poll: best build(s) for success on quests and missions with pugs and/or henchies

Poll question: When grouped with a random PUG or henchies, which necro build best ensures victory for the team on quests and missions.

Assumptions:PvE speed of victory not an issue team will be unbalanced and/or moderately weak enjoyment of playstyle not a factor
Choices:
1. FoC
2. SS
3. MM
4. Orders
5. Dark Bomber
6. Degen
7. Curses Debuffer
8. Other...


Obviously this is an opinion question, but I have tried to constrain it in a way that people can make logical arguments for their points.

If their are corpses in the mission i would say MM, I've done most of the canthan missions with henchies & me as MM worked everytime there was some corpses to exploit.
I would recommend not taking warriors or assassins henchies so you can control the aggro easily..

My opinion, i might be wrong...

MM in pve... it just rocks in most groups, because a lot of times its just free teamates in the form of minions

MM for corpses, degen/blood for no corpses.

I always come back to a vampiric Blood build and either tweak it for known areas or make a fail-safe balanced build for unknown areas. I'll typically incorporate a single target attack combo, some sort of multi-target damage, condition removal, Well of Blood, whatever elite I feel contributes, Awaken the Blood or a cap sig, and a rez. I prefer lifedrain over shadow damage given the choice. I could happily survive without an elite at all, but my favourites at the moment are Wail of Doom, Life Transfer, Soul Leech and Offering of Blood.

Playstyle is quite simple on the surface - make assisted kills, create healing bloodwells, rez the dead, and possibly do some mesmer-ish type stuff too.

I posed this question for both direct and indirect reasons. My direct reasons are I'm tired of pugs that fail. I usually run a balanced blood-inspiration build which can spike out a single targets and keep me alive very well. However, once the group starts going sideways, there's often not much I've been able to do about it.

My general reason for this poll is that I'm curious as to what people think of a necro's "duty" to a group. It seems like everyone is focused on solo builds and playstyle lately.

As for my answer to the question, MM is sort of the obvious front runner for the fact that having a disposable army does a lot to secure victory. In some ways tho MM doesn't really "help" the team...it's more like it does the work for them. While I don't feel that necros should be reduced to being support bitches, I'm starting to wonder about the merit of hybrid support builds with wells, curses debuffs, OoP, etc.

*shrug*

more opinions wanted

Sounds like you are asking two different questions to me. In regards to your poll MM is the obvious answer.

As for your quest for a hybrid build, sure why not? That's what GW is all about developing builds that work. Are you looking for suggestions? Or simply hoping that a poll would somehow help your build along?

I recall when I was still doing the Prophecies story line I was running an Echo SS build that did BR and Blocking of spells. I found it really helpful during the end missions. Of course, you only have 8 skill slots on your bar to work with, so you can only diversify so much.

Best of luck in your endeavor.