Guild Wars 2

I thought of posting this here to help show players how to approach the necro class when building for a stint in WvW.

Recently a player asked on reddit:

• “…I currently have a set of full trailbalzer’s gear but I’m having a hard time finding a build I’m comfortable with. I’ve tried both the shout reaper and chill reaper on metabattle.
  Looking for something solo / roaming with excellent sustain, that i can still take to a zerg and have some minor utility (fears)
  After a few hours playing tonight, I’ve come up with this:
  http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vRAQNBmWD7kjGooGs3Gw4GgeTsEMYxFxlYUk6KsF+VRJgAQDA-TFBAhAzKBB0NAp+DoyPA-w
  Anyway, appreciate any advice!”

Metabattle is probably a good place to go for any instant ‘workable’ build especially if you have little experience and no idea where to start. But perhaps, it is not a build that you are comfortable with and doesn’t really fit the play-style you envision. I like to think that necros are actually one of the few classes with quite a number of viable builds for WvW which we can explore and experiment further.

With that said, I’m showing you my reply to the reddit poster’s question above. It shows what goes through my mind when I look at a build and what the reddit player is hoping to achieve in his build and his preferred play-style. Hopefully this helps more players learn how to approach their own play-style and come out with a build that appeals to them! I learned how to think and approach my builds and play-styles thanks to the many seniors on this forum who had previously helped me out with their great advice too (like Flow, Hesacon and many others). So I’m giving back to this awesome forum and hope it helps lots more Necro lovers take big strides in WvW.

My reply to the reddit poster as below:

I think its important to have a flexible mind when thinking about WvW because the things you can do there is so varied and there are so many different types of enemies you will encounter. So don’t be afraid to change up your build slightly if you see the enemy from far and have time to do so. Even changing one utility skill helps greatly sometimes.

Okay, on to your build.

Boon corruption is a very unique set of skills on a Reaper that should be exploited to the fullest.

• Your build lacks boon corruption which would limit your prowess in zerg fights and even when solo/roaming against boon-heavy enemies.
• Your build has decent but limited condi management (staff 4 and healing) which would mean when you fight condi enemies, you will need to kill them fast within the uses of your two condi removal skills which can be quite challenging with the amount of condi spam on many classes these days.

Assuming you are going to run full trailblazers (which can work pretty well too) and don’t intend to raise your crit chance, Some changes you could try is:

• Drop terror trait for path of corruption. Simple boon corruption there to exploit. Terror’s damage is not that great and quite easily negated by all the stability/resistance/stun-breaks if you can’t corrupt their boons first. Chilling darkness trait has good synergy with path of corruption trait making your Reaper shroud skill 2 (does blind at the end) a deadly and versatile skill.
• Drop weakening shroud trait (which has limited uses without a higher base crit chance) for parasitic contagion which can give you decent sustain in small group roaming fights.
• Drop chilling nova trait (which has limited uses without a higher base crit chance) for Relentless Pursuit.

Play-style: Looking at the general direction of this build, without the speed of shadows trait and other traits that benefits ‘shroud flashing’ (meaning entering shroud and exiting almost immediately usually after one or two skills to benefit from certain traits like fury on enter or stability on enter or protection on leaving or casting a certain skill on enter etc.), I would suggest staying in shroud as long as you can maximize it, with your shroud auto (burning) and reduced cooldown shroud 2 dash to blind, chill, bleed and boon corrupt. Leave your shroud 3 stability on (meaning don’t use the 2nd cast Fear unless you really intend to interrupt or chain a combo).

Utilities-wise, for a start, use what you are most comfortable with. As you fight though, depending on which class/build you face, you will find certain utilities useless and others more useful. I’ll suggest taking the below 3 utilities that I find pretty helpful against most enemy classes/builds.

• Plague Signet is quite a useful all-round skill. Stun break against non-condi enemies and transfer condi against condi enemies.
• Corrupt Boon is a low-CD utility that will help you exploit a necro’s unique niche too.
• “Suffer!” shout is another low-CD utility that is pretty helpful in many scenarios. Can be used as bleed damage and can be used to clear condi, especially in small group roaming.

Runes Traveler runes if you are mostly running with friends and they don’t have swiftness to share just for the QOL. If running alone, probably Grenth or Krait.

Sigils any on-hit or on-swap sigils that do bleed or chill or some other condition damage would do fine. Definitely no on-crit sigils though due to your low crit chance.

