Am I missing something?

[Division by Zero]

People talk about Necro being Awesome in conjunction with 2h, but I don't really get why. The healing never comes into play for me. If my armor/magic armor ever drops the AI CC bombs me till I'm dead so why would I go Necro over say, Poly/Geo/Hydro for more buffs instead?

[wds_ncs]

You aren't, really.

[Jackal]

Necro isn't awesome, it's useless, anything that only heals HP is pure useless 'cause you will just get cc'ed to death once armors are gone so it's pointless to focus on HP builts

[Nucl3ar_Bl4st]

Worked quite well for me. Used the protective dome (forgot name) and other phys and magic armor restoration spells. Necro made sure that I was always topped up at health which triggered my talent to have 20% more crit chance while at full health.
Also with bone cage you can instantly raise your phys armor to an insane amount in most fights where corpses are nearby.

At least as a lone wolf he was a self sustaining killer machine.

[Chances]

Been running a 2 Hander / Necro Build, focusing into Warfare and Necro first, then dumping a few extra into two-handed.

The combo is helpful, especially once you hit 10 Necromancy, which means point for point, you regain what you dish out. When armor goes down, you are vulnerable, but you got teammates with support capabilities which can remove the CC and restore your armors. But while that's happening, a two hander with a whirlwind attack on 2+ characters, or just wailing on one, can do significant work on restoring your health in a pinch, letting you preserve necessary potions.

On top of that, Necromancy gives you some badly needed tank abilities. Bone Armor, any dead enemies and bodies around can be used to restore physical armor. Living on the Edge, your health can't go below 1 HP for 2 rounds, which makes a great pinch recovery. And even I still recommend Bone Widow, it may not be as beefy since the patch, but that's still one plus sized target your enemies will have to focus damage on, and makes for a great obstacle.

Granted, the two-handed / Necro is best used with a team that can compliment it with buffs and recovery, but the Necro passive does add a nice cherry on top to recover from a bad turn.

Just my experience. (Playing on Classic, if that's any help / hinderance)

[Division by Zero]

Originally posted by Chances:

Been running a 2 Hander / Necro Build, focusing into Warfare and Necro first, then dumping a few extra into two-handed.

The combo is helpful, especially once you hit 10 Necromancy, which means point for point, you regain what you dish out. When armor goes down, you are vulnerable, but you got teammates with support capabilities which can remove the CC and restore your armors. But while that's happening, a two hander with a whirlwind attack on 2+ characters, or just wailing on one, can do significant work on restoring your health in a pinch, letting you preserve necessary potions.

On top of that, Necromancy gives you some badly needed tank abilities. Bone Armor, any dead enemies and bodies around can be used to restore physical armor. Living on the Edge, your health can't go below 1 HP for 2 rounds, which makes a great pinch recovery. And even I still recommend Bone Widow, it may not be as beefy since the patch, but that's still one plus sized target your enemies will have to focus damage on, and makes for a great obstacle.

Granted, the two-handed / Necro is best used with a team that can compliment it with buffs and recovery, but the Necro passive does add a nice cherry on top to recover from a bad turn.

Just my experience. (Playing on Classic, if that's any help / hinderance)

It's useful, and explains some things. Mostly confirms what I was thinking. You have to have a party to bail you out. I play Tactician/Honour Mode with solo Lone Wolves. There is no team to bail me out. If I let my Armor/Magic Armor drop too early into a fight, there is no recovery, I'm dead. If I let it drop late into the fight, the healing doesn't matter as much as just finishing whoever is left and then taking care of myself after the fight. The only reason I dip Necro at all is for a constant source of Decaying Wounds.

The Lone Wolf Tactician I just finished was a wits/Int built Hydro/Scoundrel 1h+Shield build, with 1 point(2 cuz lonewolf) each in Aero/Geo/Warfare/Necro and a few points in Poly for Skin Graft and support spells.

