Guild Wars 2

Putting 3 Traits, Lingering Curse, Parasitic Contagion and Terror, that you would want to have to play a condition build in the same GrandMaster Area really hinders the (Condition)Power of the Necromancer build options. While all the traits are powerful I believe that these should not be on the same row conflicting with each other. Terror could easily move to another slot, replacing “Reaper Precision” as a Master Trait, prehaps putting a “Your health bar is affected by healing skills while in deathshroud” trait where terror used to be.

I feel as though Unholy Feast could get a small buff, removing 2 boons instead of 1 as well as becoming a blast finisher.

I also think that the “Vampiric” Siphon trait could be improved slightly by perhaps 4-5 points of damage, as well as “Vampiric Precision”. “Transfusion” could also do with a buff to the amount that it scales with Healing Power. In general all the siphoning ability’s could do with partial very small buffs, 3-5 damage. (And on this note, perhaps add new ways for people to aquire Zealots Gear, perhaps adding it to one of the Dungeon Weapon/Armour Merchants in Lions Arch – some of those already overlap.
Deathly Invigoration should also heal you, perhaps making it so that it works in Deathshroud, or so that it heals on entry and exit? or just exit.

“Shrouded Removal” in Death Magic could be buffed to remove 2 conditions, or perhaps adding a stun break to entering Deathshroud, like “Foot In The Grave”. I feel as though the “Death Nova” trait could be switched with a changed Flesh of The Master, which takes the “Minions deal more damage” trait – becoming an epic grandmaster. (On the note of minion, is there a chance of a slightly better AI being implimented?) Unholy Sanctuary could do with better healing power scaling. Even with full Cleric Gear the heal is quite frankly not worth the trait. If it was to stay the same, it could swap places with Flesh Of the Master, Necromantic Corruption could swap places with an improved 15/25% Deadly Strength making a more balanced Death Magic Tree.

I’m sure more will be added in the comments, those were just the recommendations that popped into my head as I read through the rough changes. I’m sure what we saw won’t be what is implimented, but I’d like to hear what everyone else thinks.

Couple things:
- if healing in deathshroud were to happen, it wouldn’t be in curses. It had better be in blood, but really, some sort of baseline would be great. Even if it was 50% and made 100% as part of a minor in blood that’d be fantastic. (of course, keeping healing skills locked from use in DS)
- Please don’t mess with the minion traits. The second minion trait already has damage bonus to it, and Flesh of the master is almost Mandatory for an MM build, it’s in a good spot. The best change I could consider is to:
-> Merge Death Nova and Necromantic Corruption but remove the explosion damage from death nova and make the minion damage boost baseline (but only 15-20% instead of the full 25%) so it would become
Necromantic Corruption: Minions take conditions from its master (1 per 10 seconds) and minions transfer conditions to enemies on hit.(Same) When a minion dies it creates a poison field for a short time.
( Reasons are 1.) Reduces overall passive play of MM. 2.) Retains skillful aspects of death nova such as skillful timing of putrid explosion. 3.) Makes minions more attractive for non MMs. 4.) Opens the last GM spot for a non MM grandmaster.)
- Shrouded removal absolutely cannot become a stun break. As for the condition removal, that’s possible. 2 might be okay, but also might be a bit strong with a 7 second cooldown on DS.
- Terror should probably just be merged with the fear trait in Soul Reaping as it has effectively become a hybridized trait line. However, the condition duration boost on Lingering Curses would very likely need to be toned down. This would open up a place for a power trait,
- Axe Training is terrible. The damage boost just needs to be baseline, and changed to Cooldowbs reduced by 20%, Rending Claws now cleave up to 3 targets and Unholy Feast becomes a blast finisher.

I’ll update as things come to me.

I do feel like forcing curses into a single tree with basically no reason to spread out the traits makes little sense. Every other build has good reasons to go other places, but condi has had all but Dhuumfire shoved into Curses.

Move Parasitic Contagion to Blood Magic GM, drop Deathly Invigoration to Master, Transfusion to Adept, merge Bloodthirst into Vampiric Precision.

Bhawb.7408:

I do feel like forcing curses into a single tree with basically no reason to spread out the traits makes little sense. Every other build has good reasons to go other places, but condi has had all but Dhuumfire shoved into Curses.

Move Parasitic Contagion to Blood Magic GM, drop Deathly Invigoration to Master, Transfusion to Adept, merge Bloodthirst into Vampiric Precision.

That’s a good idea as well. Good placements.

The two minion traits support different kinds of MM styles. This was certainly the case in gw1. I could see scepter builds taking Necromantic Corruption and Unholy Martyr (and that one signet I forget) to send back conditions from allies, or perhaps a staff necro could take Parasitic Contagion, Necromantic Corruption, and Dhuumfire to make a fairly self sustainable MM.

Death Nova gives you your cyclical army style, where you minion bomb places and quickly raise a new army.

It certainly seems like MM is going to be more important than before.