Upcoming Necromancer changes

[Redpawa.4108]

Just a quick reminder that Anet has posted the balance patch preview's.

 

**General Pass:**

https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/96747/balance-patch-preview-global

 

**Competitive Passes:**

_WvW and PvP are identical except for item changes in PvP_

https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/96744/balance-patch-preview-pvp

https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/96750/balance-patch-preview-wvw

 

Feel free to discuss in the comments, glhf.

[KrHome.1920]

It's recommended to read some of the other classes changes before looking at the necro changes to prevent a heart attack.

[EremiteAngel.9765]


 

 

Just kidding! Looks great! Puts on Theorycrafting hat.

[EremiteAngel.9765]

I'll just touch on a few things from this preview.

 

**Doom: This ability now has a cast time and inflicts fear on your foe at 640ms. The fear duration has been increased from 1 second at a distance or 1.5 seconds at close proximity to 2 seconds on successful hit regardless of distance.**

 

I think this is a change in the right direction.

All hard CCs should have proper tells and cast times to allow for proper responses.

I am worried though that assuming this can now be interrupted, we are losing one of the very few crutches a Core Necro has.

So I hope we are getting compensated in some way for this change.

 

**Foot in the Grave: This trait has been retired and been replaced by Eternal Life.

Eternal Life (NEW): Gain life force constantly up to a threshold while not in shroud. (66% in PvE, 20% in PvP & WvW) Gain protection when you enter shroud.**

 

They mentioned something about buffing our utility stunbreak skills to make up for the loss of FITG.

Unfortunately, it was buffed only in PvE via reduced Cooldown of stunbreak skills.

 

WvW saw no such buff and was instead nerfed further with increased Cooldowns on skills like Spectral Walk and Spectral Armor.

In the past, when damage was high, this wouldn't have mattered much because fights were usually decided within a single rotation.

Now with damage coming down across the board and with fights likely to last longer, the increased CD on our stunbreak skills and the loss of FITG really reeks to me.

 

I'm not excited by the new Eternal Life trait either.

No numbers given on how long the protection lasts or if it pulses, but really, shroud is tanky enough and does not need more protection.

We need protection when we are out of shroud.

I hate the idea of shroud camping tbh and this just really reeks to me too.

I can see it having 'some' use for Reaper Shroud though which isn't as tanky as Core so meh.

 

And gaining LF up to 20% outside shroud looks nice for drawn-out fights...but depends on how fast we gain the lifeforce.

 

**Nerfs in Stability and stunbreaks**

* Infusing Terror: Reduced stability duration from 6 seconds to 3 seconds

* Spectral Armor: Increased cooldown from 40 seconds to 45 seconds

* Spectral Walk: Increased cooldown from 40 seconds to 50 seconds

* Trail of Anguish: Increased cooldown from 35 seconds to 50 seconds

* Foot in the Grave: This trait has been retired

* Chilled to the Bone: Reduced stability duration from 10 seconds to 6 seconds. Reduced power coefficient from 2.0 to 0.01. Increased stun duration from 2 seconds to 3 seconds. Reduced cooldown from 90 seconds to 75 seconds

 

**Nerfs in Corruptions**

* Unholy Feast: Increased power coefficient from 0.88 to 1.0. Increased bonus damage health threshold from 25% to 50%. Reduced number of boons corrupted from 2 to 1

* Feast of Corruption: Reduced power coefficient from 1.0 to 0.75. Reduced number of boons corrupted from 2 to 1

* Dark Pact: Reduced number of boons corrupted from 2 to 1

* Corrupt Boon: Reduced number of boons corrupted from 3 to 2. Increased ammo recharge from 18 seconds to 24 seconds

* Spiteful Spirit: Reduced power coefficient from 0.4 to 0.1. Reduced number of boons corrupted from 2 to 1. Reduced additional boons corrupted against foes under 50% health from 2 to 1

* Devouring Darkness (from Lingering Curse): PvP will now use the WvW version of the skill (1 boon corrupt)

[Drarnor Kunoram.5180]

My biggest concern is that, while damage is down across the board, in competitive modes we lost a LOT on stunbreaks between losing Foot in the Grave and increased spectral cooldowns and, if anything, stun duration went UP on average. This means our biggest weakness is getting amplified in this patch, which doesn't seem to be happening for any other profession. That said, the lower damage will make sustaining via Shroud work better, since life force gains are largely remaining untouched.

 

Depending on numbers, though, Eternal Life might actually replace Dhuumfire on Condi Scourge in PvE. Depends on how fast it fills life force.

