Guild Wars 2

Re watch the POI at the part where they are showing class skills and think about potential counters and downsides to those skills.
Here’s what I can think of off the top of my head.
-Mace AA, its like the scepter for both the necro and mesmer rolled into one, except it is torment on a melee attack, seems pretty inefficient if the opponent can stay at range or have high HP
-upkeep skills seem potent, but bad use could mean accidentally locking down most of your skills for a time
-edit: axe 5 is like mesmer’s focus 4 without ground targeting and less control… on a ranged weapon

Now think about how current prefessions can counter without their new specializations

Necromancer: If they have Malyxx activated, and you’re condi specced or use staff the most, avoid if you’re alone. Otherwise, power necros should have little problem with a med hp profession that so far, utilizes a slow ranged weapon and a melee condi weapon. Fear can also render that hammer reflect skill useless. The CCs shown seem to be easily avoidable outside that chain skill, so watch out for that.

Ranger: Simple, their ranged weapon shown is far outpaced by your bow, now you all have to learn to cancel rapid fire when reflect is up (if Mesmers didn’t already make that apparent). Like you, they have a melee condi weapon setup, but they don’t have your mad evade skills, I would really like to see a condi ranger vs. condi revenant duel.

Guardian: Use your hammer 5 so their hammer is less effective so you can hit them with your hammer while their hammer is rendered sub par. Shout the Malyxx away.

Necromancer w/ Greatsword
~The “please let me into the meta and do more than just well bomb”imancer

One of the most build defining traits for the power necromancer is death perception. If you can just get your crit chance to around 30-50%, that is all you need. You can then invest in gear with more survivability.

If you haven’t yet, go to the options menu, and under game play options, look for the setting that changes how ground targeting works. Change that setting and experiment with the staff, otherwise that weapon can be a pain to use.

A few patches ago, necromancers got the ability to rez allies in death shroud.

When stomping an enemy player, you can activate plague form elite skill to gain stability and secure a stop, though I wouldn’t recommend doing it unless there are other foes in the area.

Outside of the auto attack, your main hand dagger should never be your main weapon. It is used for gaining life force quick in melee or using the other skills from afar when your foe is attacking someone else, same goes for the focus’ spinal shivers.

I’m not sure what the other applications for condition necro are outside being a noob killer.

With the trait banshee’s wail and 2 points in death magic, you can get perma swiftness with the war horn.

I think that a focus would be a better decision for the beast master. They seem more so than staves and scepters to focus on specific characteristics of a profession’s chosen magic.
I always thought it would be a cool idea for a focus on a ranger to conjure a sort of magic leash that further adds control to our pets rather than more attacks. For example, a skill that allows you to swap places with your pet.

Never tired this as I don’t use minions a whole lot, but his sounds solid enough.
http://intothemists.com/guides/2193-orrian_minion_master

Since you’re using spectral, I’m assuming you’re also optimizing for serious death shroud use. My advice would be to include berserk gear, but not full berserk. If you have deathly perception equipped you only need 40-50% crit chance, and with a reliable source of fury (think furious demise) you only need 30% crit chance. This is one of the biggest advantages a power necromancer has as it puts your critical damage on par with a full berserker while being able to throw in some valkyrie and/or cavalier gear for more survivability.

ArchonWing.9480:

Yea that build will work perfectly fine. One thing I’d suggest is to replace Near to Death with someone else. The faster DS recharge isn’t really going to matter that much since you don’t really have anything that procs on DS, except fury on DS which doesn’t matter anyways. You are largely restricted by life force when it comes to DS usage anyways.

Personally I like unyielding blast, because piercing life blasts are nasty. Path of midnight can be used for more utility. There’s also spectral mastery for spectral armor cooldown, but I think any of these will let you get more out of it.

Energy sigils are always nice because necros have no vigor, and you may also try fire/air sigils to do even more damage.

I assumed such, my trait choice is more concerned with the fact that after playing condi for so long and never going for any serious zerging contributions, a well build is going to take getting used to, so I equip safety nets like that.

