After some time and further consideration, thought I'd create some new builds based on this series to break out of almost always using some slight variant of the same set of skills. Limitations are no PvE skills (so heroes can also use). I also prefer for elites only to be used by the applicable primary profession: ~0:00:42 Regarding Arcane Zeal.... Reviewed my original comments, and I won't attempt to create a derv healing/protecting build for a hero. Perhaps looking at some enemy builds that use this would help. I did take a stab at a D/E build for Fire Magic. I concluded at the start the build would require at least two long lasting enchantments and there would be no teardown. Initial testing resulted in energy pressures, so dropped a damage fire spell for Eremite's Zeal to both provide energy and feed AZ. Seems to work.... Arcane Zeal [Fire Magic]: AZ, Victorious Sweep/[Non-Tear Attack], Eremite's Zeal, Flame Djinn's Haste, Flame Burst, Radiant Scythe/[Non-Tear Attack]/[Open], Intimidating Aura, Conjure Flame ~0:11:18 Regarding Avatar of Balthazar.... Struggling to make a core build with this. The +20 armor against physicals doesn't look that valuable to me, as I'm looking to attack the opposing backline. The 25% faster adrenaline does look good, but how best to use against undead or mostly physicals? The burning "end on" effect for all derv enchantments looks good, but that suggests a teardown build with quick recharging derv enchantments. There are only a few Earth Prayers enchantments that recharge in 10s or less, but they either don't do damage, death earth damage, or convert my attacks to earth damage. How does the conversion to earth work with the conversion to holy from the avatar? The similar Wind Prayers enchantments don't look anymore promising. In Mysticism Eremite's Zeal is my "almost always on bar" e-management, so that 1 of 3 derv enchantments. Zealous Renewal does pop holy damage, so that's 2 of 3. Heart of Holy Flame does pop holy, but I'm already attacking with holy damage and (at 12 Mysticism) I don't really need 1s more of the burning I'm already getting from the avatar. If the avatar overrides the Earth/Wind Prayers enchantment damage type conversion, then we have something. Otherwise, I just don't see it.... Avatar of Balthazar: AoB, Zealous Sweep/[Non-Tear Attack], [Derv Enchantment], Eremite's Zeal, Zealous Renewal, Irresistible Sweep, [Adrenaline Skill], [Open] ~0:13:57 Regarding Avatar of Dwayna.... This form is far more flexible than Balthazar above, the burning benefits from which are triggered upon losing a derv enchantment. For Dwayna you lose a hex with each attack skill and heal the party upon losing a d-enchantment. Both convert attacks to holy damage. Of course look elsewhere if not facing hexes, but in that situation I would gladly give up the +25% adrenaline gain from Balthazar for the hex and healing relief. The same issues do apply regarding finding the correct d-enchantments to use; however, Heart of Holy Flame looks far more useful making selection easier.... Avatar of Dwayna: AoD, Victorious Sweep/[Non-Tear Attack], Zealous Renewal, Eremite's Zeal, Heart of Holy Flame/[D-Enchantment], Irresistible Sweep, [Open], [Open] ~0:16:14 Regarding Avatar of Grenth.... I can't imagine ever using this one. If I'm looking to inflict disease, I'm also looking to inflict other conditions. If I'm looking to inflict other fleshy conditions, there are better ways to inflict disease from my team or the similar poison using a secondary profession without having to burn my elite slot. I know of no advantages to dark damage, and I'd just use a vamp weapon and/or perhaps Nightmare Weapon from a teammate for life steal attacks. ~0:18:53 Regarding Avatar of Lyssa.... This form is the most flexible of those analyzed thus far. In earlier vids I created some builds with this as a D/E, etc., but just using the derv lines has possibilities. The two draws for me is the energy gain to fund spamming skills and that 15r+ d-enchantments look real good due to the 50% shorter recharge. This also means that one can likely get full benefit from two teardown attack skills without going the Pious Renewal route. Grenth's Aura looks good to me as the now 5r negates the lack of an end effect. Veil of Thorns looks good as the form now yields aoe piercing damage every 7-8s rather than every 15s.... Avatar of Lyssa [Grenth's Aura/Veil of Thorns]: AoL, Eremite's Attack, Grenth's Aura/Veil of thorns, Eremite's Zeal, Zealous Renewal, Irresistible Sweep, [Open], [Open] Note that Lyssa's Haste (Wind Prayers) is an option for mass interrupts, but the 33% faster recharge feature is wasted due to the better stats from the form. ~0:21:08 Regarding Avatar of Melandru.... Struggling to find a place