Guild Wars 2

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/specializations-part-two-reward-tracks-and-elite-specializations/
>Have you ever wanted a different way to take advantage of all that life force?

Yes, I do!

In HoT the new specializations will change the core mechanics of the professions.
It seems that the necromancer specialization will change the use of the life force, potentially removing the death shroud mechanic. If it’s true, I believe this will get rid of 99% of the necromancer’s problems.

Charblaze.6958:

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/specializations-part-two-reward-tracks-and-elite-specializations/
>Have you ever wanted a different way to take advantage of all that life force?

Yes, I do!

In HoT the new specializations will change the core mechanics of the professions.
It seems that the necromancer specialization will change the use of the life force, potentially removing the death shroud mechanic. If it’s true, I believe this will get rid of 99% of the necromancer’s problems.

*could

In the long run I expect 5 specializations better than base necro if there realized the hindrance of DS.

I really doubt it will remove DS. It is just too core to the profession’s mechanics for one trait line and a set of skills to realistically completely remove DS. I do see us getting new ways to use LF that might give us ways to spend LF outside of DS for strong defensive options that make DS less of a big deal.

yea sounds like we will be able to deplete life force in a different way…say some large blast assuming LF is 100%?

It could also mean we’re getting additional DS skills that actually cost life force beyond natural degeneration. Would be nice to have a healing skill in DS for example.

I have high hopes for this, Anet has been giving necro’s a little love lately and I have some faith that they won’t kitten this up for us

Bhawb.7408:

I really doubt it will remove DS. It is just too core to the profession’s mechanics for one trait line and a set of skills to realistically completely remove DS. I do see us getting new ways to use LF that might give us ways to spend LF outside of DS for strong defensive options that make DS less of a big deal.

They said they are making some core changes. Equipping a specialization should unlock a weapon, a trait line, a heal, 4 utility skills, an elite skill and a change to the core mechanic of the class.

Maybe you are right and removing DS is too much for the devs. Still it would get rid of the “2nd health bar” stigma when you equip the specialization. Hopefully the specialization will be balanced better for the above reason.

Really, really hoping to see some skills in the specialization that consume LF for either significant offense abilities or defensive abilities like blocks or projectile destruction that a Necromancer currently doesn’t have access to.

I don’t need them to remove DS, but consuming life force in new ways is a design area rich with potential that’s been completely unexplored.

Without DS, perhaps the game’s most powerful damage avoidance mechanic, Necromancer would be an easy kill for everything frome PvP to PvE. The profession would need to be totally reworked into something completely different – something like Revy, in which case Necromancer would be replaced.

I don’t want them to get rid of Death Shroud.

I’m curious what they are doing with things like lifeforce pool, attunement recharge, steal recharge etc since they are changing how traits and stats are done and whatnot.

SpellOfIniquity.1780:

I don’t want them to get rid of Death Shroud.

they won’t. only the specialisation will bring a different mechanic. if you want to use DS then dont use elite spec.

Anchoku.8142:

Without DS, perhaps the game’s most powerful damage avoidance mechanic, Necromancer would be an easy kill for everything frome PvP to PvE. The profession would need to be totally reworked into something completely different – something like Revy, in which case Necromancer would be replaced.

+1

Anchoku.8142:

Without DS, perhaps the game’s most powerful damage avoidance mechanic, Necromancer would be an easy kill for everything frome PvP to PvE. The profession would need to be totally reworked into something completely different – something like Revy, in which case Necromancer would be replaced.

Depends what they replace it with.

If replaced with F1-F4 skills and 2-3 of them are defensive/supportive it could up being better.

Remember death shroud has plenty of issues.

Ragnar the Rock.3174:

Anchoku.8142:

Without DS, perhaps the game’s most powerful damage avoidance mechanic, Necromancer would be an easy kill for everything frome PvP to PvE. The profession would need to be totally reworked into something completely different – something like Revy, in which case Necromancer would be replaced.

Depends what they replace it with.

If replaced with F1-F4 skills and 2-3 of them are defensive/supportive it could up being better.

Remember death shroud has plenty of issues.

I’m now sure you got his post the way I did.

it will not remove it, just allow you to use life force for something else while in the necro specialisation, as all classes gain access to new class mechanics when their specialisation is active (but do not lose any old mechanics).

I for one am hoping for augmented skills/attacks where you can toggle it on, and when toggled on, every attack/skill has a special effect that drains a percentage of the LF bar (say adding conditions or boons to your skills)

Oh, I got an idea! Change LF to some nebulous energy from which Necromancer can draw from to use skills, kind of like mana. Call it SP, if you will.

Might be something as simple as an f2 skill in addition to DS on f1. Or something to do with upkeep using lifeforce. Maybe cooldown reduction on utilities but they use lifeforce instead. :P

NeXeD.3042:

I’m curious what they are doing with things like lifeforce pool, attunement recharge, steal recharge etc since they are changing how traits and stats are done and whatnot.

