Getting into wvw

[Tiviana.2650]

So im trying my hand at wvw because i like player vs player in other games so why not GW2. The first thing i noticed is i dont have a clue what to build and gear my necro as ...raid build dont seem to cut it. I get mowed down, so i was wondering how do you build and gear for wvw. Keep in mind im a noob and only a few pieces of ascended as in pve trinkets weapon and chest. I dont understand if condi or power would be better as im solo most times, i do join the groups when available though. Do i use pets or no? I really like my necro and want to play all the parts of the game with it not just raiding.

[Stand The Wall.6987]

search youtube and metabattle for ideas and gameplay. build tankier at first until you get the hang of it. superior stamina + energy sigils will boost your survivability by a lot.

[EremiteAngel.9765]

@"Tiviana.2650" said:So im trying my hand at wvw because i like player vs player in other games so why not GW2. The first thing i noticed is i dont have a clue what to build and gear my necro as ...raid build dont seem to cut it. I get mowed down, so i was wondering how do you build and gear for wvw. Keep in mind im a noob and only a few pieces of ascended as in pve trinkets weapon and chest. I dont understand if condi or power would be better as im solo most times, i do join the groups when available though. Do i use pets or no? I really like my necro and want to play all the parts of the game with it not just raiding.

Don't let dying put you down because Necro Solo Roaming in WvW is the toughest due to our relatively weaker mobility and disengage options.Even old timers die frequently.I did a Poll here and if you checked the results, Necros are dead last when it comes to Roaming in WvW.So be prepared for a rough ride.Build and Gear helps, but ultimately to survive better, you'll need to gain experience and knowledge through more play time in WvW.

Agree with Stand the Wall to build tankier first, allows more room for error and less demanding on reflexes.Trailblazers is an easier option to start with, although you might learn faster if you play power.There are many good builds shared on this forum like:

• Core builds here,
• Reaper builds here,
• Scourge build here.

Do craft your own build eventually though as you get more knowledgeable of the game mode.Its part of the fun :wink:

Agree with Stand the Wall to watch gameplays of other Necro Roamers.Live Streams are better because you get to see their failings as well as their successes.Some sources you can consider:

• Ascii - Greatest Legendary Necro Roamer (EU timing, reached 1919 PvP Rating this season - Legendary Division) Currently live on Twitch!
• Vendoll - Decent Necro Roamer (Streams frequently during OCX timing)
• Hobo - Multi-Class Streamer (Streams with his roaming guild occasionally during NA timing)

[RisenHowl.2419]

If you need to run tankier armor you can, just keep crit rate at 47%

Happy corrupting =D

[Helly.2597]

@EremiteAngel.9765 said:

@"Tiviana.2650" said:So im trying my hand at wvw because i like player vs player in other games so why not GW2. The first thing i noticed is i dont have a clue what to build and gear my necro as ...raid build dont seem to cut it. I get mowed down, so i was wondering how do you build and gear for wvw. Keep in mind im a noob and only a few pieces of ascended as in pve trinkets weapon and chest. I dont understand if condi or power would be better as im solo most times, i do join the groups when available though. Do i use pets or no? I really like my necro and want to play all the parts of the game with it not just raiding.

Don't let dying put you down because Necro Solo Roaming in WvW is the toughest due to our relatively weaker mobility and disengage options.Even old timers die frequently.I did a

Poll here

and if you checked the results, Necros are dead last when it comes to Roaming in WvW.So be prepared for a rough ride.Build and Gear helps, but ultimately to survive better, you'll need to gain experience and knowledge through more play time in WvW.

Agree with Stand the Wall to build tankier first, allows more room for error and less demanding on reflexes.Trailblazers is an easier option to start with, although you might learn faster if you play power.There are many good builds shared on this forum like:

• Core builds here
  ,
• Reaper builds here
  ,
• Scourge build here
  .

