Guild Wars 2

I’m running a dhumfire/terror build ATM with Dark well , SWall and SWalk in slot. To me, there always isn’t a good timing for me to use a SWall and I have always waste it or even cannot time it at a critical moment, thus, makes me wonder should I even run it. Right now I’m almost only using it for the protection and feels like wasting a good skill…

In small group play it’s great for area controll and splitting off a focus target from the pack. In Zerg play it seems like everyone has stability too often so you need to know when to use it but it can be absolutely broken if used right. In 1v1 it’s useless because it’s easy to dodge.

You can set up a fear chain with it though, fear someone and place a wall where they will be feared into it.

I usually just play solo roaming, and mesmer’s…. actually the biggest problem I have.

Depends. You can use it just like the Guardian’s equivalent, to block off an area. This can be used offensively to keep someone from running away or defensively to stop people from chasing you. Also it can be used as a chain fear, by fearing someone then putting the wall behind them.

In defense areas, where people need to stay in a certain area (like sPvP points) just dropping the wall in the middle of the point is massively annoying because the other person needs to really pay attention to their placement now, and you also get the protection.

You can also lock someone into a corner with it, by fearing them into the corner then keeping them there.

And finally, although this is really advanced and I’m bad at it, you can actually fear someone through it twice. Fear them (reaper’s mark or some non-Doom fear), then place the wall in the way. Dark Path to them so you are right behind them as they run through the wall, as they run through the wall dodge in front of them then Doom them back through the wall.

That last part sounds fun Bhawb! I’ve been using it with corrupt boon and spectral grasp just pulling them in for a second fear after they already crossed it and corrupt in case that stability comes out. That coupled with warhorn and the control you have is beyond insane.

I’ve pretty much been obsessed with finding ways to chain-fear people.

I run a sorta-terrormancer build and my utilities are locust signet(swapped frequently), spectral, and spectral grasp. Something I recently started doing is putting a wall down in front of me and then using spectral grasp to pull them into the wall. Then I can continue the chain with staff-5 + ds-3 for a total of like 8 seconds of fear. DS is pretty useless in a condi build for me, so I pretty much just flash it for the fear.

You can also put the wall down behind them and fear them into it using ds-3 or staff-5, and then using your remaining fear to extend the chain. Spectral grasp is a great finisher or starter to any fear chain because it causes disorientation and an added bonus of chilling the target. I’m not sure if this is how it works, but, if you interrupt them after a fear chain (usually a heal) and then apply chill with spectral grasp, then the interrupt time is actually 5 sec + 66%, or about 8 seconds. Again, I’m not sure if chill is only cooldown or if it counts with interrupt.

I use it on my wellomancer when defending cast on large grps at the gate after you strip boons with well of coruption right after ya cast spectral wall then drop well of sufferring/marks on em get alot of numbers that way, since they keep getting feared into the well.

Spicyhash.7605:

I’ve pretty much been obsessed with finding ways to chain-fear people.

I run a sorta-terrormancer build and my utilities are locust signet(swapped frequently), spectral, and spectral grasp. Something I recently started doing is putting a wall down in front of me and then using spectral grasp to pull them into the wall. Then I can continue the chain with staff-5 + ds-3 for a total of like 8 seconds of fear. DS is pretty useless in a condi build for me, so I pretty much just flash it for the fear.

You can also put the wall down behind them and fear them into it using ds-3 or staff-5, and then using your remaining fear to extend the chain. Spectral grasp is a great finisher or starter to any fear chain because it causes disorientation and an added bonus of chilling the target. I’m not sure if this is how it works, but, if you interrupt them after a fear chain (usually a heal) and then apply chill with spectral grasp, then the interrupt time is actually 5 sec + 66%, or about 8 seconds. Again, I’m not sure if chill is only cooldown or if it counts with interrupt.

Interrupting a skill putts it on CD and Chill extends that CD by 66% as far as I know

@Bhawb That last fear chain is nuts i don’t think i have ever pulled it off right but kitten if you did land it, lol.

I am terrible at landing it, although I’ve managed it by cheating with stuff like chill. I do know people like Tenderley, Zombify, and whoever else is a top tier Necro these days can land them though. Its obviously not 100%, just something fun and stupidly strong.

It’s actually really useful in duels at times. Especially against melee or chain fearing. Good damage, damage mitigation, cc. Very useful! Drop it behind someone already feared, use it to split a downed player from an ally, drop it on top of you for the dps/cc. In groups it’s great for control.

Bhawb.7408:

This can be used offensively to keep someone from running away….

You can’t do that with SW

pierwola.9602:

Bhawb.7408:

This can be used offensively to keep someone from running away….

