How would you redesign the necromancer?

[Asum.4960]

@Lily.1935 said:I don't want to link minions to core shroud. I feel that's something that should be reserved to weapons and an elite specialization. Core necromancer shouldn't be dedicated specifically to minions. Although I'd be happy to see some more non minion skills spawn minions such as staff or Focus, but that's a different topic and I don't quite have a solid idea on how that could work just yet.

I was thinking about a MM Elite Spec in the past too, but in the end it doesn't really make a difference if it's Core or an Elite, it's a new toy either way.Core, with the base name of Necromancer already perfectly fits the Minion Mancer theme as that is what it is usually associated with and it would give at least some variability in terms of Traits, since DM and BM are almost completely locked in for a MM, a core MM would have a least one flexible line, while a MM elite spec would pretty much always be DM, Blood, MM Elite Spec.

@Lily.1935 said:Don't think Reaper needs range. Core and scourge would remain the range specs and having that melee weakness isn't a bad thing for the spec.

It's not that I think Reaper needs range, but if we are operating under the assumption of replacing the ranged Core Shroud, it would be a nice option to have - and in the way I proposed as GM' options, be mutually exclusive with being a high damage Melee beast or tanky brawler.So if you want to do the really big damage, the melee weakness would still be in place, but Eldritch Blast, ugh, I mean, Life Blast lovers would still have a (better) home, just now in Reaper instead of Core.

@Lily.1935 said:Scourge in my opinion is close to perfect. If there are things I'd change its the damage, access to boons and possibly making Shades themselves summonable objects to be interacted with but the trade off would be that minion traits would be mostly reworked so that you can get summoning bonuses not just from Scourge but from death magic and their deaths could trigger death nova. But that's a complex topic I haven't gotten around to discussing in detail.

Scourge, to those of us who played GW1, definitely feels the most "Necromancer" out of them all, I agree. It doesn't need much.I just think the Shade mechanic was poorly executed, with the 3 small Shades being overly clunky for area control (and just being stacked in one spot in PvE anyway) and big Shade overperforming in general (pre nerf nerf nerf..).I think just a single medium sized extension for the Scourge would just streamline it's gameplay in a positive way.

Making the Shades more similar to Kalla Spirits is an interesting idea as well though.

@Lily.1935 said:Not sure what you mean. Elaborate.

My point was that looking at Necromancer weapons, we have Dagger (Damage AA, Damage 2, Damage and Corrupt 3), we have Scepter (Damage AA, Damage 2, Damage and Corrupt 3), we have Axe (Damage AA, Damage 2, Damage and Corrupt 3), etc., while other professions are supplied with a myriad of different tools like blinks, blocks, leaps, pulls, evades, special mechanics like Symbols, Phantasm's etc. on their weapons.They are just fairly dull and all kind of do the same thing, the only major difference being one is Melee Range Power, one is Range Power and one is Range Condi.Non of them provide Necro with any interesting tools.

@Lily.1935 said:Yeah, staff I feel needs a complete rework. I highly dislike how its gameplay works and Feel scourge does the same thing with shades and I feel that's were this sort of area denial gameplay should be housed.

It's undeniably useful in PvP and would be hard to replace, but I agree it's a fairly uninspired move set.An alternative to core revolving around summons could ofc also be Staff being made into a summoning weapon, revolving around minions and command skills/flip overs.

[Dadnir.5038]

@Shiyo.3578 said:

@Dadnir.5038 said:The only issue with the shroud is the fact that it hold to many hats (defense/offense/support/utility/control). Move the damages to the out-of-shroud stance and the shroud is no longer an issue anywhere (well necromancer main players might not welcome the change, especially those who prefer reaper).

The necromancer have a basic niche role (debuffing) that cannot be expressed in PvE due to the very design of PvE mechanisms. As long as ANet do not allow this niche role to be expressed there, the necromancer will stay a subpar choice in this gamemode. It is as simple as that,

defiance

is a shackle to boon corruption (and conditions in general) that need to be fixed and ANet need to learn to create fighting environments that reliably apply

slow ramping

conditions that can be manipulated.

Necromancer isnt a debuffer in PvP anymore, it's a warrior with a scythe. It's literally held together by reaper in every game mode now.

That's only because ANet's inability to adapt properly PvE content to the necromancer's tools led the necromancer toward this end. The game is rich and complex and ANet fail to translate this in PvE, that's why the necromancer is a mere warrior with a scythe (I don't disagree on the warrior with a scythe point, it's totally true, I would even say that if we had to compare it with something in GW, it would be an endure pain axe warrior).