Guild Wars 2

Hey guys. I thought this would be a fun topic to start. Basically, this thread is meant to start a list of effective combos and rotations that you can use with the Necromancer. Right now, all classes are being accused of “spamming” as a playstyle which I know many people do, but this is meant to take the necromancer playstyle beyond that and come up with some effective rotations.

I was thinking that we could use the following format

Build: What type of build are you using? Conditions? Hybrid? Berserker?

Situation: PvP, PvE, WvW? When are you using it in particular?

Rotation: What is the acutal rotation?

Desired effect: How does it work?

I will start This is a dumb one that I think a dev mentioned but I still have fun using it

Build: Berserker Necromancer, 30,10,0,0,30
Situation: Usually in WvW, either to initiate a fight or when someone is starting to run away
Rotation: Warhorn 5, Jump into DS, DS2, Jump out of DS, start casting dagger 3, well of corrpution, well of suffering, dagger auto
Desired effect: When this combo hits, it is the closest thing to a power burst I have found with necro. By casting dark pact while dark path is traveling, it catches your target off guard with a rapid chill/bleed/immobilize/cripple (from the locust swarm you already cast). The goal is to time it so that dark pact’s cast ends right after dark path hits. The fact that there are several conditions that effect movement skills increase the chance that you will keep the target in the well if the target only has modest condi removal. The double wells along with dagger auto and locust swarm do great damage while the other player is trying to get their bearings.

What effective combos/rotations do you guys use?

EDIT: Updated with video. In the video, I say I am going to show the combo with a real person in WvW but kept getting jumped by 3 or more people so gave up on it, plus I didnt feel like editing clips together

Sepreh.5924:

Desired effect: When this combo hits, it is the closest thing to a power burst I have found with necro.

Aw man. Go 30/10/0/0/30. CC, WoSuffering, WoCorruption, Stunbreaker of choice, Lich Form. D/F, off-set of choice.

Dagger 3, Focus 4, Well(s), Pop DS, 5,1,1,1,1,1. Target is dead if he can’t cleanse immob or tele out.

You are glassy, and it is very positioning intensive to avoid getting dead, but the burst is pretty sick.

As a bonus you can Lich Bomb too. Same rotation, but instead of going into shroud pop Lich while the wells are active. It erases everyone in the AoE in like 3 ticks.

Build: Power Wellmancer 0 20 0 20 30
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fQAQNBmODbkRrSPTTUjfPBMpw7xjUM8yUPWH9zB-jkyAYMBZySgoCwJvhsmAjYboIasabMlbk1vAq4kKFgVbBA-w

Situation: Guild Raid build (group of 20-25)

Rotation:
Staff 3 2 4 5
WoS
WoC
DS 5 3 4
War Horn 4 5
Axe 3 2
Use WoD whenever you think its best(on enemy melee train or on your downed people)
Plaugue when your melee train has heavy pressure

Desired effect: constant high AoE dmg pressure on enemy group, Boon removal, some CC with Fear, Chill and Cripple

Build: TerrorMancer
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fQAQNBmWDbkRrYPeTcjfPhA9oXwFQMSBxEMUKgn0B-jECBINCyUFwk0BKTqIas1gFRjVzATxiIq2joIa1SBAzcA-w

Situation: WvW solo/small scale roaming

Rotation:
Staff 3 5 2
DS 2 3 5
SoS
Scepter 2
War Horn 4 5
Corrupt Boon when target has alot of boons(try to corrupt Stability for extra Fear)

Desired effect: Fast condition Burst on 1 target with Medium AoE condition Pressure

Marking this so I remember (hopefully) to come back and list my MM combos.

Bhawb.7408:

Marking this so I remember (hopefully) to come back and list my MM combos.

Awesome – that is one build I have very little experience playing so I would like to see what kind of combos you come up with.

