Swap Decimate Defenses with Reaper’s Onslaught.
Also…I’m completely on board with this. Btw why would you swap Reaper’s Onslaught with Decimate Defenses? I don’t see how that would change anything, unless you’re trying to open up Soul Eater to be used with Decimate Defenses?
To be honest, it has always been a grandmaster level trait. Consider the other necro trait that grants +50% crit chance if certain criteria is met.
I mean, I can understand Decimate Defenses being worthy of the Grandmaster slot. What gets me is Reaper’s Onslaught, though. wouldn’t Deathly Chill make a smarter swap? You’d get Bleeds from Chill and the increases Precision from DD. RO seems pretty good with its recent buff to me, especially when traited with Dhuumfire and Unyielding Blast along with DD. Simply swapping DD with RO doesn’t seem to change much, if anything, to me. Though in hindsight, I guess it’d be better to completely move RO to the Soul Reaping line since it’s only focused on being in Shroud. Then maybe swap Fear of Death where RO should be? Since the Reaper line already has Shivers of Dread, it just seems like FoD would fit nicely along with it for Condi Reapers. Idk just thinking outside the box here.
I will admit it is a bias move in favour of power necro since it does nerf condi. But I guess I’ve always been anti Reaper’s Onslaught and wanted an actual power trait that is universally useful.
With Fear of Death though, they should just remove the down state part then move and merge it with Terror in the Curses line. Soul reaping could do with a shake up to be honest, but anet doesn’t seem to like tampering with traits much. A few suggestions I had:
- Swap parts of Vital Persistence and Strength of Undeath round so VP is now baseline and SoU is a midtier trait. They now are as such: VP – Life force drains 50% slower and you gain a 15% larger life force pool. SoU – you deal +10% more damage whilst in shroud and your shroud skills recharge 20% quicker.
- Merge Unyielding blast with Dhuumfire. Though this would mean I’d need a new first tier trait and, if my Fear of Death change happened, a new mid tier trait too.
I like your suggestions, though wouldn’t merging Dhuumfire with Unyielding Blast be a bit OP? I think I’d rather get rid of Burn and replace it with Weakness or Torment, since we’ll only be able to get a max of 5 stacks of Burning with Reaper’s Onslaught and without any Condi Damage/Duration. I feel like Dhuumfire should be moved over to Curses and made viable without Shroud.
I find condi necro pretty boring
This is because you might have been playing it wrong. Once you team up with only condi damage dealers and at least 2 more necros you’ll see that Epi bounce (well executed) is one of the coolest mechanics that makes you just wipe through FotM. Viper Necros might not be the highest damage output but they’re extremely functional in the right parties and rarely go get downed, even at higher level fractals.
I was just wondering how well a power necro is in higher tier fractals all the way to CM 100.
Power necros are underlooked. We all want them to be a thing but that’s the reality even with the GS buff. If you show up to a 100 CM pug there’s a 90% chance people will ask you to swap or vote kick you (can happen different if you’re running with guildies and/or friends).
I have never been kicked for it. I have the title and potions so beyond that people don’t care what you bring in my experiences.
Guess you’re part of that 10%
Seriously. In power compositions asking pot and title it won’t be an issue. I normally run with condi only teams (with viper necro or condi ps) and power necros are not welcome there. Seen this also happen in PUG raids where people are asking for condi necros (VG and Gorse) and a power necro joins. Guess it has to do people not reading descriptions in LFG.
I run 100 CM every single day, and never have an issue with pugs that didnt specify condi before hand.
Your made up stats are exactly that, made up.
If by stats you’re referring to statistics, then yes.
Funny thing about statistics, they’re never set in stone.
Swap Decimate Defenses with Reaper’s Onslaught.
Also…I’m completely on board with this. Btw why would you swap Reaper’s Onslaught with Decimate Defenses? I don’t see how that would change anything, unless you’re trying to open up Soul Eater to be used with Decimate Defenses?
To be honest, it has always been a grandmaster level trait. Consider the other necro trait that grants +50% crit chance if certain criteria is met.
I mean, I can understand Decimate Defenses being worthy of the Grandmaster slot. What gets me is Reaper’s Onslaught, though. wouldn’t Deathly Chill make a smarter swap? You’d get Bleeds from Chill and the increases Precision from DD. RO seems pretty good with its recent buff to me, especially when traited with Dhuumfire and Unyielding Blast along with DD. Simply swapping DD with RO doesn’t seem to change much, if anything, to me. Though in hindsight, I guess it’d be better to completely move RO to the Soul Reaping line since it’s only focused on being in Shroud. Then maybe swap Fear of Death where RO should be? Since the Reaper line already has Shivers of Dread, it just seems like FoD would fit nicely along with it for Condi Reapers. Idk just thinking outside the box here.
Swap Decimate Defenses with Reaper’s Onslaught.
Also…
I’m completely on board with this. Btw why would you swap Reaper’s Onslaught with Decimate Defenses? I don’t see how that would change anything, unless you’re trying to open up Soul Eater to be used with Decimate Defenses?
Yeah, I’m not a fan of Condi Necro. I’d rather go Sigil of Bursting for that one xD
Sigil of force, really worth it. No other sigil come even close to the dmg improvement for a power build.
Sigil of bursting on the other hand, sadly not worth it, both earth and geo are better (unless you are purely ranged where geo dont work)
Earth and Geo are only for inflicting Bleed, it doesn’t do anything to help with Condi Damage at all. Reapers right now can easily stack up to 30 Bleeds with just Shouts in PvE thanks to Deathly Chill, but those bleeds will only do 22 damage per second (or in this case 660) without Condi Damage/Duration while Burning from Dhuumfire (for example) does 657.5 damage per second with only 5 stacks (the max you can get without Expertise and while running Reaper’s Onslaught for the additional attack speed). Bursting or Malice would benefit both Condi Damage as well as Duration, which allows you to stack more Condis and keep them on your target longer for more DoT.
Earth and Geo aren’t bad options, but they’re just for applying Condis (in this case Bleed), not for increasing Condi Damage or Duration (which is where Condi players get their DPS).
The problem is that the extra stacks of bleeding from Earth and Geo both do more actual damage than the Bursting Sigil does, because it was very poorly implemented. It only adds 6% to your BASE condition damage (i.e. it ignores all of your condition damage from gear).
