Guild Wars 2

Hey all, so i’ve been super tempted to try a condition build out of SPvP and wanted some input on gear.

Dire, I really REALLY like the defense this build gives while still adding a decent amount of condition I lose out on the extra crit which procs more bleeds down the curses line, but it might be something I can live without.

Rapid, Supreme conditions, conditions being the main stat, then precision on the back end to prock more bleeds from curses. This set feels like it was BUILT for a condition necro and I can dream of the damage it pumps out. The only thing that makes me weary is the LACK of defense Dire offers.

Now I mainly WvW out of Spvp but I do roll around in PVE combat and SOMETIMES fractals. I know the conditions cap is a detriment but I don’t mind it entirely.

So, in general, what do you think would be the better set for me.

Also, runes and traits might be a bit useful as well but I can navigate those half decently.

Ran a condi necro for a LONG time and I went almost full Rabid. You’ll want the extra crit chance with the trait that gives you a 66% chance to bleed on crit and then also you can attach a sup sigil of earth to your scepter for another 60% chance. You get pretty insane condi damage with it. For runes you can go either Melandru or Undead, depending if you want the extra defense or not. You could go for maybe like your amulet and accessories to be dire but in general you’ll want the extra crit chance You’ve got plenty of health as it is with DS and the natural 18k healthpool. For food I’d go with Koi Cakes because they’re stupidly cheap but there are probably better, more expensive alternatives.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fRAQNBLhZakjmaaLqx3G+bTEMIS2qzk5KGdiCBA-TlyCABOoEEgjAAOq/owJAMBli+AsUaI0+DT8AAySZ20HCASBAz0I-w
That’s the build I used to run. If you’re doing small man stuff you’ll probably want Dhuumfire but this is in general a solid build for zergs. You can change out Spectral Wall for a stunbreak if you want but you do like 1.2k damage per fear when the target has a condi on them so you can get some pretty awesome damage with it when throwing it infront of a zerg. Also the reason I have warhorn equipped is just because you have very low swiftness on necro and if the group isn’t coordinated enough, you’ll have a swiftness problem. Dagger would be the best alternative if you don’t have that problem. Full Dire is just stupid defense to the point that you don’t need it :/

Just btw, power necro is a lot better for skill group/zerg fighting solely because there are so many ways to wipe condis with guardians having light fields coming out their ears. If you’re roaming or doing small group stuff condi is really good

Rabid for roaming or havoc, Dire for zerging. Runes vary depending on what you want to be able to do. For Rabid I say Krait runes are your best option assuming you’re using Scepter as your primary weapon. Bleeds are abundant within the Necromancer’s weapon sets and trait lines so the more chance you have to apply bleeds, and the longer their duration, the better.
In your Dire set, as I’ve said, it really depends on what you want to be able to do. You can get a decent amount of damage out of a Dire set as well as having great survivability. But the second you choose a defensive rune, such as for example, Lich runes (not that they’d ever be a good idea to use anyway… But for the sake of example), you’re really going to feel that lack of DPS. So I’d suggest you go with something very offensive in your Dire set and let the armor’s stats take care of your defenses. I personally roll with Nightmare runes to give all my conditions a boost in duration and because the occasional fear that the runes will proc can be a life saver.

Basically though, Dire or Rabid, which ever you choose, you should be doing some pretty mean damage. Rabid will definitely give you more of an oomph, though. Also, don’t be too concerned with the lack of Vitality Rabid armor provides. As a Necromancer, you have plenty of Vitality anyway.

As for damage… I have two sets, one for roaming the other for zerging. Regardless of which I’m currently using I can lay down some pretty sweet numbers. Rabid though, whew, lol. Once you get a rotation down people will melt so fast they won’t know what hit them. I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten to the point I can DPS someone down about as quickly as a power build could do it.

Dire… always. Crit chance is overvalued imo: your on crit effects are mostly limited by their ICD, not your crit chance. Also note that pure dire trinkets do not exist, so even if you go as dire as possible, you will still have around 23% crit chance. That’s enough to reliably trigger your on crit effects. Sure Rabid will still be slightly (the imperative word being slightly) higher dps, but the trade-off in survivability and synergy with our class mechanic dwarfs this gain imo.

As a class that, by design, just has to take stuff to the face and live through it more than anyone else, having the option to go for max survivability while losing only a couple of percent dps max just seems too crazy to pass up.

Arvid.3829:

Dire… always. Crit chance is overvalued imo: your on crit effects are mostly limited by their ICD, not your crit chance.

Very true.

Arvid.3829:

Also note that pure dire trinkets do not exist, so even if you go as dire as possible, you will still have around 23% crit chance.

And Fury.

Arvid.3829:

… go for max survivability while losing only a couple of percent dps max just seems too crazy to pass up.

People hugely undervalue vitality for necros.
Mabye it’s because many come from other classes where maxing toughness instead gives them better healing efficiency relative to their hp pool.
But for necros it’s exactly opposite: we have weak healing that doesn’t even work half the time. Most of our sustain comes from generating life force which is always percentage based, so having more vitality not only increases our lf pool but also improves the amount of lf we generate.

On topic: I would never go full rabid tbh. If you don’t like dire, mix rabid with carrion.

The difference between rabid and dire is a trade of precision and vitality. Precision improves crit chance. If you run sigils or skills that rely on crit chance, then the gear helps if you do not have so much that CD limits dps.

There is no reason you cannot mix gear, either. Half dire and half rabid is fine if the trade between crit chance and vitality is even.

I like full rabid, but wouldn’t say no to mixing in some Dire. Some crit is needed for proc effects, but yes one can go too far with it.