Working on creating an alt, and I’ve grown accustomed to a playstyle that revolves around ally-support. I know I could create a guardian or elementalist that’d excel at team support but I was wondering if the Necro had such potential?
By support, I don’t necessarily mean direct heals. Buffs, crowd control, ect are all just as important. Even strong tanking abilities (not just absorbing damage, but being able to draw and maintain enemy aggro) would suffice if there’s a way I could enhance my allies while taking a beating.
Can the Necro do this? Or am I looking to the wrong class?
TL:DR – I know Elementalist/Guardians/ect. make good supportive characters, but could a Necromancer be crafted to fit such a roll? Even if its a bit more challenging.
Yes you can. Most nonmelee well specs are support builds, but they are best for PvE, IMHO.
I consider any Well-focused build a ‘support’ build, especially when using Ritual of Protection. The added protection is a nice bonus on top of the ability to cleanse conditions, do AoE healing, blind, apply conditions, etc. And the light and dark fields have very useful combos. Also, staff is good for its ability to give regen, remove conditions, and do AoE fear.
I tend to combine both of these with vampiric tank builds, so it’s pretty unselfish and helpful to the group (even though most of the green numbers I see aren’t shared with the group, unlike a guardian).
Staff/marks/wells. Take the greater marks trait and the reduced well cool-down trait, and then decide which of either ranged wells, wells that give protection, or life leeching wells traits that you want most.
Just keep in mind a lot of your support is not by giving boons out directly, but more often by either condition manipulation on allies and enemies.
You won’t necessarily be topping dps charts but you can take a hit and whittle things down pretty decently with the right gear as well.
Also, you’ll need to learn to use Death Shroud in context to the build and situation…on condition builds it is often best to flicker in and out of it just to use one of the abilities or to ablate a large incoming hit from an enemy. (especially since you have no inherent method of generating a vigor buff other than transforming the right incoming condition.)
Nay of the Ether or Del Onasi run a great support build. It was strong enough to keep all of my minions alive on a majority of pulls in dungeons. It is entirely possible and revolves around using wells, staff, and Spectral wall to create a constant state of protection, weakness, blinding, and conditions.
Yep, what everyone else said is true. I am working on making a PvP support build today, as well.
Basically speaking, our support builds would revolve around Staff, with AoE utilities to increase your team’s performance. There is actually a good bit of variety you could do when supporting. Take wells for combo fields/utility support, take Epidemic to “support” your condition dealers through much stronger overall DPS and control, take Corrupt Boon to shut down boon stacking, Plague Signet for condition clearing, Well of Blood for huge allied heals, etc.
Necro support is largely condition based rather than strictly healing. This includes stacking vulnerability and blinds as well as cleansing conditions off your allies. You can also heal a decent amount with DS4, leaving DS, and Well of Blood.
I run a tanky support build in WvW and in dungeons, and it is reasonably effective.
Let me just mention this, Support doesnt work in PvP if you aint in a pre made group on vent, people just run out of well of blood and transfusion range.
In terms of PvE, if on same healing power, a necromancer can outheal a guardian in terms of timed bursts (Transfusion is a plain 2.5 k heal, while WoB regen area has a 3.4 scailing, that is the highest ratio for aoe, but remember passive regen from guardians is still op vs ai).
Going WoB, WoD, WoC or a corruption skill depending on setup, Plague Signet and Plague ofc.
Nay of the Ether or Del Onasi run a great support build. It was strong enough to keep all of my minions alive on a majority of pulls in dungeons. It is entirely possible and revolves around using wells, staff, and Spectral wall to create a constant state of protection, weakness, blinding, and conditions.
Thanks!
Necros can be very good support characters. They can heal party members for ~7000 health over 10 seconds every 32 seconds, keep constant regeneration on the party, and cast a strong AoE heal on reviving a downed teammate. They can revive up to three downed allies in an AoE, remove conditions in multiple AoEs, and chill and fear enemies in AoEs.
I currently run a healing focused build, focusing on support in dungeons and minions in solo PvE. Well of Blood (heal), Signet of Undead, and staff skills are probably the most important support skills to take. Well of Power can also be useful on some bosses to cleanse more conditions.
Here’s the gear/trait/skill setup I use in dungeons. (Disclaimer: I’m relatively new to the game and newer to 80, so there are probably some sub-optimal choices in here still, but it’s worked well so far and I’ve spent a lot of time theorycrafting on the wiki and build calculators.)
Gear: All Cleric’s (search the trading post for Mhenlo’s for cheap cleric exotics). Well of Blood scales very well with healing power, as does regeneration (to a lesser extent, but you can keep regeneration up more).
Runes are up to you; I’m using Dwayna right now as they came on my gear and add to the healing well of blood provides, but I could see Runes of the Monk or Runes of Lyssa being useful in combination with the flesh golem elite.
On my weapons I have a Sigil of Energy on my staff and off-hand, which can give an extra dodge every 10 seconds and can be helpful in dodge-heavy bosses. On my non-staff main hand I have a Sigil of Life for up to 250 extra healing power if you stay alive in the dungeon.
Traits:
20 Spite:
Signet Mastery – Signets recharge 20% faster
Spiteful Marks – Marks do 10% more damage
Notes: This tree is optional; it is useful if you want to use minions while solo (minions work well with support builds because they do the same damage on a lower power support build as on a high power build, and you can keep them alive rather well).
0 Curses
20 Death Magic:
Staff Mastery – Staff skills recharge 20% faster
Greater Marks – marks are much larger
Notes: 10 here is important for staff skills recharge faster, in my opinion. Other people will insist on greater marks, which is also useful. Removing a condition when in death shroud is always a good trait. More is optional, but 20 is important for running minions while solo.
