Guild Wars 2

WvW is toast, finally came back after a year and it is still zergfests and PvE swaps. The whole system needs to be scrapped. 5 minutes and already bored out of my mind.

Cannot even download the game which I assume is a direct result of the DDoS attack. Can’t say my year+ return is going well and will probably lose me again as I can;t even play the game.

Not pleased.

Sprong.4963:

@Zintair

Just curious to know what your stat numbers are sitting at right now? You have a mix and match of armor which seems strange to me. Do you have a set of preferred stat numbers that you are trying to reach, or just throwing in different pieces to see what happens?
The Prec/Tough/Condi armor you are using is only attainable thru dungeons according to my research (Svanir/Khilborn/Nightmare/Corrupted Orrian). Are the stats you currently hold attainable with crafted gear?
My neccy is almost 80, and I want to test out your build when I get there.

40k Karma Gear and TA Dungeon.

The reality is I took the build from a Conditionmancer to a hybrid and have now started tweaking bits and pieces to my liking.

I know most gamers fall into the habit of keeping stats in sync for example have full armor set of the same type and jewels of similar type.

I broke out of that a little bit and went back to my DAOC days of customizable crafted armor. That’s really what we have here albeit far less customized. Therefore I "Do you have a set of preferred stat numbers that you are trying to reach, ". did this. In this thread if I’m correct we did some napkin math on Crit vs Crit DMG. We found Crit to be far more valuable up to a specific % for diminishing returns. Therefore I swapped a few pieces to keep my crit over 55%.

I lacked Vitality and Condition (duration and dmg) which I then replaced with Runes of Krait and Affliction.

Jewelry I wanted to keep my Crit% higher but also keep a balanced Vit for added Health in both pools. I reached a level I found effective for my play style. This will not be that friendly to larger groups with heavy siege but simple swapping of Utilities can offer utility for all WvW situations.

A simple trait change allows you to swap from Wells which focus off Power and move to Scepter and Corrupt Bone if you are soloing (with 1 trait change). Your stated for a balance and the class Offensive/Defensive by nature.

Ill update shortly with my current unbuffed in game stats.

Sprawl.3891:

XiL.4318:

0 20 20 30 0
VI IX
II V
II VIII XII
Staff – Axe or Dagger/whatever

wells boon2con, and vulnerability + physical damage wells
Flesh Golem (for the knockdown, object rampage damage, and the Swagger)
Fear Set runes
Vit/Tough/whatever you want weapons, gear, and acc

This is how to hurt many many butts at the same time with Necro in WvW. You play this as a mobile siege platform with a knockdown pet that can be used to spread conditions with unblockable marks. Swap your speed Sigil and spectral walk for travel and swap your mist form for offensive pressure on large groups.

Single target focus of any kind in WvW does not compare to the epic fire power of this kitten kitten fully operational battle station/noob lawnmower.

Yer welcome.

not sure how this is any good at killing people, your wells and staff marks wont hit hard and your bleeds wont tick for much.. it’s more of a bunker build

That was my understanding from the Trait Points and Utilities selected. I can see it killing people by sheer outlasting them, but I doubt it “hurts many butts” with Vit Tough stating.

Jay.4012:

@Zintair
Could you post your stats since you updated on November 23? Are you getting the vitality from your weapons in order to reach 20k health? Thanks for starting this thread. I started out playing a guardian, switching to this necro is a huge change. I have tried a pure power build and pure condition build both are lacking for me. The biggest problem I have had is trying to find a build that works well with a small group as well as with a zerg.

http://en.gw2codex.com/build/21781

Sigil of Perception in the staff

Sigil of Earth ( which Ill be changing and updating on the post) and Fire on Scepter Dagger

Rune of Krait x3 Rune of Affliction x3

Armor: Boots / Legs / Hands / Shoulders are Prec Tough Cond || Rampager Chest || Knight Helm

Jewelery: Berserker earrings / Rampager Ring Valkrie Ring and Amulet

Food: Mango Pie

+250 Prec brings me to about 64% crit

The added Vitality comes from a Valkyrie Ring I use. My particular play style calls for a bit deeper of a health pool because I have a tendency to be one of the first people attacking and always on the front line if not the front person.

Strange as it sounds playing an aggressive Necromancer has yielded far more benefit than not. Most people don;t even target me to start which is just a terrible idea. That’s one of the perks of this build, if you DO get your full weapon rottions off and DS/Lich you are putting out HUGE sustained damage with conditions on multiple people etc.

