Guild Wars 2

The Gear is the Summit Flag, some guy over Reddit came to that conclusion after some digging. It represents the cooperation of the 5 races, not another race.

So no Hype train for this. Wait til the next expansion.

Nuhoch Stealth Detection only lets you see enemies that are permanently invisible, such as Treasure Mushrooms and one of the Night-time bosses in Verdant Brink.

Enemies that use regular Stealth, such as Itzel, Mordrem Snipers etc. can still Stealth from view, far as my understanding goes.

Overall, Hammer fills many gaps by being so completely versatile. It’s got Projectile Defense, A Block, Spike Damage, Might Generation and Gap Closer all built into one, meaning that the Engineer only needs to pick a complimentary Kit to work alongside it. In PvP, Elixir gun is great Spike Damage, Sustain and Team Support, while Mortar provides AoE Denial, Poison and even more Support. In PvE, Grenade kit provides sustained Ranged DPS and burst Damage through toolbelt skills, and pretty much fills any gaps in offense that the Hammer lacks.

I’ve found that Slick Shoes is a great Addition to any Scrapper build. Superspeed/Stunbreak on the toolbar, resulting in a hefty sum of HP with Rapid Regeneration + an Awesome Break Bar Breaker, making Scrapper one of the better CC-focused Professions out there. Slick Shoes never leave my toolbar.

I see your Pocket Raptors and raise you with Mordrem Rollers.

Druid’s Lunar Impact and Glyph of Equality should definitely be added, as they add a 3/6s Daze and a 2/4s Daze respectively, in an AoE. Latter numbers are when traited with Moment of Clarity.

Considering that Berserker was all about Conditions, Damage and some Control thrown in on the side, I’m guessing that the next Warrior Elite Specialization will be Suppor- and/or Defense-based.

A few ideas:

Commander
Weapon: Pistol Main and/or Off-hand
Skills: Troopers (Minions) (Medic [H], Archers, Bard, Saboteur, Assassin, Phalanx [E])
Mechanic: Burst Skills are replaced with Rallies, which is dictated by Off-hand rather than Main-Hand. For example, with Shield equipped they get Steel Wall, which causes the Warrior to pulse Protection to nearby allies while damaging and knocking back enemies coming too close.

Commander Minions would differ from Necromancer minions in that they have 2 “modes” instead of a default mode and activated skills. For instance, Medic has “Heal” where they cast healing magic on allies, and “Ressurect” in which they seek out downed allies and tries to rally them. Archers have “Snipe” where they focus fire on the Commander’s target, or “Barrage” where they attack less frequently but with AoE Barrages instead.

Trait examples could be:
Avenging the Fallen: Troopers grant Boons to nearby Allies on death.
For the Greater Good: Rally Skills restore Health and Endurance to nearby allies.
All for One: Troopers grants nearby Allies an increase in their Stats.

Fighter
Weapon: Staff
Skills: Mantra (Less Magical, more the good Ol’ "Convincing yourself that cuts don’t hurt).
Mechanic: Access to a new F2 skill called “Stow”, which is exactly what it sounds like. The Fighter stows his weapons and gains 5 new powerful Unarmed attacks. In this mode, Adrenaline slowly detoriates similar to Berserk mode, but not quite as fast. This mode lasts until Adrenaline has run out or the Fighter willingly quits it.

Fighter Mantras differ greatly from Mesmer Mantras in that they Pulse Boons to the Fighter and nearby allies While channeling, and once done it gives access to a single, powerful skill such as an Attack or a large AoE Buff. For example, Mantra of War Channels Might and Fury to nearby Allies and grants access to Warcry, which will Break stun, Damage and Knock Back enemies around the Fighter.

Example Traits are:
Transcendant Rage: Fury you apply now also grants Regeneration.
Like Water: Gain pulsing Stability while Channeling a Mantra. Activating a Mantra Weakens nearby enemies.
Lionhearted: Damage is decreased by 3% for each nearby enemy, up to a maximum of 5 enemies.

There, Spoiler removed.

But it’s kind of old news by now.

Greatsword with Jora as legend.
Shortbow with Pyre Fierceshot as legend.
Main-hand Axe with Kalla Scorchrazor as legend.
Pistol Mainhand/Offhand/Both with Cobaiah Marriner as legend.
Scepter with Killeen as legend.

List can go on and on.

My main gripe with Mallyx is the poor synergy with many weaponsets and while leveling with it, it just seems to lack Identity. It was this great system of self-harm that was thematically fitting because Mallyx supposedly didn’t like riding Shotgun to my Rev. That’s gone now.

I think primarily the Specialization Line, Corruption, could use some rework:

Adept:

• Rampant Vex – This works well enough. Leave it as it is.
• Replenishing Despair – Should be reworked so you gain Health every second you’re afflicted by Conditions, for each Unique Condition Applied to you. This could be every 3rd second, like Warrior’s Adrenal Healing.
• Demonic Defiance – This is great, Keep it as it is right now.
• Venom Enhancement – Personally, I feel this should be baked in together with Yearning Empowerment so I’m gonna suggest a new trait in its place.
• Crushing Blow (New) – Whenever you apply a Damaging Condition to a target while wielding a Mace, outgoing Condition Duration is increased by 2%. Stacks to 10. Buff Duration: 10s.

With these changes, Mace will be in a slightly better place than before.

Master:

• Opportunate Extraction – Leave as is, good enough for a Minor Trait.
• Bolstered Anguish – Should increase Condition Damage for each Condition on the Revenant as well.
• Frigid Precision (Removed) – Rather Boring and not very useful, I think it’d be better to make a new trait for this.
• Fear of the Dark (New) – Combo Finishers in Dark Fields now additionaly Stacks Torment (2 stacks, 4s) to Each Affected Target. ICD: 1s.
• Spontaneous Destruction – In Addition to auto-Proccing Banish Enchantment, this should increase Condition Damage against enemies with No Boons by 10%, rewarding the Revenant for stripping Boons from enemies.

Bam, suddenly Staff and Hammer are a bit more viable for Condition Specs, as they can finally, and reliably, stack Conditions on enemies.

Grandmaster:

• Yearning Empowerment – Merged with Venom Enhancement. Whenever you apply Torment to a target, also apply Poison (2 stacks, 4s). Poison and Torment duration is increased (33%). ICD: 10s.
• Diabolic Inferno – Changed functionality. Striking an enemy while under the effects of an Upkeep Skill Burns (2 Stacks, 4s) them. ICD 10s.
• Maniacal Persistance – Changed Functionality. Your Chance to critically hit a target is increased by 2% For each Unique Condition on your Target and Incoming Damage is reduced by 2% for each Unique Condition on yourself.
• Unyielding Pestilence (Renamed) – Changed Functionality. Activating “Embrace the Darkness” now copies all Conditions from yourself to nearby Enemies. “Embrace the Darkness” Now breaks Stun and grants Stability (2 stacks, 6s) on Activation.