They stated what they would be doing, actually. Half of the benefit would become baseline to the profession. The other half would be gained if you chose that specialization line as one of your three.

For example, on Necromancers, the base life force pool would increase 15% from where it is now. Choosing Soul Reaping as one of your trait lines will increase it by another 15% of the current base (or 13% increase of the new total).

Anchoku.8142:

Without DS, perhaps the game’s most powerful damage avoidance mechanic, Necromancer would be an easy kill for everything frome PvP to PvE. The profession would need to be totally reworked into something completely different – something like Revy, in which case Necromancer would be replaced.

In my experience staying outside of melee range, the profession condition cleanse/control, fear, spectral skills, the huge health poll and plain dodging, allows you to manage incoming damage on the vast majority of situations.

I feel the urge to use DS as “damage avoidance mechanic” only when I’m under focus fire or I screwed up and took a huge spike of damage and there is still pressure on me. In these cases entering death shroud buys you only some seconds to despair at your powerlessness because you are locked out of your build, your heal and you can’t run away.

Usually I use DS only for the time necessary to cast 3, 4 and 5. Staying in DS longer would just hurt your build. The only exception are powermancers for 11111111… reasons.

The specialization is a good opportunity to make happy who thinks that the trade off for a “second healthbar” is a bad deal. Everyone else who likes DS can still keep playing the necromancer.

Its something I’ve been discussing with guildies for months now. “What is our mechanic?” is it the death shroud, or is it the life force itself? And I think this will really change how we view the mechanic. Its very possible that death shroud will be something that we can only access through the core profession and we use life force through other means. Will this mean we lose our defensive abilities? That entirely depends on what the specialization adds. If we get a skill for example that functions like death shroud does now minus the skills then perhaps we don’t lose anything really. Or it could be that our bar while in DS completely changes to have 5 new skills. We wont be sure until its revealed but I’ve already made a post speculating on what could change and this announcement does rule out at least one possibility I suggested.

^ This!

Our core mechanic is gaining life force from deaths and the pain around us. Why should it be used only as health surrogate?

A very interesting point. My guess is that Death Shroud will remain similar, but we’ll be able to access Life Force as more of a resource than just HP. We’ll maybe see tomorrow though.

My guess is that we’ll see a different set of skills for DS, maybe even a change in functionality in how it drains. Instead of it being designed as a second life bar type thing, perhaps we’ll see it not replace the health pool or periodically drain but give access to a new set of skills which are particularly strong hitters and which drain the bar(perhaps even being constrained by life force than by cooldowns, ala Thieves). I’m envisioning a much more power-based DS with a focus on high damage rather than increasing survivability.

i saw them mention one of the classes will be getting defiance.
so i get its offical now that necromancer will be a boss class
high hp
defiance
slow attacks
maybe they will even restrict the movement to ai movement just to make the experience real

Tadsoul.6951:

i saw them mention one of the classes will be getting defiance.
so i get its offical now that necromancer will be a boss class
high hp
defiance
slow attacks
maybe they will even restrict the movement to ai movement just to make the experience real

I thought it was resistance, I didn’t see anything about defiance.

Maybe the ai movement will have better positioning!

If you dont take the specialization you’ll still have good ol fashioned death shroud. At least thats the way I’m getting all this.

NeXeD.3042:

I thought it was resistance, I didn’t see anything about defiance.

He’s talking about this:
“Equipping an elite specialization takes up one of your three specialization slots and grants you three minor traits and nine major traits for use. How does a trait that removes a condition every time you evade an attack sound? I’m personally excited about a grandmaster trait that has the power to grant my character a defiance bar! "

I’m not understanding the discussion here. If DS is replaced it MUST be replaced with at least a set of defensive skills. We have no active defensive outside of it (SArmor lol), and will be even more of an easy kill.

Aktium.9506:

NeXeD.3042:

I thought it was resistance, I didn’t see anything about defiance.

He’s talking about this:
“Equipping an elite specialization takes up one of your three specialization slots and grants you three minor traits and nine major traits for use. How does a trait that removes a condition every time you evade an attack sound? I’m personally excited about a grandmaster trait that has the power to grant my character a defiance bar! "

Am I the only one expecting them to troll us and just give that to warriors.

On that note, whoever gets this trait will have almost the same effect on us as diamond skin ele’s

Doubt it.

I think that means different skills in DS with the profession change.

Too much work.

Do you realize exactly how many death shroud traits there actually are? All of these would have to be replaced.

A defiance bar should go to the revenant. They have no blocks and really long cast times.

Defiance kind of sucks, most of the time it is just “gain 3 ticks stability when your character is stunned.”

