Guild Wars 2

Until recently, I last logged in about a year ago. A lot has changed (something of an understatement). I was hoping to get some questions answered.

1) Is lifesteal viable? Especially Dagger mainhand?

2) Are there good builds that aren’t scepter/dagger.

3) Does lifesteal scale with +healing?

I almost certainly have more, but this is all that is coming to me at the moment. I’ll ask more in this thread as they pop-up.

Axe is easily the weakest weapon, but it is playable. I ran axe in pvp for a long time just for funsies, but truth be told when I switched to dagger, I felt like the play style was roughly the same, but I was far more efficient.

Axe range is too short to do pretty much anything. Moreover, for those cases when you can’t catch up, using dagger #2 has the same range as axe #1. Dagger #3 has a farther range than axe, and it is one of the better immobilizes in the game.

The axe is able to build pretty decent LF, but again the dagger’s attack speed ultimately builds it faster.

My advice? Play axe for fun. Play it for a challenge. Play it to learn to appreciate dagger.

My thoughts:

Looks more like a PvE patch which I am okay with. I am not really all that disappointed in our lack of changes as it seemed pretty uniform across the various professions. I would like a little bit more information on how they view the state of the professions though.

Also, I would like to say that I am a touch disappointed in our less aggressive pets. I am glad for it as it is super annoying, but I would rather have hyper aggressive pets that attack when I need them to, then less aggressive pets that stand around doing nothing.

I’d like to add to Radahan’s post that if he is running power (which makes the wells hit hard), then Guardian counters him pretty soundly. In this case he is up against the Guardian’s quite formidable toughness.

It is the bleed stacking, condi-necros you have to watch out for as they are up against the Guardian’s pretty pathetic life pool.

That said, here would be my tactic against a well on point. Use one of the Guardian’s knockdowns to try and push the attack on the point off of the point (as in off the ledge, even down the stairs with some luck). Then, step out of the well, wait the 5 seconds, then step back onto the point.

Again, if this is a condi-mancer you’ll likely still have problems 1v2 on the point (those conditions are going to catch up to you with or without the well).

@Khalifa

I find the burst difficult to deal with in 8s when dodges and DS cooldown are being used more frequently to avoid other things. I found in 5s and some tourney’s that it was less of an issue. I did have problems popping bunkers in tourney’s though. Thoughts on that?

I also think this build will make one a better player (within reason). I have already learned significantly more about best times to dodge, DS, etc.

Would you comment on our traits? I find them to be a little haphazard. I found this to be especially true with your build. While there are certainly some good ones in there, some seem chosen because there were no real alternatives (like +mark damage in spite). Thoughts?

So a quick review from 8s (and a few 5s).

This build is very fun. That said, it is very squishy. It seems completely hit or miss. Some games I just crush and other games I can’t catch a break. I have found if that if you are unfortunate enough to eat some burst like mesmer shatter of 100b, you are toast.

I find the build is incredibly reliant on team skills (for stability for example). It has also changed the way I play. I will continue playing it (and tweaking it). Now, come up with a good axe build for us :P

I would really like to see a lifesteal work. This build would be unrealistically fun if lifesteal gets ironed out.

I think this build has really opened my eyes to our traits. I think they are awful. Many, many times I was stuck choosing the best of terrible choices.

Thanks!

The “why would anyone want duels” thing is silly.

Because they are fun, a core concept of almost any modern MMO, and fun. If you think of a game as what it really is, a giant superflous, fun-maker… then it seems silly not to have someting that is expected, requested, and enjoyed.

Now to some actual argument in favor of it. Dueling against classes is the second best way to learning and countering said classes (the first being to play the classes).

Were dueling really implemented, I think a great many L2P issues would already be resolved. Instead, we are busy trying to learn how to dodge warriors, attack Ranger ult, figure out what the kitten DS does exactly, what the hell did that ele just do, etc. in the middle of an 8v8 zerg.

I actually think “small, gradual changes” would be fine if it was coupled with active communication.

It is both the absence of any meaningful dialogue coupled with the small changes that is infuriating.

With one or the other we would be able to see that they know what is going on, but as it stands many of us are convinced that they don’t know the full extent of the problems and are in no hurry to fix them.

So after probably the single most frustrating GW2 experience, I had an idea.

