I’ve been testing Necromancer changes, and I wanted to stop by to say:
Thank you!
More than many classes, I feel it’s great that Necro has many different class mechanics. Multiplier and toughness items aren’t always tied to specific skills, but rather certain parameters revolving around the class mechanics:
- Corpses
- Curses
- Pets
- Globes
- Essence
This allows for some amazingly interesting interactions within builds that are fun to play around, and even manage at times.
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Toughness improved!, Razeth's, and room for more items
I’ve always avoided playing Necro because it was so defenseless. Necro was always so glassy, paper thin on survival.
The big issues with toughness on LoD builds have been largely solved with Razeth’s Volition. I love that the design of this item is not only for mage builds, but any build that has lower than max essence.
I feel more toughness items could be added, in particular for the Bracer and Phylactery slots. Could go blood themed with some sort of VIT and Recovery interaction, or give shields based on VIT and convert LPS into shielding recovery, or provide some other form of DR based on one of the class mechanics (Globes in particular is under-represented, but there’s a lot of room for new items here).
LoTD Preference mostly resolved with Haunted Visions
Preference for LoTD (and therefore max CDR) with this class was another issue that has been largely solved with the Haunted Visions changes.
Of the nephalem rifting and speed builds I’ve prepared thus far, only one has had to use LoTD, and that’s Corpse Explosion.
I do agree that further changes to corpse generation and generating items / abilities may need to get looked at to allow for more non-LoTD builds on these more heavily corpse dependent skills. However, simulacrums lasting forever has helped greatly.
Fairly balanced and enjoyable solo speeds / need slight Masquerade 6pc increase
Speaking of, at least for solo speeds, i’m fairly impressed with the wide array of options currently falling within limits balance wise (Scythe, CE, Mages, Spear). The builds that clear higher tend to only be able to clear rifts slower, so it sort of evens out in this way somewhat. Note: Haven’t retested Pestilence yet.
Outlier: Masquerade Bone Spear could still use more damage, at least 3 GR’s worth increase. I feel that it’d be great if your own spears did the same amount of damage as the simulacrums (9/7=28% increase in dps), and an increase to the base of 10k% to 13k% (30% increase) would give enough damage for this set to better compete (1.3*1.28 = 1.664 = 3.24GRs).
That said, most of these are LoD builds, so if there’s any area that could be looked at retuning, it’s definitely the other necromancer sets. Inarius definitely needs a larger bone storm area. At LEAST 30 yards to match monk, wiz, etc. Trag’oul could use more defense and multiplier. Rathma just needs major work.
Those aside, I feel the LoD builds are generally very interesting, dynamic, engaging and fun to play!
Reaper's Wraps ICD, Bad change?
While Reaper’s wraps is still usable solo for mages build, it feels bad to have to wait to pick up globes, and double globe pickup feels wasteful.
Perhaps tuning the amount of resources restored per globe would be a better approach. Combined with with making other speed metas for 4 man more competitive might work out.
I can see a 15-20% Reaper’s restore still being viable without feeling too punishing. Picking up globes but only getting benefit sometimes kind of feels wonky, especially for solo.
From what I’ve heard, the change didn’t even serve it’s purpose to deter 4 man LoD Mage speeds.
Bugs, discussion and highlight my hot button issues:
To start, simulacrums tend to die rather quick in pushes, from what I’ve seen. I don’t want to have to take enforcer to keep them alive in this setting, even if they were fully treated as pets, i’d prefer some other means to let them live a bit longer, or give us the tools to recast them more often with Haunted Visions equipped (keeping in mind the Rathma’s shield passive).
Second:
We won’t ever be able to Hybrid Scythe and Mage if this is the case. It’s so sad because Necromancer has so much potential for Hybrids in this area.
Bone Prison not getting proc’d from simulacrum casts?
Additional procs would really help Bone spear break free from dependence on other stuns when it comes to proc’cing Krysbin. Retuning of the chance for stun could help greatly here.
As an aside, I actually quite enjoy that Scythe build sims scale damage regardless of essence of the player. In dense rifts the essence pool always filled up so quickly. It gets laborious with so much essence gen to continually cast mage to dump essence, so this is a good middle ground I feel.
And… I went off again on a ramble.
TLDR: Thank you. I’m enjoying the changes for Necro thus far! It’s as if I’m truly playing the class for the first time. Despite a few issues, builds feel fluid, slightly more defensible, and enjoyable. I’m looking forward to playing Necromancer in S21. 