This build supports up to three soul takerCoreNecromancer. Soul Reaping 18Soul TakerElite Enchantment SpellFor 35 seconds, your attacks sacrifice 21 health and deal +21 more damage. PvE only.5115 melees with dark auraCoreNecromancer. Death Magic 18Dark AuraEnchantment SpellFor 30 seconds, whenever target ally sacrifices Health, Dark Aura deals 59 shadow damage to adjacent foes, and you lose 23 Health.10110 to deal devastating armour ignoring area damage. This power in offense is paid in health sacrifices that make additional healing mandatory.
EotNNecromancer. Soul Reaping 12MasochismEnchantment SpellFor 34 seconds, you have +2 to your Death Magic and Soul Reaping attributes and sacrifice 3% of your maximum Health when you cast a spell.5120
EotNNo Profession. Deldrimor rank 10Great Dwarf WeaponWeapon SpellFor 20 seconds, target other ally's weapon strikes for +20 damage and has a 40% chance to cause knock down. PvE only.1015
EotNNo Profession. Ebon Vanguard rank 10Ebon EscapeSpellShadow Step to target other ally. You and that other ally are healed for 110 health. PvE only.5¼10
Strength of HonorCoreMonk. Smiting Prayers 9Strength of HonorEnchantment SpellWhile you maintain this Enchantment, target ally deals 17 more damage in melee.-110215 – put on your frontliner(s) for increased hit damage.
Putrid ExplosionCoreNecromancer. Death Magic 18Putrid ExplosionSpellThe corpse nearest your target explodes, sending out a shockwave that deals 139 damage to nearby foes.1015 – snowball one kill into many.
Aura of the LichPropheciesNecromancer. Death Magic 19Aura of the LichElite Enchantment SpellAll corpses within earshot are exploited and you animate a level 21 bone horror with 500 Health and 126 armor plus one for each corpse exploited in this way. For 56 seconds, your Death Magic attribute is increased by +1.15245 – mild extra damage, distraction and a slight boost to death magic.
Soul TakerCoreNecromancer. Soul Reaping 15Soul TakerElite Enchantment SpellFor 30 seconds, your attacks sacrifice 20 health and deal +20 more damage. PvE only.5115 – if you only support one melee and your backline is stable, you can bring soul taker aswell and put dark aura on yourself. Generally not advised, as it noticeably worsens the team positioning and puts a lot of strain on the backline, but it can decisively increase your team's killing power if need be. Use without investing into a third attribute and equip an anniversary scythe sufferer for maximum effect. Bring drunken masterEotNNo Profession. Deldrimor rank 10Drunken MasterStanceFor 90 seconds, your movement and attack speeds are increased by 15%. If you are drunk while activating this Skill, your movement and attack speeds are increased by 33% instead. PvE only.560 aswell for IAS and IMS.
Shutdown:
TechnobabbleEotNNo Profession. Asura rank 10TechnobabbleSpellTarget foe and all adjacent foes are struck for 40 damage. If target foe is not a boss, that foe and all adjacent foes are Dazed for 5 seconds. PvE only.10110 – frequently available dazed to shut down casters together with the supported frontliner(s). Ideally used with a silencing weapon.
Extend ConditionsNightfallMesmer. Inspiration Magic 9Extend ConditionsElite SpellSpread all conditions from target foe to foes near your target. The durations of those conditions is increased by 62% (maximum 30 seconds).5¼5 – combine with technobabbleEotNNo Profession. Asura rank TechnobabbleSpellTarget foe and all adjacent foes are struck for 30..40 damage. If target foe is not a boss, that foe and all adjacent foes are Dazed for 3..5 seconds. PvE only.10110 for super-dazed against longer-living casters. Ideally used with a silencing weapon.
Crowd control and positioning:
Tryptophan SignetEotNNo Profession. Ebon Vanguard rank 10Tryptophan SignetSignetFor 20 seconds, target foe and all adjacent foes move and attack 40% slower. PvE only.115 – makes it harder for foes to scatter effectively.
MindbenderEotNNo Profession. Asura rank 10MindbenderEnchantment SpellFor 16 seconds, you move 33% faster and your Spells take 20% less time to cast. PvE only.5124 – easier positioning and faster spell activation.
DashFactionsAssassin. UnlinkedDashStanceFor 3 seconds, you run 50% faster.58 – helps to kite and improve your positioning.