The experience, trying to take clocktower from a Guardian. He kept knocking me off (no doubt aided by our kitten poor stability options) which would require me to run all the way back up to him by which time his cooldown was almost up, so after a short fight, he’d do it again. Neither of us could win, but he didn’t have to since he had the point. I’m not 100% what the skills were, but I feel of that ledge at least 3 times before he had a friend arrive.

My idea:
Fear should equally run people off of ledges. I tried to counter him with use of my fear, but it just runs him to the edge. Why? I think this is a small change that wouldn’t be game breaking (especially considering that we are one of the few classes with virtually no knockdown/push).

Thoughts?

So given that you are a well respected Necro, what do think are the Necro’s strengths and weaknesses?

Do you have any complaints (aside from the obvious like minion AI) or things you wish would be buffed, changed, etc?

It has been mentioned that the trait line seems a little ‘meh’. Thoughts?

Anyway, thanks for the build. I aim to try it out tomorrow.

I agree with Pizz. I like the dagger as an option.

I say make the Axe the direct damage ranged weapon. It needs a damage boost. The 10-15% more damage extra is helpful in PvP, but it takes a while to stack and effort to keep it up while doing almost no damage. I can’t see the axe instantly becoming OP with a damage buff.

@Devilsglare

The problem as I see it, is that it leaves various classes in the lurch while narrowing choice dramatically.

Right now it is largely a game of burst vs defense. There is little room for anything else. This leaves me, in a game which touted options, with very little options in my build… less options than I typically have in other MMO pvp systems.

MarkedOne.1309:

All of you CRYING noobs are calling for nerfing burst. I SAY NERF BUNKERING. Bunkering is more OP than burst. Think about it.

Bunker is a response to the burst. You can’t nerf one with out the other.

Avigrus.2871:

Necro here as well (among other classes – Mesmer, Ranger);

What would help from A-net is some communication… you know, to let us know that they are looking into it, or that there are so few Necro players that it’s not worth the effort.

I don’t understand why they can’t apply another classes Minion AI to the Necro.

Even summoned pets from runes engage the mobs you are attacking, but the Necro pits sit around like mannequins in a department store and watch you die.

Agreed 100%. I accept that they released a game with portions of it unfinished (one of the only industries in which this would be acceptable, btw). I accept that they balance at a snail’s pace (I even encourage it).

I get furious that we have almost zero recognition of any major issues. Many of us are not even sure what is considered a bug anymore. There is no communication.

There is no “Minion AI is a huge issue for us, but we are working on it. We do not have an ETA as of yet, but we are not blind to this issue.”

There is no “The Necro traits are a bit scattered, and we hope to address this sometime in the next X months.”

Or conversely, there is no “We think the Necro traits are fine and here is why…”

Other issues we need to hear about (for good or for bad):

(ignoring general issues such as the state/direction of sPvP or tPvP)
Vampire builds
Axe Damage output
Deathshroud
Condi stack limit
Burst vs sustain and the necro’s role in it
(a cursory glance at the Necro forum will show that there is a host of issues that bug the general forum-going populace).

I would say that this “Balance is fine and all of the top players I speak to agree” meme is growing tiresome.

Yes, balance is fine (roughly) if the current meta and game type remain constant. That said, I would argue that the bunker build meta is ultimately poison to an eSport scene as it is kitten boring to watch.

Moreover, god help them if they add different game types. In this case, classes who are viable due to a strong bunker will ultimately dry up (assuming the new game type does not require a bunker) exposing inherent class imbalances (like burst vs sustain).

Finally, the current meta is hugely limited. Average sPvP groups (to my knowledge) are made up of largely the same classes with very, very minor variations. A good and well-balanced game would allow for variation in both class and strategy (I think Dota is the one to look at here with solo mid/duo mid, tri lane, carry/support, heavy ganker, jungler, etc.).

Currently that variety just isn’t there.

Do you know why I don’t sPvP? Because no matter how engaging the combat is, ultimately each match feels identical to the match before it and so on.

I don’t have any pics, but I can share a few opinions.

Charr looks completely boss, generally. There are a few weapon sets that make him look a bit ridiculous though.

Also, the skull mask you start with is one of the single coolest things in the entire game. I have mine at 80, and I will likely always be wearing it. It is amazing looking.

Maybe in a chill build?