for this. If I need the +30 armor against elemental damage, then we're talking heavy hitting elementalists or perhaps Death Magic necromancers and/or Channeling ritualists. If vs. water eles, I need hex not condition relief and fire not earth damage. If vs. fire eles, the condition relief is welcome but I want cold not earth damage. Earth damage vs. earth eles? Necs and rits do inflic conditions, but needing this form just for those would be rare. So we're talking air eles, who have spike, armor piercing damage and lots of conditions. Would a mes stance serve better and save the elite slot? How does this work with Winter? Greater Conflagration? I do use this on a hero in several areas in Istan due to the heavy condition threat, lots of physicals, etc., but outside of somewhere like that? ~0:32:27 Regarding Extend Enchantments.... Expanding on my original comments, unless facing an environment that shortens enchantment duration, I can't see burning a slot on extending a non-elite enchantment that's been covered thus far. To me that means elites that have durations, costs and recharges that can't be easily managed or elites where extended durations would materially increase the ability to leverage it's effect and/or reduce energy demands. Scanning down all of the derv elite enchantments, only Vow of Silence and Onslaught jump out at me. I currently don't use either on my own or a hero's bar. Perhaps use in those referenced environments, with either of those elites, or a non-elite d-enchantment yet to be reviewed during this revisit. ~0:36:32 Regarding Faithful Intervention.... When I checked the enemy bars that use Arcane Zeal, it seems that all had this skill as well. No recharge, permanent health insurance enchantment with no upkeep costs that lasts until removed by you or enemy. Besides it's based benefits and states, it fuels Arcane Zeal so I can see the attraction. Other than with AZ, I can only see real value with Vow of Silence. The concise description does not indicate that the enchantment ends if triggered, but the full does. Important to note that trigger is from damage not degen. ~0:44:51 Regarding Imbue Health.... Took a stab at creating a backline dervish healer around Arcane Zeal. There seems to be only three non-elite derv skills for this type of build, namely Imbue Health, Mystic Healing, and Watchful Intervention. Pick up a staff, those three plus AZ, Intimidating Aura, and Faithful Intervention leaves 2 slots (3 if no Watchful Intervention) for investment in (e.g.) a monk line. The benefit is both the spike heal every 10 seconds and the partywide heal every 4 seconds (assuming everyone is enchanted). Dropping Watchful for Vow of Piety provides another permanent enchantment to fuel AZ. Use in enchantment safe areas.... Arcane Zeal [Healing Support]:AZ, Imbue Health, Mystic Healing, [Open], [Open], [Open], Intimidating Aura, Faithful Intervention ~0:52:22 Regarding Meditation.... I can see all kinds of uses for this. Facing anti-adrenaline (e.g. Soothing), you can easily go all energy. Would also help vs. (e.g.) Quicksand to replenish energy that you're losing due to the spirit. ~0:58:47 Regarding Mystic Sweep.... The three "mystic" skills in Mysticism seem to be designed for non-teardowns since they are all buffed by always being enchanted (and not just d-enchantments). Moreover, the primary line is an odd place for an attack skill. Perhaps to provide at least one decent attack skill for an Arcane Zeal healer? Can a staff/wand be used with a generic "melee attack"? (No they can't.) In a standard derv build, I can see this used as the secondary attack skill with Wounding Strike, but also with Vow of Silence, Onslaught, etc. ~1:10:07 Regarding Rending Touch.... This seems tailored to counter (e.g.) Vow of Silence and the enchantments that makes the user immune to spells. Since all of the PvE foes that I can recall that use Vow are either cold based or undead, why does this deal cold? Being in Mysticism the damage should be either holy or armor ignoring untyped. The 1 strike of adrenaline feels immaterial to me, but I suppose it's to compensate for using this instead of an attack skill. ~1:16:13 Regarding Vow of Silence.... Thinking that you will need some health insurance and and emergency self enchantment removal if you get into trouble.... Vow of Silence: Extend Enchantments, VoS, Victorious Sweep, Heart of Fury, Radiant Scythe, Chilling Victory, Signet of Pious Light, Faithful Intervention
