Guild Wars 2

Hello Necro community,

So I have seen some comments on the Thief forum stating that Necros have much higher condition damage output than Thieves. I have in contrary run PvE content with Necros and it seems that stuff dies noticeably slower with one in a group. So I’d like some input from your community on how well your condition builds work.

Just for an overview as a Thief I can que up approximately 30K damage within 10 seconds that rolls out over 17 seconds for each application. I can generally keep 18K worth of damage rolling on a few targets at any given time. My DB bleeds tick for 110 and go for 17 seconds maintaining 12 stacks minimum.

I feel I have a decent grasp on the condition builds for my Thief. I run a Carrion-esque gear set with Nightmare rune set and some Condition Duration with Super Veggie Pizzas… I run a 0/20/0/20/30 build for these numbers.

What can you guys do?

This is meant to be an information gathering post, not a ’who’s better’ post. I would like to understand what Necro’s can do as I lead some PvE dungeon runs for my guild. Please help me keep this constructive

Blood~

PS I’m interested in running a Necro alt.

Really, only thing Necros have going on for them regarding Conditions is Epidemic. That’s it. Others are better at applying conditions, they have better damaging conditions like Burning and also better direct damage on top of the conditions.

Full rabid gear, carrion accessoirs, veggie, tuning crystal maintaining 12+ stacks at 160/tic, while having very high toughness and high hp.

Though the power of the condition necro isn’t the damage, every class can reach those numbers, some even higher. It is the spreading of conditions via epidemic, turning boons into conditions and sending conditions on your group to the enemy.

Shizo,

What’s the duration of your 160/tic’s?

Few enemies in PvE use “Save Your Self” to get ridiculous amounts of boons, and it doesn’t do anything to the Defiant stacks. So short short of condition manipulation necro’s are probably one of the weakest single target condition damage professions in the game (ignoring Guardian and Mesmer because they just don’t have viable condition builds). And quite a few builds are pretty much on par with the necro in terms of AoE condition application, I guess the best thing necro’s have is the AoE chill on staff which is pretty good, but that’s about it, and you have to blow 3 skills between 2 weapon sets, and DS 2, and get the 3 stacks of bleeding from Geomancy to be able to get up to 19 stacks of bleed, mean while a thief just has to hit a utility and mash 3, and still has several other weapon skills that have great utility.

as Zoke said, we have to use multiple skills to add bleeding, so it goes from 7 from scepter#1/procs, 12 seconds scepter#2, 14 seconds dagger#5 and blood is power for 42 seconds.

Other classes have it probably easier to apply conditions, but epidemic rules them all.

Leveling up a thief and spvp with one. Thief stacks bleeds alot faster with DD.

Necro has other things going for it condition control for example and the ability epidemic.

However Thiefs and Engineers I know for a fact do more condition damage on single targets because of how fast they stack bleeds and burning options. My thief is pure conditions build works outstanding in pve and spvp.

Necro with staff and traited with larger / faster recharge / unblockable marks + ground targetted wells = good aoe damage + lifesteal / blind fields, especially if someone decides to splash around in it.

Delsabre.5934:

Necro with staff and traited with larger / faster recharge / unblockable marks + ground targetted wells = good aoe damage + lifesteal / blind fields, especially if someone decides to splash around in it.

Ill post a vid of my thief someday spaming aoe 25 stacks of bleeds while he cant be hit because evade is built into the aoe bleed stacking attack. Its LOL, no idea why thiefs dont farm with condition builds probably because people just likes big crits /shrug.

Killing groups of mobs is faster with a thief.

Necro is more utility group support while putting down solid conditions, has its role.

Thank you for the responses. Cleared up a few questions.

Blood~

i think it’s easier to stack to 25 (aoe) bleeds with thief and do more damage.
Probably more risky since you need to be closer to apply the bleeds than the necro does (aside from necro dodge roll mark if he is using that trait).

The only reasons I can think thief would say that is 1. epidemic (caltrops and dagger 3 is aoe anyway) 2. in pvp if the condi thief takes on a condi necro it is fairly easy for the necro to faceroll him and stack a ton of bleeds on him via staff 4, plague signet. There seem to be a lot of condi thieves in spvp atm.

Right way to do it: stealth after stacking bleeds on necro to ensure he takes maximum condition damage (so no dumping all intiaitive through dagger 3 then being unable to stealth unless you have SR)

let them stack as much conditions on you as they can as fast as they can , transfer the conditions back to them, consume conditions & wach them die by their own conditions.
Tbh players should we warry when condition fighting with a necro.

I’ve never played a heavy condition spec, so I wouldn’t know, but what’s nice about necros conditions is the variety of conditions they can reliably apply. They have a lot of every condition but Burning, basically. And only one Immobilize. (does bone fiend still immo?)

Mega Skeleton.8259:

I’ve never played a heavy condition spec, so I wouldn’t know, but what’s nice about necros conditions is the variety of conditions they can reliably apply. They have a lot of every condition but Burning, basically. And only one Immobilize. (does bone fiend still immo?)

Bone Fiend still immobilizes.

Necros are capable of causing every condition but burning on their own (Confusion has to be done via combos with Spectral Wall, but it can be done).

Really, IMO, the strength of condition necro as opposed to condition-anything else is that necro conditions are much more reliable. They don’t stack up as high, but they are extremely difficult to actually get rid of, since the necro reapplies them as fast as you can cleanse.

This thread sums the Necro problem very well. It possesses Epidemic which makes it great at spreading conditions and that is amazing in PvE.

However it’s slow to apply them which makes it weak for PvP. Warriors, Rangers and Thieves can all apply Bleeds much faster.

Sebyos.4089:

This thread sums the Necro problem very well. It possesses Epidemic which makes it great at spreading conditions and that is amazing in PvE.

However it’s slow to apply them which makes it weak for PvP. Warriors, Rangers and Thieves can all apply Bleeds much faster.

Its not a problem, its how necros are, in/out Ds to absorb some dmg, dodge heavy blows & slowly dmg them till deat. Neros arent meant for direct dmg, they are meant to outlast & suck the oponent dry, its their playstyle. Necro has one of the most special fighting mechanics.

Its a playstyle.

If there is a good necro on your team the warrior/ranger or Thief that stacks bleeds best not fight where the necro is.

staff used at the right place and time. GG

Anyway I thought it was more PvE related, condition Thief is faster then a necro imo.

Bloodgruve.6038:

This is meant to be an information gathering post, not a ’who’s better’ post. I would like to understand what Necro’s can do as I lead some PvE dungeon runs for my guild. Please help me keep this constructive

Condition Bleed Duration Cap, was discussed a while back. Includes the maximum PvE duration for Necromancer bleeds.