Guild Wars 2

Death Shroud isn’t exactly underpowered, but it is comprised of a somewhat awkward amalgam of long and mid-ranged abilities while also being outright outclassed in many aspects by Reaper Shroud and the traits/abilities that come along with that spec. In an effort to give DS a more consistently sensible design and promote a competitive presence in combat, it may be best to look at investing in a primarily long-range design with emphasis on area denial and control, improvements to potential contribution in larger fights (more AoEs), and a more flexible mobility option (brief superspeed in place of a forced teleport to target when the set’s autoattack and CC—primary damage sources—are both respectively max-range abilities).

Eazy peazy lemon sqeazy, Death Shroud 2 is ground targeted(No other changes like casting time) and number 5 stacks on less then 5 targets /fixed

MasterElements.5023:

Eazy peazy lemon sqeazy, Death Shroud 2 is ground targeted(No other changes like casting time) and number 5 stacks on less then 5 targets /fixed

But then we’re wasting the fact that DS2 is a potential control ability. Either you teleport into someone for the CC and then use your 4/5 (both of which have relatively high cooldowns) before engaging in melee with the rest of your lower cooldown abilities which are all more appropriately used at long range. There’s no consistency between half of the bar. Why make the primary CC and autoattack max-range when the secondary CC can only forcibly bring you directly into a target? Yes, we understand that there is the potential to use DS2 for skipping through a field of enemies, but it is unblockable, not piercing. It’s an unwieldy ability to use as a raw repositioning skill, and turning it into a targeted blink would just probably end up seeing a lot of the enemy-targeted pressure wasted on an empty-area teleport or it would just plop a ranged Death Shroud user smack dab into the middle of an enemy’s range as it does now.

It needs more flexibility than it provides or would provide even as a targeted blink. Making it an area denial pressure skill with a free movement option along with CC makes far more sense than just turning into a ground-targeted skill.

Making Tainted Shackles into a long range, targeted ward line only helps to further complement this sort of design.

Life blast :
Superspeed : No no no no no and NO!

This is a boon that fit plenty other profession but absolutely not the necromancer. Please just understand that life blast only need a faster cast time and a faster projectile speed not more damage.

Dark path :
This skill have pretty good effect in itself. Which will lead me to simply say that it need no change except more reactivity. To make it good the dev only need to remove the fact that it is a projectile and make it a teleport. This projectile is burdensome and have virtually no interest for the game in itself. Beside, your idea become totally broken as soon as you take the trait path of corruption.

Doom :
Honnestly don’t touch this one, this is probably the best interrupt skill of the necromancer due to the fact that it’s one of our very few instant skills.

Life transfer :
Agree

Tainted shackle :
Not sure that it would end up better than what we already got.

Dadnir.5038:

Life blast :
Superspeed : No no no no no and NO!

This is a boon that fit

“Fit” is a thematic term relegated to flavor purposes. Flavor is not a means to balance mechanics. The mechanics of a class or ability need to be sound and fair. Then flavor can come and coat them. It doesn’t have to be superspeed, but it was a means to provide not only mobility for the form, but also an active trigger that fairly telegraphs big incoming damage while also providing the user an repositioning or escape option.

Dadnir.5038:

life blast only need a faster cast time and a faster projectile speed not more damage.

This has been the only change that GW2 has seen to the majority of its skills throughout its lifetime. The current meta is dominated by passives and instant abilities or abilities that activate below a threshold of time which would otherwise provide a fair opportunity for enemy counterplay. We’re talking about providing active triggers to fairly telegraphed abilities, not more of the same “balance” decisions we’ve seen for 4 years.

Dadnir.5038:

Dark path :
This skill have pretty good effect in itself. Which will lead me to simply say that it need no change except more reactivity. To make it good the dev only need to remove the fact that it is a projectile and make it a teleport. This projectile is burdensome and have virtually no interest for the game in itself. Beside, your idea become totally broken as soon as you take the trait path of corruption.

My point from before stands: if it’s made into a teleport it’s going to waste half of its potential with every use. If you use it to attack, you compromise your position as usual. If you use it to escape or reposition, you can easily waste the attack on nothing. It’s best off split into two triggers so players can keep it always as an attack, but still have the option to utilize a secondary effect as a mobility tool. I designed the idea on the basis of making it a good skill, not based on passive trait nonsense that can be redone anyway. If we’re so worried about that, the skill could just become a single arcing blast attack on a low cooldown to save the set from being nothing but 4 buttons into autoattack spam (like basically every other set).

Dadnir.5038:

Doom :
Honnestly don’t touch this one, this is probably the best interrupt skill of the necromancer due to the fact that it’s one of our very few instant skills.

Fast, but again ultimately unfair because of the instant cast. It’s also unwieldy to use because of the required target and it cannot be used against stealthed foes. Making it a secondary effect that it is tied to an AoE autoattack with a decent telegraph not only makes the ability fair, but also more flexible in use against larger numbers and stealthed foes.

Dadnir.5038:

Tainted shackle :
Not sure that it would end up better than what we already got.

Given that the rest of the set now revolves around long range damage, it would be a very strong addition to the shroud kitten nal. The fact that it’s a fast snare would also complement both long and close range playstyles.

Alright, did some touch-ups. Dark Path is a little more teleporty, but the most important thing is that it’s split into a chain set so the player can decide whether to keep pressure up with a low-cooldown ability or use the ability to reposition instantly with the penalty of a slightly longer cooldown.