Guild Wars 2

Some basic tips:

- plan your dodges, use them around obvious enemy animations.
- use your abilities properly, don’t spam them.
- watch your conditions and their buffs.
- interrupt heals or other big casts if possible.
- use your class skills properly.

Also at the end of the day in WvW, you may be specced for zergs when they are specced for 1v1, which just puts you at a disadvantage. Make sure your spec compliments what you are doing.

I feel like if you add a 3rd strike as a chain that deals the same damage and vulnerability but make it a final attack, and add splash damage to the first 2 strikes, then you now have a more attractive weapon.

I love my power necro in WvW, really can’t imagine playing another class or spec.

I play in what is essentially a zerker amulet/Valkyrie jewel stats with the usual trait set up, except I bring an axe mainhand and staff as I find that staying at range is the key to staying alive and not being the aforementioned rallybait. It took a long time to get better at positioning enough to not get destroyed, but now I don’t have any issues.

My favorite thing is hitting an enemy Zerg that isn’t prepared, dropping 2 wells and hitting Lich form. You can down 4 or 5 people alone of they arent ready for you.

None of these threads have blown up but I will post in all of them: I want the old tiered system back. It doesn’t need to be permanent, but I want it back.

I like the idea. It could at least make late week WvW fun.

You could change the green team to yellow, then you could merge the colors when the teams joined up (red and yellow would be orange team, red and blue would be purple team, yellow and blue would make green team).

pierwola.9602:

Roe.3679:

That hasn’t been true since weakness was buffed a few months ago. Weakness is a 25% reduction in DPS.

I mean difference between weakness and blind,
1miss on 5 attacks give you 20%

On the same attacks, sure. But you can blind an AA and get hit with a huge attack. Plus weakness reduced endurance recharge.

pierwola.9602:

Rennoko.5731:

pierwola.9602:

JonPeters.5630:

AN UPDATE
Weakening Shroud. This trait now does a smaller version of Enfeebling Blood when entering Death Shroud. Bleeding (1 stack only; 6 seconds [10s with full condition duration spec]). Weakness (2s [3s with full condition duration spec]). No ICD.

Obviously this is a very big change so please discuss, and keep your discussion constructive, so that we can actually talk through the merits/downsides.

Jon

For me you should replace “weakness” with “Blindness”, 2s seems pretty low for something that has only 50% chance to work

But there is a 100% chance that zerker thief is going to go to down on my butt. So I will take the 25% reduction on his next 5ish attacks in that 2 seconds over causing just one miss.

Its only 5% difference in reduction(on paper) and blindness is way more useful

That hasn’t been true since weakness was buffed a few months ago. Weakness is a 25% reduction in DPS.

I made a thread about this earlier, but I would love if it went to tier matchups for at least a month. Let us all fight equal opponents for a time. So many servers have changed quite a bit, I think it would be fine if we all got to fight out where we stand.

It doesn’t need to be permanent in case it would get stale again, but it would be great for a couple weeks.

For what class attributes you posted, it’ll be the guardian.

I command on my necro sometimes and I find that foot in the grave is a highly important trait. The lack of stability can really hurt when you’re trying to lead a group and getting bounced around like a toy.

I run those traits with a zerker heavy, Valkyrie light build. It’s very fun in group and Zerg play, but the build I use needs some tweaks for roaming. Still works really though.

Simple topic.

Please consider going back to a glicko score-based tier WvW format after the first WvW season.

I know players complained about the constant fights with the same servers and why WvW no longer works this way. But since then there has been so much change among servers and frankly, I think we all might appreciate some even and fair fights.

This doesn’t mean the random factor shouldn’t be reintroduced at some point, or that the season shouldn’t ever come back in some form, but I know I would really like to fight the servers closest to my own in WvW strength, at least for a little while.

Please give this thought some consideration.

Very interesting discussion that I missed today. I like where a lot of this is headed.

