What ist the purpose of staff?

[Obtena.7952]

I have to admit, I love the staff because most weapons combos are pretty capable to stand alone without swapping (Specter/anything for condi, GS on Reaper, etc...) and having staff to swap to is just always that extra fear to break a bar, or the range with chill option if you want on a reaper. AOE for tagging, VERY versatile.

I wouldn't ever use it as a primary, but I have yet to find a build that it doesn't provide supplemental capabilities for.

[XECOR.2814]

Staff is the weapon that is bad but just good enough that people dont want it changed in fear of it becoming shit. I feel like anet wants it to be utility based weapon and it is OK in what it does but its extremely bland in flavour and animation. Could use revamp. Possibly move away from aoe for less clutter in wvw and provide stronger utility. Staff is not fun to play and i believe anet makes changes based on fun factor. I hope they touch staff someday too.

[aspirine.5839]

Like someone said before, dagger offhand is also in need of an update. Powerbuilds could be more fun with a good dagger/dagger combo.

[EremiteAngel.9765]

@aspirine.5839 said:Like someone said before, dagger offhand is also in need of an update. Powerbuilds could be more fun with a good dagger/dagger combo.

I rarely play Dagger Mainhand due to its limitations in WvW, but I love Dagger offhand.Although it has low damage and no LF regen but Dagger Offhand is like the Staff, a utility type all-rounded weapon.And it is very good at setting up counter-bursts in a fight, unlike the other off-hands.Its my favorite weapon to date.

We already got a Focus which is power-based so I would be very upset if they changed Dagger OH :anguished:

Focus : Power BurstWarhorn : SustainDagger OH : UtilityTorch : Condi Burst

[KrHome.1920]

@aspirine.5839 said:Like someone said before, dagger offhand is also in need of an update. Powerbuilds could be more fun with a good dagger/dagger combo.The problem with that setup is, that MH dagger is a power weapon and OH dagger is a condi weapon, which is weird as on the other hand these two weapons are designed to have synergies.

Dagger 4 is a good and useful skill. I would like to see it switching with focus 4. Then focus would be a great OH weapon (even without the then missing LF generation). Dagger 5 is the problem. It's the incarnation of necro problems: too slow to hit anything and underwhelming on impact on top of that - which brings me back to staff which shares the same issues as dagger 5.

Staff suffers from ANets game design inexperience at launch. It has a huge teamfight potential (can be a game changer), but is weak against single targets.

It could get the shout threatment: A viable baseline effect against a single target and then a minor upscaling against multiple targets.

Alternatively they could get rid of the mark mechanic but increase the skill strength or add the ammo system for better viability.

[Tukaram.8256]

My main avatar is my necro/minion master. I throw the critters out and use my staff as support. I love it. I have dual daggers as my alt weapons but cannot remember the last time I used them. The staff is my main weapon. I got Path of Fire this week, and have almost finished the first map, with no deaths. It serves me well enough. My warrior and ranger have each had a few dirt naps - the staff wielding necro has not.

[Gamble.4580]

Staff is main weapon for scourge reaper and core for spvp it’s just that good and needed. Staff is for kiteing or pre dh rotation bomb

[Thorstienn.1642]

Staff is a competitive weapon, and a really good one at that.Meanwhile, dagger/dagger has a great sustain synergy whilst building LF: 3 (immobile foe and bleed self), 5(weaken and bleed foe), 2 heal self and damage foe (both increased by bleeds on foe and self), 4 blind and transfer conditions to foe, AA for LF to get in shroud again.

Edit: changed "for"s to "foe"s

[Tom Hsiao.9705]

Necro staff is more of a life force building weapon. It doesn’t do a lot of damage but I like to use it when I’m running MM build lolSkill 2 heals your minions and do little damage to mobs... skill 3 kinda mah I spam it doesn’t do much for me.Skill 4 transfer condition is quite nice and skill 5 cc is for your breaking bar...I just wish the necro staff do a little more damage otherwise it’s not too bad overall. Consider all the skills are aoe except skill 1... which should also be aoe!!