[Chances]

Originally posted by Division by Zero:

Originally posted by Chances:

*Snip*

It's useful, and explains some things. Mostly confirms what I was thinking. You have to have a party to bail you out. I play Tactician/Honour Mode with solo Lone Wolves. There is no team to bail me out. If I let my Armor/Magic Armor drop too early into a fight, there is no recovery, I'm dead. If I let it drop late into the fight, the healing doesn't matter as much as just finishing whoever is left and then taking care of myself after the fight. The only reason I dip Necro at all is for a constant source of Decaying Wounds.

The Lone Wolf Tactician I just finished was a wits/Int built Hydro/Scoundrel 1h+Shield build, with 1 point(2 cuz lonewolf) each in Aero/Geo/Warfare/Necro and a few points in Poly for Skin Graft and support spells.

That would be the issue then. If you do Lone Wolf with the 2H / Necro, at least have ONE companion / partner who can help with recovery and add supplemental offensive power. (Geomancer / Summoner / Hydro)

[Nucl3ar_Bl4st]

Originally posted by Division by Zero:

Originally posted by Chances:

Been running a 2 Hander / Necro Build, focusing into Warfare and Necro first, then dumping a few extra into two-handed.

The combo is helpful, especially once you hit 10 Necromancy, which means point for point, you regain what you dish out. When armor goes down, you are vulnerable, but you got teammates with support capabilities which can remove the CC and restore your armors. But while that's happening, a two hander with a whirlwind attack on 2+ characters, or just wailing on one, can do significant work on restoring your health in a pinch, letting you preserve necessary potions.

On top of that, Necromancy gives you some badly needed tank abilities. Bone Armor, any dead enemies and bodies around can be used to restore physical armor. Living on the Edge, your health can't go below 1 HP for 2 rounds, which makes a great pinch recovery. And even I still recommend Bone Widow, it may not be as beefy since the patch, but that's still one plus sized target your enemies will have to focus damage on, and makes for a great obstacle.

Granted, the two-handed / Necro is best used with a team that can compliment it with buffs and recovery, but the Necro passive does add a nice cherry on top to recover from a bad turn.

Just my experience. (Playing on Classic, if that's any help / hinderance)

It's useful, and explains some things. Mostly confirms what I was thinking. You have to have a party to bail you out. I play Tactician/Honour Mode with solo Lone Wolves. There is no team to bail me out. If I let my Armor/Magic Armor drop too early into a fight, there is no recovery, I'm dead. If I let it drop late into the fight, the healing doesn't matter as much as just finishing whoever is left and then taking care of myself after the fight. The only reason I dip Necro at all is for a constant source of Decaying Wounds.

The Lone Wolf Tactician I just finished was a wits built Hydro/Scounsel 1h+Shield build, with 1 point(2 cuz lonewolf) each in Aero/Geo/Warfare/Necro and a few points in Poly for Skin Graft and support spells.

I just finished my playthrough as 2 lone wolfs as 2 hander/Necro and a Summoner and it worked really well. The only buffs my 2hander was getting by my Sommoner was haste, favorable winds and in some situations clear mind and the protective dome.

All other buffs to keep his phys and magic armor up came from my 2-hander himself. Scrolls and potions did the rest if other skills were on CD.
Also I just loved the combo Raining Blood and Grasp of the Starved.

However I have tried this on Classic moder only, but just started an tactition playthrough where I'll try 2 2-handers, one tf them with the necro combo and he other one with geo/poly.

[Vicious]

Necro with no skills is pointless. But, combine a 2H warrior with stuff like Blood Sucker, Bone Cage, Living on the Edge, Deathwish, and maybe Decaying Touch, and they become walking unstoppable Death Knights.

[Division by Zero]

Originally posted by Vicious:

Necro with no skills is pointless. But, combine a 2H warrior with stuff like Blood Sucker, Bone Cage, Living on the Edge, Deathwish, and maybe Decaying Touch, and they become walking unstoppable Death Knights.

Bone cage is awesome. None of the rest of that stops you from being chain ccd till dead which means they are competing for memory slots with spells that actually do stop that from happening. Decaying touch is a fantastic spell too.

[Morgian]

You can pick up Living Armor and that will be refilled by your necro lifetapping. Not by much, but usually just enough...I find I need the edge in honour mode, in addition to the recovery spells.
Living on the Edge, Bone Armor, Bloodrain, Bloodsucker and the Chains are also useful - note that your chains will replace those of a NPC.

