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: ~0:08:14 Regarding Eremite's Attack.... Gave this one a "fail" in my original comments, so trying to be more fair. My standard second attack skill in a two teardown attack skill build is Irresistible Sweep, as it has the same cost and recharge as Eremite's but still has better +damage and other benefits. The only build that I can imagine using Eremite's is when Irresistible moves up to the primary attack skill slot. This would mean not using Pious Renewal nor Wounding Strike. That leaves the Avatars or Reaper's Sweep on a double teardown attack skill bar. As I rarely if every use those elites, Eremite's remains an "also ran". ~0:10:30 Regarding Farmer's Scythe.... Always just passed this one by, so trying to find a use. As I wouldn't want a possibly 12r attack skill as one of two, we're talking about a third energy attack skill for special use (likely as an opener until it only hits a single foe). I tested this as an opening attack skill to spam until either it triggered the 12s recharge (popping flash, etc. enchantments as I went) or until Reaper's Sweep was fueled. This looks like the most promising use. Others might be when facing lots of minions (though Banishing Strike may be better) or spirit spammers to chew through the low armored spirits in seconds.... Reaper's Sweep [Farmer's Scythe]: Farmer's Scythe, Victorious Sweep, Zealous Renewal, Eremite's Zeal, [D-Enchantment], Irresistible Sweep, Reaper's Sweep, [Open] ~0:23:07 Regarding Reap Impurities.... Can't see using this except in the Fragility based strategy unless in a Flash-Teardown Attack-Reap Impurities combo when the condition applied will be either short lived anyway and/or can be quickly reapplied. I would not use with blind or crippled since these are a bit harder to get started. Burning and cracked armor can be quickly reapplied by your team. The flash enchantments that jump out are Rending Aura, Mystic Corruption, Staggering Force, and Heart of Holy Flame.... ~0:25:35 Regarding Reaper's Sweep... Using with Aftershock is a good idea, so you may be shorting this elite a bit. Besides the Farmer's Scythe option above, if hitting three foes Zealous Sweep should give one 6 strikes of adrenaline. Paired with a teardown of Balthazar's Rage and you've charged Reaper's in short order..... Reaper's Sweep [Aftershock]: Zealous Sweep, Victorious Sweep, Zealous Renewal, Eremite's Zeal, Balthazar's Rage, Irresistible Sweep, Reaper's Sweep, Aftershock
Of the adrenaline attack skills, Chilling Victory tends to be one that I will go to. Hopefully by the time this charges up, your foes with have less health to trigger the bonus damage. Works well with deep wound (e.g. Wounding Strike) and against Destroyers. Not a fan of Crippling Sweep/Victory. First, crippling not as much value in PvE. Second, hitting moving foes is a hard conditional effect to meet. I can see value here if I'm trying to snare for nukes from my backline, but I'd rather my backline have there own snares to support their own spells. Can see taking Crip Victory for the earth damage if that's better than the cold from Chilling. Eremite's Attack just fails since Irresistible Sweep exists. Farmer's Attack seems fail to me as well. Why use a conditional effect +damage spam attack that only affects adjacent when you can use a teardown tactic that can give you more damage type options and over a wider area? I might reconsider for a lead attack skill for a teardown chain vs. large mobs. Okay, what's not to love about Irresistible Sweep? I use this a lot as a lead attack skill in a teardown chain and as a 3rd attack skill in reserve for stances. Maybe I'm wrong but assuming not, when the conditional effect requirement is met (usually easy) this does +damage, is unblockable, and removes a stance. For 5e and 6 sec recharge, that's a lot of banging for bucks. Not on every bar but many of them. Thought's on the Lyssa's Assault et. al. skills: Clearly the developers wanted to provide some rupt options for melee. For me in PvE, this usually means some longer cast time spell that has wipe potential or a hard rez. Furthermore, the must rupt spell may be coming as soon as aggro. What are my skill options for must rupt is then the question. These melee range options just seem unreliable for all kinds of reasons. Any profession could go x/Me for a rupt, but a great option is almost always "You Move Like A Dwarf!". It's an immediate shout that knocks-down the target. Even if a hero beats you to the rupt, you will still get the benefit of damage, the KD, and crippled. Pious Assault is just boss and will almost always be on my teardown build unless I'm using Wounding Strike. When using PA, it is advised to have at least 3 feeder enchantments to provide some insurance that you want get