Arcane Zeal: I think the derv was designed to be either a frontline fighter or a backline protector/healer. As I've stated earlier, I have never used a backline derv hero and would certainly never use that sort of build as a player. This means that I'm at a loss for analyzing those related derv skills and likely missing out in some areas/missions designed to be vq'd/completed with such a teammate. Perhaps this vid series will open up some ideas for me. Anyway, I suspect AZ is one of those skills; however, after some further consideration, frontline dervs are also ele damage dealers. Earth and lightning damage are generally multi-purpose and not usually demanded, but when you want cold or fire, you usually want all cold/fire all the time. Dervs have Wind Prayers for lots of cold options, but fire is different. I can see AZ used on a D/E to fund the expensive fire ele spells at melee range. Thoughts? Never use Aura Slicer. If I want bleeding and cracked armor, my backline will have likely already got that party started before I get to the enemy and 4a. This also has no +damage. I could possibly see this used when in a small party for bar compression, but then I'm probably using (e.g.) Wounding Strike. The avatars where my high school sweetheart elites when I first started with a derv, but I quickly dropped when I met the far more sexier Pious Renewal. As things stand now, I never use myself but will bring on a hero derv if they strongly serve the task at hand. Fighting mostly undead and want burning, Balthazar. Fighting mostly undead and could use some additional hex/healing support, Dwayna. Fighting against and using heavy condition pressure against mostly fleshy foes, Grenth. Fighting moderate to large sized mobs and need more e-management than usual, Lyssa. Fighting a decent amount of elementals and need some additional condition relief, Melandru. This makes the use of any one avatar situational at best, as a group quasi-situational. I will sometimes use Balthazar's Rage when I want burning and to fuel a teardown follow-up attack skill with an adrenaline fueled capper. Can be a bit clunky for my play style, and I generally prefer 6 sec recharges for my teardown feeders. Adrenaline fueled skills aren't really a staple on my own bar either. The alternative in this vein is Heart of Holy Flame which I will usually prefer (especially vs. undead) for the immediately one and done holy damage and the longer burn without having to rely on an adrenaline capper that may or may not hit. Also along this line is Mystic Corruption, but the disease applied is just too short and usually there's better ways to manage disease. Fail. Banishing Strike is one of my typical options for one of two total attack skills on my standard bar. Use limited to when facing mostly undead and perhaps lots of minions/spirits. Has no teardown properties which may or may not make this a good option. Not quite niche, but close. Eremites's Zeal is an easy 5 for me and will almost always be on my bar. The fact that it's not a flash is actually a plus for me since it won't go into recharge when I do use a flash. My standard derv bar will be secondary attack skill-flash-EZ-Pious Renewal-primary attack skill plus utilities and/or an adrenaline skill. I abuse Asuran Scan on my physicals, and I need more energy than most. Play style difference again. Zealous Renewal falls into this general area for me. Use all the time for the one and done holy damage and energy gain when fighting larger mobs. Often the 1st of 3 enchantments in my teardown chain. Most of the time you will either remove this early from a teardown skill, but when stripped by an enemy, no worries thanks for the energy bro. Also super cheap with a 5e cost. Winner winner chicken dinner. Can't see ever using Extend Enchantments since I'm always in teardown mode. I could only see this for buffing some derv enchantment that I'm building around. EE-[my crucial enchantment that is expected to last the entire battle] and I'm not in teardown. Faithful Intervention is similar in that you must be using a non-teardown build. A health insurance policy taken into battle. I would rework this one to have a shorter recharge/cast and health gain only if removed by an enemy action (e.g. spell). Would counter stuff like Shatter Enchantment. Intimidating Aura looks real attractive, but another one that could accidentally be self-removed by teardown. I could see use when facing heavy degen and moderate damage. Imbue Health is clearly designed for that backline derv healer/protector role that I've never used, though I suppose it could be used by a frontline as an emergency heal on an ally. Watchful Intervention may fall into this general category as well. Never used Meditation, but I need to reconsider since I often do not use adrenaline anyway. Get a bit low in the e-department, use this and then right back to my normal Pious Renewal teardown chain. Never use Mystic Sweep due to my normal teardown tactic. Perhaps I'll consider if running a non-teardown build. Looks like a