Guild Wars 2

Hey guys. About a week ago I went from a condition build to a dual dagger power build and have been playing around with DS a lot more. Thought it would be interesting to throw up this topic and see what uses people have found for DS and maybe see if we can share ideas with each other.

So far I have mainly used it for:

1. AOE damage, primarily in dungeons – there’s nothing more satisfying than dropping some marks, dropping my wells then popping into DS4 to take out a group of mobs

2. Countering glass canon thieves in wvw – I picked up the Spiteful Spirit trait so I get a few seconds of retaliation when switching into DS. This has been very helpful when ambushed by a thief in wvw – my health pool stays relatively preserved and I do some damage before getting my bearings

3. Dagger 1 -> DS1 – just to do a little more dps but the main place I do this is in dungeons. Run in, drop my wells, hit with dagger 1 to build up LF, roll out and ds1 until 50% LF, rinse and repeat

4. Occasionally as an ‘oh kitten’ button but in my experience this only really works when you are waiting for the heal cooldown and need a couple extra seconds. Whenever I have just used it a ‘I am going to die now, oh kitten’ button, I end up dead

Of course there are other uses for it, some of which I know, many of which I don’t but thought I would share what I am currently using it for the most and hope others will do the same so we can give each other ideas

1) I’ll double tap into DS for the in and out DS traits, mostly for fury or enfeebling blood. Would like to use the heal, but it’s too low atm. Only do this when I know I won’t need it for an oh kitten moment (trash)

2) I’m trying to use unyielding blast to maximize AOE dps. I’m finding it very difficult to hit more than one target with it and will probably change it out for path of midnight.

3) Also use dark path as an opener/gap closer as a dagger/power necro. Pretty useful at closing gaps, and I love me some chill ^^

4) I’ll use it to stack might and vulnerability on a mob before engaging with BiP and daggers/well of suffering

5) Eat damage when running away from a zerg in WvW. Works most of the times

i used it when my HP went below 50% as emergency skill or when i had to tank champions which i could do better than some tank classes with all the selfheals.

in wvw as anti thief reaction to buy some seconds before i died

Offensively. Piercing Life Blasts that crit for 4k on each target are amazing.

DooM- i use it to interrupt self-heals

Accidentally when i’m opening game menu.

Modkip.7681:

Stacks on stacks on stacks of might.

The feel when you gap close with DS2 and have daggers out with 20+ might stacks just doesn’t get old to me.

That feel when DS2 misses horribly and you get permanently kited.

Modkip.7681:

Stacks on stacks on stacks of might.

The feel when you gap close with DS2 and have daggers out with 20+ might stacks just doesn’t get old to me.

^This.

When running into battle, I’ll drop a couple of marks with staff > Go into DS > Life Blast a foe for a bit to get some stacks of might > Come out of DS > Blood is Power > Swap from staff to dagger (I’ve got a sigil that grants me an additional 3 stacks of might on swap) > Maybe activate Signet of Spite for conditions on foe and an additional 3 stacks of Might > Proceed to slaughter.

I like to do this when facing multiple enemies or a vet solo, but it’s usually overkill for a single mob on my level. Stacks of might are a nice source of damage if your armor is focused more on vitality/toughness for survivability.

As a scepter/dagger necro, I pop into it almost every battle for DS4 and as an Enfeebling Shroud refresh. It helps tear up groups. Also use it for condition removal in some areas.

Scepter/dagger + scepter/focus in a high-precision hybrid PVE build:
- DS1 right after Focus4 for lots of good crits.
- DS4 for kiting in a crowd
- DS3 for interrupt
- As a way to mitigate cooldowns (e.g., on Consume Conditions)
- “Panic button”

-Most of the Time for the #3 to get kinda CC-chain with dagger 3. works well on thieves. -Also sure for the traits

-Blasting #1 for some damage while saving my lifebar on tank builds

- sometimes if an enemy gets downed, and im really low on health too i pop it to finish him with ds#1 – against moss classes we loose a downed vs downed fight due to useless #2 or better enemy downed skills.

-high crit builds simply for the ranged damage

- on condition builds for the terror traits to get some kinda burst into my enemy.

DS1
- Used for some damage while in DS awaiting some Utility cool downs to go away.
DS2
- If I need to escape a fight in WvW I will find a random animal and DS2 to him (most people don’t chase cause they don’t know where u went lol)
- To teleport to people if they are running away from me.
DS3
- Interupt some skills
- GTFO button
DS4
- If thief goes invis around me ill use this to hit them. other wise I just use it if I am in a zerg to do some AoE dmg.

