One Single Change

[Timarius.2895]

I've given up on the idea of sweeping changes to the Necromancer to bring them in line with other classes, but I did have one crazy idea. Just one simple change to buff staves. Take Soul Marks and make it Lasting Soul Marks. The only change would be making marks from staves last three seconds after trigger, pulsing its effect once per second. This reinforces staff DPS in PvE by making it possible to stack 6 bleeds per Mark of Blood and 6 poisons per Chillblains (plus 9 vulnerability if spec'd) without taking in the mark pulse damage. Reaper's Mark would become a more powerful CC/breaker as well as burst damage from Terrifying Descent and Terror, if spec'd. In PvP, this reinforces the staff's area denial without becoming too overpowered thanks to dodging.

 

Now I'd also love it if Necrotic Grasp became a conical frontal cleave and just sought 5 targets at max to throw hands at or at least had a 100% projectile finisher chance, but let's not go insane here.

[Dadnir.5038]

That would make staff op for PvP/WvW, as well as op everywhere with reaper.

[Kydar Schattendolch.6879]

I think, a good option to buff staff is somethink like this:

 

**General:**

- All Staff-skills get the ammunition system implemented.

- Additionally it is possible to have more than one mark of every typ active at the same time (max. 3, depending on mark).

- All marks last 30 s if not triggered.

- Increase the dmg of all marks by 50%.

 

**Skills:**

Staff 1: Increase projectile speed by 50%

Staff 2: Now has 2 charges. Cooldown for rechargeas actual CD (4,75s). Maximum marks active 3.

Staff 3: Now has 2 charges. Cooldown for recharge as actual CD (16s). Maximum marks active 2.

Staff 4: Now has 2 charges. Cooldown for recharge as actual CD (20s). Maximum marks active 2. Reduce Number of transfered condition to 2.

Staff 5: Stays as it is.

[Timarius.2895]

> @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> That would make staff op for PvP/WvW, as well as op everywhere with reaper.

 

Remove unblockable in PvP/WvW, or replace Dhuumfire with Lasting Marks forcing a top tier spec choice for it. As for making Reaper overpowered via allowing them to stack 3x the conditions plus bleeds via Deathly Chill, the target has to stay inside the AoE for all three pulses for that to happen. Considering the highest DoT ticks I could get from poisons/bleeds out of condi reaper tested on the conquest dummy in Heart of the Mists with Viper and Rabid amulet and reaper runes for the extra chills was near 3k a tick, I think it's safe to say that it would be dramatically more effective in a PvE situation, only if the enemies are standing there for the full three seconds. Take into account that Mark of Blood and Chillblains already do quite a bit less damage than comparable skills (compare Mark of Blood to Grasping Dead which does twice the damage for a smaller range/radius) and it only looks overpowered on paper. In practice, you'd need teamwork or multiple pull skills to really make use of the marks. Sure, you can argue that a Reaper would be able to enter PvP and bait two dodges with Grasping Darkness and Spectral Grasp to setup a condi bomb with the marks, but they'd have used two of their biggest gap closers just to set it up, and one cleanse on the chill ruins the whole thing.

 

> @"Kydar Schattendolch.6879" said:

> I think, a good option to buff staff is somethink like this:

>

> **General:**

> - All Staff-skills get the ammunition system implemented.

> - Additionally it is possible to have more than one mark of every typ active at the same time (max. 3, depending on mark).

> - All marks last 30 s if not triggered.

> - Increase the dmg of all marks by 50%.

>

> **Skills:**

> Staff 1: Increase projectile speed by 50%

> Staff 2: Now has 2 charges. Cooldown for rechargeas actual CD (4,75s). Maximum marks active 3.

> Staff 3: Now has 2 charges. Cooldown for recharge as actual CD (16s). Maximum marks active 2.

> Staff 4: Now has 2 charges. Cooldown for recharge as actual CD (20s). Maximum marks active 2. Reduce Number of transfered condition to 2.

