(edited by Anchoku.8142)
Necromancer may well get torch. It is not used in game as much as many other weapons
If so, it seems likely to be a short range weapon like dagger and greatsword but that would also imply equivalent dps so keep your hopes up.
It may also be for main and off hands, if we are lucky.
Boons could be punished a lot harder such that building for boons becomes unfavorable, just like building for vulnerability or blind. Then players are left with closer to solo dps and balance becomes easier.
Dreamer can be an annoying noisemaker like a vuvuzella.
Boon-sharing is a problem. Bosses can ignore some conditions and are more easily tuned but players are less controllable.
If bosses regularly corrupted or wiped player boons, then the boon-share dps scaling would drop. Boss health could be trimmed to compensate.
Change the toggle between stowed and wielded so the preview shows the full drawing and stowing animation.
There are regular zergs clearing the map for Karka Queen. Ask for help before and after that for mapping.
Southsun is easy to solo if you build for it and respect the effort needed on Veterans.
Farm Karka shells, passiflora blossoms, and T6 armor scales while you are at it, or relax on the beach.
There are a lot of new Necromancers out there. I used to be one of two or three in a PvE zerg but that number has tripled, mostly due to Reaper. The power AoE Necromancer lacked made that much of a difference.
Now, Necroreaper is as popular in PvE zerg as Druid and Dragon Hunter, the other top professions for this.
Raids are designed wrong. They are too linear and gated. What I mean by that is the group must execute the event in the order required and at the pace required or it will be reset with a loss of progress.
There is pressure to find trusted, experienced raiders, then committ a block of time where the rewards are weighted at the end rather than as the raid progresses. Failure at any point is very bad, if not catastrophic, so experience and profession/build mix become critical to success. Raiders will not tolerate deficiency because of this.
I used a Beklin n52te for years until I down-graded to a Razer Orbweaver with sticky glue coming out everywhere. Hopefully, Razer fixed the issue where the glue melts after a year. If they have not, Microsoft has a keypad, though it does not have as convenient a layout as the n52te or its Razer derivative. (Razer bought the rights to Belkin’s pad.)
A gaming keypad with programmable keys will solve your problem. You can store and swap keybindings rapidly with the keypad’s utility.
I have been messing about with power-reaper slotting Epidemic. There are events where that is useful while still allowing Berserker damage.
Edit: I have also been running Sinister and Viper’s builds but have found the lack of burst condition damage drastically cuts down on item drops. Epidemic seems to have a very low, perhaps zero percent, chance at a drop when copied conditions are the only damage for the kill. This may be a bug but I have not tested it enough in controlled conditions.
Elite skill power creep forces me to run full ’zerker and even then drop rate falls dramatically when certain other professions “nuke-em ’till they glow.”
(edited by Anchoku.8142)
HoT power creep aside, my Necromancer long envied my Warrior’s rifle until axe’s range went to 900 and my Thief is getting excited about becoming a sniper. My Engineer uses rifle a lot, too, but it works like a sawed-off shotgun more than a rifle.
I suggested something similar, too, in the past.
A waypoint unlock item from the gem store so players flush with gems can unlock WPs to specific core regions but nothing else toward map completion.
400 gems for, say Shiverpeak’s waypoints on one character seems like a reasonable exchange for those players who want to WP to a new area right now on a new character.
Weapon motion and effects are valuable tells for allies and opponents.
Necromancer could be better at condition dps if the profession had more fear access.
I do not mind building for Terror but Fear was nerfed not long after release (and we can thank Warrior for that), then nerfed again due to Terror being too strong back then.
Here we are in 2016, still nerfed.
Every key for every chest would be great.
Maybe the models and physics for materials will be updated. Right now, wings, coats, and long skirts are all rubbery and do not move naturally like you might imagine the cloth for a cape would.
Condition damage builds are good against bosses (as good as Necromancer gets) but cannot burst down trash mobs. That is why many PvE condition builds run minions – for the direct damage they do.
Berserker is still easier to roam open world with. Valkyrie is often used with Reaper’s Decimate Defenses.
I regularly switch between core and Reaper Necromancer so play how you like and give it some time.
Necromancer condition dps is ‘meh’ because it has Plague Signet and other overpowered condition management skills. I cannot begin to count the number of times my team has requested PS or, for that matter, SoU.
Necromancer is a condition management class. Unfortunately, other professions do not need that skill.
Conditions and boons, in general, could be scaled back but vulnerability and might, for example, are tricky because each stack has the same value – it is a linear equation.
- Reduce capability to stack might and vulnerability and there is little benefit to them playing solo.