Do craft your own build eventually though as you get more knowledgeable of the game mode.Its part of the fun :wink:

Agree with Stand the Wall to watch gameplays of other Necro Roamers.Live Streams are better because you get to see their failings as well as their successes.Some sources you can consider:

• Ascii - Greatest Legendary Necro Roamer
  (EU timing, reached 1919 PvP Rating this season - Legendary Division)
  Currently live on Twitch!
• Vendoll - Decent Necro Roamer
  (Streams frequently during OCX timing)
• Hobo - Multi-Class Streamer
  (Streams with his roaming guild occasionally during NA timing)

I think the other posters have summed up the main points regarding playing necro in WvW. I'll just add my few additional thoughts here.-If you're new to WvW, I would recommend reaper if you're solo (look up power reaper on meta battle or look at the thread Eremite linked) and scourge for if you're in a group (just go meta battle with this one don't worry about trying to come up with your own twists/whatever; scourge can go power or condi or hybrid; I prefer hybrid).-I am a firm believer that for necro you need to master positioning before you can start to get too fancy/personal with builds and its best to go with proven until you're comfortable with that aspect of WvW. If you're going solo often, don't worry about dying like Eremite said. It truly doesn't matter, instead use the death as a teaching moment for yourself. Usually when I die I try and think about how I could have positioned myself differently to avoid that death (and sometimes it isn't even avoidable no matter what). Taking the moments while you come out of spawn to think about what you can do better will make you a better player in the long run (and is something I think more players should be doing instead of blaming builds/balance/whatever).-Don't use minions in WvW. AoE dmg is too high and unlike PvE it isn't artificially mitigated on the pets.-Outside of WvW streamers to check out (thanks for the shoutout Eremite; I usually only have time to play/stream on Sundays NA time so sadly my streaming is limited), I'd also recommend checking out vods from Wing's twitch. He is a top sPvP player who mains necro and everyone can learn a lot about how to position from him.

-Don't worry about ascended gear when trying out builds, it makes a small impact until you're reached a point further along in learning WvW necro (and even then the impact is small, its just now the gain is larger when compared to other areas).-Outside of watching twitch streams to see people go through the ups and downs of WvW, also watch what montages are put out. Because even when people do things right, its important to critically look at how they played during it and you will notice a lot of mistakes even in montages. Its also important to know what they did right so you can emulate it and in order to do this you'd have to gain the understanding yourself to recognize when the right play is made.

Besides these additional things, I'd just recommend going out and playing and having fun. Who cares if you die, just laugh it off and go at it again. You're a necro so you've already got affinity for dead things, it just so happens in WvW that the dead thing is sometimes (ok maybe often) yourself.

[Waisenpai.6028]

^ Is one of the best wvw solo and havoc Necro I've ever seen. His love for his teammates, is just legendary. A beast if you have boons hell eat you like a chicken Mc nugget. He has great positioning that Helly fellow! I can say he can turn the tide and keep his allies safe. If a server had more Hellies we can all retire from wvw.

It's a very strong profession in a vetern's hands and for new players you can still have a fun time not knowing what you are really doing. PS don't step in Helly's red circle, you'll die and than your entire team will die.
Watch his vids very very exciting!PS glad we don't have to fight VT this week haha!

[Tiviana.2650]

Wow awesome information guys, i just love my necro even if its not considered that good in parts of the game. I think it comes from playing warlocks in wow lol when i saw GW2 had a class that was like a warlock i knew i would love it. Im trying to figure out to be reaper or scourge in wvw, and whether power or condi fits best for me. I rather run with a group but not a lot on when i play. You guys really know a lot i love the tips thank you very much, yes i know i will prob die a lot still, i thought toughness would help but i guess not. Im getting trucked by soulbeasts and engineer pretty bad, i just have to learn what to use against those classes.

I have another question, does it matter the server you play on in wvw? I rarely see groups so im wondering if my server is bad for my playtimes.

[EremiteAngel.9765]

@Tiviana.2650 said:Wow awesome information guys, i just love my necro even if its not considered that good in parts of the game. I think it comes from playing warlocks in wow lol when i saw GW2 had a class that was like a warlock i knew i would love it. Im trying to figure out to be reaper or scourge in wvw, and whether power or condi fits best for me. I rather run with a group but not a lot on when i play. You guys really know a lot i love the tips thank you very much, yes i know i will prob die a lot still, i thought toughness would help but i guess not. Im getting trucked by soulbeasts and engineer pretty bad, i just have to learn what to use against those classes.