Though that is true, what I was saying is Earth and Geo are wasted Sigils since Reaper can stack 30 Bleeds with ease, which may not be the limit (which is 1500) but without Expertise it’s wasted slots. Geo only happens on weapon swap (which isn’t always ideal, especially if your rotation falls on camping a specific weapon set like Power does with GS) and Earth has a 2s ICD that only procs on Crit (stack lasts for 5s) so as far as Bleed stacking goes, unless you’re running Scepter (for Necro) you won’t be able to reliably stack Bleed. Plus, like i said, 30 Bleed stacks equals 5 Burning stacks (without Condi Damage/Duration), so I’d much rather focus on boosting Condi-Damage or Duration rather than simply trying to add an additional stack or two. It’s just a personal preference, if I ever did play Condi.
EDIT: apparently the number 5 counts as an ‘S’ and you can’t say ‘as’ before ‘5’ (ugh)
(edited by Okami.7049)
Like everyone’s said: Reaper’s Onslaught only effects Shroud’s attack speed and reduces your CDs by 5s per enemy kill. You also (now) gain 250 Ferocity while in Shroud which (I think) is something like 20%.
Not 250 but 225. That results in a 15% critical damage increase.
(15 Ferocity = 1% Critical Damage)
Ah sorry was a slightly off. Thanks for the catch.
“I’d use your youtube as an example of blatant hypocrisy and me being correct, but I’m a nice person.”
You just hypocritically DID use his YouTube simply by referencing it. A nice person wouldn’t have to point it out, they’d just turn the other cheek and walk away (just saying).
That was called sarcasm. And that was the point. It’s not hypocrisy.
He did the same thing to me. I only think its fair.
I’m not taking sides, I’m just saying you brought attention to the one thing you said you wouldn’t. I’m not going into the whole ‘he did it first’ thing, that’s a can of worms that should remain tightly closed.
Yeah, I’m not a fan of Condi Necro. I’d rather go Sigil of Bursting for that one xD
Sigil of force, really worth it. No other sigil come even close to the dmg improvement for a power build.
Sigil of bursting on the other hand, sadly not worth it, both earth and geo are better (unless you are purely ranged where geo dont work)
Earth and Geo are only for inflicting Bleed, it doesn’t do anything to help with Condi Damage at all. Reapers right now can easily stack up to 30 Bleeds with just Shouts in PvE thanks to Deathly Chill, but those bleeds will only do 22 damage per second (or in this case 660) without Condi Damage/Duration while Burning from Dhuumfire (for example) does 657.5 damage per second with only 5 stacks (the max you can get without Expertise and while running Reaper’s Onslaught for the additional attack speed). Bursting or Malice would benefit both Condi Damage as well as Duration, which allows you to stack more Condis and keep them on your target longer for more DoT.
Earth and Geo aren’t bad options, but they’re just for applying Condis (in this case Bleed), not for increasing Condi Damage or Duration (which is where Condi players get their DPS).
Thanks everyone! I’ve decided to stick with Force for the reliable damage boost. 5% just didn’t seem like that much to me but clearly I was looking at it the wrong way.
Oh! I’m not actually sure anyone said it, or if it was obvious to you … this only improves power damage, not condition damage. So if you use it on, say, your condition build necromancer, it’s going to be way less useful than on your power oriented whatever.
Yeah, I’m not a fan of Condi Necro. I’d rather go Sigil of Bursting for that one xD
Well, the specific class was an example. SoF works only on power damage, which means only the “initial hit” of attacks of any class, not on the conditions they leave behind.
I’m sure you did understand that correctly, but I’d rather tell you what you know than accidentally mislead someone.
Yer good man, and I agree it’s better to make sure someone’s informed rather than leave them under this assumption or that xD thanks for making sure if not for me, I’m sure someone else reading this thread could benefit from all of the extra info.
Like everyone’s said: Reaper’s Onslaught only effects Shroud’s attack speed and reduces your CDs by 5s per enemy kill. You also (now) gain 250 Ferocity while in Shroud which (I think) is something like 20%. I personally love it, dropped Deathly Chill for it and am having a blast.
But yeah, outside of Shroud Reaper’s Onslaught doesn’t benefit anything.
“I’d use your youtube as an example of blatant hypocrisy and me being correct, but I’m a nice person.”
You just hypocritically DID use his YouTube simply by referencing it. A nice person wouldn’t have to point it out, they’d just turn the other cheek and walk away (just saying).
Done, hope it helped, friend
Last week I had a glitch where I left Lion’s Arch via Waypoint and went to Frostgorge Sound. Lion’s Arch’s music kept playing and I had to relog to get it to fix itself.
Thanks everyone! I’ve decided to stick with Force for the reliable damage boost. 5% just didn’t seem like that much to me but clearly I was looking at it the wrong way.
Oh! I’m not actually sure anyone said it, or if it was obvious to you … this only improves power damage, not condition damage. So if you use it on, say, your condition build necromancer, it’s going to be way less useful than on your power oriented whatever.
Yeah, I’m not a fan of Condi Necro. I’d rather go Sigil of Bursting for that one xD
Thanks everyone! I’ve decided to stick with Force for the reliable damage boost. 5% just didn’t seem like that much to me but clearly I was looking at it the wrong way.
I’m a Power Necro, looking for a good Sigil for my Axe. Force is an option, but is 5% additional damage worth it or is it hardly noticeable? My other options are Incapacitation, Frailty, Blood, Air and Rage. I’m not running Ice because I’m not running Deathly Chill, opting for Reaper’s Onslaught instead.
Idk what mode you’re talking about, but I’ll give my input on a PvE perspective (Note: currently running Axe/Foci + GS).
I currently run Zerker/Valk/Zerkerie. I personally try to place emphasis between Power, Ferocity, Vitality and Precision (in that order). Thanks to Decimate Defenses, you don’t really need much Precision. Personally, I feel like Reaper needs as much Power and Ferocity as possible, since that’s where your damage is going to come from. Zerker weapons for the raw power, Valk armor for the Vitality without sacrificing any power, and Zerker + Valk trinkets to round out Precision and Vitality. I walk away with a little over 23k Health with 29% base Precision. With max Vulnerability stacks that’s 79% Precision and with a Fury boon that’s 99%.
Marauder’s is a good choice if you don’t plan to run Decimate Defenses. I’ve goofed around with it a bit, not my personal choice but it’s not a bad option. I mainly placed emphasis on Vitality over Toughness because we’re already too squishy to risk drawing aggro and I tend to struggle more with Condis than straight damage anyways. Plus the more health you have, the larger your 90% threshold is for Scholar Runes (which, I run).
Not going into Specs unless you’re including that as ‘equipment’ but I’m going to assume you’re talking about gear in that regard.
My Sylvari Necro is Mortifer Crow, a.k.a Morgrim or (as my brother calls me) Morti. Mortifer means Bringer of Death, Crow is symbolized as the bird of death.
