Guild Wars 2

Hey guys, so I’ve been toying around with a few ideas. Basically the group I like to run static with involves around 2-3 warriors in full crit, along with a guardian/mesmer and then me, which I’m looking to get my necro in on the action.

Based on this setup, what would you recommend a good dungeon build? I’m not sure if full-on condition would be the best setup for this group, but then again i’m a bit new to the necro dungeon scene.

full power and wells is best for that type of group. Condition build wont let you maximise your dps b4 most mobs are already dead. Including some bosses.

you more or less have 2 choices:
1. condition build (corruption utilities)
2. wells on a power build

you could run a death shroud focused build if you wanted too, but you wouldn’t bring much to the table outside of vulnerability.

striker.3704:

you more or less have 2 choices:
1. condition build (corruption utilities)
2. wells on a power build

you could run a death shroud focused build if you wanted too, but you wouldn’t bring much to the table outside of vulnerability.

Most decent power builds will involve traiting into spite and soulreaping. Only way id consider using condition builds in dungeons with a high dps group is if it was a hybrid condition build.

I’m wondering how well a hybrid would work, scepter/dagger and axe/focus for weapons.

Curiously, what would be the best choices for armor/traits/weapons for a power wells build?

Stolas.6782:

I’m wondering how well a hybrid would work, scepter/dagger and axe/focus for weapons.

Curiously, what would be the best choices for armor/traits/weapons for a power wells build?

For a power build I would use 30/10/0/0/30 with full beserker gear. But you can vary this a bit. I never trait into curses more than 10 on a power build because its a condition damage tree, the traits are condition traits and i can get the precision from gear instead. Although you can trait 20 into curses if you desperately want to place your wells from range. For weapons i use dagger + warhorn and axe + focus.

For a hybrid build I would use 30/30/0/0/10 with rampager gear. For weapons id use scepter + dagger and axe + focus. I always carry a staff around though, just incase i need it for a certain situation.

There are 4 types of builds all are viable for dungeons.

1. Conditions
2. Hybrid
3. Power – DS Centric or well
4. Minions

All of them work, all of them are great. It just depends on grouping. If you are in a group with no main condition player than go as condition spec, if youhave a main conditon player in the group, and you have condition gear swap to hybrid. Otherwise run DS Centric, Wells, or Minions.

Ignore those who say minions aren’t good. They just can’t play them.

Bas.7406:

Ignore those who say minions aren’t good. They just can’t play them.

Minions are good for leveling, but surely you’re not making the argument that minions are good in dungeons (or if you have found a way, please share it!).

I myself have tried several different minion specs in dungeons, but I have yet to find one that brings more to the table than a properly specced Conditonmancer or Power based DS/Wells Necromancer.

Minions are more like situational skills. Eg. ice fractal. Flesh Wurm etc are immune to frostbite (its good in “Rata Sum” fractal too and I even use it to lure the slave driver in COF P1 to the wall) and in Ascalonian I use the Shadow Fiend for the blind and to soak some damage if my teammates are fragile.

Also they are excellent in solo farming and open world if u didnt already know that.

Khal Drogo.9631:

Minions are more like situational skills. Eg. ice fractal. Flesh Wurm etc are immune to frostbite (its good in “Rata Sum” fractal too and I even use it to lure the slave driver in COF P1 to the wall) and in Ascalonian I use the Shadow Fiend for the blind and to soak some damage if my teammates are fragile.

That’s pretty interesting. So far, the only real useful minion I’ve found in dungeons is the Wurm (particularly on the GL fight, that little kitten has saved my life too many times to count). Are there ay other instances that you know of where minions are immune to environmental effects?

Outside of Fractals, minions are generally useful in dungeons, although there are a few boss fights where they can run into trouble (pretty much only boss fights). Besides that, they are incredible in sPvP, I use a bunker MM build that completely destroys people.

Khal Drogo.9631:

… and in Ascalonian I use the Shadow Fiend for the blind and to soak some damage if my teammates are fragile.

Is the blind AoE? I’m interested why you find the fiend more useful than Well of Darkness.

Bhawb.7408:

Outside of Fractals, minions are generally useful in dungeons, although there are a few boss fights where they can run into trouble (pretty much only boss fights). Besides that, they are incredible in sPvP, I use a bunker MM build that completely destroys people.

Surely this makes them useless in dungeons? Seeing as you spec for the bosses. The trash and elites are easy and should get downed in seconds. I would never use a build which is only strong against trash in a dungeon. Sounds counterproductive to me.

SOME bosses, it is only a few very specific ones where minions are useless. Most of the ones I can think of are bosses where it is all about the boss mechanic (like the CoE boss where you use the exploding golems to hit the boss), and in those cases your own build is pretty unimportant anyway.

@johnny,

Outside of Fractals lvl 10 and a few boss fights Minions are quite effective. The problem is the mindset in thinking that they are pets. They are not. They are minions. They are like wells except they are up for a longer period of time deal slightly less damage, and have a shorter cooldown. Sometimes you will screw up and lose them all at once, but a majority of time they are a benefit.

Fractals 10 and above are bad for any pet type class only reason mesmers can skip it is due to the time warp.

I would look to fill the holes in the group composition. Your group should have great offensive boons covered, decent defensive boons, and good condition removal. They should have vulnerability under control as well.

Now look at what you can add. In a power build you can add….vuln, boon removal, aoe daze, and a few other minor bits. But if you go for a conditions build you can add weakness, poison, chill, and regen as well as spreading your groups vuln, cripple, incidental bleeds/burns to everything around. Condition builds also have a very easy time tailoring their utilities to fit the need of the fight through easily swapping in ranged wells or corruptions.

Your bleeds probably won’t get stomped on very often and your poison never will so your damage out put should be fine. The non-damaging conditions your bring and/or spread will be more valuable than yet another “max damage” character anyway.