XiL.4318:

0 20 20 30 0
VI IX
II V
II VIII XII
Staff – Axe or Dagger/whatever

wells boon2con, and vulnerability + physical damage wells
Flesh Golem (for the knockdown, object rampage damage, and the Swagger)
Fear Set runes
Vit/Tough/whatever you want weapons, gear, and acc

This is how to hurt many many butts at the same time with Necro in WvW. You play this as a mobile siege platform with a knockdown pet that can be used to spread conditions with unblockable marks. Swap your speed Sigil and spectral walk for travel and swap your mist form for offensive pressure on large groups.

Single target focus of any kind in WvW does not compare to the epic fire power of this kitten kitten fully operational battle station/noob lawnmower.

Yer welcome.

How does the playstyle hold up? So your basically an up front support with survivability and you outlast?

And speed sigil?

Goonerforlife.9254:

Zintair.1987:

Goonerforlife.9254:

Have a question, don’t see much people here using the following, just wanted to get feedback from you fellas and see if I’m heading the right path.

Armor : TA Set ( Power + Precision + Condition Damage )
Sigil: Superior Sigil ( the one with + 10 every kill to condition damage )

Aim is to deal an intense amount of condition damage / damage using aoe in WvW. I understand I have 0 + to toughness or vit and will be kind of soft but I am willing to sacrifice that for the damage I’ll gain from the Power + Precision + C.D. build. Am I going down the right path or am I not considering something?

Any feedback / opinions / violent reactions are all accepted and taken into consideration. Thank you very much

I rolled this when I first entered WvW. I think I am still the only person in the ENTIRE GAME of my time on Fort Aspenwood and WvW who uses Twilight Staff. I also got the gear to start. And it was decent until the players really broke the classes in.

Here are the specific numbers and realities of why that won’t work.

1) Actual ticking bleed damage takes a crap % from your +condition damage stat. If you have 1000 Condition damage you tick for 100 dmg ROUGHLY. When you reach 15-1600 condition damage your bleeds now tick for 160.

The issue now becomes twofold.
A) The Necro just physically can’t apply bleeds as fast as other classes. Now how many of that 25 capped stack will be yours and you will have applied before it reached 25?

B) Conditions are just to easy to remove. And if you remove 1 bleed you remove them all.

The lastest little tidbit I’ll share is that sometimes you just need to get to close to rely on a good Epidemic that can only spread to 5 people as your “Big Boy” move. Then you sit there and spam on one target and will always just be assisting other people kill. You will never feel like you have accomplished anything. 1 passive cure negates ALL your stat’d DPS. Not working as intended IMO.

First off, just would like to thank you so much for opening this thread and for taking the time to help mine and others questions.

You know after reading what you posted, it does make sense that after throwing every aoe skill we have at an area wont really down an enemy but more like bother them, really is sad.. Hopefully one day they fix this in their patches, I wont reroll on another toon or what, will still stay strong in the necro class, I love the skills and concept and for me seems more interesting than the others by far ( besides mesmers ).

Regarding the build, I understand to focus on this build for all condition is indeed a waste, but If i had to use an AoE build for WvW, the type that places me at the back of the group casting spells against groups and not single enemies (disregarding any care for 1 on 1 combat ), if this was the case would basing it on this build still be appropriate or “do-able”? Staff skills + The wells + poison cloud ( forgot name ).

YES! The benefit of this build is you have decent Attack 2800-3000 and a high crit chance. Wells and Corrosive Poison Cloud are a great DPS addition for the highest concentrated AoE damage.

I ran that build for a short period, my only heavy CON is the reliance on a static position for both your utility skills. WvW and combat in general is so movement oriented that taking two slots on your Utility bar really pigeon holes you into more of a stationary class.

I wanted to avoid this and so I swapped Corrosive Poison Cloud for Signet of Spite. I only use the Signet if I see the opportunity to really overwhelm a class. Don;t forget you can use this on downed people and then Epidemic to any who are attempting to rez. Not to mention the passive Power buff you always get while not using.

@Necro in general

I read on the forums early in the games release that ANET was not interested in performing class changes unless they were really prepared to fix the issues, and basically not apply bandaid hotfixes. Keeping this in mind I looked back over a 15 year MMO background and saw that most companies draft new content before they make any sweeping changes. I;ve of the opinion that changes will be coming but the numbers they are analyzing are showing them design flaws as compared with other classes at the moment. They are both small and LARGE.

You can redesign a class based on conditions when your issues is with conditions in general and how to balance the spectrum of classes who use these conditions in conjunction with the Necro.

Conditions in general need a rework and I think Agony is the first design implementation that reflects their understanding of their original content and ideas and the direction they need to move in to balance it.

Literally what pmargeti said. Although I like to pretend I’m being effective using 1 and 3.

