Cabalists are extremely versatile and gain a range of damage, debuff and utility spells. Combine these with possibly the best pet in the game and you have a Swiss-Army-Caster.

So what fancy spells do I have to play with ?

As a Matter Cabalist you’re primary spec line skills are :

Contamination – this is your main single target DOT (Damage Over Time) doing damage every 4 seconds for a total time of 24 seconds (6 ticks). There is also a baseline single target DOT spell called Corrosive Mist and whilst this is available to all Cabalists it uses more power and runs for less ticks than Contamination.

One of the great things about being a Matter Cabalist is the ability to stack DOTs. This means you can cast the specline AND baseline single target DOTs on a single target and each one will do it’s own line of damage at the same time.

Perforate Spirit – this is the much talked about AOE DOT doing the same amount of damage to each target in the affected radius (350) every 4 seconds for a total time of 24 seconds (6 ticks). Used correctly this can awesome in RvR however bear in mind it will break any mez affects on the targets so some thought needs to be put into it’s use. Use of this spell line can be a little problematic in PvE as everything you hit will almost instantly agro to you. That said it’s an ESSENTIAL tool for later leveling, see The Tangler Trick to see just how essential it is.

Clouded Sight – also know as Nearsight this spell line reduces the range of any person / mob that uses range attacks. The range on this spell line is a truly impressive 2,300 which allows you to cast before others are within their casting range. Against mobs this spell line is used primarily to pull, the nice range and low agro generated makes it an extremely handy tool. The real benefit of Clouded Sight is in RvR. Cast this on enemy Archers / Casters and at the highest level they will have their range reduced by a massive 65%. If that wasn’t good enough it lasts for 2 minutes, effectively taking them out of the fight. Truly awesome.

Reflective Backlash – a bit of an odd inclusion on the matter line this one. This is a damage shield which you can cast on your pet that reflects a percentage of all damage the pet takes back on to the attacker. You need to focus to maintain the shield spell meaning if you move the shield will fail. You also can’t cast whilst the shield is up. It drains power every 6 seconds and if you lose all your power the shield will fail. It’s no exaggeration to say that this turns your pet into a super-pet and this will form an invaluable part of your soloing lineup. One important point to note is if you break the shield spell you often have to wait a few seconds until you can cast again, this delay can be costly however can be avoided . . . moving forwards or backwards slightly will break the shield spell but avoid any time delay for your next cast.

Although not in the Matter spec line I should mention :

Lifetap - The Cabalist’s only Direct Damage (DD) spell. This quick casting nuke heals the caster at the same time by stealing hitpoints from the mob you just hit. Whilst this is a spell from the Body line the baseline version is a matter Cabalists only nuke however it can still do a great job, particularly when you reach the 40’s and have enough spec points to start rasing Body as well.

Cripple - Again from the Body baseline, this is your primary method of Crowd Control (CC). It's a single target spell and, when cast, can freeze an attacker in their tracks for a certain period of time. Be aware that it only stops them moving towards / away from you, the target can still cast and swing it's weapons. This ability can help immensly should a mob get the jump on you.

Debuffs - As a Cabalist you have 3 debuffs whihc you can use on opponents. These are Dexterity (-46 points), Strength (-46 points) and an instacast Attack Speed debuff (19% reduction). Debuffs can make quite a difference in both PvE and RvR so make sure to use them where possible.

In RvR it's worth noting that debuffs do not break any cc spells such as root or mesmerise.

There are other abilites which you have access to however the above are the ones you'll use the most.

You will also get certian shield spells as you progress. Keep these up at all times, particularly the personla Blade Turn gained at level 19.

How should I spec my Matter Cabalist ?

I would advise getting to level 3 in Spirit (to gain a useful spell called Convert Spirit - see Pet Recycling) then max out Matter until you hit 46. The goal is to reach level 46 in Matter when your character reaches level 46 in the game, placing all remaining points into Body to reduce the damage variance on your Lifetap nukes.

For a complete spell list take a look here.