Guild Wars 2

I’m relatively new to GW2, and the first class that really clicked with me was that of the Necromancer. I’m not one who is good at multitasking and smashing a bunch of buttons in a methodical manner is not something that I excel at. I’d like to continue to play this class, but after reading this forum in particular (and to a lesser extent some of /rGW2 and other subforums here) I’m a bit worried about investing my time in making this my first level 80.

So that’s the question. If you look through the topics of this forum, the majority are about this class being poorly designed. It sounds like it excels only at WvW zergs, it’s at the bottom tier and then below that for Dungeons, and in PvP it sounds like it’s mediocre at best because the class is primaried and lacks escapes in order to mitigate the focus that it receives. Please correct me if I am wrong, but that is the general sentiment that I am getting from this class when reading this forum.

I know the most common advice to follow for GW2 is play what you enjoy, all classes are viable. The thing is though, the doom and gloom on this forum really makes it seem like the Necro is a lost cause and I’d be better off playing another class.

Also just out of curiosity, how new player friendly is this class? I don’t have any interest in playing a Guardian/Warrior, so with those out of the picture, how does the Necro compare to the rest in ability to grasp the game play of?

TLDR;
1) Is the necromancer class as hopeless as this forum makes it seem?
2) For a newer player, if a necromancer isn’t worth the time investment, what would be a more suitable class for someone who wants to excel at PvP, but still be able to explore dungeon content.

The only dungeon content you won’t be welcome in is uber serious speed run groups. And with all the balance changes incoming as well as new specializations, you really should just stick with the class you enjoy and make it work. I tried other classes cause the grass seemed greener, but always wind up coming back to my Necro.

Your impression is pretty much spot on. Necros are fairly friendly for new players due to their inherent durability (all necro specs are durable) and strong self-sufficiency.

Although Necros aren’t really wanted in dungeons, because they don’t bring group support , nor impressive damage, they are still quite competent and I would argue are quite good for PUG groups due to not needing much support to do well.

Now, in PvP formats where CC is vastly more prevalent, this is another story. Staying healthy isn’t something a Necro needs a ton of assistance with, it’s doing anything at all because the profession is the easiest to stunlock.

Shaogin.2679:

The only dungeon content you won’t be welcome in is uber serious speed run groups. And with all the balance changes incoming as well as new specializations, you really should just stick with the class you enjoy and make it work. I tried other classes cause the grass seemed greener, but always wind up coming back to my Necro.

Thanks, that is a good point about class specializations and the GS that we’ll be able to use soon. I just wish we’d get some more concrete information about that. Even just knowing that we’d get some kind of escape or support based skills would be enough.

Yes, it is really that bad compared to other classes. It’s a niche class that does very good in certain aspects of the game, but overall is in a bad state and anet just hates us. Don’t start a new game with a class that the devs hate. Play a class that they love. Like warrior. I started the game playing a necro and I got so frustrated that I quit. Then I came back 6 months later, started an elementalist and now I’m happy. Although I like my necro I would never suggest anyone to make it his main character.

Try thief/elementalist/warrior.

No, people complain about anything and everything on these forums. When we sucked, they asked for buffs, they gave us Dhuumfire and people complained. This class is incredibly strong when left to its own devices in pvp. Necros are so strong in wvw because they have an entire zerg peeling for them. If you learn to use their mobility well, you wont need too much peel in pvp.

As far as pve, we have good damage but lack the utility of other classes. Ele, thief, war, and guard are meta for pve. That being said, skill>comp unless youre doing top tier pvp.

Personally, I love the playstyle of the necro and have tried, since release, to play the Necro and not feel like a burden to my team. I’ve yet to feel like I’m benefiting the team though. Pick a class, any class and it will most likely perform better than the necro, and that is the history of the necro. Every dungeon I’ve run, every fractal I’ve done, I’ve found myself thinking “I could go pick ANY other class and be a better benefit to my team.”

As it stands, the necro has too many core design issues and it has always been that way. The devs don’t really care about the necro, and it shows. I’d say you should watch for the expansion and the specializations, but I see no reason to think that the devs would actually make the necro a relevant class outside of WvW zergs. If they do make the changes to necro that would make it competitive, I think it would be more accidental than anything else.

That said: I can pug dungeons and low level fractals, but I don’t think anyone has ever been happy to see a necro in either of those. I’ve been kicked from groups for picking necro before too. Necro is the kitten step-child of the developers and it shows.

Thor Rising.7850:

…their mobility…

That’s a good one.

Asbrandr.6324:

Thor Rising.7850:

…their mobility…

That’s a good one.

