DREAD! New fear trait?...Fear duration & ammo system?

[Aesa.4819]

I think it's time to buff our Fear durations, most of them are only 1 second long.. Meanwhile many other classes have much longer stuns, which are fare superior to Fear anyway. Fear can be mitigated by stability, resistance, and can be cleansed as well as stun-broken.

There is no reason we should have such a minimal duration on our (very few) fears, they should be at least twice as long tbh.

[Brujeria.7536]

This trait honestly is one of the worst traits they ever added. They add it in a power line... fear has nothing to do there. The only weapon applying fear is staff, staff is not a power weapon. Deathshroud has one skill that applies a tiny bit of fear, so does every other shroud and scourge.

 

Apart from that you just dont have reliable fear. You got spectral wall, which is very niche and rather unrealiable and you can hope to corrupt stability.

 

There are in total more traits that are centered around fear then there are skills that cause fear! Like fear would be a big deal for necros or something, its not. Its the weakest of all forms of CC due to having the downsides of BOTH, regular cc counters and condition counters, and we have VERY limited access to it in the first place.

 

They fucked up big time with this trait. Whereas other classes get exciting options or something, we get something thats basicly useless.

 

On the ammo system, yeah, necromancer could use some of those, mainly because most of the skills are so unrealiable or on a long cooldown. I would feel like ammo would be perfect for focus 4 for example, or dagger 3, dagger 4 or 5, eventually warhorn 4. For sure Staff 2 or spectral grasp. Bone Minions would be great too, even better if they would turn the activation skill into a groundtarget, so the minions launch into the air like missiles and impact on the chosen location, they could add much more damage because of the delay that can be countered. But yeah, i have rather little hope in that

[ZDragon.3046]

> @"Aesa.4819" said:

> I think it's time to buff our Fear durations, most of them are only 1 second long.. Meanwhile many other classes have much longer stuns, which are fare superior to Fear anyway. Fear can be mitigated by stability, resistance, and can be cleansed as well as stun-broken.

> There is no reason we should have such a minimal duration on our (very few) fears, they should be at least twice as long tbh.

 

Yeah its kinda stupid funny how easily fear can be countered and most necro builds get 2 base fears which have 1 second durations or less in most situations. The best thing ive seen from dread so far is fear > axe 2. axe got the raw 10% bonus from this patch then you get 10% from vuln application + 10% from the axe skill and how it works with vuln + 20 % from dread. Assuming you can insta fear swap and land most of your hits of axe 2 without your target stun breaking. But even achieving this is all but nearly impossible and it only effects 1 person :U (was using core when I did this) It can melt people by surprise

 

Dread has potential its 2nd half is just very poorly executed for the limited amount of fear we currently have. The insta 10 vuln does work very well with axe burst combos though. Part of me wonders if it should just be more vuln up front for a longer duration literally just instant 25 vuln for 10 seconds.

[jalmari.3906]

I'd rather take old rending shroud instead. Seems pretty useless for power reaper. If someone figures out viable non-condi pls do tell. Awaken the pain is in so many ways more reliable, not to mention sustain with blighter's boon.

 

I only see this useful for condi/hybrid tbh. which didn't really need anything more?

 

 

 

 

 

[Swagg.9236]

If this trait were designed with a unique playstyle and role in mind, it would have swapped places with Spiteful Spirit, and the description would have read:

 

**Dread**

Whenever you fear a foe, you also apply Dread.

* Dread (8s): 20% Incoming Damage, 20% Incoming Condition Damage

 

*Effect cannot be removed through condition cleanse mechanics.*

 

*Incoming damage debuffs respectively scaled from 20% to 10% in PvP.*

 

but instead it's all "press 2" and scourge memes in the house of arenanet.

[ZDragon.3046]

> @"Swagg.9236" said:

> If this trait were designed with a unique playstyle and role in mind, it would have swapped places with Spiteful Spirit, and the description would have read:

>

> **Dread**

> Whenever you apply fear, apply a stack of Dread (effect stacks in intensity up to five times).

> * Dread (8s): 4% Incoming Damage, 4% Incoming Condition Damage

>

> *Effect cannot be removed through condition cleanse mechanics.*

>

> but instead it's all "press 2" and scourge memes in the house of arenanet.

 

This is not a bad idea but i do like my spiteful spirit to be honest its very strong now im not sure i would want it to swap positions in its current state other wise it might start to lack in strength from being moved to a lower tier.