There, made Diabolic Inferno into a more broad and reliable trait for Applying Burning with every legend, rather than having to activate Elite Skills which are both costly and oftentimes have long activation times. I also added some defense to the Specialization Line to make it more suitable for Attrition Play, as Mallyx and Conditions seem to be designed for.

If a Daze is added to Staff 3, then the Dodge Component becomes kinda superfluous unless fighting Multiple enemies. In fact, it’d be counter-intuitive as the Daze no doubt would be short in duration, meaning dodging away results in the Daredevil being unable to capitalize on an Interrupt.

I’d rather they moved the Dodge Component to Staff 2, and gave Staff 3 the Chain-Skill-on-Interrupt treatment where Interrupting an enemy with the first quick strike gives you access to another skill, such as an overhead strike that stacks Vulnerability and Cripples the target, or even a short-distance Knockback (Since you’d have to actively Interrupt a target with the Daze, a Knockback component wouldn’t be particularily OP even without CD) in order to add more CC to the Staff.

Just my two cents.

I’ll echo the change I wrote up in another thread:

TheSwede.9512:

I think ANet looked at Celestial Elementalist in PvP and figured “Hmm, a rune that gives ALL stats MUST be good because Celestial gives ALL stats.”

Sadly, reality is much harsher than that. Ever since they Rune of Divinity, “All Stat” runes have been all but useless. Even Traveler’s is often overlooked for Speed Runes.

This rune set gives +36 to All Stats in total, whereas as regular rune gets +175 to a main stat and +100 to a secondary stat. The problem isn’t the total number, but that +36 to ANY stat is a negliable change you can always do without.

Rune of the Tempest needs to be changed, I propose the following:

• +25 Power
• +35 Healing Power
• +50 Power
• +65 Healing Power, +5% Boon Duration
• +100 Power
• +15% Boon Duration. While you have an Aura, you gain +150 Power and Healing Power.

Alternate 6th Bonus:

• +15% Boon Duration. While you have an Aura, outgoing Damage and Healing is increased by 7%.

No, you’re about right. I don’t have any tangible proof on me right now, but I’d check out the DnT forums or Metabattle for all your Numbercrunching and PvE needs.

The general gist of it is that Knight is approximately a ~30% (I think) DPS loss in comparison to going full Zerker, with only negliable differences in survivability (Toughness does nothing vs Conditions such as Burning, for instance).

That being said, a Mix of the Two, or a mix of Zerker and Soldier, will serve you well in places such as Maguuma allowing you a little more breathing room before you go down. All in All, Survivability hinges a lot more on Active Defenses such as Dodging, Blocks, Blinds, Boons, Heals or what have you, rather than the static defenses afforded by Gear and Stats.

That being said, Toughness does wonders in mitigating damage from light-hitting but frequently attacking enemies where you can’t exactly dodge away all the pain (Pocket Raptors and Smokescales come to mind) but you shouldn’t think yourself capable of tanking heavier hits. So it often depends on enemy types, situation and player skill.

I think ANet looked at Celestial Elementalist in PvP and figured “Hmm, a rune that gives ALL stats MUST be good because Celestial gives ALL stats.”

Sadly, reality is much harsher than that. Ever since they Rune of Divinity, All Stat runes have been all but useless. Even Traveler’s is often overlooked for Speed Runes.

This rune set gives +36 to All Stats in total, whereas as regular rune gets +175 to a main stat and +100 to a secondary stat. The problem isn’t the total number, but that +36 to ANY stat is a negliable change you can always do without.

Rune of the Tempest needs to be changed, I propose the following:

• +25 Power
• +35 Healing Power
• +50 Power
• +65 Healing Power, +5% Boon Duration
• +100 Power
• +15% Boon Duration. While you have an Aura, you gain +150 Power and Healing Power.

Alternate 6th Bonus:

• +15% Boon Duration. While you have an Aura, outgoing Damage and Healing is increased by 7%.

I’unno, I kinda figured they would go, with all that’s been buzzing about them since they were introduced.

But at least, they went on their own terms, with their own words and of their own choice while simultaneously giving a final flick of the finger to Mordremoth. If you ask me, it was a pretty good way to go, all things considered.

Tinni.4351:

Speculation on my part. But I think Zaitain’s “weakness” was Mordremoth’s power. Zaitan was death and so could be cleansed with life. But in the end, that power couldn’t be used to free Trehearne. But doesn’t make me any happier that he is dead. But I think this was Anet’s way to end the Pact and move the story forward with the three Orders being separate again.

Going back to Canach, I was scared too when he was running off. But I am glad they didn’t turn him. After everything the poor salad has gone through since The Lost Shores (way back in 2012), he deserves a chance to have some fun and go on a grand adventure with the PC!

Interesting theory there… Wonder if that means the Scepter of Orr would’ve been the Anti-Mordrem weapon then. And what if the others have similar opposites? Maybe the Tooth of Jormag will play a vital role in taking out Primordus, who knows?

But back on topic, Canach is a boss. He’s never angsty or frightened throughout HoT, instead he goes between Snarky arrogance and annoyance. Just the way he says “Is that supposed to be -me-?” to his cloned self inside of Mordy’s head speaks volumes of him as a character.

And Trahearne, well… Kiiiiiiinda obvious from the get-go that he wouldn’t make it, but at least he went out as himself and not a Mordrem puppet like Faolain did (And she was always despicable, totally had it coming.)

From this point on, I see the next Living story centering around us, the PC, either trying to rebuild the pact or go even further past that and unify all of Tyria once and for all. That’ll probably be Season 3 of the Living Story. After that, I’m guessing Kralkatorrik is next, what with Glint’s egg and all. (Though part of me wishes that by the time we get to him, we’ll only find that Palawa Joko beat us to the punch and took out the Elder Dragon himself, giving us an Enemy even stronger than an Elder Dragon.)

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

Brilliant! Especially the references. I don’t think you’re suggesting locking in each profession glider skin, as Heraldusluminare fears, but rather providing a skin for each profession which can then be changed. Great idea.

“Fly on the wings of Love and Righteous Fury!”

Indeed I am not, I’m just suggesting they be unlocked through some sort of collection or challenge attributed to the Elite Spec in question. Once unlocked, I could see them available to every character on the account, yepyep.

