07-09-2007, 11:09 PM
Whisper’s Guide to Necromancy
Two points to make before I start.
Firstly. As of yesterday, I have clocked up three thousand hours of playtime on my Necro. This doesn’t make me god’s-gift to Necromancers, nor does it mean I am uber-necro extraordinaire. What it does mean is that I love my necromancer. She was the first ‘toon’ I created
Secondly. This guide is one of a multitude of similar guides out there in cyberspace. If you want to learn more about necro’s and join in the general discussion, then I suggest you checkout the necro forum on GWO online. You can access it here.
So, let’s start at the very beginning (it’s a very good place to start)
Soul Reaping
Oh boy. The soul reaping (SR) nerfs. They’ve been in the news a lot. I’m not going to re-hash old trash here. This guide will deal with SR as it is now.
Soul Reaping is the Necromancer primary attribute, so only characters that are primary Necromancers can put points into Soul Reaping. The higher the SR value, the more energy you get when something dies. SR is strictly quid quo pro; ten points in SR means ten points of energy gained.
Currently, SR is limited to three times per fifteen seconds. This means that if three enemies die in quick succession, i.e. within the first five seconds, you will have to wait for ten seconds before the counter resets.
Important points to note:
1. If your energy bar is full when SR triggers, that death does not count as one of the three.
2. Deaths that trigger SR include: Team-mates, other allies (including npc’s), allied pets, enemies and enemy pets, neutral beings and allied spirits. It does not trigger on enemy spirit deaths.
~.~
The whole meta-game has moved on since ‘Prophecies’ was first released. With the advent of ‘Factions’ and ‘Nightfall’ you can now move from continent to continent to acquire skills, heroes, or for the fun of the cruise.
With this in mind, developing a character quickly has become easier. Since the release of ‘hard mode’ and the in-game store, it is now possible for a low level character to be running around wielding spells that were previously unavailable.
This means we can cut directly to the mustard and talk about how to play the class, not which skills to get where (and also therefore cut my workload in half!).
I am, at heart a traditionalist. Yes, my necro does have a scythe and yes, she does fight up-close and personal with the bad guys. However, these ‘gimmick’ builds so to speak are not the bread and butter of the necro class.
Where do I fit in?
As a necro, you fit in, well, in the middle! You are a mid-line fighter. This means you park yourself in front of the monks, but behind the aggro-management.
On a side-note, regarding aggro, learn to love your bubble and that is all I’m saying on the matter.
In a co-ordinated team, the aggro-management will, one hope, hold the aggro in place away from the casters (that’s you, you cast spells, you’re a ‘caster’, with me?). This means you are free to deposit whatever nastiness you have cooked up your sleeve, on top of the bad guys, with the protection of monks behind, healing, and the warriors/dervishes/whatever, in front, keeping you clean.
There are exceptions to this, but I’ll talk about them later.
What do I wear?
You are not a mesmer! Your clothing is functional, and without frippery. (This is said by a lady necro most commonly seen sporting a Vabbian set).
From a personal point of view, I would recommend you grab an armour set you like, and rune it up as follows:
Head Gear : Attribute +1 and a Superior rune of that attribute.
Chest : Major rune of SR and either a Survivor or Radiant insignia.
Hands : Vigor, of whatever you can afford, plus Vitae or Attunement at your discretion
Legs : Radiant or Survivor insigs, and a minor rune of your choice.
Feet : Vitae or Attunement, and again, whichever minor you like.
The rationale for this is: You have a set of rudimentary armour, with headgear you can change depending on discipline; curse, death, etc.
If running death… I would suggest a bloodstained insig. on the headpiece too.
~.~
To be continued….
Two points to make before I start.
Firstly. As of yesterday, I have clocked up three thousand hours of playtime on my Necro. This doesn’t make me god’s-gift to Necromancers, nor does it mean I am uber-necro extraordinaire. What it does mean is that I love my necromancer. She was the first ‘toon’ I created
Secondly. This guide is one of a multitude of similar guides out there in cyberspace. If you want to learn more about necro’s and join in the general discussion, then I suggest you checkout the necro forum on GWO online. You can access it here.
So, let’s start at the very beginning (it’s a very good place to start)
Soul Reaping
Oh boy. The soul reaping (SR) nerfs. They’ve been in the news a lot. I’m not going to re-hash old trash here. This guide will deal with SR as it is now.
Soul Reaping is the Necromancer primary attribute, so only characters that are primary Necromancers can put points into Soul Reaping. The higher the SR value, the more energy you get when something dies. SR is strictly quid quo pro; ten points in SR means ten points of energy gained.
Currently, SR is limited to three times per fifteen seconds. This means that if three enemies die in quick succession, i.e. within the first five seconds, you will have to wait for ten seconds before the counter resets.
Important points to note:
1. If your energy bar is full when SR triggers, that death does not count as one of the three.
2. Deaths that trigger SR include: Team-mates, other allies (including npc’s), allied pets, enemies and enemy pets, neutral beings and allied spirits. It does not trigger on enemy spirit deaths.
~.~
The whole meta-game has moved on since ‘Prophecies’ was first released. With the advent of ‘Factions’ and ‘Nightfall’ you can now move from continent to continent to acquire skills, heroes, or for the fun of the cruise.
With this in mind, developing a character quickly has become easier. Since the release of ‘hard mode’ and the in-game store, it is now possible for a low level character to be running around wielding spells that were previously unavailable.
This means we can cut directly to the mustard and talk about how to play the class, not which skills to get where (and also therefore cut my workload in half!).
I am, at heart a traditionalist. Yes, my necro does have a scythe and yes, she does fight up-close and personal with the bad guys. However, these ‘gimmick’ builds so to speak are not the bread and butter of the necro class.
Where do I fit in?
As a necro, you fit in, well, in the middle! You are a mid-line fighter. This means you park yourself in front of the monks, but behind the aggro-management.
On a side-note, regarding aggro, learn to love your bubble and that is all I’m saying on the matter.
In a co-ordinated team, the aggro-management will, one hope, hold the aggro in place away from the casters (that’s you, you cast spells, you’re a ‘caster’, with me?). This means you are free to deposit whatever nastiness you have cooked up your sleeve, on top of the bad guys, with the protection of monks behind, healing, and the warriors/dervishes/whatever, in front, keeping you clean.
There are exceptions to this, but I’ll talk about them later.
What do I wear?
You are not a mesmer! Your clothing is functional, and without frippery. (This is said by a lady necro most commonly seen sporting a Vabbian set).
From a personal point of view, I would recommend you grab an armour set you like, and rune it up as follows:
Head Gear : Attribute +1 and a Superior rune of that attribute.
Chest : Major rune of SR and either a Survivor or Radiant insignia.
Hands : Vigor, of whatever you can afford, plus Vitae or Attunement at your discretion
Legs : Radiant or Survivor insigs, and a minor rune of your choice.
Feet : Vitae or Attunement, and again, whichever minor you like.
The rationale for this is: You have a set of rudimentary armour, with headgear you can change depending on discipline; curse, death, etc.
If running death… I would suggest a bloodstained insig. on the headpiece too.
~.~
To be continued….