[Ashera]

Well, last night I was fighting those terracotta army dudes in Sulvys grave or whatever it is (reapers coast)
Lohse got down to 20% hp, used whirlwind, back to full hp, fortify... good to go.
When your armor is down you dont get cc'd 100% of the time like the forums lead you to believe, people remember bad times more than good times. I'm sure there have been fights where other players than myself lose some HP but aren't cc'd into the ground until death... right? or am i the only one? Why use AP on potions when you can kill and heal together.

[Nucl3ar_Bl4st]

Originally posted by Morgian:

Chains are also useful - note that your chains will replace those of a NPC.

Now that is quite some valuable information. Did not know about that. Thanks!

[Division by Zero]

Originally posted by Ashera:

Well, last night I was fighting those terracotta army dudes in Sulvys grave or whatever it is (reapers coast)
Lohse got down to 20% hp, used whirlwind, back to full hp, fortify... good to go.
When your armor is down you dont get cc'd 100% of the time like the forums lead you to believe, people remember bad times more than good times. I'm sure there have been fights where other players than myself lose some HP but aren't cc'd into the ground until death... right? or am i the only one?

Every one of my Honour Mode losses so far has been to that. Usually a lucky crit takes down my armor or magic armor and then I spend the rest of the time till dead controlled. It's not that it ALWAYS happens, it's that it's almost always what actually kills you.

[Nucl3ar_Bl4st]

Originally posted by Ashera:

Well, last night I was fighting those terracotta army dudes in Sulvys grave or whatever it is (reapers coast)
Lohse got down to 20% hp, used whirlwind, back to full hp, fortify... good to go.

Jep, and later in the game you don't need whirlwind anymore. My 2-hander had a crit chance of around 90% and did crit damage of around 4k. He was chewing during enemy phys armor like crazy he healed himself for around 4,7k for every crit. With bone armor, living armor, fortify etc. he could take on groups of 4 without comming anywhere near his danger zone.

[Ashera]

Originally posted by Division by Zero:

Every one of my Honour Mode losses so far has been to that. Usually a lucky crit takes down my armor or magic armor and then I spend the rest of the time till dead controlled. It's not that it ALWAYS happens, it's that it's almost always what actually kills you.

I'm sure if the AI could comment here, they would be saying the same thing about players. Every time they lose it's because their armors were gone and CC'd.
That ♥♥♥♥ happens. I just know if my 2h warrior gets wrecked like that and survives with 10%, I'd like to know i'm able to heal up and kill the threats at the same time. Argument could be made here that the 4 points spent into necro could be in warfare and that enemy wouldn't have been able to attack because dead. but each to their own.

Originally posted by Nucl3ar_Bl4st:

Jep, and later in the game you don't need whirlwind anymore. My 2-hander had a crit chance of around 90% and did crit damage of around 4k. He was chewing during enemy phys armor like crazy he healed himself for around 4,7k for every crit. With bone armor, living armor, fortify etc. he could take on groups of 4 without comming anywhere near his danger zone.

That's just the state of 2h builds. They are hella strong and frankly need some adjustments. You certainly never need 100% necro heal, that's over kill. 1 point in necro at that point in damage could heal you 5k+ if you use battlestomp on a few enemies only healing at 10%.
anyway, 2h builds are probably the least to benefit from necro as their damage is so far through the roof that every fight you either:
a: go first, cc enemies until they die
b: go last, get cc'd until you die
c: go last, get munched but not cc'd, ruin everyones face for revenge and finish with fortify/magic armor, most enemies dead, no cc threat left
d: fall asleep from being bored of the 10000th fight you simply chain knockdowned the enemy till victory.

Also, don't need whirlwind?
Well, no you dont "need" it. But it's a pretty cost effective way to clear things. If you are critting 4k for 2ap on one enemy, why not crit 3k for 2ap on 1-10 enemies? Handy spell, more enemies nearby the more efficient it is. Especially with the warfare source skill that increases damage based on # of nearby enemies.