Guild Wars 2

Considering how many times I re-trait and re-skill for different situations and environments, I decided to make a thread for people to post their impressions and the tune-ups you use. This is kind of a survey.

Necromancer versus -
- PvE trash mobs: Very powerful because of DS, its AoE abilities, and minions so it can easily handle a train and tag multiple mobs for a good drop quantity. Almost any trait and skill setup will work fine but I usually run Flesh Golem for the extra direct damage and leave traits weighted for CD and toughness. I use DS frequently.

_ PvE bosses: Low initial dps from my standard CD/tough tuning is offset by the boss’ high stats so that Necromancer contributes pretty steadily. I trait toughness because bosses typically can one or two-shot me if i miss a dodge. Golem is only used outside of dungeons for its knock-down. Otherwise, I use Plague or Lich. Against bosses, I would rate Necromancer as above average because conditions usually run their full durations and I end up acquiring the boss’ hate. I would rate Necromancer higher if the profession had a mechanic to avoid damage. I use DS as much as possible.

WvW: There seems to be several viable play styles but I usually play a light condition- Iartillery and healing role. For that, I again trait CD and toughness but add some healing/vitality. I never run minions because any opponent with a brain will ignore them. Odds are fair that a minion will goof off, anyway. I use DS less frequently in WvW because I save it for its small escape utility. The little extra bit of life does not help when I am singled out, though. It is better for escaping AoE. Flesh worm sort of helps with mobility but has a cool down that keeps me from the front line and it is highly vulnerable. I rate Necromancer as below average in this style of play mostly for the reduced value of conditions in PvP and the poor escape options. I do not mind either handicap but both at once is a high price. The only solution we have is a glass cannon build.

I have tried 30/30/x/x/x or 30/x/x/x/30 and found them pretty squishy and short on good utility traits but do admire those with the skill to pull it off. If spectral armor had shorter cool down and spectral wall was a mobility skill like a portal or stability, I think this build would be easier for me to deal with. As a side note, even though the traits scream “glass cannon”, the effect is still less glassy or cannon-like than other professions.

Post your own impressions. I would very much like to read them.

It depends on playstyle and spec. I run minions and have tried DS power spec. I attempted condimancer, and found it severely lacking compared to Elementalist and Ranger who I already had. The long cooldowns and slow building of conditions made it feel less enjoyable and more please don’t miss. My opinion then is weighted towards Power builds.

PVE: We are pretty strong. We have almost no trouble staying alive in just about every situation. We can’t explore with the ease of rangers, but no one can :P. I have no fear taking on champions or multiple veterans. Minon Builds make my life much easier while DS centric builds are nice but a little tougher to do general pve in.

Dungeon: Minions get a bad rap, but they are really strong here. They are the most universal utility we have. With the short cooldown and high damage reward they are our best utility not named Blood Is Power for damage builds. The key is in understanding that they will die, so I have a 24 second cooldown on an ability that may live 30 seconds or less. For DS Builds, they are shiny and look cool, and everyone thinks that outside of Condi that it’s the way to play. All Power builds are great single target builds. The amount of control and survival we have means that we have to be rezzing others quite a bit.

WvWvW: I have limited experience here in any class that’s not a ranger or warrior, but I know of others who have great success with the necro.

sPvP: A giant zerg rushing from one area to the next, is awesome for every version of the necro. Though I typically test builds in sPvP instead of playing to win. The staff is really strong in sPvP.

tPvP: We are misunderstood because the ratio of bad necros to good necros is very slanted. Anyone who has played in tPVP for over 200 games will tell you the same. If you rarely run into a Necro and when you do they don’t cause you any concerns this is normal. It’s also one of the reasons many of us are successful we are underrated. I have seen countless matches where I am completely ignored by an entire team because no one thinks necros can do anything. Then they start dying, and they start focusing on me. tPvP takes some getting used to in terms of playstyle. Initially you will feel weak and underpowered, the key is to remember you will never outburst the Thief, Mesmer, or 100b Warrior, but you will out live them, and can kill them. You are the bunker single target killer. If your team turns to focus someone, you should be dropping someone else. Ranger in the back picking off your teammates time to focus him down so he plays defensive. Thief and Mesmer jumping in and out drop some marks swap to single target and drop off a big chunk of their health and they run. Guardian tanking the damage and not allowing your team to get to the dps. Boon strip the sucker and force him to worry about himself.