Guild Wars 2

Many professions have unique supportive abilities, buffs to the whole party that are unique and thus are not hindered by max stacks.
example:

• warrior banner + Empower Allies
• ranger spotter + spirit
• guardian Strength in Numbers
• ele Soothing Mist

Necro actually has one of those (vampiric aura) but this is more of a defensive buff than an offensive one, and necro currently really lacks offensive support. Developers do not want to add party support to the class because it does not fit the theme, and I get that. Necro is all about debuff.

So why not give necro a unique debuff? Something that increases the damage an enemy take even if vulnerability is already maxed.

For example, instead of the lackluster might on “blood is power” (lackluster because very short and many classes give might more easily without having to bleed themselves) have blood is power give a AOE debuff that increase the damage and condi damage taken by the enemy by 10% for 15s. It won’t be too strong since it will be a 7% damage increase on average, which is approximately the type of damage boost other classes give, even if they don’t hurt themselves doing so. But it fits the necro theme of being a debuff class.

What do you think?

Seems to fit the corruption theme and the DMG does seem in line with the other classes. I like the idea! Would you leave the aoe range as it is?

I had a thought a while back that Blood is Power loses the Might and gets changed to increase Power and Condition Damage by 10% for a time.

the noobiniser.7465:

Seems to fit the corruption theme and the DMG does seem in line with the other classes. I like the idea! Would you leave the aoe range as it is?

I guess something like in 240 units (I believe that is the current range) around the targeted enemy.

Drarnor Kunoram.5180:

I had a thought a while back that Blood is Power loses the Might and gets changed to increase Power and Condition Damage by 10% for a time.

My idea is nothing very unique, but I just thought that if it was a debuff instead of a party buff, it will fit the necro theme better.

The dev’s set the vulnerability and might stack limits to 25 to prevent bosses from being burned down too fast by stacking bonuses to dps. A sure way to beat the limit of 50% increased dps will be difficult to justify.

Necromancer has a better chance at gaining utility that does not directly circumvent dps limits set by developers.

Anchoku.8142:

The dev’s set the vulnerability and might stack limits to 25 to prevent bosses from being burned down too fast by stacking bonuses to dps. A sure way to beat the limit of 50% increased dps will be difficult to justify.

Necromancer has a better chance at gaining utility that does not directly circumvent dps limits set by developers.

The thing is that many other classes already have a way to boost the party DPS (warrior banner + “empower allies”, ranger “spotter” + "frost spirit) and they added more with the expansion (revenant “Assassin’s Presence”, Druid’s Glyph of Empowerment, chronomancer alacrity + quickness probably counts too).

So I don’t see why necro could not have a skill for that too. Having an effect on the enemy instead of being on the ally does not “break the game” more.

This would be a good direction to take corruptions using MoC, since ya know MoC really doesn’t power up corruptions at all. Taking MoC could add support effects like this to each type of corruption (and not always a damage one, could be other types of debuffs too) so that a corruption build becomes one of necro’s go-to support options. If anyone remembers Mark of Pain from GW1? Yeah that could be a great debuff! Things like that would be game changing for the currently undesired corruptions

Silverkey, there are plenty of damage bonus gimicks in the game. The trick is in not allowing them to cross-stack.

Consumables, upgrades, class mechanics, etc. are all accounted for in boss models. Utilities and skills that do not stack between players are easier on PvE balance. In other words, the skill should be a 1-stack like chill is or like burning was. Even then, if it adds to the Necro’s dps, something is usually traded unless Necro is deemed under powered.

Raziel.8072:

This would be a good direction to take corruptions using MoC, since ya know MoC really doesn’t power up corruptions at all. Taking MoC could add support effects like this to each type of corruption (and not always a damage one, could be other types of debuffs too) so that a corruption build becomes one of necro’s go-to support options. If anyone remembers Mark of Pain from GW1? Yeah that could be a great debuff! Things like that would be game changing for the currently undesired corruptions

That is really a direction I would like corruptions to go to. To some extent, this is already what they do

• blood is power is one of our only boon support
• CPC has now a projectile block
• Epidemic in a sense does increases the condition damage produced by all your team
• corrupting boon is a strong debuff (both offensive and defensive depending on which boons were removed)
• Plague blind spam + weakness is a very strong defensive tool in a team fight

they just need a bit of oomph. Changing BiP to a unique damage increase instead of might is I believe a good added oomph!

Anchoku.8142:

Consumables, upgrades, class mechanics, etc. are all accounted for in boss models. Utilities and skills that do not stack between players are easier on PvE balance. In other words, the skill should be a 1-stack like chill is or like burning was.

I am not sure I get your point. Obviously the damage increase would not stack. So 2 necro using this skill would not make it a 20% damage increase. That is also the way the other “unique” support work: 2 identical banners only count as one.

Even then, if it adds to the Necro’s dps, something is usually traded unless Necro is deemed under powered.

The trade is that this is a corruption. You are killing yourself to help your party. Such a noble act does not seem OP. You are also giving up on a utility slot, which are “expensive”. For example, in PvP as a power necro (a build that is not so great currently), you already have 2 wells so if you take BiP you have no form of stunbreak/defensive utility. In (current) PvE, necro IS underpowered. So I am pretty convinced this will not break balance but on the contrary help it.

Personally, I would like BiP to give AoE fury and vigor in addition to might.

Epidemic should strip boons as well as duplicate conditions.

Corrupt Boon and Plague should do huge damage to break bars and burn three stacks of Defiance.

These are things that do not add nitrous oxide to the might/vuln turbo. They improve current utilities sideways.

Ps
Plague Sending is mandatory and potent for corruption skills so the trade for killing yourself is not as great as it seems.

Anchoku.8142:

Ps
Plague Sending is mandatory and potent for corruption skills so the trade for killing yourself is not as great as it seems.

PS: I also think the self-inflicted conditions are not a great idea because the devs seem to count them in the list of “benefits” for the balance, precisely because of condition transfer. I would rather the skills consume life force or health, something not transferable.

You see developers have absolutely no problem feeding in new AOE damage multipliers:

Irenio CalmonHuang.2048:

• Grace of the Land: This trait has been re-worked. Instead of its former behavior, allies affected by your celestial avatar abilities gain 3% damage and condition damage increase for 8 seconds. This buff stacks 5 times.

Silverkey.2078:

Anchoku.8142:

Ps
Plague Sending is mandatory and potent for corruption skills so the trade for killing yourself is not as great as it seems.

PS: I also think the self-inflicted conditions are not a great idea because the devs seem to count them in the list of “benefits” for the balance, precisely because of condition transfer. I would rather the skills consume life force or health, something not transferable.

No argument here but, apparently, corruption skills were designed to require Plague Sending – an obscure and unusual profession mechanic if there ever was one.