Guild Wars 2

I use full Rabid on my Necro for WvW/PvP and while I like the extra Toughness, I’m not really sure what I’m getting out of the extra Precision. Since Condition builds rely primarily on (Condition Damage + Condition Duration) to deal most of the damage which isn’t dependent on Crit chance does it really make a big difference to have it or not? Without utilitzing ferocity normal crits are weak and conditions themselves can’t crit so is it just there mainly to help with on Crit Sigils? Coming from the Berserker meta I’ve always just gone for Precision thinking it was the normal thing to do, but when it comes to Condition builds it seems way less necessary/useful. What makes it a better choice compared to Dire/Carrion or the hybrid [Dire+Rabid] Ascended trinkets?

it depends on how many on-crit procs your build has. if on-crits aren’t a big part of it, you can honestly just go dire.

^ this exactly.

I like using rabid on my Mesmer due to Sharper Images and on my Engineer thanks to Sharpshooter , Incendiary Powder , and Infused Precision

All on-crit procs.

Most professions (if not all) have similar traits. I like a balance of Dire & Rabid just so I’ve got the crit % to proc those extra bleeds, burns, etc.

Like people already mentioned, it’s about the on-crit procs most condition builds have. For Necromancer this is the minor trait Barbed Precision that inflicts bleeding on critical hits, more bleeds = more damage. It’s one of our best ways to apply bleed, which is a very vital condition as it stacks in intensity.

Another thing is, ‘what else’ Power isn’t going to help your build much since your direct damage is very low and unless there’s some serious cleansing going on, it won’t outdamage the extra bleeds you could land and as Necromancer you’re already blessed with high Vitality, Plague Form and Death Shroud, do you really need any more? If the answer is yes, mix in some Dire, if no, keep your Rabid. Both are, in my opinion, viable.

I personally only play Power in zergs and don’t roam with a Necromancer, but in PvP I tried out both Rabid and Dire and Dire is severely lacking the bleeds (can’t have enough with all the cleansing around!)

Basically what other people have already mentioned. Thieves though are better off running dire or carrion, and rangers are sometimes better off running settlers or apothecary depending on whether or not regeneration uptime and the troll ungent heal is part of the build. Same thing for condition thieves that spec heavily into shadow arts, but its not as vital.

Necro, Engi, and Mesmer need mostly rabid and a touch of dire for extra vitality. I can’t say for warriors though, and please don’t play condi ele or guardian ever.