Guild Wars 2

Hi,
I recently start playing the necro and my friend advised me to use to staff to its full potential. Somehow, I can’t seem to like the staff, so most of the time I end up using dagger/dagger and axe/warhorn.

Another thing I noticed is that I die a lot quicker than my using my engineer. So is staff a must have on necro?

I was aiming toward a condition based tanky necro

Kind Regards,
Caspian

For condition necro use S/D or S/F but i prefer dagger as offhand
Also staff as 2nd weapon.

Axe and dagger as main lacks good cond stacking

Yes, staff is a must have.

I have to admit that staff is a must have no matter what,its the only real ranged weapon and it has the most aoe ,in sieges in wvw its the only effective weapon we have

I guess I search a condition based build with survivabilty, because somehow the creeps hit harder on my necro than on my engi :/

Staff is required on all condition builds, just because it has condition damage where the other 2 weapon sets (you will obv be using scepter already) don’t. Outside of condition damage builds, staff isn’t required (although it is still a good weapon); unless you are in WvW.

That said, staff, especially when traited, is an amazing weapon, and I highly suggest trying it out.

If condition build, they sure.

I am power build and do not use a staff. Axe/Focus and dagger/dagger.

This is all from a Wpvp viewpoint.

With that said, I do carry a staff for a few times in wpvp to clear walls. Silly to not have all your weapons no matter your class in wpvp. There is almost always a time you can use them.

PvE, no real clue. I find it so simple to pve no matter what class. You can level just fine running around doing events and hearts with a spork

I think staff is required in spvp. It’s your only long range weapon and, if traited, your best option for building up life force quickly. In addition, it brings tons of utility with the chill, fear, and condition transfer. If you’re trying to escape an encounter, staff improves your chances because you can drop marks on the ground as you run (also good for preventing stomps, chasing, etc.)

I hate the slow trajectory of staff #1, but it does respectable dmg and I believe it pierces in addition to granting lf. Once you get used to staff, it’s really hard to go without.

As a condition, you must have scepter main hand. And a staff as a secondary is almost a must aswell. It has 1200 range + amazing AOE

Unfortunately, the necromancer needs the staff at this point; it’s just too powerful to not take. It’s a terribly designed weapon; 4 circles and necrotic grasp. It didn’t have much creativity put into it at all. It’s the most boring weapon I’ve played on any class so far.

The fact this guy is using D/D and Axe/Warhorn means he’s doing a power build. In which case you shouldn’t be using a staff.

If you want a condition build like you said you should be using scepter and staff.

And lastly staff isn’t “needed” I never run staff period and my powermancer still has decent AoE capabilities…

For power builds in WvW

When roaming, D/D + A/F is ideal.

For siege defense, Staff is good

Depends. For pve you can probably use anything u want. But for wvw yes staff is a must.

For PVE, you certainly don’t need staff. I think staff sucks in PVE, frankly, except for a minion build. I use scepter/dagger + scepter/focus.

Agree with TheAgedGnome to some extent. The staff is the Necromancer’s most ranged weapon. Use it like that. Use it like a bow or a rifle. Once a mob, or mobs, get close, switch to S/D or something similar.

If you get a lot of company, as in a train of unwelcome visitors, switch back to staff and burn off your skills on them before trading for your closer range weapon set. The staff does decent AoE if you 3-4 them and Fear will cause them to scatter a moment to give you breathing room. Otherwise, for facing mobs 1v1 or 1v2, any of your short range weapons options will perform better.

Lysico.4906:

If condition build, they sure.

I am power build and do not use a staff. Axe/Focus and dagger/dagger.

That seems a redundant combination. Dagger/dagger, for instance, deals a lot of power damage with autoattacks, I can hardly see a reason to switch out to axe/focus, except for focus utilities.

ManCaptain.3154:

Lysico.4906:

If condition build, they sure.

I am power build and do not use a staff. Axe/Focus and dagger/dagger.

That seems a redundant combination. Dagger/dagger, for instance, deals a lot of power damage with autoattacks, I can hardly see a reason to switch out to axe/focus, except for focus utilities.

Moving off topic, but heh – This is from a wpvp viewpoint, mind you.

I swap out from axe/focus for a few reasons. Dagger 2 is nice and I have traited for 400 more toughness on channeling. Each set has an ok aoe if needed with axe 3 and dagger 5.

I am always open to feedback and welcome it. I dont have much issue in killing stuff wpvp once I close. Closing without a leap, ride the lighting, heartseeker etc ehh..

Our pull is not that reliable. If fixed I would be very happy. So having the dagger and focus off hands helps a ton once I do catch up.

Lysico.4906:

ManCaptain.3154:

Lysico.4906:

If condition build, they sure.

I am power build and do not use a staff. Axe/Focus and dagger/dagger.

That seems a redundant combination. Dagger/dagger, for instance, deals a lot of power damage with autoattacks, I can hardly see a reason to switch out to axe/focus, except for focus utilities.

Moving off topic, but heh – This is from a wpvp viewpoint, mind you.

I swap out from axe/focus for a few reasons. Dagger 2 is nice and I have traited for 400 more toughness on channeling. Each set has an ok aoe if needed with axe 3 and dagger 5.

I am always open to feedback and welcome it. I dont have much issue in killing stuff wpvp once I close. Closing without a leap, ride the lighting, heartseeker etc ehh..

Our pull is not that reliable. If fixed I would be very happy. So having the dagger and focus off hands helps a ton once I do catch up.

Well I was asking why would I switch INTO axe/focus set when I do more dmg with dagger/dagger in a power build.

When skills are on cooldown, its good to switch and put that second set’s abilities on CD as well (which will also cause more damage).

ManCaptain.3154:

Lysico.4906:

ManCaptain.3154:

Lysico.4906:

If condition build, they sure.

I am power build and do not use a staff. Axe/Focus and dagger/dagger.

That seems a redundant combination. Dagger/dagger, for instance, deals a lot of power damage with autoattacks, I can hardly see a reason to switch out to axe/focus, except for focus utilities.

Moving off topic, but heh – This is from a wpvp viewpoint, mind you.

I swap out from axe/focus for a few reasons. Dagger 2 is nice and I have traited for 400 more toughness on channeling. Each set has an ok aoe if needed with axe 3 and dagger 5.

I am always open to feedback and welcome it. I dont have much issue in killing stuff wpvp once I close. Closing without a leap, ride the lighting, heartseeker etc ehh..

Our pull is not that reliable. If fixed I would be very happy. So having the dagger and focus off hands helps a ton once I do catch up.

Well I was asking why would I switch INTO axe/focus set when I do more dmg with dagger/dagger in a power build.

Vulnerabilty, boon strip, another channel if enemy gets out of melee range and you dont want to pop siphon,. retaliation in 2v1 case combinded with cripple and ranged auto attack seem obvious, then again i really dont like to think of WvWvW as a valid place to talk about builds when you can just spam giant boulders that do 20k damage on hit from your backpack and a theif can permabackstab without cooldown because of whispers kit.