To be honest, not a lot of the necromancer is actually that bad as people claim… on paper at least. In practice, its a lot different than just merely trying something and saying its terrible.
I’ve done turrets on engineer waaay back when they were broken and people were complaining about it all the time and I tried to make them work after weeks of playing it so I know how it feels for something you really like to be sub-par and unappreciated (balance/fix wise) for years.
I try to expand on these skills and traits so they have either more utility or whatever while keeping in mind what the necromancer should and shouldn’t have. These proposed changes won’t completely solve the problems necromancer may have but it can put them in a better light.
Scepter (Main Hand)
Feast of Corruption (#3) – Life force generation increased to 5% per condition. Additionally increases the duration of 1 condition on the target by 2 seconds.
Paired with fear, immobilize, or chill immediately followed by this, it can be strong(er). This ability feels incredibly lacking considering it to be a condition dominant weapon.
Utilities
Summon Bone Minions – Cooldown reduced to 10 seconds, cast time increased to 2.5 seconds.
Summon Bone Field – Cooldown reduced to 12 seconds, cast time increased to 2.5 seconds.
Summon Flesh Wurm – Teleport Range increased to 2,000.
Summon Shadow Fiend – Cooldown reduced to 15 seconds, cast time increased to 2.5 seconds. (Due to it granting life force)
Minions generally die a lot in PvE. They also die a lot in large scale PvP. Instead of having a terrible downtime, I think having a much lower CD but longer cast time could make them a lot more usable in both modes yet balanced in a fair fight. Flesh Wurm remains unchanged in cool downs in favor of giving it something like a thief’s shadow trap for an escape but not higher ‘mobility’.
Signet of Undeath – Now generates 1% life force on skill cast. New Active: Channel for 3 seconds to partially revive up to 5 allies by 10% per second in target area. Cooldown reduced to 45 seconds.
A bit more useful passive. The active would be cool to see: something that helps reviving but isn’t meant to fully do it for a much lower cool down. You could use it to revive someone while running towards them, or pull many allies using transfusion then run away while reviving using signet of undeath.
Spectral Wall – Grants stability (3s x 1) instead of protection.
This not only gives necromancers some stability, but group stability at that. Group protection generally comes from wells to begin with. This makes taking the spectral trait much more worth it.
Epidemic – Behaves differently with new effect. Copies 2 conditions on yourself to the enemy, then spreads its conditions normally and then applies vulnerability on yourself.
Truly useless in a 1v1 situation with anything. Now, especially when paired with other corruption skills, it has better situational use.
Elite
Summon Flesh Golem – Cooldown reduced to 30 seconds, cast time increased to 2.5 seconds.
Same reasons as other minions.
Traits
Master of Corruptions – Recharge of corruption skills is reduced by 10% per condition on you.
Makes the self condition application make a lot more sense and a lot stronger for corruption skills.
Weakening Shroud – ICD removed.
In case they take the DS cooldown reduction trait, makes it a lot better.
Parasitic Contagion – Poison is 50% less effective against you.
This is something that increasing the actual % would make it overpowered, yet reducing it would make it underpowered as there is no target limit. A new effect could make it worthwhile, something that may help your self healing which in turn helps the healing from the parasitic contagion in some way. It also helps if you are someone that doesn’t take consume conditions (which is basically immune to poison)
Unholy Fervor – Vulnerability is 40% more effective
_ Making your damage and conditions deal 10% more damage if they have 25 stacks, regardless of having an axe or not in addition to the 10% bonus for axe._
Death Shroud
Dark Path – Now marks the target it hits for 10 seconds. Upon re-activation, it teleports you to the enemy, chilling nearby foes.
A bit better mobility as you can have it planned before hand in case the enemy decides to leap away (using this as a chasing skill is terrible and almost never works as one). Also allows teleport stomps on certain classes while in death shroud. The projectile is still the same, the range is still the same, the difference is that you can hold your teleport for later.
That’s pretty much it. Explanations tied to each suggestion.