Thanks everyone for your input! With everyone’s information, I have come up with something like this for zerging.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fRAQRBHhhG1IHNt0WbjNN83mYYomsGCiIDgIg6rYJyVA-T1RLwA2V/5lSoaKVgpsAg+BR7P4TJIA-w

I’ve been practicing with my staff in spvp ever since a guildie recommended that I practice using it with the fast ground targeting option on. When I get better, I’ll switch the cavalier armor for valkyrie and change a lot of my traits as well(getting rid of blood magic). For smaller groups, I simply respec for spectral skills. For the sake of flexibility, I’m settling on having 30% crit chance when I have 4 in curses.

Thanks alot! I currently run axe/warhorn and dagger/dagger with axe being my flanking weapon and daggers for when I need to fight close range or immobilize the occasional thief harasser. In zergs, I run 0/4/0/4/6 or 0/2/2/4/6 with wells. One of the reasons I like warhorn is that it synergizes well with death perception, with constant crits and Lf regen for tanking as well as dazing groups after well of corruption knocks off stability. Embarrassing as it sounds, the reason I don’t go for 100% meta is that try as I may, I cannot get a hold of the staff outside fear chain cheese in spvp.

Hello all, so I’m theory crafting what armor I should wear for a mid/close range DS power necro for WvW. I currently wear mostly knights and I notice that with death perception and furious demise, I have 110% crit chance in death shroud.

So my question, assuming I want to throw in some valkyrie and/or cavalier stuff in there for good measure, what armor rating should I keep in order for a moderately skilled player (not uber competitive) to survive in zerg vs zerg and skirmishes? With my current gear, my armor rating in 2268.

edit: You can suggest it, but I reaaaly don’t want to give up my 4 in curses. Banshee’s wail plays a big part in my play style.

I would say just go with a condition build or hybrid build (like with rampager + celestial gear and specializing in stacking bleeds and vulnerability)
In every PvE environment, any build with a sense of focus in play style is completely viable if not 100% optimal. Even then, the full zerk meta is only more effective with certain professions with certain skills, none of which the necromancer has, so you won’t be fitting in there anyways. And trust me, if you get into the Twilight Arbor Aether Blade path paired with a condition ranger, the group will love you two assuming you equipped epidemic.

What I found out is that master of corruption would be useful if not for the fact that the only 2 corruptions ever used are on cool downs we will tolerate for terror. So here is what I thought of that would both make necro more useful AND add diversity to condition builds.

Master of Corruption
Reduces recharge of corruption skills
corruptions have additional effects

Blood is Power: grant nearby allies 3 stacks of might
Corrosive Poison Cloud: destroys projectiles in field area
Epedemic: Copies (not transfers) your conditions to foes afflicted
Corrupt Boon: seriously, what more do you need?

Jerus.4350:

Coffietire:

Jerks are lame. They’re on both sides, zerks joining non zerk groups and trying to impose their play style. And non zerks joining zerk groups and trying to impose their views and play style.

It goes both ways. People are often jerks, and there’s not much to do about that.

This is true, however, one problem is easier to solve than the other. Fixing the non-glass joining a full glass party is as easy as “ping gear.”

The other issue is a bit more complicated. When my guildies are offline and it’s time to pug, I got to face mixed groups with some being full glass. Nothing wrong with full glass, but these people, with +5k AP, don’t know how to play the dungeon or as an individual glass build (correct use of active defense, positioning, and when to use what attacks) outside the “kill it before it charges it’s laser” with many not even knowing about said laser because the whole community is steeped in their ways.

The result is rage quits, regroups, and a dungeon run on an easy path that now takes 2 hours rather than the 1 hour it takes for any typical path involving mixed groups and a little bit of teaching involved.

I shall now state confessions of one who mains a condi necromancer(working on making a hybrid).

First of all, let me state to the zerk fans, I’m on your side. You all are allowed to set up your zerk only no necros groups as much as you want. I won’t join your group and you won’t ever have to deal with me. Good? Good! I prefer grouping with my guildies anyways. (“We’re not skipping these Coffie, they might drop precursors!” -Zagerus)

However, what really kittens me off is when I join a pug with no indication that you want to do all zerk, all stacking and then complain to me, a profession who stinks at stacking, about my survivalbility and dps. This meta has formed a community that assumes that if you are not full berserker stacker, you must be brain dead or something.