As a side note, it would be great if we can get some video footage of these. I will try to get some footage in WvW tonight

http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/necromancer/?5.5|b.5q.h1k.8.5q.h1n.0.0.0|6.5q.h1k.0.0.0|1q.718.1q.718.1q.718.1q.718.1q.718.1q.718|2x.d1e.3x.0.2x.0.3x.0.2x.0.2w.d12|0.u349.k57.k36.0|30.d|3r.3w.40.3x.4f|e

*Burst bleed* stacking can be done about every 16 seconds. the rotation goes as follows:
be running to the target while casting to make things easier for you.
staff 3 (chill/psn)
staff 2 (3 stack of bleeds)
Dodge to target and proc Mark of evasion (2 bleeds)
swap weapons to proc sigil of geomancy (3 bleeds)
go into DS right after wep swap to trigger weakening shroud (2 bleeds/weakness)
DS 2 (3 bleeds/chill)
DS 3 (fear)
get out of DS
Scepter 2 (3 bleeds/cripple)
scepter 5 (2 bleeds/weakness)
auto attack to finish or wait for 16s cd on staff 3 to repeat.

total of 18 bleed stacks all within 8 seconds if done right.
NO DUMBFIRE NEEDED :cool:

Ill make a vid of this some time this week. Looks like a lot of work but its actually very very very easy to pull off.

Build: Death Shroud berserker (30/10///30)

Situation: PvE: dungeons, map discovery

Rotation: DS1 spam down to 50% LF (playing as if strength of undeath actually worked), focus#4 & axe#2, switch to warhorn#5 > dagger#1 spam, switch back to axe on weapon swap cd, use axe#2 or focus#4 if they are up, go back into DS and repeat

Desired effect: Quite good dps at range, it’s more about the fluency/feel of the rotation than actual #1 dps. It is as exciting of a dps rotation as it gets for necro.

//edit: ^then epidemic for good measure :>

Awesome guys, keep em coming! Anyone want to go over the condibomb combo?

Build: Minions.

I’ll list the combo variations according to which you have available, but minion combos themselves are always core around Axe and Dagger mainhand weapons, with either Focus or Warhorn offhands. Also, the only minions involved are Bone Minions, Bone Fiend, and Flesh Golem

Staff/Scepter/Dagger off-hand should be used just as any condition necro would, and are essentially separate combos to Minions as the two don’t really have any specific combined burst. Just blow up your bone minions when you want damage.

Opening combo – For when you are first engaging. If done right it will force defensive CDs off your enemy, generally I get at least one stunbreak off this.
1. As you come up on the enemy acquire aggro with minions
2. Right at 900 units from them (as close as you can manage) activate Rigor Mortis – Immobilize for 4 seconds + condition duration
2a. Focus if they have any boons you want gone, use Focus 5
2b. Focus if only 1 enemy, wait till you are close to 600 units, use Focus 4 so that it reaches them when you enter 600 unit range (will bounce between you two and stack 12 vuln), otherwise, use when possible
2c. Axe use Axe 2 now, you should have time to get most of this off before they get unlocked
2d. If you started with A/F, swap to your other weapon now, if that weapon is Dagger/Warhorn continue, if not just spam when you can
3. Right as Rigor Mortis expires, Charge with Flesh Golem, if it expired when you were doing the above, don’t worry, Charge is really hard to dodge, just make sure you wait for a fraction of a second for any panic dodges
4. As Bone Minions get in range, blow them up on the target, make sure they are CC locked
4a. Dagger Use dagger 3 so they get immobilized before they stand up from the knockdown
4b. Warhorn Cast Locust swarm while they are immobilized, or if no dagger right after they are knocked down
4c. Dagger If you took any damage coming in, you can Life Siphon if you want now, since you’ll get essentially a full channel, however if you do your burst is over now, don’t go further
- Note – Save Banshee’s Wail, this is key, you’ve done all this burst specifically so you can train them down a ton of HP, don’t just let them heal all willy-nilly after this, and you want to finish this up with DS so Doom won’t be available
5. Enter DS
6. Cast Tainted Shackles
7. Channel Life Transfer if you don’t have Transfusion, or you do and the heal won’t be wasted
8. Dark Path
9. Drop DS, start pressing the kitten out of your buttons
10. Watch for heals, if you actually got to this point (shouldn’t happen usually), get ready to interrupt heals. You should have either staff or warhorn out at this point, if you don’t, sucks for you.