Goonerforlife.9254:

Have a question, don’t see much people here using the following, just wanted to get feedback from you fellas and see if I’m heading the right path.

Armor : TA Set ( Power + Precision + Condition Damage )
Sigil: Superior Sigil ( the one with + 10 every kill to condition damage )

Aim is to deal an intense amount of condition damage / damage using aoe in WvW. I understand I have 0 + to toughness or vit and will be kind of soft but I am willing to sacrifice that for the damage I’ll gain from the Power + Precision + C.D. build. Am I going down the right path or am I not considering something?

Any feedback / opinions / violent reactions are all accepted and taken into consideration. Thank you very much

I rolled this when I first entered WvW. I think I am still the only person in the ENTIRE GAME of my time on Fort Aspenwood and WvW who uses Twilight Staff. I also got the gear to start. And it was decent until the players really broke the classes in.

Here are the specific numbers and realities of why that won’t work.

1) Actual ticking bleed damage takes a crap % from your +condition damage stat. If you have 1000 Condition damage you tick for 100 dmg ROUGHLY. When you reach 15-1600 condition damage your bleeds now tick for 160.

The issue now becomes twofold.
A) The Necro just physically can’t apply bleeds as fast as other classes. Now how many of that 25 capped stack will be yours and you will have applied before it reached 25?

B) Conditions are just to easy to remove. And if you remove 1 bleed you remove them all.

The lastest little tidbit I’ll share is that sometimes you just need to get to close to rely on a good Epidemic that can only spread to 5 people as your “Big Boy” move. Then you sit there and spam on one target and will always just be assisting other people kill. You will never feel like you have accomplished anything. 1 passive cure negates ALL your stat’d DPS. Not working as intended IMO.

Just to get back to a few people!

@TheBuffaloMan – Power will not add damage to the bleeds only stacks of Might (+ power + Condition damage) or + condition damage will increase your bleed and poison damage.

The purpose of this build was to satisfy a couple of letdowns I found when doing a FULL CONDITION build.

I scaled the build around the two weapon sets I found to be the most effective in WvW.

Scepter and Staff.

Playing in DAOC and WAR I have undergone my fair share of keep sieges and I understood which classes and which type of utility skills would be effective.

Unfortunately in my opinion I do not feel the Conditionmancer in WvW brings enough to the table in a small group atmosphere. Well what did it lack? IMO It lacked that punch to make the conditions a real threat.

Conditions are only a threat when DPS is actually being done. This class in order to shine as an individual in my opinion was to back away from the minions and lifesteal and move into a more … PROACTIVE roll.

I start off usually with stacks built I double checked my crit its 64% at full 250 stack precision (Superior Sigil of Perception). I also have the trait for +10% damage to my marks.

Staff marks on a 2-4 hit (Always save #5 for people about to be stomped or utility. its dmg is crap compared to its effectiveness). If they all crit it can do 1300/1100/2500 (4900). Just numbers I’ve seen they have scaled up and down as per peoples armor / class / level.

Depending on what they are doing I now at least have a starting point to start really applying conditions. These conditions are now either being applied with -5k health or they healed. Either way you started the fight off ahead.

Now you have either your scepter or DS. I recommend Scepter just because Staff Marks also regen Life force. Huge for sustainability.

It is very complex to play. The entire time you are:

Managing Cooldowns on the staff

Managing Cooldowns on DS (hold long before I can Fear / Transfer?)
*A note with DS. Since you have such High Crit to start and you traited Fury and Retal when you enter DS you now have the opportunity to let off a couple painful crit shots while retaling all damage against. 3k 3k 3k swap out and now priority is to remember your Staff cooldowns to start regaining Lifeforce.

Keeping conditions stacked with the Scepter. Keep them spread off a grouped up target.

Using Wells at critical times (group of rezzers)

Managing the conditions you apply on yourself in conjunction with others applying to best utilize your heal. (by far one of the most complex and difficult meta games I’ve found while actively trying to DPS with such small UIs.)

I get crazy every once and a while and will put Bone Fiend instead of Well. Now I have a pet that can immobilize for soloing. Still got my Burst staff and Condition scepter. Got DS to survive/DPS and now I am not really such a weak Necro anymore…

Mesmers suck. Period.

Oozo.7856:

The cool thing about the lowest teir right now is that you get to know people. I’ve lost a good number of 1v1s against people playing very solid builds. They aren’t in this movie since it’s a gank movie. I don’t kill good players with good builds in a single well/root/daze combo.

I can tell there are a lot of small guilds who focus on small group fighting that have moved down. They all run very solid builds that are extremely difficult to fight (as a necro) – mostly d/d elementalists, condition mesmers, and stealth healing thieves (of course).