I think necro staff is better than ele’s earth and lighting staff tho. It’s like everything all build into one weapon.

[Vlad Morbius.1759]

The damage has to be increased and it's auto attack sped up to match other staffs in the game, this would make it useful as a counter to the current bomb blobs in WvW.

[Nimon.7840]

@Vlad Morbius.1759 said:The damage has to be increased and it's auto attack sped up to match other staffs in the game, this would make it useful as a counter to the current bomb blobs in WvW.

Not really. This would only make bomb blobs even more effective

[NecroSummonsMors.7816]

Staff is a utility weapon, unless you use it on a condition build where it is kinda usefull to do damage through conditions. It can be very effective if used with the terror trait, for damaging fear. I'd run it in pvp only on condi scourge and condi core necro. If you go power reaper or power core you really dont need it. It has great use in wvw since coupled with wells can be use to bomb an enemy zerg.

[Vlad Morbius.1759]

@Nimon.7840 said:

@Vlad Morbius.1759 said:The damage has to be increased and it's auto attack sped up to match other staffs in the game, this would make it useful as a counter to the current bomb blobs in WvW.

Not really. This would only make bomb blobs even more effective

Sorry what I meant to say was a counter to Scourges without having to play a damnable scourge lol!

@NecroSummonsMors.7816 said:Staff is a utility weapon, unless you use it on a condition build where it is kinda usefull to do damage through conditions. It can be very effective if used with the terror trait, for damaging fear. I'd run it in pvp only on condi scourge and condi core necro. If you go power reaper or power core you really dont need it. It has great use in wvw since coupled with wells can be use to bomb an enemy zerg.

To your part, this is a problem today for power builds, the staff is almost useless and without it Reapers have virtually no range attack, most everything we do have is far too slow in competitive play like WVW or PVP to make range effective. In my view if they don't want to buff staff then they need to speed up skills like necrotic grasp, soul grasp and grasping darkness. As it is today it is far too easy to outrun, dodge or use the terrain for Reapers to be very effective in many circumstances.

[Anchoku.8142]

Staff has lost some potency over the years but still has value in competitive play. Its dps was always low and is abysmal in the current state of the game but its design provides utility to excuse some of its low damage issue.

Staff's value is from LF generation, its ranged and targetable traps (Marks) with a large AoE, and the utility it offers in those marks. Few weapon concepts are this good even if its damage output and utilities have not kept up with the game.

[Nimon.7840]

@Anchoku.8142 said:Staff has lost some potency over the years but still has value in competitive play. Its dps was always low and is abysmal in the current state of the game but its design provides utility to excuse some of its low damage issue.

Staff's value is from LF generation, its ranged and targetable traps (Marks) with a large AoE, and the utility it offers in those marks. Few weapon concepts are this good even if its damage output and utilities have not kept up with the game.

Then we get to a whole different problem: every good build runs soulreaping.-On staff you almost have to take it for lf-gen-on power builds for extra dmg-on Condi builds for extra dmg

And on all builds: more lf gen, more CDR for shroud abilities, bigger lf pool.

But is the traitline that strong?I don't think so. It's more that you don't have other good options to choose from.

[Gamble.4580]

Staff is amazing for kitting a team support why u waiting for cds. I don’t even use lfgain trait on it I use swiftness trait.

[Anchoku.8142]

@Nimon.7840 said:

@Anchoku.8142 said:Staff has lost some potency over the years but still has value in competitive play. Its dps was always low and is abysmal in the current state of the game but its design provides utility to excuse some of its low damage issue.

Staff's value is from LF generation, its ranged and targetable traps (Marks) with a large AoE, and the utility it offers in those marks. Few weapon concepts are this good even if its damage output and utilities have not kept up with the game.

Then we get to a whole different problem: every good build runs soulreaping.-On staff you almost have to take it for lf-gen-on power builds for extra dmg-on Condi builds for extra dmg

And on all builds: more lf gen, more CDR for shroud abilities, bigger lf pool.