[Dadnir.5038]

> @"Swagg.9236" said:

> If this trait were designed with a unique playstyle and role in mind, it would have swapped places with Spiteful Spirit, and the description would have read:

>

> **Dread**

> Whenever you apply fear, apply a stack of Dread (effect stacks in intensity up to five times).

> * Dread (8s): 4% Incoming Damage, 4% Incoming Condition Damage

>

> *Effect cannot be removed through condition cleanse mechanics.*

>

> but instead it's all "press 2" and scourge memes in the house of arenanet.

 

Nope, such trait would have been a cancerous issue in PvE. The idea don't seem bad at first but no necromancer would have been able to reach max stack with the amount of fear skill a necromancer have. Since this kind of debuff are highly sought out, optimal parties would have ended up stacking scourges on raids simply because scourges have the easiest access to the debuff. Stacking professions lead to poor diversity, poor diversity lead to complaints, complaints lead to nerfs.

 

As much as it would be satisfying to see necromancers sought out for raids, I don't want to see it becoming a profession that raids want to stack. If the necromancer have a tool that make it a good pick for 1 spot it's ok, but if he got a tool that "force" your raid to take 5 necromancer because it's what's optimal then it's not ok. Your suggestion lead to the later and that's not a good design.

[vicious.5683]

> @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > @"Swagg.9236" said:

> > If this trait were designed with a unique playstyle and role in mind, it would have swapped places with Spiteful Spirit, and the description would have read:

> >

> > **Dread**

> > Whenever you apply fear, apply a stack of Dread (effect stacks in intensity up to five times).

> > * Dread (8s): 4% Incoming Damage, 4% Incoming Condition Damage

> >

> > *Effect cannot be removed through condition cleanse mechanics.*

> >

> > but instead it's all "press 2" and scourge memes in the house of arenanet.

>

> Nope, such trait would have been a cancerous issue in PvE. The idea don't seem bad at first but no necromancer would have been able to reach max stack with the amount of fear skill a necromancer have. Since this kind of debuff are highly sought out, optimal parties would have ended up stacking scourges on raids simply because scourges have the easiest access to the debuff. Stacking professions lead to poor diversity, poor diversity lead to complaints, complaints lead to nerfs.

>

> As much as it would be satisfying to see necromancers sought out for raids, I don't want to see it becoming a profession that raids want to stack. If the necromancer have a tool that make it a good pick for 1 spot it's ok, but if he got a tool that "force" your raid to take 5 necromancer because it's what's optimal then it's not ok. Your suggestion lead to the later and that's not a good design.

 

Make it a non stackable buff. Problem solved.

[Swagg.9236]

> @"vicious.5683" said:

> > @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > > @"Swagg.9236" said:

> > > If this trait were designed with a unique playstyle and role in mind, it would have swapped places with Spiteful Spirit, and the description would have read:

> > >

> > > **Dread**

> > > Whenever you apply fear, apply a stack of Dread (effect stacks in intensity up to five times).

> > > * Dread (8s): 4% Incoming Damage, 4% Incoming Condition Damage

> > >

> > > *Effect cannot be removed through condition cleanse mechanics.*

> > >

> > > but instead it's all "press 2" and scourge memes in the house of arenanet.

> >

> > Nope, such trait would have been a cancerous issue in PvE. The idea don't seem bad at first but no necromancer would have been able to reach max stack with the amount of fear skill a necromancer have. Since this kind of debuff are highly sought out, optimal parties would have ended up stacking scourges on raids simply because scourges have the easiest access to the debuff. Stacking professions lead to poor diversity, poor diversity lead to complaints, complaints lead to nerfs.

> >

> > As much as it would be satisfying to see necromancers sought out for raids, I don't want to see it becoming a profession that raids want to stack. If the necromancer have a tool that make it a good pick for 1 spot it's ok, but if he got a tool that "force" your raid to take 5 necromancer because it's what's optimal then it's not ok. Your suggestion lead to the later and that's not a good design.

>

> Make it a non stackable buff. Problem solved.

 

Easy as pie solution. I was thinking for a second about it, and despite the goal always having been to have a single necro maintain dread stacks, setting the stack cap to even just 5 is still severely overestimating the ability for a single necro to stack personal fear output. A non-stacking buff would still end up shaping a PvE necro's bar (fear wall meta hype) and giving the class a unique role.