I don’t have the gold, farming time, or inventory space to keep 2 entirely different play styles for WvW and PvE, but I have 2 hours to do an Arah run where my BiP/Epedemic/putrid mark combo melts groups of enemies to 50% before my warrior friend has finished his leap and feast of corruption that hits bosses like a truck(can’t wait to get my sinister armor for that).

Yet is all rendered moot with everyone with their blocks and vigors who insist on stacking, dieing while stacking, and dieing while skipping since their glassy and poorly timed a single dodge.

I guess what I’m trying to point out here is that I understand why the meta is what it is, and there is nothing wrong with full zerk groups. The problem is more about people trying to go full beserker, not creating specified beserker only groups, mess up with it (easy to do), blame the nonzerkers for their lack of dps, and start preaching their agenda on how full zerk is the only thing viable. You have to admit, at least that is a problem, even if it is just a minor community based one.

Meanwhile, my experience with full zerk is multiple failed aether blade runs and the first one I’ve ever completed involved 2 pugs, a full soldier warrior, me as a condimancer, and a condi ranger who admitted that she didn’t know if her armor was suited for her build, she just liked the look of it. We beat it in an hour with that charr guy being the only problem.

Sorry for a long post with no much of a point. I’m just letting everyone know what I at least assume is the OP’s point of view.

Honestly, I think most people’s opinion on necromancers in PvE is over exaggerated. Yeah, we might not be as effective and we have no group might sources, but if the group gets wiped, it is not going to be your fault. Our skills are awesome in the Aether Path and in the Silver Wastes, Blood is power + epedemic makes those large groups melt. I guess it helps when you got crazy guild mates like mine. (“Don’t skip mobs! They might drop precursor!” -Zagerus) As for the bleed limits, it is only really an issue if you got a sword warrior who is doing nothing but aa.

I guess to summarize, we’re lame in all the easy bits and awesome in all the hard bits.

Rising Dusk.2408:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fRAQRAoY4djc00Sb1Ne3wfbCcBB6BBaF9nOToaLA-T1RFABOp8DE9DA8EAaU9nEOJAwt/QWKBJFAMLrA-w

If you ever want Sinister to be worth it, you have to capitalize on high-power melee damage and take advantage of passive condition damage. The real winner here is the fact that the Spite line for Necromancer’s boosts both Power and Condition Duration, the best-of-the-best for both Power-based builds and Condition-based builds, respectively. Additionally, the Curses line provides both Precision and Condition Damage. These two things come together to make a hybrid Necromancer very possible, but no matter what it’s going to be 6/6/X/X/X or bust.

Furthermore, remember that the Necromancer (as a condi hybrid) is heavily outclassed by both the Warrior and the Engineer. If you want to be relevant, you need to be using Epidemic in order to enable condi cleave and you want to be packing Terror to really beef up the condition damage you’re outputting. This is also one of the rare cases where I think using D/D would be worthwhile. MH Dagger is your power option, and with Sinister OH Dagger becomes relevant and can double up the condi pressure from Blood is Power.

Note in my build above the use of Giver’s weapons, they are the best for a condition damage build. Furthermore, I’m using Weakening Shroud, which gives free bleeds and weakness when we flash DS for the Fury, which is nice. I have Rabid stats as a substitute because the website doesn’t have Sinister yet, so keep that in mind.

My build has +100% condition duration, tons of passive bleed procs, and Aristocracy runes for increased condition damage and might duration (from healing and from Blood is Power). What I’ve presented here is probably as close as you can get to the best hybrid possible with a Necromancer.

Alrighty, while creating my previous post, I was wondering if terror would be useful with doom being the only source of fear.

For the simple bread and butter application, well of blood + blood is power + epedimic + putrid mark should be enough to get non vet mob groups melting.

As far as your stats are concerned, something like this seems more useful

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fRAQRArY4djc00SbtN20webCcBZ6mXrC9gAti6CA-T1xCABOcEAlgAcCAub/hjPIAiofQiHAwRK/AA-w

I know there is currently no sinister option on this site yet, but by switching between knights and rabid armor, I have calculated that your crit chance will be 38%, your power will be 1925, and your condition damage will be 773

Although I for one would try to steer away from wells and try to focus on corruption skills, blood is power is great for hybrids, this will also give you more trait points to use in curses, giving you more crit chance and condition damage. For sinister hybrids, I am aiming for this.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fRAQRBLhhG1IHNV32Zj3Ns3mAXog+NDgWI6P4EyXqaDA-T1xCABOcEAlgAcCAub/hjPIAiofQiHAwRK/AA-w

Now my final stats will be 973 condition damage, 47% critical chance, and 1805 power. When you use blood is power, it will be 2155 power and 1323 condition damage.