But is the traitline that strong?I don't think so. It's more that you don't have other good options to choose from.

Excellent point!

Necro sustain is so strongly dependent LF and shroud cool down that not taking it feels bad. Death Magic and Blood Magic do not give that much personal sustain.

Considering the dps aspect, DM offers nothing, though BM offers group sustain and a bit of dps.

Taking the mandatory SR gives the already useful staff more utility with its reduced CD. Soul Marks is good. Speed of Shadows is good for non-staff builds like in PvE. Unyielding Blast seems worthless, though, because it only gives vulnerability on Life Blast so it has limited situational use.

[LucianDK.8615]

I am beginning to appreciate the staff as i find it covers a pretty big gap in the Reaper's arsenal. Pitiful tagging ability in open world groups

[Tinker.6924]

@LucianDK.8615 said:I am beginning to appreciate the staff as i find it covers a pretty big gap in the Reaper's arsenal. Pitiful tagging ability in open world groups

I think it has really good open world tagging abilities.

• 1200 range
• An auto attack that can go through multiple baddies if you target the guy in the back
• 3 long range AOE abilities (not counting the fear which you wouldn't use for tagging)

If the baddies are already engaged, you do enough damage to tag but not switch aggro to you.If you want to aggro unegaged baddies, you should be able to easily hit multiple groups and still have time to switch to your main weapon before they get to you.

You just have to be good at ground targeting and there are multiple game options to make that more convenient. Or you can use the Taco overlay with the mouse highlight option which gives you a great, high visibility mouse cursor option.

What else would you want for tagging?

[XECOR.2814]

@EmmetOtter.8542 said:

@LucianDK.8615 said:I am beginning to appreciate the staff as i find it covers a pretty big gap in the Reaper's arsenal. Pitiful tagging ability in open world groups

I think it has really good open world tagging abilities.

• 1200 range
• An auto attack that can go through multiple baddies if you target the guy in the back
• 3 long range AOE abilities (not counting the fear which you wouldn't use for tagging)

If the baddies are already engaged, you do enough damage to tag but not switch aggro to you.If you want to aggro unegaged baddies, you should be able to easily hit multiple groups and still have time to switch to your main weapon before they get to you.

You just have to be good at ground targeting and there are multiple game options to make that more convenient. Or you can use the Taco overlay with the mouse highlight option which gives you a great, high visibility mouse cursor option.

What else would you want for tagging?

Open world application of a weapon is irrelevant.

[Dadnir.5038]

@EmmetOtter.8542 said:

@"LucianDK.8615" said:I am beginning to appreciate the staff as i find it covers a pretty big gap in the Reaper's arsenal. Pitiful tagging ability in open world groups

I think it has really good open world tagging abilities.

• 1200 range
• An auto attack that can go through multiple baddies if you target the guy in the back
• 3 long range AOE abilities (not counting the fear which you wouldn't use for tagging)

If the baddies are already engaged, you do enough damage to tag but not switch aggro to you.If you want to aggro unegaged baddies, you should be able to easily hit multiple groups and still have time to switch to your main weapon before they get to you.

You just have to be good at ground targeting and there are multiple game options to make that more convenient. Or you can use the Taco overlay with the mouse highlight option which gives you a great, high visibility mouse cursor option.

What else would you want for tagging?

I think the "pitiful tagging ability" was associated to reaper and the staff is what cover this weakness of the reaper.

[Tinker.6924]

@Dadnir.5038 said:

@EmmetOtter.8542 said:

@"LucianDK.8615" said:I am beginning to appreciate the staff as i find it covers a pretty big gap in the Reaper's arsenal. Pitiful tagging ability in open world groups

I think it has really good open world tagging abilities.

• 1200 range
• An auto attack that can go through multiple baddies if you target the guy in the back
• 3 long range AOE abilities (not counting the fear which you wouldn't use for tagging)

If the baddies are already engaged, you do enough damage to tag but not switch aggro to you.If you want to aggro unegaged baddies, you should be able to easily hit multiple groups and still have time to switch to your main weapon before they get to you.

