Guild Wars 2

Short version? Give the Necro effects more AoE, make them less selfish. I don’t care if this is a design decision, it’s a pretty bad one when your game encourages working in groups. I’m going to attempt to explain how I’d fix the currently shown traits to make Necro more useful in PvE/WvW, as well as making them better in general. Now then, the specializations and what changes, if any, I’d propose.

Spite: This line is actually solid. No DS interactions, but it doesn’t really need it. It gives you lots of stuff that weakens foes as their health decreases, and has reasonably short CDs to ensure they’ll keep triggering as you go. About the only one I have an issue with is Signet Mastery, mainly because the active effect of Signet of the Locust won’t do jack for you if you’re struck while in DS. Signet of Spite’s active might be better, utterly cripple the enemy instead of trying to heal yourself. Would need a bigger CD, but still plenty useful. Only other change is I’d make Spiteful Spirit pulse while in DS, every 15s, instead of only on entering. It only benefits DS “flashing”, where you pop into DS to get effects and hop back out. If you can manage to stay in DS, then you should get the effects to keep triggering, IMO. This doesn’t hurt flashing, it just makes staying in DS if you can manage it equally viable.

Curses: This line focuses on conditions and crits, and is pretty solid, including a VERY difficult choice for GM trait. There are some spots where it could be improved, though. First off, Toxic Landing, giving myself 6s Weakness when I take fall damage is bad. The condition will slow you down after taking the damage, since you stay in combat until it’s cleared, and it could hinder your ability to attack well in WvW, especially since your Weakness would last longer than theirs. The other change would be to the Master Minor effect, Furious Demise. As with Spiteful Spirit, make it pulse, but in addition to that, make this an AoE to your allies. Cut the duration down to 3s instead of 5s, and make it pulse every 12s or whenever you enter DS. Suddenly a Necro brings 25% Fury uptime to the party, and is a huge help. And again, this means that staying in DS is rewarded just as much as flashing.

Death Magic: Focusing on minions and toughness, this line is also pretty solid. But as before, my issues are with the “this happens on entering DS” effects. Shrouded Removal, make it AoE, make it pulse every 10s or something similar, helps out the party and you can flash or stay in DS, both are equally useful. Beyond the Veil, again, make it AoE, change it to on entering DS and pulse every 15 or 18 secs. Prioritize players, but still lets it affect minions. Now a Necro is giving the party 1/5 or 1/6 Protection uptime, pretty useful. Same with Unholy Sanctuary, it’s a really small amount of healing for the Necro, but make it AoE for the party, now you’re keeping the party’s health topped up as well.

Blood Magic: A solid spec IMO, and the only one currently that gives some party support. Unholy Martyr is decent, although with it I would also make it so that Life Blast changes into Plague Blast, so that you can remove the conditions you gain while on land. For Deathly Invigoration, I don’t really know what could be done with it. My only real idea would be to just make it a more powerful version of the altered Unholy Sanctuary, but only affecting allies, still pulsing every 10-12 secs, but stronger since it’s not affecting you and is on a slower pulse.

Soul Reaping: The final spec, and the only one I really have no problems with. Only change I’d make is let Dhuumfire also affect Plague Blast, and have Foot in the Grave pulse its Stability every 15 secs or so, possibly letting it be AoE. It’s only one stack, so not too significant.

So yeah, those are my thoughts, generally make the Necro a better party unit, and change the DS traits to pulse while in DS in addition to activating when entering DS. I could be incredibly stupid on these though, so what are your thoughts?

I believe that the whole concept as “give us utility/aoe/blasts and we are k” is old as the forums are. However the suggestions are nice, and you are good at keeping up the tradition u.u

I think there is a way for them to avoid what they are doing. There is a way to give us some hope. But I also think they won’t take this way.

What they would have to do would be pretty simple in fact. It would be a matter of how they describe traits related to life force / death shroud. What they would have to do is to change DS into an upkeep skill. And all in DS trait could become “while using an upkeep skill”.

Exemple :
- Reaper’s might : while under the effect of an upkeep skill you gain might every second.
- spitefull spirit/weakening shroud : when you use an upkeep skill you cast unholy feast/ enfeebling blood.
- furious demise : gain fury when you use an upkeep skill.
- shrouded removal : lose a condition when you use an upkeep skill.
- Unholy sancturay : while under the effect of an upkeep skill you gain health every second.
- transfusion : swaped into GM trait. When you use a channeled skill you also heal allies around you. Double heal provided while under the effect of and upkeep skill.
- Unyelding blast : Just make pierce effect baseline so that this skill ain’t bound in it’s shape by traits.
- Speed of shadow : Increase 25% movement speed while iunder the effect of an upkeep skill. Reduces 30% recharge of upkeep skills.
- Vital persistence : upkeep skill cost 50% less life force to maintain. While under an upkeep skill your skills recharge 15% faster.
- Foot in the grave : Gain stability and break stuns when you use an upkeep skill
- Death perception : Increases 50% critical-hit chance while under the effect of an upkeep skill.

Just by wording things differently, this give them more flexibility for balance and new mechanism. Even for global change in DS shape.

Signet Mastery will never proc while you are in DS

Also, those are a lot of ideas that don’t really address any of the problems with the profession, and aren’t particularly interesting gameplay decisions. Simply sit in DS for as long as physically possible (forever if you are in WvW) and get effects. That’s pretty boring.

Stuff that could help…

1.) Trait: When blind and chill have been applied on target enemy <insert fancy spell name> is cast causing pulsating damage for X sec which improves allies (170) Power & (170) Condition Damage. Damage. Lasts: 5 sec Pulses: 1 sec Buff Lasts: 60 sec CD: 100 sec

2.) Trait: Apply chill to weapon for 5 sec on critical strike. CD: 10 sec

3.) Trait: When chill is applied while wielding a dagger grant Fury (8 sec) & Might 3 (25 sec) CD: 25 sec

4.) Trait: If target has X stack of condition(s) the next condition applied by the Necro will apply <insert fancy spell name> to target enemy. Target receives 5% extra damage from all sources. (Stacks in duration) Lasts: 5 sec CD: 10

5.) Trait: When minion dies it poisons (8 sec) and cripples (5 sec) nearby enemies and creates a pool of stability(5 sec).

6.) Trait: When life is stolen more than X times from one enemy gain Protection (5 sec). CD: 15 sec