If I may add one thing: please don’t hurt power specs to balance condi Necros. I feel power Necros are in a good place right now as being strong in niche situations and weak in others, the way I feel classes should be. Moving some key traits could end poorly for power Necros.

Anyway, I do like some of the changes mentioned here, especially for dhuumfire, and I like adding strategy to terror being discussed. No offense to Devs, but I loathe that my beloved necro was turned into a spammy buttonmash class. Before 6/25 it took knowledge and ability to play necro, and I liked it that way.

You should do your homework, so maybe that’s good.

Stand The Wall.6987:

everyone keeps saying, oh just use scepter 3, or deathshroud them to below 90%. ok, now our only direct damage skills are on a 10sec cooldown, giving the ele a 10sec window to regen and spike us. oh, eles have such a low health pool obviously it wouldnt be hard. are you idiots aware of how much regen capacity an ele has? i know you do. thats because youre ele mains who want necro to go back to being an autokill class. eles already have the highest condition removal in the game after warrior, now they get flat out immunity, possibly trumping the warrior. this gm trait is kittening kittened.
every condition build is on trouble.

Yes, my ele main can’t wait to put 30 points into a questionable tree, blow all my cooldowns to keep my health high enough and just pray that the necro I’m playing is too bad to know how to deal barely noticeable direct damage, all so I can be their direct counter. I’ll do all this when thieves still exist and warriors are still a huge problem.

/sarcasm. I don’t even have an ele.

This is not directed at anyone in particular but I really think this will hardly be a problem, and even then it wil only be a problem for bad players who faceroll their Necros and not for good players who can actually think.

Drarnor Kunoram.5180:

Signet of Restoration would be the obvious companion as it would allow everything else the ele does help in keeping them above the threshold. That does, however, get significant boost from Written in Stone, which can’t be taken alongside Diamond Skin (thankfully). Alternatively, Aether Renewal clears the conditions from them as well as gets them back above the threshold.

Most of the rest of their sustain is from traits. Most eles take points in Water Magic, which means they have health regen while attuned, and Healing Ripple for a burst of healing on-attunement (plus condition cleanse from Cleansing Wave) . Balancing between Earth, Fire, and Water attunements allows for good healing, condition clear, and survival skills. The X/X/30/30/X bunker build that I am certain we will see will be nigh impossible to take down as a condition necro.

I do recognize that this trait is not anywhere near as strong as Automated Response System on Engineers. The issue is that outright immunity with no duration is just saying “no, that strategy doesn’t work. Period.” Rather than “That strategy isn’t your best move.”

I understand. And if it were 80% instead of 90, I would actually be thinking about this as a potential problem if I still ran condi. But 90% is too high to use your heal on, waste cooldowns, etc. it’s not enough health you need to whittle down to get them to a vulnerable state.

Healers also allowed for fights to stagnate or never end. The grass isn’t exactly greener in that regard. This way everyone gets action instead of watching a lot of health bars.

Drarnor Kunoram.5180:

Roe.3679:

Karpalo.5148:

Case in point.

All the answers you listed are something you would typically only see in a direct damage build, apart from the flesh golem, which you don’t typically see at all plague being the mandatory elite skill even for the power builds.

Oh no, you may have to adapt your build slightly? The horror!

Haven’t most Necros in spvp been saying that the only reason we were so OP was because no one changed their spec to deal with conditions? And now taking one different utility to deal with what will surely be a rare and specific build is too much to consider?

Again, life blast. Problem solved.

Condition cleansing is a soft counter to condition builds and there, it was a case of “you always had the tools to counter the tools we always had, you just chose not to use them” In the case of condition clears, the conditions still did SOMETHING before getting removed. Diamond Skin is a new tool to specifically hard-counter condition necros (as they have very little direct damage).

In the case of immunity, it’s “Nice try. I think I’ll auto-attack you because you can’t do jack to me.” Elementalists may not take much to drop below 90% health, but given the sheer amount of sustain they have, keeping them there will be extremely difficult when you, at most, get 3 bleeds on them before they heal back up (and probably cleansed the bleeds in the process).