What if each Elite Specialization could unlock their very own Glider skin somehow? Like a collection of sorts.

As following:

Dragonhunter: Wings of Resolve
Fly on the wings of Love and Righteous Fury, teaching all those Mordrem the important lessons of peace, understanding and (very) aggressive foreign exploitation politics.

Druid: Wyvern Flight
Trusty Wyvern spreads his wings and takes you on a ride through the skies. Scratchmarks, bitemarks and any for of damage to apparel or clothing not covered by the warranty. Malnourished specimen are prone to breaking up mid-flight.

Scrapper: Gyrocopter
Because whenever you run out of Endurance you get to shout “Black Hawk down! Black Hawk Down!” Humming “Flight of the Valkyries” is optional. Screaming it at the top of your lungs is highly encouraged.

Herald: Wings of the Dragon
Dragon’s got your back. LITERALLY!

Tempest: Furious Winds
Today’s weather forecast is windy with a great risk for Awesome. Mordrem and other dragon critters are suggested to stay indoors.

Daredevil: Assassin’s Kite
It’s like the movie about Flying Kites, just involving more action, fighting, daring stunts and definite death from above! … Actually, it’s nothing at all like the movie.

Daredevil ALTERNATE: Cape
Not the Hero Tyria deserves, but the one it… Wait, wrong hero. Wrong company, even. Man, I screwed this one up pretty bad…

Reaper: Reaper’s Flight
Clad yourself in the Reaper’s robes and soar the night skies. Noone defies death. Unless it’s you, and the kind of Death is by gravity. But you kinda ARE Death so… perks of the job? Let’s go with that.

Chronomancer: Illusionary Wings
Maybe it’s a mind trick and you’re actually down on the ground all along? Maybe you’re suspending yourself in air through manipulating time and space? Maybe it’s Maybelline.

Berserker: An angry stare at the Ground
Gravity simply fears the implications of simultaneously making you angry and propelling you towards the earth at terminal velocity, so it let’s you stay afloat until you’ve found that perfect spot for a vacation home. And it Better!

Sniper’s Melee Knockback is a bit overtuned in terms of damage, considering it also does CC and has a 1/4s activation time. That is the only thing that needs to be taken down a notch, and not necesserily damage. I’d rather it had a lengthier activation time so that IF it hits me, it’s my own fault.

On another note, Stalkers do need to be looked at. I believe they can’t be interrupted during their Flurry Channel, even Normal and Veterans, but that might be a mistake on my part. Aside from that, their flurry is what deals damage and as long as you see it coming (Always after a Shadowstep) dodging through them is a solid 1-2 seconds of free hits.

Meanwhile, Punishers could use some come-uppance, they pale too much in comparison to their peers in term of threat. Their slow attacks are almost impossible to miss, and they’re not all too powerful even when they do hit. Give them an Immobilize or a Stun to make them more dangerous while you’re at it.

Mallis.4295:

NikeEU.7690:

Second best condi build is Ranger. Third is venom share thief (in a group only) and a distant fourth is warrior. Very distant.

Second is Guard (maybe first with minion changes).

Guard does Burst Burning while Ranger does Sustained Burning/Bleeds.

In PvP, Guard typically wins out. In PvE, Ranger typically wins out. It depends on Encounter Length and how much the enemy moves about.

Easiest but probably not the best Solution:
Leave things as they are and change nothing. Expect vitriol and negativity from one side of the camp (The “Entitled and Spoiled Casuals”) but praise and positivity from the other camp (The “ANet Fanbois and White knights”).

Another easy but probably not the best Solution either:
Do nothing but lower the overall cost of Elite Specializations, thus invalidating all the hard work put in by those of us who have already worked to unlock them and leaving us with surplus Hero points that we cannot use at all.

Not the Easiest Solution:
Lower the Cost of Elite Specs, refund players who already finished their Elite specs and give us a vendor that trades neat stuff for Hero Points, including satchels of them that can be given to alts.

Still Not the easiest solution:
Remove the new Healing, Utility and Elite skills from the Specializations training Line. With them removed, the cost will have gone down to 240 in total (Total cost of the Utility Skills currently: 25*5+45=125+35=160) which translates to 24 Skill Challenges in Maguuma overall. Anyone with world completion will have the entire Traitline save 2-3 Grandmaster Traits from the Get-go.

Meanwhile, each Elite Specialization, once the Adept Minor Trait has been unlocked, is given a set amount of missions to earn their Utility Skills. This could be like “Complete X Events in Verdant Brink” or “Gain 2 Bronze rewards in Adventures in Auric Basin”. The Healing Skill is earned in Verdant Brink, 2 Utility Skills are earned in Auric Basin, 2 more Utility Skills in Tangled Depths and the Elite is earned in Dragon’s Stand.

There will also be alternate missions surrounding events and places in the new Borderlands Maps, if people don’t wanna run around Maguuma to collect their Utility Skills.

I wouldn’t mind AT ALL if Electric Wyvern and Tiger were moved elsewhere, would make it SO much easier for me to get those. (I want my Tiger for Perma-Fury, pleeeeeease!)

But I have to say this:

Meanwhile, my Druid and her +25% Damage through Grace of the Land and Glyph of Empowerment says “Hi”.

But wether stacking Rangers is a bad thing or not is completely irrelevant. It’s not the Professions in a team that makes or breaks it, it’s Builds and Communication that does that. Do you really think most Warriors run with PS builds? Because from what I’ve seen so far they do Not. It’s DPS Warrior or Berserkers everywhere. Elementalist? Cantrip Solo or Roamer builds mostly, to survive the onslaught of the enemies about (Understandably so, because if they’re split from the group as Backline Zerkers they’re just about dead meat).

In optimal conditions you don’t want many rangers along (You want a few for Frost and Sun Spirit, as well as GoE/GotL if they’re Druids) but you don’t really want DPS Warriors, Celestial Eles or Burn/DPS Guardians either.

You want a, and excuse my french, metric kittenton of Boon Dispenser Guardians and Sinister Engis with the occasional PS Warr, Backline Ele, Chronomancer and Spirit Druid.

Looking in the Wardrobe, we’ve got 3 new Sets for each of the 3 Armor Classes: Bladed, Leystone and Guild Armor Sets.
Consider that most other games have often completely humanoid races (Such as WoW, with the exception of those KungkittenPandas, or ESO who have only humanoids with different heads, ears and teeth) whereas GW2 have Humanoids in Humans/Norn/Sylvari, Asura (Who are kinda humanoid but with a very different build, especially the heads) and Charr who are bipedal Cat monsters.

So in total, they had to make 3×3×3=27 different Armors in total.