I’m sure the highest teirs have a ton of great players. It’s just harder to find small fights there. I prefer 5v5 or lower. Also, there is alot to be said for being able to log on and instantly enter WvW with your friends without having to sit in a queue.

I’d strongly recommend the lower teir servers for people who are looking more for that roaming DAoC group versus group feel. That can be sustained on the lowest teir server but not on the uppers, IMO.

This is actually good news. I always did like the group vs group. But group vs zerg is also very fun haha

Oozo.7856:

Zintair.1987:

Last tier of WvW? pretty good but the players you are fighting are really bad. 80% just sat in your wells. Solid play though you should jump a few tiers I think you;ll find the WvW a lot more rewarding.

my 2 cents and nothing against your playstyle or video which I thought were both very good.

No offense taken. Keep in mind that the reason a lot of people sit in the well is because they are rooted and dazed there.

I’ve played against the “top” servers, the players there aren’t any more skilled than the players at the lower teirs. Zerging requires no skill. What you find on the lower teirs are small guilds that came down to play together (since there are no queue times). There are A LOT more small group fights in the lower teirs which actually require far more skill than zerging around.

I’m not saying those players are in this movie, however. It is a gank movie, afterall.

Being a top teir server means you have better 24-7 coverage, not better players. I know this from direct experience.

I won’t disagree with this. It also comes as no surprise that you came from these higher tier servers. Your Dodges are spot on, meaning you understand the various classes and what they will be doing to you. Main citation being at least 3 Dodges in your video where a hammer smash would have meant differently. They are just awesome and you slowed the video down to showcase em.

I think it’s really tough to nail down WvW Server vs Individual Player Skill so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. But I want to consider the option that we might be arguing apples to oranges.

Ganking is the theme of your video. Not zerging. Zerging requires multiple people while ganking is 1v1 or small group. Thus we are not necessarily arguing server coverage but individual player skill on a server basis. While to be a top tier you need coverage. But coverage alone when everyone has it isn’t enough. Those people have been fighting non-stop for weeks, whether zerg or not.

My only point was you can’t think that the last Tier WvW servers are going to have the highest average % of individual player skill as opposed to higher tier. The best player in all of WvW could be in the last Tier of servers but I have trouble swallowing skill is = across servers. Especially when a lot of my old DAOC and WAR buddies are in T 1-3.

War Mourner.5168:

why are you using two proc sigils on the same set? they share a single CD so it’s not efficient to run two.

Really? so the 5 second GCD is shared by both? Well that sucks lol! Where did you read this info, not that I don;t believe you it does make perfect sense I just never tested.

If this is the case I am going to probably put a base 5% crit rune on the Scepter. Will update when I see where the gap is in my build. As of right now Fire > Earth.

UPDATED: Nov 23, 2012 Critmancer current setup

http://en.gw2codex.com/build/21781

Sigil of Perception in the staff

Sigil of Earth and Fire on Scepter Dagger

Rune of Krait x3 Rune of Affliction x3

Armor: Boots / Legs / Hands / Shoulders are Prec Tough Cond || Rampager Chest || Knight Helm

Jewelery: Berserker earrings / Rampager Rings and Amulet

Food: Mango Pie

+250 Prec brings me to about 62% crit

Last tier of WvW? pretty good but the players you are fighting are really bad. 80% just sat in your wells. Solid play though you should jump a few tiers I think you;ll find the WvW a lot more rewarding.

my 2 cents and nothing against your playstyle or video which I thought were both very good.

Mega Skeleton.8259:

I think it’s a great rune for any build.

That said, while I think Necros are a strong class, I don’t think they are a good choice for a burst spec, and hardly even seem capable of burst damage. If you’re looking for a burst spec, I’d look to other classes. It’s just not playing to Necros strengths.

However, feel free to prove me wrong. A burst spec with the innate survivability provided from Death Shroud sounds very strong.

You can get the burst, not as good as other classes but you CAN do it.

Marks / WoS/ Bone minion explosion / DS #4

bit of a one hit wonder and not the spec I would sue haha.

I prefer sustained damage and pressure which I apply through hybrid condition and power/crit.

Makes the job of my ele and mesmer friends 10x easier.

War Mourner.5168:

Lastly, I would seriously suggest at least trying spiteful spirit (retaliation) over reaper’s might, as I find the damage you inflict with retaliation much greater then the added might, as you simply take to long to stack it. (Also it’s a decent way to turn a 100 blades/pistol whip/other burst skill here against them if you can’t cc/evade).

I have noticed a world of difference with the Perception sigil. Between that and my Sigil of Fire on my offhand dagger it’s quite a bump in my burst and sustained capabilities.