> Staff 5: Stays as it is.

 

My only problem with this is that Staff becomes a much more painful area denial in PvP/WvW by covering the field with marks and becomes an occasional burst damage in PvE, forced to save up marks to get decent damage out leaving periods of inactivity.

[Dadnir.5038]

> @"Timarius.2895" said:

> > @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > That would make staff op for PvP/WvW, as well as op everywhere with reaper.

>

> Remove unblockable in PvP/WvW, or replace Dhuumfire with Lasting Marks forcing a top tier spec choice for it. As for making Reaper overpowered via allowing them to stack 3x the conditions plus bleeds via Deathly Chill, the target has to stay inside the AoE for all three pulses for that to happen. Considering the highest DoT ticks I could get from poisons/bleeds out of condi reaper tested on the conquest dummy in Heart of the Mists with Viper and Rabid amulet and reaper runes for the extra chills was near 3k a tick, I think it's safe to say that it would be dramatically more effective in a PvE situation, only if the enemies are standing there for the full three seconds. Take into account that Mark of Blood and Chillblains already do quite a bit less damage than comparable skills (compare Mark of Blood to Grasping Dead which does twice the damage for a smaller range/radius) and it only looks overpowered on paper. In practice, you'd need teamwork or multiple pull skills to really make use of the marks. Sure, you can argue that a Reaper would be able to enter PvP and bait two dodges with Grasping Darkness and Spectral Grasp to setup a condi bomb with the marks, but they'd have used two of their biggest gap closers just to set it up, and one cleanse on the chill ruins the whole thing.

>

 

You underestimate the fact that it would make mark lasting longer and thus:

- PvP: Increase dramatically the area denial, which already seem still problematic with scourge. Your suggestion would allow to keep mark of blood all day on the point for example which wouldn't be very different from keeping sand shroud all day on the point. It's bound to be seen as OP.

- WvW: This gamemode is all about zerglings and most of the time players tend to follow like sheeps their commanders. Granted that the marks would be triggered by the first to pass throught, their effectiveness against a zerg is bound to be excessively good. Come on like I said for PvP, you are just basically giving sand shroud to the staff. Beside, you are not even taking into account the "positive" effects of the marks like condi transfert, blast finisher or even regen. It's not because individually on each player it can feel negligible, it's more that with 20 necromancer laying blood mark in front of the ennemy zerg, it would be a calamity.

- In PvE, Just mark of blood allow you to theoretically maintain 24 bleed stacks. Add chillblain on top and you sustain 32 bleed stacks and 8 poison stacks for a 2 button rotation. On top of that, you sustain perma regen on your group, maybe even the whole raid team. There is a high probability that you wouldn't even want to switch to scepter.

- With scourge, the potential for any build involving stat set with condition damage and healing power shot throught the roof.

[DeadlySynz.3471]

> @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> That would make staff op for PvP/WvW, as well as op everywhere with reaper.

 

oh my it would do anything but. The staff marks are so weak, even when sitting in zerk or grieving gear. Staffs have always been for tagging and life force gain All the OP's suggestion does is allow necros to tag more.

 

people talk as if it's going to cause some area of denial, yet they are so weak in damage and condition application that even glass cannons can pass through them with ease.

[Dadnir.5038]

> @"DeadlySynz.3471" said:

> > @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > That would make staff op for PvP/WvW, as well as op everywhere with reaper.

>

> oh my it would do anything but. The staff marks are so weak, even when sitting in zerk or grieving gear. Staffs have always been for tagging and life force gain All the OP's suggestion does is allow necros to tag more.

>

> people talk as if it's going to cause some area of denial, yet they are so weak in damage and condition application that even glass cannons can pass through them with ease.