And this is without mentioning the Weapons and Specialization Costume Pieces.

So I’d say they’ve got a pretty good coverage on that Front. Don’t forget that we got completely new animations to boot, that wasn’t just variations of existing animations. (I’m talking the likes of Daredevil/Revenant Staff Auto Chain/Melee Skills, Reaper’s Gravedigger, Scrapper’s Rocket Charge or Revenant Mace/Hammer.)

Solid 8/10

My only complaints are the over-reliance on Champions for Skill Challenges and not enough that are just Exploration and Jumping Puzzles and clever use of Mushrooms and Gliding. I don’t mind Mastery-gated Challenges, those are up to personal skills. I do mind the Number-gated challenges, though.

Second, the Map could use an update. Good luck finding ANYTHING at all in Tangled Depths. I’ve run across the entire map twice and still cannot tell if I’m on the second or third level.

Third, Rollers can go die in a pit of boiling tar and boyband songs. Mechanics are great, but they’re a BEEP to deal with on Daredevil.

Currently I’m running a Direct Damage build that’ll use Zealot primarily, with Berserker weapons and rings. Currently though, It’s Zerker Armor/Weapons/Backpack with Cleric Trinks for the Open World PvE in Maguuma.

Weapons will be Possibly Longbow, depending on how Raid Encounters play out. When it’s safe to go melee with a glassy build, I’ll run Sw/A. Staff might be the only viable option for stacking up AF, but the DPS is kinda abysmal. Haven’t really tried raids out yet, so can’t comment on that.)

Marksmanship for Personal DPS, running Clarion Bond/Steady Focus/Predator’s Onslaught. Once fixed (if ever) you could Swap in Moment of Clarity for a 6s Daze on Lunar Impact.

Skirmishing with Primal Reflexes/Spotter/Quick Draw, especially if you’re running Longbow then Quick Draw will shine with a Rapid Fire → Barrage → Rapid Fire burst and with Sw/A it’s Path of Scars all the way.

Last is obviously Druid, where I run Cultivated Synergy/Seed of Life/Grace of the Land, giving you loads of Healing, Condi Cleanse and a 15% Damage Buff for the party whenever you get into Astral Form. Lingering Light could be considered against groups of trash mobs, but Blind isn’t as reliable as before as some mobs are CC-immune.

For Utilities, I wanted as many glyphs as I could toss on. Glyph of Rejuvanation seems like the obvious choice for a Heal Skill: Quick cast, AoE Heal, creates a Healing seed that removes 2 conditions with Seed of Life and has a relatively short cooldown at 24s Base.

Glyph of Empowerment is a 6s unique Damage buff that adds 10% to all Allies. Given.

Frost Spirit. Old but still gold. Given.

Last slot can be whatever you need at the moment. QZ or Signet of the Wild for personal DPS, Glyph of Equality for AoE Stunbreak or Daze (Some enemies in the jungle need to be CC’d to be dealt with effectively. Looking at you, stupid Rollers.) or just Glyph of Alignment for even more healing.

Elite, you can run with Strength of the Pack for Stability, Spirit of Nature for a Rezz button or Glyph of Unity for the tether and another short CD condi cleanse.

All-in-all, the Druid really only shines at Straight-up Healing, Condi Cleansing and popping unique Offensive Buffs on their allies. Don’t bother with Concentration gear such as Minstrel, you won’t be the one tossing out Boons to the party.

Daredevil for funsies and Coolness factor (Also my only toon with World Completion and thus a 50% Headstart).

Druid because I called that role in my Raid group and actually HAVE the Zealot Insignia on one of my toons. Also got 150 Hero Points already.

Can’t the Druid run Salamander/Ice Drakes for tanking? Loads of Toughness, Vitality and access to Burning Burst with the Salamander, and Chill from Ice Drake for bearing down the Defiance bar.

My suggestion for Ranger shortbow is as follows:

Shortbow

• Crossfire – Now always stacks Bleeding (1 stack, 3s) with each shot. Duration is Doubled if hitting from the side or Behind.
• Poison Volley – No changes.
• Quick Shot – Now grants Superspeed (3s) to both Ranger and Pet rather than Swiftness on a successful hit.
• Crippling Shots – Changed Functionality. Fires 3 arrows in quick Succession, each causing Cripple (2s) and Bleeding (2 stacks, 6s).
• Concussive Shot – is now Unblockable if hitting from the side or Behind.

Smaller buffs, slight change to the awkward Crippling Shot to give it more functionality as a “Block breaker”, also allowing the Ranger to Spike Bleeds more reliably with Shortbow.

I have a few ideas myself.

You can have both active. At lvl 71, you gain access to a third Spec tree, and once that is unlocked you can run all 3 Spec trees. For example, a Warrior can run Strength, Arms and Discipline, or Strength, Defense and Tactics as he wishes.

So you won’t need to choose a single tree to have “Active”, you just choose 3/5 that work with your playstyle, choice of weapons and utility skills. You don’t have to sweat trying new things out, as you can change them around on the fly for free.

Your idea of Support is not the universal state of Support here. Also, it’s dead wrong.

Warriors are only brought along for their insane Support and CC, in any game mode. NOONE takes a Warrior for their DPS, it’s among the lower-end Tiers and only beats out Necro, Non-reflect Mesmers with 1 Phantasm and Rangers with their Pets dead (Maybe). Their Burst damage is decent, but their DPS is deplorably low compared to Ele, Thief, Guard or Engi. They’re just the easiest to get right (And doesn’t have 30+ steps in their rotation like Engi does).

Furthermore, Might is a Boon, so Might-sharing is definitely Support, think we can agree on that. Considering that Might-Sharing and Banners is the chief reasons to bring a Warrior into Dungeons, it’s quite obvious that Warrior is a Support Profession.

Now, Thief is there for Stealth, Blinds and Weakness. They’re no longer taken for DPS, since they’ve fallen behind Staff Ele due to the changes to Critical Strikes.

Necros have among the best Spike Heals in game at the moment, but their Support is nowhere close to Mesmers. Necromancers are solely an Attrition Profession with a lot of Soft and Hard CC, and while they lack sustained DPS they do have very good AoE Spiking capabilities with Wells as well as Loads of area Denial. This is the reason they’re unwanted in Dungeons but invaluable in a Zerg Backline. But they still lack GREATLY in the Support category.

Mesmers… where to start?

