[Build] Toughened Echo Spiter

My current Necro build

Profession: N/Me
Name: Tough Echo Spiter
Type: PvE
Category: Damage/Nuking

Attributes
Blood Magic: 11 (10+1, Minor Rune)
Soul Reaping: 9 (8+1, Minor Rune)
Curses: 16 (12+3+1, Superior Rune and Headgear)

Skills Set
1. Demonic Flesh (Blood)
2. Awaken The Blood (Blood)
3. Blood Renewal (Blood)
4. Vampiric Gaze (Blood)
5. Barbs (Curses)
6. Well Of Blood (Blood)
7. Spiteful Spirit (Curses) {Elite}
8. Archane Echo (unlinked)

Summary:
The idea here was to take Nater's Echo SS and toughen it up by crossing it with UrikoBB3's Toughen Up Necro. I found that when trying Nater's SS I wasn't using the extra boss skills much, so I stuck in the toughening elements from Uriko's build.

Here's your sequence: get close to aggro group (I use this in Grenth's Footprint mainly) then hit Demonic Flesh to boost health, Awaken The Blood to boost Blood and Curses, Blood Renewal to start regen, Echo to get that ready, then target first enemy, hit Space and then hit Spiteful Spirit. As soon as that one's launched, switch to the echo'd version and put that on the next enemy. Now just fire for a second or two until either something dies or your energy gets back to 15, then hit something else with SS and then hopefully do it again with the recharged Echo version. By this time you should have 4 (at least 3) SS's going, and things will start to die off, giving you that energy back. For healing hit Well Of Blood (should help your Warriors too) and to give them some extra punch at the front use Barbs on any bosses.

For equipment, I use Kole's Torment (it's cheap, and the 15 energy and 10/10 recharge bonuses are very handy) and standard Droknar's armour.

Notes & Concerns: Energy management, as always. Soul Reaping does give some back, but if things aren't dying off quickly enough you can end up in trouble.

Credit: Nater, UrikoBB3, the originator of Echo SS, and myself for plugging it all together.


So... any suggestions? Comments? Flames?

Quote: Originally Posted by earthman

I'd probably use Strip Enchantment instead of Demonic Flesh......just a suggestion. Other than that I like it.

^^ Yeah, great to get rid of MoP when it's been used..

I'd add Strip Enchant, as well. Put that in place of Demonic Flesh (which will get you killed as much as it will help you, and with monks it isn't needed). Barbs is nice, but in a place like SF, the W will not be dealing damage but will be tanking. Elsewhere, I've found that Barbs is a little too specific to the target, as it seems a bit like overkill since people have to focus on the target for it to work anyway, unless it's something like a level 30 enemy. I like Enfeebling Blood instead for PvE, as it's cheap and will seemingly shut down about half the enemy damage overall. Blood Renewal is a great PvP skill, but in PvE it's pretty unnecessary (like Parasitic Bond). I'd add in Spinal Shivers, which can be used to interrupt people with a cold weapon, such as a death staff--very useful vs healers and mesmers, and any NPCs that try to rez. Finally, Awaken the Blood is a good skill for PvE here, but I'd never leave home without a rez sig. Everybody screws up now and then and a rez sig can keep you going. If I had to bring AtB, I'd put it in place of Enfeebling Blood or Strip Enchant. Just don't think it adds as much as the other two skill though--and I also don't like wasting mana on AtB that I could be using on another SS. On a similar note, I'd rather have extra mana over the Blood damage, so I'd go SR = 11 and Blood = 9. Finally, using Well of Blood will send the MM's into a raging hissy-fit, even though it's often very useful. I'd drop that (unless you're the only corpse-stealing necro). Instead, I'd go with Blood Ritual to make everyone happy or at least keep them quiet.

Vamp Gaze is an essential finishing skill and desperation self-heal, IMO, so keep that. Obviously SS and AE are the backbone of the build.

In the end, this is what I've come to like the most for PvE SS, particularly for SF:

Curses: 16
SR: 11
Blood: 9

1. SS {e} -curses
2. Arcane Echo -n
3. Enfeebling Blood -curses
4. Spinal Shivers -curses
5. Strip Enchantment -blood
6. Vampiric Gaze -blood
7. Blood Ritual -blood
8. Rez Sig -n

I'd sub in WoB for BR or SE if no other corpse-necros are in the group.

Finally, I like the Defensive or Insightful Wicked Staff of Defense (and the death staff for Shivers).

Happy hunting