Hey…necro has….ummm…..warhorn…?

OP do you play on EU or NA? If you play on EU you might have bad luck joining groups with a necro if you ever want to do dungeons or fractals. EU tends to have a lot harsher LFG restrictions and pickier players.

What you have gathered from this subforum is correct. Necro is good in WvW zergs, bad in PvE and has issues in sPvP. Yes you should play what you enjoy regardless of what others may think. But consider the possibility that your fun may be ruined if you cannot join certain types of groups. Or you start to feel inadequate due to the classes very real shortcomings (this tends to happen to all pve necro mains that have stuck around for a long time).

I always shake my head when people tell new players to ignore “those negative nancys”. I would be seriously annoyed if i followed that kind of advice and then found myself incredibly disappointed later down the line.

Necro and mesmer are looking to be the OP classes in HoT thanks to the fact that they currently have weak class mechanics that could be very easily altered to be extremely strong in a specialization (i.e. both follow the mold of “consume resource to power up” which is always strong). Compare that to classes like the engie or ele who already have very good class mechanics that are highly unlikely to get buffs in HoT, and it’s pretty obvious that rolling necro or mesmer is the way to go if you want to be prepared for HoT and not be stuck with the kittenty lame outdated classes from three years ago.

They’re not hopeless, but they are in a bad spot. It’s not really an issue of the results that can be gained or some kind of “this is underpowered” ranting, but rather I see that the developers have really no clear vision on what this class should be and fixes tend to be more bandaids then any real steps to addressing much.

This can be compared to the ranger, while questionable in some locations, are in a better spot and changes have caused more options to pop up for them. The same cannot be said about the necro as much.

Thor Rising.7850:

No, people complain about anything and everything on these forums. When we sucked, they asked for buffs, they gave us Dhuumfire and people complained. This class is incredibly strong when left to its own devices in pvp. Necros are so strong in wvw because they have an entire zerg peeling for them. If you learn to use their mobility well, you wont need too much peel in pvp.

As far as pve, we have good damage but lack the utility of other classes. Ele, thief, war, and guard are meta for pve. That being said, skill>comp unless youre doing top tier pvp.

What I can deduce from you is that you put yourself way higher than most people on this subforum, which aside from me, mostly consists of people who are quite humble…

So since you apparently got sepreme knowledge that we lack, as you utilize your mobility so well that you don’t need peels – we will see you soon in the ESL finals right?

Stay humble man… Certainly does you good… Pro tip though, make a Twitch account and plug it every time you disrespect a whole community – it is like the equivalent of eating an apple in movies, it makes you at least 15 times more of a baddonkey

To answer the OP – Necromancers, and certainly if you played GW1, are quite a lackluster…
Buuuuuuuut – they got a certain appeal to them, and if it fits you, you can certainly make it work on all fields respectively…

In PvE land, it might not be optimal, but only a small margin of the community actually utilizes what is optimal… With this I mean, a lot know what is, but there are but a few who actually work their behinds off to become the end of all… This in mind, playing a Necromancer, though not optimal, can be decent if you run with suboptimal groups… Once you learn the ropes, you survive vastly better than most people under optimal circumstances… Of course, utility wise it will never come close to an Ele or Guardian – but it is a choice you and your group makes…
Be sure to talk it over if you got a certain group you always run with, if they do understand, they might not make as much a hassle about it as some people who expect the best of the best… Plus, if you finally do have Ascended Gear, you can at least transfer it between Ele and Necro when you feel like it :P

For PvP, it is workable… It is punishing, harsh, and you will quickly feel your shortcommings to be exploited heavily by the enemy team as you progress within it – but it does not mean it is weak in any way… When utilized well, and with some proper coordination (as in, you do not bunker a point for instance) – you can become a literal nightmare to the enemy team
It is, much like some other professions, a risk/reward class…

Luckily, the Necromancer community has some good people on respective sides of the ocean to show you the ropes – so don’t hessitate to take their hands if you want some help

If you do WvW, people will LOVE you as a power necro. If you run PvE with guild groups, you can be a necro and people shouldn’t complain. It’s only an issue if you try to get into speed groups or run with elitist min/maxers. sPvP, well necros have their issues there, we aren’t a powerhouse class that’s for sure.

As much as people dog on necros, take things with the right perspectives. Where thieves are very good at sPvP and PvE, they are considered 100% useless in WvW zerg/group combat. Any large scale WvW guilds will tell you to bring a different class. Rangers have the same issues with large scale WvW not appreciating them, same with engi & mesmers where guilds really only need 1 or 2 in the whole raid.

