Guild Wars 2

Part 1:
Foreword: The newest patch updates have arrived on June 25th and necromancers got quite a few changes to their traits/utilities among other things.

I have been running a dagger power build for as long as I can remember on my necromancer and I wanted to try something similar that I think will work very well in all PvE content including higher level fractals, Arah, etc. thanks to today’s updates.

My Death Shroud DPS Build:

The rough build:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fQAQNBIhZakRrSPTzTjePRA9496yZRFAA1D3tOAA-jAyAYLBR6DENCgKAm8KiGbboIas6aMlLRUNA-e

Obviously the skills calculator hasn’t been updated but the trait points are there and I will explain which ones I have selected.

Traits:

30/10/0/0/30

Spite:

• VI: Reaper’s Might – Life Blast(DS auto attack) places one stack of might on you.
  Every time you attack with death shroud your power and condition damage will steadily increase. Self-explanatory.

• VII: Spiteful Marks – Marks deal 10% increased damage.
  Useful for maintaining a good DPS at range when out of death shroud.
  Can be swapped for VIII – Axe Mastery if you use an axe in your power build instead.

• XII: Close to Death – 20% increased damage against targets under 50% health
  A staple for most power based necro builds and a huge increase to overall DPS.

Curses:

• VI: Focused Rituals – Wells are ground targeted.
  As this build currently fills all possible utilities with wells this trait helps in giving my necromancer some flexibility when placing these powerful skills. Given that this trait only needs 10 points to have as of today is a nice bonus.

• Another useful option that was pointed out is V – Reapers’ precision If life blast or any other attacks crit you have a chance to gain more life force which is always useful.

Soul Reaping:

• II: Vital Persistence – While in DS, Life force drains 25% slower.
  As this build revolves around staying in Death Shroud for an extended period of time, this trait becomes a must-have

• VI: Unyielding Blast – Each Life blast shot pierces and causes 2 stacks of vulnerability to the target hit. In addition to reaper’s might, this trait becomes very useful for increasing the power of the DS main attack and the vulnerability not only helps you but your entire party.

• XII: Deathly Perception: You have a 50% percent greater critical hit chance in DS
  This is the new trait that inspired me to create this build. 50 percent is a massive increase to our critical hit chance and with a full zerker build we can have a 100% critical chance with all of our death shroud skills in addition to the benefits already talked about.

• Note that Life Blast does more damage the closer you are to your target, so if you can survive and maintain DS within 600(axe range) units, this is the range you should stay in for most fights. Life Transfer and the new skill Tainted Shackles also help with aoe damage within that range as well.

Utilities:

Speaking of AoE damage, I should talk about the utilities. The only problem with the dagger as a damage dealing weapon is that it is single-target only.

This is why I bring a warhorn offhand with the 2 damaging wells in my build.
Well of suffering is one of the best if not the best utility for direct DPS in the necromancer’s arsenal. It stacks vulnerability as it pulses increasing its own damage steadily as well as the damage of your entire party’s attacks. Well of corruption is less damaging than suffering and the boon stripping is usually more useful in PvP, but in certain fights can be a huge help.

Heal: Consume Conditions

• I would take consume for the great condition removal and shorter recharge. However, the team support and stronger healing of well of blood should be considered if you have an organized group and you can place it anywhere you choose thanks to focused rituals.

• Well of Suffering/Well of Corruption: As said above, damaging wells are very nice compliments to this build due to the good aoe damage that they provide and the extra effects are very useful. Note that if these wells are casted before going into DS, while you are in death shroud the 100% crit will affect the pulses too.

• Well of Power: As of the update, this skill just became much more useful in PvE situations. An aoe condition into boon conversion was already alright but not incredible. Now that this skill is a stun breaker that also gives stability (that necros sorely lacked) on a shorter recharge is a huge buff and definitely earned its spot.

Part 2:

Honorable Mentions:

• Signet of Spite: Even with the buffed active, without target the weak this skill is not very good to use. The passive however is exceptional with an extra 180 power at all times.

• Blood is Power: Another good choice for power focused builds as 10 stacks of might is nothing to sneeze at and the cooldown is relatively short.

• Well of Darkness: Deserves a mention against large trash fights and if the chill on blind trait is swapped in can be useful in specific fights.

