Necromancer WvW | Large Group Staff, Dagger/Warhorn | Assaulter Powerwell Zergomancer
Table of Contents
Summary
This build is a bunker Necromancer optimized for zerg vs zerg fights. It's mostly based on Wells, with a strong focus of AoEs and combo fields all around.
I. Weapons and Skills
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Weapon and Skill Details
Staff is a no-brainer for a Necromancer in a zerg. It tags a lot of enemies, provides a blast finisher, combo fields, and in general AoEs are a central point of any zerg fight. You will use the autoattack as little as possible, switching to other weapon sets, skills and/or death shroud as soon as all your marks are placed.
The second set is the one you'll use to finish people trying to get outside the fight, and is much more free. I would suggest in any case Warhorn because of the useful swiftness and cripple on Locust Swarm [5] (so much that my autoattack is set on that), and I like Dagger because it is the highest DPS weapon for a necromancer on autoattack and the Dark Pact [3] plus Warhorn's Wail of Doom [4] can block an opponent for quite long, allowing the other players to join in.
The skills are almost all Wells, except for Signet of the Locust, that provides a very useful speed boost to pick up a zerg or stay in line with it. The ideal thing would be to switch it for another well (Well of Darkness being my favourite, but Well of Suffering does more damge) if you have time to prepare for the clash, but the Signet works well anyway, since it acts as an AoE health stealing, fitting the theme of the build.
The elite is Plague. Avoid Withering Plague [1] when in such form, since our condition damage is abysmal, and rather use Plague of Darkness [2] when turned for defensive purposes, and Plague of Pestilence [3] when used offensively. Remember that Plague is a great way to boost your HP, and the blind allows you to substantially avoid all melee attacks, but when you will get out of it, if not out of the mass, you will be in big troubles, so be ready to dodge and heal yourself! Pro tip: commanders could seriously love a blinding or crippling Plague following them closely.
II. Traits
Spite
Curses
Death Magic
Blood Magic
Trait Details
As the title suggest, this build is strongly centered on Wells. Because of this, we try to get the most useful traits related to them. That's why we get Focused Ritual [Curses VI], Ritual of Protection [Death Magic IV], Ritual Mastery [Blood Magic VIII] and Vampiric Rituals [Blood Magic XII], which synergizes well with Bloodthirst [Blood Magic II]. All together these traits provide us with ground-targeted wells that give protection, recharge faster and siphon (quite a lot of) health, making them both an offensive AoE weapon and a defensive tool for surviving longer.
Since the heavy usage of Staff, Greater Marks [Death Magic II] is also incredibly useful. The last 10 points are quite more free, but I think the best place for them is in Spite, because of Parasitic Bond [Spite minor at 5] and Spiteful Removal [Spite III]: we will tag (and thus, count as kill), MANY enemies, and this grants us constant condition cleaning and life gain.
III. Stat Specifics & Effects
Primary Stats
- Health 28742 (+9530)
- Vitality 1869 (+953)
- Armor 2673 (+837)
- Toughness 1753 (+837)
- Attack 3421 (+1394)
- Power 2310 (+1394)
- Critical Hit 5% (+5%)
- Precision 1016 (+100)
Secondary Stats
- Boon Duration 20% (+20%)
- Condition Damage 100 (+100)
- Condition Duration 10% (+10%)
- Critical Damage 6% (+6%)
- Damage 1111 (+0%)
- Defense 920 (+0)
- Experience from Kills 20% (+20%)
- Ferocity 100 (+100)
- Healing Power 370 (+370)
- Movement Speed 25% (+25%)
Boons
Conditions
Control
Fields & Finishers
Stat and Effect Details
The idea of this build is to be resistant enough in order to be able to cut through a zerg head first and get out alive on the other side without problems. Our wells already provide lots of siphoning and protection, but we must help it with the stats: we look for very high toughness and vitality, which brings us to the almost forced choice of only power as attack stat, leaving crits almost completely out.
We provide lots of combo fields, although the only really useful combo finisher we have at our disposal is a Blast one with Putrid Mark [Staff 4], and this can only be triggered by enemies.