solid choice if I were to want a non-teardown and a teardown attack skill. Never use Heart of Fury due to my preference for on demand e-funded skills; however, this fresh look at Pious Fury really opens up a bit for me. I typically just always use Drunken Master (sober), but that takes up a PvE only skill slot. Since Pious Renewal is may hands down go to elite, P Fury gives me even greater attack speed (far more important), faster recharge (if stance removed), and frees up a PvE only skill slot. Too soon to rate but promising. Pious Haste does not look to be worth any slot. I cannot recommend Pious Renewal highly enough, easily my go to derv elite across all lines. While the tactic can fail, this works regardless of the level of enchantment hate you are facing. It's the perfect feeder enchantment for teardown skills and it can be kept on you regardless of other considerations except for some very rare cases where enchantment durations are shortened or if it gets diverted. Always use an enchantment extension mod on your weapon to give you some time wiggle room. The health gain mitigates a shatter and relieves your healers, provides a constant stream of energy gain, and helps to counter enemy Wastrel's. This is just boss for my normal playstyle. It's the Signet of Spirits of dervs. It may also be the easiest elite for a hero to use. Rending Touch is one of those skills designed to remove enemy enchantments that cannot be directly removed by normal means. (Maybe I'm wrong here since this is labeled a touch spell rather than a touch skill.) There aren't that many of these, so it's very situational. When there's a must remove enchantment like this, not sure a hero can be trusted for the job. Think I tried using Vow of Silence, but it just doesn't fit my play style and requires a level of active maintenance that I generally avoid. Here you have to keep applying the build around skill every 9-10 seconds or things can go down rapidly. In contrast it's not that hard to keep hitting Pious Renewal and a failure to do so timely isn't fatal. I would also be concerned about getting enough energy to fund VoS. I can see piling on some long lasting buff enchantments, then Extend Enchantments plus VoS. The rest of the build would be non-teardown attack skills and utility? Bring more than usual healing signets on your team? One would have to look out for indirect enchantment removal as well. Facing this is a real pain though. Have to use physicals, signets, spirits and traps.
After some time and further consideration, thought I'd create some new builds based on this series to break out of almost always using some slight variant of the same set of skills. Limitations are no PvE skills (so heroes can also use). I also prefer for elites only to be used by the applicable primary profession:
~0:00:42 Regarding Arcane Zeal.... Reviewed my original comments, and I won't attempt to create a derv healing/protecting build for a hero. Perhaps looking at some enemy builds that use this would help. I did take a stab at a D/E build for Fire Magic. I concluded at the start the build would require at least two long lasting enchantments and there would be no teardown. Initial testing resulted in energy pressures, so dropped a damage fire spell for Eremite's Zeal to both provide energy and feed AZ. Seems to work....
Arcane Zeal [Fire Magic]: AZ, Victorious Sweep/[Non-Tear Attack], Eremite's Zeal, Flame Djinn's Haste, Flame Burst, Radiant Scythe/[Non-Tear Attack]/[Open], Intimidating Aura, Conjure Flame
~0:11:18 Regarding Avatar of Balthazar.... Struggling to make a core build with this. The +20 armor against physicals doesn't look that valuable to me, as I'm looking to attack the opposing backline. The 25% faster adrenaline does look good, but how best to use against undead or mostly physicals? The burning "end on" effect for all derv enchantments looks good, but that suggests a teardown build with quick recharging derv enchantments. There are only a few Earth Prayers enchantments that recharge in 10s or less, but they either don't do damage, death earth damage, or convert my attacks to earth damage. How does the conversion to earth work with the conversion to holy from the avatar? The similar Wind Prayers enchantments don't look anymore promising. In Mysticism Eremite's Zeal is my "almost always on bar" e-management, so that 1 of 3 derv enchantments. Zealous Renewal does pop holy damage, so that's 2 of 3. Heart of Holy Flame does pop holy, but I'm already attacking with holy damage and (at 12 Mysticism) I don't really need 1s more of the burning I'm already getting from the avatar. If the avatar overrides the Earth/Wind Prayers enchantment damage type conversion, then we have something. Otherwise, I just don't see it....
