Re: Most Useful Rituals and Equipment......
 

Flying makes the difference. Try it for yourself.

Re: Most Useful Rituals and Equipment......
 

I have to say I like a Shroud of the Battle Saint with E9 and either S9 or a minor nature blessing (or, Pantokrator forbid, both), a lot. Paired with Bracers of Protection, I think this beats out all body protections at Construction 6 except for Bone Armor.

Re: Most Useful Rituals and Equipment......
 

I am 100% sure that Elixir of Life works on lifeless.

You want Boots to trample more and faster. But for stymphalan wings boots of long strides are cheaper and do the same job. The biggest Golem killer is turn50 limit. Elixir protects him from other unlucky things. And it's hard to fill his misc slots properly anyway.