Personally, I’m currently using the Razer Naga Hex (going to upgrade to V2 soon) and Razer Orbweaver (Chroma). No problems here, love the mouse and the only reason I’m upgrading it is because V2 comes with 7 buttons instead of 6 and I’ve had the Hex for a couple of years now and the 1 button is beginning to wear down on me (because I’ve used it heavily since I’ve had the mouse). As for the Orbweaver, I literally can’t play without it. Trying to play with the keyboard after using the Orbweaver for so long both hurts my hands and is far more cumbersome for me.
Hard to choose, but if I had to I feel like Well of Power edges ahead by just barely. I just love how it’s a Stun Break, coverts Conditions into Boons (instead of removing them) thus turning your weaknesses into strengths and, if you have Vampiric Rituals in Blood Magic, you gain Protection and it lifesteals per pulse.
Should ANET open up a fourth Spec slot with the upcoming expansion? Why or why not? Personally, I’d love it if they did. Doing so would open up more combination possibilities, I would think and builds could be better fine-tuned/tweaked to one’s individual playstyle. What do you guys think?
EDIT: This is in regard to all classes, obviously
(edited by Okami.7049)
Sounds like you have thought this through so I could see you having success in PvE including fractals, since you can run those at whatever difficulty you feel comfortable with.
Celestial is working pretty well for me – did a solo run of Caudecus’ Manor yesterday despite having terrible gear, something that I was unable to do with my fully equipped celestial engineer. Personally I don’t think of celestial as a “jack-of-all-trades” stat set: I actually conceptualise it as the game’s defensive loadout. Because to me it seems that in GW2 if you want to focus on damage you must put all of your eggs into as few baskets as possible; whereas if you want to focus on survival you must put your eggs into as many baskets as possible, including offence.
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vRAQJARWnc0AN1g91AebCs3gFqBTKAMASZTrsKwEI+DWCXhA-TxhaAB+o+zFXCgR0FAgyPO2HAFlgCuwAA-e
Hence my present build runs Reaper, greatsword and Deathly Chill in order to give me as much damage as possible with a minimum of investment, letting me run Blood Magic for group healing and Death Magic for condition clear and damage reduction. Both lines together maximise minion performance which is a big part of what keeps this build alive.
I’ll be sure to give it a go once I can afford the gear, Blood Magic/Death Magic/Reaper looks very interesting to me (one of the few combinations I haven’t really tried because I value Spite a little too much). Would you classify this as a type of Minion-Mancer build, since you’re running/utilizing Minions as a core mechanic?
I am currently putting together a celestial reaper on similar lines and the thing that bothers me about krait runes is the elite effect – the rune has an internal cooldown of 45 seconds but Chilled to the Bone has a 90-second cooldown. Does anyone know if the “charge” skill from the flesh golem triggers Krait runes?
As for your build OP it looks powerful but rather fragile. What content would you use it in?
Honestly, I’d only use it in Open-World PvE, probably for some Open-World Bosses, not sure how it’d fair in Fractals. I’m not into Raids/PvP/WvW, though my buds just earlier today have started trying to get me into WvW. For now, I’ll stick to PvE.
Yeah the fragility concerned me a bit, but since I already run Power Reaper with 20k health and whatnot I figured it wouldn’t be that much of a change to me. Fighting from ranged: Condi. Enemy closing in on you: Power. I do like Scepter, but since it’s Condi-based I figured it’d only be good in a Hybrid build since I love Power too much to drop it.
Good call on the Krait Runes, I didn’t pay attention to that. I’m pretty sure the Golem should proc the effect, but then again it does function a bit differently from regular Skills so I’m not too sure (I don’t typically run Minions unless I want to have fun with a Minion-Mancer build).
How’s Celestial turning out for you? I hear it’s good at being a ‘jack of all trades’ and a ‘master of none’, which I guess is why so many people don’t like it. Being well-rounded means you don’t really excel at anything, but you’re not ‘bad’ in other sectors as well. How would you rate it?
They aren’t all balanced separately SOME skills are balanced separately.
I didnt say you are coming of as elitist im not even sure what to call what your coming off as……
I said you are calling people elitists everytime they have a differing opinion.
You seem to RESPECT your own opinion but not those who you consider ELITIST.
also never said you cant have an opinion, i am simply stating that the opinion of someone who plays all game modes should be valued over those who only play one.
If some skills are balanced separately then that doesn’t mean they can’t continue to do just that for all modes. Buff the crap out of Power Reaper for PvE, but make it PvE only (example).
The only ones I consider Elitists are the ones who go about claiming opinion as fact, which I haven’t done for the record. If anything I’ve been defensive at those coming off as harsh, those with differing opinions of mine who actually showed tact and respect I gave the same exact kind of tact and respect back to. Like I said, it’s about how you say stuff not exactly what you say. I can respect differing opinions and even brainstorm with them, but it’s when the one with the differing opinion starts to belittle or look down on someone else (in this case me) is when I dismiss them. I treat others how they treat me, nothing more nothing less and when I’m out of line I have no problem apologizing, settling things and moving on. I’m well aware I can be overly passionate about some things at times and make an effort to keep the reigns taught as much as possible.
All opinions should be valued equally, regardless of what you play is what I was saying. No one opinion is inferior to another simply because of time spent, which is a luxury I might add. We can disagree amongst ourselves all we want, but at the end of the day opinion is feedback and feedback is always valuable. If you want to value the opinion of one over another’s then that’s all well and good, because that’s your choice. But ‘valuable’ is subjective and how we may see it as one thing could be seen differently by others.
Personally I’m just as tired of getting roped into these scuffles as you are, I move on and get dragged right back into whatever it was I’d already dropped. Not an excuse to get snippy, but it is annoying.
You could do what the ridiculous hybrid zerkers do and run Destroyer amulet with runes of the Krait and all proc on swap weapon sigils.
Interesting, I was wondering if Krait would be good since we’re able to stack Bleed so easily. Wasn’t sure how that would fair in exchange for the power reduction. Any ideas?
im not the one calling everyone elitists everytime they have a differing opinion. Playing one mode means you only have that mode to consider when considering balance. While someone who plays all modes would consider all modes when considering balance….. IT is also possible that even though the person plays all game modes they still may have more hours on each game mode than somoene who specifically plays one.
I’m not the one coming off as an Elitist, telling someone else they can’t have an opinion unless this this and that. It has nothing with people having different opinions, it has everything to do with how things are being said. What you say isn’t as important as how you say it. Learned that one a long time ago, right alongside respect.