IV. Food, Armor, Trinkets & Upgrade Items
Food Nourishment
100% chance to gain health when you kill a foe
Healing Power: 70
Experience from Kills: 10%
- (30min)
- 100% chance to gain health when you kill a foe
- Healing Power: 70
- 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
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
- Defense: 73
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
- Defense: 314
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
- Defense: 133
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
- Defense: 194
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
- Defense: 133
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
Armor Stat Totals
- Defense 920
- Power 175
- Ferocity 100
Rune Bonuses
Superior Rune of the Scholar- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
Accessories & Jewels
- Vitality: 4
- Vitality: 4
- Vitality: 4
- Power: 4
- Vitality: 4
- Power: 4
Accessory Totals
- Power:700
- Toughness:466
- Vitality:482
Weapon Set Sigils
- Weapon Strength: 985-1111
- Power: 239
- Toughness: 171
- Vitality: 171
- Weapon Strength: -
Weapon Set I
Sigil of Superior BloodlustYou gain +10 power each time you kill a foe. (max 25 stacks and ends on down or weapon change)
- Weapon Strength: 924-981
- Power: 120
- Toughness: 85
- Vitality: 85
- Weapon Strength: 814-900
- Power: 120
- Toughness: 85
- Vitality: 85
Weapon Set II
Sigil of Superior Force+5% damage.
Sigil of Superior BattleYou gain 2 stacks of might for 20s when you swap to this weapon while in combat.
- Weapon Strength: 905-1000
- Power: 120
- Toughness: 85
- Vitality: 85
- Weapon Strength: 905-1000
- Power: 120
- Toughness: 85
- Vitality: 85
Water Weapon I
Sigil of Superior Force+5% damage.
Water Weapon II
Sigil of Superior Force+5% damage.
Upgrade Item Details
In order to maximize toughness and vitality, the only real choice we have are Soldier's stats. The upgrade runes for the armor are Scholar's, since we will pass most of our time with very high health, but if on a budget one can also opt for simple Ruby Orbs.
Most of our kills will be tagged by Staff: a Bloodlust sigil can quickly get up to 25 charges in a zerg fight, and stay there, since we are very resistant and rarely get down. A more defensive choice is the Superior Sigil of Restoration, that increases the life gain we get by killing enemies.
When on the second set, we're looking instead for a quick kill, tipically bringing down an enemy looking for escape. Because of that, we just put a plain increase in damage. One can also substitute the Sigil of Superior Battle for a Sigil of Superior Hydromancy, giving us yet another way to slow down the enemy by switching the weapon when near him (as per wiki, range 240).
The trinkets I've put in here are ascended Soldier's: one can also experiment with mixed stats, a bit more leaning toward the offensive. If equipping exotic, I suggest full Soldier's with Berserker's upgrades. The infusions can obviously be WvW Infusions, so to also boost the damage against Guards and Lords, and diminish the damage taken by them.
The food choice is easy: the Sharpening Stone to significatively increase our power (we have high toughness and vitality; we avoid the Maintenance Oils since our critical damage is low), and the Omnomberry Compote to substantially get the effect of Parasitic Bond trait and/or Sigil of Restoration once more. I tend not to use the top level of the Compote and Sharpening Stones, but instead prefer Raspberry Peach Compote and Hardened Sharpening Stone, which provides substantially the same bonuses, but for a minor cost.
V. Basic Gameplay
The basic idea of this build is to attack as a caster whenever possible, flanking the enemy zerg and launching our spells in the middle, both to tag enemies, weaken them and support allies by condition removal and combo fields, but a full on attack in the middle of the zerg is possible too.
The elements to remember are the following:
- Well of Power is your only source of Stability, and a Stun Breaker too. Use it with care, and in advance if you think you're likely to pass over a Guardian's Line of Warding or an Elementalist's Static Field, which are the tipical first moves of competent zergs to incapacitate the enemies in block.
