Build:N/Mo Sacrificial Vampire

This build requires a rating. Please apply the appropriate tag based upon consensus. This build has been designed for the following use: PvE general

This build revolves around the Blood and Death Magic of the Necromancer. It uses armor-ignoring damage to nuke enemies at close range while keeping themselves alive with life steal. A twist to what a caster profession usually does.

Attributes and Skills

<pvxbig> [build prof=N/Mo BloodMagic=11+1+3 DeathMagic=11+2 SoulReaping=6+1 Curses=4+1 ProtectionPrayers=5 ] [Guardian][Ravenous Gaze][Unholy Feast][Taste of Pain][Enfeebling Blood][Dark Aura][Masochism][Optional][/build] </pvxbig>

<pvxbig>

Optional Skills:

• PVE-only Skills:
  • [[Great Dwarf Armor] For extra tanking ability.
  • [[Light of Deldrimor] For another AoE skill to trigger Dark Aura.
  • [[Mindbender] For faster casting and movement.

• Blood Magic Skills:
  • [[Blood Renewal@15] A good life maintaining spell that triggers the nuke.
    • Beware of the LARGE life loss when you cast this with Dark Aura and Masochism on.
  • [[Dark Pact@15] Another spell that fits nicely for more nukes.
  • [[Demonic Flesh@15] This will add to the AoE blast EXCEPT for your target.
    • A good skill if you find that the first 5 are sufficient.
  • [[Vampiric Bite@15] This helps vs a single target but does NOT trigger Masochism or Dark Aura.

• Protection Magic Skills:
  • [[Reversal of Fortune@5] Spammable spell but not truly needed. Over-shadowed by better skills.

Equipment

• Recommended Runes: Superior Vigor
• Recommended Insignia: Full Blessed/Undertaker's; (Survivor works too but the +Armor seems to work better)
• Recommended Weapons:
  • Main-hand: Sword/Axe of Enchanting, "I have the power" Inscription
    • Allows you to easily maintain close quarters.
  • Off-hand: Blood/Death Focus of Devotion, "Faith is my shield" Inscription
    • More energy for skills and life+armor for survivability (a shield would work but the amount of armor doesn't out balance the energy without the required attributes)

Usage

• Always maintain Dark Aura and Masochism on your character. (Note Masochism raises Death Magic so cast it before Dark Aura)
• If you have an enchantment in the optional slot use that also before the fight.
• With a melee weapon, choose a target and try to attack. Preferably the one in the middle of the group.
• When close enough, start casting skills 1-5. The order is variable in the situation.
  • Usually you start with Enfeebling Blood, then Ravenous Gaze/Unholy Feast (depending on if you have the life), then Guardian as a defensive spell. Cast Taste of Pain as soon as the target's life drops below 50%.
• Note that although each spell sacrifices health due to Masochism, this sacrifice is separate from the Sac Cost for Enfeebling Blood and Ravenous Gaze. Thus triggering Dark Aura twice for these spells.
• At close range, Ravenous Gaze will do approximately 160 armor-ignoring damage to the entire area adjacent to you.
• Recast the enchantments as they wear off. If you do so before they run out, they will trigger themselves again causing more shadow damage.

Counters

• Generally you can be countered by Enchantment Removal and Interrupters. More the 2nd than the 1st.
• Enchantment Removal lowers you effectiveness greatly since most of your damage comes from Dark Aura. However even without it, you can still do a fair amount of damage and easily out weigh damage received with life steal.
• Interrupters will counter you if they are really skilled since all the skills are spells and thus have a cast-time. If they stop your spells, then you can't do anything.
• Energy removal beats you also but is easily avoidable since corpses recharge your energy and most of the spells are low cost save for Unholy Feast.

Variants

• A variation of this build can be a Mesmer secondary using Physical/Elemental Resistance. But the downside is that it makes you susceptible to one or the other depending on which you use.
• If you find that you charging in only gets you killed before you can cast, swap your weapon for a spear. This way you stay back when the fight starts but you have to manually position yourself to get the most out of your skills. You can supplement this by simply having your melee weapon and focus in another Weapon Set and swap to it when the fight starts. Naturally this tactic will work with a bow as well.

Notes

• Always take note of your and your target's health. Unholy Feast and Taste of Pain will keep you alive but you have to be sure to cast it effectively. Taste of Pain has a requirement thus if the target gets healed above 50% hen you cast you don't regain any health and still sacrifice 4% and 20 health.
• Although it seems logical to increase health in this build, do remember that Sacrifice is by percentage. Thus with more maximum health, you end up sacrificing more while as with armor you gain take less damage and sacrifice less.
• If you have a healing monk with you, have them maintain Vigorous Spirit on you. It generally negates the health loss from Dark Aura.