Disclaimer: Not sure how bezerker scepter will work, but I would imagine that fest of corruption will hit like a truck, feel free to mess with the weapon choice. The off hand weapons were just personal preferences. (I <3 warhorn bugs)

As far as leveling goes, in 1v1 PvE scenarios, we can be quite lacking. However, if you face a group, open with staff marks #2 and #3, then blood is power on any enemy, then epidemic, use staff #4. If the enemy is not completely melting, enter death shroud and use #5. This is assuming you’re condition damage specced.

Deimos Tel Arin.7391:

why don’t we have a priority queue system ?

the quitters will play together with quitters.

We risk creating an underground community of tryhard theives and necromancers with victim complex.

I think the logic behind dishonored over priority is that with dishonored, those who rage quit for the first time will immediately know that they made an oppsie and try to improve their sports(wo)manship in a way that doesn’t feel like there is a fussy teacher complaining about your grades.

Swamurabi.7890:

It has to be Quagganzilla, we removed their temple, drained most of their lake.

Quaggan experimented using their own berserker state along with stolen Krait artifacts. The lore fits WvW.

If the winning side doesn’t stop Quaggan critical mass then Quagganzilla rises out of the 10 foot depths of what was left of the lake and destroys Bay, NW tower, Gari, NE tower and then Hills, before falling off the bridge to the lords room at Hills.

Also, Quagganzilla doesn’t die, he just pops back to normal size and goes, “OoooBooo, quaggan needs to sleep this off.”

Hammer sounds awesome, but I think it would be better if the AA could be ranged. After trying to make the dagger work with anything outside death shroud builds, I came to the conclusion that with out any easy to use gap closers, and no escape skills, the necromancer, as a light armor class, is not too suited for close range combat.
Also, we have so many traits for marks yet only one weapon that uses them, if the hammer could have 1 or 2 mark skills, that would be cool.
On the subject of the hammer having minion skills
-Wake the dead: A powerful aoe slam that pushes foes back, raises a jagged horror for every person that gets hit.

Also, I want a shield necro so we can have this skill
-Boo: hide behind your shield, if someone hits you, you block the attack, scream, “boo,” and cause aoe fear.

You must blast this after successful moa morphs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpvufrpAhls

Yelloweyedemon.2860:

They first need to fix necromancers for PvE, as its the only class that has no role in meta dungeon runs.

For PvP/ WvW, good necros are in a very good place.

For PvE, it’s not Necros that are the problem, it’s the meta. Anet never intended us to cuddle with bosses in a broom closet.

Not sure about your troubles with corrupt boon, but when playing terrormancer, there is nothing more hilarious than a hambow warrior opening with stability w/o bezerker stance and having that stability turned to fear.

I don’t see many running something like this, but I swear, thieves ambush me all the time, get a good couple of hits with me doing nothing, and I still melt them.
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fRAQNBLhZakjmuaLux3G2bTEMIS1a6b/CGZjAA-TlyCwAAOCAVeEA43fwgpmU6DwqsYyJAwn6PjVCeUpGA-w

edit: it doesn’t have the most potent runes or sigils, so lets call this dollar store cheese.

Condi Necro, full rampager, vigorous precision
Nothing but bleeds and barrel rolling

Unfortunately, I don’t think there is a way to refund it. However, if you somehow have another character who one day may find it useful, all ascended jewelry is account bound, even if you previously equipped it on another character.

Edit: If you get a different ascended ring, you can equip it. I know they don’t tell you this outside the wiki, but you just can’t equip two ascended accessories that are the same name.

Beating the heat with some purple drank!

I for one prefer axe+focus/dagger+warhorn, stack a lot of vuln in your opening before going all out rapid damage with locust swarm and the dagger auto attack. For WvW, Id say that if you have trouble dieing, you can switch your beserker armor for knights, gaining more toughness with a loss to damage without sacrificing precision.