I have another question, does it matter the server you play on in wvw? I rarely see groups so im wondering if my server is bad for my playtimes.

Are you on EU or NA?

I'm not familiar with EU.

But if you're on NA servers, Server matters if you don't play during NA prime time.Weekends generally see action throughout the day.Weekdays can be quite dead once NA prime is over.Which server are you on and what timezone do you usually play at?

[EremiteAngel.9765]

@Waisenpai.6028 said:^ Is one of the best wvw solo and havoc Necro I've ever seen. His love for his teammates, is just legendary. A beast if you have boons hell eat you like a chicken Mc nugget. He has great positioning that Helly fellow! I can say he can turn the tide and keep his allies safe. If a server had more Hellies we can all retire from wvw.

It's a very strong profession in a vetern's hands and for new players you can still have a fun time not knowing what you are really doing. PS don't step in Helly's red circle, you'll die and than your entire team will die.

Watch his vids very very exciting!PS glad we don't have to fight VT this week haha!

Agreed. I see the way Hobo moves with his Scourge in his recent videos and I know this is a top pro kiter.

[Bigpapasmurf.5623]

Ive been having issues finding a reaper build I like. I am trying to get back into it (DPS) and i remember having fun. Anyone here with a non meta build mind sharing their builds? This would be more for wvw

[Tiviana.2650]

@EremiteAngel.9765 said:

@Tiviana.2650 said:Wow awesome information guys, i just love my necro even if its not considered that good in parts of the game. I think it comes from playing warlocks in wow lol when i saw GW2 had a class that was like a warlock i knew i would love it. Im trying to figure out to be reaper or scourge in wvw, and whether power or condi fits best for me. I rather run with a group but not a lot on when i play. You guys really know a lot i love the tips thank you very much, yes i know i will prob die a lot still, i thought toughness would help but i guess not. Im getting trucked by soulbeasts and engineer pretty bad, i just have to learn what to use against those classes.

I have another question, does it matter the server you play on in wvw? I rarely see groups so im wondering if my server is bad for my playtimes.

Are you on EU or NA?

I'm not familiar with EU.

But if you're on NA servers, Server matters if you don't play during NA prime time.Weekends generally see action throughout the day.Weekdays can be quite dead once NA prime is over.Which server are you on and what timezone do you usually play at?

Im on NA JQ server, and normally i get on about 9/10 pm central. I cant play in the day, even on weekends i have other things i have to do. So my playtime is kinda limited. And is it weird to have 2 necros? I kinda want one to focus on condi and one on power, one human and one asura. There are no racial bonuses that matter right?

[JusticeRetroHunter.7684]

@Tiviana.2650 said:

@EremiteAngel.9765 said:

@Tiviana.2650 said:Wow awesome information guys, i just love my necro even if its not considered that good in parts of the game. I think it comes from playing warlocks in wow lol when i saw GW2 had a class that was like a warlock i knew i would love it. Im trying to figure out to be reaper or scourge in wvw, and whether power or condi fits best for me. I rather run with a group but not a lot on when i play. You guys really know a lot i love the tips thank you very much, yes i know i will prob die a lot still, i thought toughness would help but i guess not. Im getting trucked by soulbeasts and engineer pretty bad, i just have to learn what to use against those classes.

I have another question, does it matter the server you play on in wvw? I rarely see groups so im wondering if my server is bad for my playtimes.

Are you on EU or NA?

I'm not familiar with EU.

But if you're on NA servers, Server matters if you don't play during NA prime time.Weekends generally see action throughout the day.Weekdays can be quite dead once NA prime is over.Which server are you on and what timezone do you usually play at?

Im on NA JQ server, and normally i get on about 9/10 pm central. I cant play in the day, even on weekends i have other things i have to do. So my playtime is kinda limited. And is it weird to have 2 necros? I kinda want one to focus on condi and one on power, one human and one asura. There are no racial bonuses that matter right?

