Reaper and minions (PvE)

Reaper and minions (PvE)

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Posted by: Sorean.5379

Sorean.5379

So…not too long ago I remember people hating on minions and minion master builds for PvE.

But now with the release of HoT it seems like every build is using either,Death Magic traitline or “Rise” and 2~ other minons as utilities.

Also even builds that are not built around minions are using Flesh Golem.

I just hit lv80 on my alt necro and I used a minion/death magic build till lv80 because I enjoy the concept and it was awesome be a minion master in Guild Wars 1 so I wanted to try it in Guild Wars 2.

Now that I’m lv80 and I already have the elite spec unlocked (all of it,thanks to EotM) I kinda wanted to mix things up and use a melee build because Reaper’s Shroud look awesome!

The problem is because while searching for a build (went up to page 10 on this subforum,and also tried MetaBattle) it seems like everyone is using minion,so I suppose melee build isnt viable at all.

Or better,it is viable,but worse than a build using minions,and the more I look at it,it actually makes sense…Also even if I wanted to be a melee reaper,death magic would be helpful because it gives toughness per minon controlled so = more tankyness in frontline.

Are minions really that useful for Reaper ? I know they were useful while leveling my Necro,because I could spec into 3 specializations and most necro utitilies are bad in PvE in my opinion,so using a Well + 2 Minions utilities + Golem was pretty much the only viable options,and with 3 specs I could spec into Death Magic,Blood and Spite.

Reaper and minions (PvE)

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Posted by: ZeftheWicked.3076

ZeftheWicked.3076

Them minions are a story. But i would not go to say they’re mandatory for melee reaper to be successful dps wise.

Reason ppl slot RIse! is that the summoned minions absorb 50% of damage you take while they’re alive and kicking (or some such). In short it’s a tanking skill.
Good old fleshy is picked for his powerful cc charge. It really puts the hurt on enemy break bars, and has a reasonable cooldown.
Poison nova is also sweet, since the minions can weaken the enemy on their way out, adding to tankyness.

That however does not mean that death magic makes the best damage melee necro. Spite line is made for melee reaper. It’s damage, some more damage and extra damage.
In terms of stacking might this line is all you need for the latter half of fight (when enemy is below 50%). And with some boon duration even without that you’ll stack a very respectable amount of stack from shroud’s aa alone. that pulsing vulni from being in shroud is also nothing to sneeze at – with decimate defenses traited it’s both extra damage and extra crit chance.

So it’s your call there but i would certainly not call melee power reaper not viable.

Add soul reaping’s grandmaster trait that grants 50% crit when in shroud and all your precision problems have been solved. meaning you can go full cavalier or full valkyrie for some extra suvivability on top of kitten good damage.

Reaper and minions (PvE)

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Posted by: MadRabbit.3179

MadRabbit.3179

There is a lot of mechanics that still makes minions either useless or a pain in the kitten due to a lack of control over the minions themselves.

Like, the final boss in Cliffside will use a CC effect after every stage transition that destroys all your minions. You resummon them only to lose them on the next transition.

Or really any fight that requires the group to stack while taking constant AoE damage causes your minions to be all over the place.

I usually run a Blood/Spite/Repear build in dungeons or fractals where having a crazy amount of self sustain is not as important as DPS. It’s much less annoying than running a full minion build.

But, in open world…all minions pretty much all the time. You can pretty faceroll 80% of champions in HoT and hold camps in VB at night solo, because you don’t take that much of a DPS for a huge increase in you personal sustain and survivability.

Rehabilitated Elementalist. Now, trolling the Thief forums with my math.

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Posted by: Sorean.5379

Sorean.5379

What would be a good build then? Because I would like to use shouts too…not just minions.
Would “Rise” and another minion skill be enough? What about secondary weapon set? Full melee with dagger focus or staff for ranged support?

Reaper and minions (PvE)

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Posted by: NovaanVerdiano.6174

NovaanVerdiano.6174

Flesh Golem was always great to at least decent, depending on where you used it and the state of the game (for example the FGS nerf was a heavy hit for Flesh Golem too)
Minions can be useful if you run around solo because you can get quite high amounts of toughness + the damage reduction from rise while running around in full dps gear and even getting some bonus power, given you go Death Magic. What I generally suggest is Flesh Golem + Blood Fiend and additionally Rise if you feel like you need it, otherwise whatever else should occupy the slot in that situation. If there’s nothing and you don’t need Rise, just go Signet of Spite; other two utility slots are pretty much always Well of Suffering and Corruption for me as the burst is pretty good and BM offers protection on well-cast + CDR on wells. Spite/Blood Magic/Reaper as traitlines because it’s nice damage and if there’s no one else around, at least your minions can benefit from vampiric presence. Quickening Thirst is also nice QoL to get 25% IMS as long as you have your dagger equipped. Would not suggest going staff.