Thank you so much for the Spiteful Spirit suggestion. That was the last vestige of Might stacking that I had. I’ve been looking for something of an OH KITTEN button and Retaliation will work perfectly!

Thanks for the advice! Super eager now to try this out muahahah!

I stated toughness as a priority over vitality but that is because I would rather have a robust HP pool (20k) with solid toughness of between 12-1300. I still focus mainly on Power and Crit but am able to boast some solid surviability to withstand some focus while you spent 12 minutes unloading your full arsenal of cast time abilities.

I like the Necro gameplay by far the most. I just think they need to re-hit the drawing board on some things.

I have never believed in sweeping nerfs. Most classes are fairly well balanced, just some tuning up, but a few classes need to be given some love to be brought on par with the others.

One things that makes me lose a lot of respect for DEVS however is when they say things Like “Death Shroud ZOMGBBQ” when it’s very clear the entire DS mechanic needs rethinking

Stack Vitality to increase dmg output????

So to answer it’s yes and no but if I was forced I would say no.

WHY?

Because when I run a guild group I am 90% of the time targeted first unless we have a Mesmer or Thief and even then I still get targetted a lot. Nothing makes me happier than to see my group free casting while I eat damage and lay down some conditions.

@Gryph – I hear yah!

I couldn’t have said it better myself. It has been what I’ve been discussing with my guild for quite some time and you said it perfectly. We just have to work 2x as hard to output the same type of results.

My biggest issue at the moment is the slow projectile speed of Staff. Makes me want to rage.

Keep the faith, because if there is one thing I’ve learned from 15 years of MMOs is it is cyclical. Those that were on the top will find themselves on the bottom and those on the bottom usually find themselves at some point on top. Necros just happened to be on top at the worst time (right before release).

@Sprawl – It has been calculated many times in the early pages of the bug compilation thread. I’m pretty sure it does stack and it is multiplicative not additive. I’ll need to re-check I’ve been overloaded at work recently.

Aupheus.9038:

I would like to thank both obitus and Zintar for their sharing, this actually made me play my necro once more…and it’s fun!

One ‘meh!’ factor thou, Lifeblast superior? Do a knockback to interrupt and the necro lost all his superior DS damage. Even mobs in in Orr do this.

Yeah ove the course of this build I transitioned from Heavy condition damage to a focus on Crits with Power and added conditions. I focused mostly on Might stacks for gaining additional power and cond but the reality was it was never enough for long enough to make a difference as I continued to play against people playing FOTM class spec etc.

I’ve since devoted a heavy portion now to Crit with the Sigil swaps etc. I am probably going to be replaceing Might on Lifeblast and re-thinking the traints.

With Friday around the corner and a new update I am going to wait and post a full update once the patch drops.

I can;t agree more, nothing is making me more angry then when I try to Life Transfer and I get stunned immediately. But this is also a more glaring issue with the Necro in general then I fear my spec.

Thanks for the compliments. I will say it’s still my only class that I get the urge to play just due to how much you can do to it. It really is a great class just very difficult to Master.

Sadly I never saw why Devs put so much emphasis on DS.

Dmg = Scales based on LF

LF = How much Vit you have

Vit != DMG

I find I need to swap in and out to quickly to really gain any benefit.

barti.7685:

I know this is the necromancer forum but really a month old thread.. ?

What’s the difference it’s my personal thread for a build I use in WvW. I do appreciate the bump however.

I’ve been playing around between Bone fiend/wells/Corrupt boon and alternating my tactics. The Blood in Power nerf is still definitely being felt.

Having a lot of good fights in a 5 man I’ve been running. This is solid survivability, great damage from both Power and Cond sources. Utility with Epidemic, wells and the staff.

BTW

Lifeblast/Lich Form with a Mesmer and this crit power hybrid is quite devastating.

Scary 3-4k projectile burst although situational.

November 14, 2012

I have recently made some changes to my gear. They are not 100% final but I have been running a few different things that I wanted to relay to people.

I’ve taken my Crit in the Critmancer more seriously.

Sigil

I swapped Sigil of Bloodlust to Sigil of Perception

+250 precision on the stack (I’m still on the fence with stack sigils but this has been devastating when at full stacks.)

I also swapped Sigil of Battle (+3 might stacks on weapon swap) for Sigil of Fire. The AoE from the sigil on my Dagger offhand crits for about 800ish and AoEs around the target. Best burst damage upgrade for this offensive build

Runes:

I also swapped to 3 Afflicted / 3 Krait for the improved Bleed duration of 15% and 15% not sure if it stacks or is multiplicative. Has made my bleeds a little more resilient when they aren’t being removed.