I would say probably not though.

lettucemode.3789:

Parasitic Bond and Spiteful Removal trigger when you gain credit for a kill, not just when you get the killing blow. At least, I’m pretty sure about that. If it is true then the traits are fine, you can gain health and lose conditions just for tagging in a zerg. Will test and report back.

I don’t think they are that fine though. They are essentially wasted skills until you win the fight. They could be useful in WvWvW and PvE, but they are virtually worthless in sPvP. They should make them traits you can choose to spec into (with a commensurate buff) instead of making them mandatory traits. The same should go for the guardian passive that is also “on kill”. There is precedence for this in the warrior and ranger trait lines.

Death into Life is fine, it gives power necros more uptime through regen or dagger 2.

Also not fine. We are talking literally 10s of extra hit points. It does increase the survivability of the necro slightly, but it would be barely passable as a tier 1 trait, much less a tier 2 trait. It is largely as good as there being nothing there.

Reanimator is fine now. They reduced the degen rate and remove the cap of only 1 at a time. Someone posted earlier this week, saying they could have 3 – 5 out at a time. With 20 extra toughness per minion I’d say it’s quite good now.

I covered this above a bit. I agree with you. I love seeing the little blood rat running around in PvE, and I don’t think there is much of a problem there any longer. That said, he is still a relatively rare and/or useless thing in sPvP. The extra damage is pretty minor (about a tick of blood every two seconds is my guess.. does anyone have numbers on this?), and the extra defense is wanted during the fight, not after it.

I use Vampiric and Vampiric Precision extensively. I find that they allow me to make a build that is very defensive and offensive at the same time, and really plays into the strength that Anet touts concerning the necromancer – attrition. All those siphons basically act like bonus toughness, mitigating some portion of the incoming attacks. They are not intended to be used to nullify all damage, except maybe for the channel on dagger 2 (heals over 3k with my build). I run a knight’s power build with these two traits and Bloodthirst and I’m pretty untouchable in WvWvW. I am working on a simple video to show the build off, might post that in the next day or so depending on my motivation.

Well… you are about the first person I have heard say that they are okay. I think the problem is the damage they “mitigate” is almost nothing. Seriously, I ran an sPvP vampiric build. It was fun, and I did fairly well. Then I took off the vampiric traits, and I continued doing just as well. Over the course of a fight, it will “mitigate” a few hundred (at most) damage. This (in the burst environment of pvp) amounts to about 1 hit. If you win by one hit, you can certainly rest assured it was your vampire build, aside from that, you are missing better traits and better builds IMO. I would be interested in seeing your video though (and equally interested in seeing a video with the exact same build sans the two traits in question).

Gluttony is fine now. Only an extra .6% from dagger 1 chain, yes, but an extra .3% from marks, .8% from axe 2, .3% every time you take damage while under the effects of Spectral Walk or Armor…it adds up. I have trouble using all my life force on my necro, believe it or not.

I’m iffy on gluttony. It is a pretty minor amount, but it is a 5 point skill. It might be silently helpful (never really feels helpful but does add a tiny bit more survivability). I wouldn’t say useful, but I certainly wouldn’t say useless just yet.

I won’t comment too much on the direct list. I will say that I think that virtually every trait we have should be examined. They are largely ineffective, almost universally boring, and when they are useful, they seem to be randomly placed in the trees.

That said, I would be careful when comparing traits. Not every class should have commensurate traits. Just because a Necro gets +10% on something doesn’t mean a Warrior should also have +10%. The bigger picture is much, much more important. Moreover, a lot of these comparisons compare a Necro tier 1 passive to another classes tier 2 passive, which by virtue of where they are, the tier 2 should be stronger (it requires more investment).

That said, I do not feel as if I have any meaningful trait choices when going through the Necro trait lines. One should really roll a thief or mesmer and pick traits. Doing that alone is fun. So many of the traits choices feel good and interesting if not completely useful.

I played WoW way back in the day and they had class liasons. By this I mean there was a person who was both (at least in theory) an advocate for the class as well as the mouth piece for Blizzard. S/he was a “whipping boy” when things went poorly and the savior of the class when they went well. This may or may not still be around (I haven’t played WoW in ages).

My question, is why isn’t there someone like this? This seems like it could alleviate a lot of the forum issues.

Currently we Necros feel like we get less back and forth than some of the other classes. This may be the case, but it isn’t necessarily unfair. Some issues are bigger etc. That said, it will pretty much always feel unfair.