What sustain do eles have nowadays? It’s been a Long time since the feared d/d ele. Yes, they can, if they completely waste cooldowns, stay above 90% for a little while. Big deal, they’ll melt quicker without their heals and immunities. This is a class that needs help and I doubt most of them take this trait anyway.

Karpalo.5148:

Case in point.

All the answers you listed are something you would typically only see in a direct damage build, apart from the flesh golem, which you don’t typically see at all plague being the mandatory elite skill even for the power builds.

Oh no, you may have to adapt your build slightly? The horror!

Haven’t most Necros in spvp been saying that the only reason we were so OP was because no one changed their spec to deal with conditions? And now taking one different utility to deal with what will surely be a rare and specific build is too much to consider?

Again, life blast. Problem solved.

They might counter with how we can generate hundreds of HP in the form of death shroud.

Classes are different and you can’t really compare them so directly.

They have already said there won’t be a second season for some time and that things. Will go back to the random-ish matchups. Personally I hope they go back to the more static, stay in your tier fights because I think people will appreciate those more now. I would actually not mind if things were switched periodically between static and randomized.

Nemesis.8593:

unleashed.8679:

dhuumfire is not strong. Even with 100% cindi duration and 3100 candi damage in WvW it adds 6*1100 damage damage every 10 seconds. that can be cleansed. Or in other words it increases your DPS by 660. For PvP it is even lower with (750*3) 225 DPS. These numbers ignore the fact, that it wont trigger direct after the 10s iCD.

This also ignores the fact, that it can be cleansed so it deals not the full damage. The only thing, that makes dhummfire strong is the fact, that you can’t miss it, because this will not trigger the iCD. But that is the same for every on hit effect.

E: oh and one thing, in WvW most people use -40% condi duration so it is only 3*1100 -> 330DPS there

/slow clap
What more needs be said…

I’m a little surprised to see our Necromancer Champion sticking up for such a simple and mindless mechanic that has likely been the motivation of some nerfs to other beloved necro skills. I would trade dhuumfire for old corrupt boon and old putrid mark in a heartbeat.

I feel like moving dhuumfire doesn’t really help. Keeping it at 30 in spite makes it a huge investment that not all Necros make because it is so hefty.

Another thing is that if you move axe training to grandmaster, it’ll be a nerf to some power specs that use axe training and close to death. Axe training would need a pretty big buff to compensate that loss.

Reworking it is needed but making what seems like a small change has huge ramifications, even for the unintended specs.

Rennoko.5731:

Scepter 3 with no condi on the target in dire and rabid is laughable weak. Maybe in conjunction with some life blasts, but those are exceedingly weak as well on those builds , especially dire. Keep in mind the ele isn’t standing still, he is stunning and dodging and keeping regen up to prevent you from getting him down below that mark.

I expect the mark to be moved to 80. And that build will completely shutdown dire necros. Frankly that is fine as that build needed more counters. I just don’t like that it is a super hard counter vs. a soft counter.

Dire was too strong though, so either way it is an ok move.

Use life blast. It still does 1k crits in full dire if you are within 600. Putrid mark hits pretty hard, too.

Like I said, if you can’t figure out how to get an ele to 90% HP, you deserve to lose, as it’s hardly an OP trait; 75% would be a different story. Most eles don’t have more than 15k HP though, so it only takes 1500 direct damage to make it happen.

If anyone loses to an ele due to this trait, you were going to lose anyway. It really shouldn’t be on anyone’s radar.

This overall seems like a very good patch.

I have one question/comment though: why is necromancer’s (my main) spite 15 healing power to begin with? It scales very poorly with anything except possibly well of blood, and if you’re into a niche blood build that takes the healing transfusion trait. Considering most Necros currently go into spite and do not use those skills and traits, it’s just a silly change for 200 healing power in a power spec, which does very little. Any other stat would be more beneficial.

And why not adjust spite 25 too? I’ve almost never noticed the might this trait gives. It’s at such a low threshold of health.