Will be updating the OP with this info.

We from ISA support this! Thanks again guys look forward to seeing you out there late night EST

@xytale – /salute

Some really good fights. One of the major differences I noticed between TC and BG was how different your zergs function. I found a TC zerg to be less a zerg and much more coordinated then I saw from Beast gate. Good luck in the next bracket. Hopefully morale swings this way for us this week being the big kid on the block.

[ISA] saying hi to everyone in BG bordlerlands last night.

/wave

I’ve said it countless times that if they made the zones bigger it would reduce the reasoning to form a zerg. As it stands a zerg can form up and steam roll half the map in no time. That’s because there is no distance between the objectives. The zerg will never be out of position because everything is so close and easily reachable within 5 minutes.

A zerg wouldn’t be very effective if it could only attack one thing every so often because it took time to get there.

It would also add incentive to sperate out and prioritize positioning and communication a bit better considering it might actually matter where your troops are or when they arrive.

Update: October 10, 2012

BiP – Pretty effective for smaller engagements. After using the ability a lot since it was patched not to long ago I have found it does still find a way into my specs. I enjoy the Might stacks followed by the Epidemic spread which stacks 2 Bleed and 3 Vuln. That is 5 condition heal if you needed it and will spread conditions with the 10 stacks of Might.

Spectral Walk – Horrible for using when you are trying to gain LF in WvW. It might be much more effective in smaller engagements or 1v1 but it just never found a way into my builds other than for the speed buff.

@Ackinbal – Yes my Amulet is Rampagers

Rampager is really the “Best” set if you are lookign to stack purely the main stats of this hybrid. I like I said before swapped in some added Vitality so that I would have a bit better of a DS to work with considering I derive a bit of my Burst DPS from there.

Nemesis.8593:

Zintair.1987:

Nemesis.8593:

You should watch, if you have the time my necromancer WvW tutorial and WvW example… maybe it will give you a different view on things…

They are posted in the Necromancer builds sticky here on the forum.

That’s like expecting people to do research before making a post on the forums. It just isn’t gonna happen lol.

Multiple stickies with TOO MUCH information yet here we are lol.

There are multiple “Necromancer builds” posts sticky-ed on the necromancer forum made by Nemesis.8593 ? How strange…

Whats strange is how self-absorbed you are to think my comment referred to you or your guide in anyway other than pointing out it was there for reference.

Nemesis.8593:

You should watch, if you have the time my necromancer WvW tutorial and WvW example… maybe it will give you a different view on things…

They are posted in the Necromancer builds sticky here on the forum.

That’s like expecting people to do research before making a post on the forums. It just isn’t gonna happen lol.

Multiple stickies with TOO MUCH information yet here we are lol.

The build itself can be a very in your face type of Necro, at least that’s how I like to play it. Was just replying to your post about being in melee range which in WvW can be dangerous at times haha.

That’s why I make sure to have LF generating methods in case I need to quickly restack for an “oh kitten” situation.

Critmancer build thread. WVW.

Condition + Crit/Power hybrid

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/necromancer/WvW-Critmancer-Build-Power-Condition/first#post198743

This is the thread for it. There is just too much and I didn’t want to spam multiple posts with a build guide.

My WvW build for some zerg stopping AoE.

Yes I said Zerg stopping.

Step 1: Find a meat shield or wait till a zerg force’s front lines start taking hits, possibly even using cooldowns.

Step 2: Apply Staff Marks 2-5 / WoS / CPC on one location and then start dropping DS4 or Scepter abilities on people in a choke point.

Step 3: Collect the bags from the bodies you just killed

EDIT: It actually is a lot more viable then just zerg AoE. You can swap Utility skills for help survive 1v1s. You can alter a trait or two if you want to improve specific features to the build. I;d recommend reading through the thread for playstyle insights perhaps.

Critmancer build thread. WVW.

Condition + Crit/Power hybrid

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/necromancer/WvW-Critmancer-Build-Power-Condition/first#post198743

This is the thread for it. There is just too much and I didn’t want to spam multiple posts with a build guide.

This was my post on the build thread.

It is pretty much the exact same thing. And it is very viable

Read through some of my updates for different types of situational burst and utility. I;ve been running this build since I posted it on the forums.

You can effectively 1v1/XvX/Keep +tower sieges/Defense and everything by just changing utility skills and maybe a trait or two.

EDIT: I haven’t even leveled my Axe skill. I dislike any other weapon other than Scepter Dagger and Staff. The rest have no business in my playstyle.

@Merch – Yes this can be an aggressive spec even without Axe

In DAOC we used to joke that we knew we were going to be attacked by the Albs (I was Mid/Guin) when everything locked up for a second and lagged to hell. It was a sure sign we were about to get into it lol.

