Guild Wars 2

I feel that the death magic trait line has poor quality and the trait for wells is poorly excuted
here is what i think they should change

Vampiric rituals
Wells have a shorter cooldown. Wells grant protection to allies when cast. Create a shambling horror whenever you cast a well.(Minions die after 21seconds)
reduce recharge 20%
Protection 3sec
Shambling horror life time 21seconds

Reaper’s touch
send out a scythe that bounces between foes and allies. Cause vulnerability on foes and regeneration on allies. It creates a jagged horror on its first hit.

Jagged horror
change the amount the health they lose per second to 200-250 instead of around 350

with these changes the death magic trait line now can see use even if you dont take minion utility skills, synergy with between trait lines. Maybe worth taking well of blood for once in the game.

So, because death magic trait line is of poor quality, you make changes on a trait in blood magic, a focus skill and improve a minion’s survivability…

Sorry but it doesn’t feel legit.

The death magic trait line have 2 lines of trait that couldn’t care less about minions skills. Beside the synergy of minions with blood magic is already pretty good thanks to vampiric and those traits that heal in aoe.

I won’t say that vampiric ritual in it’s shape is good but at least it’s decent and fit he theme. If we had to get rid of something in this trait it would be the 3 seconds of protection. However it’s really hard to let go of one of our very few way to support allies.

Creating a jagged horror on reaper touch on the first hit won’t improve the skill at all or death magic. The issue of reaper touch is a mechanic issue. Simply put when the skill bounce on an ally the effect is not worth the cost of the skill. So either :

1- They work around the effect on allies

or

2- They change the effects to do splash damage/regen on bounce

or

3- They get rid of the fact that it bounce on allies

Jagged horror are somewhat balanced atm the life degeneration is necessary in order to not keep them undefinitely with us. These are temporary minion that need to stay as they are. Reducing the life degeneration will only lead to them being easier to keep around which is something that is not needed.

death magic has 3 traits devoted to minions. we are forced to pick minion skills if we even think about these 3 traits. Having a few other ways to create minions does improve this trait line. Yes there are two other traits per section that could also use improvement but that wasn’t the focus of these traits.

creating a minion on the first bounce actually would help nicely. At far range if no one is near the enemy you target the skill doesn’t bounce because no one is in range. with this you could use it at max range and get full effect on one target now.

I say no to minions on wells or focus.

The main problem with vampiric rituals is simply that half of our wells are not good (bloodwell, Well of Darkness) or dont really fit in any decent build (well of power). Though a little imporvement to the trait wouldnt be bad but NO minions. By the way the trait is actually taken by backline necros in wvw, so i would say it sees more uses then some other traits of ours.

For focus the problem is a little different.
Reapers touch at point blank range is actually decent and the mechanical problems dadnir spoke of only happens when there is some distance between the targets (which is obviously not ok but you can work around it). If there is something i would change about this skill (apart from its strange behavior sometimes) is change the regeneration to ether protection or fury. Regeneration on necros is sadly a good amount of time useless namely the time in shroud.

For the other skill on focus spinal shivers. The recent casttime reduction helped it a lot though i am still not sure if it is enough for this skill.

No, these are all bad changes.

If you want to make death magic a better line, it is better to directly target the tree’s weak traits i.e. make soul comprehension something that isn’t kitten .

I don’t think it would make death magic more desirable but rather blood magic and spite. Honestly the tree is just bad: they already slotted 3/4 minion traits in and then they make the most niche/weak things in as well. So replace putrid defense, soul comprehension, reapers protection and deathly strength for some real defensive skills. Here is an old idea of mine for a necroish defensive trait:
shrouded resistance: when entering shroud your life force bar can’t decrease for 2 seconds, increase the cooldown off exit shroud skills by 2 seconds.
Also move unholy sanctuary to blood magic remove unholy martyr (which is objectively a worse version of vital persistance).

Tim.6450:

Also move unholy sanctuary to blood magic remove unholy martyr (which is objectively a worse version of vital persistance).

While i would like to see this it is unlikely to ever happen since the devs said that they wanted the grandmaster traits in bm to have atleast some support functionality (wells give aoe protection, ally condi removel, healing, rezz etc.).

Muchacho.2390:

Tim.6450:

Also move unholy sanctuary to blood magic remove unholy martyr (which is objectively a worse version of vital persistance).

While i would like to see this it is unlikely to ever happen since the devs said that they wanted the grandmaster traits in bm to have atleast some support functionality (wells give aoe protection, ally condi removel, healing, rezz etc.).

I also recall the devs saying that warriors should be weak against conditions or necro’s being attrition. Either way the support value of this trait (if it really needs it) is that it allows you to use life from death more freely and your support actually has to live to do support.

I do not see how these changes make spite more desirable. I think it does make blood magic more desirable because i think the wells trait would be really useful instead of feeling like a 20% cooldown reduction.
It make death magic more useful because we can now create minions without having to take minion utilities. Minion traits might be taken by non- minion mancer builds. Minion mancer would even have more options to pick from.
this is how death magic is improved.

Tadsoul.6951:

I do not see how these changes make spite more desirable.

You are going to run wells without spite? Your damage will be like a wet noodle while have zero reaper synergy.

Tadsoul.6951:

I think it does make blood magic more desirable because i think the wells trait would be really useful instead of feeling like a 20% cooldown reduction.

I think the trait is fine if wells themselves had some more presence.

Tadsoul.6951:

It make death magic more useful because we can now create minions without having to take minion utilities. Minion traits might be taken by non- minion mancer builds. Minion mancer would even have more options to pick from.
this is how death magic is improved.

Reaper has like up to five jagged horrors and they don’t take them and reaper death, magic and blood magic seems like the recipe of low damage and low life force.

Tim.6450:

Tadsoul.6951:

It make death magic more useful because we can now create minions without having to take minion utilities. Minion traits might be taken by non- minion mancer builds. Minion mancer would even have more options to pick from.
this is how death magic is improved.

Reaper has like up to five jagged horrors and they don’t take them and reaper death, magic and blood magic seems like the recipe of low damage and low life force.

Taking reaper, deathmagic and bloodmagic is fine. A minionmancer actually doesnt need soul reaping (or spite) to work.

That said i dont want more traits that generate minions especially outside of deathmagic.

Muchacho.2390:

Tim.6450:

Tadsoul.6951:

It make death magic more useful because we can now create minions without having to take minion utilities. Minion traits might be taken by non- minion mancer builds. Minion mancer would even have more options to pick from.
this is how death magic is improved.

Reaper has like up to five jagged horrors and they don’t take them and reaper death, magic and blood magic seems like the recipe of low damage and low life force.

Taking reaper, deathmagic and bloodmagic is fine. A minionmancer actually doesnt need soul reaping (or spite) to work.

That said i dont want more traits that generate minions especially outside of deathmagic.

I know it works for normal minionmancers but he suggested a build which would use non minion utilities for minion generation. Instead of those minions you get shambling horrors which mean no life force from deaths and almost no minion damage except golem.

I think way we spawn Jagged Horrors through Death Nova is clunky. Having on death effects are bit out of touch with what is reality, as if you were killing something you obviously dont need much help.

Edit: Minion spawn in Death Nova could be made that it spawns from per foe hit by a Shroud 5 – only skill in shroud which has the least interaction with traits individually. For regular Shroud 5, minions can spawn on the end explode hit (and hit made dodgeable for counterplay), and for Reaper Shroud 5 it can spawn per enemy that enters the ice field (counterplay is interrupting or avoiding the huge hit and staying away from field).