It is possible, however that would fall under what I told Crinn about being around since the beginning of the game, most likely, since most players typically stop and find a new game once they hit the end of the game. Some don’t even return. That’s not to say that’s the only scenario (since a lot of people tend to think my examples are literal), but I’ve witnessed it as a common one over here.
Like I said, ANET supposedly balances separately between PvE, PvP and WvW which pretty much makes the whole ‘you gotta play all modes or shut up’ argument pointless. If they’re all balanced separately, then that means ANET’s looking at each mode individually instead of looking at a class and seeing how it effects everything. Plenty of Skills/Utilities/Traits are tweaked/changed once you enter PvP, even some Runes. Leave the PvP lobby, those restrictions/changes are now removed/reverted. So there’s nothing wrong with having an opinion on one game mode when it doesn’t even effect the other modes. Not to mention there is nothing wrong with playing one mode and having an opinion on only that mode, I’d much rather have someone who has an honest opinion on one mode (no matter how ‘minute’ you may wish it to be) over someone who just sits acting like they’ve played all modes and know what they’re talking about. Would you rather I have an opinion on PvE, where I play, or go around spewing nonsense about PvP/WvW ‘changes’ that I clearly wouldn’t have a clue about?
No its not being elitist, i dont understand why you and some other PVE players always call someone elitist when they say pvp and wvw must be considered during balancing…..
My logic is that you should be familiar with all game modes if you want to make balance suggestions are you telling me that is false? And only being familiar with PVE is sufficient?
Someone who plays all game modes opinion should be valued higher than someone who only plays one. Its one of the reasons why i typically dont contribute to balance discussions as i strictly play PvP. Since i barely play the other game modes by opinion on balance matters very little. Difference between you and i is i dont think im a snowflake.
Difference between you and I: I don’t actively seek out conflict like you clearly are. Last time I checked, ANET balances separately between PvE and PvP/WvW. Hence why some skills perform differently (same with Traits) depending on the mode. So, again, it doesn’t matter one way or another which mode you play. Logically speaking, someone who plays one mode will have more experience and input in that mode compared to someone who plays all modes, who won’t have the in-depth experience. That doesn’t just go for PvE, that goes for PvP and WvW as well. Even if I did decide to subject myself to the crap that is PvP (at the very least) I still wouldn’t have as much experience as someone like you who only plays PvP. Why? Because of time spent.
@Crinn (because I don’t feel like double posting to the same thing)
The only opinion that’s valuable is the ones coming from the Beta players, or the ones who have been around since the very beginning if you want to look at it from a blanket perspective. Otherwise, I’ve already said my piece with NeXeD so I won’t be repeating myself.
I do love, however, how this post was originally about Power Necro (not just GS I know the title is misleading) and yet you kids want to try and pick a fight about literally nothing important, and nothing on-topic. Like I said to Muchacho: if you don’t like what I have to say then be the adult you claim to be and gloss over me and move on. No one’s forcing you to read my comments and no one’s forcing you to reply, so grow up and quit actively seeking out drama. You’re not changing anything, I’ll still post my opinion on whatever I want whether you want me to or not.
id have more fun cooking up meth
And you’re here why, then?
I don’t think simply buffing classes is going to be enough, some classes need completely updated Traits/Skills and even (for example) Profession Abilities such as Necro’s Shroud. That’s a lot more work, I’d assume, than just increasing some numbers. Not just talking about Necro here either, Revenant (for example) is the worst class in my opinion thanks to it being clunky, unfinished and the fact that everything it can do, every other class can do better.
lol why do you as you ignore any other game mode than pve think you qualify for statements regarding class efficiency ? You have no clue about pvp, you have no clue about wvw so please do people a favor and first gain experience, afterwards you can write balancing novels.
Yet here you are, wanting to cater to PvP in whatever form only, newsflash master of tears, it’s not you who decides what qualifies as class efficiency. U mad broh?
where did he said he wants it catered ONLY to pvp? He merely pointed out the flaw in someone’s logic due to the fact the person he is referring to only has PVE experience. I believe he is right in suggesting the person needs experience in other game modes before posting novels about balance.
Everyone has flaws in their logic, regardless of what you play or how long you’ve played it. Stating “I’ve played all modes my opinion’s more valuable” is as arrogant as the elitists going around stating only one build works and the rest are trash for scrubs. He’s clearly catering to the PvP/WvW side of the game if he’s going to nit-pick at someone who only plays one mode, otherwise there’d be no point commenting. Half of the people who post novels about balance are typically PvP/WvW players anyways with little care for PvE, so your logic and his can easily be flipped right back on its head.
I don’t think simply buffing classes is going to be enough, some classes need completely updated Traits/Skills and even (for example) Profession Abilities such as Necro’s Shroud. That’s a lot more work, I’d assume, than just increasing some numbers. Not just talking about Necro here either, Revenant (for example) is the worst class in my opinion thanks to it being clunky, unfinished and the fact that everything it can do, every other class can do better.
lol why do you as you ignore any other game mode than pve think you qualify for statements regarding class efficiency ? You have no clue about pvp, you have no clue about wvw so please do people a favor and first gain experience, afterwards you can write balancing novels.
Again, I won’t be making a post about my feelings towards PvP and WvW and why I don’t play them, but I have my reasons and it’s not because I suck. It’s funny, you’re stating I shouldn’t talk unless I join the side that does nothing but whine and cry every patch because they can’t one-shot other classes? Why would I even bother to join such a negative and sad ‘community’? Having experience in one mode is better than none at all, and quite frankly whatever mode you play has nothing to do with the validity of one’s opinion. You clearly have no clue as to what I actually DO have experience in, aside from what I’ve said here on the forums. so please do people a favor and first get off your little pony of a high horse, afterwards you can try stating your opinion in a more respectful fashion. My thoughts on PvE are not lesser than your thoughts on PvP or WvW just because you want to believe it so, especially since Necros are still hurting just as badly in PvE as they are in PvP and WvW. Get over it.
I’ve never done a Hybrid build before, so I’m not entirely sure how much Condi-Damage I need at minimum while still maintaining decent Power and Ferocity. What I’m currently working on (because I’m bored and I like to theory craft) is a Hybrid build more focused on bursting while still giving the Condis I do apply some kick (so they’re not entirely wasted).