Didn’t bother me then, probably wouldn’t bother me now.

I’d rather lag for a second as the game renders and then see everyone with enough time to make decisions.

my 2 cents

Spectral Walk

From the time you activate Spectral Walk to the time the activated portion expires you are able to swap the Utility skill out and retain the speed buff and change your utility skill without the timer. Not sure if this is a bug or working as intended.

Also I noticed that my Swiftness from this buff when I ran over friendly walls that granted swiftness it did not increase the duration as it should?

They could literally have it as the brackets. Each bracket would refresh which server would be where. Would make this very stream-lined and nice. But then again I also was hoping for Server forums ourselves so that we might be able to better organize what guilds are committed to staying on the server.

THE ZONES ARE TOO SMALL. You know this is true Zagz. Siege is cheese when it’s whose treb kills the other first.

I am surprised they didn’t go with a point ranking system similar to DAOC. Would love to see it.

Hope TW is killin it on JQ.

I exppect populations will rapidly decline due to:

Hacking/Exploiting/Cheating/Bots
WvW Population issues/server swapping
Small WvW zones with lame treb meta game

EDIT: IMO ANets biggest mistake was the server swapping. Missing the “server pride” aspect of WvW was a HUGE mistake. They are going to lose a lot of people who are upset over people jumping ship top the winning side. Biggest ./facepalm move for Open field WvW.

@Arkiels – Im with you on this one

How is it creative, fun, engaging to setup a trebuchet safe and secure behind a fortification and the only way to kill it is to setup another treb and have TREB WARS (maybe thats what we should call the game instead?) to see who can down the others treb first.

Now if the zones were bigger we would need to use the siege either in defense or in Open field to attack. Trebs would only be of use in a castle/keep/topwer siege. But they would need to be protected. It would almsot be like a siege is a long process that requires effort. NOT just 1 person spamming 2 to knock a wall down while the zerg is elsewhere.

People should have to protect the siege engines as well as use them. Trebs firing from Forts to hit other Forts is not what my idea of siege was.

They should never have allowed more than 1-2 transfers a month. The fact that they did is why were are currently in this mess. It was by far their biggest ./facepalm decision.

Why can’t developers understand the importance of Server Pride/Realm Pride with open PvP.

Why would you allow people to jump ship to the winning server? How could you think that was a good idea and people wouldn’t milk it for the bonuses?

No one is saying don’t allow them. Just make sure there are CONSEQUENCES and the decision is IMPORTANT and something people would consider if they wanted to play with friends, not because they want better crafting bonuses for that week.

After reading a lot on these forums it seems there is a lot of “interest” in populations and queues and other things that have come to the forefront of “complaints” with WvW.

I truly believe some of the problem stems from the overall small size of the maps we are forced to WvW in. As far as I am concerned they got one things right, and it was the penalty for dying. Unless keeps are upgraded you cannot port nearby in most cases to quickly rejoin the fight.

Yet I can;t count how many times I would play in Eternal Battlegrounds and we would just swap Anzalias Pass about 4 times an hour. One server would just clear up to Speldan and then the other would come back and reclaim everything. Sure there are multiple counter strategies. The problem is you have the Castle right next to it that can rain Treb fire from safety.

Why should you be able to hide siege behind your Fortifications? Then it becomes whose treb has better aim to take the other out. That’s kinda cheese isn’t it?

Perhaps people like this constnat form of swapping and generating xp/karma but from a dedicated WvW standpoint it just feels like a glorified PvE event with dynamic open PvP.

Place the trebs here because you know they are protected and can hit other keeps to cheese mode them down regardless of the defenders because they can;t hit the trebs as they are behind castle walls.

Are they going to make the WvW zones larger? Probably not. Most people may not want this. Coming from a DAOC background though I did notice that it was a lot easier to combat over-population if there was more importance on people placement.

If a super server wants to form up their zerg and start taking keeps and towers, in the current manifestation of WvW it is Very easy to do so. Unfortunately half the stuff is right on top of each other leaving ZERO travel time between. If the points were far more spread out it would mean the zerg might be out of position too far to take a keep and would not be able to support a counter attack on the other side of the map. It would actually force people to think where they need to be instead of sheep it with the zerg for points.

my 2 cents was curious if anyone else was feeling similar that the zones just feel too squished and there’s no reason NOT to form a zerg. Warhammer made this mistake too with extremely tiny zones. Zergs ruled the day. Force people to think, work together and stop this siege behind Keeps to attack other sieges.