Elite Skill: Flesh Golem

• For a build that revolves around being in DS, the elite skills that take you out of it for 20 or 30 seconds at a time are not as useful in this build. The golem provides extra dps as he stays alive and has a defiant strip when needed.

• For a fight where you are at a significant range, you can take Lich Form, but because DS is now 1200 range it will have to be tested as to which one does more damage consistently.

Gear:

For a primarily direct DPS build, you will want mainly full berserker gear to maximize damage output because in tougher content that is what you need to have.

For runes, scholar runes or ruby orbs will work fine with the build.

The weapons will be Dagger/warhorn and staff. The dagger set is obvious for building life force and doing as much damage as possible outside of DS. The swiftness also doesn’t hurt.

• The staff is needed for times where you really can’t fight a certain boss in melee range and need to be at a safe range. It also has access to aoe poison, chill, fear, bleed, regeneration for allies, and most recently blind.

• You have the option to swap in an axe as I need to test if the axe mastery trait buffs DS damage as well. If you do have an axe set I recommend Axe/focus for the boon strip and added vulnerability

The sigils are optional, whichever ones you feel most comfortable with should be the ones you should use. I recommend force, night, strength, or even accuracy to push your base crit chance over 50% to guarantee crits in death shroud.

Conclusion:

This build is obviously not finished, but I wanted to get the idea out there as the updates today prove to be very exciting for all classes but necromancers especially. I will be testing and tweaking this build over the next few weeks in all different areas of PvE and comparing it to the standard Dagger/warhorn power builds that are circulating currently.

Thanks for reading my build guide on a Death Shroud DPS Necromancer!

Any comments/questions/concerns? Feel free to reply down below. Constructive feedback is appreciated and will help me fine tune this build immensely.

This build is also on guru!
http://www.guildwars2guru.com/topic/83932-death-shroud-dps-build-for-pve/

Axe/Focus fits this build much better. Also, consider getting CD on Ds reduction in certain fights. Already tested in CoF. SoU/WoS/BiP(switchable) with 30/10/0/0/30 seems pretty sweet, you have just enough Life Force generation to stay in DS for your rotation which is Axe #2, Focus #4, DS#1 +Tainted and Transfer. DPS around 4-5k per Blast over 50% hp, 6-7k below, not counting high might or vun stacks. Axe #2 does around 10k. Really goodand solid power build, sustaiable. For harder fight with constant damage, take reduced cd on spectrals instead of adept or master trait, may help you maintain your LF a lot.

I dont understand why everyone is just posting the same old DS power build but now with deathly perception (its exactly the same build most power necro’s were running before the patch). Deathly perception isnt even really needed when running beserker gear. Deathly perception opens up valkyrie builds if you can maintain DS effectively in high end pve.

That’s because of Blast huge improvement in last patch. Both damage and no restrictions.

Rym.1469:

That’s because of Blast huge improvement in last patch. Both damage and no restrictions.

Damage is the same, you just maintain the damage better. Life blast for damage isnt good damage though. With valkyrie build you can use food to boost your power and hit harder than before. Still not worth it unfortunately.

Just heads up if you going for 50% ds crit build spam.

1. You can easily dump berzerker gear and put on full PVT gear while only loosing mostly on crit damage. While gaining massive survivability boost. (mostly pvp intended)
2. And this is how you stack 25 might like a boss.
Superior Sigil of Strength – 30% Chance on Critical: Gain Might Might (10 Seconds)
put 60% might duration with runes… and you can sit at 25 stack spamming lifeblast like a boss. In pve you can also get MOAR… either duration for might or might. Whichever.

Also spoj… while it is a sad spec and not really any imaginary high damage people keep screaming. There is NOTHING in this trashy class that does good damage. That kittened fire garbage is an embarasment that requires 30 points into a tree that ruins most actually —-———————————FUN (amazing anet is so asian they censored fun with spaces) —-——————————— builds…
Besides beight another garbage skill that requires… OH SNAP … just like the almost every 3rd kittening talent on crit effect. So your cluster kittened into precision gear. It requires sacrificing best trait in spite for it. In short its a mediocre sigil level trait shoved in as grandmaster trait.
Oh and R.I.P. corruption necros. I ran one… then it got shot in the knee. Post patch I ran my necro as sort of farewell in spvp for about 6 games. Out of 6 games I landed 1 kittenING cb total.(If that wasn’t kittened intself) And it didn’t even chew thought a thiefs new boon spammage. Forget guardians/eles/engineers/warriors/mesmers… well…. everyone except necro and ranger. Anyhoo… with garbage classes you take what you can get.