I went Sinister instead of Viper because I figured, since my primary focus is burst first with Condis adding secondary damage, Expertise wasn’t really needed since I’m looking to still kill my target quickly instead of having to slowly build up stacks (I also am not a fan of Corruption Utilities). Zerker armor is mainly to keep the Power side alive while Zerkerie Trinkets are meant to round out my Precision and Health. I figured with Decimate Defenses and Target The Weak, my Condi-Damage wouldn’t need to be high at base since Vulnerability will increase Crit which will increase Condi-Damage. 1k Condi-Damage seemed decent to me and I didn’t want my Power to drop below 2300 (which, without Signet of Spite, it’d be at 2481). Ferocity I wanted to keep above 200% so my Crits would remain decent.
Haven’t gotten to test it in the field yet, don’t have the funds to buy a Scepter and don’t have any Sinister Weapons to play with. This is just a Theory-Crafting thread, pretty much a ‘what if’ or a ‘relax and goof around with Hybrid builds’ kind of thread. I know it’s not ‘optimal’ or ‘meta’, that’s not what this thread is about. Just trying to have some fun and cook up something interesting.
@Okami,
If you talking about wvw/pvp you are clearly over your head.Dagger>>>>>>>GS
Simply because dagger dish out dmg quickly and can easly dis out more dmg auto attacking while GS auto attack finish. GD and Nightfall are not in the equation since they are so easy to dodge and avoid. Plain and simple. GS is about the burst not about the DPS it is not DPS weapon in pvp.If someone is dying to dagger in pvp, they are trash. Also GD and nightfall cant be avoided at the end of a dodge.
Just because YOU might suck, doesn’t mean every necro does. I kill plenty of people just fine with GS. Only a blind immobile monkey will die to daggers pitiful dps.
It is almost like you talking about GS but instead of saying GS you saying daggers..
But kudos being the 10% of the Necro pvp community who think GS is effective.
Also kudos of being the 1% of the entire guildwars2 playerbase who think all ppl are stupid enough to dodge the moment you using GD.
Would use your comment as signature but nah I am really nice person.
I’m confused and am going to assume you were talking to Draco on that one (confused because I was quoted as well yet your comment sounded like it was directed at him, especially since you mentioned PvP).
There are 9 classes total, don’t most Guilds typically have more than 9 players? It’s also not a big deal to ask in chat for a specific class. Doing nothing is also shoving the issue under the rug and hoping nobody notices, which is arguably worse. This solution at least allows diversity and eliminates the segregatory problem. What is everyone going to do if/when Warriors get nerfed into the ground for being ‘top’ pick? Besides whine and complain of course.
Whats the point of diversity? To be inclusive yes?
But if you’ve created a rule that says all comps must use a fixed class then guilds must start excluding existing players simply because they already have that class slot.Raid guilds build their comps around the players they have. For instance my guild doesn’t have any engis or thieves so we don’t use such comps even though condi engi would be good in w4. However with your rule we would have to drop two of a our existing players in order to bring in other people all to fulfill a arbitrary rule.
It’s sounding more and more like people are too lazy to accept change instead of actually wanting to better the game, not just with this but with everything in general lately. It’s either ‘my way’ or ‘no way’, which is pretty sad.
People want to being able to build teams based on merit, not arbitrary rules. Raid comps are done the way they done because it’s the best way for both the guild.
What would you recommend then, instead of Lahmia’s suggestion?
That underperforming classes be buffed to where they can stand on their own merit,
Lahmia’s suggestion is literally GW2 version of affirmative action.
I both see and don’t see your point on the first one. I see how people would be excluded because a class slot would be filled, but at the same time wouldn’t that simply mean to form a second raid team? This is assuming a Guild is big enough to have multiples of each class, by the way, and wouldn’t the more ‘hardcore’ players have a character for each class anyways?
I see what you mean with your personal Guild example, not having at least one of each class in your Guild could make things very difficult. How difficult would you think it’d be to find specific classes in the recruitment sector? I know trying to find something specific is typically harder to find than something generic (speaking about the general life principal here).
I don’t think simply buffing classes is going to be enough, some classes need completely updated Traits/Skills and even (for example) Profession Abilities such as Necro’s Shroud. That’s a lot more work, I’d assume, than just increasing some numbers. Not just talking about Necro here either, Revenant (for example) is the worst class in my opinion thanks to it being clunky, unfinished and the fact that everything it can do, every other class can do better. Maybe instead of forcing raid groups to adopt one of every class with only one duplicate, allow up to two duplicates of each class. That essentially means you’d only need 5 classes, which means you’ve got 4 spots covered with Warrior and Mesmer alone. I see the issues limiting raid groups to only a certain number of the same class possesses, but to me following a specific composition every single time contradicts what ANET intended the game to be like (and no it’s not the player’s fault, it’s ANETs for not keeping to their original goal) which was for every class to be viable for every playstyle (at least that’s how I remember it way back when).
Honestly, I might not lol I personally wouldn’t want to get dragged into the drama. I bet those against it are the ones who just speaking out for selfish reasons instead of caring about the game as a whole. Either way, your idea is a good one in my book and you have my support.
So basically you are making zero effort to understand the opposition and are just throwing around straw mans.
If you are going to engage in a argument you should bother to understand the opposing side lest you being arguing from ignorance which is what you are doing now.
First off: if you’re looking for drama go find it elsewhere. Secondly: not once did I engage in any argument. I said I support him, that’s that. You are the very reason why I’m staying away from that thread, because it’s both in upheaval (as Lahmia said) and people like you go around trying to start pointless fights because you have nothing better to do. Where did I say I didn’t care about the opposition, or that the opposition is wrong and Lahmia’s idea should be implemented factually? Hmm? The only one strawmanning here is you, looking for some childish fight over literally nothing important. Either get over yourself or move along, I’m not letting someone like you attempt to ruin my day.
So basically, grow up and find a better source of entertainment.
Oh I agree, we should be accepted regardless of our class. Lahmia suggested a great way to ‘force’ all classes to be accepted in Raids without really changing anything.
That’s not a solution. That’s a “lets shove the issue under the rug and nope nobody notices”
It also screws over guilds big time because a lot of guilds do not have raid ready players for every class. You end up with a lot of “We can’t raid today because our Xclass player isn’t online”
There are 9 classes total, don’t most Guilds typically have more than 9 players? It’s also not a big deal to ask in chat for a specific class. Doing nothing is also shoving the issue under the rug and hoping nobody notices, which is arguably worse. This solution at least allows diversity and eliminates the segregatory problem. What is everyone going to do if/when Warriors get nerfed into the ground for being ‘top’ pick? Besides whine and complain of course.
It’s also not hard to make a ‘raid only’ Guild. If anything that helps Guilds with organization and ‘raid only’ means everyone in that Guild will be raid-ready. It’s sounding more and more like people are too lazy to accept change instead of actually wanting to better the game, not just with this but with everything in general lately. It’s either ‘my way’ or ‘no way’, which is pretty sad.
