I primarily would like to focus on defense in WvW. I like setting up defensive siege on the map and keeping eyes open for map activity to report to the commanders. I also enjoy repairing damage done to attacked locations on the map and defending locations from attacks with siege. As anyone who plays WvW can guess, this requires a character that can move around the map pretty fast and also a character that is great for AoE disruption of the enemy in the event that I have no siege to rely upon.
It sounds like you want either a Thief or an Elementalist for that. Necros are great in WvW, but if you’re specifically interested in map mobility, it’s hard to imagine a worse profession. Maybe the Guardian, who doesn’t have passive Movement Speed boosts, but I dunno.
Thieves make for the best scouts, period. They can tail a zerg with near-total impunity, get into any besieged building with stealth and teleports, and spam #2 on their shortbow for serious sustained AoE damage. It’s only 900 range, but you can use it on the inside of a door to deal major damage to the people on the outside of the door with 0 chance of retaliation (except, of course, for the boon Retaliation).
Elementalists are also pretty good scouts, though they have a harder time escaping than Thieves after their string of nerfs. It’s also virtually impossible to prevent an Ele from making it into a tower: they can use blinks and invulnerability moves to get near the tower and then pop Vapor Form if they fall to make it inside. Once inside, you can switch to Staff and get some of the best anti-zerg AoEs in the game. I tend to prefer throwing spells on my Ele to using arrow carts.
That said, if you keep your distance from the zerg, there are a few tricks you can use as a Necro to scout fairly safely. A purely defensive build with 20 in Death Magic for Reaper’s Protection and 30 in Blood Magic for all the Life Siphoning effects would be very difficult for roamers to take out quickly, potentially giving you time to escape to the nearest tower. It isn’t going to be the sure escape of a Thief, though; you’re going to have to work for your escape.
Making it inside besieged towers can also be tough for Necros as we don’t have any ways to avoid getting hit by the entire zerg. What you could do is pack some stunbreakers and start in Death Shroud, dodge twice, stunbreak when your DS dies, then pop Plague and hope you don’t get Immobilized for too long before making it to the tower. I’ve done it before, but it’s far from a sure thing.
Once you’re in the tower, our Staff can be really good for area denial or damage, but you’re not going to be able to deal as much damage as a Thief spamming #2 on the shortbow or an Ele blowing all their spells. Both of those guys are way better for taking out rams from the inside, for example.
THAT SAID, Necros are really strong in WvW. Build them power or condition, go class or tanky, take wells or corruptions or spectral skills, focus on Life Siphoning or even AoE healing, all those builds have their place and can work. We excel in zerg fights (as long as you make sure to position well and keep Plague slotted as an oh-kitten button) and can even roam pretty well as long as you avoid fighting more than 2 people at a time, but as far as mobility and disengagement go, those just aren’t supposed to be what the Necro is good at.
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I main Ele and Necro, though I have an alt of each profession at level 80.
How to Condi Reaper on a budget
Everything I say is only in reference to PvE and WvW.