 

Gonna edit the original post.

[Swagg.9236]

> @"ZDragon.3046" said:

> > @"Swagg.9236" said:

> > If this trait were designed with a unique playstyle and role in mind, it would have swapped places with Spiteful Spirit, and the description would have read:

> >

> > **Dread**

> > Whenever you apply fear, apply a stack of Dread (effect stacks in intensity up to five times).

> > * Dread (8s): 4% Incoming Damage, 4% Incoming Condition Damage

> >

> > *Effect cannot be removed through condition cleanse mechanics.*

> >

> > but instead it's all "press 2" and scourge memes in the house of arenanet.

>

> This is not a bad idea but i do like my spiteful spirit to be honest its very strong now im not sure i would want it to swap positions in its current state other wise it might start to lack in strength from being moved to a lower tier.

 

In PvE, a dread debuff would be infinitely stronger than unholy feast on a 10s CD, no matter where SS ended up. That aside, trait tiers are ENTIRELY arbitrary. GMs could be in adept slots and it wouldn't change how they work. Moving traits around is about making good build options rather than adhering to some misguided, flavor-centric design. Traits really should have been in a pool anyway (ala utility skills).

[Anchoku.8142]

Aspects of Dread I do not like:

 

Vuln on fear means opening an encounter with shroud and fear, or staff 5, or eating a control effect, or taking falling damage, or being downed. This is kind of _not_ what I prefer. Corrupting stab, though, is all right.

 

Trying to hit a feared opponent is a pain in the Reaper. Dread's 20% damage bonus is a buff that is conditional on too many things going right. Low fear access combined with the target not using a stun break or passive cleanse and being able to follow, bind, or corner the target takes skill and some luck to make work.

[ZDragon.3046]

> @"Swagg.9236" said:

> > @"ZDragon.3046" said:

> > > @"Swagg.9236" said:

> > > If this trait were designed with a unique playstyle and role in mind, it would have swapped places with Spiteful Spirit, and the description would have read:

> > >

> > > **Dread**

> > > Whenever you apply fear, apply a stack of Dread (effect stacks in intensity up to five times).

> > > * Dread (8s): 4% Incoming Damage, 4% Incoming Condition Damage

> > >

> > > *Effect cannot be removed through condition cleanse mechanics.*

> > >

> > > but instead it's all "press 2" and scourge memes in the house of arenanet.

> >

> > This is not a bad idea but i do like my spiteful spirit to be honest its very strong now im not sure i would want it to swap positions in its current state other wise it might start to lack in strength from being moved to a lower tier.

>

> In PvE, a dread debuff would be infinitely stronger than unholy feast on a 10s CD, no matter where SS ended up. That aside, trait tiers are ENTIRELY arbitrary. GMs could be in adept slots and it wouldn't change how they work. Moving traits around is about making good build options rather than adhering to some misguided, flavor-centric design. Traits really should have been in a pool anyway (ala utility skills).

 

They use to be like that but when they reworked them it locked out a lot of build diversity its alos part of what killed terror builds for core necro as well as a few other things. What ou say might be true but it does seem like they want tier traits to matter as lower tier are generally less impactful than grand masters. etc. Or at least i feel like anet wont ignore this when moving anything around within necromancers traits. maybe with some other professions they would.

[ZDragon.3046]

> @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > @"Swagg.9236" said:

> > If this trait were designed with a unique playstyle and role in mind, it would have swapped places with Spiteful Spirit, and the description would have read:

> >

> > **Dread**

> > Whenever you apply fear, apply a stack of Dread (effect stacks in intensity up to five times).

> > * Dread (8s): 4% Incoming Damage, 4% Incoming Condition Damage

> >

> > *Effect cannot be removed through condition cleanse mechanics.*

> >

> > but instead it's all "press 2" and scourge memes in the house of arenanet.

>

> Nope, such trait would have been a cancerous issue in PvE. The idea don't seem bad at first but no necromancer would have been able to reach max stack with the amount of fear skill a necromancer have. Since this kind of debuff are highly sought out, optimal parties would have ended up stacking scourges on raids simply because scourges have the easiest access to the debuff. Stacking professions lead to poor diversity, poor diversity lead to complaints, complaints lead to nerfs.

>

> As much as it would be satisfying to see necromancers sought out for raids, I don't want to see it becoming a profession that raids want to stack. If the necromancer have a tool that make it a good pick for 1 spot it's ok, but if he got a tool that "force" your raid to take 5 necromancer because it's what's optimal then it's not ok. Your suggestion lead to the later and that's not a good design.