You just have to be good at ground targeting and there are multiple game options to make that more convenient. Or you can use the Taco overlay with the mouse highlight option which gives you a great, high visibility mouse cursor option.

What else would you want for tagging?

I think the "pitiful tagging ability" was associated to reaper and the staff is what cover this weakness of the reaper.

Ooohhh. That makes total sense.

[Teratus.2859]

@Thornwolf.9721 said:

@Dschromm.2946 said:Hello fellow necros,

I am fairly new to the game and finally decided to main necro through the content of this awesome game.

But, i find myself struggeling to understand the role of necro staff. While other main hands so to have designated roles (as far as i understand: dagger - sustain, axe - power burst, scepter - condi application), i am confused by staff:

1. Slow moving, lf generating auto that looks cool, but hits like a wet noodle (power)
2. Aoe bleed and regen. So some kind of sustain, Support and condi application (condi)
3. Aoe poison and chill. So condi and CC (condi)
4. Aoe condi transfer coupled with Power damage
5. Aoe fest- CC

So what's it role? Power damage? No. Condi damage? No. Support? Not really. CC/tank weapon? Maybe, but why then ranged?

So, Help and advice is much appreciated.

See you ingame \○/

It's dated from back when the game launched, It and danger main-hand along with I think to some degree focus are all kind of lack-luster when compared to the necro's other weapons in their current form. They all need reworks (Staff and mainhand dagger need a complete overhaul/rework) so that they can be made more engaging and fun to play with; Main hand dagger and Staff are two weapons that always screamed occultist to me outside of scepter and focus. Out of those scepter shines and is strong but the others kind of feel... sub-par.

It will probably be redone one of these days and brought to the games new way of function, role and unique feel.

Don't be dissing my dagger bro!!my dedicated healing skill is on that beast :P

[Teratus.2859]

I mostly used staff as a setup/trap weapon for my hybrid corruptor.

Pop down marks then aggro, swap to sceptor and start stacking condi's.By the time they've reached my marks i've applied a few condis to myself too which get trasferred when mark 4 is triggered, plus additional bleeds and chill.

I don't find staff all that useful as an in combat weapon though.. it could definitely use a rework, perhaps less damage/condi application but marks gaining ammo and having multiple uses and the ability to place multiple of the same mark down allowing Necros to pretty much make a magic minefield.Also more CC with it over damage would be fun, add slow and enfeeble to it to make it more of a offensive support weapon.Could certainly see Necros being able to play tactically with that.

[Thornwolf.9721]

@Teratus.2859 said:

@Thornwolf.9721 said:

@Dschromm.2946 said:Hello fellow necros,

I am fairly new to the game and finally decided to main necro through the content of this awesome game.

But, i find myself struggeling to understand the role of necro staff. While other main hands so to have designated roles (as far as i understand: dagger - sustain, axe - power burst, scepter - condi application), i am confused by staff:

1. Slow moving, lf generating auto that looks cool, but hits like a wet noodle (power)
2. Aoe bleed and regen. So some kind of sustain, Support and condi application (condi)
3. Aoe poison and chill. So condi and CC (condi)
4. Aoe condi transfer coupled with Power damage
5. Aoe fest- CC

So what's it role? Power damage? No. Condi damage? No. Support? Not really. CC/tank weapon? Maybe, but why then ranged?

So, Help and advice is much appreciated.

See you ingame \○/

It's dated from back when the game launched, It and danger main-hand along with I think to some degree focus are all kind of lack-luster when compared to the necro's other weapons in their current form. They all need reworks (Staff and mainhand dagger need a complete overhaul/rework) so that they can be made more engaging and fun to play with; Main hand dagger and Staff are two weapons that always screamed occultist to me outside of scepter and focus. Out of those scepter shines and is strong but the others kind of feel... sub-par.

It will probably be redone one of these days and brought to the games new way of function, role and unique feel.

Don't be dissing my dagger bro!!my dedicated healing skill is on that beast :P

just saying it could be better lol