We also feel as if there is no one person at ANet that understands the issues of our class. It wasn’t until relatively recently that our class was given a philosophy (which was far from thorough) which left many of us not even quite sure what our class was supposed to be doing.

Finally, there is a lot of complaining in this profession forum specifically. A lot of it isn’t justified but a lot of it is. A class rep would be more able to separate the wheat from the chaff.

To keep it on track, I largely agree with OP.

We do have one of the highest natural health of all of the casters and DS, and I think we are fairly strong in attrition fights.

That said, our poison is overstated. We have no more poison than thieves or rangers do. Moreover, our utility poisons are odd skills that don’t seem to fit incredibly well into a lot of builds. I think the more fair thing would have been to point out that we have reliable access to poison on the scepter. Other builds (axe, dagger) are completely without poison.

We also have strong movement crippling abilities. I wish I had more to offer than anecdotes, but I have zero idea why other classes can escape me so regularly. I have cripples, chills, and immobilize (depending on spec), and yet most classes get away without much issue. Thoughts?

Anyway, I like the concept for the Necro. Thematically, darting in and out of DS while sticking to our target win or lose sounds kittening awesome. I have zero issues with the Necro being an all-in class. You engage me? Or I get the drop on you? We are going until there is one of us left. Give me this! But, in practice, this isn’t the case.

I feel like I have no real escapes while having many classes just slip through my grasp when the fight goes sour.

It seems to me that Warriors are now facing the same issue thieves were facing at launch.

They are borderline unbuffable. 100Bs is a damn good skill. It is arguably too good given its CD, damage, etc. Any buffs to a Warriors survivability or damage elsewhere will just make the Warrior OP. What will likely have to happen is the Warrior will need to take some small nerfs to the 100B build and in compensation receive some buffs to other builds.

The thieves had the same problem with HSS and later BS. They are now receiving some small benefits for those nerfs with an attempt to make pistol more viable.

Has anyone done any tests with this? Is it actually noticeable?

Is it worth a damn (keeping in mind it is a 5 point passive talent)?

So I am coming up fast on 80, and I am looking for some gearing advice.

1. Is a magic find set worth it?

2. What should I start with as a PvE Necro? I am assuming conditions are best for us in dungeons? Maybe? If so, what has precision and/or condi damage, etc.

3. Anything else would be helpful.

Thank you.

1. Being the voice of balance is exactly what these forums do. It happens so much that every other post is someone complaining about balance or complaining about someone complaining about balance.

2. I paid $60 dollars… guess how much work I plan on doing. You guessed it… none. I plan on doing no work.

3. The state of sPvP is 100% the ANets issue (for good or for bad). The state of the eSports scene is what you may have meant?

4. League of Legends became an eSport well before replays and other eSport related things came into fruition, largely because of, yup, streaming. My guess as to why it isn’t taking off? Because bunker is boring as hell to watch.

5. Other reasons the community seems largely inactive? Because sPvP boils down to a handful of builds, a handful of team comps, and a handful of strategies, none of which takes a huge amount of digital ink to explain.

XiL.4318:

…

I actually agree with Xil to an extent.

But, I think this shows how stupid DS really is at present. The only strategic choice is when to Deathshroud, and it isn’t even that strategic. That we can be wrecked with conditions and it doesn’t matter while in DS reflects this problem pretty well.

It is a meatshield with some very minor utility (port and fear mainly).

For ANet to have a candid conversation about the class.

Shukran.4851:

fact is: you can be caugh by 100b once, twice…20times…there will be a day you will avoid every 100b every warrior will try to use against you.
ofc i am talking about tournaments, and it is called “learn to play issue”. if you , like everyone these days, are whining about being killed by 100b in spvp, well. there is no need to post in forum really.

But this is pretty much the perfect example of a broken mechanic.

For whatever reason, if you get hit by 100B, you get brutalized. Is it dodgeable? Yes. Is it stoppable? Yes. Does it crush you if you get hit by it? Yes. Sometimes you’ll get hit by it and the fault is entirely yours. Sometimes it isn’t (like when you just fairly used up your last dodge). This is unfun for the person on the receiving end. Hell, it isn’t even that fun for the receiver when you perfectly counter it and crush the Warrior.

