Guild Wars 2

I think part of what is causing people to reject gw2 professions as suitable replacements for those exclusive to gw1 is aesthetic differences, rather than mechanical.

For example, though the engineer can summon stationary AI-controlled allies just as some ritualists chose to, the aesthetic of each profession is drastically distinct from the other. If anything, it’s the gw2 necromancer that comes closest to emulating the ritualist, seeing as a small number of its skills (particularly spectral skills) appear to have to do with manipulating souls and spirits etc…

Besides, it seems kind of silly to compare professions from the prequel and sequel purely on a mechanical basis when the only real features the games share are lore and setting. Even returning professions like the mesmer operate very differently in gw2 relative to gw1, yet they share the same name and overall theme.

That said, it remains difficult to reintroduce the gw1 exclusive professions as playable options given the simultaneous availability of races, who as other have mentioned, would not normally practice the abilities of, say, a dervish.

If it’s just the stat combination you’re after, you could always get the karma necklace from Orr: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Soldier%27s_Amulet
…and as others have said, getting an ascended amulet is another alternative.

I’m similarly interested in getting my hands on one of these. Confirmation of its existence in-game would be very much appreciated. I assume it’s either an undiscovered forge recipe or a very specific boss drop, like final rest. I imagine people have given enough daggers to Zommoros to exhaust all possible “random chance daggers,” like malefacerym.

Have you tried the ascalonian clergy pants?
http://www.gw2armor.com/asura/male/ac/light/front.jpg
They hug the hips quite tightly, leaving side-holstered weapons mostly unobstructed.

asura, male, necromancer

Strictly speaking, the necromancer isn’t a pet class like the ranger is. So no, the point of being a necromancer is not necessarily to order and control minions. Necromancer minions are more similar to a guardian’s spirit weapons, or an elementalist’s summons. They’re something you can choose to put on your utility bar, but aren’t a a core component of the profession like death shroud.
That said, I’ve heard that minion AI could use some touching up. I personally don’t use them, so it’s not much of an issue for me.

I play an almost full pow/vit/tough necro (still have some valkyrie jewelry that needs replacing) and enjoy it quite a lot. It’s veeeery survivable and deals a respectable amount of damage (for a necro, at least). I’d recommend giving it a try, especially with the dagger main hand.

I use Antique Olive, Gold and Pitch. Dark Olive or Olive instead of Antique Olive doesn’t look too bad either. I had to use some slightly lighter colours to get the Named Headpiece to match, Gray and Banana, I think. I only use the T3 chest and shoes because I dislike how the headpiece makes you bald and I prefer the country pants over racial ones.

If it’s the fire you’re uninterested in, then I’d go with the Steam Brand or Dredge Lamp, as Electro suggested. The Verdant Torch and Warden Torch (and Nightmare Torch?) appear to have a sort of glow to them, rather than a flame. They’re also made of plant, which is pretty cool, I suppose. The Glyphic Brand and Pirate Brazier (skull on a stick!) are also worth a look.

Regardless of whether you craft your legendary or buy one from the trading post, you end up spending lots and lots of gold. I suppose you bypass the need to collect dungeon tokens, badges of honor and karma by using the trading post, but it’s still a significant amount of gold we’re talking about here.

I mean, spending gold on all the raw materials needed to craft a legendary is similar to just buying the legendary in one step, no?

Ultimately, a legendary is just a skin that signifies the wielder’s in-game wealth (or former wealth, anyway). Does it really matter how the wielder spent the gold in the first place?

Your best bet is a torch, as others have said. If you prefer a white glow over a red one, you could try the Steam Brand.
If you attended the last halloween event, you may have gotten your hands on the flaming backpiece, which also emits light.
There’s also the Fiery Dragon Sword, assuming you played gw1 and collected enough points for it.
I suspect the Firebringer also emits light, though I may be wrong.

I’ve spent most of my time in gw2 on a necromancer, mainly using the dual daggers setup. I don’t really use conditions, but still deal respectable amounts of raw damage while boasting very high survivability, all while in melee range. I don’t do quite as much damage as a warrior, for example, but playing a necro is still very fun and definitely feels like a melee-caster. My experience has mostly been in PvE, however, so I can’t really tell you how they fare in PvP. They’ve got plenty of way to inflict chill, if that helps any.

As for range, the only 1200 option is the staff (though I believe the focus can be traited to reach 1200 as well). If you’d just like to sort of hang back while dealing some damage, you could try the axe or the scepter (scepter revolves mostly around conditions though). I usually just use spectral grasp or dark path to get into melee range.

I haven’t actually tried the guardian, but apparently they suffer a bit at range. I think their scepter has ranged abilities though. They’re also very survivable, what with their frequent boons, blocking etc… Aesthetically, they fit the melee-caster theme as well, seeing as their melee attacks create blue, glowy effects.

I just did it with my necromancer, it’s pretty cool
I’m surprised at how much there is to explore around EotN. Sure, it’s all snowy hills, but it’s there nonetheless. I would have expected the terrain to cut off much closer to the building.

Has anyone seen an asura necromancer wearing the tier three chest piece with frostfang? I know that’s a very specific combination, but I was wondering whether the ice covering the arm clips badly with the tier three arm piece.