Zerg when you are running to your zerg, just change your utilities. Plague signet to Well of Corruption and Corrupt Boon to Epidemic. Then you are all set!

I amended your build slightly so it looks something like this:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vRAQNBmWD7kjGo8GszGwcTgeTsUMYx/whYSMKA8tKAUPhpwtC-TFyFQBH4gAwRlgJ4CAAgnAQCV+hi9HSnuh8p+DhAUMHA-w

Analyzing my reply above, you will see points like these that go through my mind:

Play-style What sort of style do you prefer? A juking necro that is harder to lock down in a group fight? A heavy AOE pressure necro to support your team? A shroud flasher? Perhaps Boon corruption is King to you? Or Sustain style is the right way? and so on

For example:

• You like a Juking Necro that is hard to lock-down because your enemies are organized and like to target you first. Perhaps look at more mobile utilites like Spectral walk, Wurm and consider weapons like Warhorn.

Synergy What are the traits and utilities that synergize and makes your build stronger for your play-style?

For example:

• ‘shroud flashing’ (meaning entering shroud and exiting almost immediately usually after one or two skills to benefit from certain traits like fury on enter or stability on enter or protection on leaving or casting a certain skill on enter etc.) Perhaps you want to take more shroud entering/leaving related traits in your build?
• Chilling darkness trait has good synergy with path of corruption trait making your Reaper shroud skill 2 (does blind at the end) a deadly and versatile skill. Perhaps you want to take the faster Reaper shroud skills CD trait to maximize this Shroud 2 skill further?
• and so on

Compatibility How compatible are your armor and weapon choices and stats to your style and build? Are you using any ‘less useful’ stats that doesn’t contribute to your build? Are you financially strong enough to change them? If no, would you need to re-look at your build based on the armor and weapons you have?

For example:

• “…Assuming you are going to run full trailblazers (which can work pretty well too) and don’t intend to raise your crit chance…” then don’t use traits “which has limited uses without a higher base crit chance”
• If you want to go a sustain is king play-style, and had chosen the Blighter’s boon trait, would you want to think of using food or runes/sigils that gives you a ready access to boons to maximize this trait’s sustain?

I like to think of Necros in this way. We have such varied capabilities. We could be a jack of all trades (mix and match a few styles) or a master of one path (perhaps fully maximizing a single deadly play-style to achieve a sole purpose).

Hope the above helps!

EremiteAngel.9765:

I like to think that necros are actually one of the few classes with quite a number of viable builds for WvW which we can explore and experiment further.

I’d like to think that too, but here’s two words that completely void what you think: deathly chill.

Its a good reply though.

Dawdler.8521:

EremiteAngel.9765:

I like to think that necros are actually one of the few classes with quite a number of viable builds for WvW which we can explore and experiment further.

I’d like to think that too, but here’s two words that completely void what you think: deathly chill.

Its a good reply though.

We can only hope they convert it into a pure power trait when the new expac hits.

Dawdler.8521:

EremiteAngel.9765:

I like to think that necros are actually one of the few classes with quite a number of viable builds for WvW which we can explore and experiment further.

I’d like to think that too, but here’s two words that completely void what you think: deathly chill.

Its a good reply though.

hmm…well…even though deathly chill is a strong trait and probably a must have for a condi Reaper, there are many other ways you can build that condi Reaper. What other traits/utilities etc. to support the play-style that you like? There are many variations which I love about necro.

Also, power Reapers definitely still have a place which wouldn’t need deathly chill =D

For example, okay I want to play a condi Reaper. So I will take Deathly Chill. Everyone takes Deathly chill. But it isn’t the only thing that defines your build and play-style.

I play a shroud flasher build. So I take Shroud flash boosting traits.

Others I see take Deathly Chill too but play Curse + Spite for maximum carnage and boon destruction with off-hand focus and focus traits.

Some take Curse with DM for minion condi build or a more defensive turtling build.

And then the utilities too. Every condi Reaper takes Deathly chill. But some go more defensive with spectral armor/walk/wurm. Some are more aoe heavy with wells or CPC or pure shout builds.

Deahtly chill might be a must for condi Reaper. But it is only that one trait there. Still many ways to build your Reaper to suit your style!

Would a Curse (parasitic contagion) + Blood Magic siphon traits create a heavy sustain Condi Reaper? Or would it work better with Death Magic (minions) + Blood magic traits? I don’t know, I never tried. But if you like sustain, why not explore this possibility too? =D