So, are necros bad in PvE when compared to other classes? Yes. But are many other classes bad in large scale WvW when compared to necros? Yes. Just as your commanders & guild leaders will tell you to bring a GWEN to guild WvW raids, you should probably expect to make a class more viable in PvE when you do the PvE side of things.

Bottom line is, no class is perfect in all playstyles (PvE, WvW, sPvP), except maybe Guardians. Don’t be afraid to have different classes for different aspects of the game. You should most definitely play the class you enjoy the most. But you should keep in mind the strength & weakness of said classes in PvE, WvW, and sPvP.

Usually in every class forum there are people who overly dramatize their class, while some points are justified. Currently if you are solely a pve player going for the metas/high end dmg then I wouldnt nec recomend necro, also because it has been in this state for quite some time now (even when the meta usually shifts). Ideally the devs want eahc class to fulfill their roles and be viable, so I would just recommend going for a class that has a playstyle which suits you, and by your description that could be necro. Theres no better thing than mastering a class (as there are different ways to play it depending on traits and weapon sets) and suprise others, so stick with that and you’ll have your fun

Personally I have every class at 80 part from engineer and switch around depending on my mood. That result in me not being super good in every class, but I try to have 1 or 2 as mains to be really good at, while being orientated of what other classes have. This is something the account system makes us easier able to as many Things are account bound so that you can continue your progression no matter the character you play, which could be a good thing for you who are a starter and testing the waters.

I have a necro. Better go for other class.

PVE, try warrior (easy) or guardian (medium) or ele (hard, not very noob friendly)

PVP, i think ranger is easymode, dagger ele is unkillable though mediocre if you don’t build up power, engineer has a lot of potential and great mobility.

WvW: ask for someone else’s help.

I enjoy this class. It’s not the most “powerful” class, no, but you fill a niche of “corruption” that no other profession can do as efficiently.

Epidemic can be fun to bring if you run with an engineer and mesmer in your party. There are fun things to do and experiment with regarding necromancer, but you’ll notice these forums are beginning to be filled with some bitter old queens who have ran out of spunk(because they’ve already tried everything and feel forced into running efficiency). :P That’s every profession after you sink a lot of hours into it, though. Enjoy yourself.

As a person who only plays necromancer let give you some advise.

1 People who boot you from dungeons for being a certain class Id rather not play with. I can usually find a party within minutes to run with and without hostility.

2. This class is not a bad class especially if you like wvw/pvp necros work well in zergs, I am a solo roamer and usually can handle my own in most situations. Just a heads up, in pvp you will be a targeted if you run a terrormancer build.

3. Make your opinion and give it a chance. Dont not try it because some people say it’s a bad class.

As a new player myself, and only having one character, a necromancer, I’m definitely taking a “challenge accepted” approach. If I wanted easy mode, I would have went with warrior (no offence to warriors).

So far I’m having lots of fun and really enjoying myself. A $10 well spent. I’ve joined a guild that’s entirely populated with necromancers and I’ve been getting great advice. In the future after I get Zerina to level 80, well, I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. Right now, the journey is amazing.

Caveat: I’m only playing PvE for now.

Shinoobi.1259:

Epidemic can be fun to bring if you run with an engineer and mesmer in your party.

Epidemic can only be fun if your party doesn’t output enough damage. If they do, most enemies will be dead by the time your epidemic goes off, and the rest will be dead before the damage pays out.

The only niche in pve i see for necros is tot farming.

Endless Soul.5178:

As a new player myself, and only having one character, a necromancer, I’m definitely taking a “challenge accepted” approach. If I wanted easy mode, I would have went with warrior (no offence to warriors).

If only…

it’s not about the rest avoiding a challenge. Playing necros is fun and easy. The problem is, no matter how good you are, you cannot do much for your party, and you could do so much more with a more useful class.

Thank you for all the replies everyone. Based off of what you’ve all said, and my personal play style preference I will stick with the Necro. It’ll be a huge roll of the dice, but perhaps they’ll get some love with HoT.

1) I don’t think the class is as bad as the forum would have you believe. I’ve never played an MMO where forum complaints were a totally fair reflection of the class. Most players never look at forums, and of those who do, most don’t ever post. Every common complaint is based on a real problem, but how big of an issue that really is for you could vary quite a lot.

2) For me, leveling a necro was worth it. It is my 3rd 80 and probably will be my first in ascended armor. It works for me because it is quite easy to play in sub-optimal groups. You can do most things well solo, and even when you’re grouped you can barrel through on your own despite a bad team. If you’re looking to be wanted by good groups, necro isn’t worth your time, and you might be happier with a guardian.