On the flip side, the Warrior is in no better position. While it is no doubt fun crushing someone with a perfectly planned 100B, it is also equally as frustrating when you get destroyed because of a lucky dodge, etc. It is, in my cases, an all-in type of spell and I think the game is worse off for it.

Take a similar spell, let a necro have a spell that instantly kills his target but it brings him down to 1hp. Is there counter-play? Sure.. You can always l2Dodge. Maybe apply a bleed so he dies before it kills you. But is it fun? Does it provide meaningful play to the game? No. Not really at all.

Rez.8016:

It’s to make sure that questions like this remain in the realm of theory craft, that we don’t have, and most likely won’t get, a 1 v 1 arena with a leaderboard / ladder etc.

Anything that categorically highlights class imbalance is always going to be a headache for the developer.

The reality is, that if we did have a way to measure relative class performance there is no way that with the breadth of different class play styles and abilities that we currently have that there wouldn’t be clear winners and losers.

There will probably always be, but the important thing is the margin by which certain classes prevail in certain functions. My personal opinion is that even with regards to the margins, the current state of the game wouldn’t look too healthy given objective ways to measure it.

I would actually imagine to the contrary. Dueling would provide false empirical evidence that the game is unbalanced.

1v1 is rarely fair in exchange for a more healthy team game. You saw this when WoW decided to stop balancing around 2s. You can see this right now by picking a support in LoL or Dota and pvp’ing a ganker. You can see it in TF2 by picking a medic vs a soldier.

Skill will play a large factor in these MUs, but ultimately most team games are balanced away from 1v1s not toward them.

I would say the existence of both 5 and 8s at this point represents a bigger threat to the health of the game than 1 class consistently losing to another class.

That said, I support duels and see it is a huge ball-drop that it wasn’t included on release. They are fun distractions and can help you learn other classes quite well.

nerva.7940:

rocking spvp now, finishing first almost every game. tpvp QP ranks speak for themselves. plenty of good necros up there. sorry to disappoint u hater.

I do pretty well as a Necro in sPvP as a gasp MM build… but that hardly means that MM is fixed and ANet should not worry about minion AI.

And no one argues that Necros make a decent bunker which is why they are taken in 5s.

That doesn’t mean that our traits our great or our team utility is awesome (I am curious what utility you speak of actually).

The “sPvP doesn’t count argument” is ridiculous.

Could you imagine the kittentorm if ANet came out and said they were only balancing the game around dungeon running? It is similar.

sPvP makes up the majority (I would imagine the vast majority) of PvP matches. For some it is the only PvP experience they will have. To leave it unbalanced (if it in fact is unbalanced) in any way is ultimately bad for the long term health of the game.

Pros and “pros” alike should be the most ardent supporters of sPvP balance (and/or the removal of 8s at a minimum) as their chance at electronic stardom is ultimately predicated on whether the majority of people who PvP enjoy themselves.

So I am getting sick of the “stealth classes are always popular” argument.

It is true, absolutely. But it does have limits. Take a look at max level PvP in any other MMO.

Rogues are always popular in WoW, but there is a roughly even class distribution (the exception is twinks in which Rogues and hunters made up huge percentages of each game… because they were OP).

Look at games like LoL or Dota… stealthies aren’t popular at all in LoL and while they are very popular in Dota, they aren’t popular to the point of 5 stealthies on a team.

Hell, remember back to day1 sPvP. People didn’t roll hundreds of thieves until they were found to be quite good. Now we have a ton of thieves. You saw the exact same thing with Warrior after the recent buffs. We now have an influx of warriors in pvp. Saw the same thing in BWEs with Necros (back when they were OP). Point is, as a rule in pvp, people roll the OP class… not the class they want to play.

Moreover, and this is certainly not great evidence but it is a metric, look at pre-launch class polls. Class distribution was relatively normal. Thieves weren’t actually all that popular (because they were seen as UP during the final BWE). Mesmers ran somewhere in the middle of the pack, and Rangers were actually quite popular.

There could be dozens of reasons for the shift, but at the very least it is an issue that is worth considering.

Xiomaro.2563:

QSpec.4298:

Did anyone else see this? It is a quote from a Planetside 2 dev regarding their plans for the future.

“The next couple of months will be largely dedicated to bug fixes, polish, optimization, and stability. We didn’t want to immediately pivot and move on to creating brand-new features until we felt like the state of everything that’s in the game right now was as polished, solid, and fun as it could possibly be.”

