Next Necro Patch and Rumours
This is essentially what is being passed around. I warn you that it isn’t confirmed by ANet, and even if it is real, it is an old, in house version of patch notes, meaning it is incomplete at best. While some things, like a trait for Burning, and the new DS 5 skill/condition are guaranteed, the rest are only rumors for now.
For a more eye-friendly version of the non-confirmed patch notes:
Death Shroud
- Dark Path: Fixed a bug where the chill duration did not match the tooltip.
- Doom: This ability now lists the damage it deals to enemy targets.
- Death Shroud: No longer removes the Spectral Armor buff.
- Death Shroud: No longer removes the Spectral Walk buff.
- Death shroud: New ability #5 – Dark Binding: You tether all enemies within a 600 range, constantly dealing Torment to them over time. At the end of the cast, Dark Binding immobilizes all affected enemies still within the radius.
Heal
- Consume Conditions: This skill now consumes Torment.
Staff
- Necrotic Grasp: Increased projectile velocity by 10%.
- Necrotic Grasp: Increased Life Force gain from 3 to 4.
- Putrid Mark: This ability will now transfer Blind to enemies it strikes, instead of missing.
Scepter
- Putrid Curse: Increased Poison duration from 2s to 4s.
- Feast of Corruption: Increased Life Force gain from 2/condition to 3/condition.
Dagger
- Necrotic Bite: Increased Life force gain from 4 to 6.
- Deathly Swarm: Increased projectile velocity by 30%.
- Enfeebling Blood: Reduced weakness duration to 6 seconds.
Axe
- Unholy Feast: This ability now removes 1 boon from each target hit.
- Ghastly Claws: Increased Life Force gain from 8 to 10.
Warhorn
- Wail of Doom: Added an unblockable skill fact.
- Locust Swarm: Increased the radius to 210. Increased animation size to better reflect it’s attack area.
Focus
- Reaper’s Touch: Fixed a bug so that it now applies the Vulnerability before the damage. Updated the tooltip to state the correct amount of Vulnerability.
Underwater Stuff
- Crimson Tide – Bleed duration 5s – 6s
- Deadly catch – Cripple duration 3s – 6 s
- Wicked spiral – Vuln duration 6s – 10s per hit
- Deadly feast: Duration of feast, 6s – 8s
- Plague blast: Decreased cast time and reduced aftercast
- Feast: Reduced weakness duration to 3 seconds.
Elites
- Grim Specter: This ability can now be cast while moving.
- Grim Specter: This skill is now unblockable.
- Plague: Reduced weakness duration to 1 second.
Corruption
- Corrupt Boon: Reduced the maximum amount of boons converted to 5.
- Corrupt Boon: Reduced the duration of weakness when corrupting might to 5 seconds.
Spectral
- Spectral Wall: Normalized the amount of protection gained to 7s for allies. Replaced the Vulnerability with a 1s fear when enemies try to cross the wall. Added 4% life force gain on hit.
- Spectral Armor: Reduced the recharge to 60s.
Minions
- Rigor Mortis: This ability is now instant.
- Bone Fiend and Shadow Fiend now regenerate outside of combat.
- Shadow Fiend Haunt: Blind Duration increased to 5s.
Well
- Well of Power: This ability now breaks stuns. Added 1s of stability. Cooldown reduced to 50 seconds.
- Well of Corruption: Reduced cooldown to 40 seconds.
- Well of Darkness: Reduced cooldown to 50 seconds.
- Well of Suffering: Reduced cooldown to 35 seconds.
- Well of Corruption: Reduced the duration of weakness when corrupting might to 5 seconds.
Signet
- Signet of Spite: Now applies 2 stacks of bleeding for 10s, blind for 5s, Cripple for 10s, Poison for 10s, 5 stacks of vulnerability for 10s, and weakness for 10s. Recharge reduced to 60s.
- Signet of Undeath: Increased cast time to 3s.
Spite Trait Tree
- Signet Power: This trait has been merged with Signet Mastery.
- Signet Mastery: This trait now recharges signets 20% faster and grants 3 stacks of might for 10 seconds on signet use.
- Axe Training: This trait has been moved to the Master tier.
- New Grandmaster trait – Dhuumfire: Inflict burning to opponents for 4 seconds on critical hit. This effect can only occur once every 10 seconds.
Curses Trait Tree
- Withering Precision: You apply 5 seconds of weakness on critical hits. This effect can only occur once every 20 seconds.
Death Magic Trait Tree
- Death Shiver: Vulnerability applied every 3 seconds while in Death Shroud has been increased to 3 stacks for 10 seconds, up from 1 stack.
- Death Nova: Minions now deal damage when death nova triggers.
Blood Magic Trait Tree
- Dagger Mastery: This trait now grants a 20% recharge reduction.
Soul Reaping Trait Tree
- Speed of Shadows: This trait now increases movement speed by 25% while in death shroud.
- Decaying Swarm: This trait has been removed.
- Near to Death: This trait has been moved to the Master tier.
- New Grandmaster trait – Deathly Perception: You have a 50% greater critical chance while in Death Shroud.
Commander Ascii :: Tempest Wolves [TW] :: Sanctum of Rall :: Best Necromancer NA
However, The existence and effects of the Torment condition (not the damage numbers given), the existence of Death Shroud #5 (and it will be named Tainted Shackles) and burning via trait are official from ArenaNet.
Thanks! I can see that they are really trying to make a viable Death Shroud build and I like that. I like Death Shroud as it is so unique and admittedly one of the better abilities of a Necro. I know what I’ll be doing when this comes out – making a new Necromancer who is specced and kitted for some serious Death Shroudiness!