Mesmers, along with Warriors, Guardians and Elementalists, are among the Chief “Support” professions among PvE and WvW (In PvP, they’re a Burst Profession primarily.)
Their access to 100% uptime on Projectile Defense, Boon Stripping and Stealth gives them some insane Supportive capabilities. Heck, they’re the only profession with a Stealth Skill that has no Target limit (Veil), so they too are pretty irreplacable in WvW at least. In some dungeons, a Mesmer can even replace the Guardian if Blinds are covered and Stability/Cleanses aren’t frequently needed.

RSLongK.8961:

Why?

Because we need more Boons Scaling from Healing Power, in order to make it a more desirable Stat. Furthermore, as a Boon it’ll be completely counterable as well.

HappilyInsane.5840:

This is a nice idea, and very well thought out. Especially with the traits and the stat scaling. I could totally see this in the game. But how would is display if say, an player in WvW saw an enemy with some barrier going on? Would the end of their health bar be a bit blue?

Yep, that’s the idea. Normally, enemy Health is Red, but if they have Barrier it’d turn Blue or Purple-ish, while displaying Health/Barrier side-to-side such as 24.000/2.500.

Solomon Darkfury.3729:

So you want to give every class the ability to have death shroud essentially… do you hate necros that much?

Hate? If anything this is a buff to Necromancer’s Sustain! The Barrier would cover even in Death Shroud, since Shroud replaces the Health bar while Barrier merely Covers the Health Bar. Especially considering that Necro is one of the professions I imagine with proper access to Barrier, since Regeneration doesn’t quite work for them.

Barrier

• Grants the targets a secondary Health bar on top of their existing one.
• The Barrier absorbs incoming Damage and Condition Damage while active, until it runs out of strength or the Boon disappears.
• Stacks Intensity (To avoid Perma-upkeep)
• Does not Block incoming attacks, CC or debilitating/impairing Conditions, nor the Healing Reduction from Poison.
• Barrier strength scales with Healing Power.
• Toughness mitigates Damage to the Barrier, but Protection does not. Regeneration or Healing does not regenerate lost Barrier hp.
• Corrupted into Poison.

Visuals

• Around the Character: A blue bubble, semi-transparent.
• Covers the Health Bar in a Blue Tone and causes it to display HP/Barrier (Example: 19000/2500).

Magnitude

• Base Barrier Strength: 500hp per Stack
• Scaling with Healing Power: 0.67 (Meaning 600 Healing Power increases each Barrier Stack with 400 extra hp).
• Max Stacks: 5
• With 1200 Healing Power, 5 stacks of Barrier will provide you with (500+800)*5=6.500 Extra hp for the duration of the Boon.

Skills and Traits that could grant Barrier

• Guardian
  • Protector’s Strike – When not blocking an Attack, grants Barrier (2 stacks, 3s) to nearby Allies instead of Protection.
  • Shield of Judgement – Grants Barrier (2 stacks, 4s) to affected Allies along with Protection.
  • Signet of Courage – Active effect grants Barrier (5 stacks, 4s) as well.

• Engineer
  • Med Blaster (Med Kit skill #1) – Additionally grants Barrier (1 Stack, 2 1/2s) to an Ally in addition to Healing them.
  • Throw Elixir R – Additionally grants extreme Barrier (5 stacks, 4s) to affected Allies.
  • Overshield – Grants Barrier (2 stacks, 5s) to nearby Allies when activating a Shield Skill, rather than Protection.

• Mesmer
  • Master of Manipulation – Grants Barrier (2 stacks, 3s) rather than Mirror upon activating a Manipulation Skill.
  • Illusionary Membrane – Grants Barrier (2 stacks, 4s) rather than Protection upon gaining Regeneration.
  • Prismatic Understanding – Chance to gain Barrier (1 stack, 5s) rather than Might while stealthed.
  • Persisting Images – Phantasms Spawn with Barrier (2 stacks, 3s) rather than Retaliation.

• Necromancer
  • Spectral Armor – Grants Barrier (4 stacks, 4s) on top of Protection.
  • Spectral Walk – Grants Barrier (3 stacks, 6s) on top of Swiftness.
  • Spectral Wall – Grants Barrier (3 stacks, 5s) on top of Protection to affected allies.

While asking for entirely NEW animations to be added on top of the existing ones might be asking for too much, I think if we just switch out the 2nd and 4th skills to something existing, we’re on a good path towards fixing the clunkiness:

2nd Skill: Punishing Strikes.

• Replace the Awkward Cyclone Axe spin with the Overhead Spin seen in Revenant’s Autoattack – Rejuvanating Assault. No movement this time, but the functionality of spinning strikes remain.

4th Skill: Dust Strike.

• Remove the Shovel strike, replace with the Staggering Blow Animation. Make the Cone a bit wider and maybe as a result, with a wider arc of dust being blown up.

Already took the G, but I can assure that it was all there.

Cheers for the extra cash, didn’t even know this was a competition, hah!

Only engineer has been stated explicitly not to rely on Magic (They use Alchemy and Engineering -based- on physics and logic in a magical world, so it’s kind of an in-between.)

Warrior’s been able to shout away Pain and Conditions, Summon Banners from the sky and Stomp the ground so flipping hard it sends grown Norn flying. They’ve always had a subtle hint of magic. Think of them as the result of someone going Shaolin Monk in a world rampant with magic.

Daendur.2357:

why so much self-harm ? thieves already die in seconds …

The general idea is that having a Drawback for missing allows the Daredevil’s physical Skills to be incredibly fast (Most have an Activation time of 1/4s) and relatively low Cooldowns (Highest is the elite at 40s) while still being pretty powerful. It rewards players who can read their opponents and stay one step ahead during a fight, while punishing players who become predictable and desperate.

Kocoff.7582:

TheSwede.9512:

Grandmaster Trait: Endless Forms – Staff Skills have increased Range (60). You deal Increased Damage to enemies with Protection. Damage Increase: 25%

Grandmaster Trait: Inner Peace – Activating a Focus Converts Conditions into Boons. Conditions Converted: 2.

Those two grandmaster traits are amazing. Man those are some good ideas. :o Set Up is really neat mechanic too. Good job.

you forgot to post an Elite skill? you still have time! (Also i am curious lol)

Also i am starting to see a lot of “Physical skills break stun” trait. Looks like we have common vision.

I didn’t actually post any Skills at all, heh. Can always post them down here.

Heal Skill: Inner Energy

• Heal Yourself over Time. This Heal grows Stronger as you spend Initiative.
• Healing (Base): 428
• Healing Increase per Spent Initiative: 7%
• Duration: 10s. Pulses: 10.
• Activation Time: 1/4s. Cooldown: 25s

Basically, a Heal-over-Time effect that Awards the Daredevil for sticking on the Offense even as he Heals himself, as incentive for the Daredevil to take the gamble and not turtle up in Stealth to reset the fight. The Healing increase is Additive (7% +7% = 14%) meaning that as long as the Daredevil keeps in the fight, they can get as much as 84%-105% extra Healing from this Skill.