What is the outmanned buff improved the AOE cap? I mean, I know it’s hard in the servers but surely if there is extra space for more players the servers have some room to expand the AOE cap? I wouldn’t know as I’m ignorant on the subject, but I think hat could go a long way.

I also know there is some reluctance to give the outmanned buff any significance due to people potentially being mad at each other, but I’m not sure how widespread that would be, or how that is really any worse than the current situation.

I don’t like any idea that gives points for capture only. It only encourages even more zerging and less defending. I stand by my previous post that the rewards need to be improved for losing servers and there needs to be more incentive to hit the winning server instead of hitting whoever has paper doors, meaning the objectives that have also recently been taken and not upgraded.

Making transfers down WvW tiers cheaper could also help. I can already guest to any server I like for PVE, so WvW seems like the best motivation to transfer.

I think a small fix can really help in this regard.

The leading server is usually winning because they have the most coverage, and the most numbers. Attacking them invites their zerg to respond to your map, and they usually have more upgrades, more siege, and more defenders. Why attack the leading server, when the 2nd or 3rd place server’s keeps and towers are worth just as much, but are much easier to take? It only results in more picking on the losing servers, instead of standing up to the winning server.

Only in very close matchups is there really any reason to attack the first place server.

Capture points need to have a gradient of points AND rewards, much like there is already a gradient for events in gold, silver and bronze. Things that should be included in a the point/reward gradient:
- How much the target point is upgraded
- How many points the target point’s current server has earned
(possibly) how many defenders are on the map

These quick changes to scoring AND rewards can motivate a player or zerg to attack bigger numbers and take what they can. That way it really could encourage 2v1s against the biggest server, instead of cannabalizing another losing server in a quest for points and loot.

One other idea: perhaps the outmanned buff should reduce the supply needed to build siege, and potentially improve siege HP and/or damage. I would love to see a huge “zerg trap,” that explodes when so many invaders enter a certain radius. If it went off with X number (30, 40?) invaders in a certain radius, it could deal big damage and maybe CC or inflict conditions, or a combo field, or anything. Any advantage it could give to defending against large numbers could encourage more defense against large zergs by smaller groups. Perhaps this could be sold from an “Outmanned” vendor, and only allowed to be placed when a sever is outmanned? I know there is a resistance to changing outmanned to be more beneficial, but the opposite seems to be allowing numbers to rule the day.

aspirine.6852:

Roe.3679:

aspirine.6852:

DevonCarver.5370:

Zikory.6871:

DevonCarver.5370:

Not yet, but we have a plan and, barring a setback, it will be in before the end of the year. Keep in mind, the solution we are rolling out is just a general solution to make it feasible to make them without running fractals, not necessarily a WvW focused solution.

Can you offer any information on your ideas behind that? Will it be a item that will just replace the fractal item in the mystic forge? Also is it going to be a item that can be obtained through regular game play and not force people to run particular content?

It will be and it will fall in line with the other Ascended crafted gear. I don’t want to talk specifics until we are locked in, but the idea would be that you can relatively easily acquire the item that is replacing the fractal item. You will still be able to use the fractal items as well.

kitten all this crafting. Ever considered that people do not like to farm for months for one char and have 8 alts?

If you don’t want to put in the work for an ascended backpiece, then don’t and stick with exotic. It’s not a huge boost in stats, but if you want it, it’s already not that hard to get.

But that’s just it, insane amount of work in pve, people here like to do wvw much more than chopping forrests and be one of the seven dwarfs.

I get it, I’m a wvw player too. But you’re arguing over a 1% increase in stats, maybe 2% at most, and that is assuming they have the stat set up you want. I got the piece needed to make the ascended back in the mystic forge by entering fractals solo until I got the grawl fractal, killing them all, and eventually getting the drop needed. It wasn’t that hard. So if you want it, do it, if not, it’s not that much work. Theyve said over and over that wvw isn’t an exclusive game mode.