What would you recommend then, instead of Lahmia’s suggestion?
Raids are irrelevant when Fractals yield better rewards (from what I’m told) while being open to far more classes than Raids.
Raids are another aspect of the game and even if were less rewarding than fractals are funny and we should be accepted with our class.
After the jadded horror’s nerf only with my guild i’ve been able to play raids with a necro without beign forced to swap class.
Oh I agree, we should be accepted regardless of our class. Lahmia suggested a great way to ‘force’ all classes to be accepted in Raids without really changing anything.
Check out the raid subforum. I posted the suggestion and it caused a right upheaval.
Honestly, I might not lol I personally wouldn’t want to get dragged into the drama. I bet those against it are the ones who just speaking out for selfish reasons instead of caring about the game as a whole. Either way, your idea is a good one in my book and you have my support.
The only problem with double melee is if you get into a situation where you have to range. Don’t be like the pug Rev I had the other day in lvl 100 Nightmare fractal, that was useless 50% of the time because he used sword and staff.
I had the same worry as well, but all of Dagger’s skills, along with Wells, provide me with enough range personally. If I absolutely have to get up in the enemy’s grill, but it’s too risky, I’ll typically go in with Shroud. I tried running Axe at one point, but I just didn’t like it personally. Rev’s Sword/Staff all require you to be up in the enemy’s grill, Dagger 2, 3 ,4 and 5 can all be used from a distance. Not as good as Axe or Staff for sure, but I don’t find it too debilitating. I honestly wish we had a ranged Power weapon that did what Axe does, but slightly quicker and a bit burstier (made up the word).
Raids are irrelevant when Fractals yield better rewards (from what I’m told) while being open to far more classes than Raids.
Raids are another aspect of the game and even if were less rewarding than fractals are funny and we should be accepted with our class.
After the jadded horror’s nerf only with my guild i’ve been able to play raids with a necro without beign forced to swap class.
Oh I agree, we should be accepted regardless of our class. Lahmia suggested a great way to ‘force’ all classes to be accepted in Raids without really changing anything.
Sorry i wont pull out of a discussion just because you said so. I may not be the best player and for gods sake i have run some kitten builds just for fun with this profession. But i am confident that i know how this profession works by now. So there is no need to tell me what this profession is all about.
But i have to say you did a good job. I have been on this forum since the beginning of the game but there was never a poster that annoyed me of as much as you did. Infact you are the only one…
Also your point isnt an argument, its is simply your opinion. Not to mention that i dont think that raids have worse rewards then fractals. Afterall legendary armor is still a thing.
If you don’t want me to tell you all of that, then don’t ask for it. Simple. You asked, I answered. Ever heard the saying ‘Be careful what you wish for’? That conversation wasn’t even between you and me to begin with, and you clearly only picked at it because you have nothing else to pick at, which in and of itself is annoying and a waste of both of our time.
Sad part is, I’ve only ever addressed you in replies, I never went out of my way to start something up with you the same way you’ve done with me. So if you don’t like talking with me, you could do the easiest of things and simply not reply to me. Not hard to just gloss over and ignore me, it both keeps the peace and avoids unnecessary drama.
“Your point isn’t an argument, it’s simply your opinion.” Yeah, I know, and never once did I go around saying one weapon is inferior or superior to another or that Power is superior to Condi and vice versa. My replies have been replies, which means they’ve been a flat out expression of my opinion (usually thinly laced with salt at the meta worshipers going around actually trying to pass their opinions off as fact).
Legendary Weapons (haven’t checked Armor because I’m not interested in it at the moment) themselves can simply be purchased for gold. You don’t even have to craft them like you do Ascended gear. Run Fractals, save up gold, boom done. Not as rewarding as crafting, and not as quick I would assume but still a viable option. If they were crafting-only then Raids would be slightly viable in my book, but still hardly since Legendaries are just special skins anyways.
Now if I annoy you so badly, this would be a wise time to part ways. The feeling’s only one-way, every day is a new day and every topic yields different opinions. Just because we don’t see eye to eye on a few things doesn’t mean we have to resort to conflict. So we can either just end this peacefully or keep dragging this out. Either way I’ll be in game, having fun. Have fun friend
Thanks guys I was checking out the Metabattle site and while it is outdated there is a Fractal build that utilizes GS/Dagger-WH.
No problem friend, good luck and have fun!
I just did the current event and got that free ascended weapon, as far as I could assume since I already have an ascended GS the best second option would be the dagger since I run a Power Reaper?
How does dagger fit into the Power play style and what should I grab for the offhand since I usually always camped the GS and swapped to Axe/WH if I needed some mobility and range?
Do I stick the Dagger in the off hand and keep the Axe in the main hand for the ranged while using the Dagger as a stat stick/speed boost with the Blood trait?
I personally run D/D + GS. I just love Dagger 4, never liked Warhorn since WH 4 is just a 2s Daze with a 30s CD while WH 5 is the only decent skill that gives you a damaging cloak for 10s, Switfness for 15. Just wasn’t worth it to me, plus with both Daggers I can capitalize off of Quickening Thirst more (doesn’t give double movement speed but all of my CDs are reduced). If you want to keep Axe MH, I’d suggest the same as Lahmia and go with Focus Off-Hand. If you do want to go with Dagger Off-Hand, you don’t necessarily have to Trait for it but you’d really only be getting it for the Condi-removal in my opinion. Of course, this all depends on your Traits as well, running Blood Magic (like I mentioned earlier) allows you to capitalize off of Dagger while running Spite allows you to capitalize off of Focus and Axe. It’s really about personal preference and your playstyle. Focus is good for Boon Corrupt if I remember correctly, haven’t used it in so long I can’t speak from experience.
WH is a good melee weapon, not very good with Axe since you have to be up in the enemy’s grill to fully utilize WH while Axe is about keeping your distance. So if you want to keep Axe, I’d suggest going for that one first (or whatever your MH is) since that’ll be the weapon your autos will be hitting with.
People keep making comparisons to top DPS classes and say how necro is useless cause it doesn’t offer so much damage nor so much party support. Well I am sorry then, don’t play necro. That is NOT what necro is about. Necro is about self sustaining and weakening the target, dealing good damage (just because it doesn’t 1 shot everything doesn’t mean that the damage is then by definition bad) and staying alive to deal that damage continuously. It is true that the profession’s strengths tend to be undermined in PvP and raids…but Guild Wars 2 is not just about PvP, not just about freaking raids. Would I like the profession to be OP? Yes, I would. Am I unhappy with necro being as it is? Not even close as I enjoy it tremendously.