You can’t do that with SW

Unless the position is good to fear them into a corner. Or off a cliff.

It is for zergplay in wvw.

Time it for when the Zerg is rushing towards a spot and doesn’t really have enough time to dodge it. The people with stability will get through but this is a feature not a bug, because you can wipe the split group easier than the single group.

As for sPvP, tpvp, it’s terrible, the cooldown is too long, the beneficial buff too marginal. If you cared about the field, you would be playing Mesmer.

The skill isn’t very good on its own, it is easy to see and avoid, or ignore with stability or berzerkers stance. The chief benefit really is that it isn’t affected by the AoE cap.

As for PvE, it’s terribly situational. But, if you are traited with damaging fear you can place it in situations like Balhazaar and Grenth where swarms of mobs run at you and tagg all of the mobs that way.

If you’re mostly playing solo roam, Spectral Wall has no business on your bar.

Blood is Power, Corrupt Boon, Epidemic, Well of Power… these are all much better options.

nekretaal.6485:

It is for zergplay in wvw.

Time it for when the Zerg is rushing towards a spot and doesn’t really have enough time to dodge it. The people with stability will get through but this is a feature not a bug, because you can wipe the split group easier than the single group.

As for sPvP, tpvp, it’s terrible, the cooldown is too long, the beneficial buff too marginal. If you cared about the field, you would be playing Mesmer.

The skill isn’t very good on its own, it is easy to see and avoid, or ignore with stability or berzerkers stance. The chief benefit really is that it isn’t affected by the AoE cap.

As for PvE, it’s terribly situational. But, if you are traited with damaging fear you can place it in situations like Balhazaar and Grenth where swarms of mobs run at you and tagg all of the mobs that way.

I don’t know how you can say this… it is an unlimited target ally protection buff and enemy fear debuff. It is one of the few utilities that always has an up-side. You will always get the benefit of the protection as long as you don’t already have protection. If someone dodge rolls your SOS, corrupt boon, spectral grasp, they do nothing. But this skill requries them to use an immunity or stability to avoid, and you can position yourself to make them use that skill or give you pot shots from the bleachers. So much of WvW small man fighting is melee, it is very noteworthy.

I find it is nearly useless in true ZvZ because of all the unrippable stability going around. While in small man groups, where not everyone runs stability and everything isn’t warriors with zerker stance, it provides enough protection/avoidance against thieves for me to take it for that reason alone.

pierwola.9602:

You can’t do that with SW

It won’t stop them from moving, but it is significantly easier to deal with someone when they have 0 control of their character.

Soul Marks and Master of Terror

Which one should I use in a Terror/dhumfire build?
reminders, we have nearly 0 LF regeneration in this kind of build without Spectral skills

You have LF generation through the 3 skill, Staff 1 and deaths, and you should always have one spectral equipped as a condi build.

As for which one, depends on sPvP or WvW. I believe its fairly easy to get 100% condition duration (or close) with food and stuff in WvW, so Master of Terror isn’t as big as it is in sPvP.

Bhawb.7408:

It won’t stop them from moving, but it is significantly easier to deal with someone when they have 0 control of their character.

but still it’s pretty meh when you compare it to Line of Warding
(Create a line in front of you that foes cannot cross. Foes trying to move across the Line of Warding will be knocked away slightly in the opposite direction of their movement.)

1v1 aganst melee classes (thief still 1/3 of wvw). Just run near it and u have 5s of a timeout.

1v2 drop on downed guy to prevent rezz.

A semi-disengage. All necro aoes can be placed behind while running. Add a flash doom and you just created 1200 range between you and enemy.

1. When you are going to heal and melee class has interrupts
2. When receiving heavy spike damage
3. To trap someone who is running
4. To secure your own escape
5. To use as a barrier for your heal to come off cd
6. For securing an area for you to use as ranged damage in DS
7. For 1vX situations
8. Stomp security
9. Separating zergs
10. To give all melee with leap finishers in your zerg protection and chaos armor

For the people saying spectal wall isn’t good for solo roaming, you do realize it has a fast enough cast time where you can just drop it right on top of people, right?

You can use it like you would use staff 5. Only it’s better, since it is a persistent.

pierwola.9602:

Bhawb.7408:

It won’t stop them from moving, but it is significantly easier to deal with someone when they have 0 control of their character.

but still it’s pretty meh when you compare it to Line of Warding
(Create a line in front of you that foes cannot cross. Foes trying to move across the Line of Warding will be knocked away slightly in the opposite direction of their movement.)

Line of Warding is better at keeping people from running away, but in every other aspect Spectral Wall is far superior due to Line of Warding’s long cast time.