Necromancer PvE | Dungeon Axe/Focus, Staff | Support Finesse?! - N/Mo LFG Thunderhead Keep
Table of Contents
Summary
My brother played an ELITE Monk in GW1. He made a crap ton of gold in that game by running Sorrow's Furnace and was literally the only way that I (as a Mesmer) could ever find a group because he would always drag me along.
Obviously, in GW2 there are no Monks. Instead, he rolled a Necro (the opposite of a Monk?!). We've been discussing various Necromancer builds off and on now since the launch of the game and there has yet to be anything he has fallen deeply/madly in love with. I decided to set out and create a build that had the support flavor that his GW1 Monk had knowing full well that he would not get the credit he deserved for keeping party members afloat.
WARNING: This build will not be for everybody.
I. Weapons and Skills
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- 0Protection: 3 s
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- 0Protection: 3 s
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- 0Protection: 3 s
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- 0Protection: 3 s
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- 0Protection: 3 s
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- Charge 40Command your flesh golem to charge a foe.Damage: 1,444Range: 1,200
Weapon and Skill Details
You gotta stay at range and you gotta support your allies. That's the theme of this build. Axe/Focus and Staff provide the only way to do both of those things successfully. Could you use Scepter? Maybe, but it's clunky. Could you use offhand Dagger? Meh. NO!
Utility-wise, you want to look at skills that buff your party members and keep them up and alive. Wells are the first idea here and very viable for a healing Necro build. The fact that you can trait into the wells granting Protection (more on this later) is a huge benefit in having them on your skill bar. The Spectral Wall also serves as a solid source of Protection while also making those whiny bad guys flee in fear. The Signet of the Locust is obviously used for the speed buff, always needed.
A point of contention and discussion is the Elite skill slot. I personally feel like Flesh Golem helps in taking aggro not only off of you (Who has very low damage output) but also your party members. I recommend this for open world PvE content because you really are going to have a hard time killing things by yourself.
II. Traits
Spite
Curses
Death Magic
Blood Magic
Soul Reaping
Trait Details
Death Magic -
When I initially had my extra points to be spent, I looked at Death Magic as a way to spec into the major trait selected to add Protection to all wells. It's a fantastic trait and a big part of this build, but the minor that comes along with it is almost just important. This build in general requires you to be in and out of Death Shroud (DS) a LOT. Your natural toughness is extremely high as is, but adding this trait makes you a flat out tank. If you are wading into battle while in DS to support your allies, you won't die. You can't prevent your allies from being dead if you are dead yourself. BAM GET LEARNED.
Blood Magic -
Not that vampiric BS. Flat out, the traits in this line are for healing while in and out of DS. All the minor traits are about passively increasing your survivability and a little bit of damage output. They are all useful in their own right. The major traits, though, is where the magic lies (BLOOD MAGIC TO BE SPECIFIC). Life Transfer heals allies while also causing a huge bloody rukus. Heal around you when you leave DS. Draw conditions from allies while in DS and gain life force from this (which is awesome). Party support. Love it or list it.
Soul Reaping -
When I started building this out, I didn't really consider DS to be as big of a part of this build as it really has become. I latched onto the Soul Reaping line due to the grandmaster that heals allies with Life Blast, but I noticed as I got more into it that DS was really the best way to go to stay afloat as a healer. The minors in this line are similar to the Blood Magic ones in that they provide you passive buffs and also increase your damage output a little bit. The major traits focus on buffing DS and then the aforementioned healing via Life Blast.
III. Stat Specifics & Effects
Primary Stats
- Health 22512 (+3300)
- Vitality 1246 (+330)
- Armor 2884 (+1048)
- Toughness 1964 (+1048)
- Attack 2049 (+168)
- Power 1084 (+168)
- Precision 916 (+0)
Secondary Stats
- Boon Duration 10% (+10%)
- Condition Damage 899 (+899)
- Condition Duration -20% (+-20%)
- Critical Damage 20% (+20%)
- Damage 965 (+0%)
- Damage while stunned -20% (+-20%)
- Defense 920 (+0)
- Experience from Kills 20% (+20%)
- Ferocity 300 (+300)
- Healing Power 1685 (+1685)
- Life Force Pool 30% (+30%)
- Movement Speed 25% (+25%)
- Protection Duration 30% (+30%)
Boons
Conditions
Control
Fields & Finishers
Stat and Effect Details
Look at that Toughness. That's all you need to look at.
IV. Food, Armor, Trinkets & Upgrade Items
Food Nourishment
Incoming damage reduced by 20% while stunned, knocked down, or knocked back.
Condition Duration: -20%
Experience from Kills: 10%
- (30min)
- Incoming damage reduced by 20% while stunned, knocked down, or knocked back.
