According to the balance update, the following is the description of necromancer changes for 9/9:
Anet:Necromancer
Our focus for necromancers in this balance update has been on improving their survivability through utilities and traits as well as improving the overall effectiveness of their melee and skirmishing weapons. You’ll see that the dagger auto-attack will now hit two targets, while the axe’s animations have been tuned to be more fluid. Along with weapon skill updates, your utility skills have been updated to provide more survivability over time.
Changing 1 single utility is hardly enough to give meaningful impact to necromancer sustain and doesn’t even fit in line with your own description.
Below are issues and suggestions regarding necromancers from a post I made some time ago.
Necro PVE
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/Anet-this-is-just-wrong
-Summary: Necromancers unwanted in PVE Dungeons, this is unacceptable.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/Necromancer-utility-idea-Bone-Wall/first#post4191750
- Summary: Idea that addresses necromancer’s lack of group utility in PVE groups.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/PvE-Necro-needs-team-support-buffs/first#post4168935
- Summary: Ideas to improve necro, needed because of lack of utility for groups in PVE and cleave damage.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/PvE-Necro-Sig-of-Undeath-shorter-cast
- Summary: Signet of Undeath’s cast time is too long to be meaningful and the passive is weak too.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/Necro-Cleaving-Weapon/first#post4124139
- Summary: Necromancers lack cleave – only class that does.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/Suggestion-Necros-stronger-as-fight-goes-on/first#post4124077
- Summary: Highlights the idea that necromancers should be stronger as a fight goes on, although they currently don’t do that.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/PvE-Necromancer-Can-we-get-a-rebalance/first#post3995987
- Summary: Necromancer is unwanted in PVE, concerned for lack of direction.
Necro Stunbreaks
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/necro-Well-of-power-a-secondrate-stun-break/first#post4201607
- Summary: Well of Power doesn’t function as well as most other stunbreaks.
Necro Traits
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/Necromancer-Foot-in-the-Grave/first#post4200217
- Summary: Foot in the Grave is weak, despite high hypothetical stability uptimes. Promotes potential fixes to justify 30 point trait.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/Necromancer-Path-of-Midnight/first#post4190025
- Summary: Path of midnight offers a strangely smaller reduction in cast times compared to many other cooldown reducing traits.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/PVE-PVP-I-hate-necro-traits/first#post4177832
- Summary: Outlines weak Necromancer traits and lack of trait synergy.
Lack of DS Synergy/Functionality/Design
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/Why-can-t-necros-stomp-and-res-in-DS/first#post4198456
- Summary: Discusses necromancers being unable to stomp and rez in DS.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/Death-Shroud-Show-Skills-6-10-Cooldown/first#post4185839
- Summary: Display utilities while in DS so necros can make better decisions about leaving DS.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/Deathshroud-or-why-Blood-magic-is-pointless/first#post4093766
- Summary: DS prevents heals from all sources, including our own traits and class minor mechanics like siphons.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/PVP-Deathshroud-needs-redesign/first#post4084407
- Summary: Death Shroud is overwhelming when full and a big weakness when empty. A smaller more refillable bar may be better for everyone.
Lack of Necro Sustain/Attrition
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/put-stability-on-locust-signet/first
- Summary: Necromancers aren’t able to stay in fights well due to CC, although the class requires aggression to function well.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/recieving-heals-inside-ds-is-needed/first#post4060897
- Summary: Teammate heals are wasted when necromancers are in DS, and many Necro skills are also wasted by entering DS – including three #6 heal skills, all regeneration and siphon-like traits.
(edited by Roe.3679)