Proposal for Raids 4 Loot: Upgraded Spirit Shields With Special Attacks (Group Utility, Nex Example,

[pure crescent]

With Raids 4 likely being more group-oriented, this is a good opportunity to add defensive team support without affecting BIS DPS metas. Items like the Soulflame Horn already show how team utility can exist without boosting raw damage. Spirit shields could fill that same role but defensively. In group content, players can choose support tools instead of just damage tools. This does not replace BIS DPS setups, does not increase damage and does not introduce power creep. It simply gives teams optional defensive utility.

Raids 4 could drop upgrade components that modify spirit shields at a special forge. Aetheric Catalyst enables modification. Bulwark Catalyst upgrades the Elysian, Sanctified Sigil upgrades the Spectral and Runic Conduit upgrades the Arcane. A very rare Sigil of Convergence could fuse all three upgraded shields into a Divine Spirit Aegis as a prestige support item.

Upgraded Elysian Shield (Tank): Reflective Guard reduces incoming damage and reflects a portion back. Group Fortify reduces incoming damage for nearby players while the user takes even less.

Upgraded Spectral Shield (Prayer): Sanctuary Field creates a 3x3 zone that reduces prayer drain and slowly restores prayer. Divine Sustain slows overhead prayer drain for the user and nearby players.

Upgraded Arcane Shield (Magic): Group Arcane Focus increases magic accuracy for nearby players and reduces splash chance. Arcane Surge Field creates a 3x3 zone that provides minor magic accuracy or defense.

These upgrades give spirit shields actual utility in group content without power creep and help keep them relevant in modern PvM.

[tender tusk]

If we look at the Elidinis' ward we can see why tying anying to Corp Sigils is bad. The item is at alch value because the limiting component is the sigil, just like with the Pegasian crystal/boots.

On top of that, I don't really think the shields need to be any stronger than they are, and these AoE effects seem like they're pretty much just designed for alting/boosting

[pure crescent]

The Ward comparison doesn’t really make sense here. Elidinis’ Ward has no special attack, no utility effect, and was designed as a static stat item, so of course its price is tied directly to its components. What I’m suggesting isn’t “more stats,” it’s utility-based support for group content.

Also, the idea that spirit shields “don’t need to be stronger” ignores the reality that they’re already barely used. Outside of a few niche tank scenarios, you almost never see Elysian, Spectral, or Arcane in modern group PvM. In ToA, ToB, CoX, Nex, Corp, and other multi fights, teams overwhelmingly prioritize DPS and supplies because the shields bring nothing to the table in terms of team support. That’s exactly the problem being addressed.

As for the “AoE = boosting” take, that just isn’t accurate. Support tools are normal in modern PvM design (Soulflame Horn, thralls, Ancient Sceptre debuffs, Vardorvis slow, etc). None of those exist for “boosting,” they exist to give teams more strategic depth. This proposal does the same thing without raw damage buffs and without power creep.

[tender tusk]

Your argument works against itself though - the Elidinis' ward (f) is a valuable item because it's powerful offensively, and the Elysian spirit shield is already more than strong enough defensively. Using any of these items isn't worthwhile because the best way to reduce damage and prayer usage is to kill things faster, not to troll your DPS. If these items were powerful enough to the point where they were worth giving up that much DPS (offhands being one of the most important gear slots for one-handed melee and ranged), then these effects would be stronger than they have any right being - especially if we're talking about prayer saving. The prayer one would be pretty much dead content outside of alting/boosting especially.

It's not a bad thing for the Spirit shields to be niche, and they're incredibly powerful where they are useful.

[pure crescent]

Your reply contradicts itself. The Ward (f) is valuable because it adds offensive magic stats, which is what it was designed for. Spirit shields were not designed for offense, so comparing them to the Ward is irrelevant. They fill different roles.

Saying “Ely is already strong enough defensively” also doesn’t match actual usage. Ely, Spectral and Arcane are almost never brought to group content because they provide nothing for the team. If an item sees almost no use, calling that “strong enough” ignores reality.

The “just kill faster” argument fails too. If that were the full answer, no one would bother with freezes, Blood spells, thralls, Soulflame Horn or tanking in group content. Group PvM in OSRS has never been pure dummy DPS.

Your offhand point actually proves why this idea makes sense. If a top-tier grind item is never worth equipping, giving it group utility is not power creep, it is relevance. Prayer sustain is also already part of OSRS via Spectral, and no one calls that boosting. None of this adds damage or DPS, so there is no power creep.

you are missing the point of the proposal. Raids 4 is expected to lean into group content, as stated in the stream. Nothing here is about raw buffs, just team support. Thanks for the input, but I disagree and with that, I digress. Goodluck to ya

[tender tusk]

People don’t use freezes in PvM unless they speed up the kill like at muttadile or maiden nylos, and they definitely don’t use blood spells unless the alternative is losing dps by eating/brewing such as on the nylo stack at Maiden. The Soulflame horn is specifically used to increase your dps by landing defense-drain specs. Thralls are the thing you said that most clearly demonstrates that you’re saying the opposite of what you mean, because thralls are the epitome of maximizing dps, and in the case of thralls that’s even at the cost of extra prayer points, yet they’re still used as many places as possible. Tanking also isn’t really relevant for PvM outside of low-level GWD and alting/boosting.

The fact that nothing here is buffs is why it would be either immediately dead content or so extremely overtuned as to be a bad addition. None of these things also change the fact that the Sigils would still far and away be the limiting component, unless you intend to make these items rarer than the raid’s megarare that will probably exist