The 2.0 update for the necromancer is the laziest update among all the classes.
New ultimate = bone storm + shielding storm + ultimate shadow aspects.
New helm = bone storm + Osseous Aspect.
New Reaping Lotus’ Aspect and Phasing Poltergeist’s Aspect are just a rip-off from Bone Spear.
However, designed the class for 1.0 did an abysmal job with the minions and the overall speed of the class, and it took 9 months to solve it. Now, it seems the same person worked on the updates for 2.0 and, it appears, used the same techniques: Work 20 minutes per week and have the rest of the time.
It does feel like the person in charge of Necromancer design has never played Necromancer, or maybe only plays Bone Spirit with no minions. Even the new key passive is just a better version of Shadowblight. The new ultimate could have easily been a new curse and been 1000x better for the class. I just don’t see how they came to the decision to add a shadow ultimate right now when shadow already has 2 ultimate options, 1 of which is exactly the same with aspects. We still need a summoning generator and core skill and we have a very little amount of utility skills, so little that every build uses the same ones.
if they do regress on their progress of making a summoning class, players like myself will just end up leaving like we did before the fix at the end of season 3/4 to minions.
The proof is in the pudding, I want to play a minion class no matter how good a game is, and many feel this way. I will give them the benefit of the doubt after season 4 changes, but I wont give them 12 months like I did before.
I’m exited for the new ultimate + the Unmaker (but nothing else really). It seems like it enables very promising ultimate builds. Shadow-blood wave and spirit wave were pretty clunky.
The issue is that we already had it… This “new” ultimate is nothing new. Now no one is going to use bone storm + shielding storm + ultimate shadow aspects + Osseous Aspect anymore.
So why did they not remove these aspects?
The class has a massive issue with passive skills, so it would be more interesting to see a mechanic who would allow us to turn some of the class aspects into passive skills.
For example, get two Necrotic Augmentation points that allow turning Utility Aspects into passives. Now, we can turn Occult Aspect into a passive, allocating 3 points for each point and giving +1 to scales.
It solves problems with the passives and gives space to play with other currently underused aspects.
But no! The designer decided to give us a mix of the existing aspects.
All the other classes got something new. How is it necromancer got just a mix of aspects that are already in the game?
I agree that Bone Storm as a bone skill still has a place. Why do we still need the Ultimate Shadow aspect though?
I mean, no one will turn Bone Storm into a shadow anymore. There is just no point in doing it.
In terms of alternatives… People were asking for other options for Blood Mist, Decrepify, and Corpse Tendrils, and we did not get anything.
So when 2.0 is released, we will still be running around with the same Blood Mist, Decrepify, and Corpse Tendrils with the same aspects as we already had for the past year… for a minimum of 12 months until they release a new expansion that might solve it…
Also, people highlighted the issue with passives that are not flexible, so we cannot mix darkness or blood passives with the bone builds, etc., and the designer did not address this issue at all.
Agreed. I’m only here for minion Necromancer. It’s crazy how our whole class mechanic revolves around summoning, but there seems to be nothing getting added for minion support. We still don’t have a single minion based unique. Ring of Mendeln doesn’t count to me until the damage on it scales with minions and not player.
Looks like that’s what is going on in the necromancer’s head.
Necromancers are fine. They may benefit a bit more from some more utility like in D2 for example. Passives are kinda low in number, too. Since we are diggin into bone… I would say nerf Bone Spirit, buff Ossified Essence, get rid of armor on bone uniques.
The minion necromancer in this state because devs had the philosophy, “We do not have pure minion necromancer. Instead, minion builds should be hybrid.” Hence, the classes ended up without any active skills in the skill tree for the minions. I actually hoped they would fix it in the expansion.
As well as +Armor or +All resistances paragon points for minions… but nope! They did not fix the paragon points or added active skills for the minions.
Instead, they are pumping aspects, and the necromancer already needs more gear to use all of them… So, on the paper, the class looks cool. When you try to play, you are forced to use the same aspects. Otherwise, the class does not work.