- Increasing stack limits on bosses means the bosses will need countermeasures, which becomes a PvE balance activity.
I like that, too. MoC builds are always short of LF.
^
These other weapons come to mind as primary vulnerability stackers.
Warrior’s greatsword
Revy’s sword
Mesmer’s sword
Signet of Undeath is so abysmally useless it could be reworked so that activating it without a target provides a 2 minute charge that instantly resurrects the Necromancer from a downed state.
Also, Necromancer should have a trait that provides passive effects when signets are on cool down.
Axe feels pretty legitimate as a power weapon except for when a boss has near a 25-stack of vulnerability and its condition application loses all value. This is the same old story.
Axe should have an extra bonus such that critical hits to a target with a full stack of vulnerability also have a chance to inflict another bonus like…
- … Another condition that affects break-bars.
- … A projectile finisher.
- … A combo field.
- … A reduction of minion skill cool downs.
there is a hidden internal cooldown on the protection gaining from spectral wall if I remember correctly…
It doesn’t have a internal cool-down. Its actually much worse. You only get protection if don’t already have protection on you. Just test it, cast spectral armor and spectral wall then run though it.
I think this is generally how walls work to prevent people from stacking boons by crossing the wall multiple times. Mesmer has similar issues with Temporal Curtain.
Beginner’s low-cost condition damage build using the L80 boost
Build characteristics / goals
- Rabid equipment comes free with the level 80 boost for minimal entry cost
- Traits selected are conservative to provide continuous healing while new players learn to kite with scepter
- Master of Corruption and corruption skills help new players learn to manage conditions
- Minions may draw aggro and provide a minimum power-based dps
- Movement bonus based on dagger trait to ease mapping new areas
- Inexpensive runes and sigils for low investment costs
- Build is designed to leverage high toughness
- Inexpensive Tarragon Stufed Poultry leverages toughness to add vitality, and 10% experience bonus while training new players to continually maintain consumables.
Note 1: Utility consumable not chosen – Player should choose mob-type utility consumable for low cost and significant dps improvement and experience. For example, a Potent Potion of Dredge Slaying sells for just a few copper but improves dps by 9%, reduces incoming damage by 8%, and gives an extra 10% experience
Note 2: New players are encouraged to join a guild for material harvesting points and free guild potions providing important boosts to new players such as a karma boost or gathering boost.
Note 3: Warning, high toughness draws aggro!
Beginner’s low-cost power build
Build characteristics / goals
- Minion Master base utilities will help learn 3 key minion skills while minions hold aggro and provide a minimum dps. Two minions provide ranged damage while the others are melee.
- Plenty of movement bonus to ease mapping new areas
- Inexpensive runes, sigils, and trinkets for low investment costs
- Blend of Berserker’s and Valkyrie’s stat’s for decent dps while providing increased health and Life Force pools.
- Soul Reaping traits chosen to demonstrate and train Death Shroud use
- Weapons chosen to support rapid Life Force pool refill and provide practice in doing so
- Inexpensive power-food Bowl of Eggplant Sautee gives might on kill, ferocity, and 10% experience bonus while training new players to continually maintain consumables.
Note 1: Utility consumable not chosen – Player should choose mob-type utility consumable for low cost and significant dps improvement and experience. For example, a Potent Potion of Dredge Slaying sells for just a few copper but improves dps by 9%, reduces incoming damage by 8%, and gives an extra 10% experience
Note 2: New players are encouraged to join a guild for material harvesting points and free guild potions providing important boosts to new players such as a karma boost or gathering boost.
I like Misfire Wolf.
We really should post some low-cost, easy-play builds for new Necromancers and get the list stickied.
Viper is still the best condition damage armor but Necromancer condition dps is not meta, though it is useful on random bosses. Berserker builds have more variety and are better for most open world roaming.
Other options for a power build are..
Drop staff for axe-focus
Drop Blood Magic for Soul Reaping and trait shouts, Cv, and BB while slotting power/might duration runes.
Run a power MM
There are several playable builds for roaming Hot.
I like Sand Witch
Don’t forget the Sand Traps
^^
Pretty good build, Obtena.
For kicks, try Putrid Defense instead of FotM to let your minions die a bit easier (and explode) because you run sceptre and will perma poison.
Account bound Black Lion salvage kits.
Blade Shards
Amalgamated stones
Collection items (or just consume them and show which have been obtained on a single page)
Leftover seasonal items
Petrified wood
Bloodstone rubies
Scribe crafting materials
(edited by Anchoku.8142)
Easiest HoT roaming builds are berserker power MM or viper/sinister condition Minion Master. Minions add sustain by holding aggro.
