3 replies to this topic

[Syl]

I post this because it seems people think the necro sucks if he uses something else than conditions. Here is the build I thought about after leveling my necro up to 80 with a conditions build (planned the conditions build during the beta because it rocked in PvP)

PvE build, I use it with a MF set (and runes).

WvW build, for dungeons aswell.

I use the dagger for single target DPS and the warhorn for mobility and proximity DoT (which triggers life steal). The Staff is always the best choice for AoE. The axe is better in WvW and dungeons because of the range and the support role to apply vulnerability, also AoE slow and retaliation.

Bone Minions are here for combo blast finisher, aswell as staff #4.
Staff #3 + blast = AoE weakness
Well of Blood + blast = AoE retaliation
other wells (darkness) + blast = AoE blind.

Lich Form is the obvious choice for a power build, the auto-attack pierces like the staff, but it's much faster and hits like a truck. I usually deal 6000 damage to the Claw of Jormag when I attack from the side (I hit the 2 claws and the head).



20 points in Spite:
+200 power is nice, +20% condition duration is even better (don't need damage, only duration). I put 20 points because there are some interesting skills:
- Reaper's Might: a useful skill when you really have nothing to do in DS except soak damage.
- Spiteful Spirit: useful in WvW when you're focused, switch quickly to DS and enjoy the retaliation.
- in PvE, I use +30% minion damage because I don't really need the retaliation.

30 points in Death Magic:
one of the most underrated tree IMO, it provides a lot of useful traits and a nice bonus to toughness and +30% boon duration, which is huge in this build (protection, retaliation, might, regen). The third minor trait also convert 5% of your toughness into power (which means roughly +100 power).
- Greater Marks: even if it's bugged, it's still useful to hit a bigger group of mobs.
- Ritual of Protection: amazing trait, apply protection (4s with +30% boon duration) when you cast a well on every allies in the well.
- Reaper's Protection: 2sec fear when disabled. I replace this with 20% CDR on minions in PvE because I don't need this.

20 points in Blood Magic:
+200 vitality, +200 healing (which is weak). The minor trait Vampiric is kinda nice, it triggers on Swarm of Locust, too bad it's only 21 heal per hit... but it's life steal, which also deal a tiny amount of damage.
- Ritual Mastery: 20% CDR on wells, that's why I put 20 points here.
- Ritual of Life: create a Well of Blood when I res someone. I usually take this even in PvE because I spend a lot of time rezzing people (Claw of Jormag comes to mind...), but you can take whatever you want for PvE. Vampiric Precision works with Locust Swarm so, why not... Bloodthirst is also nice if you struggle surviving because of the MF set.




Gears:
- The armor is a Knight set (toughness/power/precision) for WvW and dungeons, a MF set is enough for overworld PvE. I chose the Superior Rune of Hoelbrak because of the +20% might duration, 5% might on hit (5s cooldown) and -20% conditions duration on me. I would have chosen the Rune of the Monk if it wasn't a dungeon rune. Rune of Sanctuary looks nice except it looses the boon duration bonus when it becomes superior... Melandru or Earth could also work.
- Weapons are Valkyrie's (Power, vitality, crit damage), I have 33% crit chance with Knight's armor and jewels (exotic), I thought I would boost my damage a bit.
- Sigil of Superior Fire on the staff: even with low crit, it's still a good rune because the auto-attack pierces, and DS #4 call also trigger the effect.
- Sigil of Superior Battle on the warhorn: nice bonus (3 stack of might) when you swap weapons.
- as for the dagger and axe, chose whatever you want. For the axe (WvW) I was thinking about removing a boon on crit, stacking vulnerability on crit or chill on crit. I chose chill to prevent enemies from fleeing.




Gameplay:
summon your minions, cast a well (Well of Corruption if you don't need retaliation, or else Well of Blood), blast your minions, kill your enemies. Well of Power is situational as you can except.



Enjoy  

Edited by Syl, 05 October 2012 - 06:47 PM.

[MorvianWhisperwind]

Thanks very much for posting this. I was looking for a power build to switch my MM into for dungeons without having to change traits. This seems to be just the ticket

[Bloggi]

Thanks for the post and you make good points. Conditions are not the only way to go with the necro. I did start out with conditions but eventually switched to wells and they can also be very effective. The recharge may be a little slow at first glance, but traited for 20% faster recharge and ground targetting, they are pretty potent, especially if you have a front-liner to help. When solo it involves doing tight circle strafting around the periphery of the well to ensure its still effective.

Just a few thoughts:

- Greater Marks: I'm still trying to figure out where the bugs are in this trait. One is that Mark of Blood's radius on the ground does not appear to be increased with the trait, but it does seem to trigger at the right radius. The other is that the placement icon does not increase in size even when traited. Other than that, seems to work as intended. I traited for this after getting sick of the Ascalonian ghosts blocking my marks.

- Dark Armor: Nice trait in some situations. Sometimes I hover between this and Greater Marks (because I only have 10 in Death Magic) because the +400 toughness is amazing at times and saved my butt on a few occasions. To clarify, the Wiki seems to only list a few necro skills as being channeled- Life Leech (downed), Life Transfer in DS, Ghastly Claws on axe MH and Siphon Health on dagger MH. I don't believe dark armor applies to any other skills other than those. But Dark Armor is nevertheless good in these instances.

- Vampiric Precision: Has this been truly effective in your build with such a low chance to crit? I'd rather take Bloodthirst for your build, but would like to hear your experience of this.

[Syl]

- Greater Marks aren't unblockable. And yes, the cosmetic stuff with small marks.
- Dark Armor: I'm not sure about it, but my survivability increased and I used it in WvW. Not sure if it works when you cast a well or summon minions...
- Vampiric Precision: based on others research, Bloodthirst didn't seem that attractive. I take Vampiric Precision because it actually deals damage when you steal life, and I don't need more healing in PvE, even with a MF set. My crit chance is low, but it's quite enough since I can crit of marks and Locust Swarm.

Edited by Syl, 21 September 2012 - 04:01 AM.