caught naked and suffer the longer recharge. Radiant Scythe is one of those solid options when my bar is unusually compressed with some open slots. It has some plus damage, provides some energy, and uses normally free adrenaline, It gets a much closer look when I'm facing e-denial, but note that the +damage is likely to be lower than expected in those situations. As you stated, I would never use Reap Impurities unless I'm also using Fragility and my team can quickly reapply conditions. I will note that conditions applied by dervs tend to be short durations anyway, so I can possibly see this used as a 1-2 punch with some applicable derv enchantment even when the opposition has decent condition removal and/or not using Fragility. You are a brother from another mother in regard to Reaper's Sweep. Where are you getting aoe knock-down? I read this as only target, but I've never used or tested. If it is aoe KD, then I wouldn't label a complete fail though would still never use. I simple do not want to wait for 8a to use my elite skill at the beginning of a battle when I most need it. To me Rending Sweep is one of the more attractive of the hard to remove enemy enchantment removal skills since it has other benefits and would be free adrenaline on my typical bar. Wouldn't be of much use against blocking enchantments; however, are any of those impossible to remove by normal means? I'm thinking of enchantments like Vow of Silence. Either way, free adrenaline and helps your backline with their stripping duties. Twin Moon is just an option when I have a free adrenaline slot in my teardown build. Relieves your healers. Big fan of Victorious Strike. This is my go to lead attack skill whether using a teardown build or not. Plus damage, relieves healers, quick recharge. Sometimes go for (e.g.) Irresistible Sweep in that slot when I need those effects, but this one is never wrong and that means something. On the other end of the scale, I would only use Wearing Strike if I want to apply deep wound to non-fleshy foes in a teardown build; otherwise, I may be using.... Wounding Strike. If I'm not using Pious Renewal as my elite skill, I am using this, so an easy 5 rating. Of course the limiting factors are fighting fleshy foes and wanting to apply conditions. Zealous Strike is simply an option for my lead attack in a tear down build where I'm also using adrenaline. I suppose it has some use in a non-teardown or when facing e-denial, but the recharge isn't good.
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:
~0:08:14 Regarding Eremite's Attack.... Gave this one a "fail" in my original comments, so trying to be more fair. My standard second attack skill in a two teardown attack skill build is Irresistible Sweep, as it has the same cost and recharge as Eremite's but still has better +damage and other benefits. The only build that I can imagine using Eremite's is when Irresistible moves up to the primary attack skill slot. This would mean not using Pious Renewal nor Wounding Strike. That leaves the Avatars or Reaper's Sweep on a double teardown attack skill bar. As I rarely if every use those elites, Eremite's remains an "also ran".
~0:10:30 Regarding Farmer's Scythe.... Always just passed this one by, so trying to find a use. As I wouldn't want a possibly 12r attack skill as one of two, we're talking about a third energy attack skill for special use (likely as an opener until it only hits a single foe). I tested this as an opening attack skill to spam until either it triggered the 12s recharge (popping flash, etc. enchantments as I went) or until Reaper's Sweep was fueled. This looks like the most promising use. Others might be when facing lots of minions (though Banishing Strike may be better) or spirit spammers to chew through the low armored spirits in seconds....
Reaper's Sweep [Farmer's Scythe]: Farmer's Scythe, Victorious Sweep, Zealous Renewal, Eremite's Zeal, [D-Enchantment], Irresistible Sweep, Reaper's Sweep, [Open]
~0:23:07 Regarding Reap Impurities.... Can't see using this except in the Fragility based strategy unless in a Flash-Teardown Attack-Reap Impurities combo when the condition applied will be either short lived anyway and/or can be quickly reapplied. I would not use with blind or crippled since these are a bit harder to get started. Burning and cracked armor can be quickly reapplied by your team. The flash enchantments that jump out are Rending Aura, Mystic Corruption, Staggering Force, and Heart of Holy Flame....
~0:25:35 Regarding Reaper's Sweep... Using with Aftershock is a good idea, so you may be shorting this elite a bit. Besides the Farmer's Scythe option above, if hitting three foes Zealous Sweep should give one 6 strikes of adrenaline. Paired with a teardown of Balthazar's Rage and you've charged Reaper's in short order.....