Avatar of Balthazar: AoB, Zealous Sweep/[Non-Tear Attack], [Derv Enchantment], Eremite's Zeal, Zealous Renewal, Irresistible Sweep, [Adrenaline Skill], [Open]
~0:13:57 Regarding Avatar of Dwayna.... This form is far more flexible than Balthazar above, the burning benefits from which are triggered upon losing a derv enchantment. For Dwayna you lose a hex with each attack skill and heal the party upon losing a d-enchantment. Both convert attacks to holy damage. Of course look elsewhere if not facing hexes, but in that situation I would gladly give up the +25% adrenaline gain from Balthazar for the hex and healing relief. The same issues do apply regarding finding the correct d-enchantments to use; however, Heart of Holy Flame looks far more useful making selection easier....
Avatar of Dwayna: AoD, Victorious Sweep/[Non-Tear Attack], Zealous Renewal, Eremite's Zeal, Heart of Holy Flame/[D-Enchantment], Irresistible Sweep, [Open], [Open]
~0:16:14 Regarding Avatar of Grenth.... I can't imagine ever using this one. If I'm looking to inflict disease, I'm also looking to inflict other conditions. If I'm looking to inflict other fleshy conditions, there are better ways to inflict disease from my team or the similar poison using a secondary profession without having to burn my elite slot. I know of no advantages to dark damage, and I'd just use a vamp weapon and/or perhaps Nightmare Weapon from a teammate for life steal attacks.
~0:18:53 Regarding Avatar of Lyssa.... This form is the most flexible of those analyzed thus far. In earlier vids I created some builds with this as a D/E, etc., but just using the derv lines has possibilities. The two draws for me is the energy gain to fund spamming skills and that 15r+ d-enchantments look real good due to the 50% shorter recharge. This also means that one can likely get full benefit from two teardown attack skills without going the Pious Renewal route. Grenth's Aura looks good to me as the now 5r negates the lack of an end effect. Veil of Thorns looks good as the form now yields aoe piercing damage every 7-8s rather than every 15s....
Avatar of Lyssa [Grenth's Aura/Veil of Thorns]: AoL, Eremite's Attack, Grenth's Aura/Veil of thorns, Eremite's Zeal, Zealous Renewal, Irresistible Sweep, [Open], [Open]
Note that Lyssa's Haste (Wind Prayers) is an option for mass interrupts, but the 33% faster recharge feature is wasted due to the better stats from the form.
~0:21:08 Regarding Avatar of Melandru.... Struggling to find a place for this. If I need the +30 armor against elemental damage, then we're talking heavy hitting elementalists or perhaps Death Magic necromancers and/or Channeling ritualists. If vs. water eles, I need hex not condition relief and fire not earth damage. If vs. fire eles, the condition relief is welcome but I want cold not earth damage. Earth damage vs. earth eles? Necs and rits do inflic conditions, but needing this form just for those would be rare. So we're talking air eles, who have spike, armor piercing damage and lots of conditions. Would a mes stance serve better and save the elite slot? How does this work with Winter? Greater Conflagration? I do use this on a hero in several areas in Istan due to the heavy condition threat, lots of physicals, etc., but outside of somewhere like that?
~0:32:27 Regarding Extend Enchantments.... Expanding on my original comments, unless facing an environment that shortens enchantment duration, I can't see burning a slot on extending a non-elite enchantment that's been covered thus far. To me that means elites that have durations, costs and recharges that can't be easily managed or elites where extended durations would materially increase the ability to leverage it's effect and/or reduce energy demands. Scanning down all of the derv elite enchantments, only Vow of Silence and Onslaught jump out at me. I currently don't use either on my own or a hero's bar. Perhaps use in those referenced environments, with either of those elites, or a non-elite d-enchantment yet to be reviewed during this revisit.
~0:36:32 Regarding Faithful Intervention.... When I checked the enemy bars that use Arcane Zeal, it seems that all had this skill as well. No recharge, permanent health insurance enchantment with no upkeep costs that lasts until removed by you or enemy. Besides it's based benefits and states, it fuels Arcane Zeal so I can see the attraction. Other than with AZ, I can only see real value with Vow of Silence. The concise description does not indicate that the enchantment ends if triggered, but the full does. Important to note that trigger is from damage not degen.