Against Lupicus, I was using it as a oh kitten button, but discovered that using it everytime lupicus throws his areas in phase 2 actually saves me from having to get to those oh kitten situations. The areas are so unreliable that dodging doesn’t always get you out of harm’s way, and in death shroud you are always outt of harm’s way. Just remember to switch out of it immediately, or you will deplete your life force.

And, of course, using blood is power → ds4 in the middle of a pack of mobs get’s the numbers rolling……

I’d say here is how I use it, from most to least often:

1. DS#2 in WvW to prevent someone from escaping
2. DS#1 in dungeons to do relatively massive single target damage
3. DS’s extra life bar to save my bacon in WvW or dungeons
4. DS#4 in dungeons and when I press forward in WvW

I’m no death shroud master, and I want to get better. Thanks for the others who responded.

Edit: 5. I forgot about shroudstomping and shroud rezzing

Eviator.9746:

Edit: 5. I forgot about shroudstomping and shroud rezzing

How do you do those? I’ve seen them in videos, and know how to start (pressing the 2 buttons in the same time). But whenever I manage to get in shroud and get the finishing animation, done it, and nothing happens, my enemy simply doesn’t get finished….
(Would cry tbh but I agree, sounds funny)

I don’t play a necro, but I can’t believe SHROUDSTOMP hasn’t been mention yet. Such a powerful thing

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dOlEsL2UBIA
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3y3GzVb43X4

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lrypq7OSgQ&feature=relmfu#/watch?v=7Lrypq7OSgQ&feature=relmfu

Edit: guy above me did mention it, but I still NEVER see it used in pvp, and it has never happened to me, which leads me to believe many don’t use it, don’t know how, or aren’t good enough

@Raijinn Cause its most likely an exploit since you cant res or stomp in death shroud unless you hit stomp/res at same time as Death shroud button. Also the stability is 3sec long so you can actually interrupt the necro.

People arent good enough ? are you aware of how you have to achieve it? 30 points in soul reaping ( power spec most are condition ) + a grandmaster slot. So yes not many use it for either or several reasons, possible exploit , conditon spec , good players can avoid it by timing interrupt.

Kouta.4159:

Eviator.9746:

Edit: 5. I forgot about shroudstomping and shroud rezzing

How do you do those? I’ve seen them in videos, and know how to start (pressing the 2 buttons in the same time). But whenever I manage to get in shroud and get the finishing animation, done it, and nothing happens, my enemy simply doesn’t get finished….
(Would cry tbh but I agree, sounds funny)

Maybe I need to pay more attention and see if I’m actually stomping. I was amazed the first few times I did it, then I stopped paying as much attention under the assumption it was working. Perhaps this was fixed in one of the last couple patches.

I actually don’t use the stability trait for it, because I WvW and only get a chance to stomp maybe 1 out of 5. I tend to use it just to keep from getting downed myself.

Kouta.4159:

Eviator.9746:

Edit: 5. I forgot about shroudstomping and shroud rezzing

How do you do those? I’ve seen them in videos, and know how to start (pressing the 2 buttons in the same time). But whenever I manage to get in shroud and get the finishing animation, done it, and nothing happens, my enemy simply doesn’t get finished….
(Would cry tbh but I agree, sounds funny)

For those who dont know how to do it, you actually have to hit f1 before you hit f. I just roll my fingers in that manner and it does it every time. Or you can macro it to be f1 plus f.

Sheobix.8796:

Kouta.4159:

Eviator.9746:

Edit: 5. I forgot about shroudstomping and shroud rezzing

How do you do those? I’ve seen them in videos, and know how to start (pressing the 2 buttons in the same time). But whenever I manage to get in shroud and get the finishing animation, done it, and nothing happens, my enemy simply doesn’t get finished….
(Would cry tbh but I agree, sounds funny)

For those who dont know how to do it, you actually have to hit f1 before you hit f. I just roll my fingers in that manner and it does it every time. Or you can macro it to be f1 plus f.

I do know how to do it like I said im tried it, but the result was always the same for some reason, my enemies doesn’t get finished off. :s

wiazabi.2549:

@Raijinn Cause its most likely an exploit since you cant res or stomp in death shroud unless you hit stomp/res at same time as Death shroud button. Also the stability is 3sec long so you can actually interrupt the necro.

People arent good enough ? are you aware of how you have to achieve it? 30 points in soul reaping ( power spec most are condition ) + a grandmaster slot. So yes not many use it for either or several reasons, possible exploit , conditon spec , good players can avoid it by timing interrupt.

You need to watch the videos I posted….good players can delay their timings all they want, and still get stomped.