Reaper's Sweep [Aftershock]: Zealous Sweep, Victorious Sweep, Zealous Renewal, Eremite's Zeal, Balthazar's Rage, Irresistible Sweep, Reaper's Sweep, Aftershock
Of the adrenaline attack skills, Chilling Victory tends to be one that I will go to. Hopefully by the time this charges up, your foes with have less health to trigger the bonus damage. Works well with deep wound (e.g. Wounding Strike) and against Destroyers. Not a fan of Crippling Sweep/Victory. First, crippling not as much value in PvE. Second, hitting moving foes is a hard conditional effect to meet. I can see value here if I'm trying to snare for nukes from my backline, but I'd rather my backline have there own snares to support their own spells. Can see taking Crip Victory for the earth damage if that's better than the cold from Chilling.
Eremite's Attack just fails since Irresistible Sweep exists. Farmer's Attack seems fail to me as well. Why use a conditional effect +damage spam attack that only affects adjacent when you can use a teardown tactic that can give you more damage type options and over a wider area? I might reconsider for a lead attack skill for a teardown chain vs. large mobs.
Okay, what's not to love about Irresistible Sweep? I use this a lot as a lead attack skill in a teardown chain and as a 3rd attack skill in reserve for stances. Maybe I'm wrong but assuming not, when the conditional effect requirement is met (usually easy) this does +damage, is unblockable, and removes a stance. For 5e and 6 sec recharge, that's a lot of banging for bucks. Not on every bar but many of them.
Thought's on the Lyssa's Assault et. al. skills: Clearly the developers wanted to provide some rupt options for melee. For me in PvE, this usually means some longer cast time spell that has wipe potential or a hard rez. Furthermore, the must rupt spell may be coming as soon as aggro. What are my skill options for must rupt is then the question. These melee range options just seem unreliable for all kinds of reasons. Any profession could go x/Me for a rupt, but a great option is almost always "You Move Like A Dwarf!". It's an immediate shout that knocks-down the target. Even if a hero beats you to the rupt, you will still get the benefit of damage, the KD, and crippled.
Pious Assault is just boss and will almost always be on my teardown build unless I'm using Wounding Strike. When using PA, it is advised to have at least 3 feeder enchantments to provide some insurance that you want get caught naked and suffer the longer recharge. Radiant Scythe is one of those solid options when my bar is unusually compressed with some open slots. It has some plus damage, provides some energy, and uses normally free adrenaline, It gets a much closer look when I'm facing e-denial, but note that the +damage is likely to be lower than expected in those situations.
As you stated, I would never use Reap Impurities unless I'm also using Fragility and my team can quickly reapply conditions. I will note that conditions applied by dervs tend to be short durations anyway, so I can possibly see this used as a 1-2 punch with some applicable derv enchantment even when the opposition has decent condition removal and/or not using Fragility.
You are a brother from another mother in regard to Reaper's Sweep. Where are you getting aoe knock-down? I read this as only target, but I've never used or tested. If it is aoe KD, then I wouldn't label a complete fail though would still never use. I simple do not want to wait for 8a to use my elite skill at the beginning of a battle when I most need it.
To me Rending Sweep is one of the more attractive of the hard to remove enemy enchantment removal skills since it has other benefits and would be free adrenaline on my typical bar. Wouldn't be of much use against blocking enchantments; however, are any of those impossible to remove by normal means? I'm thinking of enchantments like Vow of Silence. Either way, free adrenaline and helps your backline with their stripping duties. Twin Moon is just an option when I have a free adrenaline slot in my teardown build. Relieves your healers.
Big fan of Victorious Strike. This is my go to lead attack skill whether using a teardown build or not. Plus damage, relieves healers, quick recharge. Sometimes go for (e.g.) Irresistible Sweep in that slot when I need those effects, but this one is never wrong and that means something. On the other end of the scale, I would only use Wearing Strike if I want to apply deep wound to non-fleshy foes in a teardown build; otherwise, I may be using....
Wounding Strike. If I'm not using Pious Renewal as my elite skill, I am using this, so an easy 5 rating. Of course the limiting factors are fighting fleshy foes and wanting to apply conditions. Zealous Strike is simply an option for my lead attack in a tear down build where I'm also using adrenaline. I suppose it has some use in a non-teardown or when facing e-denial, but the recharge isn't good.