Guild Wars 2

Death magic is obviously our defense tree. Here are few suggestions.

Minor traits:

Armored Shroud: Gain bonus toughness while in shroud. Whenever you leave shroud, you gain Vigor for 3 sec.

Soul Comprehension: Your passive life-force generation from nearby deaths is increased. You gain 5 sec of Regeneration (with ICD.)

Major traits:

Shrouded Removal: Lose a condition when you enter shroud and every few seconds while you remain in shroud. You gain 3 sec. of Retaliation every time you lose condition that way.

Putrid Defense: Take less damage from poisoned foes. Entering Shroud poison foes around you (220 radius) for 3 sec.

Reaper’s Protection: When stunned, dazed, knocked back, pulled, knocked down, sunk, floated, inflicted with fear, taunted, or launched, inflict Chill(2 sec. with 10-12 sec. ICD) and Fear(2 sec with 45 sec. ICD) on nearby foes.

Deadly Strength: Gain 10% of Power based on your Toughness while your Power is above 2500. Gain 10% of Condition Damage based on your Toughness while your Condition Damage is above 1250. (sample numbers!)

Unholy Sanctuary: Regenerate health while in shroud. If your life force is above the threshold, your death shroud will activate with 33% Life force if you take a lethal blow. Your shroud skills will reset. (It that’s to powerful, it can be something like: You gain 5 sec. of alacrity)

PS: Two minion changes.
Rigor Mortis need CD reduction to 30 sec.
Haunt need to add 2x blind and its radius need to be doubled

I dunno, death magic as it is right now is pretty good. As much as I’d like them to buff it (since I use it), I’m afraid they’d nerf something else.

Great ideas. It’s indeed the defence tree and based on the current meta in pvp at least almost every class is using their defence tree in pvp. The fact that necro isn’t is a testament to how poor and inflexible it is.

Don’t take the above statement as me backing the current pvp meta of course…

Only thing Death Magic needs is attention to the minors, especially Soul Comprehension.

I think Death Magic needs more synergy with skills that don’t involve minions, and that’s what you seem to be trying. The changes you are proposing to Deadly Strength wouldn’t work in PvP at all. You need to pick a direction, and power would be the way to go here.

Yannir.4132:

I think Death Magic needs more synergy with skills that don’t involve minions, and that’s what you seem to be trying. The changes you are proposing to Deadly Strength wouldn’t work in PvP at all. You need to pick a direction, and power would be the way to go here.

Yeah it probably can be something like: “Gain 10% to your main stat based on your Toughness.”
That way this trait can be viable in almost any build.

I’ve recently been using coruptors fervor over death nova, for pve and pvp. Full viper gear and with flesh of the master I can get over 1600 toughness easily. Death magic feels really good right now adding defensive and minion options and it can synergize with condi and power builds

Lexan.5930:

I’ve recently been using coruptors fervor over death nova, for pve and pvp. Full viper gear and with flesh of the master I can get over 1600 toughness easily. Death magic feels really good right now adding defensive and minion options and it can synergize with condi and power builds

Yes, that’s why I haven’t mentioned this traits, they are good, what about the rest? Very rarely I can use Putrid Defense and Deadly Strength, but lets be honest. only the 3 minion traits and Coruptor’s Fervor are good, the rest are meh or plain bad.

mazut.4296:

Lexan.5930:

I’ve recently been using coruptors fervor over death nova, for pve and pvp. Full viper gear and with flesh of the master I can get over 1600 toughness easily. Death magic feels really good right now adding defensive and minion options and it can synergize with condi and power builds

Yes, that’s why I haven’t mentioned this traits, they are good, what about the rest? Very rarely I can use Putrid Defense and Deadly Strength, but lets be honest. only the 3 minion traits and Coruptor’s Fervor are good, the rest are meh or plain bad.

Shrouded Removal is excellent. You shed conditions like water with that trait.

The main problem with the tree IMO is that it has multiple traits which are dependent on life force but there is no way to gain Life Force from the tree. Soul Comprehension should be reworked or replaced with a trait that grants life force. If the tree were given a signature boon (retaliation, I think), then that could be a good way to get it.

Sarrs.4831:

The main problem with the tree IMO is that it has multiple traits which are dependent on life force but there is no way to gain Life Force from the tree. Soul Comprehension should be reworked or replaced with a trait that grants life force. If the tree were given a signature boon (retaliation, I think), then that could be a good way to get it.

True but i would say it a bit differently. Most traits in deathmagic want you to be in shroud for a longer time but the line itself doesnt give any lf generation or shroud sustain, which makes soul reaping kinda mandatory.

Whats even worse with blighters boon and spite you get better survivability then any deathmagic combo could give you. Essentially meaining that our offensive tree is better for defense then the tree that was designed for defense…

The only thing defensive wise deathmagic can to better then other trees is is condition removel but with our many condi transfers and consume conditon do we really need extra condi removel from traits?

Note that all those things i just said assume you dont use a minion build. Minions change the whole thing ofc.