Guild Wars 2

With just a few hours of ‘field testing’ Plaguelands in Pve., I’ve since switched Elite skills to ‘Chilled to the Bone’. The shout itself has a far greater success rate vs. both mobs and bosses with the added addition of a short timed Stability(2-10) buff. Plaquelands, while potentially producing vast amounts of condi. damage, is still far too situational; full implementation requires the target to ‘cooperated’ with the skill’s placement. I have yet to test Plaguelands in any PvP mode, however, and given what I’ve read in the patch notes, I may not be playing in those modes as a Necromancer again.

The good and bad of Plaguelands thus far:

Pros: Lots of condition damage. On a single target(Champion Boss) I was able to
produce 48-50 bleed stacks in combination with other condi. damage skills(Blood is
Power, bleed stacks from Chill effects, Deathly Swarm condi. transfers).

Cons: Easily avoided by A.I. movements. Tested Plaguelands in Lake Doric and
noticed that the White Mantle Clerics can block pulses; adjacent allies received block
buff from cleric reducing Elite skill’s efficacy. Plaguelands is telegraphed with too long
a casting time; combined with a small(opinion) A.O.E. circle it created some
instances of skill failure – placement is best in close proximity to target(s).

Final verdict:

Plaguelands does not have the Pve. utility that Plague had. With Plague’s Stability pulse, multi-mob stun-lock could easily be ‘cured’ with a push of a button. Furthermore, it synergized well with Chilling Darkness, Bitter Chill, and Deathly Chill – on some occasions it would crit. causing a Chilling Nova.
There was a reason I had Plague in the Elite slot for the past year, and unfortunately I was not part of the consensus to keep the Elite skill as is. I’ll miss Plague, but I suppose if I wish to continue to enjoy my favored class I’ll have to adapt. Time will tell.

Prediction: Plaguelands will be get a nerf. So, those of you who like the change, enjoy it while it lasts.