Blood Red Arachnid.2493:

The real question is what is right with the sylvari. They’re this strange race of “people” who pop up out of nowhere, and we give them homes and jobs without a second thought.

And now they’re everywhere, and we’re not even sure what they are. The sylvari lie to you as soon as you see them: make no mistake, they don’t have genders. They just assume that form to be more readily understood, hiding the grotesque bark and fungus monster that lies underneath that exterior. You may think them normal, but you have to wonder why the elder dragons won’t corrupt the sylvari. Are they conspiring together? WHAT ARE THE SYLVARI HIDING!?

We talk about a few rogue sylvari going insane. But think: do you know any sylvari that wasn’t given over to blind zealotry? They all follow some etchings on a tablet, and the ones that haven’t given over to more modern culture all devolve into sadistic violence or utter madness. What guarantee do we have that the sylvari won’t suddenly turn on us, killing millions in the name of the pale tree? Because they say they won’t? Well guess what: we already know they are lying to us above. That’s not blood that courses through their veins. Its sap. Sap that has had no childhood.

The sylvari are already everywhere. They’re in our cities, in our schools, on our councils, in our armies. They’ve spread everywhere, taking the jobs that used to belong to honest, trustworthy people. People clamor for “equality”, but what is equal about our true, red-blooded children being displaced by barely sentient twigs who’ve had no childhood. No, those “equalists” didn’t think of the children, and this is because Sylvari have no childhood. The syvlari have infiltrated the highest levels of government, spreading their childless influence onto races they can’t possibly understand.

Charr need no gods. Charr 2015!

Long ago, I think Anglo Americans used to say the same thing about African Americans, and Irish Americans, and Chinese Americans, and everyone whose not them…..

I’d say the death system in this game is fine. It’s a half way meet between traditional MMO time wasting penalty optimized for sustaining multiple players to the simplicity of death penalties in your typical single player RPG (not counting rouge likes)

MrPersons.1560:

I hate how when you unlock a skin from an exotic it binds it. I only wanted the skin…not the item

I would say that this was a means to allow the wardrobe system to work well without affecting the economy.

One of their gods is technically a transsexual, so discriminating against sexual orientation should be downright sacrilege.

ronpierce.2760:

9/10. The fiery shoulders and leefy leggings are a BIT off putting but made up well with colors, overall very nice.

10/10 I envy all who own that hood
While it is a bit too on the “generic Skeletor clone” theme, it’s the best of its type I’ve seen

I’m going for a disheveled and gnarly druid theme

yay! now I have no reason to complain when I dont get a key

I’m going for a disheveled and lightly armored look with some nature elements too create something of a barbaric druid mix, hence the lack of shoulder armor.
Helm and gloves, sylvari t3
shoes, sylvari t2
chest, sorrows furnace
legs, citadel of flame

Nothing like dueling a thief in WvW and using your marks under your feet to tell when they are about to back stab you in stealth.

I’m heading for howler, I like the concept of a living wolf model spitting bees at my foes.

Bobble head + War horn glitch = chillaxing in WvW

Fat cat being majestic

This just happened

If you insist on grouping with those mob skipping and fun hating full zerkers, then yes, Necro will not be a fun class to play as. However, in a group that uses tactics over exploits, a necro can be an awesome debuffer, surprizingly, that don’t make bad healers ether.

Not sure what you mean by lack of mobility/escape.
Sure our choices are more limited than most professions, but spectral walk has gotten me out of a lot of tight situations. You don’t need to preserve your stun breakers as much since you can use doom when you’re knocked down.

My theory is that the Lion Guard will be bought out by the Courtesan

Warhorn + barbed precision + sigil of earth + reapers precision = awesome way to bleed and maintain life force while you’re in death shroud

Then… don’t make a Legendary?
Ascended stuff has the same stats and you don’t need to WvW at all.

I’m not good at WvW ether and that 500 badge price was one of those “get to it later” goals for me. I was disappointed when all required badges just poofed to me all at once with the intro to achievement chests. Now I am at 36 rank and tons of badges that I never use.

When a boss forces you to separate to survive, your gonna wish you had a healing necro with transfusion.

squishy kitten zerkers don’t know what well of blood + transfusion + deathly perception can do for them