Guild Wars 2

I’m having a lot of leveling and exploring with a Necromancer using all basic minions and a staff. I know this build is a bit outdated compared to the current power reaper and minion master reaper builds out there, but I love its lazy ranged playstyle. I’m just wondering what gear to get for it when I hit 80.

I was thinking of getting either Rampager or Berserker. I want to get Viper eventually, but that takes some money and time.

Pros of Rampager:
- condition damage boosts the bleeds and poisons applied by Jagged Horrors, as well as bleeds applied through Barbed Precision.
- decent crit % to trigger Barbed Precision (if I take this trait)
- still some power for direct damage

Cons of Rampager:
- low power

Pro’s of Berserker:
- high power for high direct damage
- decent crit % to trigger Barbed Precision

Cons of Berserker:
- no condition damage to boost bleeds or poisons.

So which set should I get when I hit level 80?

PS: I tried power reaper on my other necromancer (level 80) and found it pretty cool. However, for this character I wanted to try something different. So please don’t respond with suggestions to go with a power reaper anyway because it’s better or something. I’m not interested in that.

It really depends on what playable you want. Do you want to be condition damage or power? Thats your answer, unless you want us to tell you what direction we’d go in. I prefer to have some kind of decent defense on most of my chars, so personally I’d probably go with dire. Otherwise I’d go with rampaers.

I plan to get at least a part of my defense from Flesh of the Master. I mostly want my character to shine when doing Heart of Thorns map exploration, hero challenges and events.

This is more or less the build I had in mind, though the gear is obviously undecided:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vRAQNBmWDbkhGaqxuawtGYvxRwQNj6dIHknQKUCxkOAKXA-TBSLABDs/oZgUzfleFAkQ9nFVCa6DBAElfAoDAA-e

Since you are going for a condi build, it sounds like you should just get whatever armor set with condition damage is the cheapest while you save up for Vipers. I’m not sure why you would give up Reaper tho since you have HoT. Rise is so so good as a MM, and reaper’s shroud is so much better than death shroud. You don’t have to use a greatsword. You can still use scepter/x and staff for a condi build, or axe/dagger for a power build, and maintain your “lazy ranged playstyle” with minions.

I would recommend Rampager or Sinister (just depends on which you want more, precision or condition damage). Rampager with the high precision will also help proc plague sending, though that trait is more for corruption necro than MM necro (since you apply alot of conditions to yourself). Unholy Martyr would work well with that trait. Also you are using Necromantic Corruption, so it’s unlikely you will have enough conditions on you to use plague sending anyway (just a thought).

Might also wanna check out Lingering Curse since you are using scepter.

You could split it 50/50 Rampager and Berserker?

This is what I used to use pre-HoT, and it worked stupid well. I could 1v2 in pvp with it, and I literally never died in pve.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vRAQRBHbhG2IDN0Ujd1gbNwejDchC2mBwBMLimYJk5wOcDA-TJhGABB8EA4Y/BAOJALXGAA

It doesn’t work as well in pvp / wvw anymore because of powercreep, but as a minion mancer, your job is to keep your minions alive and stack vulnerability with more damage. So while you are in combat, you use axe/focus. Then when you get them low, lock them down with dagger 3 and warhorn 4 so they can’t heal / kite minions. Be cautious, in any pvp game mode, too much of something will be deadly against this build. (Too much condi will melt, too much cc will hurt).