- Condition Duration: -20%
- Experience from Kills: 10%
Utility Nourishment
Gain power equal to 6% of your toughness
Gain power equal to 4% of your vitality
Experience from Kills: 10%
- (30min)
- Gain power equal to 6% of your toughness
- Gain power equal to 4% of your vitality
- Experience from Kills: 10%
Armor & Runes
- Defense: 73
- Healing Power: 60
- Toughness: 43
- Condition Damage: 43
- Healing Power: 25
- Protection Duration: 10%
- Healing Power: 50
- 25% chance when struck to gain protection for 4 seconds. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)
- Healing Power: 100
- +20% Protection Duration; 50% chance when struck to root the attacking foe. (Cooldown: 90 seconds)
- Defense: 73
- Healing Power: 45
- Toughness: 32
- Condition Damage: 32
- Healing Power: 25
- Protection Duration: 10%
- Healing Power: 50
- 25% chance when struck to gain protection for 4 seconds. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)
- Healing Power: 100
- +20% Protection Duration; 50% chance when struck to root the attacking foe. (Cooldown: 90 seconds)
- Defense: 314
- Healing Power: 134
- Toughness: 96
- Condition Damage: 96
- Healing Power: 25
- Protection Duration: 10%
- Healing Power: 50
- 25% chance when struck to gain protection for 4 seconds. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)
- Healing Power: 100
- +20% Protection Duration; 50% chance when struck to root the attacking foe. (Cooldown: 90 seconds)
- Defense: 133
- Healing Power: 45
- Toughness: 32
- Condition Damage: 32
- Healing Power: 25
- Protection Duration: 10%
- Healing Power: 50
- 25% chance when struck to gain protection for 4 seconds. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)
- Healing Power: 100
- +20% Protection Duration; 50% chance when struck to root the attacking foe. (Cooldown: 90 seconds)
- Defense: 194
- Healing Power: 90
- Toughness: 64
- Condition Damage: 64
- Healing Power: 25
- Protection Duration: 10%
- Healing Power: 50
- 25% chance when struck to gain protection for 4 seconds. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)
- Healing Power: 100
- +20% Protection Duration; 50% chance when struck to root the attacking foe. (Cooldown: 90 seconds)
- Defense: 133
- Healing Power: 45
- Toughness: 32
- Condition Damage: 32
- Healing Power: 25
- Protection Duration: 10%
- Healing Power: 50
- 25% chance when struck to gain protection for 4 seconds. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)
- Healing Power: 100
- +20% Protection Duration; 50% chance when struck to root the attacking foe. (Cooldown: 90 seconds)
Armor Stat Totals
- Defense 920
- Healing Power 594
- Protection Duration 30%
- Toughness 299
- Condition Damage 299
Rune Bonuses
Superior Rune of the Grove- Healing Power: 25
- Protection Duration: 10%
- Healing Power: 50
- 25% chance when struck to gain protection for 4 seconds. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)
- Healing Power: 100
- +20% Protection Duration; 50% chance when struck to root the attacking foe. (Cooldown: 90 seconds)
Accessories & Jewels
- Healing Power: 25
- Condition Damage: 15
- Toughness: 15
- Healing Power: 25
- Condition Damage: 15
- Toughness: 15
- Healing Power: 25
- Condition Damage: 15
- Toughness: 15
- Healing Power: 25
- Condition Damage: 15
- Toughness: 15
- Healing Power: 25
- Condition Damage: 15
- Toughness: 15
- Healing Power: 25
- Condition Damage: 15
- Toughness: 15
Accessory Totals
- Toughness:409
- Condition Damage:430
- Healing Power:621
- Vitality:30
Weapon Set Sigils
- Weapon Strength: 857-1047
- Toughness: 120
- Condition Damage: 85
- Healing Power: 85
- Weapon Strength: 831-883
- Toughness: 120
- Condition Damage: 85
- Healing Power: 85
Weapon Set I
Sigil of Superior Water30% chance to Heal nearby allies on hit. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 5s)
Superior Sigil of RenewalHeal Nearby Allies on Weapon Swap
- Weapon Strength: 985-1111
- Healing Power: 239
- Toughness: 171
- Condition Damage: 171
- Weapon Strength: -
Weapon Set II
Sigil of Superior LifeYou gain +10 healing each time you kill a foe. (max 25 stacks and ends on down or weapon change)
Upgrade Item Details
Apothocary is the way to go. Straight apothocary across the board. You want the Healing Power to heal your allies (mostly via the Well of Blood, Sigils, and Life Blast) and the Toughness continuation is just unrivaled. You have to stay afloat.
This build really didn't come together for me until I found the Runes of the Grove. Does the Protection duration affect those that you apply it to? Hopefully, but i'm not 100% sure on that. Do I really care? No, because it contributes to you staying alive to apply Protection in other ways. It's a cool rune and it really encompasses the flavor of a GW1 Procection Monk.
The sigils are all about some passive healing while you're swapping weapons and doing random things. It's not the most satisfying thing, but it helps.
V. Basic Gameplay
Stay alive and cast Protection.
Main Skill Rotation
LOLS LIFE BLAST
Comments
@ 07:11 AM, Fri April 25 2014
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