Another reason why Sacrificial Bones doesn't work - No synergy with class passives

C_Inside · February 15

After reviewing the new Sacrificial Bones I realized that it has almost no synergy with any of the Necro's passives. It lasts for 20 seconds so you'll only have Undead Confederate and Dismember active for the ~3 seconds it takes for SB to be summoned. Previously with you recasting Blastbones every time it dies these 2 passives were pretty much always active. So you're losing out on a decent chunk of sustain and penetration for running the new skill. The penetration part isn't so relevant in group pve content, but if you're soloing or doing pvp, that's just another nerf on top of all the other nerfs necro has received.

Now, Dismember can still be activated if you use Boneyard or Shocking Syphon, but that highlights another problem that has already been discussed a few times. Both those skills require corpses to work/be as effective as possible, which SB simply doesn't provide enough corpses for you to use both skills as efficiently as you could with Blighted Blastbones. Skeleton Mage could also be used to have Dismember permanently active, but that's simply not a good skill and running it in lieu of something better will still result in your damage output going down.

Oh, and speaking of Blighted Blastbones that also has an issue with class passives synergy. Stalking Blastbones could trigger the burning status effect, which was affected by Rapid Rot. Blighted's diseased is not affected, obviously, and the new Sacrificial Bones doesn't synergize with Rapid Rot at all.

Now I don't expect any of this feedback to be taken into consideration, but I just wanna make sure all my necro homies are aware that their class is getting nerfed EVEN MORE that what was obvious at face value.

Grandsheba · February 15

I've submitted a comprehensive overhaul proposal for Necromancers because, as you rightly mentioned, the class lacks substantial synergy. It feels less developed thematically and gameplay-wise compared to other classes. Included below are excerpts from my post, which @ZOS_Kevin confirmed would be reviewed by the combat team.

Necrotic Potency

Target: Area
Duration: 6 seconds
Cost: 1 corpse

Skill description
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Embrace the power of collected souls to bolster your dark arts. For each soul absorbed, increase your Weapon and Spell Damage by 50. Sapping the lingering life from fresh corpses, grants you 6 Ultimate while healing 682 Health every 1 second for 6 seconds per additional corpse.

This ability scales off your Max Health. While slotted, your damage taken is reduced by 3%.

Change Notes:
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Embrace the power of collected souls to bolster your dark arts. For each soul absorbed, increase your Weapon and Spell Damage by 50. The duration of this buff stacks dynamically with each additional soul collected, extending its remaining time to empower your necromantic abilities.

The revamped Necrotic Potency skill introduces a dynamic and engaging mechanic that aligns with the thematic essence of the Necromancer class. By harnessing the power of collected souls, the Necromancer gains a tangible boost to their damage potential, promoting strategic and immersive gameplay.

This change addresses the need for the Necromancer class to have a damage-buffing skill, bringing it up to par with other classes in the game. The dynamic stacking of the buff's duration encourages players to actively collect souls, fostering a sense of mastery and rewarding skilled play. Additionally, the increase in Weapon and Spell Damage per collected soul provides a meaningful and impactful boost to the Necromancer's abilities, enhancing their role in combat scenarios.

Overall, the revised Necrotic Potency skill not only enriches the gameplay experience for Necromancer players but also contributes to a more balanced and engaging class dynamic within the game.

Blastbones

Target: Enemy/Area
Range: 28m
Cost: 2700

Skill description
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After 2.5 seconds, summon a flaming skeleton from the ground. The skeleton pursues the target and explodes upon reaching them, dealing 3486 Flame Damage to nearby enemies. Using the reticle while summoning allows you to direct the blastbones towards a specific target. Otherwise, they will autonomously follow the Necromancer and engage the nearest target within a 10m radius. Recast to have any time

Change Notes:>

This modification to the Blastbones ability introduces heightened flexibility and control for Necromancer players. By eliminating the requirement for a predefined target during summoning, it enables a more adaptable and strategic utilization of the skill. The additional feature allowing players to direct Blastbones to prioritize a target as needed grants enhanced control over the skeleton's actions, ultimately elevating the overall gameplay experience for Necromancers.

Stalking legion (Stalking Blastbones)

Target: Enemy/Area
Range: 28m
Limit: 3
Cost: 2700

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Skill description: Summon a flaming skeleton from the ground. After 2.5 seconds, the skeleton runs after the target and explodes when it gets close to them, dealing 1600 Flame Damage to all enemies nearby. Every second the skeleton spends chasing its target increases the damage of the explosion by 10%, up to a maximum of 50% more damage. Up to 3 corpses can be active at a time with only 1.5 seconds cooldown between each skeleton summoning. Creates a corpse on death.

Change Notes:
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The reworked skill "Stalking Legion" has undergone significant changes that impact its functionality and potential in combat. Here's a brief explanation of why this change is beneficial and needed:

Improved balance: The reduction in the initial damage dealt by the exploding skeleton from 3600 to 1600 Flame Damage, coupled with the cap on the maximum damage increase, helps to balance the skill's potential burst damage.

Enhanced versatility: Allowing up to three corpses to be active at a time and reducing the cooldown between skeleton summonings to 1.5 seconds significantly enhances the skill's versatility, enabling more strategic and frequent deployment in combat situations.

Strategic depth: With the ability to have multiple explosive skeletons active and in play, players can now employ more strategic and tactical approaches to engagements, adding depth to the skill's gameplay mechanics.

Overall, these changes to "Stalking Legion" aim to promote a more balanced and versatile use of the skill while adding a layer of strategic depth to the Necromancer's toolkit thematically.

Blighted Blastbones

Target: Enemy/area
Range: 28m
Radius: 6m
Duration: 4 second
Cost: 2295

Skill description
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Summon a decaying skeleton from the ground after 2.5 seconds. The skeleton runs after the target and explodes when it gets close to them, dealing 3600 Disease Damage to all enemies nearby and applying Major Defile to them for 4 seconds, reducing their healing received and Health Recovery by 16%.

Creates a corpse on death, causing a putrid area of decay in a 6-meter radius. Enemies within the area suffer from a potent Disease affliction, taking 1500 Disease damage over 4 seconds. Only 2 blighted corpes may persist at at time.

Change Notes:
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This reworked ability offers the Necromancer a strategic and thematic AoE damage option, leveraging the theme of decay and disease that is central to the class. By incorporating damage over time effects, the skill aligns with the Necromancer's identity and provides a valuable addition to their arsenal. The rework also addresses the need for more diverse damage over time abilities within the Necromancer's skill set, enhancing gameplay options and synergies for players who prefer this playstyle.

This reworked Blighted Blastbones skill not only adds thematic depth to the Necromancer class but also introduces a valuable AoE damage-over-time option, aligning with the class's identity and providing players with a more diverse and strategic skill set.

Let's hope the combat team swiftly implements some of the proposed changes, allowing Necromancers to truly embody their class identity without having to lean on Weapon skills or other skill lines to stay competitive. Already, we've witnessed an update to Blighted Blastbones following the review process, and we eagerly anticipate further implementations moving forward.

Nethervoid · February 15

Good point. Of course, this is not "why" the suggested change is terrible but highlights how it gets worse and worse when you think about it.