Guild Wars 2

Hey all!

So I’ve been using a really amazing dagger/warhorn power build on my now level 52 Necromancer.

Any suggestions, however, on a secondary weapon/skill set that can still do well with my traits (30/20/0/20/0)? The dagger/warhorn does great in solo PvE, so I would prefer something that would do better with dungeon/groups just in case.

Thank you!

Short answer: staff

Long answer: Staff is just an awesome secondary weapon. Long range, does AoE, grants regeneration, chills, transfers conditions, and fears. It’s not a high-damage weapon, but it’s effective in just about any situation where your main hand won’t be—long distance fights or tons of enemies that need to be AoEd or controlled. There are some fights that just aren’t reasonable at dagger range in dungeons, in which case you want to have either a staff or an axe on you (personally, I try to have both equipped for these fights). While I switch between dagger, axe, and staff reasonably frequently, I pretty much always have a staff as one of the weapons because it offers much more variety than having a dagger and an axe would.

As far as traits, what are you using 20 in Curses for? While the condition damage for bleeds on staff is good, some points in Death Magic for Greater Marks and maybe Staff Mastery might be more useful for group settings, although this can really depend on what utilities and other traits you are using.

Thanks for the reply, DelOnasi! I have actually used the staff before, and perhaps I’m not using it correctly because it never seems to do really any damage for me. But I’ll try using it in a more controlled setting to see how it works.

As for the build, here’s the link: http://www.guildwars2guru.com/topic/67051-necro-power-build-daggerfocus-and-wells/

I’m pretty new to Necromancers, so I haven’t tried any variations.

It does bad damage because it pierces. You can do bad damage to lots of things at once.

@DelOnasi.6051,
I like your short answer, especially for WvW sieges.
My necro uses dagger/focus and staff.

Scepter/dagger or Axe/dagger are fun in PvE options. Necros are just a Hoot to play because they have such variety.

PinCushion.7390:

It does bad damage because it pierces. You can do bad damage to lots of things at once.

This, and most weapons improve a lot when you start traiting for them. I don’t really buy the reasons that guide listed for going 20 into curses (there are easier ways to get precision, and the traits he chose seemed okay but not great). Try putting 20 into death magic for Greater Marks and Staff Mastery and using staff (you don’t have to keep this forever, but it’s worth evaluating weapons at their best to see what they can do). You still won’t want to use it for one-on-one fights, but when you have multiple enemies.

Slalom.3174:

Scepter/dagger or Axe/dagger are fun in PvE options. Necros are just a Hoot to play because they have such variety.

I’m definitely in favor of trying different combinations and seeing what you enjoy most. My main used to be a guardian, and I really appreciate the variety necromancers have in comparison.

DelOnasi.6051:

My main used to be a guardian, and I really appreciate the variety necromancers have in comparison.

What do you mean? Guardians have plenty of variety! You can put those last 10 trait points wherever you want!

dagger warhorn + axe focus. No need for staff unless you need to go super range and support, which is pretty much never in pve.