A necro in the necro us forum posted a build with a lot of blinds and foot in the grave and claimed it ate warriors up. I could see it working.

aspirine.6852:

DevonCarver.5370:

Zikory.6871:

DevonCarver.5370:

Not yet, but we have a plan and, barring a setback, it will be in before the end of the year. Keep in mind, the solution we are rolling out is just a general solution to make it feasible to make them without running fractals, not necessarily a WvW focused solution.

Can you offer any information on your ideas behind that? Will it be a item that will just replace the fractal item in the mystic forge? Also is it going to be a item that can be obtained through regular game play and not force people to run particular content?

It will be and it will fall in line with the other Ascended crafted gear. I don’t want to talk specifics until we are locked in, but the idea would be that you can relatively easily acquire the item that is replacing the fractal item. You will still be able to use the fractal items as well.

kitten all this crafting. Ever considered that people do not like to farm for months for one char and have 8 alts?

If you don’t want to put in the work for an ascended backpiece, then don’t and stick with exotic. It’s not a huge boost in stats, but if you want it, it’s already not that hard to get.

I thought completing the wvw meta achievement got you parts to create an ascended backpiece? IIRC that is how it is going to work.

I despise the master and grandmaster minor traits in spite, I think they are both terribly useless. If the master minor trait gave anything besides healing power I would prefer it, and if the grandmaster (one of the worst grandmasters I’ve seen in the game) gave might under 50% health, you could at least use that to your advantage, take some damage and heal, then fighting with more might. Then it could be useful, and seems like a necromantic thing to do; playing with life and death like that.

I also dislike the adept and master minor traits in death magic, like most other people do. They are hardly useful for even minion masters.

I’m pretty sure most guardians use knights gear. If you aren’t dying a lot though, you can stay with whatever you like. But if you are in a organized group, they may expect you to play a different role than a zerker guard.

How do you propose that happens? You aren’t wrong but the issue is actually incentivizing skill. It’s difficult if not impossible to do.

Aaron.4807:

Zephyrus.9680:

Aaron.4807:

Draygo.9473:

I’m on a server with no queues. You can transfer to a server with no queues as well.

What about those players that actually give a kitten about their community and built is from the ground up over the course of a year? Like SoR? Telling people to transfer so they can play the game mode that was the REASON WE BOUGHT THIS GAME IN THE FIRST PLACE is not a valid argument.

You mean the people who paid for other player’s transfer costs to your server? Maybe it’s time for top tiers to transfer DOWN for a change.

I have already explained that SOR has never paid for a guild to transfer. The one exception was IRON and we do not regret that one bit as they are one of the best and most dedicated guilds on our server. On SoR we see other servers buy guilds and we have seen just where that got them.

So you don’t pay for guilds, except you have in the past. So you just don’t do that anymore?

clint.5681:

Seniority does count when you are the group out there bustin your kitten each week in WvW and people who only come for AP comes in and ruins your organization and hard work. People who don’t want to listen and just wanna take SM and other foolish things. Same people who will be gone after getting there achievements

How do you know they will be gone? Perhaps you could strengthen this legendary community by welcoming them instead of having your elitist attitude.

Aaron.4807:

Agricola.2817:

Bunnehboo.6025:

Draygo.9473:

I have no sympathy for you. SoR encouraged guilds to transfer to them. You get what you ask for.

You stack your server you suffer the consequences.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/wuv/recruitment/T1-SOR-Looking-For-Late-NA-OCN-SEA-WvWers

Sicne your in a guild Apath Inc shouldnt you be minding your own business in game and not caring what other ppl do or complain about?

I saw your post before you edited it, you seem really upset about your server stacking.

You’re in tier 1, its going to happen, but I thought you guys would of expected and accepted this along time ago with your constant calls for more numbers. There are plenty of servers that need people if you want lower queues.