Are you trying to say ArenaNet should stop developing rankings, matchmaking, custom arenas and observer mode in order to polish what is already in?

What’s in already is pretty polished. Balance issues in GW2 have been blown wildly out of proportion by inexperienced players.

We NEED these new features.

Not at all… I am saying we don’t need a holiday event for every holiday.

Moreover, balance issues isn’t the only issue. Don’t create a strawman.

The major issues are lack of build diversity, and a lack of class diversity.

Moreover, to your class balance comment, 1. provide any shred of proof. Why would you say this given that 75% of all hotjoin is now some mix of thief, guardian, warrior, mesmer.

2. I actually agree with you given each classes optimum builds.

1. is the problem. Some classes have 1 optimum build. This is largely due to things like outrageous burst requiring good amounts of vitality and/or toughness. Bugs which render some class specs neutered. Or a lack of balance on certain weapons.

Rukia.4802:

I’d call you a troll but I honestly do think you believe this. I guess dodging and stun breaks are hard to use. We only need to manage 4 utilities in GW2, seems even that isn’t linear enough for you kids. I haven’t been killed by a glass cannon thief 1on1 since I was new to the game.

Because we are all stacking armor and vitality because there are 50% thieves in every sPvP match.

My thief feels a lot weaker than he initially did, but I am certain this is because nobody but thieves runs low armor builds anymore and there is a recent spate of new Warriors which makes tanky classes a large portion of the 50% that isn’t thieves.

Anytime I want to nerd rage, I quit my Necro and hop onto my thief, get black-out drunk, and do fairly well in every single game.

Did anyone else see this? It is a quote from a Planetside 2 dev regarding their plans for the future.

“The next couple of months will be largely dedicated to bug fixes, polish, optimization, and stability. We didn’t want to immediately pivot and move on to creating brand-new features until we felt like the state of everything that’s in the game right now was as polished, solid, and fun as it could possibly be.”

I am curious what the community thinks of this idea.

Instead of giving minion regen, make it so the Blood Fiend also heals minions. This supports the MM build while keeping the game play mostly similar for power/condi builds (while giving them a hybrid MM option).

@Druitt

Yes. We are likely a negative bunch. In some sense I think it is justified (we should be getting tired of buggy launches as consumers), in another it is probably self-fulfilling (people have real complaints which manifests itself as negativity which manifests itself as unreasonable complaints).

I think this is exacerbated by an almost telling silence on the part of the developers. Something like “In the next patch we are releasing a few fixes. These are not the big fixes you are hoping for (like Minion AI), but rest assured we are working on those” would go a very, very long way.

I also do not think we are in it alone. I think Rangers (from what I can tell) and Eles could certainly use some love. That said, they still feel more complete than we do. We feel not liked a bugged class but rather more like a beta class.

I should add I am speaking mostly about sPvP. I actually think we are quite strong in solo PvE.

My magic 3 to making me a happy necro:

Fix our bugs.

Give us real, meaningful build options (both weapon and traits).

Focus DS so its use is actually as cool as its concept (I love actually using it… but hate it as a skill… does this make sense?).

@ Druitt

I appreciate your optimism, but I would like to address a few things.

The crux of much of what you have said is “you make your own fun.” This is true, but you also need to consider that we are customers and not just some kid in a sandbox complaining about being bored. We have reasonable expectations that our purchase will be complete. It wasn’t. It was addled with bugs, many of which are directly affecting important traits/skills.

Two, the Necro is infinitely playable. It is largely pigeon-holed into condition, but it can make do in a power build easily enough. That said, relatively speaking, Necromancer does feel in a bad place. Our traits are poorly laid-out, thought-out, and bugged. Axe does pathetic damage. Our build options are limited. And our class mechanic is uninspired (it is virtually a shield) and aimless.

Three, the Devs have generally been pretty fair. That said, any early Necro will remember the l2DS SNAFU. It was insulting because it was essentially a l2p post while we were busy getting crushed by pre-nerf thieves, mesmers and guardians. Moreover, their lack of communication has been noticeable. They seem to only hop onto the forums when the forum-rage has hit its breaking point. Moreover, they have shown little consideration for what we consider to be the big problems. Hell, many of us are at this point asking them to disable one of our traits so we can enjoy the game a tiny bit more. Ever moved at combat speed for what feels like the majority of a zone? I have… it is kittening annoying. Pet AI? I am at the point where I use Golem as my elite, but I only summon him when I need him because if I have him out, he aggro’s everything. Working as intended?