Also, if at any point in this build they break your CC, you just skip the intermediate steps. The key to any good minion burst is chaining all your hard CC at once and allow your minions to close in and AA for free, and then save your soft CC for afterwards to keep your minions on their target.

That burst works at any time in the fight, btw. If anything isn’t up, you just skip it and move on. Its a pretty general checklist. I’ll see if I can write out my in-combat rotation later.

Build: Power/Condi Hybrid, 20/30/20///
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fQAQNBmODbkRLdPczYjePBIp46nhUsbtRPOe5gB-jkCB4iA4MRmABOFqIasVOFRjVVDWbDTXKpKYAaYQCBsYNA-w
Situation: WvW, opener
Rotation: Blood is Power>Signet of Spite>Golem Charge>Axe2/WH5>DS2>DS3>DS5>Staff2,3,5,4>WH4>Axe2
Desired effect: Overload them with conditions and buff yourself(10stack of might + 2% dmg per condition), force them to eat conditions through golem, warhorn and chain fear, land as much of axe2 as possible as often as safely possible.
Alternatively roll with corrupt boon instead of BiP against certain classes for the extra counter.

Build: Power Wells
Please note: This build is my current tPvP build – it is not ‘Optimised’ for the greatest possible damage output, and is designed as a Sustained damage dealer with some survivability and burst potential.

Situation: Tournament PvP

Rotation: This is dependent upon circumstance, but I have listed the ideal combo.
Switch to DS
Dark Path to target
Tainted Shackles
Leave DS
Reapers Touch
Dark Pact
Well of Suffering
Well of Corruption
Does opponent have stability not likely to be cleared by Well of Corruption?
– Yes Spinal Shivers then switch to Axe/Warhorn
– No Switch to Axe/Warhorn then Ghastly Claws
Golem Charge
Switch to DS
Life Blast until downed (usually 1-2 shots, if not downed already)
While in DS, if opponent doesn’t down while still CC’d from Golem Charge, use Doom to interrupt heal

Desired effect: This rotation, when performed correctly, can effectively burst most opponents from as much as full health to 0. The key is to time it correctly and look for an opening that will allow as much of the rotation to be completed as possible. I have had great success with this build in tPvP settings.

Hey all – just a little update video. I threw spectral walk/recall into the dark path/pact/well combo for easy escape. I still havent actually tried it in a real situation so not sure how it will work but just trying to throw out more ideas

Cheers!

SweetCream.8051:

Build: Power/Condi Hybrid, 20/30/20///
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fQAQNBmODbkRLdPczYjePBIp46nhUsbtRPOe5gB-jkCB4iA4MRmABOFqIasVOFRjVVDWbDTXKpKYAaYQCBsYNA-w
Situation: WvW, opener
Rotation: Blood is Power>Signet of Spite>Golem Charge>Axe2/WH5>DS2>DS3>DS5>Staff2,3,5,4>WH4>Axe2
Desired effect: Overload them with conditions and buff yourself(10stack of might + 2% dmg per condition), force them to eat conditions through golem, warhorn and chain fear, land as much of axe2 as possible as often as safely possible.
Alternatively roll with corrupt boon instead of BiP against certain classes for the extra counter.

Been trying this out today, it’s awesome. I’ve altered the armor a bit and have travelers runes instead, but the build is really good.
BiP gives me might for 16.5 seconds, and warhorn5 gives me speed for 20 secs. It’s very tanky and does great dmg!