30 Blood Magic:
Ritual of Life – Create a well of blood when reviving an ally. This gives you a ton of extra healing on hard fights. What’s not to like?
Ritual Mastery – Wells recharge 20% faster
Transfusion – Life Siphon heals nearby allies (this can be swapped with healing on leaving death shroud, but transfusion as a larger infrequent heal seems more useful)
Notes: This is pretty much manditory for a healing build. So many good traits here.
0 Soul Reaping
Skills:
Staff
Alternate set is really up to you. I use a dagger main hand because I like being able to get in close and deal a bit of damage in easier fights (being in melee range seems to attract some agro too, which sometimes is what you want). Focus 4 gives some nice regeneration and vulnerability. Dagger 5 gives AoE weakness. If you’re running Cleric’s gear you want a power-based main hand, but if you really like conditions you could go with Apothecary’s gear and a scepter.
Signet of Undeath – revive multiple team members if they are downed and near each other. I’ve saved parties from wiping with this, and it is awesome
Flesh Wurm – cast this at a far wall and have an instant teleport out of battle if things start going south for your character. You are much more of a benefit to your team alive than dead. If the rest of the team wipes, I can use Signet of Undeath and try to save the team, if I wipe I can’t. It’s also good damage if you can keep it in range of the boss. This, dodge, and death shroud give you several go-to defensive cool downs.
3rd utility – I vary based on the situation. Spectral Wall is pure support if there’s nothing else compelling. Well of Power is good in condition-heavy fights. There are several good damage utilities for easier fights.
Elite: Plague form is great for aoe blinds when your party is about to be overrun by mobs. Flesh Golem is good for some extra damage and knockdown.
I’ve been really enjoying dungeons with this build. Lots of healing in tough fights, dagger action in easy fights.
As everyone is saying, staff + ranged wells is great for support (plus does lots of damage in its own right) – the aoe heal and condition transfer of the marks is super, and laying down 4 wells in sequence can mean theres always a combo field with useful effects up, or you can spike the damaging ones plus marks to wipe out large low hp mobs while staying alive via well of darkness. In short, the best soloing AND group build is staff/wells.
I knew it was one of you that kept yelling. Stand Still I am trying to use well of Power. QUIT DODGING! haha
Scepter/dagger for secondary support weapons
Another support variant is to trait 10 pts in Curses for Chilling Darkness combined with sigil of hydromancy. Scepter gives cripple AoE, which is handy; especially when combined with chill.
Heals and protections are not the best in the game but also not the only support you can give. Use conditions to maximum effect. It is the Necromancer’s specialty. Do not worry too much about damage if you want to play support. Keep the mobs thoroughly cursed.
Scepter/dagger for secondary support weapons
Another support variant is to trait 10 pts in Curses for Chilling Darkness combined with sigil of hydromancy. Scepter gives cripple AoE, which is handy; especially when combined with chill.
Heals and protections are not the best in the game but also not the only support you can give. Use conditions to maximum effect. It is the Necromancer’s specialty. Do not worry too much about damage if you want to play support. Keep the mobs thoroughly cursed.
Even though my heals and protection upkeep are pretty epic, this right here that Anchoku mentioned is the core of necro support. If you can keep those enemies from even reaching your team, or blinding them so their hits never land, or even weakening their hits (although that’s not a major part of my support build, I do sometimes use it and it does actually help), anything like that is far more effective than trying to powerhouse heal through massive enemy damage. Another benefit of necro support, is you’re pretty much free to move around and can keep a much closer eye on your team. You can throw down your wells and let them do their work, and keep an eye out for downed players, or ones about to be downed so you can hop on those rezzes immediately. Some people even use signet of undeath, but I find it clumsy and slow and rarely effective for the rez potential simply because they are usually already dead by the end of your cast, now you have a dead utility slot for about 3 minutes (fire/grawl fractal is one place that signet is beastmode though). Here is my support build, more or less. my equipment can vary depending on the situation, also my offhand for my 2nd set is situational, but I find myself using the horn the most for the interrupts:
Just wanted to point out, that if your team is extremely condition heavy, this build works fine with cleric gear in it’s place so you can run power instead, just swap scepter for axe and you’re in business. The runes I use are key to such long protection upkeep (+65% protection and +50% for all other boons assuming you don’t also use giver’s stats), and I also swap well of power for spectral wall instead when needed (such as a melee heavy group or running minions). It’s overall a very flexible build.
(edited by Nay of the Ether.8913)
I knew it was one of you that kept yelling. Stand Still I am trying to use well of Power. QUIT DODGING! haha
Was probably both of us lol, you did it while I was trying to heal you too…lots of times xD
Regeneration spam on the tank, and pop plague and spam blind on bosses…
Oh man, all of the above information really illuminated me to Necro’s potential beyond damage. Ty guys!
We can keep permanent chill/cripple/weakness, on enemies, although I’m not sure if we can do them all at the same time without team help on the weakness (via poison blast finishers).
Death Shroud can be used in support builds for DS 4 heals, it heals something like 2.5k HP to your team.
Warhorn is actually amazing for life siphon/on crit builds, and in PvP. In PvE daze isn’t quite as noticeable.
Oh man, all of the above information really illuminated me to Necro’s potential beyond damage. Ty guys!
- How well can Necros apply AoE Chill/Cripple/Fear/Weakness? I know that these conditions CAN be applied, but how often?
- Would Deathshroud be anything more than an added HP bar for me?
- I never hear anything about the Warhorn like.. ever. Is it really so bad?
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