Guild Wars 2

Hello community,

what about promoting more ACTIVE PLAY and build viability?

We know how much siphons are bad designed and subpar, while they should be a peculiar Profession mechanic.
Voices say that ANET kept em like this because in beta they were too much strong, allowing for imbalanced sustain.

THE ACTUAL SITUATION:

Life Siphon traits are a few and allow to proc a small siphoning effect on every damaging skill we have, emphasizing on Wells.
This would sound good, you can get an awesome sustain, but that’s only theorical in the best situation.
For example, popping together 4 wells with Vampiric Rituals, Ritual mastery, Vampiric and Bloodthirst (Blood Magic XII, VII, II, Master Minor) you can earn from Siphoning effects a total of 500 health (1 target) to 2500 health (5 targets) for each well for among 5-6 seconds every 30-40 seconds(cooldowns).

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vQAQBICY6B3jLOA

In PVE that sustain requires you to stay close on a static target and possibly with at least 5 targets on your wells, the more enemies on your wells, the better sustain.
BUT Bosses still hit too much hard, Mobs still hit too much hard AND if you get into Death Shroud you will waste all the Sihpon Effect.

In PVP that sustain is inexhistent, no smart and experienced player would stand in your wells waiting for you to get your life back, and again it won’t save yourself from bursts.
More, even the passive Siphon has a minimal impact on your survivability, when moving targets will just costantly reduce it’s uptime.

• TL,DR: On paper the numbers from Siphons’ healing are very good, on the pratical matter are extremely situational and subpar.

Then, why not abandoning their proc-on-anything nature and allowing their effect
through talents and direct skills?
I’ve brough in some ideas:

1) Direct Siphoning:
What I have in mind is for example allowing the actual Life Siphon and Life Transfer for a more incisive effect, similiar to the Transfusion (BloodMagic IV) and the old Life Transfer from GW1:

http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Life_Siphon
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Life_Transfer

This can be translated ingame by allowing certain skills from every weapon set to apply a Life Siphon effect or allowing direct siphon through channeling. This effect is on medium to long cooldowns, so they have to be used smartly and not just spammed.

What I would like to see is it working with both condition and power builds, so maybe we could have two traits in competition on the same tier: one for direct siphoning and one allowing Bleeds to proc a Life Siphon Effect (similiar to the GW1 hex) opening a chance for both sustain and a slight damage increase out of Spite line.

The possible counterplay would be this:

• Direct Siphon application would fall under the classic dodge/immunity/aegis/etc. situation;

• Channeling Spells = interruptable, easy to recognize + dodge/immunity/aegis/etc.;

• Conditions applying siphoning effects = dispel, dodge/immunity/aegis/etc.

In PVE it would still be a problem because of Bleeding Stacks, but that’s minimal.

If this idea doesn’t fit you, somebody in the Necromancer Forums thrown in an idea for:

2) Siphoning Fear (Credits to Rym.1469)
Imho this could work perfectly in both condition and power builds, it has a fair counterplay and balance. And to contribute on the Necromancer thematic it’s really nice.

But this opens another problem. This whole siphoning mechanic doesn’t work with Death Shroud, under Death Shroud we cannot gain any healing, thus making our actual regeneration and siphons more worthless than they are.

Let’s then scrap away Vampiric Ritual and bring in some new Grand Master trait like “Master Vampire” (whatever name would fit well), allowing healing under Death Shroud.
By the moment nobody over Minion Masters go deep into Blood line, this would allow more viability for the Blood Line, creating the possibility for an efficent Bunker build and refining the Attrition concept ANET labeled the Necromancer with.

Thinking about why ANET made it not possible to heal under DS, I analized some solutions:

1) Allowing us 50% of total healing and regeneration under DS;
2) Allow full healing under DS with some restriction (we would mainly heal with ourRegeneration and active siphons, Transfusion(maybe), excluding teammates healings);
3) Allow full healing under DS, slightly modifying DS mechanics:

Reducing the duration of DS (to make it work similiar as a block/shield/safe zone) and solving the problem of the unkillable target if at some point your DS would worn off, but then allowing a better Life Force generation (to make this feature more accessible during the fight -other builds wouldn’t have losses-) and sligthly increasing the DPS from Life Blasts (so Powermancers won’t have a big loss).
Imho it can be a good trade, it would solve the problem of people sitting passively in DS spamming Life Blasts and would PROMOTE A MORE ACTIVE USE.

With a better Life Force generation they can also introduce LF sacrifice/consuming spells.

I hope to contributing in some way or giving a nice point to think about this argument.

• TL,DR: Make Siphon an ACTIVE proc on certain Skill, instead of a PASSIVE proc on anything, hard to balance.
  Change a Blood Magic GrandMaster Trait to introduce the Healing Under DS with some limitations.

New update shows a grandmaster trait providing regeneration whilst in Deathshroud. This will bring you the much needed sustain that Necromancers have been crying out for.

However, I would have far rather they fixed this, which is needed, but nerfed or found some way to make Signet of Spite something that promotes more active play.

As things stand it will be Spite, Deathshroud, spam DS skills, Spite again. Then, rinse and repeat with the odd epidemic thrown into the mix whilst the necromancer strolls around with 100% health.

Anyway, we shall have to wait and see

The problem is they didn’t fix the yet exhistent features and bad traits.
Surely this new trait seems to be a step in the right way, but we have to see how it will work.
Luckly in my topic I didn’t include precise details in the traits.
The overall ideas should be still valid.

PS: Stay close to the topic please, no need to raise a flamewar regarding Signet of Spite.

Brashen.2671:

As things stand it will be Spite, Deathshroud, spam DS skills, Spite again. Then, rinse and repeat with the odd epidemic thrown into the mix whilst the necromancer strolls around with 100% health.

Anyway, we shall have to wait and see

Wow! You’ll have to show me this build that can use Signet of Spite within five seconds of using it last! That’s really impressive, since even traited, it has a 48 second cooldown!

Since thieves will be getting:
Thief: Invigorating Precision

Thief will be gaining a new survivability trait in their Critical Strikes line with Invigorating Precision. Five percent of damage from your critical attacks will now be returned to you as healing. With this trait, you’ll be able to sustain yourself in scenarios where your base healing just isn’t enough.

I really, REALLY, hope that Anet buffs our siphon to be viable

Again, please stay on topic.

I feel like if they´ll ever make them viable they´ll probably need at least another year for that.