Guild Wars 2

I have recently stopped playing my necromancer in favor of my elementalist in PvE. The primary reason behind this requires us to ask what the necromancer brings to PvE that no other class can bring. The necromancer is dead last as far as team related utility goes. Many other classes can cleanse allied conditions faster or more often than necromancers can. They can buff allies with boons, reflect or block projectiles, and drop combo fields that actually aid the group.

Necromancers do have decent utility, but only from a PvP aspect. Blind is rendered nearly useless from the defiant buff, and does nothing against certain enemies (looking at you dredge fractal). Well of power would be great if more content used condition based offense, but in PvE conditions are a mere annoyance. Other than that, well of suffering is terrific for buffing party damage, but thats our main source of party assistance.

Proposed changes:

Give us more utility skills, or traits, or revamp our current unused utilities to be more party focused.

As far as new/revamped utilites

1) Spectral wall now reflects projectiles instead of fear enemies in PvE

Reasoning: fear is terrific in pvp, but very lackluster in PvE, this is a skill that I use in one instance in PvE (I drop it on the bombs in the dredge fractal to keep them off)

2) Empowering wells: Turn blood magic into a more party support focused trait line. For this one, wells give boons based on what they are. Example being, well of suffering gives allies might on each pulse, well of blood gives allies regeneration on each pulse.

Reasoning: wells are terrific, but a little lackluster from a party support viewpoint. Having a trait that gives party boons would go a long way to helping the necromancer become PvE viable.

3) Axe cleave: Though this isn’t likely, I would love to have a cleave weapon on my necromancer.

Reasoning: Conditions aren’t really viable for PvE due to conditions cap and the slow ramp up. We need power focused aoe to keep us in the PvE meta.

4) Something that would help us the most would be making more condition focused damage in PvE. Our strength lies in being able to convert, transfer, and manipulate conditions, but currently conditions are a minor annoyance in PvE.

I would really like to hear the necromancer forum’s feedback on these suggestions and hear what you have to add.

Fix Putrid Mark back to being able to affect allies. This is inexcusable.

Change the underwater Death Shroud 4 ability (Gathering Plague) into a utility skill, or make Plague Signet more effective.

Move Death Shiver into a more accessible trait location (swap it with something like Soul Marks or Spiteful Marks – better yet, get rid of Spiteful Marks and make something new).

Make traits like Shrouded Removal affect allies. Maybe then this trait will actually see any kind of use.

Allow chill to actually affect cooldowns in PvE.

Change Bloodthirst to a trait that gives a portion of lifesteal healing to allies.

Allow necromancers to revive others while in Death Shroud.

Reduce the cast time on Signet of Undeath so that it’s not almost always pointless in PvE. If I use up a utility slot to bring a resurrection ability, I don’t want it to be limited to people who aren’t going to die particularly fast and could easily be resurrected through the normal way in the first place.

The best solution would just be cleave. The reflect on spectral wall is something Id welcome. Also the wells idea seems alright but is probably a bit overpowered.

I would suggest making traits like spiteful spirit and furious demise grant fury and retal to the necro and nearby allies when entering DS. These traits should effect allies and they would instantly make necros more attractive in dungeons. Same thing could be done about blood is power. You bleed yourself to get might, so if you are bleeding yourself surely it should be a bit more powerful and give the might to allies aswell.

Strength of undeath needs to be buffed to 10% aswell.

spoj.9672:

The best solution would just be cleave. The reflect on spectral wall is something Id welcome. Also the wells idea seems alright but is probably a bit overpowered.

I would suggest making traits like spiteful spirit and furious demise grant fury and retal to the necro and nearby allies when entering DS. These traits should effect allies and they would instantly make necros more attractive in dungeons. Same thing could be done about blood is power. You bleed yourself to get might, so if you are bleeding yourself surely it should be a bit more powerful and give the might to allies aswell.

Strength of undeath needs to be buffed to 10% aswell.

Well i hate comparing traits between classes but elementalists have a trait at 20 arcana that gives aoe boons on attunement swap so I based it partially off that. Also this trait is potential master/ more likely grandmaster in blood magic.