Guild Wars 2

I’ll be commanding with a Necromancer at some point in the future, and I’d like to run a Well/mark build. Would it make more sense to go with condition damage or a power build? (I’d probably run Rabid for condi, Soldier’s or Knight’s for power.)

Thanks in advance.

This is a very good question! I too am an avid wellomancer and have been running condition damage on my current build for ages. Personally I am happy when in pvp, wvw, or pve 9dungeons). Lately I have been thinking abit more along the lines of a bursty power/well necro. A lot of people swear that power builds are more effective for the burst damage of the wells. My problem is that I am not sure how to get the most power out of my necro, while keeping the focused rituals (targeted wells) and the larger marks on my staff. So I’ll be keeping an eye out on this thread. Maybe an expert from BuT or so could help us out.

Wells are influenced by Power. Staff is a hybrid weapon. It’s our best weapon period and while the marks benefit from condition, the auto is power. If you are going with Two or More wells along with ground targeting than Power build is the way to go. Zerker gear :P.

Thanks for the quick response Bas! Much appreciated and love what you guys are doing for the Necromancer forum. Without wanting to sound like an idiot, could you please provide us with a link to a possible power build utilizing wells and the staff? I have an idea that soon I will have to change my hard-earned TA armor.

I’d like to avoid zerker gear considering I’m primarily a WvWer and am not really into being the first one down in a group, heh. That said, I also plan to command and am going to be at or near the head of a lot of groups and can’t afford to be squishy.

So would one recommend Knight’s, Soldier’s, perhaps something else or a mix thereof?

Wells do power dmg while marks mix of both with focus being on condmg. I think condition damage is better to go for since you are going to be using marks alot more than wells cause of cooldowns. A good mix of power, condition dmg and survivability I think is the carrion combination (Con Pow Vit) Personally I got it mixed with rabids here and there for some toughness and precision. I find it to be really good in WvsW encounters. 0/30/20/20/0 is what I’m using right now.

My current thoughts are a power Well build with Staff and…Dagger MH, something-something OH.

Check this forum’s stickies for Nemesis’ Abomination (tank) build with link to Sheobix’s Juggermancer.

Having little satisfaction with condition or hybrids in WvW (go figure), I keep coming back to a tank build. Very useful spreading Plague and dropping wells/marks in the middle of the foe zerg.

Here is a synopsis (I hope it makes sense):

Armor
PVT with runes of Vampirism (Sheobix recommends Soldier Crests, but the extra power from Vamp is nice and that Mist form is fun and has saved me several times).

Weapons
PVT dagger with Leeching
PVT focus with Restoration
PVT staff with Leeching

Traits
(The options reflect Nemesis vs Sheobix)
Spite (15) 2,8 or (25) 2,8
Curses ( 0)
Death magic (25) 2,4 or (25) 2,5
Blood magic (30) 2,8,12 or (20) 2,1
Soul Reaping (0)

Note: Ground Targeted Wells (IX) requires 20 points in Curses. What are you going to give up to get them?

Heal
Consume Conditions

Utils
Well of Suffering
Well of Corruption
(switch based on mood) Epidemic, Well of Darkness, Spectral Walk, Signet of Locust

Elite
Plague or Lich

Buffs
Loaves of Omnomberry Bread (or) Plates of Orrian Steak Fritter s
Hardened Sharpening Stones

I started with the Temple Karma armor and trinkets, then got the WvW Invader legs and weapons. Now I am slowly getting Ascended trinkets.

sidenote My new love is http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/necromancer/ for theorycrafting builds; it includes pve gear!! Woot!

Khalifa made a really nice tPvP Power Necro build that you could alter for WvW effectiveness.

30/20/10/0/10
S, D/X (off hand can really go any way you want, but I would prefer D in WvW for the AoE of Enfeebling)

Traits –
Spite: Reaper’s Might, Spiteful Marks, Close to Death
Curses: Weakening Shroud, Focused Rituals
Death: Greater Marks
Reaping: Unyielding Blast

For power Well of Suffering, Well of Corruption own. You could go a number of ways for the 3rd Utility. BiP/Spectral Grasp/Locust on situational swaps all are decent choices. Poison Cloud/Well of Darkness also aren’t bad ways to go depending on situation. The combo Fields are always nice to be able to drop in zergs.

@Daylight
Hmm, looking at how to include Curses IX (Focused Rituals), how would this work?
I might just try this today. Thanks for the idea.

Spite (20) — 2,7
Curses (20) — 4,9
Death magic (20) — 2,5
Blood magic (10) — 1,
Soul Reaping (0)

Christos de Soufre.3802:

I’d like to avoid zerker gear considering I’m primarily a WvWer and am not really into being the first one down in a group, heh. That said, I also plan to command and am going to be at or near the head of a lot of groups and can’t afford to be squishy.

So would one recommend Knight’s, Soldier’s, perhaps something else or a mix thereof?

Deathshroud is based off our Health and if you are doing a Hybrid (pretty good in wvwvw) or power build, than Knights is pretty good because of the crit. For pure survival skills, nothing beats PVT.

The general recommendation is to start with PVT until you got the hang of DS and how to play the necro and slowly swap to a bit more damage. If you are running the front, remember to take Plague form as your elite (Nothing is tankier and it’s amazing in a zerg).

I think Nemesis has a video of a strong build, and CHIPS may have one as well. I don’t know who Sheobix is, but I have heard good things.

I run semi Zerkers and am not the -first- person to go down. Either way I always take a few people with me

I run dagger/Wells and focus on burst damage. Well/Marks are ok too but I really like running up to someone and seeing the HP bar go from full to empty in a few seconds

DayLight.9603:

This is a very good question! I too am an avid wellomancer and have been running condition damage on my current build for ages. Personally I am happy when in pvp, wvw, or pve 9dungeons). Lately I have been thinking abit more along the lines of a bursty power/well necro. A lot of people swear that power builds are more effective for the burst damage of the wells. My problem is that I am not sure how to get the most power out of my necro, while keeping the focused rituals (targeted wells) and the larger marks on my staff. So I’ll be keeping an eye out on this thread. Maybe an expert from BuT or so could help us out.

for getting the burst/power out of the necro you can just make sure that the trinkets and runes/armour/weapon stats allow for a mix such as this

armour stats – pre/vit/cond
weapon stats – pow/pre/CD
runes – condition damage/duration
trinkets – power/vitality/CD

Utilites
well of suffering
well of corruption
signet of the locust
Lich form – elite

Traits – 0/20/20/30/0
20 – II, IX
20 – II, IV
30 – II, V, XII

aaaaaand yeah… that’s about it.