Please tear down my necro!

[MisterB]

@MisterB: hahah, well, the question was more rhetorical. There's lots of good reasons to not use minions.

Spoiler

When I play necro I want to play minions. I do have 5-6 other alts (still considering rolling a warrior) so I have pretty much every gameplay style covered except minion-master (which the mesmer is not). Which means that for me, it's not a decision about whether to play minions or not, it's a decision about playing necro or another profession.

You're right about a lot of the complaints, and btw afaik jumping in water does not work because the minions work underwater too.

But some of the complaints I have accepted as a limitation of the profession. I don't tend to run as much with my necro (although I do use that 25% run speed skill, which means even with minions I can run just as well). I also don't use them as mean shield, I find the necro himself is very durable especially if using the F1 and some health stealing. I also view minions as bonus damage rather than main damage, I really like the fact that I am more active in combat than I was in GW1 as a necro or Rt/N.

I was also never a fan of micro-managing my minions, i.e. putting death nova or ... on them.

I understood it was a rhetorical question, but I thought I'd have a little fun listing reasons not to use them. I think the lack of energy as a resource, soul reaping, direct minion healing, and minion buffs(ZOMG, Death Nova and Order of Undeath!) that all were present in GW makes GW2 minions... less than optimal given the other shortcomings in my previous post. Still, some players like to summon an army of fleshy friends to tear their enemies apart, and minions can still do that.

When I said jumping underwater to get rid of minions, I meant that you can choose not to equip them underwater as a method of disposal or changing your build in that environment. I really, really, hate uncontrolled aggro in a three dimensional environment. We also can't use marks or wells to heal minions underwater. How do you heal them there?

I honestly am altogether terrible at my necro underwater: none of my skills, weapons, and traits function there, and I haven't found a way to adapt yet. It doesn't help me any that there's different Death Shroud skills there, too.

[nkuvu]

Underwater, my necromancer uses trident skill 1 to apply bleeds. Skill 4 to sink the enemy.

I use skill 2 if I want to aggro extra stuff, and skill 3 if I want to shoot off in a random direction (it says "dart at your foe," but that happens rarely for me). I use skill 5 if I want to be a sitting duck for a while.

As you may be able to tell, I'm not really a fan of most of the trident skills. And I really don't like trying to do melee underwater. Bleh.

Underwater utilities are Signet of the Locust, Signet of Spite (I think), and Epidemic. Though the trident skill 1 is an AoE, so not as much use for Epidemic as there is on land.

[Alaris]

My necro is barely level 30, and so far I just re-summon minions when they die. I haven't incorporated any way to heal them even in my build posted above. The trick to minion mastery is moving slowly, killing everything in your path. It's not a gameplay style for rushers. If you do it well though, you can clump up your foes nicely for massive AoE's, and minions are good to mop up leftovers from that AoE.

As for underwater combat, I just unlocked the spear skills at level 30, so clearly I would be of no help. I'm planning to keep minions as well, but I have not played anything aside minion master both over and under ground, so I have no clue what would work there. Sorry.

[shadowhand]

Your flesh golem won't do you any good underwater, Alaris. The skill can't be equipped there.

I find it useful for knocking down veteran foes occasionally or even the rare champion (that's not immune to knockdowns.)

[Lensor]

So yea, taking some things to heart, here is my new setup.

I've yet to play a lot with it, but feels nice enough. Have to get used to Plague Elite though. Still pondering on epidemic, and if it is worth it to be able to target wells (so nice though).

Still wont say anything about my gear because it still sucks.

[Alaris]

I suggest taking a healing skill, they are handy sometimes. And optional skills are good too. An elite while you're at it.

I'd say targeting wells is essential if you play mostly ranged, and useless if you play mostly melee. With axe, it's close enough that you can run in and hit the wells... but if you use them also to heal allies then targeting will be handy.

[Lensor]

Haha, ops. Fixed!

[Alaris]

10 stacks of might for 20 seconds sounds pretty good. I would have taken an extra well, but I have to admit that I don't know which (extra well, or blood is power) is the better option.

Sounds pretty good otherwise.

[Hersir]

Instead of spectral master I would suggest unyielding blast. Piercing and vulnerability is nifty and with 30 in spite your life blasts will pack quite a punch.

[Lensor]

Oooh, yes that makes sense. Especially for me who try to use Death Shroud as much as possible.