Backline support:
Foul FeastEotNNecromancer. Soul Reaping 12Foul FeastSpellAll conditions are transferred from target other ally to yourself. For each condition acquired in this way, you gain 36 Health and 2 Energy. This skill recharges twice as fast if you remove Disease from your target.5¼4 – cleansing.
Holy VeilCoreMonk. UnlinkedHoly VeilEnchantment SpellWhile you maintain this Enchantment, any Hex cast on target ally takes twice as long to cast. When Holy Veil ends, one Hex is removed from target ally.-15112 – cleansing.
Expel HexesFactionsMesmer. UnlinkedExpel HexesElite SpellRemove up to 2 Hexes from target ally.518 – cleansing.
Breath of the Great DwarfEotNNo Profession. Deldrimor rank 10Breath of the Great DwarfSpellAll party members are relieved of Burning and are healed for 60 Health. PvE only.10¼15 – party heal. Best party heal option with the available energy and attribute points.
Mystic RegenerationNightfallDervish. Earth Prayers 9Mystic RegenerationEnchantment SpellFor 14 seconds, you have +3 Health regeneration for each enchantment (maximum of 8) on you.10¼10 – selfheal of 20 health points per second.
Unyielding AuraPropheciesMonk. Divine Favor 0Unyielding AuraElite Enchantment SpellWhile you maintain this enchantment, your Monk spells heal for +15% more Health. When this enchantment ends one random other party member is resurrected with full Health and Energy and teleported to your location.-15¼10 – best single-target resurrection in the game. Ideal if you have a monk that copies it with arcane mimicryCoreMesmer. UnlinkedArcane MimicrySpellFor 20 seconds, Arcane Mimicry becomes the non-Form Elite skill from target other ally.15260.
"By Ural's Hammer!"EotNNo Profession. Deldrimor rank 10"By Ural's Hammer!"ShoutFor 30 seconds, all dead party members in earshot are resurrected with full Health and Energy. Resurrected party members deal 33% more damage. When this effect ends, affected party members die. This skill does not incur a death penalty. PvE only.560 – best party resurrection in the game (as long as there are resurrection skills on at least two more party members).
"Stand Your Ground!"NightfallParagon. Command 9"Stand Your Ground!"ShoutFor 14 seconds, all party members within earshot receive +24 armor when not moving.1020 – party-wide armour rating bonus.
Utility:
Withering AuraEotNNecromancer. Death Magic 18Withering AuraEnchantment SpellFor 23 seconds, target ally's melee attacks cause Weakness for 23 seconds.513 – cover, debuff and provision of conditions.
"Fall Back!"NightfallParagon. Command 9"Fall Back!"ShoutFor 8 seconds, all allies within earshot gain 11 Health per second while moving and move 33% faster. "Fall Back!" ends on an ally affected by this Shout when that ally successfully hits with an attack.1020 – party-wide IMS.
"Incoming!"NightfallParagon. Command 9"Incoming!"Elite ShoutFor 8 seconds, all allies within earshot move 33% faster, and gain 11 Health while moving.520 – party-wide IMS.
Signet of Lost SoulsNightfallNecromancer. Soul Reaping 12Signet of Lost SoulsSignetIf target foe is below 50% Health, you gain 82 Health and 8 Energy.¼8 – energy management, selfheal.
Signet of SpiritsFactionsRitualist. Channeling Magic 9Signet of SpiritsElite SignetCreate three level 8 spirits. These spirits deal 14 damage with attacks. These spirits die after 60 seconds.130 – if not yet present in your team, but you have a restoration magic healer or anything else interacting with spirits. Allows them to get more out of skills interacting with spirits, such as mend body and soulFactionsRitualist. Restoration Magic Mend Body and SoulSpellTarget ally is healed for 20..96..121 Health. That ally loses one Condition for each spirit within earshot.5¾3, spirit transferFactionsRitualist. Restoration Magic Spirit TransferSpellThe Spirit nearest you loses 5..41..53 Health. Target ally is healed for 5 for each point of Health lost.10¼5 and spirit siphonFactionsRitualist. Channeling Magic Spirit SiphonSpellTarget Spirit loses all Energy. You gain 15..43..52% of that Energy.5¼3.