Czerny.6530:

I’m not understanding the discussion here. If DS is replaced it MUST be replaced with at least a set of defensive skills. We have no active defensive outside of it (SArmor lol), and will be even more of an easy kill.

We have no active defense because we have death shroud. What we are hoping for is to get an active defense instead of death shroud. That and the use of life force to boost our builds choices instead of making them irrelevant when we enter death shroud.

nekretaal.6485:

A defiance bar should go to the revenant. They have no blocks and really long cast times.

Defiance kind of sucks, most of the time it is just “gain 3 ticks stability when your character is stunned.”

I agree the heavy armor professions are more likely To get defiance. With the new boons hinted at, it would be nice if Necro had more condition management and more ways to ablate Defiance.

nekretaal.6485:

A defiance bar should go to the revenant. They have no blocks and really long cast times.

Defiance kind of sucks, most of the time it is just “gain 3 ticks stability when your character is stunned.”

You haven’t been paying attention, have you? Defiance is getting overhauled.

On the other hand, the necromancer specialization is melee based (and we all know that the necromancers have bad access to non fear Cc and terrible defenses against ranged), so defiance could be a good fit.

Well think of it this way.

Death shroud may be good in 1v1 situations but all the problems with it keep the necro from getting allot of things like support, vigor etc….

So Imagine if death shroud were replaced with something on the F1-F4 bar, something like

F1: Life blast. Consume X% life force to blast your foe with energy. (Attack pierces, causes vulnerability & bleeding.) 1 second cast time.

F2: Doom. Consume X% life force to inflict fear on nearby enemies (or perhaps one foe) If doom interrupts a foe it also applies Chill. Instant cast.

F3: Life Transfer. Consume X% life force to damage & torment nearby enemies with each pulse. Nearby allies are healed with each pule. 3 & 1/2 second cast time.\

F4: Shadow Armor. Consume X% life force per second to gain protection (can be toggled on & off & has a grand master trait to share protection with allies)

If life force were used like that I would love it.

And without death shroud they could finally give necro things like vigor & support from weapon skills/traits.

Ragnar the Rock.3174:

Well think of it this way.

Death shroud may be good in 1v1 situations but all the problems with it keep the necro from getting allot of things like support, vigor etc….

So Imagine if death shroud were replaced with something on the F1-F4 bar, something like

F1: Life blast. Consume X% life force to blast your foe with energy. (Attack pierces, causes vulnerability & bleeding.) 1 second cast time.

F2: Doom. Consume X% life force to inflict fear on nearby enemies (or perhaps one foe) If doom interrupts a foe it also applies Chill. Instant cast.

F3: Life Transfer. Consume X% life force to damage & torment nearby enemies with each pulse. Nearby allies are healed with each pule. 3 & 1/2 second cast time.\

F4: Shadow Armor. Consume X% life force per second to gain protection (can be toggled on & off & has a grand master trait to share protection with allies)

If life force were used like that I would love it.

And without death shroud they could finally give necro things like vigor & support from weapon skills/traits.

I don’t think they understand it’s hindrance.

I agree. It is really common for people to cite “two health bars” when talking about Necromancer defense, and it just doesn’t translate properly. We just give up so much for that “second” health bar that doesn’t scale properly and isn’t even all that accessible on many builds.

nekretaal.6485:

On the other hand, the necromancer specialization is melee based

Is there some comment from those in the know that it will be melee? I was hoping the greatsword would be ranged.
I know, too many people make assumptions and use those as the basis for an argument.

Anyway, off topic. continue your DS discussion..

Pulsicle.3192:

s there some comment from those in the know that it will be melee?

Marjory uses the Necro GS auto attack chain as a teaser. We know nothing about the other four skills.

Why would they remove it after spending 80 levels with it? That makes no sense. Not to mention you make a bunch of DS traits dead if you specialize?

I can see them adding additional skills to use life force F1-DS the same, F2-dps skill, F3-defense skill, F4-get out of jail free skill, with the F2-4 using the entire bar up.

If you guys are trying to get death shroud and and all the traits with it gone, maybe necromancer is not the class for you? maybe elementalist?

Xenesis.6389:

Why would they remove it after spending 80 levels with it? That makes no sense. Not to mention you make a bunch of DS traits dead if you specialize?

I can see them adding additional skills to use life force F1-DS the same, F2-dps skill, F3-defense skill, F4-get out of jail free skill, with the F2-4 using the entire bar up.

If you guys are trying to get death shroud and and all the traits with it gone, maybe necromancer is not the class for you? maybe elementalist?

Ever heard of rework? They are doing so right now especially with cough cough engi. When a mechanic holds you back and is recognized by most playing it you do not hold back to replace it you don’t delete. Don’t act like they are not game designers F1-5 skills with proper traits would not be hard to implement if they spend 2% of the time they spend on engi on necro.

All DS skills don’t have to change in design now finally our skills/utilities can be improved to compete.