Elite spec suggestion for Necromancer.

[Noenp.2041]

I love playing as a Necro but I feel it lacks mobility and evade options of other classes and elite specs. So since I played Soulbeast and loved its mobility and versatility with sb/lb survival build I started composing an idea for a Necro elite spec where Necromancers would adapt the way of the Norn has hunters to their necromancer magic. It's just an idea though. Btw sorry for my English, its my second language.

Name of the elite spec would be Hunter, the weapon of choice is the Short Bow and the line of skills unlocked would be the Survival.

Skills:

Weapon:1 - Sharpened bone arrow - Deals high damage and pierces up to 5 enemies also steals 0.5% life force each cast. 900 range, 0s ct2 - Dive bomb - Call down a flesh griffon that dive bomb's to an enemie exploding on impact and a damaging it while placing 5 centered marks around them, each one of the marks damages and converts 1 boon to cripple on 5 enemies. 900 range, 3/4 ct, 8s cd3 - Crippling evasion - Shoot an arrow that cripples your target while evading backwards. 900 range, 0s ct, 8s cd4 - Necrotic essence coated arrow - Shoot an arrow that poisons your foe and also steals 8% life force. 900 range, 0s ct, 13s cd5 - Debilitating force - Shoot an arrow that pushes back your foe 300 range inflicting 3s weakness while also stealing 12% life force. 900 range, 0s ct, 20s cd

All shortbow skills except for skill 2 can be cast without a target. When skill 2 is morphed by the trait "Guile of the hunter" it becomes able to be cast without a target so the marks left by the arrow can be set like traps.

Heal/Utility/Elite skills

Heal:1 - Feast on your enemies weakness - Heal yourself for 5000 health removing cripple and weakness from up to 5 enemies in an 900 area around you, for each enemie heal an extra 500 health also remove 1 condition from you and steal 2% life force for each cripple and weakness removed. 20s cd

Utility:1 - Tactical retreat - Evade backwards removing movement impairing conditions (immobilize, cripple and chill) while regaining 25% of your endurance. Steal 10% life force. Breaks stun. 25s cd2 - Putrid cloud - Release a cloud of putrid essence that strikes up to 10 foes around you damaging and converting 1 boon to either cripple or weakness while stealing 2% life force for each enemie boon that has been converted. Breaks stun. 600 radius. 40s cd3 - Flesh hawk - Create a flesh hawk that attacks enemies. 30s cd. While hawk is alive you can use its skill (No where to hide ) to reveal enemies in a 600 radius. 30s cd, 2 stacks.4 - Flesh wolf - Create a flesh wolf that attacks enemies. 20s cd. While wolf is alive you can activate its skill (No where to run) to lunge to your targeted enemie and knock them down while crippling it afterwards. 12s cd

Elite: Crippling decay - Create an area of crippling hands in a 900 area around you that either cripples or weakens your enemies while dealing damage for (5x) 2000 up to 5 enemies around you. 3/4s ct, 60s cd

Shroud: 10s cdWhile on shroud you have 100% chance to land critically on every attack. You'll be able to use every skill of your weapons normally but your weapon's skill 1 will be treated as shroud skill 1. Also while in hunter's shroud your life force will become your health bar.Skill:F1 - Hunter's Shroud - Turns your accumulated life force into your health bar. While in shroud you can still use all normal weapon skills and Weapon skill 1 is considered as Shroud's skill 1.F2 - Hunter's cloak- Become invisible for 3s. 0s ct, 15s cdF3 - Hunter's evasion - Evade every attack from your enemies for 2s. 0s ct, 20s cdF4 - Hunter's assault - Lunge yourself to your targeted enemie within 700 range attacking him and nearby enemies 1 strike for 5 times and crippling them in the and evading attacks for the duration. 2s duration, 35s cd

Trait:

Minor traits:1 - Hunter's expertise - Enable your character to use shortbow and the hunter's shroud which while active gives you 100% critical chance on every attack. Unlock survival skills.2 - Critical weakness - Your critical strikes deal 10% more damage while your enemie is crippled or weakened.3 - Cloaking dodge - When you dodge you become stealthed for 3s. 3s cd

Major traits:1 - Unstoppable hunter - Entering shroud breaks stun and makes your attacks unblockable for 4s.2 - Weakening cripple - Every cripple you apply also applies 1s of weakness.3 - Hunter's endurance - 25% endurance regen.

4 - Disenchanting disability - Cripple or weakness you apply removes 1 boon.5 - Cleansing knowledge - Survival skills have 20% cdr and remove 2 conditions.6 - Stronger Binds - Cripple you apply now has 100% more duration.7 - Protective weakness - Crippled or weakened enemies now deal 5% less damage to you 8 - Guile of the hunter - Shortbow skills have 20% cdreduction. All shortbow skills now pierce and cripple (except skill 1) up to 5 enemies and skill 2 now is called "Diving swoop", you create a flesh griffon over you that dives at your location fallowing with a swoop animation at the direction you cast the skill, the griffon claws at your enemies crippling them and leaving up to 5 marks while it travels that convert 1 boon to fear on 5 enemies. This skill counts as a pierce hitting to a max of 5 enemies. It also has 900 range.9 - Consuming knowledge - Shroud Skills F2, F3 and F4 will consume life force when used but will also have drastically lower cooldowns. 75% cdr.

I hope someone finds this idea interesting at least.

[Dadnir.5038]

I got mixed feeling about this e-spec suggestion... I don't dislike it but if I how many thing I'd think need to be change to fit the necromancer, i'm affraid this would leave almost nothing of the idea... To be honest, you replace all the flesh minion effect by shadow minion effect and you could give the whole spec to the thief. Same goes for mesmer with illusory minion... It's a bit to generic, to close to the ranger, it really lack the necromancer's vibe. Yet I like the will to introduce some mobility/evade on the necromancer.

Anyway, some simple things that don't destroy everything:

• Instead of "hunter", what about "bone arrow" or "dead arrow"?
• 100% crit strike on shroud feel overkill and make some core traits pointless.
• why no shroud skill applying fear?
• Major Trait 1: there is already a core trait that allow you to break stun when entering shroud

[Noenp.2041]

I know what you mean, I did this spec in like two days so it really has many things it could be worked on. I don't even expect Anet to use this idea or make anything similar, my main objective with this post was more of encouraging Anet on making Necro more mobile since its the only class that doesn't have mobility except for Reaper's skill 2, all the other classes have at least 1 skill for engage or disengage mechanic on core or elite specs. Necro also lacks on ranged weapon choices for power so I made the spec with short bow like the one from Ranger since it has no cast time and can pierce enemies which helps allot unlike Renegade's shortbow which is very flashy and strong but lacks on speed /atleast to me it does) and does splash damage.