Guild Wars 2

Looking at this skill leaves me scratching my head, puzzled. What were they expecting to accomplish?

Look at the frost bow, for example: a skill that summons a weapon that provides the best stun in game, and the best aoe, which in turn is also the best single target attack.

Or spotter, the ranger trait: increases precision of nearby allies in 150.

Now, let’s look at the signed of vampirism: when active, it provides 25 stacks (why?) of a debuf that does damage when players hit the target, with a cd of 1s (why???) and heals players. Weird, awkward, and ultimately, ineffective.

The general consensus, and the reason necros are not welcome in dungeon runs, is the lack of offensive support. This skill could, so easily, be that offensive support necros need, and instead it’s just a weird sustain skill.

How about this:

When active, and for 7 seconds, all party members that hit the target deal a 30% additional damage. x% of that extra damage heals them.

Yes, that’s a 30% damage boost for the whole party- When timed correctly (before people use the bow’s #4 skill) it is a great burst support for the party, one only necros can provide. As such, Necros would suddenly be a very welcome addition to dungeon runs.

We don’t need much else, really. We have put up with the mediocre damage, lack of decent blast finishers, lack of any type of offensive support… how about giving us this little candy? It would only be as OP as the rest of the party is (if their damage is mediocre, then 30% of that is also mediocre) and anyway, the numbers can be easily adjusted to balance it.

But, in general, it should provide an average dps boost of no less than 5% for long fights, otherwise, it would be still too little.

The trade off would be the need to use signet of vampirism instead of a reliable, on- demand heal. I think it’s a fair trade off and more than what any other profession has to give up in order to become a desireable addition to a party.

Think about it, Anet!

Signet of Vampirism’s active is fine, it is a possible 10k additional damage to a single target.

In my opinion, the only problems with that signet are the ICD’s. Remove those and it may see some use.

Imo give it a 1s ICD per target (so people like Necromancers don’t end up healing them with weak-but-fast-hitting attacks that generate a lot of hits over a small period) and make it a true siphon, that deals damage, and works while in DS/RS.

This way it won’t be turned off, it has a niche that isn’t filled by Blood Fiend since it actually stacks up with Retal and isn’t just a passive heal over time, and isn’t totally awful against more than one enemy. But ANet will never go for a removed ICD without a massive nerf to its healing because of all the effects that deal very small amounts of damage each hit, but hit a lot.

Bhawb.7408:

Imo give it a 1s ICD per target (so people like Necromancers don’t end up healing them with weak-but-fast-hitting attacks that generate a lot of hits over a small period) and make it a true siphon, that deals damage, and works while in DS/RS.

I agree the 1 second icd per target (minions, illusions etc. should share the icd with their caster however).

I also would like to see the passive being a life siphon again. But since this is more a flavour thing, i dont think it is really necessary.

Bhawb.7408:

Imo give it a 1s ICD per target (so people like Necromancers don’t end up healing them with weak-but-fast-hitting attacks that generate a lot of hits over a small period) and make it a true siphon, that deals damage, and works while in DS/RS.

This way it won’t be turned off, it has a niche that isn’t filled by Blood Fiend since it actually stacks up with Retal and isn’t just a passive heal over time, and isn’t totally awful against more than one enemy. But ANet will never go for a removed ICD without a massive nerf to its healing because of all the effects that deal very small amounts of damage each hit, but hit a lot.

Honestly this just makes me think a trait that makes retaliation siphon life (Proc vampiric?) when activated would be really funny and kind of appropriate.

Bhawb.7408:

Signet of Vampirism’s active is fine, it is a possible 10k additional damage to a single target.

Assuming 9k dps per party member, that would be a boost of 3,5% for 6 seconds. Assuming also that the party manages to use the 25 marks.

Taking into account the cd of the skill, you have an average damage boost of 0,75% when traited.

How can you say that is fine. Most professions improve the party damage in more than 5% without breaking a sweat.