[Dadnir.5038]

I knew nothing good would come out of what they were going to do but I didn't expect them to push back the limit of absurdity even more.

 

I'll give credit to ANet for the single change in the right direction of the entire patch preview:

> Unblockable (Effect): Skills and traits which grant the unblockable status now use a unified buff. This buff is intensity stacking and stacks are lost whenever attacks hit or miss. Single strikes which hit multiple foes only consume 1 stack. Skills which grant the unblockable status for a duration have been updated to use number of hits instead.

Good job, this was a much needed change! (And I mean it!)

 

The CD reduction on stunbreak in PvE feel more like a bad joke than anything since it's not really PvE that need tools to face hard CC. The "buffs" on minion's active skills in PvE are welcome but far from being enough to make anyone want to use those skills there. _Eternal life_ is... ######. And lastly the necromancer is even more full of ability to corrupt boon in PvE where it's seldom needed when it's reduced drastically in sPvP and WvW where it's heavily needed...

 

Just what is wrong with their logic? Why the heck do they put "more" where there is no need for "more" and less where there is a need for "more"?

 

Edit: on scond thought I'm not sure that the change to _rigor mortis_ is welcome. Interrupting an auto attack with a cast time producing a slow projectile that don't proc projectile combo for an attack with a cast time producing an equally slow projectile isn't really an exciting perspective.

[Yasai.3549]

They really just want Necromancers to be insanely vulnerable to CC while being a damage powerhouse.

 

This means Necros will need a FB to babysit them hardcore in PvP and WvW for them to even get a chance to do anything because between limited mobility and getting CC'd from hell and back, Necros are basically sitting ducks.

 

I love how they claim to be nerfing Stability for everyone but the one Profession notorious for gaining insane stacks of Stability at 1 button press is not touched on.

 

I'm talking of course, about stupid Ranger and their dumb Strength of the Pack and Dolyak Stance.

[Rym.1469]

Looks cool overall. Three things:

 

1. I guess it applies to all traits like Dread - situational damage increases that don't last very long shouldn't get the nerf bat. You are double nerfing it, first with coefficients and then the trait itself.

2. I'd prefer for Executioner's Scythe to lose the CC and keep the damage. Keep chill and make the Execute damage part more situational. I think it just feels better as big hitter.

3. With the good Doom change, could the balance team just retire the concept of Scourge in PvP and give us Terrormancer meta back? Thank you.

[Brujeria.7536]

The changes are looking good in context to the rest of the changes, really. The fear changes, especially to doom and dread as mentioned are not really good at all. Core necro has already the problem of being very, very, predictable and much of a sitting duck. By not being able to use doom while casting lifeblast or while stomping / rezzing this increases this problem gets amplified.

 

The nerfs to boon corrupt are okay, they just need to tone down boon spam even more in my opinion. If necro moves away from being a corrupt bot only they can shift the power back in more reliable ways.

 

The replacement for Foot in the grave seems to be really lackluster. Overall its really troublesome that necro needs so much traits to make the class mechanic work out in regards of use and especially lifeforce generation, Most other classes have full access to their profession mechanic always, and traits only expand and improve them. Warrior has no problem getting adrenalin, the traits just add on it or reward for spending it; revenant gets plenty and permanent access to energy, his traits also improve the class mechanic instead of making it work in the first place. I really feel like this trait minus the protection part should be baseline, with an increase to a lifeforce increase over time up to 50% while OOC in competitive modes.

[Nimon.7840]

> @"KrHome.1920" said:

> It's recommended to read some of the other classes changes before looking at the necro changes to prevent a heart attack.

 

I did read, and guard and warrior don't see a nerf at all in pve. Even though they are super op right now

[Nimon.7840]

Btw. These notes are absolute shit. They say, that they buffed stunbreaks, but nerfed stability on necro.

And they did nerf it.

 

But in wvw, they also put spectral walk and armor on longer cd.

 

Guess solo necro roaming is dead again

[Methuselah.4376]

Just to confirm if I am reading this right: the power coefficient nerfs are only happening in PvP/WvW right? It's not affecting PvE.....right?

[Dadnir.5038]

> @"Methuselah.4376" said:

> Just to confirm if I am reading this right: the power coefficient nerfs are only happening in PvP/WvW right? It's not affecting PvE.....right?

 

You're reading it right. PvE is only affected by the "global patch" changes and not even all of them.

 

Edit: The only thing of note for the necromancer in PvE is that _spectral walk_ have a reduced CD which is a good QoL change for jumping puzzles.