Well, If you went Norn, you could take the Racial Elite Transforms, specifically Snow Leapard Form...which is a god mode disengage button...it grants you 5 seconds of stealth on a 10 second cooldown and a super 1600 long range dash that will 90% of the time put you out of combat and allow you to escape almost any situation undetected...I’ve been using the skill for a few months now and I’ve never looked back...it’s so effective and fun to use.

You can also use the stealth to launch a surprise attack....which is effective for turning a fight in your favor. Many times I’ve used the stealth, dropped the form to enter shroud while stealthed, and spin to win to claim the bag.

Most other racial elites don’t come close in my opinion.

[EremiteAngel.9765]

@Tiviana.2650 said:

@EremiteAngel.9765 said:

@Tiviana.2650 said:Wow awesome information guys, i just love my necro even if its not considered that good in parts of the game. I think it comes from playing warlocks in wow lol when i saw GW2 had a class that was like a warlock i knew i would love it. Im trying to figure out to be reaper or scourge in wvw, and whether power or condi fits best for me. I rather run with a group but not a lot on when i play. You guys really know a lot i love the tips thank you very much, yes i know i will prob die a lot still, i thought toughness would help but i guess not. Im getting trucked by soulbeasts and engineer pretty bad, i just have to learn what to use against those classes.

I have another question, does it matter the server you play on in wvw? I rarely see groups so im wondering if my server is bad for my playtimes.

Are you on EU or NA?

I'm not familiar with EU.

But if you're on NA servers, Server matters if you don't play during NA prime time.Weekends generally see action throughout the day.Weekdays can be quite dead once NA prime is over.Which server are you on and what timezone do you usually play at?

Im on NA JQ server, and normally i get on about 9/10 pm central. I cant play in the day, even on weekends i have other things i have to do. So my playtime is kinda limited. And is it weird to have 2 necros? I kinda want one to focus on condi and one on power, one human and one asura. There are no racial bonuses that matter right?

9-10pm central is towards the end of NA prime I think, so chances are groups will start to dwindle.There should still be enough activity though during that timezone, especially on weekends.I'm on AR, currently linked to you guys JQ :grin:

Apart from the Norn racial Elite Justice mentioned above, there are a few more you can consider in future.They all have their purpose and flavor and are fun to play with.

Human Racial Elite: Avatar of Melandru.

• Purpose: Great for low-mobility group play.
• For example you are teamed with a healer and your group moves as a slow tight ball.
• Melandru gives you +3000 toughness and +1000 vitality and pulsing +3 stability.
• An absolute tanky beast for niche moments.
• The skills offered are also good team support and control oriented.

Human Racial Elite: Reaper of Grenth

• Purpose: Great for Condi Reapers built around Chill.
• Pulsing unblockable Chill and Poison is a dream come true for Chill Reapers all around.
• The dark visual effects of the skill is also a major plus point for Fashion.

Norn Racial Elite: Become the Snow Leopard

• Purpose: Great for high-mobility solo/group play.
• For example you are roaming alone or with a group of high mobility kiters like thieves and mesmers.
• Immense disengagement skills in 600 range leap, 1600 range dash, stealth. And all repeatable at least twice during the transformation.
• I never thought of attacking someone from stealth with this as Justice proposes, but it definitely seems workable for a bursty Norn Reaper!

Sylvari Racial Elite: Take Root

• Purpose: Great for condi duo play vs outnumbered.
• 3 seconds invulnerable when focused is nothing to scoff at.
• Provides a suitable defensive skill when Shroud is on CD.
• Turrets does decent condi damage.

Also it is not weird to have 2 necros, or more.WvW is so varied you can have so many different play-styles and it doesn't hurt to have more Necros around for fashion!I have 15 necros to date for WvW and they are all built for various purposes with fun themed builds.

If any of those themes catch your eye, let me know and I'll share the build :smiley:They are more fun builds than effective builds though, so don't blame me if it doesn't work out well XD