Set bonus
2 items: Adds 1487 Armor
3 items: Adds 1206 Maximum Health
4 items: Adds 1487 Armor
5 items: Casting an ability, drinking a potion, or using a poison that applies a Major or Minor buff to yourself or an ally, sends out a wave of energy that reduces the Armor of nearby enemies within 12 meters by 3541 for 15 seconds. This effect can occur once every 12 seconds, and will only occur if an enemy is within range.
Also Known As:
COR, Crimson, Crimson Oath.
When to use:
Add pulls & groups with Medium Armor users.
Where to obtain:
The Dread Cellar Dungeon (Waking Flame).
Set Weight:
Heavy Armor.
Which pieces to obtain:
All pieces for versatility – mostly Jewellery + Ice Staff.
Comments:
Crimson Oath’s Rive is an excellent tanking set that serves as a direct replacement for Roar of Alkosh, providing significant tanking benefits and an enemy debuff that enhances your group’s DPS. Unlike Alkosh, this set is easier to obtain and use, making it a practical choice for many tanks.
To meet the group’s penetration requirement of 18,200 on enemies, combining Crimson Oath’s Rive with Major and Minor Breach, along with an Infused Crusher Enchant, will provide a substantial 14,571 penetration. This set’s standout feature is its 360-degree coverage with a 12-meter radius, allowing you to apply the armor debuff to six enemies in a wide area. This is a significant advantage over Alkosh, which only affects a cone-shaped area in front of you.
The efficiency of Crimson Oath’s Rive is also superior because it can be activated on a specific bar, preventing accidental procs before you’ve stacked all the adds. This is particularly useful for add pulls, as enchantments typically only affect one enemy and don’t trigger on multiple targets. With this set, your group can maintain sufficient penetration even during multiple-enemy pulls, compensating for the lack of a Crusher enchant.
Damage dealers in medium armor will find this set especially beneficial since they often fall short of the penetration cap. Maintaining Crimson Oath’s Rive is exceptionally easy; simply cast a skill that applies a Major or Minor buff to activate it, ensuring a potential 100% uptime without relying on group synergies like Alkosh.
However, the set has its limitations. It only affects the closest six enemies, which can be problematic in add pulls with more than six targets. Additionally, during large packs of elite and minor enemies, the debuff might apply to less significant targets, reducing its effectiveness. These constraints prevent it from being a perfect 5-star set.
In boss fights, some groups prefer a damage dealer equipped with Alkosh instead of relying on a tank using Crimson Oath. If a group member is already using Alkosh, or if you have an Arcanist Main Tank using Runic Sunder with Tremorscale, it may be unnecessary to use Crimson Oath.
The usage of this set can vary depending on whether you are a Main Tank or Off Tank, and the specific setup may differ from group to group. Overall, Crimson Oath’s Rive is a versatile and efficient set that can greatly enhance your group’s performance when used correctly.