Finally, and this is important, you weren’t ‘robbed’ by we whiny forum dwellers. You chose to follow the crowd and not roll the class you were most interested in. This is in zero way our fault. Many of us rolled Necros expecting them to be meh (after BWE 3). You could have done the same.

On my view, I think each of our weapons should work best with a specific build. This is how I view it.

Dagger for a Life Drain/tank build. The DPS is already there, so it doesn’t need the +power boost. Plus it pairs naturally with a vampire build which would also allow us to make a unique and fun tank.

Axe for a power build. This would work well as is, it just need some adjustment to its DPS. It would pair well with DS to up its damage as well as provide some buffer to incoming damage.

Scepter would be the condition, of course.

Delsabre.5934:

QSpec.4298:

I am not 100% sure on all of this, as I did this on a lark… but let me know if my numbers or math is off.

Warrior traited with 33% chance to apply bleed on crit.
Dual weild Sword + Axe with 60% chance to apply bleed on crit sigils.

:p

I didn’t count in any traits (aside from the two in the OP) or items. I was just directly assessing the two skills to counter Vindictus’s claim that Necro’s, with their basic skill, can more reliably stack dots from range.

My conclusion is that Warrior’s can just as reliably stack dots from a longer range using just their rifle’s basic skill (when compared to the scepter). Moreover, they receive a stronger benefit from their trait (but in fairness… they should as it is in a separate tier).

I really don’t generally like comparing skills. It doesn’t take into account a lot of different things. I do think it is foolish to claim that the Necro’s traits are in a good place.

DD:

Necro: 118 + 118 + 168 = 404 (assuming .5 cast time) in 1.5 seconds (one full chain)
Warrior: 155*2 = 340 in 1.5 seconds (2 shots)

Bleed:

Necro: 2x bleed @ 4 seconds each = 340 damage
Warrior: 2x bleed @ 6 seconds each = 510 damage

Poison:

Necro: 168 damage over 2 seconds

Totals pre-traits:

Necro: 404 + 340 + 168 = 912
Warrior: 340 + 510 = 850

After traits:

Bleed:

Necro: 2x bleed @ 4.8 seconds each = 408
Warrior: 2x bleed @ 9 seconds each = 765

Post Trait Totals:

Necro: 404 + 408 + 168 = 980
Warrior: 340 + 765 = 1105

But, I think it is stupid to compare classes. That said, it is equally as stupid to look at our traits and not be underwhelmed. Our traits are still ‘meh’.

You noticed that our trait adds a whopping 68 damage to our unbuffed (no +condition damage, etc.) scepter chain #1.

I am not 100% sure on all of this, as I did this on a lark… but let me know if my numbers or math is off.

xiv.7136:

Lots of ex-players with forum posting accounts.

It’s fine to be honest, their opinions should be listened to.

They’ll be back playing GW2 soon.

I hope to be. I think this game has absurd amounts of promise. I also know what it is like for an MMO at launch (WoW was a mess… they all are). This has been a relatively smooth launch, all things considered.

That said, I am not logging in for a while (I do on occasion to check PvP population and to try out some of the changes… rarely though). It isn’t 100% ANet’s fault. They went the route of every other MMO and released when, I think, they shouldn’t have.

I am getting too old to spend what little time I do have to play games fighting bugs and waiting for the game to live up to its promise. I have moved back to Dota2 for the time being, and I am thinking about starting up an EVE account again. I will be back. I just don’t know when.

If you could ask a Dev any one thing about the Necro class, what question would you have?

Mine would be:

“All things being equal and balanced, are you happy with Deathshroud?”

Almost a full 30 days of being logged out (I did have a moment of weakness during Halloween, but I logged out after only a few minutes).

This is a step in the right direction. This will not be the patch to convince me to log back in.

Necro balance cannot even realistically be discussed with many of our skills and traits not working, absurdly stupid minion AI (no exaggeration, I have played f2p Korean MMOs with better minion AI), and bugs, oh the bugs.

It is a good thing there is no monthly fee. I would have already unsubbed and forgotten this game existed.