Utility Skill: Flying Shadow

• Dash erratically across the Target Area, Striking and Dazing (1s) enemies with every Pulse. For every Pulse no enemy is struck, you stack Confusion (2 Stacks, 5s) on yourself.
• Base Damage: 1.124 (x6)
• Pulses: 6
• Duration: 3s
• Radius: 300
• Channeled Skill. Activation Time: 1/4s. Cooldown: 25s.

Utility Skill: Somersault Kick

• Launch your Target while Evading attacks and Leaping Backwards. Damages and Knocks you Down (2s) if your attack Misses.
• Damage: 950
• Self Damage (If miss): 460
• Range: 130
• Launch Distance: 240
• Evade: 3/4s.
• Activation Time: 1/4s. Cooldown: 25s

Utility Skill: Rain of Steel

• Teleport up into the Air and throw Multiple Immobilizing (1s) daggers at up to 5 Enemies, before teleporting back down. Each Dagger that doesn’t hit a Target costs you 1 Initiative.
• Damage per Enemy: 769 (x3)
• Daggers per Enemy: 3
• Radius (Skill): 300
• Max Number of Targets: 5
• Range: 600
• Activation Time: 1/4s. Cooldown: 30s

Utility Skill: Focus Blow

• Prepare to Block an attack, Shadowstepping to and Countering with a strike that’ll Stun (1s), Weaken (6s) and Stack Vulnerability (10 Stacks, 10s) your target when you’re attacked. Stun (2s) yourself if you’re not attacked
• Damage: 1.450
• Range: 1.200
• Activation Time: 1/4s. Cooldown: 20s.

Elite Skill: Dancing Shadows

• Shadowstep to the Target area, striking every target with a Slowing (3s) strike for massive damage. If you miss, you’re Knocked Down (2s) and Crippled (8s).
• Damage (Base): 1.279
• Max Number of Targets: 5
• Range: 600
• Channeled Skill. Activation Time: 1/4s. Cooldown: 40s

While mechanically not that intuitive, they provide the typical Risk/Reward style expected from a Daredevil. Throwing everything into their attacks and paying for it should they fail, it puts a lot of stress on Player skill and knowledge of when to throw them out and against what enemies.

I’ll bite. Let’s start with the new Mechanic:

Set-up

• Daredevil (Or whatever name it gets) No longer Steals an item from the opponent upon activating their F1 Skill. Instead, they Shadowstep to the target’s Position and gain the F2 skill Focus of X depending on their target, which will grant Bonuses and effects to the Daredevil’s Attacks and Skills.
• Set-up Still retains all the Benefits from Traits related to Steal. (Such as Mug, Kleptomaniac or Sleight of Hand). Focus of X Benefits from Traits such as Improvisation.

Focus

• Comes in different Varieties, depending on the Target for Set-up. They’re tailored to counter-act the strengths of their target. Focus can, like stolen items, be activated at will after Set-Up.
• Focus of Fortitude (Warrior) – For 3s, Gain Pulsing Stability (2 stacks, 1 1/2s)
• Focus of Subterfuge (Guardian) – Your next 3 attacks are Unblockable and Cause Poison (2 Stacks, 4s).
• Focus of Lockdown (Revenant) – Your next 3 Attacks will Daze (1/2s) your Target.
• Focus of Sight (Thief) – For 2s, All your attacks Cause Revealed.
• Focus of Protection (Ranger) – For 2s, All your attacks Destroy Projectiles.
• Focus of Division (Engineer) – Your next Attack will prevent the Target from using Utility Skills for 4s.
• Focus of Dispersion (Elementalist) – Your next 3 Attacks Remove 1 Boon.
• Focus of Misdirection (Mesmer) – Your next Attack will prevent the Target from using Profession Skills for 4s.
• Focus of Willpower (Necromancer) – For 3s, Gain Pulsing Resistance (1 1/2s)

Traits

• Minor Trait: Daredevil – Replaces Steal with Set-up, and allows the Daredevil to equip Staff and Gain access to Physical Skills.
• Minor Trait: Like Water – Activating Set-up causes the Daredevil to avoid incoming attacks (1s).
• Minor Trait: Eight-Fold Path – While under the effect of a Focus, gain 10% extra Damage.

• Adept Trait: Striking Momentum – Outgoing Control Effects Restore Initiative (1) and recharge your Physical Skills (7%).
• Adept Trait: Flowing Strikes – Striking an Enemy with a skill that has an initiative cost while Wielding a Staff reduces the Initiative cost of your next Skill by a set amount (2). ICD: 4s.
• Adept Trait: The Best Defense – Set-up grants Resistance (3s) to nearby Allies. Radius: 360.

• Master Trait: Faltering Strikes – Remove 1 Boon when you interrupt an Enemy. ICD: 3s.
• Master Trait: Path of Least Resistance – Gain a stacking Power Buff when striking an enemy with a Staff Skill. Power: 15. Stacks to 10, Duration: 5s.
• Master Trait: Mind over Matter – Activating a Focus grants Protection (2s) to nearby Allies. Radius: 360.

• Grandmaster Trait: Fearless – Physical Skills Break Stun and Restores Endurance (50).
• Grandmaster Trait: Endless Forms – Staff Skills have increased Range (50%). You deal Increased Damage to enemies with Protection. Damage Increase: 25%
• Grandmaster Trait: Inner Peace – Activating a Focus Converts Conditions into Boons. Conditions Converted: 2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_Instinct

Savage Instinct is a reference, alright.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleach:_Heat_the_Soul_%28series%29

Heat the Soul is -actually- a reference. Bit surprised at this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Blade

Last Blaze isn’t a far shot from Last Blade…

GS on Ranger isn’t a DPS weapon.

It’s a Defensive Burst weapon. Maul says “hi”.

The Auto Attack isn’t meant to do Damage as much as it’s meant to keep you alive until Maul is off Cooldown. Swoop in turn Provides Great Mobility, Counterattack takes care of Defenses and Hilt Bash is all about that Set-up.

The GS auto could stand a DPS increase, but not a drastic one. And I’d rather it kept its Evade than lost it in favor or more DPS.

Go to the middle ground, make Traits that work at set HP intervalls (50%, 33% etc) while the Mode itself rewards you for Losing Health rather than staying at low health, allowing others to Heal you without gaining the ire of the players.