 

So they are so weak that increasing them by 300% and increasing tremendously their area denial abilities is OK? Mark aren't as "weak" as you seem to think, they are maybe a bit on the weak side when it come to dps but they got heavy utilities ingrained with this slightly weak dps. Increasing everything by 300% is just madness.

[Timarius.2895]

> @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > @"Timarius.2895" said:

> > > @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > > That would make staff op for PvP/WvW, as well as op everywhere with reaper.

> >

> > Remove unblockable in PvP/WvW, or replace Dhuumfire with Lasting Marks forcing a top tier spec choice for it. As for making Reaper overpowered via allowing them to stack 3x the conditions plus bleeds via Deathly Chill, the target has to stay inside the AoE for all three pulses for that to happen. Considering the highest DoT ticks I could get from poisons/bleeds out of condi reaper tested on the conquest dummy in Heart of the Mists with Viper and Rabid amulet and reaper runes for the extra chills was near 3k a tick, I think it's safe to say that it would be dramatically more effective in a PvE situation, only if the enemies are standing there for the full three seconds. Take into account that Mark of Blood and Chillblains already do quite a bit less damage than comparable skills (compare Mark of Blood to Grasping Dead which does twice the damage for a smaller range/radius) and it only looks overpowered on paper. In practice, you'd need teamwork or multiple pull skills to really make use of the marks. Sure, you can argue that a Reaper would be able to enter PvP and bait two dodges with Grasping Darkness and Spectral Grasp to setup a condi bomb with the marks, but they'd have used two of their biggest gap closers just to set it up, and one cleanse on the chill ruins the whole thing.

> >

>

> You underestimate the fact that it would make mark lasting longer and thus:

> - PvP: Increase dramatically the area denial, which already seem still problematic with scourge. Your suggestion would allow to keep mark of blood all day on the point for example which wouldn't be very different from keeping sand shroud all day on the point. It's bound to be seen as OP.

> - WvW: This gamemode is all about zerglings and most of the time players tend to follow like sheeps their commanders. Granted that the marks would be triggered by the first to pass throught, their effectiveness against a zerg is bound to be excessively good. Come on like I said for PvP, you are just basically giving sand shroud to the staff. Beside, you are not even taking into account the "positive" effects of the marks like condi transfert, blast finisher or even regen. It's not because individually on each player it can feel negligible, it's more that with 20 necromancer laying blood mark in front of the ennemy zerg, it would be a calamity.

> - In PvE, Just mark of blood allow you to theoretically maintain 24 bleed stacks. Add chillblain on top and you sustain 32 bleed stacks and 8 poison stacks for a 2 button rotation. On top of that, you sustain perma regen on your group, maybe even the whole raid team. There is a high probability that you wouldn't even want to switch to scepter.

> - With scourge, the potential for any build involving stat set with condition damage and healing power shot throught the roof.

 

The PvP issues can be resolved with a skill split dropping the time/pulses to 2, and if you think I'd want Mark of Blood to retain its super short CD with this change, that's just silly It would need to have at least a 6 second CD. As for the theoretical 24 stacks, I don't think your math took into account stacks wearing off two at a time in a relatively short time considering staff conditions already have lower duration (and damage). And WvW zergs will always have ridiculous AoE comps. In that same vein you can see 20 Scourges drop 20 shades and 80 wells with Vampiric Rituals on a zerg. Moving on to the positive effects of the marks, I can already sustain permanent regen on groups thanks to Rune of Dwayna and Plaguedoctor equipment. Condition transfers would need to be dropped to 2 per pulse of Putrid Mark, and it would only be able to perform a blast finisher once per cast.

 

Honestly, there are plenty of ways to make compromises to make this work, and it would buff core Necromancers who never see greatswords or torches. And I'm going to tell you a secret... I already don't swap to my scepter/torch.

 

And World v World will NEVER be fun or balanced until they SIGNIFICANTLY tone down all AoE damage skills in that mode. As long as they don't pull a Warhammer: Age of Reckoning and nerf it so far it does nothing.