Siege shouldn’t be whose trebs have better aim from inside a keep/tower to hit other trebs. That’s not what trebs should be used for. /rantoff lol

Agreed, it seems to be spreading now as I’m now reading more posts about it. Thanks again!

I have posted about this as well trying my best to get people reported.

Litherferous has an Asura Elementalist that is Speed hacking around Overlook FT Aspenwood. He is killing trebs with Unreal speed that can teleport him across the map in a second.

BG please tar and feather this person. Litherferous/LTH is the guild.

ToxicQueen.7560

You are an Asura Elementalist that is Speed hacking to kill our trebs around Fort ASpenwood Overlook.

We have SS and several people from the realm reporting you.

This is not at the Blackgate server, just someone who decided cheating is better ON YOUR server.

If you know this person please help us report and ban him.

Oh no quite the contrary I’m glad you were able to do some maths to figure it out. I was basing my opinion more on what I have seen.

However!

This keeps in mind that in order for you to achieve a certain CritChance you need to sacrifice %CritDmg. I don;t know how exactly this might be the case. Your numbers certainly don’t lie and after doing some more math the ratio holds that

70% CC w/ 30% crit dmg > the other samplings.

How can we factor in the the ability to add %CritDmg without adding Precision and vice versa. We would need to analyze the gear sets TBH.

This is making me consider swapping Rune sets however.

I may be trying to look for a more Precision/Condition damage setup.

Once again thank you for the math. I think the only way I;ll be 100% convinced is to see what different people are coming up with in terms of final CritChance stat and %CritDmg.

Once we can get a smapling of some end totals then we can make a brackets like you did and really measure where your going to yield the best NET damage in terms of balancing CC and %CD.

Thanks again!

I do agree a lot of the complaints about the nerf were more based on Necromancer’s losing their method of generating LF quickly in order to compete with other classes.

It’s not just a tPvP thing however. When a Necro needs to start the fight without ANY Lifeforce that means he is immediately behind by at least a weapon rotation in terms of overall acting ability. The Necro has now been forced to focus their attention more on filling their LifeForce bar so they can operate as the class intends instead of starting kitten and having to work their way to becoming on par with other classes.

Why must our class take the time to become on par with other classes?

In terms of the the change to BiP I personally am liking it so far. It is now a Condition utility skill that also has Power viability with Might stacks. The Life Force generation has moved to Spectral grasp which is nice because now the Necro has a Chill/Pull/LF generator all on one Utility.

I prefer picking and choosing which Utility skills I bring to the situation. I can see how this might be an issue outside of WvW but that unfortunately is all I play with my Necro.

Oh I made an error on my Jewelery pieces! I accidentally put them as Prec/Toughness/Cond but they were originally (Rare) Power/Prec/Cond. ANet hasn’t implemented any jewelery pieces of that stat combination.

I have since replaced with Exotic Power/Prec/%Critdmg and Power/Vit/%Critdmg

obitus.9643:

i`m not sure if i stressed it enough, but my build is not only a damage powerhouse, but is invaluable in dungeons or any other place, cause it can keep the weakness debuff 90% of the time in aoe(thanks to the 30 points in the curses tree and the trait and poison cloud), that along with well of blood + constant regen from the staff 2nd skill, make the necro a very wanted addition to a group

and yeah i don`t consider the bleed duration buff strong enough to have it equipped, esp when there are other very valuable options to take

@Your posted Stats – My only concerns would come with the relatively low Vitality and Toughness you have similar to Shibumi’s concerns but I do like where your stats are headed.

I am going to give Lich Form a shot in WvW too. I just saw it as this huge target that says stun and burn me. Definitely more offensive than what I like to do with Plague or the Flesh Golem but I bet the 4k Crits rock on auto attack spam.

At 50+% crit I think you have gone a bit too high though. I have recently dropped my crit down to 40% but between 40-50% is all you should need any more and I think you are losing too much stats in other areas.

For example a 50% crit with a 50% Crit damage increase is going to be better than a 60% chance to crit for 40% of the damage. I have not done the math but this has always seemed to be the case in MMOs.

I see crit as … Get enough of it so that you are critting often and then completely focus on HOW MUCH DMG that crit does.

My ideal world would be 40% crit with a 70% damage increase. I do enough sustained damage with my condition stacking/spreading that when I need the burst I will start critting HARD and fast when I am spamming Marks down or dropping a Well of Suffering on a zerg.

IMO It’s all about the crit damage, in fact I have never seen a game that lets you stack crit damage so high. If I wasn’t so interested in conditions and being able to spread them for SERIOUS impairment I would be selfish and focus on Power/Crit damage and try to melt people.

Although I will be testing a BUNCH this week due tot he new patch notes. There is much that needs to be thrown in the hopper!