 

Why are you bringing raids into this? You do know they dont do balanced based around raids right? Raids were not an intended part of the games original design so i dont know why you automatically think a this suggestion is cancer just because raids. Not all players raid and players who go the step above casual raiding likely wouldnt jump 2-3 spots for necros only anyways.

 

Lets assume that for an instance this happens and 3 necros are required for raids by "the pros" even then you can get the 5 stacks of said de buff then you have a down time even still. Not to mention you have given up 2 valuable spots to likely what could be better options to take.

[Swagg.9236]

> @"ZDragon.3046" said:

> > @"Swagg.9236" said:

> > > @"ZDragon.3046" said:

> > > > @"Swagg.9236" said:

> > > > If this trait were designed with a unique playstyle and role in mind, it would have swapped places with Spiteful Spirit, and the description would have read:

> > > >

> > > > **Dread**

> > > > Whenever you apply fear, apply a stack of Dread (effect stacks in intensity up to five times).

> > > > * Dread (8s): 4% Incoming Damage, 4% Incoming Condition Damage

> > > >

> > > > *Effect cannot be removed through condition cleanse mechanics.*

> > > >

> > > > but instead it's all "press 2" and scourge memes in the house of arenanet.

> > >

> > > This is not a bad idea but i do like my spiteful spirit to be honest its very strong now im not sure i would want it to swap positions in its current state other wise it might start to lack in strength from being moved to a lower tier.

> >

> > In PvE, a dread debuff would be infinitely stronger than unholy feast on a 10s CD, no matter where SS ended up. That aside, trait tiers are ENTIRELY arbitrary. GMs could be in adept slots and it wouldn't change how they work. Moving traits around is about making good build options rather than adhering to some misguided, flavor-centric design. Traits really should have been in a pool anyway (ala utility skills).

>

> They use to be like that but when they reworked them it locked out a lot of build diversity

 

The only time that GW2 featured a free-pick trait system (with no restrictions aside from the point depth of investment into the line and, ultimately, a maximum cap of 3 major slots), was way back at launch (although, I'm almost certain that they removed it during the third beta weekend). The only reason it was quickly scrapped was not because it was a bad idea, but because they just gave every line a load of hot garbage traits along with 1 or 2 potentially overpowered ones. The choices were always no-brainers. However, instead of keeping the free-pick pool and just imposing costs on particular traits (such that every trait line would have a maximum number of resource points--maybe 5--with which to "purchase" traits while the traits within lines would cost varying amounts of resource points based on how powerful they are), they just locked everything into an arbitrary tier system.

 

Oh, now I suddenly remember that it was a *little* more open-ended in that the further you went up the trait lines, you could technically just equip 3 adept majors if you wanted to. Yeah, that's still not a good alternative to a "purchase whichever traits you want from a pool" system, especially given that the pool system wouldn't need to provide 12 traits per trait line (like the current system does). The arbitrary design of the three-tiered system basically doomed it to be full of bloat and flavor-over-function design. GW2 lacks a sense of focused progression and identity with traits, and the trait system itself was mostly a failure.

[Dadnir.5038]

> @"ZDragon.3046" said:

> > @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > > @"Swagg.9236" said:

> > > If this trait were designed with a unique playstyle and role in mind, it would have swapped places with Spiteful Spirit, and the description would have read:

> > >

> > > **Dread**

> > > Whenever you apply fear, apply a stack of Dread (effect stacks in intensity up to five times).

> > > * Dread (8s): 4% Incoming Damage, 4% Incoming Condition Damage

> > >

> > > *Effect cannot be removed through condition cleanse mechanics.*

> > >

> > > but instead it's all "press 2" and scourge memes in the house of arenanet.

> >

> > Nope, such trait would have been a cancerous issue in PvE. The idea don't seem bad at first but no necromancer would have been able to reach max stack with the amount of fear skill a necromancer have. Since this kind of debuff are highly sought out, optimal parties would have ended up stacking scourges on raids simply because scourges have the easiest access to the debuff. Stacking professions lead to poor diversity, poor diversity lead to complaints, complaints lead to nerfs.

