@Anet and everyone caring about necro as much as I do:
After hundreds of hours played as necro since BWE1, good chunk of it being competitive PvP I can say necro is definitely capable of some insane plays.
With that said there is much wrong with the execution of class implementation.
1. Warriors need someone to take care of their conditions. Current necro design requires the necromancer to have someone to help them kill fleeing targets. You either are a DPS and cannot catch disengaging foes or you are CC-specced and your only role is to try to prevent your enemy from fleeing. You can’t reliably do both. Others can (mes, ele, thief).
2. The amount of invulnerabilities/stealth that can be used to reset fights is insane and works directly against necro (he doesn’t have any). With most classes having access to powerful boons like Stability or Vigor, CC-speccs (not only on necro) do not work. What is wrong with a designer that gives one profession a low cooldown teleports that allows them to mess with verticality like a madman and leaves necro having to run for 15 seconds. Your attrition class cannot catch a stealthy thief with a shortbow or a mesmer or an ele.
3. Necro has the most poorly designed weapon sets in the game. Other classes have a great deal of diversity in their weapons. Necro follows very simplistic formula of auto-attack, ground-targeted/channel skill, and cast-and-forget additional skill in dagger scepter and axe sets. Same for the staff which is very powerful but also utterly boring.
Which leads me to…
4. The gameplay is just dumb with spamming Wells or Marks or stacking bleeding. Of course there is place for great plays. My favourite was catching a thief fleeing from Windmill in Kyhlo by chasing him with Dark Path. The hand reached him under the Clocktower when he used the SB teleport and shadowstepped to the nod teleporting me with him. Countering condition thieves by intentionally standing in Caltrops and casting big Putrid Mark just to see him melt is another example. Triple rupt of stomp utilising Corrupt Boon, both fears and Wail of Doom also comes to mind.
There is a huge potential and the profession is strong.
It is just a big mess. Just compare it to the Elementalist, who has greatly designed weapon sets (D/D is the gem of design).
MY SUGGESTION IS:
Why not just rework necro weapon sets so that they offer something more than button mashing. Since it is the ‘attrition class’, give it some reliable and interesting CC.
I am not talking cripple and chill. I’m talking a whole weapon set designed to toss the enemies around. Guardian has bubbles and walls. Warrior has KD/immobilise/stun sets. Give necro pulls and pushbacks (similar to skill 3 in Lich Form).
That change not only makes necro more interesting to play, but it also defines necro’s role as a interrupter and area denial profession. One that (as it is currently) lacks mobility, but is the king when it comes to playing longer battles in one spot. One that cannot escape when overwhelmed, but can overwhelm you when you stay for too long and try to escape.
And Anet, please, take it seriously. Necro needs more interesting weapon sets. Not in numbers but in mechanics. Take it seriously and rework it, until it is too late.
You have Karl McLain (hope I spelled it correctly) who is an ele guy. Let him tweak with necro kits so we can see some quality in this profession we all love
EDIT: One more thing, delete Reanimator and replace it with some endurance regeneration trait or vigor provider. Endurance is the most important thing in this game and currently necro is crippled when it comes to endurance regeneration (unlike other professions).