HiSaZuL.2843:

Just heads up if you going for 50% ds crit build spam.

1. You can easily dump berzerker gear and put on full PVT gear while only loosing mostly on crit damage. While gaining massive survivability boost. (mostly pvp intended)
2. And this is how you stack 25 might like a boss.
Superior Sigil of Strength – 30% Chance on Critical: Gain Might Might (10 Seconds)
put 60% might duration with runes… and you can sit at 25 stack spamming lifeblast like a boss. In pve you can also get MOAR… either duration for might or might. Whichever.

Read up. Valkyrie gives you survivability but you keep the crit damage.

spoj.9672:

HiSaZuL.2843:

Just heads up if you going for 50% ds crit build spam.

1. You can easily dump berzerker gear and put on full PVT gear while only loosing mostly on crit damage. While gaining massive survivability boost. (mostly pvp intended)
2. And this is how you stack 25 might like a boss.
Superior Sigil of Strength – 30% Chance on Critical: Gain Might Might (10 Seconds)
put 60% might duration with runes… and you can sit at 25 stack spamming lifeblast like a boss. In pve you can also get MOAR… either duration for might or might. Whichever.

Read up. Valkyrie gives you survivability but you keep the crit damage.

Sigh… ok if you wanna do it this way I’ll play along. Read highlighted part. Now think what provides more LF to spend on DS skill + exactly as I said massive… meaning the best. Then think about what you said. After you do come back and lets have a good argument instead of nitpicking.

Rym.1469:

Axe/Focus fits this build much better. Also, consider getting CD on Ds reduction in certain fights. Already tested in CoF. SoU/WoS/BiP(switchable) with 30/10/0/0/30 seems pretty sweet, you have just enough Life Force generation to stay in DS for your rotation which is Axe #2, Focus #4, DS#1 +Tainted and Transfer. DPS around 4-5k per Blast over 50% hp, 6-7k below, not counting high might or vun stacks. Axe #2 does around 10k. Really goodand solid power build, sustaiable. For harder fight with constant damage, take reduced cd on spectrals instead of adept or master trait, may help you maintain your LF a lot.

Axe is an option and as I said in the build the quick changes would be to swap spiteful marks->Axe Mastery and staff->axe/focus. I’ve heard that the increased damage from the trait also increases the damage of life blast. I don’t know if this is confirmed or not.

I’ve tested the build out in 20-30+ fractals and it works very well. Good sustained damage close up or at range, but for times when it is needed a staff is a much better fit for ranged combat so you aren’t pummeled by harder hitting mobs because you were too close. Due to this you could swap the axe set for the dagger set possibly, and then swap it back for stacking/fights you can survive in melee.

spoj.9672:

I dont understand why everyone is just posting the same old DS power build but now with deathly perception (its exactly the same build most power necro’s were running before the patch). Deathly perception isnt even really needed when running beserker gear. Deathly perception opens up valkyrie builds if you can maintain DS effectively in high end pve.

For certain organized teams, no you do not need berserker’s gear, because of the power of that trait you can have lower precision and still hit just as hard. Other professions can also buff your crit chance through banners/fury, lessening the need for too much precision.

For pug teams however you can’t count on them to maintain fury 100% or even help you out at all damage-wise. Berserker’s is easy to obtain and provides consistently useful stats for the build, regardless of team composition.

Old DS power builds maybe, but this was not the best power option that necros had for DPS. Most pve power necros should have been running 30/25/0/0/15(or 30/30/0/0/10 was what I used personally) using dagger for the most possible damage before the patch. Target the weak was very strong and DS was limited to situational survivability use. This new trait among other things changes the way necromancers can now use Death Shroud. They have given us a reason to stay in Death Shroud now that isn’t simply “oh no, I’m about to die, better pop F1 quick!”