~0:44:51 Regarding Imbue Health.... Took a stab at creating a backline dervish healer around Arcane Zeal. There seems to be only three non-elite derv skills for this type of build, namely Imbue Health, Mystic Healing, and Watchful Intervention. Pick up a staff, those three plus AZ, Intimidating Aura, and Faithful Intervention leaves 2 slots (3 if no Watchful Intervention) for investment in (e.g.) a monk line. The benefit is both the spike heal every 10 seconds and the partywide heal every 4 seconds (assuming everyone is enchanted). Dropping Watchful for Vow of Piety provides another permanent enchantment to fuel AZ. Use in enchantment safe areas....
Arcane Zeal [Healing Support]:AZ, Imbue Health, Mystic Healing, [Open], [Open], [Open], Intimidating Aura, Faithful Intervention
~0:52:22 Regarding Meditation.... I can see all kinds of uses for this. Facing anti-adrenaline (e.g. Soothing), you can easily go all energy. Would also help vs. (e.g.) Quicksand to replenish energy that you're losing due to the spirit.
~0:58:47 Regarding Mystic Sweep.... The three "mystic" skills in Mysticism seem to be designed for non-teardowns since they are all buffed by always being enchanted (and not just d-enchantments). Moreover, the primary line is an odd place for an attack skill. Perhaps to provide at least one decent attack skill for an Arcane Zeal healer? Can a staff/wand be used with a generic "melee attack"? (No they can't.) In a standard derv build, I can see this used as the secondary attack skill with Wounding Strike, but also with Vow of Silence, Onslaught, etc.
~1:10:07 Regarding Rending Touch.... This seems tailored to counter (e.g.) Vow of Silence and the enchantments that makes the user immune to spells. Since all of the PvE foes that I can recall that use Vow are either cold based or undead, why does this deal cold? Being in Mysticism the damage should be either holy or armor ignoring untyped. The 1 strike of adrenaline feels immaterial to me, but I suppose it's to compensate for using this instead of an attack skill.
~1:16:13 Regarding Vow of Silence.... Thinking that you will need some health insurance and and emergency self enchantment removal if you get into trouble....
Vow of Silence: Extend Enchantments, VoS, Victorious Sweep, Heart of Fury, Radiant Scythe, Chilling Victory, Signet of Pious Light, Faithful Intervention
Arcane Zeal: I think the derv was designed to be either a frontline fighter or a backline protector/healer. As I've stated earlier, I have never used a backline derv hero and would certainly never use that sort of build as a player. This means that I'm at a loss for analyzing those related derv skills and likely missing out in some areas/missions designed to be vq'd/completed with such a teammate. Perhaps this vid series will open up some ideas for me. Anyway, I suspect AZ is one of those skills; however, after some further consideration, frontline dervs are also ele damage dealers. Earth and lightning damage are generally multi-purpose and not usually demanded, but when you want cold or fire, you usually want all cold/fire all the time. Dervs have Wind Prayers for lots of cold options, but fire is different. I can see AZ used on a D/E to fund the expensive fire ele spells at melee range. Thoughts?
Never use Aura Slicer. If I want bleeding and cracked armor, my backline will have likely already got that party started before I get to the enemy and 4a. This also has no +damage. I could possibly see this used when in a small party for bar compression, but then I'm probably using (e.g.) Wounding Strike.
The avatars where my high school sweetheart elites when I first started with a derv, but I quickly dropped when I met the far more sexier Pious Renewal. As things stand now, I never use myself but will bring on a hero derv if they strongly serve the task at hand. Fighting mostly undead and want burning, Balthazar. Fighting mostly undead and could use some additional hex/healing support, Dwayna. Fighting against and using heavy condition pressure against mostly fleshy foes, Grenth. Fighting moderate to large sized mobs and need more e-management than usual, Lyssa. Fighting a decent amount of elementals and need some additional condition relief, Melandru. This makes the use of any one avatar situational at best, as a group quasi-situational.
I will sometimes use Balthazar's Rage when I want burning and to fuel a teardown follow-up attack skill with an adrenaline fueled capper. Can be a bit clunky for my play style, and I generally prefer 6 sec recharges for my teardown feeders. Adrenaline fueled skills aren't really a staple on my own bar either. The alternative in this vein is Heart of Holy Flame which I will usually prefer (especially vs. undead) for the immediately one and done holy damage and the longer burn without having to rely on an adrenaline capper that may or may not hit. Also along this line is Mystic Corruption, but the disease applied is just too short and usually there's better ways to manage disease. Fail.