Maybe next Elite Spec? Call it “Reaver” or something and give it Corruption Skills that Steal health, endurance or boons from enemies in return of stacking Negative effects on the Reaver. Food for thought.

Spirit Skills

Water Spirit
Gain the “Spirit Call: Water” buff, which will Summon a Water Spirit when you enter combat. While “Spirit Call: Water” is active, you gain access to Aqua Surge. Activating Aqua Surge will consume the “Spirit Call: Water” buff.

• Spirit Call: Water Duration: 60s
• Water Spirit (6s): Nearby Allies have a chance to Heal (Base Healing: 805) when attacking.
• Chance: 75%
• Number of Targets: 5
• Interval: 10s
• Radius: 1000
• Activation Time: 1 1/2s. Cooldown: 20s
  • Aqua Surge (Consumes Spirit Call: Water) Heal yourself and create a Water field to Heal nearby allies.
  • Initial Self Heal: 3.865
  • AoE Heal: 1.930 (x3)
  • Number of Targets: 5
  • Duration: 3s
  • Range: 600
  • Radius: 240
  • Combo Field: Water
  • Activation Time: 1/2s. Cooldown: 30s

Sun Spirit
Gain the “Spirit Call: Sun” buff, which will Summon a Sun Spirit when you enter combat. While “Spirit Call: Sun” is active, you gain access to Solar Flare. Activating Solar Flare will consume the “Spirit Call: Sun” buff.

• Spirit Call: Sun Duration: 60s
• Sun Spirit (6s): Nearby Allies have a chance to Burn (2 stacks, 3s) enemies when attacking.
• Chance: 75%
• Number of Targets: 5
• Interval: 10s
• Radius: 1000
• Activation Time: 1 1/2s. Cooldown: 20s
  • Solar Flare (Consumes Spirit Call: Sun) Blind (8s) and Burn (3 stacks, 5s) enemies around you. Also Breaks Stun.
  • Number of Targets: 5
  • Range: 600
  • Radius: 240
  • Activation Time: Instant. Cooldown: 20s

Frost Spirit
Gain the “Spirit Call: Frost” buff, which will Summon a Frost Spirit when you enter combat. While “Spirit Call: Frost” is active, you gain access to Cold Snap. Activating Cold Snap will consume the “Spirit Call: Frost” buff.

• Spirit Call: Frost Duration: 60s
• Frost Spirit (6s): Nearby Allies have a chance to deal increased Damage (10%) when attacking.
• Chance: 75%
• Number of Targets: 5
• Interval: 10s
• Radius: 1000
• Activation Time: 1 1/2s. Cooldown: 20s
  • Cold Snap (Consumes Spirit Call: Frost) Release a blast of Arctic air that Chills (3s) on creation and leaves behind an Ice Field that Chills (1s) enemies.
  • Number of Targets: 5
  • Duration: 5s
  • Radius: 240
  • Combo Field: Ice
  • Activation Time: 1/2s. Cooldown: 25s

Stone Spirit
Gain the “Spirit Call: Stone” buff, which will Summon a Stone Spirit when you enter combat. While “Spirit Call: Stone” is active, you gain access to Quake. Activating Quake will consume the “Spirit Call: Stone” buff.

• Spirit Call: Stone Duration: 60s
• Stone Spirit (6s): Nearby Allies have a chance to gain Protection (3s) when attacking.
• Chance: 75%
• Number of Targets: 5
• Interval: 10s
• Radius: 1000
• Activation Time: 1 1/2s. Cooldown: 20s
  • Quake (Consumes Spirit Call: Stone) Cripple (3s) nearby enemies with a series of earthquakes. Each Quake is a Blast Finisher.
  • Number of Targets: 5
  • Pulses: 3
  • Intervall: 1 1/2s
  • Radius: 240
  • Combo Finisher: Blast
  • Activation Time: 3/4. Cooldown: 40s

Storm Spirit
Gain the “Spirit Call: Storm” buff, which will Summon a Storm Spirit when you enter combat. While “Spirit Call: Storm” is active, you gain access to Call Lightning. Activating Call Lightning will consume the “Spirit Call: Storm” buff.

• Spirit Call: Storm Duration: 60s
• Storm Spirit (6s): Nearby Allies have a chance to gain Quickness (2s) when attacking.
• Chance: 75%
• Number of Targets: 5
• Interval: 10s
• Radius: 1000
• Activation Time: 1 1/2s. Cooldown: 20s
  • Call Lightning (Consumes Spirit Call: Storm) Call down a Lightning Strike on nearby enemies, damaging and Dazing (3s) them.
  • Base Damage: 560
  • Number of Targets: 5
  • Radius: 240
  • Activation Time: 1/2s. Cooldown: 30s

Nature Spirit
Gain the “Spirit Call: Nature” buff, which will Summon a Nature Spirit when you enter combat. While “Spirit Call: Nature” is active, you gain access to Nature’s Renewal. Activating *Nature’s Renewal" will consume the “Spirit Call: Nature” buff.

• Spirit Call: Nature Duration: 60s
• Nature Spirit (6s): Nearby Allies have a chance to Remove 1 Condition and Gain Stability (2 stacks, 3s) when attacking.
• Chance: 75%
• Number of Targets: 5
• Interval: 10s
• Radius: 1000
• Activation Time: 1 1/2s. Cooldown: 120s
  • Nature’s Renewal (Consumes Spirit Call: Nature) Revive nearby Allies, curing Conditions while Channeling.
  • Conditions Cured: 6 (2 per pulse)
  • Pulses: 3 (Once on creation, then every second)
  • Number of Targets: 5
  • Radius: 600
  • Activation Time: 2s. Cooldown: 180s

General
My propose might look a bit convoluted but I think it acts as a happy medium between the “Static” Spirits idea and the “Mobile” Spirits usefulness. In a nutshell, here’s a breakdown on the Changes I propose:

• Instead of Outright Summoning the Spirit when activating a Spirit Skill, the Ranger instead places a Unique Buff on themself (Spirit Call). This Buff, while active, will cause the respective Spirit to be summoned Automatically when the Ranger Enters combat, within a 180 radius of the Ranger. For example: Having the Buff Spirit Call: Sun would cause a Sun Spirit to appear when the Ranger enters Combat.

• The Spirit will then disappear once Combat is Over. However, should the Spirit Call Buff remain on the Ranger, then the Spirit will be called in once again if the Ranger enters Combat again.

• Spirits, while summoned, remain Static and Targetable. If Killed, the Spirit Skill will go on Cooldown. The Skill will also go on Cooldown once the Spirit Call Buff runs out or is consumed.