The problem with necro is that it’s strengths are all in things that are irrelevant. PvE places no value on large EHP because the amount of EHP required to survive is marginal.
Moreover we are low mobility and low DPS which makes us one of the most arduous classes to play in Open World.Necro is a fun class to play up until you play something else and realize how much better literally every other class is in every type of content.
We are not good in PvP.
We are not good in WvW roaming
We are not good in Raids
We are good in backline WvW zergs.
We are the least time efficient class in Open World.I’m sick and tired of every other class being able to do more with their AAs than my necro can do with the entire skill bar.
Your PvE may not place any value on it, but mine and the good people I run with say otherwise. All of your reasons for why it’s ‘not good’ is subjective, only viable pertaining to specific types of players. Most won’t care, because most know how to play a game instead of trying to act like they’re some kind of ‘pro’ player. I have played other classes, and they flat out suck. Dull, boring, nothing special about them to me. Thieves only have slightly more Ferocity than Necros, Warriors are so overused I won’t touch them with a ten-foot spear. Guardians are your typical ‘holy templar tank’ themed class, Elementalist is your typical Mage. Mesmer was interesting until I found out it was just ‘viable’ as a support. Engi never interested me. Revenant is worse than Necro. These are my opinions on the other classes. If you pay attention, you’ll find out that not every class is automatically better than Necro, because (shocker) every class has a different playstyle.
Raids are irrelevant when Fractals yield better rewards (from what I’m told) while being open to far more classes than Raids. As far as Open World efficiency, I have a far better time with Necro than Rev or Thief by far. All while having fun doing so. The best way to ruin Necro is to just buff its damage and make it another generic DPS class like so many kids want. Its damage is fine for the role it’s supposed to fill, what it needs is updated Traits and Profession Mechanic (Shroud). But everyone just wants to press 1 and one-shot things, which is the Assassin’s job.
Interesting, I’ll have to give it a go then. TOTALLY forgot about that new buff to Reaper’s Onslaught, awesome point. Are you able to solo, say, HoT Hero Point Champs?
I can’t tell you that as when I did them over a year ago I was still in kittenty amour that was all over the place. Having said that, I still managed to solo quite a bit of them so I imagine with smart use of dodges you can solo most of them. Though not the likes of Guano ofc[/quote]
Awesome, thanks for sharing by the way I’ll be giving it a go tomorrow. Good luck and have fun my friend!
@Okami,
If you talking about wvw/pvp you are clearly over your head.Dagger>>>>>>>GS
Simply because dagger dish out dmg quickly and can easly dis out more dmg auto attacking while GS auto attack finish. GD and Nightfall are not in the equation since they are so easy to dodge and avoid. Plain and simple. GS is about the burst not about the DPS it is not DPS weapon in pvp.
Nope, anyone who knows me (by my many posts where I’ve already stated this) I’m strictly PvE. PvP and WvW don’t get along with me to put it super nicely, especially since 90% of all Necro complaints simply come from those sectors. Means nothing to me and changes nothing.
New raid rule: To encourage profession diversity, only 1 duplicate profession may be taken. Meaning all 9 professions must be brought with 1 dupe. There we go, raid balance fixed.
Sounds good to me, actually. I don’t know why no one’s mentioned this before.
Go back and relearn what Necros are about. The fact you tried comparing it to DPS-based Professions is enough for me to dismiss you.
I am not sure if you do know what necros are about if you dismiss its condi based builds. I am not sure if you have realised it but necros are actually the profession with the most conditions.
Also there is nothing wrong to compare necros with “dps-based” professions because every profession in this game is supposed to fill the dps role (see Anets idea of “abolishing” the holy trinity). Well that doesnt mean that Anets gets the balance 100% right though (which may even be impossible). But i am sure that thier goal is compareble dps accross all professions.
So now you want to nit-pick? If you actually read the whole of that conversation, it was aimed as a retort to someone who was, for lack of a better word, being a complete donkey. I also fail to see Guardian, Revenant, Mesmer and even Thieves (from what I’ve read on the forums) failing to meet the DPS role requirements, so regardless of ANET’s original intentions they’ve pretty much fallen back on the usual ‘DPS/TANK/SUPPORT’ formula of every other MMO. My point about Condis was completely rhetorical, stating I can easily find fault and reasoning against Condi and how it sucks if I really wanted to be that negative nobody.
Necros are about self-sustain/survivability. We are selfish, everything we do is to benefit ourselves first, allies second (if at all). We can summon an army of Minions to draw aggro and attack while defending us. We can actively lifesteal while granting allies a lesser bit of our lifesteal. We can hop into Shroud to escape death, mitigating 50% of whatever incoming damage. We’re adaptable, we’re diverse, and as such we should never be as DPS oriented as Warrior (or Thief). If we ever are, we will have to sacrifice our sustain/survivability. Necromancers are about seizing control over Death, and in every other MMO they’ve never been top DPS, if anything mediocre at best. Most of our power comes when the enemy hits that 50% health mark, from there it’s just sealing the deal. There’s already a thread about how to ‘better’ Necro and whatnot so no need to go on about that here.
Point is, most of the people whining and complaining are either doing so from a PvP perspective, or a WvW one. Raids are not nearly as viable of an argument when Fractals yield better rewards and really anyone can group up to complete them. Necro is not Thief, it is not meant to insta-kill whatever and it’s not Warrior where they rely on kill-or-be-killed tactics. Necros are about taking control of a fight, holding the enemy’s fate in their own hands without a worry about themselves. A good Necro can take a GS, Axe, whatever and do a thousand times better than the arrogant ones strutting about thinking Scepter/Dagger will carry them to victory.
I’ve made my point, if you’re just going to nit-pick through tiny smidgens of my conversations then butt-out. Ignoring a conversation only to twist words is both unproductive and a sad display of pulling straws.
Looks like greatsword will be part of condition necro rotation in PvE now, if it satisfies you: https://youtu.be/4xGFf92ZzS0
Other than that, Reaper’s Greatsword is rather useless.
‘Useless’ is a subjective and highly opinionated term. Clearly you didn’t read the comment 2 steps above yours. Like he said, it’s not just about the numbers it’s about user skill. In PvE, GS is the best power weapon we have. Dagger gives sustain and the ability to kite, GS still hits harder. What’s useless is people claiming one weapon or another is superior and should/shouldn’t be used. I tend to find that most who claim a weapon is useless never even use it, which is as stupid as me sitting here saying ‘That boss only has 1k HP, he’s easy’ when in reality it hits like a truck with blanket AoEs. If you don’t like a weapon, that’s cool and respectable. But claiming your opinion as fact, that’s not and never will be.
