I do not understand why the topic is not about that vista in Bitterfrost Frontier. Your point is hiding behind the elephant in the room.
Vampiric Presence or Life from Death along with Quickening Thirst and Transfusion.
Heal your minions and grind faster
Considering viper’s is for PvE where bosses mostly do not bother clearing conditions, +100% duration offers the better result.
If PvE bosses start clearing, or flipping, conditions, Conditionmancer will be hurt the most of all professions because it relies so heavily on long duration bleed stacks for its substandard condi dps.
From my perspective, Life Blast is not homing, Dark Path is even easier to dodge (provided pathing does not fail), and Tainted Shackles does not have a strong enough CC.
Condis are still very strong. Right now, the Necro is the problem because it’s essentially a free kill in pvp. Most other classes, like Warriors, have better condi output and condi defense than the necro. So the Necro has no real role right now except boon control, which other classes can do without being a liability to the team.
^
This
Fixing Necromancer to make it better at condition damage probably spoils the party. Balancing Necro has always been a problem. I believe Necromancer is the reason all other professions received more condi and condi cleanse capability over the years and one of the reasons why Reaper was designed to be primarily a power build.
Terror, Dhuumfire, Deathly Chill… Which new attempt will be next?
I used perplexity runes in the mad king’s labyrinth one year just as an experiment. This was, of course, before expertise. Since the experiment, confusion changed, and the runes changed.
Necromancer still has no condition damage bursting. All it can do is 11111111111111111111 on sceptre to build up a bleed stack.
Why Necromancer does not apply more bleeds for a shorter duration to shorten the dps lag, I do not know.
I do not hate it anymore. Its vulnerability is still either useful or utterly useless but it has sufficient power for me to drop staff in some situations.
That is one, powerful, long wall of rant.
I play Necromancer like a dark knight; a warrior-debuff class that seems tanky until pressured, then goes down.
Necromancer has ability to absorb a lot of damage but that ability does not scale up versus strong opponents because it has no, true immunity skills. Shroud must be recharged after use, in addition to its cool down, and incoming damage stacks per opponent where other professions’ damage mitigation produces the same result regardless of the number of opponents.
Necromancer’s shroud mechanic relies upon two things: damaging an opponent and opponents dying. If your opponent can avoid taking damage and there are no nearby deaths, you can easily be starved out of your main defensive mechanism.
Add, “Each condition you apply to yourself generates 4% LF per second.”
Yeah no. Plague Signet. Unholy Martyr.
If this applied only to Corruption skills this would be fine. But in that case, this is not the place to do it. Corruptions are based in the Curses traitline.
This suggestion was intended for corruption traits but also for plague signet, which can quickly scale out of control making a burst of LF for shroud in those situations a valuable moderator.
Unholy Martyr already consumes conditions so it would not count. One trait would take precedence.
The Bitterfrost Frontier map plays like the design leadership was out to lunch. If it is temporary, that may be acceptable. Compared to core L60-80 areas, it is unsustainable.
Bitterfrost is not well balanced and sub-sections are not self-sustaining. Aspects like the accumulation of “key” items, small-area ecology / events, strange gating mechanisms like that horridly expensive and unrewarding Vista, and disproportionate rewards in some areas versus others make me think the map design was poorly led.
The story was fine. I am okay with Brahm acting like a child versus Taimi’s playful maturity. I thought it a foil for angry 12-year olds demanding “meta” like saying OP is a right for their profession.
The map, itself, is little more than a frostberry and loot farm. Players will learn to only dodge mobs and open chests. The map ecology requires an update.
I would guess the PvP balance team compares the best builds in each profession, popularity of that profession, and win-loss rates rather than spend too much time on sub-optimal builds. A top-down balance, if you will.
The PvE team probably examines team utility.
I vote for both.
It is too easy to defend temples. If defense is attempted, the undead invasion should be more difficult, scale up faster, and be more rewarding, if successful.
Focus #4 -Reapers touch- probems are that it is not a copy mesmer GS #2.
The only thing good about it is, it has a cool added scyhe animation like our staff1.
I agree with this.
This skill needs some love. I have no idea why it can’t work the same way as mesmer mirror blade.
Agreed. Core skills need revision after HoT power creep and previous profession adjustments. For as long as it takes to cast and finish this skill, I expect it to either be more potent or more reliable. Every time I use it, I think my toon should let out a grunt for the effort.
I was thinking that the Necro’s Well of Corruption could be altered to where when it’s cast, anyone caught in it has 3 boons corrupted per second, instead of ticking 1 boon corrupt per second. Everything else about it would remain the same.
I would agree if corrupting boons was the only thing WoC did. But it also does damage, generate life force and it siphons hp when traited. So in that context 3 boons/second sounds like overkill.
I agree, too. However, if WoC did no damage, and there was not an elephant of darkness in the room, I could see a pulsing, stack-flipping well working in all game modes like a nuclear deterrent. Of course, WoP should do the same in reverse.
Add, “Each condition you apply to yourself generates 4% LF per second.”
This is a difficult question to answer. Few utility skills and traits are available at low levels.