Reaper and minions (PvE)

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Posted by: MadRabbit.3179

MadRabbit.3179

What would be a good build then? Because I would like to use shouts too…not just minions.
Would “Rise” and another minion skill be enough? What about secondary weapon set? Full melee with dagger focus or staff for ranged support?

Some variation of this. Staff and sceptre/dagger if you want to go condi instead of power, but I think power is better for open world.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vRAQJARWnM0Adbid1AO1As3glpBb6BcBqASDgCQAIOEeCfhA

Rehabilitated Elementalist. Now, trolling the Thief forums with my math.

Reaper and minions (PvE)

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Posted by: The Demonic Spirit.3157

The Demonic Spirit.3157

Minion master reaper is one of the strongest necro builds , Zerker reaper is your best choice.
Here is the build
http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?vRIQJAWRnM0AN1gdbCe1As3glpBbqldBqASDgCQAI+DmCfhA-TxRDwAH3fIxlUUC2T53L1fAprpxTKAg5PSBs1wK-e
Food > I’m using the birthday one , utility > skale venom.
Zerker MM is better than condi as our minions will transfer the conditions from us to our enemies which prevent us from spreading them and using them at their best.
For PvE , I use GS\Staff as you will need AoE attacks 95% of the times in the jungle.
While surrounded with many enemies , Staff is the fastest LF source. As for the survivability , after minions defense buff , you should never die even with zerker gear :p
Any questions are welcome

All 80es > MM necro is my best ,cleric
guard ,nades eng ,Trap thief \ranger ,signet\shout warrior, zerk mes\ele & shiro rev.

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Posted by: Sorean.5379

Sorean.5379

What do you think about Augury of Death?

All builds Ive seen for Reaper takes Chilling Nova instead.

I think both are great,and since I’m aiming for a melee/minion build with Reapers Shroud,Augury of Death would be great for more survivability.

While Chilling Nova is great for more damage.

I’m using Chilling Nova right now because everyone takes it so it must be superior to Augury of Death,but if I ever take Augury of Death I think will change my elite to Chilled to the Bone,because since I’m melee the synergy would be better than Golem I think…(Because it is not guaranteed that golem will hit the target you want for the cripple)

Reaper and minions (PvE)

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Posted by: The Demonic Spirit.3157

The Demonic Spirit.3157

What do you think about Augury of Death?

All builds Ive seen for Reaper takes Chilling Nova instead.

I think both are great,and since I’m aiming for a melee/minion build with Reapers Shroud,Augury of Death would be great for more survivability.

While Chilling Nova is great for more damage.

I’m using Chilling Nova right now because everyone takes it so it must be superior to Augury of Death,but if I ever take Augury of Death I think will change my elite to Chilled to the Bone,because since I’m melee the synergy would be better than Golem I think…(Because it is not guaranteed that golem will hit the target you want for the cripple)

I think that Augury of Death is better as it may reduce rise cd to 26s ( it’s main purpose ). Golem is the best elite for all builds , specially to MM one and it will always attack ur targets ( all minions do after the AI fix ). You wont proc chilling nova that offen as u won’t chill ur enemies that often ( 10 secs cd for 2s chill O_O )

All 80es > MM necro is my best ,cleric
guard ,nades eng ,Trap thief \ranger ,signet\shout warrior, zerk mes\ele & shiro rev.

(edited by The Demonic Spirit.3157)

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Posted by: NovaanVerdiano.6174

NovaanVerdiano.6174

What do you think about Augury of Death?

All builds Ive seen for Reaper takes Chilling Nova instead.

I think both are great,and since I’m aiming for a melee/minion build with Reapers Shroud,Augury of Death would be great for more survivability.

While Chilling Nova is great for more damage.

I’m using Chilling Nova right now because everyone takes it so it must be superior to Augury of Death,but if I ever take Augury of Death I think will change my elite to Chilled to the Bone,because since I’m melee the synergy would be better than Golem I think…(Because it is not guaranteed that golem will hit the target you want for the cripple)

Augury is good, but you’re not always going to have shouts on your bar/the CDR won’t always matter. So it’s something you can swap to if it’s necessary, but nothing you normally keep traited.

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Posted by: SoyMilk.4260

SoyMilk.4260

I would highly recommend this build: https://youtu.be/cADpIZJ3H-M
Very good damage, amazing survivability, and no minions. Although to be honest, when soloing very difficult champions I switch out some of the Death line traits for the minion traits and use Rise! and Flesh Golem. The extra tankiness that Rise! adds is quite incredible.

Reaper and minions (PvE)

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Posted by: Amethyst Lure.5624

Amethyst Lure.5624

I really love Rise! in general, it’s what I’ve always wanted for a minion necro. Some way to get a lot of little zergy minions reliably, to make use of the traits even more.

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Posted by: ZeftheWicked.3076

ZeftheWicked.3076

I don’t put a shout on my bar without augury of death (for PvE). I fail to see why ppl are so in love with chilling nova, given that thing’s internal cooldown. Augury used right on the other hand is up to 35% recharge reduction on a shout and that works for me!