I’m only 48 Necro, but I use a blood minions setup and I feel nearly invincible in PvE. (haven’t really touched WvW or PvP yet though). You’re not the first person I’ve seen to disparage minions, but I don’t see it… and I don’t even have the 50% HP bonus yet. Unless I’m really in over my head, my minions survive long enough that I can usually keep them up if they tank, and I actually prefer it when I’m tanking because I regen so fast I barely take damage… and the Death Shroud is ample to deal with it. Is there such a big difference in PvP/WvW?
For weapons, I use Staff with extended Marks. Then I’d switch to Axe/Dagger when my recasts are down if I need to (though right now I’m using a rare staff with way better damage than I have on an axe).