You and the others in this thread that are speaking for T1 servers when you are not actually in one of them need to stop. You have NO idea what you are talking about and you are just blowing smoke up our kitten. I have been on SOR since day one and I can tell you that WE TURN AWAY THE MAJORITY OF GUILDS THAT WANT TO COME TO SOR. You ever heard of the big 4 on SOR? It is the same 4 guilds that it has been for almost a year now. THAT is a community, THAT is players and leadership dedicated to building a community. We don’t pay ANY guild to come to SoR. We recruit for coverage and WE AREN’T even doing that anymore. We always had queues. But now the queues ARE 5-8 HOURS LONG because people that have no interest in actually fighting with us are flooding wvw for some meaningless achievement points. It is destroying wvw and communities that worked hard to build themselves up. Communities that have fought together side by side for almost a frigging year. Thrown away into the garbage.

So, your community is so great, but your community is destroying your wvw?

Ty for the response! I didn’t realize that trait gave that much might.

This build is very similar to what Ive been toying around with as well, thank you for posting it. I’ll have to give it a shot.

I’m on BP, looks like it should be a really fun and competitive season for us. Much better than how it was looking a few weeks ago, when we were staring at last place in gold league.

Good luck all, I’ll look forward to fighting you.

Question: does the might on healing trait work with medkit’s tool belt ability? Of is it upon switching to the medkit, or using one of the medkit’s packages?

I opened a good bit of chests yesterday and in some I had badges, in some I had siege, and in some I had 2 pieces of gear. I got 2 or 3 rares just from the chests.

Yeah this needs to be fixed immediately.

I don’t have any trouble with them on my power necro, and I never did when I ran conditions, either. It helps knowing what can hit them in stealth, what they need to pull off their combos, etc.

S/D is another story if they are good, but d/p isn’t that bad.

If you’re asking if you can 1v1 a level 80, the answer is going to be no. You will lose nearly every fight with an 80, unless they are very bad, or under geared, or already at low health.

But you can level in WvW, just hopefully you have a good group or a good Zerg to tag along with.

If you’re looking at a middle tier, I’m sure Borlis Pass would always welcome you back with open arms.

Sincerely,
Former Zero member Nec Roe.

I would love to see warhorn 5 give swiftness to allies, and then have a secondary action to activate the locust swarm. That way I can use it to close on a target and not lose uptime on my locust swarm. Or use the swiftness for travel without aggroing everything in melee range on the way.

I would love to see a whirl finisher on axe 2 to give it some more utility and interesting gameplay. The axe whirls around anyway, so it makes sense to me.

I want to see better traits in spite adept. Improvements to blood tree would be nice and death magic could be almost completely overhauled.

I wish we could use spear on land.

Having untargetted wells actually works very well with the dagger immobilize, even followed up with a warhorn daze or fear to keep them from dodging out. Using them at range keeps people from being CC’d in them. It works extremely well for WvW zergs and it’s ok for PVE, but beyond that it isn’t really all that special.

Nuzt.7894:

Roe.3679:

Players are just as guilty of creating stacked servers.

Not true, Anet is absolutely at fault, they provided the means to allow it to happen and did nothing to stop it (months ago) when it was obvious what the outcome would be. It is their responsibility to watch and make sure these things do not happen, they failed to do this because transfers = money. Anets greed is the cause of the current imbalances, the higher Tiers should have been locked months ago to prevent the massive stacking.

Players used transfers because they were available to them, it is Anets responsibility to govern these things to ensure it doesn’t get out of hand.

Read what I wrote, it says just as guilty. Just as. I also believe, like you, that there are things that Anet could be doing to balance out populations. It would be better for the game if it happened. However, players are still stacking on T1 servers all on their own.

Now that I’m not looking at the bottom of Gold league, I’m perfectly happy in T4. I haven’t felt any Anet pressure to move, so I can only assume that that Anet “making” us move to T1 is just a player excuse for paying to win. So you can all rage at Anet all you like – they certainly deserve some of the blame – but the player base deserves the rest.

Again, servers were stacked months before there were even decent rewards for WvW. So I this whole reward argument is null and void.

T1 servers ^ no idea why it was censored.