- You don't need to spam Plague attacks: once an option is added, the others you added before are removed, and that option keeps on affecting enemies at each pulse! :-)
- You have a number of options when things are going bad, in order: Well of Blood, Death Shroud, Plague, Signet of the Locust (if active), Dagger's Life Siphon. The Well is probably your best, first option, since it also gives your health siphoning, enemy tagging (kill a tagged enemy while down, and you get up again!), and protection. Follows Death Shroud, since you can activate Life Transfer [4]. Plague is your last very effective option: if you get out of Plague with low health and not yet out of the middle of the chaos, you're dead. Signet of the Locust is a good burst health gain, but after that you are slower, which possibly makes it harder for you to get in a safe spot, and the dagger attack is single target.
- Personally, I find the Fast-Cast Ground Targeting option very effective in this build. Especially in big fights, where the lag is substantial, the time needed to click once more can be very detrimental. It requires though a bit of training to get the correct idea of the distances you can put your AoEs down from.
- Remember that you're a bunker. You can get tons of damage, and have extra ways of absorbing it: don't be afraid to run head first in a zerg following your commander.
- Death Shroud's Life Transfer ignores Gates, Walls and the like: use it to hit people and siege behind a Gate, either trying to get in or defending. You will often see many little numbers of the damages you are causing to siege and enemies and rejoyce, not to count the occasional kill!
- Death Shroud is not just a way to defend yourself: it provides formidable attacks, that both hits very hard single target on Life Blast [1], and provides excellent anti-zerg Life Transfer [4] and Tainted Shackles [5].
- This build is optimized for zergs, and works very well in open world PvE as well because of the great AoE abilities. It's just OK in dungeons and pretty much lacking in 1-vs-1 roamer situations. In such situations, the best option is to run away toward the direction where you will most likely find allies. You can do it without big efforts, since you're very bunker, and through Well of Power you can remove stuns and turn chills, cripples and immobilized at your advantage, not to mention that you can cast Staff's marks behind you (are you playing WvW and not yet bound the Look Behind key? do it now). As soon as somebody else joins the fight, the amount of combo fields and AoE effects you put can turn you from a less-than-effective fighter to a great supporter.
- In a panic situation under Arrow Cart's cripple and bleeding attacks, thought to slow you and your allies down and kill you, remember that Well of Power is once again the perfect answer.
- If attacking a gate ranged, have fun putting all your marks on the entrance door of the keep, refreshing them as soon as they get out of cooldown, and then watch enemies getting crushed as they try to sneak in and instead activate all of them.
Main Skill Rotation
This is the main rotation when you are entering a zerg head first.
The Well of Power launched from a distance provides you that little bit of stability that will allow you to pass through possible Line of Warding or Static Field unharmed.
Getting in Death Shroud immediately as you enter the enemy zerg allows you to soak up the first wave of damage, and have the timeout on your F1 at your disposal again as soon as possible, when you possibly will have to absorb some more damage if things get difficult.
After that, another well will prolong the protection that the first well gave us, and the Staff will provide the other AoEs. Try to place 3 and 4 intersecting, this will produce an AoE weakness. You leave 5, producing fear, as last, since you will want the possible stabilities to run off and until then you want to keep the enemy zerg as compact as possible, in order to tag as many enemies as possible.
In case you are flanking, instead, you can skip the Death Shroud step, since it would be effective only getting quite too near, and use it up only once you feel like attacking inside the enemy zerg.
Escaping enemies rotation
This is the rotation to kill the enemies trying to escape from the zerg, and its aim is substantially to slow them down as much as possible.
First, closing the gap: for this purpose run toward your enemy in Death Shroud and use Dark Path [2] to chill and teleport to their location. If you are near enough (range 600) the Tainted Shackles [5] is out of cooldown, it is an even better choice, since you will damage them AND immobilize them at the end.
Now switch weapon to dagger / warhorn. If you applied the Sigil of Superior Hydromancy, your enemies will now get even more chill. During these 5-8 seconds of chill, just use the autoattack for massive damage.
When the enemies get rid of the chill, use the Locust Swarm [5] to cripple them and slow them down once more and Dark Pact [3] to immobilize them (remember: they both take one second to activate, act in advance!), while using the autoattack in the pauses between the conditions. Try not to make the conditions overlap: this will maximize the time they are slowed down and make them burn through the condition removals at their disposal.
Finally, keep Wail of Doom [4] just to cancel enemy's heals.