[Methuselah.4376]

> @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > @"Methuselah.4376" said:

> > Just to confirm if I am reading this right: the power coefficient nerfs are only happening in PvP/WvW right? It's not affecting PvE.....right?

>

> You're reading it right. PvE is only affected by the "global patch" changes and not even all of them.

>

> Edit: The only thing of note for the necromancer in PvE is that _spectral walk_ have a reduced CD which is a good QoL change for jumping puzzles.

 

Ok good lol I do agree with scaling down the damage in competitive modes as it is ridiculous to get one shotted by a mesmer or thief while perma CC'ed. On the other hand, they're crippling our stability -_- and necro's damage (mostly reaper) while decent was not in need of nerfing in competitive modes, especially since we had the mentality of the best offence being a good defense.

[Axl.8924]

Great so not only do we get nerfed in stab we get our dmg nerfed so we won't kill anyone and get rolled around a lot.

[KrHome.1920]

> @"Nimon.7840" said:

> > @"KrHome.1920" said:

> > It's recommended to read some of the other classes changes before looking at the necro changes to prevent a heart attack.

>

> I did read, and guard and warrior don't see a nerf at all in pve. Even though they are super op right now

Well actually (almost) nobody cares about pve when he speaks about this months ago labeled competitive modes patch. So sorry that I forgot to mention that my statement was in a competitive modes context.

[Valkine.8142]

It's tradition for Anet to completely mutilate anything the Necromancer is good at during any 'Balance' patch. Remember kids: Mesmers are Anet's favorite children. Necromancers are the adopted bastard they leave locked in the cellar.

[Dadnir.5038]

> @"Valkine.8142" said:

> It's tradition for Anet to completely mutilate anything the Necromancer is good at during any 'Balance' patch. Remember kids: Mesmers are Anet's favorite children. Necromancers are the adopted kitten they leave locked in the cellar.

 

No, no... The guardian is the blessed child while the necromancer is the cursed child. The mesmer is just a child that they have a hard time balancing, compared to the blessed child they give a rough time to the mesmer.

[Drarnor Kunoram.5180]

> @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > @"Valkine.8142" said:

> > It's tradition for Anet to completely mutilate anything the Necromancer is good at during any 'Balance' patch. Remember kids: Mesmers are Anet's favorite children. Necromancers are the adopted kitten they leave locked in the cellar.

>

> No, no... The guardian is the blessed child while the necromancer is the cursed child. The mesmer is just a child that they have a hard time balancing, compared to the blessed child they give a rough time to the mesmer.

 

They aren't even nerfing any Guardian boons aside from Might duration. Heck, one of their traits is getting changed to add yet another on.

[Nimon.7840]

Btw. Engi now being better boon remover than necro

[Tayga.3192]

I'm only sad about stability trait which got replaced by Eternal Yikes. Otherwise good changes for PvP, though they didn't need to nerf spectral armor.

Also that reaper 5 change is very lul.

 

> @"Valkine.8142" said:

> Remember kids: Mesmers are Anet's favorite children.

 

Which has just 1 dodge on mirage now, and shattering in chrono is so 2018 :lol:

 

 

[Stand The Wall.6987]

they nerfed necro dagger, finally.

[Nimon.7840]

> @"Stand The Wall.6987" said:

> they nerfed necro dagger, finally.

 

Yeah. Necro dagger way too stronk.

Everyone using it.

Autoattacking people to death.

 

Tbh. That's maybe the only weapon they could have left untouched and still would only very rarely have seen any play...

[KrHome.1920]

> @"Nimon.7840" said:

> > @"Stand The Wall.6987" said:

> > they nerfed necro dagger, finally.

>

> Yeah. Necro dagger way too stronk.

> Everyone using it.

> Autoattacking people to death.

>

> Tbh. That's maybe the only weapon they could have left untouched and still would only very rarely have seen any play...

Your last sentence was what I was hoping before I read the patch notes. Hopefully they do not touch dagger and it will finally be in line when everything else is nerfed.

 

But:

 

In the context of the patch mainhand dagger is actually buffed because they did not nerf the damage of dark pact and barely nerfed the damage of life siphon while pretty much every skill on other weapons of all classes got a damage nerf.

 

Example: life siphon deals al lot (!) more damage than gravedigger now (2.25 vs. 1.82 multiplier + 20% when the target bleeds) and heals and is ranged.

 

And the way I used mainhand dagger was never to autoattack but to chain: axe2 -> dagger2 -> dagger3 -> shroud

 

 

 

[Gamble.4580]

Reaper and power core necro are going to be very very good after patch as long as u don’t waste things it’s going to see allot of game play in pvp and probley played allot by streamers.