1. Use power stat equipment when you can. Vitality and toughness are next best. Dagger-horn and axe-focus are good for short and long range attack.
2. Spend hero points to get 25% movement speed increase like Signet of the Locust or Quickening Thirst.
3. Spend hero points on getting Minions
4. Spend hero points on Death Magikittenil you get Necromatic Corruption.
Sounds like changes to core Necromancer have not been ruled out.
Thinking positively, like any devoted Necro, Arenanet may be taking longer some professions because they are developing and testing more extensive changes.
I like staff’s auto attack as it is, 5-target, piercing projectile finisher, but would not mind if traits could change it. Staff AA works well enough in a power build.
For example, in exchange for piercing, Dhuumfire might add a 1/2 sec burn, Unholy Martyr may siphon, Parasitic Contagion could poison for a second, or Corrupter’s Fever could apply vulnerability and bounce back on a crit to give 1 sec of regeneration.
Power builds swap weapons more frequently because condition builds are encouraged to camp sceptre auto attack for maximum bleed stacks.
Necromancer has a very narrow play style for condition damage. The only real variety is choosing between utilities.
If I lead with a lightning axe crit and draw aggro as I close the gap, then follow with Unholy Feast, Reaper’s Touch, channel, swap to greatsword, YaaW (or Rise), Grasping Darkness, Nightfall, Death Spiral (add an AoE flame blast on crit sometime), cleanse condition and chill with Suffer, Grave Digger…
It is not fine for me to say I do not want to crit frequently before shroud when the fight may be over by then. Some vitality may be acceptable but not at a cost of crit rate.
I run exotic berserker-scholar with ascended berserker trinkets in HoT. Against champs, it may become dicey but I can swap to a raid setup for that and there is often help.
PS: I forgot to equip focus on my linked build.
Pps: Foot in the Grave and Dhuumfire are easy swaps when you have enough precision. I run them more often than Death Perception on Berserker.
(edited by Anchoku.8142)
If you use greatsword, I recommend dropping all minions and running shouts: Spite, Soul Reaping, and Reaper. You will not need minions with the AoE of shouts. Similarly, you will not need vitality if you crit a lot.
Use axe/focus instead of staff as your ranged weapon before switching to greatsword.
Slot Signet of the Locust for movement.
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vRAQNAnYRnMbClbitbCW2A0bilaBDKBEAmBxbxx4ZkaMMHqWA-TBSBABA8EAe4EAclyPKV/hm9HMTJIe6Di4QAQKgIGDA-e
I like mob density as it is, or higher. It is more of a challenge that way.
If you would rather traverse open world without getting into combat, maybe a no-aggro mount of some kind is more appropriate.
Earth proc’s as a chance on a critical hit so mind your precision. Viper’s has enough precision, as do sinister and rabid. Carrion and dire do not.
Look at condition duration, too. Replacing agony with earth is an easy choice. That is why rune of thorns is popular in bleed-capped Viper’s builds.
Pizza and toxic focusing crystals are assumed, too. The bleed duration cap is typically first priority but using all of the general duration buffs available will leave just enough room for sigil of earth to increase your bleed stack. There is also torment for condition damage or blood for healing as alternatives.
(edited by Anchoku.8142)
Winter’s Day is for food!
I want a frostberry chocolate mint sunday recipe.
I use thermal tunes, ley loop, gliding (including mushroom launches), and the exceptionally boring under water path.
Spend some time mapping and farming world events like Shadow Behemoth. Sell all of the rare (yellow) equipment on the trading post. Be patient. Buy / collect one set of exotic armor recommend for dungeons and fractals . This is what you will want to progress your account.
DM needs rework. Even the Minion traits could use an update after the power and cleansing creep HoT brought. I do not run Death Nova on MM builds any more. Necromatic Corruption is the only MM trait I need.
That movie sounds more like it is about a mesmer or thief.
I like berserker necromancer the best: Greatsword and dagger/horn for melee, and either staff for AoE or axe/X for range. Spite, SR, Reaper is typical. Swap Spite for Blood Magic for WvW or PvE zerg support.
For bosses that are absolutely impossible for me to solo duo, I switch to a viper’s sceptre-dagger build, then kite and res. Curses, whatever, and Soul Reaping. Sceptre builds suck for life force generation so expect to feel more glassy.
PS: I tried making Rabid work for a whole year. It just under-performs on Necromancer. The stat’s do not synergize with a build.
- The toughness draws aggro, which is unwanted in group PvE.
- Condition damage is wasted on WvW unless roaming.
- Precision is nice but, without power or ferocity, kind of relies on a sigil that proc’s on crit.
(edited by Anchoku.8142)
PSig is so very, very situational…
Necromancer has many examples of benefits that hurt, or require injury, that the dev’s surely must take that into account during balance reviews.
Put in buy orders for leather and cloth and be patient until you have more than enough, several stacks. Then use guild buffs, a crafting booster or equivalent, and the discovery method all at once.
Farm gold, use it to buy materials, and play for a while. There is no deadline but you do need to build a material cache before the push to 500. Also, watch the trading post for prices so you can sell for profit, or at least not a terrible loss.