Kardiamond.6952:

About Terror, I don’t think it’s that bad. If you focus on Fear, it still free damage on a CC.
I used to have it on my Fear Heavy Build, but fear just doesn’t feel long enought to focused on.

Reaper Precision : 90 second CD is waaaaay over the top. Could be good oherwise.

Siphoned Power : Does it work? Never see it really. Most of the time, when I’m at 25% hp, I’m dead right after. Especially since you gain might ON HIT. You can’t suffer many hit at 25%hp.

It wouldn’t be a bad trait if it was the only trait. Free damage is never a bad thing… but it isn’t free. You are giving up another trait. Now, admittedly, our traits are largely underwhelming I can think of a few that are immediately better than fear damage like Chilling Darkness or Weakening Shroud.

Were you to use Fear on CD as just a damage dealer, the trait would still be underwhelming. It is likely adding a few 10s to your DPS if even that over the course of a fight.

For my money it should come standard on fear and the trait should be entirely replaced.

I have been a pretty persistent voice on the downside of the Necros. I have unfortunately quit the game over it (deciding to wait until things are going a little more smoothly).

That said, the recent uptick in dev responses has encouraged me to log back in. I think the worst part was the silence accompanying my frustration.

In any case, thank you for taking community interaction a notch.

Julius Seizure.4985:

QSpec.4298:

Thief:
Use Blinding Powder when your health reaches 25% (90-second cooldown).

Ranger:
Increases endurance regeneration by 50%.

Guardian:
Gain aegis when your health reaches 50%.

Engineer:
Gain regeneration for 10 seconds when you are attacked while under 25% health.

Warrior:
Extra armor when health is above 90%.

Ele:
Gain 1 toughness per level while attuned to earth.

Mesmer:
Gain 10 seconds of regeneration when your health reaches 75% (30-second cooldown).

All of these traits offer increased survival at the 5 point mark. Why is ours the only trait that doesn’t reward durability for investment in the Toughness trait line? I would much prefer something akin to what the other classes receive.

This skill has HUGE problems. It is neither viable for min/max players that care about performance, nor is it enjoyable for casual/RP players. This skill really misses all of the marks possible in design and implementation. What makes it worse is that at 5 points you as a designer are forced into making it ineffective. Certainly at higher trait tears this skill could be made without a bleed effect attached, and could even be limited to 2 simultaneous Jagged Horrors. But because of its current placement, the pet must be framed within bounds of utility relative to our investment.

This skill should not be a 5 point trait. It should be 20+, made more viable for those that DO enjoy it currently, and a replacement that is more akin to what all other classes receive should take its place.

Yeah, I would love to see a swarm of those little things running around. That would certainly add to the minion master feel.

Yeah that minor trait sucks. Look at the other classes’ toughness tree:

Thief:
Use Blinding Powder when your health reaches 25% (90-second cooldown).

Ranger:
Increases endurance regeneration by 50%.

Guardian:
Gain aegis when your health reaches 50%.

Engineer:
Gain regeneration for 10 seconds when you are attacked while under 25% health.

Warrior:
Extra armor when health is above 90%.

Ele:
Gain 1 toughness per level while attuned to earth.

Mesmer:
Gain 10 seconds of regeneration when your health reaches 75% (30-second cooldown).

What’s interesting about comparing all of these is that ours is the only one that doesn’t immediately benefit us in combat (we have to kill someone first).

Moreover, does anyone have numbers on the damage it does? I have a feeling it could be immune to damage, auto-tele to an enemy and still be underwhelming… but this is just whining. Any actual numbers on it?

Mammoth.1975:

NB0008 is clearly intended. You don’t like it, fine, ask for changes. Don’t try to pass it off as a bug. They wrote the kitten game they know whether or not it’s intended. Real feedback. Likewise NB0081. On top of that, if they made marks trigger on objects, the staff would lose a ton of flexibility.

I would be hesitant to to say this with such certainty. I vaguely remember a post in which this was explicitly stated, maybe not as a bug, but at least as a mistake.

Found it: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/pvp/pvp/I-play-a-necro-but-I-traid-a-warrior-for-one-play-session/page/2#post116878

So this is the first I’ve heard that reanimator does not allow rez from downed state. It is even in our bug list:

(NP0006) Jagged Horrors are being exploited by enemies in PVP to rally from downed state. Death magic trait Reanimator should be an option not a forced minor trait until this is fixed.

Can someone verify? Has anyone run tests?