The Right Choice?

I posted this in Necromancer basics but I'd probably get more input by making my own thread. Here's what I posted there:

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K, I'm a total GW noob and still learning what skills do what and what points I should put where. Right now, I have a lvl 7 Necro/Mesmer and just got to Post-Sear. I'm looking for advice as to where to go from here, and what y'all recommend I put my points into. Here's what I have so far:

5 pts Blood Magic
5 pts Illusion Magic

My skills:

1. Vampiric Touch (15-3/4-5) - Touch target foe to steal up to 29-64 health.
2. Deathly Swarm (10-3-3) - Deathly Swarm flies out slowly and strikes for 15-67 cold damage (before armor) on up to three targets.
3. Conjure Fantasm (10-1-5) - For 2-12 seconds, target foe experiences health degeneration of 5.
4. Life Siphon (10-2-2) - For 12-22 seconds, target suffers health degeneration of 1-3, and you gain health regeneration of 1-3.
5. Blood Renewal (5-1-10) - Sacrifice 33% maximum health. For 10 seconds, you gain health regeneration of 3. When Blood Renewal ends, you gain 40-160 health.
6. Backfire (15-3-20) - For 10 seconds, whenever target foe casts a spell that foe takes 35-119 damage.
7. Ether Feast (5-2-8) - Target foe loses 5 Energy. You are healed 8-24 for each point of Energy lost.
8. Imagined Burden (15-1-30) - For 8-18 seconds, target foe moves 50% slower than normal.

Granted, these are pretty much all I've been able to learn so far, but with lifetaps I can survive pretty well with adds and can handle two mobs of equal or 1 level higher.

Any comments/suggestions would be appreciated, and remember I'm a noob so be gentle lol.

I had a very similar build last BWE. The one skill that was key for me that you are not using is Soul Barbs. However since you are not using Curses, it's probably not appropriate. It's difficult when you start to match your limited skill library to the attributes that you want to end up with. My only advice is to remember that you do have refund points to use when you get skills of the type that you really want to use.

Anyway, with Soul Barbs and a level 5 attribute I was dishing out 20dmg with every hex cast on the target. So normally when fighting a warrior, my casting went; Soul Barbs, Imagined Burden, Faintheartedness, Conjure Phantasm, Life Siphon (I think), Conjure again. So, as you can see, after SB, I slow and hit for 20, then I make them hit slower and do less damage and hit for 20, then I hit for 20 and put big degen on them, then I hit for another 20 with degen, etc.

It worked pretty well, but it was Curses/ Illusion, not Blood/Illusion.

If you are able to take on 2 mobs of your same level right now, you are doing well.

Keep having fun

Matt

I've been using a Me/N build, and it shouldn't be a whole different skill-wise than what you're doing.

My guy can happily take down two equal level mobs at a time, simply by virtue of life stealing. Once you starting getting above the mobs around you, you should be able to wade into a 4-6 mob crowd and come out okay.

Just concetrate on getting your blood skill up. Inspiration is also handy, especially when you are still fairly early on, as Ether Feast is a great skill considering the energy cost. (only downside is a two second cast time.)

Thanks so much guys for your replies! I think my thing is, being new to the game, I haven't yet found all the skill trainers where I can pick up all the skills I am going to want, such as Soul Barbs as Rellok mentioned. Once I DO learn where to get the skills I want, I'm sure it will make it easier on me.