Focus Suggestions

This thread is for any and all suggestions people may have on improving or totally overhauling Necromancer Focus.

Focus right now doesn't have a set role. It's awful.

Here's what I would do:Focus 4 is a damage skill that only does 33% damage in normal scenarios. The damage even in optimal conditions is too low and too single target. Either you cast it and it doesn't bounce because you are not adjacent, or you cast it, & it bounces to your teammates giving relatively worthless regeneration.

I would turn Focus 4 into a clone of mirror blade, spawning a jagged horror.

Alternatively, frontloading the damage all onto the first hit and having the bounces just apply boons and vulnerability works.

Focus 5 casts too long and has too long cooldown to be useful. The damage is tied to the boon rip, making the skill worthless in PvE. I suspect that the point of this skill is to disable and damage an opponent character prior to a team damage spike, but this type of gameplay doesn't work in GW2: there are no healers and most damage, even "power" damage, is damage over time.

The trait that instant auto casts focus 5 is actually quite good in pvp, suggesting that the problem in pvp is entirely cast time and cooldown related.

I would actually nerf Focus 5. I'd get rid of all of the damage (which is fair if the lack of damage on focus 4 is fixed), and turn three boonrips into two boon corrupts. Then I would dramatically reduce cast time, & cool down to half a second and 8 seconds. So, instead of a tool to set up a spike kill, the skill is more of a general control tool and a way to keep your opponents chilled.

With good damage on #4 and some Breakbar utility on #5 and reasonable cast times and cooldowns, Focus would finally be useful in PvE and pvp.

Replace the 4 stacks of vulnerability with a 1 second fear on Reaper's Touch

I think adding range is a critically necessary, Necro's seriously lack options for range and without mobility it is doubly important.

Focus 4: Now uses the ammo system, has 2 charges. Effect changed to a scythe that is homing, deals damage upon impact and leaves a damaging field that pulses vulnerability, on successfull initial hit you gain fury.Focus 5: Increased damage, now leashes the initial target to targets within X range, tethering them, if the tether sis still unbroken after 2 seconds the targets take the effects of the initial hit as well.

A) Copy paste code of MirrorBlade (mesmer GS#2)

b) Try to fix all of focus bugs and unreliable clunks (range, homing, HOVERING projectile, speed, no bounce target)

C) Complete rework, defensive invuln offhand or long range offense

D) Do nothing for 5 years

E) Do nothing for 5 years but find resource time to speed up ele, guard, warrior and even thief animations.

Focus is generally fine with right kind of build. #5 has great range and boon remove/chill which makes it well worth taking.

Only thing I'd complain is randomness of effectiveness on #4 and sort of low stacks of vuln/regen compared to casting time. #5 is great, but again casting time isn't ideal. Both have great range which makes them okayish.

If I'd change something it would be lower casting time coz it's currently a tad bit slow.

We had a bug for a while where Spiteful Talisman was also reducing the cast time of Reaper's Touch to a half second. The skill felt smooth and good to use then.

So, my changes are all based on Reaper's Touch.

1. Lower cast time from 3/4 seconds to 1/2 second.
2. Make projectile homing.
3. Make projectile a flying projectile instead of a hovering projectile.
4. Change boon from Regeneration to Retaliation.

Make #4 a teleport to target (900range) that does some dmg and inflicts 5stacks vulnerability

Make #5 (300 range) inflict chill on target. If target has 10 stacks vulnerability gain quickness and superspeed for 3 seconds

Ah well im not that happy with my suggested changes to #5

@Drarnor Kunoram.5180 said:We had a bug for a while where Spiteful Talisman was also reducing the cast time of Reaper's Touch to a half second. The skill felt smooth and good to use then.

So, my changes are all based on Reaper's Touch.

1. Lower cast time from 3/4 seconds to 1/2 second.
2. Make projectile homing.
3. Make projectile a flying projectile instead of a hovering projectile.
4. Change boon from Regeneration to Retaliation.

Aside from a full revamp, that's pretty much what I had in mind. Though I would change the Regen to 3 stacks of Might per bounce. I'd also reduce Spinal Shivers to 3/4s cast and remove the extra damage, making it always do the highest amount.

edit: or resolve the whole projectile problem by removing it, so it acts the same as Spinal Shivers. Keep the cast time the same, triple the damage to compensate the removal of the bounce, 12 vuln, 9% LF and then something like 5 might when you cast or hit.

I did this ages ago in conjunction with my bloodthirst/Blood Magic rework suggestion. The redesign paired with a dagger re-work which made a full-bar brawler set and a proper melee option for core necro weapons.

Focus

! [Reaper's Touch] (4)! Cast-time: ¾s / Recharge: 1s! Unleash a barrage of necrotic blades that return to you. These blades damage foes and heal allies. Gain life force for each foe you strike.!

Number of targets: 5!

Number of allies: 5!

Blades: 3!

Damage: (0.8)!

Vulnerability|2| (8s): 2% Incoming Damage, 2% Incoming Condition Damage!

Healing: 130 (0.125)!

Life Force: 3%!

Maximum Count: 2!

Count Recharge: 12s!

Range: 900!This skill fires “necromancer-green” [Vapor Blade] projectiles which space themselves and travel out in a manner that is functionally equivalent to the 3-blade version of the Poobadoo [Vapor Blade] attack.!Any given blade will only grant life force once regardless of the number of foes that it strikes along its forward and return paths respectively.

! [spinal Shivers] (5)! Cast-time: 1s / Recharge: 25s! Freeze the ground in front of you, chilling foes with every pulse. If this field strikes a foe that is already chilled, it instead inflicts damage and removes a boon.!

Number of targets: 5!

Pulses: 6!

Chilled (4s): -66% Skill Recharge Rate, -66% Movement Speed!

Damage vs chilled foes: (0.55)!

Boons removed from chilled foes: 1!

Field duration: 6s!

Combo Field: Ice!

Range: 480! * Unblockable!Skill functions akin to Revenant [searing Fissure]. The field created by this skill also matches the size of [searing Fissure].!The field strikes immediately upon creation and then at the start of each second of its duration (6 strikes total).