Guild Wars 2

Even before the new specialization info, I have always wondered how I’d make an effective life siphon build without minions. After we learned about some of the changes they will make, it still seems minions will still have the most effective means of stealing life. Since we have to opportunity to ask the development team what we’d like to see, I would like to propose two traits that would make life siphon more effective for minions and the other for yourself. They’d have to be in the same spot, however, since you shouldn’t have both. I’m already aware that this is not really the best solution, since it would force a life siphon build into both death and blood traitlines. I’m sure you guys can come up with much better alternatives for this. If you can, please propose one on this thread.

I had another idea. This would scale well with group fights and being focus fired. If we have retaliation we heal for the amount that retaliation hits for, or for a percentage of retaliation. They could call it leeching retaliation or something like that. Protection might do something similar as well if they want. They will have to work the numbers, but it might be too strong.

“Heal for X% of outgoing retaliation damage” sounds interesting. We have an effect somewhat like this as the passive on Signet of Vampirism, and retaliation is an effect that naturally scales up against multiple opponents. Plus, retaliation is easier to add to skills and traits than minions.

Do you think this should be limited to only retaliation the Necromancer applies themselves? Perhaps expanded to heal allies / the necromancer if they manage to (somehow) apply retaliation to others?

Thoros.8019:

I had another idea. This would scale well with group fights and being focus fired. If we have retaliation we heal for the amount that retaliation hits for, or for a percentage of retaliation. They could call it leeching retaliation or something like that. Protection might do something similar as well if they want. They will have to work the numbers, but it might be too strong.

This is what SoV should have been no ICD heals based on received hits, it wouldn’t be too strong believe me on retaliation depending on it’s tier that his, way better attrition suggestions than DS.

Softspoken.2410:

“Heal for X% of outgoing retaliation damage” sounds interesting. We have an effect somewhat like this as the passive on Signet of Vampirism, and retaliation is an effect that naturally scales up against multiple opponents. Plus, retaliation is easier to add to skills and traits than minions.

Do you think this should be limited to only retaliation the Necromancer applies themselves? Perhaps expanded to heal allies / the necromancer if they manage to (somehow) apply retaliation to others?

If we are given more retaliation access, I would suggest this: all retaliation the necro receives apply that siphon trait. I hadn’t thought about team support, but retaliation applied by the necro could have similar effects. It’s a boon like any other, it’s easily removed. As long as we can’t apply it to allies constantly, I don’t see any problem letting allies leech health as well.

or, a better idea. Health we gain from retaliation heals allies near us. This would prevent as much focus fire on necro as well. Boon removal is still a good counter for it.

It would be really great if vampiric gave an aoe buff that allowed allies to siphon. It would be great offensive and defensive support. The numbers would still have to go up a little bit from where they are now though. Also Deathly Invigoration should be 1.5k base with 1.0 scaling because it needs to be at least that to be better than eles healing ripple.

How about this for SoV’s passive: “Whenever a nearby enemy attacks you or one of your allies, you and (up to 5) nearby allies siphon health from that enemy.”

No trait changes needed.

Gulesave.5073:

How about this for SoV: “Whenever a nearby enemy attacks you or one of your allies, you and (up to 5) nearby allies siphon health from that enemy.”

How hard can it be to remove an ICD,classified the passive as a siphon and make the active an AoE buff??

Or make the ICD per attacker, so something like Axe 2 doesn’t kill you but it still scales into fights.

I forgot about SoV, it’s awfully similar to my proposal, lol. I love your ideas. These are more what I feel the blood traitline should be going. If necro can’t have much stability or any blocks, etc, then we need more incoming hit procs for damage mitigation or buffs. Another idea I have is that whenever we are hit in death shroud (with an ICD), we aoe heal or give some team support of some kind. What do you guys think?

Thoros.8019:

I forgot about SoV, it’s awfully similar to my proposal, lol. I love your ideas. These are more what I feel the blood traitline should be going. If necro can’t have much stability or any blocks, etc, then we need more incoming hit procs for damage mitigation or buffs. Another idea I have is that whenever we are hit in death shroud (with an ICD), we aoe heal or give some team support of some kind. What do you guys think?

It would eventually be toxic because it would crash with their vision of necro “need to be hit but not punishing to those hitting” and their love of DS, you the point where nerfs will be rise. Same if DS ever becomes balanced for 5v5 it’s OPness in 1v1 would create a waves of QQ and nerfs, it’s a very annoying flaw.

First in the Blood magic line, Vampiric should become the Adept. Full of life and Blood to Power should be removed.

Replace full of Life with;
Satiated Appetite; Gain vigor when health stolen from a target reaches this threshold; 1000 health. 10s of vigor. (10s CD)

And replace Blood to power with;
- Spoil Victor; Steal more health the lower your health is.
Below 90% do 5% more health
Below 75% do 10% more health
Below 50% do 15% more health
Below 25% do 20% more health

Next we gut Mark of Blood;
- Lifebane Strike ; Life Blast steals health equal to of it’s damage. 10s cooldown

Then we gut Quickening thirst;
-Vampiric Swarm; Locust Swarm also steals health and has a larger radius. Radius increase to 180. Gain Locust Swarm at 25% health.

Then we change what Deathly Invigoration does;
- For the first 3 seconds of entering deathshroud, Steal health from those that attack you. Steal up to 25% of your maximum health. 30s cooldown

Great ideas.I don’t think these changes are unreasonable compared to the warrior’s 2k shout heals and engie burst heals. As necromancers we ought to be punishing when we strike or get focused.

I think the whole idea of life siphoning should be gutted and replaced with some engaging gameplay design. I don’t want to be healing 50 with every damage I deal.
I want to be able to make use of necro active mechanics used timely to grant substantial heals to myself and allies. Same with the condition manipulation, no more passive transfers and all this uninspired design…

leman.7682:

I think the whole idea of life siphoning should be gutted and replaced with some engaging gameplay design. I don’t want to be healing 50 with every damage I deal.
I want to be able to make use of necro active mechanics used timely to grant substantial heals to myself and allies. Same with the condition manipulation, no more passive transfers and all this uninspired design…

I think condition manipulation would be a good way to do Necromancer group support, but they definitely need to stop making it be on slow, passive effects.

Life stealing is a fun idea, and is pretty core to the theme that people expect of GW Necromancers. No point to scrap it when they can buff what we do have.

Not that there aren’t ways to add active healing as well, but that tends to be in the realm of skills, not traits.

leman.7682:

I think the whole idea of life siphoning should be gutted and replaced with some engaging gameplay design. I don’t want to be healing 50 with every damage I deal.
I want to be able to make use of necro active mechanics used timely to grant substantial heals to myself and allies. Same with the condition manipulation, no more passive transfers and all this uninspired design…

Siphon is active and a good attrition mechanic it’s just so kitten weak even with all those traits. DS need to get erased, a GM trait that shares your siphons with allies in an AoE around you fits instead of dumb Deathly Invigoration. Countless propositions of active necro style support have been made since launch, the barrier of DS and it’s mentality of limited active defenses/offense are just toxic.

I support reitalation and siphoning associated with it. i was thinking about the same after the stream where they exposed traits: since mesmers got reitalation removed because they did not deem good a thing where mesmers get hit in the theeth why not give it more to the necro, since both thematically and mechanically is more tied to this?
About siphoning or else, wathever – looks good enough to me.