User:Psionikangel/Analysis of Necromancer's life-force generating utility skills

Analysis of Necromancer's utility skills for life force generation

There are many ways for necromancers to generate life force. It is the resource tied with the profession's mechanic Death Shroud, so there are a number of ways of generating it. Most necromancer trait lines have some way to bolster life force generation either passively (when stuff dies around you) or while doing necromancer things (fearing, burning, corrupting boon, etc.). Some Weapon Skills also have life force generation tied to their effects.

Sometimes, your build is using a weapon with low life force generation, or your chosen traits lock you out of a life force generating trait, meaning that your build has trouble keeping life force generation high, preventing the frequent use of your most powerful profession-specific abilities. In those cases, you might want to turn to using one (or more) utility skill to shore up that weakness.

The following analysis attempts at calculating the theoretical maximum amount of life for per minute that each utility skill can generate under perfect conditions.

Evaluating the difficulty of maintaining said conditions is left as an exercise to the reader.

Necromancer utility skills that grant life force

•   Haunt — Life Force: 10%
•   Necrotic Traversal — Life Force: 10%
•   Signet of Undeath — Life Force per 3 Seconds: 4% (in PvE, WvW); Life Force per 3 Seconds: 2% (in PvP)
•   Spectral Armor — Gain life force when taking damage.: 8%
•   Spectral Grasp — Life Force: 15%
•   Spectral Ring — Life Force: 4%
•   Spectral Walk — Life Force per Condition: 4%
•   Well of Corruption — Life Force: 1%
•   Desiccate — Life Force: 10%; Life Force per Hit: 2%
•   Elixir of Bliss — Life Force per Condition: 3%

Theoretical maximum life force gained per minute per utility skill

All of the calculations in this table are done considering the following parameter: The skill is used "on cooldown", meaning it is recast as soon as its cooldown finishes, as many times as possible within a 1 minute period.

Skill				Description	Maximum Life Force per minute	Maximum Life Force per minute (with Alacrity)	Required conditions for maximum life force
Haunt			20	Command your shadow fiend to teleport to a foe and attack all nearby foes, inflicting conditions.	30%	30%	Keeping your minion alive.
Necrotic Traversal				Sacrifice your flesh wurm, teleport to it, and poison foes.	20% (40%)	30% (60%)	(Ritualists with Boon of Creation get an extra 10% per activation.)
Signet of Undeath		10.5½	75	Signet Passive: Generates life force while in combat. Signet Active: Sacrifice health to revive one downed ally in a target area.	80%	80%	Not using the signet active effect
Spectral Armor			20	Spectral. Gain life force as you take damage.	192%	192%	Receiving 1 hit each second for the effect duration (8 seconds)
Spectral Grasp		0.5½	35	Spectral. Pull target foe and all nearby foes to you, chill them, and gain life force.	75%	150%	Hitting 5 targets within range [1200]
Spectral Ring		0.25¼	30	Spectral. Create a spectral ring that protects allies and inflicts fear on foes. Gain life force when a foe is inflicted by fear from this skill. This skill can only inflict fear on the same foe once per interval.	80% (110%)	80% (110%)	10 different ennemies passing through the ring in 8 seconds. (Necromancers with Fear of Death get an extra 15% per activation.)
Spectral Walk			20	Spectral. Create a shadowy tether and become spectral, consuming conditions for life force. You may return to your initial position by using Spectral Recall.	60% (63%)	60% (63%)	Have 1 condition on you to be removed every interval [2s] for the effect's duration [10 seconds]. (Reapers with Blighter's Boon get an extra 1% per activation.)
Well of Corruption		0.25¼	32	Well. Target area pulses, converting boons on foes into conditions.	25%	50%	Hitting 5 targets within the area [radius: 240] every interval [1s] for the effect's duration (5 seconds)
Desiccate		0.75¾	16	Punishment. Draw vital energy from your foes to gain life force and grant boons to nearby allies. Gain additional life force per target struck. Convert a boon on affected enemies to torment.	60% (75%)	80% (100%)	Hitting 5 targets within the area [radius: 300]. (Scourges with Nourishing Ashes get an extra 5% per activation if there is a boon to corrupt on one of the 5 targets.)
Elixir of Bliss		0.5½	20	Elixir. Infuse the magical essence of bliss into an elixir, gaining resolution and converting conditions on yourself into life force, and then toss the elixir at the targeted area, corrupting a boon on targets into a condition. If you are in the splash area of the elixir, gain Blight. If you are at or above the Blight threshold when you activate this skill, consume that amount of Blight to double the damage and corrupt an additional boon on targets	45%	45%	Have 5 conditions on you to be removed when cast.