> >

> > As much as it would be satisfying to see necromancers sought out for raids, I don't want to see it becoming a profession that raids want to stack. If the necromancer have a tool that make it a good pick for 1 spot it's ok, but if he got a tool that "force" your raid to take 5 necromancer because it's what's optimal then it's not ok. Your suggestion lead to the later and that's not a good design.

>

> Why are you bringing raids into this? You do know they dont do balanced based around raids right? Raids were not an intended part of the games original design so i dont know why you automatically think a this suggestion is cancer just because raids. Not all players raid and players who go the step above casual raiding likely wouldnt jump 2-3 spots for necros only anyways.

>

> Lets assume that for an instance this happens and 3 necros are required for raids by "the pros" even then you can get the 5 stacks of said de buff then you have a down time even still. Not to mention you have given up 2 valuable spots to likely what could be better options to take.

 

I'm bringing raid in this because raids are part of the game and things need to be balanced around all part of the game. When a trait concept bring an obvious and easy to forsee imbalance in a part of the game it's normal to point it out.

 

And you are wrong in your claim. With such trait it's not "giving spot", it's making those spot mandatory. It's bad design, nothing more nothing less. Your trait make it so that necromancer in sufficient numbers will boost the global dps up to 20%. A scourge have a potential dps close to 30k. Add 20% and you reach 36k dps which is top dps on non large target. If by stacking a profession you got this profession up to top dps, then there is no need for other profession and a huge need for this single profession in your party, especially if this profession does it's dps reliably. Honnestly, at this point it wouldn't even be 2-3 necromancer but 5 mandatory scourges in your raid party. The trait you suggested is just that strong and the necromancer's access to fear is just that poor in raids.

 

Now, in PvP where there is stab to corrupt, where spectral wall see some use, where staff in not necessarily a dps loss and where things die quickly anyway, your idea might be balanced, but in PvE, as a whole it's either meh or it make the scourge mandatory.

 

Remember that there is not just one game mode in the game and that something that could feel balanced in a gamemode might as well be utterly toxic in another. We already have boon corruption that make the scourge and it's huge amount of it pretty toxic in PvP/WvW, we don't need a debuff that would make the scourge (again) utterly toxic in PvE.

[ZDragon.3046]

> @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > @"ZDragon.3046" said:

> > > @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > > > @"Swagg.9236" said:

> > > > If this trait were designed with a unique playstyle and role in mind, it would have swapped places with Spiteful Spirit, and the description would have read:

> > > >

> > > > **Dread**

> > > > Whenever you apply fear, apply a stack of Dread (effect stacks in intensity up to five times).

> > > > * Dread (8s): 4% Incoming Damage, 4% Incoming Condition Damage

> > > >

> > > > *Effect cannot be removed through condition cleanse mechanics.*

> > > >

> > > > but instead it's all "press 2" and scourge memes in the house of arenanet.

> > >

> > > Nope, such trait would have been a cancerous issue in PvE. The idea don't seem bad at first but no necromancer would have been able to reach max stack with the amount of fear skill a necromancer have. Since this kind of debuff are highly sought out, optimal parties would have ended up stacking scourges on raids simply because scourges have the easiest access to the debuff. Stacking professions lead to poor diversity, poor diversity lead to complaints, complaints lead to nerfs.

> > >

> > > As much as it would be satisfying to see necromancers sought out for raids, I don't want to see it becoming a profession that raids want to stack. If the necromancer have a tool that make it a good pick for 1 spot it's ok, but if he got a tool that "force" your raid to take 5 necromancer because it's what's optimal then it's not ok. Your suggestion lead to the later and that's not a good design.

> >

> > Why are you bringing raids into this? You do know they dont do balanced based around raids right? Raids were not an intended part of the games original design so i dont know why you automatically think a this suggestion is cancer just because raids. Not all players raid and players who go the step above casual raiding likely wouldnt jump 2-3 spots for necros only anyways.

> >

> > Lets assume that for an instance this happens and 3 necros are required for raids by "the pros" even then you can get the 5 stacks of said de buff then you have a down time even still. Not to mention you have given up 2 valuable spots to likely what could be better options to take.

>

> I'm bringing raid in this because raids are part of the game and things need to be balanced around all part of the game. When a trait concept bring an obvious and easy to forsee imbalance in a part of the game it's normal to point it out.

