Guild Wars 2

Hey fellow necros!
I am working on a blog post for Relics of Orr where I dream up a death shroud revamp. The goal of the post is brainstorm ways to shore up some of the necros weaknesses and rework death shroud so it is more focused towards a player’s specific build rather than the mixed bag it currently is. If your interested and have the time the you can find the document here

Death Shroud Armchair Developer Blog Post

Also if there are any shows or events ya’all would like RO to highlight let me know at shongaqu@gmail.com (this offer is on the table regardless of if you have the time to peruse by blog post)

Finally make sure any comments you make include the name you would like to be credited under when I publish the blog. Please keep the names clean or I can’t print them

Thanks!

I’m not a huge fan of giving shroud skills based on your equipped weapon, but it shores up some of the flaws. Personally I think a number of issues could be fixed by just tweaking some of the traits and skills (shroud #1 always applies poison, Well of Power pulses stability, Unholy Sanctuary grants invulnerability, etc.)

Traits would also be a good route to shore up weaknesses. If this post does well I might try and make a series out of revisiting various parts of the necro design with the necro forums help.

hmm maybe I should call the blog post [armchair CDI} Death Shroud

I’d prefer using traits to augment certain aspects of ds. For example, a trait that makes Lifeblast appear multi-hit, dramatically reducing the power based damage in exchange for 1 bleed per hit as well as 1 burn per hit if Dhuumfire is traited. Suddenly, Dhuumfire isn’t the worst trait ever and condi necros can maintain pressure in deathshroud. On the other hand, you could just have a trait where DS/RS 4 inflicts bleed per hit as that would blend much better and still be extremely powerful, but it leaves Dhuumfire in the dust.

I like the trait Idea, but I feel like that means I have to choose DS condition traits over general condition traits if I want to be able to use DS effectively.

I think that using traits to shore up DS will continue the situation we currently have where if your traits are not setup and focused on using DS you actually loose effectiveness when you enter DS.

The goal of my design it to make it so that when you swap into DS even if you aren’t traited for it, there is still a reasonable amount of utility that you can get from it. This would allow ANet to create traits for builds rather than having to use traits to shoehorn DS into our build.

For those that don’t feel like checking out the google doc here are my suggestions for new DS skills. DS would be based on your primary main hand weapon so even with two weapon sets you only have one DS type.

New death shroud skills

• Axe based on current on land death shroud (mid range skills power and vulnerability focus)

1. Life Blast; stays as is
2. Dampen Life: explode your life force to deal damage and inflict vulnerability and weakness to 5 foes near you.
3. Corrupt Life; remove boons from target player and gain life force for each boon removed
4. Life Transfer: same as before
5. Life inversion chains to a cancel ability; channeled attack that connects you and enemy player with a spectral tether pulses damage and vulnerability on target until canceled or you run out of life force. Enemies that pass through the tether are inflicted with vulnerability. Allies that pass through the tether are cleansed of a condition

• Scepter based on current underwater name changed to Terror’s Shroud (Condition stack and transfer focus)

1. Plague Blast: Blast a foe with a plague that transfers one condition to them
2. Plague Eruption: bleed and poison your targeted enemy and foes around them
3. Plague of Terror: you launch a spectral wall in the direction you are facing. Any enemy that the wall passes through is afflicted by fear.
4. Gathering Plague: Draw conditions from nearby allies to yourself. Gain lifeforce for each condition drawn. Gain weakness each pulse.
5. Plague Shackles: Bind nearby enemies with your life force, stacking chill and bleeds on them with every pulse. If the bind is allowed to expire apply heavy bleeds chill and poison.

• Dagger main hand uses skills themed on liadri name changed to Shadow Shroud(melee power tank focus)

1. Shadow blast melee PBAoE hits target and up to four enemies around the target dealing damage and inflicting blind
2. Shadow path: Path similar to current DS #2 only change is it is a shadow step and does not cause bleeding
3. Shadow Lash similar to spectral grasp but no chill and it costs life force
4. Shadow fall create a shadow field around you that destroys projectiles after three seconds the shadow field erupts dealing heavy damage.
5. Dark Domain create a well at your feet that pulses stability to you and creates a warding line around the perimeter that prevents enemies from crossing it.

• Staff focuses on utility and control effects name changed to Tainted Shroud

1. tainted blast: damage and Poison target
2. Tainted Steps: Dodge backwards from target leaving behind a spectral wall that immobilizes enemies passing through it. Imobolize target.
3. Tainted Will: Freeze and enemy in an ice block for x Seconds, while frozen they are immune to damage and will not trigger traps or marks. Can be broken by stunbreaks.
4. Tainted Abyss: (Based on frozen abyss) channel create a continual expanding area that applies chill and poison to enemies.
5. Tainted Domain Place a mark on the ground. When it is triggered you gain stability and up to 5 enemies around the mark are knocked prone and poisoned.

• Greatsword would provide access to the current reaper shroud