Elemental AttunementCoreElementalist. Energy Storage 0Elemental AttunementElite Enchantment SpellFor 25 seconds, you are attuned to Air, Fire, Water, and Earth and gain +1 to these attributes. You gain 50% of the base Energy cost of the skill each time you use magic associated with any of these elements.10120 – for elementalists to steal with arcane mimicryCoreMesmer. UnlinkedArcane MimicrySpellFor 20 seconds, Arcane Mimicry becomes the non-Form Elite skill from target other ally.15260.
40/40 death magic for non-enchantment death magic skills and aura of the lichPropheciesNecromancer. Death Magic 19Aura of the LichElite Enchantment SpellAll corpses within earshot are exploited and you animate a level 21 bone horror with 500 Health and 126 armor plus one for each corpse exploited in this way. For 56 seconds, your Death Magic attribute is increased by +1.15245.
High energy set death magic.
Shield set. To be used when you're idle or about to die. Prefer a silencing weapon for increased dazed durations when using technobabbleEotNNo Profession. Asura rank 10TechnobabbleSpellTarget foe and all adjacent foes are struck for 40 damage. If target foe is not a boss, that foe and all adjacent foes are Dazed for 5 seconds. PvE only.10110.
Maintain masochismEotNNecromancer. Soul Reaping 12MasochismEnchantment SpellFor 34 seconds, you have +2 to your Death Magic and Soul Reaping attributes and sacrifice 3% of your maximum Health when you cast a spell.5120 to increase death magic to 18.
Maintain dark auraCoreNecromancer. Death Magic 18Dark AuraEnchantment SpellFor 30 seconds, whenever target ally sacrifices Health, Dark Aura deals 59 shadow damage to adjacent foes, and you lose 23 Health.10110 on soul takerCoreNecromancer. Soul Reaping 18Soul TakerElite Enchantment SpellFor 35 seconds, your attacks sacrifice 21 health and deal +21 more damage. PvE only.5115 necromancers in your team.
If available, cover with withering auraEotNNecromancer. Death Magic 18Withering AuraEnchantment SpellFor 23 seconds, target ally's melee attacks cause Weakness for 23 seconds.513.
See Notes: Damage for an overview of how much damage this combo deals.
Maintain Great Dwarf WeaponEotNNo Profession. Deldrimor rank 10Great Dwarf WeaponWeapon SpellFor 20 seconds, target other ally's weapon strikes for +20 damage and has a 40% chance to cause knock down. PvE only.1015 on as many physicals as possible. It can also be put on pets, non-party-member allies and minions.
Detonate leftover foes with Putrid ExplosionCoreNecromancer. Death Magic 18Putrid ExplosionSpellThe corpse nearest your target explodes, sending out a shockwave that deals 139 damage to nearby foes.1015.
Counters
Frequent enchantment removal.
Deep enchantment removal.
A spell breakerCoreMonk. Divine Favor Spell BreakerElite Enchantment SpellFor 5..15..18 seconds, target ally cannot be the target of enemy spells. 15145 support in your team can help to bypass this issue.
General anti-caster.
Lack of healing.
Notes
Missed and blocked attacks still trigger soul takerCoreNecromancer. Soul Reaping 18Soul TakerElite Enchantment SpellFor 35 seconds, your attacks sacrifice 21 health and deal +21 more damage. PvE only.5115's health sacrifice and thus dark auraCoreNecromancer. Death Magic 18Dark AuraEnchantment SpellFor 30 seconds, whenever target ally sacrifices Health, Dark Aura deals 59 shadow damage to adjacent foes, and you lose 23 Health.10110's damage.
The health loss on you and the frontliner(s) makes it mandatory to bring additional healing compared to other builds.
You don't have to play this build with an elite skill if other options are more promising.
Dark auraCoreNecromancer. Death Magic Dark AuraEnchantment SpellFor 30 seconds, whenever target ally sacrifices Health, Dark Aura deals 5..41..53 shadow damage to adjacent foes, and you lose 5..17..21 Health.10110 Mechanics:
The caster loses health points. This way the occurring health loss/sacrifice is split between the soul takerCoreNecromancer. Soul Reaping 18Soul TakerElite Enchantment SpellFor 35 seconds, your attacks sacrifice 21 health and deal +21 more damage. PvE only.5115 and his support.
The enchanted character is the center of the damage, not the target of the weapon attacks.
optional
Strength of Honor – put on your frontliner(s) for increased hit damage.
Putrid Explosion – snowball one kill into many.
Aura of the Lich – mild extra damage, distraction and a slight boost to death magic.