Ascended is far worse on the budget and is time gated so you will want to start acquiring materials way in advance.
(edited by Anchoku.8142)
- The map completion reward for Bitterfrost Frontier is sad considering the number of Black Lion chest keys it took.
- The bitter cold area in the NE corner does not reward grinding mobs enough, either. I would like an area where a small group can grind tough mobs like elite and champion class but that corner is only fun for one and the loot is very poor for the effort.
- What can I do with all the suet I collect? I can stop collecting shiny ice, feathers, and sticks but not suet (or egg shells).
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This is embarrassing but I haven’t been playing lately. I forgot I already have a second Necro in zerker gear. When you have 14 alts it’s hard to keep track OK!
It’s exotic armor but I have ascended jewelry and strength runes so 25 might + 25 vuln on Veterans produces the Grave Digger crits I was looking for. Woo Hoo for 17K crits!
With viper’s thorns and a casual play style, I would run a condi Minion Master. Let your minions tank and do direct damage while you kite with sceptre.
If you like minions, you can always add them to a viper or berserker build. For example, I often use Blood Fiend, Bone Fiend, and Bone Minions under water to supplement ranged damage regardless of equipment stat’s.
I do not use Death Magic anymore, either. It just offers far too little sustain, dps, and group utility.
Spite and Curses are pure dps improvement while Blood Magic, Soul Reaping, and Reaper offer more sustain and group utility.
Toughness builds also draw the most aggro in PvE, which is the opposite of sustain, and agony ignores toughness, too. Until a new trait line arrives that lets Necromancer tank full time, Death Magic’s toughness theme is a dead end.
Necromancer always performed better in the presence of trash mobs, whose deaths fuel shroud. Greatsword and shouts further improved that crowd control specialty.
Similarly, it’s weakness is in scaling up against more active and capable opponents where deaths are absent, crowd control skills and AoE have little or no effect, and boon-sharing dps professions synergize.
For now, I am assuming legendary armor will have each piece cost as much time and gold/materials as a legendary weapon.
I expect there will be another area that requires the elixir because, right now, there is little benefit to accumulating the elixir after the story is complete. Farming the mobs and opening a few chests is not rewarding enough compared to the unrestricted area’s UM, equipment, and event farm.
I have soooooo much unusable junk from the new map.
The nerf to Jagged Horrors should let Arenanet evaluate the profession’s balance. However, there is the balance team’s track record to consider.
Just get yourself a couple of sets of exotic armor: Berserker’s for PvE and, maybe Soldier’s for WvW
I have been running that build, too, in WvW. That said, I am not very happy with the damage or utility.
There may have been an adjustment to timers for buffs. Guild buffs now expire 24 hours on a character.
After playing for a bit, I decided I liked the more aggressive and skilled mobs.
Next time I log in, I will start a group for clearing the area and events. Almost everything is soloable but Bitterfrost offers just barely enough challenge to encourage grouping.
I like the mobs on Bitterfrost. They are nicely dangerous and varied in attack skills.
I, for one, like the new map for the very challenges being complained about.
Svanir disguise
Can these pieces be converted after first use to a special skill button that appears when within range?
I do not wish to have to re-farm the disguise or carry it around in inventory.
Aurene was probably named after the Auric Basin and the concept of an aura.
Does that mean there may be other baby dragons named after new areas? Emberly, anyone?
I am now waiting for someone to rework Dexys Midnight Runner’s “Come on Eileen”.
As a “defensive” line, Death Magic does not do much with shroud. You can get added power, toughness, and regeneration in shroud but those are only minor adjustments.
In contrast, Soul Reaping has much more powerful modifiers to shroud and life force management. Even Reaper has potent LF generation and Death’s Charge, which is naturally over shadowed by Blighter’s Boon, one of the best traits Necromancer has when used with Chilling Victory.
What does DM have for real defense? Minions. There are no blocks, evades, stealth, or mobility traits that would add significant defense outside of shroud. DM has only minor defensive value without them.
DM also has little in the way of offensive capability, too. Necromatic Corruption is the only solid dps improvement trait in the whole line.
At least with Blood Magic we get some group utility, Curses supports sceptre builds, and Spite increases dps.
Deadly Strength should give bonus power outside of shroud as well as inside – enough to get people to drop Spite in some cases.
Putrid Defense should eat up to 3 conditions entering shroud and give 3 sec of resistance for each one on exiting instead of a weak 10% damage reduction from poisoned foes.
Your tainted shroud idea sounds like it would be very good with Putrid Defense but being able to poison foes easily on power builds might be too strong.
There are two fundamental problems with Death Magic that I do not think the usual balance team tweaks can address:
1. It is not really effective as a defensive line aside from open world PvE as a MM where minions hold agro.
2. It does not have non-MM benefit outside of shroud and does not modify shroud as much as more popular lines.
(edited by Anchoku.8142)
I do not worry about botting. There are other tools to deal with those folks.
Reaper works very well with Soul Reaping – better than any other trait line. I almost never run Reaper without SR.
Here is just one example:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vRAQBQxcwizfBwCIVAICMAA-e