Guild Wars 2

I just started playing this week, and have read a lot about the classes I am most interested in and am currently torn between Guardian and Necromancer. I like Necromancers more and would really REALLY like to have a good summoning build .
My hesitation comes from my desire to have a support build, as well. I understand wells may be the best way to do this, but am struggling with a build. A full wells build seems to be somewhat lacking in consistent support for a team. I have this:
http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?fQAQNAndWjQaV6haea8bKApCYP9o7xFH+Qu0HKH

With the idea being that I lay down wells and use Reaper’s Touch on the focus for sporadic healing and Mark of blood on Staff. Ghastly Claws on Axe helps me build Life Force to Death Shroud and then heal with Life Transfer.
Am I even getting a general idea of how builds work or am I way off base? Additionally, is this the best support build for necromancer?
If Necromancers simply don’t have a decent way to support, then I should probably play a Guardian with Spirit Weapons to include my desire for a summoning build.

Wells Vulnerability, Blind with chill/blind trait make team fights seem like 5v1. You run that and Mesmer Time warp, you might as well be fighting NPCs in the starter zone.

I assume you are talking about sPvP/WvW and not dungeons, right?

Wells are extremely powerful, but you have to make your target sit in it or its a long cooldown wasted. If you’re using wells you also want to have as many immobilizes and knockbacks/downs as possible to keep them in the wells for the total duration.

In general I’ve found Well of Corruption to be more powerful than Well of Power, only because there is already so much condition removal you almost don’t need to bring any to your allies. But boon removal is few and far between and extremely useful against classes like the guardian and ele.

I would almost suggest taking 10 points from Blood magic as our health siphoning isn’t all that great. Siphoning on wells is only good if you can keep multiple targets in your wells at all times, for the full duration. Instead, I’d put at least 5 more in Soul Reaping for trait X, generate 3% life force on marks. It is our best way to gain life force right now.

If you don’t want to take 10 points from Blood Magic, then I’d suggest changing your 3rd Major trait to IV, create a well of blood when you revive an ally. Well of Blood is an extremely powerful heal

I don’t intend to PvP much (although occassionally), so no I meant mostly dungeons. I will look over the build and make those changes. Additionally, I see the purpose of specializing in conditions that protect the team (blind, chill) rather than actual heals as a Guardian would do, and will be exploring that option as well.

Summoning/Pet builds work better for Ranger with their pet and spirits and Guardian with Spirit Weapons.

Minion Master dosnt work well for Necromancers yet…

As for a well build, try these links.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLFpbNHRbDw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvSV9CzokOo
Pvp Wells build.

I don’t know which one is better from a numerical “paper theorycraft” perspective, but I’ll tell you that as a Guardian, your support skills are a lot less of a hassle to get people to make use of.

As a Guardian no one has to stand in a Well to get healed, or be near a Mark or a Well to get cleansed, or anything of the like.
If you want to cleanse someone you just get within 900 units of them and use a Shout (with Pure of Voice trait).
If you want to heal people and apply Regeneration you just use Hold the Line, or your healing Virtue, or your auto-attack from Mace, or drop the Mace 2 symbol on top of a melee (people generally know to stack on Guardian symbols anyway, since Guardian Hammer symbol gives Protection, and people group with Guardians way more than with Necros).

Also, there’s just a social stigma against Necro. Part of it is that people don’t understand the class, don’t know what it can do, and because it’s a high skill ceiling low skill floor class, they’ve likely often grouped with underperforming Necros while at the same time not realized what benefits a good Necro actually brought to them (a real double whammy).
As a Guardian everything I do is very flashy and obvious; it’s very obvious when I put down a wall and reflect projectiles, it’s very obvious when I’m reviving someone and a big bubble is surrounding them, it’s very obvious when I shout “STAND YOUR GROUND!” and no one gets knocked away by a harpy bolt, or when a big blue shield crest appears on your character and the word BLOCKED comes up across your screen after some boss was winding up a huge whack but instead you took no damage.
I’ve heard “Phew thank goodness for Aegis!” so many times. I don’t think I’ve ever heard “Phew thank goodness for that carefully timed Darkness well!” or the like.

Again, none of this necessarily means that Necro is intrinsically bad; but you’ll certainly have to work much harder, receive a lot less praise, and often go unrecognized. Meanwhile even a mediocre Guardian is an asset, while a truly great one (one that uses Aegis skills to block important things, cleanses, uses Stability smartly, revives people quickly, provides constant AoE healing, etc) will really shine.

I would just like to comment that Miseris hit the nail on the head with why people seem to find Necros “less effective” or “underperforming” in PvE compared to other classes. Well-written post, sir.

It also helps that Aegis works versus bosses, whereas Blind is reduced to pathetic levels of effectiveness against them.

Interesting. Okay what I may do then is play a Guardian first to really get to learn the game. If I can summon and support fairly easily as a Guardian, that may be better to start, before trying a necro. Obviously, I don’t know the dungeons or the bosses and I don’t have good timing yet. If Necromancer needs that to be solid in a dungeon, that doesn’t describe me yet.
I will return to necromancer after I have learned the game by playing a Guardian. Hopefully by then, the minion AI and the other things I hear about Necro will be resolved.
Besides, I kinda wanted to be a Sylvari for my first character, but a Sylvari Guardian is more fascinating to me than a necro. I also like being a “hipster” I believe you people call it and it seems like there are far more Sylvari Necros than Guardians.
Thanks for the advice, even if it was that another profession would suit me more.

Ramiah.5648:

Interesting. Okay what I may do then is play a Guardian first to really get to learn the game. If I can summon and support fairly easily as a Guardian, that may be better to start, before trying a necro. Obviously, I don’t know the dungeons or the bosses and I don’t have good timing yet. If Necromancer needs that to be solid in a dungeon, that doesn’t describe me yet.
I will return to necromancer after I have learned the game by playing a Guardian. Hopefully by then, the minion AI and the other things I hear about Necro will be resolved.
Besides, I kinda wanted to be a Sylvari for my first character, but a Sylvari Guardian is more fascinating to me than a necro. I also like being a “hipster” I believe you people call it and it seems like there are far more Sylvari Necros than Guardians.
Thanks for the advice, even if it was that another profession would suit me more.

just sayin’ sylvari guardian isn’t all that hipster. If you want hipster you would need to go charr mesmer or something.