Personally I find Condi Necro pointless and useless, but you don’t see me saying something as stupid as that now do you?
He isnt wrong though. Outside of pve (also wvw and spvp) GS is still not that great. I know that you dont care about those modes but the op also asked about WvW.
Also i am pretty sure that rym knows more about necros (and the game in general) then you do, so you shouldnt be so dismissive about what he says even if he exaggerates things.
So, I can’t be dismissive but someone who’s had the luxury of playing (what you assume to be) longer than me can? I don’t care how long someone’s played, it still doesn’t make their opinion fact. Also, he stated nothing in regards to WvW he clearly stated he was talking about PvE (not the OP, talking about Rym). Unless you can tell me exactly what my knowledge on the Necro is, don’t assume it’s lower than someone else’s. That’s both arrogant and flat out elitist. Dismissing someone who’s being dismissive, yeah your reply was ‘useless’ as Rym would put it.
Well my assumptions come from your posts in this very forum. You are right it doesnt matter how long someone plays and maybe i am wrong about you knowledge but if you have recent posts, where you clearly show your lack of knowledge about this profession (as example take the lifesteal scaling discussion), it makes it hard to take you more serious then someone like rym.
There’s a difference between not know and wanting verification. Like I said in that one post, the most recent discussion on that specific topic was years old and I wanted to double check to see if anything’s changed since when that post was made, compared to today. That’s not only for me, I made that post for others (specifically newbies) who may be wondering the same thing. Asking questions doesn’t mean lack of knowledge, like I said on here with someone else: I like learning new things and gathering the opinions of others, only the arrogant quit seeking knowledge. I’ve asked questions I already knew the answer to just to see how other people think about a specific topic, because differing opinions also open up different options and possibilities.
Plus there is this thing called wanting to simply make conversation, socialize and whatnot about a class I love and adore. I’m not an Elitist, I have no problem chatting it up with some people regardless of the topic. It’s better to ask questions than make assumptions.
Marauder’s set, backpack, weapons and berserker’s + valkyrie’s rings/accessories and using GS and A/F. My damage output is very good
There were many necros who reached at least gold with gs during last pvp season.
Ahaa, ok.
If this was meant to be derogatory, I’m afraid I am missing the reason behind it. Many necros posted here and on reddit on how they have reached gold tier with GS during last season.
And just cause my build isn’t pure omg-zerk-max-damage-only does not mean it is not viable as a power set nor does it mean it deals sub par damage. Not everyone needs to be geared up as if they’re raiding all the time.And to continue with the rest of the comments, saying greatsword is useless is simply ignorant. Greatsword on necro will always be a slow weapon but that does NOT make it useless. That is the theme they were going for: slow but hard hitting. True, in PvP your enemy will have interrupted you, dodged, evaded, danced, made coffee etc. before you land a hit….if you just mash buttons that is, but if you play smartly you can make those hits count. And none of these issues are really present in general PvE, not even T4 fractals (which I always use my power Reaper for).
People keep making comparisons to top DPS classes and say how necro is useless cause it doesn’t offer so much damage nor so much party support. Well I am sorry then, don’t play necro. That is NOT what necro is about. Necro is about self sustaining and weakening the target, dealing good damage (just because it doesn’t 1 shot everything doesn’t mean that the damage is then by definition bad) and staying alive to deal that damage continuously. It is true that the profession’s strengths tend to be undermined in PvP and raids…but Guild Wars 2 is not just about PvP, not just about freaking raids. Would I like the profession to be OP? Yes, I would. Am I unhappy with necro being as it is? Not even close as I enjoy it tremendously.
High Fives Well said and I tip my scythe to you. I have a question, though. You said you run Marauders, right? How does that fair with the reduced Ferocity? I run Zerker/Zerker/Zerkerie (Zerker + Valk) with Scholar Runes, I’m just curious as to how Marauder is working for you. Seems pretty interesting to me, and I’m always looking to learn something new.
I find it runs very well. The Ferocity is not completely lost due to my Berserk + Valkyrie’s rings and accessories. Crits do slightly less damage, but you do crit much more often which means that sigil of air gets proced that much more often as well. Full berserker’s would be more ideal if you’re constantly buffed by other professions to 50% crit and then Decimate Defences, but my set up allows for more solo crit power (base crit being over 50% with my set up). And ofc, with the recent added Ferocity in RS, it all makes a nice addition
Interesting, I’ll have to give it a go then. TOTALLY forgot about that new buff to Reaper’s Onslaught, awesome point. Are you able to solo, say, HoT Hero Point Champs?
Marauder’s set, backpack, weapons and berserker’s + valkyrie’s rings/accessories and using GS and A/F. My damage output is very good
There were many necros who reached at least gold with gs during last pvp season.
Ahaa, ok.
If this was meant to be derogatory, I’m afraid I am missing the reason behind it. Many necros posted here and on reddit on how they have reached gold tier with GS during last season.
And just cause my build isn’t pure omg-zerk-max-damage-only does not mean it is not viable as a power set nor does it mean it deals sub par damage. Not everyone needs to be geared up as if they’re raiding all the time.And to continue with the rest of the comments, saying greatsword is useless is simply ignorant. Greatsword on necro will always be a slow weapon but that does NOT make it useless. That is the theme they were going for: slow but hard hitting. True, in PvP your enemy will have interrupted you, dodged, evaded, danced, made coffee etc. before you land a hit….if you just mash buttons that is, but if you play smartly you can make those hits count. And none of these issues are really present in general PvE, not even T4 fractals (which I always use my power Reaper for).
People keep making comparisons to top DPS classes and say how necro is useless cause it doesn’t offer so much damage nor so much party support. Well I am sorry then, don’t play necro. That is NOT what necro is about. Necro is about self sustaining and weakening the target, dealing good damage (just because it doesn’t 1 shot everything doesn’t mean that the damage is then by definition bad) and staying alive to deal that damage continuously. It is true that the profession’s strengths tend to be undermined in PvP and raids…but Guild Wars 2 is not just about PvP, not just about freaking raids. Would I like the profession to be OP? Yes, I would. Am I unhappy with necro being as it is? Not even close as I enjoy it tremendously.
High Fives Well said and I tip my scythe to you. I have a question, though. You said you run Marauders, right? How does that fair with the reduced Ferocity? I run Zerker/Zerker/Zerkerie (Zerker + Valk) with Scholar Runes, I’m just curious as to how Marauder is working for you. Seems pretty interesting to me, and I’m always looking to learn something new.