After them is berserker shouts. The shouts add the necessary sustain to a glass build by its AoE conditions.
I would only use Death Magic on condition damage builds but that is my personal preference. Spite can let you trade staff for axe-focus, which is good for minions.
(edited by Anchoku.8142)
Your build selection chosen for the editor is PvE. You also have AR for what I assume are high level fractals. In that context…
First, I suggest changing to more offensive stat’s. Use some mix of berserker and/or valkyrie, with more valkyrie if you feel too squishy.
Your build is too conservative to get good dps and agony ignores toughness, iirc, while increasing your health pool increases remaining health even though agony burns through more health per second. That is, 10% agony damage on a 10k health pool leaves the player with 9k health whereas 10% on a 20k pool leaves the player with 18k. In comparison, toughness has no benefit versus agony.
You also do not have enough ferocity to make good use of your power and precision. Precision lets you crit’, which comes with a 50% damage bonus, but ferocity adds additional bonus damage. Once you crit’ enough, ferocity scales up your power-based dps.
Second, you do not need both Blood Magic and Death Magic when running Minions. Use DM for a condition MM build and BM for power MM. Try adding Spite (dps) or Soul Reaping (sustain).
Third, you appear to have chosen three reaper traits I would not think work well together on a MM. For a power MM, I might take Chilling Nova, Chilling Victory, and Blighter’s Boon.
Fourth, you can also play a condition MM. The loss of the rats does not affect condition MMs as much because minions mostly do power damage and you can take Death Nova. (When traiting Death Nova, consider traiting Putrid Defense instead of Flesh of the Master.)
There is time, yet. Good luck.
Necromancer is for players that love underdogs.
Roaming and zerging have different builds. Roaming is closer to PvP using corruption and conditions. Your rabid set will work well enoughfor that. Zerging is a staff, power-wells build people often use soldier’s or valkyrie but not condition damage.
Necromancer elites kind of suck for WvW. Plague does nothing but delay being downed. It should come with super speed. Lich is like a big, green target and is also useless. It should give fury to allies and the auto attack should be a blast finisher. Wandering flesh golem gets confused so often it ought to proc’ an AoE stun when it bumps into a target.
Balance does not have to be perfect between professions for raids. It just has to be close enough that groups will grab any profession available to fill the raid slot.
Even after the patch, especially after the patch, raids are more exclusive. Arenanet should nerf next month, too, and keep nerfing until no one can tell the difference between professions outside of graphics.
Boons and conditions got way out of balance compared to their costs. Get rid of the extreme buffs and debuffs, then fix base damage.
If Arenanet nerfs all of the best builds, then it will not matter what you show up with.
Or, raids will lose their attractiveness and have their rewards buffed.
Or, raids will stop being supported.
Tequatl’s sea turtle sister Squirtl.
Check for lag issues. I terrorized and burned the labyrinth for candy 3 hours this morning and did not see a problem, either.
Necromancer is forever a class that relies on other players to be around to achieve its potential.
I feel like crying. Your statement is overpoweringly true. The anti support class.
Well, Necromancer was designed to be the “selfish” class so I guess anti-support is still buried in the design. The Blood Magic rework helped provide some group support, though, and the shouts do that, too, if you are not fighting a boss immune to all of them.
I have been trying different builds to see if a hybrid will work without scepter and its auto-attack. I am sick to death of scepter being the only means of using the condition damage stat. I may even drop Viper’s to get some boon duration, in which case I would swap dagger for greatsword and the Curses for the Reaper line.
Keep that positive attitude, Lily. It is why we both continue to play Necromancer.
Decreasing the rat population should show the developers the true weaknesses of this profession just as cutting down on boon-sharing does for Mesmer.
The October update seemed to target skills for nerfs that could be scaled beyond original intent in group play. Trait changes were largely absent, too.
Usually, we see more scattered skill changes and more trait reworks.
Do you think the changes were meant to set new profession baselines for a larger balance and, possibly, new elite lines?
(edited by Anchoku.8142)
Necromancer is more of a light Warrior than a mage with more capability at short range. Its easy-mode is minions.
Mesmer looks more of a caster and creates duplicates of itself for its own easy-mode.
Elementalist also has a caster type aesthetic and has elemental summons.
All professions in GW2 tend to reward melee combat with higher outgoing damage and have options for defensive, support, ranged, and melee play so you could build a “caster” out of anything, even a guardian, though the aesthetic may not fit your desires.
(edited by Anchoku.8142)