New ultimate = bone storm + shielding storm + ultimate shadow aspects.
Agreed. Furthermore, this makes the necros’ already HUGE ultimate problem even worse. In case you don’t know - the necros’ HUGE ultimate problem is: bone storm is practically the classes’ only ultimate. Blood wave is useless except for some specific PvP only builds, and army of the dead is useless, period. That leaves bone storm. And now, instead of maybe like, I duuno, fixing the other 2 ultimates, we get a 4th one, that does the same thing as bone storm. Yay.
Army of the Dead is actually good for the Minion build. Especially with +200% x minion damage aspect.
Devs are buffing Blood Wave, so it might be viable in the next season. We will see soon.
I just do not understand how devs prioritized the new ultimate skill over other, more important skills.
Necromancer’s skill tree does not have any good mobility skills does not have shield generation skills, active minion skills, etc.
In their eyes, everything should come from the aspects, so devs pumping them every new season, but no one uses them because the class does not have enough gear slots to facilitate damage and, survivability and mobility.
The worst part about this situation is that we can complain, but devs have already finished the class update, so there will be no changes. Therefore, in 2.0, back to Blood Mist, Decrep, and Corpse Tendrils without any mobility…
Oh, also now, with the citadel, necromancers are probably going to party only with each other because there is no way that any highly mobile classes will ever join turtle necromancers.
Just to preface this by saying I am only talking about “pure” minion builds, or rather minion builds where they are not conduits to your power or supplementary power, but rather the bulk of your power.
I would not go so far as to say its useless, its probably a sub optimal choice if you plan to never die, ie play minions on hardcore. Simply because Bonestorm + shielding storm is effectively a “you can’t kill me button” within reason.
However if you are wanting to maximise your damage, AotD + unyielding commander becomes mandatory due to the huge boost in damage. Remember Unyielding Commander aspect says 100%+ but its 100%x, this is huge. If you can have close to 100% uptime on this and put it on a 2hander, we are now talking a 200%x bonus which is absolutely unmatched. This should be possible in 2.0 with the introduction of ultimate skill levels.
As far as AotD being a good spell without unyielding commander, yes its awful and does no damage, its only positive is it resummons dead skeletons which in the endgame is only useful on Uber Lilith and tormented Andy along with dying on softcore.
But bonestorm is only a 20% crit and 15% DR on its own, obviously this is still very good, but like AotD bonestorm is not judged in isolation, its good because of shielding storm, and better yet with ultimate shadow.
AotD therefore should be judged with unyielding commander, which makes it the best ultimate for damage with minions weather we like it or not.
It is good for damage with unyielding commander, yes, but you can’t take it for any difficult content, because you can’t survive. Honestly, the passives and aspect need to be baked into Army of the Dead and it needs to have some survivability options added to it.
I don’t mind it being a bit of a dud, but right now if you play mage minions you have some real issues. The main one being survivability.
Shielding is the solution as tyreal’s + shako provide the DR/armour/max res, but this can’t be achieved through blood orbs and temerity due to needing the pants slot free, and bonestorm is just a huge damage nerf.
The introduction of 3/3 15% lucky hit in the skill tree along with 3/3 15% lucky hit chance of a barrier will not cut it. Maybe if there are ways to give these passives + ranks.
I would have liked to have seen a barrier production system that synergies with corpse use or production, rather then yet another non synergistic system we have to try to shoe horn into our builds.
It is good for damage with unyielding commander, yes, but you can’t take it for any difficult content, because you can’t survive.
I agree 100%.
like AotD bonestorm is not judged in isolation
I think they should bith be judged according to the priority of things you need to do to get anywhere in the game. These ars as follows:
Survive
Kill stuff
Kill stuff fast
AotD helps with 2 and 3, while Bone storm helps with all of them. Remember 15% DR is almost the same as shako. It’s literally too good to pass up for any other ultimate.
