Necromancer
A necromancer is a practitioner of the dark arts who summons the dead, wields the power of lost souls, and literally sucks the lifeblood of the enemy. A necromancer feeds on life force, which he can use to cheat death or bring allies back from the brink.
A necromancer feeds on death and decay. Life force is the energy that a necromancer uses to extend his own life. Using specific skills, a necromancer builds up life force by attacking and killing enemies. Rather than going into a downed state when he runs out of health, a necromancer automatically activates the Death Shroud ability. A necromancer can continue fighting in the ghostly Death Shroud form until he either runs out of life force or he gets a kill, rallying back into his own corpse.
Necromancers have a unique set of special skills:
Wells—Wells are persistent spells that allow a necromancer to control the area around him. Created at the necromancer's location, wells affect targets within the skill's range. Well of Blood, for example, applies a regeneration boon to all allies within it. A necromancer can only have one well skill active at any time.
Minions—The necromancer summons undead minions to attack foes and do his bidding. Every minion-summoning spell has an associated secondary spell that appears after the minion has been summoned. This secondary spell destroys the minion while providing a powerful effect to the necromancer. For example, necromancers have a healing skill called Summon Blood Fiend that creates a minion that heals its master while it attacks. After the minion has been summoned, the Summon Blood Fiend skill is replaced by the skill Taste of Death, which allows a necromancer to destroy the minion to gain a larger amount of health.
Marks—Necromancers can also place marks--ground-targeted spells with a variety of potent effects. For instance, Mark of Blood damages enemies while placing a regeneration boon on nearby allies. Marks will trigger after a set period of time, but a necromancer can always trigger their marks on command by hitting the skill again.
Fear—Necromancers use a condition not available to any other profession:fear. A removable condition, fear makes an enemy flee directly away from a necromancer for a short period of time. For example, a necromancer can use Doom to instill fear in a single target.
Weapons
When outfitting himself for combat, the necromancer can choose from the following weapons. The necromancer weapons are:
- Main Hand: Axe, Dagger, Scepter
- Off Hand: Dagger, Focus, Warhorn
- Two-Handed: Staff
Life Force
Life force is a special type of energy used by a necromancer. Once he reaches a certain life force threshold, a necromancer can activate Death Shroud (see below), entering a spirit form and leaving his body behind. Each of his weapon sets have skills that give a necromancer life force, and he gains an even larger amount of life force for kills that happen nearby. Finally, there are utility skills that build up life force, like Ghost Armor, a skill that improves a necromancer's armor and adds life force every time he takes damage.
Death Shroud
Death Shroud is a special ability--usable by a necromancer at any time--that utilizes his life force as a secondary health bar. Instead of entering a downed state when his health is reduced to zero, a necromancer automatically activates the Death Shroud ability and assumes a spectral form. In Death Shroud, a necromancer has a number of special skills. For example, a necromancer can summon a shadow fiend, a special minion unique to this form. With the ability to tap into Death Shroud, necromancers are certainly one of the most durable professions in Guild Wars 2.
Chained skills are marked with a > under the previous skill.
Skills
Death Shroud
[these are skills related to the necromancer's Death Shroud ability which is located above the skill bar and uses Life Force. It replaces all the necromancer's skills and uses Life Force in place of health. When it ends the player returns to their body. This also acts as the necromancer's Downed skills.]
Deathly Swarm Send out a poisonous swarm of insects that moves from target to target. [1s]
Dark Path Flash to target location, blinding all nearby foes. [10s]
Doom Make an enemy feel fear. [20s]
Life Transfer Steal health from nearby enemies and transfer it to yourself as life force. [40s]
End Death Shroud Leave your death shroud and return to your original location. Not available when downed.[N/A]
Weapon Skills
[1-5]
Staff, Two Handed
Necrotic Grasp Send a phantasmal hand to tear at your foes. [0s]
Reaper's Mark Incribe an area with a reaper's mark that inflicts Vulnerability and Bleeding. [10s]
Reaper's Touch Weakens your foes with a scythe, granting Swiftness to allies. [15s]
Chilblains Chill foes and Poison target area briefly. [20s]
Putrid Mark Inscribe area with a putrid mark to transfer conditions from allies to foes. [30s]
Axe, Main Hand
Rending Claws Swing your axe to bleed your enemy, causing damage over time. [0s]
Ghostly Claws Swing your axe to summon ghostly claws that attack your enemy in a quick burst. [?s]
Unholy Feast Damage and cripple enemies around you. Enemies take extra damage for each condition on them. [?s]
Scepter, Main Hand
Curse Poisons your enemy, dealing damage over time. [0s]
Feast of Corruption Rip effects off an enemy to damage them. [12s]
Grasping Dead Slam your scepter on the ground and raise a line of grasping hands that will bleed and cripple enemies. [?s]
Dagger, Main Hand
Necrotic Bite Slash at an enemy and collect life force. [0s]
Life Siphon Steal an enemy's health and heal yourself. [12s]
Dark Pact Sacrifice health to damage and bleed an enemy. [20s]
Dagger, Off Hand
Enfeebling Blood Weakens foes. [?s]
Mark of Blood Places a mark at target location. Trigger to damage enemies while placing a regeneration boon on allies. [?s]
Focus, Off Hand
Life Blast Throws a blast of life force at foe, dealing more damage the more life force you have. [20s]
Spinal Shivers Chill your foe to the marrow and make them Vulnerable. [50s] [50s]
Warhorn, Off Hand
Wail of Doom Emit a wailing noise so vile and terrible that it dazes enemies. [25s]
Locust Swarm Summon a swarm of locusts, which will hover around you and steal life from enemies that get close. [40s]
Healing Skills
[6]
Summon Blood Fiend Summon a blood fiend, which transfers health to you each time it attacks. [N/A]
> Taste of Death Consume your blood fiend to heal yourself. [0s]
Well of Blood Creates a well at your location, that places a regeneration boon on allies. [?s]
Utility
[7-9]
General
Blood is Power Gain life force with each attack for a short time. [90s]
Ghost Armor Sacrifices health. Briefly gain life force when taking damage, as damage is slightly decreased. [90s]
Poison Cloud Summon a cloud to loom over an area and poison the enemies caught within. [90s]
Well of Suffering Make a well of suffering, harming all foes caught within. [60s]
Barbed Signetpassive: Melee attackers may incur bleeding on striking you. active: Bleed your foe twice. [40s]
Minion
Bone Fiend Summon a bone fiend that attacks at range. [N/A]
> Rigor Mortis Fix your bone fiend in place and make it's attacks immobilize enemies. [50s]
Bone Minions Summon 3 bone minions. [N/A]
> Putrid Explosion Explode a bone minion. [0s]
Summon Flesh Wurm Summon a flesh wurm that stays in one place to attack enemies.
>Necrotic Traversal Kill your flesh wurm and teleport to its location Poisoning foes.
Signet
Plague Signet Passive: All conditions from allies are transferred to yourself. Active: Transfers your conditions to target foe. [?s]