Banishing Strike is one of my typical options for one of two total attack skills on my standard bar. Use limited to when facing mostly undead and perhaps lots of minions/spirits. Has no teardown properties which may or may not make this a good option. Not quite niche, but close.
Eremites's Zeal is an easy 5 for me and will almost always be on my bar. The fact that it's not a flash is actually a plus for me since it won't go into recharge when I do use a flash. My standard derv bar will be secondary attack skill-flash-EZ-Pious Renewal-primary attack skill plus utilities and/or an adrenaline skill. I abuse Asuran Scan on my physicals, and I need more energy than most. Play style difference again. Zealous Renewal falls into this general area for me. Use all the time for the one and done holy damage and energy gain when fighting larger mobs. Often the 1st of 3 enchantments in my teardown chain. Most of the time you will either remove this early from a teardown skill, but when stripped by an enemy, no worries thanks for the energy bro. Also super cheap with a 5e cost. Winner winner chicken dinner.
Can't see ever using Extend Enchantments since I'm always in teardown mode. I could only see this for buffing some derv enchantment that I'm building around. EE-[my crucial enchantment that is expected to last the entire battle] and I'm not in teardown. Faithful Intervention is similar in that you must be using a non-teardown build. A health insurance policy taken into battle. I would rework this one to have a shorter recharge/cast and health gain only if removed by an enemy action (e.g. spell). Would counter stuff like Shatter Enchantment. Intimidating Aura looks real attractive, but another one that could accidentally be self-removed by teardown. I could see use when facing heavy degen and moderate damage.
Imbue Health is clearly designed for that backline derv healer/protector role that I've never used, though I suppose it could be used by a frontline as an emergency heal on an ally. Watchful Intervention may fall into this general category as well.
Never used Meditation, but I need to reconsider since I often do not use adrenaline anyway. Get a bit low in the e-department, use this and then right back to my normal Pious Renewal teardown chain.
Never use Mystic Sweep due to my normal teardown tactic. Perhaps I'll consider if running a non-teardown build. Looks like a solid choice if I were to want a non-teardown and a teardown attack skill.
Never use Heart of Fury due to my preference for on demand e-funded skills; however, this fresh look at Pious Fury really opens up a bit for me. I typically just always use Drunken Master (sober), but that takes up a PvE only skill slot. Since Pious Renewal is may hands down go to elite, P Fury gives me even greater attack speed (far more important), faster recharge (if stance removed), and frees up a PvE only skill slot. Too soon to rate but promising. Pious Haste does not look to be worth any slot.
I cannot recommend Pious Renewal highly enough, easily my go to derv elite across all lines. While the tactic can fail, this works regardless of the level of enchantment hate you are facing. It's the perfect feeder enchantment for teardown skills and it can be kept on you regardless of other considerations except for some very rare cases where enchantment durations are shortened or if it gets diverted. Always use an enchantment extension mod on your weapon to give you some time wiggle room. The health gain mitigates a shatter and relieves your healers, provides a constant stream of energy gain, and helps to counter enemy Wastrel's. This is just boss for my normal playstyle. It's the Signet of Spirits of dervs. It may also be the easiest elite for a hero to use.
Rending Touch is one of those skills designed to remove enemy enchantments that cannot be directly removed by normal means. (Maybe I'm wrong here since this is labeled a touch spell rather than a touch skill.) There aren't that many of these, so it's very situational. When there's a must remove enchantment like this, not sure a hero can be trusted for the job.
Think I tried using Vow of Silence, but it just doesn't fit my play style and requires a level of active maintenance that I generally avoid. Here you have to keep applying the build around skill every 9-10 seconds or things can go down rapidly. In contrast it's not that hard to keep hitting Pious Renewal and a failure to do so timely isn't fatal. I would also be concerned about getting enough energy to fund VoS. I can see piling on some long lasting buff enchantments, then Extend Enchantments plus VoS. The rest of the build would be non-teardown attack skills and utility? Bring more than usual healing signets on your team? One would have to look out for indirect enchantment removal as well. Facing this is a real pain though. Have to use physicals, signets, spirits and traps.