>

> And you are wrong in your claim. With such trait it's not "giving spot", it's making those spot mandatory. It's bad design, nothing more nothing less. Your trait make it so that necromancer in sufficient numbers will boost the global dps up to 20%. A scourge have a potential dps close to 30k. Add 20% and you reach 36k dps which is top dps on non large target. If by stacking a profession you got this profession up to top dps, then there is no need for other profession and a huge need for this single profession in your party, especially if this profession does it's dps reliably. Honnestly, at this point it wouldn't even be 2-3 necromancer but 5 mandatory scourges in your raid party. The trait you suggested is just that strong and the necromancer's access to fear is just that poor in raids.

>

> Now, in PvP where there is stab to corrupt, where spectral wall see some use, where staff in not necessarily a dps loss and where things die quickly anyway, your idea might be balanced, but in PvE, as a whole it's either meh or it make the scourge mandatory.

>

> Remember that there is not just one game mode in the game and that something that could feel balanced in a gamemode might as well be utterly toxic in another. We already have boon corruption that make the scourge and it's huge amount of it pretty toxic in PvP/WvW, we don't need a debuff that would make the scourge (again) utterly toxic in PvE.

 

But your whole start of your argument was pretty much "NO IT WOULD RUIN RAIDS" kinda thing. I know there are several games modes and in most of them necro is not a real issue. Scourge is a support dps spec and because it has very limited healing and damage medication it supports by ruining your foes benefits aka their boons. Scourge is hardly as toxic as it was after the bug fixes to it.

 

Regardless it seems that the moment traits ideas are brought up for core people go BUT SOCURGE WOULD BE BROKEN. When its likely unrealistic to even know if thats true or not. Its clear that the bugged scourge left a painful scar on most of the community.

 

In all honestly WvW is a mess in this game. People complain about balance in wvw yet wvw is a place you go to do things that you normally couldnt do in any other part of the game. ITS WHERE YOU GO TO PARTAKE BROKEN THINGS VIA increased numbers and ridiculous zerg/team comps. Its one of the reasons i hate overall game balance based around whats happening in wvw without skill splits so much. Raids are kind of the same way to some extent if it changes the current comp of raids even just a little bit "THATS OP! or THATS WORTHLESS." -Sigh- there is no happy ground between WvW nuts and Raid nuts. *waits for next balance patch and hopes for better changes*

[Dadnir.5038]

I disagree with you ZDragon because the point is not that there is no happy ground between WvW nuts and raids nuts, the point is that your suggestion was overboard. Vicious said it, you just need to make it just 1 stack. 5 stacks being 20% is like adding 2 player in a 10 man raid or 1 man in a 5 man party. It's way to much t be ignored.

 

I'm a fervent advocate of a unique debuff that would just reduce a set amount of toughness. Impact in PvP/WvW? 0. Impact in PvE? Sufficient to open a spot to 1 power necromancer. Here I didn't suggested it and suggested instead minor additions because it feel like anet don't want to thread this road. Anet and their fucking design...

 

I know that the 20% damage on feared foe is shiny and dandy but let's be honest, if you manage to land 1 attack in the 1 second window of fear that you created, that's already quite an achievement. These 20% damage are the package around what the trait really do, it's compelling to the player but it's also realistically only a cloud of smoke that blind us.

 

Do the power necromancer need 20% extra damage? I'd say no.

Do the support necromancer need a stackable debuff that increase it's whole team's damage by 4% to 20%? Absolutely not. Not in PvE, not in PvP and not in WvW.

 

The necromancer have a garanteed spot in WvW thanks to it's boon hate. I believe that this boon hate doesn't have to be boon corruption and that boon corruption should only be put on strategic use skills like WoC an the corruption's skill while other boon ripping effect should be less punishing because more accessible.

 

The necromancer also found itself meta (even if it was in a poor state) in PvP thanks to the boon hate.

 

The only area where the necromancer have been exclude since release is end game PvE. This is something that have been partly soothed by fractals debuff that were especially designed to give some value to a necromancer. Honnestly, that was a bandaid to the issue, not a solution. What the necromancer needed was to be valuable in any given situation the same way other professions are valuable however, the infamous design of the necromancer prevent him from giving support to it's team through boon or other direct support tools. In PvE the necromancer always lacked a very tiny unique something to transform him from loser to champion. And the thing that would harm the game the least for the maximum result is the ability to apply a unique fixed toughness debuff.

 

I'm not saying that it's the solution to this particular trait but that might be the easiest possible solution to the lingering issue that the necromancer suffer due to anet very narrow design philosophy.