And those people are boosting party member’s damage by 5% with their healing skill? No. It is a healing skill that deals up to 10k, the active is absolutely fine.

Bhawb.7408:

And those people are boosting party member’s damage by 5% with their healing skill? No. It is a healing skill that deals up to 10k, the active is absolutely fine.

No, they do it with another utility, while still having access to an on-demand healing skill, instead of sacrificing their healing for a miserable dps increase.

Necromancer has an extremely easy job of staying above 90% HP, and SoV is still going to heal you for around 6k. Even on staff Elementalist with a tiny fraction of the defenses I can use the Arcane heal, which heals for comparable amounts, because it is a nice DPS boost. So why not introduce things that are actually on comparable access points.

Bhawb.7408:

Signet of Vampirism’s active is fine, it is a possible 10k additional damage to a single target.

The mark caps at 25 hits, this caps the damage @L80 to 5250 extra damage. Not 10k dmg. Marks’ base siphon damage is 200/hit, with 25 might and bloodlust, Max Power (with exotics) that scales siphon to 210/hit, times 25 hits, that’s at most 5250 total. If you go ascended calculations, that’s 255/hit so a total of 6375 damage. Again, not 10k dmg.

If you’re looking at active effect, the heal isn’t so great either, it’s between 10k to 14k hp across your party. So roughly 2k hp if you divide it up evenly. With a 35 sec cooldown, that’ll average 6k hp/party-memeber every minute or so. Pales to a traited Warrior banner for regen, gives 24k/party-member every minute. Pales to just about anyone with regen on.

Ya, the active sucks. No question.

And its passive is out shined by protection boon. Don’t get me started on the calculations.

So ya, in conclusion, the signet sucks completely.

The active damage scales with power and is increased by bloodthirst, go check its damage with a full build.

It scales at 7%/stack with power. No weapon coefficients or dividing by armor.

Meaning you should take your base per stack (136 is actual base) and 7% of your Power, then multiply by 25 for the actual value (3,400 +175% of your Power). Remember, though, that you do have a minimum of 916 Power at level 80, making this 200/stack when naked and traitless. Average all-exotics Zerker build? 304/stack for a total of 7600 damage before accounting for Might, consumables, sigils, or special buffs.

And that’s without Bloodthirst.

The active is fine as-is.

First of all I dont understand why you bring up spotter and IB. These arent comparable. They arent healing skills and healing skills arent about damage.

Back to topic I love signet of vampirism. If I run with a descent group I will receive enough healing from them to stay alive. If I happen to get low health I can use it without losing much dps through cast time since it gives up to a total of 10k extra damage on target.

The V.8759:

First of all I dont understand why you bring up spotter and IB. These arent comparable. They arent healing skills and healing skills arent about damage.

Back to topic I love signet of vampirism. If I run with a descent group I will receive enough healing from them to stay alive. If I happen to get low health I can use it without losing much dps through cast time since it gives up to a total of 10k extra damage on target.

I bring up two skills and one trait, designed to boost party damage, available exclusively to 1 profession in game, and compare them with the only necro skill that actually boosts party damage as no other profession can. Who cares if it’s a heal? we are necros, we can kill you while we heal. Except, we can’t because the damage is miserable.

Make it deal considerable more damage, would mean necros can provide strong offensive support in a way no other profession can. A reason, then, to bring necros to dungeons, unlike the current situation, where the only reason to bring necros to dungeons is to make fun of them.

If it’s not going to work like a venom how hard can it be to remove and ICD,make the passive count as a siphon and allow it to work in DS?? Don’t count on it for damage when crit chance/damage dominates wildly.

I think it would be pretty cool if it worked like a reverse invigorating precision, restoring health equal to a percentage of incoming damage, with no icd.

Jortakk.6792:

I think it would be pretty cool if it worked like a reverse invigorating precision, restoring health equal to a percentage of incoming damage, with no icd.

That’s… Basically just granting bonus toughness? Except it’s hampered by Poison and could be boosted by healing power, maybe.