• Naturally, the Spirits will not Grant their own Unique Buffs (Such as a Chance to Burn enemies from Sun Spirit) Unless they’re Summoned. Spirit Call Only ensures that Spirits are summoned automatically when Rangers enter Combat.

• The Activated Skills (Such as Aqua Surge) will however be Accessible as long as the Spirit Call Buff remains on the Ranger and will now be PBAoE skills Centered on the Ranger. Using the Activated Skill will Not kill the Spirit, but instead Consume the Spirit Call buff, ensuring that the Spirit Cannot be summoned again for a while.

• The Visuals for Spirit Call Could be a simple Wisp following the Ranger, colour depending on which Spirit is prepared. (Orange=Sun, Deep Blue=Water, Cyan=Frost, Gold=Stone, Purple=Storm, Green=Nature)

Atticus.7194:

Torch could have been cool but not with the skills we got.

Ranged cripple with nice animation, we already have 5 of those warriors don’t need anymore.

Cleansing conditions with fire, thanks but elementalists and guardians both have skills that do the exact same thing.

There is just nothing that’s really new with this elite spec at all that I see, just minor updates passed off as major changes.

Fire Field that is Centered on the Warrior and Moves with him.

Completely new mechanic that could end up making your day as it won’t lock the Warrior to a certain area to use it. Almost all of the Warrior’s weapons have Combo Finishers of some sort. Sword and Axe Leaps (Powerful Synergy says Hi!), Hammer Blast and Whirl, Greatsword Projectile and Whirl, and that’s without mentioning Utility Skills. Torch has got a lot going for itself right now.

I think they just need to change the functionality a bit:

• Instead of removing 1 Boon and 1 Condition from Each target every Second, it now merely Rips a set amount of Boons and Conditions from each target upon Creation (3 Boons/Conditions is my suggestion).
• While inside the Field, Enemies cannot gain Boons and Allies cannot gain Conditions. This’d be a Unique effect from the Null Field.
• Duration and Cooldown can remain as it is, I believe.
• Radius can be increased, but in that case I think bumping the Cooldown or Activation Time up should be prudent. Such as giving it a 3/4s Activation Time instead of 1/4s.

Here, have a cherry mesmer samurai thingy.

nekretaal.6485:

False.

Life force on staff is terribad, even traited. Axe has life force on 2 and can be paired with focus for additional lifeforce, or even Warhorn for a lot of additional lifeforce.

I’m sorry, but that’s Bull.

Staff has the advantage of Piercing, each time the Projectile from the Autoattack strikes an enemy, the Necro gains Life Force, meaning that if it hits 3 or more targets (Which is rather easy to do in a Zerg, for instance) you gain 12% Life Force, which is equivalent of hitting all 8 strikes with Ghastly Claws.

Furthermore, Marks have a short Activation Time of 1/4s, are all ground-targeted at 1200 range and Mark of Blood has a CD of 4 1/2s untraited. Soul Marks also makes all Mark Unblockable, meaning you can’t be denied Life Force gain by enemies who turtle up, such as Guards or Engis.

But the problem isn’t this. It’s that Ghastly Claws is a Channel skill that stacks Life Force overtime. Not only is the Necro defenseless while Channeling, the skill is easily ruined by breaking LoS, moving behind the Necro or simply Dodging. It’s not that the Life Force Gain is horrible on Axe, it’s the Way you gain it that makes it an unviable option when compared to Staff.

This is speaking from a PvP standpoint. In PvE, enemies barely move as it is and never dodges. In PvE, Axe #2 is pretty useful.

Rising Dusk.2408:

It’s a ranged weapon. If you want it to “compete” with Dagger for BiS for PvE, it never will nor should it because it’s ranged. What you should, instead, be focusing on is how to not allow it to be outclassed by a Dagger build simply spamming DS1. Putting a blast finisher on it enables functionality otherwise impossible without the Axe, and giving it a slight damage nudge coupled with a blast finisher will do wonders in PvP formats. With 900 range, you might even see some WvW players use it seriously.

It’s true that Damage and Range is an issue for the Axe, but there’s also the problem that the Life Force generation from Axe pales completely in comparison to Staff, especially when Coupled with Soul Marks. Dagger and Staff has it in common that they both generate Life Force with their AA, while Axe is confined to a single skill that is easily read and dodged. It also cannot benefit from Warhorn #5 as Axe is primarily a ranged weapon best paired with OH Dagger or Focus.

Working in he 10% Extra Damage into Baseline Axe and making the Trait Unholy Fervor cause the Axe skills to generate Additional Life Force, coupled with Range increase and a Blast finisher, could make Axe a serious contender to the Staff, despite the remaining Limitations.

My personal Take on the topic:

Autoattack: I wouldn’t say Boon Corruption as much as Boon Stripping, merely that it stacks Conditions if it removes Boons, like Weakness. Perhaps something like this:

Rending Tear: Strike your Foe with a Ghastly Claw. 900 range, 1/4s Activation Time.
Rending Claws: Strike your Foe twice with ghastly claws, stacking Vulnerability (1 Stack, 5s x2). 900 Range, 1/2s Activation Time.
Ghastly Cross: Strike your foe with ghastly claws, Removing 1 Boon. If a Boon is removed, the enemy is Weakened (2s). 900 Range, 3/4s Activation Time.

Ghastly Claws: Same as it ever Was. I like the idea of it being a Whirl Finisher, though having Unholy Feast as a Blast Finisher strikes me as more useful.

Unholy Feast: Increased Damage and Reduced Cast time, agreeing with OP here.

As for the Traits:

Unholy Fervor:

• Corrupting or Removing a Boon while wielding an Axe grants Life Force and a Stacking Power Buff for each Boon removed. Axe Skills recharge 20% Faster.
• Life Force Gained (Per Boon removed): 2%
• Unholy Fervor: 20 Power. Duration: 10s
• Max Stacks: 10

This trait, I believe, will put the Axe back on the market. It’s not a “Passive Power Boost” but instead rewards the Necro for hitting the opponent with key skills. Furthermore, it adds Life Force Generation to the Axe which will help make it compete with the Staff as a ranged weapon and hopefully will let people opt out of feeling forced into using Soul Marks (Seriously, the SR line is our Arcana line.) This will synergize extremely well with Axe/Focus and Well of Corruption.

Spiteful Spirit
Same as what OP suggested.

Shiro+Jalis, together we’re the Triumvirate of Kittenkicking.

Start with Jalis, use the elite while running at enemies, then Switch over to Shiro and kick Impossible Odds + Unrelenting Assault into gear. Strength Runes seem to be really good for Shiro with how easy he can stack might for himself.