only because you can slide a vulnerable target into melee, and that's valuable- IF there's a vulnerable target who doesn't want to be in melee but is within 5 squares of an enemy who is melee.Nature's Vengeance (PHB3) -Targets AC, Keywords Primal, Weapon, Zone. A small slide is made much more potent when it comes with an immobilize. The zone it creates discourages enemies from being adjacent to the target by threat of their being immobilized and then restrained if they try to attack, which is actually discouraging. That the zone applies to the original target is a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, discouraging enemies from staying in a zone is just not a useful thing to do.Spider Thicket(D413) - Targets Fortitude, Keywords Poison, Primal, Teleportation, Weapon. Area burst 2 is big, and weakened (save ends) is pretty nice, especially post-MM3. The teleportation within the zone is only situationally useful, since the burst is unfriendly, and that kind of rearranging is usually only useful against targets that have already engaged the party, but it does let you slow all the targets if you take the Moonrise Stalker PP.Spirits of Fire and Ice (PHB3) -Targets AC, Keyword Cold, Fire, Primal, Weapon. The ongoing damage is immaterial. This is just a single-target immobilize, which was barely even decent at level one. Pass.Squall Spirit (PHB3) -Targets Fortitude, Keyword Lightning, Primal, Thunder, Weapon. Ugh, ugh. This power doesn't even pretend to offer any control and wouldn’t really even be a blue encounter power. Avoid.Level 10, UtilityFeywild Jaunt or bust!Level 10 Utility ListBurrowing Stride (PHB3) - Not very useful in combat, but out of combat it's pretty good. Excellent for scouting or otherwise being sneaky. This is very, very DM/campaign dependent. If find you're easily distracted between combat encounters, pick something else.Far Step Arrow(D389) - It's an encounter teleport! But you aren't a Striker, so there's no guarantee you'll be killing nonminions. Also you can't use it to escape melee without OAs. It's the most useless encounter teleport.Feywild Jaunt (PHB3) - Now THIS is an encounter teleport; don't be fooled by the fact that it doesn't say teleport anywhere. Use it at the end of your first turn, and when Team Monster is blowing all their encounter/recharge powers you'll be safely off the grid, and free to choose where you begin your next turn.Host of Sparrows (PHB3) - This triggers outside of your turn, and ends when your next turn starts, which is to say that the duration is very brief. It's a reaction, so insubstantial doesn't affect the triggering attack. This is only good if you are the enemy's only viable focus-fire target, in which case it may save you a little damage. It can also get you out of melee if no other monsters get turns between your turn and the triggering attack. This is mediocre.Sheltering Underbrush (PHB3) - Cover for your allies and difficult terrain on a relatively small, immobile, Sustain Minor burst as a Daily? Completely unimpressive. I wouldn't take this at any level. </blockquote>

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